Continuing 700 years of building Jerusalem - INN

Arutz Sheva and Ateret Cohanim present a special project focusing on the renewal of Jewish presence in all of Jerusalem.

In preparation for the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, Arutz Sheva, together with Ateret Cohanim, are presenting a special project that will focus on the renewal of Jewish presence in eastern Jerusalem, the Old City and the village of Shiloah (bordering the Kidron Valley outside the Old City walls).

“Ateret Cohanim is probably the most important, non-profit organization vis-à-vis the future of Jerusalem,” said Daniel Luria, Ateret Cohanim Executive Director and Spokesperson.

“There are some people who say that we’re even the paratroopers of the ‘seventh day war’. In six glorious days, Hashem opened up those gates of Jerusalem, and we the Jewish people, were reunited after Jerusalem was liberated, but there was a lot of work still to be done, especially in and around the Old City. So for 39 years, Ateret Cohanim has been effectively strengthening Jewish roots in the heart of Jerusalem. Redeeming, reclaiming old Jewish property, adding Jewish life, and as a result of that work today, there are 1,000 Jewish residents living in the Old Jewish Quarter. There is a Jewish neighborhood on the Mount of Olives, there are Jewish families who have returned to the old Yemenite village. It’s the revival of Jewish life. It’s the unfolding redemption process of the Zionist dream being realized in our time.”

Mati Dan, Ateret Cohanim Chairman and Founder, said, “This is a 700-year-old enterprise. The Ramban (Nachmanides) arrived in Jerusalem in ’67. Not 1967, but 1267. He came here, and since then there was a continuity of Jewish presence until 1948, when the Old City of Jerusalem fell [to the Jordanians].”

“There are many missions, but one of the main ones is to tell the story of Jerusalem not only from 1967, but until 1967, to give the background about the continuous Jewish residence here of people who remained strong despite all the difficulties,” he continued.

“We are the beginning of the process. There’s a lot of work still to be done,” said Luria. “Yes, there have been some tremendous successes, but we need the Jewish world. You’re going to see some of the successes, some of the projects inside the Old City, in the Yemenite village, the Mount of Olives, where your input is vital. Basically, we want you to be paratroopers with us, coming through those gates of Jerusalem and helping, together, to build a united Jerusalem.”

For more details about Ateret Cohanim's activities and to join the “Building Jerusalem together” project, click here.