Dermer opens Knesset-Congress event calling Jerusalem reunification ‘a modern-day miracle’

Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer opens the joint Knesset-Congress event marking 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem.

“Welcome to the celebration of a unique moment” in Israel’s history, he says.

“For over 3,000 years, Jerusalem has been at the center of our national and religious life,” he says, noting Abraham, Isaac, Jewish prophets, the Maccabees, and Rome feature in its storied history. “Despite 2,000 years of wandering… the Jewish people swore never to forget Jerusalem.

He says the liberation in June 1967 was “a modern-day miracle.”

“I don’t know if there’s a comparable moment in the history of nations,” says Dermer. “Those who witnessed it can hardly describe it. Those who lived through it, will never forget it.”

He says it’s “not the Jewish people alone” who celebrate today since under Israeli sovereignty, religious sites are protected.

“If there’s a country outside of Israel that appreciates what Jerusalem means to Jews and non-Jews alike, it is the United States of America,” he says, to a smattering of applause.

He thanks the US Senate for the resolution on Jerusalem, to more applause.

— Marissa Newman