The Meaning of UNESCO's Decisions Regarding Jewish Heritage in the Holy Land - Tsvi Sadan ISRAEL TODAY

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The Meaning of UNESCO's Decisions Regarding Jewish Heritage in the Holy Land

Tuesday, July 11, 2017 | Tsvi Sadan ISRAEL TODAY

The latest UNESCO decision to recognize Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs as a threatened "Palestinian" world heritage site sparked a tantrum among Israeli leaders. 

Though it is a given that Hebron is an indisputably Jewish heritage site, in all fairness at least the Cave has become a Muslim heritage site, too. UNESCO's manifest about old town of Hebron al-Khalil & its environs demonstrates its unforgivable bias that conveniently skips any Jewish history in the area. Yet, to argue that Hebron has nothing to do with Islam is to miss the point entirely.

Stressing the importance of Hebron for Islam inevitably shifts the conflict from the nationalistic to the religious sphere. Whether wittingly or not, UNESCO has agreed to prefer Islam's version of the Bible, transforms Abraham into the father of Islamic faith. When Prime Minister Netanyahu says in response that Abraham is the father of the Jewish people, he says nothing Muslims don't know. They would agree, but would also insist that because Jews have forsaken the teachings of the prophets, they no longer belong to the heritage of the prophets, Abraham being the first of them.

Netanyahu and UNESCO demonstrate best of all what happens when the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is finally placed in its correct context: A fight over God's inheritance that can never be compromised. 

This sober reality means that the conflict will end only when Israel or the Palestinians accept the other side's interpretation of the Bible. This, we all know, will never happen. Furthermore, if the conflict is primarily religious in nature, as indeed it is, a Palestinian state should be viewed as a tool designed to achieve a greater Islamic goal, which is to free the Promised Land from the grip of the most vile of infidels, the Jews.

Unfortunately, since its miraculous victory in 1967, Israel has been content to pay little more than lip service to Jewish heritage sites like the Temple Mount and the Cave of the Patriarchs. Even Netanyahu's decision to divert money from UNESCO to building a Jewish heritage center in Hebron is pathetic. Rather than strengthening living Jews, he has opted for building a memorial for the dead. 

For some, this comes as little surprise, considering that it was Netanyahu who, in 1997, agreed to pull out of Hebron under the Oslo Accords. And it wasn't only Netanyahu. Every Israeli prime minister since then has been willing to surrender more and more of Hebron, along with its sacred Jewish heritage sites, to the Palestinians. Such a policy leaves the onlooker wondering about the level of Jewish commitment to their heritage.

Nevertheless, UNESCO's greatest service is in its insistence on clearly revealing the true nature of the conflict. By its consistent decisions denying Jewish heritage in the Holy Land, UNESCO says loud and clear that a significant part of the international community prefers the welfare of Islam over that of the Jewish people.

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Be A Righteous Defender of Israel! ✡ "God Gazes Down Upon Mankind" - JERUSALEM365

From heaven God gazes down upon mankind, to see if there exists a reflective person who seeks out God. PSALMS (14:2) יְ-הוָה מִשָּׁמַיִם הִשְׁקִיף עַל בְּנֵי אָדָם לִרְאוֹת הֲיֵשׁ מַשְׂכִּיל דֹּרֵשׁ אֶת אֱ-לֹהִים תְּהִלִּים יד:ב a-do-nai mi-sha-ma-yeem hish-keef al b'-nay a-dam lir-ot ha-yaysh mas-keel do-raysh et e-lo-heem

Jerusalem Inspiration In King David’s beautiful words, God looks down from His heavenly abode to find a ‘reflective person’ amongst mankind. The Lord is looking for those who challenge the conventional wisdom and defend what is right, even if it is unpopular. A truly ‘reflective person’ is one who supports Israel when she is attacked, at all costs. This perfect describes the actions of Judah the  Maccabee and his followers, who rose up against Greek oppression to take  back the Land of Israel and the Holy Temple from those who had overrun and defiled it. This year, Hanukkah is coming up in just a few weeks. It's the perfect time to start your holiday shopping at the Israel365 store, which has all your Hanukkah needs, including beautiful menorahs, candles, and dreidels, all made in the land where "a great miracle happened"! Shop Hanukkah now » The Israel Museum Wakes Up at Night One night of the year, the illustrious Israel Museum in Jerusalem​ turns into a hub of wild nighttime encounters during which art peels itself off the walls and into the souls of the thousands of visitors! Watch now » Defying Terror, Thousands Gather in Hebron to Honor Abraham's Biblical Purchase of Sarah's Burial Place Defying the threat of terror and the stormy weather, thousands of Jews are will join the annual Be A Righteous Defender of Israel! ✡ "God Gazes Down Upon Mankind" festivities in Hebron, a celebration of the purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs by Abraham which is recounted in this week's Torah portion. Read more » Branched “Fireworks” Hanukkah Menorah This simple and elegant 9-branched hanukkiah, or menorah, has a sleek and unique style with slightly curved vertical branches emanating from the main central branch. It will be perfect for your Hanukkah holiday candle-lighting ceremony! Get this Great Deal » Jerusalem Daily Photo Today's photo features children playing dreidel at the Western Wall. These spinning tops were used by children as an alibi during the times of the Greeks, when children hid in caves studying the Bible; when soldiers approached, the children pretended to be playing with these tops! Get your own Dreidel now! » Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Trevor Wilson of Taunton, Massachusetts. Todah rabah! Sponsor a day and receive a free devotional book » “Thank You Rabbi” It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send mean email and let me know how you are enjoying Jerusalem365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!). Stay in Touch » Thank you Rabbi, I love learning about Israel and God’s chosen. I love the Lord our God and Israel!! Karla Bitting, Edmond, OK Blessing from Jerusalem, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta) Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs Will Be Packed This Weekend. Photographs from the Cave 100 Years Ago Posted: 05 Nov 2015 Cave of the Patriarchs, Hebron (All pictures are from the Library of Congress, circa 1900) Republishing an earlier posting.    In synagogues around the world this Sabbath, congregations will read the Torah portion describing Sarah's death and burial.  Abraham purchased the Mearat HaMachpela[literally the "double cave" -- so named either because it had two chambers or it would eventually contain pairs of husbands and their wives]. Genesis 23:  And these were the days of Sarah, 127 years. Sarah died in Kiryat-Arba which is Hebron....Abraham spoke to the Sons of Heth: grant me legal possession of land for a burial site... for its price in full ... 400 shekels of silver.... Thus it was established, the field and the cave that was in it, for Abraham as legally possessed for a burial site from the Sons of Heth." "Inner entrance to Machpelah showing mammoth  stones in Herodian wall" In Israel, despite the recent terror knifings in Hebron, tens of thousands of Jews will converge on Hebron to pray in the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs during the Sabbath. Security will be tight. The massive building surrounding the gravesite was built by King Herod two thousand years ago.  The actual graves are located in subterranean caverns beneath.  Their locations are marked above ground by cenotaphs -- empty tombs that serve as monuments. Cenotaph above the Tomb of Sarah (circa 1900) In the 11th and 12th century Jewish travelers documented visiting the caves.  One of them, Binyamin of Tudela, described "two empty caves, and in the third ... six tombs, on which the names of the three Patriarchs and their wives are inscribed in Hebrew characters. The cave is filled with barrels containing bones of people, which are taken there as to a sacred place."      The great Jewish scholar Maimonides visited the tombs in 1116 and declared it a personal holy day.    From the 14th century, however, Jews were not permitted to pray at the shrine.  The Mamluks (an Islamic army of slave soldiers) forbade Jews from visiting the site other than standing on stairs outside.  The practice continued until 1948 when all Jews were banned from the Jordanian-occupied West Bank. Tomb of Abraham "Cenotaph of Isaac showing distinctive features of Crusader Church" Hebron today, where school boys from near  Jerusalem recently celebrated completion of the book of Genesis When Israel captured the area in 1967 Jews were allowed to visit the Cave of the Patriarchs, but Israel allowed the Islamic Waqf authorities to maintain control of large portions of the site. Many Jewish families in Israel celebrate weddings, bar mitzvas and circumcisions at the shrine. Click on pictures to enlarge.

UN Vote Would Make Western Wall a Muslim Site - Tzippe Barrow/CBN

Men pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

UN Vote Would Make Western Wall a Muslim Site

10/20/2015 TZIPPE BARROW/CBN  charisma news

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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The Palestinian Authority's latest proposed U.N. resolution, sponsored by UNESCO, claims the Western Wall, known in Hebrew as the Kotel, is part of the al-Aksa Mosque and thereby a Muslim holy site, rather than the last remaining vestige of the Jewish Temple(s).

Sponsored by six member nations of UNESCO's executive board—Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates—the resolution also claims P.A. ownership of Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.

The majority of UNESCO's 58 member nations have historically supported Palestinian resolutions.

For Bible-believing Jews and Christians, the idea that these historical Jewish sites somehow morphed into Muslim sites is nonsense.

The Bible records that Abraham purchased the cave and the field next to it some 3,700 years ago as a family burial site (see Genesis 23-25), with the exception of Jacob's second wife, Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who was buried near Bethlehem (see Genesis 35:16-20).

Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the petition.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely called it another "shameful and deceitful attempt" to rewrite history, predicting it would "fail the test of reality."

"The Temple Mount and the Western Wall in Jerusalem are the cornerstones of Jewish history. They are historical facts no one can dispute," Hotovely said, adding that Abbas is continuing the legacy of former PLO chairman Yasser Arafat to distort history and work against Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel.

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon paid a surprise visit to Israel Tuesday to meet with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon also arrived in Israel Tuesday to sit in on Ban's meeting with Netanyahu. Danon will return to New York to attend Thursday morning's Security Council meeting.

Ban condemned "the dangerous escalation in violence" in Israel, Jerusalem and what he calls "the occupied Palestinian territories."

The U.N. chief said he understands Palestinian anger over the "continued occupation and expansion of settlements," and their disappointment at the inability to end the conflict.

Ban criticized Israel's "apparent excessive use of force," while admitting that security is a priority when children are afraid to go to school and anyone on the street is a potential victim (of an attack).

Meanwhile, B'nai B'rith International strongly condemned "the attempt to rewrite history" in a letter to UNESCO Director General Irena Bokova, calling it a "malicious resolution" and urging her to steer the executive board clear of such a "vile proposal."

Co-signed by B'nai Brith International President Allan J. Jacobs and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin, the letter maligns the "blatant hypocrisy that has been percolating with UNESCO."

"The creeping but undisguised historical revisionism and territorial, cultural and civilizational appropriation taking root at UNESCO...make clear which side in the conflict is truly inciting religious tensions and seeking to alter the status quo in Jerusalem," the letter stated.

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Americans Nearly Lynched in Hebron; Saved by Palestinian Man

Friday, September 04, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff

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Five American Jewish students were nearly lynched in Palestinian-controlled Hebron on Thursday after taking a wrong turn while en route to pray at the Cave of the Patriarchs, burial place of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

After finding themselves in the wrong part of town, the Americans were set upon by a mob of stone-throwing Muslim youth. As the mob drew closer, the young visitors frantically fled on foot, leaving behind their car, which was promptly torched.

A kindly Palestinian man who heard the ruckus and rushed outside. He reassured the Americans, two of whom had by then suffered light-to-moderate injuries, and brought them into the safety of his home.

“I heard shouts outside, I left my house and saw the five Jews hurriedly leaving their car, which was attacked by stones,” Faiz Abu Hamadiah told Israel’s NRG news portal. “They were very nervous, and one was injured and bleeding from his face. I told them in Hebrew that it will be okay, I gave them water, and I helped the injured man.”

Hamadiah sheltered the young Americans in his home while sending family members to notify the nearby IDF checkpoint, which sent soldiers to extract the Jewish youth.

Responding to questions about whether he feared being labeled a “collaborator,” Hamadiah bravely replied: “I did the right thing. The people that threw stones at them and torched their car did a bad thing. We need to live here together.”

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"God Gave Solomon Wisdom" ✡ True Miracle: One Rabbi Defeated 40,000 Arabs

And God gave to Solomon wisdom and understanding exceedingly much, and largeness of heart, as the sand that (is) on the seashore. I KINGS (5:19)   וַיִּתֵּן אֱלֹהִים חָכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה וּתְבוּנָה הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וְרֹחַב לֵב כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם א מלכים ה:יט va-yi-tayn e-lo-heem khakh-ma li-sh'-lo-mo u-t'-vu-na har-bay m'-od v'-ro-khav layv ka-khol a-sher al s'-fat ha-yam

Today's Israel Inspiration For over 700 years, Jews were forbidden from entering the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (where our forefathers are buried) and would pray from outside on the building’s steps. All this changed when one brave Rabbi drove to the city during the Six Day War, believing that Israeli soldiers had preceded him, after the triumphant liberation of Jerusalem the day before. Rabbi General Shlomo Goren entered the city of 40,000 Arabs who simply surrendered to him! The Rabbi went straight to the Cave of the Patriarchs, and shot the lock off the door, opening it once and for all for the Jewish people and all faiths. Hear more gripping stories of a formidable man, who fought for the soul of the Holy Land.   Get to know a different side of Israeli history in this incredible book »  Beautiful Israel From the holiest actions to the most mundane, see the Land of Israel as it really is – filled with the new and the old, bursting with color and beauty. Israel has it all. Watch here » Never-Before-Heard Stories of Israel's Wars Israeli history comes to life with never-before-heard stories about Israel's wars from the eyes of a fighter, Rabbi General Shlomo Goren, ob"m.   Read more » "Stand With Israel" Rubber Bracelet Commemorate the fulfillment of God's eternal promise that Israel will flourish as a great Nation and Homeland. Wear this bracelet to publicly declare your support for Israel! Get this Great Deal » Today's Israel Photo The beautiful Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) by Noam Chen.   See more photos by Noam Chen » Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Dorianne Ho from Honolulu, Hawaii. Toda Raba!   Sponsor a day in honor of a loved one » “Very Inspiring and Brings Joy to My Day” It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!   Stay in Touch » Thank you Rabbi Tuly, for your daily page. It is very inspiring and brings joy to my day, every day. Please continue your good work. The Lord will bless you. Shalom, Stafford Fernando, United Kingdom. Dear, dear Friend, I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Thank you for your information about Jerusalem. Very good! We are praying for the peace of Jerusalem, as the Bible teaches. God bless you and yours. -Charlie and Shirley Wood Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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