A Yearlong Celebration

This issue inaugurates our participation in the 3,000th anniversary celebration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The mayor of Jerusalem has officially proclaimed 1996 as the year to mark the anniversary.

Certainly the 3,000th anniversary of King David’s capture of Jerusalem—after which the city became known as the City of David—should not pass unnoticed. Anniversaries are, after all, occasions to remember and to rededicate.

There will, of course, be those who carp and cavil. Some will say it’s a tourist gimmick. True, in part, but why not come and listen to great music as well as see the sites?^a Others will say it’s political, intended only to solidify Israel’s position with respect to Jerusalem. Perhaps—though the anniversary celebration was planned long before the Israel-Palestinian peace agreement seemed a possibility.