Why did the Czechs, Palau and half-a-dozen others stand with Israel in the vote on ‘Palestine’?

Along with the US, Canada, Panama and the Czech Republic, four tiny Pacific island nations — with a combined population that’s less than that of Petah Tikva — spared Israel still greater ignominy last Thursday. Could it be that they simply like us?

By Raphael Ahren December 2, 2012, Times of Israel

 

PA President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the UN General Assembly on Thursday, November, 29 (photo credit: courtesy MFA)

 

The fact that the overwhelming majority of nations voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution granting the Palestinians nonmember observer state status at the United Nations General Assembly was widely and accurately seen as proof of Israel’s international isolation — on the issue, at least. Still, there were eight countries that voted with Israel in the 138-9 diplomatic drubbing (with 41 abstentions).

Who are these nations that dared to oppose China, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, Switzerland and 132 other nations? And why did they back the lost cause?

Washington and Ottawa are Israel’s staunchest supporters in the international arena, so the no votes from the US and Canada came as no surprise. But they were joined by Panama and the Czech Republic, as well as four countries most people would have difficulty finding on a map: the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

These four remote island nations, combined, have a population of about 205,000; that’s a bit less than the population of Petah Tikva. But in the UN General Assembly, every vote is equal, whether it belongs to China or to a 459-square-kilometer group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, such as Palau.

The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau have a long history of voting similarly to the US. In 2010, for example, Micronesia echoed Washington’s vote at the US 47 times and only contradicted it three times. Palau followed the US lead in 96.5% of all votes.

Some observers suggest that “checkbook diplomacy” is at work here, and that Israel or the US bought the tiny island states’ votes for cash.

The Marshall Islands and Micronesia are states “in free association” with the US and are set to receive $3.5 billion from Washington in the next 10 years, the International Business Times reported last week. “Palau is also in free association with the US, having received $18 million annually from the US until 2009.”

Checkbook diplomacy certainly exists — in 2008, Nauru received $10 million from Russia for voting in favor of the breakaway nation of Abkhazia — but Israeli officials denied it was at play during Thursday’s vote.

“We don’t have money to pour on the other states for their votes,” a diplomatic official told The Times of Israel on Sunday. Neither Jerusalem nor Washington put “a single cent or even half a cent on the table” in exchange for a pro-Israel vote, the official said.

It was actually the other side that bought pro-Palestine votes, this official claimed, hinting that “some Gulf states” paid for the support of “a few poor Pacific states and governments in Africa.”

Guatemala, meanwhile, gave Israel a “solemn promise” to vote against the Palestinian resolution, but ended up abstaining, the official said.

Panama is consistently pro-Israeli and pro-American, he added. The Central American nation of 3.5 million, which is slightly smaller than South Carolina, said it believed that Palestine had the right to be recognized as a state and regretted not being able to vote for the resolution.

“However,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement, Palestine “first needs to settle the differences with its neighbor, the State of Israel, which, like Palestine, is entitled to a life in peace and harmonious coexistence with Palestine and other states in the region.”

The electronic screen at the UN General Assembly showing the votes according to country (photo credit: screen capture UNGA livestream)

The Czech Republic’s vote delighted and surprised Israeli officials: It was the only European country to vote against the Palestinian statehood bid. “They have been consistently one of our best friends in the EU,” the official told The Times of Israel.

Berlin actually tried to pressure Prague to at least abstain in Thursday’s vote, to present a more-or-less unified European position. “But they don’t care what anyone else says; they’re ballsy,” the official said.

“We do not agree with any unilateral steps that may hamper or jeopardize the peace process leading to the two-state solution,” the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Prague voted against the resolution “because we are afraid that it might result in a further delay in the resumption of the negotiating process.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promptly called his Czech counterpart, Petr Necas, and thanked him for his country’s “courageous” stance. He promised to stop by in Prague on his way to a state visit to Germany this week to personally thank him for “standing up for the truth and for peace.”

“The history of Israel and the Czech Republic has taught us that one must cling to the truth, even if the majority is not with you,” Netanyahu told Necas. “Your vote must serve as an example for all those who support peace, which can be achieved only via direct negotiations without preconditions.”

Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman are also expected to call the leaders of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau in the coming days to thank them personally for their support. Soon after Thursday’s vote, Netanyahu said that these nations deserve praise and that “history will judge them favorably.”

“The Pacific Island nations actually surprised us last week,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told The Times of Israel on Sunday. “They usually side with us because of the very strong emotional ties we have, but this time round we thought only Micronesia was with us.”

The “no” votes were the more surprising given that even many of Israel’s allies voted for the proposal, arguing that the Palestinians deserve a state and that this upgrade could reenergize the peace process.

“It is no mystery that many world leaders and many nations feel very strongly about, and have very deep emotional bonds with, Israel and the Jewish people. That is not something so exceptional and sometimes it translates into actual votes at the UN,” Palmor said by way of explanation. “Voting at the UN General Assembly is always the result of complex and intricate sets of pressures and interests. Whoever takes a country’s vote at face value and thinks that a vote accurately reflects a country’s true opinion on the issue at hand doesn’t know much about international diplomacy.”

Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with Palau’s president Johnson Toribiong, November 24, 2011 (photo credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO/Flash90)

But the support of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau did not come out of nowhere, said Michael Ronen, Israel’s non-resident ambassador to 13 Pacific Islands, including the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, adding that he spent a lot of time lobbying before Thursday’s vote.

“We weren’t surprised that these four countries voted against a Palestinian state,” Ronen told Yedioth Ahronoth. “We’ve been working there in an orderly and continuous fashion for 30 years. We don’t tell them that we’re sending them an Israeli doctor in exchange for their vote. Other countries discover the Pacific only when they need it. A nation suddenly needs votes at the UN and instantly embraces these countries, offering them assistance, only to forget about them afterwards. We don’t work like that.”

Israel doesn’t buy votes, but it does send aid to the Pacific. Medical and agricultural experts have traveled to the South Pacific from Israel, and in the 1990s an Israeli coach trained a Micronesian national team. In addition, the leaders of these tiny island nations receive royal welcomes whenever they come to Israel, which adds to the warm feelings they feel toward the Jewish state.

“Whenever somebody likes us, it feels strange to us, almost like it’s against the laws of nature. But I don’t agree with that,” Ronen opined. “Their knowledge of us is based on the Bible and on Christianity… They really value the Jewish people and the State of Israel, what we’ve achieved and what we represent.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/eight-men-out-why-did-the-czechs-palau-and-half-a-dozen-others-stand-with-israel-in-the-vote-on-palestine/

A Collection of 150-Year-Old Pictures of Jerusalem

A Collection of 150-Year-Old Pictures of Jerusalem
Thanks to British Explorers and the New York Public Library

Cover of the Ordinance Survey
(1865)

The photographic archives in the New York Public Library is the surprising repository for hundreds of historic photographs of Palestine. Some of the pictures date back to the 1850s and 1860s.

We provide here a selection of some of the amazing photographs. Future postings will focus on particular pictures and the photographers.


Survey photo of the "Wailing Place of the Jews"
(1865). The photo was taken by Peter Bergheim who
established a photographic studio in the Christian
Quarter of the Old City. The Survey team had its
own photographer, but, apparently, Bergheim was
subcontracted by the Survey team. (Source: New
York Public Library) See here for similar photos.

Many of the photos were taken from the British Ordinance Survey of Jerusalem of 1865 led by Captain Charles W. Wilson. He and Captain Charles Warren led extensive archaeological excavations near the Temple Mount ("Wilson's Arch" and "Warren's Shaft" are well-known to visitors to Jerusalem). Warren would go on to become the head of London's police during the "Jack the Ripper" murder spree.

We thank staffers at the Library of Congress who steered us to the Survey and officials at the New York Public Library who granted permission to publish the photos.

The sealed Golden Gate, also known as Shaar
Harachamim (1865), is located on the eastern wall
of the Old City and closest to the site of the Jewish
Temple and the Dome of the Rock. The photo was
taken by the Survey's official photographer, James
McDonald. (Source: New York Public Library)
See here for similar photos.

The 1865 Survey contained measurements, maps and descriptions of the city of Jerusalem which was almost all contained within the Old City walls. The explorers sank shafts along the Old City walls, explored underground tunnels, cisterns and caverns, and recorded their findings.

In 1871,Wilson and Warren published The Recovery of Jerusalem, a Narrative of Exploration and Discovery in the City and the Holy Land, a memoir of their experiences in Jerusalem, including dealing with rapacious Ottoman officials, impassible roads, and local workers.

Interestingly, the Wilson-Warren book did not include photographs; it was illustrated with woodcuts such as this one possibly copied from the Bergheim photo above. And note how similar the woodcut is to the one illustrating William Seward's travelogue. Seward was Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State who visited the Holy Land in 1859 and 1871. Both books, both published in 1871, describe Jewish prayer at the Western Wall as restricted to Friday evening.

Woodcut in Seward's book

The woodcut in Wilson's book


http://www.israeldailypicture.com/
 

Only 8 stood with Israel

Israel, Canada, Panama, the Czech Republic and four tiny Pacific island states were the only ones in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly siding with the U.S. in its quixotic vote against the Palestinian Authority’s request for nonmember observer state status. France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark and Turkey were among the U.S. allies joining the majority in the 138-9 vote, with 41 abstentions.

'Canada will not let the Jews or Israel stand alone'

By HERB KEINON

11/30/2012, Jerusalem Post

Canadian foreign minister says Abbas should have used the support he received to reach out to Israel for peace talks.

Photo: Courtesy of Herzliya Conference

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, who delivered a supportive speech of Israel at the UN before its vote Thursday on the Palestinian statehood, said Friday "the bottom line is we will not let the Jewish people and the State of Israel stand alone when the going gets tough."

Baird, in a phone interview from New York, said he had "absolutely no hesitation" about taking the podium and opposing the Palestinian bid, something he knew was not a popular position in the hall.

The Canadian foreign minister criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the hostile tenor of his speech.

"Knowing that he had such overwhelming support, this would have been an occasion for him to reach out to the government and people of Israel, to embrace the Jewish people, to talk about his hopes for peace and be magnanimous," he said. "Unfortunately it was a rather aggressive speech that will really do nothing to advance the cause of peace or the peace process."

Baird said he was "disappointed with some countries in Europe for failing to stand up. I thought the Czech Republic was courageous to take the position it did and stand alone in the European Union. I certainly admire their leadership."

The Czech Republic was the only EU country to vote against the Palestinian resolution, and – along with Israel and Canada – made up a group of nine countries that opposed the bid.

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=294114

Historic synagogue to rise anew in Jerusalem

Tiferet Yisrael, which was destroyed by the Jordanian Army in 1948, will dominate Old City’s skyline

By Gabe Fisher November 29, 2012, Times of Israel

The ruins of the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem, on November 28, 2012 (photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

 

 

The Jerusalem Municipality on Wednesday announced plans to rebuild the historic Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue in the Old City.

 

The iconic three-story domed structure, which once dominated the skyline of the Jewish Quarter, was dedicated in 1872 but destroyed by the Jordanian Army after it captured the Old City during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

 

The Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue, circa 1940

(photo credit: CC BY Jerusalem Municipality, Wikipedia)

The synagogue is currently in ruins, with only one wall remaining. The rebuilding will take three years and cost NIS 50 million (about $13 million), with most of the funding coming from private donors. Due to its elevation, when completed the synagogue will be the highest structure in the Old City.

“The municipality sees great importance in preserving and rebuilding Jerusalem’s heritage sites. The Tiferet Yisrael synagogue was a symbol of the Jewish Yishuv [pre-state settlement] in Jerusalem and we are proud to bring it back and rebuild it anew,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in a statement.

Model of the Tiferet Yisrael after the proposed reconstruction (photo credit: courtesy Jerusalem Municipality)

Although the municipality has approved the construction, the project still needs to be green-lighted by the Interior Ministry.

Another iconic Old City synagogue destroyed in 1948, the Hurva, was rededicated in 2010, amid protests by Palestinian factions objecting to Israeli construction in the Old City.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/historic-synagogue-to-rise-anew-in-jerusalem/

Israel braces for Palestinian statehood bid at UN

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 |  Ryan Jones, Israel Today  

 

 

Israel on Wednesday was bracing itself, diplomatically, for the scheduled UN General Assembly vote a day later on recognizing "Palestine" as a non-member observer state, and the impact it could have on the peace process.

Israel had originally threatened to respond to the unilateral motion, which is a violation of the Palestinian Authority's signed agreements with Israel, by nullifying the so-called "Oslo Accords" and launching negotiations with other groups claiming to represent the Palestinian Arabs.

But on Tuesday Israeli officials said it had been decided to instead take a "low profile" approach to the vote in the hopes that the Palestinian Authority's abandonment of bilateral negotiations would speak for itself.
Considering the international community's track record when it comes to the Israeli-Arab peace process, that seemed a foolishly optimistic approach.

Meanwhile, the vote was resolution to recognize "Palestine" was expected to pass by a large margin, despite spirited opposition from Israel, the US, Canada and several other nations.

Among those nations supporting the motion were France, Spain and Switzerland. Britain was considering voting in favor, too.

General Assembly votes are non-binding, so the resolution would have little directly legal meaning. However, it would allow the Palestinian Authority to apply for membership at the International Criminal Court and at the International Court of Justice, where the Palestinians would be certain to file regular lawsuits against Israel.

Having "Palestine" recognized by the UN would also complicate the peace process, as it would put even more leverage in the hands of the Palestinian Authority, and would present a major obstacle to Israel acting against terrorist threats in Palestinian-controlled territories.


http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23533/Default.aspx

Seventy years after the Donau, what has Norway learned?

On the anniversary of the country’s largest transport of Jews to Auschwitz, a Norwegian journalist ponders the history and future of a tiny, endangered minority

By Leif Knutsen November 26, 2012, Times of Israel

Oslo and Trondheim’s synagogues and Jewish community centers are among the most heavily fortified buildings in Norway

In the cold, dark mist of the afternoon of Nov. 26, 1942, the SS Donau sailed out of the Oslofjord with 532 unwilling passengers.

 They were Jews, robbed of all their earthly possessions, kidnapped and imprisoned, on their way to the Polish port of Stettin, from which they would be transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. All but nine were murdered there.

There were other such deadly transports before and after, but the Donau was the largest.

In the early fall of 1942, there were about 2,100 Jews in Norway. Of these, about 780 were killed in the Holocaust. Norway’s Nazi occupiers initiated the genocidal program as directed by the Wannsee Conference, but it was the country’s Quisling regime, aided by Norwegian ”security police,” that implemented it: Only after the Jews had been brought to the pier in Oslo were they delivered into German custody.

With a few brave exceptions, most Norwegians stood by as their Jewish neighbors disappeared.

Those Jews who had the means fled and found temporary homes, primarily in Sweden, but also in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. A disproportionately high number of Norwegian Jews volunteered for military and clandestine work for the Allied war effort, which they served with distinction.

Following the war, it took several years for Norwegian Jews to return to their country.

The much-heralded White Buses program did not compile or present a list of Jewish Norwegians to Himmler or camp commanders, and those few Jews from Norway who walked out of the camps had to find their own way home.

Many of the stateless Jewish refugees who fled to Sweden in the 1930s were refused re-entry into Norway after the war. Others were reluctant to attempt to reclaim stolen property or rebuild a community in shambles. Many families have yet to return, and probably never will.

Much has happened in Norway since World War II. The small kingdom has in full measure adopted social welfare reforms and financed them with abundant fossil fuel production in the North Sea.

Norway now consistently ranks in the global top five for GDP per capita, human development, political stability, democracy and other indexes.

But on the 70th anniversary of the departure of the Donau, it is time to ask: How far has Norway come in developing the ability to prevent such an act from happening again?

There is no lack of good intentions. The Holocaust is a mandatory subject in all primary schools, and political parties across the entire spectrum categorically denounce anti-Semitism.

But the Jewish community is struggling. There are about 800 members of the country’s two prominent Jewish congregations (in Oslo and Trondheim), and probably fewer than 2,000 self-identified Jews in Norway. Several hundred Norwegian Jews have made aliya, and others have emigrated to the United States and elsewhere.

The two synagogues and adjacent community centers are among the most heavily fortified buildings in Norway, and a large number of Jews have chosen to keep their Jewish background secret to all but their closest family, or to abandon it altogether.

Norway takes pride in promoting an open, inclusive democracy, but is clearly unable to nurture a vibrant, growing Jewish community.

Until recently, Norwegian politicians, journalists and academics were in denial about this. The Jewish community was small, individuals were by and large well-integrated and productive members of society, and it seemed inconceivable that a country with such high ideals could have an anti-Semitism problem.

But facts have become difficult to ignore.

A survey among primary school students in Oslo found that the system’s handful of Jewish students were by far the most bullied and maligned of any group. The term ”Jew” has been widely adopted as a derogatory term, and concerned teachers choose to stay anonymous in the media for fear of reprisals. School authorities tell Jewish students that wearing a Star of David constitutes a provocation.

For the completion of this article:  http://www.timesofisrael.com/seventy-years-after-the-donau-what-has-norway-learned/

Australian Prime Minister Gillard reassures Israel of backing despite UN vote

 

Gillard reassures Israel of backing despite UN vote

Date: November 29, 2012, Israel News Now

 

"We all want to wake up in a world where Israel can live behind secure borders" ... Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Photo: Andrew Meares

THE Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has sought to placate an angry Jewish lobby with strong words of support in Parliament for Israel after Australia backed Palestine at the United Nations.

Ms Gillard's leadership is bruised but intact after she was forced to abandon her support for Israel to avoid being rolled by her own caucus.

Senior colleagues acknowledged that had Ms Gillard not backed down on the issue, it could have spelt the end of her leadership.

''This has weakened her leadership but had she lost [in caucus] it would have been worse,'' said one senior source.

Another said: ''She could have got it through the caucus but it would have come at a cost.''

At the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Australia will abstain from a vote on a resolution to give Palestine observer status at the UN.

Ms Gillard had wanted Australia to join the United States, Israel, Canada and a handful of smaller nations in voting no but faced stiff resistance led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bob Carr, and supported by MPs from the Left and Right factions, most notably the usually pro-Israel NSW Right.

During a heated cabinet meeting on Monday night, only two ministers backed Ms Gillard while 10 argued for a abstention or a yes vote.

Ms Gillard insisted on a no vote and cabinet had no choice but to back her. But she was warned subsequently by factional bosses the Right would not be supporting her in the caucus on Tuesday morning when MPs were set to vote on a motion to back Palestine.

Behind the scenes, the former prime minister Bob Hawke and the former foreign minister Gareth Evans were agitating among the backbench against Ms Gillard's position.

Ms Gillard agreed to an abstention just before caucus met, avoiding a defeat.

The push against her straddled the divide between Gillard supporters and Kevin Rudd supporters. There was a general frustration in the ALP that Ms Gillard took so long to cede to the majority view.

One factor driving the NSW Right was Labor's poor stock in western Sydney, where MPs and ministers are being lobbied by voters with a Middle-Eastern background.

But while this was a factor in the revolt, it was not the the only one.

The Israeli embassy and the Jewish lobby are angry at the decision and members of the lobby are seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister.

In Parliament, Ms Gillard said the decision to abstain was not a reflection on Australia's support for Israel and a two-state solution in the Middle East.

She said, ''we all want to wake up in a world where Israel can live behind secure borders'' and where Israelis no longer had to fear random rocket attacks.

The US Ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey Bleich, said the decision would not effect Australia's strong relationship with Washington.

Senator Carr defended Ms Gillard, saying it was not about her leadership.

Senator Carr is a founder of the group, Labor friends of Israel. One of his colleagues said Senator Carr believes that ''as a friend of Israel, at times you've got to save it from itself''.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/gillard-reassures-israel-of-backing-despite-un-vote-20121128-2ae77.html

 

Tens of Thousands of Jewish Books Damaged in Hurricane Buried

Tens of Thousands of Jewish Books Damaged in Hurricane Buried

A mass funeral was held this week for Jewish holy books destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Sandy last month.

 

By David Lev

First Publish: 11/28/2012, Israel National News

Sandy Hits NY

Ze'evi Fried, New York

 

A mass funeral was held this week for Jewish holy books destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Sandy last month. The funeral was held in the Far Rockaway area of Queens, which experienced some of the worst damage from the storm.

The funeral – in which a caravan of three trucks carrying prayer books, bibles, Talmud volumes, and other holy books damaged in the storm in New York and Long Island – was a mass genizah burial. Holy books that can no longer be used are buried in a special area of a Jewish cemetery, given the honor of a funeral due to their holiness.

The procession left from Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah in Far Rockaway. Tens of thousands of books had been collected by organizations and individuals for the event. Students of the Yeshiva and other educational institutions, as well as residents of the neighborhood and visitors from around the New York area, participated in the event. Jewish-owned businesses in the area closed for the period of the funeral.

After prayers and speeches discussing the Jewish point of view on the events experienced by residents of the New York area last month, the books were taken to a Jewish cemetery in New Jersey for burial.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162603

19th and early 20th century photographs from the Holy Land

Updates to Previous Posts
with Pictures from the New York Public Library. Yes, the NYPL

 

"Shepherd and sheep." Where? South on Nablus Road in Jerusalem (circa 1900)
The mosque and minaret are still there today. Credit: New York Public Library

The Library of Congress archives of 19th and early 20th century photographs from the Holy Land still has more veins of treasures to be mined by Israel Daily Picture.

But we would like to add two more American Colony pictures which we found in the New York Public Library archives to our previous postings. We thank the NYPL for granting permission to present them here.



Turkish soldiers marching on Nablus
Road past the same minaret
(circa 1900)

The first is a picture of shepherds and sheep. What drew our attention were the buildings and mosque, easily identified in our feature "Jerusalem's Nablus Road -- Where History Marched." The original caption to the photograph of the soldiers notes that they were passing the American Colony residence, located on Nablus Road.

Emperor Wilhelm passing the Colony's
residence. Note the minaret above the
ultra-Orthodox Jew's hat on the left.
(1898)

The Colony's location gave the photographers a front row seat for the arrival of the German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1898.

The second photo found in the New York Public Library is a picture of farming practices in Palestine over 100 years ago. The American Colony photographers frequently shot pictures of mismatched plowing animals.

Peasant plowing (circa 1900)
Credit: New York Public Library

We theorize that the American Colony members, who were well versed in the Old Testament, focused on agricultural prohibitions found in the Bible.

In this particular case, they illustrated the prohibition "Thou shall not plow with an ox and an ass together." (Deuteronomy 20)

They also provided pictures of the prohibition "Thou shall not muzzle an ox in its threshing"
(Deuteronomy 25)

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/11/updates-to-previous-posts-with-pictures.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29
 

Messianic village in spotlight after gay rights legal battle

Messianic village in spotlight after gay rights legal battle

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 | Ryan Jones, Israel Today 

            

         Yad Hashmona (Photo by Steve Martin)



A court ruling penalizing the Israeli Messianic village of Yad Hashmonah for refusing to host a lesbian wedding has severely damaged the community's main source of income, but has also opened the door to be an even greater witness to the Israeli public.

Founded by Finnish Christian Zionists in the 1960s, Yad Hashmonah is today a focal point of the Israeli Messianic movement. It is also home to a beautiful guest house, event hall and biblical garden that are frequented by Israeli visitors.

That is, they were frequented by Israeli visitors until earlier this year, when a Jerusalem court slapped the village with a large fine after it turned down a lesbian couple that tried to get married there three years earlier.

At the time, Yad Hashmonah explained to the couple that the biblical faith of the village prevented them from hosting such an event. The Jerusalem court said this amounted to harassment and discrimination, and Israel's homosexual community rejoiced in their victory over Bible-believers.

Meanwhile, Yad Hashmonah has had to all but shut down its booming business for fear that gay and lesbian weddings would be booked on a weekly basis in an effort to finish off the village.

"Our business is suffering badly," spokeswoman Ayelet Ronen told Israel Today. "We are firing people and cutting every expense possible."

But that's not the end of the story.

At the same time, Ronen exclaimed, "God is really using this!"

Since the court decision, and the initial negative press coverage it spawned, Ronen has been interviewed by three newspapers, two radio programs, and Israel's leading morning TV news show. And then there have been the phone calls from random Israelis.

"I have been flooded with calls from people wanting to know more about the situation, asking about our faith and offering moral support," said Ronen.

This new wave of positive coverage, which has afforded Ronen numerous opportunities to witness directly to Israelis, started with a lengthy article in Makor Rishon, Israel's leading religious newspaper.

The Makor Rishon piece was very positive, giving a bit of background on the Christian Zionist beginnings of Yad Hashmonah and fully siding with the village in its decision to turn down homosexual events on biblical grounds. Perhaps more importantly, however, this religious newspaper clearly identified Messianic Jews like Ronen and the residents of Yad Hashmonah as belonging firmly in the camp of Bible-believing, conservative Jews.

Israeli Messianics have struggled for decades with widespread accusations that their faith in Yeshua means they are no longer Jews. The reactions to the Yad Hashmonah issue are further evidence that this attitude is changing.

As for the village and the future of its primary business, Ronen said the recent media coverage had gotten the attention of a senior Israeli judge who feels that justice was not done in Yad Hashmonah's case.

In the meantime, Yad Hashmonah is hoping to replace the loss of Israeli visitors with Christian groups visiting the country. Nestled in the hills just outside Jerusalem, Yad Hashmonah certainly offers a unique experience for Christians.

To learn more about Yad Hashmonah, visit their website: www.yad8.com

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23530/Default.aspx?ref=newsletter-20121127
 

Muslim ruler hires Israeli silversmiths to adorn his palace

Sunday, November 25, 2012 |  Yossi Aloni, Israel Today magazine  

There might be a general Muslim boycott on all Israeli-made goods, but that didn't stop a Muslim ruler from commissioning Israeli silversmiths to craft a stunning diamond-studded candelabrum for his palace.

With a price tag of USD $400,000, the beautifully crafted piece was accompanied by an armed guard all the way from Israel to its new home in one of the nations from the former Soviet Union.

Standing at nearly six feet tall, the candelabrum was carved from pure silver, and includes two flamingos intricately carved from solid gold at its base. Not to mention the 4-carat diamond embedded in the stem. It took eight silversmiths from the Israeli jeweler Hazorfim over four months to craft the work of art.

Since direct contact between Muslim heads of state and Israeli producers is taboo, the deal was brokered by a Russian intermediary, who has already helped the buyer purchase three pieces from Hazorfim, with a fourth in the works.

The buyer reportedly originally commissioned Italian, Russian and Turkish craftsmen to produce the piece. But the level of craftsmanship and care demonstrated by the Israelis eventually won them the contract.

Hazorfim included with the candelabrum a book chronicling the entire process of its creation.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23521/Default.aspx

Matisyahu's New Chanukah Song to Benefit Sandy Victims

Matisyahu's New Chanukah Song to Benefit Sandy Victims

Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu has released a new song titled “Happy Hanukkah” to celebrate the upcoming holiday.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

First Publish: 11/25/2012, Israel National News

Jewish rapper Matisyahu

Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu has released a new song titled “Happy Hanukkah” to celebrate the upcoming holiday.

All proceeds from the song will go to the Jewish Federations of North America and The Robin Hood Foundation to help victims of Hurricane Sandy until the end of Chanukah on December 16.

"I am from New York and wanted to give back to my incredible community in the wake Hurricane Sandy,” Matisyahu said, according to the Cleveland Jewish News.

Matisyahu’s first Chanukah song, “Miracle,” received critical acclaim after its release in 2010.

The Grammy nominated recording artist will kick off his sixth annual “Festival of Light” Chanukah tour on December 8. He is currently in the middle of his fall college tour, which has taken him to college campuses around the country.

The “Happy Hanukkah” song can be downloaded via iTunes, Amazon and MatisyahuWorld.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162487

Tags: Music ,Chanukah ,Jewish ,holiday

Golda Meir

Golda Meir, Former Prime Minister of Israel

Obama Prophecy and Prayer - Prophetc Word from Wendy Alec (11/12/12)

Obama Prophecy and Prayer

Prophetic Word from Wendy Alec – November 12th 2012:

      Rory & Wendy Alec - GOD TV

I sensed the Lord saying: It is time to stop. It is time for a complete turnaround of my people. It is time to pray.
And as my people, as my church, rises up across the nation and the nations of this world to pray –
Pray fervently for President Obama; pray fervently for the government; pray fervently for the White House
That we will see in the land of the living –
That we will see a change in the direction of the White House –
That we will see a change – a transformation even of policies –

And it will be My Hand that has wrought this change says the Lord
For my hand has been restrained, says the Lord – My Hand has been restrained because of the disobedience of my people –
For there have been many prayers that have risen up to my throne but there has been prayerlessness for this government
For I tell you, beloved son, beloved daughter that as you arise in prayer for this government – as you arise in prayer for this President – for this husband; for this father of children, for this President of the nation of America –
That my hand shall once again be loosed to move upon the White House – upon the government – upon the President – in power – in glory and in might
And as you lift up your voice in the day and as you lift up your voice in the night hour before my throne and pray for wisdom for this man –
I tell you that even in an instant – I shall release wisdom –
Even in an instant I shall release revelation –
Even in an instant – his eyes shall be opened to things in the natural and things in the spirit realm that he has been previously blinded to –
And I shall pour out My Spirit upon the White House –

And I shall pour out My Spirit upon Congress
And I shall pour out My Spirit upon the President, and I shall pour out My Spirit upon this government – and shall pour out My Spirit upon this Congress, and there shall begin to come a softening – and the great divides shall start to dissolve –
And one by one, there shall come a working together across the aisles – across the differences – across the issues – and My Spirit shall move at first in individuals – in one man – then in one woman –
Then another, and another, and there shall be within the walls of Congress a spirit of reconciliation – a spirit of working together – and the walls of division shall start to fall – for there has been a stalemate in the spirit says the Lord – but no more

For there shall begin a healing of rifts says the Lord
A healing of rifts
A healing of rifts between the Republicans and the Democrats
A healing of rifts that shall extend even from the Congress to Israel
For there shall even be a healing of rifts between President Barack Obama and President Benjamin Netanyahu

And the spirit of Jezebel shall be rooted out of the White House –
It shall be rooted out of the Congress
For I shall tear down and root out –
And even certain men and certain women shall be removed from their positions
They shall be removed –
And there shall even be removals from a high place – a place of great authority
And in their place I shall position those chosen and appointed by my own hand
There will be Cyrus’ whose hands I shall use
And there will be Marys who hear my voice and who seek my face –
But Lord how can that be?
It shall be – says the Lord of Hosts – for child I am neither Republican nor Democrat – I am God, says the Lord of Hosts.

Is a man’s heart not in my hands?
Have I not said that that I move the heart of kings?
So I wait for you beloved son –
I wait for you my beloved daughter –
Come rend your garments – come dry your tears and bring your supplications for this President –for this government before my throne –
And it shall be – that even in a moment –
Even in a day –
You shall start to see things shift and change –
People removed – people replaced –
And I shall pour out wisdom in the night hour upon Barack Obama –
And he shall hear a voice saying this is the way – walk ye in it
And it shall be my voice says the Lord
And I shall put a hook in his nose to Israel
And I shall water the stony heart and I shall wash his eyes with my salve –the salve of my Holy Spirit
And I will break the bonds of intimidation from this President
For is it not that same spirit of Jezebel that has surely paralyzed his hands in this past term
That has kept his eyes from seeing
That has stopped his ears from hearing
But no more says the Lord of hosts no more shall it be
For I shall raise him as a champion of the poor in this next term
And yes – he shall raise his voice as a champion for the poor and the weak and the helpless
And this is not of himself but it shall be of me
And he shall champion the poor
He shall champion education
He shall champion the common man
And I shall bring to him men and women after my own heart who shall speak to him of things that hold great weight with me
And he shall think deeply on these things
And he shall ponder them in his heart
And there shall be many issues that he shall quietly address that may go unnoticed by the public
But they will not be unnoticed by me
And I will place a steel rod at his back
And he shall start to stand firm – and I shall grant him wisdom concerning economic issues
And yes there will be naysayers
And yes there will be opponents
But as my people – but as my church bring him faithfully before me
I will grant him wisdom to deal with the Middle East
I will grant him wisdom to deal with Israel
And I will send my prophets

My prophets will speak a word to him in season concerning my people Israel

And I will grant him wisdom concerning Israel – wisdom concerning Jerusalem, wisdom concerning Iran

Wisdom concerning Afghanistan

Wisdom regarding China

And a new mantle shall rest upon him in this term
A new mantle
A mantle of wisdom; a mantle of power; a mantle of strength
For it will be a new day
And many, many across America will say – is this the same man? How can it be?
And I tell you - it shall be because I am God -

Prayer for President Barack Obama and the government of the United States
Beloved son – beloved daughter – I feel that the Lord says that he has been grieved, much grieved at the voices of criticism that have risen up from his own people – from his own church these past years – from those across the United States that he has raised up to intercede and stand in the gap for America.
That the Father, Himself is now urging all of us who may have criticised, spoken words that were not beneficial over the President to do a hundred percent turnaround.
To repent of our attitudes – justified as many feel they are, and to get down on our knees, ask for forgiveness and start to earnestly pray.

Prayer for the President of the United States
Father we come before you and humble ourselves under your mighty hand.
We ask your forgiveness for every negative and idle word spoken from our lips against our President – President Barack Obama.
Oh father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for all men, we release your will over the government and across the United States of America

Father in the mighty name of Jesus – we bring President Barack Obama before your throne.

Oh almighty Father, we earnestly ask you for his salvation, that he may come to a vital, living knowledge, to a vital living understanding of you as his living God and as Jesus Christ his Lord and saviour.

We earnestly ask that you would endow him with wisdom in the mighty name of Jesus.

That he would be led even as Moses, even as King David.

That he would hear your voice ring out to his heart and mind – this is the way – walk ye in it.

We release wisdom to President Barack Obama.

We release the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Father, use him father. Use his hands to sign what you would have signed.

Use his voice to speak what you would have spoken.

>Use his eyes to see what you would have seen.

And in the mighty name of Jesus Christ – we break every hold of Jezebel over the White House.
President Obama – we speak to you in the name of Jesus and we free you this day from Jezebel’s clutches.
President Obama - where you have been bound – we cry freedom.

Where your ears have been stopped – we cry open.

Where your hands have been bound – we cry – a severing of the chains – we sever the shackles of intimidation.

We break off all Jezebelic deceptions –

We cut off ungodly advisers –

We remove all ungodly tentacles from your shoulders

We call forth Godly men –

Godly women by your side – day and night –

We call forth day and night prayer for you across the United States and the world.

Prayer arising even from the capital itself.

We call forth wisdom concerning Iran.

We call forth wisdom concerning Israel.

We call forth wisdom concerning Syria.

We call forth wisdom concerning the economic situation.

We call forth wisdom concerning the issues of the day.

We call forth a new mantle of strength.

A new mantle of wisdom.

A new mantle of revelation.

That you would bow your knee in the night hour and hear from the living God.

Father, we place President Barack Obama in your hands, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

May your kingdom come in the White House.

May your will be done in the White House.

In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, amen.

http://www.god.tv/obamaprophecyandprayer

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Jews show support for Israel over Gaza

Jews show support for Israel over Gaza

Thousands of French protestors in Paris raise signs reading, 'Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Jews.' In New York, members of Jewish organizations express 'unequivocal support for the State of Israel's right to defend itself'

       

Published:  11.21.12, 09:33 / Israel Jewish Scene 'Israel, we're all united' (Photo: AFP)

Some 2,500 people demonstrated in Paris on Tuesday evening in support of Israel's operation in Gaza. Most of the protestors were Jewish.

A similar show of support was also held outside the Israeli Consulate in New York.

Anti-Israel

Neturei Karta hold pro-Palestinian rallies / Yitzhak Tessler Members of extreme Hasidic sect opposing Zionism stage fiery protests in central cities worldwide, tearing Israeli flags and raising signs against Gaza operation Full story

"The Hamas charter calls for destruction of Jews," read some of the signs raised by the French protestors.

Addressing the crowd, the president of the Israelite Consistory of France, Joel Mergui, likened "terrorism that wants to kill in Israel" as "the same that attacks Jewish children in France."

Hundreds of riot police surrounded a group from the militant Jewish Defense League and ordered them to lower flags that bore a Star of David and a clenched fist.

A main axis was blocked off for the demonstration just off the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue, and riot police vans lined neighboring streets.

 
'Stop Palestinian terrorism.' NY protest (Photo: Reuters)

"Everyone seems to forget what Israel has been going through, years of rockets," said one of the protestors. "Every state has a natural right to defend itself. I am French and I'm Jewish and clearly I take an interest in what is happening."

Ariel, another protestor, said: "We feel close to them because they haven't done anything for which they deserve what they're going through. When missiles are fired on you while you're in school, at home or at a restaurant, it's very scary. We want to tell them that we support them with all our hearts."

Past Middle East tensions have impacted on France, which has Western Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim populations, and boosted anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic incidents.


Show of support in Paris (Photo: AFP)


 
'Hamas charter calls for destruction of Jews' (Photo: AP)



'Israel's war is France's war' (Photo: EPA)


'We stand with Israel' (Photo: EPA)


'Israel, we're all united' (Photo: AFP)

A protest organized by Jewish organizations was held in New York. Michael S. Miller, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said during the event: "The purpose of this gathering is to express the unequivocal support for the State of Israel among New York's political, communal, ethnic and faith leaders.

"The flagrant and unprovoked violence emanating from Gaza must immediately come to an end. Until then, we wholeheartedly support Israel's right to defend herself."

He added that any moral comparison between Israel's actions and Hamas' actions should be strongly rejected.

The JTA news agency reported that the Jewish Federations of North America have committed $5 million in assistance to the Jewish Agency's Israel Terror Relief Fund for the immediate needs of the people living under fire.

Organizations representing Orthodox Judaism – the Rabbinical Council of America, the Orthodox Union and the National Council of Young Israel –called on "all Jews to increase their Torah study as spiritual support and merit for those Israeli soldiers and civilians on the front line of battle."

The RCA instructed its members to hold special classes and lectures in their communities "dedicated to the support of the IDF and the State of Israel," JTA reported.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4309617,00.html

Parisians rally in solidarity with Israel

By NADAV SHEMER, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT

11/21/2012

Over a thousand people gathered outside Israeli Embassy in a peaceful demonstration supporting Operation Pillar of Defense.

Photo: NADAV SHEMER

PARIS – A couple of thousand people gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in Paris Tuesday evening in a peaceful demonstration supporting the country during Operation Pillar of Defense.

As dozens of policemen in riot gear patrolled the adjacent Champs Elysees, Jewish community leaders, local politicians and representatives of pro-Israel groups took to the stage to denounce Hamas rocket attacks and call for the French government to back the Jewish state.

The demonstration was organized by the French Jewish umbrella organization, CRIF, and several other community groups, including B’nai B’rith.

French Chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim came to the microphone first, delivering a poetic speech about “friends and family living for years to the rhythm of missiles and sirens.”

Addressing all of France’s rabbis and imams, he said that if they chose to invoke the situation in the Middle East during their sermons, they must do so with respect for the gravity of the situation.

Claude Goasguen, mayor of the 16th arrondissement – an area of Paris with a large Jewish population – was one of several speakers to criticize French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for his alleged failure to back Israel unequivocally. Each mention of Fabius’s name elicited jeers from a large proportion of the crowd.

Other speakers included the president of the Society of Armenian Support for Israel, who declared that “Israel is not a terrorist state,” before shouting, “Am Yisrael hai!” (the people of Israel live) into the microphone.

The crowd, which numbered around 2,000 according to a local television crew, contained a diverse mix of young and old.

Many waved Israeli and French flags, or held placards with the message that France and other Western nations must support Israel and confront terrorism.

Annabelle Timsit, a recent high school graduate who works at the Paris Holocaust Memorial, told The Jerusalem Post that she hoped people of all religions would come to show their support for the fact that Israel was defending itself and not attacking poor civilians, “as the media would like us to believe.”

Meir Djeb was there along with several other members of the Federation of Black Jews, an organization representing Paris’s approximately 250 black Jewish families. The group’s members come mainly from Israel, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

“We are united behind the Israeli people and Tzahal [the Israel Defense Forces],” Djeb told the Post. “It is very important that all of Europe knows that the real terrorists are Hamas.”

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=292826

 

No Obama Veto on Ground Op, Says Ambassador

No Obama Veto on Ground Op, Says Ambassador

Michael Oren, Israel's U.S. ambassador, says Washington will fully support Israel, whatever it decides to do.

 

By Gil Ronen, Israel National News 

First Publish: 11/20/2012

 

President Barack Obama

Reuters

 

Israel's Ambassador in the United States, Michael Oren, told IDF Radio Tuesday that there is no American veto on a possible ground maneuver by the IDF in Gaza.

"Washington's support in any step Israel takes is full," he said. "Obama spoke twice with the prime minister and called our situation 'unbearable.'"

Minister of Home Front Defense Avi Dichter refused to say Tuesday whether Israel and Hamas are headed toward a ceasefire or more intensive hostilities. "The probability of an arrangement in the face of requests and pressure is identical to the probability that the operation will be ratcheted up," he told the military station.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday that "A ground incursion into Gaza by Israel would be a dangerous escalation and it should be avoided." He added, though, that "Israel has legitimate security concerns and they should be respected." 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162318

Hamas Targets Jerusalem Again

CBNNews.com

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

 

 

 

 

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem again Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. Israeli time.

 

CBN News Jerusalem Bureau staff reported hearing an explosion seconds after the sirens stopped.

The missile landed outside the city in Gush Etzion, triggering the sirens, but there are no reports of injuries or property damage.

An unconfirmed radio report said it landed in an Arab village in the area.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, as it did last week, claiming it fired an M75 missile with a 75-kilometer range.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2012/November/Hamas-Targets-Jerusalem-Again/

Rocket Hits Gush Etzion, near Jerusalem

Rocket Hits Gush Etzion

Sirens wailed in Jerusalem and Gush Etzion to warn of incoming missiles. Rocket hits kibbutz home in Negev. One seriously wounded.

 

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, Israel National News 

First Publish: 11/20/2012

People take cover as sirens sound in Jerusalem

Israel news photo

 

A rocket exploded in an open area near an Arab village in Gush Etzion around 2:15 p.m. as sirens wailed in Jerusalem during another barrage of rockets and missiles unleashed by Hamas.

The missile exploded in an open area, and no one was injured. Minutes before the sirens rang out, an AFP correspondent in Gaza City reported hearing the loud report of an outgoing rocket.

The attack was claimed by Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, which said it had fired "an M75 rocket at the occupied city of Jerusalem."

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who spent the past two days in Egypt, had been scheduled to hold talks in Jerusalem with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman shortly after noon.
At least one missile was aimed at Jerusalem last week and reportedly exploded in an open area next to an Arab village in Gush Etzion, located south of the capital.

Shortly earlier on Tuesday, three rockets hit a kibbutz, critically wounding at least one person. The early warning siren system did not operate, and there are fears that several young people, possibly children, are trapped in debris.

A Grad missile demolished a Be’er Sheva home. A woman in the house took cover in the reinforced shelter in the house and escaped injury.

 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162304