AriseNow issue.3

arisenow ISSUE #3 / JULY 2013

TEL AVIV THE FLIPSIDE OF JERUSALEM?

Is the liberal party crazy Tel Aviv really that different to the rest of Israel?

JEWISH PRESENCE THROUGHOUT AFRICA; THE BETA ISRAEL OF ETHIOPIA

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Miss Israel The Nation’s Most Beautiful Woman

Born in Ethiopia and then moving to Israel Yitish “Titi” Aynaw became the first Ethiopian jew winning the Miss Israel title.

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OUR vision is to courageously and creatively teach, live and share God’s passion for the young generation and stand firm by His plans for Israel and the world.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Jani Salokangas

arisenow

WORKING IN: USA, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway, England, Philippines, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Namibia, Switzerland...

CREDITS

Rooted in the powerful scripture of Ephesians 5:14, Arise stands to unlimitedly glorify God: to inspire and promote Biblical truths into young people’s everyday lives. Arise devotes itself to cause a generation to arise for spiritual awakening, works of love and support for Israel.

International Director JANI SALOKANGAS Editor EMANUEL MFOUKOU Proof reading CHRIS CHAMBERS International Administrator SYBILLE HOCHULI Graphics / Illustration JANI SALOKANGAS Writers EMANUEL MFOUKOU, WAYNE HILSDEN, JANI SALOKANGAS, SYBILLE HOCHULI, HANNU TAKKULA, SAMISONI CAKAU Photography ICEJ STAFF, PER KVAMSO, JANI SALOKANGAS, POND5, LAISHA MAGAZINE, EMANUEL MFOUKOU ARISENOW is published by the ICEJ Arise.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

From its beginning in 2002 the ARISE movement has had one mission – to gather students and young people from across the globe to live a life centered in God. We believe that God has a special plan for each person and it is our responsibility to live that calling to its fullest potential. Above all we want this generation to see and discover the unique and crucial plan that God has for Israel in His epic world redemptive plan.

The Arise movement is spreading worldwide. Join the movement today!

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem www.icej.org For more information contact us www.arisegeneration.org arisegeneration@icej.org Telephone: +972-2-539-9700 PO Box 1192 Jerusalem 91010 Israel

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From the leader’s pen

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ou are the body of Christ and individual members of it. This is how first Corinthians and twelve discribes how we stand as a church. The interesting thing is that we are individuals with unique gifts, talents and abilities, and yet all parts in the body work for a

parts cross over cultural and national borders. The church is a global market place and so is your local church. Even the early church was a mixed multicltural melting pot and therefore we are so powerful. We can see the same evidence in the Azuza Street revival where black, white and yellow prayed together to honor, worship and serve our Lord with their gifts. God has implanted different gifts and talents to different cultures and people groups. If you want to see and hear amazing worship go into a black church. If you want to learn about hospitality visit an Arab church and if you want to see loyalty, go to an Asian church. I could continue this

God has implanted different gifts and talents to different cultures and people groups. common goal. This is the idea of the church. Each person using their unique gifts, abilities and talents dispite their differences, for the Kingdom of God.

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s a young generation it is time for us to understand that these body

list on and on but you understand my point here. Just think what could happen if the church would serve God and its community to its full potential; giftings coming from different people, cultures and languages? One word, revival.

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od is a God who loves everyone. My question is do we act the same way even in our own churches?

With Arise we want to create a movement for God where everyone has their place.

Even the tiny bones of the toes which give us the ability to run faster and stedier in our mission to live fearlesly for God. We, as the young generation, right now have the possibility to create a new church culture and christian identity where everyone has a place to serve. After all, that is our calling to serve. Even

Hot articles in this issue Tel Aviv - The Flipside of Jerusalem?

page 5

Arise in the Pacific

page 12

Miss Israel

page 16

Jewish precence in Africa

page 20

Arise Summer Tour 2013

page 24

UEFA European Championship

page 28

F1 in the city of Jerusalem

page 32

EU and the Middle-East

page 34

Deputy mayor of Jerusalem

page 43

Moving mountains

page 48

www.arisegeneration.org

Jani Salokangas is the Arise International Director and he is based in Jerusalem with his family.

Jesus came from heaven as a King on earth not to be served but to serve. We need to grasp this, hold it and sieze the moment putting this into our daily lives. We can serve better, wider and deeper if we all do it together using our unique gifts, our rich cultural backrounds and different languages.

Join the movement today Like us in Facebook.

facebook.com/arisegeneration

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TEL AVIV

Jani Salokangas | Photography Pond5

THE FLIPSIDE OF JERUSALEM ?

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Tel Aviv has been named the third best city in the world by travel guide company Lonely Planet. The coastal destination was beaten only by New York and Tangier to the top spot of Lonely Planet’s annual list of top cities. Describing it as “the total flipside of Jerusalem”, the judges called it “a modern Sin City on the sea rather than an ancient Holy City on a hill”.

Not a very glamorous description of a city when looking at it from a Christian perspective.

unplanned expansion of the city, Geddes was invited by the municipality in 1925 to present a comprehensive master plan for Tel Aviv. In his vision, Tel Aviv was to be a garden city, as foreseen by its founders. The city was truly transformed; starting in 1932 by a massive wave of immigration of Jews fleeing persecution in Europe. Their arrival rapidly expanded a small town of 42,000 people into a flourishing city of 130,000 by 1936.

In 1934, in the midst of this wave, Tel Aviv was declared a city.

Tel Aviv was founded on April 11, 1909. The way it was founded is rather unusual. On that day, several dozen families gathered on the sand dunes on the beach outside Yafo to allocate plots of land for a new neighborhood they called Ahuzat Bayit, later known as Tel Aviv. As the families could not agree on how to distribute the land, they came up with an idea of a lottery.

Akiva Arieh Weiss, chairman of the lottery committee, gathered 66 grey seashells and 66 white seashells. Weiss wrote the names of the participants on the white shells and the plot numbers on the grey shells. He paired a white and grey shell, assigning each family a plot, and thus Tel Aviv’s founding families began building the first modern, Hebrew city.

Tel Aviv’s history is rich, intriguing and multicultural. The city is filled with arts, film and music scenes and it is by far the most international city in Israel. Today Tel Aviv represents all of these features and other not so glamorous ones.

The true development of Tel Aviv took off with the arrival of Scottish urban planner, Sir Patrick Geddes. In response to the 6 AriseNow

Tel Aviv beat competition from New York to top a survey to find the most popular destination for gay travelers. It scored a staggering 43 per cent of the votes. As a result Tel Aviv was voted as the gay capital of the world. Tel Aviv is also under pressure with its growing sex industry. According to the findings released in March 2005 by the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, between 3,000 and 5,000 women had been smuggled into Israel and sold into prostitution during the previous four years. Most of these women were originally from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, China and Russia, and many were smuggled

through Egypt. The numbers today are in decline but still remain a big stain in the Israeli society. The vast majority of these smuggled people end up working in the Tel Aviv area because of its size and demand but Jerusalem also has a considerable sex industry. One visible aspect of this growing business is that although advertising sexual services in Israel is illegal, Tel-Aviv minors on bicycles are paid 100 shekels for every sack of business cards they spread across the city.

Tel Aviv is combating crime waves. To fight these waves a new police unit has been formed to combat the skyrocketing crime rate among migrants in south Tel Aviv. The fact is that the migrant crime issue is far more complex than when looking at it on the surface. The majority of these migrants are not allowed to work. Since no working visas are permitted to them there is a growing frustration and a personal financial drought.

They unfortunately end up with the so common result, crime. No one should support or accept the view that refugees commit more crimes than other population groups. If they were allowed to make a living, they wouldn’t have no need to be attracted by crime, which ends up costing the city and state a great deal of money. This complicated issue is growing and forming itself in to dark forms in the city of Tel Aviv. Despite the crime wave sweeping Tel Aviv it is a fair to say that it is still a safe city. According to one report Tel Aviv sustains a fairly low rate of violent crime when compared to other similarly sized metropolitans, worldwide.

Most Christian pilgrims travel to the city of Jerusalem. Looking at Jerusalem is easy to see its biblical heritage, stories and the physical evidence that this place is truly the city of King David. As Christians we get caught up in this biblical emotional state of mind and when descending to Tel Aviv we see only a modern and worldly struggling city. Tel Aviv is no exception in immorality or crime when compared to other metropolis cities worldwide. So why do we see Tel Aviv as a sinful city? As a party animal city? Should we make an exception when comparing it to our own countries big cities? It is also good to remember that all problems facing Tel Aviv are also found in Jerusalem. Many of these are just well masqueraded. It is truly naïve to think that prostitution, human trafficking and crime waves do not face the Holy City. I guess there lies the problem, the name. How can you call it Holy when sinful lifestyle and immorality rallies over its streets? The easy way is to plainly deny these facts and point the finger towards Tel Aviv. The fact that Tel Aviv openly shouts to the world about its immorality tends to reinforce this idea.

When studying the bible in Ezekiel 36 we find a great hope for the nation and cities of Israel including Tel Aviv. In Ezekiel God tells that He will do great things for this people, not because of them, but because of His great Holy name. God has a plan for all the cities of Israel, not only Jerusalem. In Ezekiel 36:25-28 we can read: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” From these amazing verses we can read that God will clean the people of Israel, including the city of Tel Aviv, with clean water and giving them a new heart. Tel Aviv is as regular a big city as any other city in the world and it’s calling for the prayers from the Christian worldwide community. God has used human beings through history to unveil His plans as he does now, are you ready to pray for Tel Aviv as you pray for Jerusalem? •

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This article was first published in Wayne Hilsden’s Blog

How to Speak

Israel

with your Pastor about

without being a Flake Wayne Hilsden | Photography Pond5

First of all, I want to commend you for your love for Israel and the Jewish people. All of us need that heart — especially because God does.

We see God’s heart for Israel in Deuteronomy 7:6-8: “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you…”

Paul had God’s heart for Israel: “….I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2, 3). “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” (Romans 10:1) Paul reveals how Gentile followers of the Messiah have an obligation to the Jewish people, for “salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous.” (Romans 11:11) And then, Paul gets very practical concerning our need to support the Jewish people — even materially: “For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.” (Romans 15:27) There are pastors who believe God has cast away the Jews and replaced them with the Church — as the “new and true Israel.” This is heresy, and I will write about this in a future post.

But I also meet pastors who have a genuine heart for Israel — but they are very reluctant to openly support Israel for some very natural reasons: Many didn’t hear much about Israel where they studied theology and feel ill-equipped to teach on the subject. Many worry that if they teach about Israel they will stir up controversy in their congregation.

There are also the pastors who have had a bad experience with so-called “Israel freaks.” Such well-meaning folks have a seemingly naive, romantic, infatuation with Israel. The stereotypical “Israel lover” is the one wearing puffy sleeved silk tops, plays a tambourine badly (driving the worship leader and drummer crazy), and has an oversized shofar strapped to his back ready for battle.There are pastors who love Israel but get totally weirded out by such people. I really get that.

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And finally, many pastors have met people who love Israel, but their focus is almost entirely on political support, and have little concern for the spiritual state of Israel. Because I’m a pastor myself, I think I can offer you some insider tips on how speak to your pastor about Israel.

Here are my top 6 tips: 1. Pray for your pastor. If you really care about your pastor you’ll already be praying for him, right?

2. Respect your pastor, recognizing his God-given authority in your life. (Remember David’s attitude of respect toward King Saul despite their conflict).

3. Submit to your pastor. Good pastors take such people very seriously. Hebrews 13:17 says: “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Pastor Wayne, a resident of Jerusalem since 1983, gives leadership and oversight to the King of Kings Ministry team. In addition to preaching regularly in Jerusalem, he travels the world sharing with the nations about the restoration of Israel.

4. Know and study the Scriptures. When your pastor sees that you have a good knowledge of “the whole counsel of God,” he will more readily listen to your theology on Israel. Recognize that your pastor needs to protect the flock from strange teachings, tangents and divisive issues. Your pastor is well aware of the warning in Romans 16:17: “….note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”

5. Be patient. Take into account your pastor’s background and training. He may have learned ”replacement theology” in college or seminary. Don’t expect him to instantly throw out what he absorbed at a formative time in his life.

6. Time your first conversation well. Consider when is the best time and how much time for the first conversation. Your pastor might be stressed with a load of work and concerns.

Don’t try to schedule an appointment just before his busy weekend of public ministry. And don’t try to talk to your pastor immediately following your attendance at a conference on Israel. Wait until you’ve had some time to process and pray through the exciting things you’ve experienced. •

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FEAST of

TABERNACLES

H A R V E S T

PRESENTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM

J端rGeN B端Hler

JUHA KeTOlA

ANGUS BUCHAN

dANieL KOleNdA

MOSY MAdUGBA

reNe TerrA NOVA

BiLLY WIlSON

JOIN THE ICEJ FEAST TOUR! 20-25 SeptembeR 2013 ExpEriEnCE a lifE-ChanGinG EvEnT in the city of Jerusalem. 6 days of dynamic teaching, ministry, and worship that will equip and empower you for a new season of harvest in your nation. Join the nations as we celebrate the feast and gain a global perspective on what God is doing in the nation of israel and around the world today. There is no better time to travel to israel than during the feast of Tabernacles! for information contact our feast registration Team via email at: feastreg@icej.org Airfare, transfers to and from Ben Gurion International Airport, additional meals and tips are not included in the package price. PLEASE NOTE: The price of Land Packages are subject to change.

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LANd PAckAges iNcLude

SUZeTTe HATTINGH LAND PACkAgES

STARTINg AT

$1395

7 nights accommodation in a 3 star hotel (per person double occupancy with breakfast & dinner)

Full registration for the Feast of Tabernacles including the annual Jerusalem March Bus transportation to the Desert Celebration at Ein Gedi and the Communion Service at the Garden Tomb Optional tour extension to the Galilee (additional fees will apply)

iCEJ

CORNER I love summer time in Israel. I love the sun, the warmth (or heat as some would call it), and the sweet smell of Jerusalem in these months. I love that I never have to worry about rain, as it simply doesn’t happen during this time in Israel. Only sandstorms occur every now and then and they are rather unpleasant. Nevertheless the sky is usually blue and completely clear, without a cloud in sight. Somehow it seems to be a more intense shade of blue here than in other places I have visited.

Whenever possible, Israelis spend a lot of time outside, whether going for an early morning run when the air is still cool or barbequing and picnicking with friends in the evenings. There are plenty of parks in Jerusalem which on most days, and especially on the weekends, are packed with the Jewish Orthodox or Arab families, with their many children playing and enjoying their time together.

After work I like to go with friends to our favorite coffee shop, Aroma, and have a delicious Ice Coffee or a refreshing Ice Mint Lemonade. Other times we go out for ice cream at one of the many quality Gelaterias which you can find all over the place.

Another favorite is re:bar, which serves a wide variety of fruit shakes and smoothies, made out of imaginative fruit combinations or with nuts and honey. Delicious!

What I don’t like about the summer in Jerusalem is lack of bodies of water, like lakes, rivers or access to the sea. There are only a few public swimming pools, usually very expensive and very overcrowded. Coming from Switzerland, a country with plenty of water everywhere, this is still something I haven’t gotten used to. On the upside, Tel Aviv is only an hour away from Jerusalem and I love going to the beaches in or around Tel Aviv. You can just hop on a sherut (a shared taxi) and you are on the coast in no time! Sometimes I would go with friends on a weekend trip to the Sea of Galilee or even down to Eilat, where you can go snorkeling and enjoy the beautiful underwater world of the Red Sea. Summers in Israel are very pleasant (if you like it hot) and there’s only one way to experience it: Come and visit! •

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Bible passage The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. Proverbs 29:7 Home is for most of us a common word, a word which is taken for granted. However, home is a word that 100 million people in the world do not experience. They do not have a home. According to recent statistics there is more than 100 million homeless people in the world. They have no home to wake-up in, no home to come from school, or to relax, no shelter from bad wether and no home to come and share it with your loved ones. As christinas the bible tells us that we should be helping these people. We should care about the justice for the poor. ”Christians, let’s help the homeless and the needy because they need us.”

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ARISE IN THE PACIFIC In June, ICEJ Arise Director Jani Salokangas travelled to Fiji and the cities of Suva and Nadi Nan to teach, inspire and bring the churches together under the umbrella of Arise. The meetings became a platform to bring numerous Christian young leaders, youth pastors and young adults together from different ministries and denominations. The Arise director challenged the audience on the importance and responsibilities of our choices as young adults. Dozens of young people responded to the altar calls to renew and re-connect their lives to our living God. As the Fiji ICEJ spokesperson Ana Soqeta said; “At the closing of the preaching, these young ones were weeping openly. I was deeply touched when at the Altar-Call almost all who came upfront were in tears, some came for rededication, while others waited to freshly surrender their lives to the LORD.” The nation of Fiji is under heavy challenges with a self-appointed leader whose agendas are unclear and under international scrutiny. Despite the obstacles facing the young people of Fiji, the church is a strong, vital and well recognized part of the Fijian society. Jani encouraged and challenged his audience by saying “Your choices are your voice. Some voices can be heard, but too many are on mute”. The Fijian youth have woken up to realize that the power is given to the church, when they choose to work together despite their differences. Arise are living their calling to their fullest, living fearless life before God. Before the week spent in Fiji, Arise also visited the Philippines connecting itself with numerous ministries and preaching in different churches. God is opening new doors and amplifying the voice of our young generation. For more information visit www.arisgeneration.org

Arise International Director Jani Salokangas gave powerful message to a full house in Suva, Fiji.

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As seen from the airplane window over the main island of Fiji.

Fellowshipping with youth leaders from many different churches and denominations in Suva City.

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Under Challenge Samisoni Cakau | Photography Jani Salokangas

Fiji is a beautiful island country made up of more than 300 islands and is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It has a population of over 890,000 people, of which teenagers together with young adults make up approximately 60%. Fiji is uniquely the home to many young people belonging to almost five different indigenous descents who proudly call themselves Fijians.

Over the past years many young Fijians of different religious and ethnic backgrounds have successfully gone through high school and higher education systems in Fiji and abroad. They have established stable livelihoods for their new families and shaped the country of Fiji to what it is today. Although this has been the case for many of the young people, there is also another side of the story.

Unfortunately in Fiji, the majority of young people who have not been as academically successful, have not been brought up in marital-stable and morally-stable homes. The consequences have been strongly evident by the recent escalation of crime in the country. Many of these are young offenders. I must highlight that although the academically fortunate are able to establish a stable financial livelihood, they are not immune to the struggles faced by the academically unfortunate, nor are they incapable of committing the same criminal acts.

The struggles that the young generation are facing can many times seem hopeless.

Many young people are sexually active without the knowledge of their parents, teachers and religious leaders, and for those who are aware of their sexual activeness, sadly, they either do not know how to deal with it, or they ignore the fact and give up teaching them about sex. Hence, there are many unplanned teenage and youth pregnancies which causes them to struggle. As a consequence, both male and female, have resorted to prostitution and even human trafficking as a means of earning and gaining luxury. Shockingly many children as young as eleven can also be found in night clubs.

Many are addicted to glue sniffing, drugs, substance and alcohol abuse, the youngest offender being nine years old. Many young people come from broken families and suffer from domestic violence, in their own homes, in the homes of their guardians or relatives. The list of struggles and challenges faced by the young people of Fiji is exhaustive. All young people despite their academic success, religious background, or ancestral roots are faced with the same struggles. Not one category of young people in this nation is exempt, not even the young people within the church. So, young people of all nations need one thing, and only one thing! That is Jesus Christ. They need Jesus, they need to see Him, hear Him and feel Him. You might ask how? Through you and me, we are the voice, arms, hope, comfort and love of Jesus Christ to our generation. So ARISE O Fearless Generation! ARISE! • 14 AriseNow

Poland+ Switzerland In April, ICEJ ARISE director Jani Salokangas, together with his colleague Emanuel Mfoukou, spoke at a Christian youth conference in Poland convened by the Life and Mission Ministry. Held in a mountain resort town in southern Poland, the weekend gathering was called “Generation 24”, and was attended by some 400 young adults from across the country. The ARISE team spoke on the importance of having courage and the Holy Spirit was truly present, as over 25 young people received the Lord and more than 150 rededicated their lives to God. While in Poland, the ARISE team also visit the concentration camps at AuschwitzBirkenau to learn more about the horrific crimes committed there against the Jewish people.

In May, an ARISE team also visited Switzerland and spoke in various churches in the regions of Zurich and Bern.

Jani reports that it was very encouraging to see the youth in Switzerland being touched by the Word of God. •

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more pictures

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Miss

Israel 2013The Nation’s Most Beautiful Woman

Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Laisha Magazine

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Earlier this year nineteen beauty contestants from across the State of Israel participated in this year’s edition of Miss Israel, with the winner securing a place to represent Israel in Miss Universe. AriseNow had the opportunity to talk to the nation’s most beautiful woman, Miss Israel 2013, which for the first time since the reestablishment of Israel was a woman of African descent, Ethiopian born Yitish “Titi” Aynaw.

Yitish “Titi” Aynaw.

Born: 1992 Shahawit, Ethiopia Hight: 183cm

The beauty queen started out by telling us of her background and that she had come to Israel from Ethiopia at the age of 12, together with her older brother. Her father died when she was only two years old, and when her mother passed away Titi and her brother moved to live with their grandparents in Israel.

Favorite Food: Yemenite soup Favourite movie: The Pursuit of Happiness Favorite place in Israel: I love Israel, especially in the north of the country because of the green and pastoral there

Arriving in Israel was not an easy experience and she told us that the transition from life in northern Ethiopia to a life in the coastal city of Netanya was a difficult one, as everything was very unfamiliar. The things she had to adjust to were a life without a mother, a new language and a new culture. Everything was new, she explained.

Today Netanya is home to the largest Ethiopian community in Israel and it was here that Titi first started school and where she met Noa, an Israeli girl who would come to teach her about life in Israel and today remains her best friend.

With time she came to enroll in the Israeli Defense Forces, mandatory for Israelis, and she left with officer status. It wasn’t until she had completed her military service that her friend Noa enrolled her for Miss Israel. “I really wanted to be a model and believed that a beauty queen competition was the best way to succeed,” she explained, adding that this was the only beauty contest she has ever participated in.

“the transition from life in northern Ethiopia to a life in the coastal city of Netanya was a difficult one, as everything was very unfamiliar”

When we asked her how it feels to be the first woman of African descent to be crowned Miss Israel, she is quick to answer.

“I am proud to have been selected as the first Ethiopian Israeli beauty queen. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to show additional sides of the Ethiopian community here in Israel.

Our community has lived in Israel for over 30 years and I am extremely proud and very excited to be representing the Ethiopian community in the State of Israel.

The very fact that you and many other journalists from Israel and around the world are interviewing me, almost every day since I was www.arisegeneration.org

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elected, and showing interest in my life, my immigration to Israel, and my community, speaks volumes. As a beauty queen I hope I’ll be able to do more things for my community and this is only the beginning.”

Throughout the years, the Ethiopian community in Israel has suffered from racism and discrimination of different kinds, and this is something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Titi. She explains that one cannot deny the fact that it’s difficult having a different skin color in Israel, but adds that racism is not only a problem in Israel but rather a worldwide one. “I’m optimistic, I believe in hard work, and I believe good communication will make us better people. I love my country and I am happy to live in Israel.”

When it comes to the future she has several dreams and projects that she would like to fulfill, but one thing seems to be her priority, and that is getting a university degree. “I want to study International Relations and advocate for Israel.”

During US President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel earlier this year, she was able to see for herself what it is like to mingle with international politicians. She was invited to a state dinner with President Obama and other top Israeli officials. “Dinner with the President of the United States and the President of Israel was moving, and you cannot explain it in words. I am still very excited. President Obama is a role model for me, and his personality is very inspiring. We had a very brief conversation which I appreciated a lot.”

Before parting ways we asked her what role God has had in her life. “My life has not been easy, to say the least. My faith has always played a big part in my life, and it’s what gives me the strength through the difficult moments of my life.” Finally, Titi who has a great love for her country urged young Christians from around the world to come and visit Israel. “Israel is an amazing country, with the most beautiful landscapes, the most delicious foods, and the most exciting people,” she concluded.

She is set to participate in Miss Universe, scheduled to take place in Moscow this coming November. AriseNow, wishes her all the best in the upcoming contest. •

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Jewish Africa presence in

The Beta Israel of Ethiopia Arise | Photography Pond5

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It is not without reason that Jerusalem is described as the center of the world, and from time immemorial the makeup of Israel can be described as a mosaic of people from all four corners of the world. During the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room some 2000 years ago, people from all nations were gathered to celebrate the biblical feast of Shavuot as outlined in the book of Acts. Since the destruction of the Second temple in 70 AD and the dispersion of the Jews, there has always been a connection between the Jewish people on one side, and their biblical homeland on the other. And throughout the centuries, Jews from various parts of the world have returned to the Promised Land.

The bible is clear that God’s chosen people will return to Israel from wherever they have been scattered, and the Prophet Isaiah explains it this way: “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth.”

tion surrounding Timbuktu. “The families have continually given newborn Jewish names; some members sign their names with a Star of David; some Hebrew songs are still sung; and they only marry among themselves, not a custom in Islam,” Primack said.

Another example is the stories from what today is the Republic of Congo, in the western parts of Central Africa, from where hundreds of thousands of slaves left for the new world. According to Oldentorp, an 18th century European explorer who visited parts of the Congo, “the Kingdom of Loango contains black Jews, scattered throughout the country, they are occupied in trade and keep the Sabbath so strictly that they do not even converse on that day. The tombs are constructed with masonry and ornamented with Hebrew inscriptions.”

The majority of these African tribes claiming Jewish ancestry have not yet been acknowledged by the state of Israel, but that is not the case for the Beta Israel (house of Israel) in Ethiopia.

Since 1948, Jews from around the world have returned from In the 15th century a North African explorer Leo Africanus, all continents. The majority of Jews that have returned from visited the Kingdom of Beta Israel and referred to it as the land the continent of Africa hail from the northern parts and from of the Jews. Later on, another explorer, the Italian Livio Sacountries such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. nuto, stumbled upon the same Kingdom situated in the region Ethiopia has also returned many of of north eastern Ethiopia. its sons and daughters.

Sanuto called this area JuThe Jews fled to the Semien daeorum terra or the land Mountains in the region of Dembiya Also throughout the rest of Africa in northern Ethiopia, and it was here of the Jews in his so-called there are many tribes and peoples tabula X map dating back that the Beta Israel community set up claiming Jewish descent. The Igbo to 1688. its own Kingdom and crowned its first tribe of Nigeria, the Jews of CamerKing, Pinheas, a descendant of the oon as well as the Lemba of South The Beta Israel commuJewish High Priest Zadok.

Africa, are a few examples of such nity has a long history, groups. During the expulsion of God’s and according to tradition chosen people from Spain and Portugal in 1492, thousands of their Kingdom came in to existence in 325 AD in relation to Jewish children were forcefully kidnapped and sent to Africa. the crowning of a new king in the Kingdom of Axum. When this The island of Sao Tome and Principe, off the coast of Western King declared Christianity to be the religion of the state, a war Africa, was one of the destinations where these children were broke out between the Christian and the Jewish population as sent. It is estimated that some 2000 Jewish children ended up the Jewish community refused to convert. The Jews fled to on this island where they eventually came to intermarry with the Semien Mountains in the region of Dembiya in northern the local population.

Ethiopia, and it was here that the Beta Israel community set up its own Kingdom and crowned its first King, Pinheas, a descenAccording to Kulanu, a US based organization tracing people dant of the Jewish High Priest Zadok. of Jewish descent; there are still Jewish descendants living in the areas around Timbuktu. In 1996 a Malian newspaper pub- In the 15th century, emperor Yeshaq started to refer to the lished an article revealing the presence of Jewish descendants Beta Israel as the Falashas, a term widely used for Ethiopian in Timbuktu; their ancestors were probably Jewish merchants Jews today, and which is Ahmaric for foreigners or exiles. The who came to Mali for business. Some 500 years ago this Kingdom of Beta Israel is said to have come to an end in 1625 group of black African Jews was forced to leave Judaism and as a result of a Portuguese backed war with Ethiopia. As a convert to Islam. “We are Jews because our ancestors were result of the war, many of the Jews were sold into slavery and Jews, whose genes are found in all our families,” one member forcefully baptized, while their holy books were burned or deof the group explained. stroyed.

Karen Primack, the author behind the book, Jews in places you never thought of, who visited Mali in the 1990s, confirms the many traces of Judaism present among parts of the populawww.arisegeneration.org

The first Ethiopian Jews of modern times to settle in Israel arrived in 1934, together with Yemenite Jews from Italian Eritrea. During the 60s and 70s a number of Ethiopian students 21

remained in Israel after completion of their studies. Some Israelis recognized their Jewishness while others denied it. One of the men who came to embrace them was Ovadia Hazzi, an Eritrean born Yemenite Jew who claimed that the Beta Israel were descendants of the tribe of Dan. The then Chief Rabbi, Ovadia Joseph recognized their Jewishness in 1973.

Throughout the 80s close to 17 000 Jews from Ethiopia immigrated to Israel. Operation Moses brought some 8000 Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia to Israel, and a few years later, Operation Sheba and Joshua helped additional Jews to reach Israel. During Operation Solomon which took place in 1991, some 14 400 Jews were airlifted from Ethiopia in less than 34 hours.

During the Ethiopian Exodus to Israel, thousands of Ethiopian Jews perished. Each year their death is commemorated by the state of Israel. Last May the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, who was Prime Minister at the time of Operation Moses, explained how he stood on the runway with tears in his eyes as the planes from Ethiopia arrived in Israel.

“The story of the ‘Exodus from Ethiopia’ encapsulated the ethos of our people, courage - your spirit was a source of pride not only for your community but for us all. Here, standing by our national flag, we salute you all. Here and now, beside this monument, we bow our heads in memory of those Ethiopians who perished on their journey to Israel. To us they are heroes who fell in the line of duty,” Peres said during a commemoration service.

Today there are more than 120 000 Jews of Ethiopian descent living in Israel, and challenges such as racism and unemployment are some of the areas that the Ethiopian community has to struggle with. The younger generation seems committed to change their destiny and today the number of Jews of Ethiopian descent making an impact on Israeli society is on the increase.

The current Israeli parliament consists of two Jews of Ethiopian descent, Shimon Solomon, and the first ever woman of Ethiopian descent, Penina Tamanu-Shata, both representing the Yesh Atid party. In 2012 the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also appointed an Ethiopian born woman, Belaynesh Zevadia to become Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia. Ethiopian Jews are also starting to make it when it comes to entertainment; Esti Mamo is an Israeli model and actress who has starred in several Israeli productions and her pictures have been published in fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue. In 2011 Hagit Yaso won the Israeli version of Idol, while Miss Israel 2013, Yitish Aynaw, is of Ethiopian descent. The team representing Israel in the UEFA’s Under21 Championship consists of two players of Ethiopian descent, Sintayehu Sallallich and Eliazer Dasa.

“There is nothing more heart-warming than the sight of a young person, a son or daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, excelling in their military service and proudly wearing officer ranks. Or to meet doctors from the Ethiopian community, outstanding members of the Ethiopian Jewish community and of Israeli society,” the President explained.

While there might still be several obstacles to overcome for the Jewish Ethiopian community of Israel, there is no doubt that the community is growing and that they are excelling in many sectors of Israeli society. • 22 AriseNow

www.arisegeneration.org

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24 AriseNow

During the month of July, eight young adults from Germany, Swaziland, Switzerland and the US, participated in the yearly summer tour organized by Arise ICEJ. Throughout a period of eleven days the group had the opportunity to tour the land of Israel.

The journey started in Tiberias, where the participants were able to walk in the footsteps of Jesus along the shores of the Sea of Galilee; they visited the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus is believed to have held the Sermon of the Mount. Another stop was Mt Bental, on the doorstep to Syria, where the group stretched out their hands towards the war-torn country and prayed for the turmoil which has haunted the country since the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011.

In the city of Beit Shean, the group spent a morning playing and encouraging children from broken families in an afterschool club for children at risk, while the afternoon was spent touring the ancient Roman ruins of the city, where King Saul, according to the bible, was hanged on the city walls.

One of the favourite stops on the program was the full day spent at the First Baptist Church of Bethlehem, one of the largest churches in the West Bank under the leadership of Dr. Naim Khory. Here the group painted a room used daily by various Christian youth groups from Bethlehem. The room was not only repainted, but through the assistance of ICEJ Aid, a new carpet was also fitted.

The fully loaded program further comprised of sights such as the Dead Sea, the sun rise in Masada, a night in a Bedouin tent, including a camel ride, not to mention the various biblical and historical sites of Jerusalem. A very emotional time was spent at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. The group also had the opportunity to meet with Yossi, a 78 year old Holocaust survivor who moved the group to tears by sharing his horrible experiences from the death camps.

During the tour, two of the participants, Caleb Webb (US) and Elijah Abraham (Swaziland) decided to take the opportunity to get baptized in the Jordan River.

One of the last stops before spending some time on the beaches of Tel Aviv was Rehovot, where the team linked up with Leket, a non-governmental organisation helping farmers to save food they otherwise would have been unable to harvest. Together the team managed to pick some 800 kilos of tomatoes destined to feed close to hundred Israeli families living under the poverty line.

Dexter King, a Political Science student from Portland Maine, was awestruck of his experiences in Israel. The trip was a gift from my mum, he explained. “I hadn’t even thought about Israel before, but I am glad that I came. Every www.arisegeneration.org

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26 AriseNow

day I have been fascinated by something; it was incredible being in Tiberias around the Sea of Galilee which is such a biblically charged area. It was also great to travel down to the Dead Sea and the areas surrounding it. Being in Jerusalem is unreal, I only see and hear about Jerusalem on the news and to be here, and having gone to Bethlehem is incredible. I want to be able to defend Israel and to have an intelligent conversation from the things that I have learned. The separation between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the wall, is not because Israelis are racist, but there are so many things that goes in to it, and I hope I will be able to talk to the people back home about what I have experienced.”

Nepi, from Switzerland, another of the participants, explained that by being in Israel, the bible becomes real. “You get to help people and the tour is offering you something for all areas, the mind, body and soul. Working in Bethlehem was nice, people there were really open minded and I liked it a lot. If Palestinians and Israelis one day will be able to share Jesus together, I believe that there will be peace in the land.”

Finally, Elijah Abraham, from Swaziland, expressed his joy of being in the Holy Land. “I got fully sponsored to come here, and I feel so happy that I was able to come. This is my first travel to another country, and being in Israel has been such a joy. I liked floating on top of the Dead Sea, and going on the camel, there were a lot of things that I enjoyed.

It was awesome being in Bethlehem, seeing the city where Jesus was born, and it was a great joy to see Arabs who praise Jesus. I will tell my friends back home that Israel is a nice country to visit, and that I have enjoyed every minute,” Elijah explained as he looked out over Jerusalem from the Promenade, one of the famous lookouts offering a stunning view over the Old City. “For me this is the nicest view I have seen since I came to Israel. You can see the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives where Jesus one day will return to. I can sit here at one spot and look out over Jerusalem the whole day, it’s so beautiful,” he concluded.

If you haven’t yet been to Israel, or if you would like to come back again, keep your eyes open for the Arise Summer Tour 2014, dates are to be confirmed shortly. Coming to Israel will change your life forever and give the understanding of your bible a whole new perspective. •

www.arisegeneration.org

27

UEFA European Championship

U21 Hosted by Israel Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Emanuel Mfoukou

This article was first published in the Jerusalem Post - Christian Edition, July 2013

As June arrived, city streets all across Israel were plastered with posters promoting the UEFA Under-21 Championship soccer tournament, held this year for the first time in Israel. Football is ‘king’ among Israeli sports fans and public excitement mounted in anticipation of the nation hosting its most important international sporting event in decades - perhaps since the Paralympic games in 1968. Besides being big soccer fans, Israelis also were buoyed by a sense of besting the relentless global campaign to isolate the Jewish state.

As the host nation, Israel was automatically allowed to field one of the eight teams participating in the European football youth competition. The other teams, which all had to survive qualifying rounds for the competition, were England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Norway, Russia and Spain.

The two-week tournament featured matches spread out over four cities - Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Petah Tikva. Spruced up by recent renovations to now seat 34,000, the capital’s Teddy Stadium became the first arena in Israel to play host to the final of a major UEFA tournament.

UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, oversees all soccer tournaments and championships across Europe. One might wonder why Israel, located in the Middle East, was taking part in a European tournament. The answer to that question goes back to 1928 and the forerunner of the Israeli Football Association, the Eretz Football Association. It was one of the first Israeli sports organizations to unify the many Jewish athletes who were fleeing rising anti-Semitism in Europe for Mandatory Palestine, and 28 AriseNow

football enthusiasts also contended the sport is a great tool for promoting peace and reconciliation, and building bridges between adversaries. The groups calling for a boycott also denounced racism within Israeli society, and in particular the abusive treatment of Arab players by some supporters of the Beitar Jerusalem club. This is a problem which Israeli officials have acknowledged and condemned, and the Jerusalem team has been fined and forced to play several home games without their fans present. Still, racism is just as prevalent in many European countries and UEFA is investing much effort to stamp it out.

In Europe, players of African descent are especially targeted with racist slurs from the stands and even from fellow players on the pitch, a problem which makes the daily headlines. Nonetheless, while individual clubs have faced punishment and calls for boycotts, there rarely were calls to boycott an entire nation from hosting such a large sporting event - until Israel.

Despite the boycott campaign, UEFA president Michel Platini decided the tourney would go on as scheduled.

“We cannot hold the Israel FA responsible for the political situation in the region or for legal procedures in place in its country. You know better than anyone that it is not by punishing people and isolating them that we achieve our aims. It is through dialogue that solutions are found,” Platini said.

this provided a natural link to European sports culture.

Yet after Israel was established, the newly-formed IFA joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954 and won the Asian cup in 1964. The Israeli national team captured third place when the cup was held four years later in Iran, which was still an ally of the Jewish state at that time. But in 1974, Israel was expelled from the Asian grouping due to pressure from Arab and Muslim nations. For nearly two decades, Israel was unable to participate as a full member in any regional football alliance, until they received UEFA full membership in 1994.

The first time Israel participated in the UEFA Under-21 Championship was in 2007, when the tournament was held in the Netherlands. But when Israel was given the opportunity to host the games this year, the months leading up to the event were marred by calls for boycotts from various groups, with South Africa’s Desmond Tutu being one of the voices leading the charge.

The objections to Israel’s host role were based largely on the conflict with the Palestinians, but proponents argued that there are numerous conflicts all across the Middle East, and that Israel has worked hard to resume peace negotiations. Many www.arisegeneration.org

Thus the games kicked off on the fifth of June under a hot Israeli sun. The opening game was held between Israel and Norway and drew close to 11,000 spectators. While most of the crowd was waving the local blue-and-white colors, a large contingent of visitors showed up to hoist the Norwegian flag.

The games were launched by the former footballer and famed Israeli artist Eyal Golan, of Yemenite and Moroccan Jewish descent. He performed the official UEFA Under-21 song, Always my number one, electrifying the home crowd.

Israel fielded one of the most diverse teams in the tournament, consisting of a range of Jewish and Arab players who mirrored Israel’s multi-cultural society as a whole. This included Arabs from the Druze sector and Jews from Ethiopian, European and North African backgrounds.

Prior to the tournament, Nir Bitton, the captain of the Israeli team, told UEFA.com that he was expecting his nation to shine, both on and off the field. He added that people coming to see the championship could expect, “good football, a warm and welcoming country with beautiful beaches and much more. No one will be disappointed by what they will see and experience.”

All four of the host stadiums were in flawless condition, with the most up-to-date arena being the new Netanya Municipal Stadium, completed in 2012.

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The Netanya stadium also was the site of a special workshop mid-tournament which was co-sponsored by IFA (Israel Football Assosiation), the English Football Association and the New Israel Fund. The session sought to combat racism and show that football is a game for everyone. The Israeli and British team participated in the workshop together with girls and boys from various backgrounds - Jews, Arabs, Bedouins and Druze alike.

“Jews and Arabs, Bedouins, newcomers from Ethiopia and other parts should be equally treated, have equal opportunity to play football and to come out in Israeli society,” said Izik Shanan, NIF’s director of communications and public education. “This day is a showcase of what football should look like and how our society should look like.”

Meanwhile, as the tournament progressed, AriseNow caught up with players from the Norwegian team as they were having a moment of rest along the white sandy beaches of Herzliya Pituach, an upscale resort town north of Tel Aviv. The players seemed to be genuinely enjoying Israel, and all agreed that the hosts had received them extremely well, and that the stadiums and hotels were of the highest standards.

Joshua King, one of Norway’s most promising footballers who currently plays for the Blackburn Rovers FC in the English Premier League, missed out on the first game while on duty with Norway’s national team in a 2014 World Cup qualifying fixture against Albania. But he had now arrived in Israel and was eager for his first game at the Petah Tikva football stadium.

“I am in Israel for the first time and I am very surprised,” said King. “This is a very beautiful country and I am really enjoying it. The hotel where we are staying is absolutely awesome, and the people are looking after us very well. The food is good and so on. I

30 AriseNow

would easily come back to Israel for a visit. It is very beautiful, the views and the ocean.”

“We are here to play football and at the moment we are focusing on the games 100 percent, but it would be nice if we could get some spare time for visiting Jerusalem,” he added.

His Norwegian teammate Omar Elabdellaoui, who currently plays for the German side Eintracht Braunschweig, agreed that he would like to come back to Israel one day on holiday.

“So far what I have seen in Israel is positive. The place is very beautiful and people have been very nice to us,” he assured.

“The fields have been perfect and so has our hotel. Everything is positive!”

“I don’t think we will have time to visit Jerusalem, but I hope we will get time to go there as it has a lot of history and there are a lot of beautiful things to see over there,” he echoed.

In the semi-finals, favorite Spain bested Norway while Italy slipped by Holland. And in the end, Spain emerged the winner of the UEFA Under21 Championship 2013.

Yet in truth all the teams were winners, as the tournament proved to be a victory for football as a peace builder. The Israeli team especially showed that youths on both sides of the divide, whether Jews or Arabs, can come together for friendly competition and to represent their nation on the world stage. •

www.arisegeneration.org

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Nir Barkat has brought a ‘can do’ attitude to his job as mayor of Jerusalem, launching a number of cultural and sporting events as part of his ambitious plans to draw ten million visitors to the city per year. An active jogger, he inaugurated an annual Jerusalem Marathon that is already attracting tens of thousands of runners and spectators after just three years on the calendar. His latest brainchild was to bring Formula One and Superbike racers to the capital city – an idea that stemmed from his own tryst with the famed Paris-Dakar Rally some twelve years ago.

Dubbed the Jerusalem Formula, The Peace Road Show, the two-day motorsport extravaganza in mid-June drew the sort of enthusiastic crowds to the streets of Jerusalem that Barkat first envisioned while driving through African villages and seeing thousands of spectators along the roads.

“Today, that personal dream is coming alive, for me and tens of thousands of motorsport fans in Israel,” Barkat said at a press conference just hours ahead of the show.

Mayor Barkat stressed the importance of sports in promoting peace and reconciliation. “…[S]ports bring people together, the love of cars and the love of people. That is why the Jerusalem Formula Peace road show, I believe, will make Jerusalem a better place,” noted Barkat. “You will see around the track, Muslims, Christian and Jews from all the neighborhoods of Jerusalem come to watch the sport they love. No politics!”

Barkat also credited the Jerusalem Formula Peace road show to a fellow cyber security specialist, Eugene Kaspersky, best known for discovering the Stuxnet virus infecting the Iranian military’s computers. His company, Kaspersky Lab, has sponsored Formula 1 races and the pair teamed up to bring the high-powered sport to Israel.

Several noted motorsport stars participated in the show, including Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella with more than 80 Formula 1 races under his belt, motorcycle stunt rider Chris Pfeiffer, and Max Biaggi, winner of the World Superbike Championship in 2010 and 2012. They were all thrilled to be displaying their skills and super-charged vehicles in sight of Jerusalem’s famed Old City walls.

“Jumping in to a Formula 1 car anywhere is a fantastic feeling, but I think today will be incredible,” said Fisichella. “It’s special to be part of this historic day for the city and for peace. I am really proud about it.”

And the mayor’s predictions about Jews and Arabs alike enjoying the show were quite accurate, as the two kilometer circular course was lined with tens of thousands of spectators from all sectors of Israeli society.

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F1Jerusa in the city of

Arise | Photography Jani Salokangas

“This event is good for the peace between Israelis and Palestinians. You can see both Arabs and Israelis on the streets watching the show, and it’s good that they are watching it together,” 21year old Ishmael told to AriseNow. “I think it’s very nice,” concurred 18-year old Noam. “This is something that has never happened in Jerusalem or in Israel before. It will unite people, secular, religious and Arabs... I am proud of our mayor; he has done so much for the city and this is very good for young people.”

Barkat is optimistic for the future of the Jerusalem Formula event and for his city.

“The first time is always the hardest, but in the next few years when we will upgrade the show it’s going to be easier,” he said.

This article was first published in the Jerusalem Post - Christian Edition, July 2013

“Jerusalem is very dynamic, thrilling...

It’s a fusion of history and modernity,” the Mayor concluded. “With the Light Festival, the Euro 21 final, the Maccabee games, the Jerusalem Marathon and with many other initiatives in Jerusalem, we are breaking through [the isolation] and returning to the role Jerusalem played 2000 to 3000 years ago as a destination for pilgrims and tourists around the world.” •

alem www.arisegeneration.org

33

EU and the

Middle-East Hannu Takkula | Photography Per Kvamso

34 AriseNow

Hannu Takkula is a Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Centre Party of Finland. His work focuses mainly on the areas of Education, Culture, Sports, Foreign Relations and Research & Innovation.

What is your job?

I am a politician. I have been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2004 and before this I was a Member of the Finnish Parliament for almost ten years. My job as a MEP includes all the various duties of a representative of the European people.

What is the purpose of your job?

The objective of the work here at the EP is to produce legislation and guidelines for the whole European Union and its Member States. The way I see it, and I am speaking very broadly now, our aim is to make sure that the EU’s fundamental values of democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, and human rights are at the heart of everything we do. These values can and must be systematically followed, applied and respected.

cussions in the Council about the matter. For the time being, Hezbollah enjoys international recognition as a normal political party with good and regular standing. However, the topic is increasingly in the spotlight and the pressure is piling, and therefore, I think and hope that soon there will be a change in the way this terrorist organisation will be regarded even officially as such by the EU. How does Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon and the Syrian conflict affect EU’s view on the group?

This is an issue which has not yet been discussed as much as it should have been. Surprisingly the Lebanese Hezbollah is actively involved in a civil war in another country. It is an indication of several things which all seem quite alarming to me.

First of all, it is a violent and hostile organization. In addition, it is involved in a wide international activity while it is a political party, whose interests and intentions are not fully known. According to one argument Hezbollah has a vital political role in Lebanon, and therefore, it cannot be regarded as a terrorist organisation. Well, if that is, indeed, the case, then why is it so involved in military activity? In my view such activity is not in harmony with its role as a political party.

“ there are a considerable number of us who regard ourselves as ardent friends and supporters of Israel.”

The focus of my work, however, is particularly related to education, culture, research, youth and sport since I am a member of the Parliament’s Committee on Education and Culture and the ALDE-group coordinator in this Committee.

What are the political challenges facing the EU when it comes to the Middle East?

The European Parliament is divided on one of the most central issues: there are those who want to support Israel but there are also a number of MEPs who are in favour of the Palestinians. In addition to those, there are many who do not want to stand in either of these camps. This means that in the EU there is no one voice, nor a single goal. It seems that EU wants to be as neutral as possible. The official objective, however, is the two state solution, but there is no unanimity regarding the methods on how to reach this goal. Thinking about the wider Middle East, it appears the amount of challenges are enormous.

How is Israel perceived in Brussels?

It would be too optimistic to say that the perception is predominantly positive. For many, Israel is just one challenging issue among others. This means that the attitudes are rather neutral, which may also mean indifference. Among the Palestine lobby, of course, Israel is viewed in a predominantly negative way, but at the same time there are a considerable number of us who regard ourselves as ardent friends and supporters of Israel.

How does the EU see Hezbollah?

I have been surprised how hesitant and slow the EU has been in its assessments and conclusions regarding Hezbollah. As a result of the recent suggestion made by Great Britain to place Hezbollah into the official terrorist list, there have been diswww.arisegeneration.org

Is Hezbollah considered a terror group in the eyes of the EU? How many European governments classify Hezbollah as a terror group?

The consideration, whether Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, is in the hands of the foreign ministers of all the EU countries. This means that the matter is discussed in the Council, and at this moment it is not possible to know the exact positions of all those are making these decisions. But we do know so much that it was a British initiative to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, and the proposal was at least supported by Germany, France and the Netherlands.

How do you see the EU’s decisions over the Middle East impacting the younger generation in Europe?

It seems to me that the European youth are primarily impacted by those decisions which are connected to education, employment, social and financial issues. Maintaining good cooperation between the European countries and developing the EU as an organisation for peace and wellbeing is a primary goal.

Of course, what happens in the Middle East will affect the Europeans, whether we want this or not. That whole region is immensely important for Europe because it is in our immediately neighbourhood. If the EU are to be successful in securing peace for all the peoples in the Middle East, certainly the European young people will reap a good harvest in every area of life as they grow older. •

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UNDERfireSDEROT Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Jani Salokangas

My name is Idan, I am 25 years old and was born and raised here in Sderot. My father came to Israel from Morocco and my mother from Algeria. I did my studies in Sderot, and while in the army I was an officer dealing with computers. I have lived under rocket fire for the last 12 years, and my younger brother who is now 11 has lived with this situation all his life. I want a safe future for me, my future children, Sderot and all the people of Israel. I want my brother to think about something other than bomb alarms, because this is not a regular life.

Thousands of rockets have been fired from Gaza since 2001, I know about people who have died or got hurt, it’s a very tough situation. My parents have told me that they used to go to Gaza to do shopping; and bought their vegetables over there because they were so much better, and if you wanted to fix your car you went there. Our community loves Arabs and I love Arabs as well, but if they come from Gaza to kill me it’s not ok.

We used to talk with the people in Gaza and they talked with us, we even worked together. Today the situation is very different, if you ask someone from Israel or from Gaza what they think about one another there is a lot of fear and hate, people are not being conscious to the situation and I think that we need to talk to someone there, but not with Hamas, as you can see today they don’t want to talk. They continue to fire rockets and they don’t stop, no country in the world can live like this and we need to defend ourselves.

Tell the world what you have seen in Sderot, help us to talk about what’s going on here and to stop the situation. We are a people who love peace, we don’t like wars.

Once Hamas is removed from Gaza everything will be ok, and once the world sees what happens here in Sderot I trust they will understand. Everyone knows about the stories from Gaza, but no one knows about our situation here in Sderot, and this is sad because our way of life is very tough. • 36 AriseNow

www.arisegeneration.org

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Royal fruit

Some refer to it as the king of the fruits, others believe that it was the forbidden fruit that Eve ate and gave to Adam in the Garden of Eden. In the King James Version of the bible the fruit is mentioned some 23 times, and one of God’s commands was for the high priests to hang a replica of the fruit on the bottom of their garments. Its importance was further mentioned as Solomon expressed his affection towards his beloved Shulamite woman, by comparing the locks of her hair to this fruit. The fruit has also given name to the modern military grenade, as well as to the Spanish city of Granada.

By now you have probably figured out that the fruit in question is the pomegranate. It takes its name from two Latin words, pomum and granatum, which literally translates to seeded apple. The Hebrew word for the fruit is rimmon, and for centuries it has been thought to hold legendary powers.

In many cultures it represents attributes such as fruitfulness, knowledge, learning and wisdom, while in ancient Egypt it was known to be a symbol of both ambition and prosperity.

Pomegranates are one of the few fruits where the juice is just as beneficial as the seeds, and it has been deemed to be the healthiest of all fruits.

Many research papers have been written in order to prove this fact, the Pomegranate and its various medical uses are well described in one of the most ancient medical documents ever to be discovered, the so called Egyptian Ebers Papyrus dating back to 1500 BC. The pomegranate is especially rich in antioxidants, a substance which protects the body from molecules produced as your body breaks down

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food or is exposed to external pollutions such as tobacco smoke or various forms of radiation. After the accident in Chernobyl, many people used the pomegranate to reduce the effect of radiation. The fruit is even used in order to prevent sunburn, various types of cancer, Alzheimer’s as well as premature ageing.

The pomegranate also contains beneficial substances such as riboflavin, tannins and all kinds of vitamins, and it is said to increase the oxygen levels to the heart, lowering the risk of heart disease, reducing cholesterol, and helping to control weight. The foremost benefit connected to pomegranates is probably the fact that it is able to keep the cardiovascular system healthy, and reduce arterial plaque.

The pomegranate is an important fruit within the Judaic culture, and according to some teachings the fruit is believed to contain 613 seeds, one seed for each one of the Bible’s 613 commandments. In reality a pomegranate contains between 200-1400 seeds, but the fact that such a teaching exists is a proof of the importance given to the fruit. The fruit is one of the seven species mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy, and it can be found on tables around Israel during the celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, where it represents fruitfulness for the coming Year.

Due to its healthiness, its consumption has led to an explosion in its popularity, and it is estimated that in the last ten years the pomegranate cultivation in Israel has increased from 500 to 2500 hectares. According to numbers from the Israeli Ministry of agriculture, some 60 000 tons of pomegranate was harvested in 2012, with 60 percent destined for the Israeli market and 40 percent for foreign exports.

Whatever health issues you are struggling with, the pomegranate might be just the thing to revitalize your health and restore your energy levels. God has created a multitude of plants and fruits beneficial for our bodies, and the pomegranate is one of them. It’s not just the natural crown which has given the fruit its reputation, but it has a track record of some 3000 years as a super fruit, and that is why it is called the king of the fruits. •

Nutrients Energy

83 Kcal 4%

Carbohydrates

18.70 g 14%

Protein

1.67 g

3%

Total Fat

1.17 g

6%

Cholesterol

0 mg

0%

Dietary Fiber

4 g

11%

Vitamins

Folates

38 µg

Niacin

0.293 mg 2%

9.5%

Pantothenic acid 0.135 mg 3% Pyridoxine

0.075 mg 6%

Riboflavin

0.053 mg 4%

Thiamin

0.067 mg 5.5%

Vitamin C

10.2 mg 17%

Vitamin E

0.60 mg 4%

Vitamin K

16.4 µg 14%

Electrolytes Sodium

3 mg

Potassium

236 mg 5%

0%

Minerals

Calcium

10 mg

Copper

0.158 mg 18%

Iron

0.30 mg 4%

Magnesium

12 mg

Manganese

0.119 mg 5%

Phosphorus

36 mg

Selenium 0.5 µg

1%

Zinc

0.35 mg 3%

1%

3% 5%

Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types - tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid - are present in many fruits, but fresh pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three.

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re:bar a Healthy Oasis

and the temperature As the sun is heating up the atmosphere g than having a cold is rising, there is nothing more refreshin quench your thirst drink. One of the places that can help you e time offering you a on a hot summer day, whilst at the sam chain, re:bar. Today healthy option, is the Israeli health drink blishments spread the company can boost of some 31 esta to be found in many throughout the country, and the chain can fitness clubs. of Israel’s leading shopping malls and large , Hadassa Wolpert, According to re:bar’s marketing manager is extremely popular, who spoke to AriseNow, the re:bar chain groups. Re:bar is the and its customers range across all age decided to create a brainchild of three friends who in 2006 ng for health drinks. watering hole, catering to customers looki tremendous growth.

Since its creation re:bar has experienced er Globes, wrote In June 2007 the Israeli financial newspap itative team of mar“re:bar was established by a small but qual of branding beyond keting specialists aware of the importance such details as logo the product itself, with careful attention to concept has proven design, and of course the menu.” Re:bar’s there is always a line itself to please the Israeli consumers, as in front of the re:bar counters.

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currently served from behind Wolpert explains that the most popular drink of bananas, dried figs, California the re:bar counter is re:shape, a mixture plenty of other interesting drinks Walnuts and Rax seeds, but there are n yogurts made of cow or goat on the menu to choose from. From froze juices from a variety of fruits. milk, to sorbet drinks and freshly squeezed thier and more nutritious food According to re:bar, “the search for heal become very popular in recent supplements, such as health drinks have loped countries.” This fact has years in Australia, the US and in other deve it seems to be a growing trend showed itself true also for Israel, where lifestyle. among young people looking for a healthier re:bar is the wheat grass drink, One of the more healthy drinks served at in fighting maladies such as dian excellent choice for those interested other infections. While another of gestive and intestinal diseases, colds or ilian grown Acai fruit, deemed re:bar’s choices is a drink based on the Braz d. to be one of the healthiest fruits in the worl you cannot afford to miss out If you live in Israel or are planning to visit, itely quench your thirst, giving on ordering a drink from re:bar. It will defin at the same time strengthening your taste buds a new experience while your health. •

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Technology & Inventions Transportation We have all heard about the Segway, the silent electronic, two wheeled vehicle, which carries people to and from different destinations. This year Segway is about to face competition, as an Israeli start up company is preparing to launch the Muve. The Muve device is designed so that it will be easy to take with you, wherever you go, and will weigh from 12 to 15 kilos and reach speeds of up to 20 to 25 km/h. One of the features of the Muve is that the driver will be able to pre-program the route, after which the vehicle will automatically take you to the desired destination. According to its inventor, Amir Zaid, the Muve will be sold from around USD2000, far below what you would have to pay for a Segway. The Muve is expected to hit the markets later on this year.

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Serch and Reacue One of the outstanding Israeli inventions that US President Barack Obama had the opportunity to inspect while he visited Israel earlier this year, was the so called Snake Robot. The robot has been invented by the Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab, a test centre at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Haifa’s renowned Israel Institute of Technology, Technion. The robotic snake has not yet been commercialised and is currently being tested by the Israeli Defence Forces Search and Rescue units, but its features are ideal for use in areas affected by earthquakes, search and rescue missions in collapsed buildings, and for the gathering of intelligence in enemy camps. For a closer look at the robot snake, and other robotic inventions from Technion,

Modern Jerusalem is home to a population of some 900 000 people, made up of both Jews and Arabs originating from various parts of the world. In recent years the city has seen major changes, and much of this development is due to the excellent leadership of Nir Barkat, the Mayor of Jerusalem.

Since he assumed office he, together with the Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur, a linguist and environmentalist, has managed to change the makeup of the city and to lead Jerusalem forward in the right direction. In 2012 some 3.5 million tourists visited Jerusalem, and some of the many new events created to attract people to the city are the Jerusalem Marathon, along with the Formula 1 Peace Road Show, which took place from June 13 to 14.

In order to find out more about the city, AriseNow sat down with the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem to hear what it is like to be the second in charge over a city which the Bible calls the centre of the world.

DEPUTY

of Jerusalem

MAYOR Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Jani Salokangas

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Naomi Tsur

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your work, what does a normal working day look like for a Deputy Mayor?

I am an environmental freak; my portfolio here is planning, environment and historic conservation. I also maintain the connection with all the city networks across the world for the city of Jerusalem. My daily tasks consist of talking to journalists, meeting with foreign delegations as well as people from the public. I also have to run committees, along with discussing with professional teams in the council.

It is difficult to do the job when the world is pouring a lot of mud on Jerusalem; I am trying to be a humble leader and to listen to all the voices.

The City of Jerusalem is a bustling one, what’s the difference in leading a city from that of a state?

In the beginning of the 20th century, 20 percent of the world’s population lived in cities, that number is 70 percent today, and the forecast is that by the end of the 21st century, 90 percent of the population will reside in cities. I believe that cities are going to take over from countries, and we will be back in a situation similar to the middle ages. We will have city states, cities will rule the world and I think it will be a better world.

Cities are more intelligent than countries. I talk to cities in enemy countries all the time, because we all have garbage, sewage and traffic jams, and we all need education and health services. When you get to government level everyone goes mad, and yet it’s different for the people at ground levels. The international discussion about Jerusalem seems completely unreal to people like me.

What’s your take on the international discussions regarding the future of Jerusalem?

Jerusalem is like the eye in the centre of a storm, people are sitting in Washington DC, Geneva and Strasbourg talking about Jerusalem as if we were some sort of a jigsaw puzzle.

But we have 900 000 people who get up in the morning, who want to get to work, who want their social security, their health insurance, maternity leave and their children to get a good education.

We can no longer talk about dividing Jerusalem, not because we believe that we either should or shouldn’t, it’s not something that can be done, its physically impossible, and we have to learn to share the city. We can’t divide it, but we must share it and to share it is a different concept all together.

In a world where cities are becoming more important than countries, the ethos of Jerusalem is even greater than the ethos of Israel. It goes way beyond the concept of the state of 44 AriseNow

Israel; it is of significance and importance to billions of people around the world and it cannot be treated as a jigsaw puzzle, those trying to treat it as such are making one terrible mistake.

You always have to discuss with the stake holders, i.e. the people who live here. No one playing with the jigsaw puzzle is asking the people how they see the city in the future. The jigsaw puzzle players don’t get that we all, as different groups, are mixed together. Furthermore, academic studies don’t see the city divided; they’d rather see each group in the city representing its own interests.

What role is the Muslim population of Jerusalem playing in the local government?

It would help if the Muslim population was more more engaged in municipal politics; but they don’t vote for the city council, they are not fulfilling their democratic responsibility.

There is an argument about why our budget is not allocated to neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. Anyone who knows anything about local government knows that the argument around the table is conducted by the people around table. If your voice is not heard because you are not allowed to be at the table, then it’s wicked. If your voice is not heard because you chose not to be around the table, then I am not sure who is wicked. But it is pressure from the outside which is keeping them from voting. The argument goes that if you are voting you are recognising Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.

What is the municipality doing in order to develop and make the tourism industry more sustainable in Jerusalem?

Every year 10 million people visit the Kotel (Western Wall in Hebrew); it’s enormous. To receive 10 million pilgrims to the Kotel is not an easy task from the point of infrastructure, which raises questions such as: how do they get there? How do they leave? Is it accessible for people with disabilities?

We are trying to empty the old city of polluting traffic; we want people to move around on foot. Today the city of Jerusalem provides a friendly way for pilgrims to visit Jerusalem. They arrive at the central bus station, and can take the light rail to the Jaffa Gate and the Old city.

There is a large train community in Israel, 120 000 people are using the Jerusalem light rail on a daily basis. I use the light rail every day. In Europe 18 year olds are no longer asking their parents for cars, and part of it is about the image, what is an in thing. The social marketing of sustainability has been such in Europe that people are not chasing after cars anymore, they want bikes and they want to use their feet.

Peace will mean nothing if we destroy our environment, we can’t put off the climate change problem. Noah took on climate change in the Bible, he saved all the species and in Genesis God placed Adam in Eden to guard and tend it.

“We can no longer talk about dividing Jerusalem, not because we believe that we either should or shouldn’t, it’s not something that can be done, its physically impossible, and we have to learn to share the city.”

What are some of the biggest challenges that you can see for the city of Jerusalem?

The biggest challenge for Jerusalem is to make the city economically viable. The main challenge for the city is to have a majority of residents that can contribute creatively to the city’s economy. We have two groups in our population who are not doing this. The orthodox men are not contributing, and within the Arab population the women are not allowed to work, and we have to find ways to engage those population groups. Nevertheless, we have had progress when it comes to young creative couples.

What message would you give to young Christians thinking about visiting Jerusalem?

First of all, Jerusalem is a young city, and 40 percent of the population is under 18 years old. We have 50 000 students within our academic institutions and many of them fall in love with Jerusalem while studying in the city.

The message of Jerusalem as it is now is a welcoming city, a city with a center which has become one of the nicest downtowns in the world. I think I can say that with pride, we have birds singing on the Jaffa road, and trees flowering and blooming.

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I think we have achieved continuity between the old and the new city that creates a very special blend, the old and the new living together.

More than 150 different ethnic groups came to make Israel their home, they brought music and food styles from their different places which make us very multi-ethnic. It’s a real melting pot, and the cultural variety I think is a wonderful thing for young people. It’s important to come here, because the real Jerusalem is nothing like the jigsaw Jerusalem, or geopolitical Jerusalem that is frequently in the news. It’s worth experiencing first hand, because it’s the only way to really learn.

When you go back home you are enriched, and you know what you are talking about, you are informed. Being informed in a very unfair world where slogans and accusations are being thrown by everyone at everyone is important. If you have the information, if you have the knowledge, you know how to address it. Young people are committed and they want to help in what they feel is a world cause. In order to be part of that world cause, a visit to Jerusalem is almost an essential component, because it’s such an important part of the world.

There is so much to see in Jerusalem, I have several favourites, but one of my favourite places is the Gazelle valley, and we at the municipality are turning it into one of Jerusalem’s urban nature parks.

Where do you see the city of Jerusalem in ten years?

By then we will have three light rail routes, we could have increased our population up to a million, and hopefully we are prospering economically. I hope we will see a greater move towards peace in our region. We will continue to draw young people to the city and to be a place where all religions are respected, and to maintain the prayers of King Solomon who asked God to welcome strangers and answer their prayers, as explained in first Kings, that’s my wish for the future. •

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JERUSALEM HISTORY 37 BC – 324. Roman Period. Jesus was crucified, resurrected and ascended to heaven from Jerusalem. In 70 AD the temple was destroyed, and in the following years the Jews were expelled from the land.

1030 – 732 Israel Period. Prior to this period the people of Israel were ruled by judges.

732 – 539 Assyrian and Babylonian Period. The Assyrian Empire around 722 BCE, the Kingdom of Judah or the southern Kingdom lasted until 586 when it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire. During this period most of Jerusalem was destroyed along with the first temple.

Time

332 – 37 BC - Hellenistic Period.

Alexander the Great conquers the region, after his death Jerusalem went back and forth between his generals, during a period of 20 years Jerusalem changed hands six times.

638 – 1099. The Arab Caliphate Period.

Jerusalem was conquered in 638 by the Rashidun Caliphate, led by Caliph Umar.

Abd al-Malik created the Dome of the rock, finished in 691/92.

Prophet Samuel anoints Saul to be King; later King David comes to unify all the tribes. David was also the one to establish Jerusalem as the nation’s capital.

324– 638. Byzantine Empire. Roman Empire receives its first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. His mother Helena She was responsible for the construction of the church of Nativity along with the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

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1967, the Six Day War. 29 July, Israel regains control over Jerusalem and declares the city unified.

1516-1917. Ottoman Period. In 1516 the Ottomans defeat the Mamluk, some years later Suleiman the great rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem. In 1541 the Golden Gates is sealed.

2001. Jerusalem sees two deadly suicide attacks which lead to the death of 26 people.

1948, the State of Israel is established.

2011. The first ever Jerusalem Marathon is organized on the streets of Jerusalem.

1860. The First Jewish neighborhood is built outside the city walls.

In 1917 during the first World War, the Ottomans are defeated at the Battle of Jerusalem, the British Army General Allenby enters Jerusalem on foot.

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1980. The Jerusalem law is ratified declaring Jerusalem to be the united capital of Israel. International Christian Embassy is founded to support the nation of Israel.

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Moving mountains.

Has the real Mount Sinai been found in the Negev?

Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Jani Salokangas

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Mountains play important roles in the Bible. Indeed, a number of stories central to God’s plan for world redemption unfold on the tops of mountains in and around Israel that we can visit today. In Jerusalem, for instance, Mount Zion (a/k/a Mount Moriah) and the Mount of Olives feature in several biblical dramas, such as the binding of Isaac, the building of the Temple and the arrival of Messiah. The ark of Noah came to rest on Mount Ararat, Moses looked over into the Promised Land from Mount Nebo in Jordan, and Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.

Yet one of the most important mountains in the Bible, in fact the very first one to be identified as the “mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1), is shrouded in mystery because there is no consensus on where it is located. The place where Moses received the Ten Commandments and met face-to-face with the Creator, where monotheism was birthed into the world, has been lost to history.

This mountain is known as Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb, or simply “the mountain of God.” Its exact location has been debated for centuries and the quest to find it has intensified in recent decades, with numerous mountain peaks now competing for the title. We know it was in a dry wilderness area somewhere roughly between Egypt and the Land of Israel, but that leaves a lot of desert to cover.

For centuries, most Christians have accepted the tradition that Mount Sinai is situated near the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula, at a place known in Arabic as Jebel Musa.

This tradition came from a group of Christian pilgrims some 1600 years ago who chose the highest mountain peak in the southern Sinai, figuring that surely it was the one which put Moses closest to heaven. In the 6th century, the Monastery of St. Catherine was built at the foot of this mountain by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to accommodate pilgrims. In the ensuing centuries, it has gained widespread recognition as “the” Mount Sinai, even though there is little archeological evidence in the area to back that claim.

In recent decades, more than 20 rival claimants to Jebel Musa have been proposed. Some of these contenders are scattered around the Sinai Peninsula, while others have been touted as far away as Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and even in the opposite direction from Egypt – in the Sahara.

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But in 1954, an Italian Jewish archeologist named Emmanuel Anati came upon a mountain in the Negev desert which piqued his interest while surveying the vast region for ancient rock art. It was known locally as Har Karkom, the “Mountain of Saffron,” named after a spice taken from a native desert crocus. Har Karkom was located in a vast empty desert some 200 kilometers northwest of Eilat and 110 kilometers south of Mitzpe Ramon, and had some fascinating archeological features. But he lost his bearings back to the mountain and 49

only managed to find it again in 1978, when he began to excavate in earnest.

Early on, Dr. Anati noticed an unusual abundance of paintings and engravings on rock formations, many with biblical motifs. The surrounding plateau was covered with shrines, altars, stone circles and stone pillars, indicating it was a major paleolithic cult center.

The mountain was also halfway between Petra and Kadesh Barnea, along an ancient trade route through the extremely arid Negev, with water available at wells interspersed all along the route. Based on a theory that the Israelites travelled across the Sinai Peninsula towards Petra in a fairly straight line, Dr. Anati was among the scholars who started matching Har Karkom with the biblical Mount Sinai.

Since then, some 40,000 examples of rock art have been found on the hillsides surrounding Har Karkom, making it by far the highest concentration of Stone Age rock art in the entire Middle East. Many of the engravings carry what could be interpreted as early biblical motifs, such as a rod with a serpent wrapped around it, the eye of God, and scenes of people worshiping with lifted hands.

Down through time, the mountain has been known by different names. Bedouin tribes have always referred to it as Jabal Ideid, the mountain of multitude or commemoration. In the 1950s, it also went by the name Har Geshur.

Dr. Anati recently explained to The Jerusalem Post Christian Edition why he believes he has found the real Mount Sinai.

“I discovered the mountain in 1954,” recalled Anati. “I was then a student doing research on the rock art of the Negev desert. In 1980, we systematically started to stu-

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dy the mountain and in 1984 we reached the conclusion that this was the Holy Mountain.”

“Now archaeological finds are very inspiring but they are not conclusive, which can lead people to claim that they are pure coincidence,” he continued. “But there are things that push me to think that it really is Mt Sinai. First of all, this was a very important mountain in the Bronze Age. And it is unlikely that the Old Testament did not mention this mountain. As I could not find any name fitting this mountain, my first approach led me to consider that this might be Mt Sinai.”

Anati considers the route used by the Israelites after they left Egypt to be crucial to locating Mount Sinai. This is a riddle which has kept Christian researches busy since Byzantine times. But in order to find the route, Anati decided to walk through the Sinai and try to trace the original route on foot himself.

“I have studied the itinerary of the Exodus route and went through Egypt and Sinai, all the way trying to find the different stations mentioned in the Bible. I did it twice. The first time I had in my mind that St. Catherine’s was Mount Sinai, and I got completely lost. The second time I had this idea in mind of Har Karkom and I could find many stations which fit the description of the Bible. That itinerary led me directly to the area of Har Karkom,” he stated.

One of the most interesting discoveries supporting his theory is that Har Karkom is eleven days journey by foot from Kadesh Barnea, just as the Book of Deuteronomy describes. In addition, the route has ten wells spaced fairly evenly apart, providing a source of water at the end of each day of travel.

“It is absolutely fitting,” insisted Anati. “So all those things led me to think that it was Mt Sinai.”

Today, there are still remains of several of the way stations where the Israelites might have stayed on their trek to Mount Sinai, as described in Exodus. This includes place names like Succoth (booths), Pi Hahoroth (mouth of the canals), Migdol (watch tower) and Baal Zephon (Lord of the North). Marah, the place where bitter water became sweet, is believed to be modern-day El Mura, today surrounded by wells of bitter water. Another station was Taberah, a name derived from the Hebrew word for “burnt.”

Another crucial find has been archeological remains from the Bronze Age, including evidence of large encampments at the foot of the mountain and in surrounding areas. In contrast, excavations done in the area around the traditional Mount Sinai at Jebel Musa have not revealed any credible archeological proofs of this nature.

Anati is full of other arguments and facts which point to Har Karkom being the Mountain of God. He notes that the area www.arisegeneration.org

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around Har Karkom contains the richest trove of archaeological remains in the whole of the Negev and Sinai Peninsula. Shards of pottery identical to the ones found at Har Karkom have also been discovered in both Baal Zephon and Kadesh Barnea, two of the known stops used by the Israelites.

One of the most intriguing – and perhaps most persuasive – finds is one which meshes well with the biblical narrative of the Israelite stay at Mount Sinai. Both Exodus chapters 20 and 24 tell of Moses being instructed to make an altar of stone using twelve pillars not cut by human hand. Near the foot of Har Karom today is a stone altar dating to the Bronze Age which consists of two rows of six large natural pillars each, with a sharpened stone nearby suitable for slaughtering animals to sacrifice.

Another key clue in the search for the true Sinai is to locate the tribal lands of Midian and Amalek. Moses married the daughter of the Midianite priest Jethro and spent some 40 years in the region tending his sheep, so he was intimately familiar with the territory of the Midianites. It was during this time that Moses had the encounter with Yahweh at the burning bush, which is identified in the biblical text as occurring at the “mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1). There, Moses was told to bring the Israelites back to this same mountain, also called Mount Horeb, after their deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 3:13).

So it has to be located within the tribal realm of the Midianites, in an area capable of handling a large encampment of people. It also must be within the normal grazing range of nomadic shepherds in that day, who rarely ventured more than five days journey from home with their flocks.

Many scholars place Midian east of the Arava desert, but according to Dr. Anati the Midianites lived in the Uvda valley and southern Negev. Based on archaeological finds, he estimates that it might have taken Moses two-to-three days to reach Har Karkom from where Jethro lived, well within a shepherd’s grazing range for those days.

Anati claims the physical aspects of Har Karkom also correspond to the Torah’s description of Mount Horeb. In Hebrew, the word Horev comes from the letters hrv, signifying an “arid or disintegrating mountain.” In other words, it signifies an excessively dry place having insufficient rainfall to support agriculture.

In addition, the Bible seems to describe a fairly easy access to the top of the mountain, as Moses made the journey to the top of the mountain more than once some days. This fits well with the topography of Har Karkom, as one could easily reach its top several times in one day.

Anati concedes the archeological record around Har Karkom indicates the mountain was considered sacred by other peoples long before the Israelites arrived there. Yet he insists this lends the place credibility as a traditional place of divine worship even though it is located in the middle of nowhere.

But one of the main criticisms of Anati’s theory is the way in which other scholars date the Exodus from Egypt, with many placing it in the 13th century BCE, over 800 years later than the time period calculated by Anati. The reason this presents a problem is that Har Karkom appears to be an abandoned site in this later era. But this has not deterred him.

“It cannot be in the 13th century BCE as most people claim,” Anati protested. “I 52 AriseNow

think that Joshua is the beginning of the 19th century, and Exodus is from the 23rd to 21st century. And this is one of the elements which is disturbing many people, and turning many people against this. Very actively, they are trying to shut my mouth and impede me from talking about it. They even stopped financing my research, causing me to go on by my own.”

Nevertheless, Anati believes that he has history on his side, at least if one is to believe a number of ancient Egyptian documents which indicate that his earlier dates may be correct.

One of these documents is the Ipuwer Papyrys, which contains an old Egyptian poem called the “Admonitions of Ipuwer.” There is no agreement as to when this poem was written, but some scholars maintain that it dates back to 1850-1600 BCE. The poem describes a disaster that hit the country, where the rich became poor and the poor rich.

It further describes several incidents comparable to the ten plagues.

For instance, it talks about how the river turned to blood, and the land of Egypt was covered in darkness.

Dr. Anati draws further support from the tale of Sinhue, which describes the story of an Egyptian official who had to flee from Pharaoh and settle in another country, where he married the daughter of a regional chief. The story, first recounted in a manuscript dating back to 1800 BCE, has several features in common with the life story of Moses and thus could be a version of events taking place several hundred years before the more popular date for the Exodus.

Another ancient source backing Anati on an earlier date is the Merneptah Stele, a stone inscription commissioned by King Merneptah of Egypt who reigned around 1210 BCE. The stele was discovered in Thebes, an ancient capital of Egypt, by a British Egyptologist at the end of the 19th century. It is best known for its mention of “Israel” for the first time in historical records. The claim is that if Israel was conquered by King Merneptah already in the 13th century BCE, the Exodus must have taken place much earlier.

Today, many Christians are starting to take greater interest in the mountain discovered by Dr. Anati and undertaking the long and grueling six-hour jeep ride there-and-back to visit the site in person. He recalled witnessing one group of some 100 Baptist clergymen from Germany and America who bowed down and kissed the ground while praying and worshipping at the foot of Har Karkom.

In addition, Dr. Anati remains optimistic that the Catholic Church will officially endorse his findings, given its growing interest in his research and the fact that they have published his book under a more positive title.

“I had a Catholic commission of seven theologians which came many times to see me, and as a consequence of this research the Vatican publishing house ordered a book from me on the discoveries of Har Karkom,” he related. “They commissioned the book and asked me for a manuscript, which I gave the title The Discoveries of Har Karkom.

But they renamed the title to The Rediscovery of Mt Sinai.” www.arisegeneration.org

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Anati contends this means that Catholic scholars have accepted his ideas, even though the Vatican has yet to make a pronouncement. There also has been a full-page article in the Vatican journal L’Osservatore Romano presenting his theory with the headline asking: “Does Har Karkom solve the problem of Mount Sinai?”

“I think it’s already a good step forward,” beamed Anati.

The Christian Edition also approached the Israel Antiquities Authority for its position on the claims of Dr. Anati regarding Har Karkom. Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini, a southern district archeological inspector, responded that Har Karkom has indeed been declared an official antiquity site but she declined to be drawn into the debate over whether it is the real Mount Sinai.

“This is something that belongs to the realm of scientific and scholarly discussion, and usually those things are reached by consensus,” she commented. “So we don’t weigh in about the identification. We respect, obviously, the different opinions.

Whether it is possibly Mount Sinai or not, we have no official stand about that… To be able to say that it is Mount Sinai we would need more written evidence from the site itself.”

With more than 40 expeditions to Har Karkom under his belt and years of toil and effort invested in the site, Anati is not giving up easily.

“I think that in order to have a full recognition, you need people that know archaeology, know the Bible, know geography and have a good sense of anthropology and climatology. All of these things together in one person is very rare. Nobody dares to express a positive idea, because they don’t have the tools to judge, but I hope that this may change,” he averred.

The Bible says that if we have faith we will be able to move mountains. Whether Anati can move centuries of tradition away from Mount Sinai in the southern Sinai Peninsula to Har Karkom in the Negev remains to be seen. But he remains confident that one day the world will recognize his find as the “Mountain of God.” “I know that Har Karkom is Mount Sinai,” he concluded. “There is no other possibility. Some people have told me that I am like a prophet, and that people will recognize the truth only after I am dead. I think it is inevitable that people will recognize Har Karkom as Mount Sinai, but I just don’t know how long it will take.” •

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