Yaakov Hagoel
Yaakov HagoelShahar Azran

Dear Friends,

It is not by accident that this conference is called the "Jerusalem Conference."

We are in the days between Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day) and Yom Yerushalaim (Jerusalem Day) foundational dates in the history of the people of Israel.

There are so many things that come to mind when I utter the name Jerusalem.

It took me many years to understand what Naomi Shemer described in her song Jerusalem of Gold.
Remember the song?

"Your name Jerusalem burns the lips like the kiss of a seraph (angel)."

The truth?

Even now, at this moment, after so many years in which I know and sing this song, I still get chills when I get to this line. "Your name burns the lips like the kiss of a seraph."

The seraph, or the angel from the Book of Isaiah, is part of the description of the entourage from the heavens above in the metaphysical world.

Naomi Shemer connects in her song the name of the city to the kiss of the seraph. And the seraph’s kiss which is a snake-shaped figure, would surely burn and be painful. And the next sentence in the song: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, which is all of gold.”

The snake in the Biblical sources is a usually a negative creature which symbolizes bad things.

On one hand it serves as a punishment for when the people of Israel complained to Moses but later in that same verse, it becomes a symbol of just the opposite, a symbol of health and redemption. "Make yourself a snake and put it on a pole, and let whoever is bitten look at it and live." It is a symbol of hope.

55 years have passed since the great miracle. 19 years after the first miracle in which the State of Israel was established, and 2,000 years during which we prayed to return to Jerusalem. The footsteps of thousands of years that emerge from the land cannot be hidden. Layers of history deep in the ground reveal an ancient world, full of events, meaning and faith.

In the depths of the tunnels the yearning and love of our forefathers is evident. A love that paved the way to the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount from the beginning of the creation of the world to the days of Abraham and the binding of Isaac, to the time of King David, to the victory of the Hasmoneans and to the destruction of the two Holy Temples.

Tunnels of happiness mixed with tears, longing, song and prayer. The people of Israel returned to it after two thousand years of exile.

In addition to the Torah, Shabbat and our uniqueness as a people, one of the things that held us together throughout the long years of exile, is our commitment to all Jews wherever they are. In other words - unity. Unity and not uniformity.

Our sages explained, "Jerusalem is not built except by virtue of the tribes. As it is said: “Jerusalem is built up as a city united together, there ascended the tribes."

And who are the tribes? Everyone and their own flag and camp, every person and their way of life, every family and its customs. Twelve tribes, thanks to which Jerusalem is united. Unity, not uniformity.

On the eve of the passing of Moses, moments before entering the Land of Israel, the children of Israel stand. "You are all standing today, before the Lord your God.”

Who is standing? Each person from a different background. How do we know this? “From your young children… and your convert… both your woodcutters and your water drawers.”

Here too our power is within our unity, not uniformity of the people.

125 years have passed since Theodor Herzl arose and decided to go against the flow and awaken our people from a deep sleep. He managed to gather Jews from all backgrounds, those who mocked him and those who supported him. He taught them – us -- what unity is and how it is different from uniformity.

Thus, under one common dream, a vision became a reality and a dispersed people became a nation.

Today, 74 years after our independence, we are upholding our eternal commitment to mutual responsibility while ensuring the safety and security of all our people more than ever. Unity is the basis of our commitment and our mutual responsibility that can be found so deeply ingrained in the eternal tradition of our people. The people of Israel who instilled universal values of loving the stranger and concern for the orphan and the widow, for whom mutual destiny is fundamental, now stand firm for its continuity and security.

Power struggles between countries on European soil soaked in Jewish blood have left millions of people displaced from their homes in recent months out of which there are 200,000 of our people. The Government of Israel, together with the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, in cooperation with Jewish and Zionist organizations from all over the world have been working tirelessly and leading rescue operations for Jews in the Diaspora in general and in Ukraine in particular, together bringing them on Aliyah to Israel and absorbing new Olim.

Settlement in the Land of Israel, learning Hebrew, fighting Antisemitism, encouraging immigration, absorbing new olim, education for a Jewish-Zionist identity -- all of these provide us with the means for the unity of our people.

Jerusalem, which is celebrating its 55th anniversary of liberation and unification, is the heart of the entire Jewish people. It is Jerusalem that connects and unites us. "Jerusalem is built up as a city united together.”

May we all be wise enough to recognize the importance of unity, its immense power, its ability to build bridges, mediate, support and overcome.

For all the tribes of Israel ascend to Jerusalem. "That is where the tribes of the Lord ascended.” Unity and not uniformity.