[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 181 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9533-H9534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CITY OF DAVID

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, last month, I was privileged to stand 
in the city of David, the site of ancient Jerusalem.
  Just a few feet from the Western Wall, the city of David is the place 
where Jerusalem began. It is a place I have regularly visited over the 
past few years, joined by my fellow Members of Congress, Republicans 
and Democrats alike.
  I can think of no better place than the city of David to express that 
the United States knows what the Jewish people have known for 3,000 
years: Jerusalem is the historic capital of Israel.
  This reality was reinforced when the United States correctly 
relocated our Embassy to Jerusalem earlier this year. I call upon more 
countries to do the same.
  The historic bond is evidenced by the incredible discoveries that are 
being unearthed in the archeological excavations throughout the city of 
David. These excavations affirm the millennia-old connection of the 
Jewish people to Jerusalem not as a matter of faith, but as a matter of 
historical fact, despite UNESCO's ongoing, shameful efforts to declare 
otherwise.
  Among the most significant discoveries presently being unearthed in 
the city of David is the ancient pilgrimage road. Built over 2,000 
years ago, the pilgrimage road, running from the Pool of Siloam at the 
southern tip of the city of David to the footsteps of the Western Wall 
and Temple Mount, served as the main thoroughfare of the Second Temple 
Jerusalem. Millions of people joined together to ascend to the temple 
during the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
  Both the pilgrimage road and the Pool of Siloam have deep 
significance to Jews and Christians alike. It holds profound meaning to 
countless millions of Americans. Antiquities discovered along the 
pilgrimage road tell the story of both the vibrant culture of the 
Second Temple period Jerusalem and the devastating destruction of 
Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans, which ended tragically in the 
year 70 C.E.
  In the future, visitors of all faiths and backgrounds will be able to 
walk this route of their ancestors, upon the very flagstones as their 
ancestors 2,000 years ago.
  In the Givati parking lot excavation, another excavation in the city 
of David, 10 layers of ancient Jerusalem civilization dating back some 
2,700 years have been uncovered. The layers include Jewish, Greek, 
Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Muslim, Crusader, and Ottoman. So each 
visitor to the city of David can truly say: ``I also have a connection 
to Jerusalem.''
  In this very excavation, as you can see in this poster, in a 
structure dating back 2,500 years to the Biblical First Temple period 
in Jerusalem, a seal with ancient Hebrew writing was found. I have a 
replica of that seal in my office, which was presented to me in a 
meeting I had with Ze'ev Orenstein, a representative from the city of 
David, together with my colleague, Congressman Eliot Engel. On the seal 
was the name Eliana, daughter of Ga'el. I can't even begin to describe 
my emotions when I learned that a seal with almost my very own name was 
found in the city of David.
  I, like countless Americans, feel a deep, personal connection to 
Jerusalem, her history, her heritage, and her holiness.

                              {time}  1100

  In fact, it is only over the last 51 years of Israel's sovereignty in 
Jerusalem that people of all faiths and all backgrounds have enjoyed 
freedom of access and worship at their holy sites, whether they are 
Christians, whether they are Jewish, whether they are Muslims. Such 
freedoms cannot be taken for granted in the Middle East where, with the 
very exception of Israel, the only democracy in the region, they are 
not easy to find.
  During the nearly 3 decades that I have had the honor of serving this 
wonderful institution, support for Jerusalem as the capital of the 
Jewish State of Israel has been bipartisan, and I call on my colleagues 
from both sides of the aisle in the coming Congress to ensure that that 
never changes, to ensure that the historic bond between the Jewish 
people and Jerusalem remains undeniable.
  Together with millions of Americans, I salute the work of the City of 
David Foundation and especially my friend Ze'ev, who did not even want 
me to mention him--tough--in uncovering our shared history in 
Jerusalem, making it accessible to all of us who want to experience 
these discoveries for themselves.
  So congratulations to Ze'ev--I have said it again--for the 
discoveries at the City of David. Many more to come.

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