President Isaac Herzog delivered remarks this evening (Thursday) at the state ceremony marking 59 years since the liberation and unification of Jerusalem, held at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem.
President Herzog said: “Jerusalem is not only a symbol. Anyone who sees in it only a symbol misses Jerusalem. Jerusalem is so wondrous because it is alive. Because in the shadow of the ancient stones, children play. Because alongside the grand sweep of history, there are small, tangible, daily lives. And this, perhaps, is Jerusalem's great secret: it does not ask us to choose between memory and life. It demands that we carry both together. To remember the fallen, and to build homes; to safeguard the holy places, and to develop every sphere of life."
“This evening, we stand on the threshold of the sixtieth year of the city's reunification. More years have passed in the State of Israel with a united Jerusalem than with a divided one. We have already proven to the entire world that we will never give up on Jerusalem and its past. Now is the time to prove to ourselves that we are capable of proudly shaping its future as well," he said.
He added: “Just as we have safeguarded it with strength, we must safeguard it also in spirit, in morality, in responsibility, in love of fellow human beings and respect for the faith of the other, respect for their way of life. We will safeguard Jerusalem out of a readiness to see in this city not only our past, but also our test. For a united Jerusalem is not only a political fact, it is a national mission."
“We will ensure that every young woman and young man in Jerusalem, from every neighborhood and every community, knows that they are part of this city's future. We will ensure that every child knows the other as well, and learns to respect them," the president concluded.