There are cities I have seen, cities I have admired, and cities whose beauty I can appreciate from a distance.

Jerusalem is different.

For me, Jerusalem is not simply a destination on a map. It is not just ancient walls, holy places, archaeological discoveries or another subject in the endless political discussion surrounding Israel.

Jerusalem touches something much deeper in me. And I know I am not alone. There is even a rare psychiatric phenomenon commonly called Jerusalem Syndrome, in which some visitors to Jerusalem experience intense religious preoccupations, delusions or unusual behavior. It is important not to romanticize this condition. Genuine psychiatric symptoms deserve proper medical care, and many documented cases involve people who already had psychological vulnerabilities.

But beyond that rare clinical phenomenon lies a much bigger and more fascinating question:

Why does Jerusalem affect so many people so deeply? Why can someone arrive in Jerusalem and suddenly become emotional?

Why can a wall, a stone, a prayer or the sound of Hebrew in the streets create feelings that are difficult to explain? I think I understand at least part of the answer. Because when I think about Jerusalem, I don’t just see a city.

I see generations of Jewish people who were separated from their ancestral homeland but refused to forget Jerusalem.

I think about Jews scattered across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and eventually almost every corner of the world. Different languages. Different countries. Different circumstances. Yet Jerusalem remained with........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)