'I Have a Dream,' Israeli Pres Tells Black Christians

Sunday, February 01, 2015 |  Tsvi Sadan  ISRAEL TODAY

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On his first visit to the United States, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin chose to make his first speech not to Jewish leaders, but to Black Christian leaders in Brooklyn's Christian Community Church. None of the previous nine Israeli presidents has ever addressed non-Catholic Christians inside a church outside of Israel. This unprecedented gesture was poorly covered by the media.

Short as Rivlin's speech was, it was nonetheless a landmark event worth much more attention than the short, cordial reports in the Jerusalem Post and on Brooklyn News. Worth noting was Rivlin's emphasis on learning history. 

Lest one forget and assume history is important, former President Shimon Peres repeatedly asserted there was no need to study the past. The reasoning behind Peres' contempt for history was his vision of a world where land no longer mattered in the formation of national identity, which in itself he viewed as unimportant. This explains his enthusiasm for the idea of "land for peace."

Rivlin thinks otherwise. In quoting his host, Pastor A. R. Bernard, the Israeli president indirectly justified the existence of modern Israel by insisting, "We must celebrate the past. We must rehearse it in the ears of our children and the world, from generation to generation so that history does not become myth." 

Rivlin's embracing of this profound approach to history as espoused by a wise African-American Christian leader should not be surprising. Jews have been doing this from time immemorial, and those like Peres will ultimately change nothing.

Rivlin certainly used the occasion to express much needed Israeli empathy with the American black community, but also to send a clear message to the world about the purpose of Zionism, a word increasingly associated with imperialism, occupation and injustice. 

"I also have a dream," said our president, "that once again God will knock on our door. I dream that Jerusalem, which is a microcosm of the world, will serve as a model for coexistence between different communities and religions. Jews and Arabs were not condemned to live together, but destined to live together. We are all the children of Abraham, and as the prophet Isaiah said: 'It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it … For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.'"

Amidst all the lies, disinformation and contempt thrown at Israel, Rivlin correctly presented Zionism as an effort to create a society that will be a light to the world. 

Though by no means perfect, Israel is at least attempting to achieve Isaiah's vision, and our president believes that Zionism as it was intended to be will one day become a reality. This is a far cry from the bad press Israel receives, and it may be why this particular visit did not fit the agenda of the major news agencies.

PHOTO: Rivlin with Pastor Bernard in New York

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Iraq's Yazidi Minority Asks for Israel's Help

Sunday, February 01, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff

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Iraq’s Yazidi minority, a small group of Kurdish people who cling to an ancient religion, were virtually unknown before coming under siege by ISIS last summer. Now they, much like the larger Kurdish nation, are seeking Israel’s aid in battling their Islamist foes.

In a telephone interview with Al-Monitor last week, a top Yazidi militia commander said his people, most of whom remain trapped on Mt. Sinjar in northern Iraq, would eagerly forge ties of friendship with the Jewish state.

“The Arab countries do not recognize us, nor do they recognize you,” said Lt.-Col. Lukman Ibrahim. “We regard you as a friendly state, with an opportunity for relations on the basis of neutrality and respect.”

While the Yazidi militia has managed to recruit no fewer than 12,000 fighters from a population numbering just over 200,000 in the region today, they are largely untrained and sorely under-equipped.

“We appeal to the Israeli government and its leader to step in and help this nation, which loves the Jewish people,” said Ibrahim. “We would be most grateful for the establishment of military ties.”

Israel is no stranger to aiding the Kurds in their battles against Arab neighbors. Kurdish-Israel ties are a poorly kept secret, and if a Kurdish state is ever realized, there is little doubt it would immediately become the Jewish state’s closest friend in the region.

Like the wider Kurdish nation, the Yazidis see Israel as a natural ally.

“We are not Arabs, nor are we Muslims. We see ourselves as sharing a fate with the Israelis, who went through similar pogroms,” said Majdal Rasho, a Yazidi who immigrated to Germany, but returned to help fight ISIS. “Those besieged on the mountain approached me and asked, ‘Maybe our Israeli brethren could lend a hand?’”

The Yazidis are adherents of a monotheistic faith linked to ancient Zoroastrianism. They believe in God as the Creator of all, but hold that He has given rule of this world to seven powerful archangels, the chief among them known as Malek Taus (the Peacock Angel). Muslims regard the Yazidis as devil-worshippers because according to Islam, Malek Taus is the archangel who fell from God’s grace and became Satan.

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300 Armed Muslims Attack Christian Boys' School in Pakistan

300 Armed Muslims Attack Christian Boys' School in Pakistan in Retaliation to Charlie Hebdo's Prophet Muhammad Drawings

BY STOYAN ZAIMOV , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

January 30, 2015

(PHOTO: REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO)

Supporters of Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, a political and religious group, chant slogans as they carry a sign during a protest against satirical French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of the Muslim prophet Muhammad as the cover of its first edition since an attack by Islamist gunmen, in Karachi, Pakistan, January 23, 2015. The sign reads in Urdu: "We martyr for the Prophet's sanctity."

Close to 300 Muslim students armed with iron bars and sticks attacked a Christian boys' school in northern Pakistan, reportedly in retaliation to French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's controversial drawings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The attack left four Christians injured.

"It is very sad that Islamic radicals attack Pakistani Christians because of Charlie Hebdo. Christians condemn the blasphemous cartoons. It is a shame that even after 67 years since the birth of Pakistan, Christians have not yet been considered Pakistani citizens, but are seen as 'Western allies,'" Nasir Saeed, director of the NGO Center for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement, told Fides News Agency.

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The attack occurred on Panel High School in the city of Bannu, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Muslim students apparently were able to jump over the outer walls of the school and open the gates before attacking the Christians.

The school has been closed down at least for two days, with additional security measures being considered to protect the students.

Last weekend, Muslim mobs burned down a number of churches and pastors' homes in Niger, also in protest of Charlie Hebdo's drawings. At least 10 people were killed in the clashes, with pastors in the capital Niamey revealing that almost anyone associated with churches was targeted.

Marches have also been held in Pakistan, where Muslims insisted that freedom of speech does not give the right to disrespect religion.

The protests concern the Muhammad drawings published by Charlie Hebdo throughout the years, which are considered offensive to many Muslims around the world. The satirical magazine experienced a terrorist attack organized by al-Qaeda earlier in January, when 12 people were shot dead in its offices in Paris. The two gunmen who carried out the attack, and were later killed, said that they were "avenging" Muhammad.

Charlie Hebdo's cartoons have often targeted Christians as well, as Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill pointed out on Sunday.

"The cartoons of prophet Muhammad are childish caricatures compared to what this publication allows itself in mocking the feelings of Christians," Kirill said in a sermon.

"Today, in saying 'no' to terrorism, killings, violence, we also say 'no' to the inexplicable drive by a certain group of people to deride religious feelings."

Several other Christian leaders, including Pope Francis, have said that it is wrong to ridicule religion in such a way, while also speaking out against terrorism.

"You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others," Francis told reporters after the attack.

The minority Christian community in Pakistan has been targeted both by the ruling government's blasphemy laws that often focus on religious minorities, but also by radical mobs that seek to take justice into their own hands.

Saeed said that Christians in such communities are often targeted for actions in Western countries.

"Whenever incidents occur in western countries, the faithful Pakistanis are attacked. Christians, who are already living under constant fear for their lives, become even more vulnerable," the CLAAS director said. "It is the politicians' duty to create a cultural environment and a society in which Christians and religious minorities feel safe."

Shabbat Shalom ✡ "Abraham Was Still Standing Before the Lord"

The men turned from there and went to Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord. GENESIS (18:22)   וַיִּפְנוּ מִשָּׁם הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיֵּלְכוּ סְדֹמָה וְאַבְרָהָם עוֹדֶנּוּ עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי יְ-הֹוָה בראשית יח:כב va-yif-nu mi-sham ha-a-na-sheem va-yay-l'-khu s'-do-ma v'-av-ra-ham o-de-nu o-mayd lif-nay a-do-nai

Shabbat Inspiration When Abraham learns of God's plan to wipe out Sodom, he begins to earnestly pray for God to annul His plan. But God's answer was clearly "no" and the city was destroyed. Jewish tradition holds that no prayer is ever in vain, so what happened to Abraham's sincere prayers? In a beautiful answer, our Sages describe Abraham's prayers being passed down to protect his descendants in the Land of Israel. We learn here the incredible significance of our prayers, which may bring huge benefit to us and to the world, now and in the future.   Join a new prayer forum » Questions from God God won't ask you how high your salary was, or how many baseball games you watched. But He will ask you these questions.   Watch here » Rabbi Tuly Weisz on Israel Radio Rabbis Jeremy Gimpel, Tuly Weisz and Yitzchak Meir Malek share insights that transform this week’s Torah portion into a practical guide for every person and for the nation of Israel as a whole. Tune in to discover how the Biblical story of the Exodus is a blueprint for our lives. Tune in to Israel radio » 50% Off: Illustrated Books of Genesis and Exodus This unique, hand-illustrated coffee table book makes the Books of Genesis and Exodus come to life! With beautiful illustrations, Torah verses, and descriptive commentary based on Midrash and other sources, in Hebrew and English. Get this Great Deal at 50% Off » Today's Israel Photo Rebecca Kowalsky's captivating photograph of a man praying in a field in Israel, draped in his tallit (prayer shawl).   See more photos by Rebecca Kowalsky » Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Linda Sklar from Las Vegas, Nevada. Toda Raba!   Sponsor a day » “Thank You for Your Coming to My Inbox With All Sorts of Information” It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!   Stay in Touch » Dear Rabbi Tuly, Shalom and Shabbat Shalom! Toda raba for sharing the wonderful Word of God. Today's word and caption has been unusually blessed word for me personally. Thank you again! The Lord Bless you and your family and ministry. God Bless, Elizabeth Thank you also for your 'coming to my inbox' with all sorts of information about Israel and Israeli products. I live in a place called Canvey Island, an Island in the river Thames estuary. And our borough is Essex U.K. Every rich blessing on you all. Kenneth Shrimpton. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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