Yom Yerushalayim

We must understand the context of what preceded the Six Day War. There was serious gloating among the Arab nations surrounding Israel. They boasted that they were going to drive Israel into the sea.

This took place only twenty-two years after the Holocaust. The State of Israel was only nineteen years old. The Jewish people around the world were gripped with terrible fear of the unimaginable. It was a very solemn and frightening time.

The Hand of G-d was revealed in as open a manner as the Ten Plagues in Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea. What took Joshua seven years to achieve, was accomplished in only six days!

Holy places and lands that had not been in the possession of the Jewish people for nearly two thousand years, were returned to their rightful owners. The Kotel was in our hands!

Anyone who is unable to see this as a Divine miracle is blind. There is no other explanation. Things changed dramatically after 1967. The Jews were no longer seen as weak pushovers. They are tough and they are not afraid to confront their enemies.

There was clear proof that we were living in the time of Redemption. Jews could come home from all corners of the earth. Any claim that the Jewish people were rejected by G-d was disproven during this brief war.

Since 1967, we have witnessed the emergence of the Baal Teshuva Yeshivot. There was a religious awakening among our people, as there was a strong desire to return to their Jewish roots. At the same time, the number of converts desiring to join the Jewish people, has increased dramatically.

It is clear that Yom Yerushalayim is a worthy day of celebration and giving thanks to the Al-mighty for bringing deliverance to His people. We are living in incredible times. We only need to open our eyes to appreciate how special these times truly are.