As terrible as the lockdowns were, nothing compares to the anguish caused by Israel’s lockouts. This last year, our Diaspora brothers and sisters, as well as thousands of Israelis traveling abroad, found the front door shut and bolted, their well-worn keys suddenly useless to open it. Even Jews without family ties here have felt the burn – and for many, the yearning to come home, if only for a visit, is stronger than ever. You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.
For my family and I, immigrants from the US, having our movement restricted to our own Jerusalem neighborhood – let alone being unable to travel or welcome loved ones from abroad – felt confining, punishing, like a sudden amputation. And yet, through all the challenges and frustrations of the year (and then some) of corona, and despite our anger at the government for bumble after bumble, we felt exceedingly fortunate to be trapped in the holiest city in the Holy Land, the epicenter of the Jewish people – prisoners of Zion, you might say. What better place to be confined at home than in the heart of the Jewish homeland?
The virus is, thank God, fading here. But with that giant dark cloud receding, others have materialized. A tragic, mass fatality accident in Meron, Iranian war-mongering, bloody terrorist attacks and Arab riots in Jerusalem have punctured a long stretch of relative quiet on the security front. We hope the worst is behind us, but after all that’s happened, no one can guess what tomorrow will bring.
Whatever one thinks of the changes, the immanence of our eternal story in this place, like a clock that ticks across time, invigorates the weariest soul. Jews are famously resilient, but dwelling in God’s presence supercharges our faith in Him – and in our own strength.
On this Jerusalem Day, when we remember the harrowing and amazing victory that reopened the door to our forever capital, let’s hope that all those waiting to enter will be able to join us soon and experience the joy and awe of another Jerusalem homecoming.