Thousands of members of the Moshavim (cooperative agricultural communities, as opposed to Kibbutzim, ed.) Movement, and agricultural schols, from all over Israel, took part on Monday in the movement’s annual march to Jerusalem in honor of (Yom Yerushalayim), which celebrates the anniversary of the day Jerusalem was liberated by the IDF during the Six Day War.
Thousands of Jerusalemites filled the streets in the center of town to see them march by.
“This is a salute to Jerusalem by the those who settle and work the land. There are about 400 moshavim and tens of thousands of people participating in this march,” said Meir Tzur, Secretary General of the Moshavim Movement, one of the main, orignal settlement movements in Israel, whose members are cooperative villages organized as moshavim. Founded in 1920, the movement today has a membership of 253 moshavim. The regional authorities took responsibliity for organizeing and funding the parade.
Tzur added, “We are respecting Jerusalem so Jerusalem can respect us in the future. The importance is to bring youth to Jerusalem and know it and love it.”
“I come here every year, and every year Jerusalem is in my blood,” one of the participants said. “It will be in the blood of the State of Israel and the people of Israel. No one can give it away!”
All photos by Hezki Ezra and Hillel Meir
