FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, May 23rd at 7:00PM, the Greater Washington area will join together to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem at a community-wide event featuring the sights, sounds, and tastes of Israel. Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY 16th District) is confirmed to speak at the event.

For many of us the Jerusalem we know is a bustling city filled with beautiful hotels, top rated restaurants, shops, and of course what Jewish people around the world consider the holiest site, the Kotel. As we come upon the fiftieth anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem we remember how the Jewish people learned of this historic and miraculous event:

“This morning, the Israel Defense Forces liberated Jerusalem. We have united Jerusalem, the divided capital of Israel. We have returned to the holiest of our holy places, never to part from it again. To our Arab neighbours we extend, also at this hour - and with added emphasis at this hour - our hand in peace. And to our Christian and Muslim fellow citizens, we solemnly promise full religious freedom and rights. We did not come to Jerusalem for the sake of other peoples’ holy places, and not to interfere with the adherents of other faiths, but in order to safeguard its entirety, and to live there together with others, in unity.” Defense Minister Moshe Dayan

“The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!” General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief chaplain of the IDF, exclaimed these historic words and then sounded the Shofar at the Kotel. It was during these moments in 1967 on the 28th day of Iyar, on the Hebrew calendar; the Jewish people having long ago been scattered across the globe learned that the Old City of Jerusalem was liberated. The Israeli Army achieved a momentous victory not only for those living in Israel, but indeed for the Jewish people everywhere.

This event is sponsored by The Embassy of Israel, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, CAMERA, AJC Greater Washington, American Zionist Movement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the JCRC of Greater Washington, Jewish National Fund, IAC, and the Israel Forever Foundation.

Admission is free with RSVP at israelforever.org/celebratejerusalem50

The evening’s festivities will begin at 7:00 pm at Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, Maryland. Even though we are thousands of miles away from Jerusalem, this is an opportunity to unite our community in commemoration of this momentous occasion.

For more information, please contact Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt at 301-299-0225.