Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

A Recurring Nightmare

{image_1}In March, four Jews, as well as three soldiers, were killed in Toulouse, France, by a Muslim gunman who was a member of al-Qaeda. Funerals were held in the presence of thousands in Jerusalem for Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, his three-year-old and six-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh, and eight-year-old Myriam Monsonego, daughter of school headmaster Rabbi Yaacov Monsonego. All four victims held joint French and Israeli nationality.

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Sbarro Terrorist Gets TV Show

{image_1}Ahlam Tamimi, the Hamas terrorist who drove a suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem where 15 people were consequently killed, has gotten her own television show, Ynet has learned. Tamimi, who was sentenced to 16 life terms in Israeli prison, was freed in October as part of the swap that bought Israel Defense Forces [IDF] soldier Gilad Shalit’s freedom. She was deported to Jordan, where she appears to have launched a television career. In an interview, Tamimi said she does not regret her involvement in the 2001 attack.

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Iran Presents Battlefield Contingencies

{image_1}The possibility of a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities may evoke images of an air strike, but the Islamic Republic is gearing to counter every scenario, and according to Al-Mashreq Web site, Tehran has prepared a detailed plan of the defense in case of a ground offensive by the West. The Web site detailed the plan sans Iran's previous threats against Israel or American internets in the Persian Gulf.

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Surprising Seders

{image_1}Many of us are familiar with the celebration of Passover, even if we aren’t Jewish. Some of us have had the privilege of attending a Passover seder meal in the home of a Jewish friend or participated in a sederconducted as a teaching experience. Many Christians are aware that the Last Supper, as mentioned in the Christian Scriptures, was a Passover seder and are eager to learn about the holiday that was important to Yeshua (Jesus) Himself. As traditions go, Passover has had amazing longevity, originally celebrated by Moses and the Israelites, and has attracted interest from a variety of faith traditions.

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Jews, Palestinians Plant Trees Together

April 16, 2012

{image_1}School children from the Efrat settlement [between Bethlehem and Hebron] and residents of the neighboring Palestinian village planted trees together in an initiative that promoted coexistence in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

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Ugandan Pastor Receives Emergency Medical Care

April 16, 2012

{image_1}Umar Mulinde, a 38-year-old evangelical pastor from Uganda who began preaching support for Israel, arrived in Israel on January 5th for emergency medical treatment following an acid attack that severely burned his face, torso, and damaged his right eye. Pastor Mulinde, [who] converted to Christianity after spending much of his life as a Muslim, was attacked with acid on Christmas Eve in Kampala. The assailants shouted “Allah Akhbar” (God is great) immediately following the attack.

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Arab IDF Soldier: Proud to Serve My Country

{image_1}Can a person be both Arab and Zionist? Ask Shirin Shlian, a 20-year-old IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldier from one of the Galilee's Arab villages, whose job in the Israeli army is to encourage high school students to enlist and join combat units. Her brother is [also] a major in a combat unit and another brother served in the Border Guard.

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2,000 People’s Eyesight Restored

{image_1}Israeli doctors have recently restored the eyesight of more than 2,000 people in seven countries: Nepal, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Cambodia, the Maldives, and Ethiopia. The surgical operations were performed in special camps set up by MASHAV (Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, under the Foreign Ministry). All surgeons were Israeli ophthalmologists.

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Grappling with the Unknown

{image_1}“We are living right now during dramatic changes that create a lot of new challenges and a lot of unknowns.” —IDF Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel

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The 2012 Intra-Muslim Predicament

{image_1}At the outset of 2012, irrespective of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Palestinian issue, the defining geopolitical and religious schism in the Middle East is boiling, exacerbating violent intra-Muslim fragmentation—religious, tribal, ideological, and geographical.

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