| We continued north into Jerusalem, the holy city, which always feels so special as one climbs the hills to enter it. After settling into our home base at the Kings Hotel, we prepared for our festive Jerusalem Day dinner celebration (shown here) on May 19 at Beit Orot Yeshiva on Har HaZaytim, the Mount of Olives. The night was brilliantly clear, the mood was one of celebration, and we were thrilled to once again meet our friends from Beit Orot, Shlomo Zwickler, Chaim Silberstein, and Israeli Minister of Tourism Benny Elon. Shlomo now runs the Yeshiva as Executive Director. Benny Elon is a hero who has stood by Israel's right to all the land of Israel. Elon's refusal to accept Prime Minister Sharon's Gaza expulsion plan caused him to be fired by Sharon from the cabinet, in a demonstration of undemocratic, totalitarian behavior on the part of the Prime Minister. We have faith that Rav Benny's commitment to the people and the land of Israel will prove victorious, and Sharon will be the one to suffer defeat. Chaim is the head of Uvnai Yerushalayim, an organization dedicated to reclaiming Jewish land and homes in east Jerusalem. The next morning, he took our group on a tour of new Jewish neighborhoods being created in Jewish east Jerusalem through the efforts of Uvnai Yerushalayim. We stopped to admire the wonderful apartment complex, Ma'aleh HaZaytim, whose creation is due to the vision of Dr. Irving Moskowitz. We had seen it first when it was a small house in an area called Ras El Amud, inhabited by a few Yeshiva students. It has grown to 52 apartments, with another section scheduled that will have 68 units. Chaim stressed that this is now a permanent Jewish neighborhood that cannot be moved. There is a need for so many more such neighborhoods, since tragically, in the 200 acres which make up the Old City of Jerusalem there are 40,000 people, with less than 3,000 Jews among them. The Arab population continues to build illegally in the city, with the number of such buildings reaching over 10,000. The government seems unwilling or unable to control the situation. |
