Senior Wakf official: Any change would spark strong response from Arabs and Muslims. Jewish activists: Final goal is to rebuild the Temple.
Jewish worshipers are able to pray on the Temple Mount with what appears to be the tacit consent of police forces at the site, The Jerusalem Post observed during a visit there on Thursday.
Despite the insistence by Israel Police that there has been no change in the decades-old policy, Jews now pray – in full view of the police – in an unobtrusive and inconspicuous manner.
A senior Wakf Department official said he was unaware of any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount, but warned that any change would lead to renewed protests and spark a strong response from Arabs and Muslims.
By: David Lazarus – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il
Local Christians are joined by Jews in celebrating Christmas in restored Aramean village
For the first time in modern history, Christmas was celebrated in a public square in Israel with carols sung in the same Aramaic language that dates back to the times of Jesus, and before. This unique historical event was held on Shabbat in the Aramean Maronite village of Bir’am in the Upper Galilee, just south of the Lebanese border.
Over 300 guests joined the celebration, including Jews and Christians, for the Christmas tree lighting and traditions dating back to 350 AD, when Christianity spread rapidly throughout the region.
The event was organized by members and supporters of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association and members of the original Maronite community in northern Israel.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the Israeli Tourism Ministry will provide free shuttle service between Jerusalem and Bethlehem for Christian pilgrims.
An estimated 165,000 Christians are expected to visit Israel during the Christmas holiday season, according to Israel’s Tourism Ministry.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin will host the annual pre-Christmas reception for Israeli Christians and church leaders, which will also be attended by ambassadors, leaders of Christian organizations in Israel and other dignitaries from different communities.
By: Michael Gryboski – The Christian Post; christianpost.com
Hundreds of Pakistani Christian women and girls have been sold off as brides to men in China, with many suffering abuse and forced prostitution, according to an Associated Press report.
Pakistani investigators found that 629 women and young girls were trafficked into China after being sold off by family members to marry Chinese men, the AP reported Wednesday.
To compile the list, investigators looked at Pakistan’s border system which digitally records travel documents at national airports. The list covers the marriages of 629 women and girls that took place between 2018 and April of this year. Investigators believe that all were sold by their families.
JERUSALEM, Israel – Thirteen countries in the United Nations on Tuesday unexpectedly changed course and voted against an annual resolution expressing support for a Palestinian UN agency accused of being anti-Israel.
For the first time, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Brazil and Colombia voted against an annual resolution supporting the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat, the UN body that oversees the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Each one of those countries had previously abstained from the vote.
By: Michael Brown – The Christian Post; christianpost.com
Soon after I came to faith in Jesus in 1971 as a 16-year-old, drug-abusing, hippie rock drummer, my father said to me, “Michael, I’m glad to see the changes in your life, but we’re Jews, and we don’t believe in this.”
He introduced me to the new rabbi of our synagogue, fresh out of Jewish Theological Seminary, and the rabbi and I quickly became friends, a friendship that has lasted to this day.
One of the first books the rabbi gave me detailed the history of antisemitism in the Church, a shocking, painful, and often bloody history.
On the cusp of celebrating 20 years, the organization now boasts 950 volunteer first-responders working hand in hand with the Magen David Adom rescue service.
It was the year 2000, at the beginning of the Second Intifada, and Arab terror attacks were being carried out against Israelis on a nearly daily basis throughout the country, and particularly on the roads in Judea and Samaria.
After one particular deadly attack, former Sephardic chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu approached one of his aides, Arie Levy, who had been a volunteer medic and ambulance driver with Magen David Adom (MDA) for about six years, asking why no emergency response organization existed in Judea and Samaria in order to react in a timely manner to save lives.
The three most common stereotypes neatly encapsulate the triangular denunciation of the Jews: They dominate the economy and financial markets; they are more loyal to the State of Israel than they are to the continent; and they talk endlessly of their suffering during the Holocaust.
The following quotes are from Jewish citizens of various European countries, gathered during a survey earlier this year on Jewish perceptions of anti-Semitism that was carried out by the European Union.
“Anti-Semitism and racism are like the Wiener Schnitzel. They are part of the Austrian cultural heritage, just as xenophobia and ‘we are different.’ There is nothing to fight against, just suppressing the consequences has to suffice.”
“The way things are now, I experience, for example, that ‘Jew’ is a widespread cuss word in Copenhagen. As a Jew who has grown up in Denmark, I have always avoided showing/telling people I am a Jew.”
ARISE, or the Alliance to Reinforce Israel’s Security and Economy encourages businesses to invest in Israel by showcasing the growing tech sector and startups.
Some 650 businessmen and entrepreneurs will take part in a conference next week to encourage investors to finance Israeli businesses. The umbrella organization, ARISE, will hold a conference in Tel Aviv on Dec. 4 in Rishon Lezion and host foreign businessmen from a large array of countries.
ARISE, or the Alliance to Reinforce Israel’s Security and Economy aims to promote trade in the Holy Land, particularly to bridge the gap between Israeli startups and international companies.