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Showing posts with label Jaffa Gate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jaffa Gate. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Friday, December 15, 2017
Jerusalem & Friends - Louie, the Arab. Now Think On This by Steve Martin
Jerusalem & Friends
- Louie, the Arab
Now Think On This
Steve Martin
"The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.” (1 Chronicles 1:28, NASU)
A short walk inside Jerusalem’s Old City Jaffa Gate takes you down the narrow street, lined on each side with Judaica, olive wood, clothing and spice shops. That’s where I first met Louie, or rather Louie met me. He was on the lookout for tourists whom he could draw into his brother’s gift shop. As was my custom, I was open to shopping.
This past year in 2017 Louie said he first got acquainted with me in 1994 and gave the exact date. Knowing he has a sharp mind, I figured he was right, but I sure didn’t remember. I do recall he offered me orange juice or Arab coffee, my choice, which was a customary way of getting one into their shops. Of course, always liking to receive that which is free, I obliged and followed him down the cobbled, slick stone walk a quick distance. His brother had an elaborate shop, filled with Jewish and Arab items of all sorts. Some were actually made in Israel. Most were Chinese imports.
Now after these many years, Louie has his own shop. He explained that the tourism numbers are very good, but those coming now are less apt to buy, making it tough for him to earn enough to pay the high rent. With his small shop along this busy section of the Old City’s Quarters, one of four (Christians, Jews, Muslims and Armenians, each having a quarter within the outside walls) many walk by but few buy. He continued explaining that when the Americans came in huge numbers, sales were good. Now more and more are coming from China, Southeast Asia, and South America, but they tend to purchase less goods. Hence Louie said he has to spend longer hours to attempt making the sales in order to meet his expenses.
Wanting to support him too, as I have regularly done with the Jewish shop owners on Ben Yehuda Street, less than an hour’s walk west out of Jaffa Gate, he picked out items on my list I had in my mind. Olive wood camels, menorahs and possibly a piece of jewelry for my good wife Laurie. He pulled several nice pieces from behind the glass doors covering the display cases. One beautiful menorah (7 branch candle piece) was one of the few left he had on hand, actually made in Israel. With the cheaper imports from China, competition is high, forcing even the locals to get out of the manufacturing business. I bought the silver-plated menorah because it had the “Made in Israel” label adhered to the base. Support blue and white!
Adding to my menorah purchase was a three-piece camel set, of course, made out of olive wood, hand carved in Israel. There is something about camels that amaze me. Beasts of burden to carry goods for the people.
Then he pulled out of a special wooden drawer several pieces of fine shaped silver and Eilat Stone necklaces (green and blue color stone from south Israel). Among them was my final choice, having already almost exceeded my budget - a very beautiful necklace for Laurie. Though she isn’t much on jewelry, occasionally she does appreciate this type of gift, and so the Tree of Life piece was chosen.
It is always a joy for me to spend time with Louie, hearing of his daily life as an Arab in Jerusalem. Life can be hard at times he shares, but he appreciates what he has. Here he can have his own business and livelihood, knowing freedom is not found everywhere in the Middle East.
Next time you are in the Jaffa Gate area, look around for my friend Louie. He will be looking out for you, and is anxious to share his goods with you. At a good price!
Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.
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Now Think On This #337 - in the year of our Lord 12.15.17 – “Jerusalem & Friends – Louie, the Arab”, Friday, 12:30 pm
100 Years since Hanukkah Miracle, Christmas Present of Jerusalem - CBN News Julie Stahl,Chris Mitchell
Celebrating 100 years after liberating Jerusalem, General Allenby at the Tower of David Museum ceremony. Photo, CBN News
100 Years since Hanukkah Miracle, Christmas Present of Jerusalem
12-15-2017
JERUSALEM, Israel – A Hanukkah miracle and a Christmas present. That’s what Jews and Christians called the 1917 British conquest of Jerusalem.
Just a week after President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, thousands of Israelis and others gathered at the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City and outside the nearby Tower of David Museum to mark the 100th anniversary of that historic day.
“Two weeks before Christmas and on the first day of Hanukkah the British Imperial Army entered Jerusalem under the command of General Edmund Allenby. A new chapter was beginning in the history of Jerusalem,” Israeli linguist and TV show host Avshalom Kor told the crowd.
The British conquest of Jerusalem was a turning point for the British forces and marked the end of 400 years of Ottoman Turkish rule. It was also the first time in 700 years that Christians ruled the city.
The celebration on December 11, 2017 included a re-enactment of General Allenby’s famous entrance into the city on foot and a reading of his proclamation in multiple languages from the steps of what is now the Tower of David Museum.
Henry Allenby, who inherited General Allenby’s title of fourth Viscount of Megiddo, read Allenby’s proclamation in English on the steps where the general read it 100 years earlier to the day.
“Every sacred building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional site, endowment, customary place of prayer of whatsoever form of these three religions [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] will be maintained and protected according to the existing customs and beliefs to those whose faiths they are sacred,” Allenby read.
Jerusalem’s current mayor Nir Barkat praised Allenby.
“General Allenby, he was a great military man who conquered the land of Israel but in addition to his military strength, he was also a distinguished thinker and understood our city, Jerusalem, and its role in the world,” Barkat told the crowd.
The anniversary celebration also welcomed a new exhibit at the Tower of David Museum, which includes the white flag of surrender and the keys to the city of Jerusalem handed over to the British.
“Today is 100 years since the entrance of General Allenby to Jaffa Gate on foot changing the world, changing Jerusalem,” said Eilat Lieber, director of the Tower of David.
“Two weeks before Christmas and on the first day of Hanukkah the British Imperial Army entered Jerusalem under the command of General Edmund Allenby. A new chapter was beginning in the history of Jerusalem,” Israeli linguist and TV show host Avshalom Kor told the crowd.
The British conquest of Jerusalem was a turning point for the British forces and marked the end of 400 years of Ottoman Turkish rule. It was also the first time in 700 years that Christians ruled the city.
The celebration on December 11, 2017 included a re-enactment of General Allenby’s famous entrance into the city on foot and a reading of his proclamation in multiple languages from the steps of what is now the Tower of David Museum.
Henry Allenby, who inherited General Allenby’s title of fourth Viscount of Megiddo, read Allenby’s proclamation in English on the steps where the general read it 100 years earlier to the day.
“Every sacred building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional site, endowment, customary place of prayer of whatsoever form of these three religions [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] will be maintained and protected according to the existing customs and beliefs to those whose faiths they are sacred,” Allenby read.
Jerusalem’s current mayor Nir Barkat praised Allenby.
“General Allenby, he was a great military man who conquered the land of Israel but in addition to his military strength, he was also a distinguished thinker and understood our city, Jerusalem, and its role in the world,” Barkat told the crowd.
The anniversary celebration also welcomed a new exhibit at the Tower of David Museum, which includes the white flag of surrender and the keys to the city of Jerusalem handed over to the British.
“Today is 100 years since the entrance of General Allenby to Jaffa Gate on foot changing the world, changing Jerusalem,” said Eilat Lieber, director of the Tower of David.
“It was a moment of hope for the people of Jerusalem who suffered so much from the war, from hunger. They waited for the change,” Lieber told CBN News.
“This wasn’t about demanding surrender of Jerusalem. That’s why he got off the horse,” Allenby told CBN News. “He wanted to show humility. He wanted to show a respect for the inhabitants of this city. He wanted to show respect for the three great faiths of this city.”
Allenby, who was visiting Jerusalem for the first time, said he had been “massively welcomed” to the city. “It’s just been a whirlwind of a mind-blowing experience.”
The great grandson of Maj-Gen. John Shea, who accepted the surrender of the Turks in 1917, also joined the celebration.
“We’ve always known about the story of Jimmy of Jerusalem, as my great grandfather was known by his troops,” John Benson told CBN News. “But to be here on the 100th anniversary of the surrender and Allenby’s entry into Jerusalem is very proud making and also very humbling.”
An important aspect of the victory was Allenby’s faith.
“General Allenby was a devout believer in Yeshua and he knew his scriptures extremely well, including the prophecies of Jerusalem and when the Lord gave him the prophecy of Isaiah 31:5,” said Ken Thomson from Canada, whose grandfather helped conquer the city under Allenby.
“This wasn’t about demanding surrender of Jerusalem. That’s why he got off the horse,” Allenby told CBN News. “He wanted to show humility. He wanted to show a respect for the inhabitants of this city. He wanted to show respect for the three great faiths of this city.”
Allenby, who was visiting Jerusalem for the first time, said he had been “massively welcomed” to the city. “It’s just been a whirlwind of a mind-blowing experience.”
The great grandson of Maj-Gen. John Shea, who accepted the surrender of the Turks in 1917, also joined the celebration.
“We’ve always known about the story of Jimmy of Jerusalem, as my great grandfather was known by his troops,” John Benson told CBN News. “But to be here on the 100th anniversary of the surrender and Allenby’s entry into Jerusalem is very proud making and also very humbling.”
An important aspect of the victory was Allenby’s faith.
“General Allenby was a devout believer in Yeshua and he knew his scriptures extremely well, including the prophecies of Jerusalem and when the Lord gave him the prophecy of Isaiah 31:5,” said Ken Thomson from Canada, whose grandfather helped conquer the city under Allenby.
The scripture in Isaiah 31:5 says, “Like birds flying about, so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; passing over, He will preserve it.”
“And he was given the idea of using airplanes flying over and dropping leaflets that said leave the city now,” Thomson told CBN News. “And that’s why he was able to take it out without destruction as the prophecy said. Without firing one gunshot, he walked into the city.”
Thomson said he was touched by the fact that Allenby was a believer and knew the scriptures. “And my grandfather got to be there, was there with that, was part of history.”
At the end of the ceremony on Monday, the actor playing General Allenby said it was time to return something he had received at the surrender of the city 100 years earlier.
“A hundred years ago, I stood here and I received the key to this wonderful city and I think that a hundred years later it’s about time that I return it,” ‘General Allenby’ said.
“So, it’s a little bit rusty but keep it, watch it, it’s the only copy so you can lock [the city] in the evening time. Thank you so much Mr. Mayor,” he said.
“A hundred years ago, I stood here and I received the key to this wonderful city and I think that a hundred years later it’s about time that I return it,” ‘General Allenby’ said.
“So, it’s a little bit rusty but keep it, watch it, it’s the only copy so you can lock [the city] in the evening time. Thank you so much Mr. Mayor,” he said.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Jerusalem Log #4 - Wednesday 05.03.17 - “Louie” by Steve Martin
Louie
Jerusalem
Log Wednesday 05.03.17
Jerusalem,
Israel
#4 - “Louie”
Greetings
to you once again from Israel.
The
love for Israel goes beyond being in wonder at the landmarks, the historical
sights and the Jewish culture. It is loving the people themselves, even as
Yeshua did when He came the first time. Showing the Father’s heart for the
people He created, with His love, is what it is all about.
My
heart for Israel began to grow in the 1980’s when I connected with Christian ministries
that were presenting the truth about the plans and purposes God has for His
Chosen ones. Derek Prince, Mahesh Chavda and Barry Segal (three men and their
wives having ministries I worked with for over 24 years) spoke the written word
of God, explaining the Scriptures and prophecy, revealing Jesus (Yeshua) and
His love for the people.
Coming
here to Israel, now for the 13th time, my commitment to stand in
support of what the Lord is doing here is solid. He continues to bring them
back to the Land promised to them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Loving the
people is what it is all about.
My
friend Louie owns a shop just within the Jaffa Gate of the Old City in Jerusalem.
He says I first met him in 1998, and goes on to say that his birthday makes him
three months older than my son Ben, also born in 1979. Louie has a good memory.
Each time I see him I try to support his livelihood with purchases from him.
Buying Israeli goods, made in Israel, not only helps the local economy, but it
also provides gifts for my family and friends, which I especially enjoy.
Jaffa Gate entrance
Today
Louie told me times have been tough for him. He now has his own shop, after
sharing many years with his brother Solomon. But rent is higher and certain
tour groups don’t spend as much as us Americans do. My objective was to buy an
olive wood camel as an appreciation gift for my sister doing our family reunion
organization this year. Before I left his place, I had much more in the bag.
(Gotta watch these shopkeepers. They know how to sell, by convincing you “you
just need this one more item.”)
After
completing the transaction and giving me a fresh cup of pressed orange juice,
Louie took me to his brother Solomon’s shop. Of course I had to kindly stand my
ground and not buy anything more, even after a hot cup of mint tea was served
in their “friend’s back room”, having more beautiful goods. I had done this
before, so was wiser than the last time.
Before
I could get a sip of the hot brew, Solomon introduced me to Thomas. Of course
he then pulled out the Roman coins and the ancient widow’s mite, and wanted to
make me a good deal. Once again I kindly explained that Louie had already
emptied my wallet. Thanks, but no thanks.
Then
Thomas explained that he was on dialysis twice a week, and uncovered his left
arm. From his wrist to his elbow, his blood vessels had large bubbles in
several spots. He asked that I touch them, and when I did I could feel his
blood pumping through. I was shocked. I had never seen this before.
I
then asked him if I could pray for him, and he said yes. So I prayed in faith
that the Lord God of Israel, Yeshua, would quickly provide a donated kidney,
and for complete healing for Thomas. I believe the Lord heard that prayer.
His
heart, for His people, is why I come to Israel. May they know the living God,
and call upon the name of the Messiah Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, as their Lord
and Savior.
Ahava
(love) and Shalom (peace) from Jerusalem!
Steve
Martin
Founder/President
Love
For His People
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
"He Saddled His Donkey" ✡ Donations Matched for a New Ambulance to Save Lives - ISRAEL365
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Thursday, January 7, 2016
UK Christians Rally Behind Israel - | Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY
UK Christians Rally Behind Israel
Thursday, January 07, 2016 | Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY
When the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz was celebrated this time last year, few could have imagined that anti-Semitism would get even worse. But it has.
The past year has seen two shocking terrorist attacks on Paris, with Jews specifically targeted on both occasions, along with the wave of stabbings and shootings in Israel itself. One incident occurred on Christmas Eve at Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem, just yards from Christ Church, where they were celebrating the birth of the Messiah who came to bring peace to a troubled world and where, ironically, they steadfastly work towards reconciling Arab and Jew through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.
But even as the UK marks Holocaust Memorial Day later this month, we too are witnessing an ongoing rise in anti-Semitic incidents necessitating armed guards having to be deployed to schools in London’s Jewish community. But is the Church as a whole rallying to the support of those who are once more threatened with genocide, as they were under the Nazis? Do they even care?
British publishing magnate Lord Weidenfeld did indeed benefit from caring Christians who took him in after he was rescued from Czechoslovakia through the so-called Kindertransport project of 1938, and has launched a campaign to rescue Christians from Syria out of gratitude for the compassion he was shown. He believes that the Islamic State terrorists are worse even than Hitler’s henchmen. The latter were cold and calculated as they killed on an industrial scale, but the Muslim fanatics seem to enjoy what they are doing.
Here is the stark reality of what is facing the Jewish people at the dawn of 2016: Iran is fast developing nuclear weapons with which to “wipe out” Israel (in the words of the Ayatollahs and Iranian presidents). And the current spat between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia only adds to the tension in the region. Meanwhile Lebanon-based Hezbollah has once again started firing rockets into the Jewish state, ISIS are believed to be stalking the Golan Heights near Galilee, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority continue to incite their people to murder and some Westerners are engaged in a boycott of Israeli goods on the pretext that they are oppressive occupiers of land not their own. But the truth is that most Jewish victims of persecution are attacked simply because they are Jews, not for political or economic reasons.
With all this in mind, UK Christians who can see what is happening are trying to draw the attention of a generally uncaring public to the plight of Jews everywhere. One such event will be held on January 24 at a Sheffield church and will involve other Holocaust escapees brought to England via the Kindertransport. One of them, John Fieldsend, whose parents perished at Auschwitz, was also taken in by a kind Christian couple. He became a follower of Jesus and a full-time preacher, but it could all have been so different. On a visit to the Children’s Memorial at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, he recalls: “As we listened to the names of the children being read out on an endlessly looping tape – which took several days to go round – I realized that had my journey from Czechoslovakia been delayed by only about five weeks, my name would have been on that tape! It was a very dramatic experience…”
Among the organizers of the Sheffield event – at the Bush Fire Church, 427 Halifax Road, Grenoside S35 8PB from 3 to 5pm – are Ginnie White, whose mother Stella was roughed up by Oswald Mosley’s fascists as a child growing up in London’s East End where she was also once jeered at as a “dirty Jew”. The afternoon will also involve the signing of the ‘Shalom Declaration’ promising support for the Jewish people.
And under the banner of Christians United for Israel, a petition is being sent to the UK Government expressing condemnation of anti-Semitism and acknowledging the huge contribution of its Judeo-Christian heritage in shaping British values.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s account of his own family history, shared in a United Nations speech, perfectly illustrates the necessity for such memorial days. After being beaten senseless by a group of anti-Semitic hoodlums at a railway station in the heart of Europe, his grandfather Nathan promised himself that, if he lived, he would take his family to the Jewish homeland and help build a future for the Jewish people.
Six million Jews perished in the gas chambers, but the nightmares of the survivors live on while new generations face fresh threats. When will it stop? We have so much for which to thank them – they gave us the Bible, on the foundations of which we have built a great civilization. And they gave us Jesus, Saviour of both Jews and Gentiles who put their trust in Him, who said: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25.40)
PHOTO: Jaffa Gate, site of a fatal incident also involving a serious wounding on Christmas Eve, and only a stone’s throw from Christ Church, a haven of reconciliation. (Charles Gardner)
Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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