The Jerusalem Book of Quotations

A 3,000-Year Perspective By Jack Friedman

Gefen Publishing. 260 pages

Reviewed by Rolly Kohansky

The next time you are invited to a dinner party, here’s your chance to shine as a knowledgeable, erudite person; utter a few pithy quotations from this book. This volume speaks volumes – in quotations – about our ancient capital from the biblical period to our own time. It encompasses quotes by people from every religion as well as those from pilgrims and travellers to conquerors, scholars and statesmen. They have been inspired, enthralled, astounded, dazzled, triumphant or overwhelmed but always passionate about Jerusalem and certainly never indifferent to its wonders nor its history. The author is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York and now resides in Jerusalem. His exhaustive research is evident in the extensive bibliography which cites many and diverse sources. The result makes for fascinating reading. Jerusalem: The name itself arouses powerful emotional responses; so revered by the three main religions that its very existence is a constant reminder of the battles for its heart, the praises to its beauty and the heady cries of its victors throughout the ages. Interwoven in this tapestry is the mourning by Jews of the destruction of the Temple and the subsequent glory of reclaiming the City. Professor Friedman explains that for Judaism, the frame of reference to Jerusalem as the spiritual center and ancient capital of Israel is evident; it is mentioned by name 640 times in the Bible. For Christians, Jerusalem is venerated for the sites relating to the ministry and crucifixion of Jesus and appears 140 times in the New Testament. As for Islam, it is the third in sanctity after Mecca and Medina and centered on the tradition of Mohammed’s journey to the site on his winged steed. However, the word Jerusalem itself never appears in the Koran. This book offers impressions of Jerusalem but in doing so spells out its history from the viewpoint of those who visited, dwelt there, conquered it, despaired at its loss or celebrated its return to the Jewish people. The thousands of quotations range from biblical sources and inscriptions found on clay bowls from 1900 BCE, through to those by Josephus Flavius, Cicero, Benjamin of Tudela, Richard the Lion-Hearted, and Christopher Colombus. And include those attributed to Winston Churchill, Moshe Dayan and Bill Clinton. A quote by Simon the Maccabee about Jerusalem seems as timely today as when he uttered it: “We have not taken foreign land, nor ruled over foreign possessions, but only the inheritance of our ancestors which had one time been unjustly conquered by our enemies. "This is a book not meant to be read at one or two sittings, but asks to be opened at any page and to peruse the contents at leisure, for each segment offers the reader food for thought and contemplation as well as for lively discussion. It should be a worthy addition to any library.