"O Jerusalem" (1)

" Two thousand years of dispersion were summed up in the phrase " If I forget thee, O Jerusalem." The most important wall of the synagogues of the Diaspora faced east to Jerusalem. A patch of wall in every orthodox househod went unattended in Jerusalem's name. The Jewish bridegrrom crushed a glass under his foot at his wedding to show his grief at the destruction of the Temple, and prayed that his marriage would provoke joy and dancing in the streets of Jerusalem. The traditional words of Jewish consolation, "May the Almighty comfort you and all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem," evoked the City. Even the word "Zionism",  defining the movement to reassemble the Jews in their ancient homeland, was inspired by a hilltop in Jerusalem, Mount Zion."

- O Jerusalem P 18