“Jerusalem was capital of southern Israel, known then as Judah. Isn’t it true that there’s always a rivalry between north and south? North and South Korea, North and South Vietnam, Northern and Southern Ireland, Yankees and Rebels, uptown and downtown. Somebody please tell me why that is? “
―Tom Robbins,Skinny Legs and All
Hello friends - from Jerusalem
The controversies at the core of the Capital City of Gold is one of the top topics of our upcoming LIVE LEARNING SESSION this coming Sunday -
AND YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO JOIN
🚩Today’s post contains the Zoom link for this coming Sunday’s special session -
IT’S FREE FOR ALL SUBSCRIBERES & OTHERS CURIOUS TO LEARN ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND THIS COURSE.
WHY?
PER POPULAR DEMAND + WITH GRATITUDE TO THE GENEROUS PAID SUBSCRIBERS WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.
Almost half way through this year-long journey I invite more of you to dive deeper into the exploration of this critical and ancient schism story with vital and deep relevance for who we are now, why so divided — and what will help us heal - together.
Scroll down for the zoom info. so that you can join on Sunday.
The recording will be shared with all during the following week.
🚩 But first - a few words about why today matters and what this session will be about.
Somehow - the Golden Dome of the Rock that I can see clearly as I write these words from a balcony in East Jerusalem — echoes the tragic tale of the biblical golden calf - the main topic of our session this coming Sunday.
What does this hallowed symbol of the city sacred to three faiths and meaningful to so many — have to do with a scriptural story of a national and religious crisis?
It all has to do with Jerusalem - and the real secrets inside this sacred city.
🚩 Today, May 15, is marked by many around the world as Nakba Day - the commemoration of Palestinian displacement and destruction of 1948.
On the Hebrew calendar - yesterday marked Jerusalem Day - the 1967 marker of the reunification or conquest of the city by Israel.
These are days fraught with competing narratives of joy and grief, as tensions and violence keep ripping so many of us apart.
I started yesterday in the Old City of Jerusalem along with colleagues from Rabbis for Human Rights and hundreds of Israeli volunteers - standing in solidarity with the local Palestinian residents and offering Protective Presence to help defend the locals from the violence of the the most extremist among the thousands of Jews from all over the country, on their way to celebrate in the Western Wall. While the majority of those walking to the wall is peaceful - a loud and vicious growing minority - mostly teens and young Orthodox men, attack Palestinians, sing racist songs, damage shops and homes, and spew hatred in their path.
I used to be one of those young men, dancing, in my teens years, down the alley ways of Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter, dressed in a white shirt, and signing loudly about Jerusalem as our eternal home, seat of our on ce and future temple.
But in the past decade of so the vibe has turned triumphalist and violent. Yesterday I was there to bear witness, to protect and to pray for peace.
You can watch some of my reporting from there here: https://www.instagram.com/amichailaulavie/
The Flag March has become the cause for a day of division and a cause for concern.
And it does not have to be this way — Jerusalem - the seat of sacred story for Jews, Christians and Muslims can and must be a city that unites, not divides.
There are already many such unions happening despite this loud distraction. I was at an interfaith prayer at the foot of the walls of the old city the night before, and ended yesterday at a a joyful gathering in East Jerusalem - the first ever public LGBTQ event where Palestinian queers along with some Israeli and European activists came to celebrate pride, tolerance, peace and possible futures.
There is, despite despair, much hope here — the tribal and trauma-based either/or narrative can and will be challenged by a more inclusive and tolerant both/and approach.
The south needs the north to negotiate identity and forge a path forward.
So what does Jerusalem, with its multilayered histories, and the Golden Dome as its famous symbol have to do with the story of a Golden Calf created by the people of Israel as a religious icon?
Why does that puzzling and painful story have to do with the origins of the split between south and north, Judah and Israel - as it still continues today?
I invite you to join me in Jerusalem - from wherever you are - this coming Sunday, to explore these questions - together.
🚩 Next LIVE Session: Sunday 5/17/26
This is the ZOOM LINK for Sunday:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83001192942?jst=2
ID: 83001192942
THIS session is free and open to all.
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Wishing us us all kinder days - everywhere
Shabbat Shalom - Peaceful Sabbath
Amichai
2pm ET
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