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Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.
Anyone who’s ever read a Bible knows that God gave Israel to the Jews. And yet, as of September 3, 2025, 147 United Nations member states have declared a state of “Palestine” on Jewish land. Two non-UN member states, Vatican City and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic also recognized “Palestine” on Jewish land, for a total of 149 entities who think it’s okay to declare what God gave to the Jewish people, a state for the people who have tried everything they know to eradicate the Jewish people.
Now, Belgium has joined the chorus of countries, along with Australia, Canada, France, Malta, and the United Kingdom, that have decided to steal Jewish land and gift it to the people who have vowed to wipe out the Jews. All of these countries will bring their declaration to the United Nations General Assembly, which begins six days from now—the latest example of a long tradition: deciding for the Jews what to do with Jewish land.
Even more so after October 7, when Jews were raped, mutilated, and burned alive by those the world wants to take over Jewish land. Why not? Antisemitic academics, international bodies, and even some misguided Jews claim that our people’s attachment to this land is a recent invention, a political project, or an act of colonialism.
But what none of these governments, scholars, or pundits can erase is the truth Jews carry in their mouths and hearts every day. In our prayers—morning, noon, and night, on weekdays, Sabbaths, and festivals—we declare again and again our eternal bond to this land. Our liturgy is our living title deed.
To be sure, not every Jew prays. Not every Jew is observant. But the Torah was given to every Jew, as was Israel. And whether or not a Jew opens a siddur, the words of prayer have bound our people together across generations, keeping Israel at the center of Jewish life.
Liturgy as Living History
These liturgical references are not accidental. Israel was not “invented” and inserted into our prayers. These references to Israel form a continuous thread from our earliest days as a people until now. The words come from God Himself—from Torah, Psalms, and Prophets. Our sages safeguarded those words and wove them into the rhythm of daily life. After the destruction of the Second Temple, the rabbis acted with purpose, ensuring that Israel and Jerusalem would never fade from our hearts. Even in exile, they structured our prayers around yearning for home.
A Jew in medieval Spain, Yemen, or Poland prayed the same words Jews say to this day: “Return in compassion to Jerusalem Your city… rebuild it soon in our days.” For two thousand years, those words kept us facing east, toward Zion. They kept us bound together as one people, one nation, with one homeland.
This is not colonial nostalgia. It is lived reality. For Jews, Israel was never “over there.” It was always right here, on our lips, in our hopes, in our obligations. The dream of return was not optional piety; it was embedded in the rhythm of our days.
Answering Today’s Critics
When today’s activists, politicians, or academics declare that Jews have no indigenous claim to Israel, they erase centuries of daily testimony. The very prayers we recite prove them wrong. Imagine a people in exile for millennia, clinging to their identity through ritual words that call them home. This is not a people inventing ties to land — it is a people preserving them against all odds.
Our critics can argue politics, but they cannot rewrite our liturgy. They cannot erase the Rachem prayer in Birkat HaMazon, the Boneh Yerushalayim in the Amidah, the Ya’aleh V’yavo on festivals, or the Al HaMichya after-blessing that recalls both the land and Jerusalem. These references to the Land of Israel are not side notes, but the heartbeat of Jewish prayer.
Jewish indigeneity to the Land of Israel is not just history written in archaeology, or law codified in scripture. It is at the heart of our daily prayers. Each blessing and each festival returns us to the land. Even in exile, the words kept us near.
Critics often speak as though Jews once lived in Israel, were exiled, and were replaced by an Arab nation called Palestine. This is a distortion of history. There was never a state called Palestine, and certainly never an Arab state by that name. While most Jews were exiled, many remained — some hiding in caves, others clinging to towns and villages. Across centuries of conquest and oppression, there was always a Jewish presence in the Land of Israel.
That is why Israel matters to Jewish people everywhere. It is not a political project, nor an afterthought of modern nationalism. It is the fulfillment of a promise never forgotten: that Israel is our home, and Jerusalem our eternal city.
馃摉 Some References to the Land of Israel in Jewish Liturgy
| Prayer Section | Text (Hebrew / Verse / Citation) | Translation / Context |
|---|---|---|
| P’sukei D’zimra (Verses of Psalms; morning intro prayers) |
Ps. 132:13 — 讻ִּ讬 讘ָ讞ַ专 讛׳ 讘ְּ爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉, 讗ִ讜ָּ讛ּ 诇ְ诪讜ֹ砖ָׁ讘 诇讜ֹ | “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling.” — God’s dwelling in Zion/Jerusalem. |
| Ps. 146:10 — 讬ִ诪ְ诇ֹ讱ְ 讛׳ 诇ְ注讜ֹ诇ָ诐... 爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 诇ְ讚ֹ专 讜ָ讚ֹ专 | “The Lord shall reign forever… O Zion, to all generations.” — Enduring divine rule over Zion. | |
| Ps. 147:12 — 砖ַׁ讘ְּ讞ִ讬 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ַ讬ִ诐 讗ֶ转־讛׳, 讛ַ诇ְ诇ִ讬 讗ֱ-诇ֹ讛ַ讬ִ讱ְ 爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 | “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion.” — Praise for Jerusalem/Zion. | |
| Ps. 135:21 — 讘ָּ专讜ּ讱ְ 讛׳ 诪ִ爪ִּ讬ּ讜ֹ谉, 砖ֹׁ讻ֵ谉 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ִָ诐 | “Blessed is the Lord from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem.” — God’s presence in Zion/Jerusalem. | |
| Ps. 48:13–15 — 住ֹ讘ּ讜ּ 爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉... 诪ִ讙ְ讚ָּ诇ֶ讬讛ָ | “Walk about Zion… count her towers…” — Zion as enduring stronghold for future generations. | |
| Amidah (Central Prayer) Weekday / Shabbat / Yom Tov |
拽ִ讘ּ讜ּ抓 讙ָּ诇ֻ讬ּ讜ֹ转 — 讜拽讘爪谞讜 讬讞讚 诪讗专讘注 讻谞驻讜转 讛讗专抓 诇ְ讗ַ专ְ爪ֵ谞讜 | “Gather us from the four corners of the earth to our land.” — Ingathering of exiles. |
| 讘ּ讜ֹ谞ֵ讛 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ַ讬ִ诐 — 讜诇讬专讜砖诇讬诐 注讬专讱 讘专讞诪讬诐 转砖讜讘 | “Return in compassion to Jerusalem Your city.” — Plea to rebuild Jerusalem. | |
| 注ֲ讘讜ֹ讚ָ讛 — 讜ְ转ֶּ讞ֱ讝ֶ讬谞ָ讛 注ֵ讬谞ֵ讬谞讜ּ 讘ְּ砖ׁ讜ּ讘ְ讱ָ 诇ְ爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 讘ְּ专ַ讞ֲ诪ִ讬诐 | V’techezenah eineinu b’shuvcha l’Tzion b’rachamim — “May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy.” | |
| 讬注诇讛 讜讬讘讜讗 (insert on festivals/Rosh Chodesh) | “The remembrance of Jerusalem Your city… and of Messiah son of David Your servant.” | |
| Musaf (Festivals/Rosh Chodesh) | 讜ּ诪ִ驻ְּ谞ֵ讬 讞ַ讟ָּ讗ֵ讬谞讜ּ 讙ָּ诇ִ讬谞讜ּ 诪ֵ讗ַ专ְ爪ֵ谞讜ּ... 讜ְ讛ַ讞ֲ讝ִ讬专ֵ谞讜ּ 诇ְ爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 注ִ讬专ֶ讱ָ | “Because of our sins we were exiled from our land… return us to Zion Your city.” — Exile and return theme. |
| Shabbat Mincha Amidah — Ata Echad | 注ַ诐 讗ֶ讞ָ讚 讘ָּ讗ָ专ֶ抓 | “One nation on earth.” — National unity rooted in the Land. |
| Torah Reading (Ki Mitzion) | 讻ִּ讬 诪ִ爪ִּ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 转ֵּ爪ֵ讗 转讜ֹ专ָ讛, 讜ּ讚ְ讘ַ专 讛׳ 诪ִ讬专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ִָ诐 (Isa. 2:3) | “For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” |
| Hashkiveinu (Shabbat Evening) | 讛ַ驻ּ讜ֹ专ֵ砖ׂ 住ֻ讻ַּ转 砖ָׁ诇讜ֹ诐... 注ַ诇 注ַ诪ּ讜ֹ 讬ִ砖ְׂ专ָ讗ֵ诇 讜ְ注ַ诇 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ִָ诐 | “Who spreads the shelter of peace… over His people Israel and over Jerusalem.” |
| Nachem (Tisha B’Av) | 谞ַ讞ֵ诐... 讗ֲ讘ֵ诇ֵ讬 爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 讜ַ讗ֲ讘ֵ诇ֵ讬 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ַ讬ִ诐... 讘ּ讜ֹ谞ֶ讛 讬ְ专讜ּ砖ָׁ诇ַ讬ִ诐 | “Comfort the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem… who rebuilds Jerusalem.” |
| Shacharit (Concluding line in many rites) | 讗讜ֹ专 讞ָ讚ָ砖ׁ 注ַ诇 爪ִ讬ּ讜ֹ谉 转ָּ讗ִ讬专 | “Let a new light shine upon Zion.” — Hope for Zion’s renewal. |
| Monday Psalm (near end of morning service) |
Ps. 48 — “Walk about Zion… count her towers.” | Reprise of Zion’s endurance within the weekly cycle. |
| Birkat HaMazon (Grace After Meals) Weekday core text |
注诇 砖讛谞讞诇转 诇讗讘讜转讬谞讜 讗专抓 讞诪讚讛 讟讜讘讛 讜专讞讘讛 | “…for the inheritance of the desirable, good, and spacious land You gave our ancestors.” Al she’hinchalta la’avoteinu eretz chemda tova ur’chava |
| 讘专讜讱 讗转讛 讛׳... 注诇 讛讗专抓 讜注诇 讛诪讝讜谉 | “Blessed are You… for the land and for the sustenance.” …al ha’aretz v’al ha’mazon |
|
| 讜注诇 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 注讬专讱 | “…and on Jerusalem Your city…” V’al Yerushalayim irecha |
|
| 讜注诇 爪讬讜谉 诪砖讻谉 讻讘讜讚讱 | “…and on Zion, the dwelling of Your glory…” V’al Tziyon mishkan kevodecha |
|
| 讜讘谞讛 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 注讬专 讛拽讜讚砖 讘诪讛专讛 讘讬诪讬谞讜 | “And rebuild Jerusalem, Your holy city, speedily in our days.” U’vnei Yerushalayim ir hakodesh bimeheirah b’yameinu |
|
| 讘专讜讱 讗转讛 讛׳, 讘讜谞讛 讘专讞诪讬讜 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 | “Blessed are You, Lord, who in His mercy rebuilds Jerusalem.” …boneh b’rachamav Yerushalayim |
|
| Al HaMichya (After-blessing for light meals) | 讜注诇 讛讗专抓 讜注诇 讛诪讞讬讛… 讜注诇 讗专抓 讞诪讚讛 讟讜讘讛 讜专讞讘讛… 讜讘谞讛 讬专讜砖诇讬诐 注讬专 讛拽讚砖 讘诪讛专讛 讘讬诪讬谞讜 | “…for the land and for the sustenance… for the desirable, good, and spacious land… and rebuild Jerusalem Your holy city, speedily in our days.” |
Note: Texts and wording vary by nusach (rite), community, and siddur. This chart highlights many central references to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem, but is incomplete and should not be relied upon as an exhaustive index.
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