Part I of III
by Esther Korson
Some of you might be familiar with a Christian doctrine called ‘Replacement Theology’. Basically, it insists that God is finished with the Jewish people and the favour once shown to the Jewish people has been transferred to the church instead. (I think that they keep the blessings but still leave us with the curses…) I feel so sorry for the people who adhere to that doctrine, for they have missed all the amazing miracles of God (that I will share with you in blogs- to-come) that have occurred demonstrating God’s hand on the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. However, today I just want to deal with one aspect of it all. This nation, the nation of Israel, belongs to God; people here believe in God; and—God answers the prayers of His people!
I love quoting the news media here from time to time, because God is often in the news! And they report it! It’s my guess that, while common here, it would be quite rare in other nations! Here are some lovely examples of “God in the News” in the last few days.
IBA English TV News reported, “There was a massive gathering at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City Thursday night, the 30th of January, where thousands prayed for God to cancel what they called US Secretary of State John Kerry’s decrees and plans. Under the banner of “Prayer for the Redemption of the People of Israel”, the rally was attended by members of the governing coalition “Buyit ha Yehudi” (house of Israel) party including Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel and Deputy of Religious Affairs Minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan. The participants beseeched God to give strength, courage, truth and faith to the nation’s leaders while also instilling them with great awe of God so that they will greatly fear causing any harm to the Holy Land.
Ariel said that thousands of people came to pray for the people of Israel, to strengthen the government and the one who stands at its head so he will be able to stand firmly against various pressures coming from the other side of the ocean. The service lasted for more than an hour, with the thousands of attendees fervently repeating the prayers read over loudspeakers, to the accompaniment of trumpet blasts. The Chief Rabbi of Safed, one of the prayer leaders, implored those at the rally to cry from their hearts to God.” Wasn’t that an amazing TV evening news report?!?
Before the service, Ben-Dahan told a Jerusalem Post reporter that the emerging details of an outline plan being prepared by US Secretary of State Kerry were unacceptable. “We cannot agree to any deal that includes the establishment of a Palestinian state and the expulsion of Jews from their homes,” said Ben-Dahan. “Kerry doesn’t understand the reality here; the problem is much deeper than he thinks. Unfortunately, we are already experienced with what happens when we give up land to the Arabs, and we don’t want to see more rockets fired at Israel,” he said. The head of Eliyahu’s office told the Jerusalem post that the purpose of the gathering was “to unite the community of those who love the Torah and the Land of Israel against an agreement with an enemy that doesn’t want peace but seeks to destroy the Jewish people…”
Beginning last week, a group called “Women in Green” began a ten day vigil from 900 to 2100 daily across from the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem. “Women in Green” is a grassroots organization dedicated to the preservation of all land acquired by Israel after the 1967 Six Day War, all land, by the way, that is part of our Biblical heritage! The vigil was called to protest the so-called “Kerry plan”, which is anticipated to require soon a partial withdrawal from the area.
Under a gray and drizzly sky, Nadia Matar, founder of “Women in Green”, said, “We’re here to remind Netanyahu (“Bibi”) why giving up Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley is national suicide—from a security point of view but morally as well. If he gives up any of these territories, it’s like giving up part of your heart and your mind. You can no longer live without them, and Judea and Samaria are that to the Jewish people.” Nadia said that the vigil is not meant as a protest against Netanyahu so much as a reminder of the indispensable nature of Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.
The Jerusalem Post article also reported, “A few metres away, Shifra Hoffman held up a sign saying:
The God of Israel Said to Settle and Build Our Land…
The Prime Minister of Israel says to Freeze Our Land…
Bibi, God Always Wins!
When interviewed, Hoffman said, “I’m here because I’m a Jewish daughter who believes that the Almighty brought us back after 2000 years. And the Torah forbids anyone to give an inch of our sacred soil, especially to our enemies!” Moreover, Hoffman contended that such a concession is naïve, considering that Palestinian terrorism has continued unabated following similar such withdrawals. “There will never be peace with two people claiming the same land where one has shown that terror is their method of cleansing the land of Jews,” she said. “Is this the reason why the Jewish people suffered crusades, the inquisitions, pogroms and the unspeakable Holocaust? To live under Palestinian rule?”
Renee Margolis, another participant in the vigil, echoed Hoffman’s statements. “We want to encourage and strengthen Bibi’s hand in holding onto all portions of Israel and not to give it away for a peace process that the Arabs don’t believe in and don’t want,” she said. “If we give away these territories, we will have no way to defend ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Daube, director of the Zionist Organization of America Israel’s office, said, “Total Israeli sovereignty over the territories must remain non-negotiable. There’s no way that anything but a sovereign Israeli presence in those area can insure our safety and our integrity.”
There are some issues that were raised in this article that need further insight, so the next two blogs will simply be an extension of this one! Stay tuned!
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