We're Your Family in Israel

My wife prayed on the Temple Mount this week

WAR UPDATE 118

Flooding "Al Aqsa" with Jewish Prayer

On the morning of October 7, 2023, shortly after they launched their murderous attack on Israel at 6:30am, Hamas released information to the press explaining what they had started.

At 9:28am Gianluca Pacchiani reported the following on the Times of Israel Live Blog:

Hamas says it has launched 5,000 rockets at Israel in an early morning surprise attack it calls “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”

Mohammad Deif, the Hamas military commander, issues a statement saying that the ongoing attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s “desecration” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

“Today, the people are bringing back the revolution and reviving the March of Return,” he says.

He urges Arabs in Jerusalem and inside Israel, in the Negev, the Galilee and northern Israel “set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers.”

He further calls on the “Islamic resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon” — countries with terror movements that are militarily supported by Iran — to “merge their resistance with that of the Palestinians today,” and “start marching towards Palestine now.”

Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas who is considered to be its leader in the West Bank, issued a statement along the same lines, calling on the Arab and Islamic nations to join “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”

What was the Desecration of Al Aqsa?

The desecration that Dief and al-Arouri were referring to were the large number of Jewish pilgrims who had ascended to the Termple Mount and prayed there during the Sukkot festival the previous week. Al Jazeera reported that Hamas described the attack as a reaction to “provocative tours” by Israeli 'settlers' at the mosque complex.

Why would Jews visiting Israel's holiest site be so "provocative" at this point? You have to understand the "status quo" that was put in place in 1967 when we retook the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

Moshe Dayan, fearing an attack by hundreds of millions of Arabs decided to give religious control to the Jordanian Muslim Wakf. Only Muslims could pray on the Mount which they called the Al Aqsa Compound in English.

To understand how outrageous the situation was, I suggest reading this article by David Kirshenbaum. In it he explains how bad the situation was still in 2009:

In December 2009, the day before my oldest daughter got married, we went up to the Temple Mount. The next time she joined me was this past Shavuot eve. I have been going up the Temple Mount at various times of the year and on special occasions since the Israeli government reopened the holiest place in Judaism to Jews in 2004, albeit in very small numbers, and, until recently, with all forms of prayer by any non-Muslim strictly prohibited.

Simply closing one’s eyes in introspection, or plaintively looking up to the heavens, were grounds for removal and questioning at the police station. That is where my daughter and I found ourselves the day before her wedding in 2009.

During separate questioning, I was asked, “Was your daughter swaying?” Incredulous, I asked the officer to repeat the question, thinking perhaps I hadn’t heard right. “You know,” and he nodded his head back and forth, explaining, in a hostile manner, how that was quite obviously a provocative action and, therefore, an unlawful and improper movement for a Jew to make on the Temple Mount.

Before we were released, we were required to hear a lecture from the officer in charge of Jerusalem’s holy places, admonishing us in absolute seriousness that body motions, gestures, and facial expressions by Jews on the Temple Mount, even without an audible prayer, could trigger a religious war by surrounding Muslim countries and populations.

NO LONGER AFRAID

The last three years has taught Israel a lesson. The threat of a mass uprising of the Arab Nations is a "paper tiger."

Hamas thought by declaring a religious war "Al Aqsa Flood" ... the Arab and Muslim world would unite with them. They didn't. This became a war against Iran and its proxies. And now both Iran and its proxies are basically physically defeated, but they won't be spiritually defeated until they see a tangible spiritual defeat as well.

The fact that the Israeli government allows full Jewish prayer and singing on the Temple Mount as witnessed by my wife's video this week, is a threat to Muslim control of the Holy site.

My feeling is the Jordanian Wakf should be removed from the Temple Mount (like we removed UNWRA from Jerusalem) and it should be administered by the Israel Ministry of Religion. Then Jews would at least be given equal status on the Holiest site to the Nation of Israel.

And we will be another step closer to fulfilling our promised destiny.

To paraphrase visitors singing in the video below:

May the Almighty give strength to His People; ... and bless His People with Peace.

IF THIS UPDATE WAS FORWARDED TO YOU. CLICK HERE to ensure you get my next update.

R. Shmuel Veffer and Sarah Eliana

Galilee Green

You'll love this versatile recipe

One of the best-loved appetizers served at Israeli weddings is a bureka topped with a wonderful mushroom sauce.

The crispy and flakey pastry contrasted by the smooth creamy sauce is a perfect combination.

You can use this sauce to pour on top of mashed potatoes or meatloaf. Yumm.

FULL RECIPE!

Singing and Praying on the Temple Mount

Here is a couple of minutes of Sarah's visit to the Mount.

The group had already prayed the formal weekday afternoon prayers facing the site where the Holy of Holies stood in the Temple. That site is where the Golden Dome of the Rock stands today.

On their way out of the Temple Mount compound, the group burst into song, singing Psalm 29 which is sung on Friday evening during the Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming the Sabbath) service in synagogue.

Here is the English translation of some excerpts from the Psalm. When they sing Adon-oy, (Our Lord) it is a replacement for the four-letter name of God YHVH.

Psalm 29

A Psalm of David. Ascribe to Adonoy— you sons of the mighty — ascribe to Adonoy glory and might. Ascribe to Adonoy the glory due His Name, prostrate yourselves before Adonoy in the splendor of holiness. Adonoy's voice is upon the waters. Almighty of glory thunders, ....

and in His Sanctuary all proclaim [His] glory. Adonoy sat enthroned (even) at the flood, Adonoy is enthroned as King forever. Adonoy will give strength to His people; Adonoy will bless His people with peace.

WATCH NOW

Join Other Christians Helping with this Year's Olive Harvest in Israel

My friend Jonathan Feldstein has an organization called Root & Branch that helps connect Christians to Israel in a meaningful way.

Much of this year's tour from October 18 - 27 is harvesting olives from trees in National Parks and public areas.

There are still a few limited spaces available!

MORE INFO HERE

IF YOU LOVED LUCY...

You will love our Galilee Green Olive Oil!

What does one have to do with the other? Nothing.
I just wanted to bring a smile to your day.

Now that you are in a good mood... order some today!

CLICK HERE NOW

Subscriber Photo of the Week

"Much Better!"

This week's photo is from Ruth Macdonald of Cheltenham, UK.

Ruth has been part of our Galilee Green Family since November of 2016!

A short while ago she shared this photo above of her GGOO tins in her kitchen!

In March of 2025 she posted her recent order of her four-pack that arrived at her home in England and mentioned that the red tops were hard to open. But that she finally managed!

Those were the last of our old tins that had been manufactured in Turkey. Since trade has been cut off for now with Turkey, we switched to the new round tins.

I hope these are easier to open for you Ruth!

Thank you for your loyal support all these years.

Blessings for a healthy and sweet new year to you and your family!

-------------------------------------------------------

Because of the strengthening of the Israeli Shekel against the US Dollar (20 percent since January!) we are trying to make up for our effective loss in revenue by increasing the number of people using our products. Please encourage at least one other friend or relative who loves Israel to give us a try!

P.S. You can forward this newsletter to a friend to introduce them to us.