Monday, March 25, 2013

Pesach (Passover) Holiday to Begin Monday Eve

Pesach (Passover) Holiday to Begin Monday Eve

Jewish families world over will sit down to the Seder Monday evening, read the Haggadah and recall the Exodus. Chag Sameach!
By Arutz Sheva, Jerusalem Post
First Publish: 3/25/2013

Matza factory
Matza factory
Israel news photo: Flash 90
Passover (Pesach) will take place this year between sunset on Monday, March 25, and sunset on Monday, April 1. The first and seventh days are marked as Sabbath-like holy days (Yom Tov) in which work is forbidden.

Jews outside of Israel, and those visiting Israel only for the holiday, observe an additional day in both the beginning and end of Pesach, which lasts eight days for them.

On this evening, the enslaved Jews were freed from Egyptian bondage after the Ten Plagues forced King Pharaoh of Egypt to listen to Moses and Aaron's call to "Let my people go!" The best known name of the holiday is Passover, to commemmorate the passing over of the Jewish homes during the plague that killed each Egyptian firstborn son. The holiday is also known as the Holiday of Matzahs, the Holiday of Our Freedom and the Holiday of Spring.

Jews are commanded to tell the story of leaving Egypt as if it had happened to them personally and not as a mere historical event, in order to emphasize the importance of our hard-won and precious freedom.

The government of Israel sold its “chametz,” leavened bread, to an Arab before the holiday in order not to transgress the commandment of not owning any chametz during the holiday. This includes any food product that contains leavened wheat, oat, barley, rye, or spelt products.

After a search for remaining chametz in houses Sunday night, Jews burn it the following morning, several hours before Pesach begins. Not a drop of chametz is allowed to remain in Jewish hands during the entire holiday, so that each family sells its own chametz for the week as the government does.

Dishes also are changed for the holiday or were made kosher through a procedure that depends on what material they are composed of. Glassware dishes can be koshered for Pesach by cleaning, leaving them unused for a period of time and then dipping them in water. Metal, if completely cleaned, is dipped in boiling water and prior to the holiday, large vats of boiling water are manned by people at various locations for that purpose. Not all materials can be made useable for Pesach and a rabbi should be consulted with any questions.
In the absence of leaven, Jews will eat specially prepared unleavened bread, or matza, on Pesach, as was done at the Exodus, when the Jews did not have enough time to wait for dough to rise before leaving Egypt.
First-born males over 13 are required to fast on the day before Passover – in commemoration of the fact that first-born Jewish males were spared when first-born Egyptian males were killed during the tenth plague – but may be released of this obligation by participating in a special festive meal, like the ones that accompany the conclusion of study of a tractate of the Talmud or a circumcision, on the morning before Passover.

The traditional Seder is held Monday night – Monday and Tuesday nights for Jews outside of Israel. The guide for the Seder is detailed in the Haggadah, literally "narration," which relates the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

A plate placed on the Seder table contains several special foods: a roasted egg, symbolizing the special holiday sacrifices which were brought in the Temple; a roasted shank bone, recalling the Passover lamb offered and eaten by every family in Jerusalem in Temple times and brought in Egypt right before the Exodus; a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon known as charoset, symbolizing the mortar that the Hebrew slaves in Egypt used to make bricks; sprigs of parsley and lettuce, symbolizing spring; a bitter herb symbolizing the bitterness of slavery; and salt water, recalling the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. There are additional explanations for some of the symbols.

Three whole pieces of matza mark the division of the Jewish people into priests (Cohanim), Levites and the general population are also placed on the table. There are also other explanations for this custom, as there are for almost all of the customs.

During the course of the Seder, the Ten Plagues are recalled. When each of the Plagues is mentioned, each participant dips a finger into his/her cup of wine and removes a drop; even though the Jews were oppressed in Egypt, we are reminded that we must not rejoice over the Egyptians' suffering. Our cups of wine cannot thus be full.

Four cups of wine are drunk at specific parts of the seder, to remember the four words symbolizing redemption that appear in the Biblical Exodus narration.

One of the more popular Seder customs for children concerns the afikoman, a special piece of matza that is the last food eaten during the Seder. The head of the household customarily hides the afikoman somewhere in the house, and the children then search for it. Once found, the afikoman is "ransomed," since the Seder cannot continue until the afikoman is eaten. This helps to keep the children focused on the Seder and to pique their curiosity regarding the entire Passover epic.

On the morning of Monday March 26, festive prayers, including a prayer for dew during the spring and summer, and special readings, will figure prominently in synagogue services.

During the intermediate days, between the first and last days, special prayers also are recited in synagogue. In Israel, all of Pesach is an official holiday for schools and most government offices and vacationing families fill the national parks and museums, many of which are free.

Jewish tradition maintains that the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army occurred on the seventh day of Passover, but even though Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt, Jews nevertheless do not rejoice over the death of the Egyptians in the sea and only an abridged version of Hallel (Psalms 113-118) – a holiday prayer – is recited after the first day of Passover.

On the Sabbath of the intermediate days of Passover (Saturday March 30), the day's special readings will include the Song of Songs and Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

From the evening prayer ending Tuesday March 26, Jews will keep a nightly count of the 49 days (seven weeks), until the evening of Tuesday, May 14, one day before the holiday of Shavuot. This count commemorates the Temple offering of the omer, or sheaf of new grain, in keeping with the Biblical injunction of Leviticus 23:15-16.

Maimouna – an informal, yet widely celebrated holiday which originated among the Jews of North Africa, particularly those from Morocco – will be celebrated immediately after Passover, from sunset on Monday April 1. According to custom, families prepare elaborate tables with various sweets and baked goods, and host friends and family members. Whole neighborhoods often close as celebrations spill out into the streets and parks.

Israelis tell Israel Today what Passover means to them

Israelis tell Israel Today what Passover means to them

Monday, March 25, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  
 
 
 
Around the world Jews, and not a few Christians, are preparing to celebrate the biblical festival of Pessach (Passover), the chief of the appointed times given by God to the nation of Israel.

Israel Today went out on the streets of Jerusalem to ask local residents what it means to them to be once again celebrating Passover as a free and sovereign nation restored to its biblical homeland.

Yossi Krisp: “It means liberty, it means freedom, it means family.”

Gal Yerushalmi: “It’s so important to celebrate this here in Israel. We are Jewish and this is our country, and we’re happy for this freedom.”

Beyla Potash: “Passover is the beginning of a nation.”

Yeshurun Luz: Passover means "liberation from the other nations, from being under the rule of other nations, and as a personal liberation from whatever holds me. It has been and it will be one of the most kept holidays of the Jewish people.”

Moshe: “It means remembering the miracles we had when we were slaves in Egypt.”

Israel Levin: “It doesn’t only represent something that happened a few thousand years ago; it represents something that is able to happen to us all the time. In every generation our enemy tries to destroy us and God saves us. But it's not only about national security, it’s also something that relates to each and every person; that there’s power for a person who yearns for freedom from his own personal things that hold them back.”

Moshe Frank: “No pizza… and no bagles!”

Adam Segal: “It’s a holiday of thanking God for our freedoms; spiritual freedom, physical freedom, freedom to develop as people, and freedom from oppression. One of the most important things according to Torah (Bible), is you’re supposed to teach your children that God is the one who took us out from the land of Egypt. And that develops an appreciation from generation to generation to connect with God and connect to the Jewish people, and to be eternally grateful for where we are and where God brought us."

Yisrael Dalayahu: “It means two things; we remember our ancestors who were delivered from Egypt, and we are waiting again to be delivered from all our problems and all our neighbors and the war to come.”

Sarah Goldman: “It represents for me the deep, strong love that God has for His people. That even when we were at the worst spiritual level that one could possibly be in, God came and took us out of Egypt. Not through the back door, but in front of everybody. It shows that He loves us and He cares for us. And even when all seems to fail, God always comes through.”

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23757/Default.aspx?hp=article_title

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Israeli Arab Christian wins popular singing show

Apartheid state? Israeli Arab Christian wins popular singing show
Sunday, March 24, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

 Lina Mahoul
In yet another example of just how silly are the claims that Israel is a racist apartheid state, 19-year-old Lina Mahoul, an Arab Christian from the northern town of Acre, became the second winner of Israel's wildly popular singing competition show, The Voice.

Nearly every Israeli eye was glued to the television Saturday evening as Mahoul faced off against Ophir Ben Sheetrit, an Orthodox Jewish girl from Ashdod, in the final.

For those who believe Israel is a state that practices racism against its minorities, the choice should have been obvious. Of course the Jew would win! Those racist Israelis would never vote for an Arab!

How wrong such sentiments are, as proved on Saturday night, when Israelis voted overwhelmingly for Mahoul, who in turn played to her audience by performing a touching rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

During her final performance, Mahoul's family and friends could be seen happily enjoying the moment surrounded by Jews. Again, not really a picture of apartheid.

It was also pointed out that the young Mahoul volunteers at Magen David Adom, the Israeli Jewish version of the Red Cross.

Watch Lina Mahoul's winning performance:



http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23755/Default.aspx?hp=readmore
 

Saturday, March 23, 2013


Blessings to all our Jewish friends

here in the USA and in Israel!

 
Steve & Laurie Martin
Love For His People


Friday, March 22, 2013

Israelis react to Obama visit

Israelis react to Obama visit

Friday, March 22, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  
 
 
US President Barack Obama's visit to Israel has come to an end.

In a whirlwind two-day call, the president shmoozed average Israelis far more aggressively than most expected by repeatedly referencing the Jews' ancient and biblical connection to this land.

He also made an impassioned plea for Israel to resume making the kinds of security compromises that have proved so disastrous over the past 15 years for the sake of acheiving peace and justice for the Palestinians.
And while most Israelis love America and appreciate the gesture, very few outside of media commentators believed the visit would achieve anything concrete.

Israel Today spoke to Israelis on the streets of Jerusalem about Obama's visit, and this is what they had to say:

Ariye Caspi: “I think Obama's pro-peace and wants what's good for all of us."

Aviv Eldad: "It’s good that he came, so he can see the situation here."

Mr. Sharon: "I think he’s visiting and doing nothing else. He doesn’t care."

Dafna Trujaman: "First of all he’s a Democrat, and they are pro-Palestian, and he is a Muslim himself."

Hadas Levmore: "In some aspect he’s pro-Palestinian and in some aspects he’s pro-Israeli."
Debbie: "I don’t know why he came."

Elana Falick: “I’m really excited that he’s here. Most of my friends are not pro-Obama. But I think it will be really good and I think it will solidify the fact that he’s on Israel’s side and that he supports Israel.”

Gabriel Danon: “He didn't accomplish anything more than other visiting presidents in the past.”

Talia Sandman: “He’s not been the most friendly president to Israel.”

Ortal Cohen: "I think it can really help see what the Americans feel about us and how they see us around the world."

Leo: “Obama visiting is nice, but I think it’s for show.”

Michele Benami: "For us, Obama in Israel is a very good thing because we need America and Obama is the president of America."

Iris Marks: "Obama tries to be nice and shoot that smile when he wants to please people, but I don’t think he’s pro anything except himself.”

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23752/Default.aspx?hp=readmore

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Obama in highly symbolic visit to Dead Sea Scrolls

Obama in highly symbolic visit to Dead Sea Scrolls

Thursday, March 21, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  


US President Barack Obama's first stop on his second day in Israel was to the Shrine of the Book to inspect and learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls housed inside.

Obama was met at the facility by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who read several passages from the scroll of Isaiah to the American leader.

As Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren explained last week, Obama's visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls sent a clear message of American support for the Jews' ancient ties to this land.

"The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls were written more than 2,000 years ago by Jews in Hebrew in their homeland, the land of Israel," Oren said on Israel's Channel 2 News. Obama's visiting this attraction "sends a message to the world about the Jewish state’s deep roots in this region."

After reaffirming American recognition of Israel's past, Obama then stepped over to the adjacent Israel Museum to learn about the Jewish state's future.

At a special exhibit prepared for their visitor, Israeli inventors, artists and researchers presented Obama with cutting-edge technological advancements, including exo-skeletons, robotic waiters, and a "mind control" helmet allowing control of computer systems using nothing but brain waves.

Obama called the Israeli innovations "inspiring."

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23747/Default.aspx?hp=readmore

Monday, March 18, 2013

Why Obama visiting the Dead Sea Scrolls is important

Why Obama visiting the Dead Sea Scrolls is important

Monday, March 18, 2013 |  Ryan Jones  
Israel Today


US President Barack Obama appears to be warming up to Israel ahead of his visit later this week. And while many of Obama's scheduled stops during his 48-hour visit wouldn't seem to suggest a particularly pro-Israel slant, the opposite is actually true if one only reads between the lines.

Obama's biggest stop outside of meetings with government leaders will be at the Shrine of the Book and the adjacent Israel Museum. Seems like a very tourist-y thing to do, but, as Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren explained, it's actually meant to send a clear message of American support for the Jews' ancient ties to this land.

"The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls [that are housed at the Shrine of the Book were] written more than 2,000 years ago by Jews in Hebrew in their homeland, the land of Israel," Oren said on Israel's Channel 2 News on Saturday. Obama's visiting this attraction "sends a message to the world about the Jewish state’s deep roots in this region."

Oren continued: "This is not a country that fell from the sky after the Holocaust, this is a state that is truly rooted in the region, and is a permanent and legitimate," and Obama's visit is going to emphasize that point.
Keeping with that theme, Obama is scheduled to also visit the national cemetery at Mount Herzl, where he will lay a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism.

This is a "significant endorsement of the Zionist idea," said Oren.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23738/Default.aspx?ref=newsletter-20130318

American support for Israel at all-time high

American support for Israel at all-time high

Sunday, March 17, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  
 
 
A new Gallup poll shows that support for Israel among American voters is at an all-time high, which is saying something, since pro-Israel sentiment was never lacking in the US.

According to the survey, 64 percent of all Americans side with Israel in its ongoing conflict with the Palestinians and the wider Arab world. That matches the high point of support recorded in 1991 during the first Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein was lobbing missiles at Tel Aviv.

Today, only 12 percent of Americans said they sympathize with the Palestinian narrative of the conflict.
As usual, support for Israel was much higher among Republicans (78%), but was still a firm majority among Democrats (55%).

Of possible concern is that the vast majority of those supporting Israel from both sides of the political map are from the older generations. As one moves into the younger age brackets, that support wanes. For comparison, while 71 percent of Americans over the age of 55 support Israel, that number drops to 55 percent among Americans aged 18- to 34-years-old.

That's not to say the younger generation is siding against Israel (support for the Palestinian side tops out at just 24 percent), but the Jewish state has largely failed to speak to this demographic in as effect a manner as it reached their parents.

The poll results were published just days before President Barack Obama was scheduled to arrive in Israel. In line with the findings, Obama was expected to avoid putting any additional pressure on Israel to meet Arab demands.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23734/Default.aspx?hp=readmore

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Understanding the Passover (Pesach) Season


And ye shall observe this thing [Passover] for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever:.. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord 's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt... (Exodus [Shemot] 12:24,26-27).


Here is an excellent website site for understanding the Feasts of the Lord, and in particular, the Passover (Pesach) season: http://feastsofthelord.com/ss/live/index.php?action=getpage&sid=204&pid=2188
The following, excluding artwork, is taken from that complete article.

How Did Yeshua Fulfill the Passover?


The Feast of Passover (Pesach) was given by G-d to be a rehearsal (miqra) of the first coming of Yeshua. The Passover ceremony was observed in remembrance of the past and in preparation for the future. Many years after the Passover in Egypt, a person named John (Yochanan) the Baptist (Immerser), pointed to Yeshua and declared that He was the Lamb of G-d (John [Yochanan] 1:29). After John (Yochanan), a type of Elijah (Eliyahu) who would prepare the coming of Messiah, proclaimed Yeshua as the Lamb of G-d, Yeshua ministered for three-and-a-half years. At the end of that time, on the tenth of Nisan, the high priest marched out of the city of Jerusalem to Bethany where a lamb was to be slain. The lamb was led back into the city through streets lined with thousands of pilgrims singing the Hallel (Psalms [Tehillim] 113-118). The liturgy for Hoshanah Rabbah says that the Messiah will come to the Mount of Olives and weep over the city. This happened in Luke 19:41. The people also waved palm branches as Yeshua rode into the city on a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. Today, Nisan 10 is known as Palm Sunday in the non-Jewish community.

The lamb that was to be slain by the high priest was led into the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and put in a prominent place of display. Likewise, Yeshua the Lamb of G-d went on public display when He entered the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and spent four days there among the people, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the scribes, as the leaders asked Yeshua their hardest questions. Yeshua was questioned in front of the people for four days, showing Himself to be without spot or blemish, fulfilling Exodus (Shemot) 12:5.

On the fourteenth of Nisan, at the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m.), the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) took the lamb and ascended the altar so he could tie the lamb in place on the altar. At the same time on that day, Yeshua was tied to the tree on Mount Moriah (Mark 15:25). At the time of the evening sacrifice (3:00 p.m.) for Passover (Exodus [Shemot] 12:6), the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) ascended the altar, cut the throat of the lamb with a knife, and said the words, "It is finished." These are the exact words said after giving a peace offering to G-d. At this same time, Yeshua died, saying these exact words in John (Yochanan) 19:30. Yeshua died at exactly 3:00 p.m. (Matthew [Mattityahu] 27:45-46,50).

In Exodus (Shemot) 12:8-9, we are told the lamb was to be roasted before sundown. According to the tractate Pesahim in the Mishnah, the lamb was roasted on an upright pomegranate stick. This pomegranate stick is representative of the tree upon which Yeshua died. The lamb was to be gutted, and its intestines were to be removed and put over its head. Thus, the lamb is referred to as the "crowned sacrifice." This is a picture of Yeshua in (Psalm [Tehillim] 22:13-18).

Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:16 says that all the congregation of Israel was required to be present at the feasts of Passover (Pesach), Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Sukkot). This explains why all were gathered to witness the death of Yeshua on the tree (Matthew [Mattityahu] 27:1-26).

The night of the fifteenth of Nisan, G-d commanded the people to eat the lamb with unleavened bread (matzah) and bitter herbs (maror), their sandals on their feet and their bags packed and on their backs (Exodus [Shemot] 12:6,8,11), for on this night they are to leave Egypt. Likewise, we are to be quick to accept Yeshua into our hearts and leave Egypt, which represents the sin and idolatry of this evil world.


The Conclusion of Passover ( Pesach)


In concluding our study of Passover ( Pesach ), we can see that the G-d of Israel gave Passover ( Pesach) to His people so we could understand the death of Yeshua on the tree during His first coming, as well as understand our personal spiritual salvation in Yeshua from Pharaoh and Egypt (who is liked to satan [ ha satan ] and the kingdom of sin and darkness). Furthermore, the historical Egyptian Passover was also given by the G-d of Israel so we could understand the future redemption of His people (both houses of Israel who are today called by the corporate names of Christianity and Judaism) in the end of days when they will return to the land of Israel (specifically, the mountains of Israel or the West Bank). This redemption will take place in the end of days prior to the coming of King Messiah ( Mashiach ). Because of the historical deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, our personal salvation in Yeshua as Messiah ( Mashiach ) and our future redemption from exile in the nations of the world and return to the land of Israel in the end of days, Passover ( Pesach ) has been given by the rabbis the appropriate title of the "Feast of our Freedom !!!".

http://feastsofthelord.com/ss/live/index.php?action=getpage&sid=204&pid=2188

Passover items used in WWII found at death camp

Passover items used in WWII found at death camp
By JNS.ORG, Jerusalem Post
03/16/2013

Worn out Haggadah belonging to Jewish prisoners was discovered at Chelmno concentration camp in Poland.

An old Haggadah preserved by Bar Ilan University.
An old Haggadah preserved by Bar Ilan University. Photo: Courtesy
 
The Israel-based Shem Olam Holocaust and Faith Institute on Thursday showcased items that may have been used for Passover rituals at the Chelmno death camp in western Poland. The items were discovered during excavations of the site in pits containing prisoners’ belongings.

One item is a worn out and partially torn Haggadah that was burned by the Nazis. Several portions dealing with the search for chametz (leavened bread) and other sentences managed to survive.
Shem Olam was founded in 1996 by Avraham Krieger. It is located in Kfar Haroeh, just north of Netanya. One of the institute’s projects deals with how Jews coped with the day-to-day struggles during the Holocaust.

“The Nazis told Jews who had been deported to Chelmno that they were being relocated to a village faraway in the east; they told them each person could bring only lightweight items with a combined weight of 3 to 4 kilograms (7 to 9 pounds),” Krieger said.

“Because of the limited number of items they were allowed to carry, the Jews brought their most important items, but many brought with them things that belonged to their spiritual life and identity… The mere fact that they added these things shows that they were loyal to their faith, to the holiday and to tradition; they demonstrated that they did not let the Germans break their spirit,” he said.

According to Krieger, “Most of the death camps had no such items left behind, but since Chelmno was the first death camp on Polish soil, the Nazis had yet to have at their disposal a sophisticated apparatus and consequently, some of the property was buried, and survived.”


http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Passover-items-used-during-WWII-found-at-death-camp
 

Friday, March 15, 2013

Israel, Jews pleased with new pope

Israel, Jews pleased with new pope

Friday, March 15, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  
 
 
Israeli leaders on Thursday welcomed news that Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires had been selected as the new pope.

Bergoglio will be sworn in as Pope Francis I next week.

"The new pope will be welcomed in the Holy Land with love and appreciation by Jews, Muslims and Christians as one," said Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Anti-Defamation League President Abe Foxman said he was "reassured" over the new pope's record regarding the Jews, and Rabbi David Rosen of American Jewish Committee labeled the incoming pontiff a "warm and sweet and modest man."

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio had good relations with the local Jewish community. He attended a Rosh Hashanah celebration at a local synagogue in 2007, and for years has led solidarity efforts and calls for justice in respect to the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center.

Many Jews were concerned that only a European pope who had lived through the Holocaust could truly appreciate the history of the Jews vis-a-vis the Church, and that popes John Paul and Benedict XVI would be the last to truly foster strong Jewish-Catholic relations.

But those concerns have been put to rest with the selection of Pope Francis I, who is being universally praised for his down-to-earth and genuinely sympathetic nature.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23732/Default.aspx?hp=readmore

Solomon's Pools -- (Continued) -- Jerusalem's 'Swimming Hole'

Solomon's Pools -- (Continued) -- Jerusalem's 'Swimming Hole'

IsraelDailyPicture.com

"Solomon's pools becomes a picnic and swimming resort. Group of bathers"
(Library of Congress)
Some 20 years ago, Tel Aviv's Mayor Shlomo Lahat "gave" one of his beaches to Jerusalem's mayor Teddy Kollek.  Ostensibly, "Jerusalem Beach" is the closest beach to Jerusalem and those citizens who want to drive the 40 kilometers to swim and splash.

But Jerusalem has had huge swimming pools nearby for 2,000 years, and the photographers of the American Colony filmed the Jerusalem residents who flocked to Solomon's Pools in the 1940s.


Solomon's Pools -- Picnic and Swimming Resort
 and here (circa 1940, Library of Congress)
















Cars arriving from Jerusalem and concession stand
(Library of Congress)


 

From 1948 until 1967 the area was occupied by Jordan, and Israelis could not travel to Solomon's Pools.  The area, of course, was open to local Arab residents.

After the 1967 War, the area was reopened and Jerusalemites and residents of the local Jewish communities would visit the pools for picnics and to swim.  

 After the Oslo Agreements, Solomon's Pools were granted to the Palestinian Authority.  Since the mid-1990s, Jewish groups have been able to visit only with special permission and escort by Israel's army.  Foreign tourists can reach the site without restrictions from Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem.


Recommended reading (in Hebrew) סיפורן של אמות המים לירושלים  The Story of the Water Supply to Jerusalem from "All About Jerusalem," Israeli Tour Guide Course.  Photographs by Tamar Hayardeni and Ron Peled whose comments and photos have appeared in these postings in the past.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Alex Levin Fine Art

Alex Levin - fine art from Israel

 
I befriended Alex Levin on Facebook last year, and have tremendously enjoyed his fine art paintings. Below are a few samples. More can be seen at his website and on his FaceBook page. Steve Martin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
artistic development and enable him to devote substantial time to the creation of new work.

Tradition of Jewish Heritage is a collection of work of Jerusalem's holy Western Wall and it's surrounding religious neighborhood by Alex Levin, one of Israel's most talented and youngest celebrated artist. Through the strokes of his brush, Alex has captured the inhabitants of Jerusalem's ultra orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim, Jewish Attributes and people at the Western Wall, one of Judaism most holy places...
In 2007 Alex received the Medal Award for the Contribution to the Judaic Art from the Knesset.


Major Exhibitions:
1989 - KIEV, UKRAINE

1990 - HERZLIYA PITUACH, ISRAEL
Alex Levin comes from Kiev, capital of Ukraine, where he was born in 1975 and later on attended Art Academy, which he graduated with honors.
In 1990 Alex Levin immigrated to Israel, where he continues to live in a city of Herzeliya.
With most productive and hectic schedule, Alex Levin finds additional time to grow as an artist and studies new techniques with Professor Baruch Elron who was the Chairman of Israel Artist Association.

The main painting styles are Surrealism and Realism.
Featuring a range of works in oil, acrylic, pencil, charcoal and tempera paints.
Artworks of Alex Levin admired worldwide and were purchased for numerous private, corporate and institutional collections in the United States of America, Israel, France, Italy, Ukraine, Switzerland and Belgium. A young artist, who just have turned thirty years old, was directly acknowledged by many influential figures including actor and producer Richard Gere, Madonna, Canadian Jazz player Oscar Peterson and former president of Israel Ezer Weizman.

Practicing the original manner of 16th century technique, which happens to be multilayered use of tempera and oil (no brush strokes).

After serving 3 years in Israel Army, in 1997 entered the industrial and web design program which was a great benefit for his art work.

Currently working on 2 themes: "Tradition of Jewish Heritage" and "Venice through the mask's eyes".
An artist’s new vision of a Venice Carnival takes a completely unique approach and presents a viewer with a lavish and most prominent feature of Venetian carnival – the Mask.
The earlier paintings from "Mask collection" were introduced in year 2002 in Venice and where awarded with the scholarship to Venice Academy of Art to support artist's continuing

1993 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Wine festival Rishon le Zion)

1994 - NEW YORK, USA (ArtExpo)

1997 - SIDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Avory Gallery)

1998 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Bitan Haomanim)

1998 - AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (ArtExpo)

1999 - PARIS, FRANCE (Gal. le Parvis Saint Merri)

1999 - HERZLIYA, ISRAEL (Vizo)

2000 - LAS VEGAS, USA (ArtExpo)

2000 - BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (Gallery Aigu)

2001 - NEW YORK, USA (ArtExpo)

2001 - BERN, SWITZERLAND (Galerie Marlyse Aebli)

2001 - HAIFA, ISRAEL (Eshkol Pais)

2002 - NEW YORK, USA (ArtExpo)

2002 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Offir Gallery)

2003 - NEW YORK, USA (ArtExpo)

2003 - SIDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Hamilton Art Gallery)

2004 - NEW YORK, USA (ArtExpo)

2004 - NEW YORK, USA (Alexander Gallery (Ancient Tradition of Jewish Heritage))


2005 - NEW YORK, USA (Alexander Gallery (Jerusalem Revelations))

2006 - NEW YORK, USA (Downtown by Philippe Starck, 23 Wall Street))

2007 - LOS ANGELES, USA (Beverly Hills, (Jerusalem Revelations))

2007 - JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (Knesset, (Jerusalem Revelations))

2008 - NEW YORK, USA (Kostushko Foundation)
 
 


 
 
 

New Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina) has Jewish connections

New Pope Francis has Jewish connections
Pope Francis I, right, was the archbishop of Buenos Aires when he met with Claudio Epelman, executive director of the Latin American Jewish Congress, in Buenos Aires in 2012. (Courtesy Latin American Jewish Conference ) Newly elected Pope Francis I waving to the crowds on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, March 13, 2013. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty)
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Pope Francis I, right, was the archbishop of Buenos Aires when he met with Claudio Epelman, executive director of the Latin American Jewish Congress, in Buenos Aires in 2012. (Courtesy Latin American Jewish Conference )

(JTA) – Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentinian cardinal who was elected pope and will take the name Francis, is said to have a good relationship with Argentinian Jews.

Bergoglio, 76, a Jesuit, was the choice of the College of Cardinals on Wednesday following two days of voting in Vatican City. He is the first pope to come from outside Europe in more than a millennium; reflecting the changing demographics of Catholics, he comes from Latin America.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio attended Rosh Hashanah services at the Benei Tikva Slijot synagogue in September 2007.

Rabbi David Rosen, the director of interfaith affairs for the American Jewish Committee, told JTA that the new pope is a "warm and sweet and modest man" known in Buenos Aires for doing his own cooking and personally answering his phone.

After the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in 1994, he "showed solidarity with the Jewish community," Rosen said.

In 2005, Bergoglio was the first public personality to sign a petition for justice in the AMIA bombing case. He also was one of the signatories on a document called "85 victims, 85 signatures" as part of the bombing's 11th anniversary. In June 2010, he visited the rebuilt AMIA building to talk with Jewish leaders.

"Those who said Benedict was the last pope who would be a pope that lived through the Shoah, or that said there would not be another pope who had a personal connection to the Jewish people, they were wrong," Rosen said.

Soon after the chimney of the Sistine Chapel sent up a puff of white smoke signifying that the cardinals had selected a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, Francis addressed thousands of faithful from the balcony of St. Peter’s Baslica.

“Buonasera,” he told them, saying "Good evening" in Italian, and thanked his fellow cardinals for going “almost to the ends of the earth” to find him.

Benedict was the first pontiff to step down since 1415.

Israel Singer, the former head of the World Jewish Congress, said he spent time working with Bergoglio when the two were distributing aid to the poor in Buenos Aires in the early 2000s, part of a joint Jewish-Catholic program called Tzedaka.

“We went out to the barrios where Jews and Catholics were suffering together,” Singer told JTA. “If everyone sat in chairs with handles, he would sit in the one without. He was always looking to be more modest. He's going to find it hard to wear all these uniforms.”

Bergoglio also wrote the foreward of a book by Rabbi Sergio Bergman, a Buenos Aires legislator, and referred to him as “one of my teachers.”

Last November, Bergoglio hosted a Kristallnacht memorial event at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral with Rabbi Alejandro Avruj from the NCI-Emanuel World Masorti congregation.

He also has worked with the Latin American Jewish Congress and held meetings with Jewish youth who participate in its New Generations program.

“The Latin American Jewish Congress has had a close relationship with Jorge Bergoglio for several years," Claudio Epelman, executive director of the Latin American Jewish Congress, told JTA. "We know his values and strengths. We have no doubt he will do a great job leading the Catholic Church."

In his visit to the Buenos Aires synagogue, according to the Catholic Zenit news agency, Bergoglio told the congregation that he was there to examine his heart "like a pilgrim, together with you, my elder brothers."

"Today, here in this synagogue, we are made newly aware of the fact that we are a people on a journey and we place ourselves in God’s presence," Zenit quoted the then-archbishop as saying. "We must look at him and let him look at us, to examine our heart in his presence and to ask ourselves if we are walking blamelessly."

Renzo Gattegna, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, offered Italian Jewry's congratulations to the new pope with the “most fervent wishes” that his pontificate could bring “peace and brotherhood to all humanity.”

In particular, Gattegna voiced the hope that there would be a continuation “with reciprocal satisfaction” of “the intense course of dialogue that the Jews have always hoped for and that has been also realized through the work of the popes who have led the church in the recent past."

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/03/13/3121966/new-pope-francis-i-is-argentinian-cardinal-jorge-maria-bergoglio

Miss Israel to Join State Dinner with Obama

Miss Israel to Join State Dinner with Obama

 
 
 
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israel's first Ethiopian-born winner of the Miss Israel pageant has been invited to the state dinner in honor of President Barack Obama. The dinner will be held at President Shimon Peres' residence in Jerusalem.

Yityish Aynaw, 21, was crowned this year's Miss Israel a few weeks ago at the International Convention Center in Haifa. Her name, in Amharic, means "a look to the future." She was 12 when she immigrated to Israel with her family.

Before winning the coveted title, she told the panel of judges, "It's important that a member of the Ethiopian community wins the competition for the first time."

"There are many different communities of many different colors in Israel, and it's important to show that to the world," she said, promising "to represent all Israelis."

When the judges asked her what historical figure influenced her most, she named the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., saying she wanted to emulate his fight for "justice and equality" for Israel's Ethiopian community.

"He fought for justice and equality and that's one of the reasons I'm here," she told the judges. "I want to show that my community has many beautiful qualities that aren't always represented well in the media."
After completing her compulsory military duty with an officer's rank, Aynaw has been working as a saleswoman at a clothing store, though she plans to continue her modeling career.

"I hope to become a successful model thanks to the contest and create a change in the perception of dark-skinned models," she said.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Solomon's Quarry

Beneath the Old City of Jerusalem Lies a Huge Cave. Does It Date Back To King Solomon or King Zedekiah?


 
Five men in "Solomon's Quarry," circa 1910. Another picture
of the group can be found here
 
Beneath the Old City of Jerusalem, not far from the Damascus Gate, is the entrance to an enormous cavern, one of the largest man-made caves in Israel. The American Colony photographers visited the cavern 100 years ago.

From the cave's entrance to the end is 300 meters; its width is 100 meters, and its height in some parts is 15 meters tall. The total size is estimated to be five acres.
Solomon's Quarry tourists (circa 1910)
And the cavern, which was used to quarry limestone blocks, dates back 3,000 years.

According to legend, King Solomon may have taken blocks from the cave to build the First Temple (circa 950 BCE). While archaeologists are sceptical, there is little doubt that King Herod (circa 50 BCE) quarried stone for building his massive expansion of the Second Temple, including what we call today the Western Wall.

"Hanging pillar" in Solomon's
Quarry (circa 1910)

Another legend claims that King Zedekiah of Judah (circa 586 BCE) fled from the Babylonian conquerors through the cave. Talmudic literature dating back to the 2nd - 3rd century CE refers to Zedekiah's Cave.

The quarry was used throughout the Middle Ages, but it was sealed in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent to prevent enemy infiltration under the Old City.

Open & Shut, Open & Shut...

The cave remained sealed and undiscovered until 1854 when, according to another legend, missionary Dr. J. T. Barclay was walking his dog outside of Damascus Gate. The dog ran down a hole that had been opened after heavy rains. Barclay followed him in and discovered the massive cavern.

Entrance to Solomon's Quarry
(circa 1900)
In the 1880s a German cult took over the cave until they were removed by Turkish authorities. In 1893 the Turks sealed the entrance once again.

To secure stones for a clock tower the Turks were building at Jaffa Gate they reopened the quarry in 1907. Presumably, the American Colony photos are from that period because the cave was sealed again in 1914 during World War I. 
Ad: "Entrance to Zedekiah's Cave
From now residents of Jerusalem will
pay 3 grush per person. Groups of 10
pay 25 ..."

An advertisement announcing tours and admission rates to the Cave appeared in a Hebrew paper Hatzvi during this period, in April 1909.


The Quarry as a bomb shelter (1940s)
During the British Mandate Zedekiah's Cave was reopened and actually converted to a bomb shelter during World War II. The cavern was closed again in 1948 by the Jordanian authorities because of its location along the Jordan-Israel armistice line.
In 1967, after the reunification of Jerusalem, Israel reopened the cavern.

Read this excellent description of the cave written by Thomas Friedman when he was serving as The New York Times' Jerusalem bureau chief in 1985.
http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/09/beneath-old-city-of-jerusalem-lies-huge.html
 
 

Solomon's Pools South of Jerusalem. 150 Years of Photos

Solomon's Pools South of Jerusalem. 150 Years of Photos

www.IsraelDailyPicture.com
 
Solomon's Pools. The photo from the Library of Congress archives is dated
between 1860 and 1880. No photographer is credited for the photo. The photo
and handwritten caption are similar to photos by Felix Bonfils (1831-1885).
Solomon seemed to have had a lot of property around Jerusalem. 

Solomon's Temple, of course, was located on the Temple Mount and was actually built by King Solomon. After its destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, it was covered by rubble, then two versions of the Second Jewish Temple, a Roman pagan shrine, a church and a Muslim shrine. 

Around Jerusalem one can see other ancient sites with Solomon's name
Other than the First Temple, none of them had any real association with King Solomon.

By the time of the Second Temple in the Hasmonean/Roman period, the man-made reservoirs at "Solomon's Pools" south of Jerusalem were vital for providing water for the burgeoning population of Jerusalem and the many tens of thousands who made pilgrimages to Jerusalem on festivals.


Solomon's pools (circa 1900) in a rare
colored photochrom picture
The local springs and cisterns in Jerusalem could not possibly provide enough water for all their needs as well as for the sacrificial service and hygiene required in the Temple and the city. The springs to the south could provide a bountiful supply despite their location some 30-40 kilometers away, but a massive engineering project of aqueducts was required to convey the water from near what is today Efrat, south of Bethlehem. The water flowed from pools slightly higher than Jerusalem through the many kilometers of aqueduct built with a relatively tiny 0.08 degree angle of decline!

Click on pictures to enlarge.  Click on captions to view the original pictures.

Water from the Biyar Spring
flows into one of Solomon's
Pools (circa 1935)
Water flowing through the mountains via
ancient aqueduct to Solomon's Pools
(circa 1939)
The water aqueduct system begins some 10 km south of Solomon's Pools at the Arrub Spring, and included a collection pool at the Biyar Spring west of Efrat. From there the water in the aqueduct flowed north to the first of the pools 4.7 kilometers.

The pools are massive reservoirs built to hold water from the south and the Eitam spring to the east. The largest is 177 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 15 meters deep.  Parts of the ancient aqueduct system are still visible. 

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2013/03/solomons-pools-south-of-jerusalem-150.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29