Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Strong Woman of First Temple Period

A rare 2,500-year-old seal bearing the name of a woman, “Elihana bat Gael” was discovered in the excavations at the Giv’ati parking lot at the City of David in Jerusalem. According to the excavation directors, “The owner of the seal was exceptional compared to other women of the First Temple period: she had legal status

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Paris Peace Process, Who’s Invited?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced a special summit with a singular purpose: re-launching the Israel-Palestinian peace process. However, neither Israel nor the Palestinians have been invited to participate in the meeting aimed at mapping out their future. Ayrault explained that the summit has been called in an attempt to hammer out the parameters for

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In France, It’s Dangerous to Be a Jew

Lucien de Hirsch, a Jewish school located in the 19th [district] of Paris, looks like a fortress. The gigantic school, attended by 1,250 students from kindergarten to the 12th grade, is protected by a platoon of camouflage-attired commandos, rifles at the ready. Since the attack at a kosher Jewish supermarket in January 2015, in which

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Arab States Embarking on Nuclear Path

On 17 January 2016, Iran’s once illegal nuclear plan became legit. It happened after nearly two years of negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and heads of the P5+1 (US, China, France, UK, Russia and Germany). The Iran deal was flaunted as a success story in restricting Tehran’s nuclear activities to peaceful purposes in

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Dangerous, Defiant, and Declining?

A Look at Saudi Arabia and Their Fight with Iran Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you guns. The Saudis have been spending plenty of their oil money on weapons, wars and more. There are even rumors the Saudis have already put money towards nuclear weapons. Yet, time and again, the Saudis

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Hitler Returns

The world does not know it, or does not want to, but the historical record is undeniable: admiration of Adolph Hitler has been part-and-parcel of the Palestinian movement since the Fuhrer came to power in 1933. For this reason, it is a sober but not surprising reality that Hitler’s popularity is making a strong comeback

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The God of Israel vs. the gods of the Age

Passover is the most widely celebrated of all Jewish festivals with the vast majority of Jewish people worldwide acknowledging the holiday in one way or another. This year, the festivities begin on Friday evening April 22 and end April 29. For the strictly observant, the routine activities of going to work or school and carrying

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Accidentally On-purpose Misreading Christian Documents

Dr. Faydra Shapiro is a specialist in contemporary Jewish–Christian relations, with a focus on evangelical Christian–Jewish relations, and has published and presented extensively on the topic of Christian Zionism and evangelical Christian support for Israel. In addition to being a scholar, teacher and author, Dr. Shapiro is a wife and mother, and a trusted friend

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Hebron: City of Promise

We are traveling 20 miles south of Jerusalem to the city of Hebron along Route 60, a modern freeway that follows the ancient Path of the Patriarchs. The beautiful terraced hills of Judea are covered with abundant vineyards and olive groves—a reminder of the legendary grape cluster carried back to Joshua on the shoulders of

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Iranian Doctor Makes Aliyah

Dr. Shahab Davidfor, a 32-year-old Iranian Jew, always wanted to be a doctor. After graduating from high school in Isfahan, Iran, he studied medicine and at the end of his internship he joined the Iranian army, serving for a year and a half. Iran is a very religious country and not a great lover of

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