Some Arabs Rejoice Over Israel Fires, Others Shelter Victims - Israel Today

Some Arabs Rejoice Over Israel Fires, Others Shelter Victims

Friday, November 25, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff

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While many Arabs in the Palestinian Authority and across the Middle East celebrated the wildfires currently ravaging Israel, a number of Arab municipalities offered to shelter victims being forced by the flames to evacuate their homes.

The hashtag #israelisburning is now trending on Arabic-language social media, with many Palestinians and those in neighboring countries viewing the fires as divine retribution against Israel.

Video clips of joyous celebrations during which Allah is thanked for punishing the Jews have gone viral in recent days.

In reality, Israeli officials believe many, if not most, of the fires were set by terrorist arsonists. Already 12 suspects have been arrested, and many more are being questioned.

But while many Arabs further afield are pleased by the fiery destruction, most of those living closer to the blazes realize they are in the same boat as their Jewish countrymen, and are looking to help.

Several of the larger Arab municipalities on Thursday notified the government and the municipalities of those cities most endangered, like Haifa, that their towns were open to shelter both Jews and Arabs forced to evacuate their homes.

More than 75,000 Israelis have had to flee their homes as firefighters struggle to contain the fires. At one point, more than 200 fires were burning simultaneously. At least 100 homes have already been destroyed.

The Palestinian Authority also dispatched some of its firefighting teams to help the Israelis. They will join teams that have already arrived from Russia, Turkey, Greece and Croatia. On Thursday night it was reported that the US would send its supertanker firefighting plane to battle the inferno.

But worrying to many Israelis is that if indeed the fires represent a new form of Muslim terror, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to fully bring an end to the blazes without a tremendous amount of rainfall. And all predictions are that this will be a very dry winter.

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President-elect Trump Just Added Another Evangelical to his Cabinet - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS

President-elect Trump Just Added Another Evangelical to his Cabinet

11/23/2016 BOB ESCHLIMAN  charisma news

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Secretary of Education-Designate Betsy DeVos, a board member of Mars Hill Bible Church, met with President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence last weekend at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (Reuters photo)

Evangelicals are going to make quite a mark on the United States of America beginning Jan. 20, 2017.

Three of the first four Cabinet-level appointments President-elect Donald Trump has announced were handed to evangelicals. And now, his fifth appointment goes to another evangelical Christian.

Wednesday afternoon, the Presidential Transition Team announced longtime school choice advocate Betsy DeVos will lead the Department of Education in the Trump Administration. They issued the following statement about the Mars Hill Bible Church board member:

President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Betsy DeVos as Secretary of the United States Department of Education. A leader in the national school reform movement for more than two decades, Betsy DeVos is a highly successful education advocate, businesswoman and philanthropist.

"Betsy DeVos is a brilliant and passionate education advocate," said President-elect Donald J. Trump. "Under her leadership, we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families. I am pleased to nominate Betsy as Secretary of the Department of Education."

"I am honored to accept this responsibility to work with the President-elect on his vision to make American education great again," said Ms. DeVos. "The status quo in education is not acceptable. Together, we can work to make transformational change that ensures every student in America has the opportunity to fulfill his or her highest potential."

A native of Michigan, Betsy DeVos has spent decades advocating for school choice reforms and helping underserved children gain access to quality education. Ms. DeVos is chairman of the American Federation for Children whose mission is to "improve our nation's K-12 education by advancing systemic and sustainable public policy that empowers parents, particularly those in low-income families, to choose the education they determine is best for their children."

Ms. DeVos is chair of the Windquest Group and has also served on national and local charitable and civic boards, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, American Enterprise Institute, The Philanthropy Roundtable, Kids Hope USA and Mars Hill Bible Church. 

3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!

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Israel Thrilled by Trump's Appointment of Nikki Haley - Israel Today

Israel Thrilled by Trump's Appointment of Nikki Haley

Thursday, November 24, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff

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Israel was among the first, and was certainly the most exuberant of UN member states to welcome US President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to the world body.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was selected for the position on Wednesday, and Israel Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon immediately hailed the decision.

Haley is a “longstanding and true friend of Israel,” wrote Danon in a statement that went on to note the governor’s “outspoken [fight] against the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement in her state and throughout the US.”

While laws pushed through by Haley do not mention Israel specifically, they forbid state bodies from doing business with any companies or individuals who are engaged in a boycott against an entity with which South Carolina does trade.

Earlier this year, Haley promised that if the Republicans won the recent election they would, contrary to the Obama Administration, “make international agreements that were celebrated in Israel and protested in Iran, not the other way around.”

Danon vowed that with Haley filling the critical position of US Ambassador to the UN, “we at the Israeli mission will continue to work in full partnership with our friends in the American Mission, as we further strengthen the special bond and shared values between Israel and the US.”

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Black Friday Means Something Else This Year in Israel - Aviel Schneider ISRAEL TODAY

Black Friday Means Something Else This Year in Israel

Friday, November 25, 2016 |  Aviel Schneider  ISRAEL TODAY

Today, all over the world people are marking Black Friday with major sales and a lot of shopping. Israelis usually like to participate in this, but this year many have more important matters to deal with.

While the rest of the world is taking advantage of Black Friday sales, Israelis are trying to keep their country from turning black.

Black clouds are covering the heavens, and this holy land is being scorched as hundreds of wildfires, many of them acts of arson, continue to rage, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes.

And the strong winds that are spreading the fires are expected to continue until the middle of next week, keeping Israel on high alert, and its exhausted firefighters working overtime.

Already large forested areas outside Haifa and Jerusalem have been destroyed.

We are calling on our faithful readers at this critical time to help us restore Israel’s woodlands.

Amidst this tragedy, join us in truly lifting Israel up and planting the land.

CLICK HERE to plant a tree today!

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Thanksgiving in Jerusalem - Brian Schrauger

Thanksgiving in Jerusalem - Brian Schrauger The Jerusalem Journal In the States, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Far and away, it is my favorite American holiday. Its focus on family, food, fun and rest - all in the context of gratitude - makes it uniquely wholesome. Although I am not in the US and find myself increasingly removed from the way it looks at life, I love to celebrate this part of its culture in Jerusalem. Except for a six-month visit to England in 2013, I have been in Israel for almost four and a-half years. Every day I am amazed that I have the privilege of living here. Acclimated to the culture, Israel has become my home. More than a place I sleep and work, it is where my heart has learned to rest. I have fallen in love with the people and the cultures, and also with the land. Periodic walks each week take me into the terraced hills of Judea. In spite of stony soil and thorny weeds, their beauty is breathtaking. Olive and fig trees and tall bent pines are surrounded by ancient watchtowers, some rebuilt, some not. And poking through the soil, long, strong ribs of stone fold here and there into secret clefts and caves. It is as if I'm seeing part of a massive skeleton, but one with living marrow, still nurturing a land that, though wounded from the past and given up for dead for centuries, is very much alive. The greatest evidence of that life is not the focus of most tours. Most come to see places where things happened: the Jordan River and the Wilderness, Capernaum and the Temple Mount; the Seas of Galilee and Salt; and all throughout, ruins from the past. Some tours jump from looking at the past to squinting into the future when God himself will make this place his earthly throne. But the life of this awakening land is not in the past or the future. It is in the present. The living breath of Israel is in the people here; the people here today; all of them. Since coming to Israel in 2012, I have encountered the beating heart of God. It is a pulse that pumps in people, not stones. As an avid advocate for the Jewish State, the homeland of God's human family, I have been nurtured and sustained by priceless friendships with members of that tribe. But the greatest acts of kindness I have encountered? Second to none, remarkable in unselfconscious generosity, the richest gifts of love have come from Palestinian believers. "George" from Gaza, "Jabra" from a refugee camp, and Mariana of Bethlehem; Mariana who gave me a room in her inn, who casually made me an member of her family, and did so in a six-month season of my life when I was alone and had no place to live. Whether Jews or Palestinians, the pulsating life of this resurrected nation is its people. Yes, among them are those who are distort God's Word in an attempt to usurp his uniquely chosen human family, the family in whom, and through whom, all the world is blessed. But even God's enemies carry markers of his grace. Their life and breath, passions and desires, are gifts from our generous Creator, even when those gifts are corrupted. God is a giver and what he gives is life. He is passionate about the people living in his land and, I am convinced, wants their stories told, their news reported, to nations that otherwise hear distorted, even deceptive reports from its own media. God is the primary parent in this new news venture. Through you, he is nurturing, sustaining and enabling it to grow. Because of God through you, the Jerusalem Journal is able to focus on people in Israel, telling their stories, and providing a platform for them to tell the world what is happening here. As the human co-parent of the Jerusalem Journal, I am living here as your representative, as one to bring a blessing, not a curse, to all whose hearts turn toward the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thanking God for you, for the gift of life he gives through you in such a time as this... ~Brian To send financial nourishment, Click here. Did you miss these emails? Or, perhaps, you would like a refresher? ✡ The subject line of the first one was, "A personal note." You can read it here.   ✡ The subject line of the second email was "Questions I am being asked." You can read it here.   ✡ The subject line of the third one was, "In, and for, such a time as this." You can read it here. ✡ The subject line of the fourth one was, "How was Moses able to keep his arms up?" You can read it here. Note: because the Jerusalem Journal is a US nonprofit, your donation may have tax benefits. Please check with your accounting advisor.   Also, you are welcome to respond by phone, text or email. If you phone, please send an advance text so that I know who is calling. And if I am unable to answer, please, send a text. Toda raba. :-) ✡ My Israeli mobile number is +972​.53.337.1108. ...From the UK, you can reach me on my Israeli mobile using this UK number: +44 203.807.4211 ...From the US, you can reach me on my Israeli mobile using this US number: +1 312.818.3578 ✡ Using the Israeli number, you can add me to your WhatsApp list for encrypted, international texting. ✡ If you are on Facebook, its texting service, Messenger, is a helpful tool that I often use. ✡ On Skype, my ID is domelot.   ✡ And the fastest way to reach me by email is by sending to either BrianSchrauger@JerusalemJournal.net or Brian@ZionComputer.net I look forward to hearing from you.

This is a personal email. I am using an email service to better manage my time in getting this to you. You are on this list because you are a reader of the Jerusalem Journal and because you are a friend. :-) Add me to your address book: BrianSchrauger@JerusalemJournal.net The Jerusalem Journal