The central ceremony in honor of Jerusalem Day was held on Wednesday evening at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, marking the 57th anniversary of the unification of Israel’s capital.
The ceremony was attended by senior religious Zionist rabbis as well as Knesset members from the Religious Zionist, Likud and National Unity parties.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recorded a speech which was shown at the ceremony, and in which he said, "In these days of war, the events of Jerusalem Day take on a new significance. The war in the Gaza Strip is also about the wholeness of Jerusalem. Our enemies seek to undermine our Jewish existence. Jerusalem is Zion - the symbol of Zionism - which is standing between them and the truth. They want to destroy us and erase history. But we - for the sake of Zion we will not be silent."
Netanyahu’s video speech (in Hebrew):
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said, "Every year, we gather here at the Beit Midrash, to rejoice on Jerusalem’s holiday. Indeed, there is no more appropriate place to celebrate the joy of Jerusalem, than here, in the Beit Midrash. The Beit Midrash from which the great call went out, to put Jerusalem at the center of the national revival."
"But this year, this Jerusalem Day, is a day when our joy is mixed with pain. Our enemies do not hide for a moment, that as far as they’re concerned - the fight is over Jerusalem. They challenge not only our sovereignty in Jerusalem, but our very right to exist, they come out of a desire to wipe us out, wipe out history, and harm the future of the Jewish people. Our heroes, many of whom went out on the morning of Simchat Torah, saved the lives of their brothers and sisters in the south and in the communities near Gaza, with loyalty to Jerusalem in their hearts. Out of courage, out of sacrifice, out of the spirit of greatness."
"We will deal with all the limitations, and all the pressures. As the mayor of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, I declare: There is no eastern and western Jerusalem, there is only one Jerusalem. And it is united and whole. This Jerusalem is ours, all of us, of all the people of Israel, in the land and in the world. The connection between the people of Israel, and the Land of Israel, is timeless. We cannot be defeated, because Jerusalem is the heart of all of us. If they think that in their war against Jerusalem, they will divide us and weaken us, then Jerusalem is united , stronger, and stronger than ever before," concluded Lion.
