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BREAKING: IMAME KHELIF AFTER BEATING LUCA TODAY: “I have been boxing for years in the International Boxing Association which has committed INJUSTICE towards me. But I have Allah with me ALLAHU AKBAR” pic.twitter.com/LxmyUvjXR3 — Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) August 3, 2024 “The problem was not with the level of Khelif’s testosterone…but with the result of the […]

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Home > Iraqi Jewry > When the Farhud Came to Be’eri: October 7 and the Legacy of an Iraqi Pogrom
When the Farhud Came to Be’eri: October 7 and the Legacy of an Iraqi Pogrom
“We made Aliyah from Iraq to Israel so that Arabs wouldn't be able to enter Jewish homes and murder us,” said Kibbutz Be'eri members who survived the pogrom known as the Farhud. In Be'eri, founded in part by Iraqi immigrants, there is a monument to the victims of the Farhud, suffered by the Jews of Iraq over 80 years ago. They couldn’t know that years later, their children and grandchildren would face a similar horror – but this time, in the Jewish state.
Yael Ingel | 02.07.24
Gaza Border Region
Iraqi Jewry
Life on the Border: A Tribute to the Communities of the Gaza Border Region
Zionism
היסטוריה ישראלית
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The Farhud pogrom in Iraq, from the Yad Ben Zvi Archive. Picture of Yaakov Tzemach ob”m, a Farhud survivor who became a member of Kibbutz Be'eri, with his grandson, Shachar Tzemach ob”m, who was killed as a member of Be'eri's civilian emergency defense squad on October 7. Photo from a family album.

Every Shavuot eve, Yaakov Tzemach would tell his family and Kibbutz Be’eri members the story of the Farhud, the brutal pogrom carried out against the Jews of Iraq during the holiday in 1941. His family survived the massacre solely thanks to a neighbor, an older Muslim woman who physically blocked the way to their house and prevented the rioters from entering.

The Farhud, Baghdad 1941. (yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi Archive)
The Farhud of Baghdad, 1941. From the Yad Ben Zvi Archive.
“We made Aliyah from Iraq to Israel so that Arabs wouldn’t be able to enter Jewish homes and murder us,” Tzemach explained to his kibbutz comrades and his family. After surviving the Farhud, he joined HeChalutz (“The Pioneer”), a Zionist youth movement, and made Aliyah to Israel to establish a home in Be’eri.

Over seventy years later, one of Yaakov’s sons, Doron, told me in tears how he recalled this quote on October 7 as he was hiding for many hours in the safe room of his home in the kibbutz. Shachar Tzemach, Doron’s son and Yaakov’s grandson, was part of Be’eri’s civilian emergency defense squad that Saturday. He took part in a heroic and desperate defensive battle for many hours, before he was eventually killed.

שחר צמח מתוך אלבום פרטי
Shachar Tzemach ob”m. From a family album. “The picture which most reflects who he was,” according to his father Doron.
***

The Farhud was an antisemitic pogrom which took place in Iraq on the eve of the festival of Shavuot, 1941. Taking place over the course of a few days, rioters looted Jewish homes and shops, while Jews in a number of Iraqi cities were cruelly murdered. The descriptions of survivors are horrific [WARNING: GRAPHIC – Y.I.]. They told of babies whose hands and feet were cut off in order to remove golden jewelry that had been hidden on their bodies. They witnessed acts of rape and abductions of young women who were never seen again.

קבר האחים של נרצחי הפרהוד בבגדאד, מתוך הספר עיראק, בעריכת חיים סעדון
Monument to the mass grave of the Farhud’s victims in Baghdad. From: Iraq, Haim Saadon (ed) [Hebrew]. There was no inscription on the monument, whose unique form was that of a semi-cylinder.

The riots sped up the process of Iraqi Jewry’s departure and immigration to the Land of Israel with the aid of activists sent by the Zionist leadership based in the Holy Land. Professor Esther Meir-Glitzenstein, head of the Research Institute at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, explains that during this period, the kibbutz movement played a central role in Zionist activity in the Diaspora. The movement believed that Iraqi Jewry could play a significant part in the Zionist settlement of the country. The idea was to prepare Jewish-Iraqi youths for immigration and to provide training in skills that would be required in establishing new pioneering communes. From 1942, hundreds of young Iraqi Jews headed to the Land of Israel, with some of them forming settlement groups or joining training farms, where they waited for approval to go and establish new communities.

On the eve of Yom Kippur 1946, a settlement group of Jewish-Iraqi immigrants, who were known as the “Babylonian” group within the HeChalutz youth movement, realized their dream. Be’eri was originally established near Wadi Nahabir, a few miles west of the kibbutz’s location today, as one of 11 different settlement points that were set up that day, in a famous coordinated effort known as the “11 points plan”. Three settlement groups took part in the founding of Be’eri: one from the HaNoar HaOved movement, one from HaTzofim Bet, and “the Babylonians” – two groups of native-born Jews and one group of Jewish-Iraqi immigrants.

חברי הגרעין הבבלי
Members of the “Babylonian” settlement group being trained at Alonim in 1946, shortly before settling the lands in Nahabir. From a book on Yoav Goral, native of Baghdad and co-founder of Be’eri, p. 16 [Hebrew]
Shortly after breaking ground in Be’eri, some of the “Babylonians” were asked to return to Iraq on behalf of the Zionist movement. There, they worked as counselors in the youth groups, preparing additional young men and women to make Aliyah.

Yaakov Tzemach was one of these young Iraqi Jews trained by the “Babylonians”. He was a member of the HeChalutz youth movement in Baghdad and he and his friends worked together to support the pioneering efforts taking place in the Land of Israel which they had long dreamed of reaching:

“We collected money, our allowances, so that they could build a club for the pioneers in Be’eri. We didn’t go to the movies, drink juice, or take the bus to school for months. We collected the money and gave it to the movement to build a club in Nahabir. A kibbutz of veterans of the movement – an example and a model for us.”

From From the Same Village – Kibbutz Members and Families Speak of Bereavement in Kibbutz Be’eri [Hebrew] p. 18.
Later, after joining the IDF, Yaakov was part of the Israeli army’s Nahal agricultural settlement program, which sent a group to help strengthen Kibbutz Be’eri in the early 1950s.

A Pro-Palestine Mob Attacks My Los Angeles Neighborhood
by Judy Gruen
June 25, 2024
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Violent anti-Israel activists beat Jews outside of a shul and roam the Pico-Robertson neighborhood threatening Jews. The mayor and city leaders vow to make our community safer. Will they?

We are reeling here in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood. On Sunday, hundreds of thugs from a group called the Palestinian Youth Movement, as well as Code Pink, descended on Pico Boulevard outside Adas Torah synagogue, all but securing the shul’s entry points from the front and the side walkways and monopolizing both sides of the street.

The provocation for the attacks was a seminar taking place inside the shul about buying land in Israel. Such seminars have been taking place in many US cities, and one last week took place in Valley Village, a 30-minute drive from my neighborhood. The event last week, at Shaarei Tzedek synagogue, attracted fewer protestors but was still alarming.

“Our land is not for sale,” screamed the flyer issued by the Palestine Youth Movement, urging people to come at noon and take a “stand against settler expansion in Palestine.” Adas Torah is a popular, bustling shul and a five-minute walk from my house. Before noon, we heard police helicopters overhead, and I was monitoring WhatsApp messages from my shul—a one minute walk from Adas—about the growing chaos on Pico Boulevard. I had planned to walk over to show my support for Israel, but Magen Am, one of our volunteer security agencies, advised staying away.

The Los Angeles Police Department, which has had an excellent relationship with the Jewish community, was completely unprepared. The thugs not only blocked entry to the shul for Jews but tried many times to break into the shul itself. On the street they sprayed Jews with bear spray and physically assaulted others, beating them on the ground.

The situation was escalating, with altercations beginning between Jews and the thugs, yet police stood down. This lack of police response has shocked us, as we have enjoyed excellent relations with our police department, the result of years of careful cultivation between our community liaisons and the LAPD. During Covid, and when police were under siege after the George Floyd riots, the LA Jewish community made special efforts to show the LAPD its appreciation, by bringing occasional dinners, thank you notes from adults and children alike, and in other ways showing our support for their efforts to keep the community safe. In turn, the LAPD has offered extra patrols in our areas during Jewish holidays and after any other significant antisemitic event around the country.


But on Sunday, the police didn’t even separate the two groups on opposite sides of the street. They didn’t intervene until the fights and attacks had escalated, yet only one arrest was made by the end of the day. When the police finally ordered the entire street scene dispersed, several mob members began roaming our residential streets, threatening Jews directly and wielding makeshift weapons. No police were around while this was happening.

Many Jews today are ready to fight back and many did on Sunday. When some mob members headed toward a kosher bagel shop with intent to break in, Jews stopped them with the threat of force. The thugs backed away.

Baila Romm is a civilian liaison to the LAPD for the Jewish community, elected board member of the South Robertson Neighborhood Council, and co-chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee. She was appalled at Sunday’s chaos. “The ‘pro-Palestinian’ aggressors had a plan and they executed it very well,” she said. “The LAPD didn’t expect such a large and coordinated attack, and they only called for back-up when wave after wave of aggressors showed up. It was a horrible situation and has deeply affected me and every Jewish person who was there.”

With Los Angeles as a popular vacation destination for Jews, Romm said that this attack will have worldwide repercussions. “People will feel this more deeply when they have been here and relate LA with having had good, positive experiences as Jews,” she said.



On Monday afternoon, there was an emergency meeting at the Simon Wiesenthal Center with community leaders, including Mayor Karen Bass, members of the L.A. City Council, the head of Magen Am, the head of the Jewish Federation Council, the Chief of Police, and Jewish community leaders, including Rabbi Abraham Cooper, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Sunday was a disaster and a shock for the Jewish community and a terrible black eye for city leadership, under whose watch this occurred. Baila Romm also attended the meeting, and we sat together during the press conference that followed.

At the press conference, the mayor and others said all the right things about violence and antisemitism being totally unacceptable, and mentioned their plans to demand more homeland security money and other funds to make synagogues more secure. They spoke about common sense, long overdue measures, such as making it illegal for protestors to wear masks in public, requiring permits before such protests, and working with the FBI to find out more about who is behind these attacks.

Politicians say what they need to say, and the proof of their seriousness is yet to come. Money and resources are also vital, but the poison that is antisemitism cannot be bought off. This is a matter of education: moral, historical, spiritual, and even psychological.

I have lived in this neighborhood for 24 years, and have seen other waves of antisemitic violence here. Last year, on two consecutive mornings, five blocks away, on the street where my son lives, two men were shot leaving shul. We’ve also had waves of other attacks against Jewish stores, shuls, and establishments, as well as attacks on Jews physically, just as Jews are enduring in cities around the world.

But Sunday’s attack was on another, more dangerous level, and I’m not sure we’ll be able to shake the feeling of heightened vulnerability. We already have armed guards almost everywhere we go. Now, large scale protests by virulent antisemites are no longer just “over there.” They’re here, and they’re here now. Ironically, what happened on Sunday will only drive up demand for the seminars about buying land in Israel. We just have to figure out a way to get the word out in a secret code.

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https://aish.com/the-munk-debate-is-anti-zionism-is-antisemitism/?src=ac
THE MUNK DEBATE: IS ANTI-ZIONISM ANTISEMITISM?
DR. YVETTE ALT MILLER
This year’s prestigious Munk debate persuaded a decisive majority that hating the Jewish state is antisemitic.
Is anti-Zionism antisemitism? That was the provocative question put to a packed audience at the Munk Debate on June 17, 2024 in Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. Over 300 listeners heard from speakers debating whether calling for an end to the Jewish state is antisemitic or not.

After listening to four polished debaters spend 90 minutes discussing Israel, Gaza, the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the current war in Gaza, a decisive majority voted in favor of the statement that anti-Zionism is indeed antisemitism.

The occasion for this in-depth dive into the current Gaza war was the 30th Munk Debate, sponsored in Canada by a charitable foundation. Host Rudyard Griffiths explained “that’s it through more and better debate that we learn and confront difficult ideas… We do this both to sharpen our own thinking, our own perspectives, (and) we also do it as part of our commitment to a free and open society to listen to each other, to debate each other, to respect each other's free speech rights.”

The “Blood Libel” of Anti-Zionism
British journalist Douglas Murray opened the debate by describing some of the common charges that are leveled at Zionists these days. Just days earlier in Toronto, Murray pointed out, anti-Zionist protestors disrupted a Jewish Community Center’s Israel-themed event, screaming “F**ing filthy, f**ing Zionist pig,” waving Palestinian Authority flags, tearing down posters of Israeli hostages, and yelling at Jewish attendees: “You’re a dirty Zionist rat. That’s what you are. Happy about killing babies, right?” This sort of raw hatred isn't a measured debate about Israeli policies, Murray pointed out. No other country is singled out in this way.

The Munk Debate with Douglas Murray, Natasha Hausdorff, Mehdi Hasan & Gideon Levy

He took the case of Pakistan, founded just a few months before the State of Israel. A complex country, Pakistan has been involved in regional wars and violence. Some people might take issue with policies pursued by the Pakistani government. Yet nobody calls for the elimination of Pakistan, or argues that its creation was a mistake, or hurls abuse at Pakistani-Canadians. Anti-Zionism and antisemitism are indistinguishable.

His debating partner, British international law expert Natasha Hausdorff, described how hatred of modern-day Israel stems from age-old hatreds directed at Jews, particularly the blood libel myth that Jews enjoy killing children. “Modern blood libels are widely believed: as widely believed as the ancient blood libel,” she noted. Whereas in the past (and even sometimes even today), Christians and Muslims erroneously claimed that Jews murdered children, now this sinister belief is expressed through claiming Israel, the sole Jewish nation, is the very embodiment of evil.

Hausdorff identified four modern-day blood libels: that Israel is a Colonial entity; that it ethnically cleanses Palestinian Arabs; that it employs Apartheid; and that it engages in genocide.

Hausdorff demolished these slanders one by one. Israel is a colonial state? Nonsense: she explained Israeli history and the fact that Jews have always lived in modern-day Israel. (Her own Jewish family has lived in Israel for many generations, Hausdorff pointed out.)

Ethnic cleansing? Far from being subject to genocide, the Arab population of Israel has grown tenfold since the establishment of the state.

Apartheid? Israeli Arabs enjoy the same rights as all other Israelis, and serve as mayors, police officers, teachers, diplomats, and professionals of every stripe. Hausdorff even described her time interning in Israel’s Supreme Court alongside an influential Arab Supreme Court Justice.

The genocide libel inverts reality. Hamas has spent 16 years embedding its terror infrastructure in mosques, schools, hospitals, and every second house. Its central military tactic is to use civilians as human shields. Genocide is the latest modern blood libel that antisemites use to justify their anti-Zionism.

https://easternherald.com/2024/05/03/turkiye-suspends-all-commercial-dealings-with-israel/
Türkiye suspends all commercial dealings with Israel
By
Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa
– Published on:

May 3, 2024
Reading Time: 1 min.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says his country will 'continue to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances' [File Photo: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]
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Ankara had stopped all export and import operations to and from Israel as of Thursday, Bloomberg quoted Turkish officials.

Israel criticized this move. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is violating the agreements by closing the ports to Israeli imports and exports.

“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Katz said on the X platform.


Katz said that he issued directives to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work on finding alternatives to trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

Since the Israeli invasion of Gaza, the Turkish President has strongly criticized Israel, describing it as a “terrorist state”.

On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkey had decided to join South Africa in the case it filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Fidan said in a joint press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Ankara, “After completing the legal context for our work, we will submit the official declaration of accession before the International Court of Justice in implementation of the political decision (that we took).”

Also Read:
- Blackmail Successful: US approves the sale of F-16 Jets to Türkiye
- The second round of presidential elections has started in Türkiye Fox News
- Erdogan’s Proposal Sparks Controversy in NATO; The European Union Remains Skeptical of Türkiye’s Accession
He added, “Türkiye continues to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances”.

Last month, Turkey announced that it would impose trade restrictions on Israel in light of the Israeli invasion and genocide in Gaza, including a group of products including cement, steel, and building materials made of iron.

For the latest updates and news follow The Eastern Herald on Google News, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To show your support for The Eastern Herald click here.

https://easternherald.com/2024/05/03/turkiye-suspends-all-commercial-dealings-with-israel/
Türkiye suspends all commercial dealings with Israel
By
Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa
– Published on:

May 3, 2024
Reading Time: 1 min.
Share
turkey-israel-genocide-icc
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says his country will 'continue to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances' [File Photo: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]
Download PDF
Ankara had stopped all export and import operations to and from Israel as of Thursday, Bloomberg quoted Turkish officials.

Israel criticized this move. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is violating the agreements by closing the ports to Israeli imports and exports.

“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Katz said on the X platform.


Katz said that he issued directives to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work on finding alternatives to trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

Since the Israeli invasion of Gaza, the Turkish President has strongly criticized Israel, describing it as a “terrorist state”.

On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkey had decided to join South Africa in the case it filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Fidan said in a joint press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Ankara, “After completing the legal context for our work, we will submit the official declaration of accession before the International Court of Justice in implementation of the political decision (that we took).”

Also Read:
- Blackmail Successful: US approves the sale of F-16 Jets to Türkiye
- The second round of presidential elections has started in Türkiye Fox News
- Erdogan’s Proposal Sparks Controversy in NATO; The European Union Remains Skeptical of Türkiye’s Accession
He added, “Türkiye continues to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances”.

Last month, Turkey announced that it would impose trade restrictions on Israel in light of the Israeli invasion and genocide in Gaza, including a group of products including cement, steel, and building materials made of iron.

For the latest updates and news follow The Eastern Herald on Google News, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To show your support for The Eastern Herald click here.

It’s Official: Tucker Carlson is an Antisemite

What do Tucker Carlson, the isolationist conservative pundit, and Elizabeth Warren, the woke progressive senator of Massachusetts, share in common? Not much, other than their sickening slander of Israel, America’s only democratic ally in the Middle East.
READ MORE » https://israel365news.com/389040/its-official-tucker-carlson-is-an-antisemite/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=It+s

https://www.israelunwired.com/canada-freezes-arms-shipments-to-israel-is-the-us-next/?
CANADA FREEZES ARMS SHIPMENTS TO ISRAEL, IS THE US NEXT?
written by David Mark March 20, 2024 1K views
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With Israel’s invasion into Rafah imminent, Canada has become the first NATO member to freeze arms shipments to Israel.
The move was a result of an agreement with Trudeau’s leftwing NDP and other non coalition parties that equally hate Israel. Canada’s arms shipments to Israel have been negligible so what is really going on? This vote and its passing did not happen out of the blue, but was rather timed with Schumer’s anti-Netanyahu speech to send a message to Israel – “stop now or else.” Meaning the US is sending a message through its leftwing allies in Ottawa. The question now is whether Washington will do the same thing as Canada.

The answer is both no and yes.

While Bernie Sanders would be overjoyed, Biden’s team wouldn’t dare bring the question of an arms embargo to Congress where it would be voted down in a landslide. Israel’s support in Congress remains very high. Rather, the administration will use backchannels at the Pentagon and State Department to begin to slow walk shipments. This slow walking has already begun as reports have indicated that the IDF has had to ration its munitions and save them for an expected war with Hezbollah.

Given Israel’s immediate arms needs, it does not have time to rely on only self manufacturing – it must make up for the shortages now. In 2022 the following countries were the largest weapons’ importers for Israel: United States ($375M), India ($48.4M), and South Korea ($8.06M). 

With the US shipments of necessary munitions slipping there is only one logical short term solution – India. The Israel-India alliance has grown over the years since Modi took power. India’s battle against radical Islam as well as its rivalry with China, it is a natural partner for Israel to pivot to as a backup. 

Whether under Biden or a future Democrat, America’s days as a trusted ally appear to be waning. It is time for Israel to not only produce its own munitions, but begin to procure a new supply for immediate use, and for that it must look eastward.

https://www.christianlearning.com/blood-of-jesus/
BLOOD OF JESUS IS TESTED IN ISRAEL, PROVEN ALIVE
written by Le-Jovale Vallejo June 14, 2023
The blood of Jesus was discovered by an archeologist. When it was tested in an Israeli laboratory, it was found alive.

The Blood of Jesus
A man has discovered proof that Jesus existed. An archaeologist by the name of Ron Wyatt declared on January 6th, 1982, that he had found the Ark of the Covenant.

What was more intriguing was that he saw a huge crack above the cave where the ark had been discovered. And it appeared as though a dried, black substance had spilled all over the ark’s mercy seat.

Upon returning to the lab for testing, they learned that it was blood with 24 chromosomes and somehow it was still alive.

When he returned to the location where he discovered the ark, he learned that it was buried right beneath where Christ was crucified. It gives evidence that this could be the blood that dripped down during the crucifixion as the earth split open.

The Blood of Jesus Still Alive
A video of Ron Wyatt resurfacing explained how he discovered that the blood of Jesus is still alive.

READ ALSO: MAN’S LEG WAS INSTANTLY HEALED AFTER RECEIVING PRAYER
“Dry blood is dead blood; everybody knows that. However, there’s no way I know that you can get a chromosome count out of dead blood. You can get DNA and some other things but not a chromosome count. That’s done by living white blood cells,” he said.

He took the blood into the laboratory in Israel and asked them to examine it carefully. With one look, they knew it was “dead” blood. But because Ron was persistent, they tested the blood and found something intriguing.

“I said, “Take some of the white blood cells and put them in a growth medium and keep them at body temperature for 48 hours,”” Ron requested.

24 Chromosomes
The blood was then examined under a microscope. Two people who tested the blood called the one spearheading the team and told him what they had dsicovered. The three then told Ron, “Mr. Wyatt, this human blood has 24 chromosomes in it.”

“You see, everyone else has 46,” said Ron. “23 from your mother, 23 from your father. This blood had 23 chromosomes from the mother’s side, one Y chromosome only. And they said the blood is alive.”

When the people who tested the blood asked, “Whose blood is this?” Ron answered with tears in his eyes, “It’s the blood of your Messiah.”

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Israel’s American frenemy
Has the Biden administration been compromised through infiltration by Iran?
MELANIE PHILLIPS
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Tel Aviv, January 9 2024
Astonishingly, Israel has to fight right now to defend its existence not just against a line-up of mortal foes doing the bidding of Iran but also against the Jewish state’s most important ally, America.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who came to Israel this week to bully it into a ceasefire in Gaza, preposterously demanded a one-to-one private meeting with the Israel Defence Forces’ Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi.

At the meeting that took place instead with the war cabinet, Blinken was reportedly put out when Halevi said the war would continue for months because of the challenge mounted by the vast extent of Hamas’s underground military infrastructure.

Put out, that is, by Israel’s refusal to leave itself once again at the mercy of Hamas’s genocidal agenda.

Blinken then publicly bared America’s teeth. Although in his remarks alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog he was careful to say that he appreciated Israel’s emphasis on protecting civilians and providing humanitarian assistance, he gave vent at a press conference to accusations that echoed the malevolent demonisation of Israel around the world.

He declared “the daily toll that [Israel’s] military operations continue to take on innocent civilians remains too high”; urged Israel “to do more to help civilians”; and said although Israelis had been dehumanised, “that cannot be a license to dehumanise others. The overwhelming majority of people in Gaza had nothing to do with the attacks of October 7”.

This was all breathtakingly malign. Since the ratio of civilians to terrorists killed in Gaza is running at around two or three civilians to one terrorist — far lower than the proportion of civilians killed in U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan — on what conceivable basis is the number of Gaza civilian casualties “too high”?

Israel goes to greater lengths than any other country to protect enemy civilians in times of war. Moreover, from what’s been said by returning IDF soldiers and released hostages, the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s civilians supported the Hamas atrocities, in which many of them participated while others subjected the abducted Israelis to abuse and ill-treatment.

In addition, US President Joe Biden has issued an unprecedented executive order banning from America four Israeli residents of the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria who are said to have committed violence against Palestinian Arabs.

One of these Israelis is in prison while the other three have legal actions pending against them. The order goes further, alleging that “high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel and the broader Middle East region”.

This is an intolerable slander. While there is a problem with violent “hilltop youth” that must be dealt with, the vast majority of Israelis living in these territories are entirely peaceful. What’s more, the order makes no mention of the dozens of attacks on these Jews every day, some of them resulting in murder or injury.

The order is demonstrably unnecessary, a gesture of contempt towards Israeli justice and a gratuitous act of hostility and spite. Along with Blinken’s remarks, it will further fuel the truly dehumanising frenzy of slanderous Jew-hatred now consuming America and the west.

At the same time, American military aid has been essential to Israel’s war effort. So how is this apparent incoherence to be explained?

One factor is the imminence of the US presidential election and the pressure on Biden from pro-Palestinians screaming that he is aiding Israeli “genocide”. More disturbingly, the Biden administration needs to end this uproar in the Middle East because it wants to get back on track with its strategy of appeasing Iran.

The shocking fact is that, instead of regarding Iran as the mortal enemy not just of Israel but of America and the civilised world, the Biden administration is treating it as an asset that must be protected.

That’s why, despite dozens of Iranian-sponsored attacks on American facilities over the past four months, the United States has made only limp responses.

One consequence of that feebleness was last month’s drone attack by Iranian proxies in Jordan, which killed three US service members and injured more than 40. America’s strikes in response to that attack have mostly been laughable, with copious warnings ensuring that they largely hit only empty camps.

Not surprisingly, given this display of weakness, British and US vessels were this week targeted again by the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen even after the third round of retaliatory strikes.

Although a further US strike killed a senior member of the militia that reportedly mounted the Jordan attack, Iran will only be deterred by a strike on its own assets such as an oil refinery or an Iranian ship. Instead, Washington is issuing hand-on-heart declarations that Iran is not a target.

Astonishingly, the Biden administration even now hopes to renew the 2015 nuclear agreement. This was always a terrible deal since it would have enabled a legitimate Iranian nuclear weapon with only a few years’ delay while it funnelled billions into Tehran’s war chest through sanctions relief.

Ostensibly, the United States still hopes that a successor deal would bring Iran in from the cold. In fact it would empower Tehran still further, just as the Obama and Biden administrations have so catastrophically been doing.

So how can such a patently delusional policy be explained?

Some Bidenites clearly subscribe to the liberal fantasy that all conflict can be ended by negotiated compromise based on a universal drive for self-interest. Other members of the administration are viscerally hostile to Israel. Far worse, some of these have had links to Iran.

Last September, the news platform Semafor and the London-based émigré opposition outlet Iran International reported from thousands of leaked emails that Iran had infiltrated the Obama administration.

Three people in an Iranian network were aides to US envoy Robert Malley, who was the point man on Iran under both the Obama and Biden administrations until he was removed last June following a still unexplained “mishandling of classified material.”

The leak also revealed that more than ten Iranian analysts in western think tanks, including Ali Vaez and Dina Esfandiary — two employees of the powerful International Crisis Group — were part of an influence network called the Iran Experts Initiative formed and guided by Tehran.

Last week, Iran International and Semafor further reported that, during the Obama administration, the Crisis Group formed a secret alliance with Iran which used it to lobby the US government throughout the negotiations leading up to the 2015 nuclear deal.

In 2002, Malley founded and directed the Crisis Group’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. After being appointed in February 2014 to the National Security Council’s staff under the Obama administration, he left the group but continued to use Vaez to send messages to Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammed Zarif, and sent Vaez to Vienna to meet Iranian officials. In January 2018, Malley became the Crisis Group’s president and CEO.

The leaked materials showed that within a month of his return to government in 2021, Malley helped infiltrate Ariane Tabatabai, who was associated with the Iranian network as an agent of influence, into the US State Department to assist him in his negotiations with Iran.

Tabatabai then moved to the Pentagon, where even today she still serves as chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations, Christopher Maier—what’s more, in an office that oversees hostage recovery.

Anti-Israel protests against Biden have given the impression that his administration is on Israel’s side. America’s Jewish leaders need to start telling the American people that “Genocide Joe” is putting the United States and the west at ever greater risk and is actually helping those who intend the genocide of the Jews.

Hey,

Most Americans have no idea this chilling gov’t report exists.

But it's something every one of us deserves to hear.

Because, according to a document from a secret gov’t task force…

A potential strike on our country could have deadly consequences for large numbers of Americans.

Pretty alarmist for a report from congress, don’t you think?

Which makes me think this is something everyday folks shouldn’t sleep on.

Especially because of the following:

If the report is correct, this strike could happen any day.

img2 (3).jpg

It’s sickening.

I can’t believe that the guys in Washington know about this, but they’re leaving the rest of us to fry.

Because, if we prepare in time, we can protect our families.

But if we don’t?

Well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Thankfully, one survival expert with deep military connections has shared the report with everyday folks.

And he's exposed the single, must-do thing for us everyday folks to come out smiling on the other side.

As you can imagine, people are sharing his vid like there’s no tomorrow.

Which there may well not be.

How long his short vid will stay on the net, I’ve got no idea.

That’s why I wouldn’t wait around to watch it.

Secret gov’t warning goes viral

Learn More Here
https://lastblackout.com/?

Snopes caves after people with real-world experience point out its 'fact-check' about Biden was false

Snopes, a media outfit still regarded by some as an arbiter of truth and a checker of facts, has issued a correction after pushing a blatant falsehood that painted President Joe Biden in a positive light. Biden was in Wisconsin last week, ... Read more https://www.theblaze.com/news/snopes-caves-after-people-with-

Arnold Schwarzenegger: It’s Time to Step Up
https://aish.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-its-time-to-step-up/?src=ac
by Susan Hornik
November 9, 2023

This week, Arnold Schwarzenegger received the inaugural Award of Courage from Los Angeles’ Holocaust Museum, for his ongoing efforts confronting antisemitism.

In accepting the award from Oscar-winning producer Mike Medavoy, Schwarzenegger said, “I’ve received many awards involving muscles, but tonight was about recognizing heart. Education to fight antisemitism has been something I’ve cared about since I was a young man. Love must always prevail over hatred.”

Aish
Why Israel Must Destroy Hamas
READ MORE
Addressing the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 people, Schwarzenegger asserted that people need to step up.

“There's all this chatter out there and all this stuff and all this negativity and hatred that we have to speak up and confront them. The more we speak out about that issue, the better it is. So every day you have to talk about that, you have to talk about it over and over again.”

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He continued: “Because we cannot let them get away with those lies and with this hatred. You’ve got to talk to them, and talk them down and let them know that the only way to go is through love… hatred you never ever win; love in the end always wins.”


The son of a Nazi, Schwarzenegger reflected about his Austrian background, and told the audience his desire to fight “for inclusion against hatred and speak out about hatred, and how wrong it is to not look at everyone’s life equally. And to attack each other because of someone’s religion and religious background or their color or their sex, whatever it is.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger honored at Holocaust Museum LA (Photo Credit: Al Seib)

He added: “I felt it was very important, especially since I come from a country that is known to be a big part of the Second World War and had the most vicious Nazis during the war and beforehand. I thought it is important to go out and to let people know that the next generation doesn’t have to be the same, that the next generation can change.”

I have to go and speak out about hatred.

The much-loved actor told the audience about the moments when he first dealt with antisemitism with his dad – when he bought a bodybuilding magazine as a teenager and his father disapproved of it when he found out its publisher was Jewish. Then, years later, after Schwarzenegger won Mr. Universe and was invited to the U.S., and given shelter and money, he called his father to tell him it was that very same publisher who had helped him.

“From that moment on, I said to myself, ‘I have to go and fight that, I have to go and speak out about hatred, I have to go and get involved in this issue,'” he said. “And the more I became a celebrity, the more I became a movie star and a bodybuilding star and all that, the more I felt like, ‘Oh, I have another power,' in being a public voice against antisemitism.”

Schwarzenegger visited Auschwitz last year and wants to return with “a whole bunch of Hollywood celebrities so they can see what is going on, what went on there and to put the spotlight on this issue.”

Also in attendance at the gala were 27 Holocaust survivors. One thing was clear; the fear of history repeating itself was clearly in their eyes.


Ildako Good, an 84-year-old child survivor from Hungary who was in a concentration camp for 11 months, has immensely been affected by the atrocities that occurred in Israel, she told Aish.com.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t watch the news and yet I have to. It’s incredibly upsetting, I can’t help but worry about antisemitism and what could happen next. The world has gone mad.”

Both Good and survivor Eva Perlman have spent time as public speakers, educating children and teens about the Holocaust.

“Holocaust education is vital – it’s very important to get the word out,” acknowledged Perlman, who attended the event with her granddaughter.

“I am absolutely horrified by these recent events – it seems as if people have lost all morality. To celebrate killing families – I don’t know where we are going… That there are people who have been conditioned since infancy to hate Jews, we can’t do anything about them, they are so set in their beliefs. This is why I must be as vocal as possible about what happened to me during the Holocaust.”

Beth Kean, CEO of Holocaust Museum LA, said, “Holocaust Museum LA’s mission of education to fight antisemitism and stop hate is more critical than ever. Both Arnold and our survivors have demonstrated throughout their lives the courage, determination, strength and resiliency to remind the world that we must never forget the critical lessons of the past.”

PM Bennett to Ali Velshi of MSNBC: No, it’s not about land.

Hamas wants to kill all Jews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2UmfQSxMU

https://substack.com/app?utm_source=email
Things Worth Remembering: The Delights and Frights of Halloween
A Thomas Hardy poem still brings chills to the spine more than a century after its publication.
DOUGLAS MURRAY
OCT 29
Photo via Getty Images
Welcome back to Douglas Murray’s Sunday column, Things Worth Remembering, where he presents passages from great poets he has committed to memory—and explains why you should, too. To listen to Douglas read Thomas Hardy’s “The Choirmaster’s Burial,” click below:

LISTEN NOW · 2:56
I was brought up to be very anti-Halloween. It is a prejudice that stays with me still.

That isn’t to say that as children we didn’t have fun trick-or-treating, traveling to carefully vetted neighbors’ homes and trying to spook them into giving us candy. But the festival was not celebrated that widely in the Britain of my upbringing. It still isn’t. And the huge celebration of the holiday in the U.S. comes as something of a surprise to most outsiders.

Some critics like me will say it’s a purely commercial thing, buoying up the markets and shops in the period before Thanksgiving and Christmas. But that isn’t enough of an explanation. Americans genuinely seem to love decorating their houses with spooky objects, carving pumpkins, and all the rest of it. And good for them, I say...


Message from Elaine aka Dunggate
As a very young convert when needing to confront the school Headmistress regarding a song my daughter came home singing we are witches of Halloween.
I spooke to a friend Barbara, who said I know Elaine I have said do not want my daughter involved in this. I said I will arrange we will go speak to her.
I was at Barbaras house we prayed and I had earlier said I thought she should speak as being a older Christian than myself I was a Christian of just 8 weeks, but after prayer I was lead to open my bible and it opened at Deuteronomy 18.10
When I spoke to the Headmistress she said oh its been going on for time imememorial
I then read to her what God had given me.

10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

It was not the first Time God had given me to open the Bible at just what I needed.

Elaine

https://danielgordis.substack.com/p/the-jerusalem-civilian-command-center?post&r=1zm6gm&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
The Jerusalem Civilian Command Center
How did the "Hamal" open as early as Shabbat afternoon on October 7th? How did it grow to 5,000 volunteers now, and what does it do?

As many sources have noted, one of the astounding stories of the last two horrific weeks has been the extraordinary way in which the citizens not in the army, which Israel called the oref or the “Home Front,” have quickly mobilized to provide services that the government couldn’t.

We hear, above, from a Senior at Shalem College, Seri Frumkin, on her involvement and through that, more about the Hamal, and below, we provide a video prepared by the Hamal itself.

For those who would like to support it, there is a DONATE link that you’ll see.
Israelis are facing an unfolding horror. If you would like to share our conversation about what they are feeling and what is happening that the English press can’t cover, please subscribe today.

https://www.israel365news.com/375683/pope-pius-xii-knew-from-jesuit-priest-about-nazi-death-camp-sources/
Pope Pius XII Knew From Jesuit Priest About Nazi Death Camp - Sources
It was also revealed that the pope had a Nazi dagger adorned with a swastika in his personal chambers.
Sources
You whose eyes are too pure to look upon evil, Who cannot countenance wrongdoing, Why do You countenance treachery, And stand by idle While the one in the wrong devours The one in the right?
HABAKKUK1:13(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
HOLOCAUST
SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
The Vatican is going to great effort to reconcile with Judaism over its role in World War II, but a recently revealed letter suggests that Pope Pius XII had detailed information from a trusted German Jesuit that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being gassed each day in German-occupied Poland. This contradicts previous claims by the Holy See that the Vatican was ignorant of these atrocities and therefore did not protest the Nazi regime’s actions. In addition, it was revealed that the pope had a Nazi dagger adorned with a swastika in his personal chambers.

Italian news service Corriere della Sera published an article on Sunday about an announcement by Vatican officials of the discovery of a letter dated Dec. 14, 1942. The letter was written by an anti-Nazi German Jesuit named Father Lothar König and addressed to the personal secretary of Pope Pius XII, a German cleric named Father Robert Leiber.

In the letter, König reports that an estimated 6,000 Jews and Poles were being killed every day at the Belzec concentration camp in what was then German-occupied Poland. That region is now part of Western Ukraine. König refers to the operation of “blast furnaces” at the camp and makes a passing mention of the Auschwitz and Dachau camps, referring to another report from König that has yet to be found.

At the same time as the pope was receiving the letter from König, he was also receiving diplomatic notes from the British and Polish envoys to the Vatican with reports that up to 1 million Jews had been killed so far in Poland.

The letter was found as part of a trove from Pius XII’s reign, which ran from 1939 to 1958, made available to researchers by order of Pope Francis in March 2020.

“For a half-century, we’ve argued about indirect documents and sources,” Researcher Giovanni Coco, an official of the Vatican archives who discovered the letter, told Corriere della Sera. “Now we have direct sources, and others probably will emerge. We’re trying to render them as accessible as possible to everyone, so the terrible season in which Pius XII guided the Church can be understood.”

“Everything must come out, without fears or prejudices,” Coco said.

He also told the news service that he had discovered a Nazi dagger adorned with a swastika that had been discovered in Pius XII’s private apartment after his death by his successor, Pope John XXIII. An inquiry by then-Archbishop Angelo Dell’Acqua, who at the time was the substitute in the Secretariat of State, revealed that the dagger had been brought to a papal audience by an SS officer, who had planned to use it to attack the pontiff. Instead, Lehnert said, the SS officer had a change of heart and presented the dagger to the pope as a sign of repentance.

The controversy surrounding Pope Pius XII and his actions (or inactions) during the Holocaust has been ongoing since the end of World War II. Born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, Pope Pius XII was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 to 1958, when he died. Before his coronation, Cardinal Pacelli, like his predecessor Pope Pius XI, was a vocal and active critic of the Nazi party. As Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pacelli made some 55 protests against Nazi policies, including its “ideology of race,” and helped author a critique of Nazi ideology in response to the Nuremberg laws. In 1938, Cardinal Pacelli publicly restated the words of Pius XI on the incompatibility of Christianity and antisemitism: “It is impossible for a Christian to take part in antisemitism. Antisemitism is inadmissible; spiritually, we are all Semites.” As a result, the Nazi regime disapproved of Pacelli’s election as Pope.

At the same time, Cardinal Pacelli made official antisemitic statements, referring to Jews as those “whose lips curse [Jesus] and whose hearts reject him even today.” His predecessor, Pope Pius XI, was made aware of Kristallnacht, nationwide anti-Jewish violence in Germany in November 1938. Still, Pacelli, the Cardinal Secretary of State at the time, persuaded him to refrain from condemning it. In 2005, Corriere Della Sera published a document dated 20 November 1946 showing that the pope himself had ordered that orphaned Jewish children in wartime France be baptized and kept in Catholic custody rather than turn the children over to Jewish organizations.

But after his coronation in 1939, during the outset of the war and after the Nazis had already risen to power, Pope Pius XII fell strangely silent. As the head of Catholics worldwide, the official policy of the Vatican was to remain neutral during World War II. In October 1941, the Assistant Chief of the U.S. delegation to the Vatican, Harold Tittman, asked the Pope to condemn the atrocities. The response came that the Holy See wanted to remain “neutral” and that condemning the atrocities would have a negative influence on Catholics in German-held lands.

Due to the Vatican’s silence during the Holocaust, Pope Pius XII was dubbed ‘Hitler’s Pope.

As the security of the Jewish population became more precarious, Pius XII did intervene in March 1939 to obtain 3,000 visas for European Jews who had been baptized and converted to Catholicism to enter Brazil. Two-thirds of these were later revoked, however, because of “improper conduct,” probably meaning that the Jews started practicing Judaism once in Brazil. At that time, the pope did nothing to save practicing Jews.

Throughout the Holocaust, Pius XII was consistently besieged with pleas for help on behalf of the Jews, most notably from the Chief Rabbi of Palestine, Isaac Herzog, who petitioned the Vatican several times throughout the Holocaust. In January 1943, Pius XII declined to publicly denounce Nazi discrimination against the Jews, following requests from the Polish government president-in-exile and Bishop Konrad von Preysing of Berlin. In his book Hitler’s Pope, John Cornwell argues that the pope was weak and vacillating in his approach to Nazism. Cornwell asserts that the pope did little to challenge the progressing holocaust of the Jews out of fear of provoking the Nazis into invading Vatican City.

Belzec was a Nazi German extermination camp in Poland. It was built by the Nazi SS for the purpose of implementing the secretive Operation Reinhard, the plan to murder all Polish Jews, a major part of the “Final Solution,” which in total entailed the murder of about six million Jews in the Holocaust. The camp operated from 17 March 1942 to the end of June 1943. The third-deadliest extermination camp, exceeded only by Treblinka and Auschwitz, between 430,000 and 500,000 Jews are believed to have been murdered by the SS at Bełżec. Only seven Jews performing slave labor with the camp’s Sonderkommando survived World War II.

Trending story
Transvestite teacher with gargantuan fake breasts returns to classroom. His new school issues warning to parents — not about him but about his critics.
 
A transvestite in the Canadian province of Ontario became an international sensation last year by rankling parents over his preference for wearing massive fake breasts in the company of their children. He was placed on paid leave in March. It appears he couldn't stay away the classroom for long. Kerry Lemieux, who calls himse 
... Read more https://www.theblaze.com/news/school-warns-parents-of-potential-protests-after-welcoming-male-teacher-with-gargantuan-fake-breasts-back-to-classroom

https://diannemarshallreport.com/plasma-climate-change-fire-laser-attacks/?fbclid=IwAR0YcJgDq0nv51jO2128U7uHRqFjF1S-BsJYjHL5wGyALq1cRagIc1cFSuo
PLASMA CLIMATE CHANGE FIRE= LASER ATTACKS!
Post author
By Dianne Marshall
Post date
August 12, 2023
Categories
In Deep State Update, CYBER WAR, dot connecting, Hawaii Islands, MAUI DEW FIRES, MIND CONTROL, PATRIOTS VERSUS GLOBALISTS, SAVING AMERICA
plazma fire 162169main Trace solar flare lg
PLASMA FIRE? DEW You Know What That is?

Melted glass, rims, steel, and no trees burning. ‘Unaware folk’ that some call “normies” say it was flying burning embers that burned the cars and melted rims and glass because unaware folk believe that is how fire works…they also believe it was caused by the wind. You can’t help these people. So don’t even try. At this point in the war… pray for discernment and when you see what is really taking place and hear truth, share it and when ridiculed, you will just have to do what all who came before you have learned to do…and that is to know it and don’t get hung up on those who attack your truth. Let the Lord show you what else you need to find, discuss your findings with the Holy Spirit and together discern what it is you are to do by knowing it.

The Lord said, let the blind lead the blind and they both shall fall in the ditch. Our purpose is to avoid the ditch… not to argue with the blind. Just keep moving and be the watchman. The good watchman doesn’t leave the post to argue with those nay sayers who argue the truth. So stay on the wall and don’t leave the post God has given you to watch from and keep sharing the truth.  Those with eyes to see and ears to hear shall see and hear.


Wow that Larry Silverstein … the plasma beamed fires just leap frogged over another one of his homes.  How is this happening? Jeff Synder knows… he calls it DEW too!

image 129
Video footage shows no wind, while fake news shouts winds up to 70 miles per hour? Meanwhile, wind brings fire… but after it melts everything in its path… is vanishes… So we are told fire started by wind… so maybe the wind must have been burned out by the fire? How does this work? I truly don’t understand climate change…DEW you?  I have my own ideas…DEW YOU?

Directed Energy Weapons – DEW
“One reason the NWO manipulators can get away with their crimes against humanity is that most people are downright ignorant of the true state of technology, whether it’s mind control tech, HAARP/ionospheric heaters/Space Fence, 5G or anything else.” Read:  Yes, DEW and Laser Weapons are Being Used Against the American People | Wake Up World (wakeup-world.com)

Possibly plasma…Is fire a solid, liquid, gas, plasma – or something else entirely? What have they made? It’s all a laser technology!
“Often called the fourth state of matter, a plasma is formed when gaseous atoms or molecules are ionised to such an extent that positively charged nuclei and the negatively charged electrons roam free of each other. To do this takes energy; take that energy away and the plasma ceases to be, becoming just gas again. Ring any bells?

Sadly though, plasma is not a perfect fit either. Like a gas, it expands to fill the volume in which it’s contained, whereas a flame does not. But what we can conclude (for now) is that, of the fundamental states of matter, fire is most like a plasma.

In fact, some very hot flames do contain plasma – when the energy inside them is sufficient to ionise enough of the air molecules. A classic example is the flame generated by burning acetylene in oxygen, which reaches an eye-watering 3100˚C. The paltry 1500˚C flame produced by a wax candle, on the other hand, is too low to be considered a textbook plasma. 


READ MORE: What state of matter is fire? | Article | RSC Education

https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/things-parents-should-know-about-the-little-mermaid-disneys-live-action-remake.html
4 Things Parents Should Know about The Little Mermaid, Disney’s Live-Action Remake
Michael Foust
ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor
Ariel is a young mermaid with a big heart and a desire to explore.

Yes, she loves her six sisters and her intimidating father -- King Triton, the ruler of the sea. Yes, she enjoys her scenic water underworld, including her crab companion Sebastian and her fish friend Flounder.

Ariel, though, wants to know what lies beyond her kingdom: What is that bright light shining overhead? What are those massive objects sailing atop the ocean? And what are these strange, other-worldly things that litter the ocean floor?

Eventually, Ariel defies her family’s wishes and swims to the surface. There, she watches as a ship sinks. She sees dozens of men abandon their vessels and dive into the water. She also watches as one of them -- a well-dressed, handsome man she later learns is the queen’s son -- lifelessly sinks below the surface. Ariel rescues him and drags him to shore. But before he can fully wake up and people see her, she swims away.

Unfortunately for her father, Ariel is now in love with a creature from another kingdom. Will she ever meet him again?

The new Disney film The Little Mermaid (PG) follows the story of Ariel, her romantic interest Eric, and their families. It stars Halle Bailey in the lead role, Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle the bird, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, the sea witch.

Here are four things parents should know:

1. It’s a Magical Remake
The live-action/CGI film says it’s based not only on the 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid (which won two Oscars) but also on the Hans Christian Andersen 1837 story of the same name.

In the newest film, Ariel grows enamored with the human race as she explores items from the shipwreck (she assumes a fork is a tiny trident) and dreams of what a world without water is like. Simultaneously, Eric tells his mother (played by Noma Dumezweni) that he vaguely remembers the face of a woman who rescued him. He is determined to find her.

After King Triton destroys the shipwreck in an attempt to end Ariel’s fantasy, she is approached by the wicked Ursula, who offers Ariel a deal: Ariel can become a human for three days. If Eric and Ariel share a romantic kiss during that time, Ariel will remain a human forever. But if they never kiss, Ariel must serve Usrula forever. (Unknown to Ariel, Ursula erases her memory and makes her mute.)

The Little Mermaid includes the songs you love -- Under the Sea and Part of Your World, among them. (It also includes a handful of new ones.) It includes real-looking sea turtles and starfish, and snails that dance. It also includes Disney’s CGI “magic” that allows Ariel and her mermaid friends to talk underwater as their hair flows freely through the waves. Perhaps we’re accustomed to it by now, but it’s still a visual spectacle.

2. It’s a Love Story Unlike Any Other
The film begins with a quote from author Hans Christian Andersen: “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.” There may be no tears, but there is plenty of heartache in The Little Mermaid. Ariel’s father bans her from interacting with the humans. (According to the film, Ariel’s mother was killed by a human.) Eric’s mother, too, prohibits him from interacting with other cultures. No doubt, the romance in The Little Mermaid is like countless other romances through the ages -- couples who came from different races, different classes, and different countries.

The newest film has a few differences from the 1989 version that add to the plot. Ursula is King Triton’s sister. We also learn that Eric, who is white, was adopted by the queen (who is black).

3. It Celebrates Cultures and Spotlights Sacrifice
Like the previous versions, the newest film urges us to embrace people from different cultures and discard our stereotypes. King Triton tells Ariel of the humans: “They’re savages!” The queen forbids Eric from dating anyone outside her kingdom, not trusting them. Meanwhile, we learn that both cultures are filled with kind-hearted, hard-working individuals who love their children and enjoy the things we all enjoy -- laughing, playing, and creating. In other words, they may look different on the outside, but they’re very similar on the inside. It’s a lesson grounded in Scripture (Colossians 3:11, Revelation 5:9-10).


“We’re not all the same -- so why should humans be?” Ariel asks.

The movie offers solid lessons about sacrifice (Ariel, Eric, and King Triton all put their lives on the line). It also includes a lesson about temptation. (Ariel is surprised to learn that Ursula isn’t as wicked as she imagined.) Ariel tells Ursula, “This is wrong. I can’t do this.” But she does.

4. It’s Family-Friendly
No doubt, critics of remakes will comb through the plot and critique the similarities and differences.

More than likely, though, most families will love it. That’s because it stays kid-friendly. (Although it’s worth noting: Both films show Ariel rebelling against her father.)

It contains no coarse language, no sexuality, and no bloody violence. (Ursula, a witch-octopus, is scary-looking at times, and the ending includes more peril simply because it’s real life and not animation. We also watch Ursula use a cauldron to cast a spell. The film, as you know, has plenty of magic.) Of course, the film includes plenty of bikini-top-wearing mermaids, but you already knew that, right? Ariel and Eric share a kiss at the end.

My 11-year-old daughter looked at me as we were walking out of the theater and said excitedly, “That movie made my day.” I’m sure plenty of other kids will say the same.

The Little Mermaid is rated PG for action/peril and some scary images.

Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5.

Family-friendly rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Photo credit: GettyImages-Lisa Maree Williams / Stringer

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

https://aish.com/changing-how-we-talk-about-politics/?src=ac
Changing How We Talk about Politics
Empower Your Jewish Journey
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
March 29, 2023
6 min read
And Passover is the perfect time to start.

Public discourse has a serious problem today. Politicians we don’t agree with are described as “liars,” “terrorists,” “fascists,” “anarchists,” or worse. They “hate” their country or their people. Anyone who dares to object to this sort of vicious discourse is attacked in the same terms. Our capacity for measured speech has eroded to the point where people can’t even articulate exactly what it is about an idea or a policy to which they object.

People are complex, but when it comes to politics, somehow this obvious point gets thrown out the window; people are reduced to caricatures who are either entirely negative or entirely good.

A 2019 Pew Report noted that “Large majorities say the tone and nature of political debate in the United States has become more negative in recent years - as well as less respectful, less fact-based and less substantive.” Increasingly, Americans characterize political debates as “offensive and aggressive.” It’s a similar story in other countries where deep social and political differences aren’t being helped by an angry, hysterical rhetoric.

Language and Thought
The words we use matter a great deal.

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In his masterful novel 1984, George Orwell describes a world where new versions of the dictionary are constantly being published, each shorter than the last. In one of the novel’s early passages, a government worker describes doing away with the word “bad,” changing it to the simpler “ungood” instead. Other variations of positivity were already changed to “plusgood” or - to express extreme joy - “doubleplusgood.”. The character concludes: “In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words - in reality, only one word. Don’t you see the beauty of that….?”

That suited the dystopian, repressive government in 1984, which wanted to strip its citizens of their words, and thereby their ability to describe exactly what was wrong with their world. It’s a chilling, prescient literary device that we see happening today in real life. Every time we carelessly throw out incendiary words, describing those we disagree with in simplistic terms - “stupid,” “bad,” and the like - like Orwell’s characters we’re robbing ourselves of the ability to think deeply about what it is we are objecting to, limiting ourselves to a few overly-used, simplistic terms that don’t truly capture what it is that’s bothering us.

Passover and the Poverty of Words
Passover is a unique time to understand the connection between what we say and feel. The Jews were so crushed during their bondage in Egypt that even when Moses came to inform them that God would rescue them, they couldn’t listen to his hopeful message. “But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9).

#Speech is the portal to one’s essential self. We diminish our sense of self when we use coarse, simplistic, or lazy speech.

The Jewish slaves were so beaten down that they lost their ability to speak. The Zohar says that speech itself went into exile. Being slave means the loss of one’s autonomy; there is no self-expression, no freedom. Speech is the portal to one’s essential self. We diminish our sense of self when we use coarse, simplistic, or lazy speech.

Rabbi Ahron Soloveitchik captured what happened once the Jews finally broke free from slavery in his book Logic of the Heart, Logic of the Mind (1991):

Upon delivery from the Egyptian bondage, the Israelites regained their self-expression. As long as they were subjected to Egyptian bondage, their self-expression was stifled and suppressed. But at the moment of Exodus, the Israelites regained their speech. Slaves cannot express or assert themselves properly. They cannot realize their potential. Only the free man is capable of doing so.

It’s fitting that Passover is celebrated through the commandment to talk, to convey the Jewish story to the next generation. The ability to speak is an expression of our freedom. That’s why Passover in Hebrew literally means “the talking mouth” – “peh – sach”. It’s the antithesis of the narrow speech and blinkered thinking that slavery once forced upon us.

Simplistic Discourse and Violence
Relying on the blunt cudgels of broad insults not only desensitizes us, it can also radicalize us, making us more prone to hatred and more tolerant of violence.

According to the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, “a range of research suggests the incendiary rhetoric of political leaders can make political violence more likely (and) gives violence direction….” When it becomes normal to accuse those we disagree with of terrible things, instead of thoughtfully spelling out exactly where we differ, then we open the door to acting on some pretty dangerous assumptions. In recent months, politicians around the world have been accused by their opponents and critics of being “threats,” “enemies,” and worse. These words are potentially explosive.

This Passover, try performing this simple experiment.

First, take a moment to think of a politician with whom you most disagree, the one you absolutely loathe. What adjectives come to mind?

Now, ask yourself: what exactly do you dislike about this figure? Be as specific as you can. Do you disagree with his or her policies? Which ones? Why? How does your worldview differ from theirs? Can you identify any values you share? How would you do things differently if you were in their shoes?

Now take a look at the words you thought of during that second scenario. Chances are the words you used to answer the second question were a lot more nuanced, perhaps even a little less negative. Forcing ourselves to stop and consider exactly what it is we’re thinking helps us clarify and discover our true thoughts and feelings. It prevents us from slipping into lazy thinking, and can prevent us from confusing other people’s actions and ideas from their essences as our fellow human beings.

The Passover Seder begins with degradation as it describes the Jews’ pain in Egypt, and it ends with praise and uplift. As you celebrate freedom, watch how you use your words and break free of the bonds of heedless speech and lazy assumptions. Use your power of speech with dignity, sensitivity and appreciation that every person is complex and deserving of respect.

WILL YOU RECOGNIZE THE MESSIAH
ASK YOURSELF WHY FIRST-CENTURY JEWS DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE MESSIAH
1 They knew THE YEAR 29 OF OUR ERA IN DANIEL'S PROPHECY Time of coming messYah
2 They KNEW IT WAS FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID
3 FROM THE JUDA tribe
4 BORN IN BETHLEHEM
5 GOD YAH Sent Him
6 THERE WAS more 300 PROPHECY fullfiled
On MessYah
DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH (PARUSIA)
THE QUESTION OF WHO WAS A MESSYAH
REW 12.9
THE DEVIL Deceiveth ALL inherit EARTH
HOW
1 JEWS
SPEAKS that they waiting for THE MESSIAH coming, BUT that is only A TALE
NO ONE ON EARTH CAN PROVE FROM THE JUDA ROOTS OF DAVID'S HOUSE BECAUSE THE ROMANS BURNED EVERYTHING IN JERUSALEM IN THE 70TH YEAR OF OUR ERA AS THE SON OF GOD PROPOSED
THE JEWS CALL THE MESSIAH YESHUA (HE CRY OUT OR HE IS DESTRUCTION)
CLAIM NAME FROM SATAN'S SERVANTS
2 FALSE PROPAGANDA FROM THE USA
THE DEVIL'S PEOPLE CALL THE MESSIAH YAHUSHUA
WHAT DOES YAH cry out
OR YAH DESTROYED
A NAME TO GOD YAH
3 CHRISTIANITY
USES A FALSE NAME OF JESUS
that name abuse
God and his messiah together
All Christian denominations come from Rome, recognize their human hierarchy and have titles (the son of God taught that we are all brothers and sisters)
4 false messiahs from the devil
Muhammad (Islam)
Buddha
Marks (atheism)
The Bible Teaches That God's People (ONLY THE PEOPLE OF GOD, LET POGANS BE IN FALSE)
has left the ranks of every religion of every denomination REV 18.4
PRAYERS TO AMEN (CHIEF OF EGYPTIANS GOD) COMPLETE ALL RELIGIONS
THE PEOPLE OF GOD DO NOT PRAY TO THE EGYPTIAN GODS
THE TRUE MESSIAH CALLED YAHISHA (YAH IS SALVATION)
THE LAST BIBLE PROPHECY
1 TESS 5.3
THE UN MUST PROMOTE A DECREE
"PEACE AND SECURITY"
THEN YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THE MESSIAH
WHEN WILL EACH EYE SEE HIM?

https://www.israelunwired.com/can-the-whole-world-be-wrong/?
CAN THE WHOLE WORLD BE WRONG?
written by Melanie Phillips February 19, 2023 516 views
A new book is essential to understanding the current lunacy over Israel and the global jihad.

(JNS) One of the mysteries of the war against Israel is the extent to which a monstrously twisted narrative about Israel and the Palestinian Arabs—casting the former as evil and the latter as sanctified victims—has been absorbed by so many people.

Still stranger, this narrative seems to be the driver of progressive politics. It’s not just that “intersectionality” demonizes the Jews, but that it is driven by an obsession with Palestinianism.

As Corinne Blacker wrote in Tablet, “In queer and women’s studies programs, the topic of Palestine is regularly inserted into the most unlikely contexts, to the extent that one student in a class about queer history told me that they discussed nothing but Palestine.”

The astonishing story of Mohammed al-Durah illustrates just how perverse this is. On Sept. 30, 2000, the French TV station France 2 broadcast footage from Gaza that apparently showed the 12-year-old al-Durah being shot dead by Israeli fire as he clung to his father during a demonstration.

This iconic picture detonated the second intifada, the Palestinian terrorist war waged against Israeli civilians that murdered more than 1,130 of them and wounded more than 8,000 between 2000 and 2005. The footage incited hysteria across the Arab and Muslim world.

Eleven days later, when two Israeli reservists strayed into Ramallah, a mob beat them to death. They threw one body out a window, mutilating it and parading it through the streets. A gloating Palestinian Arab was pictured waving his hands in the air covered in the Israelis’ blood while the mob screamed “revenge for the blood of Muhammad al-Durah!”

One year later, at the U.N.’s sickening anti-Jewish hate-fest in Durban, South Africa, Mohammad al-Durah’s body was paraded in effigy among thousands of demonstrators screaming hatred of Israel. Then Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was beheaded by al-Qaeda explicitly for the killing of the child.

The whole al-Durah killing, however, was a set-up and a grotesque lie. As I saw in a Paris courtroom in 2007, previously unseen French TV footage showed that the scenes of battle had been staged with cameras, producers and even make-up technicians visible in a carnival atmosphere.

Palestinian “demonstrators” were laid out on stretchers and carted off to ambulances. But there was no blood or evidence of injuries whatsoever, not even on Mohammad al-Durah, with the boy peeping through his fingers moments after a reporter announced he had been killed.

The person who has done more than anyone else to bring this monstrous calumny to public attention is Richard Landes. As a professor of medieval history at Boston University specializing in apocalyptic millenarian sects, he suddenly realized he was looking at precisely the same phenomenon among the Palestinian Arabs. He reported the al-Durah hoax on his blog and coined the term “Pallywood” to describe the Palestinians’ theater of murderous fabrications.

Landes dwells upon the al-Durah hoax in his new and magnificent book Can the Whole World be Wrong?: Lethal Journalism, Antisemitism and Global Jihad. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand today’s lunacies.

The book asks the question: How has the West simply lost its mind over the issue of the Palestinian Arabs?

As Landes says, today’s Western journalists behave like true believers in the lies about Israel. They have never corrected the record on Mohammad al-Durah, which remains an incendiary blood libel, damning the Israelis for the supposedly cold-blooded killing of a defenseless child.

They have also never corrected the record on the Jenin “massacre” blood libel. In 2002, after 16 months of human bomb attacks in which more than 600 Israelis were murdered, the IDF killed 52 to 56 Palestinian Arabs in Jenin, around 40 of whom were combatants. Israel also lost 23 IDF soldiers during that operation in ambushes forced upon them by their commanders’ insistence on going door-to-door to limit civilian casualties.

Yet the Western media—pushing what Landes describes as “lethal journalism”—published hysterically inflated Palestinian Arab claims of a massacre in which hundreds or even thousands of Palestinians had been killed.

The Western public has been left with the impression that the human bomb attacks arose out of resistance to Israeli “occupation” and “war crimes.” In fact, they are the result of genocidal jihadi war propaganda delivered and concealed by Western journalists themselves.

Appallingly, the Israelis were described at the time as the new Nazis. But the malice that was unleashed was even worse. As Landes writes, “It was mostly about being freed from a sense of obligation to the Jews, a chance to take up again the Jew-baiting so long denied Europeans by a politically correct post-Holocaust sobriety.”

Landes quotes a poisonous comment made by a member of the House of Lords and reported in the Spectator, “Well, the Jews have been asking for it, and now, thank God, we can say what we think at last.” During that time, I was told something horrifyingly similar to my face.

This lethal Western mindset among liberals and progressives goes beyond bigotry against Israel. It has also fueled the West’s failure to identify and deal with the jihadi war of conquest being waged against Western civilization.

Liberals, writes Landes, have enforced the primary law of submission: Do not offend Muslims. The inevitable cognitive and moral dissonance has produced a “politics of outrage” that has left a radically disoriented West defenseless before the jihadist attack.

Western politicians maintained after 9/11 that Muslims around the world were outraged by the atrocity because Islam was a “religion of peace.” They did so even though Muslims were celebrating across the world and some 90% of them, according to various commentators, thought America “had it coming.”

When an Islamist named Ahmad al Aliwi Alissa murdered ten people in Boulder, Colorado in March 2021, many identified him on Twitter as a “white Christian supremacist.” Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born woman who fled Islam to become one of its most forceful accusers and lives under a fatwa commanding her murder, was denounced by feminists and disinvited by Brandeis in 2014 as an Islamophobe.

“Lethal journalists” who report Palestinian jihadi war propaganda as objective fact fail to grasp that they are thus reporting their own enemy’s war propaganda as news.

This critical blindness is rooted in half a century of the West being blamed for its “original sins” of colonialism and imperialism. This cultural self-loathing has spawned the identity politics of race and gender. Human rights NGOs excoriating Israel and the U.S. for racism and slavery have adopted the jihadi apocalyptic narrative that holds that the U.S. and Israel are the Big and the Little Satan.

This has led to what Landes terms, “The Alice in Wonderland mindset: When jihadis attack a democracy, blame the democracy.” So, while jihadi antisemitism is sanitized as resistance against the oppressor, criticism of Islam or the Palestinians has been denounced as “hate speech.”

As Landes writes, in this poisonous mix a new antisemitism has taken hold in progressive circles around the world.

It is a stupefying alchemy of inverted narratives, which Landes describes as a preemptive surrender to Islamist attack. The result, he writes, is that “when the worst Jew-haters in the planet act out their Jew-hatred in the most revolting fashion, supporting them has become the litmus test for radical credentials.” And the most tragic aspect of all is that so many progressive Jews have gone along with this madness.

So how can we fight it? In the only way we know how: With facts, evidence and reason. But we should be in no doubt that we are not just fighting to establish the truth about Israel and push antisemitism back underneath its stone. We are fighting to rescue a Western world that has simply lost its collective mind.

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/should-christians-break-the-law-if-the-law-is-wrong.html?8
Should Christians Break the Law if the Law Is Wrong?
The questions that all of this brings us to consider are: what do we do when God's Word and our leadership disagree? Should Christians break the law if the law is wrong? How should Christians respond when the government makes or mandates Christianity illegal?
Robert Hampshire
Christianity.com Contributing Writer
2023 27 Jan
Should Christians Break the Law if the Law Is Wrong?
As a child, I remember hearing the story of "The Hebrew Boys and the Fiery Furnace" and being inspired to stand up for my beliefs. But to be honest, the thought of being thrown into a bonfire for my beliefs seemed farfetched.

I didn't think that there was any way I would be sentenced to death, let alone physically punished for praying, reading the Bible, or worshiping God. Even though by high school, I was getting picked on for my beliefs, I figured that real persecution is what believers in other countries experienced — not here.

However, over the last several years, I have heard more and more stories of believers facing social persecution, legal trouble, physical harm, and even prison time for their stance on biblical values. Businesses have been closed, churches have been burned, families have been attacked, and individuals have been killed for their faith.

Then in the year 2020, the American government deemed churches “non-essential” (along with other businesses, of course) and told them to close because of a new virus.

The reasons for “shutting down” were inconsistent at best, but most people and churches followed them for fear of legal trouble or inadvertently making someone sick.

Among the social, economic, and spiritual fallout of the closings and isolation is that Christians around the world (including America) know what it is like to face harm, fines, and prison time for disobeying the government's regulations that were against our fundamental beliefs.

Even more recently, a middle-aged lady and an army veteran were arrested for praying in public on separate occasions. As outlandish as that sounds, it gets worse: they were praying silently. Where did this happen? It was not in a communist or Islamic country or even a country that is opposed to Christianity. It was in Britain.

The questions that all of this brings us to consider are: what do we do when God's Word and our leadership disagree? Should Christians break the law if the law is wrong? How should Christians respond when the government makes or mandates Christianity illegal? Is it ever right to disobey our leaders?

What Does the Bible Say about the Law?
To give us the proper perspective, let's look back at that "Fiery Furnace" story to see if there are any lessons and we can learn to apply to our lives today.

In Daniel 3, we read about an arrogant king named Nebuchadnezzar who made a gaudy, ridiculously tall, golden statue to honor his favorite person — himself!

When he called all of his subjects to come look at it, he made up a new rule: when the music plays, everyone has to bow down and worship the statue (in case you were wondering, this wasn't hard-rock music, they were playing pleasant-sounding instruments like horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and pipes).

For most of the people in attendance, this was not a big deal because they saw the king as a god figure anyway. But right in the midst of the pagan culture of Babylon were God worshipers living as captives because they had been stolen from their homeland of Israel.

The most famous of them was Daniel, but he was away in the "king's court," unaware of what was happening. However, three of Daniel's friends (originally named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah until Nebuchadnezzar changed their names to Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego) were there faced with a dilemma: deny their faith or disobey their ego-tripping king. And if they did decide to worship the One True God, they would be thrown into a “blazing furnace."

So, the music played, and everyone bowed down except for Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego, who stayed standing. The king may not have noticed because of the size of the crowd, but some astrologers tattled on them.

The king “flew into a rage,” had the three men brought to him, and gave them one more chance (probably because of his connection to them that we read about Daniel 1-2).

But this time, he directed an interesting “jab” at them and said, “What god will be able to rescue you from my power?” (Daniel 3:15). Nebuchadnezzar was not really challenging the Hebrews — he was challenging God himself!

But instead of cowering or even defending themselves, the Hebrew men responded to the self-asserting king by saying, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t… that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (v. 18).

They were not disrespectful; they just declared that they were going to do the right thing and only worship God no matter what happened. The king, unimpressed by their bravery, heated up the flames even hotter (to match his temperament) and had some soldiers tie them up and throw them in, which killed the soldiers in the process.

But no sooner had he thrown them into the fire that he noticed they were walking around, untethered and untouched by the flames. Not only that but there was also a fourth man with them in the fire that he said, “Looks like a god” (because it probably was!) (v.26).

So, the baffled, humbled king called the men to come out, which they did on their own accord. God had completely protected them, and their clothes did not even smell like smoke. The king responded to them with this:

“Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God… “There is no other god who can rescue like this!” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon” (v. 28).

The men’s heroism in enduring the furnace is inspirational. But they were not brave because they were strong enough to fight their way out or tough enough to endure the flames. They were completely confident in God — that either he would save them or take them to heaven. Either way, they were only going to worship Him.

How Does This Apply to Us Today?
Now let’s think about what would happen if the government, your boss, or your parents told you that you cannot worship God, pray, read your Bible, or talk about Jesus. What if they threatened you, your family, your business, or your church with social ruin, fines, harm, prison, or death?

My conclusion is that if God sits on the throne of our hearts and we worship him first, then when we are faced with deciding between obeying Him or obeying the law, our response must be to obey God. When earthly rulers disagree with the Heavenly Ruler, whichever one we obey is a declaration of which one we worship.

Of course, not every situation will be as obvious as the story in Daniel 3. In our specific situations, we will need to seek God’s will, use discernment, and get help from other Christians to think through our problems. But there is still much we can learn from this story.

Here are four applications from Daniel 3 that can help us in our time of decision on this difficult topic:

1. Don’t stand alone. Just like the Hebrew men, we need other Christian friends to help keep us standing. When life gets hard, and everything is against us, those who stand alone will fall.

2. Trust God. When we are faced with this difficult decision, we can trust that God’s Word is true and the Holy Spirit’s direction will always be best. And when we are faced with persecution, we can trust that the Creator and Sustainer of all things are able to protect us.

And even if we are penalized, persecuted, or executed for our faith, we can trust that God has a purpose for our suffering and that one day he will completely deliver us by bringing us to heaven to be with him.

3. Know that God is with you. Just like God was present in the fire, our Immanuel is a “very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1-3) and “is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7).

As Joshua told his army, “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8, ESV). A song from Hillsong titled “Another in the Fire” beautifully illustrates this point.

The lyrics read: “I won’t bow to the things of this world, and I know I will never be alone. There is another in the fire standing next to me. There is another in the waters holding back the seas. And should I ever need reminding what power set me free, there is a grave that holds nobody, and now that power lives in me.”

4. Be faithful and bring God glory. Just like King Nebuchadnezzar eventually changed his mind and praised God, our standing for God against all odds will result in God’s glory.

Why Does This Matter?
As the famous quote by Tertullian reads, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Of course, there is no greater example of this than Jesus Christ himself. And this was Apostle Paul’s perspective, too. He wrote in 2 Timothy 2:3-11:

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. Remember Jesus Christ… for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

May we, too, share in whatever suffering we face as a good soldiers of Christ Jesus.

For further reading:

Should Christians Follow the Book of the Law Today?

Does God Appoint Godly Leaders?

What Does it Mean to Obey the Laws of the Land?

https://www.israelunwired.com/ex-kgb-agent-reveals-putins-true-plans-in-attacking-ukraine/#
EX-KGB AGENT REVEALS PUTIN’S TRUE PLANS IN ATTACKING UKRAINE
written by Phil Schneider May 9, 2022 22937 views
Much has been discussed about Vladimir Putin’s motives in sending most of his standing Army into battle against Ukraine. It seems unfathomable to so many Western observers, that a struggling Russian economy would be able to withstand a sustained attack against Ukraine. The massive sanctions that have been clamped on Russia certainly did not help. So if Vladimir Putin is supposedly a leader who thinks through everything before acting, how can we understand this seemingly reckless gamble? Only an ex-KGB agent can help explain the logic of Putin.


Victor Davis Hanson claimed that Putin is actually more predictable than many seem to think. The weakness that the Biden administration showed in the hasty run-away retreat from Afghanistan certainly made it clear to the would-be aggressors that the world’s policeman is not going to take too much action against them if the misbehave. Putin-run Russia is probably not the #1 threat. China is. But in truth, it is the Russia-China cooperation that threatens the West and the world in general.

Just as in World War II, the most dangerous agreement was the Molotov-Ribbentrop agreement. That agreement between Russia and Germany basically sealed the fate of hundreds of millions of people from Russia to the East and all the way to Great Britain in the West. There was no question that Russia being complicit with Germany in splitting up Poland was the final straw that led to the German invasion. Once Germany invaded, it was World War II. The tide only turned when Russia switched sides and joined England and the United States after Germany invaded Russia.

Today, the United States has much daylight between it and China. And especially after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the US and Russia are nowhere near any form of cooperation. But one can argue that what is needed more than ever is triangulation. Meaning, America must engage China and compete against it. Similarly, it must engage Russia and compete against it. Meaning, the main goal should be to establish daylight between China and Russia. This is no simple task. China needs Russian energy and Russia has a seemingly unlimited supply. The key to successful triangulation is probably via an aggressive energy policy that the United States must adopt. It is clear that this will not be done via a Democrat-run administration. We need a total reset on our Russia and China policy.
KGBRUSSIA