Nieuws, Overig

CvI knapt Molen Jeruzalem op

Alfred Muller (Columnist CvI): ‘Zeven uur ‘s avonds 6 augustus 2012. Een historisch moment voor Jeruzalem: voor het eerst in 150 jaar draait de Montefioremolen weer.’De molen wordt weer gebruikt om meel te verkrijgen.

Bekijk ook de officiële video van de Jerusalem Foundation, de restauratie, en lees een deel van de speech – over christelijk zionisme – van PM Netanjahoe hieronder.

Verleend aan een bericht van het Facebook-account van The Prime Minister of Israel. Zie hieronder het volledig deel van de Engelse vertaling.

PM Netajahoe Wijdt Herstelde Windmolen in Mishkenot Sha’ananim

Molen Jeruzalem

“Ik geloof niet dat de Joodse staat en het moderne zionisme mogelijk waren geweest zonder christelijk zionisme. Ik denk dat de vele christelijke aanhangers van de wedergeboorte van de Joodse staat en de inzameling van het Joodse volk, de opkomst van het Joods zionisme in de 19e eeuw en later het moderne Joodse zionisme mogelijk maakte.

We hebben altijd het diepgewortelde verlangen gehad om terug te keren naar ons land om het te herbouwen. Dit is een gebed van het Joodse volk gedurende millennia – en het werd in de 19e eeuw mede mogelijk gemaakt door de herleving van het christelijk zionisme en de Europese steun voor het zionisme, in het bijzonder in Groot-Brittannië – De PEF, het Palestijnse Exploratie Fonds, wat een wetenschappelijk fonds was, opgericht door koningin Victoria, en de vele christelijke vrienden die we hadden, met inbegrip van de Nederlanders in de 19e eeuw, de Amerikanen, Engelsen en Fransen, die het Heilige Land bezochten bij honderden, onder hen beroemde schrijvers.

We spraken over de onvruchtbaarheid van het land en de hoop dat de Joden terug zouden keren naar dit land om het weer te ontginnen*, als onderdeel van het verhaal van de mensheid, en de hoop dat er hoop is, en dit leidde tot de praktische grondslag, de politieke fundering voor de opkomst van het zionisme. Dus dat is de eerste component. Dit wordt hier vandaag goed vertegenwoordigd door onze Nederlandse vrienden, die Israël met heel hun hart hebben gesteund, en met alles wat jullie mogelijk is; we zijn ons bewust van de grote betekenis van deze steun. We waarderen het zeer. Wij hechten waarde aan onze vrienden, we vergeten hen nooit, en we bedenken ons dat jullie hier hebben meegewerkt aan de totstandkoming van een krachtig herdenkingsteken aan onze vriendschap en onze gemeenschappelijke idealen. Dus dank jullie hiervoor.”

Lees een eerder nieuwsbericht in de Jerusalem Post

PM Netanyahu Dedicates Restored Windmill in Mishkenot Sha’ananim

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Tuesday, 28 August 2012), dedicated the restored windmill, in Jerusalem’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood, which was originally built in 1858 by Moses Montefiore and has since become one of the symbols of the city.The windmill was restored with the assistance of the Jerusalem Foundation, donations from the Netherlands and the Prime Minister’s Office Heritage Program. The windmill’s façade was restored and machinery was installed to enable the arms to turn in the wind.

“Mayor Nir Barkat, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov and friends, Chief Rabbi of Israel and Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands, Montefiore family, Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser, and people from the Jerusalem Foundation, dear friends Sallai Meridor and Max Sofer.

[Nederlandse vertaling]

The second component for the success of Zionism was the Jewish philanthropists who came in at critical moments when the pre-state community was weak and hung by a thread. There were two who stood out: Baron Rothschild and Moses Montefiore. They shared one characteristic: They both broke through walls there before they broke through them here, and they fought and struggled to be accepted in English society, which was not easy for Jews, even for very talented and successful Jews. They paved the way for Jews to be accepted among the economic decision-makers in English society. They served as agents for fundamental change in 19th century English society.And afterwards, or at the same time, they effected great changes here in the Land of the Patriarchs. They did not forget their people and they combined their practical sense with their historic and symbolic sense. I think that this came to expression here in the windmill project and in Mishkenot Sha’ananim, which well express this important combination.
Moses Montefiore made a great and significant contribution to Jews’ leaving the walls. He contributed to their economic base during a very difficult time, even as the Baron Rothschild supported the early communities. Beyond the economic support, he also assisted Jews with know-how on managing enterprises and developing the economy of the future Israel. This double contribution was expressed here in this neighborhood and this windmill.

Of course, the story of the windmill is part of the story of the State of Israel and the third component that enabled the rise of Zionism was, of course, the Jews who returned to the Land of Israel, who came to build it and settle in it, and to develop it. And this, of course, is the most fundamental component. Today, I deem it proper to note the importance of the support of non-Jewish Zionists and the Jewish philanthropists alongside, of course, the great contribution of the Jewish public in the country in building the Land and in building Jerusalem.

My childhood memories are of this place. First of all, I studied not far from here, on the other side of the street. We would play soccer in the field and, from time to time, we would come here and this, of course, was Jerusalem then, which was still divided by walls then and we would look from here, it was not simple. There were all kinds of security questions here; as a boy and a youth, I remember these restrictions. But this was the scenery of my youth and it is said that a man is always defined by the scenery of his youth. We grew up with the windmill, this windmill which always served as a symbol for us. Today, I know that couples about to be married come here to be photographed, and people celebrate bar and bat mitzvahs here.

For us, this was a constant celebration but today it is a special celebration, because we are marking the restoration of this asset which will serve all residents of Jerusalem and Israel, as well as the tourists who come here, and this is a symbol of the spirit of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a material city but it is also a city of the spirit. Here is the windmill* in the positive sense of the word. I think that the many Israelis who come here will remember the picture of Moses Montefiore and his family and will rejoice that in Jerusalem everything continues to turn, develop and prosper.

Thank you. Thank all of you for the great contribution.”

[* Translator’s note: The Hebrew word ruach means both wind and spirit.]