City Of Jerusalem Research Paper

1492 Words3 Pages

As one of the oldest cities in the world, Jerusalem is a historically significant city that is located in ancient Judah. It is now the capital of Israel and is the holiest city of three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city’s history goes back to the 4th millennium B.C. and there is evidence that shows the occupation of Ophel as far back as the Copper Age, within present-day Jerusalem. The reason I chose to do Jerusalem as my city is because I am Jewish and Israeli, so not only is this city an important center to many people around the world, but it relates to my family and me personally. I have been to Israel and Jerusalem many times and even went for my Bat Mitzvah. Currently the total population of this city is around …show more content…

during the Early Bronze Age. King David conquered Jerusalem in 1000 B.C. and made it the Jewish kingdom’s capital. Around 40 years later, Solomon, his son, built the first holy Temple. In 586 B.C., the Babylonians took over Jerusalem by destroying the Temple and sending the Jews into exile. Then, around 50 years later, the Persian King Cyrus allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. After Alexander the Great took control of the city in 332 B.C., the city was conquered and ruled by different groups over the next several hundred years. During this period, the second Temple was restructured (37 B.C.), Jesus was crucified in the city of Jerusalem (30 A.D.), the Romans destroyed the second Temple (70 A.D.), Muhammad, the Islamic prophet, died and was said to have ascended from Jerusalem to heaven (632 A.D.), and many European Christians began pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Christian crusaders occupied Jerusalem and deemed the city a major religious site (1099-1187 …show more content…

The non-Jewish population has grown at a faster rate than the Jewish population since that time and at the start of 2015, Jews were only 63% of Jerusalem’s population (Rebhun 2017). Today, Jerusalem is a city of many religions and in a survey taken in 2006, “1,200 synagogues, 150 churches and 70 mosques within its boundaries” ("The Future of Jerusalem" 2015) were identified. With all this culture fixed to one location, it leaves many wondering if Jerusalem will see peace. As being such a sacred site, it is the subject of conflicting national claims of Israelis and Palestinian Arabs. It is difficult to tell where Jerusalem is headed in a political stance because the centrality of the political issues in Jerusalem derives from religious and emotional sensitivities rather than economic interests or security considerations. According to a hopeful article, “Jerusalem 2020: A vision for the future,” the city will be an urban gem in five years’ time. It will be a pilgrimage site for millions around the world and a center for the world’s most intelligent minds and most productive scholars. Jerusalem has numerous academic institutions, which are providing the world with generations of engineers, developers, entrepreneurs, and researchers. This will hopefully transform the city into a

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