by Reb Akiva @ Mystical Paths

As Jerusalem Day arrived, I had the opportunity to be in the Old City of Jerusalem.  As much as the Old City is the center of the Holy City, it’s also a living city and an area where much blood has been shed.

Let’s take a walk through the Old City on Yom Yerushalayim and notice some things others ordinarily miss…

This is the Jaffa Gate, the only one easy to drive through.  Why is it easy to drive through?  Because the British governor came to visit and wanted to impress everyone by driving into the city, so he had the second of wall next to Jaffa Gate torn down to allow room for a car.  (Lots of flags on Jerusalem Day.)

In the wall by Jaffa Gate this inscription has been added.  It says “on the 10th of the (Hebrew) month of Tevet (a traditional fast day for the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Holy Temple) in the year 5730 (December 19, 1969) the fixing of the walls of Jerusalem was completed, as it says in the prophet Nechema, ‘(in the future) the walls of Jerusalem will be raised all their length’.”

In the Old City, sometimes you literally get to walk where our forefathers walked… “The paving stones in this section are part of the street pavement from the end of the Roman period, 3-4th century CE.”

Every little street and walkway has a history…

“…And the old will sit and rest, and the streets will be full with children playing.”, prophet Zechariya…

This was about to be Jerusalem Day, so many school groups had come to express their Zionism…boys, girls, people who a generation ago were dispersed far and wide…

We finish part 1 with this…  After 1948 the Jordanians LEVELED the Jewish Quarter (and destroyed every synagogue and yeshiva).  After Israel recaptured the city in 1967 they rebuilt the Jewish Quarter, which is why the Jewish Quarter is relatively new and in nice condition.  (The Jewish shuk off the Cardo.)