A Wet Jerusalem Day

As I sat in traffic today- it took me almost 2 hours to get to Beit El to tape my show for Arutz 7- I realized that there was an upside to the mess on greater Jerusalem's roads. There were a lot of people on their way to our capital. How wonderful that is. The rain was a bit bizarre; I can't remember it raining on Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day before and it wreaked havoc with some festivities, but the sons have returned to their borders for real and that is great.

Yesterday we went to Ir David with some other families from the 'hood. I hadn't been there for a few years and it was fascinating. Archaeologist Eilat Mazar thinks she found David's palace there (looks palatial to me), there's a fabulous 3D presentation of how Jerusalem looked pre, during and post First Temple times, and the whole thing must be seen to be appreciated. Of course it's in the eastern part of the City, what's often called 'traditionally Arab East Jerusalem'. All part of the Big Lie.

You can understand, though, why the Arabs are so afraid of our taking out the shovels. The more we dig the more our ties to here, our history, our narrative comes to life. 51 stamps for wax seals were found just in one place, one with the name of a buddy of Jeremiah mentioned in the book of said prophet. The location of finds also makes sense in view of the topography- the Temple was above this area. Across the valley is the Mount of Olives cemetery, so much of it still a wreck thanks to the Jordanians who, during their 19 year occupation, used the gravestones to build roads and latrines.

I had a thought after the tour based on what we learned. Life and renewal usually arrives accompanied by water; Creation, the Flood, birth, the mikva ritual laws, the parting of the Red Sea in which slaves went in and a nation came out, etc. Jerusalem was conquered from the Jebusites by David to become the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and his soldiers came in through ----you guessed it, the water cistern system. As I was ruminating on this (you can do lots of thinking while stuck on the road) it began to absolutely pour.

Very weird.

A look at the headlines without any archaeological input at all will show that the sons of Ishmael are still living by the sword. When will the world get it?

It's 40 Years after the liberation of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the Golan, too. Gosh, it's nice to be home.