Seite - 129 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Band 06/01

sodes relating to Jerusalem have such great impact? Taking these questions as its starting point, this article focuses on a recent event, namely the opening ceremony for the new US embassy in Jerusalem, held on 14 May 2018. It explores the construc- tion of Jerusalem as a holy city at the ceremony and via its medial representation. President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and his announcement that the US embassy would be relocated there were highly controversial. While Israeli politicians and members of national-religious Jew- ish groups were joined by Evangelical Christians in the United States in welcoming his decision, Arab nations and the broader international community condemned it. Given the contested status of Jerusalem, they warned, such a step could seriously compromise the peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.1 Neverthe- less, less than half a year later, the new embassy was officially opened – on Israel’s 70th Independence Day. The opening ceremony, which was broadcast on television and the Internet in Israel, the United States and all over the world used explicit and more subtle religious references on various levels. This article analyzes the live transmission of the opening ceremony in the version available on the YouTube channel of TIME, the US news magazine (fig. 1).2 It seeks to highlight references to religion – specifically to Christian and Jewish traditions – and their role within the ceremony. From a methodological point of view, the video is scrutinized on three levels. First, on the rhetorical level, I examine the speeches held during the ceremony and explore their religious references. Secondly, on the performative level, I analyze the structure of the ceremony, the music that accom- panied it and formal aspects such as its timing and location. Finally, on the level of medial representation, I analyze technical aspects such as camera shots and camera work. The article will demonstrate the interweaving, even merging, of religion and politics in this event. Multiple references to Christian and Jewish traditions and links to current events, places and persons created a dense web of religious legitimation of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which helped portray the city a holy space, superele- vate3 the participants and their co-operation and emphasize the value of the event. As a result, both city and participants acquire a power by association that bolsters their position in the Middle East conflict and, through the broadcast of the ceremo- ny, is transmitted to a worldwide audience. The article thus deepens our understanding of the relationship between religion and politics in the Middle East by focusing on the intersection of ritual, (sacred) 1 Collinson 2017. 2 TIME 2018. 3 The term “superelevate” is used in this article to indicate that someone or something is unduly ele- vated and overstated by idealizing and glorifying her/him/it. 128 | Hannah Griese www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 127–151