„If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand shall wither, my tongue shall stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember thee.„

These words of the 137th Psalm reflect the importance of Jerusalem, the City of Zion to Jews. Here stood the Temple, the religious and political center, where God’s presence was immediately felt. But with the destruction of the sanctuary and the city by the Romans in 70 CE, Israel was deprived of its center. This catastrophe is commemorated by Tisha BeAv, the day of mourning and reflection, which is spent fasting and singing songs of mourning. The recitation of biblical lamentations brings the loss to mind.

Yet Judaism did not dwell on the destruction. Jerusalem remained present as a focus, with prayers directed there, commemorated in feasts and fasts, and on occasions both sad and joyful. Jewish life continued, “the one temple in Jerusalem sank into the dust, in order that countless temples might arise to [God’s] honor and glory all over the wide surface of the globe” (D. Einhorn). To this day, people around the world are united by the hope of Zion as a place where „love and truth meet, justice and peace kiss“ (Ps 85:11), a house of prayer and inspiration unto all the nations.

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