We Jews Come Out on Top

A comment I left here, at the Berkley student newspaper:

this - "Jerusalem is equally revered by Muslims, Jews and Christians as it was during the time of the Crusades" - is not quite exact. For Jews, there is no other supremely sacred site except Jerusalem as the The Mishnah at Kelim 1:6 lists ten levels of holiness within Eretz Yisrael: the walled cities, the city of Jerusalem, Mount Moriah, the area within the surrounding rampart, the Women’s Courtyard, the Courtyard of the Israelites, the Priestly Courtyard, the area between the altar and the Entrance Hall to the Sanctuary, the building of the Sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies. Nine out of ten levels belong to Jerusalem, eight out of ten the Temple Mount. For Muslims, it is but number 3 after Mecca and Medina, besides being in occupied conquered territory overrun by Arabs from the Arabian Peninusla in 638 CE. It is politically charged but theologically, we Jews come out on top (pun intended).

^