Jerusalem

** Erica, Rachel and Sapir ** Jerusalem is one of the most holy cities for many religions around the world. The Old City of Jerusalem is filled with Christians, Muslims, and Jews going to pray or just to visit their holy spots like The Temple Mount or the Western Wall. The reason forJerusalem's importance in the Jewish religion is due to the fact that the first and second temples were located in theOldCity, leaving only the Western Wall remembrance of the past and hope for the future.Jerusalem is and always was the heart ofIsrael's leadership. Not only did the kings ofIsrael live and rule inJerusalem in the biblical times, but also today all the branches of the Israeli government are located there. As the State of Israel was established, parts ofJerusalem fell into the Jordanian army, such as theOldCity, and were inaccessible to Jews for 19 years until those areas were recaptured by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) in the Six Day War. Jerusalemis the capitol as well as the largest populated city inIsrael, known to have many different names such asZion, The Holy City, and Yerushalaim. The state ofIsraelalways puts a lot of effort into keepingJerusalemalive and beautiful as it naturally is. You can always find interesting and fun things to do inJerusalemat all times of the year. There are many museums, festivals, parks, historical sites, shopping centers, quaint coffee shops, marvelous hotels and of course Machane Yehuda Market. As teenagers, we benefit from living so close toJerusalemin many ways: Shopping at the Malcha Mall, going to the movies, hanging out on Yaffo andBen Yehuda Street– the most active place for teens and tourists on weeknights. A trip around the world is never complete without visitingJerusalem, the heart of the world.
 * Jerusalem **