“Har Habayit Beyadenu, Har Habayit Beyadenu!”—the Temple Mount is in our hands, the Temple Mount is in our hands.” Today, on Yom Yerushalayim, we celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem and remember these words of Colonel Motta Gur as he made his way through the winding alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem.
For 19 years, the Old City and Temple Mount had been under Jordanian rule, after the land was captured in the 1948 Independence War. Jews were evicted and our Holy sites were left in ruin.
For two millennia, Jews yearned for our return to Jerusalem. In Psalms we read, and at weddings we sing, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.”
We danced in the streets as finally, on this day in 1967, our 2000-year-old dream had become a reality.
I’ve previously recommended Unpacked’s 12-part YouTube series on the Six Day War and do so again. I think that it provides outstanding insight and perspective on the events of the day. You can binge-watch all 12 episodes in 45 minutes and is well worth your time in celebration of this special day.