Article I wrote for ZimZoom Magazine

I was so excited to have a chance to write an essay regarding my feelings for Jerusalem for ZimZoom, a magazine distributed to Jewish day schools and Hebrew schools. Here it is minus photos:

Hannah Katz, an 11th grader from Crown Point, Indiana, is in Israel for the spring semester on a program called Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY- the Ramah Jerusalem High School). The program includes regular school classes like English, math and science, and also trips around Israel, Hebrew classes, and a course on the history of the land of Israel. On the occasion of Yom Yerushalayim, which celebrates Israel’s reunification with Jerusalem’s Old City in the War of 1967, we asked Hannah to explain what the Old City means to her.

Old City, New Connection
By Hannah Katz

Ever since my first trip to Israel when I was 13, the Old City has given me an indescribable chill. For most of humankind, the Old City is one of the holiest places in the world. For Jews, in particular, the Kotel symbolizes Jewish persistence and survival for thousands of years.

For as long as I can remember my family has said, “next year in Jerusalem,” and as we spin the dreidel on Chanukah we say, “Nes Gadol Haya Sham: A great miracle happened there.” Now I am actually there, in Jerusalem, for four months. Living and studying here, I feel a new relationship with the Old City for several reasons. Some of these include my new feelings of my role as a Jew, an increased appreciation for the state of Israel, and my growing knowledge of the history of our people.

Thanks to my coursework here, I was able to walk through the City of David and understand who King David was and how he conquered Jerusalem 3000 years ago. Now when I stand outside the Old City walls, I am able to visualize how David and his troops conquered the city, and how 300 years later King Chezekiah and his troops dug the underground tunnels to provide water for Jerusalem. By walking through the tunnel like Chezekiah’s men, rather than just reading about it, I felt a part of our history.

As I visit the Old City of Jerusalem, I think about how sad our Jewish brethren must have felt when they were forced to leave the city during the War of Independence in 1948. I cannot imagine the Jewish homeland without access to the Old City. However, I also feel the joy that our troops must have felt when they reconquered the city during the Six-Day War in 1967. Despite all odds, Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and regained Jerusalem. During my first trip to the Kotel, I had the opportunity to see IDF soldiers being inducted into the army. I stood in wonderment as each soldier received his rifle and Tanach. This ceremony truly made me realize the situation of Israel and how important it is to protect our homeland.

At home in Indiana where I am the only Jew in my school, I often feel alone and out of place, but as I stand in the Old City surrounded by Jews from all over the world, I feel united and at home. When I kiss the Kotel today, I do not just feel like I am kissing some ancient wall; I feel a connection to the land, people, and country that I never felt before.
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