National Religious Israelis Remembering 1967 War in Jerusalem

Arutz Sheva is a far right media outlet in Israel that caters for national religious Israeli Jews. It is closely associated with the settlers. Its headquarters are in Beit El, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Many Israeli Jews are nothing like those who write for Arutz Sheva. 

As it is the anniversary of the Six Day War many Israelis have been remembering those days. Arutz Sheva has published an article remembering those days from a national religious Israeli perspective (June 4, 1967).

Let's take a look.

Here is one tradition current among the national religious.

During Israel Independence Day celebrations [of 1966] at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Beit HaRav, Rav Tzvi Yehudah usually spoke about the spiritual significance of the day. But this year, the nineteenth year of the State of Israel, his address took on a different tone. It was less lecture, more prophetic vision.
Rav Tzvi Yehudah recalled his visceral pain nineteen years previous, when the 1947 UN Partition Plan was approved, assigning parts of the Jewish homeland to an Arab state. People streamed into the streets to celebrate and rejoice.
“But I could not go out and join in the celebration. I sat alone and silent; a heavy burden lay upon me. During those first hours, I could not resign myself to what had been done. I could not accept the fact that, indeed, “They have divided My land” (Joel 4:2).”
The rabbi then stunned the audience as he thundered,
“And where is our Hevron? Are we forgetting it? Where is our Shechem, our Jericho? Have we forgotten them?”

One soldier states that as the Israeli soldiers advanced into East Jerusalem he heard a rumor that two elders were there. He thought they were the Messiah and Elijah.

"As we made our way to the Temple Mount, it was rumored that two elders from Jerusalem had arrived. I was overcome with powerful emotions and an unbelievable feeling of elation. I was sure that these two elders must be the Messiah and Elijah the prophet....
"When I descended from the Temple Mount to the Kotel, I discovered that the two elders were none other than our master, Rav Tzvi Yehudah, and the Rav HaNazir. We hugged, we kissed, and our tears flowed without stop....
"I realized then that I had received the answer to my questions - directly from Rav Tzvi Yehudah and the Rav HaNazir. We had merited seeing, with our own eyes, God’s return to Zion!"