For my family and I, immigrants from the US, having our movement restricted to our own Jerusalem neighborhood – let alone being unable to travel or welcome loved ones from abroad – felt confining, punishing, like a sudden amputation. And yet, through all the challenges and frustrations of the year (and then some) of corona, and despite our anger at the government for bumble after bumble, we felt exceedingly fortunate to be trapped in the holiest city in the Holy Land, the epicenter of the Jewish people – prisoners of Zion, you might say. What better place to be confined at home than in the heart of the Jewish homeland?
The virus is, thank God, fading here. But with that giant dark cloud receding, others have materialized. A tragic, mass fatality accident in Meron, Iranian war-mongering, bloody terrorist attacks and Arab riots in Jerusalem have punctured a long stretch of relative quiet on the security front. We hope the worst is behind us, but after all that’s happened, no one can guess what tomorrow will bring.
Yet as fires rage around the world – COVID, race wars, antisemitism – we are again privileged to be precisely here, fighting our own battles instead of being caught in the crossfire of others’.
As we prepare to celebrate Jerusalem Day, the city of old, city of gold is changing. Construction cranes tower over the skyline that creeps ever upward with new high-rise projects, while on the ground the laying of the Jerusalem Light Rail is underway seemingly everywhere (causing epic traffic jams, of course). Many businesses did not survive the long closures, but I can’t help marveling at the new shops and restaurants already popping up and new hotels preparing for when the tourists are allowed back in.
Whatever one thinks of the changes, the immanence of our eternal story in this place, like a clock that ticks across time, invigorates the weariest soul. Jews are famously resilient, but dwelling in God’s presence supercharges our faith in Him – and in our own strength.
On this Jerusalem Day, when we remember the harrowing and amazing victory that reopened the door to our forever capital, let’s hope that all those waiting to enter will be able to join us soon and experience the joy and awe of another Jerusalem homecoming.
The writer holds a JD from Fordham Law School. She is a contributing editor to The Jewish Press and a freelance writer and editor. Her second children’s book, Tzippi Inside/Out, was recently published by Targum Press.