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Sunday of this coming week is Yom Yerushalayim — the day we celebrate the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital. It is a day where we remember and appreciate how we were able to return to all parts of the city after 19 years of Jordanian occupation of the eastern half. Throughout the milenia the city of Jerusalem was always one unified city — there was no notion of a western or eastern side. It was only in 1948, when Israel was defending itself against the unprovoked attacks of multiple Arab armies, that newly created Jordan conquered the eastern section of the city. During the next 19 years of occupation by Jordanian forces, the Jordanians destroyed as much of Jewish history as they possibly could. Finally, in 1967, during the Six Day War, Israel was able to reunify the city as Israel’s capital. This year, one of the Yom Yerushalayim celebrations will feature a special rabbi who heroically defended himself and his congregation from an antisemitic attack in Poway, California. He is a man who understands the importance of defending the Jewish People and the holy capital of Jerusalem! This article shares more…
Photo Courtesy: The Temple Institute
Rabbi Goldstein From Poway Chabad to Speak at Ateret Cohanim Annual Dinner
Article Courtesy: Breaking Israel News
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Rabbi of the Chabad of Poway, whose synagogue was attacked by a terrorist gunman on the last day of Passover, will be the featured speaker at the annual Yom Yerushalayim celebration dinner of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim / Jerusalem Chai. The dinner is the main fundraising event of the American Friends, whose support is critical to the work of Ateret Cohanim in the so-called Muslim and Christian Quarters of east Jerusalem. For nearly four decades, Ateret Cohanim has painstakingly brought Jewish life back (inch by inch) to the areas that became “Judenrein” after the fall of the Old Yishuv in the 1948 War of Independence. The dinner will be held at 6:00 PM at the Marriot Marquis in midtown Manhattan on Thursday night, May 30th.
The projects and programs of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim / Jerusalem Chai, support the educational, social, recreational, and security needs of the over 1000 Jews living in these areas. These projects include daycare and after-school programs for children, rooftop playgrounds, armed security for escort to and from school, renovations of apartments legally purchased that were neglected by squatters who lived there for many years, security cameras and other equipment strategically placed to aid the police and army, education for Israelis and tourists to understand the importance of this area to the history of the Jewish people, and the renovations of historical sites like the Churva Synagogue, the Ohel Yitzchok Synagogue, the Yemenite Village Synagogue as well as the Mark Twain Center in the old “Mediterranean Hotel” today known as Beit Wittenberg.
The choice to bring Rabbi Goldstein to the dinner was made clear to the Executive Council of American Friends by the Rabbi’s steadfast message to bring light and hope in the face of sorrow and tragedy. After his near brush with death facing the terrorist gunman who killed congregant Lori Gilbert Kaye HY’D, Rabbi Goldstein has traveled across the United States, spoken at the White House and has carried the message of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who exhorted his disciples to bring “light” to the world. Ateret Cohanim has done the same. In the face of hatred and terror by our enemies in east Jerusalem, we continue to grow and thrive, despite the physical threat of violence and psychological danger that face our families every day. Our community in the Yemenite Village in the area called Silwan by the rest of the world recently welcomed the 23rd family and 122nd child.
In celebration of Yom Yerushalayim, guests will be entertained by world-famous singer Mendy Wald and be introduced to Pete Hegseth, Fox News personality who recently aired a TV special “Battle in the Holy City”, a look at the struggle for Jerusalem.
