Photo Essay: Jerusalem Celebrates 50 Years of Unity
Thousands of Jerusalemites and Israelis from around the country capitalized on a temperate, sunny day on Wednesday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the city’s liberation during the 1967 Six-Day War.
At the Western Wall and at synagogues around the country, Orthodox Israelis offered celebratory prayers at dawn to mark the reunification, which ended a 19-year period of Jordanian occupation following the War of Independence in 1948. In addition, the Knesset held a special plenum session to mark the occasion, and Army Radio broadcast a special edition from the Ben Yehuda Street walking mall in downtown Jerusalem.
The walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, bathed in blue and white in honor of the 50th anniversary of the city’s liberation. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS
Fireworks light up the night sky. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS
For Ethiopian-Israelis, Jerusalem Day is fraught with mixed emotions. Like most Israelis, the community welcomes the opportunity to celebrate Jerusalem, but the day is also a memorial day to commemorate Ethiopian Jews who died during the tough journey to the Holy Land. Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS
Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS
Yeshiva students join Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau for a celebratory morning prayer service at the Western Wall. Photo by Arye Minkov.
Israeli students participate in the annual flag dance from downtown Jerusalem to the Western Wall. Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS
Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS
Israeli actors dressed up as historical figures to tell the story of Jerusalem among the city battlements in the City of David. Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS. Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS.
Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS.
Photo By: Kobi Richter/TPS.
Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS.
