6. News 4 ISRAEL Celebrating Delegitimising Israel’s Government Only Helps Foes of the Jewish State October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 (19 September 2023). Israel is still in a political crisis. The government is sticking to its plans (announced earlier this year) to introduce legislation limiting the powers of the Supreme Court. Massive demonstrations against these reforms continue across the country. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjanmin Netanyahu travelled to the USA to meet with Elon Musk in California, to meet other heads of state and to attend the UN General Assembly opening session in New York in mid-September, he was met by groups of Israeli/Jewish protesters. Their protests, which focused on attacking Netanyahu personally, included screening an image of Netanyahu in an orange prison uniform with the words Welcome to Alcatraz, Bibi, on the walls of the infamous San Francisco jail. Giant protest slogans displayed on the UN headquarters read, Don’t Believe Crime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and an image of Netanyahu with a growing Pinocchio-style nose, with a similar message in Times Square. Jonathan Tobin n Prior to his departure for New York, Netanyahu took a shot at the protesters, giving full vent to his resentment at their activities. He described the demonstrators as “joining forces with the PLO and Iran .” He shouldn’t have said that—or at least not in that way. But those blasting him for it are ignoring the implications of their own actions, which, like it or not, are providing ammunition to those who don’t want merely to delegitimise Israel’s government but destroy the Jewish state. Netanyahu’s statement was denounced by his political opponents at home as well as by the Israeli press as an outrageous slander. They spoke of the demonstrators as ‘patriots’ who deserved respect, not comparisons to those forces wanting an end to Israel. And to some extent, the criticisms were justified. Those Israelis who hate him and who have done all in their power to try to topple his government since it took office at the end of December are not the same thing as terrorist murderers or Islamist theocrats bent on the annihilation of the Jewish state. At best, Netanyahu’s comments were intemperate partisan hyperbole. At worst, they were an example of how the battle over judicial reform and the composition of the current government has crossed over into the sort of culture war that threatens the social fabric of the nation. But the idea that it is Netanyahu who crossed the ‘red lines’ that should exist in a democracy to ensure political debate remains at least somewhat civil, is absurd. Even if it would have been more statesmanlike for Netanyahu to try to rise above the fray, the protests being conducted during his visit to the United States are far worse than anything he said. Indeed, the entire tenor of the anti- Netanyahu demonstrations, and the efforts by his opponents to sabotage the economy and national security in order to get their way, are not the actions of a loyal, let alone civil, opposition. By falsely branding the prime minister as authoritarian and the efforts by the coalition to enact a program of reform of Israel’s out-of-control and power-mad judiciary as a ‘coup’, the protesters have crossed over from political debate to a campaign of delegitimisation that is incompatible with a functioning democracy. Even worse, it soon became apparent that this struggle was not really so much about judicial reform. Nor was it just about the dismay that the losers of the election conducted in November 2022 felt about the end of the three-year-long stalemate that ended with the Likud Party and its religious allies gaining a clear majority in the Knesset. More than that, it is a culture war in which the country’s Ashkenazi secular liberal elites feel power is slipping from their grasp. That’s why they want not so much to preserve the Israeli Supreme Court but to allow it to rule unchallenged and unelected as the last bastion of the old left’s once-complete dominance of every government institution. And it’s why the demonstrators have engaged in the most vicious slurs against the largely Mizrachi, religious and nationalist voters who helped elect Netanyahu. All that is bad enough. But what the anti-Bibi resistance ignores is the way their campaign is regarded by those who have very different goals from others who just want a return to the good old days when the Israeli left ran the Jewish state—and, I might add, did so without a Supreme Court having a fraction of the power it claims to possess today. The protesters claim that the government—that won a democratic election—is authoritarian and is seeking to end democracy. That claim isn’t just wrong ,it’s gaslighting. The government’s only goal is to give the Knesset and the executive back some of the power that the courts had seized—seized without reference to any law or constitution other than their own self-manufactured whims. It’s not just that it is unseemly for groups of Israeli immigrants to the United States and other leftist allies to hound the democratically elected leader of their former country as he carries out his routine task of trying to build support for the Jewish state, especially at the United Nations. The claim that Netanyahu is a ‘criminal’ because of bogus corruption charges that don’t stand up to scrutiny, and which even the judges in the case that is dragging on for years have already said has no chance of ending in a conviction, is also cheap partisan rhetoric. But in a non-Israeli context, all this also has the effect of undermining Israel’s stance as the only true democracy in the Middle East. Those who make this argument are assisting Israel’s foes, whether that is their intent or not. They are demonising the country’s leader and his supporters. It’s all well and good to say that Netanyahu should be more polite when talking about his critics. But those who are treating Bibi as if he were the moral equivalent of an Iranian or Palestinian terrorist who threatens Israel are in no position to complain about civility or hurt feelings. Moreover, the resistance’s efforts to foment mutiny in the Israel Defense Forces and to persuade investors to remove capital from the country are not behaving in a manner that is patriotic or in line with the aims of any real democratic movement. Netanyahu’s opponents are entitled to say what they like as well as to demonstrate. It should be noted, however, that their tactics of blocking highways and paralysing the country wouldn’t be tolerated and, in fact, would be labelled as thuggish and anti-democratic if it were the political right that was behaving in that fashion. Just look back to the protests against the Oslo Accords in the 1990s and the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Still, they have no right to cry foul when it is pointed out that their efforts to delegitimise an Israeli government not just at home but abroad go far beyond anything ever done by their opponents. Some who are protesting are upset about any connection being made between their hatred for Netanyahu and support for a juristocracy with the efforts to falsely smear Israel as an ‘apartheid state’. But the links are there. And it will be no coincidence that while they are trashing the only man who is standing up against the lies of the Palestinians and the nuclear threat from Iran on the podium of the United Nations, there will be other demonstrators there supporting Israel’s destruction. A more responsible opposition would have chosen to say that politics end ‘at the water’s edge’, as Michigan Republican Sen Arthur Vandenberg famously said of debates among Americans in the 1940s. Instead, they have chosen to recognise no limits to their campaign to slander Netanyahu and his voters. While the prime minister should be more careful when expressing his frustration about his political foes, those who are lying about him and his voters are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves. Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate). Follow him on Twitter at @jonathans_tobin. Anti-overhaul activists protest against the judicial overhaul and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit in Manhattan, New York City, 19 September 2023. | Photo: Flash90 It’s all well and good to say that Netanyahu should be more polite when talking about his critics. But those who are treating Bibi as if he were the moral equivalent of an Iranian or Palestinian terrorist who threatens Israel are in no position to complain about civility or hurt feelings.

14. Political Israel 4 (AUSTRALIA) Luke n Hilton Marketing Director | HaYovel Joshua’s Altar, a heritage site in Israel, and the location of a groundbreaking recent archaeological discovery, is in danger of being destroyed. The Palestinian Authority, with no regard for history, the Judeo- Christian heritage, or respect for archaeology, was recently caught attempting to clear the site of Joshua’s Altar, located on Mt Ebal in central Samaria. Inside the cab of the bulldozer that was confiscated were found municipal plans from the Arab town of Asira Ash-Shamaliya, to build 32 houses at the site of the altar. Unfortunately, because the site of Joshua’s Altar is designated as Area B under the Oslo Accords, Israel does not have as much control over the site as it should. Some think that Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was on the verge of changing the site’s designation just days before he was assassinated in 1995, at the same time that Oslo II was being finalised. The reality however, is that it shouldn’t matter what designation the land is under. Jew, Muslim or Christian —should all have the same position towards heritage sites, especially when considering an archaeological site of these proportions. The History of Joshua’s Altar Joshua’s Altar was originally excavated by Professor Adam Zertal in the 1980s. At that time, even though he was an atheist, Zertal discovered an altar on the mountain of Ebal, in central Samaria, which fit the specifications of an ancient Israelite altar. His team also discovered thousands of bones, nearly 100% of which were from young kosher animals. In 2019, and after a team of HaYovel’s staff and volunteers had assisted in removing a discarded pile of dirt from Professor Zertal’s excavations in the 80s, Scott Stripling, a senior archaeologist who has been working in Israel for decades, found a lead tablet by putting the discarded dirt through a process known as wet sifting. This tablet contains ancient Hebrew writing with the name of God written twice, and several phrases that have to do with God’s promised curses in the event of Israel’s disobedience. If you read the account of Joshua bringing the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, you’ll discover that six tribes stood on Mt Ebal and six tribes stood on Mt Gerizim, the blessings and curses of God’s covenant were read, and all the people answered “Amen”. Not only did the discovery of this tablet, which was peer-reviewed by the archaeological community world-wide, affirm that this is indeed the site of Joshua’s Altar, but the Hebrew writing on the tablet predates any other Hebrew writing by at least 200 years. The tablet is still under review, but it also has the potential to shed light on the date of the children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Thousands of Sites in Judea and Samaria are in Danger This extraordinarily significant discovery however, could very well just be the beginning. There is still much more to be excavated from the site of Joshua’s Altar, and the discovery of the lead tablet has archaeologists excited to continue researching the site. While several groups in Judea and Samaria are doing all they can to protect the site of Joshua’s Altar from impending destruction and vandalism, the danger is still great. Unfortunately, this is only one heritage site among thousands that are in danger. According to Regavim, an Israeli NGO dedicated to the protection of Israel’s national lands and resources, there are 6,000 sites of historical and archaeological importance in Judea and Samaria that are recognised by the scientific community, but only 2,300 have been officially declared protected archaeological sites. This means that 3,700 sites are exposed to constant vandalism, theft and destruction. Even though these sites should be protected by explicit international treaties, Arabs are constantly caught vandalising and stealing artifacts from sites all over Judea and Samaria. Preserving the Eternal, an Israeli organisation dedicated to protecting archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria, conducted a survey of 150 random archaeological sites in this region, and found that 80% of them have been severely damaged and vandalised. Thanks to many of you, our team was able to purchase a drone to help patrol the site of Joshua’s Altar in the face of impending destruction. For the last week, we have kept up daily drone patrols, and on Shabbat and festivals, we will be flying every hour during the daytime to ensure that the Arabs do not take advantage of the holidays to bring a bulldozer to the site and begin clearing it for their newly planned neighborhood. This is one small step in the face of thousands of sites all across Israel’s Biblical Heartland that are continually in danger of being destroyed. These sites are not just of historical or archaeological importance. Rather, they are the bedrock of the Bible’s veracity, the Jewish people’s existence in the land of Israel, and our shared Judeo-Christian heritage. More than 80% of the Bible was written or occurred in the place that the world calls the West Bank. Wine and olive oil presses are embedded in the rocks in this region, grave sites of the Jewish people’s ancestors, ancient synagogues and churches, altars, pottery shards, biblical footprints, and many more such sites are all to be found in Judea and Samaria. They are all in danger of being erased. The bottom line is simple. The enemies of Israel, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are attempting to erase the faith of millions of Jews and Christians by destroying the physical evidence that dots the landscape of Israel’s Biblical Heartland. As believers in the Bible, we know that these enemies of God will not ultimately win. However, our job in the meantime is to stand strong with Israel’s right to be sovereign in their homeland, including Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, Israel’s very Heartland. Joshua’s Altar, One of Many Archaeological Sites Facing Destruction in Israel October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal, Samaria, Israel.

13. Political Israel 3 (AUSTRALIA) Stan Goodenough n Journalist | Israeli-Accredited Tour Guide Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back... Neither let those who pass by them say, “... we bless you in the name of the Lord!” (Psalm 129:5-8) Is it too late, or can Australian Christians somehow be galvanised into action to keep their country from losing Heaven’s blessing and coming under a curse? While Australia has not always done everything right by the Jews—in June 1938, most shamefully, closing its doors to those seeking to flee Nazi Germany—it has been widely regarded as one of the most philosemitic and pro-Israel countries in the West. That was the case until the Albanese government entered office intent on aligning Australia firmly with the global effort to dispossess Israel of its ancestral lands. The Labor party’s policies now support the uprooting of nearly three-quarters-of-a-million Jews and the planting of a hostile, Muslim ‘Palestine’ in the cradle of their—the Jews’—civilisation. Last October, Canberra stripped Israel of any right to a capital in Jerusalem, but simultaneously voiced support for the Arab objective of placing the capital of their planned Palestinian state in the city. And this past 8 August, Foreign Minister Penny Wong proclaimed that Australia will henceforth unreservedly employ the term ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ (OPT) when referring to Samaria and Judea, thereby “clarifying that the West Bank [SIC], including East Jerusalem [SIC] and Gaza, were occupied by Israel”. Wong also asserted that the Jewish towns in Samaria and Judea “are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace”. Should any readers of this article have been misled to believe otherwise, the Palestinian Arabs have never constituted a nation, have never had any state anywhere, much less in the land of Israel, and have no historical claim to Jerusalem, which no people other than the Jews has ever had as capital. But Australia has decided to champion those who, in word and deed, have long been—and remain— committed to Israel’s destruction. Jews residing where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived and lie buried are now, officially, Canberra’s enemies of peace. Australia’s Jewish community—unsurprisingly— denounced the new policy. Australian Christians too, deeply concerned for their country’s future which, they believe, has hitherto been positively advanced by the overall Australia-Israel relationship, pushed back against this broadening support for ‘the Palestinian cause’. A letter expressing dismay at the policy shift was signed by 30 organisations representing thousands around the country and submitted to Wong and her prime minister, Anthony Albanese. The letter took 10 days to formulate, circulate and sign. While this somewhat unexpected Christian voice of support for the Jews’ position was enthusiastically welcomed, some stressed the importance of responding more speedily. The hope was voiced that these organisations would grasp the need to from now on have a rapid-response network in place ready to promptly message the government in every instance of prejudiced behaviour towards Israel. Every now and then, Australian supporters of Israel suggest that they see—in actions like the writing of this letter sticking up for the Jewish state—glimmers of the long-ago ANZAC spirit—the gritty resolve that once sent Light Horse men driving straight at the enemy. Many believe that, in October 1917, their nation was used by God to begin liberating the Land of Israel for the returning Jewish people, who had begun streaming in in waves of immigration 33 years before the outbreak of the Great War. Less than six weeks after the Australian Light Horse charged Beersheba and routed the Turks, the British Empire liberated Jerusalem. In the ceremony marking the end of 700 years of Islamic rule, ANZAC soldiers lined the entrance through Jaffa Gate into the Old City. And, the following September—105 years ago at the time of this writing—the 4th Light Horse charged one final time at Tzemach (Semach) on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, conquered the site in fierce hand-to- hand combat, and from there drove the enemy up over the Golan Heights and out of the Promised Land. Exactly 30 years later, the national home of the Jewish people was resurrected from the ashes... leading Israeli officials to say, as the mayor of Beersheba stated in 2014 when commemorating the charge of the Light Horse—“if it wasn’t for Australia, there would have been no Israel.” Aussies have in recent years taken some really important stands for the Jewish state. In 2014, I witnessed Christians Down Under step up to enthusiastically and publicly declare their belief in the Jews’ unassailable national right to ownership of Samaria and Judea. That same year, thousands called on the government to stand with Israel in the Security Council, which it did— the Abbott government ordering its ambassador to the UN to oppose a UNSC resolution that would have mandated the expunging of Jews from their heartland. In 2016, a petition was submitted to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, requesting they “be open to supporting the recognition of a ONE STATE SOLUTION, being the democratic Jewish State of Israel, in order to allow Israel’s Government to strive for peace whilst continuing to protect her citizens (of all nationalities and religions) within safe and secure borders, especially in its undivided capital of Jerusalem.” In 2017 another petition was drawn up, signed by thousands and submitted to both houses in Canberra. It acknowledged Australia’s “enduring warm and close relationship with Israel”, and requested the Federal Parliament “to build on that by taking immediate steps to relocate the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.” This impetus faltered, however, after the Christian politician, Scott Morrison, was elected prime minister. Hopes that his faith would lead him to take that step and move the embassy were dashed by his timid attempt to be a people pleaser and lead his country to entrench the idea that Jerusalem is a divided city. Running against Morrison’s Liberal Party in 2021, Albanese’s ALP pledged that, if it won the elections, it would make recognising a State of Palestine a priority. It did win. Fears that this Palestine promise would be kept at the just-held ALP Conference in Brisbane went unrealised, but it seems it is only a matter of time before Australia takes that final, fateful step. The State of Palestine is a weapon developed to destroy what will be left of Israel after it is established. Islam insists on this, nor is there any way to refute this: The violent shaping and unalloyed course of Palestinian nationalism taken since its early 20th century birthing by Mohammed Amin-el-Husseini, the 1964 founding of the PLO and its history under arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat to the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and, since 2004, under Mahmoud Abbas, the goals of Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad—all of this flowing into, and utilising the land-for-peace direction and goals of the US State Department, the UN and the EU, (which, along with the World Bank is openly funding the massive illegal Arab building in Area C of Samaria and Judea), guarantee it. Palestine is being born before our very eyes. It is nearly here. Under Albanese, Australia is actively assisting in its birth. Was Wong’s policy announcement enough to shock Israel-loving Aussies into action? Do they understand how urgent things are, and that, unless they make it their priority to vigorously withstand their government’s anti- Israel policies, their nation’s future will be bleak indeed? I pray so. Canberra Styles Israel an Enemy, Israel’s Enemies Australia’s Friend October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Australia and Palestine flags. | Photo: Shutterstock

26. Stories from the Holocaust 16 (AUSTRALIA) The Mosaic Mural at Temple Beth Israel Rabbi Isaac n Riesenberg The Lantern Foundation The Holocaust was one of the darkest chapters in history, not only for the Jewish people, but truly, for all humanity. When six million Jews were being murdered, the world remained silent. Over the decades, since the Holocaust, many stories of faith, goodness, and humanity in the face of adversity have emerged. These stories shed a ray of hope over this dark period. As a child of Holocaust survivors, I would like share some these ‘Stories of Faith’ with you. After reading the stories, should you wish to support a Holocaust survivor in the Ukraine with a food parcel, comfort, or message that you care, please donate to Christians for Israel . The Making of the Biblical Mosaic Glass Mural at Temple Beth Israel In the eighties David Jack was working with former Victorian artist Harold Freedman. One day a good friend, Martha Ash, a fellow artist, approached him to do a mosaic façade for the foyer of Temple Beth Israel, East St Kilda, Melbourne. When Harold suffered a stroke, he referred Martha’s project to David. David met her together with her husband Feliks in their apartment in East Melbourne. Martha and Feliks were Holocaust survivors. They had met in Lvov, Poland in 1944 and married. After the war, in 1946, they left Poland and emigrated to Australia where Feliks established a successful manufacturing business. Martha and David proceeded to work together on a format for the mural that would be titled From Creation to Redemption. The mural would comprise of seven panels depicting key biblical moments leading to redemption. Martha worked on design ideas, and David would come to their apartment to give expression to these ideas, then attach the mosaic glass to the panels. The shape and size of the panels was dictated by the fact that they had to be able to fit into her apartment lift, on the ninth floor, then take them out of the building to Temple Beth Israel! After many years of hard work, the finished panels were delivered to Temple Beth Israel, where they were laid out on the foyer floor, in the same arrangement as they would appear up on the wall. This would enable the builders to easily assemble the mural onto the wall. David said, “I vividly remember that day, as the finished product looked spectacular, beyond all our expectations”. The official unveiling was in 1993. Feliks had sadly passed away, but Martha’s family were there at the event under the cheerful gaze of Rabbi John Levi. Martha was greatly honoured on that day by what she had accomplished. Today, thirty years on, this mural has stood the test of time and endures as a legacy to the Ash family. David reflecting back says, “I felt working with Martha to bring her project to fruition was an amazing privilege. I was inspired, how Martha and Feliks emerged from the crucible of war and the Holocaust, emigrated to Australia. Then established a successful business in Melbourne that employed about 300 people from 20 countries, just amazing”. Martha and Feliks Ash knew where they had come from, and what they had achieved in this great country of Australia. Martha wanted to express her thanks to Hashem, with her creativity in enamels and mosaic to make a biblical mural for the Temple Beth Israel foyer. For me as a devout Christian, I truly felt honoured to be part of this project, an enduring legacy for survivors of the Holocaust. Rabbi Isaac Riesenberg, founding Rabbi Central Shule—Melbourne and Dean of the Lantern Foundation. Lantern is committed to providing an understanding of the Hebraic origins of the Scriptures thereby building bridges between Christians and Jews. Please reach out on Rabbi.riesenberg@gmail.com October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Martha Ash Mosaic on the wall at Temple Beth Israel. Martha and Feliks Ash.

5. News 3 ISRAEL Celebrating October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 The PA and Israel Arabs Short News Dogs as Reading Aids Learning to read is sometimes quite a challenge for children. But how about reading aloud to a four-legged friend? Suddenly it turns out to be a lot more fun and effective, more effective even than reading aloud to one’s classmates. This is the outcome of an Israeli study on how to motivate children to read. Shirley Har-Zvi, who was involved in the study, said, “Research shows that being able to read fluently is essential for a child’s learning process; it helps them integrate into society.” | Photo: Flash90 First Hydrogen Refilling Station Near Haifa, Israel’s first hydrogen refilling station was recently opened. So Israel is now in the ranks of leading countries in the world that want to replace the use of fossil fuels with hydrogen, among other things. The aim is to open more hydrogen refilling stations in the future. Pilot projects are also being conducted to see if hydrogen can also be used in the industrial sector. Millions for Arab Israelis The previous Israeli Cabinet had already initiated investments for the Arab population in Israel. The current Cabinet will continue those investments. In mid-August, it agreed to invest 780 million euros for the benefit of inhabitants of East Jerusalem for the next five years. The investment aims to reduce economic and social inequality. “It will provide massive development of the infrastructure, health care, well- being, personal safety, employment and education”, PM Netanyahu announced when the program was presented. Israel National Trail Extended The Israel National Trail is known to—and loved by—many a hiker. The trail is now even longer than it was before. You can now start—or end—on Mount Hermon, the northernmost part of Israel. To walk the Israel Trail, you will need some time; the trail is over one thousand kilometres long. But you will see all the beauty Israel has to offer. | Photo: Flash90 Dr Jacques Neriah n Since the Oslo Accords were signed in September 1993, Israeli governments have pursued a policy of containment towards the Palestinian Authority, even though the PA has blatantly violated the Accords. That policy, which the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs see as reflecting Israeli weakness and dependence on the PA, affects the Israeli Arab sector’s commitment to the narrative of the Palestinian struggle and its attitude towards law and order. It has also helped to impair governability and ignited two waves of violence in the Israeli Arab sector, each of which was, at the time, unprecedented since Israel’s establishment. The formation of Israel’s new conservative government offers a golden opportunity for a change in policy towards the PA and Hamas and their influence over the Israeli Arab street, aiming to restore governability and impose law and order. The effects of the two fierce waves of Israeli Arab violence continue to the present. The first wave occurred in October 2000, when 13 Israeli citizens (12 Arabs and one Jew) were killed. It corresponded with the Second Intifada. The second riots, in May 2021, accompanied the IDF’s ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls.’ In those disturbances, 13 Israeli citizens were killed. The common denominator of these two severe outbreaks of violence is that events in eastern Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount were the detonators. An investigation into the rioting showed that the PA and Hamas have turned the Temple Mount issue and the mendacious ‘Al-Aqsa is in danger’ canard into their main engines for inciting the Israeli Arabs against the state. The incitement is conducted in the Palestinian education system, mosques, official media and social media. On the eve of Ramadan 2023, there was growing concern that the PA and Hamas would again use the Temple Mount issue to incite the Israeli Arabs. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced the possibility of a ‘Guardian of the Walls II’ outbreak in the Arab sector and the mixed Muslim-Jewish Israeli cities. He stated that the police were preparing accordingly. Eventually, despite growing tension and incitement and some escalation, there was no major outbreak of violence. As the Israeli Arabs see it, what happened in May 2021 was a spontaneous eruption aimed less at protesting against injustice and inequality in Israeli society and more at emphasising that their national identity is Palestinian rather than Israeli, despite the Israelisation phenomenon in Israeli Arab society. As a direct result of the violent events of May 2021, Israel is now establishing a national guard to help restore governability in the Arab sector and deal with widespread disturbances, including in the mixed Jewish-Muslim cities. Some members of the Israeli Arab leadership have helped encourage the violence through rabble-rousing statements in the media. Parliamentary whip and Knesset member Ofir Katz is now promoting a bill to disqualify Arab MKs who support terror. Statements favouring terror or individual terrorists would constitute sufficient cause to bar candidates from running for the Knesset under the proposed legislation. Meanwhile, the Bedouin residents of the Negev are marking a year since the ‘Negev uprising’ (habat al-nakab in Arabic) against a tree-planting ceremony by the Jewish National Fund, and some are preparing for a further confrontation in light of the new government’s aim of imposing law and order. Many members of the younger Israeli Arab generation continue to voice complaints over what they perceive as racism towards the Arab sector and the meagre budgets devoted to tackling its crime and social problems. There is still intense anger over the Israeli establishment’s intention to fight illegal Arab-sector construction while neglecting the issues of violence, crime and illegal weapons. The exclusion of the Arab Ra’am Party from the current coalition has exacerbated the fear that instead of addressing the fundamental problems of the Israeli Arab sector—a process that Ra’am spearheaded as a coalition member of the Bennett-Lapid government—the new government will neglect the issue, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promises. The current government aims to funnel a sum of 30 billion shekels ($7.8 billion) to the Arab sector—compared to the 53 billion shekels ($13.8 billion) allocated by the previous government. Although quiet has prevailed in the Arab sector since the May 2021 events, it is an illusory quiet. Under the surface, resentments simmer and threaten to erupt anew, especially in cities where the friction between Jews and Arabs is considerable. There is great apprehension in the Israeli Arab sector regarding Ben-Gvir’s appointment to the post of national security minister in light of his election campaign declarations to restore governability to the Negev and fight crime in the Arab sector. Those fears intensified with Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount on 3 January and statements about changing the status quo on the Mount. There is concern that his policy will ignite a new spate of disturbances in the Arab sector. On 9 January, the National Committee of Heads of Arab Local Authorities stated in a letter to Netanyahu: “It is hard for us to see how we can work effectively with the new national security minister, given his racist positions towards the Arab sector and the total and deep mistrust between the Arab sector and the minister and his office.” The local authority heads warned that Ben-Gvir had been granted policy prerogatives and powers with great potential to harm the Arab sector. For example, the transferring of the Israel Lands Authority to his purview, the authority to possibly change IDF engagement orders, and allowing the Israel Security Agency to operate in Arab communities. Such powers could help the minister to implement his hardline agenda towards Israeli Arab society, they warned. The local authority heads clarified that “these measures could certainly lead to events involving loss of control in the Arab communities.” Ben-Gvir, on the other hand, repeatedly states his commitment to fighting crime in Israeli Arab society—so far to no avail, as the number of murders among Israeli Arabs keeps rising. As the new Israeli government took shape, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas formulated a new ‘roadmap’ for the struggle against it. His plan calls for ‘popular resistance’ and international diplomatic and media activity against Israel. Central to the plan is the diplomatic and media efforts against the Netanyahu government, which is portrayed as a racist entity that pursues a policy of apartheid. The project was presented to the 10th conference of the Fatah Central Committee at the start of December 2022. Continued on page 12 A demonstration by Bedouin and Israeli Arabs to mark Land Day on 26 March 2022. | Photo: Flash90

25. Interview 15 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Jacquelin Melilli n Vision Christian Media The self-inflicted upheaval in Israel that currently has the country divided has been brought on by the liberal left progressives who are in opposition to Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Those in opposition have taken on a similar tactic to that of the US Democrats’ determination to oust Donald Trump at all costs. Amir Tsarfati, Founder and President of Behold Israel, and Barry Stagner, Senior Pastor of Calvary Central Orange County in the US and the host of The Line Up, World Events in Bible Prophecy News Chanel joined Robbo on 20Twenty to discuss End Times Bible Prophecy. Is Israel Falling Apart? “The liberal left claims they brought the country to where it is. Nothing has been attributed to God,” said Amir. “I’m reminded of the Tower of Babel, where the people come together and say, ‘Let’s make a name for ourselves.’ Without God, Israel has no reason or justification to exist as the place it is right now. If it wasn’t for God and His promises, we wouldn’t even be here. This is a nation that is a picture of the faithfulness of God. And if you come against that nation, you come against God. Israel is the apple of His eye.” Amir stresses the seriousness of Israelis messing with God by rejecting Him and claiming they have and can continue to make the country prosper by their own strength. “It breaks my heart. It’s one thing for non- believers to kick God out, as I don’t expect much from non-believers. I’m thinking about how blind people can be when they don’t have the revelation of God. But it’s another thing to see believers in Israel siding with the liberal left. They think the left supports human rights and will protect them,” said Amir. “They will never protect you. The minute they hear what you believe about family, marriage and abortion, they’ll kick you out immediately. They’ll eat you alive. So, this psychosis that I see is not only among secular Israelis, it’s also among believers. And that breaks my heart even more.” For any leader to preserve their power, they need the ability to reach the masses. And the way to do that is through the most prominent newspapers and TV channels. The mainstream media are propaganda brainwashing machines that contradict reality, hence causing mass formation psychosis. Amir says that the media in Israel are creating a parallel reality to deceive people into believing that the country is falling apart. The truth is that Israel is currently prospering and thriving. “Our economy has never been in a better shape than it is right now. And yet they feed the public that everything is falling apart. Therefore, we have to go out and topple the government. It’s all political and a way to preserve power,” said Amir. Surrounded by Enemies Israel is a tiny little nation in the Middle East, only about 20,000 square kilometres, which is not even one-third of the size of Tasmania, which is about 68,000 square kilometres. It’s surrounded by nations that are all vehemently opposed to Israel’s very existence. Yet, God continues to miraculously protect Israel. “Psalm 83 describes what happened in 1948 and 1967, when the first tier of nations around us, those who bordered Israel, which were Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, tried to attack and cut us off from being a nation so that the name of Israel will be remembered no more. But God intervened, and they were defeated and learned their lesson,” said Amir. “And the next big war is not going to be countries that border with us. The Gog and Magog of Ezekiel are countries that are what I call the second tier. Iran, Turkey, Libya, Sudan and Russia do not have borders with Israel. So, now it’s their turn to try and do that.” ‘Connect’ with Amir In 2024, Amir will be taking a sabbatical from touring to set up a CONNECT network where he will report on local and global news and how it is lining up with Bible prophecy. “The Lord really spoke to me saying that next year, if we’re still here, will be a very critical year with major events that will require me to stay home and be with my family,” said Amir. Amir’s passion to reach the lost makes him think of creative ways to present the Gospel. He has written a series of fictional novels, incorporating true military operations and espionage that tie in with end times Bible prophecy and the Gospel. Out of the Far North is his latest novel, soon to be released. To purchase Amir’s books, click the link to visit the Vision store. If you would like to listen to Amir’s recent radio interview on YouTube, here is the link: YouTube.com/watch?v=FDxvjNSNjcQ. Or view the live stream event via video podcast at New Hope Church in Brisbane .watch/n8RxOW6dyD/. “Is Israel Falling Apart?” Amir Tsarfati Reveals the Truth Amir Tsarfati Recently, ICEJ-Australia and other regional ICEJ representatives joined together in supporting and attending the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast held in the city of the Gold Coast. The event was hosted by the Mayor of the Gold Coast, Tom Tate, who welcomed Israel’s Ambassador to Australia and other dignitaries from Israel’s Knesset, the Pacific Islands nations, parliamentarians from across Australia, visitors from the USA, and the JPB’s international team. Representatives from 16 nations prayed for the peace of Jerusalem in English, Hebrew and several Pacific languages, while Bible portions also were read throughout the event. Inspiring messages also were brought by various speakers, including ICEJ-Australia’s Youth Director, Pastor Moises Vasquez, and indigenous leader Pastor Tim Edwards. Among the other highlights, ICEJ-Fiji national director Pastor Mikaele Mudreilagi blew the shofar as a call to the Pacific nations to join their voices in support of Israel. Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka declared: “I stand here today knowing a new dawn is happening for Israel in the Pacific. We all want to be there in support of Israel as a unit.” Masbate is an island in the Philippines mostly known for its gold mines. However, less known to the general public, a true spiritual treasure is being developed there. Mercy Cabiles, a Board member of ICEJ-Philippines, has invested in a piece of land and established a unique prayer center there. On the 12- hectar property, seven houses of prayer on seven hills are planned. The size of the project is impressive, and it is successfully moving forward. The first mountain was inaugurated in 2017, and I came for the dedication of the second prayer house. Atop each mountain will be a house of prayer, with accommodations and conference facilities which can welcome up to one thousand people. The vision is to build a center where people can come to pray, and churches can book their retreats. The prayer complex is called Mt. Moriah and Israel has been part of its DNA from the very beginning. It is evident that God is calling the Church to prayer, and this project could play a role in bringing various prayer movements together, even beyond the Philippines. Once completed, it could also host international prayer gatherings. Jerusalem Comes to the Gold Coast The vision is to build a center where people can come to pray, and churches can book their retreats.

3. Understanding Israel and world events from a Biblical perspective Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel 12 Sukkot, the Most Beautiful Time of Year 15 Emotional Farewell The Middle East is in turmoil. Iran is actively not only close to nuclear weapon capability (that it has sworn to use against Israel and the West), it is infiltrating the region with its anti-Western Islamist revolutionary ideology. Most countries in the region of the Middle East and northern Africa are in deep social, economic and governmental crisis. The US has essentially abandoned the region, opening a vacuum for anti-Western influence of Russia and China. Israel and the PLO have been unable to achieve peace. Worse, Israel is in the midst of a violent conflict with Iranian-sponsored Islamist Palestinian groups in Gaza, as well as in Judea and Samaria (the ‘West Bank’). What will bring peace to this region? The Jewish people started to return to the land in the mid- 19th century. In 1920, the Mandate for Palestine acknowledged the Biblical and historical right of the Jewish people to ‘reconstitute their homeland’. It envisaged the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. In 1948, the State of Israel was established. The Kingdom of Jordan immediately attacked, taking illegal possession of the Old City of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria—which it renamed ‘the West Bank’. In 1967, the Jewish State of Israel miraculously re- conquered this territory. Israel applied Israeli sovereignty to the whole city of Jerusalem—but decided to treat the ‘West Bank’ as occupied territory. Ever since many in Israel and around the world have assumed that the only way of achieving peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world is through partition of the land: ‘land for peace’. That was the purpose of the Oslo peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which was formally ushered in with great fanfare on the White House lawn thirty years ago—13 September 1993. The Oslo process was predicated on the assumption that the PLO had turned the corner and renounced the terrorism that had defined it. However, it seems that, in their desperate search for peace and their desire to please the world, Israel’s leaders allowed themselves to be deceived. Palestinian leaders Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas never intended to achieve peace with Israel. Since 1993, the PLO has never abandoned its goal of liberating the whole of Palestine from the Zionists—“from the river to the sea”. The fact is that the Lord is bringing His people home to the land He has given them: Jerusalem, and to the mountains of Judea and Samaria—never to be uprooted: “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:15). The Bible tells us that real peace will only come to Israel, the nations and the whole creation when the Messiah comes. His kingdom will bring enormous blessings to all peoples, tribes, and nations. When Christ is reigning with His bride, in the midst of the descendants of Jacob (Luke 1:33), there will be peace on the earth, and the law of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem. “Peace,” They Say, When There is No Peace October 2023 Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 ISRAEL Celebrating ISRAEL Israel Timeline 1948-2023 6-7 4 The PA and the Israel Arabs Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shaking hands with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat (R) on White House lawn as US President Bill Clinton looks on. | Photo: GPO Israel AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA www.c4israel.com.au | info@c4israel.com.au

7. 5 Analysis ISRAEL Celebrating Yochanan Visser n Correspondent in Israel 30 years ago, on Wednesday, 13 September, the first Oslo Accord was signed. That agreement did not bring peace, but from the moment it became clear that an agreement with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) had been reached, terror attacks against Israelis increased. Classified Decree To commemorate the Accord, a classified document was partially released for publication in Israel early September. That document contains the minutes of a cabinet meeting held on 30 August 1993, dealing with the proposed Oslo Accord that was, in fact, a declaration of principles that should have been followed by a final peace agreement. As it turned out, some participants in that cabinet meeting were utterly ignorant of the existence of negotiations with the PLO and were astonished that an agreement had been reached. Among them was the then chief of staff of the Israeli Army (IDF), Ehud Barak. Barak received the draft document containing the text of the Oslo Accord just hours before the meeting with the Israeli government. That government was led by the later assassinated Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin, and included the ultra-left Meretz party, which won a record twelve seats in the 1991 elections. Meretz’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Yossi Beilin, was the one who started negotiations with Arafat’s PLO behind Rabin’s back and entirely against the then- existing legislation. Shimon Peres, who was then foreign minister, knew about the negotiations that were held first in London and later in Oslo, Norway. When Peres later informed Rabin about the talks with the PLO, the prime minister ordered them to stop immediately. For some reason, however, Rabin changed his mind and ultimately approved the Oslo Accord. The now-released minutes of one of the most crucial cabinet meetings in the history of the State of Israel show that there were strong reservations from the start about an agreement with Israel’s arch-enemies in the PLO. Some of these reflections had even prophetic value, as it turned out. Take, for example, what Shimon Peres, who was a real dovish peace supporter, said during the meeting. Peres warned that it was not clear to what extent the PLO would renounce terrorism and said it was also not clear what would happen if the Palestinian leadership collapsed and was replaced by more extreme elements. “I must say that there is a possibility that the PLO will disintegrate and that some kind of Hamas-like Iran will emerge here,” the minister said, adding that Israel had to be careful because there was no certainty that they (PLO) would remain in power. Well, that is exactly the scenario which unfolded in Gaza after the departure of the Israeli army in the summer of 2005 and the first preparations for war with Israel began. In 2007, Hamas staged a bloody coup d’etat, and Gaza was turned into ‘Hamasstan’, as some called the entity in the south of call Israel. Rabin used less precise language, calling the agreement with the PLO ‘a difficult deal.’ Most of Rabin’s comments will remain classified for another sixty years, and this could be an indication that the prime minister was far more critical than Peres. After Rabin’s assassination, for example, one of his closest advisers said that the Prime Minister had, prior to his death, concluded that his reservations about the Oslo Accord had been justified. During the meeting on 30 August 1993 Rabin also said that Israel would give the PLO too much in return for very few commitments, a reference to the lack of guarantees that the Palestinian Arabs would indeed renounce terrorism. Later, on 10 September, during a sober meeting in his office in Jerusalem, Rabin seemed visibly unhappy and used a simple Pilot pen to sign the accord with the PLO while his new ‘partner’ Arafat was absent. Rabin’s body language during the official ceremony three days later at the White House showed the same reluctance and uneasiness while the Norwegian diplomats who were involved in the Oslo negotiations were in a state of euphoria. Barak’s Criticism Ehud Barak, in his capacity as army chief of staff, severely criticised the Oslo Accord. Barak said that Palestinian PLO police officers, who were trained by the Americans in Jordan and received their weapons from Israel, could join Palestinian paramilitary organisations. In other words, they could work with terrorist organisations. Barak also said the agreement would tie the army’s hands behind its back in the fight against terror. “If we have information about an impending terrorist attack from a refugee camp, we will not be able to act effectively,” Barak said about the end of IDF raids in cities, villages, and refugee camps under the control of the Palestinian Authority. These predictions have also come true. Officers from Arafat’s police force, and later that of current PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, took part in terrorist attacks and battles against the IDF. Also, in the early years of the Oslo process, the Israeli army could not enter refugee camps or Palestinian cities. “I remind you that there are extreme elements in Palestinian society who have an interest in sabotaging this agreement,” Barak said, in a warning that also had a prophetic quality. Rabin rebuked Barak, however, and said that there were also extremist elements in Israeli society who would be bent on sabotaging the agreement with the PLO. The prime minister was later proven right when the Jew Yigal Amir killed him at a peace rally in Tel Aviv. The Oslo War and the ‘Victims of Peace’ Ironically, it was Ehud Barak who later, as Prime Minister of Israel, led the country into what is referred to in Israel as the Oslo War (Second Intifada). That war was finally planned by Arafat after the failed talks on a final peace agreement at Camp David in the summer of 2000. Barak then went against the advice of many and offered Arafat a near-complete IDF withdrawal to the indefensible 1948 Armistice lines. However, Arafat refused Barak’s unprecedented offer because he had been preparing for war with Israel for years and had built up an army of 60,000 armed ‘policemen’ while under the Oslo Accord, a limit of 8,000 officers was agreed. After signing the Oslo 1 Agreement, Peres called the many deaths and injuries caused by the terrorist attacks aimed at stopping the peace process ‘the victims of peace’. The list of ‘victims of peace’ is long, numbering in the thousands and still growing. Series of New Attacks After three fatalities from two shooting attacks in mid-August 2023, there was another death on the last day of August. Near the city of Modi’in, a Palestinian truck driver drove his truck into a group of IDF soldiers, killing one of them while others sustained moderate to serious injuries. That attack followed three more within 24 hours. First, another car- ramming attack was reported near Hebron. IDF soldiers shot the driver of the car before he could ram his vehicle into a group of soldiers. Then on Wednesday evening 30 August, two buses of the Egged company were pelted with boulders, injuring the two drivers who were taken to hospital. Later, a stabbing attack took place in the Old City of Jerusalem in which an Israeli was wounded in the back. On Thursday 31 August, a terrorist was shot dead near the Palestinian city of Nablus, apparently on his way to the next shooting attack. IDF soldiers later detonated a large roadside bomb that they suspected was smuggled into Israel from Syria or Lebanon. Daily attempts to murder Israelis continued into the first week of September and led to a general warning by Israel’s security forces that with the high holidays approaching, terrorist activity would increase even further. All these terrorist attacks usually do not make it into the foreign media, but they show that the Oslo peace process was doomed to become an abysmal failure from the start. The excuse for the terror is usually the so- called ‘Israeli occupation’ of Judea and Samaria. However, this is not a valid argument because Palestinian terror against Israel did not begin in 1967 when Israel conquered these areas during the Six Day War. In fact, the Palestinian Arab terror began long before the establishment of the State of Israel and targeted the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel. Oslo and the Victims of Peace Short News Yad Vashem Uses AI Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Centre Yad Vashem will employ artificial intelligence (AI) in order to make the best possible use to archive all the documents it holds. Yad Vashem holds millions of pages of documents, over half a million photographs, tens of thousands of videos, audio recordings and written testimonies about the Holocaust. With artificial intelligence, Yad Vashem hopes to link the right names to photographs, e.g. the testimonies that mention names, dates and places. | Photo: Flash90 Cooperation Strengthened The Philippines have strengthened ties with Israel in the field of agriculture. The closer cooperation will mainly take place in the field of exchange; think of training and internships. The Philippines also hopes to focus on developing large dairy farms with the aid of Israeli technology. Israel invited the country to participate in Agritech 2023, a large agricultural technological fair in Israel in October. UN Censors History On the UN’s website is a timeline called The Issue of Palestine. The unsuspecting reader sees a timeline with factual historical events and thinks factual, so objective. But anyone who knows more about the history of the area sees what is not mentioned. It is as if Israel started various wars, without any reason, as if there were no Palestinian suicide attacks that caused Israel to react. The timeline can be found through: www.un.org/unispal/historical-timeline Higher Buildings Eilat Eilat’s coast relies on a lot of tourists. There is currently a maximum height for building hotels, so that hotels usually have no more than eight storeys. That is about to change. Israel’s National Council for Planning and Building has agreed to raise the maximum to sixty metres, or twenty storeys. There are also plans for a high-speed train connecting Kiryat Shmona to Eilat. Both plans are good news for the development of Eilat. | Photo: Flash90 October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784

12. Something to thinc. about 2 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Israeli-Saudi Normalisation Shouldn’t be Made Conditional A Daily Dev otional by Rev. Willem J.J. Glashouwer Get daily readings in your inbox Did you know the Book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible to give a special blessing to those who read, hear and apply its message? (Rev 1:3) Study God’s roadmap for the future, step- by-step. You only need a couple of minutes each day to study one or two verses of the Book of Revelation to come to a clearer understanding of its major themes and messages. Subscribe Free Today at beholdhecomes.life Andrew n Tucker Director General | The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) | www.thinc.info As part of the realignment of its global position, the United States is negotiating with Saudi Arabia in the hope of achieving an ‘Abraham Accord’ between the Saudi monarchy and Israel. Israel is being pressured to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state as a condition for ‘normalisation’ of relations with the Saudis. However, the idea of a fully-fledged Palestinian state living in peace side-by- side with Israel is an illusion. Ever since the 1970s, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) has received billions of dollars in foreign aid to establish an independent, viable and peaceful Palestinian state and has failed to do so. To this day, the PLO continues to refuse to recognise Israel as a legitimate state and to engage in normal diplomatic cooperation with it. This attitude of rejection was the main reason that the various attempts to negotiate a final status agreement since the Oslo Accords (2000/2001, 2008 and 2014) failed. The PLO and PA participate actively with UN member states in initiatives through United Nations institutions, such as the UN Human Rights Council, to delegitimise the Jewish State of Israel to condemn Israel as guilty of human rights violations and war crimes and as being racist and apartheid in essence. All Palestinian organisations (including the PLO) claim that the Jewish State of Israel is illegitimate, that Palestine (including Israeli land west of the Green Line to the Mediterranean coast) must be ‘liberated’, and that they are legally entitled to use force to achieve these claims. Palestinian society is based on strong families and clans, mostly bound to a traditional religious Islamic and Arabic culture of honour on local and regional levels, which generate patronage as a general model of authority. Leadership is constructed from the top down without republican or democratic elements through politically centralised organisations. The Palestinian way of life in the West Bank never included state- building in the sense of a state along Western lines based on freedom and the rule of law. The reality is that the heartbeat of Palestinian politics throbs with the wish to destroy Israel. This is stimulated by the UNRWA system’s promise of a ‘right of return’ and the ongoing insistence of international anti-Zionist actors that Israel is illegitimate. The common core element of the various groups constituting the PLO (Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and others), Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and similar groups is their declared political program to annihilate the State of Israel. This is evidenced by their political charters, deliberately ambiguous and conflicting territorial claims, education of children, TV programmes, newspapers, military organisations, and political declarations in Arabic language. Hamas, governing the Gaza Strip since 2006, attacked Israel in 2008/2009, in 2012, in 2014, in 2021 and in 2022. The Palestine National Charter (as amended in 1968) denies the existence of the State of Israel and calls on ‘armed Palestinian revolution’ to liberate the whole of Palestine. For more than 30 years, polls have shown that Palestinian majorities believe the destruction of Israel will be achieved in the future and even within a matter of years. A common thread runs through the anti-Jewish massacres one hundred years ago, the antisemitic actions of the Mufti of Jerusalem cooperating closely with German National Socialism, the 1948/9, 1967 and 1973 wars against Israel, and thousands of terrorist attacks against Israel since the 1950s, to the present-day attacks on Israeli citizens by young radicalised Palestinian terrorists. Palestinian political culture is driven by a heroic ideal of fighting against real or imagined humiliation. It is rooted in the accusation of injustice and dispossession and holds close to extremist religious traditions. The political aims of the Palestinian majority have been documented in numerous polls since around 1990. In every poll, those wishing to destroy the state of Israel gain a strong majority; more than 60% of the Palestinians in the West Bank say that the destruction of Israel is their preferred political outcome. Those preferring peace and acceptance of Israel gain percentages between 6% and 35%. In general, Palestinians reject the right of Jews to live in the West Bank and in a Palestinian state. Jews shall have no place, just as there are none today in the Gaza Strip. All of this means that as long as the political basis of Palestinian society remains the destruction of Israel, there will never be a peaceful Palestinian state in the West Bank alongside the Jewish State of Israel. Under these circumstances, Israel cannot be expected to tolerate the coming into existence of a Palestinian state overlooking its longest border and main population centres, poised to destroy the Jewish population. Instead of insisting that Israel accept Palestinian statehood as the price for Saudi normalisation of relations with Israel, Western nations like the US, the EU, Australia and New Zealand should insist that the Saudis first require the Palestinians to cultivate a legal and social culture-based on personal liberty and equality and normalisation of relations with Israel. The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) promotes the rule of law to advance security and cooperation in the Middle East. For further information, and to make a donation directly to thinc- thinc-israel.org Israeli and Saudi Arabian flags. | Photo: Shutterstock

24. Beersheva | PNG 14 (AUSTRALIA) In honour of Israel’s 75th birthday and commemorating the 106th anniversary of the victorious charge at Beersheva, this inspiring painting was commissioned by International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Australia from evangelist, artist and ICEJ board member, Pastor Tim Hall. Limited signed copies of the original painting on canvas and posters are available for sale as well as smaller prints. Proceeds will go towards Aliyah – bringing the Jews home! And also, fund more Bomb Shelters for the vulnerable communities along Israel’s northern borders. The painting, which catches the essence of the bravery of men and horses, brings to mind some of the ringing words of God’s challenge to Job in Job 39:21-25 in which God asks him, “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder? ... He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.” Despite this picture of the noble and courageous war horse, Israel did not often use utilise this formidable war machine, although many of their enemies did. In fact, Israel’s kings were warned in Deuteronomy 17:16 not to multiply horses because it would encourage trade between them and Egypt who were the main providers of the war horse. A warning King Solomon sadly ignored along with other instructions from God’s Torah leading to forbidden alliances and eventually a divided nation. When Israel went out to battle in accordance with the will and guidance of God, victory came by supernatural means, confirming Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.” God’s deliverance was evident on the momentous day of 31 October 1917 when horses and horsemen from the ends of the earth set in motion the return of the Jewish people to their ancient Homeland. The last great cavalry charge in world history paved the way for the rebirth of the nation of Israel. This stunning painting is not just an image of an historical event but a reminder of God’s timing in world events and the privilege given to white and Indigenous Australians, to be part of prophecy. The artist’s great uncle, Major General George James Rankin (DSO and Bar), was second in command of those 800 men that broke through the buttress of the Ottoman Empire and released the Land of Israel to await its rightful inhabitants. To have prophetic history in your home, please scan the QR code. Support the Jewish People by Hanging Australian History in Your Home October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Sarah Way n ICEJ Australia “For us to call ourselves Christians, paying respect to God will not be possible without recognising that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel” said PNG’s Prime Minister, James Marape. Victor Schlatter played a crucial role in the robust support Israel received from island nations, specifically those in the Pacific. These nations, aside from the US, have consistently voted in alignment with Israel. Victor recounted, “In December of 1966, I personally visited the presidents of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. With a Bible in hand, I turned to Genesis 12:3, which reads: ‘I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.’ Not long after, they publicly expressed their support for Israel.” I wish to pay tribute to the life of a remarkable servant of God. On 7 July 2023, Victor Schlatter passed away in Brazil. In recent years, he and his wife, Elsie, had been residing with their missionary daughter and her family. Their 30-year ministry in the PNG Highlands led to the establishment of over 100 congregations, each equipped with Bibles in their native languages. They shared their passion for Israel with the tribal communities, who in turn developed a fervent commitment to Israel. As a result, Papua New Guineans became frequent attendees of ICEJ’s Feast of Tabernacles. This growing awareness and support for Israel extended to other Pacific Island nations, amplifying the support for Israel in the UN. Victor’s books and speaking engagements have also been a source of enlightenment for many in Australia and beyond. For several years, Victor served as the ICEJ National Director for PNG and the Pacific Islands. He was honoured with ICEJ’s prestigious Nehemiah Award for his unwavering dedication to Israel. He is survived by his cherished wife of 69 years, as well as their children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren. Victor epitomised the essence of humble servanthood, which is greatly esteemed in the scriptures. While the title of ‘servant’ might seem insignificant in worldly terms, it holds a special place in God’s kingdom. As it is written, “Well done! Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21). Victor once shared, “Our tales of walking where Jesus did opened the eyes of the Angal Heneng-speaking community. Their realisation that Jerusalem— mentioned 800 times in the Bible—is an actual city that can be visited, elevated the biblical narrative beyond their earlier beliefs. Since that revelation, hundreds of Papua New Guineans have journeyed to Jerusalem, exploring its ancient sites firsthand. Moreover, they frequently discern ancient biblical prophecies reflected in contemporary events.” We Remember Victor Schlatter PNG’s PM James Marape, at the Embassy opening ceremony standing along side Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu Victor and Elsie - Nehemiah Award

16. 6 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 A Word from Biblical Israel Sondra Oster n Baras International President of CFOIC Heartland On 20 August 2023, Batsheva Nigri left her home in Bet Hagai, together with her 12-year- old daughter, to run some errands in Efrat and Jerusalem. She never made it. Just a few hundred metres from the entrance to her community, she was murdered by an Arab terrorist who opened fire on the car. Miraculously, her daughter was not hurt. Batsheva was not the first person from Bet Hagai to be murdered by terrorists. In fact, there is a memorial plaque in the centre of the community with the names of seven residents of Bet Hagai who were murdered by terrorists over the years. Batsheva’s name will now be added to the list. The story of Bet Hagai actually begins with a horrible terrorist attack. May 1980, Hebron. At the time, Jews were not permitted to live in Biblical Hebron but only in neighbouring Kiryat Arba. But a number of very brave women entered an old Jewish building in Hebron, Bet Hadassah, in the middle of the night in April 1979 and established a permanent Jewish presence in the city. For the first time since 1929, when Jews were massacred by Arabs and the survivors were driven from the city by the British, Jews returned to live in Hebron. The Israeli Government at the time was not happy with their presence. The leadership of Israel was not willing to stand before the Arabs in Hebron and declare our Jewish claim to the city. And they were not willing to stand before the world and declare our right to Judea and Samaria. But the Israeli Government also could not bring themselves to forcibly evict women and children who had taken up residence in a building that belonged to Jews, where Jews had lived and worked for years before 1929. But in the hope that they would voluntarily leave the city on their own, the government did not allow the husbands to join their families in Hebron, leaving the women and children alone in the dilapidated building. Jews were able to visit Hebron freely, however, and every Friday night, Jews would gather at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and welcome the Sabbath with prayers and songs. Before walking up the hill to Kiryat Arba, they would stop in front of Bet Hadassah and sing Sabbath songs to the women and children inside. On one such Friday night in May 1980, Arab terrorists ambushed the group and opened fire on the men as they were singing and dancing in honour of the holy Sabbath. Six men were murdered. Three years later, students of the Kiryat Arba yeshiva decided to start a new community in Judea, just south of Hebron, in memory of their three friends, fellow students at the yeshiva, who were murdered in Hebron on that tragic night. Using the initials of their first names, Hanan, Gershon and Yaakov, which spells the word Hagai in Hebrew, they named their community Bet Hagai. From the beginning, the people of Bet Hagai were committed to settling the Land of Israel as the fulfilment of God’s will. They understood that the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was the first step in the ultimate redemption and Messianic age that the Prophets of Israel spoke of thousands of years ago. And then, when Israel returned to the Biblical Heartland in 1967, they saw an opportunity to play a critical role in the fulfilment of prophecy, as spoken by Ezekiel: “But you, O Mountains of Israel, shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel for they will soon be coming... And I will multiply people upon you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt” (Ezekiel 36:8, 10). Israel had returned to the Mountains of Israel, Judea and Samaria, and it was time to inhabit the cities and rebuild the ruins. It was a difficult beginning, but the early pioneers persevered. But almost from the start, they did not just want to settle the land. They wanted to give back to Israeli society as a whole, to embrace a project that would serve people from all over Israel. They opened the Bet Hagai Youth Village in 1989, initially in mobile homes. Theirs was a unique concept. The Youth Village would not just be a place for troubled boys living in dormitories. Their village would mirror a real family. Young families would live with the boys in a group home, and the boys would not only receive therapies and specialised education. They would also receive the love and sense of belonging in a family that they so desperately needed. Batsheva and her husband, Eliyahu, moved to Bet Hagai several years ago, and Eliyahu became part of the staff of the youth village. Batsheva and Eliyahu were quiet people but full of kindness and love. They had difficulty conceiving a baby, and it was years before they were able to have their only child, today a lovely 12-year-old girl. But they have fostered children for years in their Bet Hagai home. The Nigri family, like the entire community of Bet Hagai, is all about love, about children and about reaching out to those most in need, without fanfare, without fuss. Just being there for the people who need them most. Christians for Israel, together with supporters of CFOIC Heartland from all over the world, have been helping the people of Judea and Samaria, and particularly the people of Bet Hagai, for decades. Thanks to your support, there are security cameras to protect the children and staff of the Youth Village from terrorist infiltration. Christians for Israel has provided assistance for the construction of some of the family homes, for the art centre, the music centre and ongoing needs for the boys. Bet Hagai has stood firm in its dedication to settling the land and has spread love and comfort to those who need it most. Thank you for partnering with them. Sondra Oster Baras is the Founder and International President of CFOIC Heartland, representing the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria to Christians all over the world. To support the people of Bet Hagai and the work of CFOIC Heartland, please use the form on the back page and select CFOIC (Christian Friends of Israeli Communities). Batsheva and the Story of Bet Hagai Troubled teenagers from all over Israel find a home with a family at the Bet Hagai Youth Village. | Photos: CFOIC Heartland Bet Hagai staff shower their teen charges with love, love and more love. Christians for Israel representative Johan VD Ham joins the Bet Hagai teens for lunch and a chat during his visit in February. The community of Bet Hagai mourns the loss of Batsheva Nigri. Local teens create a Star of David out of memorial candles to symbolise their determination to hold on to the land regar dless of the danger.

31. 13 News ISRAEL Celebrating Short News Mass Redundancy by Abbas At the beginning of August, PA Chairman Abbas dismissed nearly all regional mayors: thirteen out of sixteen, of whom four were in Gaza. What caused this mass redundancy is not clear. The Palestinian news service Wafa reports that Abbas is going to put together a committee with important persons who will advise him on candidates for the created vacancies. But whatever the reason may be, it is clear that Abbas is old and in poor health, and his control of power over the cities in Judea and Samaria is waning and risky. | Photo: Flash90 Faster Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Aviv Mesika’s LacriScan diagnostic test uses a patient’s tears to diagnose Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease at a very early stage. The new test, which is still in the initial stages of development, is more sensitive than previous tests and checks for multiple chemical markers in the brains of patients with the mentioned diseases. While there is currently no cure for the diseases, swift detection can allow for more effective management of them, graduate student Mesika says. No More Sore Feet Actic Medical is the creator of the Hybrid+ insole. This insole has bio- sensors that can measure the pressure, temperature and movement of the foot so as to inform the wearer of impending foot ulcers. The patient can then redistribute the pressure of the insole on their own. Tel Aviv Light Rail Mid-August, the time had come: the inauguration of the Tel Aviv light rail. The so-called ‘red line’ is 24 kilometres long and will visit five municipalities. From Bat Yam in the south of the Tel Aviv region to Petah Tikvah in the eastern part. When completed, the three light rail lines and three subway lines are expected to transform Tel Aviv, long served solely by buses and shared taxi vans. | Photo: Flash90 Tony Davenport n Vision Christian Media | Australia Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape says his nation’s strong Christian faith was one of the reasons for opening an embassy in Jerusalem this week. PNG is only the fifth country to open an embassy in the Israeli capital. It’s effectively a symbolic move, underwritten by the Israeli government which will pay for the running costs of the office for the first three years. At a ceremony attended by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Marape said: “Today is a milestone moment for my country Papua New Guinea. We are here to give respect to the people of Israel to the fullest.” The Times of Israel quotes him as saying his country subscribes fully to the teachings of the Bible. Mr Marape added that Papua New Guinea opened its embassy in Jerusalem “because of our shared heritage, acknowledging the creator God, the Yahweh God of Israel, the Yahweh God of Isaac and Abraham. Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem but we made the conscious choice. For us to call ourselves Christians, paying respect to God would not be complete without recognising that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel.” “You have been the great custodian of the moral values that were passed for humanity,” the PNG leader said to Mr Netanyahu. Mr Marape told the ABC that: “For the first three years, the nation of Israel is paying for the cost of the embassy. But going forward they’ve indicated land available for us and we look forward to proceeding, setting up our permanent mission there.” Israel’s affairs in the Pacific country will continue to be managed by its embassy in Canberra, Australia. PNG established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1978 and has previously maintained a consulate in Tel Aviv. It is one of the Pacific nations that regularly vote with Israel at the United Nations and has told Israeli leaders it would continue to do so. Most nations have their embassies in Tel Aviv because of the Palestinians’ claim to Jerusalem as their capital. PNG Opens Embassy In Jerusalem October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 PNG prime minister James Marape and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. | Photo: Facebook Marie-Louise n Weissenböck Christians for Israel Austria As part of his state visit to Vienna, Austria, Israeli President Isaac Herzog unveiled a plaque honouring the Jewish Austro- Hungarian pioneer, publicist and journalist Dr Theodor Herzl on Tuesday, 5 September 2023. This commemorates the main founder of political Zionism on the facade of the house in Berggasse 6, where Herzl lived at the time of the First Zionist Congress (1896-1898). Here he published his book The Jewish State, paving the way for the political Zionist movement, which was completed with the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Herzl died on 3 July 1904, and was buried in the Döblinger Cemetery in Vienna. His remains were transferred to Jerusalem decades after his death in 1949, where they were reburied at the Herzlberg. Present were the mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, Minister of Europe and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler, members of the World Zionist Organisation, representatives of politics and culture and guests of honour. In his speech before the unveiling, Herzog declared that “the friendship between Israel and Austria has never been closer.” He also praised the fight against antisemitism. “The uncompromising fight against antisemitism waged by the Austrian government should serve as an example to many nations and countries, and we greatly appreciate it.” Israeli President Unveils Plaque The President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal Herzog, unveil the plaque to commemorate Theodor Herzl, which was placed on the house where he lived in Berggasse, Vienna. President Isaac Herzog delivers his speech before unveiling the plaque. | Photos: Marie-Louise Weissenböck

10. Christians for Israel n International In August, Christians for Israel’s President Rev Willem JJ Glashouwer travelled to Thailand to speak at nine different venues. Over the last ten years, multiple speaking tours have been organised in various parts of Thailand for his Biblical teaching and Christians for Israel’s study books. These books include the trilogy Why Israel?, Why Jerusalem? and Why End Times? which have been translated into the Thai language. With God is not finished with Israel! as the main theme, Rev Glashouwer was invited to speak at different churches in and around Bangkok. Although the topic may sound a bit dramatic, it really isn’t. Israel retains significant meaning in our time, although many Christian Churches traditionally think otherwise. The prophetic return of the Jewish people to the Promised Land and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is creating a new reality. As Rev Glashouwer explained, “The Church in general assumed that God had finished with Israel. The Church became the new chosen people of God. In general, the belief in many churches and in theology was that the Christian Church was the new Israel. However, nothing could be further from the truth. We all see the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel; God is preparing planet Earth for His future. One day, the Word will go out from Jerusalem. Jesus will return to Jerusalem. Then peace and righteousness will cover the earth, and the nations shall not train for war anymore. The promises and covenants that God made with Israel are everlasting and irrevocable. God will fulfil all His promises for Israel.” Many Christians in Thailand heard this message of hope for Israel and for the world for the first time and gladly welcomed it. Our coordinators in Thailand managed to get the Thai translation of Signs of the Times printed and launched during this trip. A new working committee constituted of Thai Christians from various backgrounds was established to further develop Christians for Israel Thailand. May the Lord open the hearts of people in Thailand to the Biblical message about the Jewish people and Israel. 8 C4I News ISRAEL Celebrating Thailand Welcomes Message of Hope Rev Willem Glashouwer at Wattana Presbyterian Church in Bangkok. October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Bryce Turner n Christians for Israel New Zealand After having plans derailed by the Covid pandemic several times, Christians for Israel New Zealand were finally able to host Major (ret) Rami Sherman for a speaking tour. Arriving in New Zealand in August, having already completed a very busy speaking schedule in Australia, Rami’s visit to New Zealand was focussed on small groups and meetings. Beginning in the south of Auckland at Pukekohe, Rami shared some of the significant events in his life—most notably his involvement in Operation Thunderbolt, the famous Entebbe hostage rescue. Although only in New Zealand for a short stay, Rami was kept busy visiting many groups, bringing a unique perspective. As a Jewish Israeli, ‘born and bred’ on a Kibbutz and having lived through—even served in—some of the most significant armed conflicts in the modern State of Israel, Rami has developed some profound observations. In his personable and unassuming style, Rami openly shares, not only the lessons learned and wisdom gained, but also the journey he is still on as a Jewish man in an increasingly anti- Jewish world. In collaboration with our friends from ICEJ, Rami spoke in Mt Eden and then travelled to Whangarei. Meetings in Hamilton and Matamata were followed by Flaxmere, Hastings, and then a week in Wellington, including a meeting hosted by members of the Wellington Jewish Community. Rami was able to present at meetings held in churches, hotels, halls, and in homes. Returning to Auckland, final meetings were held in Hamilton and Waihi. Rami was farewelled by members of the Christians for Israel New Zealand team with a dinner on Auckland’s waterfront before he flew to Fiji to join the Christians for Israel Fiji team for a series of meetings there. In a nation so geographically removed from military conflict, audience members were fascinated to hear various parts of the build-up to Operation Thunderbolt. An incredible mission developed in an impossibly short amount of time; the odds of success were not high at all. As Rami shared various parts of the operation itself, including a deep respect for those soldiers wounded in the operation and, of course, reflection on the death of commanding officer Jonathan Netanyahu, any remote ideas of war being anything but a tragedy, quickly disappear. As Rami shared the experience of being prepared to risk one’s life in order to save others—in this case, the Jewish hostages of the hijacked Air France flight especially—it brought a deeper understanding of the perils of being Jewish, and therefore being the target of such hatred. The terrorists who hijacked that Air France passenger jet were members of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organisation that has active members and supporters in New Zealand today. To a New Zealand audience, being aware of increasing support for the terrorist regimes and moves to align with the Palestinian cause—in spite of its stated desire to see the destruction of Israel—the story of Rami’s journey is sobering and an important call to advocate for truth. The staggering odds Israel has faced and continues to face, serves as a bold reminder of who is actually in control of the ultimate outcome in the Middle East. New Zealand Welcomes Rami Sherman Christians for Israel New Zealand with Rami Sherman in downtown Auckland, New Zealand. Left to right: Cathy Eksteen, Bryce Turner, Rami Sherman and Graham Simpson. | Photo: Christians for Israel NZ As a Jewish Israeli, ‘born and bred’ on a Kibbutz... Rami has developed some profound observations.

23. Feast of Tabernacles 13 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 An Historic Flight from the ‘Ends of the Earth’ Pastor Mikaele n Mudreilagi National Director | ICEJ-Fiji Let me tell you a little about Oceania, which includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. With some 3.3 million square miles, this region spans the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and covers one-fifth of the earth’s surface. It connects continents and has many islands and distinct languages and peoples. Thus, it is of global importance. Yet my region also has great spiritual significance, especially in relation to Jerusalem, which sits at the center of the earth. The Bible says the Gospel of the Kingdom would go forth from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and even to ‘the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). Here in Fiji and all the surrounding island nations, it has been amazing to experience the impact of the Gospel which journeyed forth from Jerusalem and finally reached us in modern times. This journey has led us to the pages of Scripture, to discover the God of Israel and redemption through a Jewish Messiah named Yeshua. We now know the Creator of the whole universe. And indeed, God has watched over His word to perform it (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12). Our faith in Messiah has now summoned our feet to journey back to the Land of Israel where it all started, and to come stand beside Israel in challenging times, to reassure her people they are not alone (Isaiah 40:1, 62:1- 2). The Scriptures also invite the Gentiles to come celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with His people in Jerusalem. Fiji has been attending the Feast since 1990, when a few individuals like the late Rev Aisake Kunanitu made the journey to Jerusalem to celebrate with other Christians from around the world. As a result, the ICEJ- Fiji chapter was launched in March 1993, meaning we have now reached our 30th Anniversary. To mark this occasion, as well as Israel’s 75th Anniversary, ICEJ-Fiji is organising an historic charter flight through our national airline. For the first time, a Fiji Airways plane will land on Israeli soil at Ben-Gurion Airport, bringing over 250 Feast pilgrims to Jerusalem. This unprecedented journey is an expression of our love for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and for the people of Israel. This has truly come about by the hand of God. During the Feast of 2017, I received a clear vision while praying at the Western Wall. I saw a Fiji Airways plane carrying pilgrims to Israel for the Feast, and as it passed through the clouds to land, I heard the words of Isaiah 60:8-9, about doves that fly home to their nests. Yet I did not share this vision with anyone except my wife. Then at last year’s Feast 2022, my fellow countryman, Pastor Manasa Kolivuso, spoke at an evening celebration on the Sea of Galilee, which happened to be on Fiji’s Independence Day. The next morning, he shared that the Lord laid upon his heart that Fiji was to bring a charter flight to the Feast 2023. My heart was filled with emotion! Grabbing the opportunity, I took a Fiji Airways model plane to the Feast prayer vigil at the Pavilion, during Oceania’s prayer time, and declared that this would come to pass. We have been blessed by the awesome cooperation of our travel agents and Fiji Airways to make this historic flight happen. The ‘ends of the earth’ are coming to Jerusalem for the Feast, to glorify the King of all the Earth (Psalm 47:2, 7), and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16). Pastor Mikaele Mudreilagi, ICEJ-Fiji National Director at Feast 2022. | Photos: ICEJ Maxine Carlill n ICEJ Australia “Turn to me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22 Hundreds of Christians from the Oceania region will converge on Suva, Fiji for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s third Oceania Conference ‘From the Ends of the Earth’, to be held 16–18 November. The Conference will be held in Suva’s Civic Centre, overlooking the beautiful Suva Bay. The ICEJ Oceania conference is a gathering of Christian leaders and lay people throughout the Pacific to impact and encourage one another in their roles in relation to the Church and Israel. This is a scriptural mandate based on Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 40:1, Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 62:11. The programme will include worship and teaching by representatives from Israel and Pacific nations, including three senior leaders from ICEJ’s headquarters in Jerusalem. Topics include the Church and Israel, The move of God in Oceania, and the prophetic nature of the Church in relation to current and end time events. At the 2023 Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in the Gold Coast Queensland, Fijian’s Deputy Minister declared, ‘I stand here today knowing a new dawn is happening for Israel in the Pacific...we all want to be there in support of Israel as a unit.’ Ahead of the proposed move of the Fijian Embassy to open in Jerusalem, Papua New Guinea opened their Embassy in Jerusalem one 5 September. Other Pacific nations are deepening ties with Israel. Truly we can rejoice according to Isaiah 42:10, “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.” The Scriptural mandate is clear. We are seeing prophecy fulfilled and end time events unfolding. Be encouraged! Don’t miss out on this exciting event! Be part of this exciting moment in history! It will be an opportunity to witness firsthand the unfolding purposes of God in these end times. Singing His Praises Delegation of Fiji soldiers sign at Feast 2022.

9. 7 75 Years Anniversary ISRAEL Celebrating October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls (Gaza) UN Human Rights Council establishes “an ongoing, independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of international human rights law leading up and since 13 April 2021”. ‘Abraham Accords’ brokered by USA and signed with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. 2020 The State of Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary. 2018 Israel Timeline 1994-2023 Israel signs a peace treaty with Jordan. The treaty clarified the borders of the two countries and their water rights. Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 1994 1995 Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated in Tel Aviv at a peace rally. Second Intifada. PLO leader Arafat rejects a proposal for peace with Israel. 2000 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza. Israel evacuates all Jews (about 8,500) living in Gaza. Hamas, a terrorist organisation wins the Palestinian elections and intensifies rocket fire against Israeli civilians. Hezbollah launches rocket attacks on Israeli cities from Lebanon and kidnaps Israeli soldiers, giving rise to the Second Lebanon War. 2006 2008 Israel launches Operation Cast Lead in response to the barrage of over 10,000 rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip. The city of Tel Aviv celebrates its 100th anniversary. 2009 Mount Carmel Forest Fire. A forest fire began on Mount Carmel which would kill forty and burn nearly twenty square miles over the next three days. 2010 Operation Pillar of Cloud (Pillar of Defence). Israel wants to halt rocket attacks, originating from the Gaza Strip, against Israeli civilians. It’s the ‘debut’ of Iron Dome, the Israeli defence system that stops rockets mid-flight. 2012 2014 Operation Protective Edge, a military campaign aimed at destroying Palestinian tunnels used to smuggle weapons into the coastal enclave and launch attacks against Israel. 2015 2017 Israel is hit with a wave of stabbing, shooting, and car- ramming attacks against civilians in the streets. Operation Breaking Dawn Thirty-seventh government of Israel formed on 29 December 2022, consisting of six parties and led by Benjamin Netanyahu who took office as the Prime Minister for the sixth time. 2022 2023 Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement. Political crisis in Israel as government seeks to implement judicial reforms. Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, celebrates its 50th anniversary of reunification. United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: In December 2017 US President Donald Trump formally announces the United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. ISRAEL 75 Years Anniversary Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony at the White House in Washington, USA, 15 September 2020. | Photo: GPO People watch the military air show in Jerusalem as part of Israel’s 75th Independence Day. | Photo: Flash90 1994 2005 2012 2018 Small photos on pages 6-7: Shutterstock, GPO, Flash90 and C4I 2018 2017

8. Operation Moses. Israel rescues 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from oppression and brings them home to Israel. 1984-1985 1982 First Lebanon War. Camp David Accords, agreements between Israel and Egypt, signed on 17 September 1978, that led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. Israel returns the Sinai Peninsula as part of this peace treaty. 1978-1979 Operation Entebbe. Israeli commandos mount a successful rescue operation at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, freeing over 100 hostages taken after the hijacking of an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris. 1976 6 75 Years Anniversary ISRAEL Celebrating October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Israel Timeline 1948-1993 On 14 May 1948, Israel declares independence, re-establishing the Jewish state after 1,900 years. Armies of five neighbouring countries immediately invade in an effort to annihilate the newly born state. The Israeli Defence Forces are established. 1948 ISRAEL declares independence 1948-1951 The Jewish population doubles, as over 800,000 Jewish refugees flee racism and violence across Europe and the Middle East and return to Israel. The United Nations votes Israel in as its 59th member. The first Knesset (Israeli Parliament) is elected, including three Israeli Arabs. Jerusalem is divided under Israeli and Jordanian rule. 1949 1950 The Knesset enacts the Law of Return, fulfilling Israel’s mission to ‘ingather the exiles’ and to serve as a safe haven for all Jews. Operations Ezra and Nehemiah: Israel rescues 121,000 persecuted Jews from Iraq. 1951 1956 The Sinai Campaign (also known as Operation Kadesh), fought to put an end to the terrorist incursions into Israel and to remove the Egyptian blockade of Eilat. About 240,000 Jewish refugees from Arab states are forced to leave and go to their ancestral homeland in Israel. By the 1970s a total of over 850,000 Jews have fled Arab states. 1952-1964 Adolf Eichmann is tried and executed in Israel after having been found guilty by an Israeli court of crimes against humanity. 1962 Six-Day War. Israel regains control of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (also referred to as the ‘West Bank’), Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. Construction begins in Kfar Etzion, an Israeli community in Samaria, destroyed in the 1948 war and re-established following the Six-Day War. 1967 1969 Golda Meir becomes Prime Minister of Israel, the third woman in the world to lead a country. During the Summer Olympics in Munich, Palestinian gunmen take 11 members of the Israeli team hostage and murder them. 1972 1973 Yom Kippur War, launched by Egypt and Syria. First Intifada. Israelis are attacked with stones, firebombs, guns, and other weapons. 1987 1989 Start of mass immigration of Jews from the Former Soviet Union. Israel launches Operation Solomon to transport over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel over the course of just 36 hours. Israel attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles during the Gulf War. The Soviet Union is dissolved, resulting in a massive wave of Jewish immigration to Israel. 1991 1993 Oslo Accords, marking the start of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. While at first seen as a step toward a peaceful two-state solution, it is followed by terrorism against Israeli civilians and rejections by Palestinian leaders of numerous Israeli peace offers. Ben Gurion (left) signing the Declaration of Independence. | Photo: GPO Israel New Ethiopian immigrants on an Air Force Boeing jet en route from Addis Ababa to Israel during Operation Solomon. | Photo: GPO Israel 1950 1951 1969 1978-1979 1982 1989

11. Ian Worby n C4I Australia National Leader and Regional Director for Oceania Dear precious readers and friends (chavorim). Welcome to this October-November Australia edition of Israel and Christians Today. As I am writing this, we are celebrating the High Holidays, which include Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), ten Days of Awe, and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), are the season in Jewish life when everyone should seek God’s forgiveness and His favour. This practice is not as strictly Jewish as one may think, as it is very much a Biblical instruction from the Lord. God instructs Israel and all who join His people to seek His face and pursue righteousness at the appointed times (Leviticus 23:1-2:25). Rosh Hashanah was a solemn day with trumpet blasts reminding people to reflect on their lives and repent. This is the time to come before God, but also to make things right with one’s neighbour. The true centrepiece of the High Holidays is the shofar —the ceremonial ram’s horn. Traditionally, the Jewish people are commanded to hear the sound of the shofar in this season, which is our reminder to repent and seek forgiveness. In the last days, this sound will announce the return of our King, Jesus the Messiah (1 Thessalonians 3:16). Also, read the second and third chapters of Joel. It’s quite amazing. Another thing that I am excited to share with you is that my wife Mandy and I will be leading our first tour in nearly three years since the Covid pandemic shut everything down in March of 2020. We are leading nearly 50 equally excited Aussies, for the first time starting in Egypt, and then to Jordan and the last two weeks exploring Israel from the bottom to the top and from the coast to the Jordan River. The theme of this tour is following the journey of the exodus of the Children of Israel with Moses and Joshua from the land of Israel after the ten plagues that challenged each of the false gods of Israel until Pharaoh finally let the Lord’s people go, only to chase them with his army to their destruction, and then we will experience some of the lands of the wandering in Jordan including the Rose city of Petra and the desert wilderness of Wadi Rum, and we will stand on Mount Nebo where Moses was able to look into the Promised Land but not enter. We will, however, enter the Promised Land at the southern port of Eilat on the Red Sea and make our way up through the Arava and the Negev via Beersheba, where on 31 October 1917, 800 Australian light-horsemen made history and filled biblical prophecy in their charge on the Turkish army, liberating Israel from 400 years of occupation and setting the stage for the nation to be reborn in a single day on 14 May 1948. We will follow in the footsteps of the Prophets and the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then make our way up to the north to the Galilee where Jesus and the 12 disciples lived and performed many miracles and then we will make our way to Jerusalem the city of the great King where Jesus the son of David was crucified as the lamb of God on the same hill where Abraham bound Issac, and where the Lord rose to form the Dead and where the Messiah will return at the end of days to redeem all of the lost houses of Israel. And sit on the Throne of David and rule the nations just as the prophets and the Angel Gabriel said he would. So we will already be in the land when you are reading this, returning on 2 October 2023. So be sure to follow our adventure on our Christians for Israel Facebook page to see all the wonders and places we will explore. The good news is that we had so many people wanting to join us that we have a second tour happening next year from 23 February to 18 March, and we have available seats if you want to come with us on this once-in-a-lifetime walk through the land of the Bible. If you want the details, go to vision.org.au/israel-tours and download the brochure or contact our travel agent, Olive Tree Travel, ph: 1300 550 830. Inside this edition, you will see some very inspiring articles and stories and, reports and speaking events from our many wonderful contributors that I hope will inform and inspire you to pray and to share with your family and friends at church or at work. Consider ordering some extra copies so you can help us grow our reach and influence. Imagine if we could double the number of newspapers being read every edition. Please Remember the Lord’s Poor and Hungry Dear friends, as we approach the end of this year, it will soon be winter in Israel and Ukraine, where many of our Jewish brothers and sisters need to be kept warm with blankets, clothing and hot meals. Can I ask you to stop and pray for the nation of Israel and the people of Israel, including the holocaust survivors in war- torn Ukraine, where untold horrors are still taking place? Please consider sending your generous tax-deductible gifts of love and practical help to those suffering; simply go to the back page of this newspaper for a whole range of different ways you can comfort Israel and send them yours and God’s love to them at this time. To me, this is the real reason for the Christian season. Thanks again for your faithful, prayerful and generous support. $10, $50 or $100 will make a big difference. Or perhaps you can consider bringing one Jew home or a family of five, or even a busload. Imagine the thrill of knowing you helped change a person’s life forever and fulfilled a bible prophecy. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.” Isaiah 49:22 Together, we are seeing some wonderful stories of lives being blessed because of your love for the Lord and for his brethren. I am sure our Heavenly Father smiles when He sees His children show such unconditional love generosity to ‘these, the least of His brethren’ as we read Jesus words in Matthew 25:37-40. Thank you for being prayerful and generous as you make your tax- deductible donation on the back page of this newspaper or securely online. PS: When sending cheques or money orders or depositing funds into our bank account, please use the new legal name Christians for Israel Australia Foundation Ltd. Failure to do so could mean your payments may not be honoured by the bank. Please note these changes on the response form on the back of the newspaper and at c4israel.com.au/donate Ian Worby is the National Leader for Christians for Israel Australia Foundation Ltd. October 2023 Report From Our National Leader Ian Worby at Golden Menorah in Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. Al Khazneh—the treasury, ancient city of Petra, Jordan. | Photo: Lightstock

22. Opinion Piece from Beersheba Vision 1 2 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 The War in Ukraine, Another Perspective to Ponder On Barry Rodgers OAM n President of Beersheba Vision In the ‘fog of war’ it is hard to determine sometimes what is happening with the fighting in Ukraine, but one thing is clear, Ukraine is not doing anywhere near as well as hoped to say the least. In an attempt to improve things on the battle front, Ukraine has fired its defence minister, is this also a sign that things haven’t been going well? What is Behind Israel’s Reluctance to Support Ukraine with Military Weapons? A question of interest to the readers of Christians for Israel, is why Israel, a major US ally, has not provided direct military aid to Ukraine as pleaded for by Zelensky? Israel is not withholding humanitarian aid however with close to $50,000,000 in aid including a complete field hospital being donated to relieve the suffering, but military aid so far is being withheld. It is somewhat of a dilemma for Israel which is trying to balance Western interests with its own regional interests. Israel can’t afford to get too far offside with Russia as it would jeopardise its operations targeting Iran backed forces in Syria, all in all an unenviable delicate balancing act for Israel. The Legacy of the Past and the Burden of the Present Despite the billions of dollars of military aid being poured into Ukraine from the West together with the impoverished economic situation in Russia, coupled with the supposed Russian military’s lack of solidarity, many in the West believed the Ukraine’s counter offensive, would be an outstanding success, there were even talks of Russia being driven out of Crimea. Well, the simple fact is not all is going well for Ukraine and we must ask the question why. Let me state from the outset I am no fan of Putin, the invasion of Ukraine was brutal, however could the legacy of Ukraine’s past be a factor in its inability to defeat Russia. History always shows that the promise of Genesis 12.3 of, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse”, comes to pass. So, let’s look at the way Ukraine has treated the Jews historically. Israeli historian Shaul Stampfer said in the 17th century nearly half of the Jewish population of 40,000 in Ukraine were killed by Ukrainian Cossacks led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a statue of whom stands proudly as a landmark in Kiev today. Worse still were the pogroms inflicted by the Ukrainian Directorate after WW1, where between 50,000 to 100,000 Jews were killed by Ukrainian nationalist forces. These massacres were the greatest killings of Jews prior to the Holocaust 20 years later. Also, the current toleration of the ‘Azov’ pro-Nazi Regiment in Ukraine’s military is an utter disgrace, in fact more than just tolerated, as the former Ukraine president Poroshenko declared in 2014, “You are our best warriors”. Ukraine is the world’s only nation to have a neo-Nazi formation in its armed forces said a correspondent for the US-based magazine The Nation. Ukraine’s Jewish population blossomed again after WW2, but now again, tens of thousands are forced to flee in what one secular journalist referred to as an ‘irony of history’, we may not understand all that is happening, but ironic it is not. The Burden of the Present Ukraine has been a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking since the early 1990’s according to USAID. Those who have seen recently the graphic film The Sound of Freedom have now become aware of the scale of this massive heart wrenching evil. Men, women, and children are trafficked for exploitation, especially child sexual exploitation on a mammoth scale. Newsweek reports that the epidemic of trafficking in Ukraine remains at the heart of human trafficking in Europe. What has been kept silent is the fact that Ukraine has been the centre of this evil, are these things a factor in Ukraine’s current plight? Is the hand of God involved? If we are bible believing Christians then we must hold the view that history is not just a chance collection of geopolitical events, we must assign purpose to history. We may not understand all the dynamics involved as the God of the universe draws history inexorably to its great climax, but this we do know, God is in control of history. There is much to ponder in this indeterminable war, that seems far from over. In the meantime let us pray for a cessation of this brutal war. All wars such as Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan since the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers in 1945 have ended in negotiated settlements, it would be great if the war with Russia and Ukraine will follow suit, in the meantime death and carnage continue with no end in sight, and with the talk of an unholy alliance between China, Russia and North Korea taking shape, WW3 lurks ominously in the shadows. To contact Barry, email admin@beershebavision.org. If you would like to know more about Beersheba Vision, go to their website at beershebavision.org A man saying goodbye to his wife who is fleeing Russian aggression, 26 February 2022. | Photo: Shutterstock TWO STATES FOR TWO PEOPLES? By Wolfgang Bock and Andrew Tucker By analyzing the assumptions underlying the EU two-state policy, The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) seeks to stimulate vigorous debate on the EU approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and a better way forward for Europe’s engagement in the Middle East. This booklet is a summary of the book: Two States for Two Peoples? LAND WITHOUT BORDERS By Johannes Gerloff and Heinz Reusch Return to Zion! What the Jewish people have been praying for for two thousand years has been coming true since the end of the 19th century. At the same time, however, there is a fierce struggle over the division of the country. This book uses maps to illustrate how Israel's borders have developed between Israelis and Palestinians. An important book for understanding current conflicts. New Booklets Available Now .00 $ 15 .00 $ 20 ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY c4israel.com.au/store

29. Kameel Majdali n Director | Teach All Nations Inc. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 21:23 It is the most famous city in the world with a long, illustrious, and troubled history. Four thousand years in total, with its second millennium being under Israelite rule. The ministry of Jesus of Nazareth was the watershed; from the point of His rejection and crucifixion by and at Jerusalem, the city would enter into a turbulent period called 1 the ‘Times of the Gentiles.’ In any case, before Messiah rules from Jerusalem, the city will be subjected to a variety of Gentile imperial occupiers for the next two millennia. If you visit the holy city in the future, you may hear some of their names. Volumes have been written about Jerusalem after the time of Jesus. The city has been invaded and occupied dozens of times. Our main purpose is to give you a general overview from the time of Christ to the eve of the Crusades. You will better appreciate the present when you understand the past. Roman Rule: Three Stages Stage One from 63 BC–70 AD: Jerusalem’s central position, geographically and theologically, gave it a front-row seat to a grand imperial parade: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and now Rome. The first stage of Roman rule in the holy city commenced in 63 BC with the entry of Pompey. It was characterised by a pagan Rome over a Jewish city. The first Jewish revolt of 66-70 AD commenced against the empire. Stage One continued until the city’s destruction by Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, in the year 70 AD. The city and Herod’s temple were completely obliterated, and its smouldering rubble served as a camp for the Roman X Legion. It remained in its devastated condition for the next sixty years. Stage Two from 130-312 AD: In 130 AD, Roman Emperor Hadrian decided to build a thoroughly pagan city on the ruins of Jerusalem. He called it Aelia Capitolina. This action lit the fuse of a second Jewish revolt led by Simon Bar Kochba. He was proclaimed ‘The Messiah’ by Rabbi Akiva. The Jews under Bar Kochba retook Jerusalem, offered sacrifices on the temple mount (minus the temple), and decimated the Roman troops. It took the empire three years under Sextus Julius Severus to brutally crush the revolt. With Bar Kochba’s defeat and death, Aelia Capitolina was established, and the second stage of Roman rule began: a pagan Rome over a pagan city. The Romans built a temple to Jupiter on the Temple Mount and a temple to Venus on the site of Calvary. Though meant to overwrite Judaeo-Christian sacred memories, this sacrilege inadvertently made the future identification of these sacred sites easier. Stage Three from 312-638 AD: Stage Three of Roman rule began in 312 AD when the faith Rome once tried to destroy was adopted by its Emperor, Constantine. Now we had a Christian Rome ruling over a Christian city: Heathen Aelia was transformed into Christian Jerusalem. Constantine’s mother, Helena, went on a well-known pilgrimage to the holy city. She ‘discovered’ Calvary, the ‘true cross,’ a ‘holy tunic’ and ‘holy nails.’ Helena ordered the destruction of the temple to Venus, thus making room for the construction of Christendom’s most sacred shrines: these included The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Eleona (Ascension) on the Mount of Olives, and the Church of the Nativity in nearby Bethlehem. Two of these churches still stand today. First Muslim Period: 638-1099AD The Christianised Eastern Roman Empire ruled Jerusalem for three centuries, except for a brief occupation by the Sassanid Persian Empire (614-629 AD). During this torrid period, the Persians destroyed many buildings and massacred many residents. The Roman Christians at Constantinople recovered Jerusalem in 629 AD, only to lose it for good nine years later. Islam came to Jerusalem early in its history. The city, under the leadership of Patriarch Sophronius, peacefully surrendered to Caliph Omar in 638 AD. It became part of the Jund Filastin province of the Arab Caliphate. Though Jerusalem was under Muslim rule for the coming centuries, as you are about to see, the actual Muslim regimes and their capital cities changed. 638-750 AD: Jerusalem was ruled by the Ummayad dynasty out of Damascus. During their tenure, two famous Muslim sites were constructed on Mount Moriah: the Dome of the Rock in 691 AD and the al Aqsa Mosque in 702 AD. Both buildings still exist. 750-877 AD: Abbasid Empire, based in Mesopotamia and the new city of Baghdad. At one point, the Abbasids governed all the way to Spain. 877-1071 AD: Egyptian/Fatimid rule out of Cairo. It was their Caliph al-Hakim who made it his mission to entirely destroy the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which he did in 1010 AD. His action helped spawn the Christian Crusades decades later. 1071-1099 AD: Seljuk Turks—the Turks migrated from Central Asia westward. Originally adherents to Shamanism, they adopted Islam en route to settling in Asia Minor. They replaced the four- hundred-year Arab leadership of the Muslim community and dominated the Islamic world for nearly a millennium. Their harassment of Christian pilgrims en route to Jerusalem provided another pretext for the Crusades. While the Ummayads adorned Mount Moriah, known as al- Haram al-Sharif (the noble sanctuary) and the Temple Mount, with their famous buildings, Jerusalem did not prosper for many centuries. It was never the capital of any entity except for the Crusader Kingdom (1099-1187) and the British Mandate (1922). While one could argue that it was trodden down by the Gentiles over the years, it also remained on the map by attracting Jewish and Christian pilgrims from all over the known world. In the next article, we will learn about Jerusalem from the time of the Crusades to the beginning of the twentieth century. To be continued. 1 Some scholars begin this period with the Babylonian captivity around 586 BC. That’ s when Nebuchadnezzar conquered and destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple. 11 Theology Biblical Roots More Jewish Voices in Advocating Pro- Life Options Needed Orthodox Jewish law permits abortion when the unborn child is putting the mother’s physical life at risk. For some rabbinic authorities, the dispensation has been extended to consider the mother’s emotional and psychological state as factors before making a final decision. Although abortion on demand is prohibited, it is my belief that most Jews within the Orthodox community, and certainly those of other denominations within Judaism, advocate or passively accept pro-choice legislation throughout the mother’s pregnancy. For Jews who do not follow the tenets of Orthodox Jewish law, many rabbis and Jewish leaders have happily adopted ‘my body, my right’ as some type of Jewish value. As an Orthodox Jew, I find this position repugnant and twisting of the sacred text to be accepted within the general society. I feel that Jews who take these types of counter- Jewish law positions are suffering from our collective PTSD deriving from 2,000 years of living in exile. We would rather be loved by the general society than be stewards of God’s law. For the Orthodox Jewish community, the option of having pro-choice legislation ensures that if a mother’s physical life is at stake at any point in the pregnancy, one may terminate the baby. The problem with this stance is that tens of millions of unborn babies, who never endangered their mother’s life, have paid a severe price for such legislative acceptance. Furthermore, Jewish law also advocates to ensure that non-Jews uphold God’s law. Over 94% of abortions have nothing to do with any medical complications with the mother. Besides issuing an occasional organisational statement and a few clergy appearing in the media to discuss the topic, many Orthodox rabbis and institutional leaders have passively stood aside on this issue. The world should not think that the only Jewish voice out there is the one who is okay with on-demand abortions. With the Day of Atonement around the corner, it is a time of deep personal and collective introspection and reflection over our walk with God. Part of the eighty formal confessionals declared during the Day of Atonement service include: We have committed iniquity! And for the sin, we have sinned before You by desecrating Your name! Regarding the first confession, the Hebrew term for ‘iniquity’ is avon, crooked. In the context of this confession, we admit to God that we have used convoluted reasoning to persuade ourselves to sin. The second confession is an admission that we have brought discredit to our people or faith and thus about God Himself. We must go beyond issuing statements and work with our Christian brothers and sisters in providing alternatives to abortion by working on banning on-demand abortions as well as funding pregnancy centres. Millions depend upon us! David Nekrutman is an Orthodox Jewish theologian with over two decades experience in the calling of Jewish-Christian relations. He currently serves as the Executive Director of The Isaiah Projects and is the Jewish Adviser to The Chosen. By David Nekrutman Times of the Gentiles The History of Jerusalem—Part 5 ISRAEL Celebrating October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Mosaic Map of Jerusalem, 542-570, 6th Century AD. | Photo: Lightstock Jerusalem at the time of Christ. | Photo: Lightstock

33. 15 From Our Projects Part of our mission is to comfort Israel and the Jewish people through prayer and action. If you would like to support one of our projects you can complete the coupon on page 16 or make an online donation. Thank you very much for your support! Aliyah Aliyah is the Hebrew word for the return of the Jewish people to Israel. We support Aliyah mainly from Ukraine (and the former Soviet Union), but also from India and France. Furthermore, we help new immigrants (in Hebrew: olim) to integrate into Israeli society. Hineni Soup Kitchen We help the poor of Israel, by providing them with food. We do this in partnership with the Hineni Center in Jerusalem, headed by Benjamin Philip. Your gift for the soup kitchen goes directly to the purchase of food. Holocaust Survivors We support impoverished Holocaust survivors in Israel and Ukraine through various projects which provide assistance to survivors of the Holocaust. Those survivors are elderly and will not be among us for long, and there is a growing demand for practical assistance. Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) You can support the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the heart of Biblical Israel. The main purpose is to encourage the people in the Biblical Heartland and to show them that there are Christians throughout the world who support them and share the belief that the areas of Judea and Samaria are part of Israel’s inheritance. Food Parcel Campaign Ukraine We distribute food parcels amongst Jewish people in Ukraine. These parcels are handed out to Holocaust survivors, needy families, and the sick. Those food parcels are a sign of friendship that demonstrates your support for our Jewish brothers and sisters and that they are not alone. Arab Christians Life for Christians in Bethlehem is often not easy. Christians for Israel supports the First Baptist Church of Rev Naim Khoury in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The members of this church spread the gospel among Arabs and share their love and heart for Israel and the Jewish people. For country-specific or further information on our projects, go to our website, www.c4israel.com.au Overview of our projects Emotional Farewell ISRAEL Celebrating Rev Cornelis Kant n Executive Director | Christians for Israel International It is half past five in the morning: 26 Jewish teenagers (aged 13-16) say goodbye to their parents in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. What an impressive and emotional moment. These teenagers are part of Israel’s Naaleh programme, which means that they will go to Israel for their high school education. After that, they go to college, and once they are settled, they hope their parents and grandparents will also come to Israel permanently. The Jewish Agency in Israel asked our Christians for Israel team in Ukraine if we could take these young people with our bus to the airport in Warsaw, Poland. We met the teenagers and their parents after they had travelled to Lviv from all corners of Ukraine. I spoke to a 15-year-old boy and his mother. He shared: “I was not raised religiously, but together with my mother, I have been exploring our Jewish roots for some time now. We already eat kosher, celebrate the Jewish holidays and pray every day.” His mother was visibly happy that her son could leave for Israel to build a new future. During the farewell between parents and children on the bus, the air raid alarm sounded. This added an extra dimension to the already emotional farewell. At the border crossing with Poland, we had to wait no less than eight hours for all luggage, documents, and the bus itself to be checked. It gave us the opportunity to interact with the teenagers and to record this event. They all made a cheerful and lively impression, and they came well- prepared and motivated. We sensed that they were really looking forward to going to Israel. “I want to go to a religious school in Jerusalem to get to know my Judaism even better,” said a 14-year-old girl. Another teenager mentioned: “I’m not religious yet, but I really feel like a Jew. And in Israel, I want to learn more about my Jewish religion.” A 14-year-old girl told us that in Israel, she wants to do something meaningful in Israel. “My reason for going to Israel is that I really want to contribute to Israeli society.” Overall, it was very inspiring and impressive to get to know these Jewish teenagers from Ukraine a little better. We hope they will all have a blessed future in the promised land. October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Vladyslav My name is Vladyslav, and I am 14 years old. I come from Odessa. It was five years ago that I visited Israel, and then I fell in love with the country, the people, the culture and the food. I wanted to go back and study there. So when I heard about the Naaleh programme and saw presentations from schools in Israel, I knew I wanted to study in Israel, become an Israeli citizen and then find a good job. I do leave my family here in Ukraine, and that is sad. But I have a good feeling about this step. An aunt of mine lives in Israel, and she showed me a lot of the country five years ago. I was not raised religiously, but I want to learn more once I am in Israel. Christians for Israel gave me good support while making Aliyah and I would recommend the organisation to others. Sofia My name is Sofia, and I’m from Odessa in southern Ukraine. I came to Lviv because I am leaving for Israel this week. My mother, my sister and my grandmother stayed behind in Ukraine. In Israel, I hope to study, but my dream is to do something meaningful in Israel when I finish school. I am very excited and happy that I can go to Israel. Once I am there, without my mother, I believe I will mature faster. An uncle, aunt and niece already live in Israel. My plan is to settle in Jerusalem. I would like to thank you for your support; you really helped me a lot! Aliyah in the Bible Rev Cornelis Kant: “The prophets speak at length about the fact that God will bring back His people at the end of time, in preparation for the coming of His kingdom. During this particular trip with so many young people going to Israel, I often was reminded of these prophecies. For example, in Ezekiel 37:21 and 22, we read: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them, and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.’” And if you read Isaiah 49:22, you also notice how this links us as Christians to the return of the Jewish people: “See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.” Knowing this and being involved in it humbles me, but I also find it a privilege. Scan the QR code to view the video report of this trip, or go to the website: www.c4israel.org/lviv-israel

17. Historical Perspective 7 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Thirty Years On - The Aftermath of the Oslo Accords Hugh Kitson n Writer, Director & Producer of the Whose Land? Documentary September and October of this year mark significant anniversaries of three major events in Israel’s modern history, all of which have significance in the battle for the legitimacy of the reborn Jewish nation of Israel – a battle some might say is being lost: Ÿ 29 September: The centenary of the implementation of the British Mandate for Palestine in 1923, which had been ratified the previous year on 24 July 1922 Ÿ 6 October: The 50th anniversary of the invasion of Israel by Egypt and Jordan, known as the Yom Kippur War in 1973 Ÿ 13 September: The 30th anniversary of the initial signing of the ‘Oslo Accords’ on the lawns of the White House in 1993. It is out of this battle for Israel’s legitimacy that the Whose Land? documentary series was born. For the purposes of this article we are focusing on the third of these anniversaries. But before looking at the complex political consequences of ‘Oslo’, it is worth examining some of the spiritual ramifications of the Oslo Accords – something that is largely beyond the remit of the Whose Land? series, which is primarily aimed at a secular audience. A central philosophy in the Oslo Accords was the concept of ‘Land-for-Peace’. It had been tried before and failed. The first time was when the Biblical Land of Israel was under British control during the Mandate. The Peel Commission in 1937 recommended a ‘two-state solution’. This would have been in breach of Article 5 of the Mandate which states that “no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to ... any foreign power.” The next recommendation was the UN General Assembly Partition Plan of 1947. In neither of those instances was the land under the control of the Jewish people, but in 1993 it was. One of the reasons why ‘Oslo’ was destined for failure is that it never had the Lord’s blessing. In Leviticus 25:23 the Lord specifically forbids the ‘selling’ of the Land for any reason, even if it is in exchange for ‘peace’. In 2005 Israel abandoned the Gaza Strip to the PLO, which was subsequently seized by Hamas. Israel has suffered the consequences time and again. Not only is Israel forbidden from ‘selling’ the land, but in Joel 3:2 the Lord also warns the nations against dividing His land. Another aspect of ‘Oslo’ that would have displeased the Lord was that the whole process was shrouded in deception. While, on the surface, the people known today as ‘the Palestinians’ were being offered self- determination through autonomous government in certain areas of greater Israel – and this could be seen as a just cause – the PLO themselves had only one intention and that was the destruction of the Jewish state. Soon after the Declaration of Principles was signed, Faisal Husseini, who was one of Yasser Arafat’s henchmen, described the strategy behind entering into the Oslo process as a ‘Trojan Horse’ in order to fulfil the 1974 Phased Plan to take over Israel piece by piece. Many Bible- believing Christians, even back in 1993, realised that this was exactly what was going on. Arafat himself confirmed this not long after the Oslo Accords were signed. He said that the agreements were nothing more than a ‘Hudabiyah’ – a temporary arrangement intended to effectuate Israel’s ultimate demise. The Arabic term refers to a ten-year truce that the prophet Muhammed signed with the Quraysh tribe who controlled Mecca, which, when it became militarily opportune, he breached soon afterward. What the Quraysh were to Mecca, the Jews are to ‘Palestine’. For the PLO, Oslo was made to be breached. On the 30th anniversary of Oslo we released Episode 15, which tells the story of the signing of the Accords and the immediate consequences, which include the Camp David Summit of 2000 that Yasser Arafat walked out of. He then immediately mounted the terror campaign against Israel known as the Second Intifada. In the following five years well over one thousand Israelis were slaughtered by terrorists coming from Palestinian Authority-controlled areas. You can view Episode 15 here: All episodes released to YouTube/cwIF1MIS1Zk. date can be seen on the Whose Land? YouTube channel: YouTube.com/@whoseland The remaining four episodes of Whose Land? Part Two will all feature the legacy of ‘Oslo’. They examine the comprehensive violation of the Oslo Accords – not only by the PLO, which is the main governing body of the PA, but by many other nations in the world – and especially the European Union and the United Nations and its various agencies. Right now Israel is ‘in the dock’ once again with the International Court of Justice in the Hague. This follows another request by the UN General Assembly for an Advisory Opinion on the following question: What are the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of ... Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures? While this Advisory Opinion is not likely to be delivered to the UN until next year – if the 2004 Advisory Opinion of the ICJ on the construction of the Security Barrier is anything to go by – Israel faces nothing short of a ‘Kangaroo Court’. During the Second Intifada Israel built the barrier to prevent the wholesale murder of Israeli citizens by Palestinian terrorists coming in from Gaza and ‘the West Bank’. In Episode 16 - which can be viewed on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/@whoseland - our team of international lawyers expose the legal corruption of the 2004 case against the Jewish state. The Court determined that the barrier, which the Palestinians had branded as ‘the apartheid wall’, was ‘illegal’ because ‘Palestine’ is not a state (the International Criminal Court should take note of that!), and therefore Israel had no right of self-defence against attacks. In February 2004 Christians for Israel (C4I) organised a massive demonstration outside the Palace of Peace in The Hague where the ICJ sits. Some 4,000 Christians, each carrying a photograph of an Israeli murdered by Palestinian terrorists, demonstrated outside the court precinct. To make the point, C4I had a bombed-out bus flown in from Jerusalem and parked it across the road from the Court. 20 people had been killed in that particular atrocity, including 7 infants and children. Nevertheless, the International Court of Justice effectively condoned the murder of innocent Israeli citizens, even though the Security Barrier caused more than a 90% drop in deadly terrorist attacks originating from ‘the West Bank’ and Gaza. It is interesting to note that the dissenting judge on the bench – Judge Buergenthal – noted that the ICJ’s Opinion failed to address any of the facts or evidence. Moreover, the Court determined that the Israeli ‘settlements’ in Israel’s Biblical heartland, including its ‘occupation’ of its ancient capital city – the Old City of Jerusalem – were ‘illegal’. This of course, is at the centre of the current case being waged against Israel. Are we not witnessing a fulfilment of Zechariah 12:3 “I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples”? Episode 17, expected to be released later in October, will specifically focus on the legality of the so-called settlements in Judea and Samaria. Our illustrious on- camera presenter, Colonel Richard Kemp, poses the question: “Is the term ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ based on international law? Or is it simply anti-Israel propaganda?” Dr Alan Baker, one of Israel’s ‘Oslo’ negotiators and co-author of the Levy Report on the legality of settlements, gives a unambiguous answer! God-willing we hope to have all of the Part Two episodes of Whose Land? out by the end of the year. As we continue to engage in this battle for the legitimacy of Israel’s right of domicile in the whole of Eretz Yisrael, we must remember that ‘the battle belongs to the Lord.’ Hugh Kitson is a documentary filmmaker who has made many films about Israel. His films about the British Mandate for Palestine include ‘The Forsaken Promise’—a three-part series (Hatikvah Film Trust 2006) and ‘Whose Land?’ presented by Colonel Richard Kemp (Title Deed Media 2017)—see To contact Hugh Kitson please email him: whoseland.tv. hugh.kitson@titledeedmedia.com Demonstrations in The Hague, 2004

27. 9 History of the Church Signs of Faith By Kees de Vreugd Washing Hands In this series, ‘Signs of Faith’, objects, procedures and concepts that express Jewish faith are explained and discussed. Washing your hands before eating or when you have been to the toilet—it is simply a matter of hygiene and the most normal thing in the world. And in corona times, we have become accustomed to doing it a bit more often. It has almost become a ritual. In addition to ordinary hygiene, ritual purity is also important in Judaism. That is why it is also a precept to ritually wash your hands. You do this, for example, when you get up in the morning, before you eat bread or after you have been to the toilet and dried your hands. You pour some water from a bowl over both your hands and pronounce the blessing that goes with it. Hands are also washed before prayers. There are also other times when it is obligatory, such as when leaving a cemetery. Before the kohanim (priests) pronounce the priestly blessing in the synagogue service, the Levites ritually wash the kohanim’s hands and feet. This is actually also where the origins of ritual hand washing lie. Before their service in the temple, priests had to ritually wash their hands and feet (Exodus 30:17-21). Moreover, the Bible (Leviticus 10:10) distinguishes between holy and unholy, pure and impure. In daily life, you come into contact with various degrees of impurity at all sorts of times. It has to do—in a nutshell, we cannot go into it too deeply—with the presence of death in life. The Pharisees in ancient times longed to elevate themselves and all Israel to a nation of priests. Every Israelite is a priest, and every table is an altar. That is why, among other things, they wanted to introduce ritual hand washing, which was actually only obligatory for priests in the temple, for all people. Of course, this was not without controversy. We hear an echo of this in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. Washing hands before eating bread is an expression of obedience to the commandment to be holy before the Lord. Moreover, it expresses the expectation of the Messiah so that Israel will be able to eat in a state of ritual purity when the temple is rebuilt. Rev Cornelis Kant n Executive Director | Christians for Israel International In this series of articles Rev Cornelis Kant explains how it happened that the role of Israel was seen as insignificant in the development of our Christian faith and in the history of Christian theology. People who no longer consider that Israel and the Jewish people have a special role in our Christian faith, no longer like to speak of replacement theology, preferring instead to speak of enlargement or fulfilment theology. Israel has not been replaced, but God’s people have been broadened. Every person who believes in Jesus Christ, Jew or Gentile, may call himself a child of God and now belongs to God’s people. The term ‘replacement theology’ retained the negative connotation of medieval anti- Judaism. ‘Enlargement’ or ‘fulfilment’ theology, on the other hand, sounds more sympathetic and inclusive. Jews still matter, too. But do they really? Has anything really changed in this kind of theological consideration about Jews and Israel? Old Wine in New Wineskins A closer look reveals that, in fact, very little appears to have changed. It turns out to be old wine in new wineskins. Israel as a land and people no longer has any significance in a theology of enlargement or fulfilment. Jews only belong to the new people of God when they have converted to Jesus. The only difference from classical, medieval replacement theology is that it is now often respected and appreciated when these Messianic Jews continue to adhere to the Jewish way of life, such as celebrating the Sabbath and Jewish festivals. There has been a rediscovery and appreciation of the deep Biblical value of Judaism, but the vast majority of Jews, who do not yet recognise Jesus as the promised Messiah, do not belong to God’s people in this renewed theology. So, in fact, despite the changed terminology, little has changed. In fact, neither the Jewish people as a whole nor Israel as a country any longer play a significant role in God’s plans. Only the Christian church is, and remains, the centre of God’s people in this renewed replacement theology. The question that arises is how these theologians deal with the abundance of biblical testimony to the continuing significance of Israel and the Jewish people. Let us take a closer look at such testimony through a number of topics and Bible texts. Old and New Covenant In the faith experience of many Christians, God’s covenant with Israel is the ‘old covenant’, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ‘new covenant’. The Old Testament is the book of the old covenant, the New Testament is that of the new covenant. The term ‘old’ then still has the connotation of being obsolete or having passed away. The new covenant holds the future. However, that perspective is absolutely at odds with the Bible. God’s covenants with Abram, Isaac and Jacob and, in fact, with the entire nation of Israel, are eternal and unceasing. To Abram, the Lord God says: “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7). At the establishment of the covenant, words such as ‘everlasting’ and ‘throughout their generations’ are evident. He remains their God forever. This is repeated and confirmed by Paul in the New Testament when he says: “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises” (Romans 9:4). At the end of his letter, he even says that Jesus came “to confirm the promises given to the fathers” (Romans 15:8). There is, however, an old covenant to be renewed or replaced by a new covenant. This refers to the covenant that God made with the people of Israel on Mount Sinai when He gave them the law: the 613 commandments, prohibitions and statutes. The people of Israel had just been delivered from centuries of slavery in Egypt. They had lived from generation to generation in pagan Egypt with all its gods and goddesses and a pagan way of life. In the Promised Land, too, they would face Canaanites and Philistines, with numerous gods and goddesses and their likewise pagan way of life. So, the people of Israel needed a large set of precepts and commandments. But throughout the Bible, it becomes evident to us that Israel would never be able to perfectly observe them all. So then, God makes it clear through the prophets that there will be a new covenant. In the perception of most Christians, this is Jesus’ new covenant with the church, as opposed to the old covenant with the people of Israel. But that is incorrect. The prophet Jeremiah confirms that the new covenant will also be made with Israel: “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33). When Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples centuries later, He said, when passing the cup of wine: “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). At that moment, He was alone with His Jewish disciples, and they were celebrating the Jewish Passover. The new covenant is, therefore, established with the people of Israel and is brought about through the suffering and death of Jesus as the Messiah and King of Israel, announced by the Old Testament. Only with the missionary command after His resurrection and with the conversion of the Roman Cornelius and his entire house (Acts 10) does it becomes clear to everyone that through faith in Jesus, conversion and being filled with the Holy Spirit, a Gentiles too can become a child of God and receive eternal life. We, too, can share in the blessings of God’s new covenant with Israel. Paul describes it this way: as Christians from the Gentiles, we are grafted in as ‘wild branches’ onto the tree of Israel. So, as Christians, we do not coincide like two drops of water with the Jewish people, but we are deeply connected to them and may share with them the blessings and living water of the new covenant, in which Jesus plays the key role. The old and new covenant will co-exist for now. Jeremiah clearly says that the new covenant will involve the full restoration of Israel and the return of all Jews to the land of their fathers. This is a promise that will be fully fulfilled in the end times. In that same end time God will pour out His Spirit on all His people, and they will see who their Messiah is. The writer of the letter of Hebrews clarifies the meaning of the new covenant, which is referred to in Jeremiah 31: “By calling this covenant ‘new’, he (God) made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear” (Hebrews 8:13). So the old covenant still exists and is gradually going to disappear and make way for the new or renewed one: “For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliests of times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath” (Acts 15:21). So it is evident that the simple classical contradiction: old covenant is with the Jews, new covenant is with Christians, is a thoroughly false contradiction. Believing Without Israel Enlargement or Fulfilment Theology—Part 7 ISRAEL Celebrating October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 | Photo: Shutterstock

32. 14 Modern History A Story of an Anthem ISRAEL Celebrating Tal Hartuv n Israeli Tour Guide | Author | Cartoonist I am convinced that HaTikvah, our Israeli national anthem, is the most beautiful in the world. I confess I am biased, but even though I have my personal reasons (please read on), I am not alone in thinking it is the best in the world. On that rare occasion when Israel wins a gold medal at a sporting event, and the flag is raised to the tune of HaTikvah, footage of those three minutes is shared by millions of Israelis on social media. Truth be told, most don’t know, or care, or will even remember, who won what; what is important is that our anthem is being played to the world. Israelis are known for being tough, yet HaTikvah never fails to bring a tear to even the toughest and roughest of them all. This applies to those who have defended our land in many a war. No matter how tough, all will unashamedly dry a tear from their eye when they hear our anthem. Some would argue that the tears are because the melody is in a minor key. Of over 200 national anthems, only about a dozen are in a minor key. Most are joyful, party-going and march-like. But HaTikvah is not. Yet HaTikvah moves people, not because it is in a minor key. The words to our extraordinary anthem were penned by Naftali Herz Imber, a Jewish Hebrew-language poet who was born in today’s Ukraine. Written in the 19th century, it was not intended to be a tune. It was simply a poem about the Jewish hope of a future Israel and the hope of returning to our land after two thousand years. But the poem became an anthem and one which tells of an endless history and espouses an eternal future. HaTikvah is a declaration of facts. It rises to its name by the existence of our past, present, and future. HaTikvah is a statement that the people of Israel live, and against all odds, we are still here. While the author of the words is not disputed, the origin of the tune has caused speculations for years. There were those who claimed that the tune came from the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana from his piece, Die Moldau. Others were sure that it found its genesis in a work of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. But neither is true. Thirteen years ago, due to the historical research of Israeli-born pianist and musicologist Astrith Baltsan, the mystery was solved, and the enigma of where the tune came from was finally laid to rest. Through her pedantic research, Baltsan discovered that the melody has been a journey that fittingly mirrors that of the Jewish people in the diaspora. Both melody and nation have travelled the world for centuries. Baltsan discovered that the melody goes back 600 years to a Sephardi prayer for dew. In Hebrew, dew is Tal. Tal is in our daily prayers. Tal is the consistent, unseen, yet nourishing moisture of God on our land and souls, without which we would die. That is my extra reason for loving HaTikvah. In my very name, it reminds me there is always hope and continued healing. Songs today by various artists are familiar all around the world. What is true now was true then. Melodies travelled then and travel today. After the Jewish people were expelled from Spain and Portugal (these are the Sephardim), they took with them their melody for the prayer for dew. The tune lulled its way across land and sea, hummed by people here and there until it eventually found its way to Italy, where the tune was set to words. The tune to the Sephardi prayer for dew soon became a popular Italian love song, Fugi, Fugi, Amore Mio, which can still be found on YouTube today. The tune was a hit! It spread and ended up in today’s Moldova, where it was set to a new set of lyrics. This time, the original tune for the prayer for dew now hosted the words of a Moldovan gypsy folk song about a cart and oxen. A Jewish melody in danger of being lost to the Jewish people did not stay lost. Unknown to the Jewish people themselves, that tune for the prayer for dew, which became about an ox and a cart, was restored to the Jewish people. Hope was born again. It arose as HaTikvah when 17-year-old Moldovan Shmuel Cohen immigrated to the land of Israel. When Cohen, who knew the Moldovan folk song, came across Imber’s poem in Israel, he decided that there would be no better tune to set it to music than the Moldovan tune he had heard at home. It was a perfect fit. Thus, unknown to everyone, the melody had travelled the world mirroring the Jewish journey of the exodus, the dispersion after the destruction of the Temple, the banishment from Spain and eventually the journey of the Jewish remnant who came to the land after the Holocaust. Like any Jewish story, even a Jewish melody needs a bit of persecution to emphasise the hope. During the 1930s, when the British were ruling the land of Israel, they pettily forbade the Jewish radio station to play HaTikvah. Undeterred and familiar with the similar sounding Smetana’s Die Moldau, the radio played that instead. The British could not blacklist a work of classical music, and there was not a Jew in the land who did not read between the lines. Most moving of all was when HaTikvah was played at the end of World War II. A British Jewish chaplain named Leslie Hardman led Bergen-Belsen Holocaust survivors in a Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony, which took place outdoors in the middle of the horror. It was none other than a choir of human skeletons who found it in them to reach beyond the depths of their despair and sing of hope from the depths of their brokenness. That gutting performance was recorded by the BBC yet lay undiscovered for years in the Smithsonian Institute. But our eternal history has proved that not the British mandate, the BBC, the mighty Smithsonian Institute, or the Romans, Babylonians, Egyptians or any other adversary has ever extinguished our hope or our gratitude to God for the Tal (dew) of the morning where HaTikvah is always found. October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 “Israelis are known for being tough, yet HaTikvah never fails to bring a tear to even the toughest and roughest of them.” Original text of HaTikva by Naftali Herz Imber. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons Israeli President Shimon Peres sings HaTikva with young Israelis during the opening of the Israeli Presidential Conference at the International Conference Centre in Jerusalem 13 May 2008. | Photo: Flash90 Portrait of Jewish poet Naftali Herz Imber. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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. Other Easy Ways To Donate 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: Over the Phone 07 3088 6900 Securely Online c4israel.com.au Bank Transfer BSB: 014-279 ACC: 433641954 REF: Member Number “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Please go to the back page of the newspaper to select what projects you wish to support or use the reply slip on this sheet or visit our website c4israel.com.au/donate May the Lord bless you and keep you and your family safe as you pray and stand with Israel and as you demonstrate your love by showing compassion to the poor. I leave you with my prayer from Hebrews 6:10: “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints-and you continue to serve them.” May your names be inscribed in the Book of Life Ian Worby National Leader And the Christians for Israel Australia team P.S. If you haven’t made a general donation to help support the costs of the newspaper and postage any amount large or small will be greatly appreciated and is also tax deductable. (during office hours) 2024 CALENDAR by Christians for Israel Australia New Resources Available Now ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY c4israel.com.au/store or complete the coupon on the back page. .00 $ 29 TWO STATES FOR TWO PEOPLES? by Wolfgang Bock and Andrew Tucker .00 $ 15 SPECIAL: $30 Purchase both books for LAND WITHOUT BORDERS by Johannes Gerloff and Heinz Reusch SPECIAL: Purchase the calendar and both books for $50 .00 $ 20

20. Biblical Commentary 10 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 The Jubilee and Jesus’ Return Ps Enoch Lavender n Director | Olive Tree Ministries “When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28 I once watched a really frightening movie about the End Times. The 90-minute feature film focused its attention almost exclusively on a truly evil person coming to power and dominating the world, viciously persecuting anyone who stood in his way. A mere three minutes at the end of the movie brought some hope as Jesus appeared in blinding light. Considering this dark portrayal of the End Times, is it any wonder that many Christians and churches today shy away from the topic of Bible Prophecy? The only comfort offered by this view is that we believers will one day ‘be out of here’ and that this dark world is not ‘really our home’ anyway. While there will certainly be trouble ahead in the End Times, Jesus spoke of a great hope that far outweighs that time of trouble. That hope is known as the coming redemption, also known as the Jubilee. What is it about the Jubilee that brings such great hope and anticipation of Jesus’ Return to Earth? The Trumpet of the Jubilee Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 25:9). Life in the ancient world was tough, and many lived as farmers who were completely dependent on the produce of their fields. Those finding themselves in severe financial hardship could temporarily sell their land and even themselves into slavery. The laws of the Jubilee then stipulated that a friend or relative could ‘redeem’ or buy back the land and set those who had become slaves free. If no redeemer was found, God Himself decreed that the debts of the poor were to be cancelled, the slaves set free and His people restored to their ancestral inheritance in the 50th year, the year of Jubilee. Can you imagine the joy that the sounding of the Jubilee Trumpet would have caused in ancient Israel? At this once in a generation trumpet blast, slaves were set free across the nation and the poor were released from their long-held debts. In the streets of Israel long lost loved ones would be tearfully embracing and rejoicing together in the redemption of God. Could this ancient joy at the sound of the Jubilee Trumpet be a foretaste of the much greater joy to come at Jesus’ Return? For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (I Thes 4:16) Let’s explore a further link between Jesus’ Return and the Jubilee, found in the book of Exodus. The Glory and the Trumpet The twelve tribes of Israel had gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai only three months after being set free from Egypt. In Egypt and at the Red Sea they had dramatically witnessed the power of God delivering them from bondage. Yet even the crossing of the Red Sea paled into insignificance compared to the encounter with the Glory of God which they were about to experience in its full manifestation on Mount Sinai. Moses describes a thick cloud enveloping the mountain, thunder, lightning, smoke and the entire mountain shaking as the Lord Himself physically descended. Many scholars view this dramatic appearance of God as being a powerful prophetic preview of the day when Jesus Himself will physically descend from the heavens. It is crucial then to note that God’s awesome descent on the mountain was marked with an exceeding long and loud trumpet blast: When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain..... And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder... Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai (Ex 19:13, 16-20, emphasis added) The word used here for trumpet is the word Yobel or Jubilee. In other words, the long blast on the mountain signifying God’s descent was also at once a Jubilee Trumpet. Israel itself was truly in the midst of an amazing Jubilee experience, being set free from slavery and being on their way to inherit the promised land. This amazing foreshadow of Jesus’ Return, teaches us to expect the trumpet of the Jubilee, the trumpet of great joy and restoration, to also mark Jesus’ Future Coming. The Restoration of all Things In Jesus’ day, there was a great expectation that He would bring the Jubilee. After His death, the broken- hearted disciples spoke openly of their disappointment as they thought it ‘was He who was going to redeem Israel’ (Luke 24:21). To their surprise and amazement, Jesus was risen from the dead, and spent the next 40 days speaking with His disciples about the coming Kingdom. It is in this context that the disciples eagerly asked, “Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). So, when will the Jubilee come? A few chapters later in Acts, Peter picks up on the topic of the Jubilee explaining that Jesus “has to remain in heaven until the time comes for restoring everything, as God said long ago... through the holy prophets” (Acts 3:21, CJB). In other words, Peter has come to understand that while the full Jubilee restoration did not take place in Jesus' ministry here on Earth, there is coming a day when He will return. That Day will be the Jubilee, the restoration of all things as the prophets had foretold. In that great day, not only will one person rise from the dead, but all the dead in Him will rise, their bodies made new and healed of all sicknesses and infirmities. In that day of restoration, Israel will return to her land, the Messiah will rule as King upon the throne of His Father David and the whole earth “will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14) What a day it will be! For more on the topic of the Jubilee, see Enoch Lavender’s new book ‘The Jubilee: Discover the End Time Mystery” available from Vision Christian Media vision.org.au/store Jewish man blowing the shofar. | Photo: Lightstock In this ground breaking book, join Pastor Enoch Lavender as he uncovers key elements of the End Times from a fresh Messianic Perspective. The message of the Jubilee offers an exciting and uplifting perspective on the End Times through its original Jewish context. The Apostle Peter speaks of the Jubilee as “the restoration of all things... spoken by mouth of all His holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). In this book we are going to discover that the Jubilee offers a message of hope in the midst of darkness, of new life out of death, of entering one’s God-given inheritance, of the wicked being deposed from power and the meek entering the Kingdom. Topics covered include: Ÿ A fresh understanding of the word ‘Gospel’ Ÿ Jesus’ miracles as a foretaste of the greater to come Ÿ The Jubilee Trumpet and its links to Jesus’ return Ÿ The tremendous hope of the resurrection Ÿ The final ingathering of God’s people Ÿ The kingdom to come Ÿ The restoration of all things The Jubilee: Discover the End Time Mystery Book vision.org.au/store .00 $ 20 plus p&p

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 y our financial sup port 9 October 2023 Name: _______________________________ Member Number: ___________________ Saving Jewish Lives—Your Support Matters! LeN1023 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. “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” —Galatians 6:10 Dear friends and supporting readers, I am pleased to introduce this exciting edition of Israel & Christians Today newspaper for your reading enjoyment. As we approach the end of the year, we have a very nice 2024 Calendar with all of the Israeli festivals and Australian holidays, and great images of Israel’s symbols, for $29. It will make a great gift for Christmas and family and friends, and the proceeds do help us with some of our operating costs. But the most important thing is to help raise awareness of the Lord’s ministry in the homes across Australia. In addition, as we welcome Andrew Tucker and Johannes Gerloff who have been doing some very important and topical speaking events across Australia, we have their two respective booklets Two States for Two Peoples? and Land Without Borders for $15 and $20 each respectively or the calendar and the two booklets for $50 including postage and packaging. If you weren’t able to attend any of their speaking events we will post links of the recorded sessions on our website www.C4israel.com.au later in the month. I also wish to encourage you to prayerfully consider supporting our various food parcels and meals on wheels projects for the poor and the needy Jewish people of Ukraine and in the land of Israel as they approach a very cold winter, especially the survivors of the Ukraine war. This time last year we were given tax deductibility on all your donations and financial gifts over $2, so please be as generous as the Lord leads and enables you to give and bless the Lord’s brothers and sisters, as we are encouraged in Matthew 25: 34-40: $ Aliyah: … $350=1 person … $1250=5 people … $6250=25 people __________ $ Food Parcels ($25 per parcel–see over for what's included) __________ $ General Donation (Admin, Print + Post Costs) __________ *please don't use staples*

21. Biblical Commentary 11 (AUSTRALIA) Jill Curry n Jewish & Israel Prayer Focus Coordinator Most of us are aware that there were two altars in the temple – one for sacrifice in the Court of the Priests and the altar of incense in the Holy Place. However, there was another altar that is rarely taught about in Christian circles – the altar outside the camp. It is mentioned in Hebrews 13:10 and played a significant role in the proceedings for Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. Heb 13:10-11 When building the tabernacle Moses was commanded to burn the remains of the bull for consecration of the priests and on Yom Kippur outside the camp as it was a sin offering. The priests could not partake of this. The Miphkad Altar In the second temple period, in the time of Yeshua, there was a double arched bridge across the Kidron Valley, from the Temple precinct to the Mount of Olives where the third altar outside the camp was located (Mishnah, Para 3:6-9). The ramp/bridge was to ensure there was no contamination from any graves that may lie below in the Kidron Valley. It went from the Eastern Gate (Middoth 1:3) to the top of the Mount of Olives (a Sabbath Day’s journey or 2000 cubits) where this altar was situated and it had to be in line with the Holy of Holies. The Mishnah states: “the [High] Priest that burns the [Red] heifer and stands at the top of the Mount of Olives should be able to look directly into the entrance of the Sanctuary when the blood is sprinkled” (Middoth 2:4, see Num 35:5, Num 19:2-9). This gate through which the High Priest left came to be called the ‘Miphkad’ gate and the altar the ‘Miphkad’ altar. Miphkad means ‘appointed place’, ‘muster’ or ‘inspection’. It was where the people coming to the Temple were inspected to ensure they were ritually clean. As they came, heads were counted for a census and the Temple tax collected. This Miphkad altar (or pit) was the one from which the priests could not eat (Heb 13:10), so the writer of Hebrews is here referring to this altar and the rituals performed on it. The Red Heifer Only the High priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year on Yom Kippur. He had to first cleanse himself and atone for his own sin before bringing the sacrifice for the sins of the nation. The Red Heifer’s blood was used to cleanse the temple, the sacred vessels, the High Priest and his family, the priests and the people. The ashes of the heifer that was burned on the Miphkad altar were collected and used mixed with water to purify those who had been ritually unclean (Num 19:9,17). In the New Covenant, the book of Hebrews tells us: Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. Heb 13:12-13 Yeshua has fulfilled the blood sacrifice once and for all and we who believe in Him are now sanctified by His blood. As He was crucified outside the city walls, so we must be prepared to suffer rejection and be ostracised for our faith as He was by the religious aristocracy of His day. Our behaviour must now also be pure and holy, bringing Him glory, so our accusers can find no earthly reason to persecute us except that we do not ‘fit the mould’. Christian Sacrifices The writer to the Hebrews continues: Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Heb 13:15-16 The altar for Christians is now an altar in our hearts: a place where God can dwell and we offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise to Him. Our sacrifices must not only be in words but also in actions of sharing His message and caring for our community and more broadly the fallen world. The Jews have a wonderful philosophy of life called ‘Tikkun Olam’. It means ‘repairing the world’ and embraces fixing the brokenness of the planet and caring for people in need. Hence Jews have contributed far beyond their numbers in inventions to help us all in medicine, science, agriculture and technology to name just a few areas. Altar of Praise & Thanksgiving We are told God is exalted on the praises of His people. Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. Ps 22:3 The Levites were to twice daily thank the Lord: They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening. 1 Chron 23:30 Paul exhorts us: See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:15-18 A grateful heart opens the door for God to act and as we see the good rather than the bad that is all around us our hearts become lighter and joy comes to us in full measure. This Yom Kippur, we can rejoice that Yeshua has sacrificed His blood and become our scapegoat to take away our sin. Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits; who pardons all your guilt, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with favour and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Ps 103:1-5 The Mysterious Altar October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Old City of Jerusalem with the Holy Temple. | Photo: Lightstock A depiction of the Temple in the Holy City of Jerusalem. | Photo: Messianic Bible Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:15-18

15. P astoral Insights 5 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Keith Buxton n Former National Director | Bridges for Peace Australia This is the third of four articles sharing some thoughts from the Torah portion, or parsha, named Ekev - Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25 - in which we read how Moses brings to the Israelites a series of important messages as they prepare to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land after forty years in the wilderness. As they face the challenge of conquering and settling the land, Moses encourages them to put their trust wholeheartedly in God, and to discover how in His abundant goodness He will lead them into His best for them if they faithfully listen to and obey Him. Deuteronomy 7:13-16 gives us an appreciation of the immense blessings that the Lord desires to pour out upon His people. But as we have seen, their experience of these many promised blessings is dependent upon a number of important conditions that we discover in our text. We looked at Psalm 24:3-5 to learn about these conditions. We recall that it was true for the children of Israel - and true for every believer - that “He shall receive blessing from the Lord” who (1) holds fast to the Word of God, (2) displays true humility, and (3) demonstrates obedience to our Lord. Our Torah passage develops these three important conditions for experiencing the amazing blessing of our God. We considered earlier the importance of holding fast to the Word of God, and of possessing a truly humble heart. We focus now on the clarion call to the Israelites to be a people who obey their God. In the very first verse (Deuteronomy 7:12) we read: “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.” Moses, the mouthpiece of God, tells His people that their possession of the land will have nothing to do with anything virtuous about them (another reminder about humility), but rather is due to the wickedness of the people to be dispossessed and to God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises: Deuteronomy 9:4-6: “Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. “It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Moses then goes on to catalogue the many instances of the rebellious nature of this ‘stiff- necked people’ during their 40 years in the wilderness. Time and again Israel failed the obedience test. Deuteronomy 9:7 puts it starkly: “Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.” Verse 24 is perhaps even starker: “You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.” But these verses only serve to underline the mercy and grace of their God and our God. After Israel’s sin of idolatry in fashioning and worshipping the golden calf, we read in Deuteronomy 10 of Moses making two new tablets of stone inscribed by God with the Ten Commandments. As Rabbi Ken Spiro explains, “Moses comes back down with the second set of tablets, and this is a clear sign that God has forgiven the Jewish people. What’s the day Moses comes back down? Yom Kippur. “From Yom Kippur we get the spiritual power of teshuva - of repentance, of returning to closeness with God and repairing relationships with our fellow human beings.” Some people draw a thick black line between the two testaments in our Bible, implying that the God of the former is different entirely to the God of the Christian Scriptures. Nothing could be further from the truth! At an individual personal level, recall for a moment the account of Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery. That’s a wonderful story that speaks powerfully to people today about forgiving those who wrong us. Now listen to this statement of God’s forgiveness in Deuteronomy 10:10-11: “As at the first time, I [Moses] stayed in the mountain forty days and forty nights; the Lord also heard me at that time, and the Lord chose not to destroy you. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, begin your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” What an amazing God we serve! As philosopher Simon May puts it in his book, Love: A History: “The widespread belief that the Hebrew Bible is all about vengeance and ‘an eye for an eye,’ while the Gospels supposedly invent love as an unconditional and universal value, must therefore count as one of the most extraordinary misunderstandings in all of Western history.” The contrast often drawn between Christianity as a religion of love and forgiveness and Judaism as a religion of law and vengeance simply doesn’t hold up. Our loving and all-powerful God never changes! To be continued. Keith Buxton is an ordained pastor. He currently serves on the Christians for Israel (C4I) Australia management committee and is a liaison with C4I Oceania Island affiliates. Important Conditions for Experiencing the Amazing Blessing of Our God —Part 3 Moses makes new tablets for the Ten Commandments - Deuteronomy 10:1-8. | Photo: Free Bible Images CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL AUSTRALIA CALENDAR 2024 $ 29 A unique 2024 calendar designed especially for Australians that showcases the national symbols of Israel. Ÿ Shows Biblical/Jewish/Israeli holidays and festivals Ÿ Displays Western and Hebrew dates Ÿ Shows Australian public holidays Ÿ Large date area for notes Ÿ Monthly psalms Ÿ Supports Christians for Israel Australia Available Now 2024 Calendar - ORDER NOW Order your Christians for Israel Australia 2024 Calendar online at c4israel.com.au/store or complete the coupon on the back page.

19. Restoring the Torah 9 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Kyal n Cumming Senior Pastor of Kingdom Church on the Gold Coast The anticipation of the Messiah’s imminent arrival symbolises our commitment to living each day fully prepared for it to happen today. Like the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 (where only half were ready when the bridegroom appeared), we must ask ourselves: Are we prepared if the Messiah were to return today? Would He find us actively spreading His teachings and making disciples? Would He discover us diligently working to fulfil His divine mission worldwide? Moreover, would our actions help the Jewish community recognise Jesus as their Messiah? Following on from my previous article about hastening the return of Jesus, this article delves into a crucial aspect of restoration: living in a manner that kindles jealousy within the Jewish people, leading them to recognise Jesus as their Messiah—both the son of Joseph (the suffering servant) and the son of David (the triumphant King), ready to come and reign from Jerusalem. When Jesus returns, the ensuing thousand-year era is often called the Messianic Age, or, in Jewish tradition, the Sabbath Age of Messiah. In this context, we explore a topic frequently discussed and debated: the restoration of the Sabbath. For a moment, I would love for you to imagine that you are stepping into our home on a Friday evening, just as the sun is dipping below the horizon. You would immediately sense profound tranquillity—a sentiment shared by countless Christians worldwide. The air is filled with tantalising scents wafting from the kitchen while the warm glow of candles flickers across a beautifully decorated dinner table. Our children are impeccably dressed as we gather around our table to offer blessings to the Lord. At this moment, sanctity and exhilaration exist, for it is the Sabbath —a day of rest—a Holy space in time set aside for the Lord. As you may have guessed, our family, like many others, chooses to honour the biblical seventh-day Sabbath. This decision, often associated with Judaism, extends beyond religious affiliation. It is a call to all believers in Messiah, whether Jewish or Gentile, to explore the importance of honouring this divine appointment. You might be wondering of me, “Is he a Seventh-day Adventist or Jewish?” No, just like you, we are believers in Jesus. However, I believe the Sabbath holds a special place in God’s design that dates back to the dawn of creation. Before temples, altars, scriptures, churches, or hymns existed, the Sabbath was already sanctified. It was the first institution of Holiness, the cornerstone of godliness—a day that God set apart as Holy, a day that endures throughout time. Genesis 2:3 (ESV) reads, “So God blessed the seventh day and made it Holy because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.” Like many Gentiles (non-jews), we honour the Sabbath as a day devoted to God. It is a time for exploring the scriptures with our families, a day of rest from work, and a day of family togetherness—a day of relaxation and a commemoration of the six days of creation. It is a day where we break from the world's concerns, shutting out our worries, pressures, anxieties, and daily routines as we fully immerse ourselves in Messiah’s perfect rest. Jesus extends an invitation in Matthew 11:28, saying, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will provide you with rest.” The Sabbath isn’t a burden; it’s a gift, a gentle beckoning to meet with the Lord and encounter His tranquillity. Hebrews 4 portrays the Sabbath as a glimpse of God’s kingdom and the World to Come, paralleling salvation in Jesus with the Sabbath. Just as God’s rest marked the end of creation, our Sabbath rest signifies the completed work of redemption, emphasising salvation through Jesus’s flawless and perfect work. The Sabbath, like God’s grace, is a free gift. We labour for six days, but on the seventh, we pause to acknowledge God’s provision, declaring that our sustenance comes from His hand. This echoes the message of grace, where our righteousness falls short. When we rest in the Messiah, we embrace the perfection of His new creation. The Sabbath reminds us of our freedom in God’s service. We are no longer ceaseless labourers; it compels us to acknowledge the One who created time. It’s a day when we affirm that we are God’s servants, liberated by His grace. The book of Revelation reveals a future era of peace, akin to the Sabbath, known as the Messianic Era. Prophets believed the Sabbath foreshadows this age of peace, where all humanity will observe the Sabbath, fulfilling Isaiah 66:23. If the Sabbath symbolises future blessings and the Messiah embodies its essence, it logically applies to all of Jesus’s disciples. Every Friday night, we welcome the Sabbath with wine and bread (reminiscent of Passover rituals), making each Sabbath meal an opportunity to remember the Messiah, who is our source of blessing, holiness, peace, and salvation. Jesus represents our new creation, the embodiment of grace, and the bringer of the future Sabbath rest for all creation. He is our Sabbath rest, and we find our rest in Him. Some argue that Jesus broke the Sabbath, citing instances of Him healing or performing activities on that day. However, a closer look shows His actions aligned with Jewish law, allowing acts of compassion and life-saving deeds on the Sabbath. He prioritised compassion over some aspects of ceremonial rules, echoing God’s preference for mercy over sacrifice. Claims of Jesus changing the Sabbath to Sunday lack biblical backing; neither He nor His apostles suggest such a shift. While Sunday gatherings are more than acceptable, they don’t replace the biblical Sabbath. (We also have a Sunday service.) Jesus faithfully observed the Sabbath by attending synagogue weekly and regarding it as a day of rest, healing, and divine connection. His debates with the Pharisees aimed to restore the Sabbath’s compassionate spirit, not abolish it. He upheld the Sabbath as a divine gift, as confirmed by His statement, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” After Jesus’s resurrection, His disciples continued Sabbath observance, as seen in Luke 23:54–56. According to the Bible, the Sabbath is a Holy day set apart by God, offering rest, peace, a reminder of creation, and a glimpse of the Messianic Era. Jesus upheld its significance and restored its true meaning. As Christians, we can find deep spiritual enrichment in observing the Sabbath, which draws us closer to our Creator and Saviour. It’s a day of grace, freedom, and unity among God’s children as we rest in Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. I both invite and implore you to start exploring what honouring the Sabbath might look like in your life. If peace and blessings are what you have to gain, then what do you have to lose? If you would like more information on how to learn more, simply visit kc.org.au/courses, where we have resources on how to learn more. Our Role in Restoring the Torah: A Journey Towards Messiah Kyal and Tash Cumming’s children: Zion, Ariel, Cruz and Rafael. The table set for a very special candlelight Sabbath dinner.

28. 10 Theology ISRAEL Celebrating Johannes Gerloff n Theologian, Journalist, Lecturer & Author This is part thirteen in a series of articles based on the book Rejoice, You Nations, with His People, by Johannes Gerloff. Unconditional love (Romans 9:1-3), awareness of the privileges of God’s people (9:4-5), accepting God’s absolute sovereignty (9:6-33), and an exclusive way of salvation (10:1-13) are the basis of the Apostle Paul’s theology regarding Israel. From these presuppositions, the Apostle now constructs—in a truly rabbinical way—a chain of conclusions that flow into the quotation of the prophet Isaiah: “How pleasing are the feet of them that proclaim good news of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Isaiah 52:7). It is all about preaching. The focal point of Romans 9-11 is Israel. At the beginning of his letter, Paul introduces himself as having received “grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all Gentile nations” and reminds his readers immediately, “to whom you belong” (Romans 1:5-6). In the more immediate context of our passage, he emphasises: “I speak to you Gentiles” (11:13). Note that at the beginning of Romans 9, he did not write about ‘our brethren’ but rather emphatically about ‘my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh’ (verse 3). Talking in this way about Israel, he included himself but not his readers. The same can be observed in the beginning of chapter 11. Paul addresses Gentiles about preaching to the Jewish people. According to my observations, Romans 10:14-21 is the only text in Holy Scripture which is explicitly addressed to non-Jews dealing with the preaching of the gospel to Israel. Therefore, this passage and its context perform a key function in answering the question of whether the Gentile Church has a calling to preach to the Jewish people and what that calling is. At the beginning of our chapter, Paul revealed what drove him, without leaving any room for doubt: “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to the (one, true) God for (Israel is), that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). In the subsequent verses he then states that, according to biblical doctrine, only those who “call upon the name of the Lord” will be saved (10:13). Now, the Apostle begins to build on that foundation: But, how can they call on someone, in whom they do not believe? (Romans 10:14a) How shall they turn to the only one who is really able to save if they do not have a relationship with him? This ‘calling upon’, this key to salvation, is conditional upon a relationship that is built on trust and faithfulness, which the Bible calls ‘faith’. Only faith trusts the Saviour fully. And exactly this is the precondition for salvation—crying out to the Saviour from a desperate heart. How are they to believe in somebody, of whom they have never heard? (Romans 10:14) A faith-relationship does not come automatically. It, too, has a precondition, namely, hearing. Actually, this is a truth which the Apostle explicitly states again in verse 17 of our chapter: “Faith comes from hearing.” Without getting to know what the object and substance of our faith is, it cannot grow. Listening to the revelation of the Word of God—and continuing to listen—is an indispensable foundation of our trust-relationship with the heavenly Father. ‘Blind’, ‘uninformed’ or even ‘stupid’ faith is totally unknown to biblical thinking. Certainly, Jesus promised the kingdom of God to children in a special way. “Out of the mouths of children and babies”, the Creator has established praise to himself (Psalms 8:2; Matthew 21:16). These statements, however, are not an excuse for laziness in studying Scripture. Our Creator created us as a unity of spirit, soul and body. He looks for a total commitment, including that of our mind. Furthermore, even a little child knows why it runs trustingly into the outstretched arms of his own father, whereas he will intuitively harbour a healthy distrust towards a foreigner. Biblical statements about the advantage of receiving the Word like little children in no way nullify the words of Jesus, that there is a special blessing for those “that hear the word of God and preserve it” (Luke 11:28). Those Who Bring Good News October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Recommended Reading Israel in the Biblical Worldview, An Introduction By Perry Trotter In an era where any keyboard warrior, albeit safely hidden behind a computer screen, can claim an opinion as fact, authoritative and yet approachable scholarship remains surprisingly rare. When ‘research’ is done in seconds, and the findings of a search engine held as incontestable truth, relatively few take the time to test and verify information before holding it as an indubitable certainty. Perry Trotter respects time. Having clearly invested a considerable amount of his own in the preparation of this text, Trotter forgoes much of the story-telling and entertainment often used to woo the reader, favouring a focussed and deliberate structure. Valuing the reader’s time, Trotter launches directly into each chapter quickly and efficiently—straight to the point. Concisely yet masterfully, Trotter brings a remarkable depth of understanding without engaging in the emotive storytelling so often hurled by those professing expertise in—and usually opposed to—Israel. Framed as an ‘introduction’, the material is delivered in two parts. The first part delivers a map, a summary of the Creator’s design for Israel and the Jewish people. Handling the biblical data deftly but expertly, Trotter traces Jewish history and demonstrates an intrinsic intertwining with the identity and mission of the Messiah. Inevitably, this leads to a study of the foundations of antisemitism and the miraculous survival of the Jewish people through some two thousand years. Although skillfully delivered in a manner that makes such biblical ideas accessible to those without theological honorifics, this is no lightweight sermon. Before the reader assumes that the ugly thread of antisemitism winds only through the long-established kingdoms and empires of the northern hemisphere, Trotter analyses an uncomfortable history in his homeland of New Zealand with characteristic honesty and objective scholarship. Part two focuses in on the prevalence of replacement theology, analysing the substance—or lack thereof—of each ‘popular’ replacement technique. Aptly titled ‘turning the text on its head’, this section deals with the distortions and manipulation required to support a replacement theology. Faithful theology, it is argued, must embrace Israel’s place in the biblical worldview. Trotter asserts that “failure to adequately distinguish between the two entities, Israel and the church, is a cause of deep confusion.” This work comes complete with glowing endorsements from a variety of scholars and educational practitioners, one of whom offers a poignant recommendation: “...buckle up—you’re in for a ride!” | Photo: Shutterstock Facts Speak TOURISTS TO ISRAEL 75% Visit Israel alone 25% Visit Israel as part of a tour Israel Tourist Statistics Tourism & Israel’s Economy Tourism accounts for 2.8% of Israel’s GVA as of 2018 3.6% of the Israeli workforce are directly employed in the tourist industry 25% 5% Other 29% Visit family and friends Sightseeing 8% Business TOURISTS PURPOSE Leisure 14% 19% Visit for pilgrimage 25% 5% Other 29% Visit family and friends Sightseeing 8% Business TOURISTS PURPOSE Leisure 14% 19% Visit for pilgrimage

4. Editorial 2 Colophon Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel. Mission Our mission is to bring Biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God’s purposes for Israel and to promote comfort of Israel through prayer and action. Editorial Team Andrew Tucker International Editor-in-Chief atucker@c4israel.org Cathy Coldicutt Managing Editor newspaper@c4israel.org Marloes van Westing International Communications Manager international@c4israel.org Ian Worby, Bryce Turner, Rita Quartel, Marie-Louise Weissenböck and Marijke Terlouw Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. C4I Offices Christians for Israel International Leon Meijer, Chairman Rev Willem JJ Glashouwer, President Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director PO Box 1100 | 3860 BC Nijkerk, The Netherlands | Tel: +31 33 422 0405 info@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.org The English Edition of Israel & Christians Today is published by the following English speaking branches: Christians for Israel - Australia Ian Worby, National Leader PO Box 1508, Springwood Queensland, Australia 4127 Tel: +61 7 3088 6900, info@c4israel.com.au www.c4israel.com.au Christians for Israel - New Zealand Bryce Turner, National Executive Director PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Tel: +64 9 525 7564, +6421 127 7214 info@c4israel.org.nz www.c4israel.org.nz Christians for Israel - Korea Rev Paul Wonil Jung, Director Suite 3, 37 Railway Parade, Eastwood NSW, Australia 2122 Tel: +61 410 430 677 email: c4israelkorea@gmail.com www.c4israelkorea.org Christians for Israel - USA David Sudlow, Chairman PO Box 400, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA usa-info@c4israel.org www.c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in Israel & Christians Today express the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editors or that of the Board of Christians for Israel. The printing of articles or advertising in Israel & Christians Today does not necessarily imply either endorsement or agreement. © Christians for Israel International. Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system or in any other form, is prohibited without permission. Please contact the Managing Editor should you wish to syndicate or republish any articles or materials appearing in Israel & Christians Today. Andrew Tucker n International Editor | Christians for Israel For the last 200 years, the Lord has been bringing His people home to Jerusalem and to the mountains of Judea and Samaria. Not surprisingly, Satan has opposed this move of the Lord at every turn. Part of this opposition has been through the militant Islamist leaders in the region. It started in the 1920s, when the local Arab leader, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, incited the local population to reject the Mandate for Palestine and attack Jews. In the 1930s, he and the other Arab leaders rejected every solution proposed by the British, and in 1947 they collaborated with the wider Arab political leadership to reject the UN General Assembly’s ‘Partition Plan’ that envisaged Arab and Jewish states living side-by-side in peace. In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was created as the vehicle of the pan-Arab leadership to annihilate the Jewish state. Since the 1930s, the majority of Western nations in the world have also been seeking to pressure the Jewish people to accept ‘land for peace’—division of the tiny country, giving the Arabs sovereignty over the spiritually and strategically significant mountains of Judea and Samaria. Since 1948, many of Israel’s leaders have also been seduced into thinking that partition is the only solution. In 1967, the Lord gave the Jewish people control of Judea and Samaria in a miraculous victory in the Six-Day War. Giving in to international pressure, the Israeli government decided shortly afterwards to incorporate the old city of Jerusalem into the State of Israel but to treat Judea and Samaria as ‘occupied territories’. This was the beginning of the erroneous idea that these territories ‘belong’ to the Palestinians and that Israel has no valid claims to them. By not integrating Judea and Samaria into Israel, the Israeli leadership placed their faith in the goodwill of other states and the hope that peace could be made via agreements. This culminated in the Oslo peace process, which was predicated on the hope the PLO had turned the corner and renounced the terrorism that had defined it. However, it is now clear that that was never the case. Shortly after the Oslo Accords were signed, Yasser Arafat made clear that the agreements were nothing more than a ‘Hudabiyah,’ a temporary arrangement intended to effectuate Israel’s ultimate demise. The Arabic term refers to a ten-year truce that the prophet Muhammed signed with the Quraysh tribe who controlled Mecca, which, when it became militarily opportune, he breached soon afterwards. What the Quraysh were to Mecca, the Jews are to Palestine. Oslo was made to be breached. Rabin, his ministers, the Israel Defense Forces, intelligence agencies and the Israeli media knew that Arafat had no intention of pursuing a genuine ‘land-for- peace’ deal with Israel. But they refused to acknowledge the fraud that was Oslo. In fact, evidence has emerged that after the Oslo signing, the Israeli leadership and media actively suppressed the evidence of PLO duplicity. Rather, they insisted on covering over the PLO’s repeated failure to live up to its promises. As one commentator has expressed it: “Still today, Israel operates in a strategic environment dictated by a false peace process with the unrepentant and active terror group.” Israel is again under pressure to make far- reaching concessions to the PLO in order to satisfy the interests of the West and other major global actors. At the recent G20 conference, US President Biden announced his administration is working closely with Saudi Arabia, India and other states to achieve a regional infrastructure project that is intended to separate the oil-rich Arab countries from the Sino- Russian axis, isolate Iran, and achieve an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. As part of that project, the US is pushing for a normalisation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, in which Israel is being asked to agree to increased funding to the Palestinian Authority, freeze settlements, and pledge not to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria in the future. Of course, this flies in the face of the reality that the Palestinian leadership has no intention of living peaceably with the Jewish nation. All of this is happening at a time when Israel is undergoing a political crisis far worse than anything in its short history. Israel needs to learn from the mistake of Oslo. Let us pray that Israel’s leaders will stand firm on the word of God and not cave into these demands. Instead of pressuring them to make concessions, as many do, we should encourage the Jewish people to look only to the Lord – and not to the approval of the nations of the world - for their peace and security. ISRAEL Celebrating Prayer Points Israel l The prophet Isaiah says about the Aliyah (the return of Jews to Israel), “Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.” (Isaiah 49:17) Give thanks for the return of the Jewish people to the land of the Jews! Pray that all Jews returning to Israel will soon feel at home. Pray that they will find housing and work and will soon be able to contribute to the flourishing of the country. l There is still much unrest in Israel due to ongoing political tensions over Supreme Court reforms and large demonstrations against these reforms. Continue to pray for unity and peace among the Jewish people. l ‘For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.’ Psalm 91:11. There is growing turmoil on the border with Lebanon. The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror force is deploying more and more rockets on the border with Israel. Give thanks that God is Israel’s Keeper and pray that God’s angels will surround the land to protect it from danger. For daily Prayer Points, go to our website www.c4israel.com.au Israel & the Nations l United Nations special envoy Francesca Albanese has called on the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for apartheid. Albanese is known for her strong anti-Israel stance. Pray for Israel’s legal protection. l Israel’s defence minister has revealed that Israel has prevented more than 50 attacks by Iran on Jews and Israelis outside Israel in recent years. Give thanks for this, and pray that Iran stops plotting attacks. l The Lord God’s relationship to His people is very clear, “...for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.” (Zechariah 2:8). Let us pray for a deeper understanding among the nations and in churches that even though we cannot always understand all the biblical prophecies and how current events all fit in, fighting against the Jewish people means fighting against God. Christians for Israel l ‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.’ Colossians 4:2. Pray that many churches will make prayer for Israel central. The Church Should Encourage Israel to Stand Strong October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Israel is again under pressure to make far-reaching concessions to the PLO in order to satisfy the interests of the West and other major global actors. www.facebook.com/c4israelAUS

30. Kees de Vreugd n Theologian | Christians for Israel International & Editor | Israel & the Church “Why don’t you build a sukkah?” The amazement of my neighbour on Mount Zion, Rabbi Goldstein of the Diaspora Yeshiva, puzzled me a little. As far as he was concerned, the fact that I lived in Jerusalem and sought an encounter with the Jewish people would have been reason enough for me to put up my own booth in the garden. And wasn’t it also the intention of the Eternal One that the nations should celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with Israel (Zechariah 14)? On the other hand, he could appreciate that I still found it somewhat presumptuous for a Gentile to build such a booth—and besides, I was alone at the time. But of course, I gladly accepted his invitation to visit him in his sukkah. And so there I was one afternoon in 2004, sitting in a sukkah on Mount Zion after all. Guests It was not the first time, and certainly not the last that I would sit in a sukkah in Jerusalem. From the gigantic structure next to the centre of one of the major Chassidic movements (the Belzer Chassidim, if I remember correctly) to the sukkah in the car park near a friend’s apartment, everywhere the sukkah is open to receive guests. I learned in the sukkah that there is a tradition in Jewish mysticism that the sukkah is visited by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. They are called the seven shepherds of Israel, and during sukkot, they are the ushpizin, an Aramaic word meaning ‘guests’. They take turns coming in, a different one every day. But they do not come when there are no guests in the sukkah. Hospitality is one of the core values of Judaism and certainly of the sukkah. Living in a Sukkah What is a sukkah? What does it mean to live in the sukkah? The Jewish oral Torah (the Talmud) answers these and similar questions. The oral Torah makes practical what is assumed in the written Torah. Living in the sukkah means at least sleeping during the night and eating the main meal during the day. Besides, you spend as much time there as possible. The Hebrew word ‘sukkah’ is related to a verb that means ‘to cover’. So, what is really important is the rooftop. The sukkah recalls the forty years that Israel was living in the desert under God’s care. The sukkah is also a symbol of the transience of existence. The used materials all have a temporary quality. One week a year, you leave the safe and solid environment of your house to live in the booth. The rooftop (Hebrew: schach) consists of plant material, like branches, leaves or bamboo stems, but so sturdy that it will hold for a week. When is the rooftop fully-fledged? If you have more shade than the sun inside the sukkah. But through the rooftop, you must still be able to see the open sky. The sukkah should not be under a canopy or a tree or something similar. The sukkah must have at least two solid walls, one partial wall and a door. But mostly it is built with four walls. Contrary to the rooftop, the walls can be made of anything, like boards or canvas, provided the canvas is attached properly and doesn’t flap in the wind. Joy Indeed, the first time I sat in the sukkah was in that large Hasidic sukkah during a study tour in the early 1990s. My father and I were invited in amidst the festivities and seated at a small table, where immediately a Jewish man with his beautiful shtreimel (fur hat) on his head came to sit with us and began to explain half in English, half in Yiddish using the gematria (the numerical value of words and letters) that joy (see Leviticus 23:40) was the essential commandment of the feast that was reflected in everything. In the years I have been in Jerusalem, I have consistently experienced the period of Sukkot as the most beautiful time of the year. Why is that? Perhaps because of the special atmosphere that prevails in the city then, an atmosphere that takes possession of the city even days in advance because everywhere, in the gardens, in the car parks, the balconies and sometimes just in the middle of the street, huts of foliage are being built; because everywhere in the market and in the shop the etrogim (the etrog is a musk lemon, the fruit of the splendid tree mentioned in Leviticus 23:40) and the palm and other branches are for sale, where buyers carefully inspect them with a magnifying glass to see if they are completely flawless. Perhaps because of all those people, Jews and Gentiles, who come to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the feast, making it vibrant and sizzling. Perhaps, because at such times, Jerusalem offers a momentary glimpse of its eternal destiny, where God will dwell with man and Israel and the nations will worship Him in unison. May it be so, soon and in our days. 12 Biblical Reflection ISRAEL Celebrating Sukkot, the Most Beautiful Time of Year A Jewish man praying during Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in Jerusalem. | Photo: Shutterstock October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 The PA and Israel Arabs Continued from page 3 PA officials say that the PA will use the new conservative government’s attitude towards the Israeli Arabs to vilify it internationally. The PA maintains close ties with Israeli Arabs. Senior PA officials confer with Arab-sector leaders, who make pilgrimages to PA headquarters in Ramallah for meetings with Abbas and participate in events held by the Palestinian leadership, such as the convening of the PLO Executive Committee. The Israeli Arabs’ Higher Monitoring Committee maintains a very close relationship with the PA, primarily via the head of the committee, Mohammed Barakeh, who often visits Ramallah and participates in official PA and Fatah events. There is a free flow of Israeli Arabs to PA-controlled areas and to the Temple Mount. They go to the former for academic studies (thousands of Israeli Arab students attend PA universities), family visits and shopping. The city of Jenin, in particular, with its low prices, has become a weekend shopping centre for Israeli Arabs. To avoid harm to the city’s economy, the defence establishment does not restrict Israeli Arabs’ entry to Jenin; they are one of the residents’ primary sources of income. The PA’s glorification of terrorists also extends to Israeli Arabs involved in terror. Alongside its policy of paying salaries to terrorists serving prison sentences in Israel and stipends to families of those killed or wounded attempting to carry out terrorist attacks, the PA also pays salaries to Israeli Arabs who engage in terror. Indeed, they and eastern Jerusalem Arabs get slightly higher wages than those from Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The rewards incentivise Israeli Arabs to commit terror attacks. The Israeli Arab leadership sees itself as representing an essential part of the Palestinian people, known as ‘the inside’ or the ‘Arabs of ‘48’ in Arabic, and as a primary side of the triangle that includes the Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Most of the Israeli Arab leadership opposes normalisation between Israel and Arab countries before reaching an Israeli- Palestinian political settlement. In my assessment, Israel’s weak policy towards the PA is seen as Israeli irresolution which was evident in the lack of preparation and timidity towards the riots during ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls’. That policy encouraged the Israeli Arabs’ audacity and could lead to problematic scenarios in future clashes. The Israeli leadership, therefore, needs to demonstrate a tough line towards the PA and Hamas. Israel needs to continue its ‘separation policy’ between Gaza on the one hand and Judea and Samaria on the other, thereby obstructing the tripartite relationship that the Israeli Arab leadership wants to create with the PA and Palestinian factions in Gaza. Israel must adopt a deterrent security policy that lays down red lines. This includes legislating harsher punishments for disturbing the peace, blocking roads, throwing stones and firebombs, and incitement. Col (ret) Dr Jacques Neriah, a special analyst for the Middle East at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, was formerly a foreign-policy adviser to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the deputy head for assessment of Israeli Military Intelligence. Published by JNS.org on 7 September 2023. Originally published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Republished with permission. CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL VIDEO ON DEMAND Our new digital catalogue of premium teaching resources will help inform and inspire you, wherever you are. www.c4israel.org/video-on-demand

34. From Our Projects No Way Back for Yelena 16 ISRAEL Celebrating Koen Carlier n Christians for Israel Ukraine Kharkiv (Kharkov) and several cities in the same province have been under fire again in recent weeks. It seems the Russian army is capturing more territory. Kharkiv was once a big city with 1.4 million inhabitants, but today about half of the people have left. We regularly head to Kharkiv to pick up Jewish families for their departure to Israel. Yelena was one of the people who recently left for good, and what a ‘journey’ she had made in order to finally leave for Israel! Yelena: “When the air raid sounded in Kharkiv—for the umpteenth time—I fled with the other residents to the shelter of our rather small apartment building. I only had my passport and birth certificate with me, just in case.... We heard tremendously loud explosions, and rockets hitting close by; those were terrible, frightening moments. A few hours later, it was quiet, so we went outside, I was just horrified when I saw the damage, I knew there was no way back, I couldn’t stay there anymore!” Reflecting on the Past Emotionally, Yelena continues: “I fled with nothing but the clothes on my back plus my passport and birth certificate, and was completely covered in dust. I used whatever transportation was available—bus, train, on foot—to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Being a professor of psychology at Kharkiv University, I thought deeply about what had happened to me and our family history. About my grandfather, who was deputy minister of education in Ukraine, but as a Polish Jew, was murdered by the communists in 1937, and about my grandmother, who ended up in prison. I contemplated going to Israel years ago, but because I didn’t know Hebrew and loved my job here at the university so much, I kept postponing my departure. “After arriving in Riga, my plan was to leave for Israel from there. However, for the Israeli embassy, my passport and birth certificate were not enough, I also needed my grandparents’ Jewish documents as proof that I had the right to go to Israel!” Miraculous Deeply disappointed, Yelena wondered what she could do. Going back to the war zone seemed impossible, but there was no other option because she needed additional documents! Miraculously, the documents were still in her destroyed apartment when she returned. Yelena then went to the synagogue for advice. That is where she got in touch with the team of Christians for Israel who provided her with support in her Aliyah. A few days ago, Yelena sent us a few messages from Israel. She is settling in the Haifa area, still busy with her integration process. She thanked us again for the good care and practical help on her departure to Israel. Task to Help The nations have a task to help with the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. The prophets of Israel had predicted and written this down thousands of years ago, as in Isaiah 49:22. In the coming period, we hope to help hundreds of Jews to travel to Israel from Ukraine via Moldova! Right now, it is still possible! Do you want to be involved? The cost to help one person make Aliyah is $350. Any amount is welcome! October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 The destroyed apartment building in Kharkiv. Photos: C4I Yelena and Koen Carlier, right before her departure to Israel. YES, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TOWARDS... Quantity Price inc GST SUB TOTAL $ _______ MY TOTAL $____________ $___________ $___________ General donation (inc costs for Israel & Christian’s Today ) thinc. (countering anti Israel “lawfare” ) $30-$50 CHEQUE OR MONEY ORDERS: Please make out to: Christians for Israel Australia Foundation Ltd. (don’t use staples) INTERNET BANKING: BSB: ANZ BANK— 014-279 Account No: 433641954 Ref: Your name & gift purpose Please confirm by emailing info@c4israel.com.au MY DETAILS: Name: __________________________________________ Christians for Israel Australia Foundation Ltd. ABN: 58 655 970 3 Social Welfare Projects Aliyah—Bring the Jews Home 2 *NOTE: Certificates for individuals and families from Ukraine only. MEMBER ID (IF KNOWN) : PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND RETURN TO: Christians for Israel Australia, PO Box 1508, Springwood, QLD, 4127 or donate securely online c4israel.com.au/donate For enquires: 07 3088 6900 IF YOU DON’T KNOW OR HAVE YOUR MEMBER ID PLEASE INCLUDE: Address: _____________________________________ _____________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________ Email: _______________________________________ $___________ Hineni soup kitchen Jerusalem ($10 per cooked meal) $___________ Holocaust Survivor Comfort Ukraine ($50 or best gift) $___________ Meals on Wheels Ukraine ($15 per cooked meal) $___________ Help Ethiopian Jews make Aliyah ($875 per person) $___________ First Home in the Homeland in Israel ($675 per person) $___________ Food Parcels Ukraine: $25 per parcel for 1 month/pp $___________ Arab Christians ($10, $20 or your best gift) $___________ CFOIC (Judea and Samaria) Heartland ($30 or your best gift) $350 One Person from Ukraine $6250 One Busload from Ukraine (25 persons) $1460 Bnei Menashe—Asian exiles (1 person) $1250 One Family from Ukraine (5 persons) SUB TOTAL $____________ Teaching Resources I&CT Australia Calendar 2024 __________ $29 each Two States for Two Peoples? (BOOK) by Wolfgang Bock & Andrew Tucker __________ $15 each Land Without Borders (BOOK) by Johannes Gerloff & Heinz Reusch __________ $20 each Two States for Two Peoples? AND Land Without Borders (BOOKS) __________ $30 package Calendar, Two States for Two Peoples? AND Land Without Borders __________ $50 package Rebuilding the Temple (BOOK) by Ps Enoch Lavender __________ $20 each Until... (BOOK) by Willem Glashouwer __________ $25 each Living A Life In Victory (BOOK) by Willem Glashouwer __________ $20 each Behold He Comes (BOOK: 800 pages) by Willem Glashouwer __________ $36 each ICT1023 C4IA

18. Teaching from the Torah 8 (AUSTRALIA) October 2023 | Israel & Christians Today Cheshvan — Kislev 5784 Greg Cumming n The Torah Portion | www.thetorahportion.org When my son bought the house next door, my grandson Eli pointed at the small rectangular box on the doorframe and asked “What’s that grandpa?” “Oh”, I said, that is a mezuzah. The lady who lived here before you was Jewish and Jewish people attach a mezuzah to the doorframe of their house.’ “Why do they do that?” he asked. “Because the Bible says to.” I said. I anticipated his next question. “What does it do?” I responded. “I’ll bet that if we were to actually open it up, we would find a tiny scroll with Hebrew writing on it - would you like to take a look?” He nodded excitedly. So we carefully opened the mezuzah and sure enough, there inside was a tiny scroll with Hebrew writing on it. To Eli that was like finding the lost ark in a crypt in ancient Egypt. “What does it say?” “Well”, I said, “why don’t you bring your new mezuzah to Shabbat tonight, and we’ll uncrack the code using a Bible which has both Hebrew and English.” How the Commandment is Observed The Jewish people are commanded to write the Torah on the doorposts of their house and gates. The command looks like this: And you shall inscribe them upon the doorposts (mezuzot) of your house and upon your gates. Deuteronomy 6:9 The Hebrew word for ‘doorpost‘ is ‘mezuzah’. After the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, the Sages detailed instructions as to how to observe this commandment by attaching a small case, containing a rolled up scroll of parchment with the words of the ‘Shema’, to the right side of the doorframe of their home, at about shoulder height. Often, the case displays the Hebrew letter shin on the outside, which stands for Shaddai (often translated as Almighty). This scroll case with its scroll inside, has become known as a ‘mezuzah’. What’s Inside the Mezuzah? Inside each mezuzah is a rectangular piece of parchment called a ‘klaf’, which is made from a specially prepared skin of a Biblically clean (kosher) animal. The scroll is expertly scribed with Hebrew lettering from 1 the Shema - Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and Deuteronomy 11:13–21. Why Have God’s Commands on the Doorposts of One’s Dwelling? The Sages tell us that there are two realms - our home and the street outside (representing the world). The doorway into the home is a sort of ‘no man’s land’ between the home and the street - where these two realms overlap and interact with each other. The mezuzah stands at the doorway of the home representing the family’s values and identity giving witness to God, to the world, and to the adversary that this is a home that serves the one true God; a home where the Torah is observed inside. The home with a mezuzah is ‘a sanctum of holiness and divine presence’. Whenever a person leaves or enters his home, he sees the mezuzah and is ‘aroused from his mental lethargy and preoccupation with lower matters and reminded of God’s oneness. It makes him realise that nothing is of enduring value except the knowledge of the Almighty - that: Ÿ God is the true Master of his house, while he and his family ‘are merely guests’ and that; Ÿ All his possessions belong to God, who protects him and 2 3 all his property. It is customary for Jewish people to touch the mezuzah with their fingers as they pass in or out through the doorway of their home (or business) and then touch their lips, like a kiss, showing honour for the Holy Scriptures and a reminder of God’s promise to watch over their comings and goings now and forevermore. The Mezuzah and Covenant Identity The presence of a mezuzah on the doorposts of a house signifies a Jewish home where the Torah is observed inside this home. It says to everyone passing into the house ‘I am Jewish’- ‘I belong to God’. The mezuzah therefore is a sign of covenant identity, in the same category as circumcision or wearing the tefillin (the little boxes on arm and forehead), or the tzitzit 4 (tassel) on the corner of one’s garment. Joshua best describe the intent of the mezuzah: As for me and my household we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) To have a mezuzah on the doorframe is a commandment which is still in effect today for all Jewish people no matter where they live in the world. That is precisely why my Jewish next door neighbour, living on the Gold Coast of Australia - at the far ends of the earth from Jerusalem - had one affixed on her doorframe. ‘On Your Gates’ The last part of the commandment says: And you shall inscribe them ... upon your gates. Deuteronomy 6:9 The nation of Israel took this command seriously, when it installed the world’s largest mezuzah on a wall at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel - the most prominent gateway into the country. The gate commandment is also fulfilled in the city of Jerusalem. If you’ve ever been to the Old City, you will 5 notice a mezuzah on three of the gates. When people walk past they reach up and touch them as a sign of identification. Gentiles and the Mezuzah From time to time when I am visiting the homes of certain non-Jewish Christian friends, I see a mezuzah on their doorframe. This is usually done very meaningfully to identify that their home is under the authority of God’s commands, and is a reminder that we are called to ‘walk in the light as He is in the light’ (1 John 1:7). But it must also be noted that this command is not one that Gentiles are required to keep as the command specifically relates to Jewish identity. Mezuzahs have no Magical Powers Some people sadly attribute magical powers to the presence of a mezuzah on the doorpost which will keep away evil from the home. This belief is wholeheartedly denounced by the Rabbis. The mezuzah was never meant to become a magical charm or amulet on the door to ward off evil spirits but rather, a reminder to love God and worship Him alone. Jesus the Living Mezuzah When Jesus and his disciples were alive, Jewish homes had a ‘mezuzah’ on their doorposts. Joseph and Mary probably did too. And it is probable that each time Jesus passed in and out of a home or the city of Jerusalem, He would have touched a mezuzah. Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep ....” (John 10:7) At night time, the shepherd would sleep across the doorway to the sheepfold protecting his flock from predators. Jesus is telling us that He is the doorway - the ‘living Mezuzah’, the Word of God, Who stands at the doorway to the Heavenly house of God - the Heavenly Sanctuary. Belief in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God is the only legitimate entry point to the everlasting salvation, protection and provision of the Father. Jesus assures entrance into God’s Kingdom. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9) Please pray for the Jewish people, that the mezuzah on the doorposts of their homes be a meaningful reminder to love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. When my grandson Eli, brought out the mezuzah that night in the wonderful atmosphere of Shabbat, surrounded by many other children, we compared the writing on the mezuzah scroll to the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - the Shema - and it was a direct match. Now every time Eli sees a mezuzah on a doorframe he will know why it is there and what is inside. Let me know if you have any stories about a mezuzah. ____________________________________________ 1 The Midrash Says. Moshe Weissman. Benei Yakov Publications 1995. 2 3 4 Devarim p101, Ibid. Talmud Avodah Zarah 11a:4-5 Talmud Menachot 5 43b, Jaffa, Zion and Dung gates You Shall Inscribe them Upon the Doorposts of Your House Touching the Mezuzah. Mezuzah on a doorpost.