Jerusalem is Israel’s largest city
Jerusalem, the capital, is the largest city in Israel. It has more than 800,000 inhabitants and covers nearly 50 square miles.
Jerusalem has been conquered more than 40 times
Throughout history, Jerusalem has always been a coveted city and a common region for war. The reasons include culture, commerce, politics, and religion, with a highly tumultuous history.
Sixteen wars have been fought over Jerusalem, the city itself having been destroyed twice. Jerusalem has been attacked 52 times and conquered 44 times by the Persians, Romans, Ottoman Turks, and the British.
Jerusalem’s Mount Olive is the world’s oldest active burial site
Mount Olive is home to over 150,000 Jewish graves, including some of the greatest Jewish leaders, prophets, and rabbis, making it the most important Jewish cemetery in the world.
It has importance to Christians as well because Jesus is said to have ascended to Heaven from Mount Olives. It is also home to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Russian Orthodox Church of Maria Magdalene, and the Church of All Nations.
Jerusalem is one of the world’s fastest-growing high-tech cities
For a long time, Jerusalem was considered socially outdated and fundamentally challenged due to its geopolitical and social constructs. However, that all changed in recent years when Time magazine named Jerusalem one of the world’s fastest-growing hi-tech hubs in 2015.
Then, in 2017, Jerusalem tech raised upwards of $158M, which was quite the achievement due to a surge in start-ups in cutting-edge sectors.
Jerusalem hosts Israel’s second-largest Pride parade.
The annual Pride event is a highlight for Jerusalem’s vibrant LGBTQIA+ community, with more than 25,000 marchers. It is second to Tel Aviv’s Pride, which has more than 250,000 participants, making it the largest Pride Parade in Asia.
The Western Wall is the only remaining part of the temple, dating back to 19 BCE.
The Western Wall is the sole remanent of the second temple, built by Herod the Great, making it the most sacred destination for many worldwide.
Millions of people come to the Kotel (Western Wall) to participate in the custom of writing prayers on slips of paper and leaving them in the cracks of the ancient wall.
It snows in Jerusalem
While Israel is known for its hotter climate due to a large portion being considered a desert, it is not uncommon for it to snow in Jerusalem in the Winter months.
Because Jerusalem has an elevation of over 700 meters above sea level at almost 2,500 feet, it tends to stay significantly cooler than other parts of the country.
Jerusalem is a combination of two Hebrew words
Jerusalem combines two Hebrew words; Yireh (will see) and Shalem (peace or wholeness).
According to the Torah, when Abraham was about to sacrifice Issac in the exact location as the Temple Mount, an angel instructs him not to and states, “And so Abraham named that place ‘God will see,’ as it is said to this day, ‘On the mountain, God will be seen. In Hebrew, “will see” translates as yireh.”
Before being called Jerusalem, the city was named Shalem. The Lubavitcher Rebbe said there is an alternative translation to yireh shalem – complete awe. He said that an overwhelming feeling of awe is palpable when entering the city.