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Jerusalem

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Dictionary: Je·ru·sa·lem   (jə-rū'sə-ləm, -zə-) pronunciation
 
Jerusalem

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A city divided between east-central Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Jerusalem was founded as far back as the fourth millennium B.C. and was ruled by the Canaanites, Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks, and British before being divided in 1949 into eastern and western sectors under Israeli and Jordanian control. In 1967, Israeli forces captured the eastern sector from Jordan, later declaring the city as a whole to be the capital of the state of Israel. The legal status of Jerusalem, considered a holy city to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, remains fiercely disputed. Population: 729,000.

Jerusalemite Je·ru'sa·lem·ite' (-lə-mīt') n.

 

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City (pop., 2005 est.: 704,900), capital of Israel (see below). Located in the heart of historic Palestine, it is nestled between the West Bank and Israel. The Old City is a typical walled Middle Eastern enclosure; the modern city is an urban agglomeration of high-rises and housing complexes. It is holy to Judaism as the site of the Temple of Jerusalem, to Christianity because of its association with Jesus, and to Islam because of its connection with the Mi'raj (the Prophet Muhammad's ascension to heaven). Jewish shrines include the Western Wall. Islamic holy places include the Dome of the Rock. In 1000 BC David made it the capital of Israel. Razed by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC, it thereafter enjoyed only brief periods of independence. The Romans devastated it in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, banishing the Jewish population. From 638 it was ruled by various Muslim dynasties, except for short periods during the Crusades when it was controlled by Christians. Rule by the Ottoman Empire ended in 1917, and the city became the capital of the British mandate of Palestine. It was thereafter the subject of competing Zionist and Palestinian national aspirations. Israel claimed the city as its capital after the Arab-Israeli War in 1948 and took the entire city during the Six-Day War of 1967. Its status as Israel's capital has remained a point of contention: official recognition by the international community has largely been withheld pending final settlement of regional territorial rights.

For more information on Jerusalem, visit Britannica.com.

 
Encyclopedia of Judaism: Jerusalem
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(Heb. Yerushalayim). Capital of Israel and holy city of the Jewish people. The first known mention of Jerusalem is in the so-called Egyptian Execration Texts of the 19th-18th centuries BCE. During King David's time (c. 1000 BCE), the city was called Jebus after the Jebusites who lived there. Although the name Jerusalem does not appear in the Pentateuch, it is probable that the traditional identification of Salem in Genesis (14:18) with Jerusalem is correct (Gen. R. 56:10). Tradition also identifies the Land of Moriah associated with the Akedah (binding of Isaac) (Gen. 22:2) as Jerusalem.

The centrality of Jerusalem to Judaism is the result of religious and political decisions made by King David. Prior to his time, Jerusalem was a relatively insignificant settlement located far from the main thoroughfares of the period and lacking the natural resources to grow into a settlement of importance. David conquered Jerusalem and moved his capital there after reigning in Hebron for over six years (II Sam. 5:1-13). His choice was probably based on Jerusalem's proximity to the geographic center of his kingdom and to its neutrality: hitherto unconquered, the city belonged to no particular tribe and was located approximately on the border between the northern and southern confederations. After David's conquest, Jerusalem is occasionally referred to in the Bible as the City of David (e.g., II Sam. 6:12).

David soon transferred the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (II Sam. 6), his new capital. He was later instructed by the prophet Gad to erect an altar on land adjacent to the city. David purchased the site from Araunah the Jebusite, although Araunah wished to give the plot to David as a gift (II Sam. 24:18-15). This site is believed to be the Temple Mount. Jerusalem became the religious as well as the political center of the Israelite nation. The eternity of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people is related to God's promise to David of an eternal dynasty (II Sam. 7). However, it was Solomon, David's son, who built the First Temple in Jerusalem and cemented the association of the city and God (I Kings 7).

Once recognized as the place chosen by God (see also II Kings 21:4; Psalms 132), the Jerusalem Temple became not only the exclusive site permitted for sacrifice but also the object of the Pilgrimages undertaken in accordance with the biblical injunction that "three times a year all males shall appear before the Lord God" (on the Passover, Shavu'Ot, and Sukkot holidays) to offer the obligatory Sacrifices of these festivals (Ex. 23:17; Deut. 16:16 -17). Pilgrimage, and the concomitant extended stay in Jerusalem, became a unique feature of national cultural life during the First and Second Temple periods; in the Second Temple era, pilgrims came from the Diaspora as well. Pilgrimages continued even after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE (Ned. 23a), although these pilgrimages now served primarily as occasions for mourning and prayer for the redemption. It was customary to rend one's garment in mourning for the destruction of the Temple upon first seeing the Western Wall or the Temple Mount. The Jews continued to visit Jerusalem whenever it was permitted (see also Holy Places).

As the city chosen by God, Jerusalem came to symbolize Judaism's most sublime values and aspirations. It was amply celebrated in prophecy and in psalms. Isaiah calls Jerusalem "the city of righteousness," and asserts that "from Zion will go forth teaching and the word ofGod from Jerusalem" (Isa. 1:26, 2:3). Jeremiah prophecies that in the future, "Jerusalem shall be called 'Throne of the Lord' and all the nations shall assemble there" (Jer. 3:17). Biblical tradition also reveals great admiration for Jerusalem's beauty. In the Song of Songs (6:4), the beloved is compared to the holy city, and its great beauty and nobility are extolled in numerous passages (see, e.g., Ps. 48:3, 50:2; Lam. 1:1). The Aggadah carried on this tradition. The Talmud (Suk. 51b) asserts that one who has not seen Jerusalem in her glory has not seen a beautiful city in his life. The Midrash (Gen. R. 14:8) related that Adam was created from the earth of the site of Jerusalem's altar, and various ancients were said to have sacrificed there (Pirké de-Rabbi Eliezer chap. 31). This uniqueness was due, according to the Midrash, to the city's becoming the focus of Israel's atonement through the sacrifices offered in the Temple. Another source (Yoma 54b) claims that the entire world was created from Zion (originally the Temple Mount, later a synonym for all Jerusalem).

The Halakhah declared the entire Land of Israel to be holy and the city of Jerusalem to be holier still. The holiest place on earth, the Temple's inner sanctum (see Holy of Holies) was in Jerusalem. The implications of this holiness are spelled out in a system of restrictions and commands that applies solely to Jerusalem (Kelim 1:6ff; BK 82b, etc).

After its destruction in 70 CE, Jerusalem's role in national life diminished. It remained, however, an embodiment of religious faith, a symbol of spiritual glory. The halakhah required that a small area near the entrance of every home be left unfinished or a portion of a wall unpainted in memory of Jerusalem (Sh. Ar., OḤ 560:1). The popular longing and affection for Jerusalem was expressed in the liturgy. Whenever and wherever Jews prayed, they faced in the direction of Jerusalem. The text of the Grace After Meals included a prayer for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the introductory Psalm appended to the Grace on weekdays includes the vow, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning" (Ps. 137:5). The‚Amidah, recited three times daily, is said facing toward Jerusalem, and contains an entire paragraph beseeching God to return to Jerusalem, rebuild the city, and reestablish the Davidic dynasty. Three Fasts are observed each year to mourn different stages of the destruction of Jerusalem, the chief among them being on the Ninth of Av (Tishah Be-Av).

Jerusalem's importance in liturgy and ritual is predicated on the belief in the messianic restoration of the Jewish commonwealth in Erets Israel (see Eschatology; Messiah), for which the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple have always been the symbol. Based upon Isaiah's vision of a heavenly Temple, the aggadah developed the idea of a heavenly Jerusalem (Yerushalayim shel Ma'alah) (Isa. 6). In the Talmud, God declares His solidarity with the exiled Jewish people by swearing that He will not enter the heavenly Jerusalem until He can enter the earthly one (Ta'an. 5a). The sages asserted that God would rebuild Jerusalem and never destroy it (Tanḥ. Noaḥ 11), and some sources in the apocalyptic literature (Enoch 90:28-29; IV Esdras 7:26, 10:54) claim that the heavenly Jerusalem will ultimately descend and take the place of the earthly one. At all times, Jews have wished to be buried on the Mount of Olives, believing that its proximity to the Temple Mount would save them time and travail when Jerusalem was restored and the dead were resurrected. As a result of this belief, many elderly Jews made the arduous trip from the most distant Diaspora communities to spend their final years in Jerusalem and be buried there. The Passover Seder and the Day of Atonement Service both conclude with the words "Next year in Jerusalem."

Since David's conquest, control of Jerusalem has changed hands numerous times. Little is known of the city's fate during the period immediately after its first destruction in 586 BCE, although it is believed that it lay unpopulated and in ruin until the Return to Zion some 40 years later. From the time of Ezra until the second destruction in 70 CE, when Jews were again excluded from the city, Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah/Judea. The Romans burned the Temple but left the retaining walls intact. Since the halakhah did not permit entry to the actual Temple site, a portion of the western retaining wall became, in later years, the most tangible remembrance of the Temple and a favored site of prayer and mourning. The site, known to Jews as the Western Wall (Kotel Ma'aravi), was referred to by non-Jews as the Wailing Wall. Between the destruction and the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Romans in 132 CE, Jews apparently visited Jerusalem's ruins and prayed there. After the revolt, they were not permitted even this contact. Subsequently, Jewish access was dependent upon the good will of whoever controlled the city. Because of its association with the last days of Jesus, Jerusalem became Christianity'S holy city and from the fourth century a focus of Christian pilgrimage. Byzantine rulers (324-638 CE) were generally hostile to Jews, while the Arab rulers who controlled Jerusalem from 638 until the Crusader conquest in 1099 permitted Jews to resettle in the city. The Muslims associated Jerusalem with a crucial event in the life of Muhammad and it became their third holy city after Mecca (its Arab. name being El-Quds, "the holy one"). Those Jews who did not flee Jerusalem in 1099 were massacred by the invading Crusaders. In 1187, the city was reconquered by the Muslims and Jews were permitted to return. In 1267, Naḥmanides went to Jerusalem and reported finding only two Jewish families. He encouraged more Jews to settle in Jerusalem and Jewish settlement seems to have continued uninterrupted since then. From the fall of the Crusaders until 1917, Jerusalem was controlled by various Muslim rulers, whose attitudes toward Jerusalem's Jewish residents varied widely.

In 1917, Erets Israel was conquered by the British, who established a mandatory government with Jerusalem as its capital. By this time the city had expanded beyond the walls of the Old City. During Israel's 1948 War of Independence, the Old City fell to the Jordanian Arab Legion, and its Jewish inhabitants were expelled. Most of them took up residence in the Jewish-controlled western portion of the city, and Jerusalem remained divided for the next 19 years. During this period, despite agreements to the contrary, the Jordanian government denied the Jews access to the Western Wall and to the synagogues inside the Old City (which they destroyed).

The newly formed government of the State of Israel declared Jerusalem its capital, establishing its parliament (the Knesset), and government offices there. On 7 June 1967 (28 Iyyar 5727), the city was reunited in the course of the Six-Day War (see Jerusalem Day). A large plaza was cleared adjacent to the Western Wall. Extensive archeological excavations, undertaken at the southern corner of the Temple Mount, in the Jewish Quarter, in the City of David, and at other sites have contributed greatly to knowledge of Jerusalem's history in all periods. With the conclusion of excavations there, the Jewish Quarter was restored as a residential neighborhood. The State of Israel guarantees access to people of all religions to Jerusalem's holy places.


 
Bible Guide: Jerusalem
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Ancient capital of the Kingdom of Israel; located in the midst of the Judean hill range, bordering on the Judean desert. Geographically it consists of two mountains surrounded by the Kidron and Hinnom valleys; a valley in the center (the Tyropoeon or Valley of Cheesemakers) existed in biblical times but was subsequently filled in. It is some 2,600 feet (790m) above sea level and situated strategically at the crossroads leading from north to south and east to west.

The earliest mention of the city of Jerusalem is found in the Egyptian Execration (curse) Texts from the 19th century B.C. The name itself is apparently of western Semitic (Canaanite) origin, composed of two elements, yeru, from a root meaning "to establish, raise up", and shalem, the name of a Canaanite god. The El Amarna Letters, an archive of the correspondence of Canaanite kings with their Egyptian masters (14th century B.C.), contain six letters of the ruler of Jerusalem. Little is known of Jerusalem's pre-conquest history.

Jerusalem is first mentioned in the Bible (as Shalem) in Genesis 14:18 in the story of Melchizedek and Abraham. This story shows that Jerusalem was a royal city and cultic site for the worship of "the Most High God" in the patriarchal period.

The Book of Joshua mentions Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, as the head of a coalition of Amorite kings in the south of Canaan who fought against four Hivite cities and was later defeated by Joshua at Gibeon. No mention is made, however, of Jerusalem's capture. After recording Joshua's death, the Book of Judges contains an account of the Judahites' capture of Jerusalem (Judg 1:8), but most scholars cast doubt on the historical reliability of this source (or assume that the capture was only temporary) and date Jerusalem's conquest to the days of David. During the period of the settlement, Jerusalem was a city of the Jebusites (called Jebus, Judg 19:10-11; I Chr 11:4-5), an ethnic group which may have been related to the Hittites (cf Ezek 16:3), whose land lay on the border between the territories of Benjamin and Judah. (see JEBUSITES)

The accounts of David's conquest of Jerusalem are somewhat obscure (II Sam 5:6-9; I Chr 11:4-7). II Samuel 5:6-9 tells of the stationing of blind and lame people on the city walls in an apparent effort to ward off David's attack. The city's considerable defenses may have been thwarted by the attackers having gained access through a tunnel, possibly that leading to the Gihon spring outside the city. I Chronicles 11:4-7, on the other hand, makes no mention of this stratagem and portrays the conquest rather idealistically as an act of military prowess.

The conquest of Jerusalem by David, who made it the capital of Israel, was an important step in consolidating his kingdom. The choice of a "neutral" site that is, one not belonging to a tribe, aided its acceptance as the royal capital and religious center for the entire kingdom, and demonstrates David's political foresight. Once the capital was established it became the civil and administrative hub of the kingdom. After building for himself a cedar palace, David aspired to build a temple for the God of Israel (II Sam chap. 7); but this was in fact carried out by his son Solomon (I Kgs chap. 6). Solomon's building activities made Jerusalem an international capital and the sanctified city and center for the worship of Israel's God.

Solomon's glory, however, was shortlived. The rapid internationalization of the kingdom brought with it the influx of foreign influences, reflected in the Bible in the shrines to the foreign gods Solomon built for his many wives. Solomon's extensive building projects made relations with the northern tribes tense and led them to complain of the heavy burden placed upon them (I Kgs 12:4ff). Thus the Bible provides both religious and political motivation for the division of the kingdom which occurred after Solomon's death. With the division, and up to the days of King Jehoshaphat, Jerusalem declined in importance. It was saved from Pharaoh Shishak's siege only by the payment of a heavy tribute from the treasuries of the Temple, which contained all the wealth accumulated by David and Solomon (I Kgs 14:25-26). A similar "bribe" had to be paid to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, in order to encourage him to break his treaty with King Baasha of Israel who was threatening Jerusalem during the internecine conflict between the two divided kingdoms (I Kgs 15:16ff). The Bible mentions that King Asa tried to uproot the idolatrous worship that had taken hold in Jerusalem (I Kgs 15:12-13).

During King Jehoshaphat's reign, however, Jerusalem apparently returned somewhat to its former standing, according to the account in the Book of Chronicles (II Chr 17:7ff), and relations with the Northern Kingdom of Israel improved (II Kgs 8:18). But again, with improved relations with foreign countries – this time Tyre – idolatrous worship gained renewed ground in the holy city under the influence of Jezebel the Phoenician wife of King Ahab and their daughter, Athaliah, wife of King Jehoram of Judah (II Kgs 8:18, 27).

With King Joash's accession to the throne came a period of reform, with the help of the high priest Jehoaida, and the Temple was purified of the idols (II Kgs chaps. 11-12). But internal power struggles weakened the kingdom, and soon Jerusalem was again under siege from an invading army – this time that of Hazael, king of Aram (II Kgs 12:17-18). Joash was eventually assassinated by his servants, an indication of the condition of the court and the kingdom (II Kgs 12:20-21).

Fluctuations in Jerusalem's status continued until the days of King Hezekiah, who instituted extensive reforms and purges of foreign worship (II Kgs 18:1-6; II Chr chaps. 29-31). But again, in line with the pattern already established in the historiographical accounts of the Books of Kings, a foreign invader appeared on the scene – the powerful Assyrian army under Sennacherib, who in 701 B.C. laid siege to Jerusalem (II Kgs 18:13ff). Once again the Book of Kings presents the impending national disaster as punishment for the behavior of the king (II Kgs 20:12-18; Is 39:1ff). Sennacherib boasts of his siege of Jerusalem in one of his royal inscriptions, that he held Hezekiah "like a bird in a cage". According to the biblical account, only divine intervention prevented the destruction of Jerusalem at this time. Hezekiah was forced to submit and became an Assyrian vassal, after paying a heavy tribute (II Kgs 18:14-16). This indication of divine protection of the city eventually brought about a belief among the people that the Holy City, with its Temple, was inviolable – a notion vehemently upbraided by the prophet Jeremiah who reminded them that their well-being depended only on their righteous and moral conduct (Jer chap. 7).

Under King Josiah, independence was regained and the infamous high places, which competed with Jerusalem and the Jerusalemite priesthood in the worship of the Lord, were finally destroyed. The Assyrian empire was inherited by the Babylonians, while within Judah, factions took sides either with Egypt or with Babylonia, playing one power against the other. King Jehoiakim succeeded in temporarily breaking loose from the yoke of Babylonia, only to be subdued again by its king, Nebuchadnezzar (II Kgs 24:1-2). Zedekiah, the last of the Davidic kings, also attempted to cast off Babylonian vassalage. His lack of success brought about the final destruction of Jerusalem in 586/587 B.C. after an extended final siege (II Kgs 25:1-21). The Babylonians razed the city and its Temple to the ground. After the destruction of the Temple and the looting of its treasures by Nebuchadnezzar, the history of Jerusalem entered a dark period.

No clear accounts of Jerusalem's history after the destruction have remained. Jeremiah tells of people with shaved beards and torn clothes who came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria to the ruined Temple with offerings to the Lord (Jer 41:5). The most poignant expression of the anguish over Jerusalem's fate is perhaps Psalm 137:5 "If I forget you O Jerusalem...". The day of the destruction, the ninth day of the month of Ab, became a day of fasting and mourning (Zech 7:3-7). Despite the destruction of the Temple and razing of the city, Jerusalem retained its standing as the holy city and the focus of hopes that the Temple would be rebuilt, as prophesied by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. On the other hand, Ezekiel castigated those who survived the catastrophe and remained in Jerusalem, thinking themselves to have been saved because of their righteousness (Ezek 11:1-13).

The Babylonian empire was conquered, in turn, by the Persians, who thus inherited the rule over Palestine as well. Persian policy differed greatly from the Babylonian and Assyrian policy of deportation and brute subjection, and actually encouraged the exiled Israelites to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. Cyrus' famous decree (538 B.C.), giving freedom to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple, is recounted in the first chapter of the Book of Ezra. At the head of the First returnees was Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah, who drove a spike into the city's ruins as sign of the rebuilding work to come, reconsecrated the altar and laid the foundations of the Temple. A generation later, in the days of Darius I the number of returnees had significantly increased; motivation to rebuild the Temple was reawakened at the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Leading the people were the Davidic descendant Zerubbabel and the high priest Jeshua. The opposition of various parties overcome, the rebuilding of the Temple was finally completed in 515/6 B.C., though it was of modest proportions. With the completion of the Temple Jerusalem gradually regained its status as the political and religious center of Israel, though with the eventual collapse of the Davidic lineage, the priestly classes became the effectual leaders of the people and Jerusalem became essentially a city of priests and Temple servants.

Conflicts arose with the Samaritans, who were not allowed to participate in the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 4:3), being considered an impure blend of races as a result of assimilation and mixed marriage with the populations relocated in Samaria by the Assyrians and Babylonians.

The real solidification of the spiritual and national life of the returned exiles in Jerusalem and Judah took place with the arrival of the priest and scribe Ezra, who was commissioned by the Persian king Xerxes to establish the laws of the Torah in Judah. Efforts were directed toward rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, which was opposed by the Samaritans, who did their best to frustrate the refortification of the city (Ezra 4:7 ff), and even informed the Persian authorities of the Judahites' intentions insinuating that the latter were preparing to rebel against Persian rule. This poly succeeded in stopping the work for a time (Ezra 4:23), but when Nehemiah, one of Xerxes' Jewish ministers, heard about it, he asked the king for permission to return to Jerusalem, the city of his forefathers' graves, and rebuild it (Neh 2:5). The king granted his request and even appointed him governor with wide-ranging authority. Again, this did not go unopposed – the previous tactics were employed both from within and from without (Neh 6:6-14), but Nehemiah's strong personality and official position gave him the necessary advantage to overcome the difficulties. The builders of the wall had one hand on the bricks and the other on the spear (Neh 4:16-17). Finally, after 52 days' labor, the work was completed (Neh 6:15) and a great celebration was held (Neh 12:27 ff). Nehemiah then set out to rebuild the city itself and repopulate it, casting lots and bringing one out of every ten from the cities of Judah to settle in Jerusalem (Neh 1:1-2). Jerusalem again became the religious and administrative capital of Judah and even prospered economically.

The last information the OT provides of the history of Jerusalem is the list of high priests who served in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 12:22-26), which indicates that the status of the high priest remained strong. Beyond this very little is known until the conquest of Palestine by Alexander the Great, when Jerusalem came within the Hellenistic orbit. An attempt was made by the Syrian rulers to establish a parallel Hellenized city on its western ridge. When Antiochus IV Ephiphanes attempted to impose Hellenism by force and desecrate the Temple, the revolt led by Judas Maccabee began. After two years of struggle, Judas finally succeeded in conquering Jerusalem and restored the Temple service (164 B.C.)

In the Hasmonean period, Jerusalem again became the capital of the whole land of Israel and this lasted until 63 B.C. when the Roman general, Pompey, profiting from the fraternal warfare between the Hasmoneans was able to occupy Jerusalem. From 37 B.C. it was ruled by Herod as a Roman vassal, and he was responsible for grandiose building projects, especially the reconstruction and expansion of the Temple into a magnificent edifice. The seat of Roman government was in Caesarea but Jerusalem remained the national, economic and spiritual center of the Jews, home of the king and the Sanhedrin. After Herod's death and the deposition of his son and successor, Archelaus in A.D. 6, the country was ruled by Roman procurators. During the rule of one of these, Pontius Pilate, Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. After his death, the city became holy not only to Jews but also to Christians.

Jerusalem is mentioned 144 times in the NT. The priest Zacharias was visited in the Temple in Jerusalem by an angel, who announced the birth of Jesus' forerunner John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25). The wise men, having seen the star in the east, came to Jerusalem, the religious center, to seek the newborn "King of the Jews'' (Matt 2:1-12). When the days for post-natal purification were completed, the infant Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord, as prescribed in the Mosaic law, since he was the firstborn male of his mother. Jesus' childhood and early manhood was spent, however, in Galilee.

When he was twelve years old, his parents who "went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover'' took him along. On the return journey they found he was missing and returned to Jerusalem where he was in the Temple listening to and questioning the Sages (Luke 2:41 ff).

On his last journey to Jerusalem, around the time of Passover, Jesus, viewing the city from the Mount of Olives, expressed his feelings crying out "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem'' (Matt 23:37-39; Luke 13:34-35) and later weeping over it, while prophesying its destruction (Luke 19:41:44; cf Is 29:3; Jer 6:6; Ezek 4:2), but not before making a triumphant entry into the city where he was proclaimed by his disciples (Luke 19:38). Jesus then proceeded to the Temple where, seeing the commerce in doves and the money-changers, he overturned their tables and cast them out. Afterwards, he continued teaching in the Temple, arousing the ire of the Pharisees and other religious parties. Jesus' final meal with his disciples was the Passover feast, which took place in an upper room in a private house in Jerusalem (Matt 26:18; Mark 14:13-15; Luke 22:10-12).

After the dramatic meal, Jesus together with his disciples went to the Mount of Olives to pray (Luke 22:39 ff). Here he was arrested and was brought the following day before the Jewish religious high court, the Sanhedrin, which had its seat in Jerusalem, and accused of blasphemy (Luke 22:66ff). He was subsequently taken before the Roman governor, Pilate, and the Jewish ruler, Herod Antipas, in Jerusalem. (see GABBATHA)

Jesus was crucified, according to the law, outside the city gates (John 19:20). (see GOLGOTHA) After his death on the cross, he was buried, presumably nearby, in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-53).

After the resurrection, Jesus is reported to have appeared repeatedly over a 40-day period to the apostles at Jerusalem (Luke 24:33-49; John 20:19-29; Acts 1:1-4), charging them to remain there until the day of Pentecost, when they were to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:12 tells of Jesus' ascension into the heavens as taking place on the Mount of Olives.

Virtually every site and event related to Jesus in Jerusalem came to be commemorated in some kind of shrine. Much controversy, however, surrounds these identifications, which have become fixed mostly by tradition. After Constantine the Great adopted Christianity, his mother Helena went to Palestine in 326 and her visit became associated with Constantine's building of the first great Christian churches, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Church of the Nativity in nearby Bethlehem, and the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. From this time dates the beginning of organized Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The church came into being on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 4:23-31), and the first martyrdom took place outside the city gates (Acts 7:58). It is said that the early church met in private houses, breaking bread daily, as well as meeting in the Temple (Acts 2:42-47). Persecution, however, did not cease, and is illustrated in Stephen's martyrdom (Acts chap. 7). Acts 8:1 relates that in the wake of Stephen's stoning there was a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and its members were scattered.

The church in Jerusalem was for a time the center of the early church's activity, although apparently its authority did not override the autonomy of churches in other localities, nor did the apostles centered in Jerusalem exercise absolute authority, as witnessed in the case of Paul. Though there was a conference in Jerusalem (Acts 15:2ff), it took place there not because Jerusalem was the head church, but because it was the source of the problem (the demand for new members to be circumcised).

The destruction of Jerusalem in the NT comes to symbolize the end of the old order and the beginning of the church ages, though for the Jews, once again the symbol of their national and religious autonomy was destroyed by a foreign invader – this time rome, in A.D. 70.

The Book of Revelation presents a picture of the "New Jerusalem'' in which God will dwell with his people for eternity. Paul presents the "Jerusalem above, (which) is free'', in contrast to the bondage of the Jerusalem below, as "the mother of us all'', in an allegorical exposition of the story of Hagar and Sarah (Gal 4:21-31). The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers to the church as "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb 12:22). These passages reveal a more spiritual and idealistic view of Jerusalem, which inspired thoughts of utopian perfection and messianic redemption.

Since the middle of the 19th century, numerous archeologists have excavated in and around Jerusalem. The one area where excavations have not been conducted is the Temple Mount, now a Moslem holy site where digging is forbidden.

The original site of Jerusalem was the City of David, southeast of the present Old City. This was a 15-acre (6 ha) area settled first by the Canaanites and then by David. Under Solomon, the Temple Mount was added, extending the area of the city to 37 acres (15 ha). Jerusalem was the royal center and structures have been discovered indicating the existence of monumental buildings. The Israelite acropolis was apparently built over its Canaanite predecessor.

Rich finds have been made from the later Israelite period (8th to 6th centuries B.C.) when the city with the addition of the western hill attained its greatest extent (137 acres, 55.5 ha). A section of the city wall has been uncovered from this time, 380 feet (120 m) long and 15 feet (4.5m) wide. The plan for the reconstruction of the city evidently originated in the days of Hezekiah when the Siloam tunnel (see SHILOAH) was constructed to safeguard the water supply, which had always been problematic as the city was dependent on sources outside its walls. Evidence of the destruction of the city by Nebuchadnezzar (586/587 B.C.) shows total devastation.

Recent excavations have thrown much light on the city in Second Temple times. In the Persian and Hellenistic periods the city was confined to the Temple Mount and the area of the City of David. Archeological finds of coins stamped with the name "yhd'' apparently reveal that the province of Judah and Jerusalem maintained a status of autonomy within the Persian empire, with the right to mint its own coins. Under the Hasmoneans (Simon or Jonathan), the western hill was again incorporated. In the last century before its destruction, the city limits were expanded northward. Jerusalem was defended by three walls and protected on the south and west by steep valleys. The earliest foundations of the wall date back to the time of Hezekiah and it was reconstructed along the same course in the Hasmonean period. It contained 60 towers, one of which forms the base of the present Tower of David. Sections of this first wall have been uncovered. The second wall was built in the late 1st century B.C. and enclosed a new quarter known as Bezetha to the northeast. Under Herod the Great, the Temple was doubled in size. The Western Wall was part of its external enclosure. New excavations have uncovered much of the rest of this western wall (which was 1,600 feet [490 m] long), the southern wall – with the steps leading up to the Temple entrance – and the streets and building that adjoined them. The exact location of the Temple on the Temple Mount remains a subject of controversy, but was presumably beneath the present Dome of the Rock.

Following the northern expansion in the 1st century, a third wall was built to enclose the northern side of the city. It has been explored for over half a mile (c. 1 km) (only its foundations are preserved). The rebuilding of the Jewish Quarter after 1967 enabled extensive excavations in that area and many finds were made including the remains of houses destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. By that time the necropolis of Jerusalem surrounded the city on all sides, especially to the east (below the city and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives) and the north. (See ACELDAMA, GEHENNA). About 1000 tombs have been surveyed including those of the family of Herod. All these finds have thrown much light on the appearance of Jerusalem during the historic millennium from its capture by David until its destruction at the hands of the Romans.

Concordance
Josh 10:1, 3,5, 23; 12:10; 15:8, 63; 18:28. Judg 1:7-8, 21; 19:10. I Sam 17:54. II Sam 5:5-6, 13-14; 8:7; 9:13; 10:14; 11:1,12; 12:31; 14:23, 28; 15:8, 11, 14,29, 37; 16:3,15; 17:20; 19:19, 25, 33-34; 20:2-3, 7,22; 24:8, 16. IKgs 2:11, 36,38, 41; 3:1,15; 8:1; 9:15,19; 10:2, 26-27; 11:7, 13,29, 32, 36, 42; 12:18, 21, 27-28; 14:21, 25; 15:2, 4, 10,22:42. II Kgs 8:17, 26; 9:28; 12:1, 17-18; 14:2, 13, 19-20; 15:2, 33; 16:2, 5, 18:2,17, 22, 35; 19:10, 21, 31; 21:1, 4, 7, 12-13, 16, 19; 22:1, 14; 23:1-2, 4-6, 9, 13,20, 23-24, 27,30-31, 33, 36; 24:4, 8, 10,14-15, 18, 20; 25:1, 8-10. I Chr 3:4-5; 6:10, 15, 32; 8:28, 32; 9:3,34, 38; 11:4; 14:3-4; 15:3; 18:7; 19:15; 20:1, 3; 21:4,15:16; 23:25; 26:29; 28:1; 29:27. II Chr 1:4, 13-15; 2:7, 16; 3:1; 5:2; 6:6; 8:6; 9:1, 25, 27,30; 10:18; 11:1, 5, 14,16; 12:2, 4-5,7, 9, 13; 13:2; 14:15; 15:10; 17:13; 19:1, 4,8; 20:5, 15,17-18, 20, 27-28, 31; 21:5,11, 13, 20; 22:1-2; 23:2; 24:1, 6, 9, 18,23; 25:1, 23,27; 26:3, 9,15; 27:1, 8; 28:1, 10, 24,27; 29:1, 8; 30:1-3, 5, 11,13-14, 21, 26; 31:4; 32:2, 9-10, 12, 18-19,22-23, 25-26,33; 33:1, 4, 7,9, 13, 15, 21; 34:1, 3, 5, 7,9, 22, 29-30,32; 35:1, 18,24; 36:1-5, 9-11, 14, 19, 23. Ezra 1:2-5, 7,11; 2:1, 68; 3:1, 8; 4:6, 8,12, 20, 23-24; 5:1-2, 14-17; 6:3, 5, 9, 12,18; 7:7-9, 13-17, 19, 27; 8:29-32; 9:9; 10:7, 9. Neh 1:2-3; 2:11-13,17, 20; 3:8-9,12; 4:7-8, 22; 6:7; 7:2-3, 6; 8:15; 11:1-4,6, 22, 27-29, 43; 13:6-7, 15-16, 19-20. Est 2:6. Ps 51:18; 68:29; 79:1, 3; 102:21; 116:19; 122:2-3, 6; 125:2; 128:5; 135:21; 137:5-7; 147:2,12. Ecc 1:1,12, 16; 2:7, 9. Song 1:5; 3:10; 5:8, 16; 6:4; 8:4. Is 1:1; 2:1, 3; 3:1, 8; 4:3-4; 5:3; 7:1; 8:14; 10:10-12, 32; 22:10, 21; 24:23; 27:13; 28:14; 30:19; 31:5, 9; 33:20; 36:2, 7, 20; 37:10, 22, 32; 40:2, 9; 41:27; 44:26, 28; 51:17; 52:1-2,9; 62:1, 6-7; 64:10; 65:18-19; 66:10, 13,20. Jer 1:3,15; 2:2; 3:17; 4:3-5, 10-11,14, 16; 5:1; 6:1, 6, 8; 7:17,34; 8:1, 5; 9:11; 11:2, 6,9, 12-13; 13:9,13, 27; 14:2,16; 15:4-5; 17:19-21, 25-27; 18:11; 19:3, 7, 13; 22:19; 23:14-15; 24:1, 8; 25:2, 18; 26:18; 27:3,18, 20-21; 29:1-2, 4, 20,25; 32:2, 32,44; 33:10, 13,16; 34:1, 6-8,19; 35:11, 13,17; 36:9, 31; 37:5, 11-12; 38:28; 39:1, 8; 40:1; 42:18; 44:2, 6, 9, 13,17, 21; 51:35,50; 52:1, 3-4,12-14, 29. Lam 1:7-8, 17; 2:10, 13, 15; 4:12. Ezek 4:1,7, 16; 5:5; 8:3; 9:4, 8; 11:15; 12:10, 19; 13:16; 14:21-22; 15:6; 16:2-3; 17:12; 21:2,20, 22; 22:19; 23:4; 24:2; 26:2; 33:21; 36:38. Dan 1:1; 5:2-3; 6:10; 9:2, 7,12, 16, 25. Joel 2:32; 3:1,6, 16-17, 20. Amos 1:2; 2:5. Obad vs. 11,20. Mic 1:1, 5,9, 12; 3:10,12; 4:2, 8. Zeph 1:4, 12; 3:14, 16. Zech 1:12, 14, 16-17, 19; 2:2, 4,12; 3:2; 7:7; 8:3-4, 8, 15,22; 9:9-10; 12:2-3, 5-11; 13:1; 14:2, 4,8, 10-12, 14,16-17, 21. Mal 2:11; 3:4. Matt 2:1, 3; 3:5; 4:25; 5:35; 15:1; 16:21; 20:17-18; 21:1,10; 23:37. Mark 1:5; 3:8,22; 7:1; 10:32-33; 11:1, 11,15, 27, 41. Luke 2:22, 25,38, 41-43, 45,4:9; 5:17; 6:17; 9:31, 51, 53; 10:30; 13:4,22, 33-34; 17:11; 18:31; 19:11, 28; 21:20, 24; 23:7, 28; 24:13, 18, 33,47, 49, 52. John 1:19; 2:13, 23; 4:20-21, 45; 5:1-2; 7:25; 10:22; 11:18, 55; 12:12. Acts 1:4, 8, 12, 19; 2:5, 14; 4:6,16; 5:16, 28; 6:7; 8:1, 14,25-27; 9:2, 13,21, 26, 28; 10:39; 11:2,22, 27; 12:25; 13:13, 27, 31; 15:2, 4; 16:4; 18:21; 19:21; 20:16, 22; 21:4, 11-13, 15,17, 31; 22:5,17-18; 23:11; 24:11; 25:1, 3,7, 9, 15, 20,24; 26:4, 10,20; 28:17. Rom 15:19, 25-26, 31. ICor 16:3. Gal 1:17-18; 2:1; 4:25-26. Heb 12:22. Rev 3:12; 21:2, 10.


 
Archaeology Dictionary: Jerusalem, Israel
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[Si]

A major city in the Judean Hills that has been occupied continuously for many millennia and which contains some of the most sacred sites in the world for at least three of today's major religions. Excavations in the city have gone on almost continuously since the work of Charles Warren in 1867–70, rather little of the city's early history remaining visible because of the succession of destructive episodes in its more recent past.

The first major constructions on the site were the stone walls of the Late Bronze Age citadel, a Jebusite town that stood on the ridge of Ophel. Jerusalem was captured by the Israelites under King David in c.996 bc and they covered Ophel with their town. Solomon added the temple immediately to the north and a palace nearby. The city fell to the Babylonians in c.587 bc and was extensively destroyed. It was rebuilt about 540 bc under Persian patronage. The present plan of the city dates back to the time of Herod the Great, around 37–35 bc, who constructed his palace and a massive new temple mount over earlier structures. The city was again razed by Titus in ad 70. In ad 130, during the reign of Hadrian, it became a Roman colonia and was rebuilt. At this time the Jews were forbidden entry to the city.

In ad 330 Jerusalem was transformed into a Christian city, with a major phase of church-building patronized by the Byzantine emperors. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by Constantine the Great; other churches include the Eleona Church and the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. In ad 638 the city fell into Muslim hands and, except for a brief period of domination by the Crusaders in 1099–1187, has remained so ever since. Muslims believe that Muhammad began his night journey to heaven from the city. The place where this happened is now under the Dome of the Rock, built in ad 685–92, and by far the most striking Islamic building in the city.

[Rep.: K. M. Kenyon, 1974, Digging up Jerusalem. London: Ernest Benn]

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Jerusalem
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Jerusalem (jərū'sələm, –zələm) , Heb. Yerushalayim, Arab. Al Quds, city (1994 pop. 578,800), capital of Israel. It is situated on a ridge 2,500 ft (760 m) high that lies west of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. Jerusalem is an administrative, religious, educational, cultural, and market center. Tourism and the construction of houses and hotels are the city's major industries. Manufactures include cut and polished diamonds, plastics, clothing, and shoes, and electronic printing and other high-technology industries have been developed. The city is served by road, rail, and air transport.

Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Often under the name of Zion, it figures prominently in Jewish and Christian literature as a symbol of the capital of the Messiah. Jerusalem's churches and shrines are legion. The traditional identifications vary in reliability from certainty (such as Gethsemane) to pious supposition (such as the Tomb of the Virgin). The most famous and most difficult identification is that of Calvary. Excavations have been made in Jerusalem since 1835, and after 1967, the Israelis increased this activity, uncovering remains of the Herodian period and ruins of a Muslim structure of the 7th or 8th cent. Many of Jerusalem's original streets, including the main Cardo, have been excavated and turned into tourist sites.

The Old City

The eastern part of Jerusalem is the Old City, a quadrangular area built on two hills and surrounded by a wall completed in 1542 by the Ottoman sultan Sulayman I. Within the wall are four quarters. The Muslim quarter, in the east, contains a sacred enclosure, the Haram esh-Sherif (known as the Temple Mount to Jews), within which, built on the old Mt. Moriah, are the Dome of the Rock (completed 691), or Mosque of Omar, and the Mosque of al-Aksa. The wall of the Haram incorporates the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, a remnant of the retaining wall of the Second Temple and a holy place for Jews. Nearby and southwest of the Haram is the Jewish quarter, with several famous old synagogues. Partially destroyed in previous Arab-Israeli fighting, the Old City was captured in 1967 by the Israelis, who began to rebuild and renovate the Jewish quarter. To the west of the Jewish quarter is the Armenian quarter, site of the Gulbenkian Library. The Christian quarter occupies the northern and northwestern parts of the Old City. Its greatest monument is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Through the area runs the Via Dolorosa, along which Jesus is said to have carried his cross.

The New City and Other Districts

The New City, extending west and southwest of the Old City, has developed tremendously since the 19th cent. It is the site of several educational institutions, as well as the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and other government buildings (including the striking Supreme Court building, which opened in 1992). Yad Vashem, a memorial to the Holocaust, is also in that section of the city. To the east of the Old City is the Valley of the Kidron, beyond which lie the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives. To the north is Mt. Scopus, a Jewish intellectual center that is the site of the Hadassah Medical Center, Hebrew Univ., and the Jewish National Library. Another campus of Hebrew Univ. is located on the western edge of the city at Ein Karem. From 1948 to 1967, Mt. Scopus was an Israeli exclave in Arab territory. To the west and south of the Old City runs the Valley of Hinnom; this meets the Kidron near the pool of Siloam, which is next to the site of the original city of Jerusalem, now partly excavated and called the City of David (see Ophel).

Cultural and Educational Institutions

Jerusalem has numerous museums; one of the finest is the Israel Museum, in the New City, whose collection ranges from the contemporary to displays of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The city is the seat of Hebrew Univ., the British School of Archaeology, the Dominican Fathers' Convent of St. Étienne, with the attached Bible School and French Archaeological School, the American College, the Greek Catholic Seminary of St. Anne, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Swedish Theological Institute, the Near East School of Archaeology, the Rubin Academy of Music, and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

History

Early History to 1900

Despite incomplete archaeological work, it is evident that Jerusalem was occupied as far back as the 4th millenium B.C. In the late Bronze Age (2000–1550 B.C.), it was a Jebusite (Canaanite) stronghold. David captured it (c.1000 B.C.) from the Jebusites and walled the city. After Solomon built the Temple on Mt. Moriah in the 10th cent. B.C., Jerusalem became the spiritual and political capital of the Hebrews. In 586 B.C. it fell to the Babylonians, and the Temple was destroyed.

The city was restored to Hebrew rule later in the 6th cent. B.C. by Cyrus the Great, king of Persia. The Temple was rebuilt (538–515 B.C.; known as the Second Temple) by Zerubbabel, a governor of Jerusalem under the Persians. In the mid-5th cent. B.C., Ezra reinvigorated the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The city was the capital of the Maccabees in the 2d and 1st cent. B.C.

After Jerusalem had been taken for the Romans by Pompey, it became the capital of the Herod dynasty, which ruled under the aegis of Rome. The Roman emperor Titus ruined the city and destroyed the Temple (A.D. 70) in order to punish and discourage the Jews. After the revolt of Bar Kokba (A.D. 132–35), Hadrian rebuilt the city as a pagan shrine called Aelia Capitolina but forbade Jews to live on the site.

With the imperial toleration of Christianity (from 313), Jerusalem underwent a revival, greatly aided by St. Helena, who sponsored much building in the early 4th cent. Since that time Jerusalem has been a world pilgrimage spot. Muslims, who believe that the city was visited by Muhammad, treated Jerusalem favorably after they captured it in 637, making it the chief shrine after Mecca. From 688 to 691 the Dome of the Rock mosque was constructed.

In the 11th cent. the Fatimids began to hinder Christian pilgrims; their destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher helped bring on the Crusades. Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders in 1099 and for most of the 12th cent. was the capital of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1187, Muslims under Saladin recaptured the city. Thereafter, under Mamluk and then Ottoman rule, Jerusalem was rebuilt and restored (especially by Sulayman I); but by the late 16th cent. it was declining as a commercial and religious center.

In the early 19th cent., Jerusalem began to revive. The flow of Christian pilgrims increased, and churches, hospices, and other institutions were built. Jewish immigration accelerated (especially from the time of the Egyptian occupation of Jerusalem by Muhammad Ali in 1832–41), and by 1900, Jews made up the largest community in the city and expanded settlement outside the Old City walls.

The Twentieth Century

In 1917, during World War I, Jerusalem was captured by British forces under Gen. Edmund Allenby. After the war it was made the capital of the British-held League of Nations Palestine mandate (1922–48). As the end of the mandate approached, Arabs and Jews both sought to hold sole possession of the city. Most Christians favored a free city open to all religions. This view prevailed in the United Nations, which, in partitioning Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, declared that Jerusalem and its environs (including Bethlehem) would be an internationally administered enclave in the projected Arab state. Even before the partition went into effect (May 14, 1948), fighting between Jews and Arabs broke out in the city. On May 28, the Jews in the Old City surrendered. The New City remained in Jewish hands. The Old City and all areas held by the Arab Legion (East Jerusalem) were annexed by Jordan in Apr., 1949. Israel responded by retaining the area it held. On Dec. 14, 1949, the New City of Jerusalem was made the capital of Israel.

In the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, Israeli forces took the Old City. The Israeli government then formally annexed the Old City and placed all of Jerusalem under a unified administration. Arab East Jerusalemites were offered regular Israeli citizenship but chose to maintain their status as Jordanians. Israel transferred many Arabs out of the Old City but promised access to the holy places to people of all religions. In July, 1980, Israel's parliament approved a bill affirming Jerusalem as the nation's capital. With suburbanization and housing developments in formerly Jordanian-held territory, Jerusalem has become Israel's largest city. Strife between Arabs and Jews persists. The issue of the status of East Jerusalem, annexed by Israel but regarded by Palestinians as the eventual capital of their own state, remains difficult. In 1998, Israel announced a controversial plan to expand Jerusalem by annexing nearby towns.

Bibliography

See S. B. Cohen, Jerusalem: Bridging the Four Walls (1977); M. Har-El, This Is Jerusalem (1977); L. Collins and D. Lapierre, O Jerusalem (1980); M. Gilbert, Jerusalem: Rebirth of a City (1985); F. E. Peters, Jerusalem (1985); A. L. Eckardt, ed., Jerusalem: City of Ages (1987); A. Rabinovich, Jerusalem on Earth (1988); H. Shanks, Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography (1995).


 

City that is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and that has become embroiled in the politics of the Arab - Israel conflict.

Located in the Judaean mountains, on the water-shed between the Judaean hills and the Judaean desert, Jerusalem (in Hebrew, Yerushalayim; in Arabic, Bayt al-Maqdis or al-Quds al-Sharif ) overlooks the Dead Sea to the east and faces Israel's coastal plain to the west. It has warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Jerusalem was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium B.C.E. By the late Bronze Age, it was occupied by the Jebusites. The city became the Jewish national and religious center after its conquest by King David (c. 1000 B.C.E.) from the Jebusites until the destruction of the second Jewish temple (70 C.E.) and the rebellions against Roman occupation, which resulted in the Jews' exile from the city and their dispersion. The Western Wall of the temple complex was the only remnant to survive destruction and over the course of time became the focus of Jewish veneration. As the scene of the last ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Jerusalem emerged as one of the five original Christian patriarchates and has remained a center of Christian pilgrimage since the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine, when it was rebuilt as a Christian city. After the Muslim conquest (638 C.E.), the construction of the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock (part of the complex known as al-Haram al-Sharif) to commemorate the Night Journey of the prophet Muhammad focused Muslim attention on the city. It became the first qibla (direction of prayer), and is the third holiest city of Islam.

Nineteenth-Century Jerusalem

Conquered by the Ottomans in 1517, Jerusalem remained a backwater town in the province of Syria until the nineteenth century, when Europeans and Ottomans refocused on its religious significance. During the brief reign of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Ali (1832-1840), relaxed restrictions against the dhimmi (non-Muslim) population and renewed interest by Western Christians in the Holy Land resulted in an increase in tourism, the installation of European consulates, the beginnings of biblical archaeology, and the establishment of Protestant institutions adjoining those of the Roman Catholic (Latin), Greek Orthodox, Coptic, Armenian, and other Christian denominations. Communal conflicts over the religious jurisdiction of the Christian holy places led to the Crimean War (1854 - 1856), after which the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were entrusted to the Muslim Nusayba family.

The city plan at the time remained as it was when it was rebuilt by the Romans as Aelia Capitolina. Walled, with a system of principal streets, it was dominated by the holy sites and divided into Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Armenian residential quarters with maze-like streets, bazaars, churches, synagogues, and mosques. It was the residence of Muslim Arab notables and, later, members of the Ottoman official class. The Khalidi, Nashashibi, and Husayni families played important roles in local politics and Muslim religious administration. The Jewish population included the Mizrahi Jews ( Jews from the Middle East, North Africa, and Western Asia) who had lived there since ancient times or who had migrated after the expulsion of Spanish (Sephardic) Jewry in 1492. Some of their leading families included the Navon, Amzalak, Antebi, and Valero families, who became important as translators, bankers, and merchants. Ashkenazic (European) Jews began to immigrate to Jerusalem during the early nineteenth century, including Hasidim (called haredim in the late twentieth century), who were dependent upon philanthropy from abroad to support them while they lived a life of full-time study. In the 1860s, at the invitation of British consul James Finn and philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore, who donated money for the construction of residential areas outside the walls, Jews, some Muslims, and the Russian Orthodox Church began to build new neighborhoods along the roads to the Old City. By 1860 the city's population stood at approximately 40,000, which grew to 55,000 by 1900.

In 1873 Jerusalem was placed under direct Ottoman rule from Constantinople (now Istanbul), and during the reign of Abdülhamit II, who championed its Islamic significance, it underwent major expansion. A municipal council, dominated by Muslim Arabs, was established. Jerusalem became a major provincial city with new courts, a modern water system, mosques, and public offices. New residential and commercial construction, both inside and outside the walls, was undertaken by the local population and by Europeans who established banks and built schools, hospitals, and hospices. Roads were paved, the city was linked by rail to Jaffa on the Mediterranean coast, and Ottoman secondary schools were set up close to new Muslim neighborhoods. The visit to Jerusalem by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (1898) heralded the city's emerging importance in the Ottoman Empire. In 1917 Jerusalem was occupied by the British army under the command of General Edmund Allenby; it later became the capital of what the British called Palestine. The British ruled Palestine within the rubric of the mandate system from 1922 to 1948. The New City
expanded with the development of additional Palestinian Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. The British improved the water-supply system, paved roads, planted gardens, and encouraged the repair and construction of buildings. More significantly, they allowed large-scale Jewish immigration into Palestine. Indeed, the terms of the mandate included the Balfour Declaration (1917), which obligated Britain to foster Jewish immigration, land purchases, and institution building. This quickly led to a growth in the population in the city from just over 91,000 in 1922 to almost 133,000 in 1931. By 1944, according to the American Committee of Inquiry, the Jewish population in the city was 97,000, with 30,630 Muslims and 29,350 Christians (the overwhelming majority of Muslims and Christians were Palestinians).

Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism under British Mandate

Jerusalem became the center of both Zionist and Palestinian nationalist institutions and aspirations during the British mandate. The Supreme Muslim Council was located in Jerusalem, headed by the Jerusalem mufti, Hajj Muhammad Amin alHusayni (who then also controlled the considerable waqf income that under Ottoman rule had gone directly to Constantinople). Palestinian political life was complicated by the bitter rivalry between the Husaynis and the Nashashibis for control of the Palestinian nationalist movement. Jerusalem's mayors were Arab notables active in the nascent Palestinian nationalist movement, and once again included members from the Husayni and Nashashibi families, including Musa Kazim al-Husayni, Raghib alNashashibi, Husayn Fakhri al-Khalidi, and Mustafa al-Khalidi. The Arab Executive was also headed by Musa Kazim al-Husayni. With the Arab and Jewish populations governed by the British under separate systems, the Zionists developed economic, social, educational, and political institutions of their own, including the Hadassah Hospital and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Jewish Agency was headquartered in the city as well. Nationalist passions, and Palestinian fears of political and demographic displacement in the face of continued Zionist immigration, led to violence as early as April 1920. The more serious Western (Wailing) Wall Disturbances of 1929 were a result of the politicization of religious shrines. During the Palestine Arab Revolt (1936 - 1939) Palestinian guerrillas actually occupied the Old City for a time. Both incidents were suppressed by overwhelming British police and military force.

The Arab - Israel Wars and Aftermath

During the Arab - Israel War of 1948, Jerusalem was the scene of bitter fighting. Fighting between Palestinians and the Jewish Haganah began in late November 1947, and by late April 1948, 1most Palestinian neighborhoods in West Jerusalem had been captured by Jewish forces and depopulated, and the vacant houses handed over to Jews. Jordan and other Arab states entered the fray on 15 May 1948. Although the Jordanian Arab Legion waited three days to enter Jerusalem, it ended up engaging in fierce fighting with Jewish forces for control of the Old City. The surrender of the Jewish Quarter after ten days' fighting, and the expulsion of its remaining Jewish population, left the city divided into Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem and Jordanian-controlled East Jerusalem, including the Old City. Despite United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, that called for the city to be controlled neither by Jews nor Arabs, as well as later proposals for its internationalization supervised by the United Nations Trusteeship Council, the city remained divided between Jordan and Israel. Access between the two sectors was via the Mandelbaum gate. Both sectors of the city had been emptied of inhabitants belonging to the other side, and both the Jordanian and Israeli governments neglected, destroyed, and/or allowed the desecration of captured cemeteries and religious sites.

East Jerusalem was officially incorporated into Jordan in 1950 and remained subordinate to Amman throughout the period of Jordanian rule, despite protestations by mayors Arif al-Arif and Ruhi al-Khatib. Requests to establish an Arab university in Jerusalem were denied. Many of the Palestinian elite left the city; they were replaced by notables from Hebron invited to the city by Jordan. Though the city expanded northward, plans to incorporate the neighboring villages in the direction of Ramallah into the city never crystallized. Hotels were built, and construction began on a royal palace at Tall al-Full.

In 1950 Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital even though almost all governments maintained embassies in Tel Aviv, where the real work of the state was done. Institutions such as the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital, which had come under Jordan's rule, were rebuilt in West Jerusalem. Christians, including Palestinian Christian citizens of Israel, were allowed to cross through the gate to visit the shrines in East Jerusalem on Christmas. Jews, however, were denied access to their holy places. In general, Jerusalem became a backwater for both Palestinians and Israelis alike.

In the Arab - Israel War of June 1967 another round of fierce fighting broke out. Jordanian forces shelled West Jerusalem on 5 June and two days later Israeli paratroopers assaulted East Jerusalem, including the Old City. The Arab Legion and local Palestinians put up a stiff resistance, but were defeated. Israelis were jubilant at being able to pray at the Western Wall for the first time since 1948; Palestinians were mortified to see Muslim and Christian holy sites under Jewish control. Israel immediately began effecting significant changes to the newly unified city. It placed East Jerusalem under its legal and administrative jurisdiction on 28 June, thereby effectively annexing it and uniting it with West Jerusalem. Following on Jordanian procedure, Israel dramatically expanded the municipal city limits into the West Bank. On 30 July 1980 the Israeli Knesset declared the newly expanded city to be the "eternal" capital of Israel. Israeli authorities also confiscated Palestinian land in the Old City to rebuild the destroyed Jewish Quarter, and destroyed 135 Palestinian homes and two historic mosques to build an expansive pilgrims' plaza facing the Western Wall. Finally, new Jewish settlements like Pisgat Zeʾev were constructed in East Jerusalem surrounding the Old City. The acceleration of settlement building for Jews under the Likud governments starting in 1977 resulted, by the mid-1980s, in 12 percent of the Jewish population of Jerusalem residing in East Jerusalem beyond the 1948 armistice line (Green Line). By contrast, the Palestinian neighborhoods in West Jerusalem that were captured in 1967 were not resettled, and remain inhabited by Jews. By 2000, the city's population stood at 670,500 in the expanded city: 454,600 Jews and 215,400 Palestinians. Under the administration of Jewish mayor Teddy Kollek (1965 - 1992), all barriers dividing the city were removed. The city underwent a major beautification program that included the construction of a ring of parks around the Old City. Other green spaces, combined with zoning regulations, also served to prevent the expansion of Palestinian built-up areas while Jewish settlement construction continued and, in general, Kollek neglected development of the Palestinian parts of the city.

Unified Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the seat of the government of the state of Israel, and the site of the Knesset, Supreme Court, Chief Rabbinate, and the offices of many Jewish institutions. Most countries of the world,
however, maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, in deference to United Nations General Assembly Resolultion 181 (II) of 1947 and the unsettled international legal status of the city. Since 1967, Muslim and Christian holy places have been under the jurisdiction of their respective religious authorities, with the al-Haram al-Sharif under the administration of the waqf and shariʿa courts. Jerusalem Palestinians were also granted Israeli permanent residency cards, and thus treated differently from West Bank Palestinians.

The unification of Jerusalem in 1967 revived the religious and political competition for control of the city. Some of the new Israeli neighborhoods in East Jerusalem have been settled by haredi (ultra-orthodox) Jews, for whom Jerusalem is the center of their religious worldview that calls for strict observance of the Sabbath rest. Their opposition, at times violent, to secular vehicular traffic through these neighborhoods has renewed the religious-secular conflict among Jews in Israel. Haredi votes enabled the Likud candidate, Ehud Olmert, to become mayor of Jerusalem in 1993 and to place haredi members on the Municipal Council. In 2003 the city voted in its first haredi mayor, Uri Lupolianski. Through immigration and natural increase, the haredi population will soon exceed that of the secular Jewish residents of the city. For the Jewish religious nationalist settlers, who also have a presence in these neighborhoods and have bought or leased housing in Palestinian neighborhoods in the Old City or in villages such as Silwan that have Jewish historic significance, Jerusalem is holy land never to be relinquished.

For the Palestinians, Jerusalem remains their spiritual and national capital. They have viewed these political and demographic changes with great alarm, and have been angered by violent threats to their shrines. In August 1969 an Australian Christian set fire to the al-Aqsa mosque, destroying a twelfth-century pulpit. Israeli police thwarted several Jewish attempts to blow up the shrines in alHaram al-Sharif in the early 1980s. In April 1982 a U.S.-born Israeli began shooting inside the Dome of the Rock, killing two Palestinians.

To bolster the Arab-Islamic nature of East Jerusalem, the Jordanian and Saudi governments have helped to fund the more than 2,000 Muslim endowments in the city - Islamic schools, colleges, mosques, welfare services, and commercial enterprises, as well as the repair of Islamic holy sites. Archaeological excavations also carry political ramifications in Jerusalem and have led to violence. Palestinian disturbances broke out in September 1996, prompted by Israel's opening of an ancient tunnel running adjacent to al-Haram al-Sharif. Intra-Jewish confrontations sometimes occur over archaeological digs that haredi Jews claim desecrate ancient Hebrew burial grounds.

The signing of the Oslo Accord in 1993 has accelerated the political struggle over the city as both Israel and the Palestinians prepare for the "final status talks" that were slated to determine the future of the city. Despite Israel's insistence that the unified city is its eternal capital, Palestinians continue to maintain that it (or at least East Jerusalem) is the capital of a future Palestinian state, as stated in the 1988 declaration of independence by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Indeed, the city has become the Palestinian religious, cultural, and intellectual center, and, through the establishment of the Arab Studies Society (1979) by Faysal alHusayni at Orient House, the site of Palestinian archives collected to build and transmit Palestinian nationalism. After the onset of the Israeli - Palestinian peace process after 1993, the PLO gave al-Husayni responsibility for assessing municipal functions of a Palestinian part of the city, and the Orient House began to play the de facto role of a municipal institution with national functions. For their part, Israeli authorities in the 1990s began tightening residency requirements for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a process that led to hundreds of them losing their residency rights. Israel's decision to build a Jewish settlement at Har Homa (in Arabic, Jabal Abu Ghunaym) in Jerusalem's southern suburbs angered Palestinians and threatened the peace process. Even Arab-Arab friction grew in 1994 when Israel's peace treaty with Jordan maintained Jordan's role in Islamic religious affairs in the city, to the outrage of Palestinians.

These political struggles witnessed the intensification of the level and degree of violence in the city. In October 1990 Israeli security forces opened fire on Palestinians in al-Haram al-Sharif who were stoning Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall below, killing seventeen. The violent opposition to the peace process by Islamic fundamentalist groups such as HAMAS and Islamic Jihad, who operated within the Palestinian Authority, led to numerous terrorist attacks on Jewish civilian targets that killed dozens. An unnerving development in this regard was the beginning of suicide bombings by members of the two groups. These suicide bombings on buses in Jerusalem led directly to the election victory of the Likud in 1996, and soured many Israelis to the idea of the peace process. The visit of the controversial Likud politician Ariel Sharon to al-Haram al-Sharif in September 2000 led to a particularly intense outbreak of the violence of the al-Aqsa Intifada, which has prompted Israeli authorities to close Orient House and restrict non-Jerusalem resident Palestinians from entering the city, while HAMAS and Islamic Jihad carry out more suicide bombings, including in non-Zionist religious Jewish neighborhoods. In response, Israel began constructing a barrier cutting off Palestinian population centers from Jewish areas. In January 2004, Israeli authorities began extending the wall so that it cut off the Palestinian suburb of Abu Dis from the city proper. Jerusalem remained a city on the edge by early 2004.

Bibliography

Armstrong, Karen. Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. New York: Ballantine, 1997.

Asali, K. J., ed. Jerusalem in History. New York: Interlink, 1990.

Ben-Arieh, Y. Jerusalem in the Nineteenth Century: The Emergence of the New City. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987.

Ben-Arieh, Y. Jerusalem in the Nineteenth Century: The Old City. Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, 1984.

Benvenisti, Meron. City of Stone: The Hidden History ofJerusalem. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.

Dumper, Michael T. The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.

Elon, Amos. Jerusalem: City of Mirrors. Boston: Little, Brown, 1989.

Friedland, Roger, and Hecht, Richard. To Rule Jerusalem. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Irani, George E. The Papacy and the Middle East: The Role of theHoly See in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1962 - 1984. South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986.

Kraemer, Joel, ed. Jerusalem: Problems and Prospects. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1981.

REEVA S. SIMON
UPDATED BY MICHAEL R. FISCHBACH

 
Geography: Jerusalem
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Capital of Israel and largest city in the country, located on a ridge west of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. (See also under “The Bible.”)

  • The site of the city has been occupied since the Bronze Age.
  • It was the capital of the ancient Hebrew kingdom under the kings David and Solomon.
  • Known as the “Holy City,” it is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
  • Conquest of Jerusalem was the goal of the early Crusades during the Middle Ages.
  • After the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. Following the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1967, Israel annexed the remainder of the city.
  • The city is famous for its many sacred sights and shrines, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Dome of the Rock.

 
Weather: Jerusalem, Israel
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AccuWeather® 5-Day Forecast for

Friday HI:  85°F / 29°C
LO: 62°F / 16°C
Saturday HI:  86°F / 30°C
LO: 63°F / 17°C
Sunday HI:  86°F / 30°C
LO: 63°F / 17°C
Monday HI:  88°F / 31°C
LO: 63°F / 17°C
Tuesday HI:  87°F / 30°C
LO: 66°F / 18°C
Last updated July 17, 2009 20:49 (EST)

 
Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Jerusalem, Israel
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The country code is: 972
The city code is: 2


 
Local Time: Jerusalem, Israel
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Local Time: Jul 18, 6:20 AM

 
Maps: Jerusalem
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Bible Dictionary: Jerusalem
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A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel. The name means “city of peace.” Jerusalem is often called Zion; Mount Zion is the hill on which the fortress of the city was built.

  • Jerusalem and places nearby are the scenes of crucial events in the life of Jesus. (See Bethlehem and Calvary.)
  • The “New Jerusalem” is mentioned in the Book of Revelation as the heavenly city, to be established at the end of time.

  •  
    Islamic Dictionary: Jerusalem
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    The main city in ancient Palestine for Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Temple of David was located there, Jesus was crucified and resurrected there, and Mohammad ascended to heaven (his miraj) there. For all three religions, hence, Jerusalem is a "holy city."

     
    Blogs: Related blogs on: Jerusalem
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    Wikipedia: Jerusalem
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    Jerusalem

    Jerusalem, viewed from the Mount of Olives

    Emblem

    Flag
    Jerusalem is located in Israel
    Jerusalem
    Jerusalem
    Country Israel
    District Jerusalem
    Government City
    Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
    (Translit.) Yerushalayim
    Arabic commonly القـُدْس (Al-Quds);
    officially in Israel أورشليم القدس
    (Urshalim-Al-Quds)
    Name meaning Hebrew: (see below),
    Arabic: "The Holy"
    Population 747,600[1] (2007)
    Area 125,156 dunams (125.156 km2; 48.323 sq mi)
    Mayor Nir Barkat
    Coordinates 31°47′N 35°13′E / 31.783°N 35.217°E / 31.783; 35.217Coordinates: 31°47′N 35°13′E / 31.783°N 35.217°E / 31.783; 35.217
    Website www.jerusalem.muni.il[i]
    Jerusalem on the map of Israel.

    Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִםHe-Jerusalem.ogg (audio) , Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس ArAlquds.ogg (audio) , al-Quds)[ii] is the capital[iii] of Israel and its largest city[2] in both population and area,[3] with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of 125.1 square kilometres (48.3 sq mi) if disputed East Jerusalem is included.[1][4][iv] Located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern tip of the Dead Sea, modern Jerusalem has grown beyond the boundaries of the Old City.

    The city has a history that goes back to the 4th millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.[5] Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual center of the Jewish people since the 10th century BCE,[6] contains a number of significant ancient Christian sites, and is considered the third-holiest city in Islam.[7] Despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometer (0.35 square mile),[8] the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today — the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters — were introduced in the early 19th century.[9] The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage Sites in danger by Jordan in 1982.[10] In the course of its history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.[11]

    Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem has been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations and related bodies,[12][13] and Arab Palestinians foresee East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.[14][15] In the wake of United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 (passed in 1980), most foreign embassies moved out of Jerusalem, although some countries, such as the United States, still own land in the city and pledge to return their embassies once political agreements warrant the move.[16]

    Contents

    Etymology


    Jerusalem

    The Semitic root of the name was sometimes thought to be "s-l-m"[citation needed] meaning peace, harmony or completeness. A city called Rušalimum or Urušalimum appears in ancient Egyptian records as one of the first reference to Jerusalem.[17] These Egyptian forms are thought to derive from the local name attested in the Amarna letters, eg in EA 287 (where it takes several forms) Urusalim.[18][19] The form Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) first appears in the book of Joshua. This form has the appearance of a portmanteau of yerusha (heritage) and the original name Shalem and is not a simple phonetic evolution of the form in the Amarna letters. Some believe there is a connection to Shalim, the beneficent deity known from Ugaritic myths as the personification of dusk.[20] Typically the ending -im indicates the plural in Hebrew grammar and -ayim the dual thus leading to the suggestion that the name refers to the fact that the city sits on two hills.[21][22] However the pronunciation of the last syllable as -ayim appears to be a late development, which had not yet appeared at the time of the Septuagint. In Greek and Latin it is transliterated Hierosolyma. To the Arabs, Jerusalem is al-Quds ("The Holy"). "Zion" initially referred to part of the city, but later came to signify the city as a whole. Under King David, it was known as Ir David (the City of David).[23]

    History

    Jebusite wall, City of David

    Ceramic evidence indicates the occupation of Ophel, within present-day Jerusalem, as far back as the Copper Age, c. 4th millennium BCE,[5][24] with evidence of a permanent settlement during the early Bronze Age, c. 3000-2800 BCE.[24][25] The Execration Texts (c. 19th century BCE), which refer to a city called Roshlamem or Rosh-ramen[24] and the Amarna letters (c. 14th century BCE) may be the earliest mention of the city.[26][27] Some archaeologists, including Kathleen Kenyon, believe Jerusalem[28] as a city was founded by West Semitic people with organized settlements from around 2600 BCE. According to Jewish tradition the city was founded by Shem and Eber, ancestors of Abraham. In the biblical account, when first mentioned, Jerusalem is ruled by Melchizedek, an ally of Abraham (identified with Shem in legend). Later, in the time of Joshua, Jerusalem was in territory allocated to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:28) but it continued to be under the independent control of the Jebusites until it was conquered by David and made into the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel (c. 1000s BCE).[29][30][v] Recent excavations of a large stone structure are interpreted by some archaeologists as lending credence to the biblical narrative.[31]

    Temple periods

    According to Hebrew scripture, King David reigned until 970 BCE. He was succeeded by his son Solomon,[32] who built the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah. Solomon's Temple (later known as the First Temple), went on to play a pivotal role in Jewish history as the repository of the Ark of the Covenant.[33] For over 450 years, until the Babylonian conquest in 587 BCE, Jerusalem was the political capital of firstly the united Kingdom of Israel and then the Kingdom of Judah and the Temple was the religious center of the Israelites.[34] This period is known in history as the First Temple Period.[35] Upon Solomon's death (c. 930 BCE), the ten northern tribes split off to form the Kingdom of Israel. Under the leadership of the House of David and Solomon, Jerusalem remained the capital of the Kingdom of Judah.[35]

    The Tower of David as seen from the Hinnom Valley

    When the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE, Jerusalem was strengthened by a great influx of refugees from the northern kingdom. The First Temple period ended around 586 BCE, as the Babylonians conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and laid waste to Solomon's Temple.[35] In 538 BCE, after fifty years of Babylonian captivity, Persian King Cyrus the Great invited the Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the Temple.[36] Construction of the Second Temple was completed in 516 BCE, during the reign of Darius the Great, seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple.[37][38] Later, in ~445 BCE, King Artaxerxes I of Persia issued a decree allowing the city and the walls to be rebuilt.[39] Jerusalem resumed its role as capital of Judah and center of Jewish worship. When Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, Jerusalem and Judea fell under Macedonian control, eventually falling to the Ptolemaic dynasty under Ptolemy I. In 198 BCE, Ptolemy V lost Jerusalem and Judea to the Seleucids under Antiochus III. The Seleucid attempt to recast Jerusalem as a Hellenized polis came to a head in 168 BCE with the successful Maccabean revolt of Mattathias the High Priest and his five sons against Antiochus Epiphanes, and their establishment of the Hasmonean Kingdom in 152 BCE with Jerusalem again as its capital.[40]

    Jewish-Roman wars

    Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem (David Roberts, 1850)

    As Rome became stronger it installed Herod as a Jewish client king. Herod the Great, as he was known, devoted himself to developing and beautifying the city. He built walls, towers and palaces, and expanded the Temple Mount, buttressing the courtyard with blocks of stone weighing up to 100 tons. Under Herod, the area of the Temple Mount doubled in size.[32][41][42] In 6 CE, the city, as well as much of the surrounding area, came under direct Roman rule as the Iudaea Province[43] and Herod's descendants through Agrippa II remained client kings of Judea until 96 CE. Roman rule over Jerusalem and the region began to be challenged with the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Jerusalem once again served as the capital of Judea during the three-year rebellion known as the Bar Kochba revolt, beginning in 132 CE. The Romans succeeded in suppressing the revolt in 135 CE. Emperor Hadrian romanized the city, renaming it Aelia Capitolina.[44], and banned the Jews from entering it. Hadrian renamed the entire Iudaea Province Syria Palaestina after the biblical Philistines in an attempt to de-Judaize the country.[45][46] Enforcement of the ban on Jews entering Aelia Capitolina continued until the 4th century CE.

    In the five centuries following the Bar Kokhba revolt, the city remained under Roman then Byzantine rule. During the 4th century, the Roman Emperor Constantine I constructed Christian sites in Jerusalem such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem reached a peak in size and population at the end of the Second Temple Period: The city covered two square kilometers (0.8 sq mi.) and had a population of 200,000[45][47] From the days of Constantine until the 7th century, Jews were banned from Jerusalem.[48]

    Roman-Persian wars

    Within the span of a few decades, Jerusalem shifted from Roman to Persian rule and returned to Roman dominion once more. Following Sassanid Khosrau II's early seventh century push into Byzantine, advancing through Syria, Sassanid Generals Shahrbaraz and Shahin attacked the Byzantine-controlled city of Jerusalem (Persian: Dej Houdkh).[49]

    In the Siege of Jerusalem (614), after 21 days of relentless siege warfare, Jerusalem was captured and the Persian victory resulted in the territorial annexation of Jerusalem. After the Sassanid army entered Jerusalem, the holy "True Cross" was stolen and sent back to the Sassanian capital as a battle-captured holy relic. Persians massacred up to 90,000 Christians.[50] The conquered city and the Holy Cross would remain in Sassanid hands for some fifteen years until the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius recovered them in 629.[49]

    Arab rule

    Dome of the Rock viewed through Cotton Gate

    Jerusalem is considered Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina. Among Muslims of an earlier era, it was referred to as al-Bayt al-Muqaddas; later, it became known as al-Quds al-Sharif. In 638, the Islamic Caliphate extended its dominion to Jerusalem.[51] With the Arab conquest, Jews were allowed back into the city.[52] The Rashidun caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab signed a treaty with Monophysite Christian Patriarch Sophronius, assuring him that Jerusalem's Christian holy places and population would be protected under Muslim rule.[53] Umar was led to the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount, which he cleared of refuse in preparation for building a mosque. According to the Gaullic bishop Arculf, who lived in Jerusalem from 679-688, the Mosque of Umar was a rectangular wooden structure built over ruins which could accommodated 3,000 worshipers.[54] The Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik commissioned the construction of the Dome of the Rock in the late 7th century.[55] The 10th century historian al-Muqaddasi writes that Abd al-Malik built the shrine in order to compete in grandeur of Jerusalem's monumental churches.[54] Over the next four hundred years, Jerusalem's prominence diminished as Arab powers in the region jockeyed for control.[56]

    Crusader, Ayyubid, and Mamluk period

    Medieval illustration of capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, 1099

    In 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders, who massacred most of its Muslim inhabitants and the remnants of the Jewish inhabitants; the Crusaders later expelled the native Christian population and created the Kingdom of Jerusalem. By early June 1099 Jerusalem’s population had declined from 70,000 to less than 30,000.[57]

    In 1187, the city was wrested from the Crusaders by Saladin who permitted Jews and Muslims to return and settle in the city.[58] Under the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin, a period of huge investment began in the construction of houses, markets, public bathes, and pilgrim hostels as well as the establishment of religious endowments. However, for most of the 13th century, Jerusalem declined to the status of a village due to city's fall of strategic value and Ayyubid internecine struggles.[59]

    In 1244, Jerusalem was sacked by the Kharezmian Tartars, who decimated the city's Christian population and drove out the Jews.[60] The Khwarezmian Tatars were driven out by the Ayyubids in 1247. From 1250-1517, Jerusalem was ruled by the Mamluks. During this period of time many clashes occurred between the Mamluks on one side and the crusaders and the Mongols on the other side. The area also suffered from many earthquakes and black plague.

    Ottoman era

    Jews of Jerusalem, 1895

    In 1517, Jerusalem and environs fell to the Ottoman Turks, who generally remained in control until 1917.[58] Jerusalem enjoyed a period of renewal and peace under Suleiman the Magnificent - including the rebuilding of magnificent walls around the Old City. Throughout much of Ottoman rule, Jerusalem remained a provincial, if religiously important center, and did not straddle the main trade route between Damascus and Cairo.[61] However, the Muslim Turks brought many innovations: modern postal systems run by the various consulates; the use of the wheel for modes of transportation; stagecoach and carriage, the wheelbarrow and the cart; and the oil-lantern, among the first signs of modernization in the city.[62] In the mid 19th century, the Ottomans constructed the first paved road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and by 1892 the railroad had reached the city.[62]

    With the annexation of Jerusalem by Muhammad Ali of Egypt in 1831, foreign missions and consulates began to establish a foothold in the city. In 1836, Ibrahim Pasha allowed Jerusalem's Jewish residents to restore four major synagogues, among them the Hurva.[63] In the 1834 Arab revolt in Palestine, Qasim al-Ahmad led his forces from Nablus and attacked Jerusalem, aided by the Abu Ghosh clan, entered the city on May 31, 1834. The Christians and Jews of Jerusalem were subjected to attacks. Ibrahim's Egyptian army routed Qasim's forces in Jerusalem the following month.[64]

    Ottoman rule was reinstated in 1840, but many Egyptian Muslims remained in Jerusalem and Jews from Algiers and North Africa began to settle in the city in growing numbers.[63] In the 1840s and 1850s, the international powers began a tug-of-war in Palestine as they sought to extend their protection over the country's religious minorities, a struggle carried out mainly through consular representatives in Jerusalem.[65] According to the Prussian consul, the population in 1845 was 16,410, with 7,120 Jews, 5,000 Muslims, 3,390 Christians, 800 Turkish soldiers and 100 Europeans.[63] The volume of Christian pilgrims increased under the Ottomans, doubling the city's population around Easter time.[66]

    In the 1860s, new neighborhoods began to develop outside the Old City walls to house pilgrims and relieve the intense overcrowding and poor sanitation inside the city. The Russian Compound and Mishkenot Sha'ananim were founded in 1860.[67] In 1867 an American Missionary reports an estimated population of Jerusalem of 'above' 15,000. With 4,000 to 5,000 Jews and 6,000 Muslims. Every year there were 5,000 to 6,000 Russian Christian Pilgrims.[68]

    British Mandate and 1948 War

    General Edmund Allenby enters the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on December 11, 1917

    In 1917 after the Battle of Jerusalem, the British Army, led by General Edmund Allenby, captured the city,[69] and in 1922, the League of Nations at the Conference of Lausanne entrusted the United Kingdom to administer the Mandate for Palestine.

    From 1922 to 1948 the total population of the city rose from 52,000 to 165,000 with two thirds of Jews and one-third of Arabs (Muslims and Christians).[70] The situation between Arabs and Jews in Palestine was not quiet. At Jerusalem, in particular riots occurred in 1920 and in 1929. Under the British, new garden suburbs were built in the western and northern parts of the city[71][72] and institutions of higher learning such as the Hebrew University were founded.[73]

    The remains of the Arab village of Deir Yassin are now part of the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center.

    As the British Mandate for Palestine was expiring, the 1947 UN Partition Plan recommended "the creation of a special international regime in the City of Jerusalem, constituting it as a corpus separatum under the administration of the United Nations."[74] The international regime (which also included the city of Bethlehem) was to remain in force for a period of ten years, whereupon a referendum was to be held in which the residents were to decide the future regime of their city. However, this plan was not implemented, as the 1948 war erupted, while the British withdrew from Palestine and Israel declared its independence.[75]

    The war led to displacement of Arab and Jewish populations in the city. The 1,500 residents of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City were expelled and a few hundred taken prisoner when the Arab Legion captured the quarter on 28 May.[76][77] Residents of many Arab villages and neighborhoods west of the Old City left with the approach of the war, but thousands remained and were driven out or killed, as at Lifta or Deir Yassin.[78][79][80]

    Division and reunification

    Israeli policemen meet a Jordanian Legionnaire near the Mandelbaum Gate

    The no-man's land between East and West Jerusalem came into being in November 1948: Moshe Dayan, commander of the Israeli forces in Jerusalem, met with his Jordanian counterpart Abdullah el Tell in a deserted house in Jerusalem’s Musrara neighborhood and marked out their respective positions: Israel’s position in red and Jordan's in green. This rough map, which was not meant as a an official one, became the final ceasefire line in the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which divided the city and left Mount Scopus as an Israeli exclave.[81] Barbed wire and concrete barriers ran down the center of the city and military skirmishes frequently threatened the ceasefire. After the establishment of the State of Israel, Jerusalem was declared its capital. Jordan formally annexed East Jerusalem in 1950, subjecting it to Jordanian law.[75][82] Only the United Kingdom and Pakistan formally recognized such annexation, which, in regard to Jerusalem, was on a de facto basis.[83] Also, it is dubious if Pakistan recognized Jordan's annexation.[84][85]

    Jordan assumed control of the holy places in the Old City. Contrary to the terms of the agreement, Israelis were denied access to Jewish holy sites, many of which were desecrated. Jordan allowed only very limited access to Christian holy sites.[86][87] During this period, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque underwent major renovations.[88]

    Map showing East and West Jerusalem

    During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured East Jerusalem and asserted sovereignty over the entire city. Jewish and Christian access to holy sites was restored, while the Temple Mount remained under the jurisdiction of an Islamic waqf. The Moroccan Quarter, which was located adjacent to the Western Wall, was vacated and razed[89] to make way for a plaza for those visiting the wall.[90] Since the war, Israel has expanded the city's boundaries and established a ring of Jewish neighbourhoods on vacant land east of the Green Line.

    However, the takeover of East Jerusalem was met with international criticism. Following the passing of Israel's Jerusalem Law, which declared Jerusalem, "complete and united", the capital of Israel,[91] the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that declared the law "a violation of international law" and requested all member states to withdraw all remaining embassies from the city.[92]

    The status of the city, and especially its holy places, remains a core issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jewish settlers have taken over historic sites and built on land confiscated from Arabs[93] in order to expand the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem,[94] while prominent Islamic leaders have made claims that Jews have no historical connection to Jerusalem, alleging that the 2500-year old Western Wall was constructed as part of a mosque.[95] Palestinian Arabs envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state,[96][97] and the city's borders have been the subject of bilateral talks.

    Geography

    View of Jerusalem Forest from Yad Vashem

    Jerusalem is situated on the southern spur of a plateau in the Judean Mountains, which include the Mount of Olives (East) and Mount Scopus (North East). The elevation of the Old City is approximately 760 m (2,500 ft).[98] The whole of Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys and dry riverbeds (wadis). The Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoeon Valleys intersect in an area just south of the Old City of Jerusalem.[99] The Kidron Valley runs to the east of the Old City and separates the Mount of Olives from the city proper. Along the southern side of old Jerusalem is the Valley of Hinnom, a steep ravine associated in biblical eschatology with the concept of Gehenna or Hell.[100] The Tyropoeon valley commenced in the northwest near the Damascus Gate, ran south-southeasterly through the center of the Old City down to the Pool of Siloam, and divided the lower part into two hills, the Temple Mount to the east, and the rest of the city to the west (the lower and the upper cities described by Josephus). Today, this valley is hidden by debris that has accumulated over the centuries.[99]

    In biblical times, Jerusalem was surrounded by forests of almond, olive and pine trees. Over centuries of warfare and neglect, these forests were destroyed. Farmers in the Jerusalem region thus built stone terraces along the slopes to hold back the soil, a feature still very much in evidence in the Jerusalem landscape.[101]

    Water supply has always been a major problem in Jerusalem, as attested to by the intricate network of ancient aqueducts, tunnels, pools and cisterns found in the city.[102]

    Jerusalem is 60 kilometers (37 mi)[103] east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea. On the opposite side of the city, approximately 35 kilometers (22 mi)[104] away, is the Dead Sea, the lowest body of water on Earth. Neighboring cities and towns include Bethlehem and Beit Jala to the south, Abu Dis and Ma'ale Adumim to the east, Mevaseret Zion to the west, and Ramallah and Giv'at Ze'ev to the north.[105][106][107]

    Panorama of the Temple Mount, including the Dome of the Rock, from the Mount of Olives

    Climate

    The city is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers, and cool, rainy winters. Light snow usually falls once or twice a winter, although the city experiences heavy snowfall every three to four years on average. January is the coldest month of the year, with an average temperature of 8 °C (46 °F); July and August are the hottest months, with an average temperature of 23 °C (73 °F). Temperatures vary widely from day to night, and Jerusalem evenings are typically cool even in summer. The average annual precipitation is close to 590 millimetres (23 in) with rain occurring mostly between October and May.[108]

    Most of the air pollution in Jerusalem comes from vehicular traffic.[109] Many main streets in Jerusalem were not built to accommodate such a large volume of traffic, leading to traffic congestion and more carbon monoxide released into the air. Industrial pollution inside the city is sparse, but emissions from factories on the Israeli Mediterranean coast can travel eastward and settle over the city.[109][110]

     Weather averages for Jerusalem 
    Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    Average high °C (°F) 12
    (53)
    13
    (56)
    16
    (61)
    21
    (70)
    25
    (77)
    28
    (82)
    29
    (84)
    29
    (84)
    28
    (82)
    25
    (77)
    19
    (66)
    14
    (57)
    Average low °C (°F) 4
    (39)
    4
    (40)
    6
    (43)
    9
    (49)
    12
    (54)
    15
    (59)
    17
    (63)
    17
    (63)
    16
    (61)
    14
    (57)
    9
    (49)
    6
    (42)
    Precipitation mm (inches) 142.2
    (5.6)
    114.3
    (4.5)
    99.1
    (3.9)
    30.5
    (1.2)
    2.5
    (0.1)
    0
    (0)
    0
    (0)
    0
    (0)
    0.0
    (0.0)
    22.9
    (0.9)
    68.8
    (2.7)
    109.2
    (4.3)
    Source: The Weather Channel[108]

    Demographics

    Population of Jerusalem
    Year Total
    1844 15,510
    1876 25,030
    1896 45,420
    1922 62,578
    1931 90,053
    1944 157,000
    1948 165,000
    1967 263,307
    1980 407,100
    1985 457,700
    1990 524,400
    1995 617,000
    2000 657,500
    2005 706,400

    In December 2007, Jerusalem had a population of 747,600—64% were Jewish, 32% Muslim, and 2% Christian.[1] At the end of 2005, the population density was 5,750.4 inhabitants per square kilometer (14,893.5/sq mi).[3][111] According to a study published in 2000, the percentage of Jews in the city's population had been decreasing; this was attributed to a higher Palestinian birth rate, and Jewish residents leaving. The study also found that about nine percent of the Old City's 32,488 people were Jews.[112]

    In 2005, 2,850 new immigrants settled in Jerusalem, mostly from the United States, France and the former Soviet Union. In terms of the local population, the number of outgoing residents exceeds the number of incoming residents. In 2005, 16,000 left Jerusalem and only 10,000 moved in.[3] Nevertheless, the population of Jerusalem continues to rise due to the high birth rate, especially in the Arab and Haredi Jewish communities. Consequently, the total fertility rate in Jerusalem (4.02) is higher than in Tel Aviv (1.98) and well above the national average of 2.90. The average size of Jerusalem's 180,000 households is 3.8 people.[3]

    In 2005, the total population grew by 13,000 (1.8%) — similar to Israeli national average, but the religious and ethnic composition is shifting. While 31% of the Jewish population is made up of children below the age fifteen, the figure for the Arab population is 42%.[3] This would seem to corroborate the observation that the percentage of Jews in Jerusalem has declined over the past four decades. In 1967, Jews accounted for 74 percent of the population, while the figure for 2006 is down nine percent.[113] Possible factors are the high cost of housing, fewer job opportunities and the increasingly religious character of the city. Many people are moving to the suburbs and coastal cities in search of cheaper housing and a more secular lifestyle.[114]

    In 2009, the percentage of Haredim in the city is strongly increasing. As of 2009, out of 150,100 schoolchildren, 59,900 or 40% are in state-run secular and National Religious schools, while 90,200 or 60% are in Haredi schools. This correlates with the high number of children in Haredi families.[115][116]

    While many Israelis see Jerusalem as poor, rundown and riddled with religious and political tension, the city has been a magnet for Palestinians, offering more jobs and opportunity than any city in the West Bank or Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials have encouraged Arabs over the years to stay in the city to maintain their claim.[117][118] Palestinians are attracted to the access to jobs, healthcare, social security, other benefits, and quality of life Israel provides to Jerusalem residents.[119] Arab residents of Jerusalem who choose not to have Israeli citizenship are granted an Israeli identity card that allows them to pass through checkpoints with relative ease and to travel throughout Israel, making it easier to find work. Residents also are entitled to the subsidized healthcare and social security benefits Israel provides its citizens. Arabs in Jerusalem can send their children to Israeli-run schools, although not every neighborhood has one, and universities. Israeli doctors and highly regarded hospitals such as Hadassah Medical Center are available to residents.[120]

    Demographics and the Jewish-Arab population divide play a major role in the dispute over Jerusalem. In 1998, the Jerusalem Development Authority proposed expanding city limits to the west to include more areas heavily populated with Jews.[121]

    Criticism of urban planning

    Critics of efforts to promote a Jewish majority in Israel say that government planning policies are motivated by demographic considerations and seek to limit Arab construction while promoting Jewish construction.[122] According to a World Bank report, the number of recorded building violations between 1996 and 2000 was four and half times higher in Jewish neighborhoods but four times fewer demolition orders were issued in West Jerusalem than in East Jerusalem; Palestinians in Jerusalem were less likely to receive construction permits than Jews, and "the authorities are much more likely to take action against Palestinian violators" than Jewish violators of the permit process.[123] In recent years, private Jewish foundations have received permission from the government to develop projects on disputed lands, such as the City of David archaeological park in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan (adjacent to the Old City),[124] and the Museum of Tolerance on Mamilla cemetery (adjacent to Zion Square).[125] The Israeli government has also expropriated Palestinian land for the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier.[123] Opponents view such urban planning moves as geared towards the Judaization of Jerusalem.[126][127][128]

    Local government

    Safra Square, Jerusalem City Hall

    The Jerusalem City Council is a body of 31 elected members headed by the mayor, who serves a five-year term and appoints six deputies. The former mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupolianski, was elected in 2003.[129] In the November 2008 city elections, Nir Barkat came out as the winner and is now the mayor. Apart from the mayor and his deputies, City Council members receive no salaries and work on a voluntary basis. The longest-serving Jerusalem mayor was Teddy Kollek, who spent twenty-eight years — six consecutive terms — in office. Most of the meetings of the Jerusalem City Council are private, but each month, it holds a session that is open to the public.[129] Within the city council, religious political parties form an especially powerful faction, accounting for the majority of its seats.[130] The headquarters of the Jerusalem Municipality and the mayor's office are at Safra Square (Kikar Safra) on Jaffa Road. The new municipal complex, comprising two modern buildings and ten renovated historic buildings surrounding a large plaza, opened in 1993.[131] The city falls under the Jerusalem District, with Jerusalem as the district's capital.

    Political status

    The Knesset Building in Jerusalem, home to the legislative branch of the Israeli government

    On December 5, 1949, the State of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, proclaimed Jerusalem as Israel's capital[132] and since then all branches of the Israeli governmentlegislative, judicial, and executive — have resided there.[133] At the time of the proclamation, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan and thus only West Jerusalem was considered Israel's capital. Immediately after the 1967 Six-Day War, however, Israel annexed East Jerusalem, making it a de facto part of the Israeli capital. Israel enshrined the status of the "complete and united" Jerusalem — west and east — as its capital, in the 1980 Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.[134]

    The status of a "united Jerusalem" as Israel's "eternal capital"[132][135] has been a matter of immense controversy within the international community. Although some countries maintain consulates in Jerusalem, all embassies are located outside of the city proper, mostly in Tel Aviv.[136][137]

    The non-binding United Nations Security Council Resolution 478, passed on August 20, 1980, declared that the Basic Law was "null and void and must be rescinded forthwith." Member states were advised to withdraw their diplomatic representation from the city as a punitive measure. Most of the remaining countries with embassies in Jerusalem complied with the resolution by relocating them to Tel Aviv, where many embassies already resided prior to Resolution 478. Currently there are no embassies located within the city limits of Jerusalem, although there are embassies in Mevaseret Zion, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and four consulates in the city itself.[136] In 1995, the United States Congress had planned to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with the passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act.[138] However, U.S. President George W. Bush has argued that Congressional resolutions regarding the status of Jerusalem are merely advisory. The Constitution reserves foreign relations as an executive power, and as such, the United States embassy is still in Tel Aviv.[139]

    Israel's most prominent governmental institutions, including the Knesset,[140] the Supreme Court,[141] and the official residences of the President and Prime Minister, are located in Jerusalem. Prior to the creation of the State of Israel, Jerusalem served as the administrative capital of the British Mandate, which included present-day Israel and Jordan.[142] From 1949 until 1967, West Jerusalem served as Israel's capital, but was not recognized as such internationally because UN General Assembly Resolution 194 envisaged Jerusalem as an international city, despite the reality on the ground created in 1948 when Jordan annexed the Old City as part of its attempt to destroy the fledgling Israeli state. As a result of the Six-Day War in 1967, the whole of Jerusalem came under Israeli control. On June 27, 1967, the government of Levi Eshkol extended Israeli law and jurisdiction to East Jerusalem, but agreed that administration of the Temple Mount compound would be maintained by the Jordanian waqf, under the Jordanian Ministry of Religious Endowments.[143] In 1988, Israel ordered the closure of Orient House, home of the Arab Studies Society, but also the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization, for security reasons. The building reopened in 1992 as a Palestinian guesthouse.[144][145] The Oslo Accords stated that the final status of Jerusalem would be determined by negotiations with the Palestinian National Authority, which regards East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.[14]

    Religious significance

    The Western Wall, known as the Kotel
    The al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place in Islam

    Jerusalem plays an important role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The 2000 Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem lists 1204 synagogues, 158 churches, and 73 mosques within the city.[146] Despite efforts to maintain peaceful religious coexistence, some sites, such as the Temple Mount, have been a continuous source of friction and controversy.

    Church of the Holy Sepulchre

    Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews since King David proclaimed it his capital in the 10th century BCE. Jerusalem was the site of Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple.[6] It is mentioned in the Bible 632 times. Today, the Western Wall, a remnant of the wall surrounding the Second Temple, is a Jewish holy site second only to the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount itself.[147] Synagogues around the world are traditionally built with the Holy Ark facing Jerusalem,[148] and Arks within Jerusalem face the "Holy of Holies".[149] As prescribed in the Mishna and codified in the Shulchan Aruch, daily prayers are recited while facing towards Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Many Jews have "Mizrach" plaques hung on a wall of their homes to indicate the direction of prayer.[149][150]

    Christianity reveres Jerusalem not only for its Old Testament history but also for its significance in the life of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem soon after his birth[151] and later in his life cleansed the Second Temple.[152] The Cenacle, believed to be the site of Jesus' Last Supper, is located on Mount Zion in the same building that houses the Tomb of King David.[153][154] Another prominent Christian site in Jerusalem is Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion. The Gospel of John describes it as being located outside Jerusalem,[155] but recent archaeological evidence suggests Golgotha is a short distance from the Old City walls, within the present-day confines of the city.[156] The land currently occupied by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered one of the top candidates for Golgotha and thus has been a Christian pilgrimage site for the past two thousand years.[156][157][158]

    Jerusalem is considered the third-holiest city in Islam.[7] For approximately a year, before it was permanently switched to the Kabaa in Mecca, the qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims was Jerusalem.[159] The city's lasting place in Islam, however, is primarily due to Muhammad's Night of Ascension (c. 620 CE). Muslims believe Muhammad was miraculously transported one night from Mecca to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, whereupon he ascended to Heaven to meet previous prophets of Islam.[160][161] The first verse in the Qur'an's Surat al-Isra notes the destination of Muhammad's journey as al-Aqsa (the farthest) mosque,[162] in reference to the location in Jerusalem. Today, the Temple Mount is topped by two Islamic landmarks intended to commemorate the event — al-Aqsa Mosque, derived from the name mentioned in the Qur'an, and the Dome of the Rock, which stands over the Foundation Stone, from which Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to Heaven.[163]

    Culture

    The Shrine of the Book, housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, at the Israel Museum

    Although Jerusalem is known primarily for its religious significance, the city is also home to many artistic and cultural venues. The Israel Museum attracts nearly one million visitors a year, approximately one-third of them tourists.[164] The 20 acre museum complex comprises several buildings featuring special exhibits and extensive collections of Judaica, archaeological findings, and Israeli and European art. The Dead Sea scrolls, discovered in the mid-twentieth century in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea, are housed in the Museum's Shrine of the Book.[165] The Youth Wing, which mounts changing exhibits and runs an extensive art education program, is visited by 100,000 children a year. The museum has a large outdoor sculpture garden, and a scale-model of the Second Temple was recently moved from the Holyland Hotel to a new location on the museum grounds.[164] The Rockefeller Museum, located in East Jerusalem, was the first archaeological museum in the Middle East. It was built in 1938 during the British Mandate.[166][167] The Islamic Museum on the Temple Mount, established in 1923, houses many Islamic artifacts, from tiny kohl flasks and rare manuscripts to giant marble columns.[168]

    The Jerusalem Theater at night

    Yad Vashem, Israel's national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, houses the world's largest library of Holocaust-related information,[169] with an estimated 100,000 books and articles. The complex contains a state-of-the-art museum that explores the genocide of the Jews through exhibits that focus on the personal stories of individuals and families killed in the Holocaust and an art gallery featuring the work of artists who perished. Yad Vashem also commemorates the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis, and honors the Righteous among the Nations.[170] The Museum on the Seam, which explores issues of coexistence through art is situated on the road dividing eastern and western Jerusalem.[171]

    The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, established in the 1940s,[172] has appeared around the world.[172] Other arts facilities include the International Convention Center (Binyanei HaUma) near the entrance to city, where the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra plays, the Jerusalem Cinemateque, the Gerard Behar Center (formerly Beit Ha'am) in downtown Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Music Center in Yemin Moshe,[173] and the Targ Music Center in Ein Kerem. The Israel Festival, featuring indoor and outdoor performances by local and international singers, concerts, plays and street theater, has been held annually since 1961; for the past 25 years, Jerusalem has been the major organizer of this event. The Jerusalem Theater in the Talbiya neighborhood hosts over 150 concerts a year, as well as theater and dance companies and performing artists from overseas.[174] The Khan, located in a caravansarai opposite the old Jerusalem train station, is the city's only repertoire theater.[175] The station itself has become a venue for cultural events in recent years, as the site of Shav'ua Hasefer, an annual week-long book fair, and outdoor music performances.[176] The Jerusalem Film Festival is held annually, screening Israeli and international films.[177]

    The Palestinian National Theatre, for many years the only Arab cultural center in East Jerusalem, engages in cultural preservation as well as innovation, working to upgrade and rekindle interest in the arts at the national level.[178] The Ticho House, in downtown Jerusalem, houses the paintings of Anna Ticho and the Judaica collections of her husband, an ophthalmologist who opened Jerusalem's first eye clinic in this building in 1912.[179] Al-Hoash, established in 2004, is a gallery for the preservation of Palestinian art.[180]

    A Tolerance Monument sculpted by Czesław Dźwigaj in collaboration with Michal Kubiak is situated on a hill marking the divide between Jewish Armon Hanatziv and Arab Jebl Mukaber, standing opposite the United Nations headquarters in Jerusalem in a park near Goldman Promenade. Unveiled in Jerusalem in 2008, it was funded by Polish businessman Aleksander Gudzowaty as a symbol to promote peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[181]

    Economy

    Hadar Mall, Talpiot

    Historically, Jerusalem's economy was supported almost exclusively by religious pilgrims, as it was located far from the major ports of Jaffa and Gaza.[182] Jerusalem's religious landmarks today remain the top draw for foreign visitors, with the majority of tourists visiting the Western Wall and the Old City,[3] but in the past half-century it has become increasingly clear that Jerusalem's providence cannot solely be sustained by its religious significance.[182]

    Mahane Yehuda Market in West Jerusalem

    Although many statistics indicate economic growth in the city, since 1967 East Jerusalem has lagged behind the development of West Jerusalem.[182] Nevertheless, the percentage of households with employed persons is higher for Arab households (76.1%) than for Jewish households (66.8%). The unemployment rate in Jerusalem (8.3%) is slightly better than the national average (9.0%), although the civilian labor force accounted for less than half of all persons fifteen years or older — lower in comparison to that of Tel Aviv (58.0%) and Haifa (52.4%).[3] Poverty in the city has increased dramatically in recent years; between 2001 and 2007, the number of people below the poverty threshold increased by forty percent.[183] In 2006, the average monthly income for a worker in Jerusalem was NIS5,940 (US$1,410), NIS1,350 less than that for a worker in Tel Aviv.[183]

    Old City marketplace

    During the British Mandate, a law was passed requiring all buildings to be constructed of Jerusalem stone in order to preserve the unique historic and aesthetic character of the city.[72] Complementing this building code, which is still in force, is the discouragement of heavy industry in Jerusalem; only about 2.2% of Jerusalem's land is zoned for "industry and infrastructure." By comparison, the percentage of land in Tel Aviv zoned for industry and infrastructure is twice as high, and in Haifa, seven times as high.[3] Only 8.5% of the Jerusalem District work force is employed in the manufacturing sector, which is half the national average (15.8%). Higher than average percentages are employed in education (17.9% vs. 12.7%); health and welfare (12.6% vs. 10.7%); community and social services (6.4% vs. 4.7%); hotels and restaurants (6.1% vs. 4.7%); and public administration (8.2% vs. 4.7%).[184] Although Tel Aviv remains Israel's financial center, a growing number of high tech companies are moving to Jerusalem, providing 12,000 jobs in 2006.[185] Northern Jerusalem's Har Hotzvim industrial park is home to some of Israel's major corporations, among them Intel, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ophir Optronics and ECI Telecom. Expansion plans for the park envision one hundred businesses, a fire station, and a school, covering an area of 530,000 m² (130 acres).[186]

    Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the national government has remained a major player in Jerusalem's economy. The government, centered in Jerusalem, generates a large number of jobs, and offers subsidies and incentives for new business initiatives and start-ups.[182]

    Transportation

    Jerusalem's Central Bus Station

    The airport nearest to Jerusalem is Atarot Airport, which was used for domestic flights until its closure in 2001. Since then it has been under the control of the Israel Defense Forces due to disturbances in Ramallah and the West Bank. All air traffic from Atarot was rerouted to Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's largest and busiest airport, which serves nine million passengers annually.[187]

    Egged Bus Cooperative, the second-largest bus company in the world,[188] handles most of the local and intercity bus service out of the city's Central Bus Station on Jaffa Road near the western entrance to Jerusalem from highway 1. As of 2008, Egged buses, taxicabs and private cars are the only transportation options in Jerusalem. This is expected to change with the completion of the Jerusalem Light Rail, a new rail-based transit system currently under construction.[189] According to plans, the first rail line will be capable of transporting an estimated 200,000 people daily, and will have 24 stops.[190] It is scheduled for completion in 2010.[191]

    Begin Expressway with noise dampeners.

    Another work in progress[190] is a new high-speed rail line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is scheduled to be completed in 2011. Its terminus will be an underground station (80 m deep) serving the International Convention Center and the Central Bus Station,[192] and is planned to be extended eventually to Malha station. Israel Railways operates train services to Malha train station from Tel Aviv via Beit Shemesh.[193][194]

    Begin Expressway is one of Jerusalem's major north-south thoroughfares; it runs on the western side of the city, merging in the north with Route 443, which continues toward Tel Aviv. Route 60 runs through the center of the city near the Green Line between East and West Jerusalem. Construction is progressing on parts of a 35-kilometer (22-mile) ring road around the city, fostering faster connection between the suburbs.[195][196] The eastern half of the project was conceptualized decades ago, but reaction to the proposed highway is still mixed.[195]

    Education

    Jerusalem is home to several prestigious universities offering courses in Hebrew, Arabic and English. Founded in 1925, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been ranked among the top 100 schools in the world.[197] The Board of Governors has included such prominent Jewish intellectuals as Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud.[73] The university has produced several Nobel laureates; recent winners associated with Hebrew University include Avram Hershko,[198] David Gross,[199] and Daniel Kahneman.[200] One of the university's major assets is the Jewish National and University Library, which houses over five million books.[201] The library opened in 1892, over three decades before the university was established, and is one of the world's largest repositories of books on Jewish subjects. Today it is both the central library of the university and the national library of Israel.[202] The Hebrew University operates three campuses in Jerusalem, on Mount Scopus, on Giv'at Ram and a medical campus at the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital.

    Al-Quds University was established in 1984[203] to serve as a flagship university for the Arab and Palestinian peoples. It describes itself as the "only Arab university in Jerusalem".[204] Al-Quds University resides southeast of the city proper on a campus encompassing 190,000 square metres (47 acres).[203] Other institutions of higher learning in Jerusalem are the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance[205] and Bezalel Academy of Art and Design,[206] whose buildings are located on the campuses of the Hebrew University.

    The Jerusalem College of Technology, founded in 1969, combines training in engineering and other high-tech industries with a Jewish studies program.[207] It is one of many schools in Jerusalem, from elementary school and up, that combine secular and religious studies. Numerous religious educational institutions and Yeshivot are based in the city, with the Mir yeshiva claiming to be the largest.[208] There were nearly 8,000 twelfth-grade students in Hebrew-language schools during the 2003–2004 school year.[3] However, due to the large portion of students in Haredi Jewish frameworks, only fifty-five percent of twelfth graders took matriculation exams (Bagrut) and only thirty-seven percent were eligible to graduate. Unlike public schools, many Haredi schools do not prepare students to take standardized tests.[3] To attract more university students to Jerusalem, the city has begun to offer a special package of financial incentives and housing subsidies to students who rent apartments in downtown Jerusalem.[209]

    Schools for Arabs in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel have been criticized for offering a lower quality education than those catering to Israeli Jewish students.[210] While many schools in the heavily Arab East Jerusalem are filled to capacity and there have been complaints of overcrowding, the Jerusalem Municipality is currently building over a dozen new schools in the city's Arab neighborhoods.[211] Schools in Ras el-Amud and Umm Lison opened in 2008.[212] In March 2007, the Israeli government approved a 5-year plan to build 8,000 new classrooms in the city, 40 percent in the Arab sector and 28 percent in the Haredi sector. A budget of 4.6 billion shekels was allocated for this project.[213] In 2008, Jewish British philanthropists donated $3 million for the construction of schools in Arab East Jerusalem.[212] Arab high school students take the Bagrut matriculation exams, so that much of their curriculum parallels that of other Israeli high schools and includes certain Jewish subjects.[210]

    Sports

    The two most popular sports are soccer and basketball.[214] Beitar Jerusalem Football Club is one of the most well-known in Israel. Fans include political figures who often attend its games.[215] Jerusalem's other major football team, and one of Beitar's top rivals, is Hapoel Katamon F.C. Whereas Beitar has been Israel State Cup champion five times,[216] Hapoel has only won the Cup once. Also, Beitar plays in the more prestigious Ligat HaAl, while Hapoel is in the third division national league.

    In basketball, Hapoel Jerusalem plays in the top division. The club has won the State Cup three times, and the ULEB Cup in 2004.[217] Since its opening in 1992, Teddy Kollek Stadium has been Jerusalem's primary football stadium, with a capacity of 21,000.[218]

    The Jerusalem Half Marathon is an annual event in which runners from all over the world compete on a course that takes in some of the city's most famous sights. In addition to the 21.1 km (13.1 miles) Half Marathon, runners can also opt for the shorter 10 km (6.2 miles) Fun Run. Both runs start and finish at the stadium in Givat Ram.[219][220]

    See also

    Sister cities

    Endnotes

    i.   ^ The website for Jerusalem is available in three languages — Hebrew, English, and Arabic.
    ii.   ^ Jerusalem in other languages: Arabic Bibles use أورشليم Ûrshalîm (Ûrushalîm); official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Ûrshalîm-al-Quds (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names)
    iii.   ^ Jerusalem is the capital under Israeli law. The presidential residence, government offices, supreme court and parliament (Knesset) are located there. The Palestinian Authority foresees East Jerusalem as the capital of its future state. The United Nations and most countries do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, taking the position that the final status of Jerusalem is pending future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv (see CIA Factbook[dead link] and Map of IsraelPDF (319 KB)) See Positions on Jerusalem for more information.
    iv.   ^ Statistics regarding the demographics of Jerusalem refer to the unified and expanded Israeli municipality, which includes the pre-1967 Israeli and Jordanian municipalities as well as several additional Palestinian villages and neighborhoods to the northeast. Some of the Palestinian villages and neighborhoods have been relinquished to the West Bank de facto by way of the Israeli West Bank barrier,[121] but their legal statuses have not been reverted.
    v.   ^ a b Much of the information regarding King David's conquest of Jerusalem comes from Biblical accounts, but modern-day historians have begun to give them credit due to a 1993 excavation.[223]
    vi.   ^ Sources disagree on the timing of the creation of the Pact of Umar (Omar). Whereas some say the Pact originated during Umar's lifetime but was later expanded,[224][225] others say the Pact was created after his death and retroactively attributed to him.[226] Further still, other historians believe the ideas in the Pact pre-date Islam and Umar entirely.[227]

    References

    1. ^ a b c "Population figures - End of 2007" (PDF). Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2007-12-31. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
    2. ^ Largest city:
      • "...modern Jerusalem, Israel's largest city..." (Erlanger, Steven. Jerusalem, Now, The New York Times, April 16, 2006.)
      • "Jerusalem is Israel's largest city." ("Israel (country)", Microsoft Encarta, 2006, p. 3. Retrieved October 18, 2006.)
      • "Since 1975 unified Jerusalem has been the largest city in Israel." ("Jerusalem"[dead link], Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2006. Retrieved October 18, 2006.)
      • "Jerusalem is the largest city in the State of Israel. It has the largest population, the most Jews and the most non-Jews of all Israeli cities." (Klein, Menachem. Jerusalem: The Future of a Contested City, New York University Press, March 1, 2001, p. 18. ISBN 0-8147-4754-X)
      • "In 1967, Tel Aviv was the largest city in Israel. By 1987, more Jews lived in Jerusalem than the total population of Tel Aviv. Jerusalem had become Israel's premier city." (Friedland, Roger and Hecht, Richard. To Rule Jerusalem, University of California Press, September 19, 2000, p. 192. ISBN 0-520-22092-7)
    3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Press Release: Jerusalem Day" (PDF). Central Bureau of Statistics. 2006-05-24. http://www.cbs.gov.il/hodaot2006n/11_06_106e.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-03-10. 
    4. ^ "Local Authorities in Israel 2007, Publication #1295 - Municipality Profiles - Jerusalem" (in Hebrew) (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
    5. ^ a b "Timeline for the History of Jerusalem". Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/jerutime.html. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. 
    6. ^ a b Since the 10th century BCE:[v]
      • "Israel was first forged into a unified nation from Jerusalem some 3,000 years ago, when King David seized the crown and united the twelve tribes from this city... For a thousand years Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish sovereignty, the household site of kings, the location of its legislative councils and courts. In exile, the Jewish nation came to be identified with the city that had been the site of its ancient capital. Jews, wherever they were, prayed for its restoration." Roger Friedland, Richard D. Hecht. To Rule Jerusalem, University of California Press, 2000, p. 8. ISBN 0-520-22092-7
      • "The Jewish bond to Jerusalem was never broken. For three millennia, Jerusalem has been the center of the Jewish faith, retaining its symbolic value throughout the generations." Jerusalem- the Holy City, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 23, 2003. Accessed March 24, 2007.
      • "The centrality of Jerusalem to Judaism is so strong that even secular Jews express their devotion and attachment to the city and cannot conceive of a modern State of Israel without it... For Jews Jerusalem is sacred simply because it exists... Though Jerusalem's sacred character goes back three millennia...". Leslie J. Hoppe. The Holy City: Jerusalem in the theology of the Old Testament, Liturgical Press, 2000, p. 6. ISBN 0-8146-5081-3
      • "Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel 3,000 years ago, the city has played a central role in Jewish existence." Mitchell Geoffrey Bard, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict, Alpha Books, 2002, p. 330. ISBN 0-02-864410-7
      • "For Jews the city has been the pre-eminent focus of their spiritual, cultural, and national life throughout three millennia." Yossi Feintuch, U.S. Policy on Jerusalem, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987, p. 1. ISBN 0-313-25700-0
      • "Jerusalem became the center of the Jewish people some 3,000 years ago" Moshe Maoz, Sari Nusseibeh, Jerusalem: Points of Friction - And Beyond, Brill Academic Publishers, 2000, p. 1. ISBN 90-411-8843-6
      • "The Jewish people are inextricably bound to the city of Jerusalem. No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, politics, culture, religion, national life and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Since King David established the city as the capital of the Jewish state circa 1000 BCE, it has served as the symbol and most profound expression of the Jewish people's identity as a nation." Basic Facts you should know: Jerusalem, Anti-Defamation League, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
    7. ^ a b Third-holiest city in Islam:
      • Esposito, John L. (2002-11-02). What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 157. ISBN 0195157133. "The Night Journey made Jerusalem the third holiest city in Islam" 
      • Brown, Leon Carl (2000-09-15). "Setting the Stage: Islam and Muslims". Religion and State: The Muslim Approach to Politics. Columbia University Press. p. 11. ISBN 0231120389. "The third holiest city of Islam—Jerusalem—is also very much in the center..." 
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      • Orfali, Jacob G. (March 1995). Everywhere You Go, People Are the Same. Ronin Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 0914171755. "In the year 1923, [Jerusalem] became the capital of the British Mandate in Palestine" 
      • Oren-Nordheim, Michael; Ruth Kark (September 2001). Jerusalem and Its Environs: Quarters, Neighborhoods, Villages, 1800–1948. Wayne State University Press. p. 36. ISBN 0814329098. "The three decades of British rule in Palestine (1917/18–1948) were a highly significant phase in the development, with indelible effects on the urban planning and development of the capital – Jerusalem."  Ruth Kark[dead link] is a professor in the Department of Geography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
      • Dumper, Michael (1996-04-15). The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967. Columbia University Press. p. 59. ISBN 0231106408. "...the city that was to become the administrative capital of Mandate Palestine..." 
    143. ^ Dore Gold. "Jerusalem in International Diplomacy". http://www.jcpa.org/jcprg10.htm. Retrieved on 2008-07-20. 
    144. ^ "The New Orient House: A History of Palestinian Hospitality". jerusalemites.org. http://www.jerusalemites.org/jerusalem/cultural_dimensions/3.htm. Retrieved on 2008-07-20. 
    145. ^ Klein, Menachem (March 2001). "The PLO and the Palestinian Identity of East Jerusalem". Jerusalem: The Future of a Contested City. New York University Press. p. 189. ISBN 081474754X. 
    146. ^ Guinn, David E. (2006-10-02). Protecting Jerusalem's Holy Sites: A Strategy for Negotiating a Sacred Peace (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 142. ISBN 0521866626. 
    147. ^ "What is the Western Wall?". The Kotel. http://english.thekotel.org/content.asp?id=212. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
    148. ^ Goldberg, Monique Susskind. "Synagogues". Ask the Rabbi. Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. http://www.schechter.edu/askrabbi/synagoguetemple.htm. Retrieved on 2007-03-10. [dead link]
    149. ^ a b Segal, Benjamin J. (1987). Returning: The Land of Israel as Focus in Jewish History. Jerusalem, Israel: Department of Education and Culture of the World Zionist Organization. p. 124. http://www.jewishhistory.com/jh.php?id=AdditionalReadings&content=content/segal_ch12. Retrieved on 2007-03-10. 
    150. ^ The Jewish injunction to pray toward Jerusalem comes in the Orach Chayim section of Shulchan Aruch (94:1) — "When one rises to pray anywhere in the Diaspora, he should face towards the Land of Israel, directing himself also toward Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Holy of Holies."
    151. ^ From the King James Version of the Bible: "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought [Jesus] to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;" (Luke 2:22)
    152. ^ From the King James Version of the Bible: "And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;" (Mark 11:15)
    153. ^