Walk Through Jerusalem's Old City: Cityscapes

In the 1967 Six-Day War, Jews regained control of Jerusalem and their most holy sites for the first time in almost 1,900 years. An editorial in the Jerusalem Post reveals how Jews felt about the reunification of Jerusalem under Israel.

"This capital city of the State of Israel has been the focal point of prayer and longing in the course of long tragedy-ridden centuries in the history of the Jewish People. Jerusalem suffered .... Its population was killed or exiled. Its buildings and houses of prayer destroyed. Its fate packed with grief and sorrows. Undeterred by recurrent catastrophe, Jews throughout the world and throughout centuries stubbornly persisted in praying to return here and rebuild the city.

The present harmony should not blind us to the magnitude of the task ahead. It may take time for Israel's friends to realize that the unification of Jerusalem....is not in the interest of Israel alone. There is every reason to believe it will prove a blessing for the city's whole population and for the genuine religious interests of the great religions. The guarantee of freedom of worship contained in Israel's Declaration of Independence will pervade the place, as is befitting the City of Peace." (Jerusalem Post, June 29, 1967)