Jerusalem in Jewish history, tradition, and memory

Jerusalem has occupied a pivotal position in Jewish life and consciousness over the past three thousand years. For one millennium, the city constituted the political and religious focus for Jews, 1 in the beginning for those in the region of the tribe and kingdom of Judah and subsequently, for some 800 years, for Jews everywhere. Even after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, its memory was ever present despite the fact that the Jews would not regain control of the city for almost two millennia. Countless expres- sions of the intimate ties to Jerusalem maintained and strengthened their memories of and attachment to the city. Below we will examine these two distinct aspects-history and tradition-which are, in fact, different chron- ological stages, in order to understand how this centrality and sanctity emerged and how Jewish tradition succeeded in preserving these associa- tions through the ages.