Showing posts with label Jewish family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jewish family. Show all posts

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Large swastika painted on home of Jewish family in North Carolina Rabbi tells local TV vandalism occurred days after family put up Hannukah decorations; police paint over graffiti so kids won't see it - JTA


A swastika painted on the garage of a Jewish family near Charlotte, North Carolina. (Screen capture: WSOCTV)
A swastika painted on the garage of a Jewish family near Charlotte, North Carolina. (Screen capture: WSOCTV)

Large swastika painted on home of Jewish family in North Carolina


Rabbi tells local TV vandalism occurred days after family put up Hannukah decorations; police paint over graffiti so kids won't see it
By JTA

7 December 2017

A large swastika was spray painted on the garage door of a Jewish family in Charlotte, North Carolina. The swastika was painted overnight Tuesday, according to local reports.

Police painted over the swastika on Tuesday morning before the family’s children could see it, WBTV reported.

The swastika was drawn days after the family put up decorations for Hanukkah, the family’s rabbi, Dusty Klass, told the television station. The rabbi said the family wanted people to know that the incident had occurred to open a discussion about it.

“They were shocked, they were hurt, they were angry,” Klass said. “It was really important to them that people know this happened here in Charlotte and that it’s not OK and that it could happen to anyone and that we need to know about it and talk about it so we can do something about it.”

There were 15 reported anti-Semitic incidents in North Carolina in the first six months of 2017, according to Anti-Defamation League statistics, compared to one in the state in all of 2016.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Israeli Family Has Divine Appointment in South Africa - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY

Israeli Family Has Divine Appointment in South Africa

Thursday, December 15, 2016 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY
Anyone unconvinced about God’s special love for the Jewish people should look no further than this remarkable story set in the mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where I grew up.
A Christian meeting was set to take place at a guest farm near Winterton, in the Drakensberg region, a beautiful range of peaks reaching as high as 11,000ft above-sea-level.
Edith Sher, of the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people, was coming all the way from Cape Town, a distance of 1,000 miles, to speak of the significance of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement, Israel’s holiest day of the year), and how it was fulfilled by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus who took our sins upon himself when he was crucified in Jerusalem. (1 John 2.2, New Testament)
The day before the meeting, attended by some 70 people in a converted garage, farm owners Hendrik and Ina Goosen received a call from a family who were touring South Africa and wanted accommodation for the night.
“It turned out they were from Israel – father, mother and three children, all thoroughly secular,”Edith told me. “The owner said they were welcome, but mentioned that a Christian meeting would be taking place. They said they didn’t mind and, to our amazement, came into the garage and sat through the entire meeting.
“Afterwards, at the food table set out on the lawn, I spoke to the wife who responded very positively to my message and said they were bowled over by the love and support for Israel.
“Bearing in mind that this particular meeting had been brought forward a week earlier than planned for various reasons, this was without doubt God-appointed.
“What are the chances of an Israeli family being there at that time – and that the meeting should actually have taken place a week later? It has encouraged other people as a reminder that God is still in charge.”
Ina added: “I feel sure that God had set an appointment with them here in South Africa. At breakfast next morning they all told me how they had enjoyed the previous evening and Yakov (not his real name) said he had especially enjoyed the ‘ceremony’. They were pleasantly surprised by everyone’s love for Israel and how many people with whom they had spoken had been there.
“The next day Yakov sent an sms saying they’d arrived safely in Durban (150 miles away) and that the visit to Winterton would always stay in their hearts. I even got a second sms from him as they left Durban, saying they’d like to return one day. Let’s continue praying for this family, who are precious in God’s sight.”
This story is particularly stirring for me as I grew up in this part of the world, regularly visiting the nearby mountains and on one occasion climbing a 10,000ft peak with my teenage friends. I am especially proud of those Christians who showed such love to this Jewish family; it’s even possible that I grew up with some of them!
And it brings another dimension to Isaiah’s prophecy:_ “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52.7)
Gentiles from the nations have a vital role to play in bringing Israel back to God (Isaiah 49.22).
And God has an appointment with those who seek Him – his timing is always perfect. _“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has set eternity in the human heart…” _(Ecclesiastes 3.11)

Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Last Jewish Family from Aleppo, Syria is Safe in Israel | Itamar Eichner ISRAEL TODAY

The Last Jewish Family from Aleppo, Syria is Safe in Israel

Wednesday, November 25, 2015 |  Itamar Eichner  ISRAEL TODAY
The two women in this story, whose personal story could make a great Hollywood thriller, are now living in Ashkelon's Absorption Center. These last Jews to live in Aleppo, Syria, were smuggled out of the bombarded city in an intricate operation carried out a year ago by Free Syrian Army Muslim men. This operation was financed and run by Moti Kahana, an American Israeli businessman who for the last four hears has been in close contact with Syrian insurgents. 88 year-old Miriam (not her real name) and her 53 year-old daughter were smuggled from Aleppo through the Turkish border to Istanbul and from there were brought to Israel.
Miriam kept a Jewish life style, and continued to eat kosher food despite it being difficult to obtain in the midst of civil war. Miriam's second daughter Linda (not her real name), along with her Muslim husband and his three children from his first marriage escaped with her to Istanbul. However, Since Linda converted to Islam, the couple didn't want to go to Israel and, in any case, were not entitled to enter Israel under the Law of Return which is applicable to Jews only. They, in the end, chose to return to Syria.
Miriam knows biblical Hebrew from the prayer book and at a young age attended Aleppo's main synagogue, where the legendary Hebrew Bible manuscript, the Aleppo codex, was kept. In retaliation to the 1947 UN "Partition Plan," this synagogue was set on fire and destroyed.
The Jewish family lived in extremely difficult conditions in the area of Aleppo which is in an area controlled by the Syrian government forces. Water and electricity were cut off after this area was severely bombarded by the insurgents. The journey from Aleppo to Turkey lasted 12 hours. On the way the family was stopped at a Jabhat al-Nusra road block. Disguised as Muslims, and only after a grueling investigation, were they allowed to continue on their way.
"This is the last Jewish family from Aleppo," stated Moti Kahana. This brings to closure 2700 years of Jewish life in this city. Kahana criticized the Jewish Agency for not permitting the converted daughter to enter Israel and de facto abandoned them in Istanbul. In return the Jewish Agency blamed Kahana for luring the family to leave Aleppo with the promise to bring them to the United States, and that the family initially did not want to go to Israel. The Jewish Agency stressed that they offered Linda's family to arrive in Israel, initially as tourists, but they have refused the offer.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Anti-Semitism in Miami Inspired by Israel-Gaza War? - CBN News

Anti-Semitism in Miami Inspired by Israel-Gaza War?

Miami New Times

The crisis in the Middle East may have triggered anti-Semitic vandalism in Miami this week.
On Monday, police discovered spray-painted swastikas and the word "Hamas" on the pillars of Congregation Torah Ve'emunah, a synagogue in northeast Miami-Dade. 
Also, a Jewish family in largely Jewish neighborhood in Miami Beach found their two cars vandalized with the words "Hamas" and "Jew" written on the windows. They made the discovery as they left to attend a service at their synagogue Saturday.
The vehicles were also covered with eggs and smeared with cream cheese.
Authorities are trying to identify who was behind the crimes. At this point, they say it is not clear whether the two crimes are connected.
Miami-Dade Police are investigating both vandalism incidents.

Monday, July 28, 2014

French Exodus: 'When Jews Flee, a Nation is Sick' - CBN News

French Exodus: 'When Jews Flee, a Nation is Sick'


PARIS -- In the suburbs of Paris, a Jewish family gathers to read the Torah. But soon they will be gone. They're part of a growing number of French Jews and leaving their country because the future simply looks too dangerous.

In January, demonstrators in Paris shouted, "We don't want Jews" and gave the Nazi salute. It was chilling reminder of France's World War II past when Jews were deported to concentration camps.

Before the war, European Jews waited too long to leave and ended up trapped. French Jews don't want to make the same mistake again.

'Time to Leave'

CBN News interviewed a French family under the condition that they not be identified because they fear a backlash from French society.

In a few months the family will leave for Israel. They told us they preferred to go while they could leave on their terms instead of someday having to flee for their lives.

"We are not really afraid, but seeing the murders last year in Toulouse and what happened at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, we are afraid for our children and what could happen to them, and we think about it every day," the father told CBN News.

The mother of the Jewish family has already been called a "dirty Jew" by the neighbors. She has instructed her daughter to slip her Star of David inside her blouse when she goes outside, and has told her sons to be careful about where they wear their kippahs, or yarmulkes.

"They have worn the kippahs since they were very young, but over the past few years I have told them maybe it's better not to wear it sometimes," the mother said.

"There's a strong feeling inside the French community that it's time to leave," Philippe Karsenty, Jewish deputy mayor of Neuilly, said. "You can't have a dinner a conversation with a Jew without having the topic mentioned. Should we stay or should we leave?"

There are only 400,000 Jews in France and they're outnumbered by Arabs and Muslims by perhaps 15 to 1 or more. French law prohibits identifying citizens by ethnic background.

There have been close to 8,000 anti-Semitic incidents in France since 2000 - and each time Israel acts in self-defense against the Palestinians, the danger increases.

French Muslims have staged large and more violent demonstrations, including one a few weeks ago in which 200 Jews were trapped inside a synagogue.

An 'Unbearable' Threat

Rabbi Michaël Azoulay, the head of CRIF, France's national Jewish association, said the threat to Jews has become "unbearable."

At a synagogue near Paris, Rabbi Azoulay told CBN News the number of Jews coming to him for a certificate of Jewishness to go to Israel has increased dramatically in the past year.

"It started around last July," he said. "We have many requests from families ... not just from the community of Neuilly, but other communities in Paris, who came to us and requested certificates for the Jewish Agency in the aim to possibly go to Israel."

It's estimated that as many as 5,000 Jews could leave France this year. The exodus of the Jews is a disaster for the French government, which keeps condemning the anti-Semitic attacks but can't stop them.

Dr. Richard Prasquier, former president of France's national Jewish association, emphasized that France is not an anti-Semitic country.

"I do not accept the fact that France is an anti-Semitic country. France is not anti-Semitic country. This government and the previous government did not have anti-Semitic ideas," he said.

The French father we interviewed said he believes the government is doing what it can.

"But it's difficult to do more because the problem is so overwhelming. It cannot stop all the anti-Semitic incidents in society," he added.

Anti-Semitic Media

French Jews seem to all agree that the French media is guilty of encouraging hatred of Jews by its one-sided reporting of the Middle East conflict and almost daily vilification of Israel.

"I think that the major responsibility bears on the media's shoulder because the media has been inciting hate against Israel for more than a decade," Karsenty said. "Every time when you watch TV or you listen to the radio or you read newspapers you always feel hate messages against Israel."

Prasquier agreed.

"There is the feeling that Jews are fed up with the image of Israel that is continuously repeating itself in the media," he said.

Not all French Jews are in danger, and not all who are leaving France are doing so because of anti-Semitism. Some are leaving because of the bad economy.

But three out of four Jews say they are thinking about leaving, and 95 percent say they are worried about anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Azoulay said Jews are "concerned now that the government will not be able to set things right, to stop the attacks. And that worries me."

Perfect Storm

French Jews now face a perfect storm, with a war in Gaza, growing numbers of French Muslims, a bad economy, and the growing popularity of the far right National Front.

"Jews are being insulted and threatened not only by Muslims, but also by members of the far right and from leftists who hate Israel," the Jewish father told CBN News.

The Jewish family is looking forward to a life free of anti-Semitism in Israel.

"We will breathe for freely in Israel and I will be happy to see my children will be able to live more freely as Jews there," the mother said.

French leaders know that when Jews have to leave, it means a nation is sick.

"Jews are a litmus test of what's going on," Prasquier said. "It's not only Jews who will leave the country. It's not only France who will go down the drain, it's not only Europe, it's the entire Western world, including the United States."