My own photo of an inscription on the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, found in the excavations. It is from Isaiah Chapter 66, verse 14, possibly etched into the stone by a Jew in Jerusalem when the Roman Emperor Julian offered to the Jews of the region the possibility of rebuilding the Temple during his reign of 361-363 CE. Julian died in 363 CE. See the photo and explanation below. The other possibility, noted below, was that the inscription was carved into the stone in 900 CE.
I look at this as part of my heritage, not just my religious heritage, but part of my actual familial heritage, even if my ancestors had already left the Middle East and migrated to Europe. Jews around the world back then were very much like an extended family.
And this is one of the aspects of history that makes the current situation even more complex, but such complexities, that include every group and people that has a heritage in that land, need to be acknowledged by those who live there and those who are watching current events unfold from afar.
Maybe, one day, we will all see and our hearts will rejoice.
No comments:
Post a Comment