ISRAEL DAY PARADE
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ewish Voice J
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Deuteronomy 32:1
M AY T H E E A RT H H E A R T H E WO R D S O F M Y M O U TH
June 3, 2011| 1 Sivan 5771
Vol. 7, Iss. 20
SUNDAY, JUNE 5TH
www.JewishVoiceNY.com
$1
RABBI CHANAN PORAT: 1967 WAS A WAR OF REDEMPTION BY ELAD BENARI On Wednesday, Israel marked Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), the 44th anniversary of Israel’s liberation of the Holy City during the 1967 Six Day War. uring a special interview with Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew website, Rabbi and former MK Chanan Porat, who participated in the liberation of Jerusalem, recalled the time period and explained why he joyfully celebrates Yom Yerushalayim. How do you celebrate this day? “First and foremost, I celebrate! I don’t listen to those who say that maybe it was some kind of temporary episode. The redemption of Jerusalem is a complete redemption, even if it has its ups and downs. “Weaknesses could lead to things being unrecognized by us, but the truth is that Jerusalem is eternal. Anyone with eyes in his head should be unbelievably joyful. And if there are Jews who think this truth has had its day – it has not – and Jerusalem is eternal.” What do you remember from the 1967 period of Jerusalem’s liberation? “We did not know that Jerusalem was about to be facing salvation and was about to redeem herself. It was a war of survival against the arrogant Egyptian President, who spoke about a war of annihilation and Jihad.” Rabbi Porat recalled that his unit was actually headed towards the Sinai Peninsula. “The same morning that we were supposed to land on the outskirts of El-Arish to prevent the Egyptian army from carrying out its plan to reach Tel Aviv, it was announced that [Jordanian King] Hussein had joined the war and began to bomb Jerusalem. It was decided to change all the plans and go up to Jerusalem.
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