A Proclamation Of Solidarity With Jerusalem In The 35th Year Of Reunification And In The 54th Year Of The State Of Israel

WHEREAS 2002 marks fifty-four years of independence of the State of Israel, a modern-day miracle we are fortunate to witness in our time, and;

WHEREAS King David first declared Jerusalem the capital of ancient Israel nearly 3000 years ago, and;

WHEREAS over the centuries of exile from Israel, there has always been a continuous Jewish presence in Jerusalem, and;

WHEREAS Jerusalem has always remained the focus of national, religious, and spiritual aspirations to the Jewish people despite their exile, and;

WHEREAS access to the holy sites in the city was regularly denied to worshippers during the many years Jerusalem was held by outside conquerors, and;

WHEREAS Jerusalem was divided in two following Israel’s War of Independence and one half of the city was barred to Jews, and;

WHEREAS Jerusalem was reunited by Israel 35 years ago, and;

WHEREAS in 1990 the United States Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 106 and House Concurrent Resolution 290 declaring that Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, “must remain a united city,” and reaffirmed it on March 17, 1994, and;

WHEREAS 93 United States Senators joined in March of 1995 in an unprecedented public letter to Secretary of State Warren Christopher declaring that “Jerusalem is and shall remain the undivided capital of the State of Israel”, and that “the United States Embassy belongs in Jerusalem,” and;

WHEREAS in October 1995 the Senate reaffirmed in a loud, near unanimous vote that United Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and declared that it is the policy of the United States to relocate our embassy to Jerusalem where it has always belonged, and;

WHEREAS this year marks the 35th year that Jerusalem has been administered as a unified city in which the rights of all faiths have been respected and protected, and;

WHEREAS throughout its long history Jerusalem was controlled by many sovereigns, but served as the capital only of the Jewish nation, and;

WHEREAS Jerusalem is the eternal, united capital of Israel, and;

WHEREAS the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel continues to be challenged;

THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED THAT we, the membership of the ______________________ (synagogue, school, or organization chapter) join with the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinical Council of America, the people of Israel, and the Jewish community of the United States of America in reaffirming that Jerusalem is and must remain the eternal capital of Israel, united and under Israeli sovereignty and that we will increase our efforts to educate American policy-makers and the public about the unique status of Jerusalem in the life of Israel and world Jewry and will strongly urge our government to move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as legislated by the United States Congress.