The Garden Tomb: Where Jesus Rose Again? - CBN News Chris Mitchell

The Garden Tomb: Where Jesus Rose Again?

03-24-2016

CBN News Chris Mitchell

JERUSALEM -- On Easter Sunday, millions of Christians around the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Jerusalem, thousands of Christian pilgrims visit what many believe to be the site of that resurrection. 

Located near the heart of Jerusalem is a place called The Garden Tomb, what some believe was the Garden of Joseph of Arimathea. Here is where some believe Jesus died, was buried, and then rose from the dead. 

The garden is a two acre oasis in the often hectic city of Jerusalem. British Christians bought the garden 125 years ago and formed The Garden Tomb Association. For years, they've allowed visitors here free of charge. 

"What we do have here in the Garden is a perfect representation of the Biblical accounts at the end of the four Gospels. Everything in those four Gospels matches what we show people here in the Garden," Richard Meryon, director of The Garden Tomb, said.

Touring the Garden

Today, nearly a quarter of a million visitors pour into The Garden Tomb each year. Guide Steve Bridge took CBN News on a tour visitors get when they come to the garden.     

"What we plot out is the basic geography that we have in the Bible," he explained. "Jesus was crucified outside of the city walls at a place called Golgotha. And in the immediate area to where Jesus was crucified there was a garden that belonged to a rich man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea."

We came first to the place the Bible calls "Golgotha," where the book of Matthew says "and when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull." 

"What are some of the main questions people ask you when they come here?" we asked Bridge.

"Some of the main questions, certainly from Christian groups would be can we be certain that this is the place where Jesus died and He was raised to life," Bridge said. "People often ask how come there are two places, here and there is the Holy Sepulcher?"

Weighing the Evidence

The question arises because some believe Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the actual place of the crucifixion and resurrection, not the Garden Tomb. Constantine's mother Queen Helena helped build the church in 326 A.D. 

The archeological weight supporting the church's claim is substantial. For example, the Roman emperor Hadrian built a temple on the site in the second century because local Christians venerated the site as the place of Golgotha.   

But the evidence for the Garden can be compelling. The gospel of John says, "... at the place where jesus was crucified, there was a garden ... "  (John 19: 38; 41)

If you have a garden, you need lots of water, especially in the dry Middle East. The Garden Tomb contains one of the oldest and largest cisterns in Jerusalem. It's 2,000 years old and holds about 200,000 gallons of water.

"So the tomb we have here is a typical of a first century Jewish rolling stone tomb. It's dated at least 2,000 years, possibly older," Bridge explained to CBN News.

The Empty Tomb 

In the Garden, the Bible also says there was a tomb. 

"It is carved out of solid rock. It's a man-made tomb and that's how the Bible describes the tomb in which the body of Jesus was laid," Bridge said of the tomb, while we we standing next its entrance.

"This channel that you can see in front of the tomb entrance is where the stone would have sat that would have been rolled to seal the entrance to the tomb. So finally, the most important thing about this tomb itself is that it's empty."

We went inside for a look.

"What we're looking at when we're looking at this direction is through into the burial chamber itself," Bridge explained. "And what you have inside the burial chamber are these two areas where a body would be laid, one just down here and one on this side."

The tomb itself seems to fit the Bible's description. But whether The Garden Tomb or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the site of the resurrection of Jesus, many Christian pilgrims take with them a profound affirmation of their faith

"I'm a Bible teacher in the states. And want to take some of this passion back, that Jesus is who he says he is, that he is the son of God, and he did walk this earth," Kelcey Gillespie, a Christian who made a pilgrimage here to Jerusalem, told us.

Celebrating the Person

As people celebrate Easter, those at The Garden Tomb stress it's not the place, it's the person.     

"The Bible writers really weren't that interested in establishing where Jesus died. We have very little information," Bridge said. "The Bible writers themselves were much more interested in Jesus Christ himself who he is. Why He died."    

"That's what we want people to take away, that the tomb is empty. And we as Christians, of all the world's faiths, serve a living God who's overcome death, who's has dealt with the sin in our life," Meryon said. "And Jesus is the centrality of our Christian faith, is He not?"

"And so here at the Garden that's what we want people to take away is the living Lord Jesus. The Easter weekend is the weekend that changed the world," he added. "The weekend that Jesus died and was buried and rose again for me and for you."

Watch here: CBN News

--Originally aired March 31, 2010. 

Jonathan Cahn - The Mystery of Ishmael, The Shemitah on The Jim Bakker Show

Watch here: Jonathan Cahn - The Mystery of Ishmael on The Jim Bakker Show

Collapse of oil prices at Shemitah

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

Jim Bakker Show 2016 | Show# 2961 | Aired on March 24, 2016

Amos, Ephesians, Genesis, Hebrews, John, Proberbs, Revelation, Romans

Jim Bakker Show © 2016 • Morningside Studios

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More Islamic Terror Coming: ISIS Has Sent 400 Trained Fighters Into Europe To Conduct Terror Attacks - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

More Islamic Terror Coming: ISIS Has Sent 400 Trained Fighters Into Europe To Conduct Terror Attacks

Posted: 24 Mar 2016  Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

The recent attacks in Paris and in Brussels were just the tip of the iceberg of a massive wave of Islamic terror that is soon coming to Europe.  As you will see below, the Associated Press is reporting that ISIS has specially trained “at least 400 attackers” and has already sent them into Europe with specific instructions to conduct terror operations.  

So Barack Obama may not think that we have anything to be concerned about, but the facts on the ground tell us a completely different story.  Thanks to Europe’s openness to “war refugees” from Syria, it is very easy for radical jihadists to get into countries such as France, Belgium and Germany.  And once they are on European soil, there are plenty of other disgruntled Islamic refugees that they can recruit to their cause.  Europe stands on the precipice of the greatest terror crisis that it has ever known, and the attacks that are coming next are likely to be far more deadly than anything we have seen so far.

As I mentioned above, the Associated Press is reporting that ISIS has already sent “at least 400″ trained fighters into Europe for the purpose of conducting terror attacks…

Security officials have told The Associated Press that the Islamic State group has trained at least 400 attackers and sent them into Europe for terror attacks.
The network of interlocking, agile and semiautonomous cells shows the reach of the extremist group in Europe even as it loses ground in Syria. The officials, including European and Iraqi intelligence officials and a French lawmaker who follows the jihadi networks, describe camps designed specifically to train for attacks against the West.

And just in case you were tempted to think that this threat was not real, you may want to consider what happened in France on Thursday.

According to NBC News, police in Paris were able to foil a terror attack that was in “the advanced stages” of planning…

Raids in northwest Paris have foiled a terrorist attack, French officials said late Thursday.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve gave a press conference in Paris announcing there was an operation underway in Argenteuil, a commune in the northwest suburbs of Paris.
One man was arrested Thursday morning Cazeneuve said, adding that the operation thwarted a potential attack. Police were raiding his home again laterThursday evening.
The suspect was a French national who was in “the advanced stages” of a terror plot, the minister said, calling it a “major arrest.”

Of course much of the rest of the world is already solidly in the grip of Islamic terror.  The number of people killed by Islamic terror attacks has been increasing year after year, but the western media only seems to get excited when an attack happens in North America or Europe.

I came across the following tweet earlier today, and it makes this point perfectly…

Leaving this here.. #prayfortheworld pic.twitter.com/FbeOrrVHAk

— ㅤ (@ledgerdicaprio) March 22, 2016

For instance, did you even hear about the horrific Islamic terror attack that happened in the Ivory Coast earlier this month?  Gunmen opened fire on a very crowded beach in a key resort area on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.  The following comes from the New York Times…

Gunmen opened fire on picnickers and swimmers enjoying a perfect day at three beach resort hotels near the Ivory Coast’s capital on Sunday, killing 16 people and leaving bodies strewn across the bloodstained sand. It was the third major attack in West Africa since November, and verified fears that the spread of terrorism across the region was far from over.
The attack, on the first sunny Sunday in weeks, took place in Grand-Bassam, a popular palm tree-lined getaway for Ivorians and foreigners. Fourteen civilians and two members of the country’s special forces were killed, as well as six gunmen, according to a spokeswoman for the president.

So why do we get so bent out of shape when there is an attack in France or Belgium, but not when there is an attack in the Ivory Coast?

And what does that say about us?

As ISIS and other Islamic terror groups conduct more attacks in North America and Europe, the pressure to conduct military action in the Middle East is going to become very intense.  For a long time I have been warning about the potential for World War III to erupt in Syria, and U.S. troops are already taking on a more prominent role in Iraq.

In fact, the International Business Times is reporting that U.S. marines are now “on the front line” in the fight against the Islamic State…

The Islamic State group is trying to retake control of the oil fields it lost two years ago in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan by launching rockets at Kurdish and Iraqi soldiers. In an attempt to earn back the massive amount of cash it used to fund its international terrorism in 2014, the group has focused its resources on attacking Makhmur, a city just 75 miles miles from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. So far, the group, also known as ISIS, has succeeded in outgunning the Iraqi forces in the city, but a new contingent of American Marines might change the outcome on the ground.
“Several weeks ago, thousands of Iraqi troops began occupying a tactical assembly area in Makhmur. This is part of the force generation associated with the liberation of Mosul,” Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, said in a press briefing this week. Mosul is the de facto ISIS headquarters in Iraq. “These Iraqi forces, along with their coalition advisers, require force protection,” Warren said. “So we constructed a small fire base to do just that.”
The U.S. Marines in Iraq are on the front line and have been tasked with protecting Iraqi units in Makhmur — a scenario President Barack Obama wanted to avoid as long as possible during his time in office.

And what happens when ISIS or another terror group is able to set off a chemical, biological or nuclear weapon in a major western city?

That would change the world literally overnight.

As I have been warning, most people have no idea how incredibly fragile our society truly is.  Humanity has created weapons that are frighteningly powerful, and it is only a matter of time before terrorists acquire these weapons and begin using them.

The free and open society that we are all enjoying today is on borrowed time.

All it is going to take is the detonation of a single weapon of mass destruction in a major western city and everything will change.

Franklin Graham Takes a Bold Stand Against NFL's Christian Persecution - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS

Franklin Graham Takes a Bold Stand Against NFL's Christian Persecution

3/24/2016 BOB ESCHLIMAN  charisma news

Evangelist Franklin Graham has asked his followers to pray for Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who is weighing whether or not to sign into law a religious freedom protection bill in the wake of widespread outrage from LGBT activists and corporate interests. (Reuters photo)

As Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal continues to contemplate whether or not to sign a bill to protect religious freedoms in his state, a number of corporate interests have weighed in.

But now, in an official statement, evangelist Franklin Graham has weighed in on the issue, as well. He shared his comments on social media after learning of the threats issued by the National Football League to remove Atlanta from consideration for a future Super Bowl date.

"Atlanta is a great location for the Super Bowl, but the NFL has come out against Georgia's religious exemptions bill, threatening that it could impact Atlanta's consideration in the Super Bowl selection process for 2019 and 2020," he said. "LGBT forces and corporate super powers are using this threat to try to stop the bill that would protect pastors from performing same-sex marriages and give faith-based organizations permission to deny use of their facilities for things outside their religious beliefs."

House Bill 757, also known as the Religious Freedom Protection Act and the Pastor Protection Act, would protect pastors, faith-based organizations and business owners with sincerely held religious beliefs from being forced to violate their conscience. The bill has passed the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate, and is supported by a number of conservative and faith leaders.

In response, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said through a spokesman, "NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites."

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has been eager to get the Super Bowl back in his home city for years. And because of the NFL's reaction, he has also joined the chorus of corporate interests opposed to the legislation.

"I strongly believe a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Georgia is critical to our citizens and the millions of visitors coming to enjoy all that our great state has to offer," he has said. "House Bill 757 undermines these principles and would have long-lasting negative impact on our state and the people of Georgia."

Other corporate interests that have weighed in against the legislation include the Walt Disney Company, which frequently films on location in the state, and the Coca-Cola Company, which is headquartered in Atlanta. Dozens of other corporations have also attacked the legislation, saying it promotes discrimination.

Graham, however, disagrees with those assessments:

"It does not legalize discrimination as opponents are trying to say, rather it helps contain the growing discrimination against Christians who simply want to live out their faith. The bill has already passed both houses of the Georgia legislature and has the support of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle."

Deal has said he will make his decision in the next few weeks. In the meantime, Graham is urging his followers to join him in taking a bold stand for religious freedom.

"Let's pray that Gov. Deal will protect the religious freedoms of Georgians," he said. "Write him and let him know how you feel about this—stand up against this NFL blitz!"

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How The Lifesaving Miracles of Purim Continue Today By Rivkah Lambert Adler - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

An ultra orthodox man and a young Jewish Israeli dance together at the old Mashbir Square, celebrating for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, in central Jerusalem, on March 13, 2016. (Photo by Corinna Kern/Flash90)

How The Lifesaving Miracles of Purim Continue Today

By Rivkah Lambert Adler March 24, 2016   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“That the king had granted the Yehudim that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, and to slay, and to cause to perish, all the forces of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.” Esther 8:11 (The Israel Bible™)

As told in the Biblical Book of Esther, the lives of Jewish people in 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia, were miraculously saved from the hands of Haman who vowed to exterminate the Jewish nation. Each year at this time, Jews around the world celebrate Purim to remember the miracle that allowed the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies.

The life-saving Purim miracle that the Jewish people experienced 2,400 years ago is echoed in today’s news. A review of recent news stories proves that God is still protecting and saving His people today.

Rescue of Jews from Yemen

Ongoing civil war in Muslim Yemen, one of the most violent countries in the Middle East, left the small Jewish community vulnerable. Through secret airlifts from Yemen to Israel, a few hundred members of the community have been rescued. This week, a group of nearly 20 Yemenite Jews, the last to be evacuated, landed in Israel, along with a Torah scroll that is believed to be at least 500 years old.

Collapse of Terror Tunnels in Gaza

Over the past several weeks, multiple tunnels built to attack and kill the Jews of Israel have collapsed under suspicious circumstances. Some say that a lone rabbi standing near the border between Gaza and Israel and praying for God’s help, is yielding substantial miracles.

One such tunnel collapsed in Khan Younis last week, injuring two and resulting in five missing Hamas terrorists. In a separate incident, a huge gas explosion in Gaza earlier this week led Egyptian officials to discover 50 other secret tunnels between Gaza and the Egyptian side of the Arab city of Rafiah.

Crises Averted and Terrorists Neutralized

Nearly every day, there are news reports of attempted stabbings and car rammings throughout Israel. Although, regrettably, there have been nearly three dozen fatalities and many more with serious injuries, there are also daily inspirational stories of escape. For instance, on March 11, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by a masked terrorist exploded near the southern city of Otniel just as an Israeli woman drove by. The car was lightly damaged and the driver escaped without injury.

Even in cases where the terrorists injure or even murder Jews, the perpetrators rarely escape and are most often neutralized.

Jonathan Pollard Released at the Beginning of the Jubilee

After 30 years behind bars, Jonathan Pollard was finally released this past November, just as the Shmittah (Sabbatical) year ended. Pollard is a Jewish citizen of the United Stated who was convicted of spying for Israel. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. For decades, Jews and non-Jews alike all across the world prayed for his release. As his physical health deteriorated in prison, prayers for his release increased.  

In these and similar stories, when we look at the news with Bible-based vision, we can see that, just as in the time of the Purim miracle, God is still involved in saving lives on a regular basis.

Arguably, the greatest modern Purim miracle of all is the simple fact that the Jewish people survive and Israel thrives, even in the midst of daily danger and threats to its existence.

Speaking to Breaking Israel News, popular author and lecturer Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf reminds emphasizes God’s hand in the everyday saying, “Iran wants to nuke us. Obama doesn’t mind assisting them. Europe wants to boycott us. There is a knife-car intifada raging in our streets, we are a fractured society, etc. etc etc. And yet, it turns out we are the 11th happiest country in the world, ahead of the US and every European country, ahead of China, India, Japan, and the entire Muslim world. Jewish-Israeli resilience is an absolute miracle!”

Happy Purim!

Artwork by Alex Levin.

Document Proves Truth of 22 New Testament Books - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Document Proves Truth of 22 New Testament Books

3/24/2016 JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma news

As millions celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ this weekend, a millenniums-old document proves the truth of the New Testament. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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As millions celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ this weekend, a millenniums-old document proves the truth of the New Testament.

"What is noteworthy for our purposes here is that the Muratorian fragment affirms 22 of the 27 books of the New Testament. These include the four Gospels, Acts, all 13 epistles of Paul, Jude, 1 John, 2 John (and possibly 3rd John), and Revelation. This means that at a remarkably early point (end of the second century), the central core of the New Testament canon was already established and in place," writes New Testament expert Michael J. Kruger. 

According to Bible Researcher, the manuscript in which it appears was copied during the seventh century, the list itself is dated to about 170 because its author refers to the episcopate of Pius I of Rome (died 157) as recent. He mentions only two epistles of John, without describing them. 

Other historical evidence proves the reality of the Gospels, especially, as well.

"Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the gentiles," writes Jewish historian Josephus. 

"He was the Christ and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him. For he appeared alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day," Josephus wrote.

While the Muratorian fragment proves at least 22 books out of the 27, Kruger explains the missing five books.

"If there was a core canon from an early time period, then there are two significant implications we can draw from this. First, this means that most of the debates and disagreements about canonical books in early Christianity only concerned a handful of books. Books like 3 John, James, 2 Peter and so on. Early Christianity was not a wide open literary free for all, where there was no agreement on much of anything. Instead there was an agreed-upon core that no one really disputed," Kruger writes. 

"Second, if there was a core collection of New Testament books, then the theological trajectory of early Christianity had already been determined prior to the debates about the peripheral books being resolved. So, regardless of the outcome of discussion over books like 2 Peter or James, Christianity's core doctrines of the person of Christ, the work of Christ, the means of salvation, etc., were already in place and already established. The acceptance or rejection of books like 2 Peter would not change that fact," Kruger says. 

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Miraculous Healings Breaking Out Among Syrian Muslims - MARK ELLIS/ASSIST NEWS SERVICE/GOD REPORTS

Miraculous Healings Breaking Out Among Syrian Muslims

 3/24/2016 MARK ELLIS/ASSIST NEWS SERVICE/GOD REPORTS

A displaced Syrian mother and her child. (Courtesy/Christian Aid Mission)

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

---

An extraordinary number of Muslims living in war-torn Syria have decided to follow Jesus after experiencing His love firsthand through miraculous healings and gifts from above.

Among the people living in or near the war zone, many are struggling to survive because there is simply not enough food, according to the Lebanon-based director of Christian Aid Mission.

One Syrian mother, identified as Majida, went to God in prayer after her family ran out of food.

"She prayed, 'Lord, I know You never let us down—we need food for our family,'" the director recounted. "As she was walking later that day, she found some money on the path in front of her. She was so pleased that God had answered her prayer in such a creative way that she started jumping up and down with joy."

Majida rushed to buy bread for her family, and when her neighbors asked where she had gotten the money, she said, "It was sent to me from God."

"They pressed her to tell them how that was possible, so she went on to share her faith and pray with them," the director said.

Desperate Muslims who hear about miraculous healings through Christians are drawn to find out more. A mother named Nivine brought her paralyzed, 2-year-old daughter to a meeting of one of the ministry teams affiliated with Christian Aid Mission.

The ministry leader informed Nivine that they pray in the name of Jesus.

"Whatever it takes," she replied, in tears. "Just make her better!"

"When we pray, we pray to a living God," the ministry leader told her. Then he explained the gospel to her and she accepted Christ.

After she was born again, Nivine started faithfully attending the meetings with her paralyzed daughter." The group continued to pray for the child in the following days.

About two weeks later, Nivine was worshipping at a meeting with her daughter next to her. She glanced down and noticed her daughter was smiling. Then she was shocked to see that her hands were moving. Could this be a dream? But her daughter continued to move.

It was true—she was healed by the power of the living God!

Another mother, Aveen, along with her husband, Mohamad, and their seven children, are part of a church in another town in Syria. Mohamad recently lost his job.

"They are weary of struggling through life," the director said. "What surprises us most about this family is that Aveen and Mohamad both come from very fanatical Muslim families that wish to stone them to death, and yet they still fearlessly display their strong love for the Lord. Despite the difficulty of surviving without work and the threat of persecution, they have the courage and desire to share the gospel with everyone around them."

The incidents of healing and salvation are a welcome contrast to the violence of the war-torn country. ISIS claimed responsibility for bomb blasts in Damascus on Feb. 21 that killed at least 87 people, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and car bombs in Homs killed at least 59 civilians.

On Feb. 22, Russian forces were suspected in an attack on a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders that killed 25 people.

In the midst of such atrocities, a Muslim named Amad heard about a place in his town where people pray and some are healed. The worsening skin disease of one of his children drove him to visit.

"In a moment of bravery, he brought his son to the meeting place, and the believers there prayed for him," the ministry director said. "The next day the child woke up with nothing on his skin! It was undeniably a miracle. The whole family has come to believe in the Lord, and they want to be baptized."

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The Truth About the Brussels Attack - Paul Joseph Watson (video)

Published on Mar 22, 2016

How many Europeans need to be slaughtered before we acknowledge that Islam is not a "religion of peace"?

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Where Israel's Christian Minority Stands Today - Israel Today

Where Israel's Christian Minority Stands Today

Thursday, March 24, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff

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Topics:

Christians

Lt. (Res.) Shadi Khalloul (seen standing on Netanyahu’s left) has been interviewed by and written for Israel Today on several occasions.

As a leading representative of the Holy Land’s reborn Aramaic Christian community, Khalloul this week penned for the Gatestone Institute a summary of where Israel’s Christian minority stands today.

Khalloul noted that, like him, many local Christians today understand that serving in the Israeli military is essential.

The reason for this is simple: the Middle East is crumbling under the weight of jihad, and is therefore increasingly dangerous for Christians and other minorities.

“Israel,” insisted Khalloul, as he has so many times in past, “is the only island of safety that allows [Christians] freedom and democratic rights.”

Even under the Palestinian Authority, Christians do not enjoy anywhere close to the rights and quality of life enjoyed by Israeli Christians, he stressed.

Khalloul was adamant that “contrary to propaganda, there is no ‘apartheid’ of any kind in Israel,” pointing out that both Christians and Muslims hold high-level positions in every area of Israeli society. In fact, an Arab Christian is one of the senior justices on Israel’s Supreme Court.

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Even more Belgian Jews to make Aliyah? - ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS

Even more Belgian Jews to make Aliyah?

Aliyah from Belgium increased by 25% last year and can be expected to grow following Tuesday's attacks.

By Gil Ronen  ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS

First Publish: 3/22/2016, 2:32 PM / Last Update: 3/22/2016, 4:39 PM

Jewish Museum in Brussels

Reuters

Tuesday’s terror attacks in Belgium can be expected to prod some local Jews to leave, and many of these will opt for Israel as their destination, if recent patterns hold up.

Aliyah – or Jewish immigration to Israel – from Belgium rose 25% last year, according to information recently provided by Arielle Di Porto, Director of Aliyah at the Jewish Agency. Di Porto also told the Knesset last month that 10,000 Jews made Aliyah from Western Europe last year, 8,000 of them from France.

It is generally assumed that the increase in emigration from Belgium is connected to the rise in anti-Semitism and terror attacks in Belgium, which used to be considered a very safe place for Jews.

The Jewish community in Belgium is estimated at around 42,000, of whom close to half live in Antwerp.

A November report in the British Telegraph estimated the number of Belgian Jews who move to Israel annually at 200, citing Betty Dan, a former president of Belgium’s Zionist association, who helps organize property fairs for Belgians who move to Israel. Following November’s massacre in Paris, she began receiving telephone calls from people seeking information on moving at a rate of five a day, compared to one a week previously.

“A few years ago it was the pensioners going, who wanted the Israeli sun,” said Dan, "Now it is young people with children who sell their houses and leave everything. They are scared.”

“It is a painful thing. I am a real Belgian – my country, my culture and my friends are here,” added Dan, who has been the manager of a Jewish radio station for 25 years. “My daughter never, never, never thought to leave. Now, she says of her little boy, what is his future here? We don’t feel safe."

In a series of interviews conducted before the multiple attacks in Paris last November, Belgian Jews told CBN News that life in Belgium was good, but “the possibility of danger was ever present.”

"The idyllic years are over. The tranquil years are definitely over," Jewish leader and linguist Julien Klener said. "You can go to a grocery [store] and all of a sudden someone can shoot you down. You can go to a museum and the same can happen."

"If we think it's not secure enough to let them go outside during the day, we keep all the students here during the day," Michael Greenberg, the head of Jewish Studies at the Jewish Tachkemoni School said. "Today you have anti-Semitism from the Left and the extreme Left; anti-Semitism that is going into a form that is called anti-Zionism and you have anti-Semitism from the Arab and Muslim communities,"

Rabbi Shimon Lasker of the Beth Chabad Synagogue in Brussels said that while he personally thinks reports of anti-Semitism have been overblown, "The Jewish community of Belgium, I'm talking about people who were born in Belgium, are starting to ask themselves, is Belgium the place for the future of their children or the future of them to continue living."

In May 2014, Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, a Frenchman of Algerian descent who had spent more than a year in Syria, went on a rampage at the Jewish museum in Brussels' Sablon district. His victims included an Israeli couple and a French volunteer at the museum, who were all killed instantly. Another man, a museum employee, was left in a critical condition and died shortly afterwards.

In November of 2014, a rabbi in Antwerp was stabbed in the throat on his way to deliver a sermon.

Official Belgian figures recorded 130 reports of anti-Semitic incidents in 2014, a 10-year high and a 50 per cent increase over the previous year.

Some families have removed the mezuzah from their front doors to avoid attention.

Belgium’s security services and politicians have been facing intense criticism over how Brussels, and in particular the tiny commune of Molenbeek, have become an hotbed of terrorist plots.