As Jews, Jerusalem is in our very DNA

Today I woke up to a less safe Jerusalem. President Trump’s announcement about moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem has not yet caused conflict but everyone is tense. I have already received messages from municipal sources regarding police preparations as they brace for a bumpy ride.

Two years ago, 13-year-olds wielding kitchen knives attempted to start a third intifada and, two years before that, for the first time in the 17 years since my aliyah, we heard sirens in Jerusalem and had to duck for cover.

Three of my four children had to evacuate their school bus to take cover by a wall from a potential missile.

As Jerusalemites, we know the price of the conflict. We strive to find partners on the other side who believe, like we do, that the beauty of Jerusalem, the place as well as the idea, is its diversity. We persevere regardless of danger because as Zionists we know Jerusalem is Zion.

But what disturbs me more than the security implications of Trump’s move is the perception of its necessity. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the Jewish people as a matter of fact, heritage and tradition. Jerusalem is in our DNA.

The geo-political implications of this announcement are game changing and could prompt a domino effect of global recognition of our right, as a sovereign nation, to choose our own capital.

But today I can only pray it does not come at a heavy price.