Jerusalem's Special Day

Tonight we mark the 44th anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem.
For a poignant account of the war that led to the liberation of the city you really must read this account  by Chanan Porat. Rabbi Porat was evacuated as a child from Gush Etzion in 1948. He was a paratrooper in the Six-Day War when he fought to free the Old City of Jerusalem from the Jordanian occupation.
Money quote from his article:

" It was a war of survival against the arrogant Egyptian President, who spoke about a war of "annihilation and Jihad.”

"...[our} unit was actually headed towards the Sinai Peninsula. “The same morning that we were supposed to land on the outskirts of El-Arish to prevent the Egyptian army from carrying out its plan to reach Tel Aviv, it was announced that [Jordanian King] Hussein had joined the war and began to bomb Jerusalem. It was decided to change all the plans and go up to Jerusalem. It was no longer a war to defend our existence but a war over Jerusalem, a war of redemption."

While we're on the subject of Jerusalem, here is a clip worth watching:


Happy Holiday!