Jewish ties to Jerusalem
Jerusalem was NEVER a Muslim capital *** Jerusalem has stood at the center of the Jewish people’s national and spiritual life since King David made it the capital of his kingdom in 1003 BCE. The city remained the capital of the Davidic dynasty for 400 years, until the kingdom was conquered by the Babylonians.
Following the return from the Babylonian exile in 538 BCE, Jerusalem again served as the capital of the Jewish people in its land for the next five and a half centuries.
During Muslim rule over the city, whether Arab or non-Arab, Jerusalem was never made the political capital of a Muslim entity or even a province within the Muslim empire. Under Muslim Arab rule (638 – 1099) by the Umayyad, the Abbasid and the Fatamid caliphs, Jerusalem was ruled from Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo respectively. In the eighth century, the city of Ramla was made the capital of the district which included Jerusalem.
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“For three thousand years, Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish hope and longing. No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, culture, religion and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Throughout centuries of exile, Jerusalem remained alive in the hearts of Jews everywhere as the focal point of Jewish history, the symbol of ancient glory, spiritual fulfillment and modern renewal. This heart and soul of the Jewish people engenders the thought that if you want one simple word to symbolize all of Jewish history, that word would be ‘Jerusalem.’”
-Teddy Kollek, Mayor of Jerusalem 1965-1993
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The Jewish connection to Jerusalem cannot be overstated. It is the cradle of the Jewish faith, the capital of the ancient Jewish kingdom, and the site of the two Jewish temples. Around the globe, Jews pray facing Jerusalem. The most practiced Jewish ritual in the world, the Passover seder, traditionally concludes with the exclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem!” At Jewish weddings, many sing the words of Psalm 137, “If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither,” recalling the city even at that most intimate of moments.
