13. Poli ti ca l Israel 3 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 A u s t r a l i a n T a x p a y e r s ’ M o n e y T h r o w n t o F u e l t h e F i r e i n G a z a A n t h o n y B e r g i n & G r e g o r y R o s e n I t is time to look to arrangements f or the da y after the UNR W A ( the UN R elief and W orks Agency f or P alestinians in the N ear East) is dismantled. U N RW A i s t h e l a r g e s t a i d b o d y o p e r a t i n g i n G a z a , w h e r e i t h a s 1 3 , 0 0 0 e m p l o y e e s , a l m o s t a l l G a z a n s . E s t a b l i s h e d o n 8 D e c e m b e r 19 4 9 , U N RW A h a s a f t e r t h r e e - q u a r t e r s o f a c e n t u r y b e c o m e a g o v e r n m e n t , w e l f a r e p r o v i d e r , a n d i n d u l g e n t p a t r o n f o r Pa l e s t i n i a n s . UNR W A is the only UN specialised agency in the world ex clusively f or a distinct group of refugees, and the only one ever not to resettle them but to endow them with intergenerational status as refuges. I ts implicit objective is to maintain P alestinian refugee status in perpetuity . I t has grown its refugee numbers eightf old , from 700,000 to 5. 6 million people. T h i s i s a p o l i t i c a l m a n d a t e d e s i g n e d t o d e l e g i t i m i s e a n d p r e s s u r e t h e Je w i s h s t a t e . T h e m a j o r i t y o f U N RW A ’ s $ U S 1 . 6 b i l l i o n a n n u a l b u d g e t p r o m o t e s p o l i c i e s t h a t v a r i o u s l y s u p p o r t t h e ‘ r i g h t o f r e t u r n ’ f o r Pa l e s t i n i a n s i n t o I s r a e l , i n e ff e c t e n d i n g I s r a e l a s a Je w i s h s t a t e . T o operate in Gaza, which has been ruled by Hamas f or almost a generation, UNR W A has been thoroughly infiltrated and utilised by Hamas. Accor ding to Israeli intelligence estimates, appro ximately 1. 5% of UNR W A employees are terrorist operatives, 10% are associated with terror organisations such as Hamas and Islamic J ihad , and 50% ha ve at least one close relative associated with them. M oreover , UNR W A ’ s international Gaza leadership has had to accommodate Hamas. As Prof essor Gerald S teinberg at Bar - Ilan U niversity has pointed out, the evidence is that “UNR W A international officials maintained a code of silence and cooperation with Hamas and associated terror groups, including promoting their propaganda and incitement and training of children f or terror .” UNR W A teachers are particularly problematic. W estern governments ha ve requested UNR W A to remove sections from its textbooks that contain incitement to violence against Israel and that promote anti - Semitism. UNWRA has refused. The UNWRA teachers T elegram channel of 3000 subscribers celebrated the 7 October 2023 massacre of Israelis. An Israeli hostage girl related upon her release that her captor was an UNR W A teacher who held her in his house. Last week , Israel provided evidence that a dozen UNR W A staff were terrorists actively in volved in the 7 October massacre, identified through their mobile phones, locations, calls, texts, video f ootage, or on conf ession in interrogation. M ost of them were teachers. I t is impossible that UNR W A leaders were una ware of Hamas activities in their facilities. They ha ve long been accused of complicity in P alestinian terrorism but dismissed these accusations as smears. On F rida y , 26 J anuar y , Philippe Lazzarini, an I talian national who is the UNR W A C ommissioner - General, terminated the contracts of nine staff members and launched an in vestigation, to protect his organisation from further reputational damage. Is he doing vital humanitarian work , committing crimes against humanity , or both? Australian aid to P alestinians since October 7 amounts to A UD $46. 5 million, plus an additional $21. 5 million announced by F oreign Minister P enn y W ong on 16 J anuar y this year . The latter included an extra $6m to UNR W A. B y providing Gaza with education, health, welfare and civil infrastructure, UNR W A frees Hamas ’ s tax funds to develop its tunnels, weapons and terrorist infrastructure. F oreign Minister P enn y W ong’ s rationale is that UNR W A is currently ‘ the only entity able to do that [ deliver aid] f or the P alestinians ’ . H er warning that our aid must not fund terrorism has no eff ect an ywhere in reality . Australia has no oversight or control mechanisms f or UNR W A expenditures of our tax - paid dollars. Channelling aid money into ISIS - controlled areas and agencies in S yria was never suggested when ISIS , at its height, was the only government there. The Minister said over the week end that the new allegations against UNR W A staff are “ deeply concerning” and that Australia would temporarily pause disbursement of funding to UNR W A. Another 11 countries suspending funding so far include Canada, Estonia, F inland , F rance, German y , I celand , I taly , J apan, S witzerland , UK and USA. The evidence is so credible that this pause is to continue until the allegations are addressed. The Australian government has known f or a long time that UNR W A is complicit in terrorism but could plausibly den y this, until now . Israel has called f or end to UNR W A and f or its replacement by an alternative aid mechanism in Gaza. Australia should support a replacement of UNR W A. Instead of a UN agency ex clusively privileging P alestinians, the UN High C ommissioner f or R efugees should be engaged to ser ve P alestinians, the same as f or all other refugees in the world. T o oversee grants of our dollars and ensure that the f estering corruption that we see in UNR W A does not happen again, Australian officials could act constructively to become part of a new joint donor oversight mechanism in place in Gaza, separate to and independent of UN agencies. If it can ’ t be done, then the aid should not be provided. I t is simply counterproductive to fuel the fire of violence and hatred. P erhaps, after the war , Australia might also fund young Gazans to come to Australia f or education and training, together with an equal number of young Israelis impacted by the violence of 7 October . While in Australia, both groups might tr y to reach a shared understanding about a more positive peaceful future. Dr Anthony Ber gin is a senior fellow at S tr ategic Analysis Austr alia. Gregory R ose is P rofessor of international law at the U niversity of W ollongong. A version of this article appeared at www .str ategicanalysis.or g | Photo: Shutterstock

6. I srael a t W ar — N ews 4 By J o na than S. T obin n Editor-in-chief | JNS As a r esul t of r evelati ons that 12 emp l oy ees of UNR W A — the UN r efugee agency dedi cated to assisting the P al estinians— too k part in the Hamas pogr oms in southern Israel on 7 October and that appr o ximatel y 10% of UNR W A emp l oy ees ar e either active members or ha ve ti es to Hamas or P al estinian Islami c J ihad, man y of the governmen ts that ar e the principal funders of UNR W A, incl uding the U nited S tates, w hi ch is the largest donor giving $422 milli on to it in 2023, ha ve p laced a stop on their funding of UNR W A and since expr essed vari ous l evels of concern or outrage. An U naccoun table UN A gency If the past is an y indication of the future, even those who ha ve spok en out about this, lik e the U nited S tates, will eventually , even if quietly , resume full funding of UNR W A. The reason f or this is that UNR W A has made itself indispensable to the business of caring f or P alestinians in Gaza. I t is, as it has been f or the last 75 years, the primar y conduit of assistance to a population that has been made dependent on the international community f or all ser vices, including employment. As such, it can and does present itself to the world as the embodiment of philanthropy , providing sustenance to an enormous number of people in need. T h a t i s w h y a n y e ff o r t t o i n v e s t i g a t e i t s a c t i v i t i e s a n d p e n a l i s e i t f o r i t s c l o s e t i e s t o t e r r o r i s t s i s a l w a y s d e r a i l e d b y i n v o k i n g i t s g o o d w o r k s a n d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i f i t w e r e s h u t d o w n , m i l l i o n s w o u l d s t a rv e . The only theoretical hope f or there to be peace between Israel and the P alestinians must start with the abolition of institutions that not only provide assistance and employment to terrorists but ha ve as their purpose the perpetuation of a futile quest to destroy the one J ewish state on the planet. UNR W A must not merely be defunded. I t must be abolished. A W orld Fu l l of R efugees The ver y fact of its existence is a function of the wa y the international community has acted to prevent a resolution of the conflict. W h e n U N R W A w a s c r e a t e d b y t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s i n 1 9 4 9 , t h e p l i g h t o f r e f u g e e s w a s a m o n g t h e w o r l d ’ s m o s t p r e s s i n g p r o b l e m s . U p t o 6 0 m i l l i o n p e o p l e w e r e d i s p l a c e d i n E u r o p e d u r i n g a n d i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r t h e S e c o n d W o r l d W a r . That included those J ews who had sur vived the H olocaust seeking to go to Israel or the W est, as well as millions of others who had been uprooted f or one reason or another . Among them were ethnic Germans who were thrown out of their homes throughout Eastern E urope, including traditionally German regions lik e East Prussia. As E urope adjusted to new bor ders largely imposed by the demands of the Soviet U nion, man y people were f orcibly evicted and told to move to places where their ethnicity would be welcomed. An y who resisted were not supported by the international community . They were violently repressed , imprisoned and f orgotten. N or was E urope the only region where there was a refugee crisis. When B ritain abandoned its rule of India, the subcontinent was partitioned into two separate nations— largely Hindu India and M uslim P akistan. The dra wing of those lines on the map created 14 million people who f ound themselves on the wrong side of the new bor ders and became refugees. M ore than 1 million people died in the ethnic and religious violence there as massive populations scrambled to find new homes. Arab and J ewish R efugees C oming around the same time as the catastrophe caused by the partition of India was the refugee problem caused by B ritain ’ s lea ving another of its f ormer possessions: the Mandate f or P alestine. The U nited N ations voted to partition P alestine into two states: one f or the J ews and one f or the Arabs, with J erusalem being an international encla ve. While the J ews accepted the partition scheme, the Arabs did not. The leaders of the P alestinian Arabs— lik e the pro- N azi M ufti of J erusalem, Haj Amin Al - H usseini —declared war on the J ews. N eighboring Arab nations supported them and in vaded the newborn S tate of Israel on its first da y of existence in Ma y 1 948. The Arab war to destroy Israel not only failed; the fighting led hundreds of thousands of Arabs in the f ormer Mandate to flee. A small minority were f orced out by Israelis during bitter fighting in some areas. B ut most of them left out of f ear of what would happen to them if they f ell under the rule of J ews ( and with the expectation that they would tak e over all the land once the J ews were “ thrown into the sea ”). During the same period , as appro ximately 700,000 Arabs became refugees, some 800,000 J ews either fled or were f orced to flee their homes in the Arab and M uslim world , where they had lived f or centuries. The J ewish refugees were resettled in a massive philanthropic project funded by J ews around the world. M ost of those refugees went to Israel, where they faced har dships in what was then a ver y poor and embattled countr y . T oda y , their descendants mak e up about half the J ewish population and ha ve contributed enormously to its def ence and flourishing as a modern state. Others f ound new homes in the U nited S tates and other parts of the world. U n l i k e e v e r y o t h e r r e f u g e e p o p u l a t i o n , t h e P a l e s t i n i a n A r a b s w e r e n o t r e s e t t l e d . T h e y w e r e k e p t i n c a m p s t h r o u g h o u t t h e M i d d l e E a s t , w i t h t h e l a r g e s t c o n c e n t r a t i o n i n G a z a , w h i c h w a s c o n t r o l l e d b y E g y p t f r o m 1 9 4 9 t o 1 9 6 7 . T h e y w e r e p r e v e n t e d f r o m fi n d i n g n e w h o m e s i n A r a b a n d M u s l i m c o u n t r i e s , w h e r e t h e y s p o k e t h e l a n g u a g e a n d s h a r e d a c o m m o n c u l t u r e . N o r w e r e t h e y e n a b l e d t o g o e l s e w h e r e t o m a k e n e w l i v e s . Instead , they were k ept in place to wait f or the da y when they could “ go home ” to their f ormer villages in what was now Israel. Their leaders and the rest of the Arab world opposed their resettlement, doing all they could to prevent it. And the agency that enabled this policy to continue f or generations was none other than UNR W A. The U nited N ations created two refugee agencies. One, UNR W A , deals only with the P alestinians. The other , the U nited N ations High C ommission f or R efugees ( or UNHCR), has the responsibility f or all of the other refugees in the world. The UNH CR has its fla ws, but its job is to help the refugees by giving them not just immediate aid in sur viving being displaced by wars and other disasters but also assistance in resettling in places where it will be saf e f or them. Their goal is to ensure that their problems are resolved and that their children will mak e new lives rather than continue to live in camps. B y contrast, the UNR W A exists solely to ensure that P alestinian refugees are never resettled. That’ s wh y almost all of the people who are called P alestinian refugees are the descendants of the people who fled the war the Arab world started in 1 948. Several generations ha ve been born in the camps, but contrar y to the wa y other populations are treated , all are given the same status as those who were the original 1 948 refugees. A humane and rational policy would ha ve led to their being absorbed into other populations. B ut that’ s not UNR W A ’ s job . I t operates the ultimate welfare state in which generations are k ept dependent on charity . W orse than that, its programs and policies all encourage the P alestinians to go on believing that someda y Israel will cease to exist, and then they can return to where their grandparents and great- grandparents lived three-quarters of a centur y ago. Though it pretends to be a humanitarian f orce, it encourages its charges to look f or war d to the da y when Hamas ’ s genocidal objective— the mass mur der of Israel ’ s 7 million J ews— will be achieved. Theref ore, it’ s little surprise that UNR W A is riddled with supporters of Hamas and that among its staff are people who tak e part in terrorist atrocities. And that much of the aid it receives from the world goes to help Hamas continue to function. UNR W A allows the ver y people its donors think are helping to be used as human shields in a cynical, hopeless war . UNR W A needs to be abolished and replaced by a genuine agency that can give P alestinians new homes rather than k eep them in miser y , a waiting another H olocaust f or the J ews that they’ve been led to believe will magically solve their problems. J onathan S. T obin is editor -in-chief of JNS ( J ewish N ews S yndicate ). F ollow him: @jonathans_tobin. Originally published at www .jns.or g. R epublished with permission. U N R W A A i m s t o C o m b a t I s r a e l ’ s E x i s t e n c e Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 C a p t i o n : A P a l e s t i n i a n m a n o u t s i d e t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s R e l i e f a n d W o r k s A g e n c y f o r P a l e s t i n e R e f u g e e s i n t h e N e a r E a s t ( U N R W A ) i n G a z a C i t y p r o t e s t s c u t s t o a i d o n 2 0 J u n e 2 0 2 3 . | P h o t o : S h u t t e r s t o c k .

3. Unders tanding Isr ael and w orld e v en ts fr om a Biblical perspectiv e F ebruary 2024 A dar I—A dar II 5784 Israel & Christians T oda y is the premier publica tion of Christians for Israel 9 In terna ti ona l H oloca ust R emembrance Da y 1 6 F ood P ar cels f or J ewish Comm uni ties On 7 October 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists slaughtered some 1,200 people across more than 20 communities in southern Israel. T hey seized 253 hostages and took them to Gaza. As of early F ebruar y , it is believed that 132 are still in captivity after a week - long truce in late N ovember sa w the release of 105 hostages. F our hostages were released prior to the N ovember truce, and troops rescued one other . The bodies of eight hostages ha ve also been recovered , and three others were mistak enly killed by the Israeli militar y . Ho w e v e r, a r e p o r t w a s r e l e a s e d i n e a r l y F e b r u a r y — t h e e v e o f t h e f o u r t h m o n t h o f t h e w a r b e t w e e n I s r a e l a n d t h e G a z a t e r r o r g r o u p — c o n fi r m i n g t h a t t h i r t y - t w o o f t h e s e h o s t a g e s a r e n o l o n g e r a l i v e a n d t h a t t h e I D F i s a l s o a s s e s s i n g ‘u n c o n fi r m e d i n t e l l i g e n c e ’ t h a t a t l e a s t t w e n t y a d d i t i o n a l h o s t a g e s m a y h a v e a l s o b e e n k i l l e d . This was a huge shock to a nation already grieving its lost ones and living in hope that the remaining hostages would be released. While Israel grieves, Hamas is cynically using the Israeli hostages as human shields and as bargaining chips in its demand f or a cease- fire. The Israeli government has consistently stated since 7 October that the twin aims of the war are the release of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas. These are, of course, potentially conflicting aims. The longer the war lasts, the more domestic pressure on the government to agree on a cease- fire at an y price in or der to ensure the release of the hostages. M oreover , after f our months of war , Israel is under increasing international demands to reach an agreement with Hamas that would ensure the deliver y of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, in which less than the full number of hostages and deceased will be handed over , and the release of man y Hamas terrorists from Israeli goals. I s r a e l ’ s H o s t a g e T r a g e d y — a n d D i l e m m a “ I s i t O k t o E a t ? ” C h i l d H o s t a g e s A s k Israelis calling f or the release of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. | Photo: Flash90 4 UNR W A Aims to Comba t Israel’ s Existence 6 A USTRA LIA A USTRA LIA www .c4isr ael.c om.au | in f o@c4isr ael.c om.au

14. A J ewish P erspecti v e 4 (A USTRALIA) Dr R o n W eiser AM n H onorary Life Presiden t of the Zionist Counci l of NSW A t its core, Z ionism is all about J ewish self-determination. Whilst we all parrot those wor ds, at the same time, we rarely fully act accor dingly . Y es, there are man y reasons over the decades and acutely now , of wh y— Israel is at war , is too distracted , periods of disunity and man y other valid considerations. H owever , it is also precisely wh y defining what J ewish self-determination means, is a prime strategic con versation that needs to be had. A l l Else Flows F rom Tha t H ow Israel should look , what sort of constructive tension should exist between the J ewish and democratic parts of the paradigm, where her bor ders should be, how to ensure security and so on. Israel ’ s first prime minister , D a vid Ben G urion, understood the transf ormation in the J ewish condition from being a minority in the diaspora to being a majority in the only J ewish S tate, when he said: “ I t does not matter what the world thinks, but only what J ews do.” Israel, in the first, second and thir d instance, should determine her own strategic aims and not lea ve a vacuum that others will fill with their own ideas of what is, or is not, good f or Israel. E ven friends of Israel. These goals need to be clearly defined and must be creditably achievable. Slogans are one thing—‘ complete victor y over Hamas ’ —but what does that look lik e? What achievements will mak e total victor y declarable? F or Hamas, mere sur vival will be considered a triumph by the P alestinians. Some want to debate whether US beha viour towar ds Iran was a factor in 7 Oct. Ma ybe. H owever , that is also a distraction and a con venient wa y of pushing direct responsibility a wa y from Israel herself. Of blaming the situation on the actions of others. Israel needs to look at the ramifications of her own policies and beha viour and to dra w her own conclusions. F acilitating the transf er of millions of dollars from Doha to Gaza f or one. F or another , Y ah yar S in war understands the Israeli mindset when it comes to hostages generally and at a ver y personal level, being one of the 1,027 P alestinians, himself, ex changed f or G ilad Shalit in 2011. S in war knows just how highly Israelis respect lif e and the desire to ha ve all of the hostages returned , even at extremely high cost. I t was hoped that these actions would be beneficial and of course, things are much clearer with hindsight. What actually happened on 7 Oct. in terms of how and the seemingly slow response? The point is that blaming the policies on others is a ‘ galut’ mentality . Self-determination is all about Israel making decisions f or the J ewish people. The misnamed International C ourt of J ustice farce taking place is an abomination. F acing an enem y that does not want peace, that does not want an y solution in which a J ewish S tate of an y size remains, that carries out unimaginable atrocities and threatens to repeat them again and again, an enem y which publicly declares its genocidal intent— and yet it is Israel that is charged with genocide? Ben Gurion was I ndeed R igh t The figure who represented more than an yone else the seeking and assuming of powers to the High C ourt was a previous Chief J ustice, Aharon Barak. H e was the bogeyman targeted by the government and pro- ref orm supporters. Y et, when N etan yahu had the opportunity to nominate one of the judges in this ICJ case, he nominated the ver y same Barak. J ust as Israel needs to present a clear picture on the future of Gaza and internally on judicial ref orm, she also needs to ha ve a vision vis a vis the P alestinians. Let us be clear , the Americans are wrong to believe that a P alestinian state would solve all of the issues of the Middle East. N or would it deal with Iran ’ s genocidal intent and actions. Y et, a strategic plan re the P alestinians is important f or Israel. Prime Minister N etan yahu has currently defined his premiership as of Thursda y the 18 J anuar y , as being about ensuring no P alestinian S tate comes into being. “Whoever is talking about the ‘ da y after N etan yah u, ’ is essen tiall y talking about the estab lishmen t of a P al estinian state with the P al estinian A uthority ,” he said. N etan yahu has had various positions over decades on this matter . Sometimes over the meaning of ‘ state ’ and sometimes over the ability to guarantee Israel ’ s security if one comes into being, especially under the P alestinian Authority . President T rump put f or war d a ver y detailed two entity plan in 2020 which required Israel to cede 70% of J udea/Samaria/ W est Bank as part of the price of the Abraham Accor ds. Prime Minister N etan yahu agreed. H e chose a P alestinian entity and separation from the P alestinians. The P alestinians, as usual, rejected the proposal. The problem f or the Israelis, brought into stark f ocus once again by 7 Oct. is not so much whether to separate, but how to do so saf ely? Israel has R epea ted l y been M ugged by Experience As President H erzog, previously also a head of the Israeli Labour P arty , said in D a vos: “ N obody in his right mind is willing now to think about what will be the solution of the peace agreements because ever ybody wants to know: Can we be promised real saf ety in the future? Israel lost trust in the peace processes because they see that terror is glorified by our neighbours.” The Israeli consensus core issue is less about the actual question of a P alestinian entity and more about what it means f or Israel ’ s security . 7 October has once again shown that it is only Israel that can and should mak e decisions f or her future security . The S tate of Israel has to determine what her security red lines are and f ollow Ben G urion ’ s lead. Self-determination means that after 2,000 years of powerlessness, toda y the J ewish people ha ve the ability to decide the J ewish future. Sometimes they will be right and sometimes wrong— but they will be decisions of the J ewish S tate. That is an both an a wesome privilege and hea vy responsibility . Am Y israel Chai A t i t ’ s C o r e , Z i o n i s m i s a l l a b o u t J e w i s h S e l f - D e t e r m i n a t i o n Re ’im, Israel —5 J anuar y 2024. Israeli soldiers come to pay tribute to those who were killed during the terrorist attack at the NOV A f estival which took place on October 7, 2023. | Photo: Shutterstock Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 “ I s r a e l l o s t t r u s t i n t h e p e a c e p r o c e s s e s b e c a u s e t h e y s e e t h a t t e r r o r i s g l o r i f i e d b y o u r n e i g h b o u r s . ”

22. O p i n i o n P i e c e f r o m B e e r s h e b a V i s i o n I s r a e l i s F a r M o r e t h a n t h e “ C a n a ry i n t h e C o a l m i n e ” Barry R od gers O AM n Presiden t of Beersheba V ision The Israel versus Hamas war is not a regional conflict as some would proclaim, it has well and truly spilled out onto the global stage. F or example, due to the Iranian back ed H outhis based in Y emen firing rock ets and deploying drones against regional shipping, the P ersian G ulf is now almost devoid of ships. Despite Allied na val escort, shipping is severely curtailed in the S uez Canal as well, the USA could wipe out those batteries in Y emen, but are afraid of escalating the war and some analysts f ear we are perilously close to WW3. I ha ve hear d man y pastors and commentators, including Dr J or dan P eterson sa y in recent times that Israel is the “ canar y in the coalmine ”. F irst, let us ha ve a look at what this metaphor means. In the 1 9th and early 20th centuries, canaries were used in coalmines to detect dangerous gases particularly carbon mono xide that often was released underground , the canar y being more susceptible to these gases would die bef ore fatal levels f or miners eventuated. They were in fact a sacrificial early warning system f or the miners as soon as the canar y succumbed it was time f or immediate evacuation. Martin N iemoller the bra ve German pastor who stood courageously against the N azis, in essence prophetically proclaimed , “ F irst they come f or the Satur da y people and then they come f or the S unda y people. So, in other wor ds, the canar y is Israel, and the coalmine is W estern C ivilisation, based on its J udeo- Christian f oundations. Israel in the V anguard of the Ba ttle for Ci vi lisa tion H owever , the canar y in the coalmine although orientating us in the right direction, does not go nearly far enough. Israel is not a passive sacrificial canar y waiting to be overcome by poisonous gas. Israel is waging war , not just f or her own sur vival but in a ver y real sense f or us as well, it is a vicarious battle f or civilisation that is being waged currently . Dr Gal Amir , research f ellow in la w at Haifa U niversity and noted author said , “ If we lose this war , 7 October will come to you as well. Man y in the media ex claim that we must not judge Islam by what we see with Hamas. So is Hamas just a fringe group of Islamists unrelated to the vast body of Islam, I think not. Recent polls show the vast majority of P alestinians supported the bloodbath of 7 October , when hostages bruised and bloody were paraded through Gaza city as trophies of their conquest, there was widespread jubilation from the citizens of Gaza. As was the jubilation in major cities around the world by pro Hamas supporters, including S ydney . In most cases it seems a ‘ moderate ’ M oslem would be more accurately described as a ‘lapsed ’ M oslem. The Australian N ational Security Organisation lists 27 terror organisations on its website, 25 are Islamists. Hamas is just one of man y streams that flow into the vast dam of militant Islam that threatens to burst through the dam wall that is holding it back from engulfing the W est. That wall is Israel and they are us.” R ed, Green A l liance Accor ding to Mark S ilinsky of the U nited S tates Arm y W ar C ollege, “ Islamo- leftism is an alliance of Islamists and leftists in opposition to W estern values that can also be ref erred to as the ‘ red -green axis ’, red f or Social Marxism, green f or Islam. This type of alliance is known in political warfare as a ‘ crossover’ where two groups previously hostile to one another f orm a union of con venience to achieve a common goal namely in this case the collapse of the W est. W e sa w this in WW2 with B ritain f orming an alliance with S talin ’ s communist R ussia to def eat Hitler , the classic case of m y enem y’ s enem y is m y friend. F ormer Leftist radical D a vid H orowitz and author , ref ers to this strange incoherent coalition in his N ew Y ork T imes best seller , The U nholy Alliance a ver y apt title indeed. The number of left- wing students including a university prof essor joining f orces with that infamous antisemitic protest on the steps of the Opera H ouse was most concerning, as is the rise of antisemitism in academia, the media and sadly in much of the political class. This is a most f ormidable alliance, and as Christians we must stand with our J ewish brethren in this existential battle. As disparate a group that this red/ green alliance ma y seem to be, mak e no mistak e they are welded together by their white- hot hatred of Israel. Israel the august God or dained community into which we ha ve been grafted theref ore it is our duty to stand resolutely in support of this heroic battle. The graphic above sa ys it all. T o c ontact Barry , email admin@beershebavision.org. I f you would lik e to know mor e about Beersheba Vision, go to their website at beershebavision.org 12 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 I s r a e l i s w a g i n g w a r , n o t j u s t f o r h e r o w n s u r v i v a l b u t i n a v e r y r e a l s e n s e f o r u s a s w e l l , i t i s a v i c a r i o u s b a t t l e . . .

8. The V i ctims 6 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 “ I s i t O k t o E a t ? ” C h i l d H o s t a g e s A s k E tgar Lefk o vi ts n JNS.org I t i s u n c l e a r h o w l o n g t h e c h i l d r e n w i l l t a k e t o r e c o v e r f r o m t h e i r t r a u m a , w h e t h e r i t w i l l b e m o n t h s o r e v e n y e a r s . “ Is it O K to eat? Can we look out the window? Is it alright to lea ve the room?” These were among the questions that scores of traumatised Israeli children held hostage f or more than 50 da ys by Hamas in Gaza ask ed doctors and social work ers during their first da ys of freedom and recuperation. Sl ow l y , the childr en began to r egain their trust. A half-smil e; an immediatel y- gran ted after midnigh t r equest f or schnitzel and mashed potatoes. After some da ys, they wer e r el eased fr om the hospital as doctors work ed to help these child hostages r eturn home. Y et their journey is onl y just beginning. ‘Shadows of Chi ldren ’ R eturn H ome They ha ve been called ‘ shadows of children ’ . Thin and emaciated , pallid and f earful, and all of a sudden grown up , some orphaned , others with a parent still left behind in captivity in Gaza. F o r o v e r 5 0 d a y s , m a n y w e r e k e p t i n t i n y u n d e r g r o u n d r o o m s i n t u n n e l s w i t h n o w i n d o w s o r d a y l i g h t , r e c o u n t e d D r D a n a S i n g e r - H a r e l , a p a e d i a t r i c i a n a t S c h n e i d e r C h i l d r e n ’ s H o s p i t a l i n P e t a c h T i k v a h , w h o w a s p a r t o f a t e a m o f d o c t o r s a n d s o c i a l w o r k e r s w h o t e n d e d t o t h e c h i l d h o s t a g e s a f t e r t h e i r r e l e a s e f r o m G a z a . They suff er ed fr om meagr e f ood, no sanitar y conditi ons, and the f ear of the unknown. Some didn ’ t know how m uch time had passed or w her e they wer e. The l ucky ones had their mothers or sib lings with them. Some hear d of famil y members kill ed on the H ebr ew news radi o that their captors wer e listening to. M o s t o f t h e c h i l d r e n l o s t b e t w e e n 1 0 % t o 1 5 % o f t h e i r b o d y w e i g h t , t h e p a e d i a t r i c i a n s a i d . S o m e o f t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e n o t a l l o w e d t o s h o w e r e v e n o n c e i n t h e i r 5 4 - d a y c a p t i v i t y , w h i l e o t h e r s s h o w e r e d j u s t o n c e w i t h a b u c k e t o f w a t e r . “This wasn ’ t something you can prepare f or by reading a medical textbook ,” S inger - Harel said in an inter view . “ I t was a case-by-case basis. There was no good wa y to prepare f or this.” “ I n m y w i l d e s t d r e a m s , t h e s e w e r e s t o r i e s t h a t I n e v e r t h o u g h t I w o u l d h e a r , ” a d d e d I f a t E z e r - C o h e n , a h o s p i t a l s o c i a l w o r k e r . And those were the lucky ones. T wo children, including the youngest hostage, baby Kfir B ibas, and his 4- year - old brother Ariel remain unaccounted f or , their fate unknown since they were not released with the rest of the 30- some children freed during the periodic releases held in N ovember . M ost of the children released from captivity were brought to Schneider Children ’ s H ospital, where they spent between two nights to a week. Besides being emaciated and f earful, man y had stomach flu, diarrhoea and lice but were other wise ph ysically in stable condition, S inger - Harel said. Because of the emotional trauma that they under went, man y of the children had regressive responses and became more child - lik e, such as wetting their pants after previously being toilet trained , she said. T h o s e w h o h a d t h e i r m o t h e r s w i t h t h e m f a r e d t h e b e s t . “ I t w a s a m a z i n g t o s e e h o w m u c h b e t t e r t h o s e c h i l d r e n w h o h a d t h e i r m o t h e r s w i t h t h e m f a r e d b o t h p h y s i c a l l y a n d m e n t a l l y c o m p a r e d t o t h o s e w h o w e r e a l o n e , ” S i n g e r - H a r e l s a i d . T h e s o c i a l w o r k e r r e c o u n t e d h o w s o m e o f t h e m o t h e r s m a d e u p s t o r i e s s o t h a t t h e i r c h i l d r e n w o u l d n o t b e f e a r f u l , t e l l i n g t h e m t h e y w e r e i n a s a f e p l a c e b e c a u s e t h e r e w a s a w a r g o i n g o n a t h o m e . A s s u c h , t h e c h i l d r e n c a l l e d t h e i r c a p t o r s ‘ t h e g u a r d s w i t h t h e b e a r d ’ o r ‘ t h e g u a r d s w i t h t h e g u n , ’ s h e s a i d . “ T h e m o t h e r s ’ m a i n m o t i v a t i o n w a s t o p r o t e c t t h e i r c h i l d r e n , ” s a i d E z e r - C o h e n . “ E v e r y c h o i c e t h e y m a d e — w h e t h e r i t w h a t t h e y s a i d o r h o w m u c h t h e y a t e — w a s r e l a t e d t o h o w t o s a v e t h e i r c h i l d r e n . ” R ecovery After the children were released from the hospital and back with their friends and relatives, if not at home, which in some cases was damaged or destroyed , it remains unclear how long it will tak e these children to recover from their trauma, whether it will be months or even years. “The mental rehabilitation will tak e time,” said S inger - Harel. “ I t is har d to sa y how long it will be,” said Ezer - C ohen. “This is a journey that they need to recover from.” Originally published at www .jns.or g. R epublished with permission. A melia Botbol n JNS.org “ I t’ s m y birthda y and no one will celebrate with me,” Y ossi Schneider read out from a letter as family members and representatives of the H ostage and Missing F amilies F orum mark ed Kfir B ibas ’ s first birthda y in N ir Oz. “ I t’ s m y birthda y and I am not with m y family . I t’ s m y birthda y and I don ’ t get presents. I t’ s m y birthda y and I hope that you remember me,” continued Schneider , Shiri B ibas ’ s cousin. On 7 October , Shiri, her husband Y ar den and their two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir , then nine months old , were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in N ir Oz, less than a mile from the Gaza bor der . Seventy-eight residents of the kibbutz were kidnapped and another 39 were killed. F or a baby to celebrate his first birthda y in captivity has never happened bef ore,” J imm y Miller , also Shiri ’ s cousin, told JNS . “These children do not belong in captivity ,” he continued. “They are not Hamas ’ s enemies. They did not do an ything to an yone. They are being used as human shields and bargaining chips. The entire world must put pressure on Hamas using all existing means f or their release.” Shortened version of article that was first published on JNS.or g, published with permission. B i b a s F a m i l y M a r k s K f i r ’ s F i r s t B i r t h d a y Kfir B ibas was just nine months old when he was ripped from his home and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. | Photo: H ostages and Missing F amilies F orum D o r o n K a t z A s h e r a n d h e r t w o y o u n g d a u g h t e r s R a z , 4 , a n d A v i v , 2 , a r e r e u n i t e d w i t h h u s b a n d a n d f a t h e r Y o n i , o n 2 5 N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 3 . ( S c h n e i d e r C h i l d r e n ’ s H o s p i t a l ) E m i l i a A l o n y , 5 , i s r e u n i t e d w i t h h e r g r a n d m o t h e r a f t e r s h e w a s h e l d h o s t a g e i n G a z a , 2 5 N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 3 . ( S c h n e i d e r C h i l d r e n ’ s H o s p i t a l )

15. 5 (A USTRALIA) Kingdo m. Gospel. R evi va l Da v e P el l o we n C h r i s t i a n P o l i t i c a l E d u c a t i o n , E n g a g e m e n t & C o m m e n t a r y | C h u r c h A n d S t a t e M i n i s t r i e s S uch a headline must be immediately f ollowed by the acknowledgement that it sounds almost o xymoronic to describe an y hatred in Christians, let alone hatred of God ’ s Chosen P eople. H ow can a redeemed heart overflow with hatred towar d an entire group of people? T o be sure, there ’ s a scale of negative sentiments towar ds J ews and Israel, and antisemitism is on one end , and tragically , there ’ s no shortage of Christians there. Bu t o n t h e l e s s e r e n d o f t h e s c a l e a r e p e o p l e w h o h a v e e m b r a c e d v a r i o u s e l e m e n t s o f t e r r i b l e t h e o l o g y a n d a r e g e n u i n e l y c o n f u s e d a b o u t h o w t h e y o u g h t t o f e e l . M a ny o f t h e s e p e o p l e a r e i n c r e d i b l y s i n c e r e a n d a m e n a b l e t o a g r a c i o u s d i s c u s s i o n a b o u t t h i n g s t h e y m a y n o t b e a w a r e o f . I t can har dly be claimed that man y people finishing high school this centur y ha ve an ex cellent education in Australian histor y , let alone world or Middle Eastern histor y , or even B ible histor y . This is tragic, but this is where the best hope f or inoculating against ignorance can be f ound: education. I t grieved and angered me immeasurably to discover so man y Christians were so hostile towar d Israel and J ews in October last year . Being a Christian political educator , I am ver y familiar with the ‘light antisemitism ’ which man y right wing people dabble in: jok es about the J ewish influence in H ollywood , global banking cartels and even a propensity to blame the victim when it’ s noted how constantly J ews ha ve been massacred and chased out of nearly all nations. B ut hea vier on the scale, jok es become serious and f olks whose conspiracy theories ha ve often been proved fact in recent years can become certain ever y suspicion they ha ve has substance. W h a t g r i e v e d m e m o s t w a s s e r i o u s C h r i s t i a n t h i n k e r s t a k i n g t h e L o r d ’ s N a m e i n v a i n : s i g n i n g H i s N a m e t o f a l s e t e a c h i n g a b o u t t h e A b r a h a m i c c o v e n a n t h a v i n g a n a l l e g e d e x p i r a t i o n d a t e . I n s t e a d o f G o d ’ s W o r d d e s c r i b i n g t h i s c o v e n a n t a s ‘ e v e r l a s t i n g ’ a n d a s p e r p e t u a l a s t h e s t a r s i n t h e s k y , s o m e i m a g i n e t h e P r o m i s e i s s p i r i t u a l i s e d i n s t e a d o f l i t e r a l : s o i l a n d s e e d, l a n d a n d l i n e a g e . They wrongly believe God cut a covenant with Abraham not based in God ’ s grace, but dependent on his descendants ’ good works. They then theologically leap to the N ew C ovenant entirely replacing the Abrahamic C ovenant. They claim Abraham ’ s ethnic descendants can only be God ’ s people if they first become Christians, and the Promised Land has been replaced by the whole world. Whether or not these silly errors result in antisemitism in the heart of the teacher is not alwa ys a given. Some ma y , and man y do not. What is certain is that these false teachings ha ve been the seedbed f or much antisemitism in others: libels, m yths and tropes. B ut what exactly is antisemitism? I t ’ s n o t s i m p l e c r i t i c i s m , y e t m a n y a n t i s e m i t e s c l a i m t h e i r i n n o c e n c e b y p r o t e s t i n g t h e y s h o u l d b e a l l o w e d t o c r i t i c i s e I s r a e l . N o s e r i o u s p e r s o n h a s d i s p u t e d a n y s t a t e o r g r o u p ’ s i m p e r f e c t i o n . O f c o u r s e a n y c u l t u r e , r e l i g i o n o r n a t i o n c a n — a n d s h o u l d — b e h e l d t o t h e s a m e s t a n d a r d a n d c r i t i q u e d a s e v e ry o t h e r . I t i s t h e c h a r a c t e r o f t h a t c r i t i c i s m a n d t h e p a t e n t i d e n t i t y p o l i t i c s w h i c h g i v e s i t a w a y a s o r i g i n a t i n g i n h a t r e d . I dentity politics is treating all individuals within a group as incapable of diff erences from the group; treating the group as a homogenous monolith of unif orm thinking, values and beha viours. The easi est one to spot is sen tences describing J ews as in variab l y beha ving in a certain wa y—such as spitting on Christians—or r esponsib l e f or a certain thing—such as killing Christ— w hi ch signals a gar den vari ety J ew hater . A n o t h e r i s t h e r e a d i n e s s w i t h w h i c h o n e b e l i e v e s e v e r y r a d i c a l l e f t w i n g o r I s l a m i c e x t r e m i s t t a l k i n g p o i n t a b o u t I s r a e l o r J e w s , w h i l e a u t o m a t i c a l l y r e j e c t i n g a n y r e p o r t s f r o m a n y I s r a e l i s o u r c e . S o m e a l l e g e d C h r i s t i a n l e a d e r s i n G a z a p a r r o t e d H a m a s t a l k i n g p o i n t s i n o n e m e d i a r e l e a s e I r e a d f r o m t h e m l a s t y e a r , a n d i t w a s i m m e d i a t e l y c l e a r t h e y h a d n o l o v e f o r T r u t h o r J e w s i n t h e i r w o r d s . B ut to most people, the conflict is a confusing soup of mix ed signals from the L ying H arlot M edia who report statements from Hamas mouthpieces with the same ( or more ) credibility as Israel and the ID F . These people are the people who can be helped with gracious opportunities f or education and enlightenment. T o that extent, I hastily con vened a colloquium of experts on Israel and antisemitism in late N ovember , most importantly including a H olocaust sur vivor who shared beautifully and moved all present to tears. This above all, ‘ N ever forget, ’ is the critical reminder that an entire society can be manipulated to sociopathic hatred f or J ews in particular . The beginning of this psychological mass f ormation is subtle but the ending is devastating in its brazen barbarity . Other speak ers included orthodo x Rabbi P esach W olicki from The International F ellowship of Christians and J ews, Dr Michael B rown, whose PhD was in Ancient N ear Eastern Languages, P s J oshua P ellowe, one of Australia ’ s leading Israel and End T imes teachers, and J oel B urnie, E x ecutive Manager of the Australia/ Israel J ewish Affairs C ouncil. The entire event can be streamed from m y ministr y website here ( ChurchAndS tate.com.au/israel). At this year’ s Church And S tate S ummit, a two da y gathering of between five and seven hundred more conser vative Christians from all denominations and with complete allegiance to King J esus and His W or d above an y human agenda, I ha ve in vited select speak ers to again repudiate the m yths and lies about the ongoing battle f or Israel ’ s security and peace. W ell known independent journalist A vi Y emeni will speak about his time in the ID F and on duty in Gaza bef ore the 2005 withdra wal, and reflect on the stark diff erences between reality and media reports here in Australia. S uzi S meed will share her testimon y as a H olocaust sur vivor and tell people, some perhaps f or the first time, this is wh y J ews must ha ve the right to unite and def end themselves, just as they ha ve had to do since Haman f ormed his plans f or genocide of J ews. Do you remember that single Aussie, draped in the Israeli national flag, who stood alone and defied the pro- Hamas protestors in S ydney in early October ? H e, not the Philistines, was moved on by police! P s Mark Leach will also speak on wh y it’ s critical that Christians stand up even when they are afraid. C ourage is contagious. I encourage you to join us in B risbane on 8-9 March, or watch the live broadcast an ywhere in the world. F or details or to sa ve your seat, visit ChurchAndS tate.com.au. A m Y israel chai! C o m b a t i n g A n t i s e m i t i s m i n C h r i s t i a n s Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 Wha t is certain is tha t these fa lse teachings ha ve been the seedbed for m uch an tisemi tism in others: libels, m yths and tro pes.

12. A ndrew Tu ck er n Director Genera l | The Hague Initia ti ve for In terna tiona l Coopera tion (th i nc.) | www .thinc.info Late December 2023, South Africa brought proceedings in the International C ourt of J ustice (ICJ ) under the Genocide C on vention, claiming that Israel is a racist apartheid entity that is tr ying to eliminate the P alestinians ( and has been doing so ever since 1 948 ) and the only wa y to deal with this is to or der Israel to bring an immediate and complete end to the conflict in Gaza. Israel argues it is Hamas, not Israel, that has a genocidal intention and that Israel is a legitimate state based on the rule of la w , f ighting a justif ied war against Hamas, not the P alestinian people. While the number of deaths and extent of destruction in Gaza is high, this is an unhappy but inevitable consequence of the war that Hamas started and Israel never wanted. O n 2 6 Ja n u a r y 2 0 2 4 , t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o u r t o f Ju s t i c e ( I C J) d e c i d e d t h a t i t i s ‘ p l a u s i b l e ’ t h a t I s r a e l i s c o m m i t t i n g g e n o c i d e o f t h e Pa l e s t i n i a n p e o p l e . T h e C o u r t a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t o n 7 O c t o b e r , “ H a m a s a n d o t h e r a r m e d g r o u p s p r e s e n t i n t h e G a z a St r i p c a r r i e d o u t a n a t t a c k i n I s r a e l , k i l l i n g m o r e t h a n 1 , 2 0 0 p e r s o n s , i n j u r i n g t h o u s a n d s a n d a b d u c t i n g s o m e 2 4 0 p e o p l e , m a ny o f w h o m c o n t i n u e t o b e h e l d h o s t a g e ” , a n d a t t h e e n d o f i t s j u d g m e n t d e m a n d e d t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e h o s t a g e s . Bu t t h e C o u r t a t n o p o i n t m a d e a ny r e f e r e n c e t o H a m a s’ o n g o i n g u s e o f f o r c e a g a i n s t I s r a e l a n d i t s g e n o c i d a l c a m p a i g n t o e l i m i n a t e t h e Je w i s h p e o p l e . The Israeli - nominated judge ad hoc Aharon Barak was highly critical of the C ourt’ s approach, accusing the C ourt of “ imputing the crime of Cain to Abel ”. Constructi ve Ambigui ty T h e C o u r t ’ s 2 5 -p a g e j u d g m e n t i s a p r i m e e x a m p l e o f “ c o n s t r u c t i v e a m b i g u i t y ” —a t e c h n i q u e ( u s u a l l y a s c r i b e d t o He n r y K i s s i n g e r) e m p l o y e d t o d i s g u i s e a n i n a b i l i t y t o r e s o l v e a c o n t e n t i o u s i s s u e o n w h i c h t h e p a r t i e s r e m a i n f a r a p a r t a n d t o d o s o i n a m a n n e r t h a t e n a b l e s e a c h t o c l a i m t o o b t a i n s o m e c o n c e s s i o n o n i t . T h e C o u r t e x p r e s s e d s t r o n g c r i t i c i s m o f I s r a e l ’ s u s e o f f o r c e i n G a z a a n d o f t h e s t a t e m e n t s m a d e b y a n u m b e r o f I s r a e l i l e a d e r s t h a t a p p e a r e d t o p r o m o t e l a r g e - s c a l e d e s t r u c t i o n a n d k i l l i n g o f Pa l e s t i n i a n s i n G a z a i n r e s p o n s e t o t h e a t t a c k s o f 7 O c t o b e r . Bu t i t s a i d i t c a n n o t (a n d s h o u l d n o t ) a t t h i s s t a g e d e c i d e t h a t I s r a e l i s c o m m i t t i n g g e n o c i d e . A c c o rd i n g l y , t h e C o u r t d i d n o t g r a n t t h e e x t r e m e m e a s u r e o f a c e a s e -f i r e t h a t S o u t h A f r i c a h a d d e m a n d e d . N evertheless, it or dered Israel to “ mak e sure it does not commit genocide ”. Israel, of course, considers that it has no intention to destroy the P alestinian people and thus is not committing genocide. Dodging the diff icult question of whether genocide is being committed , the C ourt called on Israel to “ tak e immediate and eff ective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic ser vices and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of lif e faced by P alestinians in the Gaza S trip ”. This is basically an obligation Israel already has under international humanitarian la w . The ICJ expressed its “ deep concern ” about the situation of the hostages and “ calls f or their immediate and unconditional release ”. B ut while these are nice wor ds, they are totally ineff ective as Hamas is not a party to these proceedings. J udge Aharon Barak In his powerful dissenting opinion, Israeli J udge ad hoc Aharon Barak stated that this is, in eff ect, “ to impute the crime of Cain to Abel ”. This is a ref erence to Genesis 4, where Cain mur ders his brother Abel in jealousy . Barak was one of only two of the seventeen judges who opposed the majority’ s decision. (The other was U gandan judge J ulia Sebutinde, who opined that South Africa ’ s claims are groundless and the case should be dismissed). Barak emphasised that the Genocide C on vention was established on the ashes of the H olocaust. I t created a new international crime— the “ crime of crimes ”, the most horrendous crime in existence. The J ewish people know better than an y other people what genocide is, and the S tate of Israel was established to ensure that genocide never happens again. Genocide is the killing members of a group with the intention of destroying that group . At the heart of the concept tent to destroy ( eliminate ) the group as such. Absent such intention there ma y be widespread destruction constituting a violation of international humanitarian la w or criminal la w , but there can be no genocide. Barak explained that he himself experienced the full f orce of N azi attempt at genocide. H e was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, and miraculously sur vived the N azi onslaught. Only 5% of the J ews of Lithuania sur vived. E vidence of Genocide? Accor ding to Barak , the C ourt’ s decision that it is “ plausible ” that Israel intends to destroy not just Hamas but the P alestinians as such is most problematic. The C ourt based this conclusion on the combination of massive number of casualties and extent of destruction, the fact that Israel was a ware that its campaign would cause a humanitarian crisis, and a number of select statements by Israeli leaders shortly after 7 October . B ut that tak es the statements of Israeli leaders out of context, places huge reliance on dubious inf ormation provided by Hamas, and flies in the face of all the evidence provided by Israel that Israel is tr ying in ever y possible wa y to minimise civilian casualties. I t ignores the fact that this is a highly complex and diff icult urban war , in which Hamas has a deliberate strategy of embedding its combatants in civilian places lik e schools, mosques and hospitals. Inexplicably , the C ourt virtually ignored that huge amount of evidence that Israel had provided to the C ourt of its eff orts to minimise civilian casualties, and of Hamas ’ strategy of maximising civilian casualties. B y stating that it is “ plausible ” that Israel is committing genocide, the C ourt is allowing international la w to be politicised. South Africa clearly used the Genocide C on vention to advance the P alestinians ’ political cause, and to support the campaign of Hamas. I t is no secret that the ANC has close ties with Hamas and the P alestinian Authority . E vidence has even emerged that Iran was in volved and ma ybe even f inanced this case in The Hague. The C ourt also relied hea vily on evidence provided by UNR W A , the P alestinian refugee organisation. H owever , UNR W A is far from neutral in this matter . In recent da ys, a lot of evidence is emerging that UNR W A is hea vily inf iltrated by Hamas. Accor ding to the W all S treet J ournal, 10 per cent of UNR W A ’ s 12,000 employees are aff iliated with Hamas. P e r h a p s m o r e i m p o r t a n t l y , S o u t h A f r i c a ’ s s e l e c t i v e a n d p o l i t i c i s e d w e a p o n i s a t i o n o f t h e G e n o c i d e C o n v e n t i o n a g a i n s t I s r a e l i s d i v e r t i n g t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t h e w o r l d f r o m t h e f a c t t h e g e n o c i d a l c a m p a i g n l a u n c h e d b y I r a n , a n d i m p l e m e n t e d t h r o u g h i t s p r o x i e s i n c l u d i n g H a m a s ( G a z a a n d W e s t B a n k ) a n d He z b o l l a h ( i n L e b a n o n ) , t o e l i m i n a t e t h e Je w i s h p e o p l e i n Pa l e s t i n e . Hamas is a pro xy of Iran, and shares Iran ’ s intent to eliminate the J ewish people in P alestine. As its 1 988 Charter shows, it is an Islamist movement committed to the use of violence in or der to “ obliterate Israel ” and “ raise the banner of Allah over ever y inch of P alestine ”. F or Hamas, P alestinian Islamic J ihad and other similar Islamist groups, the mere existence of the S tate of Israel is seen as an obstacle to the reign and rule of Allah. Consequences of the Decision T h e “ c o n s t r u c t i v e a m b i g u i t y ” a p p r o a c h a v o i d s m a k i n g a c l e a r d e c i s i o n b a s e d o n t h e m e r i t s o f t h e c a s e . A d h o c Ju d g e B a r a k s h o w s t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e p r e s e n t e d t o t h e C o u r t s i m p l y d i d n o t p r o v i d e a b a s i s f o r c o n c l u d i n g t h a t i t i s p l a u s i b l e t h a t I s r a e l i s c o m m i t t i n g g e n o c i d e . T h e C o u r t s i m p l y s h o u l d h a v e r e c o g n i s e d t h i s a n d d i s m i s s e d S o u t h A f r i c a ’ s c l a i m s . B y giving credibility to South Africa ’ s politically driven claims, the C ourt is allowing the la w to be politicised. All of this degrades the authority of the C ourt, and the integrity of the legal system. And it undermines the rights of sovereign states to def end their citizens against terror . So mething to thinc. abou t 2 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 P u b l i c h e a r i n g s a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o u r t o f J u s t i c e ( I C J ) i n t h e c a s e S o u t h A f r i c a v . I s r a e l , 1 1 - 1 2 J a n u a ry 2 0 2 4 , a t t h e P e a c e P a l a c e i n T h e H a g u e , t h e s e a t o f t h e C o u r t . | P h o t o : I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o u r t o f J u s t i c e I m p u t i n g t h e C r i m e o f C a i n t o A b e l

27. H ol oca ust 9 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 I n t e r n a t i o n a l H o l o c a u s t R e m e m b r a n c e D a y , 7 O c t o b e r a n d t h e D e a t h o f D e l u s i o n P erry T r otter n F ounder | H oloca ust & An tisemitism F ounda tion | N ew Zea land Once again, UN International H olocaust R emembrance D a y has come and gone. As has been done since 2005, when the UN designated 27 J anuar y f or this purpose, J ewish people and their supporters (both real and imagined) ha ve gathered around the world to mark the liberation of the Ausch witz death camp . Once again, attendees ha ve listened attentively to speeches from dignitaries that range from the most worth y , authentic and heartf elt, to politically correct, universalised platitudes that, by den ying the J ewish particularity of this pivotal event, honour neither those who perished nor those still living. E ver y crisis has a wa y of cutting through confusion with urgent clarity . The events of 7 October ma y ha ve f orever changed H olocaust memorialisation and thinking around antisemitism. The full implications of Hamas barbarism are yet to be fully realised , but the damage done to man y dearly held delusions is already apparent. The UN designation of an official memorial da y has alwa ys held a harsh dissonance f or man y of those who understand antisemitism and the UN . A body which, in practical terms, has been a notable pur veyor of global antisemitism would har dly seem an appropriate organisation to host a H olocaust memorial event. B ut post 7 Oct., what was merely a dissonance might now be better characterised as a siren scream. R ecent revelations that UN staff ( more specifically , employees of UNR W A — a body that until ver y recently NZ continued to fund) took part in the events of 7 Oct. will be shocking only to those who ha ve not f ollowed the UN and its appalling recor d of anti - Israel resolutions. The delusion that the UN , by designating an annual commemoration, was signalling an intention to act unequivocally against antisemitism has been well and truly shattered. U nsurprisingly , certain J ewish think ers object to the UN’ s continuing association with what is, f or them, a sacred commemoration. N ever A gain? N ever Again means diff erent things to diff erent people. F or man y , it speaks of J ewish self- reliance and the strength and preparedness of the ID F to prevent another J ewish genocide. F or others, it ma y be shorthand f or the con viction that the civilised W est would not again stand by and allow the J ewish people to be subject to systematic annihilation. A minority ma y ha ve expressed a belief that the intention of the H olocaust, the eradication of J ews and all things J ewish ever ywhere, died along with the f ew N azi leaders brought to justice on N uremberg gallows. 7 October has branded all such readings of N ever Again as delusional. F or reasons yet to be fully revealed , ID F security systems failed on a cataclysmic scale. Israel ’ s overconfidence in its militar y apparatus and its leaders has tak en a severe blow . A l s o re n d e re d d e lu s io n a l w a s a ny n o t io n t h a t t h e c i v i l i s e d W e s t re a l ly le a r n e d a ny t h i n g f ro m t h e H olo c a u s t a n d t h a t i t w o u l d n o t a g a i n s t a n d b y a n d a l lo w t h e J e w i s h p e o ple t o b e s u b j e c t t o e x i s t e nt i a l t h re a t s . N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g i n i t i a l s t ro n g s t a t e m e nt s a n d a c t io n s o f s u p p o r t f ro m m a j o r W e s t e r n n a t io n s , I s r a e l’ s le g i t i m a t e d e t e r m i n a t io n t o d e s t ro y H a m a s i s n o w e n c o u nt e r i n g i n c re a s i n g ly s t ro n g o p p o s i t io n f ro m t h e s a m e q u a r t e r s . L e f t i s t s a n d I s l a m i s t s flo o d t h e s t re e t s o f t h o s e s a m e n a t io n s , c h a nt i n g w i t h i m p u n i t y . “F r o m t h e r i v e r t o t h e s e a , P a l e s t i n e w i l l b e f r e e ” ( s h a m e f u l ly , s e v e r a l o f N Z’ s o w n Me m b e r s o f P a r l i a m e nt c a n b e c o u nt e d a m o n g t h e c h a nt e r s ) . I f t h e re w e re e v e r a pl a u s i ble a p p e a l t o i g n o r a n c e a s t o t h e n e c e s s a r y i m pl ic a t io n o f s u c h a c a l l , 7 O c t . re n d e re d i t u t t e r ly o b s ole t e . I t i s a c a l l t o g e n o c i d e , a n d 7 O c t . p ro v i d e d a c h i l l i n g d e m o n s t r a t io n o f t h e ph r a s e ’ s p r a c t ic a l a p pl ic a t io n . The N azis, with their death factories and disciplined devotion to J ewish destruction, came to symbolise and personify ultimate evil. N othing worse could be imagined until now . Hamas ’ s depra vity plumbed new depths and vanquished an y residual hope in the inherent goodness of man. If man y N azi officers considered the da y- after -da y killing of J ewish children difficult but necessar y , such that drunk enness in the evenings provided a means of relief, f or Hamas, such actions ( and much, much worse ) were relished and celebrated. Thus the N azis ’ status as the gold standar d of ultimate evil, never to be surpassed , has also proven to ha ve been a delusion. O n e d e l u s i o n t o h a v e s u r v i v e d 7 O c t . , h o w e v e r , i s t h a t h e l d b y m a n y o f I s r a e l ’ s f r i e n d s . S i x f o r m e r A u s t r a l i a n P M s , i n a 3 0 O c t o b e r s t a t e m e n t t h a t t o i t s c r e d i t d e s c r i b e d a s “ l e g i t i m a t e ” t h e o b j e c t i v e o f d e f e a t i n g H a m a s , a l s o i n c l u d e d t h i s p e a r l : “ W e e n d o r s e , a s w e d i d i n o ffi c e , t h e A u s t r a l i a n G o v e r n m e n t ’ s e n d u r i n g s u p p o r t f o r a t w o - s t a t e s o l u t i o n ... ” R e m a r k a b l e . D e s p i t e H a m a s ’ a n d t h e P a l e s t i n i a n A u t h o r i t y ’ s o w n e x p l i c i t r e j e c t i o n o f s u c h a ‘ s o l u t i o n ’ , e n l i g h t e n e d w e s t e r n l e a d e r s c o n t i n u e t o s i g n a l t h e i r i n t e n t i o n t o p r e s s u r e I s r a e l i n t o y e t a n o t h e r u n w o r k a b l e , d a n g e r o u s a n d u n j u s t c o m p r o m i s e . U l t i m a t e l y , d e l u d e d f r i e n d s m a y p r o v e t o b e m o r e d a n g e r o u s t h a n c l e a r - m i n d e d e n e m i e s . The Oslo Accor ds, a.k.a. ‘ the peace process ’, has proven itself to ha ve been a thirty- year ex ercise in national self- harm. Of course, man y will strongly disagree, but of them, it must be ask ed , “What has the process achieved f or Israel other than a weak ened strategic position and innumerable terror victims?” C ertainly , among Israelis, man y who f ormerly supported ‘ the process ’ ha ve almost overnight been shak en free from the delusion that their ‘ peace partners ’ ha ve even the slightest interest in peace. Arguably , a great delusion that should ha ve died with the events surrounding October 7 is the view that J ew- hatred can be adequately explained without ref erence to the supernatural. A shadow proves the existence of light. And the recognition of great evil proves the existence of transcendent goodness. H ow else could evil be seen to be truly , objectively evil? Man y leaders within Christendom, by maintaining their silence after October 7 merely demonstrated their own irrelevance. In a per verse iron y , Hamas strategists demonstrated their grip on spiritual realities by dubbing their October assault Operation Al - Aqsa Flood. Al - Aqsa is a mosque atop J erusalem ’ s T emple M ount. Thus, these Islamic terrorists and the spiritual f orces by which they are energised apparently understand something that man y Christian leaders do not. This phase of human histor y climax es in the controversy over Z ion. Ultimately , it is a controversy that embroils the entire world , Israel ’ s people, her land , her city , and finally , her King. P erry has photogr aphed seventy H olocaust survivors and has created H olocaust exhibitions shown throughout N ew Z ealand. P ortions of his work have also been displayed in Austr alia, Berlin and Dubai. P erry is also the author of “I sr ael in the Biblical W orldview” , available on Amazon. C a n d l e s i n h o n o u r o f t h e s i x m i l l i o n J e w s k i l l e d i n t h e H o l o c a u s t l i g h t u p t h e O l d C i t y W a l l s i n J e r u s a l e m . | P h o t o : F l a s h 9 0 7 O c t o b e r h a s b r a n d e d a l l s u c h r e a d i n g s o f N e v e r A g a i n a s d e l u s i o n a l .

9. The V i ctims 7 E x p e r i e n c i n g t h e H o l o c a u s t a S e c o n d T i m e A na t Schneider n Israel T oda y “ N e v e r i n m y l i f e w o u l d I h a v e t h o u g h t t h a t I w o u l d e x p e r i e n c e t h e H o l o c a u s t a g a i n , ” T z i l i W e n k e r t ( 8 2 ) t o l d u s . H e r g r a n d s o n O m e r W e n k e r t w a s k i d n a p p e d t o t h e G a z a S t r i p b y H a m a s t e r r o r i s t s o n B l a c k S h a b b a t , a n d O m e r ’ s g i r l f r i e n d w a s b r u t a l l y m u r d e r e d . S i n c e t h e n , G r a n d m a T z i l i h a s b e e n a d v o c a t i n g f o r h e r g r a n d s o n . A n a t S c h n e i d e r h a d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o t a l k t o h e r . T zili is a beautiful lad y; y ou can tell that she is courageous and optimisti c. The name T zili r ef ers to the p l easan t and gen tl e sound that comes fr om the bear er of the name. W ith gr eat l ove and endl ess b l essings but almost over w helmed by pain, she speaks of her kidnapped grandson: “ Omer m ust be r el eased. H e suff ers fr om chr oni c co litis and needs his medi cati on ever y da y . What will happen to him if he no l onger tak es his dail y medi cati on? Wher e is m y Omer now? H e is twen ty- two, m y eldest grandson, a cheerful, po lite, good boy . Al wa ys fri endl y to ever y one.” T zili tells me about Omer and describes his natur e. H e m ust be ver y har dworking and ambiti ous: “ Imagine: H e was alr ead y running a r estauran t with f orty emp l oy ees. I t is his dr eam to devel op further as a r estaurateur . B ut f or me, Omer will al wa ys be a child.” Y ou can tell T zili experi enced the H o l ocaust herself as a child. And that all the emoti ons fr om that terrib l e time come rushing back. What’ s worse is that this massacr e, this second ho l ocaust, happened at home, in the Land of Israel. “They showed me a video; I can ’ t get it out of m y mind. Ther e li es Omer , m y child, wearing onl y his under wear , his hands ti ed behind his back , on a pi ckup truck with terr orists all ar ound him. Then he lifts his head and l oo ks in to the camera f or a momen t. I see the f ear in his ey es; I can r eall y f eel it. H elp , God!” T aken H ostage She immediately understood that her grandson was held hostage in the Gaza S trip . F or her , what she sa w with her own eyes was a true holocaust, actually even worse than the one she sur vived in E urope. “ I wouldn ’ t ha ve thought it possible that I would experience a H olocaust again at m y age.” T zili was born in Romania in 1 941. When her family was tak en to the ghetto, she was six weeks old. At three- and - a - half years old , she barely sur vived. She can remember how German planes bombed the ghetto. H er mother stood at the door of the barracks and hugged her . What’ s worse is that this massacr e, this second ho l ocaust, happened at home, in the Land of Israel. After the H o l ocaust, the ar ea in w hi ch they lived f ell to the Sovi et U ni on. I t was incr edib l y diffi cul t to get an exit permit. I t onl y happened after her marriage. In 1 965, she, her h usband and their famili es emigrated to Israel. A S par k of H o pe S ince Omer was abducted , T zili has been unable to get through the night without medication. The har dest thing is f ear . What will happen? The uncertainty is terrible. During the da y , she tries to instil hope in the entire family . She doesn ’ t even tr y to hide her pain, but it can ’ t be compared to the pain of her parents. T zili is determined to spread optimism, fragile as it might be, but optimism nonetheless, a spark of hope. U nder no circumstances does she want to give up . The media knows T zili and is happy to let her tak e the microphone. She speaks to the world at ever y opportunity . B ut above all, T zili pra ys in silence, alone bef ore God. She begs Him to ensure that Omer and all the other hostages are released. “ Only God can help ,” T zili told me, and she sa ys it ver y firmly . Did she tak e an y encouragement from Israeli and world leaders? I don ’ t get that impression. “ E ven though the US President was here and spok e nicely , I don ’ t see an y real progress. W eeks ha ve passed —bad weeks. W e f eel lik e we ’ re in hell, and Omer is stuck in hell. B ut we are not hearing an y progress from the government regar ding the hostages.” She speaks of full confidence in Israel ’ s arm y and hopes that it will be successful in freeing the hostages. B ut she doesn ’ t expect an ything from the government in J erusalem. “W e ha ve seen the beha viour of our politicians in recent years. What I see with m y eyes does not mak e us God ’ s chosen people,” she tells me sadly . “ A chosen people is a people who stick together , who live in unity as it was in the W arsa w Ghetto. E ver yone was together and helped each other . This is the only wa y we can def eat evil.” Pra yers “Some of the r eaders of I sr ael T oday met T zili at one of our Zoom meetings. When she talk ed about Omer , y ou, w ho wer e ther e, could empathise. I ask ed her if she wan ted to ask y ou something or tell y ou something. This was new f or them: Ther e ar e Christians w ho l ove the peop l e of Israel, w hose hearts ar e with the J ewish peop l e. She said, “ P l ease pra y f or m y Omer and his famil y , and pra y f or all the hostages in G aza. Onl y God can help us. W e ar e one big famil y , made in the image of God.” T zili had fri ends in R omania, Christians, with w hom she studi ed together after the Second W orld W ar . She to ld me about their cl ose, fri endl y r elati onship . T zili also to ld me how she call ed her son, Saul, on 7 October , w hi ch will go down in histor y as B lack Shabbat. A t the time, no one knew that Omer had been kidnapped. She wan ted to ask how Omer was doing because she knew he was at the N ova m usi c f estival with his girlfri end. She pr omised her son that she would pra y immediatel y . And she has been doing this non -stop ever since. She can ’ t do an ything mor e f or Omer and his famil y now . Pra y As we sa y goodby e, T zili shows me a p hoto of her grandson. I see a beautiful, smiling child full of joy and lif e. T zili sa ys qui etl y: “ I l oo k at this pi ctur e all the time; I talk to Omer ever y da y .” I tell T zili: “ Cl ose y our ey es and use all y our senses. I t’ s r eall y importan t. God is with us. S ur el y y ou f eel the warm th of Omer’ s bod y , smell him, f eel y ourself pr ess a kiss on his cheek and hear his laugh as if he wer e ther e.” T zili urges me to ask y ou to pra y f or her grandson and the other hostages. “ Pra y ers ha ve power ,” she insists. I pr omise T zili to pass on her r equest to y ou all. Indeed, l et’ s not stop pra ying f or Omer and all those still in captivity . F irst published in I sr ael T oday , r epublished with permission. “ W h a t ’ s w o r s e i s t h a t t h i s m a s s a c r e , t h i s s e c o n d h o l o c a u s t , h a p p e n e d a t h o m e , i n t h e L a n d o f I s r a e l . ” Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 O m e r W e n k e r t i n a p i c t u r e f r o m H a m a s T z i l i W e n k e r t , a H o l o c a u s t s u rv i v o r a n d t h e g r a n d m o t h e r o f O m e r W e n k e r t , w h o i s h e l d h o s t a g e b y H a m a s t e r r o r i s t s i n G a z a . | P h o t o : F l a s h 9 0

7. JNS n Hamas leader Khaled Mashal rejected the two-state solution in a recently aired inter view , emphasising that the terrorist group ’ s goal of replacing Israel with a P alestinian state was more attainable after Hamas ’ s 7 October massacre. Mashal made the comments during a three- part discussion with K uwaiti podcaster Amar T aki posted in the second week of J anuar y . The Middle East M edia R esearch Institute (MEMRI) published a translated ex cerpt. The Hamas l eader , w ho was living in Q atar as of last y ear , said that “we ha ve nothing to do with the two-state so l uti on. W e r eject this noti on because it means that y ou would get a pr omise f or a [P al estinian] state, y et y ou ar e r equir ed to r ecognise the l egitimacy of the other state, w hi ch is the Z i onist en tity .” H e continued: “This is unacceptable. W e demand to be liberated , to get rid of the occupation, and to ha ve our independence and our state. [Israel] is m y enem y . I t is not m y concern.” M a s h a l s u g g e s t e d t h a t 7 O c t . w a s a p i v o t a l m o m e n t f o r t h e m o v e m e n t t o r e p l a c e I s r a e l w i t h a P a l e s t i n i a n s t a t e a n d r e m a r k e d o n t h e p r o - H a m a s d e m o n s t r a t i o n s w o r l d w i d e t h a t t o o k p l a c e a f t e r t h e m a s s a c r e , i n w h i c h h o r d e s o f h e a v i l y a r m e d g u n m e n m u r d e r e d 1 , 2 0 0 p e o p l e , w o u n d e d t h o u s a n d s m o r e a n d t o o k 2 4 0 h o s t a g e s b a c k t o G a z a . “ I believe that the dream and the hope f or P alestine from the River to the Sea and from the north to the south has been renewed. This has also become a slogan chanted in the US and in W estern capital cities, by the American and W estern public,” he said. “ P alestine is free from the River to the Sea — that’ s the slogan of the American students and the [ students ] in E uropean capital cities. “ T h e P a l e s t i n i a n c o n s e n s u s — o r a l m o s t a c o n s e n s u s — i s t h a t w e w i l l n o t g i v e u p o n o u r r i g h t t o P a l e s t i n e i n i t s e n t i r e t y , f r o m t h e [ J o r d a n ] r i v e r t o t h e [ M e d i t e r r a n e a n ] s e a a n d f r o m R o s h H a n i k r a t o E i l a t o r t h e G u l f o f A q a b a , ” h e c o n t i n u e d . 7 Oct. “has turned the idea of liberating P alestine from the River to the Sea into a realistic idea that has already begun. I t is not something [ merely] to be expected or hoped f or . I t is part of the plan, part of the agenda, and we are standing on its threshold , Allah willing.” Israel ’ s ambassador to the U nited N ations, G ilad E r dan, posted the MEMRI video of the inter view to his account, urging those calling f or a ceasef ire to listen to Mashal ’ s wor ds. “ A ceasef ire ensures Hamas ’ continued rule in Gaza, and this destroys an y possibility f or a solution to the conflict. Hamas is stating this loud and clear! So if you truly want a solution — you must f irst support the eradication of Hamas. S top hiding behind empty wor ds and slogans!” Originally published at www .jns.or g. R epublished with permission. I srael a t W ar — N ews 5 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 S h o r t N e w s Three Mi l lion T ourists A f t e r 7 O c t o b e r , t o u r i s m t o I s r a e l c a m e t o a h a l t , b u t i n t h e fi r s t n i n e m o n t h s o f 2 0 2 3 , I s r a e l w e l c o m e d s o m e t h r e e m i l l i o n v i s i t o r s . T h i s l e f t t h e r e c o r d s t a n d i n g i n 2 0 1 9 w h e n I s r a e l w e l c o m e d 4 . 5 m i l l i o n t o u r i s t s . B u t i n c o m p a r i s o n t o 2 0 2 2 , w h e n 2 . 7 m i l l i o n p e o p l e v i s i t e d t h e c o u n t r y , I s r a e l d i d a t t r a c t m o r e v i s i t o r s l a s t y e a r . T h a t i s a c c o r d i n g t o s t a t i s t i c s f r o m t h e I s r a e l i M i n i s t r y o f T o u r i s m . T o u r i s t s v i s i t t h e c o u n t r y f o r a n a v e r a g e o f e i g h t d a y s . F i f t y p e r c e n t o f t h e m a r e C h r i s t i a n , a n d a q u a r t e r a r e J e w i s h . J u s t o v e r h a l f w e r e v i s i t i n g I s r a e l f o r t h e fi r s t t i m e . | P h o t o : F l a s h 9 0 F ewer A n tisemi tic R eports E ven though the number of r eports of antisemitism worldwide incr eased by five hundr ed per c ent after 7 October , a study shows it doesn ’ t give the full pictur e. The I nstitute f or the S tudy of G lobal Antisemitism and P olicy f ound that a significant number of incidents go unr eported or ar e misclassified. Significant r easons ar e authorities’ r eluctanc e to r ec ognise antisemitism and the f ear of J ewish c ommunities to exaggerate an incident. A braham A ccords H old U p E ven though c ountries that signed the Abraham A c c or ds c ondemned actions by I srael at the beginning of the war on 7 Oct, the Abraham A c c or ds seem to be holding up . The c ountries experienc e pr essur e fr om their Arab allies but also fac e attacks by I ran or its ac c omplic es. U ltimately , however , these c ountries do not want H amas to win, pr ef erring I srael to def eat H amas in or der to limit I ran ’ s influenc e. W hile the curr ent war ma y temporarily dela y or put the r elationship with I srael on hold, in the long run, the c ountries benefit fr om a good r elationship with I srael, especially in the ec onomic and security fields. | Photo: Flash90 H a m a s L e a d e r : R e p l a c e I s r a e l w i t h ‘ P a l e s t i n e ’ “ T h i s i s u n a c c e p t a b l e . W e d e m a n d t o b e l i b e r a t e d , t o g e t r i d o f t h e o c c u p a t i o n , a n d t o h a v e o u r i n d e p e n d e n c e a n d o u r s t a t e . . . ” I s r a e l ’ s M u l t i - F r o n t W a r w i t h I r a n Y ochanan V isser n Corresponden t in Israel The two most dangerous fronts f or Israel are Y emen and Lebanon. I n r e c e n t w e e k s , t h e s i t u a t i o n o n t h e f r o n t w i t h H e z b o l l a h h a s e s c a l a t e d , a n d I s r a e l n o w a p p e a r s t o b e h e a d i n g f o r a m a j o r w a r w i t h I r a n ’ s m o s t i m p o r t a n t p r o x y a f t e r d i p l o m a t i c n e g o t i a t i o n s t h r o u g h U S d i p l o m a t A m o s H o c h s t e i n f a i l e d . T h e I D F n o w a p p e a r s t o b e p r e p a r i n g f o r a m a j o r o p e r a t i o n e x p e c t e d t o b e g i n w i t h i n w e e k s . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e I s r a e l i t h i n k t a n k I N S S , H e z b o l l a h h a s 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 r o c k e t s a n d a d v a n c e d m o r t a r s h e l l s a t i t s d i s p o s a l . T h o u s a n d s o f H e z b o l l a h ’ s m i s s i l e s a r e e q u i p p e d w i t h a G P S g u i d a n c e s y s t e m a n d c a n , t h e r e f o r e , r e a c h t h e i r t a r g e t a c c u r a t e l y . I t i s e s t i m a t e d t h a t i n t h e e v e n t o f a f u l l - s c a l e w a r , H e z b o l l a h w i l l fi r e 1 , 2 0 0 t o 1 , 5 0 0 r o c k e t s p e r d a y a t I s r a e l . S ince H ezbollah has precise intelligence through espionage about Israel ’ s vital civil and militar y infrastructure, it is to be expected that Israel ’ s econom y will come to a virtual standstill and that a ver y diff erent situation will then exist than is the case now . A t t h e m o m e n t , t h e r e i s a b u s i n e s s - a s - u s u a l s i t u a t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t s o f I s r a e l , e x c e p t f o r t h e b o r d e r a r e a s , b u t H e z b o l l a h ’ s l o n g - r a n g e m i s s i l e s t h a t c a n r e a c h a l l o f I s r a e l c o u l d b r i n g d a y - t o - d a y l i f e t o a c o m p l e t e s t a n d s t i l l . T h e s e c o n d m o s t d a n g e r o u s f r o n t i s Y e m e n , w h e r e t h e A n s a r A l l a h ( H o u t h i ) m i l i t i a c o n t i n u o u s l y a t t a c k s c i v i l i a n s h i p p i n g . A n s a r A l l a h i s h e l p e d b y a d v i s o r s f r o m t h e I R G C a n d H e z b o l l a h , w h o a r e s t a t i o n e d i n Y e m e n , a n d t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o a l i t i o n o f n a v a l v e s s e l s f o r m e d u n d e r U S l e a d e r s h i p a p p e a r s t o h a v e m a d e l i t t l e i m p r e s s i o n o n t h e I r a n i a n p r o x y s o f a r d e s p i t e e s c a l a t i n g a t t a c k s o n t h e m i l i t a ry i n f r a s t r u c t u r e o f t h e m i l i t i a . In the capital, Sana ’ a, there are huge mass demonstrations ever y week in which Israel and the US are cursed. The American arm y , together with England , has now carried out seven attacks on Ansar Allah bases in Y emen so far . H o w e v e r , t h e m i l i t i a a p p e a r s d e t e r m i n e d t o c o n t i n u e i t s a t t a c k s b e c a u s e t h i s w i l l l e a d t o a c o m p l e t e h a l t t o s h i p p i n g t r a ffi c i n t h e R e d S e a , w h e r e s i x t e e n p e r c e n t o f t h e w o r l d ’ s t o t a l m a r i t i m e t r a d e p a s s e s e v e r y d a y , s o t h i s f r o n t h a s t h e p o t e n t i a l t o d e v e l o p i n t o a g l o b a l c o n fl i c t . I s r a e l i s , t h e r e f o r e , i n a v e r y d i ffi c u l t p o s i t i o n t h a t e v e n d w a r f s t h e s i t u a t i o n t h a t o c c u r r e d i n 1 9 6 7 a n d 1 9 7 3 d u r i n g t h e S i x - D a y W a r a n d t h e Y o m K i p p u r W a r . T h e c u r r e n t m u l t i - f r o n t w a r c o i n c i d e s w i t h t h e l o s s o f t h e a b i l i t y t o e ff e c t i v e l y m o n i t o r I r a n ’ s n u c l e a r p r o g r a m m e , a s t h e I A E A a c t u a l l y r e p o r t e d o n 1 9 J a n u a r y . O bser vers in Israel, m yself included , f ear that Iran will use the current chaos in the Middle East and the obsession with the war in Gaza to move towar d a nuclear weapon. The Islamic Republic now has enough uranium, enriched to 60 per cent, which can be upgraded within a f ew weeks to the 91 per cent needed to produce a nuclear warhead. This is, in short, the state of affairs in Israel and the Middle East, and it will be clear that the J ewish state will be in serious trouble if the war escalates further accor ding to the ‘ ring of fire ’ plan f or the destruction of Israel that Iran drew up years ago.

26. S tori es fro m the Holoca ust 16 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 C u r r e n t a n d S t r e a m s o f O u r T i m e D o n n a H o n F i lm Director & T a nakh Scholar I t is alwa ys much easier to go with the flow , do what is popular , and echo current trends of mass media. The dominant ‘ in ’ crowd , however misinf ormed and biased , dictates the public ’ s perception, impose their reality narratives, relabelling people, morals and truth. So, with these powerful f orces compelling ever yone to go with the flow , what causes a person to go against the flow? Let’ s look into the stor y of the daughter of Pharoh, a princess of E gypt. H er father was P harao h, rul er of anci en t E gypt, a migh ty empir e in its time. The P harao h instigated a pr opaganda campaign against a peop l e gr oup , the H ebr ews. F irst, he to ld the masses that H ebr ews wer e sub- h umans, then he demonised them as poten tial traitors of the nati on, th us l egitimising his sla ver y of them. Then, he l egalised and normalised mass m ur der — H e or der ed all the peop l e, “ E ver y boy that is born, thr ow in the river (N il e River ), but l et all girls live.” And, the masses wen t al ong with it. T h e P h a r a o h ’ s d a u g h t e r g r e w u p i n a s o c i e t y w h e r e H e b r e w s w e r e d e h u m a n i s e d a n d e v e ry o n e s h o u l d d i s p o s e o f b a b y b o y s i n t o t h e N i l e j u s t b e c a u s e t h e i n f a n t s w e r e b o r n a H e b r e w . W i t h i n s u c h a s o c i o p o l i t i c a l c l i m a t e , t h e p r i n c e s s r e a c h e d o u t a n d p l u c k e d b a b y M o s e s f r o m t h e r i v e r . S h e c o u l d h a v e t h e n o r d e r e d h e r s e rv a n t s t o t h r o w h i m b a c k i n t o t h e N i l e t o p e r i s h a s p e r t h e o r d e r o f h e r f a t h e r , t h e P h a r o h , b u t s h e d i d n o t . I n s t e a d , s h e p r o t e c t e d h i m , n a m e d h i m M o s e s , a n d r a i s e d h i m a s h e r s o n . T h e p r i n c e s s r i s k e d m u c h t o d o t h i s — h e r s e rv a n t s w o u l d h a v e r e p o r t e d t o P h a r a o h , P h a r a o h c o u l d h a v e t h r o w n h e r o u t o f t h e r o y a l c o u r t o r w o r s e , e x e c u t e d h e r . W h a t l e d h e r t o d o r i g h t a t t h i s c r i t i c a l m o m e n t ? H o w d i d s h e r e c o g n i s e r i g h t f r o m w r o n g ? I t is because of her diff erent mindset. She thinks critically and sees through the f og of propaganda and lies. She did not allow the mainstream narrative to brain wash her to condone evil. The princess also has the smarts, courage, and f ortitude to put her moral code into costly actions. Throughout histor y , we can find more such heroes, people who hold a diff erent mindset— they are independent think ers who are also courageous. Dr H o F eng Shan is one such hero. H e was the Chinese C onsul General stationed in Vienna and in 1 938, he witnessed Hitler and the N azi armed f orces enter the nation of Austria unopposed. J e w s s o u g h t t o fl e e t h e c o u n t ry a n d t h e y n e e d e d v i s a s f o r a n o t h e r n a t i o n t o b e p e r m i t t e d t o l e a v e , b u t n o E u r o p e a n o r W e s t e r n n a t i o n w e r e w i l l i n g t o i s s u e v i s a s t o J e w s . C o n s u l G e n e r a l H o d i d . H e p u t h i s l i f e a n d c a r e e r o n t h e l i n e , d e fi e d o r d e r s f r o m h i s s u p e r i o r s a n d i s s u e d a t l e a s t 4 6 8 0 v i s a s b e f o r e h e w a s r e c a l l e d f r o m V i e n n a i n M a y 1 9 4 0 . H e a l s o s m u g g l e d h u n d r e d s o f v i s a s t o u n d e r g r o u n d r e s c u e o r g a n i s a t i o n s a l l o v e r E u r o p e . W i t h m o s t v i s a s i s s u e d b e i n g v a l i d f o r m u l t i p l e p e r s o n s , D r H o F e n g S h a n w a s i n s t r u m e n t a l i n t e n s o f t h o u s a n d s o f J e w s e s c a p i n g N a z i - o c c u p i e d E u r o p e . W e ar e living in a time w her e w hat is righ t is struck down as wr ong, w hat is good is condemned as evil, and w hat is wr ong is now ‘ true ’ and w hat is evil is praised as ‘ good ’ and ‘ righ t’ . W e ar e in an era w her e the mass media r eport news accor ding to their chosen narrative, pr esen ting li es of terr orists as facts, and even worse, the pub li c accepting these li es without questi on and further perpetuate falsehoods on their personal media p latf orms. P eop l e r ead headlines onl y and do not ex er cise criti cal thinking, falling f or w hatever pr opaganda that is being trumpeted. U nf ortunatel y , this is r epeating w hat happened onl y 90 y ears ago, the 1 930s, w hi ch is the decade l eading up to the ho l ocaust. Wher e we abr ogate our r esponsibility to questi on the inf ormati on fr om all media and to eval uate curr en t even ts, the monstr ous atr ocity that is the ho l ocaust r ears its head again. H ow can one combat this? W ell, do you believe that one person can mak e a diff erence? One wa y to combat propaganda and fak e news is by widely promoting a new mindset, through sharing heroic stories of real people! The current generation are not as interested in reading books or fine print, they would rather view short movies, podcasts and inter views. T A CIA promotes dialogue and build bridges of friendship through film and media — these bridges of relationships stand above popular trends, allow f or con versations, connect people and communities regar dless of bor ders, politics or religion. On T A CIA ’ s website, you can access the T A CIA U nsung H ero series. The latest f eature of the T A CIA U nsung H ero series is an Aussie, a Queenslander born in Ingham. W e in vite you to join us f or the premiere of this U nsung H ero ’ s stor y! Details of the zoom meeting are as f ollows: D ate and D a y: 14 A pril 2024, S unda y T ime: 4pm ( Queensland, A ustralia time ) If you would lik e the zoom link to be sent to you, please email us: tacia.association@gmail.com Our website has links to T A CIA ’ s U nsung H ero series and other projects: https://www . tacia.org.au ‘The Finding of M oses ’ . | Photo: iS tockphoto Dr H o F eng Shan. | Photo: Wikimedia A Daily Dev otional b y R e v . Willem J.J. Glashouw er Get dail y r eadings in y our inbo x Did y ou kno w the Book of Rev elation is the only book of the Bible to gi v e a special blessing to those w ho read, hear and apply its message? (R e v 1:3) Stud y God’ s roadmap for the future, step-b y-step. Y ou only need a couple of minutes eac h da y to stud y one or tw o v erses of the Book of Rev elation to come to a clearer understanding of its major themes and messages. Subscr ibe F r ee T oda y at beholdhec omes.lif e

18. 8 (A USTRALIA) J ewish Vo i ces Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 N a tasha n Cumming *This article c ontains mature c ontent relating to sexual violenc e. R eader discretion is advised. In September 2012, S teven Pink er released his N ew Y ork T imes bestseller “ Better Angels of Our N ature: Why Violence H as Declined”. The book presents a compelling argument f or the decline of violence, particularly sexual violence, through various historical trends in war . The eff ect on readers, well, did exactly what the title intended to, to con vince the reader that sexual violence against women during warfare had declined and to con vince that we ha ve evolved into the embodiment of our more benevolent state and that we ha ve indeed become, the better angels of our nature. One reviewer’ s comment: “The world is not as sad or as bad as expected ,” seems to summarise the general reception of the book , resembling utopian liberalism steeped in unf ounded , blind optimism. Y et the author critically overlooks the evolution of modern sexual violence used against women in warfare and lacks a proper interpretation of historical data. If Pink er had done his research thoroughly and not relied too hea vily upon sociological and psychological interpretations, it would ha ve revealed an unprecedented level of cruelty towar ds women in contemporar y warfare. While I do not usually identify as a f eminist, the disproportionate violence against women, especially during warfare, is a glaring humanitarian issue. In such conflicts, the dominating and f orceful nature of men often renders women helpless victims of horrific and atrocious f orms of sexual violence. C urrent events in Ukraine ha ve brought numerous allegations of sexual violence, rape, torture, extortion, and sex trafficking to light, including the trafficking of minors. In N igeria, the notoriously brutal Bok o Haram ( an Islamic J ihad militia organisation) uses sexual violence as a strategy of domination, including f orcefully impregnating captives. The ongoing conflict in S yria has revealed that government f orces and associated militias ha ve raped thousands of women and children. ISIS committed particularly sa vage acts of sexual violence against women and girls during their insurgency in Iraq. B y Islamic la w , the women were concubines and the spoils of jihad. ISIS is said to ha ve perpetrated acts including kidnapping, rape, torture, f orced impregnation, sex sla ver y , f orced marriages and child marriages. T h e 7 O c t o b e r m a s s a c r e i n I s r a e l t e l l s n o d i ff e r e n t s t o r y . T e r r i f y i n g a n d b a r b a r o u s a c c o u n t s o f t h e v i o l e n t a c t s a g a i n s t w o m e n a r e b e i n g s h a r e d a s b o t h s u r v i v o r s a n d r e c e n t l y r e l e a s e d h o s t a g e s s p e a k o u t . T h e s e i n c l u d e a l l e g a t i o n s o f g e n i t a l m u t i l a t i o n , s o d o my , r a p e , g a n g r a p e , a n d c l a i m s f r o m w i t n e s s e s t h a t a c t s a g a i n s t w o m e n c o n t i n u e d e v e n p o s t -m o r t e m . Y e t , t h i s i s n ’ t t h e w o r s t o f i t . H a m a s a n d I s l a m i c Ji h a d t e r r o r i s t s fi l m e d t h e s e a t r o c i o u s a c t s a n d g l e e f u l l y c o m m i t t e d t h e s e a c t s a s t h e y s h a r e d t h e m w i t h t h e w h o l e w o r l d . I ’ m s u r e y o u ’ v e s e e n s o m e o f t h e m c i r c u l a t i n g o n l i n e . P e r s o n a l l y , t e a r s h a d w e l l e d i n my e y e s , a n d a k n o t h a d f o r m e d i n my t h r o a t w h e n I fi r s t s a w t h e n o w w o r l d w i d e v i r a l v i d e o o f 19 -y e a r - o l d N a a m a L e v y b e i n g f o r c e f u l l y h a n d l e d b y H a m a s t e r r o r i s t s i n t o t h e b a c k o f a v e h i c l e , h e r f a c e b a t t e r e d a n d t h e b a c k o f h e r p a n t s d r e n c h e d i n b l o o d . E n t e r t h e Me T o o m o v e m e n t , o r i g i n a l l y f o u n d e d t o b r i n g a t t e n t i o n t o t h e i s s u e o f s e x u a l h a r a s s m e n t a n d a b u s e o f w o m e n i n t h e w o r k p l a c e . T h e m o v e m e n t g a i n e d i n t e r n a t i o n a l a t t e n t i o n w h e n a l l e g a t i o n s w e r e m a d e a g a i n s t A m e r i c a n fi l m p r o d u c e r H a r v e y W e i n s t e i n . F r o m t h e r e , t h e m o v e m e n t g r e w w i t h i n c r e d i b l e m o m e n t u m w i t h t h e s u p p o r t o f c e l e b r i t i e s , p o l i t i c i a n s , p r o m i n e n t o r g a n i s a t i o n s a n d h e a v i l y fi n a n c e d s o c i a l m e d i a c a m p a i g n s . T h e y m o u n t e d s m e a r c a m p a i g n s a g a i n s t Un i t e d St a t e s Su p r e m e C o u r t n o m i n e e B r e t t K a v a n a u g h f o r ( n o w ) u n s u b s t a n t i a t e d c l a i m s o f r a p e a n d p r e s s u r e d D o n a l d T r u m p f o r s e x i s t c o m m e n t s . T h e Me T o o m o v e m e n t i s b y f a r t h e m o s t w e l l - k n o w n w o m e n ’ s r i g h t s o r g a n i s a t i o n i n t h e w o r l d . S i m i l a r l y , s e x u a l v i o l e n c e a g a i n s t w o m e n b e c a m e a p o i n t o f f o c u s f o r t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s ( U N ) w i t h t h e a d o p t i o n o f t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l R e s o l u t i o n 1 3 2 5 i n O c t o b e r 2 0 0 0 a n d t h e c r e a t i o n o f U N W o m e n i n J u l y 2 0 1 0 . T h e o r g a n i s a t i o n w a s c r e a t e d t o a d d r e s s t h e i m p a c t o f a r m e d c o n fl i c t o n w o m e n a n d t o r e c o g n i s e t h e n e e d t o p r o t e c t w o m e n f r o m g e n d e r - b a s e d v i o l e n c e d u r i n g t i m e s o f c o n fl i c t . T h i s m a r k e d a s i g n i fi c a n t a c k n o w l e d g m e n t o f w o m e n ’ s u n i q u e c h a l l e n g e s a n d v u l n e r a b i l i t i e s i n c o n fl i c t s i t u a t i o n s a n d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e i r p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n c o n fl i c t r e s o l u t i o n a n d p e a c e b u i l d i n g . One would think that either of these women ’ s oriented organisations would be at the f orefront of condemning the vile acts of Hamas terrorists against women and girls on 7 October . U nf ortunately not. M e T oo released a statement claiming that they condemn all acts of sexual violence committed against all women, “ including Israeli women,” yet then proceeded not to mention them again but instead shifted f ocus to other conflict zones, particularly Gaza. C omparably , UN women took a good 50 da ys after the 7 Oct. massacre bef ore it released a statement condemning the acts committed against Israeli and J ewish women by Hamas terrorists. The statement perhaps would ha ve had more of an impact if not f or the 50 da ys between the massacre and the release of the statement; they hadn ’ t released numerous articles on gender -based violence aff ecting women in Gaza — omitting an y mention of Israeli women. F or Israeli and J ewish women, the silence is deaf ening. F or a minority group that has endured thousands of years of persecution, belligerency , ostracism and ultimately genocide, perhaps it is not surprising that the global response remains consistent with historical patterns. This time, however , the world cannot claim that they were uninf ormed and , theref ore, una ware of these atrocious and heinous acts of sexual acts committed against J ewish women. The despicable terrorists filmed the acts and dispersed the materials themselves, providing over whelming evidence proving violations of human rights and war crimes. Y et those with the ability to prosecute these individuals f or these acts remain silent. F eminists and women ’ s organisations globally continue to proclaim the “ M e T oo ” mantra. Of course, if an ything has been made evident since the horrific acts of sexual violence committed against women and girls on 7 October , that mantra doesn ’ t mean an ything f or J ewish women. N atasha Cumming is an H onours student, research assistant and teacher at Griffith U niversity in South E ast Queensland. H olding a Bachelor of Government and I nternational R elations with a double major in P olitics and Public P olicy and I nternational R elations and a thesis focusing on I sr aeli and Ar ab diplomacy and rec ognition efforts in the M iddle E ast, her expertise plac es her at the c entre of research and academic work pertaining to the regional c onflict and diplomacy efforts. “ M e T o o ! ” U n l e s s . . . Y o u ’ r e a J e w C rowd gathered in a display of solidarity with the hostages kidnapped to Gaza and protest against the government. | Photo: Shutterstock Stan Goodenoug h V isi t to A ustra lia MAR CH & APR IL 2024 S ta n G o o d e n o u g h , C h r i s a n to u r g u i d e , j o u r n a l i st a n d re s i d e nt o f J e r u s a l e m f o r 3 0 ye a r s , w i l l b e v i s i n g A u st r a l i a i n M a rc h & A p r i l 2 0 2 4 . S ta n w i l l b r i n g a n u p d ate o n t h e wa r , a d d re s s t h e d o u b l e - b a r re l l e d d a n ge r — m i l i ta r y a n d d i p l o m a c — f a c i n g I s r a e l . If an yone would lik e t o hos t a mee ng, c on t act J oy H eylen: joy hey50@gmai l.com ph: 0439661996

5. I srael a t W ar — Ana l ysis 3 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 Shel ter’ s I m pro ved I srael’ s public shelters ar e in dir e need of r epair and c ontemporary c ommunications equipment. The I sraeli M inistry of C ommunications, ther ef or e, r eleases a budget to impr ove the nearly 4,000 shelters in the bor der r egions. | Photo: Flash90 Concerns abou t the B nei M enashe The B nei M enashe ( one of the lost tribes ) r eside in northeastern I ndia. I n early J anuary , seven members of the B nei M enashe wer e killed by a r ock et attack. I t is unclear who is r esponsible f or the attack, and ther e is no r eason to believe that the attack was specifically dir ected at the J ewish c ommunity . I t is plausible that it has to do with the flaring ethno-r eligious c onflict between the H indus and the Kuki tribe, which is pr edominantly Christian and in which the B nei M enashe ar e included. Ther e ar e now calls in the Knesset in I srael to ac c elerate the r eturn of the B nei M enashe fr om I ndia. About 5,500 B nei M enashe r emain in I ndia. R eward Offered The US is off ering $10 million f or inf ormation leading to the unra velling of the financial network of the terr or gr oup H amas. Ther e is also an a war d f or any inf ormation on donors, financial institutions that facilitate the transactions and c ompanies that pr ovide technology f or this purpose. I srael Condemned Twice as Often Last year , the U nited N ations General Assembly c ondemned I srael twic e as often as all other c ountries c ombined. This is shown in a r eport by UN W atch. I srael was c ondemned 14 times, and ther e wer e seven decisions c ondemning other c ountries. T err orist gr oups wer e not c ondemned at all. | Photo: Shutterstock S h o r t N e w s F r a g i l e C o n s e n s u s i n I s r a e l Y ochanan V isser n Corresponden t in Israel On 7 October 2023, Hamas, aided by P alestinian Islamic J ihad and civilians, not only slaughtered more than 1,200 Israelis but also killed the hope that there would ever be a peaceful solution to the more than centur y-old conflict with the P alestinian Arabs. Other consequences are unique in the histor y of the S tate of Israel, as we will see. When I read the first reports of events on 7 Oct. and saw that hundreds of rock ets had been fired into Israel, m y first reaction was: here we go again. I watched in amazement as the stream of updates on m y smartphone showed that Hamas was in vading southern Israel, and m y first thought was, how?? H ow could this happen?? As someone who has been writing f or almost eight years about the so-called multi - front war that Iran was preparing f or Israel and was aware of the ID F’ s preparations f or such a war , those were m y first thoughts. Through all the documents and inf ormation I had received over the years about Iran and the ID F’ s operations in what in Israel was called MABAM ( M ilchama bin haM ilchamot ), the war between the wars, I had become con vinced that the arm y was ex cellently prepared f or this war . B e c a u s e t h e i n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d i n t h e fi r s t h o u r s o f t h a t B l a c k S h a b b a t w a s p o o r a n d o f t e n b a s e d o n e y e w i t n e s s a c c o u n t s o v e r t h e t e l e p h o n e , m y q u e s t i o n w a s l e f t h a n g i n g i n t h e a i r . Man y in Israel realised that action had to be tak en. In m y case, that meant setting up a war room from which I could send updates to the live blog on the Christians f or Israel website. F or others, it meant collecting arm y equipment, a weapon and then rushing south war d or booking a plane tick et on the first plane available to fly to Israel. I think that after the initial shock , ever yone understood that we were in a state of emergency and that action had to be tak en. What happened in the da ys after the full extent of the genocide became clear can saf ely be called unique in the histor y of Israel. The people of Israel spontaneously took over the countr y with thousands of volunteers, leaving ever ything behind and starting initiatives that would contribute to the sur vival of Israel and to the care of the victims who sur vived the massacre since that was the general f eeling; Israel was engaged in a second W ar of Independence. T o a lesser extent, we saw something similar after the suicide bombing of the P ark H otel in N etan ya on Seder evening, the first da y of P assover at the end of March 2002. Thirty people were killed in that attack and 140 injured. I t was the timing ( the most important evening on the J ewish calendar ) that caused man y people to tak e action immediately . A l s o t h e n , t h o u s a n d s o f I D F r e s e r v i s t s c a m e t o t h e i r b a s e s w i t h o u t T z a f S h m o n e h ( m o b i l i s a t i o n o r d e r ) . T h e r e w a s a l s o a s i m i l a r d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o p u t a n e n d t o t h e w a v e o f s u i c i d e b o m b i n g s , b u t n o w a n e v e n s t r o n g e r r e a c t i o n w a s n o t i c e a b l e . E x p a t I s r a e l i s r e t u r n e d t o I s r a e l t o r e - e n l i s t i n t h e I D F o r t o h e l p w i t h t h e h u n d r e d s o f p r i v a t e i n i t i a t i v e s t h a t h a d b e e n l a u n c h e d s i n c e t h e g e n o c i d e t o o k p l a c e . O t h e r s l e f t t h e i r j o b s t o h e l p i d e n t i f y t h o s e m u r d e r e d , a n d t h e s a m e p e o p l e w h o w e r e b e h i n d t h e a n t i - g o v e r n m e n t p r o t e s t c a m p a i g n i n t h e m o n t h s b e f o r e 7 O c t . n o w b e g a n a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l c a m p a i g n t o b r i n g h o m e t h e m o r e t h a n 2 4 0 a b d u c t e e s . In social terms, a revolutionar y change also took place. While the various groups in Israeli society were 7 Oct. diametrically opposed to each other , and some even used the wor d civil war at the time, now those divisions suddenly seemed to have disappeared and made wa y f or brotherly unity . Ul tra - Orthodo x J ews w ho had al wa ys r efused to ser ve in the ID F now signed up in dr oves to r eceive emergency training in the use of weapons and wan ted to join the two fr on ts that had alr ead y emerged. L e f t - w i n g a c t i v i s t s w h o w e r e a l w a y s f o u n d a t p r o - P a l e s t i n i a n d e m o n s t r a t i o n s s u d d e n l y c h a n g e d t h e i r m i n d s a n d f o u g h t s i d e b y s i d e w i t h r i g h t - w i n g r e l i g i o u s s o l d i e r s i n c o m b a t u n i t s . A l a r g e n u m b e r o f t h e s e a c t i v i s t s h a v e n o w b e e n c u r e d o f t h e p e a c e i l l u s i o n s t h e y a l w a y s h a r b o u r e d a n d s a y t h e r e i s n o p a r t n e r t o t a l k t o . P o l i t i c a l l y , w e s a w t h a t p o l i t i c i a n s w h o h a d f o u g h t e a c h o t h e r d a y i n a n d d a y o u t n o w f o r m e d a w a r c a b i n e t t o g e t h e r , a n d t h e r e w a s a n o v e r r i d i n g c o n s e n s u s t h a t I s r a e l w a s fi g h t i n g f o r i t s s u rv i v a l a n d t h a t H a m a s h a d t o b e i n d e fi n i t e l y d e f e a t e d . That consensus still exists, although there is now a diff erence of opinion about the two goals of the war with Hamas, and this is especially evident over the question of what to do with the 134 hostages held in Gaza. F or those in volved in the international campaign to free the hostages, this issue is more important than a victor y over Hamas, but the vast majority of the Israeli public insists on not stopping the war again and continuing fighting to the end , even if that means losing some of the hostages. F or the first time, it appears that Israel will not give in to f oreign pressure to stop the war over the humanitarian problem in Gaza. A new ceasefire is only beneficial f or Hamas, which now has to f ear the end of its rule in Gaza, although there is enormous internal pressure on the government of PM Benjamin N etan yahu to agree to another agreement because of the 134 hostages Hamas is holding. Then there is H ezbollah in Lebanon, which has been waging a war of attrition against Israel since 8 October , and here, too, there is consensus that the situation as it existed bef ore 7 Oct. can no longer be tolerated. The nearly one hundred thousand evacuees who have been transf erred from their homes along the bor der with Lebanon to hotels and holida y homes in northern Israel are united in their demand f or an end to H ezbollah ’ s presence along the bor der . U ntil that is the case, they will not return home. Some of these evacuees told me they had been told by the government that there was no chance of returning home bef ore P assover at the end of April. Man y of these evacuees have now rented vacant houses or vacation homes and are tr ying to resume their daily routine in one wa y or another as compensation measures have been introduced to undo at least some of the financial damage suff ered by these families. I s r a e l i v o l u n t e e r s h e l p o u t w i t h t h e t o m a t o h a rv e s t a t a M o s h a v i n t h e S h a r o n a r e a . | P h o t o : F l a s h 9 0

33. F r o m our Pr o jects 15 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 I m p o r t a n t P r o j e c t s i n 2 0 2 3 T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r G e n e r o u s H e l p ! “Sa ve your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepher d and carr y them f orever .” P salm 28:9 I t has been a challenging year f or Israel. S ince the massacre on 7 October 2023, and the war it caused , Israel and the entire J ewish people are particularly dependent on reliable friends who stand by their side. Thank you f or your help , which has made it possible to alleviate har dship , provide comf ort and give hope. A heartf elt thank you on behalf of all the people who were helped! The donations and pra yers from Christians f or Israel are a ra y of hope! Below , you will find more inf ormation about our most important projects. W e would lik e to thank you f or all the donations received. W e are also ver y grateful f or the donations f or our ministr y costs, including the production, print and postage of our free newspaper , Israel & Chr istians T oday . Emergency Cam paign Israel—October 2023 R e s i d e n t s o f t h e v a r i o u s k i b b u t z i m t o w n s a n d v i l l a g e s h i t b y t h e t e r r o r i s t s o n 7 O c t . h a v e b e e n e v a c u a t e d a n d h o u s e d i n t e m p o r a ry f a c i l i t i e s . S o m e o f t h e i r h o m e s w e r e d e s t r o y e d , l o o t e d o r b u r n t d o w n . C h i l d r e n h a v e b e e n o r p h a n e d , a n d s o m e p a r e n t s a r e n o w c h i l d l e s s . T h e r e a r e d a i l y r o c k e t a l e r t s i n t h e s o u t h a n d n o r t h . M a n y a r e t r a u m a t i s e d , e s p e c i a l l y t h e h o s t a g e s w h o w e r e r e l e a s e d . T o g e t h e r w i t h o r g a n i s a t i o n s i n I s r a e l , w e a s s i s t w h e r e h e l p i s n e e d e d : C l o t h e s , s h o e s , m e d i c i n e , p s y c h o t h e r a p y , d o c t o r v i s i t s , l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m m e s f o r c h i l d r e n , a c c o m m o d a t i o n a n d m u c h m o r e . A l i yah In 2023, we once again supported immigration of J ews from Ukraine, R ussia, E thiopia and F rance. A new start in Israel is not alwa ys easy . W e provide help with the integration of new immigrants directly on -site in Israel. E ven after 7 Oct., young people from Ukraine ( see photos ) ha ve continued to immigrate to Israel to realise their dream. They want to complete their schooling in Israel and integrate into society . F irst H ome in the H omeland F irst H ome in the H omeland off ers young families a loving home in a kibbutz to assist them with their integration. F or them, moving to Israel is the fulfilment of a dream. H owever , man y new immigrants find it difficult to build a new social network and often f eel isolated because they do not yet speak the H ebrew language well. Through this programme, they quickly connect with other families and learn H ebrew . This prepares them well f or their lif e and their new job in Israel. SOS Ukraine W ith your help , we were able to help more than 6,000 Ukrainian J ews emigrate to Israel. Our team in Ukraine work ed tirelessly in 2023. They brought f ood parcels across the countr y , wherever there was a great need. They visited H olocaust sur vivors and took people who wanted to mak e aliyah across the M oldovan bor der , from where they were tak en to the consulate and airport in Kishinev or B ucharest. H oloca ust Survi vors F or man y H olocaust sur vivors, the f eeling of loneliness is added to the existing material har dships. In addition, more than half of them suff er from psychological after - eff ects of oppressive and traumatic experiences endured during their childhood or youth. After the massacre on 7 Oct., man y f ears ha ve resurfaced. With the support of the Caf é E uropa project in J erusalem, lonely sur vivors can meet weekly f or a coff ee break with a programme. The Hineni soup kitchen often provides H olocaust S ur vivors with their only meal of the da y . W e were also able to help impoverished H olocaust sur vivors in Ukraine this year . They receive help in the f orm of home visits, f ood , the financing of medication, glasses, hearing aids and much more. The J affa I nsti tu te The J affa Institute helps childr en at risk because they come fr om disad van taged famili es. That ma y be because of ha ving an al co ho li c father l ea ving a mother w ho cannot cope with her famil y or because they ar e orp hans. Thr ough the J affa Institute, they not onl y r eceive educati on and atten ti on but also f ood and a visi on f or their lives. Childr en and y oung peop l e r eceive a warm l unch as part of the after -schoo l pr ogrammes. AD I AD I helps children and young people with multiple disabilities in J erusalem and the N egev . J ewish, Arab and Bedouin children find a home here where they are cared f or and supported. Arab Christians Thanks to your donations, it was possible to organise a summer B ible camp f or the members of the F irst Baptist Church in Bethlehem, led by R ev N aim Khour y . Clothing, f ood and small Christmas surprises were purchased and distributed in Bethlehem and N azareth. Please con tin ue to fai thfu l l y su pport these projects in 2024! Emergency Aid to Israel after the attacks on 7 October Aliyah from Ukraine, F rance, E thiopia and other countries (Left) F irst H ome in the H omeland. (Right) SOS Ukraine: Emergency Aid, F ood P arcels H olocaust S ur vivors in Israel and Ukraine J affa Institute: help f or children at risk AD I: H elp f or children with multiple dissabilities S upport f or Arab Christians

16. 6 (A USTRALIA) Histori ca l P erspecti v e H u g h K i t s o n n W riter, Director & Producer of the W hose La nd? Documen tary ‘Black Sabba th ’ On Satur da y 7 October 2023— which happened to be one of the holiest da ys in the J ewish calendar — appro ximately 3,000 Hamas terrorists from Gaza brok e through the Security Barrier and massacred more than 1,200 Israelis in the nearby towns and kibbutzim in a frenzy of utter barbarity . In addition to that the terrorists took some 240 people hostage, nearly half of whom ha ve since been released. I t was, in fact, the deadliest attack against the J ewish state in Israel ’ s 75- year modern histor y . I t was also the worst slaughter of J ews in an y one da y since the H olocaust. J ewish people around the world , and especially in Israel, are still reeling from it, but it is now fast fading into the distant past f or man y people in the W est. What is not so well known is that the terrorists of Hamas and P alestinian Islamic J ihad had designated the attack of 7 October to be called ‘The Al - Aqsa Flood’ . Gaza is situated some 50 miles ( 80 km) from the Al - Aqsa M osque on the T emple M ount in J erusalem, so what is the significance of ‘ Al - Aqsa ’ with the horrors they perpetrated? The attack was largely motivated by the P alestinian Arab obsession with the Al - Aqsa M osque and Israel ’ s alleged aggression against the Islamic holy sites. These accusations are nothing new . Air - raid sirens sounded early that morning in J erusalem as Hamas fired barrages of rock ets towar ds the J ewish capital. Historic A ccusa tions of J ewish Desecra tions of A l- A qsa Over the last centur y , falsely alleged attacks by J ews and the J ewish state on the Al - Aqsa M osque has been the ex cuse f or the shedding of J ewish blood on man y occasions. One of the most notable occasions was the massacre of 133 J ews in both Saf ed and H ebron in August 1 929. That resulted in H ebron, then one of the oldest J ewish communities in the world , being ethnically cleansed of its J ewish population by the B ritish Mandator y administration. In 1 996, when the W estern W all tunnel was opened up to tourists, Israel was accused by Y asser Arafat of “ tunnelling under the Al - Aqsa M osque ” in or der to undermine its f oundations. In reality the tunnel does not go within 200 metres of the mosque, yet the W estern media bought the lie hook , line and sink er and reported it as fact, which resulted in riots in which dozens of people were killed. S imilar accusations of Israeli desecration of the mosque were used to justify the Gaza war of 2021 in which Hamas fired over 4,000 rock ets at Israeli citizens. Historic Significance of A l- A qsa E ver since the restoration of Israel in its historic B iblical homeland was declared an intent in the Balf our Declaration, the Al - Aqsa M osque and the adjacent Dome of the R ock ha ve become icons of Islam ’ s battle against the J ewish return to the Land of Israel, and particularly J erusalem. And yet the Qur’ an doesn ’ t even mention J erusalem — not once— and neither of these iconic buildings were constructed until the late 7th centur y AD , several decades after the death of M ohammed. P erhaps more important is the fact that the f ounder of the M uslim religion did not live until 1, 600 years after King D a vid made J erusalem the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. The Arab conquest of J erusalem in the name of Islam was completed in 637AD , five years after M ohammed ’ s death. Over the f ollowing decades and centuries M uslims went on to conquer and colonise the whole of the Levant, large parts of N orth Africa and the M editerranean basin — and even R ome f or a short season. They also spread east into large parts of Asia. In most territories they conquered , the people were f orced to con vert to Islam or face death. The only ex ceptions were f or ‘ the P eople of the Book’ i.e. J ews or Christians. They were spared if they were prepared to accept ‘ dhimmie ’ status (which was lik e second -class citizenship with limited civil rights ) and pa y an annual J izya tax, which was often quite ex orbitant. Islam was proclaimed to be the only true religion, ha ving superseded both Christianity and J udaism. That is what most M uslims are taught toda y . Dar A l- Islam and Dar A l- Harb Radical Islamists divide the world into two main areas: D ar Al - Islam which comprises territor y or countries already under Islamic control or la w; and D ar Al - Harb which ref ers to territor y or countries yet to be submitted to Islamic rule. T ypically , man y belonging to the M uslim B rotherhood , which ga ve birth to Hamas, would subscribe to this world view toda y , as do the A yatollahs in Iran. I t is well - known that the Iranian regime has repeatedly called f or the S tate of Israel to be wiped off the map— which is nothing short of a call f or the genocide of the J ewish people— and the international community basically ignore it. Acquisition of nuclear weapons will bring their ambition to becoming an achievable goal. Beyond destroying Israel, their ultimate aim is to subjugate the rest of the world under Islamic rule. About ten years ago I had the God -given opportunity to inter view one of the co- f ounders of Hizb ’ Allah. The terrorist group that toda y threatens Israel and holds Lebanon hostage was originally established in Iran shortly after the Islamic R evolution of 1 979. The man we inter viewed , Dr D aniel Sha yesteh, a f ormer radical fundamentalist Shi ’ite, f ell out of fa vour with the A yatollah Khomeini and was f orced to flee Iran. H e later came to faith in Christ. Y ou can read his stor y on his website https://www .ex odusfromdarkness.org. In the inter view we filmed he made it ver y clear that the A yatollah ’ s goal is not only the eradication of the J ewish state, but to bring about D ar Al - Islam across the globe. H e said that the W est ignores these threats from the Iranian regime at their peril. Israel understands this, while other nations— particularly the B iden Administration in the USA —engage in what amounts to nothing more than eff orts to placate them, especially in regar d to the regime ’ s determination to get nuclear weapons. There is no doubt that Iran is behind the ‘ Al - Aqsa Flood ’, even if Hamas jumped the gun with the actual timing of the attack against Israel. That in itself, I believe, was God watching over Israel. Had Hizb ’ Allah attack ed at the same time, the death - toll in Israel would ha ve been much higher , the ID F’ s ability to respond in the south would ha ve been much diminished , and the Hamas terrorists would ha ve created greater carnage and perhaps even succeeded in reaching J erusalem. N evertheless, the shockwa ves of the ‘ Al - Aqsa Flood ’ ha ve reverberated around the world. The ‘ P alestine ’ cause has become the iconic rallying point. An Islamic R evol u tion in the W est? Has Hamas succeeded in igniting an Islami c r evo l uti on acr oss the W estern world? The massive an ti - Israel/pr o- Hamas demonstrati ons acr oss the W est certainl y indi cate that is so. As men ti oned in a pr evi ous arti cl e, the M uslim B r otherhood, w hi ch spa wned Hamas in 1 987, has infil trated most of the coun tri es in E ur ope, the USA and A ustralia. R ecen tl y the A ustralian governmen t announced it would tak e in some 800 G azan r efugees. H ow man y of them will be Hamas terr orists or agen ts? S ince 2015 well over a milli on ‘ asy l um seek ers ’ ha ve migrated to E ur ope, most of them singl e y oung men. H ow man y of these ar e jihadists—even under cover members of the Iranian R evo l uti onar y G uar d C orps? The B ritish H ome Offi ce r ecen tl y r eveal ed that some 17,000 ‘ asy l um seek ers ’ w ho cr ossed the E nglish Channel ill egall y in small boats ha ve simp l y ‘ disappear ed ’ . W ith the ‘ Operati on S wor ds of Ir on ’ war now in its fifth mon th the B iden Administrati on is doub ling down on its insistence that a “ r evitalised ” P al estinian A uthority tak e con tr o l of G aza on “ the da y after” and, mor eover , they will ha ve their own state. P M B ibi N etan yah u, speaking on behalf of 99% of Israelis— at l east on this issue— has said emp hati call y that Israel will main tain security con tr o l of all the territor y west of the J or dan River . The truth is that the PLO / P A is no l ess of a terr orist en tity than Hamas or P al estinian Islami c J ihad. They ar e not in ter ested in a ‘ two-state so l uti on ’ but one J udenr ein ‘ state ’ fr om “ the River to the Sea ”. The demonstrati ons we ha ve been witnessing on our str eets is evidence of that. The N a tions Coming A gainst Israel The B iden Administration is not alone in pushing this suicidal agenda on Israel. I t is back ed by the B ritish F oreign Office and the present Australian Labour government. Last month Australian F oreign Minister P enn y W ong made that ver y clear as she toured the Middle East. The W est— un wittingly or other wise— has become part of the campaign to help the Al - Aqsa Flood to reach its goal of disinheriting the J ewish people of their God -given Land of Israel, and their capital city of J erusalem. B ut the goal of the Al - Aqsa Flood doesn ’ t end there. As has often been said: “ F irst it’ s the Satur da y people, then it’ s the S unda y people.” The goal is to subjugate the W est and bring it under Islamic rule. Hamas has said it, the A yatollahs in Iran ha ve said it, and the M uslim B rotherhood and others in our midst are working towar ds it. Is the Lord’ s J udgemen t I mminen t? M ore than twenty years ago well - known B ritish B ible teacher , the late D a vid P a wson, publicly stated that he believed the Lor d would allow B ritain and E urope to be overrun by Islam as judgement f or abandoning its J udeo- Christian heritage— to sa y nothing of betra ying the right of the J ewish people to live in their B iblical heartland of Israel in fa vour of a fabricated claim by the people called ‘ the P alestinians ’ . Another great B ible teacher , the late Derek Prince, in the last da ys of his lif e on earth had on his heart the warning in Isaiah 60:12 concerning the wa y nations treat Israel: “ F or the nation and kingdom that will not ser ve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined.” Is this not beginning to come to pass? Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 T h e A l - A q s a F l o o d W h a t d o e s i t m e a n f o r t h e W e s t ?

24. P astora l Insi gh ts 14 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 W a r D i a r i e s : T h e D e a t h o f a B r a v e S o l d i e r So ndra Oster n Baras In terna tiona l Presiden t of CFO I C H eartland E v e r y t h i n g c h a n g e d o n 7 O c t o b e r . A s n e w s s t a r t e d t o t r i c k l e i n r e g a r d i n g t h e H a m a s a t t a c k a n d m a s s a c r e o n t h a t t e r r i b l e d a y , w e s t o o d a w e - s t r u c k, h o r r i f i e d . B u t a s a n a t i o n w e l l - a c c u s t o m e d t o t r a g e d y a n d w a r , w e i n s t a n t l y m o b i l i s e d . T h e I D F d r a f t e d 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 r e s e rv e s o l d i e r s , a n d c i v i l i a n s e v e r y w h e r e e n l i s t e d i n t h e e f f o r t t o h e l p w h e r e v e r n e e d e d — t o d o n a t e b a s i c s u p p l i e s t o o u r d r a f t e d s o l d i e r s , t o c o o k m o u n d s o f f o o d f o r t h e s o l d i e r s w h o h a d b e e n d r a f t e d b e f o r e t h e a r m y c o u l d o r g a n i s e f o o d , t o p i c k p e p p e r s i n t h e f i e l d s t h a t h a d b e e n a b a n d o n e d b y r e s i d e n t s o f t h e b o m b a r d e d s o u t h a n d e v a c u a t e d t o s a f e r p l a c e s . V o l u n t e e r s h e l p e d y o u n g m o t h e r s w h o s e h u s b a n d s h a d b e e n s u d d e n l y d r a f t e d , l e a v i n g t h e m a l o n e t o c o p e w i t h t h e i r s m a l l c h i l d r e n , j o b s a n d h o u s e h o l d s . E v e r y o n e w a s t h e r e t o l e n d a h a n d . A c r o s s t h e o c e a n s , t h o u s a n d s o f y o u n g I s r a e l i s w e r e v a c a t i o n i n g w h e n w a r b r o k e o u t . S o m e w e r e y o u n g m e n w h o h a d r e c e n t l y c o m p l e t e d t h e i r c o m p u l s o r y m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e , t r a v e l l i n g t h e w o r l d b e f o r e s e t t l i n g d o w n t o s t u d y o r w o r k . O n e o f t h o s e I s r a e l i s w a s m y n e p h e w , A m i c h a i O s t e r . H e h a d f i n i s h e d h i s r e g u l a r a r m y s e r v i c e i n N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 2 a n d s h o r t l y a f t e r s e t o u t f o r S o u t h e a s t A s i a . H e t r e k k e d i n T h a i l a n d, L a o s , C a m b o d i a a n d V i e t n a m , e n j o y i n g t h e b e a u t i f u l s c e n e r y a n d m e e t i n g n e w p e o p l e e v e r y w h e r e h e w e n t . S o m e m o n t h s i n t o h i s t r i p , h e m e t a f r i e n d o f a f r i e n d o f m i n e , a J e w i s h m a n f r o m t h e U S . T h e y g o t t o t a l k i n g , a n d t h e A m e r i c a n w a s s o i m p r e s s e d w i t h A m i c h a i , w i t h h i s f a i t h , h i s w o n d e r f u l k i n d n e s s a n d h i s d e v o t i o n t o h i s p e o p l e , h i s l a n d a n d t o G o d . I r e c e i v e d t h i s m e s s a g e v i a m y f r i e n d t o c o n v e y t o t h e f a m i l y : “ A m i c h a i i s a w a l k i n g S a n c t i f i c a t i o n o f G o d ’ s n a m e . ” W e w e r e a l l s o p r o u d o f A m i c h a i . Amichai returned home f or a f ew weeks in J une and then took off again f or more tra vels, this time to N orth America. Beginning in Florida, where he bought an old police cruiser , he drove the length and breadth of the US , then headed north into the Canadian R ockies. H e was on his wa y to Calif ornia, in Salt Lak e C ity , when the war brok e out. H e didn ’ t think twice. H e made his wa y to Calif ornia but not to sight-see. H e got on the f irst plane a vailable, together with hundreds of other Israeli young men and women coming home to f ight. Amichai joined his reser ve unit f or the f irst time since he had only recently completed his regular arm y ser vice. The young men there were all new to him, but within da ys, he became a vital member of the team. H e was a valuable f ighter , an expert in the MA G gun, and he was admired by all f or his militar y prowess. B ut more than that— he was loved. With his guitar strung along his back , whenever there was a break , he pulled out his instrument, and ever yone sang. H e led Sabbath pra yers f or an yone interested , and they all joined in — the singing moved them all. E v e r s i n c e t h e g r o u n d i n c u r s i o n b e g a n s o m e m o n t h s a g o , w e h a v e w o k e n u p n e a r l y e v e ry m o r n i n g t o t h e l i s t o f s o l d i e r s w h o h a v e l o s t t h e i r l i v e s i n b a t t l e t h e d a y b e f o r e . T h e I D F s p o k e s p e r s o n ’ s a n n o u n c e m e n t a l w a y s b e g i n s t h e s a m e w a y : i t i s n o w p e r m i t t e d t o a n n o u n c e t h e d e a t h o f ... E a c h d a y , w e s c a n t h a t l i s t f o r n a m e s w e k n o w . A n d n e a r l y e v e ry d a y , w e f e e l a c o n n e c t i o n t o s o m e o n e . I s r a e l i s a s m a l l c o u n t ry , a n d t h e r e a r e v i r t u a l l y n o d e g r e e s o f s e p a r a t i o n b e t w e e n u s . W h e n w e s e e t h e n a m e o f a f a l l e n s o l d i e r , w e l e a r n o f h i s a r m y u n i t a n d w h e r e h e l i v e d i n I s r a e l . U l t i m a t e l y , w e k n o w s o m e o n e w i t h t h e s a m e f a m i l y n a m e — a r e t h e y r e l a t e d ? W e k n o w s o m e o n e f r o m t h e s a m e t o w n — a r e t h e y n e i g h b o u r s ? A n d s o m e t i m e s w e a c t u a l l y k n o w t h e y o u n g m a n w h o h a s f a l l e n o r k n o w h i s f a m i l y w e l l . I h a v e f r i e n d s w h o h a v e l o s t g r a n d c h i l d r e n . I h a v e f r i e n d s w h o h a v e l o s t n e i g h b o u r s a n d f r i e n d s . I h a v e n e i g h b o u r s w h o h a v e l o s t c h i l d r e n a n d h u s b a n d s . W i t h t w o s o n s a n d a s o n - i n - l a w a n d s e v e r a l n e p h e w s c a l l e d u p o n a c t i v e d u t y , i n c l u d i n g o n e s o n f i g h t i n g i n G a z a , w e a l w a y s k n o w t h a t t h e r e b u t f o r t h e g r a c e o f G o d . On 1 J anuar y , N ew Y ear’ s D a y , the angel of death knock ed on m y family’ s door . M y nephew Amichai was killed in action in Gaza as terrorists detonated an explosive device from a hidden shaft. Amichai was the only soldier killed that da y , but eleven of his f ellow soldiers were wounded. W e are a large and cohesive family— m y sisters, m y brother , and I all live in the same town of Karnei Shomron, in Samaria and we raised our man y children together . Amichai is m y brother’ s son. W e are all grieving, each in our own wa y , but we cannot imagine the depth of the grief and sorrow that m y brother and his immediate family are f eeling right now . I t is incomprehensible. Amichai was buried the f ollowing da y in the Karnei Shomron militar y cemeter y , located in the beautiful Kana River V alley ( J oshua 17 ), where Amichai so loved to hik e. Thousands came to the funeral and , throughout the week of mourning, flooded m y brother’ s house with visits, often bearing f ood parcels. A coup l e we did not know came fr om the US . They had just landed in Israel to visit with famil y , hear d about Ami chai ’ s death and f el t compell ed to mak e a condo l ence call. I t turns out they had met Ami chai on his tra vels and r emember ed his kind face and graci ous manner . So ldi ers, incl uding Ami chai ’ s wounded fri ends, came to shar e their experi ences with the famil y , some arriving in w heel chairs and on crutches. Major supermark et chains and banks sen t bo x es of f ood and drink as a small to k en of their appr eciati on f or Ami chai ’ s her oism and f or the her oism of all our so ldi ers. A number of political leaders visited as well, including Benn y Gantz, a f ormer chief of staff of the ID F and currently a senior member of the small war cabinet. A number of soldiers were present during his visit, and they echoed to him the message that had been repeated all that week by mourners and visitors alik e— the war must continue. W e must def eat Hamas. The deaths of these great heroes must not ha ve been in vain. W e must remove this terrible threat to Israel and to the world from our midst. P l e a s e j o i n m e i n p r a y e r f o r m y b r o t h e r a n d s i s t e r - i n - l a w a n d t h e i r c h i l d r e n , t h a t G o d m a y g i v e t h e m c o m f o r t i n t h e i r t i m e o f g r i e f . P l e a s e j o i n m e i n p r a y e r f o r m y n a t i o n t h a t w e m a y c o n t i n u e t o f i n d t h e s t r e n g t h w e n e e d t o k e e p g o i n g d u r i n g t h e s e d i f f i c u l t h o u r s . P l e a s e j o i n m e i n p r a y e r f o r t h e s a f e t y a n d s e c u r i t y o f t h e n a t i o n o f I s r a e l . Sondr a Oster Bar as is the F ounder and I nternational P resident of CFOIC H eartland, representing the J ewish c ommunities in J udea and Samaria to Christians all over the world. T o support the ur gent needs of the people of J udea and Samaria during this terrible war , please use the form on the back page and select CFOIC ( Christian F riends of I sr aeli C ommunities ). Amichai Oster , killed in action 1 J anuar y 2024 Ÿ R ead the latest editions of I sr ael & Christians T oday plus past editions. Ÿ Easily ac c ess all curr ent and past topical articles. Ÿ Listen and watch teaching r esour c es about I srael and the Chur ch fr om a B iblical perspective. Ÿ A c c ess curr ent and past pra yer calendars, so you know what and how to pra y f or our ministry . Ÿ M ak e secur e online donations towar ds I sraeli pr ojects, C4I Austr alia and teaching r esour c es. Ÿ Y ou can also sta y in touch by sending secur e messages via a simple f orm.

20. B ibli ca l Co mmentary 10 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 V i s i t i n g I s r a e l D u r i n g t h e W a r P s Enoch n La v ender Director | Olive Tree Ministries Our friends thought m y wif e and I had gone crazy . Visiting Israel barely a month after the war brok e out was bad enough, but tra velling with our three young kids in tow seemed completely insane. As we boar ded our flights to the Middle East, all we knew deep down in our hearts was that God had spok en, and we, as a family , trusted His leadership . Planning Our Tri p In August 2023, we planned and book ed our f irst trip to Israel as a family , planning to lea ve Australia in early N ovember . Our flight options were to fly directly to T el A viv , Israel or to land in J or dan and cross the bor der by land. W e were strongly recommended to a void the option of going via J or dan as the bor der crossing is har d f or kids; however , as we pra yed , we specif ically and clearly f elt it necessar y to tak e the J or dan route. And what would we do while in Israel? Our plan was to begin to arrange our own itinerar y of places and people to visit as soon as the F east of T aber nacles was over . Our only decision in the meantime was to base ourselves in J erusalem f or the duration of our three- week trip so our kids had a settled base. The last da y of T aber nacles, the da y we were to begin to plan the rest of our itinerar y , was 7 October , the fateful da y of the Hamas terror attack. The erupting war meant that man y flights to Israel were cancelled , but due to our flights being to J or dan, they were still going ahead. S ta ying in J erusalem f or the duration of our trip now made a lot of sense, as the H oly C ity was a saf e place of refuge f or people fleeing the war . W e realised that God had known what was about to happen on 7 Oct, and H e had already arranged our trip accor dingly! A Baby Blessing Israel O n 6 N o v e m b e r , w e l e f t A u s t r a l i a , h e a d i n g t o J o r d a n w i t h o u r t h r e e k i d s a n d a m o u n t a i n o f l u g g a g e . T h e b o r d e r c r o s s i n g f r o m t h e r e t o I s r a e l w a s j u s t a s b a d a s w e h a d b e e n t o l d , a n a r d u o u s t h r e e - h o u r o r d e a l w i t h p e s k y f l i e s i n t e n s e l y b o t h e r i n g o u r k i d s . I t w a s a r e l i e f w h e n w e f i n a l l y b o a r d e d t h e t a x i t o J e r u s a l e m . W h a t h a p p e n e d n e x t b r o u g h t t e a r s t o m y e y e s . S t r a p p e d s e c u r e l y i n t o h e r c a r s e a t , o u r 2 2 - m o n t h - o l d g i r l O l i v e b e g a n t o s i n g i n t h e c u t e s t v o i c e p o s s i b l e : “ T h e L o r d b l e s s y o u ... . A n d k e e p y o u ” . S h e s a n g h e r w a y t h r o u g h T h e B l e s s i n g o v e r a n d o v e r a s o u r t a x i m a d e t h e c l i m b u p t o t h e h i l l s o f J e r u s a l e m . “ T h i s i s w h y w e a r e h e r e ” , I t h o u g h t t o m y s e l f , “ T o b l e s s G o d ’ s p e o p l e a s a f a m i l y ” . The God Who R estores F ami lies H a m a s ’ h o r r i f i c t e r r o r a t t a c k s h a d s t o l e n a w a y o v e r 2 0 0 h o s t a g e s f r o m t h e i r h o m e s a n d f a m i l i e s . I n r e s p o n s e , I s r a e l c a l l e d u p 3 6 0 , 0 0 0 r e s e rv i s t s , m a n y o f t h e m l e a v i n g b e h i n d t h e i r o w n f a m i l i e s t o j o i n t h e m i l i t a r y . I n t h i s w a y , a l m o s t e v e r y f a m i l y i n I s r a e l h a s b e e n i m p a c t e d , w i t h e m p t y s e a t s l e f t a t I s r a e l i d i n n e r t a b l e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y f o r w e e k s o n e n d . M o t h e r s h a v e o f t e n b e e n t h e o n e s l e f t t o m a n a g e a t h o m e , t r y i n g t o k e e p t h e i r k i d s c a l m i n a h i g h l y t e n s e e n v i r o n m e n t . C h i l d r e n t h r o u g h o u t t h e l a n d h a v e b e e n r e g r e s s i n g i n t h e i r b e h a v i o u r a s t h e y m i s s t h e i r d a d s a n d a r e g e n e r a l l y u n s e t t l e d b y w h a t i s h a p p e n i n g a r o u n d t h e m . This context brought new meaning to us visiting Israel as a family . As we engaged in con versations with local Israelis, we told them, “ Hamas has been seeking to break apart families. W e ha ve come as a family , pra ying that God will restore and mak e families whole ”. An Answered Pra yer a t the W estern W al l Our twins D a vid and Hannah celebrated their f ourth birthda y at the beginning of our sta y in Israel, and f or their birthda y , we took them f or their f irst visit to the O ld C ity in J erusalem. Y oung D a vid was ver y ex cited to see the T ower of D a vid , proudly proclaiming, ‘This is m y city!’ A s w e w e r e l e a v i n g t h e W e s t e r n W a l l , s o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l c a u g h t t h e e y e s o f o u r t w i n s . P l a s t e r e d a l o n g t h e w a l l s o f t h e e x i t w e r e a l a r g e n u m b e r o f p o s t e r s o f m i s s i n g p e o p l e t a k e n h o s t a g e i n G a z a , a n d o u r t w i n s b e g a n t o i n q u i s i t i v e l y a s k q u e s t i o n s . O u r t w i n s ’ a t t e n t i o n w a s e s p e c i a l l y d r a w n t o t h e p i c t u r e o f a b e a u t i f u l 3 - y e a r - o l d h o s t a g e c a l l e d Y a h e l S h o h a m . M o v e d b y h e r p l i g h t , w e p r a y e d r i g h t t h e r e a n d t h e n f o r h e r r e l e a s e , w i t h t h e t w i n s r e p e a t i n g a s i m p l e p r a y e r a f t e r m e . Throughout the remainder of our sta y in Israel, our little Hannah k ept asking about young Y ahel. Y ahel ’ s stor y had obviously made an impact on Hannah, who k ept describing to me in vivid detail the specif ics of the photo we had seen of Y ahel —even including details I hadn ’ t noticed! O n o u r l a s t f u l l d a y i n t h e L a n d o f I s r a e l , w e g o t t h e n e w s w e h a d b e e n w a i t i n g a n d p r a y i n g f o r : 3 - y e a r - o l d Y a h e l h a d b e e n r e l e a s e d a l o n g w i t h h e r m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r ! W h a t a m i r a c l e ! H a n n a h w a s b e a m i n g w i t h j o y t h a t m o r n i n g a s s h e a w o k e t o t h e n e w s . G o d h a d h e a r d o u r p r a y e r ! Encoun tering H eroes of F ai th M a n y p e o p l e h a v e t o l d u s t h a t w e w e r e b r a v e t o t r a v e l t o I s r a e l d u r i n g t h i s w a r , b u t o u r c o u r a g e f e l t i n s i g n i f i c a n t c o m p a r e d t o t h a t o f t h e I s r a e l i s w h o l i v e i n s u c h a d i f f i c u l t e n v i r o n m e n t . D u r i n g o u r t i m e i n I s r a e l , w e w e r e i n s p i r e d b y t h e c o u r a g e o f m a n y C h r i s t i a n s f r o m o v e r s e a s w h o n o w l i v e i n I s r a e l . S o m e l i v e w i t h t h e i r f a m i l i e s i n J e w i s h c o m m u n i t i e s i n w h a t t h e w o r l d c a l l s t h e ‘ W e s t B a n k ’ ( B i b l i c a l l y k n o w n a s J u d e a a n d S a m a r i a ) . T h e r e , t h e y f i n d t h e m s e l v e s s u r r o u n d e d b y 2 . 5 m i l l i o n m o s t l y h o s t i l e A r a b s , a n d d e s p i t e t h e d a n g e r , t h e y a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s h a v e c h o s e n t o l i v e a n d s e r v e t h e J e w i s h p e o p l e i n t h e s e c o m m u n i t i e s . W e m e t o t h e r C h r i s t i a n s w h o a r e n o w s e n d i n g t h e i r c h i l d r e n t o j o i n t h e I s r a e l i D e f e n c e F o r c e s . T h e s e C h r i s t i a n s c o u l d h a v e e a s i l y c h o s e n a m u c h m o r e c o m f o r t a b l e l i f e i n E u r o p e o r A m e r i c a b u t h a v e i n s t e a d d i s p l a y e d g r e a t f a i t h a n d c o u r a g e t o c a s t t h e i r l o t w i t h I s r a e l . T h e i r w i l l i n g n e s s t o s t a n d w i t h t h e J e w i s h p e o p l e r e m i n d e d m e o f t h e T e n B o o m f a m i l y . W h e n W o r l d W a r 2 b r o k e o u t , a n d N a z i p e r s e c u t i o n o f J e w s w a s u n l e a s h e d i n t h e i r h o m e l a n d o f H o l l a n d , t h e T e n B o o m f a m i l y b r a v e l y c a r e d f o r a n d p r o t e c t e d J e w s w h o c a m e t o t h e m . W a r n e d o f t h e d a n g e r o f t h e i r w o r k, t h e 8 5 - y e a r - o l d p a t r i a r c h o f t h e h o u s e , C a s p e r T e n B o o m , r e p l i e d , “ I w o u l d c o n s i d e r i t a n h o n o u r t o l a y d o w n m y l i f e f o r G o d ’ s c h o s e n p e o p l e ” . I t w a s n ’ t l o n g a f t e r t h a t C a s p e r a n d h i s f a m i l y w e r e a r r e s t e d f o r t h e i r w o r k, a n d C a s p e r d i e d s h o r t l y a f t e r h i s a r r e s t . This is the Time W e are living in some of the dark est da ys f or Israel and the J ewish people since the H olocaust. N ot only was the terror attack on 7 Oct. the worst single mass killing event of J ews since W orld W ar 2, but the ensuing war has enflamed worldwide anti - Israel and anti - J ewish sentiment to arguably its highest levels since the dark da ys of the N azis. In Australia, f or instance, we ha ve seen a massive 738% increase in antisemitic incidents since the war brok e out. T h i s i s t r u l y t h e t i m e f o r C h r i s t i a n s w h o k n o w t h e i r B i b l e t o s t a n d w i t h I s r a e l a n d t h e J e w i s h p e o p l e . F o r s o m e o f u s , t h i s m a y m e a n t r a v e l l i n g t o I s r a e l o n o n e o f t h e m a n y C h r i s t i a n s o l i d a r i t y m i s s i o n s c u r r e n t l y b e i n g o r g a n i s e d ( f o r i n f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t g r o u p s s u c h a s C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l , K e s h e t J o u r n e y s a n d E z r a A d v e n t u r e s ) . F o r o t h e r s , i t s i m p l y m e a n s t a k i n g a s t a n d a t h o m e , i n f o r m i n g p e o p l e a b o u t I s r a e l , p r a y i n g f o r h e r a t t h i s t i m e a n d e n c o u r a g i n g a n y J e w i s h f r i e n d s a n d c o n t a c t s y o u m a y p e r s o n a l l y k n o w . W e w e r e g r e a t l y p r i v i l e g e d t o s t a n d w i t h I s r a e l t h r o u g h o u r v i s i t t o t h e l a n d , a n d w e k n o w t h a t t h e s u p p o r t o f C h r i s t i a n s l i k e u s s p e a k s v o l u m e s t o Je w i s h h e a r t s a t t h i s t i m e . P l e a s e c o n s i d e r p r a y e r f u l l y h o w y o u , t o o , c a n s t a n d w i t h G o d ’ s p e o p l e d u r i n g t h e s e d a r k d a y s . Enoch and his wif e Sarah with Hannah, D avid and baby O live in J erusalem T h e J u b i l e e : D i s c o v e r t h e E n d T i m e M y s t e r y I n t h i s g r o u n d b r e a k i n g b o o k , j o i n P a s t o r E n o c h L a v e n d e r a s h e u n c o v e r s k e y e l e m e n t s o f t h e E n d T i m e s f r o m a f r e s h M e s s i a n i c P e r s p e c t i v e . T h e m e s s a g e o f t h e J u b i l e e o ff e r s a n e x c i t i n g a n d u p l i f t i n g p e r s p e c t i v e o n t h e E n d T i m e s t h r o u g h i t s o r i g i n a l J e w i s h c o n t e x t . I n t h i s b o o k w e a r e g o i n g t o d i s c o v e r t h a t t h e J u b i l e e o ff e r s a m e s s a g e o f h o p e i n t h e m i d s t o f d a r k n e s s , o f n e w l i f e o u t o f d e a t h , o f e n t e r i n g o n e ’ s G o d - g i v e n i n h e r i t a n c e , o f t h e w i c k e d b e i n g d e p o s e d f r o m p o w e r a n d t h e m e e k e n t e r i n g t h e K i n g d o m . vision.org.au/store . 0 0 $ 2 0 plus p&p

2. Informs • Inspires • Comforts TEL. 07 3088 6900 EMAIL info@c4israel.com.au www.c4israel.com.au Visiting address: 3398 Pacific Highway Springwood QLD 4127 P .O. Box 1508 Springwood QLD 4127 Australia ABN: 58 655 970 086 Christians for Israel Australia Foundation Ltd. Name on card: My Donation Today: $ Exp Date The 3 digits of the reverse of your credit card. (4 digits if using Amex) Card No Visa Mastercard Amex Cheque/Money Order Credit Card *CVC Cardholder’s signature: Stand With Israel Other Easy Ways To Donate Over the Phone 07 3088 6900 Securely Online c4israel.com.au Bank Transfer BSB: 014-279 ACC: 433641954 REF: Member Number (during office hours) c4israel.com.au or complete the coupon on the back page. The trauma inflicted upon these communities will take months, if not years, to overcome. Now, more than ever, they need our unconditional love and support to rebuild their lives. To kick start and incentivise your generous giving to this initiative, we are proud to announce a matching gift offer. For every donation of $50 or more, Christians for Israel Australia will match it, up to $100,000. This means that your contribution will have double the impact in providing comfort, hope, and relief to these devastated communities. Again, we are thrilled that over $32,000 has already been received, so effectively we will be matching those gifts to be $64,000. Praise the Lord for this, but there is still more yet to be done. Furthermore, we also have our and projects Israel Emergency Appeal Aliyah to bring the Jews home; our food parcels and other humanitarian programmes all continue to provide vital assistance, including food, shelter, warm clothing, and much-needed care and support during these difficult times. Your donation, no matter the size, will make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by terrorism in Israel. Please consider joining us in bridging the needs in this time of ur gent need. Your donation is not just financial support; it is a beacon of hope for those who have endured unimaginable suffering. Together, we can stand against terrorism and extend unconditional love and comfort to the victims in Israel, the Lords brethren our Jewish brothers and sisters. May the Lord bless you abundantly for your generosity and compassion. Fill in the tear off slip on this page or go to the back page coupon of the ne wspaper or make an online tax deductable donation at our safe and secure website www.c4israel.com.au/donate I pray the Lord will bless you as you give cheerfully and generously to these the least of his brethren according to the Gospel of Matthew 25:40-45. Ian Worby National leader and the Christians for Israel Australia team

10. Emer gency Campai gn 8 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 S ince 7 October , Israelis ha ve had their lives upended — families torn apar t, homes destroyed, their sense of security obliterated — with dire psychological, emotional, and financial consequences. As Christians f or Israel we want to bring comf or t amidst the despair through our emergency fund. Israel remains in crisis, and families are grappling with unimaginable loss. Man y ha ve friends and family ser ving in the arm y , and the people of Israel find themselves in a state of tremendous distress. H owever , amidst the challenges, there is resilience. N ow , more than ever , it is crucial to let the people in Israel know that they are not alone and that there are Christians around the world standing in solidarity with them. B y visiting and supporting various initiatives aimed at helping the people of Israel, we can bring a ra y of hope to those in need. D anielle M or of The J ewish Agency expressed gratitude, sa ying, “ Christians f or Israel has supported victims of terror , lone soldiers, shelters f or new olim (immigrants ), f ood parcels and medicine f or poor elderly and H olocaust sur vivors, and lif esa ving equipment f or communities in Israel, and renovating shelters. What an impact you ha ve made in Israel, in its harshest hour .” As the war persists, Christians f or Israel remains committed to supporting projects in Israel where it is needed most. Among the initiatives we are actively supporting are: Ÿ J ewish A gency: Victims of T error F und , saf eguar ding elderly and new immigrants. Ÿ ZAKA: The Israeli organisation that helps identify victims of disasters. Ÿ J affa Insti tute and Shal va J erusalem: Providing shelter to refugees from southern Israel. Ÿ Christian F riends of Israeli Comm uni ties (CFO I C): E xtending assistance to families aff ected by the conflict. Ÿ J erusalem F ounda tion: Off ering help to the elderly who cannot or dare not go out into the streets. Ÿ ADI: Providing extra help f or multiple disabled children. Ÿ Bead Chaim: Off ering additional support f or pregnant women who are alone. Ÿ Hineni h umani tarian resta uran t: Providing meals to those in need. Ÿ F ood aid for poor fami lies and elderl y: E nsuring that essential sustenance reaches those who need it most. F r i e n d s f r o m t h e Fi r s t Ho m e i n t h e Ho m e l a n d i n t e g r a t i o n p r o j e c t e m p h a s i s e t h e v a l u e o f y o u r s u p p o r t d u r i n g t h e s e t r y i n g t i m e s : “ W h e n i t s e e m s l i k e t h e e n t i r e w o r l d i s a g a i n s t u s , y o u o ff e r u s y o u r h a n d , y o u r l i g h t a n d y o u r w a r m t h ! S o , ‘t h a n k s’ i s t h e l e a s t t h i n g w e c a n t e l l y o u . T h e r e a r e n o w o rd s t o e x p r e s s h o w w e a p p r e c i a t e y o u r s u p p o r t a n d f r i e n d s h i p . ” W i l l Y ou H el p? Y our help and support ar e vital to many in I srael. W e pr ovide not only the much-needed r esour c es, but also show our solidarity and lov e. Extend y our hand of support toda y and stand with I srael in its time of need. P lease use the c oupon a t the back of this newspaper to dona te. T ogether w e can mak e a diff er enc e. F ood packages f or the elderly . | Photo: J ewish Agency f or Israel Assisting evacuees through the Victims of T error F und. | Photo: J ewish Agency f or Israel Children from southern Israel in their temporar y kindergarten in J erusalem ’ s center .| Photo: J erusalem F oundation Activities f or children evacuated from Ibim Absorption Center . | Photo: J ewish Agency f or Israel R o g e r v a n O o r d t ( C 4 I N e t h e r l a n d s ) g i v e s w e l c o m e p a c k a g e s t o t e e n a g e r s f r o m K i b b u t z K a r m i a a t t h e i r t e m p o r a ry r e s i d e n c e . | P h o t o : S h a l v a

21. B ibli ca l Co mmentary 11 (A USTRALIA) J i l l Curry n J ewish & Israel Pra yer F ocus Coordina tor As we see the war in Israel drag on f or several months, it can be wear ying, not only f or the soldiers and their families but also f or the intercessors. The aim of war is to wear down the enem y to the point of surrender ( or annihilation). W ar is never nice and alwa ys costly but unf ortunately is necessar y in a fallen world where there is an enem y who wants to wipe you off the face of the earth. W a r i n t h e B i b l e i s m o s t l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e j u d g e m e n t o f G o d . W a r , d i s a s t e r , f a m i n e , v i c i o u s a n i m a l s a n d p l a g u e ( J e r 2 8 : 8 , 2 9 : 1 7 - 1 8 , E z e k 1 4 : 2 1 ) a r e l i s t e d . T h e y a r e s i g n s t h a t t h e e n d - t i m e j u d g e m e n t s ( a s i n R e v 6 ) a r e b e g i n n i n g t o p l a y o u t . T h e y h a v e c o n s e q u e n c e s n o t o n l y f o r t h e i n d i v i d u a l b u t a l s o t h e n a t i o n . G o d ’ s p u r p o s e i n j u d g e m e n t i s n o t t o a n n i h i l a t e u s , b u t t o f u r t h e r H i s p u r p o s e s . I n d i v i d u a l l y a n d a s n a t i o n s H e w a n t s u s t o h u m b l e o u r s e l v e s a n d r e p e n t s o t h a t y o u m a y k n o w t h a t t h e r e i s n o o n e l i k e M e i n a l l t h e e a r t h ( E x 9 : 1 4 ) . H i s a c t s l i k e a l o v i n g f a t h e r w h o h a s t o d i s c i p l i n e h i s s o n t o t e a c h h i m t h e r i g h t w a y t o l i v e . A s i n t h e b o o k o f J u d g e s , w e f r e q u e n t l y t u r n a s i d e a n d e a c h o n e s t a r t s t o ‘ d o w h a t i s r i g h t i n h i s o w n e y e s ’ ( J u d 1 7 : 6 , 2 1 : 2 5 ) . W e f a l l i n t o t o y i n g w i t h e v i l a n d b e c o m e s e l fi s h r a t h e r t h a n o b e y i n g G o d ’ s c o m m a n d m e n t s a n d w a l k i n g w i t h H i m . T h u s , w e o p e n a d o o r f o r S a t a n t o c o m e i n t o s t e a l , k i l l a n d d e s t r o y ( J n 1 0 : 1 0 ) . B e f o r e I s r a e l w e n t i n t o e x i l e , G o d s e n t t h e m m a n y p r o p h e t s t o w a r n t h e m o f c o m i n g d i s a s t e r i f t h e y d i d n o t t u r n f r o m t h e i r i d o l a t r y a n d w i c k e d w a y s . B e f o r e t h i s w a r w i t h H a m a s , I s r a e l w a s a t t h e p o i n t o f c i v i l w a r , s e l f - d e s t r u c t i n g w i t h d i s u n i t y a n d r e b e l l i o n a g a i n s t t h e e l e c t e d a u t h o r i t i e s a n d e a c h s i d e i n s i s t i n g i t s o w n w a y w a s r i g h t . T h a n k f u l l y , a l l h a v e n o w c o m e t o g e t h e r a g a i n t o fi g h t a n e v i l e x t e r n a l e n e m y . J u s t p e r h a p s G o d k n e w t h e y n e e d e d a s t r o n g g o v e r n m e n t t h a t w o u l d s t a n d a g a i n s t i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r e s s u r e f o r t h e g o o d o f t h e c o u n t r y a t t h i s t i m e ? I t r u s t t h e n a t i o n w i l l l e a r n t h e l e s s o n a n d n e v e r r e p e a t t h e d i s u n i t y t h a t o p e n e d t h e d o o r f o r t h e 7 O c t o b e r a t t a c k . As Christian believers, it is not our job to judge but to intercede. When we see judgement coming, it is a call to repentance. In the book of J oel, when armies of locusts or in vading human armies, brok e through the def ences, it was the priests who were to weep between the porch and the altar ( J oel 2:17 ). In 2 Chronicles 7:13- 14 it was the people called by His name who were to intercede f or the entire nation. In interceding f or the breaking of a war or plague, we need to identify the cause and find God ’ s strategies to overcome to bring the victor y . The battle must first be won in our own individual lives, then God can use us to bring the breakthrough in others, our communities, our region or our countr y . T o break the plague, caused by the non - God -or dained census, King D avid had to build an altar . H e would not sacrifice to God something that cost him nothing ( 1 Chron 21:24 ). I t will cost us something also. B ut it is in these sacrifices that God shows up ( v 26) and desires to dwell. That is his ultimate goal — to restore the relationship between God and man so H e can dwell in our midst to be our God and we can be His people. H e is after our individual hearts and the heart of our nations. One of the saddest the verses in the B ible is ‘but they refused to repent’ ( Rev 9:20- 21, 16:9- 11 ). God does not desire war and H e promises to fight f or His people when they call upon Him. H e even knows there will be wars and gives Israel a whole chapter of rules of engagement f or war ( Deut ch 20 ). H e will manif est His glor y in the midst of war and His purposes are greater than the selfish ambitions of humanity that causes wars. H e will even work His purposes out through the wars of mankind. Through WW1, H e opened the wa y f or the J ewish people to return to the Land via the Beersheba victor y and the Balf our Declaration. Through WW2, H e enabled Israel to become a nation, albeit though the terrible furnaces of Hitler and the N azi regime. H e who sits in the H eavens laughs at the pun y eff orts of man to exalt himself to the place of God ( Psalm 2 ). H e is Almighty God and His plans will not be th warted. I n t h e m i d s t o f w a r i s s u ff e r i n g b o t h t o i n d i v i d u a l l i v e s a n d t h e c o u n t r i e s i n v o l v e d . T h e r e i s g r i e f , p h y s i c a l s u ff e r i n g , fi n a n c i a l h a r d s h i p a n d m e n t a l t r a u m a . I t i s h e r e t h a t t h e c o m p a s s i o n o f G o d n e e d s t o c o m e t o t h e f o r e . W e n e e d t o s t a n d w i t h I s r a e l i n h e r p a i n a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s o l a t i o n . W h e n t h e w a r fi n a l l y e n d s t h e r e i s m u c h r e b u i l d i n g t o d o — o f l i v e s , h o m e s , b u s i n e s s e s a n d t h e e c o n o m y . In intercession we need to k eep pra ying God ’ s prophetic purposes into being. The nations are tr ying to f orce Israel into their human agenda of a two-state solution that has never work ed , which is in opposition to God ’ s plans outlined in the Scriptures. W e pra y f or ALL Israel ’ s covenanted land to be restored to her and not given awa y ( Gen 15:18), f or ALL J ewish people to return from exile to their land ( Ezek 39:25- 29 ), f or the outpouring of the S pirit upon the people ( Ezek 36:24- 28) and f or the revelation of the M essiah ( Zech 12:10 ). “ Lift up your heads, you gates, and be lifted up , you ancient doors, that the King of glor y ma y come in! 8 Who is the King of glor y? The Lor d strong and mighty , the Lor d mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates, and lift them up , you ancient doors, that the King of glor y ma y come in! Who is this King of glor y? The Lor d of armies, H e is the King of glor y .” Ps 24:7- 10 W h e n t h e S w o r d C o m e s . . . Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4

28. Ukraine U pda te 10 A l i y a h f r o m U k r a i n e c o n t i n u e s “ Y o u r P r a y e r s a r e R e a l l y N e e d e d ” K oen Carli er n C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l U k r a i n e W e regularly get the question: “What can we pra y f or ?” T hen our answer is alwa ys: “ Pra y f or protection f or our drivers!” Our main job here is to drive, drive and drive. T housands of kilometres a month in this war -torn countr y! F rom all over Ukraine, we pick up people going to Israel, which is not alwa ys without danger because of the war and the winter time. An a verage drive to and from Kishenov ( the capital of M oldova ) from Ukraine tak es two to three da ys— including overnight sta ys. Because of constant drone and missile attacks and due to hea vy debris flying around from such an attack , vehicles are often times hea vily damaged ( see the photo below ). W e are grateful this is not our mini -bus. While the material is replaceable, human lif e is not. U ncertain Fu ture T h e w a r h a s b e e n o n g o i n g f o r a l m o s t t w o y e a r s n o w , a n d u n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e e n d i s n o t y e t i n s i g h t . M a n y p e o p l e f e e l d e p r e s s e d a n d e x h a u s t e d ! W i l l t h e r e b e a n e w m o b i l i s a t i o n i n U k r a i n e ? I f U k r a i n e w a n t s t o e n d u r e , t h e r e w i l l b e n o o t h e r c h o i c e . M o s t o f t h e J e w s t h a t w e h e l p l e a v e f o r I s r a e l a r e c h i l d r e n u n d e r e i g h t e e n y e a r s o l d , w o m e n a n d t h o s e o v e r s i x t y . M e n b e t w e e n t h e a g e s o f e i g h t e e n a n d s i x t y c a n o n l y l e a v e t h e c o u n t r y w i t h a v a l i d o f f i c i a l r e a s o n , s u c h a s a c c o m p a n y i n g a s e r i o u s l y i l l r e l a t i v e . Busy Time Ahead The f irst week of J an uar y was qui et, but now we ar e busy bringing J ews to Kishenov in small gr oups fr om citi es such as Kharkiv , Dnipr o, Ki ev , and Zapor ozh y e. In the coming mon ths, h undr eds of Ukrainian J ews will l ea ve f or Israel permanen tl y . Among those who left f or Israel was the almost 91- year -old Y evdokiya ( pictured above ) from Zhitomir . She left with her daughter Rita, who work ed f or the J ewish Agency f or man y years. H er son remained behind because of the mobilisation la w and could be called up at an y moment. I t was not an easy trip f or Y evdokiya, also because of her age. A n o t h e r p e r s o n t h a t w e t o o k t o K i s h e n o v w a s A l e x a n d e r , w h o a c c o m p a n i e d h i s s i c k m o t h e r . A l e x a n d e r w o r k e d i n a k o s h e r s t o r e i n D n i p r o f o r m a n y y e a r s . H i s w i f e a n d d a u g h t e r h a d f l e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e w a r a n d n o w l i v e i n B e e r S h e v a . I t w i l l b e a s p e c i a l a n d e m o t i o n a l r e u n i o n a f t e r a l m o s t t w o y e a r s ! Obstacles I ncl uded E ver y week there is a flight with J ews flying from Kishenov to T el A viv . The Aliyah ( return) continues despite ever ything. W e continue to provide practical help , obstacles included! As Isaiah 62:10 sa ys: “ P ass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the wa y f or the people. B uild up , build up the high wa y! R emove the stones. Raise a banner f or the nations.” Please su pport J ews from Ukraine in making al i yah to Israel. I t costs $300 to hel p one person to return. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 “One Life” by J oanna M oss T h e b e l o v e d s t o r y o f S i r N i c h o l a s ( N i c k y ) W i n t o n o f K i n d e r t r a n s p o r t f a m e i s d e p i c t e d i n t h e l a t e s t m o v i e O n e L i f e . T h e t i t l e d r a w s o n t h e J e w i s h T a l m u d i c s a y i n g t h a t s a v i n g o n e l i f e i s l i k e s a v i n g t h e w h o l e w o r l d , b u t t h e m e a n i n g w o u l d b e l o s t o n m o s t p e o p l e , e s p e c i a l l y i n 2 0 2 4 . W h i l s t t h e e x p r e s s i o n g o t a c u r s o r y m e n t i o n i n t h e t r a i l e r a n d fi l m , i t i s n o t t h e m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g p a r t . N o r i s t h e t i t l e fi t t i n g f o r a m a n o f s u c h n o b l e e x p l o i t s w i t h m o r e t h a n 6 7 0 c h i l d r e n s a v e d . I t w o u l d h a v e b e e n b e t t e r t o h a v e u s e d t h e t i t l e o f h i s d a u g h t e r ’ s b o o k t h a t t h e fi l m i s d r a w n f r o m a n d d e m o n s t r a b l y i l l u s t r a t e d , I f i t ’ s n o t I m p o s s i b l e ... T h e L i f e o f S i r N i c h o l a s W i n t o n b y B a r b a r a W i n t o n . W h e n t h e m o v i e p o s s i b i l i t y a r o s e , B a r b a r a W i n t o n i n s i s t e d t h a t S i r A n t h o n y H o p k i n s p l a y t h e l e a d r o l e o f a n o l d m a n s t i l l t o r t u r e d b y t h e g u i l t o f n o t s a v i n g m o r e c h i l d r e n f r o m w a r - t o r n P r a g u e . I t w a s c e r t a i n l y a c h a l l e n g i n g r o l e t o p l a y a p e r s o n b o r n i n 1 9 0 9 w h o l i v e d t h r o u g h b o t h w a r s . W i n t o n ’ s s o n a g r e e d i t w a s a u t h e n t i c . H e l e n a B o n h a m C a r t e r p l a y s W i n t o n ’ s m o t h e r , a G e r m a n J e w i s h i m m i g r a n t a n d a f o r c e t o b e r e c k o n e d w i t h . T h e i m p a c t o f h i s h e r i t a g e o n h i s d e c i s i o n t o s a v e t h e c h i l d r e n ; b o t h t h e m o r a l d u t y a s a n i m m i g r a n t ’ s s o n a n d a J e w i s h p e r s o n t o k i n , a r e n o t e x p l o r e d d e e p l y . N o r i s t h e r o l e o f h i s h e r i t a g e o r c l a s s i n h i s B r i t i s h n e s s . B u t w e s e e t h a t h e w a s r a i s e d A n g l i c a n a n d w a s c a u g h t b e t w e e n t h e t w o f a i t h s . H i s f a m i l y c h a n g e d t h e i r n a m e f r o m W e r t h e i m t o W i n t o n j u s t b e f o r e t h e S e c o n d W o r l d W a r b a s e d o n d i s c r i m i n a t i o n . I n the sec ond time period ( 1 988 ff) we see Winton as a r etir ed stockbr ok er filling his da ys with c ommunity pr ojects amidst a sea of files with a pr ecious scrapbook encased in an old brief case. H e pr obably r etir ed ar ound the time of der egulation being old school in Thatcher’ s N ew B ritain. H e ex emplifies noblesse oblige, but the sadness is pervasive. A s f o r l i f e l e s s o n s , W i n t o n ’ s l i f e r e m i n d s u s t h a t w e n e e d t o “ c a s t a l l o u r c a r e s o n J e s u s ” a n d t h a t G o d i s i n t h e b u s i n e s s o f r e d e m p t i o n . H e s a w t h e l o a d W i n t o n w a s c a r r y i n g a n d H e u s e d t h e m o s t u n l i k e l y t h i n g — r e a l i t y T V , t o b r i n g a b o u t a r e s o l u t i o n a n d i t h a p p e n e d i n s t a g e s . T h e G o d o f t h e i m p o s s i b l e u s e s o u r h e r i t a g e , s i t u a t i o n a n d s k i l l s f o r g o o d . B u t w e h a v e a c h o i c e . F r o m t h e r e w e s e e W i n t o n d e a l i n g w i t h t h e p a s t a n d t h e p r i n c i p l e o f s o w i n g a n d r e a p i n g i n N i c k y ’ s k i d s . T h e r e w a s r e s o l u t i o n f o r t h e m t o o . I n c r e d i b l y , h e l i v e d t o 1 0 6 t o d e m o n s t r a t e G o d ’ s b l e s s i n g o f a l o n g l i f e . R e c o m m e n d e d V i e w i n g A frequently seen image: a vehicle completely destroyed by flying debris from a rock et impact.| Photo: C4I A nemo ne R ü ger n Project Coordina tor | H oloca ust Survi vors Ukraine “ I t ’ s b e e n t o o l o n g , m o r e t h a n t w o y e a r s s i n c e w e l a s t v i s i t e d p e o p l e i n N i k o l a y e v , ” s a i d A l i n a a s s h e g o t r e a d y t o g o v i s i t H o l o c a u s t s u rv i v o r s a n d J e w i s h e l d e r l y i n C 4 I ’ s s p o n s o r s h i p p r o g r a m m e w i t h d r i v e r I g o r . S i n c e t h e w a r i n U k r a i n e b e g a n , a c c e s s t o t h e c i t y h a s b e e n v e ry l i m i t e d . N i k o l a y e v i s l o c a t e d o n t h e B l a c k S e a , r i g h t b e t w e e n O d e s s a t o t h e w e s t a n d K h e r s o n t o t h e e a s t . T h e f a r t h e r e a s t o n e g o e s , t h e m o r e d a n g e r o u s i t g e t s . F o r t h e p a s t t w o y e a r s , t h e e l d e r l y h a v e b e e n v i s i t e d b y Y e l e n a , a l o c a l r e s i d e n t a n d c o u r a g e o u s m e m b e r o f t h e J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y w h o h a s t u r n e d d o w n m a n y o ff e r s b y f r i e n d s f r o m a b r o a d t o m o v e t o s a f e r p l a c e s . B u t n o w , U k r a i n e ’ s C 4 I f e l t i t w a s t i m e t o b r i n g s o m e h e l p a n d h o p e a n d c h e c k o n t h e s u rv i v o r s p e r s o n a l l y . “ Y o u s e e m a n y d e s t r o y e d b u i l d i n g s a s y o u d r i v e t h r o u g h t o w n ; m a n y h o u s e s w i t h o u t w i n d o w s , ” A l i n a s h a r e d . “ I t ’ s v e r y d e p r e s s i n g ; I d o n ’ t k n o w h o w p e o p l e l i v e t h e r e . W e d r o v e b y t h e h o t e l w h e r e w e h a d s t a y e d b e f o r e , a n d i t w a s a r u i n . ” O n e o f t h e e l d e r l y , 8 6 - y e a r - o l d S e r a fi m a , w a s n e a r l y t h e o n l y o n e l e f t i n a 3 0 - f a m i l y a p a r t m e n t b u i l d i n g a f t e r h e a v y a e r i a l b o m b i n g . “ S h e w a s s o s w e e t , s o h a p p y w e c a m e a n d b r o k e u p h e r l o n e l i n e s s , ” s a i d A l i n a . “ H e r w i n d o w h a d b e e n r e p l a c e d a f t e r i t w a s b l o w n o u t i n a n a t t a c k . S h e l o o k s o u t o n a d e s t r o y e d b u i l d i n g a c r o s s t h e s t r e e t a n d a t a n k u n d e r h e r w i n d o w . Y e t , s h e d o e s n ’ t w a n t t o l e a v e h e r f a m i l i a r h o m e . S h e w e a r s a f u r h a t b e c a u s e i t ’ s c o l d i n h e r a p a r t m e n t . W e b r o u g h t h e r a g e n e r o u s f o o d p a r c e l . S h e w a s r a d i a n t ; o u r v i s i t m e a n t t h e w o r l d t o h e r ! ” A S p e c i a l V i s i t t o N i k o l a y e v (Left) Serafima, 86 years old. (Right) C4I Ukraine ’ s Alina reads our car d to one of the people she visited: “ Do not f ear , f or I have redeemed you...” ( Isaiah 43 ). | Photos: Christians f or Israel Ukraine

31. R eflecti o n 13 I s r a e l a t W a r : P r o p h e c y F u l f i l l e d — P s a l m 2 Kameel Ma jda li n Director | T each A l l N a tions Inc. The horrifying terrorist attack on Israel was planned with deadly detail and ex ecuted with horrifying haste. E ven the date of deployment, 7 October 2023, was planned: it was one da y after the f iftieth anniversar y of another existential surprise militar y attack on Israel — the Y om Kippur W ar of 1 973. This war brought the world to the brink of a nuclear Armageddon. Mak e no mistak e about it: this is not just a war between Israel and Hamas or Hamas ’ s allies lik e the H outhis, H ezbollah, and Iran. I t in volves the entire world. C onsider this: peaceful, prosperous Australia was put on an Israeli tra vel advisor y because of the shocking public displa ys of antisemitism in S ydney and M elbourne. The ‘ f ishers ’ and ‘hunters ’ are loose ( J eremiah 16:16). Wh y did Hamas attack Israel with unprecedented barbarism? Wh y do major nations, the U nited N ations, and major lobby groups fail to condemn the 7 Oct. attack? Wh y is antisemitism raging worldwide in a latter -da y version of K r istallnacht? Wh y is the Israel - Hamas W ar diff erent and more dangerous than previous conflicts? M ost importantly , are we seeing the fulf ilment of B ible prophecy? B ible prophecies of the last da ys speak of Israel at war leading up to the coming of M essiah. These include Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38-39, Zechar iah 12, 14, and R evelation 1 9. Let’ s not f orget Christ’ s O livet discourse f ound in M atthew 24, M ark 13, and Luke 21 — it speaks of ‘wars and rumours of wars. ’ While B ible prophecy is a lif etime of study , discussion, and reflection, we can start this series with a classic M essianic passage: P salm 2. Wh y the Fuss? The second psalm rhetorically begins: Why do the heathen ( nations ) rage? Good question. The answer is both bad news and good news, depending on your spiritual state. F or those who live and love this present evil world , it is catastrophically bad news. Y et f or those who know and walk with the Lor d , it is the best news possible, called the ‘blessed hope ’ of the church ( Titus 2:13 ). T h e r e a s o n f o r t h e r a g e i s t h a t t h e K i n g — t h e S o n o f D a v i d, S o n o f G o d — i s c o m i n g b a c k t o e a r t h ( v s . 6 - 7 ) . F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e K i n g i s c o m i n g t o Z i o n . ‘Z ion ’ is an important but highly misunderstood wor d. While it is the name associated with Z ionism, it can mean ‘ J erusalem, ’ ‘ Israel, ’ or ‘ the J ewish people, ’ depending on the B iblical context. F or our purposes, it means the royal section of J erusalem, the capital. In short, the prophetic prospect of M essiah, the Son of D a vid , taking His rightful place on D a vid ’ s throne in Z ion is causing an international storm. When H e comes, the Lor d will ask f or — and receive— the nations of the world as His inheritance ( v . 8). H e will rule with a ‘ rod of iron ’ ( v . 9 and repeated three times in Revelation). The M essiah will clean up the mess of criminality , corruption, tyrann y , and unrighteousness. C omplete obedience will be required ( v . 11- 12 ). N o wonder the rebels of this world are panicking. N o w , o f c o u r s e , t h e w o r l d p o w e r s n e i t h e r k n o w n o r c a r e a b o u t a n c i e n t p r o p h e c i e s a n d t h e i r f u l f i l m e n t . Y e t , t h e r e a r e s p i r i t u a l p o w e r s t h a t b o t h k n o w a n d c a r e a b o u t t h e s e e v e n t s : S a t a n a n d t h e d e m o n s . D u r i n g J e s u s ’ e a r t h l y m i n i s t r y , t h e m u l t i t u d e s l o v e d H i m b u t w e r e u n c l e a r a b o u t h i s t r u e i d e n t i t y : w a s h e J o h n t h e B a p t i s t , E l i j a h , E l i s h a o r o n e o f t h e o t h e r p r o p h e t s ? H o w e v e r , t h e d e m o n s w e r e o n e h u n d r e d p e r c e n t c l e a r o n H i s r e a l i d e n t i t y : Y o u a r e t h e S o n o f G o d, t h e y e x c l a i m e d r e p e a t e d l y ( M a t t h e w 8 : 2 9 ; M a r k 3 : 1 1 ; 5 : 7 ; L u k e 4 : 4 1 ; 8 : 2 8 ) . Lik e Satan, these malevolent spiritual f orces know the B ible and tremble at the thought of the King coming to Z ion. I t means their time is up . And they are adept at stirring up the kingdoms of this world to rise up in futility to stop the transition to the kingdom of our Lor d and Christ. After obser ving the co ll ective gl obal tan trum bel ow , the Lor d ’ s r eacti on is a derisive laugh ( v . 4 ). The r ebels in charge ar e confused, f earful, and striking back furi ousl y; they pr obab l y r ealise that their r esistance cannot stop the inevitab l e, but they wan t to sl ow it down and trip it up f or as l ong as they can. M a y b e n o w w e c a n g e t a g r e a t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f w h y t h e r e i s a m a s s i v e o u t b r e a k o f a n t i s e m i t i s m a n d p e r s e c u t i o n o f C h r i s t i a n s w o r l d w i d e . O r w h y t h e r e i s t h e n a g g i n g l y p e r s i s t e n t q u e s t i o n o f I s r a e l ’ s r i g h t t o e x i s t ? O r w h y m o s t o f t h e w o r l d , i n c l u d i n g t h e W e s t e r n w o r l d , r e j e c t s t h e n o t i o n o f a u n i t e d J e r u s a l e m u n d e r t h e s o v e r e i g n t y o f I s r a e l . J ust look at Australia ’ s track recor d on this topic: at f irst, Australia recognised only T el A viv as Israel ’ s capital. Then, the M orrison C oalition government recognised J erusalem as Israel ’ s capital; after some blowback , they modif ied that recognition to include only ‘W est J erusalem. ’ The government promised to move the Australian embassy from T el A viv to J erusalem only when a peace treaty was signed with P alestine. Then, the Albanese Labour Government came into power and rescinded the recognition of W est J erusalem as Israel ’ s capital. Australia has gone full circle. C onsider this: a united , flourishing capital city is the ideal place f or the Son of D a vid/Son of God to return. As is written in P salm 102:16: ‘When the Lor d shall build up Z ion, he shall appear in his glor y . ’ When this happens, then ‘ the kingdoms of our Lor d , and of his Christ; and he shall reign f orever and ever’ ( R evelation 11:15 ). | P h o t o : A d o b e S t o c k Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 . . . t h i s i s n o t j u s t a w a r b e t w e e n I s r a e l a n d H a m a s o r H a m a s ’ s a l l i e s . . . i t i n v o l v e s t h e e n t i r e w o r l d . S h o r t N e w s Extraordinary F ind I n a r emarkable disc overy , I sraeli r eserve soldiers on r outine patr ol near the Gaza bor der stumbled upon a 1 900-year -old grinding mortar . The mortar was used to grind grain and made of basalt ( volcanic r ock). O ne of the r eservists, L t. C ol. Y air Amitsur , who works as an ar chaeologist and tour guide f or the I srael Antiquities Authority , immediately r ec ognised what it was. The find is special because basalt is not f ound in this ar ea and was pr obably onc e br ought to this ar ea. Amitsur explained: “The tool r eminds us that thr oughout the generations, the W estern N egev served as a significant settlement ar ea, wher e a variety of cultur es settled. | Photo: I srael Antiquities Authority “ H a m a s S t e a l s ” A c c o r d i n g t o r e a c t i o n s f r o m G a z a n s r e c e i v e d b y a n e w s c h a n n e l , H a m a s i s r e g u l a r l y c o n fi s c a t i n g i n t e r n a t i o n a l a i d g o o d s i n G a z a . S o m e o n e w r o t e : “ T h e r e a r e l o n g l i n e s f o r t h e h u m a n i t a r i a n g o o d s , b u t i t i s a l l s t o l e n g o o d s . ” A n d : “ L i f e i s m a d e i m p o s s i b l e f o r u s . A l l o f H a m a s i s i n R a f a h . ” C i t i z e n s i n G a z a w h o s p e a k o u t a g a i n s t H a m a s c a n g e n e r a l l y b e m e t w i t h d i s a p p r o v a l . H a m a s u s e s i t s c o n t r o l o f a i d g o o d s t o e x e r c i s e p o w e r . T u n n e l s U n c o v e r e d T h e I s r a e l D e f e n s e F o r c e s u n c o v e r e d a t u n n e l i n K h a n Y o u n i s i n s o u t h e r n G a z a w h e r e I s r a e l i h o s t a g e s h a d b e e n h e l d i n h a r s h a n d i n h u m a n e c o n d i t i o n s . A c c o r d i n g t o t e s t i m o n i e s o f h o s t a g e s w h o r e t u r n e d f r o m G a z a , t h i s i s w h e r e s o m e o f t h e m w e r e h e l d m o s t o f t h e i r t i m e i n c a p t i v i t y . T h e e n t r a n c e o f t h e v a s t t u n n e l n e t w o r k w a s b e n e a t h t h e h o m e o f a H a m a s c o m m a n d e r . S e n i o r I s r a e l i d e f e n c e o ffi c i a l s n o w a s s e s s t h a t H a m a s ’ s G a z a t u n n e l n e t w o r k i s 3 5 0 - 4 5 0 m i l e s l o n g , f a r l o n g e r t h a n p r e v i o u s l y b e l i e v e d . T h e t u n n e l s w e r e u s e d f o r v a r i o u s p u r p o s e s : c o m b a t p u r p o s e s , a m m u n i t i o n s t o r a g e a n d c o n n e c t i o n t o o t h e r t u n n e l s .

1. If undelivered return to: Christians for Israel Australia PO Box 1508 Springwood QLD 4127 100001451 PRINT POST POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN EDITION EMAIL: info@c4israel.com.au PHONE: 07 3088 6900 ABN: 58 655 970 086 $ ____________ MY TOTAL DONATION TO: Christians for Israel Australia Foundation See over for credit card and other giving options My Gift Thanks for your financial sup port 9 February 2023 <<Addressee>> or <<CompanyName>> Member Number: <<MemberNum>> Ln0224 Yes Ian, I’d like to give a special one-off tax-deductible donation towards... continued over... Need to change your address or Newspaper order? Your latest edition of Israel & Christians Today is enclosed. We hope you enjoy and are greatly encouraged by the latest News articles and stories. Simple. Just visit myaccount.c4israel.com.au and login with your username and password. Haven’t setup your online account? Go to myaccount.c4israel.com.au/ web/signup and follow the instructions. $ Adopt a Community in Israel __________ $ Food Parcels ($25 per parcel–see over for what's included) __________ $ General Donation (Admin, Print + Post Costs) __________ *please don't use staples* Dear friends and supporting readers, Standing Against Terrorism: Extending Compassion to the Communities and Victims in Israel with our $100,000 tax deductible Matching gift initiate “Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, That her warfare hath been completed. ”—Isaiah 40:1-2a It has been over four months since the devastating October massacre shook 22 kibbutzim (small towns and villages) along the Gaza envelope in Southern Israel. The aftermath of this tragedy continues to cast a long shadow over the region, with over 1200 innocent lives lost, including babies, children, women, and elderly, some of whom were Holocaust survivors. The brutality of such acts of terrorism leaves scars that may never fully heal. The toll of this violence extends beyond the lives lost. Families have been shattered, communities left in ruins, and over 240 individuals were taken hostage into the tunnels of Gaza by Hamas terrorists. As we write, over 120 days later, 136 hostages remain in captivity, enduring untold trauma, and family and friends remain distraught, but we want to bring them comfort and hope. In response to this ongoing crisis, Christians for Israel Australia Foundation , in collaboration with the Ambassador of Israel to Australia, Amir Maimon and United Israel Appeal, launched this practical initiative: the “Adopt a Community in Israel” project in December just two months ago. Already, at the time of writing, over $32,000 has been generously donated by our readers. Thank you and may God bless you. However, there is still a remaining amount of $48,000 to reach our goal. Remember every gift will be matched, effectively doubling your tax deductable donation. With your support, we aim to raise a total of $200,000 in total to provide comprehensive assistance to these communities in need. This matching gift initiative aims to provide long-term support to communities such as Beeri, Nahal OZ, Sderot, and Kfar Aza, which bore the brunt of these barbaric attacks.

25. Theol ogy 15 (A USTRALIA) C o n n e c t i o n o f O l d J u lian W arne n A uthor In writing m y latest book looking f or har d facts to verify competing claims regar ds ownership of the land of Israel, I was reminded of the account of King D a vid , in voking God ’ s judgement by carr ying out his number ing of the people. The Angel of the Lor d subsequently appearing over D a vid ’ s own city bringing pestilence. The account ends with D a vid ’ s repentance and rearing up of an altar on the threshing- floor he purchased from Araunah the J ebusite. Does the account provide insight into the current contest f or ownership of the land of Israel and the T emple M ount? Are there details that might hold up under scrutin y of a modern -da y real estate or business transaction? H ere ’ s a summar y of what I f ound. T he purchase: The threshing- floor . In M ount M oriah, now known as the T emple M ount. 1 Chron 21:18,22;2 Chron 3:1. T he seller: Araunah, also rendered as Ornan, the J ebusite. 1 Chron 21:22- 24. T he buyer: D a vid , King of Israel. 1 Chron 21:24- 25. T he purchase price: F ifty shek els of silver f or the threshing- floor and o x en. S ix hundred shek els of gold by weight f or the larger site. 2 Sam 24:24; 1 Chron 21:25. T he date: The only thing missing is the exact date. The rough date of the event ha ving tak en place towar d the end of D a vid ’ s reign yet bef ore his death in 970 BC . So there ’ s a detailed account of a purchase transaction indicating D a vid , King of Israel took ownership of land on M ount M oriah, the T emple M ount. H owever , could this simply be a H ebrew fable or m yth? Also, the source texts are not f irsthand originals, they’ re later copies. Is the account a f iction of recent times to bolster claims as to who was in the land f irst? Interestingly Islamic copies of these H ebrew texts are amongst some of the oldest sources. M uslim Abbasid Caliphate versions, including the C odex Cairensis and Aleppo C odex, date to around 895 and 920 CE . There are also earlier sources written in G reek. These include the C odex es: V aticanus 325–350 CE ; Alexandrinus 5th centur y CE ; and C odex Marchalianus 6th centur y CE . The content and characteristics of these source documents indicate ownership of the land by D a vid the King of Israel was not something parochial or insignif icant. I t was recor ded by geographically dispersed societies. F or example, sources originating in Cairo, Israel, and potentially R ome. The making of copies was considered worth y , so as to persist over hundreds of years. S ur vival of the documents through thousands of years also indicating value. Proven historical documents, they cannot be dismissed as recent attempts to justify ownership . D o e s a n y o t h e r g r o u p c o n t e s t i n g o w n e r s h i p o f t h e l a n d o f I s r a e l a n d t h e T e m p l e M o u n t h a v e t h i s l e v e l o f d o c u m e n t e d c o n n e c t i o n ? I h a v e n o t b e e n a b l e t o f i n d a n y . Applying further scrutin y , the nature of the account could be disputed as a matter of faith and not fact. What can ’ t be contested is that the account of the purchase of the T emple M ount has been part of Israel ’ s cultural tradition, and documented in other cultures, f or thousands of years. This long- term and generational connection of Israel as owner of the land and the T emple M ount is a legitimate fact. J ulian W arne is a W riter and Author of the Safe H aven military book series that can be found on Amazon. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 f or mor e inquiries: Pam@cf oic.c om October 7th : where does my help come from? Guest S peak er fr om I sr ael S hm u el J ung er D irecto r o f CFO I C H eartlan d This isn't just a lecture, it's the story of a nation, a chance to hear firsthand how Israel navigates crises and emerges stronger. Shmuel offers a fresh perspective, a testament to the enduring power of hope f r o m t h e d e e p t e a c h i n g s o f J e w i s h s c r i p t u r e . Especially at this time - come and show your solidarity and love for Israel! S y dne y : 26/2/24 M o n da y @ 12:30p m NS W P ar liam en t H ouse T h ea trette, co n ta ct P am@cf o i c.co m M oss V ale NSW : 27 /2/24 T u esda y @ 10:00am, co n ta ct P enn y - penn y co w ellsty l e@li v e.co m Bendigo : 28 /2/24 W edn esda y @ 2:00 p m, co n ta ct P hili p pa - p hili p pa_kir k@y ah oo.co m.a u F r ankston : 29 /2/24 T h ursda y @ 7:00 p m, P s M ar k - o ffi ce@franksto n.lif e Geelong : 1/3 /24 F ri da y @ 10:00 am, co n ta ct J anin e - n eanni@i cl ou d.co m Gold C oast : 3 /3 /24 S un da y Servi ce @ 9:30 am, co n ta ct - inf o@k c.o rg.a u T oo w oomba : 4 /3 /24 M o n da y @ 7:00p m, co n ta ct - P am@cf o i c.co m A delaide : 5 /3 /24 T u esda y @ 11am, co n ta ct Cyn thia -0419 680 935 P erth : 6/3 /24 W edn esda y @ 6:30 p m, co n ta ct R y an - 0438 856 862

32. B ibli ca l R eflecti o n 14 A m a l e k , O p p o s i t e o f I s r a e l Lea de Lange n T h e S c r o l l o f E s t h e r i s a n e x c e p t i o n a l b o o k i n t h e S c r i p t u r e s . G o d i s n o t m e n t i o n e d, o r o n l y o n c e , f u r t i v e l y , i n d i c a t e d b y M o r d e c h a i i n a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h Q u e e n E s t h e r . I f s h e w i l l n o t c o m e t o t h e r e s c u e o f t h e J e w s , t h e n “ S a l v a t i o n w i l l c o m e f r o m a n o t h e r p l a c e ” ( G o d ? ) . T h e p r o t a g o n i s t s , M o r d e c h a i a n d E s t h e r , s e e m t o b e h i d i n g i n a f o r e i g n l a n d, w h e r e t h e y b e a r a k i n d o f p s e u d o n y m , M o r d e c h a i ( a f t e r M a r d u k, a P e r s i a n i d o l ) a n d E s t h e r ( a f t e r t h e P e r s i a n V e n u s ) , a l t h o u g h t h e r e i s a l s o a H e b r e w r o o t i n t h e n a m e ‘ E s t h e r ’ : ‘ A s t i r ’ ( I w i l l h i d e ) . E v e r y t h i n g h a p p e n s t e r s e l y i n t h i s S c r o l l ; e v e n G o d r u l e s H i s p e o p l e f r o m b e h i n d t h i c k s c r e e n s , e v o k i n g a s s o c i a t i o n s t o t h e c l o u d s o f ‘ K a w o d ’ — g l o r y — t h a t s h e l t e r t h e p e o p l e i n t h e d e s e r t s o A m a l e k h a s n o h o l d o v e r t h e m . T h e r e , d u r i n g t h e e x o d u s f r o m E g y p t , G o d m a n i f e s t s H i m s e l f e m p h a t i c a l l y , u n m a s k e d . I t i s H e H i m s e l f w h o p a s s e s t h r o u g h M i t z r a y i m ( E g y p t ) , w h o s p e a k s t o M o s e s , w h o b e s t o w s t h e t e a c h i n g s o n H i s p e o p l e f r o m S i n a i , b u t h e r e i n P e r s i a u n d e r K i n g A c h a s h v e r o s h ( X e rx e s I , 4 8 6 – 4 6 5 B C E ) , e v e r y t h i n g h a p p e n s i n s e c r e t . G o d h i d e s H i s f a c e , p e r h a p s b e c a u s e t h e f a r - fl u n g p e o p l e c a n n o t b e a r t h i s f a c e . The evil role in the stor y is pla yed by Haman, a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag and a high - ranking politician bef ore whom all throw themselves into the dust, all ex cept M or dechai. Wh y? M or dechai is from the tribe of B injamin, Y aak ov’ s youngest son, still unborn when father Y aak ov bowed to the wick ed Esa v , ancestor of Haman. B injamin remained unaff ected by this humiliation: he was unborn. M or dechai, the scion, is the J ewish man, bowing only bef ore God. H a m a n g o s s i p s t o A c h a s h v e r o s h l i k e a l e e r i n g s n a k e a b o u t t h e J e w i s h p e o p l e , a s e n e m i e s o f I s r a e l a r e w o n t t o d o , t r y i n g t o s u l l y t h e g o o d n a m e a f t e r w h i c h I s r a e l w i l l b e e a s y t o e x t e r m i n a t e ( c o m p a r e : N a z i G e r m a n y , c o m p a r e : t h e A r a b n a r r a t i v e s , d e s i g n e d t o s o w h a t r e d a g a i n s t I s r a e l s o t h a t i t w i l l l o s e c u s t o m a r y i n t e r n a t i o n a l r i g h t s , b e c o m e ‘ o u t l a w e d ’ . T h e d a i l y i n c r e a s e i n a n t i s e m i t i s m p r o v e s t h e s o u n d n e s s o f t h e o l d t a c t i c ) . E v e ry A d a r , t h e l a s t m o n t h o f t h e J e w i s h y e a r , I s r a e l c o m m e m o r a t e s t h e e v e n t s i n S h u s h a n , t h e c a p i t a l o f t h e g r e a t P e r s i a n E m p i r e . T h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f I s r a e l d i d n o t p r o c e e d t h e r e ; t h e J e w s w e r e g i v e n r o y a l p e r m i s s i o n t o d e f e n d t h e m s e l v e s . H a m a n d o e s n o t s u c c e e d i n h i s p l a n : g e n o c i d e . T h a t ’ s a l l ? Y e s , b u t i t i s a l o t ; t h i n k i n g b a c k t o t h e S h o ’ a h , w e k n o w h o w m u c h . A n d e v e n t o d a y . . . i f t h e w o r l d w o u l d s i m p l y l e t I s r a e l f i g h t ( a n d c o n q u e r w i t h o u t t u r n i n g b a c k t h e c l o c k l a t e r ) a g a i n s t h e r e n e m y , t h e n p e a c e w o u l d h a v e r e i g n e d i n t h e M i d d l e E a s t f o r d e c a d e s . T h e J e w s i n P e r s i a s t r i k e b a c k , a n d i f I s r a e l g o e s t o w a r a g a i n s t A m a l e k , G o d w i l l b e w i t h t h e m ; a f t e r a l l , i t i s G o d H i m s e l f w h o f o r b a d e H i s p e o p l e t o f o r g e t w h a t a n d w h o A m a l e k i s t o I s r a e l : “ R e m e m b e r w h a t A m a l e k d i d t o y o u . ” O n t h e S h a b b a t b e f o r e t h e F e a s t o f P u r i m , t h e c o n g r e g a t i o n o f I s r a e l r e a d s i n t h e B o o k o f D e u t e r o n o m y ( 2 5 ) t h e p a s s a g e c a l l e d ‘ Z e c h o r ’ , ‘ R e m e m b e r ’ . N e v e r f o r g e t w h a t A m a l e k d i d w h e n y o u l e f t E g y p t . F l a t t e n o u t a n y m e m o ry o f A m a l e k a m o n g t h e h e a v e n s , b u t d o n o t f o r g e t . W h a t d i d A m a l e k d o ? I t a t t a c k e d I s r a e l ’ s w e a k a n d w e a ry ( w e a k i n d o c t r i n e , s t r a y i n g f r o m f a i t h ) . A m a l e k d o e s n o t f e a r G o d , u n l i k e I s r a e l , a n d t h a t i s w h y t h e B i b l e c o m m a n d s I s r a e l t h a t “ W h e n y o u f i n d p e a c e f r o m y o u r e n e m i e s a r o u n d y o u i n t h e L a n d t h a t t h e L o r d y o u r G o d w i l l g i v e y o u f o r a n i n h e r i t a n c e t o p o s s e s s i t , t h a t y o u s h a l l w i p e o u t e v e ry m e m o ry o f A m a l e k f r o m u n d e r t h e h e a v e n s , y o u s h a l l r e m e m b e r t h i s . ” T h i s i s a G o d - m a n d a t e d w a r , t o b e w a g e d b y m e n a n d w o m e n a g a i n s t A m a l e k f i g h t i n g a g a i n s t G o d H i m s e l f . I s r a e l m u s t w a g e G o d ’ s w a r o n e a r t h a g a i n s t a d e m o n i c e n t i t y , e x i s t i n g o n l y t o ‘ l i c k u p I s r a e l ’ s b l o o d ’ l i k e d o g s . A t the F east of Purim, the Esther Scr o ll is r ead al oud; ever y one m ust hear ever y wor d and car efull y f o ll ow the r eading. I t is a f east of joy . One should send each other edib l e gifts and also think of the poor , all to pr omote unity and br otherl y l ove within Israel, because w hen Israel is united, then Amal ek has no ho ld on them, no ho ld on the weak and wear y , the ‘ missing’ is f ill ed by the str ong, the indefatigab l e. The peop l e ar e str ong. W h e n t h e w o r l d i s d e l i v e r e d f r o m a l l e v i l , w h e n t h e p r o m i s e d k i n g d o m o f G o d b e r e v e a l e d o n o u r e a r t h , t h e n a l l p r o p h e t i c p r e d i c t i o n s w i l l b e a c t u a l , n o l o n g e r v e i l e d, c o v e r e d u p . M a n w i l l s e e w h a t I s r a e l ’ s P r o p h e t s f o r e t o l d ; G o d r e v e a l s H i s f a c e t o u s f o r e v e r u n v e i l e d . I s r a e l w i l l h a v e r e a c h e d i t s d e s t i n a t i o n : a h o l y p e o p l e , a k i n g d o m o f p r i e s t s s t u d y i n g t h e T o r a h s c r o l l s . N o e n e m y w i l l t h e n b e a b l e t o t h r e a t e n I s r a e l , e v e n t h e m e m o r y o f t h e m w i l l h a v e v a n i s h e d, b u t s t i l l , I s r a e l w i l l u n f o l d t h e S c r o l l o f E s t h e r f r o m y e a r t o y e a r t o r e a d t h e P u ri m s t o r y , w o r d f o r w o r d, r e v e r e n t l y a s i t w a s c o m m a n d e d t o t h e p e o p l e o n c e a n d f o r a l l . W h e n I s r a e l w i l l l i v e f o r e v e r i n p e a c e i n t h e L a n d o f t h e F a t h e r s , e v e n t h e n , i t w i l l r e m e m b e r e v e r y y e a r h o w a n a n t i t h e s i s r a g e d i n t h e w o r l d, a n e g a t i v e o f I s r a e l , a c o l d a n d c h i l l i n g p e o p l e w h o e x t i n g u i s h e d t h e f i r e o f t h e b u r n i n g b u s h , e v e n t h e f i r e o f I s r a e l : A m a l e k, a p e o p l e l i v i n g t o h a r m I s r a e l . J u s t a s I s r a e l w a s s u p p o s e d t o s e r v e G o d w i t h j o y , A m a l e k s o u g h t j o y i n i t s d e s t r u c t i o n . Lea de Lange ( 1 938-2013 ) was a Dutch-I sr aeli writer . This is an adaptation of an article that first appeared in Dutch in 2004. J e w i s h m e n r e a d i n g a l a r g e S c r o l l o f E s t h e r , w h i c h t e l l s t h e s t o r y o f t h e J e w i s h f e s t i v a l o f P u ri m , a t t h e W e s t e r n W a l l . | P h o t o : F l a s h 9 0 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 S i gns o f F ai th B y K ees de V r eugd Sabba th Cand les In this series , ‘ Signs of F aith ’ , objects , pr oc edur es and c onc epts that expr ess Jewish faith ar e explained and discussed . It is F rida y evening . Night falls , and the working week is c ompleted . E ighteen minutes bef or e Shabbat begins , J ewish girls and women light the lights of the Shabbat . L ighting the candles is the first mitzvah ( r eligious duty ) of the S abbath , even bef or e kiddush is made . G enerally , at least two candles ar e lit . T hey r ef er to the S abbath c ommandment in the two versions of the T en Commandments : “ R emember the S abbath da y ” (E x odus 20 : 8) and “ Observe the S abbath da y ” (D euteronomy 5 : 12 ) . T he woman is the backbone of the home and of the people of Israel . T her ef or e , she typically lights the candles . She often lights a candle f or each of her childr en in addition to the two S abbath candles . T ea lights can be used f or this . But because the light also r ecalls the menor ah in the temple , some people use lamps with olive oil . In any case , the light should burn long enough to enjoy it in the evening . T he light of the candle , the light of the S abbath , r ef ers to the light of the first da y of cr eation . T he S abbath is the end and culmination of the cr eation week , but cr eation is an ongoing pr oc ess . T he light sheds its glow ahead of the new week . In the Bible , we find no explicit instruction to light S abbath candles . N evertheless , the ber achah ( blessing ) that ac c ompanies it gives thanks to G od f or sanctifying Israel with His c ommandments and or dering the lighting of the S abbath lights . J ewish lor e has hear d all kinds of allusions to it in the Bible . T he basis is the ‘ delight ’ and honour of the S abbath (Isaiah 58 : 13 ) . L ight gives an atmospher e of dignity and brillianc e ; it brings peac e because it mak es us disc ern each other ’ s unique qualities and so be together in harmony . M or eover , it is written , “ F or the c ommandment is a lamp and T or ah is light ” (Proverbs 6 : 23 ) . F inally , it also r esembles the soul . T he flame needs the matter of the candle . Similarly , the soul needs the body to expr ess its potential in this world . L ight , lik e the soul , is intangible , immaterial . A flame is alwa ys striving upwar ds . S o does the soul .

4. I srael a t W ar —E d i t o r i a l 2 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 Z e r o - T o l e r a n c e P o l i c y N e e d e d A ndrew Tu ck er n I n t e r n a t i o n a l E d i t o r | C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l I t i s b e c o m i n g c l e a r t h a t t h e r e i s a v a s t g l o b a l n e t w o r k o f i n t e r r e l a t e d e n t i t i e s , c o u n t r i e s a n d o t h e r i n t e r e s t s t h a t s u p p o r t e d t h e H a m a s t e r r o r i s t a t t a c k o n 7 O c t o b e r 2 0 2 3 a n d a r e c o n t i n u i n g t o s u p p o r t t e r r o r a g a i n s t I s r a e l . T h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s s y s t e m i s a l s o i n f i l t r a t e d b y t h e s e i n t e r e s t s . I t i s t i m e t o p u t a n e n d t o t h i s . ‘T error’ is def ined as the use of violent or destructive acts ( such as bombing) committed by groups in or der to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands. H a m a s i s , b y d e f i n i t i o n , a t e r r o r i s t o r g a n i s a t i o n . A s i t s 1 9 8 8 C h a r t e r s h o w s , i t i s a n I s l a m i s t m o v e m e n t c o m m i t t e d t o t h e u s e o f v i o l e n c e i n o r d e r t o “ o b l i t e r a t e I s r a e l ” a n d “ r a i s e t h e b a n n e r o f A l l a h o v e r e v e r y i n c h o f P a l e s t i n e ” . F o r H a m a s , P a l e s t i n i a n I s l a m i c J i h a d a n d o t h e r s i m i l a r I s l a m i s t g r o u p s , t h e m e r e e x i s t e n c e o f t h e S t a t e o f I s r a e l i s s e e n a s a n o b s t a c l e t o t h e r e i g n a n d r u l e o f A l l a h . A l t h o u g h t h e i m m e d i a t e g o a l i s t h e r u l e o f I s l a m a n d S h a r i a l a w i n a l l o f P a l e s t i n e , t h e m o v e m e n t i s a g l o b a l o n e . F o r e x a m p l e , A r t i c l e 2 o f t h e H a m a s C o v e n a n t r e a d s : “ T h e I s l a m i c R e s i s t a n c e M o v e m e n t i s o n e o f t h e w i n g s o f M o s l e m B r o t h e r h o o d i n P a l e s t i n e . M o s l e m B r o t h e r h o o d M o v e m e n t i s a u n i v e r s a l o r g a n i s a t i o n w h i c h c o n s t i t u t e s t h e l a r g e s t I s l a m i c m o v e m e n t i n m o d e r n t i m e s . I t i s c h a r a c t e r i s e d b y i t s d e e p u n d e r s t a n d i n g , a c c u r a t e c o m p r e h e n s i o n a n d c o m p l e t e e m b r a c e o f a l l I s l a m i c c o n c e p t s o f a l l a s p e c t s o f l i f e , c u l t u r e , c r e e d , p o l i t i c s , e c o n o m i c s , e d u c a t i o n , s o c i e t y , j u s t i c e a n d j u d g e m e n t , t h e s p r e a d i n g o f I s l a m , e d u c a t i o n , a r t , i n f o r m a t i o n , s c i e n c e o f t h e o c c u l t a n d c o n v e r s i o n t o I s l a m . ” The use of violence and killing innocent people in or der to achieve this goal is promoted by Iran, Q atar and T urk ey , which are now the main sponsors and supporters of global Islamist terror . H a m a s i s d e e p l y e m b e d d e d i n U N i n s t i t u t i o n s s u c h a s U N R W A , a s e x p l a i n e d b y J o n a t h a n T o b i n i n t h i s e d i t i o n . The E uropean U nion ( and its member states ) is f inancing Hamas through the support of the P A , P alestinian organisations, UNR W A and other UN institutions connected to Hamas. Although Hamas is on various terror lists, sanctions are weak and poorly implemented and policed. The legal proceedings against Israel in international institutions lik e the International C ourt of J ustice (ICJ ), International C riminal C ourt (ICC) and UN H uman Rights C ouncil (UNHR C) are, to a large extent, expressions of these political, ideological, religious and economic interests. W estern governments must insist that no concessions should be made to an y person or entity that supports acts of terror . This should be a red line f or all W estern nations. T h i s a l s o m e a n s t h e y s h o u l d r e j e c t t h e i d e a t h a t a c t s o f t e r r o r c o m m i t t e d b y H a m a s o p e r a t i n g f r o m G a z a o n a c o n t i n u a l b a s i s s i n c e 2 0 0 6 ( n o t t o m e n t i o n i t s f e l l o w I r a n i a n p r o x i e s s u c h a s H e z b o l l a h i n L e b a n o n ) i n o r d e r t o o b l i t e r a t e I s r a e l , s h o u l d s o m e h o w c o m p a r e d w i t h t h e a c t s o f I s r a e l — a s o v e r e i g n , d e m o c r a t i c s t a t e — i n d e f e n d i n g i t s c i t i z e n s . T h e t r a g i c k i l l i n g o f i n n o c e n t P a l e s t i n i a n c i v i l i a n s i n t h e c o u r s e o f a l e g i t i m a t e w a r o f s e l f - d e f e n c e c a n n o t b e c o m p a r e d m o r a l l y w i t h t h e i n t e n t i o n a l a n d i n d i s c r i m i n a t e s l a u g h t e r o f i n n o c e n t J e w s s i m p l y b e c a u s e t h e y a r e J e w s . T o claim that Israel is committing genocide is beyond comprehension — and yet, South Africa has succeeded in capturing the world ’ s attention and even obtaining a hearing at the ICJ in The Hague. E ven though the C ourt on 26 J anuar y did not or der the immediate cease- f ire that South Africa ask ed f or , South Africa, Hamas, Iran and their allies won a massive PR victor y by virtue of the fact that the C ourt ruled that it is ‘ plausible ’ that Israel is committing genocide. Thanks to social media, the idea that the J ews are guilty of genocide has now been planted in the hearts and minds of a new generation that has been brain washed by wok e Marxist ideologies and is largely ignorant of histor y . In the meantime, the world looks on as Hamas continues to hold hostages and the bodies of deceased Israelis in blatant contra vention of international la w and morality . O v e r t h e p a s t m o n t h s , t h e P A h a s s h o w n t h a t i t s h a r e s H a m a s ’ c o m m i t m e n t t o t e r r o r a s a w e a p o n . T h i s m e a n s t h a t a t w o - s t a t e s o l u t i o n g o v e r n e d b y t h e F a t a h - r u l e d P a l e s t i n i a n A u t h o r i t y ( P A ) s h o u l d b e o f f t h e t a b l e f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g . The culture of terror and violence is the curse of the Middle East and is extending to W estern nations. The complete abandonment of terror should be a condition precedent ( sine qua non) to the provision of ANY W estern f inancial aid to UNR W A , the P alestinian Authority or an y other entity that seeks to support the P alestinian people of advance P alestinian self-determination claims. A new system is needed. C o l o p h o n I sr ael & Christians T oday is the premier publication of Christians for I sr ael. Mission O u r m i s s i o n i s t o b r i n g B i b l i c a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g i n t h e C h u r c h a n d a m o n g t h e n a t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g G o d ’ s p u r p o s e s f o r I s r a e l a n d t o p r o m o t e c o m f o r t o f I s r a e l t h r o u g h p r a y e r a n d a c t i o n . Edi torial T eam Andr ew T uck er I nternational E ditor -in-Chief atuck er@c4isr ael.or g Cathy C oldicutt M anaging E ditor newspaper@c4isr ael.or g M arloes van W esting I nternational C ommunications M anager international@c4isr ael.or g I an W orby , Bryc e T urner , R ita Quartel, M arie-L ouise W eissenböck, M arijk e T erlouw Scriptur e r ef er enc es: THE HOL Y BIBLE, NEW INTERNA TIONAL VERSION®, NIV® C opyright © 1 9 73, 1 9 78, 1 984, 2011 by Biblica, I nc.® U sed by permission. All rights r eserved worldwide. C4I Offices Christians f or I srael I nternational Leon M eijer , Chairman R ev Willem JJ G lashouwer , P resident R ev C ornelis Kant, Ex ecutive D irector PO Bo x 1100 | 3860 BC N ijk erk, The N etherlands | T el: +31 33 422 0405 inf o@c4israel.org | www .c4israel.org The E nglish E dition of I sr ael & Christians T oday is published by the f ollowing E nglish speaking branches: Christians f or I srael - Australia I an W orby , N ational Leader PO Bo x 1508, S pringwood Q ueensland, Australia 4127 T el: +61 7 3088 6900, inf o@c4israel.c om.au www .c4israel.c om.au Christians f or I srael - N ew Z ealand B ryc e T urner , N ational Ex ecutive D irector PO Bo x 12 006, P enr ose, Auckland, N ew Z ealand 1642 T el: +64 9 525 7564, +6421 127 7214 inf o@c4israel.org.nz www .c4israel.org.nz Christians f or I srael - K or ea R ev P aul W onil J ung, D irector S uite 3, 37 Railwa y P arade, Eastwood NSW , Australia 2122 T el: +61 410 430 677 email: c4israelk or ea@gmail.c om www .c4israelk or ea.org Christians f or I srael - USA D a vid S udlow , Chairman PO Bo x 400, F r ont R oyal, V A 22630, USA usa-inf o@c4israel.org www .c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in I sr ael & Christians T oday expr ess the views of the individual authors and do not nec essarily r epr esent the views of the E ditors or that of the Boar d of Christians f or I srael. The printing of articles or advertising in I sr ael & Christians T oday does not nec essarily imply either endorsement or agr eement. © Christians f or I srael I nternational. R epr oduction, or storage in a r etrieval system or in any other f orm, is pr ohibited without permission. Please c ontact the M anaging E ditor should you wish to syndicate or r epublish any articles or materials appearing in I sr ael & Christians T oday . P r a y e r P o i n t s Israel l “ T he Lor d is close to the br ok enhearted and sa ves those who ar e crushed in spirit . ” P salm 34 : 18 . Pra y f or all hostages still being held in G aza toda y . Pra y that they will be alive and quickly r eleased or f ound . Pra y also that despite the terrible c onditions they ar e in , they ma y experienc e that G od is with them . l P r a y f o r w i s d o m f o r t h e I s r a e l i g o v e r n m e n t a n d t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f t h e I s r a e l i D e f e n s e F o r c e s t o c o n s t a n t l y m a k e t h e r i g h t d e c i s i o n s a b o u t t h e m i l i t a r y o p e r a t i o n i n G a z a a n d t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t r o o p s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y . P r a y f o r G o d ’ s p e a c e i n t h e h e a r t s o f I s r a e l i s a n d g i v e t h a n k s f o r t h e u n i t y t h a t p r e v a i l s a m o n g t h e p e o p l e . l Pra y f or the innoc ent people in G aza who ar e stuck in the middle of the war and whose living situation is danger ous . Pra y that aid will r each these people and pra y that Hamas will stop using its own citiz ens as human shields . Israel & the N a tions l Israel is c onstantly ac cused of violating international la w and has even had to def end itself at the International Court of Justic e in T he Hague against charges of genocide . Pra y f or Israel ’ s legal pr otection . l “ My G od sent His angel , and he shut the mouths of the lions . ” D aniel 6 : 22a . Gr eat danger still thr eatens Israel on all its bor ders . T hr eats fr om Hamas in G aza , Hezbollah in Lebanon , terr orists in Judea S amaria and the H outhis in the south by the R ed S ea . Pra y that G od ’ s angels will be all ar ound Israel to pr otect it as an angel pr otected Daniel in the lion ’ s den . Christians for Israel l Give thanks to all C hristians worldwide who support Israel by pra ying f or Israel , donating money , or even volunteering in Israel . Pra y that the gr oup of C hristians who stand with Israel will c ontinue to gr ow and that the c onnection between Jews and C hristians will bec ome str onger . l Giv e thanks f or the w ork K oen Carlier and his team ar e doing in U kraine among the J ewish c ommunity and H olocaust surviv ors. C onditions ar e tough because of the winter and the ongoing war , and ther e is much pov erty . P ra y tha t many people will be helped. F or daily Pra y er P oints , go to : www . c4isr ael . c om . au w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / c 4 i s r a e l A U S

11. Ian W o rby n C4I A ustra lia N a tiona l Leader and R egiona l Director for Oceania Dear precious readers and friends ( Chavor im? W elcome to this F ebruar y- March Australian Edition of Israel and Chr istians T oday . S ince our last edition, a number of events have tak en place. Our Christians f or Israel Australia F oundation leadership , visited the recently opened H olocaust M useum as part of our end -of- year f ellowship and A GM in B risbane. The M useum setup is first class, and we highly recommend an y local SE Q LD supporters to spend a morning or afternoon with the family and learn the true histor y of how the J ews were nearly wiped out in E urope during W orld war two and how we need to be vigilant to mak e sure our promise of N ever Again is now . Our management committee f or Christians f or Israel Inc. has finalised the reports f or 2023. The incorporated association is being wound up because we have a new legal compan y structure, established to accommodate our new Deductible T ax Recipient (DGR) status as a fully tax -deductible charity . The new name is Christians f or Israel Australia F oundation Limited. ABN 58 655 970 086 On the back page of the newspaper , y ou can see all of our pr ojects ar e now tax deductib l e, but pur chases of boo ks, D VDs and cal endars ar e not tax deductib l e. So we ha ve them in separate bo x es so y ou can easil y see w hat is w hat. Also, our banking and con tact details ar e ther e f or easy access. Also, during December , some of our team attended the Chanukah in the city celebrations as we stood in solidarity with our local J ewish brothers and sisters, still in shock from the war that brok e out on 7 October last year . M y wif e, Mandy and some 20+ other Christian leaders travelled to Canberra f or a ver y special Chanukah celebration with the Ambassador of Israel, Amir Maimon, and his wif e at their residence. A $100,000 Matching G ift Off er is well under wa y , with $31,000 received already since December . W e ar e so ver y pleased to be able to continue off ering a matching gift incentive to ever y donation of an y amount up to A UD $100,000. E mergency Aid f or Israel A ppeal and our new ‘ Adopt a C ommunit y in I srael ’ project continues, as the needs are still ver y great as the war eff or t continues, and we see new threats from the N or th. Over f our months, Israel is still at war after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise mur derous attack on Satur da y , 7 October , resulting in the loss of over 1,200 lives, 4,800 injuries, 560 soldiers, 61 police officers killed in the Gaza war and 136 of the 240 people remain abducted hostages into the Gaza S trip including babies and ver y elderly . Y ou can visit https:// oct7map.com/ to see all of the 22 communities aff ected. Christians f or Israel Australia F oundation ’ s tax deductible ‘ Adopt a C ommunit y in I srael ’ $100,000 matching gift appeal is still on with the primar y objective of helping the most aff ected population in Israel. The U rgency of this project to bring C omf ort and practical support is ver y real. So if you are able to give $50, $100, $1,000 or your best gift, it will be matched and funds sent to bring aid to those in desperate need. This project is designed to f oster connections between the communities in Southern Israel and individuals, communities, cities, towns, local municipalities and Australian Christians who want to help with the repair , restoration and revitalisation of the towns and villages called K ibbutzim near the Gaza en velope region. Presently , 150,000 residents of Southern Israel have been compelled to leave their homes and are currently displaced , with man y experiencing the traumatic loss of family members, friends, neighbours, pets, and personal belongings. I t still ma y be man y weeks or months bef ore the traumatised locals can return. C ome and join our eight-da y ANZA C Solidarity T our to Israel on A pril 3- 11 Israel needs your help N OW! Our C4I ANZA C tour will be f ocused on volunteering and solidarity visits. C omf ort evacuees, the families of the hostages, and the wounded. H elp pr epar e f ood packages f or evacuees and soldiers. Donate blood with Magen D a vid Adom. Show your support f or Am Israel and “ Pray with your hands and feet.” As you will read on page 7, Christians f or Israel Australia and N ew Zealand have partnered together to return to the war - torn land of Israel, and stand with our J ewish brothers and sisters, volunteer with cooking, cleaning, picking fruit and vegetables, ser ving hot meals or giving hugs and warm clothes to soldiers and sur vivors of the massacre. This Solidarity T our is being organised by our local guides at the K eshett T our Agency , who have saf ely run man y of these solidarity tours f or other Christians f or Israel groups. They will organise private meetings f or us to hear some of the harrowing stories of sur vival and receive expert private briefings from the J ewish agency representatives on what is happening on the ground and how our support is making a significant diff erence to these families. M y wif e, Mandy , and I are hoping we can get 20- 30 volunteers to come and join us on this unique and unf orgettable Solitar y T our . Please contact our trusted Israel travel experts at O live T ree T ravel ph: 1300 550 830 f or details and to secure your place on this important tour . R ecent and upcoming events f or you to watch online or be pra yerfully and actively in volved. Ÿ O n S u n d a y , 2 8 J a n u a ry , M a n d y a n d I a t t e n d e d a n I s r a e l S e m i n a r h o s t e d b y K i n g d o m C h u r c h G o l d C o a s t W i t h P a s t o r s G r e g , K y a l a n d T a s h C u m m i n g a n d E n o c h L a v e n d e r a n d o t h e r s . Y o u c a n v i e w t h e v i d e o s h e r e : h t t p s : / / b i t l y . w s / 3 b k s c Ÿ Andrew T ucker from Thinc. hosted another great webinar on the lawfare that Israel is embarking on with the international courts. Click https:// bitly . ws/3bkv8 to watch Thinc. ’ s webinar with Prof. S teven Z ipperstein and Andrew T uck er in case you missed it or would lik e to rewatch it. Ÿ N e v e r A g a i n i s N o w a n a n t i s e m i t i s m r a l l y e v e n t 1 8 F e b r u a r y i n S y d n e y a n d 3 M a r c h i n A d e l a i d e a n d s o o n i n B r i s b a n e . S e e t h e i r w e b s i t e , f o r w w w . N e v e r A g a i n I s N o w . c o m . a u , a l l t h e d e t a i l s a n d h o w t o g e t i n v o l v e d . P lease don ’ t f orget that our regular projects and commitments are still ver y impor tant and ongoing. Dear friends, just as the nation of Israel is having to fight and def end its people on multiple fronts, Gaza, Lebanon, and the ‘ P alestinian T erritories ’, we are also being called to stretch and sacrifice with faithful pra yers f or protection and comf ort f or those who been injured or lost loved ones. As we continue to petition heaven and our governments to stand f or Israel, to see the return of the hostages, and win the inf ormation war of propaganda against God ’ s people, we also still have our existing battle to provide f ood , clothing and shelter f or the elderly , and destitute. While we are sweltering in our summer , it is winter in Israel and Ukraine, where man y of our J ewish brothers and sisters are cold and need to be k ept warm with blank ets, clothing and hot meals. Can I ask you to stop and pra y f or the N ation of Israel and the people of Israel, not f orgetting to include the H olocaust sur vivors in war - torn Ukraine, where untold horrors are also still taking place? Please consider supporting our E mergency Aid A ppeal, sending your generous tax - deductible gifts of love and practical help to those suff ering; simply go to the back page of this newspaper f or a whole range of diff erent wa ys you can C omf ort Israel and send them yours and God ’ s love. R emember , all donations are now fully tax deductible, so please be generous as the Lor d leads and enables. Thanks again f or your faithful, pra yerful and generous support. $10, $50 or $100 will mak e a big diff erence. Or f or a f ew dollars more; perhaps you can consider bringing one J ew home or a family of 5 or even a busload. Imagine the thrill of knowing you helped changed a person ’ s lif e f orever and fulfilled bible prophecy . “Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall br ing thy sons in their ar ms, and thy daughters shall be car r ied upon their shoulders ”. Isaiah 4 9:22 T ogether , we are seeing some wonderful stories of lives being blessed because of your love f or the Lor d and f or his brethren. I am sure our H eavenly F ather smiles when H e sees His children show such unconditional love generosity to “ these, the least of His brethren ” as we read J esus wor ds in M athew 25:37-40. Ian W orby N ational leader , Christians f or Israel Australia F oundation Ltd. PS : Our general donations are down, and our printing and postage costs are up . So, if it has been a w hil e since y ou made a general donati on to help with our operating costs, we would ver y m uch appr eciate y our support. W e ha ve embark ed on nati onal pr omoti ons and mark eting initiatives to tr y to doub l e our r eadership so mor e peop l e will be inf ormed and inspired to comf ort Israel. Thank you f or being pra yerful and generous as you mak e your tax - deductible donation on the back page of this newspaper or online @ www . C4israel.com.au/ donate F ebruary 2024 R epo rt F r o m Our N a ti o na l Lead er Ambassador Amir Maimon, Ian W orby and Christian leaders about to light the Chanukah candles in the Ambassadors residence in Canberra.

17. NEW ZEA LAND A USTRA LIA ANZA C SO LID ARITY MISSI O N to Israel 3- 11 AP RIL 2024 ( 9 da y s-8 nigh ts ) Escor ted by B r yce T urner , Christians f or Israel N ew Zealand, and Ian W orby , Christians f or Israel A ustralia E v en ts & T ours 7 (A USTRALIA) Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 I s r a e l N e e d s O u r H e l p F ollowing our expedition in N ov / Dec, we learned a lot about the situation on the ground in Israel. T ourism stopped immediately , lea ving man y without income. T ra velling around Israel we became acutely a ware of just how isolated , how lonely most Israelis are f eeling, as much of the world has turned its back on Israel, pref erring instead the twisted narrative being pushed by the opposition, one that mak es the criminal attack ers somehow the victims. Israelis are fighting f or their sur vival, with over a hundred thousand Israelis — J ewish, Arab , Druze, Bedouin etc — unable to return to their homes. In man y cases this is because their homes are severely damaged or destroyed. N ever bef ore in histor y has it been so important that we stand with Israel. B ut not just with tok en wor ds, by being prepared to actually stand. Israel is F igh ting Back In 1 917, Australian and N ew Zealand soldiers won an incredible victor y against the Ottoman E mpire— who controlled the entire Middle East and had done so f or 400 years. In spite of staggering odds, the ‘ E gyptian E xpeditionar y F orce ’ attack ed and captured Beersheba, the first victor y in the ‘Southern P alestine Off ensive ’ that ultimately sa w the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, the period of the B ritish Mandate, and ultimately the restoration of the Israel. W ithin da ys the N ew Zealand and Australian f orces were in battle again, this time separately , and the enormous bra ver y and sacrifice of our countr ymen is honoured in Israel to this da y . As Israel once again faces an extremist Islamic threat, there are those who would ignore that sacrifice and just hand the land over . W e W i l l Stand wi th Israel I n N o v / D e c l a s t y e a r I w e n t t h e r e . W i t h t w o c o l l e a g u e s , w e t r a v e l l e d t o a w a r z o n e , t o h e l p . W e m o s t l y w o r k e d i n a s o u p k i t c h e n i n J e r u s a l e m — f a r a w a y f r o m t h e w a r . W e c l e a n e d a n d r e p a i r e d a l l s o r t s o f e q u i p m e n t , w e m e t a l l k i n d s o f p e o p l e w h o w e r e s t r u g g l i n g a n d d e s p e r a t e f o r t h e f o o d a n d t h e e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h a t w e w e r e a b l e t o h e l p b r i n g . W e v i s i t e d s u rv i v o r s , p e o p l e w h o h a d l o s t f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y , ‘ o r d i n a ry I s r a e l i s ’ , a l l d e e p l y a ff e c t e d b y t h e e v e n t s o f 7 O c t . a n d t h e s u b s e q u e n t w a r . W e fi l m e d i n t e rv i e w s a n d h e l p e d s h a r e t h e i r s t o r i e s w i t h o u r p e o p l e b a c k h o m e . B u t t h e g r e a t e s t i m p a c t w e m a d e w a s t h e o n e I b a d l y u n d e r e s t i m a t e d a s w e h u r r i e d l y p r e p a r e d t o t r a v e l : t h e j o y w e w e r e a b l e t o b r i n g b y j u s t b e i n g t h e r e . M e e t i n g I s r a e l i s w h o w o u l d a s k w h e r e w e w e r e f r o m , o n l y t o s t a n d i n s h o c k — o r b u r s t i n t o t e a r s — t o h e a r t h a t w e h a d c o m e a l o n g w a y j u s t t o l e t t h e m k n o w w e c a r e d , w a s i n c r e d i b l y p o w e r f u l . A N Z A C S o l i d a r i t y T o u r T h i s i s n o t a s t u d y t o u r , n o r a s o u v e n i r s h o p p i n g t r i p ( a l t h o u g h t h e r e w i l l b e o p p o r t u n i t y ! ) — t h i s t o u r i s a b o u t n o w . W e w i l l fl y t o I s r a e l o n c e a g a i n u n i t e d i n t h e s p i r i t o f A N Z A C , t o s t a n d i n t h e l a n d o u r f o r e f a t h e r s f o u g h t s o g a l l a n t l y f o r . W e w i l l v i s i t a f e w s p e c i a l p l a c e s , a n d w e w i l l m e e t a l l k i n d s o f I s r a e l i s a n d l e a r n h o w H a m a s h o r r e n d o u s a c t i o n s h a v e c h a n g e d p e o p l e s ’ l i v e s . W e w i l l t a k e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e r v e o u r I s r a e l i b r o t h e r s a n d s i s t e r s , a n d w e w i l l s t a n d t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e m . W E w i l l l e t t h e m k n o w t h e y a r e n o t a l o n e . There are opportunities f or those who wish to extend their sta y , I will most lik ely be continuing on f or a while after the tour . Please f eel free to contact us if you are interested. Whilst obviously we will not be taking an y ridiculous risks, I cannot completely promise that this trip will be uneventful. B ut I can promise you that it will be an adventure, and you will see God at work in His land. Ian Bryce Each activity on this ANZA C Solidarity t our will play a crucial r ole in comf orting and supporting Isr ael. Y ou will be v olunt eering side by side with Isr aelis and our C4I friends in r egions bor dering Gaza, Jerusalem, the Galilee and the Golan Height s in the north of Isr ael. Highlight s include: Ÿ V olunt eer at Kibbutzim and f arms, help cook meals f or soldiers and v olunt eer at an army base Ÿ W alk acr oss the fields of the No va Music F estival Ÿ T o u r t h e c i t y o f S d e r o t a n d v i s i t o n e o f o u r C 4 I p r o j e c t s Ÿ V i s i t K e r e n H a y e s o d ( J e w i s h A g e n c y ) a n d g e t u p d a t e s o n h o w C 4 I d o n a t i o n s a r e m a k i n g a d i f f e r e n c e Ÿ Visit Mag en David Adom (Ambulance HQ), see the situation r oom and hear par amedics st ories of what happened on 7 Oct ober . Ther e will also be an opportunity t o donat e blood Ÿ Special Shabbat dinner at Hineni Soup Kit chen Ÿ Visit the Mount of Oliv es, W est ern W all, Gar den T omb f or pr ay er w orship and communion in Jerusalem. Ÿ Visit Hippos, an ancient city of light o v erlooking galilee Ÿ Guest speak ers & briefings; plus much mor e Itiner ary subject t o chang e Prices I ncl ude: Ÿ 8 night s accommodation* based on 3-Star hot els Ÿ Br eakf ast s and dinners Ÿ Entr ance f ees, t ouring and tr ansport t o all activities Ÿ 9 days with experienced licensed t our guide Ÿ Whisper er headset s Prices Ex cl ude: Ÿ Airf ar es and departur e tax es. C ontact Oliv e T r ee T r av el t o book y our r eturn flight s. Ÿ T r av el insur ance (r equir ed) Ÿ Tips and gr atuities f or driv ers, guides and hot els (allow about $US 12 a day) Ÿ Lunches (allow US$15 a day) Ÿ Special Shabbat dinner at Hineni Soup Kit chen in Jerusalem (allow US$30 ea) Ther e may be opportunities t o stay on and v olunt eer long er aft er the t our , please contact us for information. per person twin shar e or double bed r oom Single supplement: A UD $1195 A UD $3 250 **T our subject t o minimum numbers and conditions. LAND O NL Y PR I CE F or fu l l i tinerary detai ls, enquiries and bookings please con tact: Oliv e T r ee T r av el | inf o@oliv etr eetr av el.com.au Ph: 1300 550 8 30 www .oliv etr eetr av el.com.au

30. Theol ogy 12 C o m f o r t , C o m f o r t m y P e o p l e J o hannes Gerl o ff n T h e o l o g i a n , J o u r n a l i s t , L e c t u r e r & A u t h o r T his is par t of a series of ar ticles based on the book R ejoice, Y ou N ations, with H is P eople by J ohannes Gerloff. As it is written: “ H ow pleasant are the f eet of those who proclaim good news!” ( R omans 10:15b ) W e continue our study of R omans 9- 11. In chapter 10, P aul talks about the message of the Gentiles to Israel. The message we Gentiles should bring is a good message and a message of comf ort. A Good M essage I n R o m a n s 1 0 : 1 5 , P a u l q u o t e s f r o m I s a i a h 5 2 : 7 . T h e w o r d s o f t h e p r e a c h e r a r e p o s i t i v e w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n : ‘ b e a u t i f u l ’ , ‘ p l e a s a n t ’ , ‘ m e s s a g e o f p e a c e ’ , ‘ g l a d t i d i n g s ’ a n d ‘ g o o d t h i n g s ’ ( τ ὰ ἀ γ α θ ά / t a a g a t h a ) . T h e s e ‘ e v a n g e l i s t s ’ b r i n g g o o d n e w s , a m e s s a g e o f p e a c e ( c o m p a r e E p h e s i a n s 2 : 1 7 ) , a n d ‘ g l a d t i d i n g s o f g o o d t h i n g s ’ . T h e y a r e c a l l e d t o p r o c l a i m a ‘ s h a l o m ’ , w h i c h d o e s m o r e t h a n m e r e l y n u r t u r e i l l u s i o n s o r d r e a m s . T h e p e a c e o f G o d , w h i c h b e g i n s i n t h e h e a r t s o f i n d i v i d u a l s , w i l l e v e n t u a l l y p u t a n e n d t o a l l b l o o d s h e d a n d a l l t e a r s . T h e s e m e s s e n g e r s o f p e a c e p r o c l a i m ‘ s h a l o m ’ i n a n a l l - i n c l u s i v e s e n s e . T h e ‘ g o o d t h i n g s ’ a r e o b v i o u s l y t h e ‘ w e a l t h ’ o f t h e m e s s i a n i c k i n g d o m . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , i n t h e m i n d s o f m a n y w e l l - m e a n i n g , B i b l e - b e l i e v i n g C h r i s t i a n s , t h e “ n o t s o g o o d ” d o m i n a t e s w h e n t a l k i n g a b o u t t h e J e w i s h p e o p l e a n d e v e n i n p e r s o n a l e n c o u n t e r s w i t h t h e m . T h e “ n o t s o g o o d ” c o u l d i n c l u d e T h e g r e a t t r i b u l a t i o n ( b e f o r e w h i c h ‘ t h e C h u r c h ’ w i l l b e r a p t u r e d , o f c o u r s e ! ) , t h a t J e r u s a l e m w i l l b e d e s t r o y e d o n c e m o r e a n d “ t h a t t w o p a r t s t h e r e i n s h a l l b e c u t o f f a n d d i e ” ( c o m p a r e Z e c h a r i a h 1 3 : 8 ) , t h e w o e s o f M a t t h e w 2 4 , t h e w a r s o f G o g a n d M a g o g ( E z e k i e l 3 8 - 3 9 ) , o r t h e f a m o u s ‘ b a t t l e o f A r m a g e d d o n ’ ( R e v e l a t i o n 1 6 : 1 6 ) . A l l t h e s e i s s u e s o f f e r f a r m o r e l u c r a t i v e m a t e r i a l f o r s p e c u l a t i o n t h a n s o m e t h i n g ‘ g o o d ’ . A m i s d i r e c t e d p r o p h e t i c c u r i o s i t y , h o w e v e r , c a n e a s i l y — a n d o f t e n i n v o l u n t a r i l y — d e v e l o p i n t o a m e s s a g e o f h o r r o r , c a u s i n g a n y t h i n g ‘ g o o d ’ t o p a l e i n c o m p a r i s o n . A M essage of Comfort In his commentar y on R omans, Adolf Schlatter suggests that the f eet of those messengers of joy are “beautiful because they do not come with a wor d of judgment, but with the gospel that off ers the peace of God ”. I t i s n o t b y a c c i d e n t t h a t P a u l , t h r o u g h h i s u s e o f I s a i a h 5 2 , r e f e r s h i s r e a d e r s b a c k t o t h e s e c o n d p a r t o f t h e b o o k o f I s a i a h ( I s a i a h 4 0 - 6 6 ) . T h e J e w i s h p e o p l e c a l l i t ‘ ם ח נ מ ו ה ה י ע ש י ’ / Y e s h a y a h u H a M e n a c h e m ’ , ‘ I s a i a h t h e c o m f o r t e r ’ . I n c o n t r a s t , t h e f i r s t p a r t o f t h i s p r o p h e t i c b o o k ( I s a i a h 1 - 3 9 ) i s k n o w n a s ‘ ט פ ו ש ה ו ה י ע ש י / Y e s h a y a h u H a S h o f e t ’ , ‘ I s a i a h t h e j u d g e ’ . T h e p r o p h e t , w e l l a w a r e o f t h e s i n a n d u n r i g h t e o u s n e s s o f h i s p e o p l e , b e g i n s t h e 4 0 t h c h a p t e r o f h i s b o o k w i t h t h e w o r d s : “ ‘ C o m f o r t , c o m f o r t m y p e o p l e ! ’ , s a y s y o u r G o d . ‘ S p e a k t o t h e h e a r t o f J e r u s a l e m . C ry t o h e r , t h a t h e r m i l i t a ry s e rv i c e ( m o d e r n H e b r e w ) h a s c o m e t o a n e n d , t h a t h e r o f f e n c e i s f o r g i v e n ” ( I s a i a h 4 0 : 1 - 2 ) . In the second part of the book of Isaiah, a m ysterious ‘ thir d pla yer’ repeatedly appears on the scene to whom the God of Israel can speak as ‘your God ’, but who is diff erentiated from ‘ m y people ’ . God has called an instrument out of the Gentile nations to comf ort Israel, to speak tenderly to J erusalem and to proclaim to her that her har d ser vice has come to an end. These H ebrew wor ds of Isaiah 40, tak en literally and without an y explanation or exposition, are incredibly applicable in modern Israel toda y . Orthodo x J ews in particular , are astonished when a Gentile, a ‘ pagan ’, con veys comf ort to them in a ‘ friendly’ or even in a ‘loving’ wa y . In the best case, they ha ve experienced Gentiles who tried to mak e them a ware of how far a wa y from her divine destin y Israel is living. B ut now Gentiles are coming along who are not only friendly but who also proclaim that “her sla ver y is ended“ . In toda y’ s modern language, the H ebrew wor d , which is often rendered as ‘warfare ’ or ‘ sla ver y’, designates ‘ militar y ser vice‘ . Loving wor ds of the ‘ end of militar y ser vice ’ are lik e a healing balm to the spirit of frightened parents whose sons ha ve to ser ve three years in the arm y , sometimes under lif e- threatening circumstances. U nderstanding that judgement f ollows sin, and knowing that God is just, it is easy to imagine the identity crisis and the soul -searching the J ewish people deal with. On the other hand , someone who has not been ‘ m y people ’ from birth and yet has come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac and J acob as their hea venly F ather is able to def initively sa y; “her iniquity is [ already] par doned ”. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 S w ords of I ron W ar S i tua tion U pda te F acts S peak 11,000 + r ock e ts fir ed in t o Isr ael fr om Gaza and L ebanon 1,496 killed 14,047 civilians and soldiers injur ed 253 civilians and soldiers w er e tak en hos tage 132 ar e s till cap tiv e 217 ,921 people e v acua ted fr om their homes 295,000 r eserv e soldiers mobilised T h e J u d e a m o u n t a i n s , n e a r J e r u s a l e m . | P h o t o : S h u t t e r s t o c k R e f l e c t i o n B y R e v O s c a r L o h u i s C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l N e t h e r l a n d s Sour c e: The Ins titute f or Na tional Security S tudies—T el A viv Univ ersity , as o f F ebruary 2024 W a tchmen on the W a l ls of J erusa lem The S tate of I srael is being seriously thr eatened. Governments, terr or organisations and whole cr owds of people ar e c oming out unashamedly sa ying that I srael must be destr oyed and that the world’ s only J ewish state has no right to exist. I t is only a very small c ountry in the whole of the M iddle East, with very f ew inhabitants, yet the fight against I srael and the battle f or J erusalem has bec ome the f ocus of world politics. As a r esult of demonising and delegitimising I srael, J ews worldwide ar e incr easingly at risk due to the alarming incr ease of antisemitism. J ewish students at universities oftentimes no longer dar e to openly show that they ar e J ews because of the r esulting hostile climate and the many incidents of violenc e against J ews. E veryone talks about diversity , equality and inclusiveness, but no action is tak en against calling f or the genocide of J ews. Standing in the Ga p As Christians, we ha ve two options. W e can either withdra w or stand in the gap . W e can r emain silent or speak out. W e can be intimidated or be bold. W e can sta y put or stand up f or the truth. The L or d God is appointing watchmen on the walls of J erusalem at this time. W atchmen ar e needed when the city is under thr eat. But these watchmen ar e not just watching f or possible enemies who c ome towar d the city with evil intentions. I saiah 62:6- 7 sa ys that these watchmen also look upwar d, that they r emind the L or d of H is pr omises f or I srael. S piri tual Ba ttle “I ha ve posted watchmen on your walls, J erusalem; they will never be silent da y or night. Y ou who call on the L or d, give yourselves no r est, and give H im no r est till H e establishes J erusalem and mak es her the praise of the earth. ” The r eason why ther e is so much enmity against I srael is because of this tr emendously beautiful plan of God and the destiny H e has f or J erusalem. I t is pr of oundly a spiritual battle, and so let us stand in the gap f or the J ewish people, most of all in pra y er . P ersonally , I ha ve never been mor e c onvinc ed of the righteous need to stand with I srael and the J ewish people than toda y . I hope that you f eel the same wa y .

23. T eaching fro m the Torah 13 (A USTRALIA) Greg Cumming n The T orah P ortion | www .thetorah portion.org The prophet Isaiah f oresa w a future da y when M essiah would rule from J erusalem. “ N ow it shall come to pass in the latter da ys that the mountain of the Lor d ’ s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Man y people shall come and sa y , “ C ome, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lor d , to the house of the God of J acob; H e will teach us His wa ys, and we shall walk in His paths.” F or out of Z ion shall go f or th the T orah, and the wor d of the Lor d from J erusalem ”. Isaiah 2:2-3 B o t h I s a i a h a n d M i c a h p r o p h e s i e d t h a t i n t h e l a t t e r d a y s , p e o p l e f r o m a l l a r o u n d t h e w o r l d w i l l s t r e a m t o t h e n a t i o n o f I s r a e l , n o t t o v i s i t t h e n i g h t c l u b s i n T e l A v i v , o r t h e s k i s l o p e s o f M t H e r m o n , o r t h e t e c h c e n t r e s i n B e e r s h e b a . N o, they will come to J erusal em to worship God — and to hear the M essiah teach the wa ys of the Lor d — r evealing His righ teous paths— His instructi ons— the T orah. So wh y would J esus be teaching the T orah when H e comes back to rule and reign? When J esus came to this world , we know that H e k ept the T orah in ever y respect and also clarified man y legal questions posed to Him about the T orah. At that time H e began to fulfil His M essianic role as the final authority on all legal matters and difficult questions relating to the T orah. I n t h e R a b b i n i c w r i t i n g s , a n y u n r e s o l v e d o r p r o b l e m a t i c l e g a l d i s c u s s i o n s o r d i n a r i l y c o n c l u d e w i t h a r e f e r e n c e t o t h e c o m i n g o f t h e M e s s i a h . I n o t h e r w o r d s , t h e d i ffi c u l t p a r t s o f t h e T o r a h w i l l b e l e f t f o r t h e M e s s i a h t o r e s o l v e . In the M essianic Era, when J esus comes again, the T orah will be fully obser ved as it was when H e walk ed in this world. J esus will give His M essianic inter pretation of the T orah, and H e will explain man y things, which in ma y wa ys will mak e it seem lik e a ‘ new T orah ’, and yet it remains unchanged. The J ewish Encyclopedia ( on Eschatology ) explains: The H oly One will expound the new T orah to be given by the M essiah. J e s u s w i l l r e s o l v e a l l t h e s e e m i n g c o n t r a d i c t i o n s , c o r r e c t a l l m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s , c l a r i f y d i ffi c u l t i e s , a n d r e v e a l n e w a n d h i d d e n m e a n i n g s a n d i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s , b u t H e w i l l n o t i n a n y w a y a d d t o t h e T o r a h o f M o s e s o r s u b t r a c t f r o m i t . The ‘ N ew T orah ’ of M essiah is not a diff erent T orah, because the T orah itself is perf ect. “The T orah of the Lor d is perf ect, con verting the soul...” P salm 1 9:7 Rather ‘ N ew T orah ’ of M essiah reveals the true inner essence of the original T orah of M oses. Additionally , in the future age, the prophets J eremiah and E zekiel f oretell that the T orah will be written upon the hear ts of the believers by the S pirit. “ B u t t h i s i s t h e c o v e n a n t t h a t I w i l l m a k e w i t h t h e h o u s e o f I s r a e l a f t e r t h o s e d a y s , s a y s t h e L o r d : I w i l l p u t M y T o r a h i n t h e i r m i n d s , a n d w r i t e i t o n t h e i r h e a r t s ; a n d I w i l l b e t h e i r G o d , a n d t h e y s h a l l b e M y p e o p l e ” . J e r e m i a h 3 1 : 3 3 “ I will put M y S pirit within you and cause you to walk in M y statutes, and you will k eep M y judgments and do them ”. Ezekiel 36:27 R esurrected believers will be incorruptible in their remembrance and obedience to T orah. “ ... A l l t h e T o r a h w h i c h y o u l e a r n i n t h i s w o r l d i s ‘ v a n i t y ’ i n c o m p a r i s o n w i t h T o r a h w h i c h w i l l b e l e a r n t i n t h e w o r l d t o c o m e ; b e c a u s e i n t h i s w o r l d a m a n l e a r n s T o r a h a n d f o r g e t s i t , b u t w i t h r e f e r e n c e t o t h e w o r l d t o c o m e w h a t i s w r i t t e n t h e r e ? I w i l l p u t m y T o r a h i n t h e i r i n w a r d p a r t s ( J e r e m i a h 3 1 : 3 3 ) a n d h a v i n g b e e n p l a c e d t h e r e b y G o d i t c a n n e v e r b e f o r g o t t e n . E c c l e s i a s t e s R a b b a h 2 : 1 This new covenant shall not be brok en. W ith His ‘ new T orah ’ M essiah will teach all people of God ’ s wa ys and how to walk in His paths, and this teaching will go f or th from M t Z ion, from M essiah ’ s throne in J erusalem, and influence the whole world in relation to God ’ s kingdom. Both Zechariah and E zekiel prophesied that when the M essiah comes, the living waters from the G ihon S pring, will again flood out from M t Z ion and bring lif e again to the Dead Sea — a f oretelling of ph ysical lif e once more flowing into the sea whose ver y name symbolises death. B ut the prophecy also spiritually ref erences the T orah going out from M t Z ion, its righteousness healing the la wlessness of the nations. “ And in that da y His f eet will stand on the M oun t of O lives, w hi ch faces J erusal em on the east. And the M oun t of O lives shall be sp lit in two, fr om east to west, making a ver y large vall ey; half of the moun tain shall move towar d the north and half of it towar d the south. And in that da y it shall be that living waters shall fl ow from J er usal em, half of them towar d the eastern sea and half of them towar d the western sea... And the Lor d shall be King over all the earth. In that da y it shall be— “The Lor d is one ”, and His name one ”. Zechariah 14:4, 8-9 “ T h e n h e b r o u g h t m e b a c k t o t h e d o o r o f t h e t e m p l e ; a n d t h e r e w a s w a t e r , fl o w i n g f r o m u n d e r t h e t h r e s h o l d o f t h e t e m p l e t o w a r d t h e e a s t . . . T h e n h e s a i d t o m e : “ T h i s w a t e r fl o w s t o w a r d t h e e a s t e r n r e g i o n , g o e s d o w n i n t o t h e v a l l e y , a n d e n t e r s t h e s e a . W h e n i t r e a c h e s t h e s e a , i t s w a t e r s a r e h e a l e d . A n d i t s h a l l b e t h a t e v e r y l i v i n g t h i n g t h a t m o v e s , w h e r e v e r t h e r i v e r s g o , w i l l l i v e . . . ” E z e k i e l 4 7 : 1 , 8 - 9 In the coming year we will be starting to teach the T orah P ortion from our new M t Z ion T orah P ortion Ministr y C entre, where we will be broadcasting the W or d of the Lor d to the world from the C ity of D a vid — J erusalem in fulfilment to Isaiah ’ s prophecy . “ F or out of Z ion shall go f orth the T orah ”. Isaiah 2:3 Wh y don ’ t you consider f ollowing us on the journey as we begin to fulfil Isaiah ’ s prophecy bef ore our great King returns. Learn mor e about the M t Zion T orah P ortion M inistry C entr e in the City of D avid, J erusalem on thetorahportion.org/M tZion. Also you can curr ently join Gr eg Cumming every Satur da y morning fr om 9.30- 11am AEST f or The T orah P ortion. thetorahportion.org T h e T o r a h S h a l l G o F o r t h F r o m Z i o n O ld scrolls of the B ible and a M enorah. | Photo: U nsplash Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 TW O ST A TES F OR TW O PE OPLES? By W olf gang Bock and Andr ew T uck er By analyzing the assumptions underlying the EU tw o- stat e policy , The Hague Initiativ e f or Int ernational C ooper ation (thinc.) seek s t o stimulat e vigor ous debat e on the EU appr oach t o the P alestinian-Isr aeli conflict and a bett er way f orwar d f or E ur ope’ s engag ement in the Middle East. This booklet is a summary of the book: T w o Stat es f or T w o P eoples? LAND WITHOUT BORDERS By Johannes Gerloff and Heinz Reusch Return t o Zion! What the Jewish people hav e been pr aying f or f or tw o thousand y ears has been coming true since the end of the 19th century . A t the same time, ho w ev er , ther e is a fier ce struggle o v er the division of the country . This book uses maps t o illustr at e ho w Isr ael's bor ders hav e dev eloped betw een Isr aelis and P alestinians. An important book f or understanding curr ent conflict s. New Booklets A vailable Now . 0 0 $ 1 5 . 0 0 $ 2 0 OR DER YOUR C OP Y T ODA Y — c4israe l.com.au/store

19. R estoring the Torah 9 (A USTRALIA) K ya l n Cumming Senior P astor of Kingdom Ch urch on the Gold Coast Do you remember the prof ound wor ds of Y eshua ( J esus ) during P assover (A viv 14 ), as he dined with his disciples? H e urged , “ Do this in remembrance of M e.” On the subsequent da y , A viv 14, Y eshua ’ s crucifixion aligned perf ectly with the temple ’ s morning sacrifices. Astoundingly , he died at the 9th hour , the exact time of the afternoon sacrifices, coinciding with the slaughtering of the P assover lambs in the temple. This miraculous parallel between his sacrifice and the P assover obser vance underscores the deep connected significance between God and His appointments. S u c h r e m a r k a b l e e v e n t s l e a d u s t o p o n d e r : W a s Y e s h u a r e f e r e n c i n g P a s s o v e r w h e n H e s a i d t o d o T H I S i n r e m e m b r a n c e o f H i m ? W a s h e e s t a b l i s h i n g a n e w p r a c t i c e c a l l e d c o m m u n i o n ? Let’ s delve into this fascinating exploration together . The Biblical F ounda tion of P asso ver In Leviticus 23:1- 2 ( ESV ), we find a divine declaration: The Lor d spok e to M oses, sa ying, “S peak to the people of Israel and sa y to them, ‘These are the appointed f easts of the Lor d that you shall proclaim as holy con vocations; they are m y appointed f easts. ’” God characterises these f easts not as J ewish but ex clusively as HIS divine appointments with all of humanity . The T orah, specifically E x odus 12:1- 28, presents P assover as a symbol of liberation from E gyptian bondage, victor y over her deities and a triumph over death. This f estival, embodying deliverance and redemption, ser ves to pass down the narrative of God ’ s mighty hand , liberation through generations — the stor y must be told each year , from generation to generation. The N ew T estamen t and J ewish H eri tage C ontrar y to the common belief in Christianity that the disciples completely abandoned their J ewish faith to f orm a separate religion, the N ew T estament narrative suggests a more congruent relationship with their J ewish heritage, faith and belief. F or instance, f ollowing Y eshua ’ s ascension, he instructed his disciples to remain in J erusalem, a directive they f ollowed , maintaining their lif elong tradition. This adherence is evident in A cts 2:1-4, where the disciples, numbering around 120, gather at the temple portico to celebrate P entecost. Additionally , in A cts 12:3-4, P eter’ s arrest during the F east of U nleavened B read is mentioned , underscoring the significance of these obser vances. A cts 20:6 describes P aul and his companions dela ying their departure from Philippi until after the F east of U nleavened B read, demonstrating their continued obser vance of P assover — related f easts. P aul ’ s eagerness to be in J erusalem f or the Day of P entecost, as mentioned in A cts 20:16, further indicates his commitment to God ’ s appointments. In 1 C or inthians 5:7- 8, P aul uses the imager y of P assover and the F east of U nleavened B read, encouraging believers to celebrate the f east with sincerity and truth, symbolically ridding themselves of the ‘ old lea ven ’ of sin. This metaphorical language suggests a spiritual reinterpretation of P assover in light of our M essiah ’ s sacrifice, affirming the continued relevance of these obser vances in the community . Y eshua ’ s wor ds during the P assover , “ Do this in remembrance of me,” stand as a confirming directive, highlighting the perpetual importance of these appointments. They are not something to be replaced , diminished , or separated from, but rather to be honoured and remembered. The Historical Shift and R eturn to P assover The early Church ’ s shift a wa y from J ewish practices, such as the obser vance of P assover , marks a pivotal moment in religious histor y . This shift can be traced back to the edicts of Church councils and the influence of C onstantine. N otably , the C ouncil of N icaea in 325 AD , as documented by E usebius in ‘Vita C onstantini ’ (Lif e of C onstantine ), reveals a deliberate eff ort to diff erentiate Christian practices from J ewish ones. C onstantine ’ s statement, as quoted by E usebius, is telling: “ ...it is unbecoming beyond measure that on this holiest of f estivals we should f ollow the customs of the J ews. H encef orth, let us ha ve nothing in common with this odious people...” This articulation not only indicates a theological divergence but also reflects the antisemitic sentiment of the time. F ollowing this, the C ouncil of Laodicea, around 365 AD , took a further step in distancing Christian practices from their J ewish roots. Canon 37 of this council explicitly prohibited Christians from participating in J ewish obser vances, including P assover . This decision, reinf orcing C onstantine ’ s earlier declarations, widened the divide between J ewish and Christian practices. This significant move disrupted the continuity of teaching the significance of P assover to successive generations of believers, particularly aff ecting Gentile believers. The implications were prof ound , leading to a breach in understanding and depicting J ews and Gentiles as two distinct entities. This separation, mark ed by the C ouncil of Laodicea ’ s Canon 37, underlined the growing rift and set a precedent that would influence Christian obser vance f or centuries. I t represents a critical juncture in the histor y of the Christian faith, altering the trajector y of religious obser vance and theological understanding, and contributing to the complex interpla y of religious, cultural, and historical factors that shape contemporar y faith practices. R omans 11:17- 24, however , speaks to the inclusivity of Y eshua ’ s message, in viting Gentiles to partak e in God ’ s appointments, including P assover . T oda y , a significant restoration among J ewish and Gentile believers in Y eshua is under wa y , aiming to reconnect with these divine appointments. Embracing P asso ver T oda y The stor y of P assover is not just a historical account but a living narrative that speaks of Y eshua ’ s victor y over death and the promise of eternal redemption f or all, J ew and Gentile alik e. As we anticipate the complete fulfilment of this promise, we hold onto Y eshua ’ s simple yet prof ound instruction: “ Do THIS in remembrance of M e.” If you would lik e to celebrate P assover and are eager to obser ve it but unsure where to begin, we in vite you to explore this meaningful appointment of the Lor d with us. Our resources are designed to guide and help you on your journey . V i s i t w w w . p a s s o v e r . o r g . a u f o r a n a r r a y o f r e s o u r c e s , i n c l u d i n g a f r e e E - b o o k w i t h a c o m p r e h e n s i v e g u i d e t o c o n d u c t i n g a P a s s o v e r S e d e r , a l o n g s i d e r e c i p e s , a r t i c l e s , a n d i n s i g h t f u l i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h i s d i v i n e a p p o i n t m e n t . T h r o u g h o u r o ff e r i n g s , s u c h a s t h e V i r t u a l S e d e r E x p e r i e n c e a n d s t r u c t u r e d S h o r t C o u r s e s o n t h e L o r d ’ s a p p o i n t e d t i m e s , w e a i m t o f a c i l i t a t e a d e e p e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d a p p r e c i a t i o n o f P a s s o v e r . J o i n u s i n t h i s j o u r n e y o f r e d i s c o v e r y a n d r e s t o r a t i o n , a s w e e m b r a c e t h e r i c h n e s s o f o u r s h a r e d h e r i t a g e a n d t h e u n i f y i n g m e s s a g e o f P a s s o v e r — i n r e m e m b r a n c e o f H i m . D o t h i s i n R e m e m b r a n c e o f M e Celebrating P assover with m y family . | Photo: K yal C umming Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4

29. Histo ry o f the Ch ur ch 11 B e l i e v i n g W i t h o u t I s r a e l G r a f t e d i n t o t h e N o b l e O l i v e T r e e — P a r t 9 R ev Co rnelis Kan t n Ex ecuti ve Director | Christians for Israel In terna tiona l In this series of ar ticles R ev C ornelis Kant explains how it happened that the role of Israel was seen as insignif icant in the development of our Christian faith and in the histor y of Christian theology . P a u l e x p l a i n s i n R o m a n s 1 1 t h a t a s C h r i s t i a n s f r o m t h e n a t i o n s , w e h a v e b e e n g r a f t e d a s ‘ w i l d b r a n c h e s ’ o n t o t h e t r u n k o f t h e n o b l e o l i v e . I n c o n t r a s t , s o m e o f t h e n a t u r a l b r a n c h e s h a v e b e e n b r o k e n o f f f r o m t h e t r e e . P a u l e x p l a i n s t h a t s o m e J e w s w e r e b r o k e n o f f b e c a u s e o f t h e i r u n b e l i e f , a n d w e , a s C h r i s t i a n s f r o m t h e n a t i o n s , w e r e g r a f t e d o n t o t h e o l i v e t r e e . W i t h i n r e p l a c e m e n t a n d e n l a r g e m e n t t h e o l o g y , t h i s h a s o f t e n b e e n e x p l a i n e d t o i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e t r u n k i s ‘ I s r a e l ’ , t h a t m o s t o f t h e J e w s h a v e b e e n r e m o v e d f r o m i t , a n d w e h a v e b e e n i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o i t . S o , t o g e t h e r w i t h M e s s i a n i c J e w s , w e , a s C h r i s t i a n s , w o u l d e f f e c t i v e l y h a v e b e c o m e t h e n e w I s r a e l . T h i s i s a c u r i o u s w a y o f r e a d i n g i t . F i r s t o f a l l , n o t a l l t h e J e w s w e r e t a k e n a w a y f r o m t h e o l i v e t r e e , b u t o n l y ‘ s o m e ’ . L a t e r i n t h e s a m e c h a p t e r , t h e p r o p h e t i c p r o m i s e i s d e c l a r e d : “ A n d s o a l l I s r a e l w i l l b e s a v e d, a s i t i s w r i t t e n , T h e D e l i v e r e r w i l l c o m e f r o m Z i o n , H e w i l l r e m o v e u n g o d l i n e s s f r o m J a c o b ” ( R o m a n s 1 1 : 2 6 ) . S o G o d h a s n o t a t a l l f i n i s h e d w i t h I s r a e l a n d t h e J e w i s h p e o p l e , n o r h a v e t h e y b e e n r e p l a c e d b y t h e c h u r c h . I s r a e l , a s t h e ‘ n a t u r a l b r a n c h e s ’ , s t a n d s o n t h e n o b l e o l i v e t r e e , r e p r e s e n t i n g G o d ’ s e t e r n a l c o v e n a n t s w i t h A b r a h a m a n d h i s d e s c e n d a n t s . W e , a s C h r i s t i a n s f r o m t h e G e n t i l e s , t h r o u g h f a i t h i n J e s u s C h r i s t , t h e M e s s i a h , a r e g r a f t e d o n t o t h a t s a m e t r u n k b y H i s g r a c e a s ‘ w i l d b r a n c h e s ’ . W e d o n o t t h e r e b y b e c o m e e q u a l t o I s r a e l , n o r d o w e r e p l a c e I s r a e l , b u t w e m a y s h a r e i n t h e b l e s s i n g s , t h e ‘ r i c h r o o t o f t h e o l i v e t r e e ’ ( v e r s e 1 7 ) o f G o d ’ s n e w c o v e n a n t w i t h I s r a e l . W h e n t h e c o v e n a n t w a s e s t a b l i s h e d, G o d p r o m i s e d A b r a m : “ I n y o u , a l l t h e f a m i l i e s o f t h e e a r t h w i l l b e b l e s s e d ” ( G e n e s i s 1 2 : 3 ) . S o I s r a e l i s n o t r e p l a c e d, h o w e v e r i t m e a n s t o s h a r e i n t h e b l e s s i n g s o f t h e c o v e n a n t w i t h A b r a h a m . The U n just T enan ts In M atthew 21, J esus tells a parable about a landowner who has a vineyar d and rents it out to tenants. H owever , the tenants want to k eep the produce f or themselves. E ventually , the landowner sends his own son to the tenants on the assumption that they will spare him. B ut the tenants kill the son, assuming that they will inherit the vineyar d when the heir is dead. When J esus then asks the chief priests and elders of the people what the landowner will do with these tenants, they reply that he will mak e the tenants die an evil death. J esus then replies, “That the kingdom of God will be tak en a wa y from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it” ( M atthew 21:43 ). This passage has often been interpreted to suggest that the kingdom was tak en from Israel because the J ews killed the son of the lor d of the house. God would ha ve tak en a wa y Israel ’ s Kingdom and the people of God and handed it over to other people who were willing to bring f orth the fruit. Those other people were supposedly the Christian church. That is the doctrine as we ha ve known it since the Middle Ages. Again, this interpretation is an example of insertionism. Governed by the persistent perception that Israel ’ s role as God ’ s people is f inished , such passages are read carelessly . What does it actually sa y? Israel, in this parable, is the vineyar d. W e encounter that image more often in the O ld T estament. Isaiah 5:7 sa ys: “ F or the vineyar d of the Lor d of hosts is the house of Israel.” T h e t e n a n t s i n t h e p a r a b l e a r e t h e l e a d e r s o f I s r a e l . J e s u s i s s p e a k i n g a t t h a t m o m e n t t o t h e p r i e s t s a n d e l d e r s o f t h e p e o p l e , t h e l e a d e r s , i n o t h e r w o r d s . H e c r i t i c i s e s t h e i r p o o r l e a d e r s h i p , a n d i t w i l l e v e n t u a l l y b e t a k e n a w a y f r o m t h e m . W e a l s o r e a d s o m e t h i n g s i m i l a r i n E z e k i e l 3 4 , w h e r e t h e L o r d G o d a l s o c r i t i c i s e d t h e l e a d e r s o f I s r a e l a t t h a t t i m e . T h e y w e r e p o o r s h e p h e r d s a n d f o c u s e d n o t o n t h e w e l l - b e i n g o f t h e p e o p l e b u t o n t h e i r o w n i n t e r e s t s . H e a n n o u n c e d t h a t H e w o u l d t a k e t h e i r s h e p h e r d s h i p a w a y f r o m t h e m a n d a p p o i n t a n e w s h e p h e r d . I n J e s u s ’ p a r a b l e , t h e v i n e y a r d r e m a i n s j u s t t h e v i n e y a r d . T h e r e w i l l o n l y b e o t h e r t e n a n t s . S o I s r a e l d o e s n o t c e a s e t o b e t h e p e o p l e o f G o d . O t h e r p e o p l e w i l l b e i n v o l v e d . I t i s e v i d e n t , h o w e v e r , t h a t e v e n i n t h i s p a r a b l e o f J e s u s , I s r a e l ’ s p o s i t i o n a s G o d ’ s p e o p l e d o e s n o t c o m e t o a n e n d . O l d o l i v e t r e e s . | P h o t o : S h u t t e r s t o c k Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 R esurrecting P sa lm 23 I t is time to r esurr ect Psalm 23. T o do so, we need to observe that the c orr ect H ebraic title f or the book of P salms is ‘P raises’ — T ehillim. The book of Psalms tells us how to view a lif e with God when we worship H im. N o matter our situation in lif e, a believer must end up praising God. Psalms r ec or ds the highs and lows of multiple authors as well as the demands and expectations they put to God to r escue themselves and H is people. Y et, each chapter is ultimately a praise to H im. I nstead of viewing chapter 23 as a ‘ psalm ’ , let’ s view it fr om the perspective of ‘ praise ’ . The end of the first verse of Psalm 23 is usually translated as “I shall not want. ” These f our E nglish wor ds ar e r epr esented by two H ebr ew wor ds— סר ָ ח ְ א ֶ א ֹ ל (loh ekh-sar ). Although the opening of verse 1 is the pr esent tense —“The E ternal is M y S hepher d, ” it c oncludes in the futur e tense. I f we f ollow the rules of grammar , the end of verse 1 should be “I ha ve everything. ” What’ s this futur e all about? The r evelational answer c omes down to one letter— alef ( א ). Let me demonstrate. The first letter of the H ebr ew alphabet is alef ( א ) and it has a numerical value of 1. I t is the letter that begins the wor d of the verse Psalm 23:1 סר ָ ח ְ ֶ א (ekh-sar ). The alef is c onstructed fr om two other H ebr ew letters yud ( י ) and vav ( ו ). The numerical value of yud is 10 and the numerical value of vav is 6. I f you look at the alef closely , ther e ar e two yud’ s and one vav . B y c ombining these two letters that f orm alef , the total numerical value of the wor d is 26. T h e n a m e o f G o d t h a t b e g i n s P s a l m 2 3 : 1 i s t h e T e t r a g r a m m a t o n , ( ה ו ה י ) , t r a n s l a t e d a s ‘ T h e E t e r n a l , ’ s i n c e t h e t e r m i s a f u s i o n o f t h r e e H e b r e w t i m e - r e l a t e d e x p r e s s i o n s , f u t u r e , p r e s e n t a n d p a s t . G o d a b o v e t i m e ! T h e n u m e r i c a l v a l u e o f t h e T e t r a g r a m m a t o n i s 2 6 ( y u d - 1 0 ; h e y - 5 ; v a v - 6 a n d h e y 5 ) . T h e a l e f t h a t b e g i n s t h e l a s t w o r d o f t h e v e r s e i s h i n t i n g t o t h e n a m e o f G o d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e v e r s e . A l e f e q u a l s t h e T e t r a g r a m m a t o n . A H ebraic translation of Psalm 23:1 would thus be “ A melody to D a vid: The E ternal is shepher ding me, I will not miss anything. ” The r eason I will not miss anything is because of the alef that r epr esents The E ternal. When I am all in with H im, I will alwa ys ha ve it all. So, instead of just r eciting this verse at a funeral, it is time f or the P raise to be part of our living with God! B i b l i c a l R o o t s By Dav i d N e k r u t m a n “ F o r t h e v i n e y a r d o f t h e L o r d o f h o s t s i s t h e h o u s e o f I s r a e l ” . I s a i a h 5 : 7

34. F r o m Our Pr o jects 16 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 | I s r a e l & C h r i s t i a n s T o d a y A d a r I—A d a r I I 5 7 8 4 Dear friends of Israel and the J ewish people, As Christians f or Israel, we ha ve been distributing f ood parcels to the J ewish community in Ukraine f or man y years. F acing the challenges of a second winter during the war , the temperatures plummet well below freezing. Amidst the uncertainties wrought by the ongoing war , we hold steadfast to the belief that God continues to guide His people through these difficult times. H e cares f or them and continues with His plan! R ecently , we had the privilege of visiting 82- year -old J ewish V alentina in her modest, dilapidated home in eastern Ukraine. C onfined to her bed , the f ood parcel we delivered was crucial, yet equally significant was the comf ort we could off er through our visit. W e assured V alentina that the God of Israel watches over her . T h e p r o v i s i o n o f f o o d a i d r e m a i n s a n i m p o r t a n t p a r t o f C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l ’ s e ff o r t s i n U k r a i n e . T h i s w i n t e r , o u r g o a l i s t o d i s t r i b u t e m o r e t h a n 4 0 , 0 0 0 f o o d p a c k a g e s ( e q u i v a l e n t t o o v e r 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 p o u n d s ) t o s u p p o r t n e e d y J e w i s h e l d e r l y , s t r u g g l i n g f a m i l i e s , a n d r e f u g e e s . Knowing that we can contribute to the well -being of the J ewish people brings solace and motivation. W e in vite you to join us in making this important work possible through your generous donations and pra yers. T ogether , let us bring comf ort and encouragement to those in need. W arm greetings on behalf of the entire team of Christians f or Israel in Ukraine. I n U kraine, tens of thousands of J ews c ontinue to fac e poverty . The pr ovision of f ood par c els by the Christians f or I srael team is crucial f or these individuals to withstand the harsh winter c onditions. This winter in U kraine, our goal is to distribute 40,000 f ood par c els to impoverished J ewish families, H olocaust survivors and the elderly . A f ood par c el c osts $25. Y our assistanc e can mak e a significant diff er enc e. Will you support one or mor e par c els? F o o d P a r c e l s f o r J e w i s h C o m m u n i t i e s Y o u r S u p p o r t i s N e e d e d One food parcel contains: 1 kg spaghetti 1 kg macaroni 1 kg gr its 1 kg r ice 1 kg bulgur 1 kg sugar 2 kg flour 500 gm oatmeal 1 tin of peas 1 tin of cor n 1 litre cooking oil 1 tin of chicken 1 pack of coffee 1 pack of tea 1 bar of chocolate O n e $ 2 6 p a r c e l c o n t a i n s : K o e n Car lier A l i y a h F i e l d w o r k e r C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l U k r a i n e Y E S , I W O U L D L I K E T O M A K E A T A X - D E D U C T I B L E D O N A T I O N T O W A R D S . . . Q uantit y Price inc GST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CHEQUE OR MONEY ORDERS: Please make out to: C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l A u s t r a l i a F o u n d a t i o n L t d . ( d o n ’ t u s e s t a p l e s ) INTERNET BANKIN G: BSB: ANZ BANK — 014- 279 Accoun t N o: 433641954 Ref: Y our name & gift purpose Please confirm by emailing inf o@c4israel.com.au MY DET AILS: N ame: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Christians for Isr ael Austr alia F oundation Ltd . ABN: 58 655 970 3 S ocial W elf ar e Pr ojects Ali y ah—Bring the Jews H ome 2 *NO TE: C ertificates f or individuals and families fr om U kraine only . M E M B E R I D ( I F K N O W N) : P L E A S E C O M P L E T E T H I S F O R M A N D R E T U R N T O : C h r i s t i a n s f o r I s r a e l A u s t r a l i a , P O B o x 1 5 0 8 , S p r i n g w o o d , Q L D , 4 1 2 7 o r d o n a t e s e c u r e l y o n l i n e c 4 i s r a e l . c o m . a u / d o n a t e F o r e n q u i r e s : 0 7 3 0 8 8 6 9 0 0 I F YO U D O N ’ T K N O W O R H AV E YO U R M E M B E R I D P L E A S E I N C L U D E : Addr ess: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ P hone: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E mail: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H ineni soup kitchen J erusalem ($10 per c ook ed meal) $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H olocaust S urvivor C omf ort U kraine ($50 or best gift ) $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ M eals on Wheels U kraine ($15 per c ook ed meal) $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H elp E thiopian J ews mak e Aliyah ($875 per person ) $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ First H ome in the H omeland in I srael ($675 per person ) $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F o o d P a r c e l s U k r a i n e : $ 2 5 p e r p a r c e l f o r 1 m o n t h / p p $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Arab Christians ($10, $20 or your best gift ) $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CFOIC ( J udea and Samaria ) H eartland ($30 or your best gift ) $350 O ne P erson fr om U kraine $6250 O ne Busload fr om U kraine ( 25 persons ) $1460 B nei M enashe—Asian exiles ( 1 person ) $1250 O ne F amily fr om U kraine (5 persons ) SUB T O T AL $_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T eaching Resources I&CT Australia Calendar 2024 $29 each __________ T w o S t a t e s f o r T w o P e o p l e s ? 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