How Did Jerusalem Become Israel’s Eternal Capital?

Somehow, it feels as though Jerusalem has always been there. From the creation of the world at the Foundation Stone, through the Binding of Isaac on Mount Moriah, to Solomon’s Temple and Herod’s Temple, Jerusalem has long been the sacred heart of the Jewish people. Across generations, its holiness inspired longing and devotion, so much so that the Jewish national movement took its name from it, Zionism. Today, Jerusalem is also a focal point of political tension and conflict.

But was Jerusalem truly the sole sacred site of the Jewish people from the very beginning of history?

Recent excavations at Tel Motza, located just five kilometers from Jerusalem, have uncovered a magnificent ancient temple, revealing that the Jerusalem Temple was not alone. This remarkable discovery sends us on a journey through the earliest Jewish sites of worship, in search of an answer to a profound question: how did Jerusalem become the eternal capital of the Jewish people?