israel today feb 2010

No. 133

God or State?

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Egypt Takes on Hamas

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Upper Room Controversy

ÂŁ 2.25

E.U. donations undermine ISRAEL February 2010

www.israeltoday.co.il

printed in Israel

Politics 4 God or State?

6 7 8

Shalom Haverim, Dear Friends,

Aviel Schneider and the isra­el today editorial staff

Arab Press

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Egyptian Clerics, Press Blast Hamas

Palestinians

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10 Egypt Finally Seals Gaza Border Focus on Jerusalem

11 Israel, Vatican Spar over Upper Room PEOPLE

12 Supermodel Is Model Ambassador PROFILE

13 Anne Frank’s Hidden Heroine Word From Jerusalem

14 Pressing on to the Greater Calling

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The Land

16 RETROSPECTIVE: The Last 10 Years in Israel Debate

18 Who Caused the Palestinians to Flee?

Prophecy

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19 The Future Role of Israel CHRISTIANS

20 O Little Town of Bethlehem Messianic Jews

21 Are All Jewish Believers ‘Jews for Jesus?

COVER – EUROS FOR PALESTINE: The EU manipulates with money

In the last decade, Israel has gone through a lot.

It began with the landmark Camp David Summit in 2000 with Ehud Barak, Bill Clinton and Yasser Arafat. When that failed, the Second Intifada (Palestinian uprising) erupted in a wave of terror that lasted for years. To put a stop to it, Israel invaded Judea and Samaria in 2002 in Operation Defensive Shield. The Second Lebanon War took place in 2006 followed by the Gaza War in 2009.

During that same period, four Israelis won the Nobel Prize, while two main actors left the Middle East stage: Ariel Sharon and Arafat. Three Maccabiah Games, the Jewish Olympics, were held. We saw the Annapolis summit, Israel’s 60th anniversary, four Knesset elections, the unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, and 10,000 rockets fired at southern Israel from Gaza.

Despite all these hardships, Israel has never given up. During this decade, the population grew from 6.3 million to 7.5 million. Longing for the coming of the Messiah, hope for peace and the remembrance of God’s mighty acts on behalf of His covenant people enable Israel to persevere.

It must have been overwhelming for the children of Israel in biblical times to experience the wonders of God, which we can only read about, first hand. But isn’t the remembrance of it—sustained from generation to generation and engrafted into the collective consciousness—as valuable? Isn’t the memory of God’s revelation at Mt. Sinai, if it is received in faith, equivalent to the actual experience? The word of God lives in our national memory, reaching more hearts from generation to generation. We do not forget that He does not forget us. Praise be to God who has guided us through this last decade.

We thank our readers around the world for their support over the past 10 years and look forward to bringing you the news about Israel in the decade to come!

Bedouin Women in Modern Israeli Society EU Donations Undermine Israel Another False Alarm on Shalit

Archaeology

23 Nazareth Home from Jesus’ Time CULture

24 Kosher Comics Behind The Scenes

25 Hummus War

24 23

eCONOMy

28 Israeli Company Builds Mega-Mall in Eastern Europe In Brief

30 Israeli Cooking Adds Flavor to Thai Food 31 Farewell to the Captain of ‘Exodus’

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 – News About Israel – is published monthly, directly from Jerusalem | One-Year Subscription: $43 (US, Israel); $53 (Canada); £30 (UK); 33 euros (Europe); $66 (Australia); $83 (New Zealand); $49 (all other countries) 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/)

Politics

Basing Peace Talks on the Bible

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delegation of rabbis brought a novel peace proposal to James Cunningham (see photo), the US ambassador to Israel. From now on, they told him, negotiations with the Palestinians should be based on the Bible.

“You must switch the entire approach to the situation,” said Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, chairman of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace (RCP) which represents 350 rabbis in Israel. “We all believe in the Holy Bible and up until now we tried every formula except for that which is delineated in the Bible. Let’s try it!”

Indeed, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal admitted in his Christmas message that man’s efforts have failed. “Our dreams for a reconciled Holy Land seem to be utopia,” said Twal, a Jordanian. “Despite the praiseworthy efforts of politicians and men of good will to find a solution to the ongoing conflict, all of us, Palestinians and Israelis, have all failed in achieving peace.

The reality contradicts our dreams.”

Every time that peace

seemed to be near, Israelis and Palestinians were disappointed.

Peace only moved farther away like a mirage in the desert.

From the Palestinian side, popular Muslim opinion is that peace is only possible according to the Koran. But since America is a country founded on the Judeo-Christian ethic, the rabbis sought to persuade the US to adopt a biblical line.

“We did not settle in Hebron because we had nowhere else to go,” said Dov Lior, the rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hebron.

“Hebron is the city of our forefathers and the core of our nation’s bond with Eretz Israel [the Land of Israel]. God gave the US the power and influence to affect the rest of the world and supporting Israel is the key to America’s success.”

The same can be heard among Messianic Jews, who believe that Israel’s legitimate claim to the Land is based on the word of God. The rabbis noted that the Oslo Accords of 1993, which were hailed by the international community, brought nothing but suffering and sorrow on the Jewish people.

“The past 17 years have proven without a shadow of a doubt that every square inch ceded by Israel to the Palestinians was transformed into a platform of hatred and terrorism,” said Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Lewin. “The land-forpeace formula in the Israel-Palestinian context, besides being a formula that goes against the divine will, is ineffective, obsolete, and an exercise in futility.

Most of all it is a dangerous policy that only leads to bloodshed and instability.”

“It’s all a play of words, there is no peace process,” added Rabbi Shalom Gold. “Why should our enemies want to make peace with us when they see that with terrorism they get what they want? Even the US, supposedly Israel’s best friend, sides with them in demanding a freeze and evacuation of settle-

ments. Is the triumph of Arab terror one of America’s interests?”

Ambassador Cunningham defended his country’s policies. “I definitely understand your pain and concern for the Jewish nation in Israel and their security,” he told the delegation.

“However, I can assure you that whatever President Obama and Secretary [George] Mitchell are doing, it is with good intentions for the benefit and good of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Then he asked the rabbis, “So what is your solution to the problem?”

Rabbi Moshe Havlin explained that the solution lies in the very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.” He said the Jewish response to those who accuse Israel of stealing the Land from the Arabs is that “God created heaven and earth and does whatever He desires, and His desire was and is that Eretz Israel be given to the Jewish people as an everlasting inheritance. It is no coincidence that the words ‘In God we trust’ are engraved on the American currency,” he said. “And adhering to the words of God is the only way to attain a true and just peace.” Y

By Aviel S chneider

PEACE PARTNER? Western-backed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (left) burns products made in Jewish settlements

Politics

God or State?

Who should the people of Israel obey, God or the state?

This question has become the focal point of a heated national debate.

B y Av i e l S c h n e i d e r

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abbi Eliezer Melamed (see photo), head of the yeshiva (seminary) at the Jewish settlement of Har Bracha in Samaria, set off a storm with the following comment: “Relinquishing the Land of Israel is forbidden by God, and therefore I am telling soldiers to disobey any order to evacuate Jewish settlements.”

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Israel’s most decorated soldier and a former army chief, was outraged. Barak, who heads the dovish Labor Party and who is spearheading the government’s freeze on settlement construction, summoned Rabbi Melamed to his office for an explanation. But the rabbi refused to show up, throwing more fuel on the fire.

Barak responded by banning Har Bracha from the Hesder program, in which religious soldiers combine military service with Torah study. Hesder has been very successful, producing some of Israel’s best and most motivated soldiers.

What Is a Hesder Yeshiva?

There are 52 Hesder yeshivas in Israel, a five-year program of Torah study including 16 months of military service. This “arrangement” (hesder in Hebrew) between the Religious Zionist Movement and the State of Israel dates back to the 1950s. The yeshivas are financed by the state and are the pride of the “national-religious” (dati leumi) population in Israel, which seeks to carry out the biblical command to settle all the Land of Israel promised by God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

4 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

A Raw Nerve

obey the orders of the army. Among Orthodox Jews, 64 percent obey the rabbis and Jewish Law first, and the state second.

The Source of Disobedience: God or the Conscience?

“It is a difficult choice for Orthodox Jews when it comes to choosing between God and the state,” Messianic Jewish journalist Tsvi Sadan told isra­el today.

“The settlement movement does not want to separate the Orthodox population from the state because they are loyal both to the state and to God. But as soon as their duties to the state and the Torah clash, these Jews find themselves in a dilemma.”

Sadan points out that the religious Jews are not the only ones facing a dilemma: While the Orthodox are pressured by the laws of the Torah, liberal, secular Jews struggle with their conscience.

At the same time, there is unbalanced media coverage; the Orthodox dilemma is lambasted by the left-wing Israeli media, while the stories of conscientious objectors fail to make headlines.

In January 2002, 51 Israeli soldiers signed the “Combatants Letter,” refusing to serve in “occupied territories.”

Since then, 650 left-wing Israelis have refused to serve in the army due to their conscience, including 27 combat pilots in 2003.

Yet there was no hullabaloo in the Israeli media. So, why is the refusal to obey orders out of a God-fearing conscience more sensational than the refusal from a secular conscience? Probably because it challenges the sacred democratic value of the separation between religion and state.

But for religious Zionists who believe that the State of Israel is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, it is impossible to separate the two. So when the Israeli government makes Gaza to decisions that are contrary to sent was Karov MIRACLE COUPLE: ‘Hesder’ student Aharon year A ed. wound ly critical the Bible, such as the Gaza was and Tsvia d marrie he 12 hours after us youth like pullout in 2005 when 21 Jewlater, doctors describe his recovery as ‘a miracle.’ Religio

The controversy touched a raw nerve because the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is the people’s army and the consensus is that it should be left outside of the political debate.

Many secular Jews were furious, demanding a separation between “synagogue and state.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the party is over,” wrote popular commentator Alex Fishman in Israel’s biggest newspaper Yediot Ahronot. “You cannot have everything: study Torah, serve less than half of the mandatory army service, and still enjoy all the benefits of soldiers who served the full three years.

You receive the same prestige and national patriotic recognition from the people, in addition to taxpayer money for your yeshivas, but all you do is spit in our faces.”

According to a Yediot survey, 49 percent of Israelis supported Barak’s decision to ban Har Bracha from the Hesder program. In their view, Israel’s rabbis must instruct their students to

him are among Israel’s finest soldiers.

Politics ish communities were destroyed, the religious population is pushed into a spiritual conflict.

“We should have screamed louder: “Listen to God!” said Rabbi Ynon Ilani of the Chen Midbar (Grace in the Desert) Yeshiva in the Negev town of Arad. “We cannot bestow total authority on a government that does not consider the Torah.

We must listen to the Almighty alone.”

When Moses asked for a clear decision from the people to return to God (Exodus 32), it is reminiscent of the current situation. Israel’s rabbis ask the politicians to make clear decisions according to God’s will.

Messianic congregation leader Meno Kalischer pointed to Romans 13 and the requirement to obey the governing authorities. “This applies even to the evacuation of Jewish settlements in Eretz Israel [the Land of Israel],” he said. “However, if government actions diametrically oppose God’s commandments, like the murder of war prisoners, the prohibition of prayer or the denial of your own faith, soldiers are allowed to disobey orders.

But they must be prepared to accept the legal punishment, like in Daniel 3 and 6.”

So every Israeli, national-religious, left-liberal or Messianic has his own reasons to refuse an army order. Kalischer says there will only be a united Israel when all the people recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah.

‘HE TRAINS MY HANDS FOR WAR, AND MY FINGERS FOR BATTLE’ (Psalm 144:1) Faith and army service go hand-in-hand, but sometimes they can clash

‘God Is Israel’s Secret Weapon’ “The truth will be revealed,” said religious commentator Tsvi Ben Gedalyahu. “The state fears that Israeli society trusts more in God than in the army.

God is Israel’s secret weapon, and Israel will lose His blessing if it forgets who bestowed the miraculous victory of the Six Day War in 1967. The arrogance of the secular war heroes caused the surprise attack of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when Israel was unprepared and paid a heavy price.”

More than three decades later the tension between God and the state is still being played out in the Israeli army. The IDF is led by secular generals who fear a mutiny among religious soldiers, especially in the event of an Israeli withdrawal from parts of Judea and Samaria under a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

The army has become the battleground in a conflict between ancient biblical laws and the modern Jewish state.

The Settlers and the Maccabees Despite the tension between religion and state, the settlers are held in high esteem by the Israeli public. According to a Ynet poll, 51 percent of the secular population compare the settlers to the Maccabees, the heroes of Hanukkah. The same comparison

was drawn by 69 percent of religious and 58 percent of traditional Jews.

The Maccabees were rivals of the Seleucid Empire under King Antiochus, who founded the royal and priestly caste of the Hasmoneans (165-63 BC).

The settlers are widely seen as the heirs of these Jewish freedom fighters who overthrew pagan rule and rededicated the Temple to the God of Israel. While much of secular Israel has grown weary, soft and materialistic, the settlers still have the ideological, pioneering spirit of Zionism.

The settler rabbis say God gave the Promised Land to the Jewish people as an inheritance, and therefore no Israeli government has the right to hand it over to the Gentiles. For the Orthodox, the secular governments that have ceded land to the Palestinians are like the Hellenistic Jews in the time of the Maccabees who assimilated to foreign rule and forgot about God. This points to a widening rift between religious and secular Israelis, akin to the gap between the Maccabees and the Hellenistic Jews.

Jewish believers in Yeshua find themselves somewhere in between.

“We are obligated to follow the laws of the state and not fight against them,” says Messianic Jewish historian Gershon Nerel. “We cannot take the law into our own hands. We do what we can and God will handle the rest.” Y

Politics

Bedouin Women in Modern Israeli Society

BREAKING MORÉS Traditional Arab women find a place in the modern Jewish state

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resident Shimon Peres welcomed 20 Bedouin women from the Negev desert to his official residence in Jerusalem. From a conservative, nomadic and once-primitive Muslim society, these women have come a long way in the Jewish State of Israel.

“You are brave Bedouin women,” Peres said. “The message that you pass along will bring hope to many hearts in Israel.”

The women told Peres their life stories and about their achievements

in medicine, education, business, social work and family. Among them was Israel’s first Bedouin nurse who works in the Oncology Department of Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. Others included a businesswoman who sells Bedouin cosmetics, one in management at a university, the director of an art gallery, the founder of a library, and a dietician.

“Everything you told me makes me very happy,” Peres said. “You are making an important contribution to Israeli society.”

The life of Bedouin women is not easy. They are torn between a modern, progressive and westernized Jewish society and the traditional Bedouin world where women play a subservient role to men and working outside of the home is frowned upon.

About 250,000 Bedouins live in Israel, mostly on the southern edge of the Judean desert and in the Negev. These Arab nomads stayed in Israel during the War of Independence and afterward received Israeli citizenship.

Even though polygamy is prohibited in Israel, it is still common among Bedouins to have many wives. To get around the law, the additional wives do not have legal status. There are more than 6,000 “unmarried” Bedouin women registered with the Ministry of Interior who are mothers at the same time. The annual birthrate among the Bedouin is 5.5 percent and the population doubles every 13 years.

Unlike other Israeli Arabs (excluding the Druze), the Bedouin serve in the army. Many have taken military careers serving as trackers. Y

By Aviel S chneider

Rabbis, Settlers Make Amends at Palestinian Village

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hen a mosque in the Palestinian village of Yassuf in Samaria was torched by militant Jewish settlers, the people of Israel felt remorse.

“This was how the Holocaust began, the tragedy of the Jewish people in Europe” said Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who visited the mosque a few days after the arson. “I came to express my disgust with this horrible deed.”

Rabbis from the Jewish settlement movement, regarded as archenemies by the Palestinian population, also came to seek reconciliation. The army did not allow them into the village for security reasons, so they met with Palestinian community leaders at the nearby Tapuach Junction.

“Light covers the darkness and love overcomes hate,” said Rabbi Menachem Fruman of the settlement of Tekoa, where the biblical Prophet Amos once lived (Amos 1:1). “We must not forget that this land belongs to God, the Almighty alone.”

Rabbis and other settlers gave out new copies of the Koran because many of the Muslim holy books were destroyed in the fire.

“We want to create a new relationship with the Palestinians,” said Rabbi Fruman. “People like us can resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians because it is a re6 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

‘LOVE OVERCOMES HATE’: The torching of a mosque provides a rare opportunity for reconciliation

ligious and not a territorial dispute. The ones who torched the mosque are sinners against God and the Bible. They should be expelled from the Land.”

The Palestinian villagers were moved by the visit of the settlers.

“I was surprised that they came to apologize for something they did not do,” a resident named Iyad told isra­el today. “If the tables were turned, I cannot imagine Muslim clerics and sheiks would go to the Jews and apologize. But honestly, now I know that we can live in peace.” Y

By Aviel S chneider

Cover Story

E.U. Donations Undermine Israel

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srael’s right-wing government has confronted the European Union, demanding that it provide a secret list of donations to left-wing and pro-Palestinian Israeli organizations.

These donations total a whopping 50 million Euros ($72 million) a year.

“The EU is interfering in internal Israeli affairs,” a senior official in the Foreign Ministry told isra­el today.

“The EU is undermining Israeli policy.

Donations to political organizations require transparency, in Israel as well as in Europe.”

Several countries, including the Netherlands, agreed to Israel’s demand and provided the lists of Israeli organizations receiving donations. But the most influential countries, including Britain, France and Germany refused.

“Why does the EU donate secretly?” asked the official. “There are many humanitarian organizations financed by Europe and it does not bother us. But there is a serious problem when Europe-

‘OPPONENTS OF PEACE’: Peace Now, a recipient of EU funds, put out this poster equating Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (left) with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

an money supports organizations with a hostile agenda to the State of Israel.”

Among the Israeli organizations the official named as receiving EU money are: Peace Now, an extreme left-wing group which monitors Israeli settlement construction and reports to the international community; the pro-Palestinian human rights group B’tselem; Machsom Watch, which monitors Israeli checkpoints; Breaking the Silence, which publishes testimonies of Israeli soldiers about alleged army atrocities, usually without any evidence; the Geneva Initiative, which supports an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders and dismantling all settlements; IrAmim, which criticizes Israeli policy in disputed East Jerusalem; and Adallah, which monitors “discrimination” against the Israeli Arab population.

These groups have a lot of influence abroad, especially Peace Now which can be credited with playing a key role in the settlement freeze imposed on Israel by the US. “These are political organizations which have a negative impact on the State of Israel,” the official said. “No country would allow such interference in its internal affairs. This has to stop.”

The EU did not deny the Israeli charges and explained that European donations are meant to counterbalance the large sums of American money which flow into right-wing organizations. But these secret donations cannot be compared to the private donations from the US. The American money does not come from the US government, while the European donations come directly from the EU Treasury.

Many Israelis are outraged by this EU support since the recipient groups are not part of the mainstream, are on the extreme left, have a pro-Palestinian agenda, promote boycotts of the settlements and give the Jewish state a

BUYING INFLUENCE: The EU is funding Israeli groups with an anti-Israel agenda

bad name abroad. These organizations also play a role in the international allegations of war crimes and attempts

by British and Spanish courts to arrest senior Israeli officers and politicians and bring them to trial.

“Many of these organizations stand behind the human rights allegations against Israel, both in the Israeli Supreme Court and in the International Court of Justice in The Hague,” says Gerald Steinberg who heads the NGO Monitor, a non-governmental organization whose stated aim is to stop other NGOs from promoting “ideologically motivated anti-Israel agendas.”

“They are tarnishing Israel’s image abroad,” Steinberg told isra­el today.

“There is no justification for this attempt to manipulate Israeli society by giving large amounts to a narrow group of organizations. The European Union is using secretive and undemocratic methods to influence public opinion.” Y

By Aviel S chneider

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

Politics

AHMAD SA’ADAT is the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a radical PLO faction. He was convicted by Israel of masterminding the assassination of Israeli Cabinet Minister Rechavam Ze’evi in 2001.

Israeli forces seized Sa’adat from a Palestinian jail in Jericho in 2006.

TERRORIST BLACKMAIL These four arch-terrorists are among the 1,000 Palestinian prisoners Hamas is demanding in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

ABBAS AL SAYED of Hamas is the mastermind of the notorious Passover Massacre in Netanya in 2002, in which 30 people were killed. He was also behind another suicide attack at a Netanya mall in which five Israelis died. He was sentenced ABDALLAH BARGHOUTI of Hamas to 35 life terms in prison. is blamed for the deaths of 67 Israe-

lis. He masterminded four suicide bombings, targeting a bus in Tel Aviv, Café Moment and Sbarro in Jerusalem, and a club in Rishon LeZion. He is serving 67 life terms.

MARWAN BARGHOUTI of Fatah was the leader of the Second Palestinian Uprising.

He planned attacks on Tel Aviv’s seafood market, a wedding hall in Hadera, Jerusalem’s pedestrian mall and the roadside ambush of a well-known settler couple.

Barghouti is serving five life terms.

Another False Alarm on Shalit

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fter a month of almost hysterical rumors in the Arab and Israeli media that the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was imminent, hopes were dashed once again. Under the emerging deal, Israel would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, who was captured by Hamas gunmen more than three years ago in a cross-border raid and is being held in the Gaza Strip. The sticking point is dozens of hardcore terrorists responsible for deadly attacks, whom Israel is reluctant to release.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is caught between a rock and a hard place. Releasing terrorists would harm Israeli security and deterrence, but he is under pressure from Shalit’s family which has launched a very public campaign for his release.

“We are waiting for decisions, and we think it’s about time to decide and conclude this issue,” said the soldier’s father Noam Shalit.

But fearing that releasing Hamas military leaders to their homes could 8 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

spark a new intifada (uprising) and a wave of terror from Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank), Netanyahu attached a tough new condition. According to state-run Israel Television, Israel is demanding the deportation of 125 terrorists with blood on their hands to Gaza or abroad.

“This is a reasonable, sensible demand by Israel,” says Israeli counter-terrorism expert Yossi Melman. “[After all], we are going to release terrorists who have been involved in horrific acts of murder and violence and terrorism.”

But it was clear from the outset that Hamas would reject the demand. “I don’t think that Hamas would change its spots, would compromise,” Melman said.

And why should it. The negotiations have dragged on for years and every time Hamas rejects a proposal, Israel comes back with a better offer.

Israel seems desperate to end the affair; Hamas is biding its time. And this time as well, Hamas said no.

“Israel is stubborn and is zigzagging,” said Hamas leader Khaled

Mashaal. “But in the end, Israel will have no choice but to give in to our demands and release all the prisoners on the list.”

Israel has made lopsided prisoner swaps in the past, setting a precedent with the notorious Jibril Agreement in 1985, in which 1,150 Arab terrorists were traded for three Israeli soldiers.

Two years later, the intifada (Palestinian uprising) erupted.

Israeli analyst Dan Schueftan says this government should not repeat the same mistake. “I don’t think anybody will accept responsibility for the hundreds of Israelis that will be killed, either directly by the people we will release, or by the kind of confidence building that the terrorists will have all over the Middle East, not only in Hamas but throughout the area,” he said. “All the radicals will be encouraged and terrorism will surge.”

But many other Israelis say it is part of the national ethos to bring the captive soldier home at any price. Y

By Shl omo Mordechai

Arab Press

Egyptian Clerics, Press Blast Hamas

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he killing of an Egyptian solder by a Hamas sniper during a Palestinian protest over the underground wall being constructed on the Gaza border (see page 10) brought furious reaction from Muslim preachers during Friday prayers across Egypt. The London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that the verbal assault on Hamas took place in thousands of mosques.

An imam at the Ibad el-Rahman Mosque in Cairo asked the sniper, “What will you tell your god now?”

The preacher at Cairo’s Al-Rahma Mosque said Hamas is to blame for the crippling blockade on Gaza: “Its leaders want to stay in power, even at the cost of their own people’s expulsion and starvation.” He called the Egyptian soldier

a shahid (martyr) and said the sniper who killed him would “be sent to hell” if he does not repent.

The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram published an editorial titled, “Killing Egyptians won’t liberate Palestine.”

“Did anyone ever imagine that Egyptian blood would be spilled by a Palestinian?” the editorial said. “A Hamas sniper mustered all of his false courage, pointed his weapon and killed his Egyptian, Arab and Muslim brother.

Does this make any sense?”

An editorial in the Egyptian daily Al Watan said, “Just as Egypt’s fighter squadrons taught Libya’s leaders a lesson in 1977 by bombing them, the gang in Gaza [Hamas] demands the same treatment.”

arab Political cartoons

SAW OF DAMOCLES over Dome of the Rock

‘Jews Source of All Evil’ Taysir al-Tamimi, the Chief Justice of the Palestinian Islamic Court, said the Jews are the source of all evil. “The Koran says clearly that the Jews have no wisdom or understanding and only break contracts,” the sheikh told government-run Voice of Palestine Radio. “Throughout history, Jews have lied, faked and defamed to cover up their aggression. The Jews steal land, desecrate holy places, destroy homes and kill mothers and children.”

STAMPED out Akbar al-Khalij (Bahrain)

Abbas Makes Terrorists National Heroes

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he government-run Palestinian media was full of praise for three Fatah terrorists gunned down by Israeli commandos in a lightning raid, just two days after they killed a 45-year-old Jewish settler and father of seven in a roadside ambush. They were labeled as “martyrs” by Palestinian leaders, in clear violation of the “Roadmap” peace plan which prohibits incitement.

Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent his personal emissary to visit the bereaved families in the town of Nablus, according to Palestinian Television: The envoy “conveyed condolence letters from the President to the fighters’ families and informed them of his decision to declare them shahids [martyrs] of the Palestinian revolution.”

Another Palestinian leader visited the families in person, according to

the official Wafa news agency: “Prime Minister Salam Fayyad visited the city of Nablus…and presented condolences to the families of the three martyrs who were murdered by the occupation forces.”

Abbas also honored the memory of the notorious female terrorist Dalal Mughrabi by symbolically celebrating her 50th birthday. Mughrabi led the worst terror attack in Israel’s history in 1978, when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and killed 37 civilians.

Palestinian officials attended the gala ceremony and were entertained by a children’s marching band.

The text on the giant banner carrying Mughrabi’s portrait read: “Under the auspices of President Mahmoud Abbas…[we celebrate] the birth of the bride of the cosmos, the shahida (martyr) Dalal Mughrabi.”

TOLL FREE ORDERING: 1.866.854.1684 (N. America) 00.800.60.70.70.60 (UK/Norway)

AMERICAN SHIELD The US provides cover for Israeli atrocities

ON YOUR MARK Israel shoots the peace dove at the starting line

C ompiled by Shl omo Mordec hai

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

P A LESTI N I A N S

Egypt Finally Seals Gaza Border

ARAB vs. ARAB: Egyptian troops face off with Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border

A year after the Gaza War, the noose tightens around Hamas

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he rumble of heavy equipment on the Egyptian side of the border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip signaled that a major change was afoot. A massive drill squiggled through the sandy soil creating deep holes, a crane lowered steel beams into the ground and a powerful jackhammer pounded them into place. Egyptian troops in armored personnel carriers mounted with machine guns guarded the worksite as armed Hamas guards looked on and shouted occasional insults.

After years of turning a blind eye to Palestinian smuggling through a network of tunnels under the border, Egypt suddenly reversed course. The construction of an underground steel wall could slice through hundreds of tunnels along the nine-mile (14-kilometer) frontier, cutting off a lifeline to Hamas and tightening Israel’s already crippling blockade.

Before Israel’s three-week invasion of Gaza a year ago, there were about 3,000 tunnels used to smuggle weapons, gasoline, food and other goods, bypassing the Israeli blockade. Though most of the tunnels were destroyed in Israeli air strikes, nearly 400 are still operational and provide a lifeline to impoverished Gaza.

But since the Gaza War, Egypt has been under mounting pressure from Israel and the US to cut off weapons smuggling to Hamas. And Egypt has interests of its own: It fears that the Islamic militancy in Gaza could spread across the border and destabilize the country. The pro-Western Egyptian government already faces a threat from the radical Muslim Brotherhood, and the two-way flow of weapons and terrorists from Gaza could threaten the lucrative tourist industry in the Red Sea resorts of the Sinai Peninsula.

Egypt also had a bone to pick with Hamas, which has rebuffed Cairo’s efforts to bring reconciliation with the Fatah faction in the “West Bank” led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Fearing that its only conduit to the outside world was being cut off, a move that could destabilize the Islamist regime, Hamas reacted furiously, organizing a protest on the Egyptian border.

“This terrible wall will not force the Palestinian people to retreat or surrender!” shouted Hamas official Mushir alMasri in a fiery speech.

That incited the crowd which began throwing stones at Egyptian soldiers across the border. Shots rang out from both sides, and an Egyptian soldier in a watchtower was shot dead by a Hamas sniper.

Now Hamas was really in hot water. Isolated by Israel and the West, the last thing the terror group needed was a confrontation with its powerful neighbor, Egypt, the traditional leader of the Arab world.

Hamas quickly sought damage control, expressing regret over the killing of the soldier. “We are carrying out an investigation ...[which] aims to arrive at the truth and to put measures in place that ensure Palestinian-Egyptian relations are protected,” said Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

But Egypt was furious (see page 9). “For the one-thousandth time we say to the Gaza Gang [Hamas], which claims to be heroic while its members are sleeping in palaces in Damascus and eating whatever they wish while their people are hungry, and who are wearing fur while their people are shivering from cold, that the day of judgment has arrived,” wrote Muhammad Ibrahim, editor of the Egyptian daily AlGomhuria. “Never in history has a gang succeeded in imposing its will on a state [Egypt].”

The Egyptian wall and Israel’s new Iron Dome rocket defense system (see page 22) are putting a double-squeeze on Hamas a year after the group was routed in the Gaza War. And there are signs of discontent on the streets. When Hamas sounded air raid sirens and called for two minutes of silence to mark the first anniversary of the war, the public at large was indifferent. Traffic zoomed by and people kept walking down the streets, ignoring the sirens and the commemoration. Y

By Shl omo Mordechai TARGETING THE TUNNELS: Egypt is building an underground wall to curb Hamas weapons smuggling

Focus on Jerusalem LAST SUPPER: ‘And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there’ (Luke 22:12)

Israel, Vatican Spar over Upper Room

THE JEWS AND JESUS: Israel sees one of Christianity’s holiest sites as its own

T

hough Israel and the Vatican have come a long way toward reconciliation after centuries of troubled relations, there is a new focal point of contention: the Upper Room, the site where Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated the Last Supper, in Jerusalem’s Old City. A delegation headed

by Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon paid a visit to the Vatican to tell Church officials what they did not want to hear: The Upper Room “is part and parcel of Jerusalem, and nobody can expect us to split sovereignty or possession,” Ayalon said.

The Upper Room was constructed by the Crusaders in the 12th century, and in 1340 it passed into the custody of the Franciscans, a Catholic order that is responsible for many of the Christian holy places in the Land of Israel. The Muslim Ottoman Turks seized control of the site, also known as the Cenacle, in 1552. Since establishing ties with the State of Israel in 1993, the Vatican has been trying to get it back.

However, the place is also sacred to Jews because it is on Mount Zion next to King David’s Tomb.

“Regarding the Last Supper room, it has a long history,” the Israeli envoy to the Vatican, Motti Levy, told Israel Radio.

The Vatican’s “old dream is to restore past glory. [However], it has not been in their hands for 400 years, and I don’t foresee a change in the near future.”

The dispute is not only about religious heritage, but also about sovereignty. Israel fears that relinquishing the site could strengthen Vatican and UN demands for the internationalization of Jerusalem, which the Jewish state sees as its sovereign, undivided and eternal capital.

“It is crucial to secure the freedom of worship in this city,” said Franciscan priest David Jaeger. “All three monotheistic religions have to be treated equally…Since the holy places of Christians, Muslims and Jews are centered in ‘JESUS, SON OF DAVID’ (Mark 10:47) The site is sacred to Jews because of David’s Tomb

Jerusalem, its future status is a highly sensitive question in the interfaith dialogue.”

Relinquishing Israeli sovereignty over the Upper Room would mean it would legally belong to the Vatican, and that any Israeli request to pave roads or develop infrastructure in the area would have to be approved by the Holy See. It would also bolster Vatican demands for sovereignty over other holy sites such as the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Church of All Nations (Gethsemane) on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (Tabgha) on the Sea of Galilee.

Pope Benedict brought up the issue of the Upper Room during his visit to Israel last year, prompting an unequivocal statement from the Chief Rabbinate: “According to Halacha [Jewish Law], it is prohibited for any person to assist in transferring property in the Land of Israel to the Vatican, including the holy places that are the heart and essence of the people of Israel.” Y

By Shl omo Mordechai

February 2010 | 11

People

Supermodel Is Model Ambassador

F

IRELAND STANDS WITH ISRAEL She says the reason is her Christian faith

ormer American supermodel Kathy Ireland visited Israel in her new role as international ambassador of Holyland Heroes, a new Friends of Sheba Medical Center campaign to raise awareness and support for wounded soldiers and terror victims. She attributes her unwavering support for Israel to her Christian faith.

“Admittedly, I’m led to support Sheba through my faith, but we need not be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic or atheist to understand Israel’s survival is critical to our survival,” Ireland said. “Too often Israel is portrayed as aggressive when she acts only to protect her people and the cause of freedom in the world.”

Ireland has graced the prestigious cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition three times and today is CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a design and marketing firm with annual sales of $1.4 billion. Friends of Sheba selected Ireland for “her amazing appeal…her complete passion for Israel as a pro-Israel Christian and her willingness to take the public heat when talking about the virtues of Israel publicly.”Y

Zionist Sheikh Muslim cleric Abdul Hadi Palazzi of Italy, who is dubbed the “Zionist Sheikh,” visited Israel and toured Jerusalem, the Knesset and Hebron. “It’s normal, according to traditional Islam, to recognize the right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel,” he said. He also blasted the government’s freeze on settlement construction: “I think that Israel should allow the settlements to grow in every part of the Land of Israel.” Palazzi is seen here at the Gush Katif Museum, commemorating the 21 former Jewish settlements of Gaza. Y SHEIKHING THINGS UP: Palazzi speaks out

Israeli Arab Beauty Queen Manar Dabah, from the village of Deir alAsad near Haifa, has been crowned Miss Israeli Arab. The beauty contest, held in the town of Shfaram, was organized by the Arab communities of Israel.

Manar is doing pharmaceutical studies at Arbed University in Jordan. Defeating 10 other contestants, she received a prize of jewelry and 20,000 shekels ($5,450) in cash. Y

Jewish Sect in Gaza Leaders of the anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta sect visited the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. “We are in Gaza to show support for the Palestinian people,” said the group’s leader, New York Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss. “It’s crucial that the people of Gaza understand the terrible tragedy here is not in the name of Judaism.”

The sect believes there should not be a Jewish state until the Messiah comes and establishes one under Jewish Law. Neturei Karta also made headlines when it attended a Holocaust denial conference in Iran in 2006. Y RADICALLY ANTI-ZIONIST: The Neturei Karta sect

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

C ompiled by Shl omo Mordechai & Barry Rosenfeld

Profile

Anne Frank’s Hidden Heroine

M

iep Gies, the woman who recovered Anne Frank’s diary, has died at the age of 100. She was the last surviving member of the small group that hid Anne and her family in Nazioccupied Amsterdam during World War II. If not for Miep, the story of Anne Frank might never have been known.

Gies had been working in the office of Otto Frank, Anne’s father, when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940.

In 1942, as the Nazis ramped up deportations of Dutch Jews, Otto asked Gies to PROFILE IN COURAGE hide the family in the attic of the comMiep Gies risked her life daily pany’s warehouse.

She and the other five non-Jewish “helpers,” smuggled food, books, writing paper and news of the outside world to the secret apartment where Anne, her parents, sister and four other Jews were hiding out.

She “won the hearts of all of us,” said Israeli President Shimon Peres. “Miep’s selfless humanitarian deed inspires us to continue believing in the goodness and integrity of human beings in the face of unfathomable evil.”

The diary chronicles Anne Frank’s life in hiding from mid 1942 until the family’s arrest in August 1944. She died of typhus at age 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945— two weeks before it was liberated. Otto Frank was the only family member who survived.

The diary was made into a Broadway play and an awardwinning movie, both entitled The Diary of Anne Frank. The book has been translated into 70 languages and read by millions of people.

Gies risked her life daily and would have been sent to a concentration camp if she was caught. But she was as humble as she was courageous.

“I don’t want to be considered a hero,” she once said. “You don’t have to be a hero to do your duty as a human being.” Y

By Ba rry R o se n f eld DEAR DIARY Anne Frank gave the world an inside look at the Holocaust

100 Names of the Messiah B y Ts v i S a d a n

‫ַׂשר ָׁשלֹום‬

Prince of Peace

“P

rince of Peace” (sar shalom) as a name for the Messiah is primarily known from the famous “messianic” prophecy: “For unto us a child is born…and his name will be called…Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5).

“Messianic” is in quotation marks because most Jewish interpretations see the promised child as King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz. For example, Radak (Rabbi David Kimhi) believes that “he named this child ‘Prince of Peace’ because to him shall be the authority and he will not submit to another king. As it says, ‘And he [Hezekiah] rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him’ (2 Kings 18:7)…and all those names of God speak about Hezekiah.”

However, there have always been those who consider the Prince of Peace to be the Messiah—not the least of whom is Maimonides. In his Epistle to the Jews of Yemen (Igeret Teiman, 1174 AD), Maimonides set out to encourage the suffering and persecuted Jewish community, many of whose members were questioning whether their religion was valid.

Among the things that baffled the Jews of Yemen at that time was a person who claimed to be the messiah. Addressing this issue, Maimonides composed his well-known statement concerning the signs of the Messiah. Among other things, he writes: “His virtue will be greater than the virtue of the prophets and more honorable, with the exception of Moses, the blessed Creator setting him apart through things not given to Moses, because about him it was said …‘Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist’ (Isaiah 11:5). The Holy One, Blessed be He, called him by six names: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ And he called him ‘God’ by way of exaggeration to proclaim that his greatness is superior to all men’s.”

Maimonides very likely based his interpretation on this opinion of Rabbi Yose Haglili, who lived shortly after the destruction of the Temple: “The name of Messiah is Shalom for it says…‘Prince of Peace’” (Masachtot Ketanot, Derech Eretz, 11). This saying is placed within a chapter which deals with the utmost importance of peace. So great is the value of peace that God is even willing to give up His name, written in holiness, to be erased upon the water for the sake of peace between a man and his wife (this mysterious practice is based on Numbers 5:23). The Prince of Peace is therefore indispensable in the overall messianic scheme.

Comments: dzsadan@netvision.net.il

www.israeltoday.co.il | February 2010 | 13

word from jerusalem

Pressing on to the Greater Calling

By Ludwig Schneider

W

e know that we are growing old when we take more pleasure in the past than in the future. However all of us, and in particular older people, standing as it were on the edge of eternity, should take more pleasure in the future because the best is still ahead of us.

Nevertheless, instead of looking at what lies ahead many of us prefer to look back. Perhaps it is because the previous years—when we were stronger and in better health—seem better in our eyes. We should not ignore the past because we can always learn lessons from it, but the past must not restrain us from moving forward.

Every year at Passover, we celebrate how God liberated His people Israel from the slavery of Egypt and divided the Red Sea. Similarly, each year Christians celebrate the virgin birth of Jesus at Christmas. Both the Jewish and Christian calendars are filled with days of remembrance, which bring to mind the great deeds performed by God in the past.

This builds our faith, but God Himself exhorts us to look to the future: “Thus says the Lord…‘Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert’” (Isaiah 43:16-19).

The New Testament contains a similar exhortation: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13).

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

This brings us back to the prophetic words of the Bible, which serve as a marker directing us to what lies ahead: “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets…The Lord God has spoken.” (Amos 3:7, 8).

In their sermons, preachers often reminisce about the past deeds of God, recounting them with great passion, as if they themselves had been there to witness their fulfillment.

Yet when it comes to the promises of God, what He is accomplishing in our own day, they are sometimes silent. It is as if somebody asks for directions and is answered with a description of the path he has already taken.

It is good to interpret the Scriptures with an eye toward the future, studying the words of prophecy that God has given us, so that in these chaotic times we will know the right steps to take: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). People who hold a flashlight or a lantern do not light up the path behind them, but rather before them. And the path ahead of us is illuminated by prophecy.

Today, there is no clearer prophetic sign than that of the establishment of the State of Israel. But just as God promised to bring His people back to the Land, He also promised to complete his work—to bring Israel to salvation and establish the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth. It is perhaps easier to focus on the past, on the mighty deeds of God in the Bible, than facing the uncertainty of what lies ahead. But that is why God’s word is a “light to our path”—it shows us the way forward.

Israel has a momentous past, but an even more momentous future—but then so do all of us in the household of faith. Y

BIBLE STUDY

Death – The Gateway to Life

W

hen Jews greet each other on a birthday, they do not just say, Mazal Tov! (Congratulations!); they also say, Ad mea ve’esrim!— “May you live to be 120!”

This is a reference to Moses who lived to that “ripe old age.”

Nowadays, many use the greeting, Ad mea ach esrim! — “May you live to be 100 and feel as if you’re 20!” When a will or death are discussed, one does not say “after the death” but rather Acherei 120 — “After 120.”

A Jew who dies must, according to rabbinic law, be buried within 24 hours, even if this means having the funeral as late as midnight, so that the body does not decay. The first believers in the Messiah, who were Jews, kept the same custom: “Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; moreover my flesh also will live in hope; because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay” (Acts 2:26-27). In addition, cremation is taboo in Judaism and in particular in Israel.

The body of the deceased is washed by the Burial Society (a group of volunteer Orthodox Jews) and wrapped in a tallit (prayer shawl), of which the four tassels on the corners have been cut off. Coffins are not usually used in Israel. The deceased is carried, wrapped in the shawl, to the gravesite. Following a brief ceremony in which Hebrew prayers are recited including the Prayer for the Dead (Kaddish), the body is placed in the grave and covered with earth.

After the funeral, for a period of seven days (called Sheva in Hebrew for the number seven), family, friends, neighbors and work associates gather at the home of the deceased to convey their condolences to the bereaved. The Orthodox sit on low chairs, their shirts torn, and grieve. The 30 days following the death are a time of mourning, during which relatives of the deceased are forbidden to participate in any joyful event.

Genesis 35:20 says that after the death of his wife Rachel, Jacob set up a “memorial stone” on her grave (which can be seen to this very day near Bethlehem). Therefore it is the tradition in Israel to erect a gravestone 30 days following the interment. This is known as the “unveiling.”

There is no fixed custom with regard to the inscriptions on gravestones.

In the Diaspora, the Hebrew and the civil name of the deceased are written on the gravestone along with the dates of birth and death according to the Hebrew and civil calendars. In Israel, this usually appears only in Hebrew.

Among Ashkenazi or European Jews, it is traditional for the Hebrew letters peh nun to appear before the name. They stand for po nitman—“here lies.” It is the custom among Sephardic (Eastern Oriental) Jews to place the letters kuf mem before the name of the deceased. This represents the words matzevet kevurat—“gravestone of…”

Many gravestones also contain the Hebrew initials for the words tiheyeh nishmatolah zerurah bizror hachayim —“May his soul be bound up in the

‘HE RAISES THE DEAD IN GREAT MERCY’ A passage from the Jewish prayer book; (inset) symbol of a Cohen (priest)

covenant of life.” If the image of two hands spread in the form used for the Priestly Blessing appears on the gravestone, the individual is a Cohen (priest) from the house of Aaron. The image of a jug indicates a Levite.

It is customary for those who visit the cemetery to place a small stone on the grave as a sign of their presence and as a symbolic joining in the laying of the gravestone.

Bet Chaim is the nice expression for a cemetery and means “House of Life.” One can also say Bet Kevarot— “House of Graves.” Jewish graves are not dismantled after a period of time; they are intended to remain forever.

For example, there are Jewish graves on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, including those of the prophets, that are 3,000 years old. A cemetery is a sacred site and visitors should show reverence and respect for those resting there. Y

By Ludwig S chneider

Torah Portions February 2010

(from 17th of Shvat to 13th of Adar 5770)

The Sabbath Readings Feb. 6th Shabbat Yitro – Jethro Exodus 18:1-20:23; Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6 Feb. 13th Shabbat Mishpatim – Judgments Exodus 21:1-24:18; 30:11-16; 2 Kings 11:17-12:17 Feb. 20th Shabbat Terumah – (Bring Me an) Offering Exodus 25:1-27:19; 1 Kings 5:26 - 6:13 Feb. 21st Moses’ Yahrzeit (Day of Death) ­ Memorial for those with unknown place and date of death Feb. 25th Ta’anit Esther – Fast of Esther Esther 4:16 Feb. 27th Shabbat Tetzave – You Shall Command Exodus 27:20-30:10; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; 1 Samuel 15:1-34 Feb. 28th Purim Book of Esther; Exodus 17:8-16 February 2010 | 15

RETROSPECTIVE: The Last 10 Years in Israel

2002: CafĂŠ Moment Bombing

2000 – 2009: The first decade of the millennium 2005: 17th Maccabiah 2008:60th Anniversary

2000: Pope John Paul II

2003: Ilan Ramon Space Flight

2005: Maccabi Tel Aviv Is

2000: Camp David Summit 2004: New Ben-Gurion Airport

European Basketball Champ

2004: Avraham Hershko,

Aaron Chiechanover Win Nobel Prize

2009: Gaza War 2000: Ariel Sharon

Visits Temple Mount 2002: Siege of Nativity

Church, Bethlehem

2001: Sbarro Bombing 2001: 16th Maccabiah Games

2007: Annapolis Summit

2007: Shimon Peres Elected President

2003: Memorial for Maxim

2004: Yasser Arafat Dies

Restaurant Bombing, Haifa

2002: Operation ‘Defensive Shield’

2004:

2006: Gilad Shalit Abducted

Gold Medal in Athens

2001: Rehavam Ze’evi Assassinated

2009: Ada Yonath Wins Nobel Prize

2008:

Bronze Medal in Beijing

2006: Second Lebanon War 2009: Pope Benedict XVI Visits

2005: Robert Aumann Wins Nobel Prize

2000: Two Israelis

Lynched in Ramallah

2006: Ariel Sharon Has a Stroke

Expelled Settler

2005: Pullout from

Gaza Strip

21 Gaza Settlements Destroyed

Palestinians Torch Gaza synagogues

2009: 18th Maccabiah Games

DEB A TE

Who Caused The Palestinians to Flee?

I

am taking the liberty of writing about Palestinian refugees because I myself am a refugee. First of all we fled from the Nazis to Quedlinburg (a small town in central Germany). There we managed to survive because we were hidden by a Lutheran sexton and his family. In 1950, we had to flee from the Communists to West Germany.

And all simply because we were Jews, although my parents did not want to be Jews. Now I live in Israel with my family, and here we are accused of forcing the Palestinians to become refugees.

Were the Israelis so strong in 1948 that they put all the Arabs to flight?

Didn’t the Israelis have to defend themselves in 1948 against superior Arab forces of 310 to 1?

This reminds me of Moses’ farewell song: “How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless…the Lord had given them up?” (Deuteronomy 32:30). Yet this is what God has promised in Numbers 10:35—that it is He who puts Israel’s enemies to flight.

The Arabs who fled from Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel) were not driven out by the Israelis; they left for a number of different reasons. The wealthier Arabs left the land fearing the impending war.

The others followed the appeal of their leaders to make way for the advancing “victorious Arab army.” Once the fledgling Jewish state was destroyed, the Arabs could return to their homes.

TWO-WAY STREET: Palestinian refugees (left) flee Israel while Jewish refugees flee from Arab countries

after the War of Independence. This means that about 650,000 Palestinians fled. In fact, a census conducted by the UN showed that 472,000 Arabs had left.

During the same period, 820,000 Jews were forced to leave their native Arab countries, where they had lived for centuries, because they were seen as potential traitors and supporters of Israel. Of these, 586,000 fled to Israel and were absorbed though the new nation was weak economically. Since then, Israel, with its extremely small land mass, has taken in more than 3 million Jews.

If little Israel was able to do this, the Arab countries, which cover an area 613 times larger than the Jewish state, could have also absorbed their 650,000 Arab refugees. In fact, we are talking about a similar number of refugees: 650,000 Arabs compared to 586,000 Jews.

It could have simply involved an exchange of homes. The properties that the Jews were forced to leave behind in the Arab lands could have been taken over by the Arab refugees. Yet the Arabs confiscated the Jewish houses and

It is He who puts Israel’s enemies to flight On November 29th, 1947, the day the Partition Plan for Palestine was approved by the United Nations, there were 809,100 Arabs living in the Land of Israel. A census conducted by the Israeli government at the end of 1948 found that 160,000 Arabs remained in Israel

placed the Arab refugees in refugee camps, where 80 percent of them still live today, being provided for by the United Nations.

Today the Palestinians speak of “millions” of refugees who are demanding to return to their “homeland” (Is-

18 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

rael). Most still leave in squalid, overcrowded camps which fulfills the goal of cultivating hatred of Israel, as young Palestinians blame the Jews alone for their misery. They have been taught, with their mother’s milk, that their parents or grandparents were driven out by the Israelis who stole their land.

The fact that their fathers followed the inducements of their Arab leaders, because they believed that their “victorious armies would drive the Jews into the sea,” was their great mistake. They went to war with Israel with the rallying cry from the Koran, “And He [Allah] made you heirs to their land and their dwellings and their property” (Sura 33:27). All this is hushed up today out of shame because, according to the Muslim way of thinking, there can be no defeat.

Therefore, the Arabs even celebrate their bitter defeat in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 as the “October Victory.”

Jewish refugees from the Arab countries fled thousands of miles to the tiny Land of Israel. They had to first learn the Hebrew language before they could be absorbed into their oldnew homeland. The Arab refugees on the other hand, simply fled to neighboring Arab lands, where the people spoke their language.

As a result of all these irrational developments, we cannot help but believe that it was God who brought the Jews back to their land and who also drove the Arabs to flee. Y

By Ludwig Schneider

Israel Today

Prophecy

The Future Role of Israel

THE FIG TREE is a sign of the coming of the Messiah

Y

eshua (Jesus) revealed a mystery to His disciples which He concealed in the form of a parable: “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Matthew 24:32-36) Over and over again the question arises, who is to say that the fig tree represents Israel?

In Luke 13, we learn about the fig tree that did not bear fruit for three years and was therefore slated to be cut down. At least this is how the farmer sees the situation; to him the fig tree in his grove appears to be useless because it does not bear fruit.

Paul would not cut down the “unfruitful” fig tree because it is a picture of a “true Israelite” (John 1:48); it is unfruitful for the sake of the non-Jews.

The fig tree being cursed for its un-

fruitfulness is just a temporary situation, until the complete harvest of non-Jews has been brought into God’s Kingdom. Then all Israel will be saved and the fig tree will bear its fruit.

For Yeshua the fig tree is already a sign of His return, even though it is the season when it only has leaves—i.e. it does not yet bear fruit. This means that we should not wait for the fruit to prepare for the coming of the Messiah; rather, when the twigs of the fig tree are producing their sap and the leaves are emerging, this is a sign that the Lord is at the door.

This must be seen in context: There is the great vineyard, worldwide Christendom, and in the midst of it is the solitary unfruitful fig tree Israel.

The fig tree that is native to Israel (Ficus carica) by nature does not bear fruit every year, and when it does the fruit comes in three stages. The first harvest from the blossoms of the previous year comes at the time of Pesach (Passover). These are the first figs— pagim. Only a few rather dry fruits usually appear. In the same spot where the first figs grew, the early fig— bikkurah—will appear toward the beginning of June. This fig, although few in number, is quite succulent. If these figs do not appear, there will be no main harvest in the fall at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot. The main crop of figs, referred to by the Hebrew name te’ehnah, is numerous and juicy.

These three stages of harvest reflect God’s plan of salvation. The first figs, pagim, are the original Jewish believers in Yeshua, the apostles and the early Church, which rose up from the leafbuds of the Old Covenant.

The early figs, bikkurah, represent today’s Messianic Jews, succulent but few in number. Their existence is a sign: Even though they are still only a few, the

great harvest, te’ehnah, is coming when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26; Zechariah 12:9-14). Once the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in”—the full number of non-Jews has entered into the Kingdom of God (Romans 11:25)—it will again be Israel’s turn, and the nation will reassume its original calling: “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes…It is too small a thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

(Isaiah 42:6; 49:6) Zechariah had a similar vision: “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” (Zechariah 8:23) From all the nations! Then Israel will fulfill its prophetic role and bring all mankind to God. Y

By Ludwig S chneider

‘THE HARVEST OF THE EARTH is ripe’ (Rev. 14:15)

TOLL FREE ORDERING: 1.866.854.1684 (N. America) 00.800.60.70.70.60 (UK/Norway) www.israeltoday.co.il | February 2010 | 19

CHRISTI A N S

Pilgrims Flock to Bethlehem for Christmas

O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

By Shlomo Mordechai

B

ethlehem – Tens of thousands of pilgrims from around the world came to Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1) during the week of Christmas, visiting the Church of the Nativity and the grotto where tradition says the Messiah was born.

“The whole story becomes even more alive here!” Laura Wagner of Wabash, Indiana told isra­el today. “The idea that we’re just a few feet from where Jesus was born and a few miles from where the angels came to the shepherds is mind blowing; there aren’t even words to describe it.”

As usual, there was a mixture of religion and politics.

Palestinian boy and girl scouts marched through Manger Square, which was decked out with Christmas trees and lights and Palestinian flags. In his Christmas message, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, a Jordanian, expressed solidarity with Palestinians suffering from “the occupation” and deprived “of a state of their own.”

The Palestinian Authority said Israel’s security barrier, erected to stop a wave of suicide bombers, created a “Christmas without hope” and turned Bethlehem into a prison. “We need bridges of love and understanding between the people, not walls of hatred,” said Bethlehem’s Christian Mayor Victor Batarseh.

Nevertheless, the big turnout was a boon to the Bethlehem economy and mood.

“It’s great to see all these people here,” said Sami, a waiter at a new InPEACE ON EARTH? A Palestinian interpretation of Christmas

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

ternet café in Manger Square. “The atmosphere is nice here in Bethlehem. It’s quiet now and that’s what people want.”

Indeed, Bethlehem has changed a lot since the Second Intifada (Palestinian uprising) erupted in 2000 and armed militants ruled the streets. And the lull in violence prompted the biggest turnout in years.

“I feel very safe here,” said British tourist Michael Wright. “The people are nice and hospitable.

The atmosphere is calm. To be honest, I feel safer here than in a lot of places back home in London.”

The atmosphere was festive in Manger Square. David Bogenrief of Le Mars, Iowa, who has lived in Israel for 25 years, played Christmas carols on his trumpet as Palestinian Muslim youths gathered round.

“Yeshua loves you!” he shouted, using the Hebrew name of Jesus. “That’s what Christmas is all about: the love of God. Jesus was born here and he’s alive!”

In a land troubled by conflict, it was a peaceful Christmas in the little town where it all began. Y THE GROTTO of the Nativity

M e s s i an i c J e w s

Are All Jewish Believers ‘Jews for Jesus?’

Jesus in Modern Hebrew Culture

J

ews for Jesus is an American mission organization founded in 1973

by Moishe Rosen. Due to its aggressive missionary tactics, many (particularly American) Jews think of this organization as representing any Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, even though sharp disagreements between Jews for Jesus and other Messianic groups have surfaced.

JEWISH EVANGELISM is controversial

One key point of dispute lies in the Jews for Jesus doctrine that believers can and should be 100 percent Jewish and 100 percent Christian; not any Christian but Evangelical Christian. As Rich Robinson, a senior member of Jews for Jesus put it: “The major Jewish missions dedicated to proclamation evangelism retain close connections with the Church and remain firmly evangelical in theology (The Messianic Movement: A Guide for Evangelical Christians).

This conviction influences how Jews perceive Jesus. Within the Jewish world, this type of 100 percent Jewish/Christian mentality is understood as a threat to Jewish existence; if what Jews for Jesus are saying is true, they reason, then it also means that this is what Jesus wants. It follows that Jesus taught and preached an end to the Jewish people. There is little wonder why such an approach stirs up strong emotions for, after all, what healthy person would welcome his own annihilation?

An opinion piece in the daily newspaper Ha’aretz a few years ago is

a sample of, one could say, typical Jewish reaction to Jews for Jesus. Written

by Bradley Burston, it is entitled, “Why ‘Jews for Jesus’ Is Evil.” Here are some excerpts: “Proselytizing is persecution. Granted, it’s not the same as burning us at the stake for Christ’s sake...But there’s more than one way to wipe out a people, and poison, like gas, comes in many forms.

Sometimes it looks like a leaflet...Sometimes it looks like a smile.

“Jews in the post-Holocaust era have a mission, no less than you. We have some saving to do of our own...It has been left to us to save Jewry itself—its faith, its culture, its values, its memory, its history—from extinction.

“There are those who will say, and I applaud them, that we should engage and embrace members of Jews for Jesus, showing openness to them rather than the cold shoulder that drives them further away. I applaud those who say this and act accordingly, but I don’t have it in me.”

In its electronic edition, Burston’s article registered over 650 talkbacks. In the same electronic issue, a piece on the The Da Vinci Code—another hot item— received no responses. Another controversial issue—Israel’s decision to give Hamas 50 million shekels—received only 42 responses. This says something about the concern Jews have for their own survival.

The relationship of the Jewish people to Jesus is said to be complex. Reactions such as Burston’s may be shrugged off as an expression of the Jews being “a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 32:9), but is it the only possible explanation for such harsh words? Could it be that those who demand from Jewry a deep soul searching are themselves in dire need of the same? Y

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Let us go to the house of the Lord.

Our feet are standing in the gates, O Jerusalem (Psalm 122:1, 2)

By Tsvi Sadan

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

Military ROCKET DEFENSE SHIELD: Hi-tech missiles take on low-tech rockets

Pilots Watches Made in Israel

I

Iron Dome Could Change Strategic Equation T

en years and 10,000 rockets later, Israel finally has a hi-tech answer to lowtech Palestinian terror. Israel has successfully tested its Iron Dome defense system, which uses cameras and radar to track incoming rockets and can shoot them down within seconds of their launch. The system was developed by Rafael, the Israel Military Industries, at a cost of $200 million.

“This is really great news,” says Yiftach Shapir, an Israeli expert on military technology. “This is a very advanced system. I think we should all take our hats off to the engineers of Rafael for doing it. It’s very unique.”

The first Iron Dome battery will be deployed on the Gaza border in the south in May. Later on, the system will be deployed on the northern border where Israel faces a rocket threat from the Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

But there is a catch. “This system is not 100 percent foolproof, like any other defense system,” Shapir says.

And that means that millions of Israelis within rocket range are not out of danger. Shapir says that in the event of an attack, “many rockets would be shot down, [but] some of them would still explode in the towns, and residents would have to go back into the shelters.”

Another hitch is the price tag. Every Iron Dome missile costs a whopping $50,000, compared to just a few hundred dollars for a Palestinian rocket. But officials say it’s worth the price because it could largely neutralize the rocket threat that has terrorized residents on the Gaza and Lebanese borders.

“We cannot create the illusion that tomorrow morning there will be full protection,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak. “It will take years before we are fully equipped. But in the coming years, Iron Dome will doubtlessly become part of the army’s defense mechanisms for civilians on the home front as well as for military sites.”

The Iron Dome, which deals with short-range rockets, will be integrated into Israel’s overall missile defense shield. Israel has already deployed the Arrow antimissile system to defend against long-range threats, like an attack from arch-enemy Iran. Y

By Shl omo Mordechai

22 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

srael’s sole watch manufacturer, ADI Watches of Kibbutz Yavne, has won a contract to provide watches for pilots of the Israel Air Force (IAF). The watch includes a titanium alloy case which is resilient to scratches and dents, and a shatterproof crystal made of Sapir glass. The watch is shockproof with air force-blue hands.

Tested to withstand forces of Mach 2, the watch can also be used by divers and is guaranteed to a depth of 200 meters (656 feet). The electronic watch combines both digital and analogue functions.

Priced at 1,600 shekels ($420), the watch will be presented to the graduates of the highly-esteemed IAF Academy and will not be available in stores.

In the past, watches for Israeli pilots were manufactured by top Swiss companies such as Breitling and Omega. But former Air Force commander Dan Halutz decided to change to products made in Israel.

ADI manufactures watches for other IDF units and exports to the Singapore armed forces as well. The company also offers a unique watch featuring Hebrew letters instead of numbers. Y

By Michael S chneider

TIME to go blue and white

ArchAeology

Ancient Footprints under Lod Mosaic

O

ne of the largest and most beautiful Roman era mosaics in Israel, a piece approximately 1,700 years old, was being removed for conservation when footprints were discovered, preserved in the plaster underneath. Archaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) found the imprints in Lod, near Ben-Gurion Airport.

“It’s exciting. This is the first time I have ever encountered personal evidence such as this under a mosaic,” said Jacques Neguer, head of the IAA Art Conservation Branch. “When removing a section of mosaic it is customary to clean its bedding, and in that way study the material from which it is made and the construction stages...This is also what happened with the Lod mosaic: while cleaning the layer, we found the imprints of feet and sandals.”

The way the imprints are arranged indicates that the builders must have molded the mortar in place with their feet.

“The excitement here was great,” Neguer said. “It is fascinating to discover a 1,700-year-old personal mark of people

IMPRINTS on the past

who are actually like us, who worked right here on the same mosaic. We feel the continuity of generations here.” Y

By Netanel D oron

Nazareth Home from Jesus’ Time

A

rchaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered the remains of a house in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth—the first that dates back to the time of Christ.

“This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with,” said the head of the excavation, Yardena Alexandre. “It’s a logical suggestion.”

The find reveals that Nazareth was a small village, unlike the big Israeli Arab city it is today. It was an out-of-the-way community consisting possibly of 50 houses on just four acres of land. Because of the small size of the village, Jesus and boys his age may have known the home and played there.

“What we can learn is a litJESUS’ HOMETOWN was a small tle bit about the lifestyle,” said hamlet of just 50 homes Alexandre. “The remains that we have are very simple and it reflects the simple houses that must have existed in the small village of Nazareth.” She said that based on pottery shards found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house a “simple Jewish family.”

The Virgin Mary may have lived close by. The remains of the house are located near the Basilica of the Annunciation, where tradition says the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would give birth to the Messiah. Y

By Barry Rosenfeld

Coins from Temple Mount Area

A

unique coin exhibition is on display at Jerusalem’s Archaeological Garden near the Western Wall in the Old City. For the first time, the public can see all of the ancient coins uncovered by Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount. The rare collection includes 2,000-year-old coins that were burned during the Great Revolt by the Jews against the Romans. These coins, which were minted in Jerusalem during the rebellion, include an extremely rare shekel from 70 AD, the year the Second Temple was destroyed.

Because of the biblical prohibition against “graven images,” in contrast to the coins cast by pagan rulers, the Jewish coins depict objects such as a wreath, a scepter and helmet, and a pomegranate.

Attesting to the presence of many pilgrims over the centuries are coins from other countries, from Persia to North Africa to France.

The exhibition will be open for one year. Y

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

Culture

Kosher Comics T

he secluded ultra-Orthodox community of Israel is extremely conservative, regarding television, movies, the Internet and videos as a source of moral corruption. But now non-sexual, non-violent comic books are being offered as a source of entertainment, as well as a fun way to teach children the Bible and Jewish tradition.

Many colorful comic books featuring biblical stories and the adventures of famous rabbis and Jewish sages can be found on the shelves of bookstores in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, next to large, heavy tomes of the Talmud and other holy books. A long way from the thrills of Spiderman or the sexual allures of Wonder Woman, these comics provide an acceptable alternative for Orthodox youth.

Outside a bookstore in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, Yom Tov Cohen, with side curls and typical black coat and hat, watches his son reading one of the “kosher” comics. “It is great to have something that the children enjoy and that also teaches them the traditions,” he says.

There has been a growing demand for kosher comics over the past few years with new publications appearing frequently. Even Orthodox women, who once wrote under a pseudonym, are now openly publishing their works.

Dror Yisrael Cohen, from the mostly Orthodox city of Safed in northern Israel, was one of the first to present his community with these special comics.

Local rabbis denied Cohen both Internet

access and digital drawing programs, so he started drawing his comics by hand. Still, the religious censorship of these works is strict, with every page being closely examined, especially when it comes to the prohibited portrayal of God. The heroes of his stories are rabbis, the first and foremost being Rabbi Yisrael Ben Eliezer, the founder of Hassidism, a “charismatic” form of Orthodox Judaism. He and his fellow rabbis have supernatural powers, including prophecy, intuition and healing. Y

By Netanel D oron

Most Influential U.S. Jews 2009 The Jewish Daily Forward has released its annual list of the 50 most influential Jews in America. The Forward 50 was introduced 15 years ago by Forward founding editor Seth Lipsky. In line with the title, many, but not all, of the people on the list are in their 50s. Here are some of the key figures:

J

erry Silverman, 51, president of the Jewish Federation of North America. The organization was created in 1999 to serve the 157 local Jewish Federations. Silverman used to work in the garment industry before entering full-time service for the Jewish people.

Michael Oren, 54, historian, bestselling author and the new Israeli ambassador to Washington. Born in New Jersey, he immigrated to Israel as an adult.

Sara Hurwitz, an Orthodox woman from New Jersey, is a Jewish community leader, authority on Halacha (Jewish Law), spiritual guide and Torah scholar. She is the co-founder of Yeshivat Maharat, a seminary dedicated to giving Orthodox women proficiency in learning and teaching Talmud and understanding Jewish Law. Joel (54) and Ethan (52) Coen, better know as the Coen Brothers, gained

24 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

fame and fortune through movies like Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998) and No Country for Old Men (2007).

Labor union leader Stuart Appelbaum, 56, who is fighting against international boycotts of Israeli products.

Joel Engelbaum, 24, who was sexually abused as a child in a Brooklyn yeshiva (seminary), has committed himself to the fight against child abuse within the Orthodox community. Y OSCAR WINNERS Joel and Ethan Coen

Behind the Scenes

Hummus War

I

srael once again has the upper hand in the “Hummus War”—a simmering conflict with Lebanon over which country can claim the famous Middle Eastern chickpea paste as its own. An Israeli village unveiled the biggest dish of hummus in the world, at 9,017 pounds (4,090 kilos)!

Placed in a giant satellite dish on loan from a nearby broadcast station, the concoction entered the Guinness Book of World Records, unseating Lebanon which set the record in October. Israel has marketed hummus around the world as an Israeli product, but Lebanon says the Jews stole the recipe.

“Lebanon is trying to win the battle against Israel by…telling the whole world that hummus is a Lebanese product,” Lebanese organizer Fady Jreissati said at the time of the previous record.

“It’s part of our traditions.”

HUMONGOUS HUMMUS: Israel and Lebanon vie for supremacy

Not to be outdone, chefs in the Israeli Arab village of Abu Gosh near Jerusalem more than doubled the Lebanese record.

The mastermind was Jawdat Ibrahim, an Israeli Arab who became a millionaire after winning a lottery in the US, and who came back to his hometown of Abu Gosh to open a restaurant.

“Competition is a healthy thing,” he said. “Today we have hummus. Tomorrow, hopefully, we will have peace talks.”

Hundreds of Israeli Jews and Arabs came out to celebrate the “victory,” and

of course, to enjoy some excellent hummus! White doves and blue and white balloons (the national colors) were released into the air in a sign of peace.

“May these be the wars between Israel and Lebanon,” one exhilarated participant told isra­el today. “The war over the biggest and best hummus!”

So the moral of this story is that it’s better to fight the Third Lebanon War with chickpeas than with bullets. Y

By Shl omo Mordechai

and the Bank Notes So we’re getting new bank notes in 2012 with pictures of the late Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin.

Isn’t it much better to choose a person who is known to readers worldwide…

But I’m thinking, why go to all that trouble to display people no one really knows anymore?

…a funny, clever, witty, entertaining, and humble guy…

…like me!

www.israeltoday.co.il | February 2010 | 25

Winter Seasonal Specials Printed sweatshirts winter collection!

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It is ideal for self-study. Easy-topronounce syllables are joined together to form words and sentences. An MP3 CD helps students with the pronunciation.

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13 CD box set featuring the “Torah” narrated in Hebrew

The complete “Torah” narrated in Hebrew. An Elegant 13 CD set featuring the five books of the Bible (“Torah”) narrated in Hebrew: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

CDJ017 $127 $114.30

T-Shirt “She Lo Ted’u Od Tzahal” Olive green T-Shirt with large, bold, white Hebrew letters meaning, “You better not know the IDF!” 100% Cotton. S-L DTS131 $32 $28.80

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Purim HolIDays February 27 - March 1

t, Mishloach Manot, a traditional gift to bless Many Jewish families will prepare a Purim food baske ing items: baked goods, nuts, hamentaschen others (Esther 9:19), which includes some of the follow a ‘Jaffa’ orange, Israeli crackers, juice, etc. cookies, a can of salmon or tuna, a tub of hummus, giving the Purim food gift basket The entire family takes part in the joy of preparing and the basket. and will go together to a neighbor’s home to present

to needy Israeli YOUTH...

This year you can participate in giving a Purim Treat boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 5 years. and organizations isra­el today will go to hospitals, nursery schools, ent your Purim Treat. (that serve the needs of handicapped children) to pres m Treat Consider taking part in the joy of giving a Puri to the children of Israel.

Purim Treat Contents: Crown for a Girl or Boy Book of colorful Stickers Surprise Gift Bag Lollies and Sweets KOI013 $15 1-866-854-1684 - US & Canada 00-800-60-70-70-60 - UK & Norway www.jerusalemdepot.com

Thank you!

Economy

Israeli Company Builds Mega-Mall in Eastern Europe

FROM EAST TO WEST: Israel westernizes Eastern Europe

Best Hi-Tech Workplaces in Israel

A

frica Israel Group (AFI) has built the biggest mall in Eastern Europe, in the Romanian capital Budapest.

AFI invested $450 million in the project along with $350 million from its partner in the venture, the German company Hypo Real Estate Group. The mall was inaugurated by Romanian president Traian Basescu and the CEO of Africa Israel, Israeli entrepreneur Lev Leviev.

AFI Group is a global business enterprise with activities in the fields of real estate, construction, infrastructure and energy. Founded in 1934 by Jewish investors from South Africa who wanted to support the economic development of the Yishuv, the nascent Jewish community in British Mandate Palestine, the company now maintains subsidiaries throughout the world.

The Bucharest mall hosts about 100,000 shoppers daily.

With 300 stores, the mall covers an area of 20,000 square meters (214,000 square feet). There is a 25-screen cinema and an IMAX Theatre as well. The parking area covers about 9,000 square meters (97,000 square feet).

It is expected to generate some $50 million a year in revenue and has an estimated worth of $600 million. AFI Group is building several other supermalls in Eastern Europe that will be opened in the near future. Y

New Bank Notes in 2012

A

ll of the 300 million bank notes currently in circulation will be replaced with new ones starting in 2012. One of the reasons is that few Israelis recognize the people on the bills: Zalman Shazar, Yitzhak Ben-Tzvi, Moshe Sharet and Shai Agnon. Their faces will be replaced with more familiar ones: Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, and the late Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and David Ben-Gurion.

But many people are unhappy about the move, which will cost hundreds of millions of shekels. For one thing, special polymer paper will be used for the new bills, which makes them last longer and more difficult to counterfeit. This paper is already used for the 20 shekel note, but people don’t like it because the money feels fake, like plastic, and not like the paper money used everywhere else in the world.

Other critics say the bills should not feature politicians, but rather women, musicians and other artists, and even landscapes. Y

Intel is the best hi-tech workplace in Israel, according to a survey by BdiCoface. Hewlett Packard came in second and IBM third. Hewlett Packard moved up six positions over the previous survey a year ago. Google Israel dropped to fourth place (from second) and Motorola earned the fifth rank despite many recent layoffs. The survey was conducted among 12,000 workers in Israel’s high tech industry. Y

Israeli Military Sales to Brazil and India

S

tate-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a $350 million contract to supply drones to the Brazilian police, the biggest military deal ever between the two countries.

The Heron drones will monitor Brazil’s borders and help prevent the smuggling of arms, drugs and other contraband.

They will also be used to beef up security during the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Some however, question the wisdom of this sale noting the recent visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Brazil. Critics say Israeli technology could eventually reach Syria via Iran.

IAI also supplies drones to US forces in Afghanistan.

Israel Aerospace Industries has also signed a $1.1 billion contract with India for a tactical air defense system to be used aboard ships. Known as the Barak-8, the

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

system can shoot down incoming missiles, planes and drones. Its advanced version can also be deployed on land.

Delivery is not expected before 2017. The deal was completed when India’s army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, visited Israel and met with his Israeli counterpart, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Y C ompiled By Judith Jeries

Nature

Stand in the Gap Intercession for Israel On New Year’s Eve the founder of isra­el today, Ludwig Schneider, prayed and “cast lots” for a word for the company in 2010.

It is from Joshua 21:45:

MIGRATING BIRDS: Millions of birds from Europe pass through Israel on their way to Africa

“Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” ‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – May the Bible guide negotiations with the Arabs and may Israel stand on the word of God! May Your promises to Israel continue to be fulfilled, and thwart all attempts by the nations to nullify them. (Page 3) ‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Expose the myths of Palestinian origins, which seek to displace Your promises. Vindicate Your word in the sight of all the nations. (Pages 4-5, 19)

Go to Israel and Go Green F

ounded in 2004, MASA Israel Journey is an Israeli government project designed to help young Jews from all over the world spend a semester to a year in Israel studying at their choice of several educational institutions. Aligned with the Jewish Agency and Jewish communities throughout the world, MASA has launched a new campaign: “Go Green in Israel.” The goal is to encourage young people from North America to study, volunteer or intern in Israel while participating in projects to save the environment.

Participants can choose between environmental studies at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba in southern Israel, or the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura near the Red Sea resort of Eilat. They can volunteer at an eco-farm or fill an internship at companies developing and testing renewable energies.

MASA has joined forces with Hazon (Hebrew for Vision), America’s largest Jewish environmental non-profit organization.

Hazon is promoting special events including 50- to 100-mile, two-day bike rides and retreats in California and New York.

“Israel is leading in the research and development of renewable energies and technology for water conservation,” said Avi Rubel, director of MASA Israel in North America. “The program is not only a chance for Jewish young adults to start a career in the environmental sector but also to connect to their Jewish roots.” Y

By Neta n e l D oron

‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Bring reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Reveal the Messiah to Jews and Muslims alike.

(Page 6) ‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Expose and cut off European Union funding to leftwing and anti-Zionist Israeli groups. (Cover Story, Page 7) ‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Win the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, but grant that Israel would not cave in to terrorist blackmail and release murderers. Reveal to the army his whereabouts. Give Israeli officials and commanders wisdom about how to bring him home in an honorable way. (Page 8) ‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – Turn the Arab nations against Hamas and grant that the group would be isolated, toppled and ruined.

Neutralize the Hamas terror threat. (Pages 9, 10, 22) ‫ *אבינו שבשמיים‬Avinu She’BaShamayim – “Give rain to Your land in its season” (Deut. 28:12).

Bring heavy winter rains all over the country, with snow on Mt. Hermon. Fill the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s biggest reservoir, to the brim. Replenish the depleted Mountain and Coastal Aquifers. * Our Father in Heaven

In B r i e f

Tidbits  ISRAELI ENTERTAINS IRANIANS Despite the tense relations between Israel and Turkey, Israeli singer Eli Idan is entertaining in Anatolia hotels. What’s more, he sings in Hebrew before Iranian tourists! The guests also include members of the Turkish government and their families, who keep a low profile for political and security reasons.

So where politics fails, music builds a bridge. As one avid, young Iranian female fan put it: “No matter if he is a Jew or a Muslim, we love Idan’s music!”  INTERNET ENTREPRENEURS: Some of the most successful Internet entrepreneurs of the 21st century have two things in common: they are young and they are Jewish! Take for example the cofounder of the famously successful social networking site Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg.

The 25 year old from Dobbs Ferry, New York, who studied at Harvard, decided to launch a website from his dorm that mimicked the student directory. It contained headshots of all the school’s students, faculty and staff and was known as the Facebook.

Israeli Cooking Adds Flavor to Thai Food

N

ow the King of Thailand can enjoy Israeli food thanks to a visit by his head chef Mack Dang. Dang admitted that he had misgivings about his trip, which came by invitation from Israel’s ambassador to Thailand Yitzhak Shoham.

“Before I came to Israel, I was anxious because of all of the tanks and the bombings you read about in the Thai newspapers,” Dang said. “But I found that the opposite was true. I discovered a secure country filled with happy people and cultural and culinary attractions.”

“I fell in love with Israeli cuisine!” he said. “Israelis are obsessed with eggplant. Their eggplant salad looks bad, but it tastes like heaven. Israeli food incorporates, like the Israelis themselves, many different cultures.”

A nephew of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand, Dang grew up in the royal palace until the age of 12. In addition to his royal duties, he has his own popular TV show, writes a column and has authored several cookbooks. When Dang used Israeli cooking as the theme on one of his TV shows, the Israeli embassy offered him a trip to the Holy Land.

Dang visited many fine Israeli restaurants and visited the Golan Winery, one of Israel’s best, on the Golan Heights.

Describing his return El Al flight he said: “The plane seemed like a flying Thai village, everyone knowing each other; a huge mess where no one sat

SHAKSHUKA: Thai chef Mack Dang (right) prepares a meal for the Israeli ambassador and his wife

still in his seat. Everyone clapped their hands when we landed back home.”

Following the trip, Dang prepared a special meal at the home of the Israeli ambassador and his wife Dalit that included his favorite Israeli dish, according to a recipe given to him by Dr. Shakshuka, Israel’s famous shakshuka chef. The popular dish is made from tomatoes and eggs, but Dang added his own special spices to suit the Thai palate.

A journalist from one of the Thai newspapers that interviewed him on his return said that he too was scared of travelling to Israel, but that Dang’s enthusiasm impressed him. “Now,” he said, “I want to visit Israel as soon as possible and see all this with my own eyes!” Y

Netanyahu Chooses Chinese Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed something out of the ordinary for the Israeli educational system when he said, “Let’s teach Chinese, it’s important.” Netanyahu is a strong supporter of reform of the country’s educational system, especially with regard to the teaching of languages.

“In the past,” he says, “you would learn things by heart and know it. Now you just click on Google or Wikipedia. The most important foreign language is English, but right after it is Chinese.” Y

YOUNG, JEWISH AND RICH Facebook cofounder Mark Elliot Zuckerberg

He later joined forces with roommate Dustin Moskovitz, also Jewish, and today the site has 350 million members.

Zuckerberg’s fortune is estimated at $10 billion, making him the world’s youngest billionaire. But he still lives in a modest San Francisco apartment.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the developers of the powerful Internet search engine, have a similar story. They did their ground work while students at Stanford and are also Jewish, young, and of course, rich!

Right-Hand Woman

30 | February 2010 | www.israeltoday.co.il

O

ver a period of 25 years, Marrit Danon served five different Israeli prime ministers: Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon. It was her job to deal with the pressures associated with Israel’s top job.

She was there to field telephoned death threats against Rabin prior to his assassination in 1995. She describes how just days before the Gaza pullout in 2005, Sharon shared a troubling dream: “I was being lowered into a deep shaft,” he said, “and all of a sudden the rope broke and I was surrounded by silence.” Y

In B r i e f

Farewell to the Captain of ‘Exodus’

A

year ago Yossi Harel, the commanding officer of the 1947 refugee ship Exodus, passed away. Now, at age 86, the ship’s legendary captain, Yitzhak (“Ike”) Aharonovitch, has also died. The thrilling story of the 4,554 Jewish 2009 refugees who narrowly escaped the horrors of the Holocaust and fled to Palestine was immortalized in the movie Exodus starring Paul Newman and the book of the same name by Leon Uris.

The ship became a symbol for heroism when it desperately tried to break through the British blockade surrounding pre-state Palestine. In July 1947, in the face of increasing violence between Jews and Arabs, the British Mandate government put a total halt to immigration. Nevertheless, the Exodus set sail from France heading toward Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel), packed to overflowing with exhausted Holocaust survivors.

They immediately came under British surveillance and were flanked by warships of the Royal Navy. Arriving at the Port of Haifa after seven days at sea, they were denied permission to land. During the military action that followed, including the forceful boarding of the ship by British soldiers, three crew members were killed and the ship was forced to return to the port of Hamburg, Germany.

Everyone referred to Aharonovitch as “Captain Ike.” He was born in Germany but immigrated to Mandate Palestine at the age of nine, growing up on Kibbutz Yagur near Haifa. In 1940, he stowed away on a ship to Russia, hoping to join the Russian army and fight the Nazis. He was caught, however, and returned to Israel where he later boarded a ship for Tobruk, North Africa. Afterward, he moved to London to study, qualifying as third, second and finally first officer, becoming captain of the Exodus at the age of only 23.

Aharonvitch wanted to fight the British to the death rather than surrender the ship, but Harel refused to sacrifice the lives of these people who had already suffered so much. This led to a life-long disagreement between the two men.

The drama of the Exodus did not darken Ike’s spirits and he went on that same year to captain another refugee ship, Kibbutz Galuyot (Ingathering of the Exiles). Later in life Aharanovitch continued to work as a sailor, leading a major labor strike in 1951.

The famous Captain Ike leaves behind two daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “My father was a brave idealist,” said his daughter Ella Hoffman. “For him there was only one home for all Jews, here in Israel.”

Speaking at the graveside, President Shimon Peres paid his last respects to a national hero: “He is one in a million, who did not walk on paved roads but paved his own. He fought for the spirit of the pioneer, courage and love for the Land of Israel.” Y 1947

BIRTH CERTIFICATE: An omission may have saved Peled’s life

Sole Holocaust Survivor in Parliament

T

he Knesset (parliament) has only one member who is a Holocaust survivor – Yossi Peled (see photo). But that is not his original name. Peled was surprised when he was handed an envelope containing his birth certificate issued in 1941 in Antwerp, Belgium. It gave his name as Josef Mendelvitch.

The certificate was given to him by Aharon Weintraub, 76, of Rehovot near Tel Aviv. It was the Weintraub family that took in little Joseph and his sister during the war while his father was transported to Auschwitz, where he died. After the war his mother returned to take him and his sister to Israel.

Unfortunately Weintraub had little information about Peled’s father.

“I did not know him,” Peled says, “but as a Holocaust survivor I am happy to receive any information about those dark times.”

Peled’s birth certificate is in Flemish and contains the seal of King Leopold II. He can only guess why the certificate does not identify him as a Jew: “Antwerp was under Nazi occupation and maybe the clerk wanted to save me and did not write that I am Jewish.”

Then Weintraub took out a photo album. Peled immediately recognized the photos of the six-year-old boy whose family had saved his life and was moved to tears. Y

Hats Off

W

hile most Israelis (86 percent according to a recent poll) believe that killing animals for their fur is immoral and would support a law barring the import of fur to Israel, one group does not agree. In fact, legislation to that effect was blocked by the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism THE ‘SHTREIMEL’ arouses the party whose members want to hold on to ire of animal rights activists their shtreimels, the traditional fur hat.

This special fur hat is worn by many married ultra-Orthodox men, and in particular, members of Hassidic sects, on the Sabbath, Jewish holidays and other festive occasions. It is made from the tails of the Canadian or Russian rabbit, sable, stone marten, pine marten and the American grey fox. Y

LEGENDARY LINER: The ‘Exodus,’ carrying 4,554 Jewish refugees, was turned away by the British

C o m pi l e d b y Mi c ha e l S c h n e i der

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

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