Jerusalem Day
The Jerusalem Day (Hebrew Yom Yerushalayim יום ירושלים) is an Israeli holiday. According to the Jewish calendar , it takes place on the 28th of Iyar .
characterization
On this day the Jewish population of Israel, mainly those of Jerusalem itself, celebrates the reunification of the city of Jerusalem. During the Six Day War in 1967 , Israel captured East Jerusalem. Through the Israeli victory, the two previously separate parts of Jerusalem were united under Israeli control and the flag of Israel was hoisted on the Temple Mount . Because of the biblical significance of Jerusalem to the Jewish population, this holiday represents the pride and importance of the capital of Israel.
For the Arab population of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Day is a provocation.
Jerusalem day in the Gregorian calendar
The date of this day varies according to the Gregorian calendar : Every feast day begins on the evening before, because in the Jewish calendar the day lasts from the evening before to the evening of the day - not from midnight to midnight.
| Jewish year | Gregorian date |
|---|---|
| 5781 | May 10, 2021 |
| 5782 | May 29, 2022 |
| 5783 | May 19, 2023 |
| 5784 | June 5, 2024 |
| 5785 | May 26, 2025 |
history
The eastern part of Jerusalem was occupied by Jordan from 1948 to 1967 . In the Six Day War he was conquered by Israel. Since then, Jews have again had access to the old town and thus also to the Western Wall . For the first time since AD 70 (destruction of the city by the Romans ), the Temple Mount and the Western Wall were again under Jewish control. The conquest of East Jerusalem by Israel was sanctioned in the Jerusalem Law , which was annulled in UN Security Council Resolution 478 .
On May 12, 1968, the government of Israel decided to set the holiday on the 28th Ijjar. Exactly a year earlier, the military conquest of the Arab part of Jerusalem took place. However, the public holiday has only had its national status since 1998: On March 23, 1998, the Knesset decided to introduce Jerusalem Day as a national holiday via the "Jerusalem Day Act".
Course of the celebrations
The conquest of East Jerusalem is commemorated throughout Israel. However, special celebrations take place especially in Jerusalem itself:
Before, during and after the festivities, flags of Israel and the city of Jerusalem are hung by the Jewish population in the city . Colors, inscriptions and posters determine the cityscape.
Jerusalem Day itself begins on Sunday with thanksgiving at the Western Wall. Torches are lit in memory of the Israeli soldiers who fell in the battle for the city. Then parades and processions take place.
Conferences for Israeli youth follow later on Sunday morning and afternoon. A big fireworks display at around 10:00 p.m. closes the official part of the Sunday. In the night from Sunday to Monday there is a hustle and bustle on the streets of the city.
On Monday there are still a few festivities at the Western Wall, also to pray for the unity of the city, and that this will never be lifted.
controversy
Jerusalem is mainly inhabited by the two ethnic groups, the Jews and Arabs. In the eastern part of the city there are mainly Arab residents. They perceive the celebrations for the conquest and annexation of East Jerusalem as an interference in their personal environment (for example, Israeli flags are hoisted and banners are hung in East Jerusalem) and consequently see the holiday as a provocation.
Jossi Sarid wrote in the daily Ha'aretz on Jerusalem Day 2011: “Jerusalem Day is an artificial holiday that only the religious-Zionist movement, the settlers, employees who are specially carted for it, the president, the mayor and Celebrate channel 1 big. Most of the citizens of Israel do not know about its existence and do not want to know about it. ”Describing the discrimination and harassment against the Palestinian population in Jerusalem, he concludes:“ The annual celebrations ... cannot be about the corruption, the oppression and the Hide discrimination. "
The Quds Day (after the Arabic name for Jerusalem) in 1979 by the Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan set.
In Israel, on the other hand, the expulsion of Jews from Arab and Islamic countries of around 850,000 people of the Jewish faith is commemorated annually on November 30th.
See also
Web links
- Jerusalem Day on the Knesset website
Footnotes
- ↑ http://www.timeanddate.de/feiertage/israel/jerusalem-tag
- ↑ פחות סיבות למסיבות ( Memento from June 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), Ha'aretz , June 1, 2011.