Yom Yerushalayim

Summary. Yom Yerushalayim ("Jerusalem Day"), 28 Iyar, commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of June 7, 1967 / 28 Iyar 5727. From 1948 to 1967, the Old City of Jerusalem (including the Western Wall and the Temple Mount) was under Jordanian control and inaccessible to Jews; on that morning, Israeli paratroopers under Motta Gur captured the Old City. The radio broadcast of Motta Gur's words — "Har HaBayit b'yadeinu!" ("The Temple Mount is in our hands!") — and the subsequent prayer and shofar blowing at the Western Wall by the IDF's Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren are among the iconic moments of modern Jewish history.

Historical Context

In the lead-up to the Six-Day War (May–June 1967), Egypt, Syria, and Jordan threatened the destruction of Israel; massive Arab armies mobilized on Israel's borders. Israel launched preemptive air strikes on June 5, destroying the Egyptian Air Force on the ground. Over the next six days, Israel defeated the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Gaza, and (most religiously significant) the Old City of Jerusalem with the Western Wall. The Israeli paratroopers' capture of the Old City on June 7 / 28 Iyar is the day commemorated.

The Religious Significance

For 19 years (1948–1967), Jews had been forbidden access to the Western Wall and to the Old City. The Jordanian government desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, destroyed dozens of synagogues in the Old City Jewish Quarter, and used Jewish gravestones as paving for military latrines. The capture of the Old City restored Jewish access. For Religious Zionists, this was unmistakably miraculous — a fulfillment of the ancient prayers for the return to Jerusalem. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel established Yom Yerushalayim as a holiday with full Hallel and a special liturgy.

Observance

Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist communities observe Yom Yerushalayim with festive liturgy: Hallel, the special Haftarah, the prayer for the State of Israel, the prayer for the IDF, and substantial communal celebration. In Israel, the day includes the Yom Yerushalayim Flag March — a massive procession of religious Zionist youth through the Old City, ending at the Western Wall. The march has become controversial in recent years, particularly the portion that passes through the Muslim Quarter. Israeli Haredi communities are largely abstainers from Yom Yerushalayim observance. Diaspora observance is most active in Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist settings.

Where Denominations Diverge

Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist communities observe with full liturgy. Conservative observance varies. Reform congregations often note the day. Haredi observance is largely absent.

Sources

Israeli Knesset Law on Jerusalem Day (1968, refined 1998).

Chief Rabbinate of Israel, liturgy for Yom Yerushalayim.

Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day — Hebcal.

The Western Wall (Kotel) — Chabad.org.

The Six-Day War: Background & Overview — Jewish Virtual Library.

15 Jerusalem Facts Every Jew Should Know — Chabad.org.

Further Reading

Yossi Klein Halevi, Like Dreamers.

Michael Oren, Six Days of War.

Daniel Gordis, Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn — Six-Day War chapter.