Mayor Teddy Kollek issued the following message to Jewish communities abroad on Jerusalem Day which was marked here today.
There is a profound significance in the fact that the observance of the 15th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem coincides with a crucial and uneasy phase in the peace that Israel has concluded with the first of its Arab neighbors.
For the historic roots, the firm physical unity and the spiritual inspiration of our capital city give us the strength to go forward with confidence on the fragile foundations of the initial peace for which Israel had paid so heavy a price in risks, in resources and in human agony.
The 3,000 years since King David first made Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish Kingdom — and it has never been anyone else’s capital — teach us that all the waves of warfare, destruction, conquest, exile, bigotry and hatred that have engulfed the city cannot eradicate the basic heritage of human faith and physical splendour that has once again made it the heart and soul of the Jewish people.
In the harsh world of today, we have the dual task of restoring Jerusalem’s historic character, keeping it open to the faithful of all nations, and of developing a modern city that is an efficient and attractive capital and provides all its inhabitants — Jews, Christians and Moslems — with a meaningful and peaceful life.
NOT AN EASY TASK
That task is not on easy one. The rocky road ahead is fraught with pitfalls. To ensure constant progress, with ultimate success in view, we must not only remain dedicated to the ideals and purposes that make Jerusalem so special a place for Jews everywhere. We must, at the same time, continue to enhance the city’s universal appeal to other faiths and nations and to respect the daily needs and special sensitivities of the other communities that are part of united Jerusalem.
The record of the past 15 years is clear; Jerusalem today is a far better place to live than it has been in recent memory and an ever more beautiful object of prayer and pilgrimage. As we continue to restore the remnants of old Jerusalem and build the new, we look towards a growing volume of people, young and old, ascending to Jerusalem — some, hopefully, to settle and live here, and the remainder at least to visit, to absorb and spread abroad the spirit of the eternal City of Peace.
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