Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Auschwitz Records 1.43 Million Visitors in 2012

The Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp memorial and museum registered 1.43 million visitors in 2012, a record number in its 65-year history.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

First Publish: 1/8/2013, Israel National News

Jewish delegation at Auschwitz

Israel news photo: Flash 90

The Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp memorial and museum in southern Poland registered 1.43 million visitors in 2012, a record number in its 65-year history, officials said Friday.

For several years now, the grounds of the former Nazi death camp have registered record numbers of visitors. In 2011, there were 1.4 million visitors from across the world, triple the number of a decade before.

In a statement announcing the new figure, director Piotr Cywinski said that in the last decade Auschwitz has become a "fundamental memorial" for all of Europe.

“It reflects the actual meaning of the history of the Shoah and the drama of concentration camps in the history of contemporary Europe and understanding its appearance today,” he said. “The growing educational dimension of this place indirectly shows us also the challenges that our societies face today."

Poland had the most visitors with 446,000, followed by Great Britain (149,000 visitors), the United States (97,000), Italy (84,000), Germany (74,000), Israel (68,000), and other countries.

While the record numbers of tourists visiting the site is essential for Holocaust education, it is straining the site's barracks and other structures, most of which were built of wood and never intended to last long.

Efforts are currently under way to preserve the site and maintain it in as close a state as possible to when it was liberated by Soviet troops in January 1945.

The Nazis murdered at least 1.1 million people at Auschwitz-Birkenau (some claim the figure is much higher), most of whom were Jews, but the victims also included Polish political prisoners, Romani (gypsies), homosexuals and others.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/163990

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

‘Frankenstorm’ Lashes Israel

Israel’s answer to “Superstorm Sandy” closed Tel Aviv’s major highway, and that’s only a preview. Heavy snow predicted.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 1/8/2013, Israel National News

View of a car damaged by a large tree had blown down onto a parking car by strong wind in Tel Aviv,

Israel news photo: Flash 90

Israel’s answer to “Superstorm Sandy” closed the Ayalon, Tel Aviv’s major highway Tuesday morning, and the worst is yet to come, with several inches of snow possible in Jerusalem and lesser amounts at levels as far west as the Carmel ridge near Haifa.

The Ayalon was shut down for more than an hour, for the first time in 21 years, after waters flooded the major route through the metropolitan area, casing huge traffic jams on alternate routes.

Train service from Hadera, northeast of Netanya, was cancelled because tracks and passenger platforms were flooded, and some train service in Tel Aviv also was shut down.

Gale force winds ripped trees to the ground Monday, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of Israelis, including massive areas of Judea and Samaria.

Four inches of rain fell on the southern port of Ashdod by Tuesday morning, and up to several inches drenched some northern areas.

In a rare meteorological event for Israel, several weather fronts converged at once over the country.
Israelis’ dream of snow --- real snow and not just a dusting that sends everyone to panic – may be realized as temperatures continue to plummet and an unusually lengthy and intense storm pounds Israel from the Lebanese border to Eilat.

Snow already has piled up on the Hermon slopes, with a foot of white stuff already having accumulated on the lower slopes and more than two feet on the higher levels. Snow may begin falling on Jerusalem at night, with colder temperatures making accumulations of up to five inches possible by Wednesday night.

Weather buffs reported that maps show the snow will reach much lower levels for the first time in eight years.

The “bad weather” is great news for everyone who likes to drink water. This winter’s higher than average rain, coupled with the flow of desalinated water that has reduced the pumping of water from the Kinneret, has raised the lake’s level to the highest in years.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/163974

Christian pastor Nadarkhani freed from jail in Iran after Christmas Day arrest

By Lisa Daftari

Published January 07, 2013

FoxNews.com

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been freed - yet again - from an Iranian prison.

Youcef Nadarkhani, the Iranian Christian pastor who had been re-arrested on Christmas Day after serving nearly three years in prison for renouncing Islam, was released today, according to individuals close to the pastor and his family.

Nadarkhani, 35, had been held since Christmas Day at Lakan Prison in Rasht, the facility where he was imprisoned from 2010 to 2012 in a case that made international headlines.

Although he initially faced possible execution, he had been freed in November, with just 45 days left on a downgraded sentence issued after Fox News and other media outlets drew attention to his plight. But when he was arrested, an Iranian judge said he must finish his sentence.

"Given its persecution of Pastor Youcef because of his Christian faith, it was particularly cruel to imprison him on Christmas Day."

- Joint letter from U.S. Reps Joe Pitts and Keith Ellison

When Nadarkhani, an active member in Iran's Evangelical community, was acquitted of apostasy in September and subsequently freed, it was seen as a major victory for the grassroots campaign that had embraced his cause. But the arrest on Christmas Day was a bitter blow for the married father of two young children and his supporters.

Last week, after FoxNews.com reported the latest arrest of Nadarkhani, U.S. Congressmen Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), and Keith Ellison, (D-Minn.), released a joint letter blasting the regime.

"We were heartbroken to learn that the government of Iran has thrown Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani back in jail," read the letter, released on Jan. 4. "Given its persecution of Pastor Youcef because of his Christian faith, it was particularly cruel to imprison him on Christmas Day."

Nadarkhani's trouble with the regime in Tehran began in 2006, when he applied for his church to be registered with the state. According to sources, he was arrested at that time and then soon released.

In 2009, Nadarkhani went to local officials to complain about Islamic indoctrination in his school district, arguing that his children should not be forced to learn about Islam. He was subsequently arrested.

After his initial release, Nadarkhani wrote a public letter thanking all those who helped release him. In November, he traveled to London to speak at a national human rights conference thanking those who advocated on his behalf.

Nadarkhani's attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, has been imprisoned and remains in Iran's notoriously brutal Evin Prison, where his health is rapidly deteriorating and he is being denied proper dental care, according to his family. He has been jailed for advocating Nadarkhani's case and other human rights cases.

Rare Manuscripts Document Ancient Jewish Community

CBNNews.com

Monday, January 07, 2013

Israel's National Library unveiled a cache of rare ancient Hebrew manuscripts discovered in caves in northern Afghanistan. The area is a Taliban stronghold.

The collection gives an unprecedented look into the lives of Jews living in ancient Persia. It includes biblical interpretations, financial records, and personal transactions from that time.

"This is the first time that we have actual physical evidence of Jewish life and Jewish culture in the area of Iranian culture in the 11th century," Haggai Ben-Shammai, academic director of Israel's National Library, said.

The library purchased 29 out of hundreds of documents. They are believed to have been found in caves used as hideouts recently by Taliban insurgents.

Aviad Stollman, curator of the library's Judaica collection, said that though more would be learned later with further research, the find already revealed much about the mysterious community.

"They were Jews living a thousand years ago in this place. I think that is the most exciting part," he said.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2013/January/Afghan-Manuscripts-Document-Ancient-Jewish-Community/

Heavy winter storms slam Israel

Monday, January 07, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Israel this week is being hit by heavy thunderstorms and meteorologists are predicting further stormy weather and even snow in the Jerusalem area.

While the rain is welcome, the storms sweeping across the land have caused massive damage. Flooding and property damage, closed roads, hail damage, the closure of a major sewage system in the Tel Aviv area. Talk in the Israel media is of further chaos.

But many are trying to see the positive side of the weather situation: Thanks to the heavy rain the water level of the Sea of Galilee is rapidly on the rise. Only three more meters and the lake will be full.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23610/Default.aspx

Monday, January 7, 2013

NY boy builds basketball court for Beersheba kids

Article.aspx?id=298236

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Israel to plant grove in memory of Sandy Hook victims

Israel to plant grove in memory of Sandy Hook victims

Sunday, January 06, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Noah Pozner

A special grove that will be planted as part of a new environmental and commercial area in the southern city of Beersheva will be named in memory of the 26 children and teachers who were mercilessly gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, CT last month.

The Zionist women's organization Hadassah came up with the idea for the grove, and to date has collected enough donations for the Jewish National Fund to plant 3,300 trees in the grove.

Hadassah in turn got the idea from Veronique Pozner, mother of little Noah Pozner (pictured), who was the only Jewish victim of the school shooting. When asked how sympathizers could honor her son, Mrs. Pozner reportedly told them to plant trees in Israel.

Hadassah President Marcie Natan told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that she wanted to honor not just Noah, but all those killed in the tragedy.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23608/Default.aspx

Friday, January 4, 2013

'Lost Tribe's' Return to Israel Fulfilling Prophecy?

By Chris Mitchell

CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief
Thursday, January 03, 2013

TEL AVIV - A "lost tribe" has come home to Israel and the return could be part of biblical prophecy.

CBN News was at Ben Gurion Airport when more than 50 members of the Bnei Menashe tribe made history.

The group was just the first of a long-awaited migration. Nearly 2,000 tribe members live in Israel, but five years ago the government stopped their return.

"I feel like I'm home," one tribe member said.

Another told CBN New they were, "excited, overwhelmed. And unexplainably, you know, feeling in my heart. I feel like crying. I'm emotional, total loss for words."

A recent decision now permits all the Bnei Menashe, about 7,000, to return.

"The ten tribes may have been lost to us for many centuries, but they were never lost in terms of their identity," Michael Freund, with Shavai Israel, told CBN News.

Freund worked for years to help bring about this moment. He said he believes the Bnei Menashe return fulfills of biblical prophecy.

"The prophet Isaiah says 'al tera qui ka ani,' which means 'fear not for I am with you, God says," Freund explained. "'Me israch avi zerecha,'" which translates 'from the east I will bring your descendants.'"

"These are the descendants of Israel and they are coming back from the east," he said. "It is as if the headline of today was written by Isaiah the prophet 25 or 2,600 years ago. It's a phenomenal thing."

The Assyrian Empire exiled the tribe of Manassah almost 3,000 years ago. Although they settled in northeast India, tribe members kept their Jewish roots for more than 2,000 years.

Several Christian organizations helped bring them home.

"In fact, the Hebrew prophets said when God gathered His Jewish people back from all the ends of the earth in the last days that there would be Gentiles helping and bringing them back," David Parsons, with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told CBN News.

"He said, 'I'll beckon to the Gentiles.' And so we have this invitation from God Himself to be involved in this Aliya," he said.

Another 300 tribe members are scheduled to arrive in January, with thousands more yet to come.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2013/January/Lost-No-More-Bnei-Menashe-Tribe-Returns-to-Israel/

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Apple reportedly looking to buy Israeli map app Waze

iPhone maker may see local startup as solution to mapping woes; company wants $750 million, but Apple offering $400-$500 million, according to reports

By Michal Shmulovich January 3, 2013

Times of Israel

Apple is rumored to be looking into buying the Israeli satellite navigation application Waze, which has become a worldwide hit thanks to its melding of crowd sourcing and traffic mapping.

A possible offer stands at about $400-$500 million, industry insiders speculated — but the successful startup, which offers maps, driving directions and real-time traffic reports to mobile users, is estimated to be worth closer to $1 billion, according to the Calcalist financial newspaper.

US-based tech blog TechCrunch reported that Waze is seeking $750 million, and negotiations could take time.

An Instagram color-corrected photo of a driver using Waze in the Philippines. (photo credit: CC-BY raramaurina,Flickr)

Waze, founded in 2009, uses satellite signals and reports of members to generate maps and real-time traffic data that it then offers to smartphone users around the world.

Waze’s image data improves as more users — the number now hovers around 30 million, according to the firm — join the network. The app displays users’ information anonymously (unless they choose to identify themselves), and suggests quicker, alternative routes to drivers, as well as warning of potential hazards like traffic accidents and police activity.

Neither company has confirmed the reports of a takeover.

Waze has raised a total of $67 million so far from a series of investors. Its revenues in 2012 were $1 million, mostly from location-based ads, which integrate mobile advertising and the ability to pinpoint consumers.

Waze also caught the eye of other technology giants, like Facebook, which was reportedly considering acquiring the app.

In September, Apple dropped its contract with Google, which had previously supplied the data for the iPhone’s own map app. However, customers complained about Apple’s proprietary map software, claiming it was an inferior version of Google’s, causing Google Maps to be reinstated as a downloadable, external app in December. Within 48 hours of its release as a free app in December, Google Maps for iPhone was downloaded over 10 million times, according to The Telegraph.

According to YNet News, Waze said there was a spike in the download of its app after Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an unusual move after the launch of iPhone 5, suggested that customers download rival mapping services, like Waze, until Apple had a chance to improve its own maps.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/apple-reportedly-looking-to-buy-israeli-map-app-waze/

UK textbook publisher apologizes for erasing Israel

Thursday, January 03, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Earlier this week, Israel Today reported on a textbook used to teach English as a second language in the UK that contained a map of the Middle East upon which Israel was nowhere to be found.

In place of Israel, the entirety of the Holy Land was labeled as "Occupied Palestine" on a map found in the book "Skills in English Writing - Level 1".

A number of Israel Today readers contacted the publisher, Garnet Publishing, demanding an explanation. Garnet spokesman Dr. Nicky Platt responded by posting the following statement to the publisher's website:
"In the last few days we have had a number of enquiries about a map of Israel included in Skills in English Writing – Level 1. Unfortunately the map was mislabelled ‘Occupied Palestine’.

This was a serious editorial error and was subsequently corrected. The book in question has not been in print for several years. Please accept our sincere apologies for any offence caused but rest assured that this was a genuine mistake and in no way reflects any Garnet Education policy."

In a personal response to one of our readers, Dr. Platt insisted that Garnet Publishing is "taking this matter extremely seriously, and will ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future."

To demonstrate that Garnet is serious, Dr. Platt forwarded a scanned page from a newer book in the same subject area that shows a map of the Middle East with Israel correctly labeled (see above).

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23602/Default.aspx

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Update on a Jerusalem House --

Update on a Jerusalem House --
My, How You've Grown

New Talbieh neighborhood
(circa 1925)

Last month we posted a feature on the "Newer Jerusalem suburbs. Talbieh. A Christian Arab community" along with a picture from the Library of Congress collection.

An enlargement of the one-story house in the picture on the right

The Talbieh neighborhood is adjacent to the Jewish neighborhood of Rehavia. After World War I, the land was sold by the Greek Patriarch to Arab Christians who built homes. British Mandate maps from the 1940s show approximately 90 homes, some residences for foreign consuls. In the 1930s several Jewish families also moved into the neighborhood.

After the 1947 UN Partition vote, Arab and Jewish tensions grew. Residents in the Arab and Jewish enclaves in each other's areas left, many expecting to eventually return. Such was the case with the Arabs of Talbieh.

The one-story house grew a second story by 1941 when the
building was converted to the Lady MacMichael British Red
Cross Convalescent house for British officers

We focused in our earlier feature on the one-story house and identified it as situated at the corner of what is today Jabotinsky and Yitzhak Elhanan Streets across from the Inbal Hotel.

Entrance to the MacMichael House

Aerial photo of Talbieh (circa 1935) The road going from
the bottom left to the top right is Jabotinsky Street today. Note
the two-story building on the corner

We recently found more pictures of the building in the Library of Congress files, pictures taken at the beginning of World War II when the building was converted into a convalescent house for British officers.

After the British left Palestine in 1948 and the 1949 armistice agreement, the State of Israel became the guardian of the building and made it available for private residence.

Click on pictures to enlarge. Click on caption to view the original photo.

The 5-story house today on the the corner of Jabotinsky Street,
once Emir Abdullah Street. (Credit: Google Maps, Street View)

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2013/01/update-on-jerusalem-house-my-how-youve.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29

A side view of the 5-story house

How Christians Lose Credibility With Israelis

Tuesday, January 01, 2013 | Aviel Schneider

Israel Today

When Israel is forced into military action such as Operation “Pillar of Cloud” in Gaza, the churches are always quick to respond.

For Israelis, outlandish condemnations by mainstream Church leadres send a clear message that Christians are opposed to the Jewish state. There is no differentiation between Catholics and Protestants; from an Israeli point of view they are speaking for all Christians.

Many Israelis are unaware of the worldwide support for Israel among born-again Christians who stand on God’s Word and promises to the Jewish people. Negative statements against Israel by senior clergy are reminiscent of Church history and cause all Christians to lose credibility in the eyes of the Jews. And once lost, such credibility is difficult to win back.

The full article appears in the January 2013 issue of Israel Today Magazine
Click Here to subscribe and read it now

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23600/Default.aspx

Monday, December 31, 2012

Israel Now Has 6 Million Jews

The number of Israeli Jews passed the emotional 6 million mark in November, and the total population will pass 8 million in February.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, Israel National News

First Publish: 12/31/2012

Aliyah Revolution banner

Nefesh B'Nefesh

The number of Israeli Jews passed the emotional 6 million mark in November, and the total population will pass 8 million in February, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The Jewish population represents 75.4 percent of the total, of which Arabs are 20.6 percent, representing a continuing trend of a higher Jewish birth rate and a lower Arab birth rate.

The other four percent of the Israeli population includes Christians, other faiths and 319,000 people who call themselves Jewish but are not recognized as such according to Jewish law. Almost all of them are from the former Soviet bloc.

As January 1 approached, the total population was 7,981,000, 1.8 per cent higher than the previous year.
The figures do not temporary residents and foreign workers.

New immigrants account for a smaller increase in the number of Jews, with only 16,500 having come on “aliyah” in 2012.

North American aliyah was about 4,000, including those who already were in Israel and took out Israeli citizenship, Nefesh B’Nefesh spokeswoman Yael Katsman told Arutz Sheva Monday. She said the numbers are rising, and that the expectation is that the trend will continue in 2013.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/163726

Analyst: Palestinians know Israelis don't want to kill them

Sunday, December 30, 2012 | Israel Today Staff

For all the talk of an alleged Israeli-perpetrated "holocaust" against the Arabs of the region, a recent survey demonstrated that the vast majority of Palestinians know full well that Israelis don't want to kill them.

The survey was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research among a sampling of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews.

Israeli respondents were asked what they believed the long-term goals of the Palestinians to be. Forty-two percent said they believe the Palestinians, or at least those groups which hold power, want to ultimately conquer all of the Land of Israel and destroy the Jewish population.

Conversely, Palestinian respondents were not given an option that included Israel killing all local Arabs. Instead, the worst option Palestinian respondents could choose was that Israel wants to annex the so-called West Bank and either expel or deny or deny political rights to its Arab population.

That discrepancy was curious to Israeli media analyst Dr. Aaron Lerner, who wrote to the PCPSR for an explanation.

Waleed Ladadweh, a researcher at the PCPSR, responded that after years of asking both sides about "their perceptions of the other party's ambitions," the survey group had been able to more tightly focus the questions and ignore irrelevant options.

In other words, according to the PCPSR, there simply aren't enough Palestinian Arabs who truly believe Israel wants to annihilate them to bother including such an option in its surveys.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23595/Default.aspx

British textbook erases Israel

Monday, December 31, 2012 | Ryan Jones, Israel Today

A popular textbook used by institutions and teachers to teach English as a second language to students in the UK has been found to have a serious anti-Israel bias.

"I teach English as a foreign language in a further education college in Nottingham, England. I came across the attached map and couldn't believe my eyes!" Liz Wiseman told Israel Today.

The textbook in question is "Skills in English Writing Level 1", which includes a map of the Middle East on which Israel is nowhere to be found.

While Wiseman acknowledges she was not obligated to use this particular textbook, it is one of the more popular and mainstream English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks published by one of the more popular and mainstream ELT publishers, Garnet Education.

Garnet Education bills itself thus: "Garnet Education is an independent English Language Teaching (ELT) publisher, specialising in English for Academic Purposes. We produce award-winning ELT books, multimedia resources and tests for students of all ages, from kindergarten to university."

This is far from an isolated incident, which is motivation for drawing attention to this particular case. It is not only in the Middle East where students, both adults and children, are being taught that Israel has no right to exist. The more students around the world are fed this brand of propaganda, the more remote prospects for true peace become.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23596/Default.aspx

Friday, December 28, 2012

Jerusalem's First Photographer

Who Was the 19th Century American Preacher Mendenhall John Dennis?

Actually, He Was a Jerusalem Watchmaker Named Mendel Deniss, Jerusalem's First Photographer

Mendenhall John Dennis in the center surrounded by his family in 1885. After 1860
he lived in Ohio, Massachusetts and Washington. Before 1860 he was Mendel
Diness of Jerusalem (With permission of Special Collections, Fine
Arts Library, Harvard University)

A version of this article appeared in the Times of Israel on December 26, 2012

In 1988, John Barnier visited a garage sale in St. Paul, Minnesota. There he found and purchased eight boxes of old photographic glass plates. Fortunately, Barnier is an expert in the history of photographic printing.

He had little idea that he had uncovered a historic treasure. Later, he viewed the plates and saw that they included old pictures of Jerusalem. He contacted the Harvard Semitic Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for its large collection of old photographs from the Middle East.

On some of the plates they found the initials MJD. Until then the name Mendel Diness was barely known by scholars. It was assumed that with the exception of one or two photos his collection was lost.

The Western Wall, photographed by Diness. Unlike most early
photographers of the Wall, Diness pointed his camera to the south
and not to the north. (With permission of Special Collections,
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University. 1859)

Thanks to the research of historians and curators Dror Wahrman, Nitza Rosovsky and Carney Gavin, the Diness collection was saved from obscurity, and an amazing tale was revealed: American Christian preacher Mendenhall John Dennis and Jerusalemite yeshiva student and watchmaker Mendel Diness were one and the same.

Diness was born in Odessa in 1827 into a religious Jewish family. As a boy he apprenticed as a watchmaker; as a teen he went to study in Heidelberg and was influenced by the anti-religious "enlightenment movement." His concerned father sent him to Palestine in 1848 to a yeshiva to strengthen his Jewish faith.

But in 1849 he met a Christian missionary who started him on his path to Christianity. His conversion caused a major controversy in the Old City of Jerusalem. Diness was excommunicated from the Jewish community, lost his business, and was forced to divorce his wife, Shayndel Reisa, who was from a hassidic Chabad family in Hebron.

Enlargement of Jews at the Wall

Mishkenot Sha'ananim in Jerusalem under construction, beneath
Moshe Montifiore's windmill. The building project was the first
Jewish neighborhood built outside of the Old City (1860,
Special Collections, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University.)

Diness was taken in by Christian missionaries and families, including the British Consul, James Finn, who baptized the new convert. His wife, Elizabeth Finn, a fan of the new photography art, was close to a Scottish missionary, James Graham, who taught Diness the new field of photography. It was not simply a question of learning to press a button on a camera, but it involved a lengthy and difficult process of preparing emulsions and plates (not film), mastering light, exposures and the science of developing the pictures.

A portrait of missionary James
Graham taken by Diness. It is
not a portrait of Diness as
claimed by some collections
(1857)

By 1856, Mendel Diness was photographing on his own. By the end of the decade, however, other photographers had flocked to Jerusalem, and Diness found the competition daunting. In 1861, he moved to the United States with his new wife, the daughter of a Jewish doctor who had converted to Christianity. Diness was unsuccessful as a photographer in Cincinnati, Ohio and became a peripatetic preacher, renamed as Mendenhall John Dennis.

How did the Dennis/Diness' collection end up in St. Paul? When he died in 1900 his belongings were apparently sent to his daughter in New Jersey. When her daughter died, a grandson cleaned out her attic and took the crates to Minnesota. The family was unaware of Dennis/Diness' Jerusalem photography background.

The Damascus Gate photographed by Diness (Special
Collections, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, circa 1856)

A footnote: Diness was not the only Jewish photographer in the Holy Land who converted to Christianity. Peter Bergheim, a German Jew who converted in the 1830s in England, arrived in Palestine in 1838. He worked as pharmacist and then opened a bank. In 1859 he became an accomplished photographer, apparently working for the British Ordnance Survey team. (His works appear frequently in these pages.)

Elijah Meyers
(circa 1910)

Several years later Elijah Meyers, a Bombay, India Jew who converted to Christianity, appeared on the scene. He was the founder and director of the American Colony Photo Department in 1898, but "he had been taking photographs before he became connected to the American Colony," according to a Colony publication. He trained a team in the art of photography and documented the visit of the German Kaiser in 1898 with pictures sold around the world. According to sources at the Library of Congress, Meyers was hired by Theodor Herzl to photograph Jewish settlements prior to the 1899 Zionist Congress in Basel.

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/12/who-was-19th-century-american-preacher.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29

Biblical claim to the land?

Biblical claim to the land?

Op-ed: Media telling people that only religious fanatics believe West Bank is part of Israel

David Ha'ivri

Published:

12.26.12, 11:15 / Israel Opinion

Ynet News

Over the past five years, working as the international liaison for the Shomron region, I have toured around the world speaking on behalf of this community. I have met with people from all types of backgrounds, both Jews and gentiles who are regular people, public officials and media personalities. I have led many tours east of the pre-1967 Green Line in the Jewish communities which many call "settlements."

Local leadership here has learned that our greatest enemy is ignorance. Ironically, in spite of our region being the most talked about disputed area in the world, most people who have an opinion about its future have not taken the time to visit and see the facts on the ground for themselves. Many wish to believe that the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria are, as one guest told me, "the core of the problem," and that if the Jews were just removed from this region, utopian peace would reign in the world.

Holy Scriptures

Settlers and human rights / Rafael Castro

Op-ed: West Bank Jews claim too often and too loudly that their rights are grounded on scriptures

Full Story

Upon visiting our communities, the hard facts dawn on most - who realize that over 750,000 Jews who live east of the Green Line are not camped out in temporary dwellings as part of some kind of demonstration. They have built their homes, schools, universities and cities with the full intent of staying here forever.

When I mention to my guests that the majority of the so called "settlers" in this region are secular Israelis, many ask "but why would seculars choose to live in the West Bank?" People have been taught by the media that it is only religious fanatics like myself who believe that this is part of Israel. Well (surprise, surprise!), many secular Israelis choose to live in Barkan, Ariel, Tzofim and many other communities here for the same reasons that many Jews choose to live in Haifa and Beersheba and not in Los Angeles. The phenomenon is called Zionism: It is a historic, cultural and religious connection to the land of Israel.

To all with whom I have spoken on the matter of Israel's rights to this area, I have preached the same message, whether it be to unaffiliated young professionals in Union Square in New York City, African statesmen in Lagos, Nigeria, a Chinese journalist visiting the Shomron or Jewish students. Interestingly, those who are most put off by the biblical claim are the last mentioned. Jews seem the most concerned that mentioning the Bible as the foundation of our claim to the land of Israel will be seen as illegitimate in a popular debate.

Highway of the Bible

But I have found that others, non-Jews, actually appreciate our historical claims and our persistence to hold on to our national pride and heritage. Italian, Czech and Ukrainian government officials who visited here each expressed their admiration for our patriotic dedication to our historic homeland. This connection has been preserved by the Jewish people throughout history, through the observance of the biblical holidays and our studies of the Bible, where we read the promise of this land by HaShem to us – the descendants of our founding fathers, Avraham, Itzchak and Yaakov.

How silly it is to suggest that Jews not mention our biblical connection to the land of Shechem, Hebron and Jerusalem. If not for that connection, why would Jews have regathered from the nations here and not in Uganda? Could you imagine suggesting that America's patriots be advised not to mention the historic actions of those who threw tea in the sea and rebelled against the British? Or telling them not to sing about a flag that was still there after a battle in 1812?

The Jewish claim to the land of Israel goes back more than 1812 years - to the days of the Bible, when there was a Jewish country. We have never forgotten that heritage, and we have the teaching of the Bible to thank for that. One need not embrace the Jewish theology in order to appreciate the Torah's contribution to our history and culture.

While out public speaking or guiding tours for guests here in Shomron, I am always sure to refer to our biblical claim to the mountain ridge of Judea and Samaria. I do not do this as a means of winning a legal argument, but in order that my listeners get a true perspective of our national motivation to be here.

Once I met with a Chinese journalist at my home in Kfar Tapuach, in the Shomron. I showed him the main road below, which leads from Shechem to Jerusalem, and from there on to Beersheba via Bethlehem and Hebron. This road (number 60 on the map today) is the highway of the Bible. All of the events in the lives of our fathers Avraham, Itzchak and Yaakov that are mentioned in the Bible occurred on this

road.

The journalist, who was neither Jewish nor Christian (and so was unfamiliar with the stories of the Bible from his own upbringing) remarked to me that he was so thankful to me for outlining this biblical connection of the Jews to this land. People in his country, he said, had no idea what brought Jews to live here and sacrifice so much for this land.

The value of mentioning the biblical claim of the Jewish people to the land is not so much to convince foreign ears that it is our right because it says so in the Bible, but, more so they can understand the roots of our love for this land, and our motivation to hold on to it forever.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4324322,00.html

Thursday, December 27, 2012

In Ukraine Town, Bar-Mitzvah and Shabbat Prayers, 70 Years Later

For the first time since before World War II, Jews in the Ukranian town of Netishin held Shabbat services and celebrated a Bar-Mitzvah

By David Lev, Israel National News

First Publish: 12/27/2012

Habad chassidim in Netishin

For the first time since before World War II, the small Jewish community in the Ukranian town of Netishin held prayer services this past Shabbat – and celebrated the Bar-Mitzvah of the grandson of the community's last rabbi, 70 years after it had been scheduled to take place.

The religious revival in the town is due to a construction project in the town, in which a common grave of Jewish victims of the Holocaust was discovered.

Tractor breaking ground for the project opened up the grave, which included the remains of numerous individuals, and Jewish holy books and scriptural scrolls that were apparently buried together with the victims.

According to elder members of the community, the Jews of Netishin were exterminated on Rosh Hashana in 1942, as the Nazi monsters invaded the town.

Upon the discovery, members of the town's small Jewish community turned to Habad for assistance, and the Rabbi of the nearby town of Chmelnitzki, Rabbi Alexander Feingold, intervened with city officials for help.

The mayor of Netishin immediately halted construction, and provided land and assistance to rebury the remains of the Jewish victims at an alternative site. The city also paid for the construction of a memorial stone on the new gravesite.

The incident awakened long-dormant feelings among many of the Jews in Netishin, who had long ago assimilated and had almost no connection to the Jewish community.

One of the members of the community, Azriel, confided in Rabbi Feingold that he had been scheduled to become a Bar-Mitzvah as the Nazis invaded the town – and instead, at the age of 12, witnessed the murder of his family, loved ones, and neighbors, leaving him the only surviving Jew of Netishin.

Azriel remained in the town, and eventually changed his name to Vasily, and became estranged from the Jewish people. But after the discovery of the mass grave – which contained the remains of his grandfather, who was the Rabbi of Netishin in the pre-war years – something stirred in the man, and he decided he wanted to go ahead with his Bar-Mitzvah – 70 years later.

Rabbi Feingold said that he felt privileged to be a part of such an amazing story.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/163622

Celebrating Jesus and Israel’s restoration on Mount Zion

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 | David Lazarus, Israel Today

Jewish followers of Jesus in a community on Mount Zion celebrated their silver anniversary this week behind the closed doors of a 200-year-old chapel nestled within Jerusalem’s Old City walls.

Some 300 worshippers gathered in prayer, scripture and song to retell the story of Israel’s restoration to her city and to her Messiah King.

The Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:17

As with most Messianic congregations in Israel, the story of the Community of the Lamb on Mount Zion began when a Jew had a divine encounter with Jesus. Only this time there were two Jews, brothers Reuven and Benjamin Berger, the sons of an Orthodox religious family of Holocaust survivors from New York.

After coming to faith, the Berger brothers left their yeshiva, bid farewell to family and friends, and followed Jesus’ calling back home to Israel.

“It was like the children of Jacob carrying the bones of Joseph back to the land,” said Reuven. “It was a homecoming for us back to our land, our people and our God.”

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem... Psalm 137:5

“Our lives and our Community are the fruit of the devotion and prayers of all those who went before us,” declared Reuven to the attentive crowd. The story of the Community of the Lamb on Mount Zion includes people like Theodore Hertzl and his vision and work for the restoration of Israel in the 1800s, 19th century Messianic Rabbi Michael Solomon Alexander who founded the Jerusalem sanctuary now serving the Community, and Alfred Sawyer, the Anglican minister who invited the Berger brothers “to begin a Messianic Jewish congregation in Jerusalem in order to fulfill the vision of this church.”

Those who sow in tears will reap with joy bringing in the sheaves. Psalm 126:5

Those hopes and dreams for a Messianic community in Jerusalem also brought many hard times. “There were years of distress, turmoil and dismay,” Reuven shared. “There were times when we felt crushed. But we know that even this was all part of God’s pruning, purifying and preparing us,” he continued. “We never lost hope over the years, nor our sense of calling to be part of the restoration of Israel. God must do a deep work in all of us who serve him here in Jerusalem.”

Benjamin Berger added: “It is a miracle that there is a Messianic Jewish congregation here in the Old City of Jerusalem. Right over there is the place where the Apostles gathered on Mount Zion,” he pointed out. “God has raised us up from the dead to continue the work for the salvation of Israel and to bring the glory of God back to Zion.”

Local Messianic Jews have their work cut out for them, said Benjamin. “We need much more power and grace from God to show our people the true face of Yeshua. The city of Jerusalem is becoming more and more religious,” he explained.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion... Psalm 126:1

One clear demonstration of God’s power and grace at work in the Community was the moving testimony of a young Israeli man.

“I was homeless, living on the streets of the Old City,” he said. “Drugs, alcohol, crime and prison had ruined my life. I was paranoid and desolate.”

Some of the members from the Community of the Lamb picked him up and brought him into the fellowship.

“Reuven would sit next to me and hold me so I couldn’t leave until the end of the message,” he recalled.

“The love I felt in this community touched me so much. It was the love of God that changed my life.”

The Community sent the new Messianic Jew to a rehabilitation center where he learned to live without drugs and alcohol. He even spent a year in a local Bible school. “Everyone in this Community prayed for me,” he said. “I owe my life to the dedicated people that picked me up from the streets and believed I could be saved. This is my family.”

That family atmosphere was evident with children’s songs and activities during the evening. But more surprising was watching as Jews and Arabs, Gentile expatriates and Orthodox Christian clergy all worshiped together in Hebrew in this unique place.

“The Lord is reconnecting all the branches of his olive tree,” said Benjamin. “He is breaking down walls that have been between us for generations. All believers from all traditions are part of one communion,” he said. “If they belong to the Messiah, they are my brother.”

Forgetting those things which are behind... Phil. 3:13

Towards the end of the evening the Community rose to their feet to renew their covenant with God. “We proclaim here today that we are closing the book on all that has gone before so that we might now open a new book in the life of our community,” proclaimed Benjamin. “We rededicate our lives and this community to you Lord,” Reuven prayed. “That you might do with us as you please, that we together, Jew and Arab, and all those who love you, might be a blessing to your people Israel. Amen!”

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23590/Default.aspx

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