Jerusalem

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Pronunciations

Jerusalem (juh-ROO-suh-luhm) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Israel's capital city since 1950.

Example Sentences

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • Ultimately from יְרוּשָׁלַיִם

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      City of David

Notes

  • See also Yerushalayim.

    "Since biblical times, Jerusalem has been regarded as a holy city by Jews and later by Christians and then Muslims. King David made Jerusalem his capital (hence its nickname, the City of David), and the ancient Jewish First and Second Temples were built here. The modern city of Jerusalem has grown to encompass many neighborhoods, including the ancient walled section, often called the Old City, as well as outlying suburbs of apartment buildings, universities, museums, and hospitals. As part of the cease-fire in 1949 that ended Israel’s War of Independence, Jerusalem was partitioned. The Old City, including the Western Wall, came under Jordanian control and was closed to Jews. In 1967 during the Six-Day War, Israel captured the Old City and re-unified Jerusalem, opening the holy sites, churches, and mosques to people of all religions." (JPS)

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