What has not already been said about the holiest city in the world, the city that has been united, the eternal city first built thousands of years ago, whose history can be heard in the whispering of the wind along the walls, where every stone tells a wondrous story of a city that has drawn millions of faithful pilgrims for thousands of years? Such is Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, the only city in the world that has 70 names of love and yearning, the city that in old maps appears at the center of the world and is still adored like a young bride.

The City of David is the birthplace of the city of Jerusalem, the place where King David established his kingdom, and where the history of the People of Israel was written. It is within walking distance from the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall, and is one of the most exciting sites in Israel.

There is a magical quality about the Old City of Jerusalem that does not exist anywhere else in the world. Perhaps it is due to the glorious history of the towering stone walls and ancient buildings, or the sacred atmosphere that surrounds the holy sites. The enchanting quality of Jerusalem may also come from the colorful markets and narrow alleyways, or from the city’s dynamic history.

In 1929, Palestine Hotels Ltd., a group of Jews from Cairo, purchased 4.5 acres on Jerusalem’s Julian’s Way, today King David Street. From its earliest days, the King David Hotel hosted royalty: the Doweger Empress of Persia, Queen Mother Nazli of Egypt and King Abdullah I of Jordan stayed at the hotel, and three heads of state forced to flee their countries took up residence there: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, forced to abdicate in 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, driven out by the Italians in 1936, and King George II of Greece who set up his government in exile at the hotel after the Nazi occupation of his country in 1942.

Today, as you read this message, Ilana, a bus load of your B’nai Moshe Family and I are spending the balance of our trip to Israel and Shabbat in Jerusalem staying at the famous King David Hotel, maybe even in the same room as one of these historic figures. We have completed a week of touring the county from North to South and in a few days we will be returning home. We all look forward to sharing with you our experiences in the land of our Ancestors and, God willing, our Descendants.