The Cliffs in Judea Overlooking Solomon's Pools

The Cliffs in Judea Overlooking Solomon's Pools --
Where Are Those Cliffs Today?

(www.IsraelDailyPicture.com)




Solomon's Pools. The photo is dated between 1860 and 1880. No name is attributed to the photo. The photo and
handwritten caption are similar to photos by Felix Bonfils (1831-1885). The man in the photo may be the same as in
this photo from the Western Wall, perhaps even a photo of Bonfils himself.

 


Solomon's Pools in a rare color photo (circa 1905)



The Cliffs. Original caption: "Solomon's Pools and ancient
aqueducts. Dam across Wadi Biyar al-Bir ed-Darraj"
(circa 1936)

 

Early photographers in the Holy Land were enchanted by "Solomon's Pools," an elaborate water system from the Maccabean or Roman times located between Bethlehem and Hebron that brought water all the way to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Dozens of pictures of the pools can be found in the Library of Congress archives, such as these photos.

The American Colony's photo collection (1898-1946) includes a picture of cliffs near Solomon's Pools.

 

The cliffs beneath the Zayit neighborhood of Efrat

Here are pictures of the cliffs today. They are situated beneath the northern tip of the town of Efrat and its Zayit neighborhood. Efrat was established in 1983 and is located some eight miles south of Jerusalem.

 The cliffs today as viewed on Google Earth

 

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/08/a-cliff-in-judea-overlooking-solomons.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29

 

Church Regrets Asking Arabs to Recognize Israel as Jewish State

Church Regrets Asking Arabs to Recognize Israel as Jewish State

The United Church of Canada (UCC) has voted to boycott products exported by Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

First Publish: 8/19/2012

Boycott supporters

Israel news photo: Flash 90

 

The United Church of Canada (UCC) has voted to boycott products exported by Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. The vote was one of thirteen resolutions, which single out “Israeli settlements” as the primary obstacle to peace in the region, that the UCC adopted on Friday at its 41st general council meeting in Ottawa. The UCC also called on Israel to suspend “settlement” expansion, and express regret for previously asking the “Palestinians” to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state.

"The UCC's so-called apology to Palestinians is actually a slap in the face to the 6 million Jewish citizens of democratic Israel, to UCC's Canadian Jewish neighbors and to World Jewry," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. "The adoption of this anti-peace resolution is proof-positive that UCC leadership is endorsing and promoting an extremist political program wrapped in theological discourse. By the UCC catering to the extremists who deny the validity Israel’s Jewish identity, no Israeli will take any of the church's initiatives - present or future - seriously."

"It comes as no surprise that the Church will apparently be calling on its members to boycott products from Israeli communities on the West Bank. That fits neatly into a carefully orchestrated international political campaign to demonize Israel. We can assure members of the church that Israel will continue to seek peace with its neighbors whether or not UCC members buy Israeli beauty products or dates," Cooper added.

“The real loser,” added Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, the Center’s director of interfaith affairs, “is the moral standing of the Church, which is removing itself from any relationship with the Jewish community, voiding the gains of a half century, while broadcasting the message loud and clear, ‘Lovers of Zion', Jews and Christians, not welcome here.’”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159026

The Changing Middle East: Revolt Against Artificial Borders - Part III

israel today Magazine

You've read the news. Now understand it.

The Changing Middle East: Revolt Against Artificial Borders - Part III

Thursday, August 16, 2012 | Elizabeth Blade

This is Part III of a three-part story on the Middle East's changing borders. If you have not done so already, we suggest first reading The Changing Middle East: Revolt Against Artificial Borders - Part I and The Changing Middle East: Revolt Against Artificial Borders - Part II


What should Israel expect in this constantly changing environment? Here opinions differ.

“Up until now many in the Israeli establishment believed Assad was a guarantee of stability, as he was the person who kept our northern border quiet for the past forty years,” said Paz. “Now the situation is changing with many officials preferring to see him toppled. In any case, chaos is not good for Israel because it’s not manageable, you can never know what the outcome will be,” he continued.

Talking about the possible repercussions for the entire area, Paz also stressed that the fall of Assad could lead to further destabilization, prompting revolts in Jordan and Palestine, two areas that have thus far remained relatively stable. “The Jewish state might be drawn into a conflict if the regime [in Jordan] is threatened,” he said. The expert referred to the events of 1970 when Israel was prepared to send troops to Jordan in a bid to oust Palestinian Liberation Organization, a terrorist movement that aimed to depose the late King Hussein.

Perlov voiced a different view. “No matter what happens, we shouldn’t panic. The division of Syria is not fatal for Israel. I am sure we will be able to come to terms with Kurdistan and any other new state that might emerge. Any scenario is better than Assad,” she reasoned, while acknowledging that the ouster of the current regime might create power vacuums, easily filled by hostile elements that could promote violent cross-border tensions and crime. “There are dangers but with the right management of the crisis, Israel can only benefit from a new regime in Syria,” she concluded.

There are historical precedents for bloody conflicts that were resolved by partition. The dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1990's -- a region with a history of ethnic conflicts -- brought the creation of several independent countries that mostly live in peace with each other. Will Syria share the same fate? Experts agree that it is too early to tell.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23345/language/en-US/Default.aspx

The Changing Middle East: Revolt Against Artificial Borders - Part I

The Changing Middle East: Revolt Against Artificial Borders - Part I

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 | Elizabeth Blade - Israel Today magazine

 

Several days ago, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Syria announced that it would establish its own militia, the Armed Men of the Muslim Brotherhood, and function independently of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) – the main military rebel movement.

United by a common goal to topple the Assad regime, the two entities seem to have different backers, pursuing conflicting interests. The FSA – consisting mainly of defectors and representatives of various religious groups – is supported by Saudi Arabia, while the new group is funded by Qatar, a country that promotes Islamist regimes.

The fact that there are conflicting parties involved in the civil war comes as no surprise to some experts, who say divisions within the opposition were dictated by the ethnically diverse nature of Syria.

“Syria is a medley of ethnicities, religions, languages and cultures – all living in one place, where every group is competing in a tug of war, trying to promote its own interests,” said Orit Perlov, a researcher with the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) specializing in the Arab states.

The same pattern holds true for the rest of the Arab world, where different ethnic communities and tribes have been forced to share the same territory despite significant differences. With the eruption of the upheavals that have rocked the Middle East since late 2010, movements have begun resisting the artificially drawn borders – intact since the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 – that divided control over the Arab provinces of the ailing Ottoman Empire between Britain, France, and Russia after the conclusion of World War I.

In December 2011, the spokesperson for Syria’s MB, Zuhair Salim, stated that the organization was interested in reviving the caliphate and creating a state for all Muslims of the region. “The hell with Syria and Syrian nationalism!” he was quoted by Kurdish-Iraqi publication Kurdwatch as saying. “How was the modern Syria created? It was sketched by Sykes and Picot… We don’t recognize this agreement!” he added.

Addressing the issue, Reuven Paz, a former head of the research department at Israel’s General Security Service agreed with Salim’s statement, saying that “although the Arab Spring was inspired by social inequality and widespread corruption it was also caused by the desire to scrap the artificial boundaries between states and to establish a more natural territorial division of the Middle East”.

Boasting a crucially strategic location, the Middle East served as a convenient ground for the superpowers to promote their geopolitical and economic interests, where little (or no) heed was paid to the interests, desires, or differences of the affected local communities. “The borders were aimed at securing the world powers’ access to key locations, like the Suez Canal, present day Iran and Iraq, [all of which] led to India, Britain’s former colony,” explained Paz. The pundit also stressed that western involvement in the region has only increased following the discovery of impressive reserves of oil first in Persia (1908) and then Saudi Arabia (1938).

But by fragmenting the region, Paz reasoned, the world powers created mostly failed states, torn by endless wars and conflicts. Each of Israel's neighbors, for example, has had tense relations with a fellow Arab state. Such was the case with Jordan and Saudi Arabia (following King Hussein's pro-Saddam stance in 1991), Syria with Iraq (after Syria sided with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war), Lebanon with Syria (amid the Lebanese civil war), among other instances. The absence of close economic relations, the expansionist ambitions of certain regional leaders, and frequent territorial disputes aggravated the situation even further, leaving the region in a perpetual state of tension and conflict.

“Even though there were attempts to unite the peoples under various ideological concepts, including socialism, communism, nationalism, Pan Arabism, all of them failed – although strong armies and powerful leaders (read dictators) did serve as connecting elements,” stated Paz, stressing that only religion was able to bring a sense of unity and belonging.

Yet, in a pluralistic country like Syria, the possibility of religious unity is unlikely. Out of the country’s 22.5 million people, some 74% are Sunni Muslims (with at least 40% belonging to the MB). Other Muslim sects like Druze, Alawis and Kurds make up 16% of the population, whereas Christians of various denominations comprise 10%.

This is part one of a three-part story. Check back tomorrow for part two of this important report.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23340/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Netanyahu Welcomes New Anglo Immigrants

CBNNews.com

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

 

JERUSALEM, Israel -- "Welcome to Israel. Welcome home," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told 350 Americans and Canadians upon their arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport Tuesday morning.

Nefesh b'Nefesh (soul to soul), an organization that has helped 33,000 North American and British Jews make aliyah (immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return) in the past decade, organized the welcome home ceremony. The Law of Return allows any person with at least one Jewish grandparent to become a citizen of the Jewish state.

Israel's newest citizens, among them five sets of twins and two sets of triplets, came despite the growing threat from a nuclear Iran and the Islamic takeover in Egypt, Israel's first peace partner, and a civil war in Syria on Israel's northern border.

Natan Sharansky, chairman of The Jewish Agency, and Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver were among the Israeli officials on hand to greet the new immigrants, including 127 young people who will soon be serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

Speaking first in Hebrew and then English, Netanyahu told the new recruits that serving in the Israel Defense Forces is "a great privilege."

"Each of the 350 people who have made aliyah today have decided to link their personal future with the future of the Jewish state and the Jewish people. But you've decided to do something else. You've decided to defend the Jewish future.

"And to have the opportunity to do so is a great privilege. It wasn't accorded to previous generations of Jews. In previous times, for almost two millennia, the Jews could not defend themselves. This is the great transformation that occurred in our time -- that we can regain our destiny and defend our future -- and this is a privilege that you have now decided to practice personally, thereby altering your lives and the Jewish future as well," the prime minister said.

Anti-Semitic assaults have not disappeared, Netanyahu said. "On the contrary, there is a rise of a new anti-Semitism."

"As the Jewish state progresses and rises, so does anti-Semitism, but it changes form and we see today a virulent attack on the Jewish people -- a virulent new form of anti-Semitism.

"And we need to defend ourselves against that and those who give it intellectual support. This is a job that we all have to do, but the most important job is to defend the Jewish state. This we are doing -- this you are doing. And I'm proud of you. I think the whole people are proud of you. The friends of Israel, Jews and non-Jews alike are proud of you," he said.

"Welcome to Israel. Welcome home!"

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2012/August/Netanyahu-Welcomes-New-Anglo-Immigrants/

Road to Congress is Through Jerusalem

Road to Congress is Through Jerusalem

The road to Congress may run through Jerusalem, where a stop in the Israeli capital appears to be a "must do" on the campaign trail.

 

By Hezki Ezra and Chana Ya'ar

First Publish: 8/13/2012

MK Danny Danon

 

The road to Congress may run through Jerusalem, where a stop in the Israeli capital appears to be a "must do" on the campaign trail in this year's United States national elections.

World Likud chairman MK Danny Danon has recently received dozens of requests from U.S. Congressional candidates to come to Israel as part of their campaign strategy.

"Members of Congress and various candidates build their entire campaigns around support for Israel,” Danon contends. “This is a positive trend that can contribute greatly to the State of Israel.”
During their visits, Congressional members meet with Danon, take a tour of Jerusalem and the Western Wall, and in addition receive a briefing as part of an extensive tour of the so-called “West Bank” area.

"Judea and Samaria are part of Israel, and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” visitors are told by Danon at the start of their visit.

U.S. Representatives Joe Walsh and Allen West are both expected for visits to Israel in the near future.

GOP Congressional candidate Daniel Halloran met Monday with Danon in Jerusalem, where they discussed the status of Israel's capital city and relations between the two countries. Among other issues, Halloran expressed support for the report by Edmund Levy regarding the legal status of land and the right of Jews to build homes in Judea and Samaria. "I read the report and I support it,” said Halloran.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158870

 

 

Jerusalem of Gold: Jewish-American medalist Aly Raisman accepts invite to Israel

Jerusalem of Gold: Raisman accepts invite to Israel

By GIL HOFFMAN

08/10/2012

Exclusive: Jewish-American medalist Aly Raisman tells minister she and her family will make their first Israel visit.

Photo: reuters

When American sports superstars celebrate victory, they traditionally go to Disneyland. But gold-medal winning gymnast Aly Raisman will celebrate in Jerusalem after she told Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein on Friday that she would accept his invitation to her and her family to make their first visit to Israel.

In a phone conversation facilitated by US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, Raisman told Edelstein that she was really happy to be invited and she would decide with her family when would be the best time to come.

Raisman, 18, became a household name worldwide last week when she performed her floor routine to the tune of “Hava Nagila,” making her the first US woman to win gold in that event. She won another gold medal for the performance of the US women’s gymnastics team she captained and a bronze in the balance-beam competition.

When asked why she chose to perform to “Hava Nagila,” she said she was proud to be Jewish and she wanted to represent her heritage at the Olympics. She said that while she did not choose the song in honor of the 11 Israeli sportsmen who were murdered at the Munich Olympics in 1972, she dedicated her medals to them and she would have stood for a moment of silence in their memory had the International Olympic Committee accepted requests for such a gesture.

“Having that floor music wasn’t intentional,” Raisman said in a New York Post cover story under the banner headline “Star of David.”

“The fact it was on the 40th anniversary is special, and winning the gold today means a lot to me. If there had been a moment’s silence, I would have supported it and respected it.”


Edelstein wrote Raisman an impassioned letter congratulating her for her victories and for giving Americans yet another reason to be proud. In the letter, which was obtained exclusively by The Jerusalem Post, Edelstein said Israelis were moved by her performance and her recent statements.

“I am sure you know that beyond your wonderful personal achievement, you also brought great pride to millions of Jews in Israel and around the world,” Edelstein wrote. “For me personally, as the minister in charge of relations with Diaspora Jewry, hearing why you chose the song made me realize that the concept of Kol Israel Arevim Zeh Lazeh [All Jews are responsible for one another] still holds true and that the Jewish people remain united no matter how far apart we may live. I was impressed that someone so young made such a monumental, ethical decision.”

Edelstein invited not only the 18-year-old gymnast, but also her parents, Lynn and Rick, her younger siblings Brett, Chloe, and Madison, as his guests.

“Making your first visit to Israel is not only important because it is the homeland of the Jewish people but also because you can contribute from your experience to the young generation of Israeli athletes,” wrote Edelstein, who has won international competitions in boxing and table tennis.
There have been calls from Israeli politicians this week to do more to prepare the country’s athletes for international competitions.

Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat announced Wednesday that she would appoint a team of experts to examine why Israel did not win a medal for the first time in a Summer Olympics since Seoul in 1988.

Edelstein’s ministry was in touch with the US Embassy in Tel Aviv and Raisman’s synagogue in Newton, Massachusetts, to make sure she received the invitation.

US Ambassador Dan Shapiro tweeted congratulations to Raisman in Hebrew.“I am so proud of the American gymnast Aly Raisman,” Shapiro wrote. “She won the floor exercise and immediately dedicated her medal to the Israelis murdered in Munich. What an impressive decision.”

Raisman’s rabbi, Keith Stern of the Reform Temple Beth Avodah, said her family was not particularly observant, but very proudly Jewish.

“I’ve known Aly since she started pre-school here at my temple,” Stern told The Jerusalem Post. “She has always been a sweet, kind, dedicated girl. To see her dancing and tumbling to “Hava Nagila“ was overwhelming.

That a young Jewish-American girl would proudly and yes, courageously perform to what even most non-Jews know to be an Israeli folk song on the international stage was inspiring. That she did it 40 years after Munich is a proclamation of Jewish strength and pride and determination. I will never forget it.”

http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=280808

Alex Levin paintings - Israeli artist

About Alex

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".

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.

https://www.facebook.com/alex.levin.39#!/alex.levin.39?notif_t=friend_confirmed

Ryan comes out swinging as Romney VP pick

Ryan comes out swinging as Romney VP pick, condemns Obama 'record of failure'

Published August 11, 2012

FoxNews.com

Paul Ryan came out swinging Saturday in his new role as Mitt Romney's running mate, accusing President Obama of presiding over a "record of failure" and promising to speak "truth" to America's problems and correct course.

"We can turn this thing around," Ryan vowed, as he and Romney joined for the first time as the official 2012 Republican ticket.

The Wisconsin congressman, to the backdrop of retired battleship USS Wisconsin, gave a feisty opening speech -- setting the tone for the Romney-Ryan bus tour that's next on the agenda, and the race going forward. Dutifully promoting the top of the ticket, Ryan touted Romney as the solution to the economic problems under Obama.

Met with chants of "USA, USA" from a riled-up crowd in Virginia, Ryan spoke broadly about the virtues of free enterprise and specifically about America's economic woes, all laced with pointed attacks on the White House incumbent. Though Ryan's reputation is that of a reserved and wonkish pol, his break-out speech as running mate signaled he'll be playing offense for Romney quite frequently.

Ryan accused the Obama team of being "more worried about their next election than they are about the next generation." He blamed Obama's "misguided policies" for the economic rut the country's been stuck in.

"No one disputes that President Obama inherited a difficult situation. And, in his first two years, with his party in complete control of Washington, he passed nearly every item on his agenda. But that didn't make things better," Ryan said. "In fact, we find ourselves in a nation facing debt, doubt and despair. ...

"Whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure."

Ryan may continue pushing for a version of the budget proposal he reintroduced earlier this year. That proposal would overhaul Medicare and Medicaid and make other sweeping changes that Democrats have labeled as extreme. But Ryan has stuck by his proposal as the solution to an ever-growing deficit inflamed by out-of-control entitlement spending.

In a dose of the tough-love approach Ryan's become known for, he said: "We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes."

The Republican presidential candidate called his new running mate a man of "steadiness" and "integrity" as he introduced him. Speaking Saturday morning, Romney praised Ryan as an "intellectual leader" of the party, one who understands the toll the debt is taking on the country but is optimistic about the future.

"He doesn't demonize his opponents. He understands that honorable people can have honest differences and he appeals to the better angels of our nature," Romney said. "He's never been content to just curse the darkness. He'd rather light candles."

Romney initially fumbled his introduction of Ryan. In the closing line of his remarks, he referred to Ryan as the "next president." Romney quickly returned to the podium to correct himself.

The selection comes roughly two weeks before the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, and gives Romney plenty of space to rally the party behind his pick before the official nomination.

  

The announcement comes as some polls, including a recent Fox News survey, show the Republican presidential candidate losing some ground to President Obama.

Ryan, 42, already considered a rising star in the Republican Party, is chairman of the House Budget Committee. He's been in Congress since 1999 and is best known this session for his controversial budget plan that includes an overhaul of Medicare.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/11/ryan-comes-out-swinging-as-romney-vp-pick-condemns-obama-record-failure/

Prophetic Word: The Gathering; United We Stand - Karla Shrake

The Gathering;
United We Stand
by Karla Shrake
August 5, 2012

"The time has come for a historic unifying across the land and even across the globe. For many have endured great challenges and much isolation in the past season, but now is the hour that I am gathering you and joining you to one another for My purposes," comforts your Father. "I am gathering regionally, nationally and even globally in order to bring My Body into the wholeness necessary so that she can become not only My Bride, but also an exceedingly great army."

"For surely I am mounting new initiatives in this dark hour and I am gathering to Myself those whom I've chosen to lead My last-day army.   I am aligning you for this new season, My warriors," declares the Captain of Armies. "I am preparing for the great ingathering of souls that is at hand, but first I must gather those who will lead the charge and build according to My blueprints."

Fresh Oil of Unity Pouring Forth:

"For I am releasing a new oil, fresh oil from heaven dear ones, that will begin to create a unity that has not been seen since the early days of the church.   Those who are synchronized with My Spirit will flow in alignment and unity with one another as this is what I am doing in this hour. I am assembling and joining that I might build the throne of David and I am building a network, a great harvest net that will be thrown upon the whole earth in the coming days.

I am answering the prayer of My Son Jesus/ Yeshua in John, chapter 17:20-23: My prayer is not for them alone -- I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me-so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Bridge-Building:

"I am releasing an anointing that will be recognizable upon those who build bridges to connect those of differing flows and diverse groups. I am connecting and establishing the joints of Ephesians 4:16, the joints that supply. I will bring My people together joint to joint in a new flow that will begin to bring more form and shape to My Body, with Jesus/Yeshua as Head."

"The days of fragmentation and isolation are over!   Watch who and what I will begin to connect and join," laughs your jubilant Father. "The harvest net must reflect great diversity therefore I am anointing networking as never before to bring it together. So be alert to My voice and My promptings as I position you in the right places for the divine connections for this season."  

 
First assignment - A Wall of Protection:

"Long ago My servant Nehemiah built an impenetrable wall around Jerusalem for their protection before attempting to restore the actual city. A wall of protection must go up first around you before you proceed with Kingdom projects, otherwise the enemy will steal from you, drain and harass you incessantly. I am releasing strategies to bring the wall of protection up around you, indeed this is at the top of My list!" says your faithful Father-Protector. "Look for those who are heading up prayer and fasting initiatives and align as per the leading of My Spirit. Find your place on the wall in serious and unified prayer and fasting, for you are entering a season like none other."
 
Tables of Strategy:

"In the past the pathways to breakthrough were obscured or overlooked, but I am now unveiling them and removing the clutter and debris that has blocked your focus and your way. In this critical hour of human history, I am gathering My faithful ones around tables of strategy in order to give the very specific knowledge and instructions needed in this unique season of time. Know most assuredly that I am the God of the breakthrough and I am very ready to unveil heaven's wisdom so you can possess your full destiny and calling, and the provision and resources that are needed to fulfill it."

Leaders Birthing Destiny:

"Many of My leaders are beginning to go into birth-pangs to bring forth that which they've carried and believed for in the last season. Now is the time to bring forth!" says your Father. "Now is the time to press in and bring to full delivery and manifestation those things which you've stood for and contended, for I am with you to bring forth, My children!"

"For as much as you are wanting to move into these new arenas - I am needing and wanting it even more, because so very much is riding on it. There are billions of precious souls that are on My heart," says your loving Father, "souls that I want rescued and brought into the family of heaven and I need you as leaders to be fully in your place for this to come about. I need many who love Israel and the sons of Jacob and who understand My covenant promises to her."

Leaders Shifted into their Places, for Such a Time as This:

"I need you in your places of authority and influence, My people. This is not a business-as-usual time, but rather this is a critical season of being positioned for the new things that will shortly be taking place. I positioned Mordecai and Queen Esther before the crisis with Hamaan and I saved the entire nation of Israel using two people who heard My voice and had great courage. My last-day leaders I need you in your place now so that you will be ready as future events unfold. I need My people to be positioned in all aspects of life, in communities, schools, civil government, commerce, and in media and the arts.    When the circumstances of your lives shift and move it can be both perplexing and uncomfortable, but you must understand I am moving and shifting you in order to promote and position you strategically."  
                                                   
"Indeed movement and shifting, new people, places and things, and new opportunities shall become the norm in this new season. A season of great change has come upon you My people, and upon the earth. Even as the earth itself was shifted on its axis in the last season I am now shifting My leaders into their God-given places of authority and influence so that the Kingdom of heaven can be advanced in the earth," explains the Father. "I am now lifting you into your places of arising and shining with My glory, that all my children may see and know My goodness and love toward them."

Karla Shrake is a professional counselor and as time permits in between ministry commitments, she is available for phone or Skype counseling sessions. For more information, go to: www.MantlesOfGlory.org

The 'Kotel' Exposed with the Advent of Photography

The 'Kotel' Exposed with the Advent of Photography,
Old/New Photos of the Kotel Now Online in Great Detail --
With Thanks to the Library of Congress Archives

"Exterior of Haram-Ash-Sharif, Wailing place of the Jews" by Peter Bergheim
(1865). The newly available photo allows us to explore details usually not seen
Bergheim established a photographic studio in the Christian Quarter. A
converted Jew, he was well aware of Jerusalem's holy sites.

A version of this article appears in the Jerusalem Post Magazine today.

The advent of ocean-going steamships and tourism to the Holy Land and the development of photography all went hand-in-hand in the latter half of the 19^th century. Tourism encouraged photography and photographs encouraged tourists, explained photography curator Kathleen Stewart Howe, author of The Photographic Exploration of Palestine.

Enlargement shows memorial graffiti on the
Western Wall with the names “Eliyahu, Elka,
Sharf, Shaul” The two figures may have been
models; indeed it is impossible to tell if the
seated, veiled and gloved individual is a man
or woman.

While the first people to look at Palestine through a lens were amateur photographers and missionaries in the 1840s, by the 1860s professional photographers began to visit holy sites and even establish photo studios. Military explorers and surveyors often used the services of the photographers.

The "wall of wailing" by Frank Mason Good. The Library of Congress dates the photo
as published in 1881. The authoritative Palestine Exploration Fund records that it was
taken by Good during his first trip to the Near East in 1866/67. Good's panoramic
picture of Jerusalem appears as the title photo of this website above.

Among the tourists were Mark Twain and his “Innocents Abroad” companions in 1867. His party stayed at the same Old City Mediterranean Hotel as a British survey team headed by Lt. Charles Warren.

The American Colony settlers who arrived in 1881 eventually established a tourist store inside the Jaffa Gate in the Old City where they sold their photographs. They capitalized on the fierce demand for pictures of the German emperor’s visit to Jerusalem in 1898.

An enlargement shows an unusual piece of furniture in the picture. Muslim rulers didn't allow benches,
chairs, screens or other furniture.
On the stand appears to be a lantern or even a Sephardi Torah case.
Is there a man next to it pressed against the wall? Note the feet.

The Library of Congress archives contain not only the 22,000 photographs of Palestine by the American Colony photographers, but also pictures dating back to the 1860s by pioneering photographers Felix Bonfils, Peter Bergheim, Frank Good and others. The American Colony pictures were donated to the Library of Congress and classified as “public domain.” Photographs of the Western Wall by the other photographers, some more than 130-year-old, were available to researchers within the Library, but never “made public” Online.

"Wailing place of the Jews, Solomon's Wall," Jerusalem. The
Library of Congress dates the picture in the 1890s and doesn't
name the photographer. But the name Bonfils can be seen in the
enlarged photo. Other similar photos in the Getty collection prove
that Frenchman Felix Bonfils was the photographer and that the
picture was taken in 1869. Bonfils died in 1885.

In response to our recent inquiries, the head of the Photo Research Division explained, “Our legal counsel has asked us to allow 130 years to elapse before displaying larger images outside Library of Congress. Based on the available information, I was able … to display outside Library of Congress buildings for some of the images you mention.”

These photographs are presented here and are now available to the public Online. The old glass plate photographic technique, rather than paper and film, provides viewers with an amazing enlargement capability.

A similar Bonfils photo (Getty)

 

Enlargements from Bonfils photo

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Click on captions to view the Library of Congress originals with the option to use "Tiff" enlargement.



"Ashkenazi Jews" who may have
been models (1867)

In viewing these 145-year-old pictures, bear in mind that these are not the spontaneous snapshots of today. The pictures required long exposures and extensive set-up, Stewart Howe explained. Often the subjects were models dressed to play the role.

That was apparently the case of the seven “Ashkenazi Jews” photographed at the Mediterranean Hotel in the Old City in 1867 by a member of Lt. Charles Warren’s expedition team.

"Exterior of the Haram-Ash-Sharif. Wailing place of the Jews,"
by Peter Bergheim (1865). View a similar picture here




Enlargement of the worshippers

This collection of 19th century photographs presents a portrait of Jerusalem's Jewish community, a pious population who gathered at the retaining wall of Judaism's most sacred site. According to the 1871 visitor to Jerusalem William Seward, the American Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, the Jews comprised half of the city's population, the Muslims one-quarter, and the Christians and Armenians the remainder.

Romney Tops List of Pro-Jewish Non-Jews

Romney Tops List of Pro-Jewish Non-Jews

Republican candidate for president cited alongside Rupert Murdoch, leaders of Canada and India.

By Gil Ronen

Mitt Romney

Israel news photo

The presumptive Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney, tops a Jewish publication's list of non-Jews "who are most positively influencing the Jewish future."

"Love or hate his politics," writes the Algemeiner, "Romney’s vocal support for Israel as a contender for the world’s top job, has challenged the incumbent and many Americans to rediscover their own understanding of the United States’ special relationship with the Jewish state."

"His tough stance on Iran has put the Ayatollahs on notice. In his recent trip to the Holy Land, he acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and cited the historic connection of the Jewish people with the land, which has gone a long way in underlining the Jewish narrative regarding Israel on the world stage, thereby earning him the top spot this year."

Also on the list were:

Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, who was described as "the patriarch of an unparalleled international media conglomerate that has stood out for its overall fair portrayal of Israel in related news items."

Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, whose "support for Israel and friendship to Canada’s Jewish community has been unwavering."

Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, who is cited as being largely responsible for cultivating and developing the "vital alliance" between his country and Israel.

MK Ayoob Kara, Deputy Israeli Minister, "a Druze Israeli who has been recognized as the Knesset’s most pro-Israel Arab."

Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman, who said in June: “There are no disadvantages to investing in Israel – just advantages. Israel has the most important high-tech center in the world after the US.”

Michael Gove, British Secretary of State for Education, who has been "particularly active in stamping out curriculum anti-Semitism that appeared on more than one occasion," and has shown support for Jewish education, according to the Algemeiner.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158764

 

 

 

Israelis infiltrate Syria to provide clandestine aid

Exclusive: Israelis infiltrate Syria to provide clandestine aid

Tuesday, August 07, 2012 | Elizabeth Blade, Israel Today

 

The recent announcement of Israel’s President Shimon Peres that the state will respond “with force” to any violent attempts by Syrians to cross the border deepened divisions on the issue of the influx of refugees escaping their war-torn country. But some Israelis have determined to help no matter the cost.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Syria’s neighboring states are currently hosting some 120,000 people, with the number expected to reach 185,000 by December 2012. The conflict, which is entering its 17th month, has also left some 1.55 million people displaced within Syria (IDPs), but many experts believe that the actual numbers are much higher.

In a bid to tackle the acute issue, some Muslim countries have already opened their doors to those fleeing the Assad regime. Turkey, for example, is currently hosting some 43,387 Syrians. Many are also registered in Jordan (36,824), Lebanon (31,596), Algeria (20,000), Egypt (10-12,000) and Iraq (8,445).

Yet, the borders of Israel remain sealed, with authorities fearful of giving a “green light” to waves of refugees that could put the tiny country's borders and security at risk. Nevertheless, there are Israelis who want to help the refugees and have taken matters into their own hands by going into Syria to provide unofficial relief efforts.

An Israeli organization, whose name cannot be disclosed, infiltrates enemy lines in an attempt to provide people with everything from food, clothes, hygiene, and other essentials, to medical help and psychological assistance. Such activists are in technical violation of an Israeli law that bans citizens from visiting countries like Syria that are at war with Israel. Their work is also forbidden by the Syrian authorities, which effectively means that these humanitarian relief activists are risking their lives to help, because capture by the Syrian authorities or army will mean certain death.

“We have some 200 Israelis – both Jews and Muslims – currently working on the project along with a network of local contacts,” said the architect of the organization. “These people – comprised of highly trained doctors, trauma personnel, aid convoy and other professions, most of whom speak Arabic – are ready to risk their lives, even though some of them are not even trade-able,” she continued, referring to swap deals between various terrorist organizations and the Jewish state.

Syrians who collaborate with the NGO (and other, similar organizations) or accept help, are regarded as traitors and subjected to torture, imprisonment and execution. Thus, in order to protect the identities of the organization’s agents, their local contacts, as well as the refugees themselves, the NGO prefers to keep a low profile, secretly operating in Syria and the neighboring states, including Jordan and Turkey.

Listing more than a thousand members – some of whom have already participated in multiple missions in the world’s most dangerous places – the official website of the organization www.il4syrians.org states that the NGO has already helped 80,000 Syrians

.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23330/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Israel Remains Calm as It Girds Itself for War

By Julie Stahl and John Waage

CBN News Jerusalem Bureau

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

 

              Sea of Galilee, south of Golan Heights

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- Syria admitted for the first time recently it has chemical weapons and may use them against outside forces.

Fears that those weapons could fall into terrorist hands or that jihadists could infiltrate Israel's border with Syria has the Jewish state on high alert.

Israeli authorities are quietly stepping up distribution of gas masks at malls and other public places. By the end of the year, the army estimates another half million gas masks will be distributed -- an average of more than 80,000 a month.

But Israelis say they're not panicking about chemical weapons. They're just doing what they're told and getting prepared. "Yes, I'm concerned but I don't think the masks will help us. Just God will help us, I think," one woman at the gas mask distribution center told CBN News. "Everybody's concerned because nobody knows what happens. I sleep well at night," another man said.

The Israeli-Syrian Border

Meanwhile, chemical weapons falling into the wrong hands is not the only Syrian threat Israel is facing.

The Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights has been Israel's quietest border for the last 40 years. But experts say that could change if and when Syrian President Bashar Assad falls.

"We run into a country that has no rule of law, no law, no authority and then it's used to regularly attack Israel, let's say in the Golan Heights with rockets, with terrorist infiltration, similar to what we see along Israel's border today with Gaza and with Sinai," Jerusalem Post military correspondent Yaakov Katz told CBN News.

Israel captured the strategic Golan plateau during the 1967 Six-Day War. It borders Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Damascus is just 40 miles away. It also has a commanding view of farms and communities around the Sea of Galilee below and, on a clear day, all the way to Mediterranean port city of Haifa. Recently the Syrian civil war came very close to the Golan Heights. The Syrian army attacked a village less than a mile from the border.

Five hundred soldiers crossed into the de-militarized zone not far from where pro-Palestinian protesters breached the border last year. That means terrorists could also cross the border.

"As Jihadi, Sunni Islamist fighters cross into Syria to take part in fighting against the regime, they are anti-Israel, too, and very keen to hurt Israel," Middle East analyst Jonathan Spyer told CBN News.

Golan residents say they feel the tension, but they go on living.

"We're working in our agriculture, in the vineyard, the orchards," said Golan resident David Morad, noting it's different on the border than even a few months ago.

"We can see there is some pressure in the Israeli army, the Israeli government. We don't know what will be with the chemical weapons. It's become very close to our border. So even one mistake, they can attack us," Morad said.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2012/August/Israel-Remains-Calm-as-it-Girds-Itself-for-War/

Mitt Romney Forms Jewish American Coalition

Mitt Romney Forms Jewish American Coalition

Days after returning from his trip to Israel, Mitt Romney formed a Jewish American coalition in an effort to bolster his bid for presidency.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

First Publish: 8/2/2012

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters

Days after returning from his trip to Israel where he declared Jerusalem to be the undivided capital of the Jewish state, Mitt Romney formed a Jewish American coalition in an effort to bolster his bid for the presidency.

"The Jewish community has made contributions to American society that stand in amazing disproportion to its numbers, and I am genuinely honored to have so many of its leading thinkers, diplomats and political leaders support my campaign," Romney said in an announcement released Tuesday through his presidential campaign.

The coalition is co-chaired by the Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), former Hawaii Jewish Governor Linda Lingle, former Senators Norm Coleman and Rudy Boschwitz, and Adam Hasner, a Florida congressional candidate.

“Governor Romney understands that peace in the Middle East will only be achieved when Israel is secure within its borders and not the target of violence fueled by senseless hatred,” Cantor wrote in the coalition’s opening statement. “He will leave no stone unturned in the effort to keep Israel secure.”

The group's 39-member advisory board includes top advisers to his campaign who have served in previous Republican administrations, including Tevi Troy, Dov Zakheim and Den Senor.

Alluding to his recent visit to the Jewish state and highlighting a stark contrast between the current administration’s stance on Israel and his own, Romney asserted, "Having just visited Israel at a critical juncture in the history of the Middle East, I am persuaded that now, more than ever, America needs to stand with Israel."

"I will extend the hand of friendship because our partnership is not merely a strategic alliance but a force for good in the world,” he said.

The main purpose of the coalition, he said, is “to reach out to the Jewish community and help increase support for the Governor which in my mind has been escalating daily.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158519

 

 

Blessings Await Christians Who Bless the Jews

Blessings Await Christians Who Bless the Jews
Part 4 of a 4 Part Series

Jim Croft

Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the     families of the earth shall be blessed."

Almighty God closely monitors the attitudes and actions of individual and nations toward his Chosen people, the Jews.  Individuals and nations that bless Israel and the Jewish people can anticipate temporal and eternal blessing for kindness demonstrated toward the Jews.  There are spiritual and tangible material blessings connected to cultivating an attitude of respect toward Israel and for exercising compassion toward Jews in adverse situations.

Identifying the Lord’s Brothers

When Christians read Jesus’ words in Matt 25:31-46, most don’t consider the full implications of what he said.  Throughout the centuries believers have read the Lord’s statements and have been inspired to launch ministries to prison inmates; the impoverished and to those struck by national disasters.  That is well and good.  However, more often than not those ministries only target people who qualify as the Lord’s kinsmen in the sense that God created them and cares for them. 

The Lord has another group of people who are his ethnic kinsmen in the natural.  It is the Jews.  Normally speaking, the Jews scattered throughout the earth are left out of the mercy ministry equation and so is the nation of Israel.  Few Christian outreaches specifically target Jews imprisoned in ghettos and those reduced to poverty by the many nations that have anti-Semitic political policies.   How many nations are first responders to aid Israeli’s whose limbs and homes are blasted to smithereens by the rockets and homicide bombs of Islamic terrorist groups?   I don’t know of any.
 
The Lord warned of judgment against the churches of the Book of Revelations that were only partially obedient to his commands.  Nations that neglect the plight of the Jews will not have placement in the Millennial Kingdom.  Those that bless Israel and the Jews can expect the manifold blessings of life in the Kingdom.

Prophet’s Reward

Jesus was a Jewish prophet.  Many Christians envision their ministries as an aspect of the prophesied restoration of the ministry of the Jewish prophet, Elijah.  Jesus proclaimed that anyone who gives so much as a sip of water in the name of a prophet would receive a prophet’s reward. 

What is a prophet’s reward?  It is extraordinary supernatural help in times of trouble.  The widow of Zarephath shared her last bits of food with Elijah.  For the duration of the famine, her flour bin was supernaturally replenished and her oil jar never lacked sufficient supply.  Her son died of a sudden illness and Elijah raised him from the dead. (1 Kg 17:9-23)

Material $ Spiritual Blessings

Psa 122:6-9 dictates that all believers who love Jerusalem and pray for her will be rewarded with prosperity. 

When the Jewish elders of Jesus' day wanted him to come and heal a Gentile centurion's servant they knew that they would have to give him a good reason.  When Jesus heard that the man loved the Jewish people and had built them a synagogue, he sent a deposit of healing power to the man's home and the servant was healed. (Luke 7:2-10)

The first incident of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Gentiles for salvation and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was prompted by the righteous acts of one Gentile Centurion toward the Jewish people.  The angel of the Lord told Cornelius that his habit of giving alms to Jews had been noticed in heaven.  God labeled the Gentile’s acts of kindness as a memorial that qualified him for divine favor.  As a result, the Spirit graced all of the Centurion’s friends and relatives with the gift of eternal life.  (Act 10:1-5, 24, 34-48)

Christians who honor the Jewish people can anticipate that relatives and friends whom they want to see saved and immersed in the Spirit to have supernatural encounters with God.

United In Christ

We must come to understand that the Lord never intended that there be ongoing animosity between Christians and Jews.  One of the primary reasons for Jesus' death on the cross was to break down the wall of enmity between Gentile believers and Jews.  We are to be reconciled to create one new man from the two.  As we allow the Lord to cleanse the anti-Semitism from our hearts, we qualify to become the completed habitation of God in the Spirit.  This is the clear teaching of the following passage from the book of Ephesians.

Ephes.2:11-22:   Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--  [12] that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope  and without God in the world.  [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  [14] For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,  [15] having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  [16] and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  [17] And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.  [18] For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  [19] Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,  [20] having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,  [21] in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,  [22] in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Please note the words two, both and together.  They refer to Gentiles who were afar off from God’s covenant with the Israel prior to salvation and the words also refer to born-again Jews.  Through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus, both groups have access through the Holy Spirit into the fullness of the Father's blessings.  We are to recognize that we are joined as one as the unified dwelling place of the Godhead.

If we repent of our ignorant neglect of this vital truth the Scriptures give ample precedent that the Father's blessings of everything from household salvation to financial prosperity will surely follow.  Gentiles Christians need those attestations if they are to fulfill their Godly mission to the Jews.
 Part of our commission as the people of God is to provoke the Jews, to jealousy.  (Romans 10:19, 11:11)  The provocation is activated as Jews see the covenant blessings that belong to them coming upon Gentile Christians.  It must be stated that Jews seldom have reason to be envious of Christians.  On the whole, Jews are creative, industrious people who are well known for their achievements in every area of life beneficial to mankind.

Unfortunately, it is not commonplace for Christians of fervent testimony to have the same measure of distinction.   Though many Gentile believers speak of the abundant life that Jesus promised, there are not significant numbers demonstrating it in a manner impressive to Jews.

Christians often boast, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philip.  4:13)  A pragmatic Jews response might be: “Just what have you done through Christ that is more notable than what we have accomplished without Christ”?

The Church that helps pave the way for the end-time harvest of the Jews will need to cultivate apprehending faith that bears evidence that God’s blessings reside on its Gentile membership.  Miraculous signs, wonders and marketplace achievements must become commonplace among us. 
The Jewish disciples who attracted 3,000 to the Lord on the Day of Pentecost were prophesying about the glorious works that God would do among his people in the end-times.  Clever sermons will not convince the Jewish people of the Lordship of Christ.  They will not be moved to investigate Christ’s authenticity as their Messiah unless they see objective proof that he is alive and is performing miraculous healings and improving the lives of Gentiles whom they have historically shunned.  The visible evidence of the Holy Spirit’s anointing on our lives will prepare them to accept their coming revelation that Jesus is indeed Jewish and their King.

Faith’s Response

Father, I ask forgiveness for any degree of prejudice and anti-Semitism that I have held in my heart.  Lord, I thank you for all the blessings that you have afforded me through the many contributions which your chosen people have made to enhance my life.  Lord Jesus, the Jews are your kinsmen in the flesh and I embrace them as my brothers in the Spirit.  I praise you for allowing me to see the full restoration of Israel in my lifetime.  Lord, I ask you to begin your move on Jewish hearts.  Send your Holy Spirit to visit them with revelations of their Messiah.

Christians who want to bless Jewish immigrants to Israel can do so through the ministry of Joseph’s Storehouse/Vision for Israel.  I have known the founders for decades.  They are among my most reliable friends.

 http://www.visionforisrael.com/

Sources

The historical data contained in this book was derived from research of the following:
The Long Way Home, 1997 HBO documentary.
The Last Word On The Middle East, Derek Prince, Chosen Books Pub.
The Anguish Of The Jews, Edward H. Flannery, Macmillan Pub.
The Jewish Connection, M. Hirsh Goldberg, Bantam Books Pub.
Israel America’s Key To Survival, Mike Evans, Logos International Pub.
The Christian History Institute’s website http://www.gospelcom.net/chi/

All Scripture references are quoted from the New King James Version.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Jim Croft

jcm888@comcast.net