Israel 365 News

https://www.israel365news.com/363566/idf-reveals-new-terrorist-rocket-launch-sites-near-gazan-schools/
IDF Reveals New Terrorist Rocket Launch Sites Near Gazan Schools
IDF reveals new terrorist rocket launch sites near Gazan schools
For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
PROVERBS4:16 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
This development comes about two weeks after the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, disclosed that the ground beneath one of its schools had fallen—and that the construction of a Hamas terrorist tunnel caused the collapse.
he IDF announced on Wednesday that more cases of Hamas employing children as human shields are now being revealed.

This development comes about two weeks after the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, disclosed that the ground beneath one of its schools had fallen—and that the construction of a Hamas terrorist tunnel caused the collapse. The agency said in a statement that after “recently” identifying the cavity, it had protested strongly to the relevant authorities in Gaza to “express outrage and condemnation.”

“Hamas stationed a rocket launch site adjacent to the Mo’ath Bin Jabal school in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. Near the school, which UNRWA uses as a shelter during emergencies, is a Hamas rocket launch site,” stated the IDF.

Hamas set up a rocket launch facility near the Khalil Al Nobani school in Gaza City’s Zeitoun area. The school is a public building meant to be a safe place for children in Gaza, but Hamas used it to launch rockets.
This comes after Hamas held an arms exhibition in Gaza on Dec. 9, showing off locally made weapons as part of a series of events leading up to the 35th anniversary of the Palestinian terrorist group’s founding, according to a report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

https://www.israel365news.com/363532/rare-2000-year-old-temple-tax-silver-coin-found-near-temple-mount/?
Rare 2,000-year-old ‘Temple tax’ silver coin found near Temple Mount
This is what everyone who is entered in the records shall pay: a half-shekel by the sanctuary weight—twenty giera to the shekel —a half- shekel as an offering to Hashem.
EXODUS 30:15 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Rossella Tercatin ROSSELLA TERCATIN
ARCHEOLOGY
DECEMBER 14, 2022
Home » Rare 2,000-year-old ‘Temple tax’ silver coin found near Temple Mount
ARCHAEOLOGY TEMPLE MOUNT
Arare silver “half-shekel” coin from the time of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans (66-70 CE) was uncovered in Jerusalem in the Ophel excavation south of the Temple Mount, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Tuesday.

“This is the third coin of this type found in excavations in Jerusalem, and one of the few ever found in archaeological excavations anywhere,” said Prof. Uzi Leibner, who led the excavation conducted in partnership between the Hebrew University and the Armstrong College last summer.
According to the Bible, every Jewish man was required to pay a half shekel every year as a tribute to the Holy Temple.

“This is what everyone who is entered in the records shall pay: a half-shekel by the sanctuary weight—twenty giera to the shekel —a half- shekel as an offering to Hashem,” reads the 30th chapter of the book of Shemot (Exodus). “Everyone who is entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, shall give Hashem’s offering: the rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than half a shekel when giving Hashem’s offering as expiation for your persons.”

According to Dr. Yoav Farhi, curator of the Kadman Numismatic Pavilion at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, who examined the artifact, “until the revolt, it was customary to pay the half-shekel tax using good-quality silver coins minted in Tyre in Lebanon, known as Tyrean shekels or Tyrean half-shekels.”

While these coins were chosen for their silver’s purity, they were also problematic because they bore the image of Tyrean gods.

“The Romans did not allow Jews to strike coins, so when the revolt began, they took the opportunity and they started to do it,” Farhi explained. “It was a national symbol.”

At the time, minting coins was an expression of sovereignty. During the revolt, the Jews in Jerusalem minted both bronze and silver coins.

The artifact was found in the remains of what appears to be a monumental public building, surrounded by mikvaot (ritual baths). The structure was destroyed when the Romans eventually conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 70 CE.

The coin features a goblet similar to those used in temple service together with the words “half-shekel” in ancient Hebrew script on one side, and a branch with three pomegranates and the inscription “Holy Jerusalem” on the other side.

“The silver coins from the Great Revolt were the first and the last in ancient times to bear the title ‘shekel,’” the researchers noted. “The next time this name was used was in 1980, on Israeli Shekel coins produced by the Bank of Israel.”

https://www.israel365news.com/363406/shireen-abu-akleh-death-witness-turns-out-to-be-islamic-jihad-terrorist/?
Shireen Abu Akleh Death ‘Witness’ Turns Out To Be Islamic Jihad Terrorist
They encircle me with words of hate; they attack me without cause.
PSALMS 109:3 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
HONEST REPORTING
MIDDLE EAST
DECEMBER 12, 2022
AL JAZEERA SHIREEN ABU AKLEH
Akey “civilian” eyewitness in the formal complaint against Israel filed by Al Jazeera at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the death of Shireen Abu Akleh Tuesday is a terrorist affiliated with the US-designated terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, HonestReporting discovered exclusively on Sunday.

Jenin resident Sleem Awwad’s social media profiles reveal that he is a staunch supporter of Islamic Jihad, having posed with the flag of the jihadist terror group. Our editorial team found at least five photos of Awwad brandishing firearms, including military-style rifles with scopes.

“The credibility of the investigations of Al Jazeera in probing Abu Akleh’s death are questionable now that HonestReporting exposed their chief witness as an active member of a murderous terrorist organization,” HonestReporting executive director Gil Hoffman said.

On December 6, Al Jazeera filed a formal complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court over the death of Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American reporter tragically shot on May 11 during a counter-terrorism operation in Jenin.

A thorough Israel Defense Forces probe previously concluded that she was likely mistakenly shot by a soldier who failed to identify her as a member of the press. After pinpointing every spot where troops had come under fire, the investigation found that they had strictly complied with the IDF’s rules of engagement.

In July, a report issued by the US State Department similarly said that Israeli forces probably fired the deadly shot, but that there was no indication Israelis intentionally killed Abu Akleh.

Nevertheless, Al Jazeera last week announced it contacted ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in the wake of “new evidence” it uncovered “based on several eyewitness accounts.” Without presenting proof, the Qatar-run broadcaster argued that their correspondent was somehow “targeted” as part of a campaign by “Israeli Occupation Forces [sic]… to silence Al Jazeera.”

The network’s submission under article 15 of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, followed just days after the airing of “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” a 40-minute documentary produced by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines series, which set the stage for Israeli soldiers to be prosecuted in The Hague.

While bizarre, Al Jazeera’s insistence that Israeli security forces deliberately murdered a journalist comes as no surprise given the sources Fault Lines used. Among other organizations, the film’s conclusions rely on claims made by the anti-Israel collective Forensic Architecture, as well as the terror-linked Al-Haq.

Furthermore, research by HonestReporting indicates that at least one of Al Jazeera’s “civilian” eyewitnesses is in fact an armed terrorist, affiliated with Islamic Jihad, who was in the area when Abu Akleh was shot.

About five minutes into “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” Al Jazeera correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous introduces Sleem Awwad as a key witness to the May 11 incident:

The group of journalists drew a crowd of civilians as well, including Sleem Awwad. He started a live video around 6:24 AM on the social media app TikTok. A few minutes after he started filming, he ran past the journalists to get a glimpse of the Israeli convoy up the street.”

Conspicuously, Awwad deleted the TikTok page @saleemawad1995 — and the live video taken some five minutes before Abu Akleh’s death — this summer. However, HonestReporting managed to track down his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and our findings cast serious doubt on Al Jazeera’s claim that Awwad is merely a civilian.

Indeed, a deep dive into Awwad’s social media profiles revealed his support for Islamic Jihad. The largest and most influential terror organization in Jenin, it reportedly pays its members $300 for every Israeli soldier they shoot and $100 if their attacks do not result in injuries to the troops.

Awwad also mourned multiple terrorists as “martyrs” (see, for instance, here and here). In April, he even called on his Facebook followers to donate blood to save the life of Islamic Jihad Jenin Brigade commander Muhammad Ayman al-Saadi.

According to Palestinian media, Awwad served time in Israeli prison.

Related Reading: Spotlight on Jenin: The Palestinian Terror Groups That Control the Streets of Jenin

Once again, Al Jazeera has been caught in a lie, falsely presenting armed terrorists as mere civilian bystanders. Although there is no indication that Awwad was carrying a firearm on the morning of May 11, the broadcaster clearly has some explaining to do.

During the December 6 press conference in The Hague, Cameron Doley, a lawyer representing Al Jazeera, insisted that “the claim by the Israeli authorities that Shireen was killed by mistake in an exchange of fire is clearly unfounded,” adding that “the evidence presented to the Office of the Prosecutor confirms that… there were no other persons in the road.”

What else is Al Jazeera lying about?

https://www.israel365news.com/363358/39-of-us-believes-we-are-currently-in-the-end-of-times-pew-survey-suggests/?
Arecent survey showed that in the wake of the global pandemic, the belief that we are currently at the end of days is rising. This contrasts sharply with Jewish tradition which has a far more optimistic perspective on what the final days of the world will look like.
A recent Pew Research survey found that 39% of Americans surveyed believed that they were currently living at the end of times as compared to 59% who did not. 
47% of Christians believed we are at the end of time. For Christians, the end of days marks the imminent return of Jesus. This is further divided along sectarian lines. 76% of Black Christians believe we are currently in the end of times and 63% of evangelical  Protestants believe this to be true.
49% of Christians say we are not living in the end times, including 70% of Catholics and 65% of mainline Protestants. 
29% of non-Christian religions believed we are at the end of times along with 23% of those with no religious affiliation.

This is also divided along political lines with 45% of Republicans saying we are currently at the end of times as compared to 33% of Democrats. Geography also had an influence with 48% of adults in Southern states saying that we are at the end of times as compared to 37% in the Midwest, 34% in the Northeast, and 31% in the West.

When asked if Jesus “will return to Earth someday,” more than half of all U.S. adults (55%), including three-quarters of Christians, say this will happen. Protestants in the evangelical (92%) and historically Black (86%) traditions are more likely than other Christians to say there will eventually be a second coming of Jesus. Roughly four-in-ten Americans either do not believe Jesus will return to Earth (25%) or say they do not believe in Jesus (16%).

10% of Americans believe this will happen in their lifetime, 27% responded that they are not sure if Jesus will return in their lifetime, and 19% say the return of Jesus will definitely or probably not occur during their lifetime.

29% of respondents from non-Christian religions believed we are currently in the end of days. Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and other smaller non-Christian religious groups were included in the survey and were represented in the “other religions” category, but there were not enough respondents in these groups to analyze separately. 23% of the respondents who self-identified as having no religious affiliation believed this to be true.

The survey cited an article in The Journal of Religion and Health which noted a rise in both secular and religious “apocalypticism” attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“For religious believers, the apocalypse signifies the rapture of the faithful into heaven while those on earth will undergo the tribulations,” the article explained. “For secular believers, the apocalypse signifies sociopolitical change.”

The article noted that many Christians believe the pandemic was prophesied in the New Testament Book of Revelations, written in 95 CE. For secular people, some crises (like pandemics or multinational conflicts) or Millenium mile markers raise concerns that the world is moving towards a catastrophic end. The article noted that in the wake of the 9-11 attacks in 2001, even though only 36% of all Americans believed in the divine source of the Bible, 59% said they believed that events predicted in the Book of Revelations would come to pass.

Rabbi Eyal Riess of the Tzfat Kabbalah Centre noted that the basic understanding of the end of days in connection with the “apocalypse” is counter to Jewish eschatology.

“According to Jewish tradition, the end of days comes after the arrival of the Messiah,” Rabbi Riess explained. “This can come in one of two ways. Each day of Creation corresponds to a Millenium and the Messianic era corresponds to Shabbat. So the Messiah must come before the year 6,000. This is known as b’ito, in its time. Alternatively, just as a Jew can opt to bring Shabbat in early, before sundown, the Messiah can arrive early if the Jews perform the commandments and merit it. This is known as achishena.”

“All of the terrifying end of days scenarios described by the Prophets are possibilities that may or may not materialize,” Rabbi Riess said. “It is very much in our ability to influence how this appears.”

The rabbi also noted the non-apocalyptic aspect of the post-Messiah era as described by Jewish tradition.

“We do not have a tradition of doomsday or Armageddon,” Rabbi Riess said. “In Jewish tradition, the concept of what happens after the Messiah, at the end of days is entirely positive with no negative connotations. The world will not end because of global warming or a terrorist attack. God loves His creation and no one may destroy what God loves.”

“We think it will be a return to Eden but it will be so much better than that because there will be no descent, no leaving of the garden,” Rabbi Riess said.

https://www.israel365news.com/363287/danny-danon-in-rome-saudi-arabia-expected-to-join-abraham-accords-this-year/?
Danny Danon in Rome: Saudi Arabia expected to join Abraham Accords this year For then I will make the peoples pure of speech, So that they all invoke Hashem by name And serve Him with one accord.
ZEPHANIAH 3:9
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
MIDDLE EAST
DECEMBER 9, 2022
Home » Danny Danon in Rome: Saudi Arabia expected to join Abraham Accords this year
ABRAHAM ACCORDS DANNY DANON ROME
 World leaders, ambassadors, diplomats, entrepreneurs, lawmakers, academics, and clergy from over thirty countries converged on Rome this week for the First Annual Abraham Accords Global Leadership Summit, an exclusive invitation-only event focused on new ways to increase peace and tolerance in the spirit of the Abraham Accords. 

Attendees included Houda Nonoo, Former Bahraini Ambassador to the United States, Danny Danon, Israel’s former UN Ambassador,  Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, Vice President of The Global Imams Council, Alojz Peterle, Former Prime Minister of Slovenia, Lord Stuart Polak, UK Abraham Accords Group, Timo Soini, the former Finnish Foreign Minister, Akuei Bona Malwal, Republic of South Sudan UN Ambassador, Katharina Von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, Senior Rabbi of the UAE, Reverend Philip Larrey, Dean of the Philosophy Department of the Pontifical Lateran University at the Vatican.

Ambassador Danny Danon presented an optimistic view of Israel’s recently elected government: “I bring good news from Jerusalem. The new Israeli government‘s first priority will be to increase signatories to the Abraham Accords. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s first state visit will be to Abu Dhabi, and we hope that Riyadh will follow. The Abraham Accords were not built in a day. The hardest part was going public. We have been in contact with the Saudis for years – I worked personally with them at the United Nations on matters of regional stability and security. It’s just a matter of time before courageous leaders step out of the shadows and full peace is achieved between all the children of Abraham. I expect we’ll see an agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia this year.”

He went on to stress the potential historical impact of the summit: “At the Abraham Accords Global Leadership Summit, dozens of nations came together to work towards peace – with practical measures taken to bring additional countries into the fold – while simultaneously creating bonds across six continents. We pray that the seeds we planted here today will grow into unprecedented global peace and coexistence for generations to come.”

The event celebrated the seismic change that the Abraham Accords have already brought to the Middle East and North Africa in two short years with an emphasis put on how to glean and export the secrets that turned bitter advisories into indispensable allies and friends in such a short time. To this end, delegates from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Israel shared their insights with policy shapers from around the world.

Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, Senior Rabbi of the United Arab Emirates also focused on his personal story: “As a young Jewish boy, fleeing my hometown of Beirut, I would have never dreamed that one day I would be serving as a Rabbi in an Arab country. Never mind an Arab country with a rapidly growing Jewish community that has signed a peace accord with the State of Israel. We are living in profound times and must seize the opportunities that lay before us.”.

Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, an Iranian-born Shi’a Muslim Scholar and Vice President of The Global Imams Council predicted that there was a reason for hope beyond the Arab world: “It is hard for some people to imagine that Israel and Iran were close allies just 43 years ago. I come here today, as a free Iranian to tell you that peace between Israel, Iran, and even between the Shi’a and the Sunni world is closer than ever. The people of Iran have seen the fruits of the Abraham Accords, they have witnessed how fast peace can be built and many remember the days of Israeli tourists visiting Tehran and long for those days to return.”

The summit concluded with the presentation of the Abrahamic Values Pledge, a joint declaration where delegates declared their support of shared Abrahamic values and respect to tradition and family. They also confirmed their commitment to further educating their communities about the traditional values that have sustained religions and cultures and allowed them to impact the world positively, particularly emphasizing tolerance, co-existence, and economic peace. 

The pledge read as follows:

We are united by our shared Abrahamic values that have sustained our societies for
thousands of years. We take immense pride in our mutual responsibility for one another.
While our shared humanity is constantly challenged by trends that question the traditional
values shared by all Abrahamic religions, our deep-rooted heritage has enabled us to build
a vibrant and well-knit society that is both entrepreneurial and innovative in its nature.
The spirit of the Abraham Accords has allowed our communities to reap the fruits of peace
and flourish in an ever-evolving socio-economic environment and has underscored the
importance of the following foundational pillars:
-Tolerance, Coexistence & Diversity
-Religion and Family
-Economic Peace
We agree to promote these pillars and bring them proactively to our communities in the
spheres of academia, governance, and community.
The Abraham Accords Global Leadership Summit values economic peace as a vehicle to
promote open markets, contributing to more peaceful behavior among states. Economic
peace has traditionally assisted in developing market-oriented economies that seek
increased collaboration with one another.
Our commitment to the central role of our tradition forms the cornerstone of our societies
and connects us as we recognize our shared past and build our common future. We
celebrate the traditional family values that have sustained and allowed religions and
cultures to impact the world in a positive way that has resulted in a commitment to a
strong sense of humanity, tolerance, and coexistence.
We hereby commit to take responsibility to further educate our communities in the
fundamental significance of the traditional Abrahamic values, and the importance of our
shared humanity that has flourished for thousands of years.

https://www.israel365news.com/363219/for-the-first-time-ever-church-of-england-finds-vicar-guilty-on-charges-of-antisemitism/?
For the first time ever: Church of England finds vicar guilty on charges of antisemitism
He who covers up his faults will not succeed; He who confesses and gives them up will find mercy.
PROVERBS28:13
( THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
ANTISEMITISM
DECEMBER 7, 2022
3 MIN READ
Home » For the first time ever: Church of England finds vicar guilty on charges of antisemitism
ANTISEMITISM UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
For the first time, a Church of England Tribunal rendered a decision finding Rev. Dr. Stephen Sizer guilty of  “conduct unbecoming to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders ” based on claims he engaged in antisemitic activity and Holocaust denial. The vicar was, in fact, guilty of virulently anti-Israel activity and accused Christian Zionists of antisemitism for not converting Jews to Christianity.

The Tribunal concluded that Dr. Sizer “pushed the boundaries beyond what was acceptable conduct, and [engaged in] antisemitic activity when he knew, [what] he was posting was virulently antisemitic“.

According to the Daily Mail, it was the first time in the board’s 260-year history that it filed a complaint against a church member.

The Tribunal chair David Pittaway KC said the question was “not whether the Respondent thought that the behavior should be described as such but whether the Tribunal finds the behavior to be antisemitic.“

A penalty hearing will need to take place in the future to determine the punishment.

A complaint was initially lodged against Sizer with the Church of England in 2012 and charges were brought by Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews in October 2018 to the head of his Diocese, the Bishop of Winchester, who referred him to the ecclesiastical hearing. Tribunals are normally held in private, but Sizer exercised his right for the hearing to be held in public with the media having access. 

Van der Zyl praised the Tribunal’s “unprecedented judgment” in a statement:

“I am grateful to the Tribunal for accepting the evidence of the Board of Deputies,” she wrote. “The Board will always act to defend and protect the Jewish community. ”

The tribunal was presented with 11 cases of Sizer’s antisemitic acts. The complaint stated in part: “we will not remain quiet in the face of actions and remarks capable of being seen as antisemitic even where they are disguised as anti-Zionist attacks on Israel.”

Out of the 11 allegations, a panel concluded that in four of them Sizer’s conduct was “unbecoming to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders, in that he provoked and offended the Jewish community.”

Sizer denied the claims of antisemitism and misconduct arguing his actions were against the state of Israel rather than the Jews.

Sizer, a Conservative Evangelical and the former vicar of the Anglican parish of Christ Church in Surrey, has been suspended from his ministry since 2018. He is critical of Christian Zionism. Sizer says that Christian Zionism has no biblical foundation or historical precedent.

On the ‘Unbelievable’ program on Premier Christian Radio1 on 6 December 2008, Sizer claimed that Christian Zionists are antisemitic because they do not actively engage in converting Jews to Christianity.

The charges included the following, though many more instances can be found on the internet of his antisemitic and anti-Israel statements:

Sizer attended a conference run by the Iran-backed Islamic Human Rights Commission in 2005.
He also admitted to having met a senior Hezbollah commander Sheikh Kaouk in 2006, claiming that he “advised” him that Hezbollah should release captured Israeli soldiers.
In 2008,he appeared alongside Fred Tobin, an alleged Holocaust denier, at a conference in Indonesia. Two representatives also attended the event.
Sizer was accused in 2012 of linking from his Facebook profile to an article on an anti-Jewish American site espousing Holocaust denial. 
In 2014, Sizer attended the “Second New Horizon Conference” in Tehran in which anti-Israel conspiracy theories were promoted. Sizer justified his presence, saying it was anti-Israel and not antisemitic.
In 2015, he posted a link to Facebook accusing Jews and Israel of responsibility for the 9/11 attacks in the United States. He also posted to Facebook an item claiming former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was a victim of “the hidden hands of Zionism”.
He was consequently banned by the diocese from using social media for six months but, according to the tribunal, still continued to make “deeply offensive” and “unpleasant” antisemitic pronouncements.
In March 2010, Sizer posted photographs on Flickr of Israeli soldiers on his public web pages under the title “Herod’s Soldiers Operating in Bethlehem Today”, equating the IDF activities with an episode in the New Testament known as the Massacre of the Innocents.
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https://www.israel365news.com/363200/moroccos-muslim-king-called-on-jews-to-pray-for-rain-rain-came/?
Morocco’s Muslim King called on Jews to pray for rain. Rain came
And the people grumbled against Moshe, saying, “What shall we drink?” Exodus 15:24
EXODUS 15:24
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
JEWISH WORLD, MIDDLE EAST
DECEMBER 7, 2022
Home » Morocco’s Muslim King called on Jews to pray for rain. Rain came

ABRAHAM ACCORDS MOROCCO RAIN
As per Jewish law, on Saturday night, Jews in Morocco began inserting a section in their prayers for rain. Normally a custom marked only inside synagogues, this year’s prayers for precipitation came at the behest of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI who turned to the Jews to save his nation from drought. Remarkably, the prayers were answered within a few hours.

Moroccan media reported that the king’s request from the Jews came in response to an ongoing drought. The Moroccan king’s request coincided with Jewish custom in which Jews outside of Israel begin praying for rain on the night of December 4. 

Responding to the king’s plea, the Council of Israelite Communities in Morocco, or CCIM, published a statement in which it “invites worshipers to pray in all the synagogues of the kingdom” so that God may “spare our country and help His Highness the King.”

This came after the monarch sent out a similar request to all of the country’s mosques and churches to pray for rain on Tuesday at 10:00 AM. The Muslim prayer for rain in case of drought is called “Salat al-Istisqa” in Arabic. The source for this in the Koran (2:60) refers to Moses praying for water for the Jews (Exodus 15:25).

Heavy rain began falling in Casablanca on Sunday, just a few hours after Morocco’s Jews began praying for rain. The rain is still falling according to weather reports.

Jewish tradition describes prayers for rain as a stubborn challenge in the face of the divine. The Talmud (Taanit 19a) tells the story of Honi Ha’Me’agel (Honi who drew circles). One year, the rain did not fall in the winter season and a drought ensued. Honi drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and informed God that he would not move until it rained. When it began to drizzle, Honi told God that he was not satisfied and expected more rain; it then began to pour. He explained that he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain calmed to normal rain.

Morocco’s call for prayers for rain comes amid a drought that has been affecting Morocco’s agriculture sector. The 2021-2022 season also experienced a dry agriculture year. The drought caused Morocco a drop of 67% in cereal production compared to the 2020-2021 season.

This mirrors a similar request made in 2014 by the Moroccan king. King Mohammed VI requested that the Jews pray for rain on January 11, one day after Muslim prayers for rain were held in the country’s mosques. The king made the request upon hearing predictions that Morocco would suffer a drought that year.

Rain reportedly began falling the day after the Moroccan Jews began praying. Rabbi Levi, a Chabad rabbi for the Jewish community in Morocco, told BeHadrey Haredim at the time that the king had made this request at least three times previously.

Sam Ben Shitrit, chairman of the Federation of Moroccan Origin, was quoted as saying that a warm relationship existed between the Moroccan monarchy and the Jews.

“The father of Mohammed VI used to turn to the rabbis of Morocco whenever a drought prevailed,” Ben Shitrit told Behadrey Haredim. “Rabbi Shalom Mashash [who served as Chief Rabbi of Morocco, and later as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem until his death in 2003] was friends with Mohammed V, father of the present king. The king told the rabbi that before his father’s death, he called his son and told him that he must watch over the Jews for they are his lucky charm.”

The current Moroccan government normalized relations with Israel in 2020 as part of the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement involving the United States. 

Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community as Jews began immigrating to the region as early as 70 CE. At its peak in the 1950s, Morocco’s Jewish population was about 250,000-350,000. Due to the migration of Moroccan Jews to Israel and other nations, this number has been reduced to approximately 3,000. The vast majority of Moroccan Jews now live in Israel, where they constitute the second-largest Jewish community, with approximately half a million.

Notwithstanding their dwindling numbers, the affection and respect between Jews and the Kingdom of Morocco are still palpable. Under King Mohammed VI, Morocco has undertaken massive renovations of Jewish heritage sites, and every year rabbis and community leaders across the world are invited to the Throne Celebration held every 30 July in Rabat.

https://www.israel365news.com/363032/herzog-becomes-first-ever-israeli-head-of-state-to-visit-bahrain/?
Herzog becomes first-ever Israeli head of state to visit Bahrain
All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.
GENESIS 22:18
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE) MIDDLE EAST
DECEMBER 4, 2022
3 MIN READ
Home » Herzog becomes first-ever Israeli head of state to visit Bahrain
BAHRAIN ISAAC HERZOG
President Isaac Herzog on Sunday became the first Israeli head of state to make an official visit to Bahrain, beginning a two-day trip that will include a stop in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
Bahrain and the UAE normalized relations with Israel in September 2020 under the auspices of the Abraham Accords.
Herzog was welcomed in Manama by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and Ambassador to Israel Khaled Yousif Al Jalahma.

The Israeli president thereafter was greeted by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the Al-Qudaibiya Palace.

“This is a great moment and I am extremely honored to be here in the Kingdom of Bahrain. You are at the forefront of making history in the region, where Jews and Muslims can dwell together, the sons of Abraham, and move forward in peace,” said Herzog.

“It is a long process, but we can dream of it and we can see it. Our nations joined the path of peace and the Kingdom of Bahrain is really one of the pioneers in this process, joining other nations that are pursuing peace together for the benefit and well-being of our peoples and the nations in the region and the world at large,” he added.

Herzog gave Hamad a silver mezuzah whose design was inspired by Torah scroll crowns, symbolizing God’s coronation as king.

“We are confident that this visit has an important role in consolidating relations between our two countries and supporting our common aspirations in terms of consolidating peace and sustainable development in the region and the world,” said the monarch.

“[The visit] represents an opportunity for you to witness the beauty of the religious and cultural diversity in our country and the spirit of friendliness, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among the members of our honorable society of all religions and races, reaffirming our belief in the values of peace, brotherhood and cooperation among human beings,” Hamad added.

In the afternoon, Herzog met with members of the local Jewish community.

“I am very moved to be here. This is really history in the making, coming and visiting the Jewish community in Bahrain when we have such incredible peace and wonderful relations,” Herzog said. “We all spent time together at lunch and you can see the great affection and respect between the leadership and our nations….One thing that transpired in our discussion was the immense respect of the king and his family for the Jewish community of Bahrain.”

Bahrain is home to a few dozen Jews, most of them elderly.

The Jewish community in Manama is indigenous, based on immigration to Bahrain in the early 1880s, mostly from Iraq, Iran and Kuwait.

Herzog was presented with three gifts of historic value: a bilingual Hebrew-Arabic Farhi Jewish prayerbook, a book detailing the history of the Bahraini Jewish community, and a copy of the permit to establish the local synagogue in 1931.

Before departing Israel, Herzog said, “This is another historic step in the relationship between Israel and Arab states, signed with the Abraham Accords, and another step towards more and more nations joining the circle of peace with the State of Israel. If one looks ahead, one sees an incredible vista of cooperation between so many industries of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and other nations that have signed the Abraham Accords, with the hope of including more and more nations in future.

“Predominantly, my visit is a visit of peace. Amid protests and other dissenting voices, the fact that today in the main paper and website in Bahrain, there is an article of mine bringing and delivering a message of peace is another step towards the inclusion of Israel in the region built on cooperation for the well-being of the nations of the region. Inshallah [God willing], we will bring another step towards peace,” said the Israeli president.

Herzog was alluding to the fact that threats were made ahead of his visit to the Gulf, leading to his security detail being increased.

In one of the threats, Herzog was portrayed as a kind of devil, with reddened eyes and lips and flames behind him. Stamped beneath his distorted image was the word: “Criminal.”

Another online ad read in Arabic: “All normalization is an act of treason, don’t come.”

Israeli media also reported that small protests against Herzog’s visit were held in several areas of Bahrain on Friday, with some participants chanting, “Death to Israel.” The demonstrators were reportedly connected to pro-Iranian Shiite opposition groups.

Bahrain’s ruling family is Sunni whereas the country is Shiite-majority.

On Monday, Herzog will hold a tête-à-tête with the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, their fourth meeting since the Israeli president took office in July 2021.



https://www.israel365news.com/363036/antisemitism-has-become-popular-new-york-mayor-eric-adams-warns/?
Antisemitism has become popular, New York mayor Eric Adams warns
For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
PROVERBS 4:16
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Staff Writer
STAFF WRITER
ANTISEMITISM
DECEMBER 4, 2022
Home » Antisemitism has become popular, New York mayor Eric Adams warns
ANTISEMITISM ERIC ADAMS GREECE NEW YORK
Antisemitism has become popular and those promoting it show an alarming level of organization, often demonstrated by their audience on social media, New York city mayor Eric Adams warned last week.

“The temperature is increasing ever so slightly that we have allowed it to normalize in every part of our lives,” Adams said while speaking at the 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism (MSAA) in Athens, Greece. “We have become accustomed to it; it has become popular.”

Dozens of mayor and city officials from all over the world attended the event, which was held in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), Center for Jewish Impact (CJI), and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).

“Social media is the flames that continue to fuel the hatred that you are seeing,” Adams said. “Those who are perpetrating hate should not have five million followers on social media when those who stand up for what is right only have 100,000 followers. They have organized to a level that is so dangerous at this time.”

The mayor was also presented with the CAM Civic Leadership Award for his commitment to fighting antisemitism and religious bigotry.

CAM is a global coalition engaging more than 600 partner organizations and nearly two million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds.

CAM’s CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa highlighted the importance of bringing representatives of local authorities together to discuss the issue of antisemitism.

“This conference is unprecedented and vital,” Roytman Dratwa said, “because we have never had so many local and municipal leaders in one place, sharing best practices and learning from each other on how to fight Jew-hatred.”

“It is vital that the authorities closest to the ground are on the frontlines of combating antisemitism and fostering greater coexistence and tolerance between peoples and communities,” he added.

The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou also addressed the summit.
“At a time when antisemitism is growing worldwide, it is our moral duty to turn memory daily into action, to cultivate historical knowledge, to reflect on the causes that gave birth to Nazism, racism, Antisemitism, and all kinds of racial, religious, and social prejudices,” she said.

Among the cities represented at the summit were Vienna, Paris, Dortmund, Malmo, Albuquerque, Richmond, Ft. Lauderdale, Dresden, Jackson, Mississippi, Graz, Thessaloniki, and Bialystok.

“Mayors and delegations who came for this important summit in Athens are our brothers and sisters in arms, seeing you all in this hall is testament that unity is a powerful antidote in our duly battle against Antisemitism and hate speech,” said Robert Singer, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact and Member of the CAM Board of Governors. “While I don’t delude myself that we will completely eradicate Antisemitism in this lifetime, it is still our duty to fight with all our might.”

https://www.israel365news.com/362953/rare-dna-from-medieval-jewish-cemetery-in-germany-sheds-unprecedented-light-on-origin-of-ashkenazi-jews/?+2022&vgo_ee=Ykk53Iszg648j3E3sW2RbnwFoqDlMHNmyq65fGLdufk%3D
Rare DNA from Medieval Jewish cemetery in Germany sheds unprecedented light on origin of Ashkenazi Jews
And Hashem shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Hashem with one name.
ZECHARIAH
14:9
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Rossella Tercatin
ROSSELLA TERCATIN
ARCHEOLOGY
NOVEMBER 30, 2022
Home » Rare DNA from Medieval Jewish cemetery in Germany sheds unprecedented light on origin of Ashkenazi Jews
ARCHAEOLOGY GERMANY
In 2013, the local authorities of the city of Erfurt, the capital of the German State of Thuringia, decided to grant permission to turn a building that had been built as a granary in 1454 into a parking lot. However, at the time, the granary was erected in an area that had previously been part of the Jewish cemetery. The rescue excavation conducted for the has project allowed scientists to shed unprecedented light on the origin of Ashkenazi Jews.

Jewish law prohibits disturbing the dead in the vast majority of cases, but in this instance, a group of researchers got permission to collect detached teeth from the remains. Of the 47 individuals they identified, the scientists were able to extract the DNA of 33 people.

The study was published in the journal Cell on Wednesday.

The term Ashkenazi Jews usually refers to a group of Jews who lived in Rhineland, Germany.

“Modern Ashkenazi Jews are genetically very similar to one another, sharing a lot of genetic material,” Professor Shai Carmi told Israel365 News. “This means that with limited exceptions, modern Ashkenazi Jews today are one single uniform population. In Erfurt in the 14th century, this was not the case.”

A geneticist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Carmi co-authored the study together with over 25 researchers from several universities from all over the world.

“We identified two different groups buried in the cemetery,” Carmi said. “One group presents a Middle Eastern ancestry and it is closer to modern Ashkenazi Jews, while the other group’s ancestry seems to be more Eastern European, possibly because they mixed more with local populations.”

The researchers were able to determine that the “founder event” that gave origin to the Ashkenazi Jewish population must have occurred before the 14th century.

“The term ‘founder event’ means that a population was very small for many generations, marrying inside the community,” Carmi explained. If the population then grows even into the millions, they will still all descend from the same founders and share a lot of genetic mutations, he said. “We also refer to this phenomenon as ‘bottleneck’.”

Among the individuals analyzed in the study, at least eight carried disease-causing genetic mutations common in modern-day Ashkenazi Jews.

A thriving Jewish community lived in Erfurt between the 11th and the 15th century, with a brief interruption following a massacre in 1349, before Jews were expelled for good until modern times in 1454.

The local Jewish museum carries many unique artifacts from those centuries, including a treasure trove of 28 kilos of silver coins and other valuable objects that was probably buried during the pogrom. Several biblical manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries were also found in Erfurt.

All the remains analyzed by the scientists were dated with radiocarbon and lived in the 14th century.

For the future, Carmi hopes that they are going to be able to find and analyze DNA from other ancient Jewish populations to compare it with the results of this study.

“There are still so many questions that remain unanswered,” he said.

https://www.israel365news.com/362868/majority-of-israeli-support-shooting-neutralized-terrorists-survey/?
Majority of Israeli support shooting neutralized terrorists – survey 
For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
PROVERBS 4:16
Maayan Hoffman
NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Home » Majority of Israeli support shooting neutralized terrorists – surve

IDF - ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE TERRORISM WOMEN
The majority of Israelis support killing terrorists even after the threat emanating from them has been neutralized, according to a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute.

Specifically, the survey, which polled Jewish Israelis on a series of issues relating to their relationship with the IDF and the country’s security challenges, found that 55% agreed in killing neutralized terrorists, up from 37% in 2018.

Additionally, 71% of Israelis said they support the death penalty for terrorists who have been convicted of murder and 45.5% of respondents said that support firing on civilian centers in Gaza to deter terrorists from firing rockets at the Israeli population.

The survey was rolled out ahead of the organization’s National Security and Democracy conference, which is taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week in Israel, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

The survey was taken between September 15 and 19, 2022 – less than two months before the recent Israeli election, which saw striking success for far-right Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, who gained steam among IDF soldiers, who in some cases feel that the establishment has abandoned them in the field.

Moreover, it comes five years after Elor Azari was convicted in 2017 of shooting and killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron on March 24, 2016 when he was prostrated on the ground, having already been shot by Israeli soldiers. Azaria became known as the “Hebron shooter.” His conviction was seen as highly controversial and some argued that the decision would cause soldiers to fear that if they make a mistake in the field they would fall into the same trap.

Support for women in combat

The survey also showed that the majority (54%) of Jewish Israelis think that elite combat units should be open to women. 

However, only 36% of respondents gave the IDF a good or great grade on questions of gender equality, down from 50% in 2017.

When asked whether Israel should continue with its current mandatory draft model, nearly half (47%) said it should be discontinued and replaced with a voluntary professional military force. 

Moreover, 9% fewer Israelis gave the IDF a good or great grade on combat readiness (71% versus 80% in 2017). 

Finally, the survey asked respondents whether soldiers should be required to take part in mandatory religious education and visits.

While the majority (74%) of respondents said soldiers should be offered and allowed to participate in religious classes or activities, only 10% believe they should be mandatory and 11% said they should be forbidden. 

Less than half (47%) of Israelis said soldiers should be brought on tours of Jewish sites, such as the Western Wall or Tomb of the Patriarchs, if they want to be. A similar 45% said soldiers should be required to visit these sites and 3% said participation should be forbidden.

The survey was prepared by the Center for Security and Democracy and by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research and conducted by phone and internet. More than 800 adults answered the survey, with a maximum sampling error of +/- 3.52%.
To view the full data file, click here.

Man Injured in Jerusalem Terror Bombings Succumbs to Injuries
Fifty-year-old Tadasa Tashume Ben Ma'ada, a father of two, made aliyah from Ethiopia more than two decades ago.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362501/man-injured-in-jerusalem-terror-bombings-succumbs-to-injuries/?


Who are the Black Hebrews Who Marched in Brooklyn Chanting “We are the Real Jews”?
The movement encompasses a range of religious sub-groups that subscribe to the belief that African Americans are the descendants of Biblical Israelites.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362661/who-are-the-black-hebrews-who-marched-through-brooklyn-chanting-we-are-the-real-jews/?


Heroes of Judea and Samaria: The Godfather of Judea’s Jewish Settlement
While many Israelis contributed to the settlement of Judea and Samaria, few have accomplished as much as Benny Katzover.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362500/heroes-of-judea-and-samaria-the-godfather-of-judeas-jewish-settlement/


Finding Your Place
Did he have a point? In an age where virtually every inch of the planet is available online at every moment, is one place really different than another? Do I really need to travel around the world to see its wonders?
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/finding-your-place/?


[WATCH] Israel Police Holding Intensive Searches After Jerusalem Bus Bombing
The double terror attack killed two people and wounded over twenty.
WATCH » https://www.israel365news.com/362664/watch-israel-police-holding-intensive-searches-after-jerusalem-bus-bombing/?


Ye Takes Holocaust Denier Nick Fuentes to Mar-A-Lago to Meet Donald Trump
The rapper who has been engulfed in an antisemitism scandal claimed that the former president was “very impressed” with Fuentes.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362534/ye-takes-holocaust-denier-nick-fuentes-to-mar-a-lago-to-meet-donald-trump/?


Iran Blames Israel for Fars News Agency Hack
Hacker group “Black Reward” has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, in which some 250 terabytes of data are said to have been deleted from the Fars servers.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362499/iran-blames-israel-for-fars-news-agency-hack/?


Likud and Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Agree to Roles in Governing Coalition
The two parties agreed early on Friday that Ben-Gvir will be appointed to a newly created position of national security minister, which will be an expanded public security minister role with oversight over the national police and border police in Judea and Samaria.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362525/likud-and-itamar-ben-gvirs-otzma-yehudit-agree-to-roles-in-governing-coalition/?


The Face of the Palestinian War of Succession
by Caroline Glick
The more Jews the various terrorist factions, including the P.A., murder, the greater their chances of inheriting Mahmoud Abbas.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/362503/the-face-of-the-palestinian-war-of-succession-opinion/?

https://www.israel365news.com/360878/two-americans-wounded-in-jerusalem-terror-bombings/?
Two Americans wounded in Jerusalem terror bombings
Comfort, oh comfort My people, Says your God.
ISAIAH
40:1
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
TERROR WATCH
NOVEMBER 25, 2022
< 1 MIN READ
Home » Two Americans wounded in Jerusalem terror bombings


BUS BOMBING JERUSALEM TERROR VICTIMS
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed Wednesday night that two American citizens were among those wounded in two explosions at busy bus stops located near entrances to Jerusalem earlier in the day.

“Sadly, I can now confirm that two U.S. citizens were among those injured in today’s terror attacks in Jerusalem,” tweeted Nides. “As we head into Thanksgiving, I am grateful that they will recover. I pray for a peaceful holiday in the U.S., Jerusalem, or wherever you may be celebrating.”

Aryeh Shechopek, a 16-year-old Israeli-Canadian on his way to his yeshiva in Beit Meir, nine miles west of Jerusalem, was slain in the first attack around 7 a.m. A total of 20 people have been wounded. The victims were evacuated to Jerusalem’s Shaare Tzedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem medical centers.

Authorities believe that the twin blasts, about 30 minutes apart, were caused by two remotely detonated bombs packed with nails to cause maximum damage.

Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai visited one of the scenes and held a situation assessment together with Jerusalem Police District head Doron Turgeman.

“This is a type of attack that we haven’t seen for many years,” said Shabtai.

He called on the public to be alert for suspicious packages, adding that every bus in Jerusalem would be searched.

https://www.israel365news.com/360585/breaking-news-explosion-in-jerusalem/?
Two terror attacks in Jerusalem leave one killed over 20 wounded
For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
PROVERBS 4:16
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
TERROR WATCH
NOVEMBER 23, 2022
3 MIN READ
Home » Two terror attacks in Jerusalem leave one killed over 20 wounded
JERUSALEM TERROR TERRORISM
One person was killed and at least 18 more were wounded as explosives packed with nails exploded at two separate bus stops in Jerusalem. Police have classified the incidents as terrorist attacks.


“At 7:06 a.m., MDA’s Jerusalem district 101 call center received a report of multiple injuries as a result of an explosion next to a bus stop on Sha’arei Yerushalayim Street in Jerusalem,” MDA reported.
“MDA paramedics are on the scene providing medical treatment to seven injured people, including one in serious condition and one in critical condition.”


The person killed in the attack was reportedly a16-year-old yeshiva student from overseas.


Spokespersons of the Ihud Hatzala – Jerusalem District: The medical teams of the Ihud Hatzala provided first aid to a mortally wounded person and nine moderately to severely and lightly injured at the entrance to Jerusalem
Yosef Gabbai, a medic from Ihud Hatzala, who arrived first to give them first aid at the scene, said: “I was standing at a traffic light and heard the explosion at the bus stop. I arrived at the scene within a few seconds and encountered a young man who was mortally wounded. I began to give him first aid while I asked the Ihud Hatzala headquarters to call Clal to the scene The emergency forces. During the treatment, a number of other wounded people came to me who were conscious and suffered bruises and injuries in moderate to severe and light conditions.” Michael Groscott, another medic of the Rescue Union, said: “I arrived at the scene to help the victims. After the initial aid we gave them at the scene of the incident, they were referred to the Hadassah Ein Kerem and Shaare Zedek hospitals suffering from cuts, injuries, and lacerations. Also, the resilience unit of the Rescue Union gave Assistance to reduce the number of victims of anxiety”.




Scene of explosion (Photo courtesy United Hatzalah)
The attack at the entrance to Jerusalem was apparently carried out by a suspect who arrived on an electric bicycle, put down the bomb, and ran away.


Following the incident at the entrance to Jerusalem, a second explosion took place at 7:30 at a bus stop near the Ramot junction. Three people were wounded in the blast.




Scene of explosion (Photo courtesy United Hatzalah)
12 people were wounded in the blast with one soon succumbing to his wounds.


Police suspect that both explosions were left at the scene in bags and then remotely detonated


Hadassah Medical Center reported that from the incident in the Ramot neighborhood, three minor injury victims were evacuated to Hadassah Mount Scopus; 12 years old, 32 years old, and about 50 years old.


United Hatzalah EMTs Dani Shmueli and Yossi Eisenstein relayed: “While driving in the area on our emergency ‘ambucycles’ we heard the explosion which happened at a bus station. We arrived within mere seconds at the scene and provided assistance to three people who sustained light injuries from shrapnel. A United Hatzalah ambulance evacuated one of the injured to the hospital. United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit has also been dispatched and is treating numerous eyewitnesses for emotional and psychological shock.”
At Ramot, the explosion was the result of a booby-trapped scooter left near the bus stop.
This is a developing story and will be updated as details are reported.

https://www.israel365news.com/360709/palestinian-gunmen-seize-body-of-israeli-teen-from-jenin-hospital/?
Palestinian gunmen ‘seize body’ of Israeli teen from Jenin hospital
For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
PROVERBS 4:16
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
MIDDLE EAST, TERROR WATCH
NOVEMBER 23, 2022
< 1 MIN READ
Home » Palestinian gunmen ‘seize body’ of Israeli teen from Jenin hospital
DRUZE JENIN
Palestinian gunmen stormed a hospital in Jenin on Tuesday and seized the body of an Israeli teenager, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.

The twelfth-grader, a member of Israel’s Druze community, had entered Jenin from Israel via the Gilboa Crossing, together with a second civilian, the IDF said in a statement.

“The two were involved in a car accident and were evacuated to the local hospital for medical treatment. One of the civilians was confirmed dead. The body was taken from the hospital in Jenin and is expected to be returned to Israel shortly, as a required humanitarian act. The second injured civilian was severely injured and evacuated to receive further medical attention in Israel,” according to the statement.

However, Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual head of the Druze Israeli community, contradicted the IDF’s version of events, stating that the youth had still been alive when he was taken.

Speaking with Kan Reshet Bet on Wednesday, Tarif said that according to the teen’s father, who was at the hospital in Jenin, “After the accident he saw that his son was breathing. He was disconnected from the equipment and kidnapped while still alive. They took him while firing shots in the air. It was a very difficult scene.”

Adi Faru, the teen’s uncle, told Kan Reshet Bet, “We saw them. They were armed. They came like [they did during] the intifada. They entered—20 to 30 of them—the hospital, they fired outside in the air. If we had not complied, they’d have kidnapped us too.”

The teen had entered Jenin to get his car repaired, said Faru. According to the uncle, the youth survived surgery at the Jenin hospital, but died soon afterwards from his injuries.

https://www.israel365news.com/359916/euphrates-river-drying-up-fulfilling-jeremiahs-prophecy/?
Euphrates River drying up: Fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy?
A drought against its waters, that they be dried up! For it is a land of idols; They are besotted by their dread images.
JEREMIAH
50:38
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS
NOVEMBER 18, 2022
Home » Euphrates River drying up: Fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy?
The region, once known as the Fertile Crescent, is on the verge of a food crisis as the main sources of water disappear. Officials struggle to cope as a prophetic scenario appears.

Iraqi officials are reporting that for three consecutive years, the rainy season has begun later and ended sooner than the historic norm. This has been coupled with less water flowing through its two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The region has also been plagued by ongoing conflict. 

“Desertification now threatens almost 40% of the area of our country – a country that was once one of the most fertile and productive in the region,” Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid told the climate summit in Egypt last week.

Nadhir Al-Ansari, professor at Sweden’s Lulea University of Technology, told Reuters that rainfall in Iraq had declined by 30% over the past three decades, with the lowest precipitation coming in the last two years.

“What was once known as the Fertile Crescent started to die about 35 years ago,” he said.

Officials accuse Turkey of cutting the river’s flow upstream over the last two years to half the level it committed to in a 1987 accord, a claim the Turkish government denies. In the year to September, rainfall in southeast Turkey where the rivers originate was 29% below the average of the previous three decades, according to Turkey’s meteorological agency. Dams and drought have reduced the waters of the two rivers to about 20% of previous levels. 

All these elements combined have led to a food crisis in the region. Almost 90% of rain-fed crops, mostly wheat and barley, failed this season, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Iraq.

The 1,700-mile-long Euphrates is the main source of drinking water as well as powering three hydroelectric plants that produce electricity for about three million people in Syria. Two dams in northern Syria face imminent closure which would leave about three million people without any access to electricity. The water level at the Tishrin Dam, the first into which the river falls inside Syria, has dropped five meters and is currently about ten centimeters above “dead level” when the turbines stop producing electricity.

The Euphrates figures prominently in the Bible with it being described as bordering the Garden of Eden.

“The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. “Genesis 2:14

It was also named as one of the borders of the land God granted to Abraham’s descendants.

“On that day Hashem made a covenant with Avram, saying, “To your offspring I assign this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:” Genesis 15:18

The prophet Jeremiah described how the waters of Babylon, the region currently including Syria and Iraq, would dry up as a punishment for their idolatrous practices, the devastation being so complete as to render the region, once part of the so-called ‘fertile crescent’, uninhabitable.

“A drought against its waters, that they be dried up! For it is a land of idols; They are besotted by their dread images. Assuredly, Wildcats and hyenas shall dwell [there], And ostriches shall dwell there; It shall never be settled again, Nor inhabited throughout the ages.” Jeremiah 50:38-39 

Both Christian and Muslim eschatology include prophecies of the drying up of the Euphrates signaling the end of days. In Islam, some of the hadiths suggest that the Euphrates will dry up, revealing unknown treasures that will be the cause of strife and war. In the Christian Book of Revelation, it is prophesied that in the ” near future the Potamos Euphrates or “breaking forth like water” of the middle east will dry up in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon.

https://www.israel365news.com/359524/breaking-news-three-israelis-seriously-wounded-in-palestinian-stabbing-attack/?
BREAKING NEWS: Three Israelis Killed and Three Seriously Wounded in Palestinian Stabbing Attack [WATCH]
Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
PSALMS
23:4
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
TERROR WATCH
NOVEMBER 15, 2022
2 MIN READ
Home » BREAKING NEWS: Three Israelis Killed and Three Seriously Wounded in Palestinian Stabbing Attack [WATCH]
CITY OF ARIEL STABBING TERRORISM
Three Israelis were killed and three more seriously wounded by a Palestinian in a stabbing-ramming attack in the industrial park adjacent to the city of Ariel in Samaria on Tuesday morning at around 9:20.

A Palestinian terrorist stabbed a security guard near the entrance to the industrial park and then ran to a nearby gas station where he stabbed three more people, killing two and wounding the third. He fled in a stolen vehicle, driving west on the wrong side of Highway 5 where he crashed into eight vehicles., killing a man in his 50s . Route 5, which runs through Samaria from east to west, is heavily traveled by Israelis and Palestinians alike. The driver of a car stopped to help the wounded and the terrorist stole his car and continued his murder spree.

He exited the vehicle with a knife and stabbed another person. The terrorist exited the vehicle, fleeing on foot when he was shot and killed by civilians and security personnel.

Two men in their 40s who were stabbed at the gas station died from their wounds and another was seriously wounded. A man in his 50s was killed after being rammed by the terrorist, and another 35-year-old was stabbed and seriously hurt on the highway.

The Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva said it was treating three victims in serious condition, one of whom was unstable. It later said the condition of one of the victims had improved significantly.

The incident is currently under investigation. One disturbing element is that a second security guard was at the entrance to the industrial park. That guard fired in the air but did not engage or fire at the terrorist.
The 18-year-old terrorist was identified as a Palestinian who lived nearby and was employed in the industrial park. Palestinian media noted that his father is an activist for Fatah, the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Daniel Cohen, who was one of the first responders at the scene relayed: “When I arrived at the scene I found that the incident had transpired in two different locations.

“Overall, there are four people who were injured, three of whom are in serious condition. Together with other EMS personnel, I provided emergency medical treatment to the injured at both scenes prior to their being transported to the hospital.”
A person initially reported by medics to have been a second attacker was one of the victims.
This is a developing story and will be updated as details emerge.

https://www.israel365news.com/276259/international-criticism-of-ben-gvir-ignores-concerns-of-average-israelis-his-spokesperson-says/?
INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM OF BEN GVIR IGNORES CONCERNS OF AVERAGE ISRAELIS, HIS SPOKESPERSON SAYS
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | NOV 4, 2022 | US-ISRAEL RELATIONS

Moshe chose capable men out of all Yisrael, and appointed them heads over the people—chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens; Exodus 18:25 (The Israel BibleTM)

Right-wing politician MK Itamar Ben Gvir seen after visiting the Temple Mount, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on March 31, 2022. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The biggest story of the recent Israeli election was the rise of the Religious Zionist Party with the focus being on the controversial head of the Otzma Yehudit Party, Itamar Ben Gvir, and the Religious Zionist Party winning 14 seats in the elections. But this victory came with a shadow. For years he was considered too volatile for the Knesset and Ben Gvir’s reputation has risen concern among some international leaders (ahead of the elections two US Democrat politicians reportedly warned Netanyahu that forming a coalition with the religious zionist party could endanger US relations with Israel).

Yishai Fleisher, the International Spokesman for the Jewish Community and the English-language spokesman for Ben Gvir claims these concerns simply ignore the problems of average Israelis.

“The criticisms of Ben Gvir are character attacks that ignore the concerns of the average Israeli,” Fleisher told Israel365 News. “They claim that he is racist but Ben Gvir supports the anti-racist policy of having Jews pray on the Temple Mount. It is not racist to want stronger security for Israel. That helps all our citizens; Jew, Christian, and Muslim alike.”

Ben Gvir, a lawyer, until recently was considered a pariah and untouchable even by most of the Right because of racist statements he had made.

Currently, he states that he does not have a problem with the general Arab population but only with those who are “disloyal” to the State of Israel. For this reason, he wants to establish a new ministry for encouraging the immigration of “enemies” and people who are “disloyal” to the state.

In addition, he would like to introduce the death penalty for terrorists (Israeli law permits the death penalty though it has only been imposed twice in the history of the state.)

“Even the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria can benefit from his work,” Fleisher said. “Ben Gvir is labeled racist for calling out the corrupt Palestinian Authority which systematically represses Palestinian society while preaching Israel-hate as a matter of course.”

Fleisher said that one of the main reasons that there was such an overwhelming vote is because there is currently a security threat the average person feels.

“It is universal across the country. Whether they are religious people walking the streets in Jerusalem or if they have a business in the south or in the north,” he said. “Mixed cities used to be safe but now, in cities like Akko, Yaffo, and Ramlah, people feel threatened. Women especially feel threatened to walk around at night whether it is Beer or in French Hill in Jerusalem.”

He noted that the US lawmakers from the Democratic party had tried to influence Netanyahu to refrain from forming a government with Ben Gvir.

“The US politicians and media think the support for the center-right is based on racism and intolerance,” Fleisher said. He noted that the party and the man once considered extremist were now mainstream, attracting a wide voter base.

“It’s about defense for the average person. The Religious Zionist message is a call for law and order. In many ways, this is a law and order party.”

“Itamar Ben fear is a civil rights lawyer making sure that there’s order in the system,” he added. He wants to ensure that the police can do their job.”

Fleisher explained that this is another source of support for the party.

“That’s why so many police officers voted for the Religious Zionist Party,” Fleisher said. “Because they want a stronger hand against the real criminals”

Fleisher said that in Israel, violence is usually nationalistic in nature bordering on foreign policy.

“The motivator of violence is not rights or the lack of rights or lack of this or that,” he said. “It is ideological jihadism. The Palestinian Authority recently released an announcement, congratulating themselves for 7,200 acts of violence this year. Taking a strong stand against that is not racist.”

Fleisher pointed out that across the board, religious parties did well in the election.

“The Israeli public voted for Judaism as opposed to globalism,” he said. “Globalism wants to wants to undermine local national heritage. This was a vote for more Jewish as opposed to a more globalist country. It’s about coming in and helping change the country to do to act like it’s supposed to act, to promote a Jewish state to give minorities freedom from the abuses of the jihad and from the bullies. And it’s basically a law and order party.”

“This election was a step towards defending our country and letting people live in safety,” Fleisher said. “That is actually one of the things which makes us really unique in the Middle East. With the help of God, these elections were a step towards defending our country and allowing all Israelis to live in safety. Israel is a safe harbor from Jihadism and is a beacon of freedom for the peoples in the Abrahamic Region.”

https://www.israel365news.com/276207/can-the-new-israeli-government-embody-biblical-kingship/?
CAN THE NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT EMBODY BIBLICAL KINGSHIP?
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | NOV 2, 2022 | BIBLICAL NEWS
If, after you have entered the land that Hashem your God has assigned to you, and taken possession of it and settled in it, you decide, “I will set a king over me, as do all the nations about me." Deuteronomy 17:14 (The Israel BibleTM)
The Israeli Knesset building. (Photo: James Emery/ Wikimedia Commons)
Several religious parties achieved very positive results in Tuesday’s election, strengthening the identity of Israel’s government as that of a Jewish state. Some rabbis see this as an extension of the Biblical commandment to appoint a king over Israel, raising questions about the government’s responsibility to act in accordance with the Torah.
The Torah explicitly commands the Jews to appoint a king when they arrive in Israel
If, after you have entered the land that Hashem your God has assigned to you, and taken possession of it and settled in it, you decide, “I will set a king over me, as do all the nations about me,”you shall be free to set a king over yourself, one chosen by Hashem your God. Be sure to set as king over yourself one of your own people; you must not set a foreigner over you, one who is not your kinsman. Deuteronomy 17:14-15

Most scholars interpret this verse as permitting the Jews to appoint a king though the ideal is to look to God as the ultimate and only ruler. This was illustrated in Samuel’s reluctance to appoint a king, even rebuking the nation for requesting a king, because an evil monarchy could lead the nation away from serving God.

But Israel does not have a king. The modern Jewish state touts itself as the only true democracy in the Middle East. This is emphasized by the almost non-stop elections. Whether the head of the party, Benny Gantz, intended it or not, the name of the National Unity Party hints at monarchic aspirations. In Hebrew, the party is called HaMahane Hamamlachti; the kingdom’s camp.

Rabbi Menachem Makover of the Temple Institute noted that a democratically elected government is not a monarchy but it stands in the place of a true monarchy.

“There are those who interpret the Torah as meaning that the only acceptable form of government for Israel is a monarchy but that is not true. It is the only form described in the Bible but there were long periods of time when there were no kings. Judges served as a governing mechanism. Ideally, Israel should appoint a king. But if there is no king, alternatives are acceptable.”

“This is our situation today,” Rabbi Makover said.

The rabbi noted that even among those who accept a democratically elected government as an acceptable alternative, there is a dispute as to whether it should be viewed as having the same status as a monarchy.

“Jews in the diaspora are required by Jewish law to honor and obey the ruling government as long as it does not violate Jewish law, but the government certainly does not have the same standing as a monarchy ruling the Jews in Israel,” Rabbi Makover said. “But even the government of Israel does not have the same status as the Davidic dynasty.”

The rabbi explained that the Biblical commandment specifically takes effect when the Jews enter the land and could, therefore, apply to the Knesset.

“Jews in Israel should, of course, see electing a Torah-based government as a mitzvah (Torah commandment),” Rabbi Makover said. “Voting is not a mitzvah unto itself but, if done with the proper intent, it is an act that brings about mitzvoth for the public.”

Being a Biblical commandment differentiates Israeli democracy from democracy in other countries.

“It is forbidden that Israel should have a non-Jewish leader,” Rabbi Makover said.

He noted that according to Jewish tradition, there are certain Biblical commandments incumbent upon a king of Israel: wiping out Amalek and building the Temple in Jerusalem. As a government elected by Jews in Israel, the Israeli government has Biblical obligations.

“The Israeli government serves in place of the king and ideally they should relate to these obligations,” Rabbi Makover said. “This includes building the Temple in Jerusalem. They were obligated to do this in 1967. Unfortunately, they failed to do so. If the government does not build the Temple, that is their failure. But this does not exempt the nation of Israel from carrying out this obligation.”

Rabbi Dov Lior, the former Chief Rabbi of Hebron and a prominent figure in the religious Zionist movement agreed that the root source of a democratically elected government lies in the Biblically mandated monarchy.

“Democracy is choosing people to carry out specific functions for the public,” Rabbi Lior said. “In a democratic government, these functions are divided up among many people. One person takes care of defense, another organizes transportation, another deals with immigration. In a monarchy, the entire government is embodied in one person. The authority of the king is effectively divided up.”

The rabbi explained that the special nature of the nation imbues a divine element in the electoral process.

“This divine element used to lie in a king who was chosen through prophecy,” Rabbi Lior explained. “The king embodied the nation and acted as a conduit between God and His people. But since prophecy no longer exists, the nation must choose leaders since there are mitzvoth that an individual cannot perform alone so it is necessary to organize the public.”

Rabbi Lior explained that this divine element was not a privilege but an obligation.

“The authority to do these public functions ultimately comes from God,” Rabbi Lior said. “This is especially true of the army. No man has the authority to order Israel to go to war. But by appointing a government, this authority is given. This is only true of a war in Israel because God commanded us to conquer the land.”

https://www.israel365news.com/276066/the-worlds-oldest-known-star-map-discovered-in-egypt/?
THE WORLD’S OLDEST KNOWN STAR MAP DISCOVERED IN EGYPT
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | OCT 28, 2022 | BIBLICAL NEWS

He reckoned the number of the stars; to each He gave its name. Psalms 147:4 (The Israel BibleTM)

Hipparchus Star Catalog palimpsest (Screenshot)

A recent discovery in a monastery in the Sinai Desert proves that ancient Greeks were remarkably accomplished in astronomy, cataloging the stars despite lacking telescopes.

Researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Sorbonne University, and the Tyndale House affiliated with the University of Cambridge announced the discovery of fragments of the Hipparchus Star Catalog composed in the 2nd century BCE. The researchers published their findings earlier this month in the Journal for the History of Astronomy.

The catalog was written about the year 129 BCE on the Isle of Rhodes by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, known as the “father of scientific astronomy.” Part of an effort by the astronomer to map the entire sky, the fragments represent the oldest known attempt to determine the precise position of fixed stars by associating them with numerical coordinates. He cataloged the positions of roughly 850 stars.

The existence of the catalog was known as it was described in the writings of Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer, who composed a similar catalog 400 years after Hipparchus. The researchers determined that Hipparchus’ catalog was more accurate than that of Ptolemies, created three centuries later.

The original writings were scraped from the parchment in the medieval era to make way for a collection of Christian Palestinian Aramaic texts telling stories from the Old and New Testaments. This was not uncommon as parchment was quite expensive and the result is referred to as a palimpsest. The writings were concealed beneath leaves, or folios, of the religious Codex Climaci Rescriptus at St. Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The codex was written in Syriac.


The possibility that the manuscript was a palimpsest was first suggested in 2012. In 2019, the researchers took 42 photographs of nine pages from the codex across a broad range of wavelengths before scanning the photos with computer algorithms that picked out the text hidden underneath. The manuscript, written in Greek, describes the positions of the four stars of only one constellation – Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown. Researchers believe that Hipparchus wrote a similar manuscript for each of the 850 stars he observed.

Using the positions of the stars described in the catalog, researchers determined that the catalog had been set down in the year 129 BCE, when it was believed that Hipparchus wrote his catalog. But studying the distinctive style of writing, a science called palaeography, they determined that the pages had been written in the 5th or 6th Century CE, showing that the catalog established by Hipparchus was still being used more than 700 years after being set down.

The fragments are the oldest known to date and refute a widespread belief that Claudius Ptolemy’s Star Catalogue is merely a “copy” of Hipparchus’ as the observations of the four constellations are different. The fragments are the oldest known to date and refute a widespread belief that Claudius Ptolemy’s Star Catalogue is merely a “copy” of Hipparchus’ as the observations of the four constellations are different.

Historians believe that Hipparchus’ document, predating the invention of the telescope, represents the first attempt to measure the precise positions of stars.

The researchers believe that more than 160 additional palimpsests in the monastery are hiding additional secrets from the past.

Though the new discovery seems to establish the roots of astronomy in ancient Greece, Josephus, a first-century Roman-Jewish historian, attributes the origins of studying the stars to Biblical Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, who preserved ancient astronomical knowledge in pillars of stone. Other Jewish sources attribute it to Enoch, another antediluvian Biblical figure, who recorded it in the astronomical section of the Book of Enoch, recorded about 72-80 BCE.

Talmudic sages focused on astronomy as it related to predicting the new moon in order to establish the calendar. Though it was not a Temple ritual, there was a priestly court in the Temple where testimonies of the sighting of the new moon were analyzed.

While the Torah explicitly forbids worshiping the stars (Deut. 4:19), in his book, Astrology in Ancient Judaism, Astronomy in Ancient Judaism, Prof. Meir Bar-Ilan, who teaches at Bar-Ilan University at both Talmud and Jewish History departments, suggested that the Biblical sages may have considered astronomy as practiced by Hipparchus and Ptolemies as a holy rite. Prof. Bar-Ilan noted that God Himself cataloged the stars, as stated in the Bible.

He reckoned the number of the stars; to each He gave its name. Psalms 147:4

Lift high your eyes and see: Who created these? He who sends out their host by count, Who calls them each by name: Because of His great might and vast power, Not one fails to appear. Isaiah 40:26

“When God is depicted as counting the stars and giving them names, it is apparent that any believer in God who practices astronomy works together with God while imitating Him, imitatio Dei, as the ultimate religious practice,” Prof. Bar-Ilan wrote.

https://www.israel365news.com/275697/graffiti-featuring-name-of-15th-century-christian-pilgrim-found-on-mount-zion-in-jerusalem/?
GRAFFITI FEATURING NAME OF 15TH-CENTURY CHRISTIAN PILGRIM FOUND ON MOUNT ZION IN JERUSALEM
BY ISRAEL365NEWS EDITOR | OCT 20, 2022 | BIBLICAL NEWS, CHRISTIAN ZIONISM, JERUSALEM

Blessed is Hashem from Tzion, He who dwells in Yerushalayim. Hallelujah. Psalms 135:21 (The Israel BibleTM)
Israel Antiquities Authority researchers Shai Halevi and Michael Cherchin documenting the pilgrims’ inscriptions on the walls of the Holy Complex on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Photograph: Joshua Faudem
A graffiti featuring the name and family emblem of a 15th-century Christian pilgrim was uncovered on a wall in the “King David Tomb Complex” on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.

The IAA archaeologists have been carrying out a survey of the structure in order to document graffiti and inscriptions left over the centuries by pilgrims, both Christian and Muslim. The team, including Michael Chernin and Shai Halevi, uncovered dozens of hidden inscriptions in several languages, using multispectral photography and advanced technological methods developed by the IAA for the research of the Judean Desert scrolls.

The inscriptions include one featuring the name of Adrian von Bubenberg, one of Switzerland’s national heroes.

According to historical records, von Bubenberg visited Jerusalem and the Holy Land in 1466.

“In the Mamluk period, between 1332–1551, the building complex adjacent to the traditional Tomb of King David was owned by the Monks of the Franciscan Catholic Order,” Chernin and Halevi said.

Von Bubenberg is considered one of the central figures in the history of Switzerland. He was born to a noble family in 1424, and he served as a Mayor of Bern. However, he is mostly known for leading the Swiss Confederate army in the Battle of Murten against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in order to protect the independence of Switzerland. Thanks to von Bubenberg’s mighty victory against a powerful enemy, the Swiss military acquired its reputation as a formidable army, which helped deter attacks and maintain the country’s independence until modern times.

Buried in front of the Cathedral of Bern after his death in 1479, von Bubenberg is honored with a statue and many streets around the country.

Since both von Bubenberg and his son, also named Adrian, visited Jerusalem, the archaeologists say it is impossible to determine with certainty to whom the inscription they uncovered refers to.

The new discoveries were presented during a joint conference of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, on “New Archaeological Studies in Jerusalem and the Vicinity”.

“The research carried out in Jerusalem embraces religions and cultures worldwide,” said IAA Director Eli Escusido. “Believers, pilgrims and visitors seeking to make contact with sanctified Jerusalem, left traces that the Israel Antiquities Authority researchers reveal and record on a daily basis. All these remains contribute to the fascinating picture.”

Strange Temple Mount Sightings on Hoshanna Rabbah

An Israel365 News correspondent spotted an inexplicable white apparition hovering near the Dome of the Rock on Hoshanna Rabbah, the day that is prophesied to be the beginning of the pre-Messiah War of Gog and Magog.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/275559/strange-temple-mount-sightings-on-hoshanna-rabbah/?

https://www.israel365news.com/275534/parade-of-nations-returns-to-show-christians-love-for-jerusalem-photo-spread/?
PARADE OF NATIONS RETURNS TO SHOW CHRISTIANS’ LOVE FOR JERUSALEM [PHOTO SPREAD]
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | OCT 14, 2022 | CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 13:16 (The Israel BibleTM)
Thousands of Christian Evangelists and Israelis march at a parade in center of Jerusalem, marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot or the Feast of the Tabernacles, October 13, 2022. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
After a two-year hiatus, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) hosted its traditional Parade of Nations bringing together about 3,000 Christians from over 70 nations in a glorious show of love for Jerusalem.  The parade has been held during the Sukkoth holiday and Christian pilgrims first joined in on the annual celebration in 1980 in a show of solidarity with the State of Israel.
FOT22 Day 5 // Jerusalem March 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us0Q8rRftQc

The parade began at Gan Sacher Park in Jerusalem with live performances and musical acts. The participants then walked up Betzalel street, passing onto Hillel and King David streets, concluding near Liberty Bell Park at the Station Compound. Taking part in the march were representatives from Israel and around the world, marching bands, dance troupes, IDF soldiers, street artists, sports teams, and more. The parade was kicked off by Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion and ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler.

https://www.israel365news.com/275443/reenactment-of-the-water-libation-held-to-prepare-for-the-third-temple/?
REENACTMENT OF THE WATER LIBATION HELD TO PREPARE FOR THE THIRD TEMPLE
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ 
| OCT 12, 2022 | BIBLICAL NEWS
Joyfully shall you draw water From the fountains of triumph, Isaiah 12:3 (The Israel BibleTM)
Libation ceremony (Photo by Joshua Wander)
On Tuesday, a full-dress reenactment of the water libation as it was performed in the Temple was held in Jerusalem with several hundred participants led by Kohanim in priestly garb, accompanied by Levites playing musical instruments.
The event began at Shaar Hashpot (the dung gate) 
in Jerusalem’s Old City where participants joined Kohanim (priests) in Biblically mandated vestments and Levites with musical instruments, also wearing special vestments. The musically gifted Levites led the ceremony with joyous music on drums, violin, guitar, and clarinet, winding down ancient wlakways into the valley below the Temple Mount. The crowd sang and danced as they passed from the archaeological remains of the ancient City of David, through an Arab village, to the Shiloach (Siloam) Spring which was used in Temple times. The procession was punctuated by stops during which four-foot-long pure silver trumpets were sounded.
The event was overseen by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel (the founder of the Temple Institute), Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Aryeh Shtern (the chief rabbi of Jerusalem), Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi David Chai HaKohen, Rabbi Ra’am Hakohen, Rabbi Menachem Bornstein, Rabbi Uri Cherki, and other distinguished rabbis. 
Water Libation (Photo Joshua Wander)

At the head of the parade was the gold vessel, the water jug.
Golden Jug for libation (Photo by Joshua Wander)
At the Shiloach Pool, the jug was filled. The procession climbed back up to the top of the mountain. A model altar and its utensils had been set up in an open area adjacent to the Western Wall. The altar was decorated with large leafy willow branches as was done in the Temple.

The ceremony culminated in the priestly blessing after which the once-in-seven-years Hakhel ceremony was held.
Though not explicitly mandated in the Torah, the water libation is part of the oral tradition passed down from Moses. Sukkot is a joyous holiday and the water libation was the focal point of this joy. In the Temple, the ceremony would take fifteen hours with accompanying celebrations lasting all night until the Temple service began again the next morning. Nations came from around the world to take part in the Sukkoth celebrations making it international worship of  God.

In Temple times, a libation of water was made together with the pouring out of wine at the morning service on the last six days of the week-long Sukkot holiday. Kohanim descended from the Temple to the Shiloach Spring at the base of Mount Moriah, where they filled the flask with three log of spring water (approximately two pints) and returned to the Temple.

Two Kohanim then ascended the stone altar in the Temple’s inner courtyard, placing two silver cups on the southwestern corner. One Kohen poured the water from the silver flask while the second Kohen simultaneously poured wine from the second cup, both liquids flowing into holes in the altar specially prepared for this ceremony.
The Shiloach Pool (Siloam in English, Silwan in Arabic) has a huge Biblical import that will re-emerge when the Third Temple is built. The Pool of Siloam was the starting point for pilgrims who made the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Biblical feasts. They would use the pool to wash and ritually purify themselves before ascending by foot to the inner court of the Temple Mount to bring their sacrificial offerings. Located outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem to the southeast, the pool is fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring which are carried there by the Siloam Tunnel, also known as Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Sometimes referred to in the Bible as the Lower Pool, the pool was built during the reign of Hezekiah (715–687 BCE) to replace an older Canaanite tunnel, known Biblically as the Upper Pool, that was vulnerable to attackers. The new pool and tunnel left besieging armies without access to the spring’s waters.  Archeologists believe that during the Second Temple Era the waters continued to flow south and were collected in an additional, larger pool. This pool was discovered during the summer of 2004 and is continuing to be uncovered today.
It should be noted that the year after Shemitah is auspicious for the arrival of the Messiah. The Babylonian Talmud in the Tractate of Sanhedrin, 97a, brings the verse from Amos:

“On that day, will I raise up the fallen booth (Sukkah) of David.”Amos 9:11

This verse comes in the context of a prophecy about God bringing the nation of Israel back from exile among the nations. Amidst descriptions of the days preceding the Messiah, the Talmud says:

“As it is written, in that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen. Our Rabbis taught: in the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David will come in the first year, this verse will be fulfilled.”

On Rosh Hashanna, two weeks ago, the Shemittah (Sabbatical year) ended. The Talmud is stating explicitly that the Messiah will come in the first year after the Shemitah.  It should be noted that the Talmud describes the days before the Messiah in-depth, and they are especially difficult times.

https://www.israel365news.com/275215/biden-claims-to-go-to-synagogue-more-than-jews/?
BIDEN CLAIMS TO GO TO SYNAGOGUE MORE THAN JEWS
BY ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ | OCT 2, 2022 | US-ISRAEL RELATIONS

A stone has weight, sand is heavy, But a fool's vexation outweighs them both. Proverbs 27:3 Proverbs 27:3 (The Israel BibleTM)
On Friday, the White House hosted a reception for the Jewish high holidays. At the reception, President Joe Biden quipped “I probably went to shul more than many of you did.” 


Biden began his address with a cryptic statement that was an attempt at self-effacing humor, referring to Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, i.e. the spouse of the vice president.

“You’re the first, but — Kamala often says — you won’t be the last,” Biden said. “Kamala won’t be the last woman to be Vice President — or President.”

Biden described his connection with Congregation Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware where he used to live.

“I probably went to shul [synagogue] more than many of you did,” Biden said. “You all think I’m kidding.  [The rabbi] can tell you I’m not. I’m not.”

“That’s where I received my education. You all think I’m kidding.”

“And that’s the tradition I got raised,” Biden continued. “I spent a lot of time — I’m a practicing Catholic, but I — I’d go to services on Saturday and on Sunday.  (Laughter.)  You all think I’m kidding.  I’m not.”

This is not the first time Biden has claimed to frequent synagogues. One year ago, during the official White House High Holy Days online call, President Biden claimed to have visited the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after the October 2018 mass murder of 11 people there. But the NY Post spoke to members of the synagogue and they all said, “Nope, never happened!”

Biden also attributed ti Jews an idiomatic expression favored by his Irish Catholic father.

“You know, the Jewish people know better than any what my father, who was not Jewish but would constantly use the phrase, ‘silence is complicity.’  ‘Silence is complicity.’” 

This expression does not have its roots in Jewish sources. It is an axiom in business claiming that corporations have moral obligations that reach beyond the negative realm of doing no harm. Biden has used this precise expression on multiple occasions, most recently when addressing Asian Americans last year.

Biden claimed he had built “an economy that works for everyone”, addressed climate issues, and rallied support for Ukraine. He also promised to enact gun control, support veterans, and will be “ending cancer as we know it”.

The president’s address was followed by Itzhak Perlman, the legendary Israeli-American violinist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, playing Avinu Malkeinu.

https://www.israel365news.com/275013/uk-prime-minister-considering-moving-embassy-to-jerusalem/?
UK PRIME MINISTER CONSIDERING MOVING EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM
BY JNS | SEP 22, 2022 | US-ISRAEL RELATIONS

In those days, ten men from nations of every tongue will take hold—they will take hold of every Yehudi by a corner of his cloak and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that Hashem is with you.” Zechariah 8:23 (The Israel BibleTM)
Then-U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss meets with then-Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Nov. 29, 2021. Credit: Stuart Mitchell.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss told Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid on Wednesday that she is considering moving the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

A British government spokeswoman said Truss had told Lapid “about her review of the current location of the British Embassy in Israel.”

Truss, who was the foreign secretary until Sept. 6, pledged during the Conservative Party leadership contest in August to review moving the embassy, adding that she was aware of “the importance and sensitivity” that surrounded the legation’s location.

In May 2018, the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem, a year after President Donald Trump announced that he would move it to the Israeli capital from Tel Aviv.

In a video address at the time, Trump stated, “Israel is a sovereign nation, with the right like every other sovereign nation, to determine its own capital. Yet for many years, we failed to acknowledge the obvious. The plain reality that Israel’s capital is Jerusalem. Today we follow through on this recognition and open our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem.”

Record Number of Jews Visit the Temple Mount

“The Hebrew year 5782 will soon end, and very soon, we will cross the threshold of 50,000 people who ascended to the Temple Mount over the past year,” Nisani said.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/274923/record-number-of-jews-visit-the-temple-mount/?

Christians Weigh in on the Relevance of the Red Heifer

Enarson acknowledged that some Christians view the arrival of the Red Heifers and the prophetic establishment of the Jewish Third Temple as a negative development.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/274920/christians-weigh-in-on-the-relevance-of-the-red-heifer/?


Internet Executives Unsure if Hate Speech Targeting Jews Should be Removed

Twitter exec Michele Austin added, "We take action against content and behavior that attempts to glorify, praise or deny acts of violence and genocide, including the Holocaust. Anti-Semitic abuse has absolutely no place on Twitter."
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/274929/internet-executives-unsure-if-hate-speech-targeting-jews-should-be-removed/?


How to Properly Repent

Being a father has taught me more about religion than any rabbi ever has. One time, I took my three-year-old boy to the park. He was playing with a friend when the other boy pushed him, toppling him into the dirt. My boy began to cry and the other child’s father brought him over, instructing him to apologize.
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/how-to-properly-repent/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Record+Number+of+Jews+Visit+the+Temple+Mount+and+Today+s+Top+Stories&utm_campaign=I3N+-+AM+-+September+19%2C+2022



[WATCH] Iranian President Thinks Holocaust Should be Investigated to Determine if it Happened

In response, Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro tweeted: "Yeah somebody should get right on that, it's one of the great mysteries of history."
WATCH » https://www.israel365news.com/274916/iranian-president-thinks-holocaust-should-be-investigated-to-determine-if-it-happened/?


Israel’s Impoverished Class Speaks Out About Their Struggle During the High Holidays

She heard about Meir Panim via social media. When she finally arrived at its center in Tiberias, she said: “we discovered an amazing place. A place with heart and soul.”
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/274912/israels-impoverished-class-speaks-out-about-their-struggle-during-the-high-holidays/?


First-Ever Certificate of Jewish Ancestry Launched

“The Certificate of Sephardic Ancestry is historic for so many around the world and especially in Latin and North America who yearn to connect with their past and up to now have had no way to accomplish this,” Milgrom said.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/274908/first-ever-certificate-of-jewish-ancestry-launched/?


America Must Put Fatah on its List of Terror Groups
by Stephen Flatow
Even the party’s own officials admit that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades is its “military arm.”
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/274907/america-must-put-fatah-on-its-list-of-terror-groups-opinion/?