Yom Yerushalayim
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| Jerusalem Day | |
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| Jerusalem Day 2004 at the Western Wall | |
| Official name | Hebrew: יום ירושלים (Yom Yerushalayim) |
| Observed by | Israelis, Religious Zionists |
| Type | Secular (observed religiously in some Zionist communities) |
| Significance | The reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule after the Six-Day War |
| Begins | Iyar 28 |
| 2006 date | May 26 |
| 2007 date | May 16 |
| 2008 date | June 2 |
Yom Yerushalayim (Hebrew: יום ירושלים, Jerusalem Day) is an annual Israeli national holiday celebrated on Iyar 28 (כ"ח באייר).
It is primarily celebrated by secular and national-religious (religious Zionist) Israelis and Jews. Celebratory customs outside of Israel include saying the full Hallel prayer, dancing, and learning about Jerusalem's history; Israeli schools devote the week preceding this day to enhancing students' knowledge and understanding of the city's significance. Some Haredi Jews do not celebrate this holiday, although it is more widely celebrated in that community than Yom Ha'atzma'ut.
According to the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was to be an international city, not part of either the proposed Jewish or Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the plan, but the Arab leadership rejected; all surrounding Arab nations and armies subsequently invaded Israel. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the city was divided between Israeli and Jordanian control. Jordan controlled Jerusalem's Old City and the Eastern side of Jerusalem, and killed or forced the Jews in those areas out. Jews were forbidden from entering Jordanian Jerusalem, including their holy sites, and most Jewish cemeteries and synagogues throughout the West Bank were desecrated. In 1967, East Jerusalem, location of the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War. The war ended in ceasefire on June 11, 1967.
On May 12, 1968, the government proclaimed the holiday of "Jerusalem Day" for the 28th of Iyar, corresponding to the date that the Israeli military liberated those parts of Jerusalem which had previously been in Arab possession. On March 23, 1998, the Knesset passed the "Jerusalem Day Law" which made the day a national holiday.
One of the main slogans (made into a song) for the holiday is "k'eir shechubra la yachdav" meaning "The city which was reunited". It is a passage from Psalms:122:3 "The built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together within itself".
On Yom Ha'atzma'ut it is common practice for Israelis to hang out flags outside their home windows. Traditionally, these flags aren't taken off again until after Jerusalem Day.
[edit] See also
- Yom HaShoah - Holocaust remembrance day
- Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day
- Yom Ha'atzma'ut - Israel Independence Day
- Jerusalem of Gold (song) - Famous song relevant to this day
- History of Jerusalem
[edit] References
- Overview: Yom Yerushalaim. Retrieved on 2006-05-27.
[edit] External links
| Jewish and Israeli holidays | |
|---|---|
| Jewish holidays | Shabbat · Rosh Chodesh · Rosh Hashanah · Fast of Gedalia · Yom Kippur · Sukkot · Hoshanah Rabbah · Shemini Atzeret · Simchat Torah · Hanukkah · Tenth of Tevet · Tu Bishvat · Fast of Esther · Purim · Fast of the Firstborn · Pesach · Counting of the Omer · Lag Ba'omer · Shavuot · 17th of Tammuz · The Three Weeks · The Nine Days · Tisha B'Av · Tu B'Av |
| National holidays of Israel | Yom HaShoah · Yom Hazikaron · Yom Ha'atzmaut · Yom Yerushalayim |
