"Flooding "Al Aqsa" with Jewish Prayer, Galilee Green, Update #118

 

We're Your Family in Israel

Link to View or Share this Email Online   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.  RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring some sweetness of the Land of Israel into your home! GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL Support our small business and bring the blessings of the Land into your home.   Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

WAR UPDATE 117 Fighting for our Future - Shmuel Veffer Galilee Green

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We're Your Family in Israel  Link to View or Share this Email Online   Gadi Eisenkot - Moti Leitner - Bibi Netanyahu WAR UPDATE 117 Fighting for our Future Israel elections are only two months away on October 27 and the campaign chaos is in full swing. PM Netanyahu is seeking to maintain control of the government. His main opponent at this point is Gadi Eisenkot. You may recall Eisenkot who was a former Chief of Staff of the IDF and was a member of Benny Gantz's opposition party. After October 7, Netanyahu invited Gantz and Eisenkot to join his war cabinet. It didn't last long as they were at odds with Netanyahu and had aligned themselves with the Biden Administration seeking to topple Netanyahu from power. (I wrote about the intrigue in my book Faith Under Fire)  Today, Gantz has left the political scene and Eisenkot formed a new party, Yashar, positioned to the Center-Left, however "right-wing" when it comes to security.  Bibi's Likud Party and Gadi's Yashar Party are polling neck to neck at this point.  A NEW PARTY One of the more interesting developments this cycle is a new Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) party that calls itself “The Haredi Public.” Its leader Moti Leitner launched the campaign with a blunt message: the long-standing Haredi political leadership has grown detached from the people it claims to represent, and this time the Haredi public itself must take responsibility. That single word — responsibility — is the real issue before us. For years the question of shared national burden has been an election issue. The war that began on October 7 forced it to become a major national issue. While tens of thousands of families sent their sons and husbands into Gaza, Lebanon, and the other fronts, large sectors of the ultra-Orthodox community remained largely exempt. Those involved in full-time Torah study receive deferrals from service until they leave the study hall to work. In times of peace, the issue annoys Israelis. When we are in the middle of a three-year war, people get angry. The new Haredi party does not solve the problem. It does, however, acknowledge it. It says that young men who are not learning full-time in yeshiva should serve in the army or in national service. It speaks about employment and economic self-sufficiency. Whether it draws votes mainly from the two veteran Haredi parties, or from ultra-Orthodox Israelis who previously stayed home or voted for Likud, is secondary. The deeper significance is that voices inside the Haredi world are beginning to say out loud what many have long felt: we cannot continue as we are. This is not only a Haredi question. It is a national one. A NATIONAL QUESTION Our Torah is clear. When the nation goes to war, the burden is not meant to rest on a few. In the desert the tribes marched and fought together. In the days of the Judges and the Kings the call to arms went out to the people. The exemption for those fully devoted to Torah has always existed in tension with the mitzvah of defending the Land and the people. When that exemption becomes the rule rather than the exception for an entire community, the moral and practical foundations of the state begin to crack. Eisenkot has made equality of service one of the central pillars of his campaign. He speaks of expanding the ranks of the army so that no family is called up endlessly, and of requiring service, either military, national, or civil, from the overwhelming majority of young men. Netanyahu’s government has moved more slowly. Bound by the political reality of its ultra-Orthodox partners, it has managed the draft crisis carefully, seeking gradual change while protecting the coalition. Both men understand the threat from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. The difference lies in how heavily they weigh the internal cost of continuing the present arrangement. WE ARE ONE PEOPLE I do not write these words to attack any community. The Haredi world has produced giants of Torah and acts of extraordinary kindness. Many individual ultra-Orthodox Jews already serve with quiet dedication. The problem is structural. A Jewish state that asks some mothers to bury their sons while others are told their sons’ primary contribution is to remain in the study hall cannot easily and indefinitely sustain the trust required for national survival. The appearance of this new Haredi list is a small but telling sign. It suggests that the pressure of war, economics, and public resentment is beginning to produce internal reckoning. If the party crosses the electoral threshold, the total number of Haredi seats in the next Knesset may actually grow rather than shrink. That growth will matter only if it brings greater willingness to share the burden rather than simply more leverage to protect the old exemptions. STILL AT WAR We are still at war. The multi-front struggle is not finished.  Threats from Hezbollah, Hamas and from Iran have not disappeared. In such a time, leadership is measured by whether it strengthens the people or further divides them. The next government, whether led by Netanyahu, by Eisenkot, or by some other combination, will have to decide whether it will continue treating the draft crisis as a political problem to be managed or confront it as a moral and strategic necessity. The Torah does not allow us the luxury of permanent, large-scale exemptions when the nation is under attack. “Remember what Amalek did to you” is not only about external enemies. It is also a reminder that weakness and internal division invite the next blow. May the Almighty grant us leaders who understand that the strength of Israel rests on the willingness of all its sons to stand together. And may He open the hearts of every community to the truth that shared responsibility is not a threat to Torah, but one of the conditions for its continued flourishing in this Land. The election will decide names and numbers. The deeper choice is whether we will finally treat the burden of defending the Jewish people as a shared responsibility. May we choose wisely. IF THIS UPDATE WAS FORWARDED TO YOU. CLICK HERE to ensure you get my next update.     R. Shmuel Veffer and Sarah Eliana Galilee Green Galilee Green Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Bread Dip One of my favourite starters especially on Shabbat is a classic olive oil and balsamic vinegar bread dip served with hearty bread or challah. Picture this. You meet friends you have not seen in a while. You sit down at a sweet restaurant. The first thing that arrives is a... FULL RECIPE!   When Bibi and Sara Came to Dinner Election season is a time for walk-abouts, and you never know where or when your favorite politician may show up. The other times you may run into them is during summer vacation. We are a small country with limited options for vacations. Exactly eight years ago, in the summer, Bibi and Sara showed up unexpectedly and the whole story was an amazing Galilee Green miracle.   READ MORE   Subscriber Photo of the Week   "Enjoy!"   This week's photo is from Tonya Gabbert of Brighton, Missouri. Tonya was one of our earlier subscribers in August of 2015. She posted this photo shortly after she received her first order of GGOO. You can tell because of the original label on the tin and the decanter with the color logo on it. Said Tonya at the time: Hope everyone had a restful Shabbat! We enjoyed challah with olive oil and herbs from Israel!  Dipping challah into GGOO and zaatar is one of our favorite Shabbat pastimes! Blessings for a healthy and sweet new year to you and your family, Tonya! ------------------------------------------------------- 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.  GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the ability to support themselves. Support out small business in Israel and bring the blessings of Israel into your own home! Here's your direct link to order a Two Pack today! RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring the sweetness of the Land of Israel into your own home! HERE'S YOUR DIRECT LINK FOR A TWO PACK Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

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- 🇮🇱 NEW RECIPE & W4R UPDATE 116 - Shmuel Veffer in the Galilee

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We're Your Family in Israel  Link to View or Share this Email Online   WAR UPDATE 116 Things are getting chaotic, quickly We are living through one of those weeks when every front is heating up at the same time and no one can tell you with any certainty what will happen tomorrow. Gaza is still a war of attrition. We hold large parts of the territory, Hamas is battered but not finished, and the latest ceasefire understandings keep getting tested by rockets, raids, and targeted strikes.  In the north, our soldiers remain in a security zone inside Lebanon. Hezbollah is weaker than it was, yet the exchanges continue and the framework deals feel as fragile as paper. IDF soldiers continue to be killed and wounded. Iran sits on high alert after two major campaigns; the ceasefire signed in June has expired and both sides are watching the other in a game of chicken that could restart everything. The Houthis in Yemen keep firing. Syria is another open file with the Turks trying to establish bases there. Judea and Samaria simmers. Shipping lanes are threatened in the Straits of Hormuz. The information war never sleeps. It is confusing and exhausting. It feels like the pieces on the board can be rearranged overnight and we will wake up to a completely different war. After nearly three years, the question hanging over every Israeli household is the same: How long can this go on, and which front explodes next? King David's Reminder In the middle of all this uncertainty we are already in the Hebrew month of Elul. Twice a day in our prayers we recite the same chapter of Psalms that our people have been saying at this season for generations: Psalm 27, “Of David. God is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? God is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?” King David wrote these words while enemies surrounded him. He does not pretend the danger is imaginary. He looks it in the face: “If a camp encamps against me, my heart will not fear. If a war rises against me—in this I trust.” Kind David makes one request:  "to dwell in the House of Hashem all the days of my life, to gaze upon His pleasantness." And then the promise that keeps us going: “For He will hide me in His sukkah on the day of evil; He will conceal me in the shelter of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.” That is the clarity Elul gives us. I suggest you read the entire Psalm 27. We do not have to understand every move on every front. We do not have to know whether next week brings another barrage from the north, another round with Iran, or another tense pause. We recite the same words in the morning and at night while the headlines keep changing. The Psalm does not deny the chaos. It simply refuses to let the chaos have the last word. We are approaching Rosh Hashanah. The shofar is already sounding every weekday. The King is in the field. Our job is teshuva-return, prayer, and charity. And to keep reciting, twice a day, that God is our light and our salvation. May He protect us in His sukkah. May He lift our heads above the enemies who still surround us. And may we merit to see His salvation in this year that is about to begin. With prayers for peace and a sweet year. IF THIS UPDATE WAS FORWARDED TO YOU. CLICK HERE to ensure you get my next update.     R. Shmuel Veffer and Sarah Eliana Galilee Green Lemon Honey Ginger Morning Elixer We love it when our GG Family share new and creative ways to use our Olive Oil and Raw Natural Honey. Long time Galilee Green subscriber Dolly Tabor of Seneca, South Carolina, drinks a simple metabolic formula every morning. It uses lemon, honey, ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. Dolly drinks it 30 minutes before coffee or food. The taste is delicious. You get cinnamon, honey, and lemon first. The ginger and tiny bit of cayenne add a gentle spark that tells your body to wake up. Use our raw Galilee Green honey from Israel. It never gets heated, so you keep the enzymes and full flavor. Citrus blossom or wildflower honey both shine in this drink. Remember to share your recipes with us so we can include them on our website and newsletter! FULL RECIPE!   What is the hidden message that the clouds of Elul whisper to us at the end of the summer? Summer in Israel is almost over. I know, because it has been cloudy this past week and it rained last Shabbat! All summer long the skies have been clear, sunny and hot. And for the last few weeks, it seems the entire country has been splashing in the Kinneret, bathing at a beach on the Mediterranean or rafting down the Jordan River. But as we move into the month of Elul you can literally feel a change in the air. As we approach the New Year, Rosh HaShanah, what should we be focusing on?    READ MORE   Subscriber Photo of the Week   "Yum!"   This week's photo is from Marie Scott of Chino Valley, Arizona. Marie first discovered us in 2017 and has been a subscriber since 2021! We have featured her creations in previous updates including a delicious tuna salad recipe. This photo that she posted on August 10 caught my attention. Not becuase she tagged me, but because she had roasted her home-grown beets in GGOO!  We have beets almost every Shabbat, but we boil them, like my mother used to prepare.  Harvested my beets before I left for Colorado. Took a couple of extra days off before heading back to the office, so time to roast the beets with Galilee Green Olive Oil!  Well, we took your advice this past Shabbat, Marie and roasted the beets... they were amazing! Thanks for the idea! Keep them coming. ------------------------------------------------------- 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.  GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the ability to support themselves. Support out small business in Israel and bring the blessings of Israel into your own home! Here's your direct link to order a Two Pack today! RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring the sweetness of the Land of Israel into your own home! HERE'S YOUR DIRECT LINK FOR A TWO PACK Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

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Love For His People Ministry was founded in 2010 by Steve & Laurie Martin. Charlotte, NC USA