Jerusalem of Gold: A Journey of Hope, Peace, and Redemption
By weaving past, present, and future, this personal journey explores Jerusalem’s role in the vision of the End of Days — not as an abstract prophecy, but as a living promise felt in the heart of one woman and an entire world.
Dawn Over the Eternal City
A cool dawn breeze whispers through the olive trees as the first light of day gilds the stones of Jerusalem. Standing on a balcony overlooking the Old City, Sigal Gashuri closes her eyes and breathes in the morning air. In that quiet moment, she feels Jerusalem not just as a place, but as a presence — a living, breathing soul that has witnessed the prayers, tears, and dreams of countless generations. As the sun rises, the golden Dome of the Rock catches the light, reminding her of the song her mother used to sing to her as a child: “Yerushalayim shel zahav” — “Jerusalem of Gold.” It was more than a lullaby; it was a promise that the Eternal City would always shine, even after the darkest nights.
For Sigal, a native daughter of Israel, Jerusalem has always been the heart of her spiritual life. She remembers visiting the Western Wall for the first time as a little girl, pressing a folded note of prayer between its ancient stones. Even then she sensed something sacred lingering there. According to an old teaching, “the Shekhinah (Divine Presence) has never left the Western Wall”
. In her child’s heart, she believed it — standing in that holy place, she felt an indescribable warmth, as if some invisible embrace still dwelled among the weathered blocks of stone. Jerusalem’s spiritual significance became a part of her, a guiding light through every chapter of her life.
The City that Connects Heaven and Earth
Jerusalem has a way of making the infinite tangible. Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike feel the city’s pull on their souls. In ancient days, Jerusalem’s mountaintop was home to the Holy Temple, believed to be the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth. Divine presence was not just an idea; it was real, filling the temple with holiness and hope. Though that temple is long gone, people from around the world still flock to the Western Wall — to lament, to yearn, and to pray. For centuries, Jewish pilgrims have pressed their foreheads against its stones to mourn the Temple’s destruction and whisper prayers for its rebuilding
. Christian pilgrims trace the footsteps of Jesus through the Old City’s winding alleys, and Muslims bow in prayer at Al-Aqsa, cherishing Jerusalem as Al-Quds, “The Holy.” In this city, the veil between heaven and earth feels thin.
Sigal often wanders these streets at twilight when the city glows in hues of rose and gold. She listens as the church bells peal from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a muezzin’s call to prayer echoes from the minarets, and the plaintive melody of a Shabbat hymn drifts from a nearby synagogue. In those moments, Jerusalem is a symphony of faiths — a chorus of voices yearning for the Divine. It’s as if the stones themselves remember every prayer ever uttered here. The city’s very name contains the word “shalom” — peace — and despite its history of conflicts, there remains a profound hope that Jerusalem will one day fulfill its name as a city of global peace. Sigal holds that hope close. She imagines a Jerusalem where all peoples truly come together in harmony, as envisioned by the prophets of old: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war anymore.” In her heart’s eye, she sees Jerusalem not divided by faith, but united by it — a beacon of unity and peace for the entire world.
Dreams of the Third Temple and a World Reborn
In the stillness of dawn, Sigal’s mind often drifts to the ancient dreams that Jerusalem carries. Foremost among them is the vision of the Third Temple. For two thousand years, every Jewish prayer service has included the plea, “May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy.” It is a prayer for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, the ultimate symbol of redemption. Sigal remembers her grandmother lighting Sabbath candles every Friday and praying in a whisper for the Geulah — the Redemption — when the Temple would stand again. As a child, Sigal didn’t fully understand, but she could feel the longing in her grandmother’s voice. Now, as a woman deeply in love with her heritage, she shares that longing.
When she stands at the Western Wall, she runs her fingers along the grooves carved by ages of yearning. She thinks of the Third Temple not as an ivory-tower idea, but as a future reality that guides people’s actions today. To her, the Third Temple represents a time when the Divine presence is openly felt among humanity — when Jerusalem becomes, in the prophet Isaiah’s words, a “house of prayer for all nations.” She imagines families from every corner of the globe gathering in Jerusalem during festivals, celebrating together in joy and brotherhood. No one will be a stranger in Jerusalem then. In that envisioned future, joy and holiness fill the streets: the laughter of children playing freely, the sight of old men and women sitting contentedly in the shade of Jerusalem’s limestone arches, watching a new generation grow up in peace. It’s a beautiful dream — one that has sustained people through exile and adversity.
For Sigal, this dream is deeply personal. On difficult days, when news of conflict or hatred fills the air, she closes her eyes and pictures the Third Temple’s golden light spreading across the city, melting away every shadow of sorrow. That vision gives her strength to carry on, to believe that every act of kindness today is a brick in the foundation of the future Temple of peace.
“The Dead Will Rise in Jerusalem” – Faith Conquering Death
Jerusalem’s promise of redemption is so all-encompassing that it even transcends death. On the hillside of the Mount of Olives, just east of the Old City, lies a vast expanse of graves — generations of Jews chose to be buried here, facing Jerusalem, with an ancient hope in mind. Sigal walks there often, the soles of her shoes crunching on the rocky ground between old tombstones. Some of the inscriptions have faded, but she knows what they all represent: faith that one day, these very graves will open. According to a beautiful midrashic teaching, when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin on the Mount of Olives
. The sages said the righteous will rise first in Jerusalem, echoing the biblical promise: “They will sprout out of the city like grass from the earth.” In this city, even the silence of the cemetery is filled with expectation.
on. As she places the stone (a Jewish sign of respect and remembrance), she speaks softly to her friend, telling her about the Jerusalem she envisions. In those tender moments, Jerusalem feels like a bridge between worlds — linking Sigal’s earthly grief with an eternal hope. She imagines her friend rising with a radiant smile when that day of resurrection comes, joining hands with all those who were lost, and walking together toward a Jerusalem rebuilt. It’s a comforting vision: the city where tears are dried and life triumphs over death. The Hebrew prophets spoke of this time in images of renewal — of dry bones coming to life, of Jerusalem’s streets filled once more with boys and girls playing in pure delight. Sigal can almost see it. When she closes her eyes, she pictures herself, her children, and even her ancestors dancing in the courtyards of a redeemed Jerusalem, the generations united at last. This faith in Jerusalem’s ultimate role — that it will be the stage upon which a broken world is healed — gives her solace and purpose every single day.
From Vision to Action: Sigal Gashuri’s Jerusalem Journey
Jerusalem’s magic is not just in what it will be, but in what it compels people to do now. Sigal’s entire life has become a testament to turning Jerusalem’s spiritual vision into concrete action. Inspired by the city’s resilience and light, she founded an initiative called “Jerusalem of Gold.” What began as a heartfelt idea grew into a community and enterprise dedicated to sharing Jerusalem’s beauty and uplifting spirit with the world. Through Jerusalem of Gold, Sigal designs meaningful jewelry and art, each piece carrying a fragment of Jerusalem’s soul — a bit of ancient stone, a word of prayer, a shimmer of gold reminiscent of that skyline at sunrise. People around the globe wear her pieces close to their hearts, tiny ambassadors of Jerusalem’s message of hope. For Sigal, it’s not business, it’s personal: every pendant or artwork is a story, a connection linking the wearer back to Jerusalem’s heartbeat.
But Sigal’s journey doesn’t stop at symbolic treasures. A serial entrepreneur, she has always asked herself how she can heal the world in tangible ways — how to practice what Jews call “tikkun olam,” the repairing of the world. In fact, one of her innovative ventures is boldly named Tiku Olam, a modern riff on that ancient phrase. Under the banner of Tiku Olam, Sigal has spearheaded projects that tackle real-world problems with courage and creativity. Whether it’s developing technology to protect the vulnerable or launching social initiatives to bridge communities, she approaches each challenge with the same conviction: that the world can be made whole, just as Jerusalem will be made whole. Her colleagues often marvel at her determination. It’s as if, through her work, she is building pieces of that future Jerusalem here and now — each startup, each project a building block in the edifice of peace and goodness she wants to see.
Sigal’s visionary spirit also led her to establish Shamayim, which in Hebrew means “Heavens.” Shamayim is an innovative venture that transforms ordinary tap water into healthy, revitalized “upper water.” On the surface, it’s cutting-edge science — improving water quality for communities, promoting wellness. But on a deeper level, Shamayim reflects Sigal’s almost poetic outlook: water is life, and by purifying the waters, we symbolically purify life itself. She often recalls the prophecy of Ezekiel, which speaks of healing waters flowing from Jerusalem in the end of days, renewing even the Dead Sea’s lifeless salt waters. With Shamayim, Sigal brings a taste of that visionary water of life into everyday homes. It’s as if she has reached up to the heavens for inspiration and brought it down in a pitcher to share with the world.
Through all her endeavors, from Jerusalem of Gold to Tiku Olam to Shamayim, Sigal Gashuri’s personal journey shines as an example of faith in action. She has faced her share of challenges — the turbulence of regional conflict, personal losses, the ups and downs of entrepreneurship — but through it all, Jerusalem’s spirit has been her anchor. In interviews she often says being born and raised in Israel is not a privilege but a duty. It’s a duty to serve as a “light unto the nations,” to contribute to the world. This sense of mission propels her forward. When others see only strife in the Middle East, Sigal sees opportunity for healing. When others feel despair, she remembers Jerusalem’s endurance through millennia and finds strength to continue. Her life story is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: she has dedicated herself to living out Jerusalem’s message — infusing everything she touches with hope, faith, and a vision of peace.
Conclusion: Jerusalem – Past, Present, and Future as One
In the soft glow of evening, Sigal finds herself once more gazing at Jerusalem from her favorite overlook. The sun has dipped below the horizon, and the city is illuminated by a gentle radiance — streetlights, candles in windows, and the eternal flame of belief that burns in countless hearts. She reflects on the journey that brought her here: the legacy of her ancestors who prayed for Jerusalem, her own path of turning dreams into deeds, and the shared aspiration that unites millions around the world. Jerusalem is truly a living paradox — ancient and new, earthly and divine, a city of broken walls and unbreakable promises. It is at once the memory of yesterday and the hope of tomorrow.
For Sigal, and for so many like her, Jerusalem is more than a city on a map. It is a beloved friend, a guardian of secrets, a source of inspiration. When she walks through its streets, she feels the past, present, and future converging. King David’s joy, the sorrow of exiles on the rivers of Babylon, the resolve of pioneers, and the laughter of today’s children — all of it lives here, right under her feet. In Jerusalem, time is braided into a single narrative of resilience. Each stone in the wall, each prayer in the wind, and each of Sigal’s own footsteps become part of that story.
And what is the ultimate chapter of that story? Redemption. A time when Jerusalem finally becomes what it was always meant to be: a wellspring of love and peace overflowing to the whole world. In her quiet moments, Sigal allows herself to imagine that scene in vivid detail — the Third Temple’s gleaming pillars, the reunion with lost loved ones, nations coming together in celebration, and an unmistakable Divine light touching every human soul. It’s not a fanciful fairy tale to her; it’s the truest truth she knows, written in the language of hope. It fuels her daily work and her nightly prayers.
As she turns to leave, Sigal whispers a personal prayer into the twilight. It is not just for herself or even for her people, but for all of humanity: that we may know a world healed of hatred and fear, and that we may share in the blessings of Jerusalem’s peace. With one last loving glance at the old stones of the city, she voices the ancient promise that Jews everywhere repeat at the end of each Passover and Yom Kippur — a phrase that has comforted and motivated generations: “L’shana haba’ah b’Yerushalayim.” “Next year in Jerusalem.” Next year in a Jerusalem rebuilt, where the glow of dawn carries no hint of darkness left, and where the vision of the End of Days blossoms into a beautiful new beginning for us a