As I write this newsletter, we have just learned that the IDF has launched a military campaign to identify and destroy a series of tunnels along Israel’s northern border that have been dug by Hezbollah to enable them to invade Israel and wreak terror and destruction. We must constantly be vigilant against ongoing threats to our lives and our very existence as a nation.
As Republicans battle Democrats for control of the Legislative Branch, Israel is looking at these elections as well. It is no secret that Trump has been unusually supportive of Israel in these past two years and that his natural tendency is pro-Israel. Republican representatives and senators have also usually been pro-Israel although there have also been some outstanding pro-Israel Democratic legislators as well. We cannot begin to comment nor understand the ins and outs of domestic issues in these American elections, but I can turn to you, our American friends, and ask that you consider Israel when casting your vote today.
But beyond the joy that we all feel in the birth of a new baby, the Brit itself has such a special significance to us as individuals and as a people. Some 4,000 years ago, an old man named Abraham heard the call from G-d to leave his home and go forward to the Land of Israel. Some years after his arrival in the land, G-d commanded him to circumcise himself as an act of covenant between him and G-d, an act of covenant that would be repeated by his descendants forever. At the original covenant with Abraham, G-d changed Abraham’s name from Abram to Abraham.
On Tuesday night and Wednesday, we will be observing Yom Kippur, otherwise known as the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. It is a time when Jews all over the world spend the day in fasting and prayer.
We were treated to wonderful news last week as US President Donald Trump declared that the US would no longer fund UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and criticized the agency for hindering rather than helping efforts to improve the lives of Palestinians. UNRWA’s 2017 budget, according to the Washington Post, was $1.1 billion and the US provided more than 30% of that annual budget.
From the four corners of the earth, the nations are seeking out Israel, eager to learn and understand G-d’s word as it emanates from Jerusalem. We are witness to the fulfillment of this prophecy. We are living in amazing times when the nations are seeking out the word of G-d from Jerusalem, asking the people of Israel to share the wisdom of centuries of intense Bible study.
Sunday was the Ninth of Av, the date on the Hebrew calendar which commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Israel. The Second Temple was destroyed in the year 70 CE. It was destroyed by the Romans as the final blow to Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel at that time.
I am Jewish and my Jewish identity is key to who I am. It is key to what my nation is and it is key to the existence of Israel. We will not apologize for being. We will not apologize for defending ourselves. We will never tire of the attempts to seek peace with our neighbors but in so doing we will never deny who we are. I am Jewish and I am proud of it. And if there are those who hate me because I am Jewish, so be it. I will not apologize for who I am.
They could have complained bitterly about having to settle in an army camp. They could have given up. But instead, they had faith. They knew they could do it. They knew this was the beginning of a monumental movement to settle Samaria. And they were right. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of Jews living in Samaria and close to half a million throughout Judea and Samaria. They were right because they heeded Moses’ call to G-d to disperse the enemies. They were right because they heeded Caleb’s call: “Let us go up for we can do it!”
As I reflect on these various conversations, with Jews who are trying to understand new developments in Christianity and with Christians who are trying to understand their connection to Judaism and to Jews, I realize that while the main goal of CFOIC Heartland has always been to connect Christians to Israel and specifically to Judea and Samaria, so much of what I am doing is far broader than that.
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