December2010-7820

No. 142

In Herzl’s Footsteps

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Christian Zionism under Fire

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Messianic Feud

£ 2.50

Highly Flammable December 2010

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www.israeltoday.co.il

printed in Israel

Politics

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Shalom Haverim,

PEOPLE

Dear Friends,

Aviel Schneider and the isra­el today editorial staff

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Hollywood Meets Holy Land

Arab Press

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Education for Confrontation

Palestinians

10 Palestinians Want Islamic Law Focus on Jerusalem

11 Jerusalem Church Fire Blamed on Jews Perspective

12 Judaism, Christianity and Islam Word From Jerusalem

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14 Be Not Deceived JUDAISM

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15 Hanukkah The Land

16 A Tale of Two Cities Debate

18 In Herzl’s Bed Prophecy

19 Israel’s Hope Christians

20 Christians in Ariel 21 With God on Our Side

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Profile

22 Humble, Holy and Hungry Messianic Jews COVER - THE HOLY CITY is a tinderbox waiting for a match

A few weeks ago I was watching the Palestinian TV show Good Morning Jerusalem,” which left me perplexed. Five Palestinians, currently in Israeli prisons, were being glorified as heroes.

This brought to mind a traumatic event. On October 15th, 1986, Palestinian terrorists stormed a military swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, throwing six hand grenades at recruits from a top infantry division, the Givati Brigade. Dov Porat, the father of one of the soldiers, was killed; 69 people were injured.

Why am I telling you this? Because my brother Michael and I were eyewitnesses and survivors of the attack! I was serving as a unit commander and my young soldiers had just completed their oath, with a Bible in one hand and rifle in the other.

Michael, who was in another unit, was sworn in at the same time.

The attack occurred as we were boarding buses following the ceremony. A car sped up alongside us and grenades were thrown. I remember listening to Elton John’s song Nikita over the bus sound system—when it was suddenly interrupted by explosions. It was a chaotic scene of wounded, screams and blood.

For some, these murderers are heroes. For others they are terrorists. In Israel our soldiers are considered heroes, while our enemies view them as killers. Who is right and who is wrong? Will the politicians finally decide who is right, or does the God of the Bible still decide the right of inheritance?

The same land that is claimed by the Jews, based on the Bible, is claimed by the Palestinians based on the Koran. Even in Christian circles, many deny Israel’s claim to the Land, though it is based on a nearly 4,000-year-old scriptural promise.

It is not easy to establish order out of this confusion, but for the sake of truth it is necessary. This is a challenge that we as a Jerusalem news agency, and you as Israel’s ambassadors, cannot ignore.

After all, it is Almighty God who has the last word.

The Grayeb Family of Taybeh Israel,s Image: Sexy or Holy?

Israel Assesses U.S. Midterm Elections

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23 Excommunication Feud Behind the Scenes

25 Nights of the Knights ARCHEOLOGY

27 Ancient Samaritan Synagogue MILITAR Y

28 F-35: Fighter of the Future Economy

29 AOL Buys Israeli Start-Up In Brief

30 Top British Show Filmed in Israel 31 Kibbutzim Pursuing Volunteers

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Publisher: nai – israel today | Founder of nai: Ludwig Schneider | Editor-in-Chief: Aviel Schneider | Co-Editor & Art Director: Michael Schneider | Senior Editor/Correspondent: Shlomo Mordechai | Editor: Barry Rosenfeld | Website/Staff Writer: Ryan Jones | Managing Editor/Director of Marketing: Lorraine Rubinow | Administrator: Daniel Goldstein Biblical Commentary, Word from Jerusalem, Debate, Prophecy: Ludwig Schneider | Politics, Focus on Jerusalem, Arab Press: Aviel Schneider, Ryan Jones | Messianic Jews, The Land, Profile, In Brief: Michael Schneider, Tzvi Sadan | Military, Tourism, Nature, Archeology, Jewish Affairs: Netanel Doron | Christians, Diaspora, Culture, Economy: Judith Jeries | Islam: Victor Mordechai | Text Advisor: Dov Chaikin | Financial Director: Anat Schneider | Translator: Judith Jeries, Beverly Bayliss | Graphic Designer: Pavel Permyakov, Larisa Kaplan Israel Today magazine – a monthly publication from Jerusalem | 1 Year Subscription: $43 US, IL ,CAD/ £30 UK / $49 US all other countries • 2 Years: $75 US / £53 UK / $86 US all other countries • 3 Years: $99 US / £70 UK / $115 US all other countries • IT Electronic Edition (1 Year): $25 US / £18 UK /$25 US all other countries | Contact information: Israel Today, 1 Shmuel HaNagid St. P.O. Box 7555 Jerusalem 91070, Israel | Tel: +972.2.622.6881 | Fax: +972.2.622.6882 | TOLL FREE ORDERING: 1.866.854.1684 (North America) | 00.800.60.70.70.60 (UK/Norway/) | www.israeltoday.co.il | www.jerusalemdepot.com (subscribe online)

Politics

isra­el today’s interview with American evangelist Hal Lindsey was supposed to appear on this page. But because of pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union and similar groups, Mr. Lindsey is unable to speak his mind freely in today’s political atmosphere.

MEMORIAL to fallen Arab soldiers

December 2010 | 3

BREAKING TABOOS: This PalestinianCatholic family has a positive view of Israel. (Back, from left to right): Raed, Assam the father, and Issa; (front, from left to right): Rana and Michel Photo: John Solsvik

The Grayeb Family of Taybeh T

AYBEH – Assam Grayeb and his family are caught between the hammer and the anvil.

“We Arab Christians have no future in the Holy Land, especially not under the Palestinian Authority,” Assam, 62, told israel today. “For our Muslim neighbors, we Christians are unbelievers; and in the eyes of the Jews, we are Arabs. We are not welcome, neither among the Arabs nor the Jews.”

At the same time, Assam says the Christian minority trusts the Jews more than the Muslims. He may feel that way because his daughter owes Israel her life.

I met Assam through his daughter Rana, 38, who was treated next to a Jewish friend of mine at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She is married to Michel Nasser, 43, and they have three girls.

Rana has leukemia and Michel gets dialysis treatment every other day at the 4 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

hospital in Ramallah. Michel’s sickness was diagnosed three years ago and Rana’s a year later.

Taybeh, the Last Christian Village Assam and his family live in the Palestinian village of Taybeh in Samaria, located on a scenic hilltop about 12 miles (20 km) northeast of Jerusalem. In biblical times this was the town of Ephraim, where Jesus stayed with his disciples (John 11:54).

Clinging to its New Testament roots, it is the last Christian village in the Holy Land which has not been settled

by Muslims. In 1960, there were about 3,500 Christians living there, but most of them left for North and South America, leaving their houses empty. Today, there are only 800 residents left, most of them Catholic.

‘The Muslims Hate Us’ Michel and Rana live in an old house with thick, cement walls. The owner left the country a long time ago.

“Our priest arranged this house for us,” said Michel as we sat in the living room. It was there that I heard things one never hears in public.

“Believe me we are afraid of the Muslims,” he said.

“But why do Arab Church leaders always speak of the strong relations and unity between Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land?” I ask. I mention the former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, a Palestinian, and the current Patriarch Fouad Twal, a Jordanian, who frequently bash the Israeli “occupation.”

“The Muslims hate the Palestinian Christians,” Michel said. “This is the truth and those who claim the opposite are lying out of fear. Look what is happening in Jerusalem’s Old City: Mus-

Politics

Israeli Humanity “It’s unbelievable how much love Rana gets at Hadassah Hospital,” said Michel.

“If you are tired of life, you should go for treatment in Ramallah,” he chuckled.

“There are no words to describe what good care Rana receives.” said her brother Raed, 34. “The doctors are so compassionate and friendly. In Israel you are treated like a human being. The head doctor in the ward, Professor Dina Ben Yehuda, hugs my sister whenever she meets her.”

Then he turned to Rana, who doesn’t speak much Hebrew, and said to her in Arabic: “The Muslims are our enemies, not the Jews!”

Raed and his family used to live in the Jewish settlement of Adam, but when Rana was diagnosed with leukemia, he moved back to Taybeh to help out. His brother Issa, 36, did the same. Their wives are sisters from Amman, Jordan.

The Long Road to Taybeh In 1920, Assam’s grandfather left the village of Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water into wine (John 2). Following a clash with his Muslim neighbors, he fled to Jordan and in the 1930s, his son, Assam’s father, went to Jerusalem. Assam grew up there.

When Israel captured East Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967, the family, which describes the victory as a “miracle,” came under Israeli rule and became citizens of the State of Israel. But they left East Jerusalem in 1992.

“Back then, the priest convinced me to go to Taybeh,” Assam explained. “He said that a Catholic Palestinian belongs in Taybeh so I moved there with my family—but only on condition that I would be able to get a piece of land for a low price.”

Raed and Issa studied in Jerusalem and work there today. In fact, Raed works for a private bus company owned

by Eli Balilius, who was a friend of mine in the army in the 1980s. What a small world! Since they have Israeli ID cards, they can usually get into Israel without a problem.

“Once in a while Israeli soldiers are suspicious, and I can’t blame them,” said Raed. “An officer once apologized after one of his soldiers had yelled at me for no reason.”

No Future in ‘Palestine’ “I love the Jewish people,” Raed said.

“If Taybeh comes under Palestinian rule one day, we will not be able to stay there.

We will go to Israel. As Christians we have no future under Muslim rule. They treat us like animals. Yes, really, like animals!”

Michel is the only one who does not have an Israeli ID card, and therefore he cannot pass freely through the checkpoints. “I am not angry about that,” he said.

Michel hopes to get a kidney transplant in Europe. In Israel, there is a waiting list and getting a new kidney would probably take 10 years. The only way is a

private operation, but costs are exhorbitant. Assam says a kidney transplant in Cairo costs about $110,000.

But Michel still manages to see the brighter side. “I thank God,” he said, “that at least my wife is getting treatment in Israel and not in Ramallah.”

The Messianic Connection Later, I discovered why this Palestinian-Catholic family has such an affection for Israel; it turns out that they attend a Messianic Jewish congregation! They did not reveal this at our first meeting.

“About five years ago, we moved to a Jewish settlement and discovered faith in the Jewish Messiah Jesus from Jewish believers,” said Raed. “We immediately gave our lives to the God of Israel. Every Wednesday we meet in the Messianic congregation.”

But because of the difficulties of traveling from the Palestinian territories to Israel, they also founded a Catholic-Messianic congregation in Taybeh with about 20 members who meet weekly.

As a result, the Grayeb family is caught between the hammer and the anvil in more ways than one: The Muslims have attacked them for being Christians, and their fellow Catholics have attacked them for having fellowship with Jews.

“Our Catholic neighbors are very angry at us because of this, especially the priest, Raed Sahliya, who used to help our family a lot,” Raed said. “We are seen as traitors for leaving the local church. They have thrown stones at us, shattering the windows of our houses and cars. But we keep trusting God who is with us and protects us.” Y

BIBLICAL LANDSCAPE: Jesus stayed in the village 2,000 years ago

By Aviel S chneider

Photo: John Solsvik

lims from the Hebron area have moved into the Christian Quarter, and the Christians there are now a minority.”

Assam, the father, interjected that there have been many Muslim attacks on Christians in Taybeh. “As a Christian I feel more closely connected to the Jews than to the Muslims,” he said. “We believe in the same Bible, right?”

www.israeltoday.co.il | October 2010 | 5

politics

Sexy or Holy?

SIN CITY OR HOLY CITY? Israel struggles with how to market itself

Efforts to brand Israel as ‘cool’ won’t gain it any friends and may turn some away

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ver the past 20 years Israelis have become experts in global business and public relations, taking full advantage of the growing capitalist trend. But one product seems to have escaped the Israelis’ considerable selling ability: their own country.

Israel is in the midst of a rebranding craze that is seeing everyone from the Foreign Ministry to the Tel Aviv Municipality to public relations firms trying to reinvent the Jewish state in the eyes of the world. This highlights a dilemma: Is Israel the Holy Land or just another destination for fun and sun?

Since this campaign is being driven by liberal elements, the thrust of the rebranding has focused on an Israel with beautiful, scantily-clad women strolling Mediterranean and Red Sea beaches, and a tolerance of party-goers of all stripes, including homosexuals.

“These are secular left-wingers who, when they think about Israel, don’t give much weight to our history, heritage, 6 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

etc., and assume by extension that others share their lack of either interest or enthusiasm,” Israeli media analyst Aaron Lerner told isra­el today. “Put bluntly, for these folks, a beautiful girl in a bikini in Eilat is a much more significant reason to have a nice feeling about Israel than the idea that one can literally stand on the steps that our forefathers climbed on the way to the Temple.”

In other words, Israel wants to be a “cool” place for people to visit and spend their vacation dollars, and to hopefully go home with a different view of a country so often portrayed as a land of conflict.

Those behind this effort are likely remembering the 1960s and 1970s, when secular people from around the world were drawn to Israel to experience the kibbutz phenomenon, to this day the world’s only successful, largescale communal experiment. Many ended their time on the kibbutzim with

a very positive view of Israel, and it had nothing to do with religion.

But since that time the Arabs have altered the narrative of the conflict.

Because secular affinity for Israel was based on nothing more than shallow experiences, the new regional story line whereby Israel is the villain has all but evaporated their support. Replacing kibbutzim with bikinis and gay parades is not going to change that, and may actually cause some harm.

Today the people most supportive of Israel are those whose relations to the Jewish state were always based on something deeper, namely, Jews and Bible-believing Christians. Polls show support for Israel in Christian-dominated America consistently on the rise, despite an escalation in the campaign to smear the Jewish state as an obstinate, racist and warmongering nation.

And that support has nothing to do with beautiful girls and tolerance for alternative lifestyles.

Promoting Israel as a land of hedonistic pleasures may end up backfiring by cooling the currently enthusiastic support of Israel’s Christian allies. But in one way, that may be the point.

“These lefties don’t think that our policies are justified in the first place,” said Lerner, “so they prefer to show pictures of girls in bikinis than making arguments that they themselves don’t believe.”

Israel’s dilemma over its image is very much a spiritual battle, and the side that opposes God’s Word has found a very effective weapon. By pushing Israel’s “sexiness” they could dampen Christian support and override any meaningful arguments for Israel’s political and historical case.

Israel is a fun place, full of stunning landscapes and beautiful people that are for the most part very tolerant and accepting. And none of that is wrong.

But it’s also not what makes Israel attractive and worthy of support in the eyes of its truest friends. Until Israel stops trying to “be like the nations” (Ezekiel 20:32), it will never realize the fullness of the support waiting for it, or of God’s blessings. Y

By Ryan Jones

politics

Israel Assesses U.S. Midterm Elections

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ith Republicans seizing control of the House of Representatives in the US midterm elections, Israelis felt some vindication.

“Obama got what he deserved,” Estee Steinberg, a woman on the street in Jerusalem, told isra­el today.

That reflects the popular perception of President Barack Obama in Israel: He is widely seen as a pro-Muslim leader who is bullying Israel to appease the Arabs. Israelis are especially offended by Obama’s criticism of construction in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem such as Har Homa, Ramat Shlomo and Gilo, which he labels as “settlements.” This gives the false impression that Israel is building in heavily-populated Arab areas of the city and prompts the Palestinians to take a harder line in negotiations.

So many observers believe the election will be good for Israel.

“The outcome…is a significant enhancement of Israel’s hand in Washington and in the negotiations [with the

HUMBLED: Will Obama ease up on Israel?

Palestinians],” Yoram Ettinger, a former Israeli diplomat in Washington, told Israel Television. “First of all, the President, who is very critical of Israel, had his wings chopped severely...Congress is going to be much stronger today; there are scores of new House members, and some senators, who are much more pro-Israel than their predecessors.”

The Israeli government took a more diplomatic approach.

“Israel has always been a consensus; we are a bipartisan issue,” said Deputy

Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. “We have support from both Democrats and Republicans, so for Israel it does not matter whatsoever what party occupies the White House, [and] what party has the majority in Congress.”

Palestinians tend to agree, and therefore, they seemed ambivalent about the election results.

“America always supports Israel; it doesn’t matter for us, Democrat or Republican,” said Hassan, a man on the street in East Jerusalem. “The United States is not going to help the Palestinians and it’s not going to pressure Israel. For the Palestinians, this election is meaningless. Nothing will change. Nothing!”

The election weakened Obama, and some observers believe that will translate into less US involvement in the Middle East peace process.

“Obama has these other big projects that he has to take care of first,” Hebrew University political science Professor David Ricci told Israel Radio. “He has to take care of Iraq, he has to take care of Afghanistan, he has to take care of the economy, he has to take care of the health plan, he has to take care of the Democratic Party; and we are not very high on the list.” Y

By Shl omo Mordechai

Bush Reveals Israel’s Nuclear ‘Secret’

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n his new memoirs, former President George W. Bush resolves the mystery surrounding Israel’s daring air strike deep inside Syria in September 2007. In Decision Points, Bush discloses that the target was a nuclear reactor. Syria was caught “red-handed trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability with North Korean help,” he wrote.

The air strike is a closely-guarded Israeli “secret,” even though US intelligence officials leaked the nuclear story to the media. Syria announced that its airspace had been invaded by Israeli warplanes, but gave no details; Israel has never commented on the operation, fearing that exposing Syria’s vulnerability could lead to war. “[Former Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert told me he wanted total secrecy,” Bush wrote. “He wanted to avoid anything

that might back Syria into a corner and force [Syrian President Bashar] Assad to retaliate.”

It was a turning point in Israel’s relations with the Bush White House. “Olmert’s execution of the strike made up for the confidence I had lost in the Israelis during the Lebanon War,” Bush wrote, referring to Israel’s 34-day assault on Lebanon in 2006 that was widely seen as a failure.

Bush’s conclusion has monumental implications, considering the prospects of an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “The bombing demonstrated Israel’s willingness to act alone,” Bush said. “Olmert hadn’t asked for a green light, and I hadn’t given one. He had done what he believed was necessary to protect Israel.”Y

By Shl omo Mordechai

SHARING SECRETS: Bush says Israel's air strike on Syria restored his confidence in Olmert

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 7

PEOPLE

Hollywood Meets Holy Land

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ABOUT-FACE Bernstein (right) makes an admission

ormer Baywatch star Pamela Anderson visited Israel to participate in the Israeli version of Dancing with the Stars with her dance partner, Australian Damian Whitewood.

“I’ve always wanted to come here,” she told a Tel Aviv news conference. “We don’t get to hear about all the wonderful things in Israel, and just looking out my window here at the hotel and seeing the beautiful beach, my goodness, it’s gorgeous! I’m sure I’ll be going back with raving reviews.”

Anderson, whose sex-symbol reputation spreads from Playboy magazine to Internet escapades, donned a modest outfit and covered her head and shoulders during a visit to the Western Wall. Y

New Balance on Human Rights

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uman Rights Watch founder Robert Bernstein had a surprise message for Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon: Israel is getting a bad rap. Bernstein, who is Jewish, admitted that his organization, along with other international human rights groups, is obsessed with criticizing Israel. At the same time, he said, they ignore the blatant human rights violations of despotic regimes in the Middle East, including Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

“Human rights activists only blame Israel and waste valuable time, instead of listening to the cry for help from the needy population around the world,” Bernstein said.

Ayalon’s response: “This is especially important at a time when Israel is struggling with the Goldstone Report [which accused Israel of war crimes in the Gaza Strip], Gaza flotillas and cultural boycotts. It is encouraging to know that the ‘father’ of all human rights activists is watching over us.” Y

JEWISH ROOTS: Beckam has a Jewish grandfather

SEX SYMBOL TRIES MODESTY: Anderson at the Western Wall

Soccer Team Honors Israel

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he Los Angeles-based Major League Soccer team Chivas USA held a special night to honor Israel during a match with the LA Galaxy. Some 20,000 spectators chanted “IS-RA-EL!” in a stadium adorned with blue and white Israeli flags, and an Israeli dance ensemble performed at half time.

Galaxy’s British superstar David Beckham shot the winning goal in a 2-1 victory.

Beckham has a Jewish grandfather, prompting Israeli Consul-General Jacob Dayan to tell him: “I have heard of your roots and I know that your son goes to a Jewish school. We all want to see you in Israel!” Beckham replied: “I want to visit Israel and play soccer there.”

By the way, the captain of the losing team, Jonathan Bornstein, is also Jewish. Y C ompiled by Michael S chneider and Shl omo Mordechai

8 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

Arab Press

Education for Confrontation

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t is often claimed that Palestinian youth attack Israelis because they are frustrated and humiliated by the circumstances of the conflict. What is conveniently ignored is the role of Palestinian incitement.

A political cartoon in the official Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida suggests that encouraging Palestinian children to violently confront Israel is more important than education. In the picture, a teacher gives a lesson on the letters of the alphabet from a textbook. But a young student is dreaming about raising the Palestinian flag over the State of Israel. The child’s pencil is shaped like a slingshot with a stone sitting next to it.

arab Political cartoons

Jews Hated for ‘Love of Money’

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tate-controlled Palestinian media continue to perpetuate centuries-old anti-Semitic libels in an effort to depict the Jews as a people unwilling and unable to make peace. The popular Palestinian Authority TV program Witnesses and Testimonies featured two prominent Jordanian academics who claimed that Europe’s Jews were persecuted and ultimately expelled because of greed.

“The Jews are hated in every society in which they have lived because of their great love of money,” explained one academic. “Their behavior led to the famous story of Shylock about money lending [i.e., Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice], which clings to

the Jews. This is how they harmed the societies that embraced them.”

The host and his guests lamented that the Arab Middle East is burdened with the Jews because Europe no longer wanted them.

Palestinian Media Watch, which translated the television broadcast, noted that there is a prevailing Arab historical revision wherein “Jews never had a history in Israel, and therefore, never would have created and supported the Zionist movement.” Instead, the Europeans were so fed up with their Jewish populations that they invented Jewish ties to the Land of Israel to send them somewhere else.

DOUBLE STANDARD: Israel sees 9/11 as ‘terror’ but ignores Gaza Ar-Ray (Jordan)

GOVERNMENT TRANSITION: One Israeli leader hands the task of war crimes to the next Al-Watan (Kuwait)

State Control of Egyptian Media

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n another demonstration of how Arab states control the media, the Egyptian government has cancelled the broadcast permits of all private companies that provide live TV news coverage. The companies were sent notifications that their licenses were cancelled, and that they must apply for new permits under the auspices of the state television authority.

Critics noted that the move was implemented just weeks before an important parliamentary election and months before a crucial presidential election. The cancellation of private broadcast licenses means the Egyptian regime can now fully control the message that reaches the people.

‘THE SHEPHERD of peace’ Al-Raya (Qatar)

The ‘Settlers’ of Jaffa

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ven though the Palestinians have ostensibly accepted the concept of a two-state solution and “only” seek a state in the “West Bank” and Gaza Strip, they have not given up their claims to the rest of Israel. A PA TV program about the history of the port city of Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv, pictures a Muslim cemetery with the caption: “Jaffa’s holy sites are in the hands of the settlers.”

The term “settlers” implies illegitimacy and that Jaffa is no different from the West Bank settlements which must be dismantled and evacuated.

VOTE FOR WAR: The Israeli ballot box is mounted on a tank Al-Watan (Kuwait)

C ompiled by Ryan Jones

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 9

P A L E STI N I A N S ISLAMIC VEIL: The West’s push for a Palestinian state could backfire

Internet Reveals Palestinian Intentions he peace process is based on the simple premise that T if Israel relinquishes territory, the Palestinians will end the conflict and live in peace. But to set the record

Palestinians Want Islamic Law

straight, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) conducted a survey to try and find out what Palestinians really think.

Based on Palestinian participation on websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, FDD researchers found that “the Palestinian web landscape…is dominated by radicalism.” In their study titled “Palestinian Pulse,” which was published in The National Interest, authors Jonathan Schanzer and Mark Dubowitz said the results show a marked and irreversible rise in radical Islamic sentiment and overall rejection of Israel in Palestinian society.

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public opinion poll shows that while young Palestinians believe their secular government is doing just fine, they would prefer to see it transformed into a regime based on Sharia, or Islamic Law. Conducted by the Palestinian Center for Research and Cultural Dialogue, the poll asked 1,000 Palestinians between the ages of 18 and 30 to rate the performance of Palestinian “democracy.” A strong majority of 71 percent evaluated democracy as either “good” or “average,” and an equal number said they were satisfied with the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories.

The rest of the poll, however, reveals a penchant toward Islamic fundamentalism: • Less than half (47 percent) said they want the Palestinian Authority to remain a democracy • 45 percent said they want the Palestinian Authority to become an Islamic regime in one form or another • 73 percent said that whatever form the Palestinian government takes, it should be either wholly or partially ruled by Sharia Law; only 23 percent support a purely civil law • The nation chosen as the best ally of the Palestinians, with 19 percent of the vote, was Iran; only 2 percent said the US is the Palestinians’ best ally • 59 percent said they are in favor of Iran possessing nuclear weapons • 35 percent said they want to see all of Israel, Judea, Samaria and Gaza become an Islamic state Considering the age of the respondents, the survey’s results are further evidence that the Palestinian Authority has failed to honor its commitment to educate the population for peaceful coexistence with Israel. Instead, the ill-advised Oslo peace process has boosted militancy and radicalism. The poll increases Israeli suspicions about the dangers of further territorial concessions. Y

By Rya n Jones 10 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

PALESTINE ONLINE: The study points to ‘deepening Palestinian radicalism and rejectionism’

“The US cannot afford to discount the potential impact of deepening Palestinian radicalism and rejectionism,” they wrote. “If the online environment is even a relatively accurate indicator of Palestinian public sentiment, the Obama administration should consider the serious risks to Israeli security from an overly aggressive and premature push for a comprehensive peace agreement.”

For years, Western leaders and media have ignored the attitude and behavior of the “Palestinian street” as they push for a land-for-peace deal. Militant rhetoric by Palestinian leaders in Arabic—what they say for local consumption—is summarily ignored, though it directly contradicts their conciliatory statements in English.

The report cautioned that by ignoring these trends and pushing for a peace deal that does not take Palestinian sentiment toward Israel into account, the US is laying the groundwork for an escalation of the conflict. Y

By Ryan Jones

Focus on Jerusalem

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he historic Jerusalem Alliance Church on Prophets Street in downtown Jerusalem was seriously damaged by a fire; and while the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, Arab elements quickly blamed the Jews.

The Jerusalem Alliance Church, part of the global Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA), was built in 1914 on the edge of what is now the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim.

The building is used by a number of local congregations, including Messianic Jews.

Reverend Jack Sara, the pastor of the Alliance Church’s main Arabic-speaking congregation, told isra­el today that there was evidence of arson. He said if Muslims were behind the fire, they most likely would have claimed responsibility, thereby shifting suspicion to Orthodox Jewish extremists.

Orthodox attacks on perceived “missionary” elements in Israel are not uncommon, though they usually target Messianic

Jews. That doesn’t mean ultra-Orthodox attacks on Christian churches are unheard of. In 2007, suspected Orthodox extremists set fire to the Narkiss Street Baptist Church in downtown Jerusalem. The same church was burned to the ground by anti-missionary elements 25 years earlier.

Rev. Sara explained that the day after the fire, the Arab media were the first to visit. Naturally, they painted the story as an Israeli assault on Christian freedom of worship in the Holy Land. Zachariah AlMashriqi, described as the “Guardian of the Jerusalem Alliance Church,” declared the fire an attempt by certain Jews to drive Arab Christians from the city. Palestinian officials followed suit.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh termed the fire the latest in a string of “repeated attacks by settlers against Muslim and Christian holy sites.” Hamas called the blaze another step in Israeli efforts to “Judaize” Jerusalem and another crime “against the Palestinians and their Islamic and Christian holy shrines.”

However, Israeli police say it may be premature to blame Jews because the initial investigation suggests that the fire was accidental. Witnesses from the adjacent Bikur Cholim Hospital noted that candles were often left burning in various rooms of the church building.

Given past attacks and the fact that Messianic Jews worship in the building, it is plausible that ultra-Orthodox Jewish militants were behind the arson. But even if that is the case, it would be an extreme fringe group, rendering the charges that Israel is trying to prevent freedom of worship for Christians absurd.

The statements by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas amount to hardcore hypocrisy. Hamas is the group that desecrated and destroyed all the synagogues in Gaza after Israel pulled out in 2005. And the ostensibly moderate PA boasts that not a single Jewish settler will be left in “Palestine.” These mainstream Palestinians who condemn the actions of a fringe group are the same ones who will make sure that there is no freedom of worship for Jews in the Holy Land. Y

By Ryan Jones

Photo: John Solsvik

BURNED OUT: The fire caused serious damage

Photo: John Solsvik

Jerusalem Church Fire Blamed on Jews

ARSON? Arab Pastor Jack Sara blames Orthodox Jewish extremists

Secular Backlash Thousands of university students demonstrated in Jerusalem against stipends for ultra-Orthodox seminarians. Secular Israelis, who serve in the army and risk their lives for the nation, are furious that while they pay high tuition fees, the ultra-Orthodox, who are exempt from army service, receive government grants enabling them to study for free. Demonstrators carried signs condemning “religious coercion.” Y December 2010 | 11

P e r s pe c t i v e

Judaism, Christianity and Islam

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recently visited with some Torah scholars who told me that the renowned Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook was censored by his son and heir Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook for saying things perceived to be too pro-Christian. So I decided to research Chapter VIII of the late rabbi’s book LeNevuchei HaDor (To the Perplexed Generation).

Rabbi Kook (1865-1935), the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine, wrote that we Jews should not necessarily see Christianity and Islam as negative offshoots of Judaism, but rather a “step in the right direction” for former pagans who now were monotheists. This meant that Christians and Muslims were getting closer to the One God—the God of Israel.

This is apparently what prompted Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook to censor and hide his father’s teachings from the late 1920s and early 1930s, which have only recently been made public.

I am a Jew of the Jews, yet I love the Christians and Messianic Jews. But many Jews both in Israel and abroad have a negative attitude, perhaps even a misguided hatred, of Christians and Messianic Jews. They don’t understand the vicissitudes of history or the development of monotheism in the last 2,000 years.

Approximately 2 billion people today, commonly designated as Christians, believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They believe in the Old Testament and that the Messiah is a Jew from Israel. By contrast, the Muslim “monotheistic” god is Allah Al-Ilahi— the moon-god, war-god or sword-god, whose patriarch is not Isaac but Ishmael.

Most Jews do not know that they share the same God with the Christians, while Muslims have another god.

One of the problems in Judaism today is that much of rabbinic thought is based on the teachings of the revered sage Maimonides, who lived nearly a thousand years ago in Islamic countries. He wrote that Jews were permitted to enter

CENSORED: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook had a relatively positive view of Christianity

and even pray in a mosque; but they were forbidden to enter churches because in those days, there was no Protestantism and churches had statues of Jesus and of saints which were seen as graven images or idols.

commandments such as: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Muslims have another god, another book, and they are out “to kill the Jews on Saturday and the Christians on Sunday.”

It is very hard to change the views of our rabbis today who read neither the New Testament nor the Koran because it is not permitted by antiquated Talmudic laws from 1,500 years ago. Maimonides wrote 500 years before the Protestant Reformation which made many Christians Bible-believers and, in turn, supporters of Israel.

We Jews and Christians must reconcile to save Israel, Judaism and Christianity from the threat of Islam. Today, we hear too much fallacious teaching that lumps Judaism, Christianity and Islam into one basket—though Islam is the antithesis of Judeo-Christianity. But if we Jews do not read the New Testament and the Koran, we have no way of knowing who is the ally and who is the enemy. This means we are in mortal danger from an enemy who has not been recognized as such by archaic and irrelevant rabbinic legislation.

Most Jews do not know that they share the same God with the Christians, while Muslims have another god.

On the other hand, Maimonides also said it was permissible to teach Christians the Torah because they revere the Five Books of Moses; but it was forbidden to teach Muslims the Torah because they believe in a “replacement theology” based on the Koran.

The time has come for Israel and the Jewish People to understand that Christians and Jews share the same God, Bible and Messiah. We share the same

12 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook was a classic example of an important religious leader who did not know the difference between Islam and Christianity. It is upon us, in the 21st century, finally to know the difference. In spite of the differences between Judaism and Christianity, there is much more in common than that which separates us, especially our need to confront the common enemy, Islam. Y

By Victor Mordecai

Jesus in Modern Hebrew Culture

Jesus’ Hair

Stand in the Gap Intercession for Israel

B y Ts v i S a d a n

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord, ‘and do not be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity.’ Jeremiah 30:10

N

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim –

ormally, I try to expose the readers of this column to the opinions of others toward Jesus. This time, however, I submit my own thoughts on an unlikely topic—Jesus’ hair.

In Christian iconography, Jesus almost always JEWISH JESUS or Gentile? appears with long locks. In some images his straight, smooth brown hair reaches to his shoulders; in others it is braided and pulled to the back of his head. Even in the Shroud of Turin, the long locks of the imprinted image match the familiar iconic representation.

Some speculate that the shoulder-length-haired Jesus is derived from images of the Greek gods.

I do not want to criticize the legitimacy of the iconographic tradition. Rather, my aim here is to examine whether this imagery can be reconciled with the Torah, Jewish tradition, and even the New Testament.

It may come as a surprise to some that the Torah deals with the hair on a person’s head. While the prohibition against Jewish men shaving their beards (Leviticus 19:27) may be well known, people are less familiar with the commandment which forbids priests to “let the hair of your heads hang loose” (Leviticus 10:6). This injunction, extended to all Jewish males, has traditionally been understood to mean, “Do not let the hair of your heads grow long.” From these commandments, together with Deuteronomy 14:1-2, which forbids shaving the front of the head for the dead, it is also seen that male mourners are not allowed to cut their hair during the mourning period.

The Talmud is very specific about the time span a priest and a king can go without visiting the local barber shop: “A king has his hair trimmed every day; the High Priest every eve of the Sabbath, and a common priest, once in 30 days” (Sanhedrin 22b).

While bald men could be subject to mockery (Elisha, for example in 2 Kings 2:23, was teased by children who said, “Go up, you baldhead”), long hair was also frowned upon.

Paul says explicitly: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” (1 Corinthians 11:14).

The attitude of the Torah, Jewish tradition, and the New Testament toward long hair worn by a man makes it unreasonable to imagine Jesus with long hair. This seemingly unimportant subject would be a moot point—were it not for the fact that the iconic image of Jesus represents the Messiah as a person totally estranged from his Jewish roots. Y

Turn the nation of Israel back to God and reveal the Messiah. Show Israel that it is called to be a holy people (Exodus 19:6) and not like the rest of the nations. (Page 6, 19)

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Raise up fresh support for Israel in the US Congress and curb the pro-Palestinian sentiment in the White House.

May Jewish settlement in all the biblical Land of Israel prosper and grow. Give the Israeli government strength to resist international pressure for the creation of a Palestinian state. (Page 7)

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Bless relations between ordinary Jews and Arabs in this land. Expose the lies of Replacement Theology and the new campaign against the Christian Zionists and Israel.

Open the eyes of Arab Christians to the dangers of an alliance with Islam. (Pages 4-5, 21)

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Heal the rifts in the Messianic community in Israel. Remove false doctrines and spiritual pride, and bring unity.

Bring signs and wonders in the congregations that more people may come to faith. (Pages 22-23)

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Bless the Christians who are standing with Israel and raise up more servants and intercessors. (Pages 20, 24)

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – As we enter the wettest winter months (December, January and February), we ask you to bring massive rains to a dry and thirsty land (Isaiah 44:3). Fill the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s biggest reservoir which is more than 5 meters (16 feet) below capacity, to overflowing. Replenish the depleted Mountain and Coastal Aquifers and may the dry streams and river beds swell with rain.

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – In this Hanukkah and Christmas season, may light overcome the darkness. O come, O come Emanuel and ransom captive Israel! (Page 15) * Our Father in Heaven

w o r d f r o m je r u s a l e m

Be Not Deceived

By Ludwig Schneider

A

ll the grand metropolises that once dominated the world landscape have been laid waste. The remains of their once great marble palaces and bold fortresses are mere skeletons of past vanities. All that is left in the wake of this unrelenting corruption is the things which are of God. That alone will survive the ravages of time.

But beware. Even false piety will one day hear the scathing judgment: “I never knew you; depart from me” (Matthew 7:23).

When I go shopping I see pictures of fresh fruit on juice cartons, even though they are usually a mixture of artificial flavors. “Natural” juices may have very little real fruit, and other foods advertised as “homemade” contain ingredients shipped in from all over the world.

We live in an age of deception; the only thing that really counts is glossy packaging and glitzy advertising.

This is also an allegory of what is happening in the Church. Worship may consist of a prepared program, with little freedom for the Holy Spirit to move—yet it is made to appear as if it were inspired at that very moment by God Himself.

Don’t forget: Those whom God will one day turn away with the words, “I never knew you!” were boasting beforehand about how they had prophesied, cast out demons and performed miracles.

The labels on the packaging say all the right things; the only problem is that the content is not authentic.

The situation was the same in the days of Noah and Lot. Only a few people were rescued from the Flood and from the fire and brimstone. Now, once again, it will only be a “little flock” that will receive the kingdom from the Father (Luke 12:32).

We watch in horror at the increasing number of natural disasters and other catastrophes that are occurring worldwide. The world’s largest reinsurer, the German company Munich Re, which records every world catastrophe on its computer database, says events have reached an “apocalyptic magnitude.”

In Pakistan, massive floods overwhelm entire villages; in Russia, forests burn for weeks; in Finland, storms rage as never before; in Haiti, an earthquake claims the lives of an estimated 300,000 people; mudslides flatten broad tracts of land in China and an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatens the region’s ecosystem.

This is just a sampling of the catastrophic events that have occurred in the last year alone.

These increasing disasters are simply the “birth pangs” of the last days, which Yeshua (Jesus) spoke of in Matthew 24.

For at the end of the nine month waiting period (the Church age), the labor pains will set in just before His return.

14 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

The pace of these cataclysmic events will steadily increase, while at the same time Israel will be deceived into thinking, “There is peace, there is no more danger.” Paul describes this in 1 Thessalonians 5:3: “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”

We—both Israel and the Church— are in danger of being deceived if we do not return to a genuine faith in God and to following the Messiah. Y

Torah Portions December 2010 (from 24th Kislev to 24th Tevet 5771) The Sabbath (Shabbat) Readings December 1st

Eve of Hanukkah 1st candle lit at sundown (Eight days of Hanukkah, add a candle each day) Daily Reading: Numbers 7:1-8:4

December 4th Shabbat Miketz – It Came to Pass

Genesis 41:1-44:17;

Zechariah 2:14-4:7 December 11th Shabbat VaYigash – He Came Near

Genesis 44:18-47:27;

Ezekiel 37:15-28 December 17th Tevet Fast: 2 Kings 25:1 December 18th Shabbat VaYechi – And He Lived

Genesis 47:28-50:26;

1 Kings 2:1-12 December 25th Shabbat Shemot – Names

Exodus 1:1-6:1;

Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23

Hanukkah

‘FLEE O DARKNESS from the light!’ (from a Hanukkah hymn)

built next door; training took place in the nude, according to a Greek custom. Antiochus had pigs sacrificed on the altar of the Temple, and forbade the Jews, under penalty of death, to keep the Sabbath or the covenant of circumcision.

Then came Judah Maccabee, meaning Judah the Hammer, because of the blows he struck against his enemies.

Joined by the Hassidim (the pious ones), they not only fought the Seleucids but also the Jews who complied with Hellenism. In 164 BC, they drove the Seleucids out and cleansed the Temple, which had been desecrated by sacrifices to idols. Then they planned to rededicate the building to God. As they were cleaning out the Temple, they found a flask containing holy oil that had been

Judaism consecrated to the Lord. It took eight days to produce new, consecrated oil for the Temple.

Then the miracle took place: This one flask, containing enough oil for just one day, burned for eight days until the new oil was ready! This is why, during the feast of Hanukkah, we place a nine-branched candelabrum (Hebrew: hanukkiah), in our windows so that everyone can see: God performs miracles and makes all things new. From the one special candle, called the servant (shamash), an additional candle is lit every day for a period of eight days.

Yeshua (Jesus) also celebrated the “Feast of the Dedication” (John 10:22); this refers to Hanukkah which means “dedication.” In the Garden of Gethsemane, there are precisely eight 2,000-year-old olive trees; under their branches Jesus prayed as the servant candle, revealing to us that He is the light of the world (John 8:12). Y

By Ludwig S chneider

I

t all began when the Greek-Syrian Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes sought to impose Hellenism on the Jews by force. Antiochus, who reigned from 175-164 BC, has gone down in Jewish history as an arch villain.

The cruel way in which he subjugated the Jewish people is vividly described in the two Books of the Maccabees, which are part of the Apocrypha—Jewish writings that were not canonized as Scripture. The Maccabean accounts tell the story of martyrs and miracles, of how a handful of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee, set out to defeat the pagans.

Antiochus doubled the tax load, plundered the Temple, stationed his troops in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and sold the position of High Priest to a Jew named Jason, who was loyal to him and to Hellenism. The Temple was rededicated to Zeus, and a gymnasium (facility for training young men in sports and games) was

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS The menorah is placed next to the window so the world can see the miraculous light of God

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 15

‘O JERUSALEM, THE HOLY CITY! Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments’ (Isaiah 52:1)

A Tale of Two Cities I

srael is a nation of contrasts. There are religious and secular, Sephardim (Jews of Eastern origin) and Ashkenazim (Jews of European origin), dark-skin and light, left-wing “peace” activists and right-wing nationalists, immigrants and sabras (native-born Israelis).

Israel is the Holy Land defined by the Bible and Jewish history, yet Zion seeks to be “be like the nations” (Ezekiel 20:32), a bastion of Western culture in the conservative, Muslim Middle East.

This duality is reflected in Israel’s two major cities: Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem is the Holy City, representing biblical history and spiritual revelation that goes back 3,000 years to King David. Tel Aviv is the 21st century metropolis, known for great restaurants, a bustling night life, concerts and plays, and a free-spirited, do-your-own-thing philosophy.

The popular travel website Lonely Planet ranks Tel Aviv in third place among its list of Top 10 Travel Destinations for 2011. Number one is New York and number two is the Moroccan city of Tangier. It describes Tel Aviv as “the total flipside of Jerusalem,” a fun city on the sea in contrast to a “Holy City on a hill.”

All of this can be summed up in the pithy Israeli axiom: “Jerusalem prays and Tel Aviv plays!”

By Aviel S chneider

FUN AND SUN: Tel Aviv takes relaxation over religion and levity over piety

DEBATE

In Herzl’s Bed

D

uring a visit to Switzerland I stayed at the Three Kings Hotel in Basel, site of the First Zionist Congress in 1897 where Theodor Herzl set out his vision of the future Jewish state. As I lay on Herzl’s bed in room 117, gazing up at the ceiling painted with a scene of the open sky, I was overcome by the pain that Herzl must have suffered for his people, which is said to have often kept him awake at night. He died when he was only 44 years old.

It was not the anti-Semites who made Herzl lose sleep, but rather his fellow Jews who could not foresee their coming destruction though the signs of the Holocaust had already appeared on the horizon. The only thing they could see was their careers, businesses and splendid homes.

Emigrating to Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel, was a pipe dream.

The most Herzl could achieve was to acquire the support of wealthy Jews like the Rothschilds, who financed the emigration of persecuted Russian Jews to the Promised Land.

These pioneers began to reclaim the wilderness, while their benefactors stayed behind in the comfort of Europe.

The same thing is true today.

Believers want to hear messages that make them feel good; but few are prepared to put their hand to the plow and make sacrifices for the people of God. We are certainly looking forward to the joy of the Messiah’s return but not to the birth pangs that will precede His coming.

As I sat at his desk, it seemed to me as if Herzl, who died of a broken heart in 1904, was standing beside me. The famous picture of Herzl looking out from 18 | December 2010

IN HERZL’S FOOTSTEPS: isra­el today founder Ludwig Schneider on the Rhine

DREAMS OR NIGHTMARES? Herzl’s bed

REACH for the sky

FOOTNOTES of history

his hotel balcony over the Rhine River has become iconic. In his spirit, he probably envisioned a “Promised Land” on the opposite bank into which, like Moses, he longed to lead his people. On this balcony he would converse with his trusted friends, including his earliest and closest advisor, Zionist Christian William Hechler. Whenever Herzl felt he could not go on, Hechler would remind him of God’s promises to the Jewish people.

Herzl knew that for the Zionist Congress to be successful it was essential to meet in the best setting possible, so he selected this exclusive hotel. It provided the appropriate backdrop to introduce his idea of a Jewish state to the leaders of his day.

In 2004, Swiss businessman Thomas Straumann bought the hotel and renovated it, leaving only the outer façade. Employing the latest in technology, he reconstructed the 365-year-old building, maintaining its past elegance. Herzl’s room was set up as it had been in the past, with its original furnishings of bed, bathroom and desk.

In 1897, after the First Zionist Congress, Herzl wrote in his diary: “At Basel, I founded the Jewish state. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal laughter. If not in five years, certainly in 50, everyone will know it.” Exactly 50 years later, in 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions, for the partition of Palestine and the subsequent creation of a Jewish state in Israel’s biblical homeland.

And it all began with Herzl’s dream set out in his book, The Old New Land: “If you will it, it is no myth.”

Lying in this hotel bed, it appeared to be a dream; but seen from the vantage point of today’s reality, it was a vision from God. Y

By Ludwig S chneider

P r o phe c y

Israel’s Hope

T

he patriarch Jacob fought with a somebody—this is one possible translation of the Hebrew word immo—and did not let go of him until this “man” had blessed him: “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26). Afterward, this somebody revealed his identity and said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob but Israel; for you have striven with Elohim [God].” Israel means “he who fights or struggles with El [God],” but it can also mean “God’s fighter” or “the one for whom El [God] fights” (Genesis 32:23-33). Whichever way you look at the name Israel, it contains the concepts of fighting and struggle.

Before his death, Israel, alias Jacob, bestows a special blessing on each of his sons (Genesis 49). Yet in the midst of these blessings, he cries out, “For Your salvation I wait, O Lord” (verse 18). The Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshuah; so, in other words, Israel cries out, “I wait for Your Yeshuah.”

This implies that the battle for Israel will only come to an end when God’s salvation, His Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), has conquered all His enemies, and when the heavenly Jerusalem will replace the hotly contested earthly Jerusalem, as it is written in Revelation 21: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will

Moses saw in heaven, and just as there One People is an earthly and heavenly Jerusalem, so

dwell among them, and they shall be His people—there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.” Israel saw all of this in his spirit when he cried out, “For Thy salvation I wait, O Lord”—for Your Yeshua!

God did not want His chosen people to be called Jacob, meaning one who grasps the heel, because it suggests that they acquired their inheritance by means of deceit and fraud. Instead, the name Israel shows that the blessings are the result of Jacob’s victory with God. The Hebrew text ki-sarita im-elohim ‫ כי שרית עם אלוהים‬has a prophetic ambiguity or double meaning. On the one hand it can mean, “You have fought with God and won” and on the other hand, “God will fight for you and win.”

Israel must, as the first meaning suggests, fight both politically and militarily for its right to exist as a nation, for its right of self-defense and for its biblical claims to the Land.

Yet without the opposite meaning, that “God fights for Israel and wins,” Israel would have disappeared from the face of the earth after its first war against the Amalekites. Israel must fight, but it must leave the victory to God. That is the secret of the name Israel.

In the Kingdom of God there is always a dual function. Just as the earthly Tabernacle corresponded to the one that

it is with the name Israel. The nation of Israel has to fight to survive as if there was no God to help it; yet God fights for Israel as if it has no power of its own.

Against this background, we can understand that Israel’s diplomatic and military struggle will continue until it cries out, as Jacob did: “I will not let you go unless you bless me!” This will be the moment when Israel recognizes that its help comes only from the Lord. However, this cry cannot simply be a part of the daily prayer liturgy; it must be born of distress.

This explains why the world is putting more and more pressure on Israel, forcing its back against the wall. It is a reflection of the first meaning of the name Israel, i.e., the combatant. However before long—when Israel can no longer carry on in its own strength— the second meaning of the name will manifest: God will fight for Israel and the nation will be victorious.

With this in mind, we can be confident that the outcome of the current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will be in accordance with God’s promises. Jacob pinned his hopes on God’s salvation, on Yeshua, the definitive peacemaker.

This is what Jesus (Yeshua) was saying in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.” In this context, this could be paraphrased: “The peace you have fought for I leave with you; but I give you the peace I won for you.” Y

By Ludwig S chneider

WRESTLING WITH GOD: ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me’ (Genesis 32:26)

December 2010 | 19

Ch r i s t i an s

Christians in Ariel A

RIEL – Ron Nachman, mayor of the big Jewish settlement of Ariel in Samaria, is a visionary. He was one of the original pioneers who pitched a tent on the hilltop that today is home to nearly 20,000 Israelis and provides a physical barrier against threats to Israel’s vulnerable and heavily-populated coastal plain.

Nachman’s vision includes raising up Israeli leaders who are dedicated to the nation’s biblical roots. And when he sent his daughter to a leadership development course in the US nine years ago, he knew he had found his partners in bringing the dream to fruition.

For years, Nachman sent groups of young Israelis to participate in the courses at the Christian JH Ranch in northern California. Eventually, he

PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL The Bible is part of the curriculum

realized that far more Israelis could be reached by building such a facility at home in Israel.

JH Ranch director Heather Johnston says the ministry she and her OBSTACLE COURSE: Christians are assisting Israelis in a leadership development program

husband run has since been actively involved in raising money for the Ariel National Leadership Development Center and in developing the curriculum. “We have been working closely together on content for leadership development, as the JH Ranch has a lot of experience in that field,” Johnston told isra­el today.

The Ariel Center opened in April 2010 with the endorsement of Israel’s Ministry of Education, and has since been used regularly by schools, universities, the Israeli army and police.

According to Johnston, the Ministry of Education plans to make the Ariel Center part of the official national curriculum and bring tens of thousands of students through the course every year.

“The theory of outdoors learning is question-based, working together in teams, doing obstacle courses, etc., to stimulate leadership development,” Johnston said, adding that it is both physical and spiritual. “The participants also spend time reading from the Bible. The content is based on the lives and experiences of leaders in the Bible.”

Nevertheless, Johnston stressed that the focus remains experiential, and the course is in no way indoctrinating. It is based on the idea that “I heard and I forgot, I saw and I remembered, I did and I understood.”

“We as Christians are a supporting mechanism,” she concluded. “We aren’t bringing an agenda, but we do support the recognition that the next generation of Israelis needs to better know God, others and themselves in order to lead.” Y

By Ryan Jones

S

ar-El Tours • Experience first-hand the land where our faith was born • Grow in a deeper understanding of the Scriptures • Witness the miraculous restoration of the nation of Israel

Sar-El Tours specializes in: Biblical Study Tours • Customized Church Pilgrim Tours • Christian Conferences & Seminars • Bible Colleges & Student Tours 8, Ha Hoshen St., Mevasseret Zion 90805 | Tel: 972-2-533 8000 | Fax: 972-2-579 02 03 | sarel@sareltours.com | www.sareltours.com

20 | November 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

Let us go to the house of the Lord. Our feet are standing in the gates, O Jerusalem (Psalm 122:1, 2)

Ch r i s t i an s

THE NEW REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY is an assault on Christian Zionism

A

merican Christian, Porter Speakman, has released the 82-minute documentary, With God on our Side (www.withgodonourside.com), “to bring a different perspective to some of the historical, political and theological viewpoints we just take for granted involving Israel and the Jewish people.” It could be better described as an all-out assault on Christian Zionism.

The movie claims that Christian Zionists have been led astray by a false interpretation of Scripture and that the Jews are no longer the Chosen People of God. As such, they have no legitimate claim to the Land of Israel.

One of the main interviewees in the film is Israeli Arab Christian Salim Munayer, a proponent of “Palestinian Liberation Theology.” Munayer heads Musalaha, an organization that promotes reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian believers in Jesus. The film accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing and of stealing land from his family, which he says has roots in this country going back hundreds of years.

Munayer concludes that the Jews

and Israel have nothing to do with each other; Israel is a secular state with no connection to Judaism. “The problem today is that people are mixing between the political State of Israel and the Jewish people, and it is very important to differentiate,” he says.

“God‘s work and love and care for the Jewish people has to be differentiated from the state.”

That is reminiscent of the PLO Charter of 1964: “The claims of historic and spiritual ties between Jews and Palestine are not in agreement with the facts of history or with the true basis of sound statehood.”

Munayer turns out to be a faithful servant of Muslim ideology: Palestinian Muslims and Christian are Abraham’s children, and therefore, God’s promises about the Land apply to them as well. Yet ironically, these biblical promises no longer apply to the Jews.

Munayer’s replacement theology is a reflection of a broader move among Arab Christians, especially in the traditional churches. A Catholic synod of bishops from the Middle East, that

took place at the Vatican in October, sought to sever any connection between the Bible and the modern State of Israel.

“Recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the Word of God to wrongly justify injustices is not acceptable,” the synod said in a final statement.

This was explained further at a Vatican news conference.

“We Christians cannot speak about the Promised Land for the Jewish people,” said Greek-Melchite Archbishop Cyrille Salim Bustros. “There is no longer a Chosen People. All men and women of all countries have become the Chosen People. The concept of the Promised Land cannot be used as a basis for the justification of the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of Palestinians. The justification of Israel’s occupation of the Land of Palestine cannot be based on sacred scriptures.”

This is significant because a synod, or ecumenical council, plays an important role in determining Church doctrine. The ruling reverses years of progress toward reconciliation between the Church and the Jewish people, underscored by the visits of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to Israel.

“Theological disputes over the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures disappeared with the Middle Ages,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. “It doesn’t seem like a wise move to revive them.”

The synod and the film With God on our Side have a lot in common: They reject a reading of the Bible at face value when it comes to the promises of God to Israel; they revive Replacement Theology; they demonize Zionist Christians with charges of propagating a false doctrine that causes human (i.e., Palestinian) suffering and bloodshed; and they embrace Islamist ideology by recognizing Muslim claims to the Land over Jewish ones.

Ultimately, they are selling the right of the firstborn for a bowl of lentils (Genesis 25). Y

By Gil Brenstone

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 21

Profile

Humble, Holy and Hungry I

t is not uncommon to hear Christians say, “I wish that still happened today,” when presented with stories of healing, the casting out of demons and other miracles. The focus of our society and even our churches has changed to such an extent that we don’t expect God to use us in a supernatural way.

But Pastor Tal Shefraw and his small congregation of Ethiopian Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) experience miracles on a regular basis. Tal tells the story of a young Orthodox Jewish Ethiopian immigrant who had fallen into deep depression and drug abuse. So mentally tormented was this girl that despite being in her mid-twenties, she was still sleeping in her parents’ bed.

Following years of therapy and medical treatment, the girl was told by doctors there was nothing else they could do, and that there was simply no hope of curing her depression. She decided to commit suicide, but did not get around to it before being introduced to Pastor Tal. She was invited to the congregation where she was intensively prayed for—and she was instantly healed!

The girl accepted Yeshua as her Savior, which infuriated her family. But five years later, her parents and brother are all believers as well. Today, she works at a

SIGNS AND WONDERS: Pastor Tal Shefraw’s congregation has witnessed miracles

hospital helping other people with problems similar to what used to be her own.

In another case, Tal was asked by his wife’s sister to take another Orthodox Ethiopian lady to the hospital. After a painful 12-hour surgery, the woman was told she had advanced cancer and was scheduled for additional surgeries.

The news caused her to panic and to BORN AGAIN: Shulamit was on the brink of suicide when she met Yeshua (Jesus)

hallucinate about people in the hospital declaring her dead. Tal and his wife rebuked these declarations, prayed over the woman, and the next morning the doctors concluded, to their great astonishment, that the woman was cancer-free!

“These kind of things happen all the time because we believe in God like children and do not hesitate to profess what He tells us and shows us,” Tal told isra­el today. “We can preach and teach, but we must also do what Yeshua [Jesus] did, to profess, to heal.”

God is working powerfully through this small body of Ethiopian believers in Jerusalem, and Tal is determined to lay the groundwork for the next generation. His congregation, despite needing a permanent place of worship, is growing; today it includes 30 young people who are on fire for the Lord. Y

By Ryan Jones

If you would like to encourage or bless Pastor Tal and the congregation, here is his contact information: Pastor Tal Shefraw, P.O. Box 31971, Jerusalem 91319, ISRAEL E-mail: taltigi@netvision.net.il Cell: +972-50-268-9999

Me s s i an i c J e w s

Excommunication Feud

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he Messianic Jewish community in Israel does not have any official body or institution holding authority to excommunicate members, nor to enforce such a decision.

Nevertheless, we have witnessed the troubling phenomenon of one Messianic group excommunicating another.

At issue are theological questions that divide Messianic congregations in the Land: Was Yeshua [Jesus] totally a human being?

Can He be the son and successor of David, even if Joseph was not his biological father? Are Yeshua’s words more important and obligatory than the Epistles of Paul and the disciples?

Following a meeting of the “National Leaders Conference,” an open letter was sent to pastors and elders in the Messianic body calling for the excommunication of one of the congregations at Yad HaShmonah (a Messianic community near Jerusalem), under the leadership of David Bar-David. The letter accused the congregation of denying “Yeshua’s death on the cross, the Lord’s humanity, [that] Yeshua was the son of David and [the] scriptural authority of extensive parts of the apostolic writings of the New Testament.”

The letter concluded with this statement: “The conference calls upon David Bar-David and those who follow him to repent and to desist from this teaching.” If this was not heeded, congregations around the country were urged to observe the admonition not to greet members of this assembly (2 John 1:10-11).

Ironically, the initiative to excommunicate three siblings of the Bar-David family came from other Bar-David siblings and relatives. This family feud over theological issues has been simmering for years. It finally broke out publicly through the inter‘STRANGE FIRE’: A congregation at the Messianic community of Yad Hashmonah is at the center of a firestorm

vention of Daniel Yahav, who is related to part of the Bar-David family through marriage. Yahav is a member of the “National Committee” which organizes the National Leaders Conference and which instigated the whole affair.

Gershon Nerel, a Messianic historian and leading member of the congregation in question, explained its doctrine to the Hebrew-language Messianic magazine Kivun: “We believe in the scripture which says, ‘The Son also has life in Himself’ [John 5:26].

Yeshua is a source of life in Himself and thus cannot have died as a human being. We accept that the Son of God came in the flesh, but He could not have been a person like you or me. We accept that the biblical prophecies that the Messiah will come from the house of David were fulfilled in Yeshua. However, according to the Lord’s words, ‘If David calls him “Lord,” how is he his son?’

[Matthew 22:45] He is saying that He is not the son of David in a physical, biological sense. We also understand that there are some inconsistencies between the Epistles and the Gospels. This in no way negates or dismisses the Epistles, but stresses that the Lord’s words have priority over those of the Apostles.”

Nerel says this doctrine does not justify excommunication.

“All these are one-sided accusations, raised against us in our absence,” he said. “It was a kangaroo court.”

In Nerel’s opinion, the excommunication points to a serious problem, namely, the influence wielded by foreign churches and missionary organizations over the Messianic Jewish congregations in Israel. “When people or congregations don’t accept their theological position, they exert financial pressure which threatens the pastor’s or elder’s salary and impinges on the congregation’s activities,” said Nerel. “There’s a direct link between funding and theology.”

Moreover, Nerel says, most Messianic Jews “borrow their articles of faith from the Church and profess them without any understanding of their content. I am in no way subject to Church dogma.”

The National Committee members who signed the excommunication letter include Daniel Yahav, Hanan Lukatz, Howard Bass and Danny Sayag. They were asked by Kivun whether the National Committee has the authority to proclaim that someone is a false teacher or to call for someone’s excommunication.

Their response: “The committee does not hold the authority to proclaim that someone is a false teacher or to call for someone to be excommunicated and has never issued such a call. The National Conference expressed its opinion regarding the issue in a clear announcement [i.e., the letter sent to the Messianic congregations]...The matter speaks for itself and is in no need of interpretation.”

Asked why David Bar-David and Gershon Nerel were not invited to speak in their own defense at the committee meeting or the conference, the committee said that it “sees no benefit in responding to this. This is a peripheral issue and does not address the central point.” Y

By Aviel S chneider

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 23

P ORTR A IT

Patriarch of Faith isra­el today is privileged to present its second

Patriarch of Faith Award to Reverend Gerald Rowlands of Queensland, Australia.

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ev. Rowlands has been a faithful minister of the Gospel for more than 50 years.

He has served at various times as: pastor, evangelist, missionary, Bible college lecturer, and college principal in Zimbabwe, Africa. He has written several books and is the author of the Church Planting Institute Series of Studies. He is the founder and president of Church Planting International, a training course for prospective church builders which is being used in 23 nations. In 2006, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) by the Australian government for services rendered in the emerging world.

God’s mandate to Gerald and Elizabeth Rowlands—given over 25 years ago—was loud and clear and altered the direction of their lives forever. The Spirit of the Lord spoke to them during a Derek Prince meeting: “I want you to get your attitude towards Israel straightened out because the effectiveness of your ministry from now on will depend on you having a right attitude to my ancient people and their land.” A word of knowledge followed describing events that would soon connect them with Israel and Jerusalem.

Currently, Rev. Rowlands serves as president of Israel’s Prophetic Future (www.israelspropheticfuture.org), a ministry that seeks to promote Israel’s sovereign role in the end times. He has a weekly radio program entitled Shalom al Israel, which focuses on the nation’s biblical past and prophetic future. Gerald also served for 10 years as the director of praise and worship at the annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem. In the course of their ministry, he and Elizabeth have traveled to some 70 nations and have lived in Africa, Asia and Israel.

Gerald’s newest book, The Messiah Comes to Israel, was released in July 2010 and is a must read. This intriguing book, available through Amazon. com, encourages a fresh approach to scriptures that promise glorious things for Israel—not in the distant future— but in our times.

The Lord has truly multiplied and prospered the work of the Kingdom through the hands of His servants the Rowlands. Therefore, isra­el today is proud and honored to present them with the Patriarch of Faith Award. Y 24 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

Jericho Marks 10,000 Years

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he Palestinian Authority has marked the 10,000th anniversary of the desert oasis of Jericho, which could be the oldest city in the world. Festivities included a special Cabinet meeting, a military band and fireworks. “This occasion is not only a celebration,” said Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad. “It is also part of a national project to complete the building and preparation of the Palestinian state.”

The city, which is home to the Mount of Temptation where tradition says Jesus was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), is enjoying a boom in tourism thanks to a lull in violence, with some 800,000 visitors a year.

Jericho was the first place conquered by Joshua and the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land (Joshua 6). Ironically, it was also the first city Israel handed over to the Palestinians under the Oslo Accords in 1994. Y (SM) LOST CONQUEST Israel’s loss is the Palestinians’ gain

Beh i n d t he S c ene s

Nights of the Knights

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STREET FESTIVAL: A journey to the Middle Ages

What do you think about the proposal of Israel leasing the Jordan Valley from the Palestinians?

NO WAY!!!

erusalem was transported back to the Middle Ages for a street festival called Old City Knights. The narrow cobblestone alleyways were awash with costumed characters from days gone by, including knights, kings, princesses, magicians, troubadours, court jesters, peddlers and beggars. The sound of medieval instruments and chants wafted through the picturesque lanes and special lighting effects created the atmosphere of a fairytale. Y

The US suggested a leasing period of seven years. But Israel wants 99 years.

Do you really think we will wait that long until we can attack you?

elebrating the Life of the Messiah “And when they had finished all things according to the Law of the Lord, They returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.” Luke 2:39

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It was to remind the Israelites to follow after God and not the lusts of their hearts as written in Numbers 15:37-41.

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A RC H E OLO G Y

Ancient Samaritan Synagogue GOOD SAMARITANS once worshipped here

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sraeli archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a 1,500-year-old synagogue near the city of Beit She,an in the Jordan Valley. The building is believed to have belonged to the ancient Samaritans, a community mentioned

by Jesus in the Bible (John 4) and which still exists today.

The find includes a rectangular prayer hall, measuring 26 x 16 feet (8 x 5 meters), with walls containing five built-in rectangular recesses that probably held wooden benches. The floor features a colorful mosaic decorated with a geometric pattern. In the center is an inscription in Greek reading: “This is the Temple.”

Hebrew University scholar Leah Di Segni, who translated the inscripMOSAIC INSCRIPTION: It says, ‘This is the Temple’

tion, says that the plan of the building, the orientation and the content of the inscription are in keeping with a Samaritan synagogue. The façade of the edifice faces toward Mt. Gerizim, which is sacred to the Samaritans, a people who claim to have roots in the tribes of Joseph and Levi, part of the northern tribes of Israel as described in the Book of Kings.

The Talmud however, identifies them as “Cuthim,” who were brought from Iraq by the conquering Assyrians.

Their religion shares many similarities with Judaism. During the late Roman Empire (4th-5th centuries AD), they are believed to have numbered around a million people.

Next to the synagogue, further evidence for a Samaritan community was unearthed: the remains of a farmhouse with a central courtyard surrounded by storerooms. According to the excavation directors, Walid Atrash and Yakov Harel, the synagogue and farmstead were built at the end of the fifth century. They remained until the eve of the Muslim conquest in 634 AD. Today, there are only two Samaritan communities left, totaling around 700 people. They are located on Mt. Gerazim, near the Palestinian-ruled city of Nablus, and in Holon near Tel Aviv. Y

FRAGMENTED FRESCO: The painting was found near the Garden of Gethsemane

12th Century Christian Mural

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n impressive fresco that depicts Mary and John the Baptist beseeching Jesus for forgiveness on behalf of humanity is now on display at the newlyrenovated Israel Museum. The restored wall painting is quite large, measuring 30 x 9 feet (9 x 2.7 meters). It was uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) during excavations near the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed with his disciples the night of his betrayal and where he was arrested (Matthew 26).

In 1999, the IAA conducted excavations near the garden at Nahal Kidron, under the direction of Jon Seligman, the Jerusalem region archaeologist. The excavations uncovered several buildings that had been part of the Abbey of St. Mary of the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Most of these structures were destroyed by Muslim conqueror Saladin in the 12th century when he defeated the Crusaders.

Although most of what was found was ruins, this beautiful wall painting was exposed in one of the rooms. Only the bottom parts of the figures are visible in the main picture: Jesus sitting in the center, with Mary to his right and John the Baptist to his left. Two other pairs of legs, believed to be those of angels, appear next to Mary and John.

“It is extremely rare because very few wall paintings have survived from the Crusader churches that were built in Jerusalem during the Crusader Period,” said Jacques Nagar, head of art conservation at the IAA. “The excellent quality of the painting was in all likelihood the workmanship of master artists and the vibrant colors reflect the importance of the abbey in the 12th century, which was under the patronage of the Crusader Queen Melisende.”

The painting was restored by a team of art conservators and is currently on display at the new Crusader Period Gallery in the Israel Museum. Y

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 27

MILIT A RY

F-35: Fighter of the Future

STEALTH WARFARE: The $100-million jet can evade enemy radar

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srael has approved the acquisition of the US-made F-35 stealth fighter, one of the most advanced warplanes in the world. Each jet costs about $100 million, bringing the cost of the first squadron of 20 aircraft to about $2 billion. Including research and development, the total cost of the deal is $2.75 billion.

Israeli technology will be incorporated into the new jets to make them

more compatible with the needs of the Israel Air Force (IAF). State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is also negotiating with the US manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, for the development of hydrofoils to be used in the aircraft.

The F-35 is part of the Joint Strike Fighter Program. The jet can be used in short and long-range missions and is difficult for enemy radar to detect.

Israel hopes the first squadron of F-35s will be operational in 2016. Y

Merkava Tank Designer Dies

M

ajor General Israel Tal, the inventor of Israel’s revolutionary Merkava ("Chariot") tank, has died at the age of 85. The tank refashioned battlefield doctrine. Its unique design placed the turret and crew compartment in the rear and the engine in front to improve the chances of survival if the tank took a hit from the front. It enabled escape out the back and room for more soldiers. The Merkava is widely considered one of the most reliable and safest tanks in the world. Y

CHARIOT of fire

Israeli Voice in the Arab Media

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sraeli army Major Avichai Adraee is no stranger to the Arab world. He has appeared over 2,000 times on Al Jazeera, the widely-watched Arab TV news network, and has 500 Arab friends SPEAK THEIR on Facebook. As the LANGUAGE: Adraee defends Israel in Arabic head of the Arabic Media Department in the IDF Spokesman’s Office, he is often interviewed on Arab television. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, he gave 541 interviews, and during the Gaza War he was interviewed 443 times. In periods of major news, he appears between 15 and 20 times a day on Arab news networks.

Adraee says that he never refuses an interview, regardless of the network’s

opinion of Israel. He is thankful for the opportunity to give Israel’s side of the story to a large audience that rarely hears it. Nevertheless, what winds up on the screen can surprise him. His voice is often used over images of wounded Palestinian children and demolished neighborhoods.

“The first interview during Operation Cast Lead [i.e., the Gaza War from December 2008 to January 2009] was extremely difficult,” Adraee recalls. “When it was over, my friend called and said, ‘We didn’t see you for a second. They played your voice while showing horrific images.’ I got so angry, I called [Al Jazeera headquarters in] Qatar and told them to put me back on the air or our relationship would be terminated immediately.

I was put back on the air for another half-hour interview. The first thing they

28 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

said was, ‘You said we didn’t give you a chance to respond. Please, respond.’ That interview was tough.” Adraee says his notoriety in the Arab world is a “mixed blessing.” While his own Facebook page is popular, he is also opposed by two Facebook groups specially created to attack him and his work. One is called “My Enemy is Avichai Adraee.” The second has 30,000 members devoted to closing down his access to Facebook, although so far without success.

“About six months ago there was an article about my Facebook page on the website of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Adraee said. “The article explains to parents why social networks are dangerous, and how Facebook could lead to conversations in which I could brainwash their kids.”

Adraee has been banned by Hamas.

Five writers from the Gaza Strip who met with him were suspended from the Association of Gaza Journalists. Y

Economy

AOL Buys Israeli Start-Up

W

ant to know how to roast a chicken or how to play Eye of the Tiger? Then go online to 5min Media. Learn about the hottest new fashions or what’s popular in health food. It will only take five minutes of your time.

Begun in 2007 by Hanan Laschover, Tal Simantov and CEO Ran Harnevo, with a budget of $13 million, this Israeli start-up was sold to Internet giant AOL for $65 million.

“Our acquisition of 5min Media is the latest in a number of steps we have taken this year to better position AOL to capture the growing video opportunity on the Web,” said AOL chairman Tim Armstrong.

The company specializes in educational Internet videos lasting no more than five minutes. It boasts a collection of over 200,000 videos from over 1,000 media companies.

In another hi-tech acquisition, Google has paid $10 million for its second Israeli start-up: Quiksee. The company develops local content for interactive media, one example being virtual tours. The firm’s technology is regarded as ideal for use in Google’s Street View service (used by both Google Maps and Google Earth), which allows users to view photos of various streets throughout the world. Y

he Ramat Aviv Shopping Mall in suburban Tel Aviv was ranked 35th in a worldwide rent survey by Cushman and Wakefield, covering 269 shopping malls in 59 countries. “The Ramat Aviv Mall really surprised us,” the survey said. “Sales areas are relatively expensive in Israel.”

In 2010, a square meter at the mall rented for $1,804, about eight percent of the cost of space on Fifth Avenue in New York, which at $21,800, is the most expensive shopping district in the world.

Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay came in second place, followed by Tokyo’s Ginza, New Bond Street in London and the Champs Elysees in Paris. Y SOCIO-ECONOMICS: Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz (right) and Knesset (parliament) member and Rabbi Michael Melchior discuss a proposal to give the government a greater piece of the pie in oil and gas discoveries. Since Israel’s natural resources are seen an asset that belongs to the people, as opposed to wealthy tycoons, Melchior suggested that the government receive 80 percent of the profits and use them for social programs. Y

Israeli Is Bank Governor of the Year

E

High Rental Costs in Tel Aviv

T

ZIONIST ECONOMIST: Fischer left America to seek his fortune in Israel

BUILDUP in prices

uromoney, an international magazine of banking and finance, has named Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer central bank governor of the year. “Israel’s resilience during the financial crisis and its aftermath proves that Fischer is worthy of the respect that he commands at the top of the financial community,” Euromoney said.

Fischer has been Governor of the Bank of Israel since May 2005, when he immigrated to Israel from the US at the age of 62. A former vice president of the World Bank, he is not only a great economist; he is also a model Zionist. He left the comforts of America and made aliyah at a relatively late age, but bucking the trend for older immigrants, he speaks excellent Hebrew. Y

SHAKEUP: The people want a bigger piece of the pie

November 2010 | 29

In B r i ef

World’s Top Anti-Terror Force

T

he elite commando force of the Israel Police, Yamam, won the Urban Shield international counter-terror competition held in Oakland, California. It included 27 top-rated police SWAT teams from around the world. The Israeli counterterror unit recorded the highest score in the history of the competition.

The two-day event involved various scenarios in the war on terrorism, from an assault on terrorists holding hostages to neutralizing a nuclear device. Each SWAT team consisted of eight members under a commander. The units from Bahrain and Jordan even praised the Israelis.

“You have brought great honor to Israel,” Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told the team. “You have showed the world once again that we are always one step ahead.” Y

SWAT TEAM Special weapons and tactics

Top British Show Filmed in Israel

Chilean Miners Invited to Israel

I HITTING THE ROAD: Israel in the fast lane

T

he trendy BBC car show Top Gear filmed an episode in Israel. British television viewers accustomed to getting a negative picture of Israel were treated to something more upbeat, watching hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May trying to navigate the dangerous highways and byways of the Promised Land.

The hosts entered from Jordan driving a BMW Z3, Mazda MX5 and Fiat Barchetta. They cruised through the Golan Heights in the North, then headed for Nazareth in Galilee, and finally ended up on the streets of Jerusalem.

The show has been running since 1977 and is the most popular TV program on the BBC. It features three drivers driving various and rather odd vehicles, often through hazardous settings.

There is often a mystery driver hidden behind a dark visor. In one episode, the “stig” (a nickname for a novice) turned out to be famous race car driver Michael Schumacher. Hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide got a look at Israel from a different vantage point—where the rubber meets the road. Y 30 | December 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

srael has invited the 33 Chilean miners rescued from the underground mine shaft for a weeklong visit. David Dadon, Israel’s ambassador to Chile, issued the invitation. Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov describes it as “a spiritual journey to enable them to say a prayer of thanks in the Holy Land at this Christmas season.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the successful rescue an “uplifting moment.” He had a special interest in the event. In his 1987 book Terrorism: How the West Can Win, he describes just such a disaster.

This was not the only time that Netanyahu predicted future events. In his book Fighting Terrorism (1995), he had a premonition about 9/11: “In the worst of such scenarios, the consequences could be not a car bomb but a nuclear bomb in the basement of the World Trade Center.”

Does Netanyahu have a prophetic gift? If so, it might be in his genes; he is a descendant of the Vilna Gaon, a renowned Jewish sage. Y

In B r i ef

Kibbutzim Pursuing Volunteers PIONEERING SPIRIT: Volunteering is making a comeback

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s the country’s first kibbutz (collective farm), Degania, celebrates 100 years since it was established on the southern shores of the Sea of Galilee, the Kibbutz Movement has launched an advertising campaign to lure volunteers from abroad. In the 1960s and 70s, kibbutz communal living drew a steady stream of young volunteers from around the world, and in particular, Western Europe and Britain.

Today the flow has dwindled, and moreover, the younger generation of Israelis has lost interest in kibbutz life. As the children move out looking for “greener pastures” in the cities or abroad, the kibbutzim want to revive interest among foreign volunteers to prevent the communities from dying out.

The recruitment campaign is focusing on European capitals and big American cities, with the cooperation of Israeli embassies and consulates. Efforts are also being made to reestablish contact with former volunteers, through newspaper ads announcing reunions.

Since the Six Day War in 1967, there have been an estimated 350,000 volunteers on the kibbutzim from 35 countries. England ranks in first place with 50,000, followed by Sweden with 25,000 and Germany with 15,000. In the wake of the euphoria of the 1967 victory, an average of 12,000 people volunteered annually. Volunteering plummeted after the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) erupted in 1987 and when the Second Intifada broke out in 2000. In 2001, there were only 100 volunteers.

Volunteers might work with cattle, chickens, crops or in the kitchen. In exchange, they receive food and lodging and a little pocket money. Today, the trend has changed from Europe to South America and even the Far East, with many volunteers coming from Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay, or from South Korea or Japan. Currently, there are about 1,200 volunteers from Sweden, Norway and Germany in Israel.

“The Israel that most volunteers remember is when the nation was still in diapers,” said one kibbutznik. “Today in a country like Denmark, every fifth parliamentarian was either a kibbutz volunteer or married to one.”

Legendary Jewish balladeer Bob Dylan worked on three kibbutzim. Y

BLAST FROM THE PAST: The following celebrities were once kibbutz volunteers: (from left to right) Actress Sigourney Weaver (Alien 1977; Avatar 2009) volunteered at Kibbutz Tel Yitzhak; Actor Bob Hoskins, Kibbutz Zikim; Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, 1991; The Mask of Zorro, 1998; Titus, 1999; Hannibal, 2001; The Human Stain, 2003), Kibbutz Yagur; Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Kibbutz Saar; Austrian President Heinz Fischer, Kibbutz Sarid.

Bibi’s Hotrod

P

rime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu is riding in the most expensive car ever to enter Israel. His Audi A8 security vehicle costs about $1 million including taxes. It replaces the Toyota Landcruiser used previously to transport the Israeli leader.

Its safety features include bulletproof tires, a device that blows the doors off if they become jammed, an oxygen-supply system and an automatic fireextinguishing system. It has a wide-screen DVD player, a refrigerator and a device for keeping cigars moist, one of the PM’s pleasures.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel uses the same kind of vehicle. Y C ompiled by Michael S chneider

www.israeltoday.co.il | December 2010 | 31

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