JERUSALEM AS A MICROCOSM
A memorial to Professor Joshua Ben Arie
The website before you is a content-only platform with a dual purpose: first, to commemorate the legacy of Professor Yehoshua Ben-Arieh, one of the greatest researchers of Jerusalem; and second, to present Dr. Zeev Ben-Arieh’s research on spiritual traditions in Jerusalem. The common thread between the two is the perception of Jerusalem as a microcosm of Western culture and a sacred city for all nations and religions
Professor Yehoshua Ben-Arieh’s holistic approach, which he repeated and instilled in me, was that of Jerusalem as a microcosm of Western civilization. The opening sentence of the “Jerusalem Course” he taught for many years at the Hebrew University was: “There are many holy cities—Rome, Kathmandu, Mexico City—but there is no other city like Jerusalem, which is sacred to the three religions and embodies the influences of so many different and diverse nations and cultures.
What reinforces the perception of Jerusalem as a microcosm is Dr. Zeev Ben-Arieh’s research on spiritual traditions. The breadth of scope presented stems from forty years of study, providing an additional angle for understanding Jerusalem as a microcosm. It demonstrates the—at times inconceivable—uniqueness of the world’s holiest city, to which so many spiritual traditions, events, and people are synchronically connected.
I call upon anyone who has something to contribute to this subject, and especially the students and friends of Yehoshua Ben-Arieh and those who share his love for Jerusalem, to react to these posts, upload articles to the website, and share it. Jerusalem is not only a Jewish national and religious sacred city, but a place for all nations, destined to serve all of humanity. As the guardians of this city, it is our duty to preserve it as such and to foster the love, wisdom, interreligious understanding, and responsibility that come with it.