1967 War -The Reunification of Jerusalem

https://israelforever.org/interact/multimedia/witness_reunification_jerusalem/?utm_content=Link+439746&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_source=Celebrating+Jerusalem%3A+Lessons+of+the+Six+Day+War&utm_medium=Email

THE REUNIFICATION OF JERUSALEM

 2 VIDEOS Capture of Jerusalem 
1st 51 seconds 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=__f3-j_2DN0&ab_channel=%D7%98%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%99
 
 2nd Watch 5.59 Mins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=Jyumycec2_0&ab_channel=AaronHai
 
Tags: Jerusalem, Nationalism, History

Be a witness - for the Jewish people, Jerusalem is our holiest site.


English translation of the transcript from IsraCast, pulled from Archives of the Avi Yaffe Recording Studio in Jerusalem
Colonel Motta Gur [on loudspeaker]: 
We are sitting right now on the ridge and we’re seeing the Old City. Shortly we’re going to go in to the Old City of Jerusalem that all generations have dreamed about. We will be the first to enter the Old City. Eitan’s tanks will advance on the left and will enter the Lion’s Gate. The final rendezvous will be on the open square above. [The open square of the Temple Mount. Sound of applause by the soldiers.]

Yossi Ronen: 
We are now walking on one of the main streets of Jerusalem towards the Old City. The head of the force is about to enter the Old City. [Gunfire.]

Yossi Ronen: 
There is still shooting from all directions; we’re advancing towards the entrance of the Old City. [Sound of gunfire and soldiers’ footsteps.] [Yelling of commands to soldiers.] [More soldiers’ footsteps.] The soldiers are keeping a distance of approximately 5 meters between them. It’s still dangerous to walk around here; there is still sniper shooting here and there. [Gunfire.]

We’re all told to stop; we’re advancing towards the mountainside; on our left is the Mount of Olives; we’re now in the Old City opposite the Russian church. I’m right now lowering my head; we’re running next to the mountainside. We can see the stone walls. They’re still shooting at us. The Israeli tanks are at the entrance to the Old City, and ahead we go, through the Lion’s Gate. I’m with the first unit to break through into the Old City! There is a Jordanian bus next to me, totally burnt; it is very hot here. We’re about to enter the Old City itself. We’re standing below the Lion’s Gate, the Gate is about to come crashing down, probably because of the previous shelling. Soldiers are taking cover next to the palm trees; I’m also staying close to one of the trees. We’re getting further and further into the City. [Gunfire.]

Colonel Motta Gur announces on the army wireless: 
The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands! All forces, stop firing! This is the David Operations Room. All forces, stop firing! I repeat, all forces, stop firing! Over. Commander eight-nine here, is this Motta (Gur) talking? Over. [Inaudible response on the army wireless by Motta Gur.]

Uzi Narkiss: 
Motta, there isn’t anybody like you. You’re next to the Mosque of Omar.

Yossi Ronen: I’m driving fast through the Lion’s Gate all the way inside the Old City. Command on the army wireless: Comb the area, discover the source of the firing. Protect every building, in every way. Do not touch anything, especially in the holy places. [Lt.- Col. Uzi Eilam blows the Shofar. Soldiers are singing ‘Jerusalem of Gold’.]

Uzi Narkiss: 
Tell me, where is the Western Wall? How do we get there?

Yossi Ronen: 
I’m walking right now down the steps towards the Western Wall. I’m not a religious man, I never have been, but this is the Western Wall and I’m touching the stones of the Western Wall.

Soldiers [reciting the ‘Shehechianu’ blessing]: 
Baruch ata Hashem, elokeinu melech haolam, she-hechianu ve-kiemanu ve-hegianu la-zman ha-zeh. [Blessed art Thou L-rd G-d King of the Universe who has sustained us and kept us and has brought us to this day]

Rabbi Shlomo Goren: 
Baruch ata Hashem, menachem tsion u-voneh Yerushalayim. [Blessed are thou, who comforts Zion and bulids Jerusalem]

Soldiers: 
Amen! [Soldiers sing ‘Hatikva’ next to the Western Wall.]

Rabbi Goren: 
We’re now going to recite the prayer for the fallen soldiers of this war against all of the enemies of Israel: [Soldiers weeping] El male rahamim, shohen ba-meromim. Hamtse menuha nahona al kanfei hashina, be-maalot kedoshim, giborim ve-tehorim, kezohar harakiya meirim u-mazhirim. Ve-nishmot halalei tsava hagana le-yisrael, she-naflube-maaraha zot, neged oievei yisrael, ve-shnaflu al kedushat Hashem ha-am ve-ha’arets, ve-shichrur Beit Hamikdash, Har Habayit, Hakotel ha-ma’aravi veyerushalayim ir ha-elokim. Be-gan eden tehe menuhatam.Lahen ba’al ha-rahamim, yastirem beseter knafav le-olamim. Ve-yitsror be-tsror ha-hayim et nishmatam adoshem hu nahlatam, ve-yanuhu be-shalom al mishkavam [soldiers weeping loud] ve-ya’amdu le-goralam le-ketsha-yamim ve-nomar amen!

[Merciful G-d in heaven, may the heroes and the pure, be under thy Divine wings, among the holy and the pure who shine bright as the sky, and the souls of soldiers of the Israeli army who fell in this war against the enemies of Israel, who fell for their loyalty to G-d and the land of Israel, who fell for the liberation of the Temple, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and Jerusalem the city of the Lord. May their place of rest be in paradise. Merciful One, Okeep their souls forever alive under Thy protective wings. The Lord being their heritage, may they rest in peace, for they shalt rest and stand up for their allotted portion at the end of the days, and let us say, Amen.] 

[Soldiers are weeping. Rabbi Goren sounds the shofar. Sound of gunfire in the background.]

Rabbi Goren: 
Le-shana HA-ZOT be-Yerushalayim ha-b’nuya, be-yerushalayim ha-atika! [This year in a rebuilt Jerusalem! In the Jerusalem of old!]

Learn More About the Reunification of Jerusalem

Join in Israel Forever's Celebration of Yom Yerushalayim!
Yom Yerushalayim: The Reunification of A People And A Past
YOM YERUSHALAYIM: THE REUNIFICATION OF A PEOPLE AND A PAST
Witness to History: IDF Paratroopers At The Kotel In 1967
WITNESS TO HISTORY: IDF PARATROOPERS AT THE KOTEL IN 1967
Jerusalem 1925
JERUSALEM 1925



Shalom friends,
In 1967, after more than 2000 years of exile, Jerusalem was liberated and once again united as the eternal holy capital of the Jewish people in our sovereign state. The Six Day War was a miracle - against all odds, facing multiple armies on several fronts, Israel liberated Jerusalem and returned Jewish presence to our eternal capital and to Judea and Samaria our ancestral home.

Jerusalem has since changed dramatically both physically and spiritually. Our celebrations each year on Yom Yerushalayim- Jerusalem Day - celebrated on the 28th of Iyar, the Hebrew date of the liberation of the Kotel and Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount, our holiest site for Jews and Judaism - are a continued reminder of the battles we continue to face: attempts to negate our ancestral connection, attempts to deJudaize Jerusalem and Judea, a continued fight for Jewish rights to freedom in our ancestral homeland, and a battle for our very existence as a Jewish democracy.

As we come upon Yom Yerushalayim, let us always remember that our celebration is not only in honor of Israel’s victory in the Six Day War miracle. It begins thousands of years ago when we became a nation and Jerusalem became, for the first time in history, a capital city - for the People of Israel, in Zion, the Land of Israel - and a cornerstone of our existence as a nation.



This year celebrated on Sunday, June 2, Israel Forever will join the American Zionist Movement and thousands of supporters and proud Zionists in New York for the annual Celebrate Israel parade. As they raise their flag in pride for Israel, how are you getting ready to celebrate the monumental reunification of Jerusalem?

The lessons of this war, like every war forced upon Israel, are many. It is our responsibility to learn and share them, and to remember why fighting for and reconquering Jerusalem was so meaningful, and only then can we expect people to stand up for truth and be vocal Virtual Citizens of Israel - however public or private they might choose to use their voice.

Explore our content, resources, and activities and keep a united Jerusalem as a cornerstone of Jewish life and identity. We encourage you to SHARE with educators, youth and community leaders and let us together celebrate the heart of our heart today, tomorrow and forever!

LINKS 
https://israelforever.org/interact/blog/jerusalem_heart_of_our_heart_soul_of_our_soul/?utm_content=Link+439753&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_source=Celebrating+Jerusalem%3A+Lessons+of+the+Six+Day+War&utm_medium=Email