Sorrow and Hope

Current Issues

On Foot Through Israel

July 12, 2023

  Have you ever longed to take on an epic quest? Perhaps visiting the Land of Israel on a tour would fulfill such a pursuit for you. But there are also those who long to experience the Land in a more intimate and epic way. For those people—both Israelis and visitors alike—only hiking the Israel

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To Israel with Love

July 12, 2023

  Judaism is rich with examples of giving and the act itself is taught from a very early age. In a blog entry entitled “What is the Jewish Tradition of Giving?” author Jacquelyn DeGroot defines the motivation for giving in this way: “To sustain the Jewish people, to enhance the Jewish life and to strengthen

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Circus of the Absurd

July 12, 2023

  In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) condemned Israel more times than it did all the other countries in the world combined. UNGA passed a total of 28 resolutions rapping a specific nation across the knuckles. Fifteen of these resolutions criticized Israel, while 13 condemned various other countries, like Russia, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar,

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The Quirks of Israel: Riding the Bus

July 12, 2023

  From the pen of CEO Peter Fast comes the eighth installment of the Quirks of Israel. Join Peter on a journey through the wonderfully peculiar culture, traditions, heritage and daily life of this singular nation as he unpacks, introduces and celebrates the quirky aspects that make Israel so wonderfully unique. When it comes to

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Tower of David Museum—Revealing Ancient Treasures

If you are looking for a dynamic experience on your next visit to Jerusalem, I highly recommend a visit to the Tower of David Museum. Even if you’ve visited before, the revamped and updated museum opened its doors in June to the public after a three-year, US $50 million renewal and conservation upgrade. Many who

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Loving God and Israel—It’s in our DNA

For 30 years, it has been my honor to work with Bridges for Peace, the last 18 of them as the international president and CEO. Throughout these years, even back to 1964 when our founder, Dr. G. Douglas Young, moved to Israel, Bridges for Peace has steadfastly stood with Israel. In 1967, Dr. Young used

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The War for the Heart of a Generation

Recent polls regarding evangelical support for Israel have some leaders worried. Although the numbers remain high among baby boomers, support among younger evangelicals seems to be declining. Such a trend, were it to continue, could have a profound effect on evangelicalism itself and perhaps more broadly, on Israel’s already tenuous relationship with the international community.

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Coming Home, Just Like God Promised

In 2022, a record-breaking number of Jewish people made the decision to bid the country of their birth farewell and return to the country God covenanted to their ancestor Abraham. In fact, Israel has not seen such an influx of new olim (immigrants) coming home since the Iron Curtain fell in 1989 and the borders

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Divided Jerusalem

Jerusalem today is an explorer’s paradise. You can watch the sun rise from the Mount of Olives before taking the pilgrims’ path down the slopes to Gethsemane, where Christian tradition says Jesus (Yeshua) prayed before His crucifixion. From there, you can slip through the Lion’s Gate to marvel at the Western Wall that has stood

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The Saudi Slap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood on the White House lawn on September 15, 2020 with the foreign minister of Bahrain, then-President Donald Trump and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Each leader displayed their copy of the Abraham Accords, the peace agreement normalizing ties between Israel and her two new Arab

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