Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

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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Apple and Honey Glazed Brisket

  Rosh HaShanah or the Jewish New Year is a two-day holiday celebrating the start of a new year on the biblical calendar. The festival falls on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh biblical month, which is usually in September or October on the Gregorian calendar. It is the first of the High Holidays

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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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“Squeeze-the-day” Limonana

Picture yourself on a scorching day in Israel, yearning for a refreshing, tangy and sweet drink to quench your thirst. Enter Limonana, a beloved beverage among locals and tourists alike. Its name is derived from the Hebrew words for lemon (limon) and mint (nana). As you take the first sip, the combination of the lemon’s

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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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Israel—a News-obsessed Nation

One morning, as I walked up HaRav Kook Street in downtown Jerusalem, I paused to read a plaque on one of the buildings. I learned that this location was the site where Jerusalem’s first printing press, owned by the Salomon family, had operated from 1939–1992. I’m not sure why it piqued my interest, but I

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