ISRAEL (IINO)
Confrontation Between Jews and Christians at Temple Mount Over Accusations of Proselytizing ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
“I will bring them to My sacred mount And let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices Shall be welcome on My mizbayach; For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples.” – ISAIAH 56:7 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
MAY 29, 2023 – The ongoing initiative bringing millions of Christians to pray for Israel came to an ugly nexus when hundreds of Christians praying in Jerusalem were confronted by an equal number of Jews who denounced Christianity’s two millennia of proselytizing. The confrontation brought to the forefront the major issue preventing the prophetic House of Prayer for All Nations in Jerusalem.
Hundreds of Christians who came to pray at the Davidson Center Archaeological Park adjacent to the southern wall of the Temple Mount on Sunday were shocked when hundreds of religious Jews came to protest, some reacting violently to their prayers. The Christian prayer event was part of a three-week global initiative called “The Isaiah 62 Fast,” in which millions of Christians worldwide join in praying and fasting for Israel.
Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor Aryeh King was filmed shouting, “Missionaries go home!” In a statement about the incident, he praised the protesters and criticized the government organizations that allowed “Christian missionaries to hold a Christian worship and ceremony designed to prepare a missionary effort directed at Israeli residents,” he wrote. “It is a dignified and just protest against a government company that allowed this and against the missionaries. As far as I’m concerned, let every missionary know they are not welcome in the Land of Israel.”
The protest was also attended by Rabbi Zvi Tau, head of the Har Hamor Yeshiva, Rabbi David Cohen, and Rabbi Avigdor Nabnetzel.
While the Isaiah 62 Fast does not explicitly call for proselytizing to Jews or working to convince Jews to leave Judaism by accepting Jesus as their Messiah or “Savior,” The International House of Prayer, which organized the event, wrote precisely that in its online Israel Mandate:
“Our mission is to mobilize an international prayer movement that would pray 24/7 for the nation of Israel to receive their Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). Jesus promised the nation of Israel an unusual visitation of His presence at the end of the age when the Jewish leaders will recognize Him as their true Messiah and deliverer.”
The event’s timing was significant as it came immediately following the Biblical Shavuot feast. According to Jewish tradition, the Jews made an exclusive and eternal covenant with God at Mount Sinai and received the Torah.
The event also preceded Pentecost, which, according to Christian tradition, is the birth-day of the Church as recorded in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. It commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the early followers of Jesus. According to the New Testament, this occurred fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, during the Shavuot holiday. This epiphany bestowed upon them the mandate to spread the Gospel to the world, which many Christians understand to mean the requirement to convert Jews to Christianity.
David Nekrutman, the Executive Director of The Isaiah Projects and an Orthodox Jewish theologian, explained how the Pentecost fit into Christian replacement theology, which requires the conversion of Jews and makes it impossible for Judaism and Christianity to coexist.
“For mainstream Christians who subscribe to Replacement Theology, Jesus not only replaced the Temple, but he also replaced the Land,” Nekrutman explained. “For Christians, Jesus also replaced the Torah. For those in the Replacement Theology camp, the Torah was simply a band-aid approach until Jesus arrived to replace it. Even a biblically based Shavuot would no longer be relevant since these laws have been fulfilled in Jesus.”
Nekrutman commented on the events saying, “If one is praying for the Jewish people, then it should be prayers that advocate Jews to be more committed to Judaism as well as the hope that all Jews see the importance of holding an Israeli passport.”
Should Jewish conservatives stay Republican? IRIT TRATT
“You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that Hashem your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice.” DEUTERONOMY 16:18 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
JUNE 14, 2023 – In New York, this week’s deadline for submitting changes to individual voter ballots is renewing pressure on Jewish Republicans to switch their party affiliation.
New York is one of 12 “closed primary” states in which primary voting is limited to those registered with a specific political party.
New York’s reputation as a bastion of deep blue liberalism leaves many conservatives struggling to explain the logic behind backing candidates whose chances of winning, particularly in left-leaning enclaves, are slim at best.
Jewish Democrats regard the state’s reflexive ideological leanings as an opening to consolidate power by encouraging conservatives to adjust their political preference. They claim that the certainty of a Democratic victory renders voting for Republicans pointless. Thus, it is prudent to vote strategically in order to stave off progressive challenges to more moderate Democrats.
While well-intentioned, attempts to subordinate the New York GOP are, at best, a stopgap. It only temporarily fends off the threat from Democrats whose sympathies are increasingly with the Palestinians and against Israel.
Moreover, rewarding Democrats’ lack of action on stemming antisemitism within party ranks with more Jewish votes is a misguided strategy. It will only undermine Republican lawmakers who are often the first to oppose anti-Israel policies.
Israel’s government to advance part of judicial reform
The premier accused opposition leaders of not taking talks on a compromise seriously.
June 18, 2023 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that parts of his coalition’s judicial reform initiative will move ahead this week.
“We will meet this week and begin practical steps in the legal reform,” Netanyahu told Cabinet members gathered at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem for their regular weekly meeting.
Jews and the Land of Israel: Part XV: The Attempt to Convince the Arabs of Palestine that Jewish Settlement Would Greatly Benefit Their Lives By Alex Grobman PhD.
29 Sivan 5783 – June 18, 2023 – *Editor’s Note: This is the fifteenth installment in the most recent series of articles from Jewish Press Online contributor, Alex Grobman, PhD
Attempts to assure the Arabs they had more to gain materially by embracing the efforts of Jews to immigrate and settle the land of Israel was an ongoing process. Zionist historian Yosef Gorny notes that in 1907, Yitzhak Epstein, an intellectual and teacher, declared that the Arabs “must, for its own good let the Jews into the country, for it is powerless to improve its situation and to extricate itself from its poverty and ignorance by its own efforts; only our people can provide for their needs.” It was to be a win-win situation. The Jews would reclaim their homeland and the Arabs would be able to improve their lives. This would hasten “the renaissance of two ancient and gifted Semitic people with great potentialities, who complement each other.” [1]
Mass protests against judicial reform enter 21st week
The passing of the new budget could grant some stability to Israel’s government. However, it also appeared to fuel the protesters’ views that Netanyahu appeals to his religious allies rather than address the wider economic woes of the broader society.
05-27-2023 22:21 – Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered on Saturday for the relentless weekly protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government’s plans to overhaul the legal system in the country.
The mass protests entered their 21st week. This week’s rallies come days after Netanyahu’s coalition of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist parties passed a new two-year budget.
The main rally took place in Tel Aviv, drawing thousands of flag-waving protesters.
The passing of the new budget could grant some stability to Israel’s government. However, it also appeared to fuel the protesters’ views that Netanyahu appeals to his religious allies rather than address the wider economic woes of the broader society. Organizers of grassroots protests bill them as a movement to save democracy. They say the government’s plans to weaken the Supreme Court would destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and compromise Israeli democracy.
[Ed.: Rubbish. The mouse that roared.]
06-16-2023 09:10 – Ehud Barak, as has been revealed this week, is the de facto leader of the protests against judicial reform. His main motivation has nothing to do with the Supreme Court and everything to do with his own personal ego war against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [Emphasis added]
1. Some years ago, Ehud Barak invited me to his home. He wanted to get to know me. We sat for about three hours talking about history and Talmud, philosophy and poetry, policy, and the army. Barak is highly impressive, with a broad perspective, the likes of which I have encountered in very few people.I told him that, in some ways, he had become the Shabtai Zvi of his camp. Barak was the Messiah who was designated as Yitzhak Rabin’s successor. He was destined to redeem his followers from Benjamin Netanyahu and resurrect the spirit of Oslo. And yet, it was Barak who coined the phrase that buried the hope of peace when he returned from Camp David and told the nation the truth: “There is no partner for peace” on the Palestinian side, despite the unprecedented concessions he offered them. It was an admission of the failure of the concept of “land for peace.” As far as many of his followers were concerned, this was an act of heresy that went against what for many years had been the raison d’être of his political camp. Barak’s confession was tantamount to the conversion to Islam of Shabtai Zvi who turned out to be a false Messiah. You too, I told him, have been marked as a false Messiah. He smiled faintly and agreed with me.
[Ed.:
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger’s rebranded unconventional website
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger’s rebranded unconventional website
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U.S. Fighter Jets Head to Middle East; Israel SLAMS Russia Over Iran Alliance [12:00] The Watchman with Erick Stakelbeck
On today’s Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck beaks down growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia in the Middle East. As the U.S. sends a squadron of F-22 fighter jets to the region to deter Russia, could things spiral out of control? Plus, Israeli leaders are expressing growing alarm over Russia’s military alliance with Iran. Is this a prelude to a coming prophetic showdown?
