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Judy Lash Balint

Oh, Jerusalem! Yom Yerushalayim, Part 1

Facing south to pray from Beit Orot
Facing south to pray from Beit Orot

A few images for the start of Yom Yerushalayim.  My favorite place to kick off the day that marks the 46th anniversary of the reunification  of Jerusalem is Beit Orot, the hesder yeshiva on the Mt of Olives, a few hundred yards away from Hebrew University’s Mt Scopus campus, and just down the road from the Mormon Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center.

Hundreds of people converged on Beit Orot tonight for a festive prayer service marking the start of Yom Yerushalayim.

When was the last time you had this kind of view to accompany your prayers?

Facing south to pray from Beit Orot
Facing south to pray from Beit Orot

Rabbi Danny Izak, the rosh yeshiva, spoke about Beit Orot’s special connection with Yom Yerushalayim–founder Chanan Porat z”tl was one of the paratroopers who broke through to the Temple Mount in the Six Day War and his commander Giora Askenazi was killed near Beit Orot. For the past couple of decades, one of the traditional Yom Yerushalayim activities is the pre-dawn walk from Beit Orot to the Western Wall via Lions Gate–retracing the steps of the paratroopers.

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Four new buildings with 24 apartments are just about ready for occupancy at Beit Orot-a new Jewish neighborhood on the Mt of Olives.

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“Jerusalem Day with Beit Orot”

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Oh, Jerusalem

All photos © Judy Lash Balint.  All Rights Reserved.

About the Author
Author of Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times and Jerusalem Diaries II: What's Really Happening in Israel plus reams of blogs since 2001. Former host of the Jerusalem Diaries Show on VoiceofIsrael.com. I try to shed a little light on the quixotic, inspiring, frustrating and amusing aspects of life in the holy city.