ORTHODOX UNION PLACES ADS TO CALL FOR ACTION IN SUPPORT OF UNITED JERUSALEM; “MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOLY CITY’S REUNIFICATION WITH PRAYER, STUDY AND ADVOCACY”

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America announced a call to the American Jewish community to act in support of the integrity and security of Jerusalem as the united capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish People.

The “Orthodox Union” will be bringing this message to the national American Jewish community through the placement of full-page advertisements in several Jewish weekly newspapers around the United States this weekend, in advance of the holiday of Yom Yerushalayim (“Jerusalem Day”), celebrated this year on Wednesday, May 12 – marking the 43rd anniversary of the holy city’s reunification by Israeli soldiers.

The advertisement, a copy of which is available here, rebuts the recent assertions of various editorialists and activists who assert that the re-division of Jerusalem is somehow inevitable and supported by most Jews or Israelis. The Orthodox Union restates the fundamental truth the “Jerusalem is at the core of Jewish identity.” And the Orthodox Union reminds all that when Jerusalem was last divided, holy sites were desecrated and Jews and others were denied access to their holiest sites.

The advertisement calls upon the community to intensify prayer and Torah study in support of Jerusalem’s future and also to engage in advocay for the Jewish capital by signing an online petition to President Obama, available on the OU’s website.

Orthodox Union president Stephen Savitsky stated:

“We in the Religious Zionist community have marked every Yom Yerushalayim since 1967 as a holiday for the Jewish People. At a time when people threaten to tear Jerusalem apart again, the Orthodox Union feels it imperative for the entire community to mark the anniversary of the holy city’s reunification with prayer, study and advocacy.”

Orthodox Union public policy director Nathan Diament stated:

“The Orthodox Union was long planning to mark this year’s anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification with special programming. In light of recent events, the OU’s leadership felt it more important than ever to both counter the distorted assertions many have made about Jerusalem and call upon the community to act in support of Jerusalem.”

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