this is something written by my rabbi and teacher, Rav Froman.

It is all about his vision of the city Jerusalem. He is truly a man of peace and a man of God.

A UN for All Religions

by Menachem Froman

In framing a view of Jerusalem's future, we would do well to draw upon our divine heritage. Isaiah's famed vision of Jerusalem at the End of Days, for example, was that "instruction shall come forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem – nation shall not take up sword against nation; they shall never again know war".

Why not bring that prophecy to fruition by turning Jerusalem into a place worthy of her name: a city of peace? Wouldn't it be wise to launch an offensive aimed at transforming Jerusalem into the capital of the world? Surely this would be a way of showing our city far greater respect and showering it with far more love.

The key must be to raise Jerusalem above the arena of national power games and squabbles over the symbols and tools of sovereignty. Wars for control of territory are commonplace in our world. But Israel's victories in the War of Independence and the Six-Day War have accorded it a power and opportunity that are unique: to declare a place on earth – the Old City of Jerusalem - ex-territorial.

Jewish tradition contains many expressions of the idea that Jerusalem is not confined by the bounds of common territoriality. The Midrash, for example, cites it as the place from which Jacob's Ladder connected earth with heaven. And the Gemarah (Baba Batra 75) tells us that Jerusalem is named after God and is the place where the commemoration of God's name – His essence and intent – must be expressed throughout history.

If the purpose of Zionism is to transform the sublime visions of our heritage into reality here on earth, wouldn't its true fulfillment be the realization of Isaiah's vision here in this temporal city? Shouldn't our purpose be to draw to Jerusalem the most spiritual and humanist of institutions? Isn't it only fitting that Jerusalem be the seat of the U.N.'s cultural bodies, human rights organizations, scholarly forums and workshops of intellectual endeavor? And finally, isn't it only proper that Jerusalem be the place where members of all faiths convene to renounce their breeding of prejudice, hostility and war, and work to fashion world peace? We do Jerusalem no honor if we insist that it be to us what Belgrade is to Yugoslavia. Jerusalem deserves to be more: a realization of our potential to rise above the narrow sense of nationalism.

This is not a utopian vision appropriate only to the End of Days. Meetings and discussions are already in progress among Jews, Muslims and Christians with the aim of making Jerusalem into the capital of peace and home of a U.N. for all religions. They are drawn together by the hope of converting a problem on which no side can afford to concede – following the traditional model of negotiations as give-and-take, as in "land for peace" – into a solution that leaves all sides feeling they have gained: a win-win outcome.

For Israel this proposal will mean elevating Jerusalem from the capital of a small country in the Levant to the capital of the world. No less important in this idea would be Jerusalem's role as a bridge between the Muslim world and the West to help defuse tensions that spread well beyond the Middle East. Both the United States and Europe can make meaningful contributions in this sphere. The Pope has repeatedly expressed his desire to have the start of the new millennium mark the end of the historical conflict between Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and other Christian denominations will be able to endorse the plan on similar grounds.

This is why contacts about making Jerusalem into the capital of peace have reached and will go on reaching the highest echelons in Jerusalem, Gaza, Washington, Brussels, Rome and elsewhere. We must work to ensure that Jerusalem's future is built in the spirit of "yeru-shalom," a legacy of peace.

Menachem Froman is the rabbi of the settlement of Tekoa. This article was edited with the help of David Elharar

I hate the wall.
I feel it is a scar cutting apart our beautiful land, setting us back to a space that does not allow healthy dialogue.
I grew up in a settlement called Efrat and now live in Tekoa. They are right by Bethlehem. I speak Arabic and have maintained a relationship and dialogue with Palestinians my whole life.
The wall is not there to seperate people based on their religion or race. it is only there as a means to protect israeli citizens. men,women and children from getting killed by suicide bombers.Ever since the security wall has been built there has been a statistical drastic drop in the number of bombs exploding inside Israel.
As Quickly as it has been built it can as easily be removed when the support of Palestinian citizans and Government will be against Terrorism and recognize Israels right to exist. As of the present moment Hamas (who were voted for by more than 70% of the palestinians) support terror attacks against civilians and do not recognize our right to exist. as I write this an Israeli city of Sderot(not behind the green line) is being bombarded with Kassam rockets.If Israel feels it is safe, the wall will be removed.If it will save one life, it has served its purpose.

Losing ones home- a response to Jasmoon

After reading Jasmoon's Blog about the destruction of houses I had a lot to share on the subject.
My sister lives with her husband and three children in a settlement called Amona. A little over a year ago all the houses built there were destroyed by the Israeli government. people who gathered to protest were brutally beaten by the police. I witnessed the entire thing. the only reason I was left alone was because I had a professional looking camera so I looked part of the foreign press.
Over the weekend I spent time with friends of mine living in a temporary trailer home( In Israel they are called Caravans.) in a Kibbutz called Ein Tzurim. During the disengagement from Gaza less than two years ago 8000 people lost their houses and communities. for more than a year they had no new relocation to rebuild their lives. They were put up in different hotels and guest houses around the country.They still await proper compensation and a new home.
Interestingly, the Kibbutz itself was relocated from its original place. It was founded by Holocaust survivers and Israelies in the forties. After Jordanian troops conquered the area during the war of Independence in 1948, the Kibbutz members spent over a year in a prisoner camp in Jordan before returning to Israel to rebuild their homes in a different part of the country. the Israelies of a nearby Kibbutz by the name of Kfar Etzion did not relocate since they were all killed(over 125 of them) after surrendering to the Jordanians. Their children, who were evacuated prior to the Massacre, were the ones who 19 years later after 1967, decided to return home to where their fathers were killed and rebuild the kibbutz. This started what is called "Gush-Etzion" and it is where I grew up (Efrat) and where I currently live (Tekoa).
My own family carries the pain of my Grandparents who had to leave everything behind- their families, property and possessions in their homes in Germany when fleeing as refugees from the country that had been their home for generations.
And I carry the Jewish Collective memory of a people who have been mourning about a destroyed Temple for almost 2000 years...
So all I'm trying to say is that losing a home is very difficult .
The meaning of exile "Galut" is a central idea in Judaism and is deeply connected to that painful loss. To the deep pain of feeling lost, disconnected and as if we have no place in this world.
A deep Yearning has awakened within me. A yearning I have carried within me for thousands of years. I have received it from my ancestors and will pass it on to my children.
Perhaps that is the source of my Zionism.
I pray that my pain and loss shall open my heart to others that are suffering.
That my yearning to overcome my exile should not be at anyones expense.
There are many verses in the Torah in which God commands his people to be sensitive to the strangers living among them for they too had once been strangers in Egypt.
For thousands of years the Jewish people would celebrate passover, the holiday celebrating our freedom from Egyptian slavery, by gathering families together wherever they were in the world for a Beautiful ceremony and great meal. I would like to end this comment with a closing prayer that we wold end our passover "Seder" with. "Leshana Habaa BeYerushalaim Habnuya" May we merit that next year we shall be in a Built Jerusalem.
No destruction should take place in this holy city, in this sacred land.Not to Israelies or Palestinians.We pray for all parts of Jerusalem to be built. For everything broken shall one day be fixed. From our destroyed homes and communities to our broken hearts.
Reb Nachman, a Chassidic Master once taught "If you believe it can be broken, you must believe it can be fixed".

Hello to all,
My name is Mordechai Zeller. I am 26 years old and am studying psychology and jewish folklore. I was born in California to spiritual hippie parents who came with our family to Israel as tourists for the summer and have been here ever since. I live in a settlement at the edge of the Judean desert called Tekoa. I am in "Yeshiva" which is an orthodox place of study. I am more than halfway thru with my Rabbinic studies.
I teach psycho-spiritual-Chassidic classes at different places around Israel. To Israeli youth at risk at a youth village in the south, at an organic Eco-farm to an educational farming program, and at israeli hippie festivals.
I work as a Tour guide taking tourists all around Israel and Jerusalem. which is wonderful since I love hiking in this beautiful land. Every now and then when I'll be climbing up some mountain in the desert I thank the Lord I don't work in a cubicle office job. Thats it for now...
Mordechai

I wear a necklace close to my heart. It represents for me the deep connection that I feel to this land. I chose to say connection rather than ownership. We belong to the land more than it belongs to us. The Torah teaches us of the Jubilee year whereby every fiftieth year the land you have acquired or lost returns to its original owner. This prevents the illusion that man is owner. Within a century we return to the earth where we once came from, yet the land remains.
As a tour guide I have the honor of sharing the experience and imparting the significance of this holy space onto my groups. The necklace was a manifestation of my ideas and my identity. While touring with a group I had been collecting earth from the various sites we visited. Upon completion of the trip the participants made their own necklaces with the earth and water we had collected. They returned home with a piece of Israel close to their hearts. A friend of mine with a business mind put the necklace out on the market where it was originally known as the 'Common Ground Necklace.' In the midst of all of this fighting we tend to over look our common love of the land.