Jerusalem 2000

Rachael Rapp

I was drawn to Jerusalem a number of years ago for reasons that I have never been able to fully express. The holy city is a focal point of dreams and of longings, a center of mysteries and realizations. After having lived there on and off for about two years, my attachment to Israel as a homeland and Jerusalem as a sanctuary, is far beyond even my own comprehension. She is in my heart and soul. I carry her with me always, and she too carries a piece of me.

Israel's ethnic diversity, its mixture of the ancient and the modern, and its many societal contrasts continue to captivate the eye and the imagination. Even more so, Jerusalem, one of the world's centers for religious life, is often marked by the polarity of its physical worldliness and its ethereal unworldliness. One feels Jerusalem's flourishing spirituality, from the Western Wall to prayerful calls in homes and synagogues throughout the city. At times, emotions thicken the air and fill one's pores, making passion and wholeheartedness tangible.

There, Jews of all countries and walks of life live as one organism, striving to achieve a sense of unity dreamed of for millennia. But beyond the often bustling streets, and the cafés murmuring with the sound of many foreign tongues, each individual adds another layer of complexity with his uniqueness. The vast array of consciousness and the merging of human experiences make every encounter nothing less than a meeting with humanity itself.

It was here that Jewish faith was born, and here that our aspirations were first crushed. I've spoken to immigrants, new and old, who came to solidify hope, or who came because they had none left. I, as they, care for Jerusalem as the heart of our existence and mourn for her losses as our own. We are forever intertwined.

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