On the twenty-eighth day of Iyyar in 1967, the IDF entered the Old City of Jerusalem, which Jordan had occupied since the War of Independence in 1948. Among other things, this meant that the Western Wall (the kotel), the last surviving remnant of the Temple, was again in Jewish hands, as were many other sites of incomparable historical and cultural significance.

It has become customary to observe the twenty-eighth of Iyyar as Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). There is no fixed liturgy for this day, nor are there any specific home or communal rituals that have evolved. It is merely an opportunity to reflect on the sanctity of Jerusalem and to honor the men and women of the Israel Defense Forces who participated in its liberation. It is also appropriate to remember those who fell in the battle for the city, both in 1948 and then again in 1967.