Dispatch from Jerusalem

Yemin Orde: A Home for Life

{image_1} The first week of December 2010, a raging fire, lasting 82 hours, swept across the Carmel mountain range overlooking Haifa. Yemin Orde, a youth village which is home to 500 Israeli students, was directly in its path and was quickly evacuated. Staff returned but when they saw a fire ball approaching, they too left with the feeling that everything would be burned down. In the end, 40% of the buildings were destroyed, including two dozen houses (for 58 staff members), classrooms, the library, and dormitories. For a month, students were housed elsewhere.

Understanding the Bible

{image_1} Of the 66 books in the Christian Bible, 39 (Genesis–Malachi) are called the Tanach by the Jewish people. Tanach is an acronym for three Hebrew words: Torah (Gen.–Deut.), Neviim (Prophets), and Kotvim (historical and poetry books, sometimes referred to as Writings). Written in Hebrew and Aramaic (the book of Daniel), they comprise the Bible of Yeshua (Jesus), the disciples, and the early Church.

Netanyahu Speaks Out

On September’s UN Discussion of Palestinian Statehood

{image_1} “We will stand for our principles and fight those who try to dictate terms that would strip us of security and peace…We have been steadfast these two years, making sure that any peace agreement brings with it a secure, safe peace, not just peace on paper, but a sustainable peace. I have set two core principles to that effect: the first—Palestinian recognition in the State of Israel as the Jewish people's homeland, and the second—real security arrangements on the ground.”

Missile Attack on School Bus Dismissed

{image_1} An anti-tank missile was fired at an Israeli school bus on April 7 from the Gaza Strip by Hamas just minutes after dozens of children had gotten off. The one child left on the bus was critically injured. Israel responded to the deliberate targeting of the bus by bombing Hamas targets.

No Palestine without Jordan Valley

{image_1} While Prime Minister [PM] Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking international support for continued Israeli military presence in the Jordan Rift Valley, even in the event of a peace agreement, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on March 8, “There is no Palestinian state without the Jordan Valley.”

Principles of Jewish Prayer

{image_1} Prayer is a precious privilege and a sacred obligation, one that should be exercised, cultivated, and developed by every believer and community of faith. A study of Jewish prayer can illuminate and enrich our understanding and practice of this “service of the heart.”

Israelis Save Arab Baby

{image_1} Less than a week after the March 11 Fogel family massacre, settlers helped bring new life into the world. Israel Defense Forces [IDF] and local paramedics helped save the life of a Palestinian woman and her newly born infant on March 16 in the settlement [in the West Bank or Judea–Samaria] where Fogel relatives were sitting shiva [a seven-day mourning period] for five of their family members.

New Tool for Predicting Earthquakes

{image_1} As Japan continues to pick up the pieces after its devastating earthquake and tsunami, Israeli geologists have unveiled a new tool that allows researchers to learn critical lessons for the future by understanding patterns of seismic activity in the past. Developed by Professor Shmuel Marco of Tel Aviv University, the tool, which he calls a “fossil seismograph,” examines geological formations to find historical patterns of earthquakes reaching far back into the ancient past.

Israel Brings Hope to Japanese Survivors

{image_1} As soon as the news of a massive 9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunami striking Japan was known, Israel was offering her services. Israel, although small in size, has a huge heart. As soon as disaster strikes anywhere in the world, Israel is one of the first to offer help. I believe this partially fulfills the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3b: “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Breath of Life—Naphash

{image_1} A cool drink on a hot afternoon…a comfortable bed after a long, tiring day…a home-cooked meal  for a hungry stomach…these are but a few of the ways that we can experience the phenomenon called “refreshment.” The Bible is full of such references and even names some foods, such as bread mentioned in Genesis or apples mentioned in Song of Solomon, as specific refreshers. The Scriptures take the concept even further, however, indicating that real refreshing means more than water for the thirsty or rest for the weary.