JEWS
“SHARON TO CHRISTIANS: THIS LAND WAS PROMISED ONLY TO THE JEWS, POPE TOLD ME: Cheering wildly, some 2,500 Christians gave ovation after ovation to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday night as he told them that Israel would never compromise on the security of the Jewish people or Israel’s existence.
“‘Sometimes I get letters from some of you, blaming me for being too moderate. Because we want peace, we are ready to make painful compromises, but we will never make any compromise when it comes to the security of our citizens or the security of the State of Israel,’ Sharon told the participants in the annual Feast of Tabernacles Celebration organized by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.
“Sharon, preceded by figures in tallitot blowing shofarot, dancers waving banners, and an orchestra belting out Israeli songs, was welcomed by excited visitors waving flags of a dozen countries. As he entered, the Brazilian delegation, several dozen strong, began chanting, ‘Isra, Is-ra-el,’ as at a soccer match.
“With a reception perhaps unprecedented since that accorded by Christian supporters of Israel to the late Menachem Begin, Sharon elicited a pious response when he noted that the names of places in Israel had remained unchanged for 3,000 years.
“‘Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, Bethlehem is Beit Lehem, Hebron is Hevron, Shilo is Shilo,’ he said, as members of the audience murmured ‘Amen’ after every phrase.
“Sharon even received a positive response when he told the largely Evangelical crowd of visiting Pope John Paul II prior to his visit here in 2000. Sharon said that the pope told him that Jerusalem was holy to Jews, Christians, and Moslems. Then Sharon related, the pontiff added, ‘But it was promised only to the Jews.’
“The mood was exemplified by Bonnie Dadidakis of Houston, Texas, who said that she had come to the event together with a group organized by Texas Republican Women.
“‘I honor and admire Israel and their contribution to the whole world. It is in my heart,’ she said. Most Americans are complacent about Israel, but it is up to her and those like her to show the other Americans what is happening, she said.” (Jerusalem Post, September 22, 2002)
“HATE SPATE: British police are investigating a spate of leaflets calling for an ‘anti-Jewish war’ that were distributed in North London.
“The leaflets were put under doors and on car windshields in the heavily Jewish neighborhoods of Stamford Hill, Tottenham, and Hendon.” (World Jewry, October 2002)
“CANADIAN SHAME: The Canadian Jewish Congress leadership has written a letter to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, expressing disappointment at the government’s public silence in the face of a pro-Palestinian riot which occurred at Montreal’s Concordia University and prevented former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from speaking.
“The letter blamed the government for the riot, which the country’s Jewish community sees as the inevitable result of the failure to publicly and forcefully denounce anti-Semitism.”
(World Jewry, October 2002)
“CNN FACES BLACKOUT: The council for Cable and Satellite TV last week discussed a request by the multi-channel broadcasters to remove CNN from their subscriber packages.
“The cable and satellite companies last month said the CNN’s anti-Israel news coverage warranted it being blacked out locally and replaced by the Fox News.
“Eason Jordan, CNN’s chief news executive and news gathering president then visited Israel to try and smooth things out.
“However, the cables have since submitted a formal request to the council to have CNN removed from their line-up.
“The source said the council would begin discussing the issue either today or next week.”
(The Jerusalem Post, August 9, 2002)
“PALESTINIANS MOVE ASSETS TO JORDAN: AMMAN - Palestinians are quietly moving their financial assets out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Jordan. Banking sources in Amman said the trend began in 2001 and accelerated over the past six months and reflects growing concern over their future amid the war with Israel. The sources said most of the transfers involved the removal of assets from Jordanian banks that operate in the West Bank. These assets were transferred into Amman branches of the same banks. Overall, the sources said, Palestinians are believed to have transferred at least U.S. $20 million in funds during the first four months of 2002. The sources said that much of the funds were deposited into Jordanian dinar rather than U.S. dollar accounts.” (Middle East News Line, October 2, 2002)
“Students and professors at institutions like the University of California, Harvard, MIT and Princeton are backing the Palestinian cause by campaigning to get U.S. universities out of stocks that do business in Israel. The petitions on U.S. campuses call for divestment to pressure Israel to withdraw from territory captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war; return to peace talks; stop building settlements; and treat the Palestinians better.” (Reuters, August 19, 2002)
“THE ORIGINAL 9/11: Tisha B’Av. it so happens, is the ninth day of the 11th month on the Hebrew calendar, which means it is the original 9/11, the Jewish people’s day of infamy. On our ‘9/11’ both Temples were burned, 1.1 million Jews were murdered by the Romans, 100,000 sold into slavery or fed to the lions, and the terrible Exile from which we have yet to fully return began.” (Bridges for Peace, September 2002)
Comment: What other nation, or people could survive this kind of trouble, except the Jews, whom the Lord has helped?
“INN-TOLERABLE DISCRIMINATION: ‘You people don’t belong here,’ these words were said to a Jewish couple and their 3 children when they were forcibly expelled from the Catskill Days Inn Motel. They pleaded, explaining it was Shabbos and as observant Jews they could not pack their luggage, drive or transact business. They were ejected into the heat without food or water under the watchful eye of State Troopers. The family camped on the lawn of a park for seven hours until the Sabbath ended.
“Another incident, in the same Motel, was an Orthodox mother and her two children being stranded in the Days Inn because of arriving late to Albany, and driving on to her destination, made it only to the Inn before sundown. This was the first night of Pesach (Passover), and without regard for her safety or her children, the Inn called Troopers who then told the woman with children to trek, in the dead of night, to Friar Tuck Inn. ‘Where there are lots of Orthodox Jews like you.’
“Days Inn has informed the Motel they are in violation of their franchise.”
(Bridges For Peace, September 2002)
“ARAFAT CARES: P.A.’s Chairman Arafat deposits over $5 Million from Arab Aid funds into his personal account, according to a report in Kuwaiti Newspaper Al-Watan, which says documents from private sources in Cairo report that this is a theft of Arab Aid funds through an arrangement between Arafat and his Cairo office head, Ramzi Khouri. The money was used for upkeep of Arafat’s wife Suha and daughter who live in Paris and Switzerland.”
(Bridges For Peace, August 2002)
“ARAFAT SAYS ENTIRE JERUSALEM WILL BE PALESTINIAN CAPITAL: On October 5 PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed into PA law a resolution proclaiming the entire city of Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state. PA parliament chief Abu Ala said that the move comes in response to the recent U.S. Congressional resolution calling on the U.S. State Department to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“During Israeli-Arab negotiations over the past several years, Palestinian Authority officials have called for the establishment of a Palestinian state with only ‘East Jerusalem’ as a capital. It is now felt that Arafat has revealed his true intentions.” (Bridges For Peace, October 1, 2002)
“ISRAEL: PAPERS ARE ARAFAT’S ‘SMOKING GUN’: JERUSALEM - Israel released documents Thursday that it said were seized from Yasser Arafat’s headquarters, showing that he personally authorized payments to gunmen he had promised the United States he would arrest.
“Israeli officials cited a memo and a two-page fax among truckloads of papers taken from Arafat’s besieged headquarters as proof that Arafat supported terrorism by signing off on payments to gunmen responsible for the deaths of Israeli civilians.
“’This is the smoking gun,’ said Col. Miri Eisin, of the army’s intelligence branch. ‘The people being paid here aren’t Palestinian policeman or employees. They are highly wanted terrorists.’
“Palestinian officials asserted the documents were fake. ‘They are obvious forgeries,’ said Saeb Erakat, the Palestinian Authority’s chief peace negotiator. ‘They are produced to distract from the atrocities that are happening on the ground.’
“Israel said it was willing to turn over the documents to American experts for authentication.” (Jerusalem Dispatch, April 5, 2002)
“EUROPEAN INQUIRY INTO PALESTINIAN AID: A group of European lawmakers called for an investigation into how European Union aid to the Palestinian Authority has been spent. The European Commission allocates 10 million dollars per month to help pay the salaries of PA employees. Suspicions that aid has been used to fund terrorism have been voiced. An accusation from Israel that EU donations have been used to fund terror attacks against them has played a part in the demand for inquiry.
“Opposition to the inquiry exists from the executive European Commission. Chris Patton, EU Commissioner for External Affairs said, ‘An inquiry would make it enormously difficult to continue providing aid.’ Patton’s argument is that it would undermine moderates in the PA and end any hopes for halting the cycle of violence.
“Under the rules of the 626-member assembly, a petition needs 150 signatures to launch a probe into the use of funds. Charles Tannoch, a British conservative Member of European Parliament said, ‘We are demanding a full parliamentary committee of inquiry that can look into allegations of misuse of funds in great depth. It is unknown how large the group of MPs is that called for the inquiry, but with only 150 signatures needed, it is likely that the probe will go forward.’” (Condensed from a Reuters news release Brussels)
“MUSLIM PREACHERS ENCOURAGE HATRED AND VIOLENCE: YEMEN - The official television station of the Republic of Yemen, Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, carried a 42-minute live sermon from the Grand Mosque in Sanaa on November 15, 2002. Shaykh Abd-al-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivered the sermon which concluded by saying, ‘O Allah, support those supporting Islam, disappoint those disappointing Islam, and guide the steps of Muhammad’s nation. O Allah, support the mujahidin in Palestine, Chechnya, and elsewhere and help them score the steps of Muhammad’s nation. O Allah, help them score a clear, quick victory. O Allah, destroy the aggressive Jews and the unjust Americans. O Allah, shake the ground under them, instill fear into their hearts and freeze the blood in their veins.’”
(FBIS.US Government service, November 15, 2002)
“15 SUICIDE ATTACKS PREVENTED IN ISRAELI TERRITORY: The Israeli Defense Minister disclosed that during the past week the security forces prevented 15 attacks that were intended against Israeli citizens and, in addition, arrested over 400 terrorist activists. ‘The IDF and security forces are making immense efforts to prevent terrorism. Over the past two weeks we are witnessing increase in terrorists attempts against Israeli citizens. The assessment is that these increasing waves of terror are aimed at interfering with the democratic process in the State of Israel. Terrorism will not succeed in any way in defeating the citizens of Israel. Their strong stand over the past two years against murderous terrorism is witness to national vitality and powerful resistance so that if anybody doubted Israel’s ability to face up to child murderers, that doubt has been removed.’
“Mofaz sent his condolences to the families whose loved ones had been murdered and wished swift recovery to the wounded. ‘We shall overcome these difficult times and we will prevail.’”
(IDF Spokesperson, November 29, 2002, Reported by Bridges For Peace, December 6, 2002)
“PEACE PLAN FACES DELAY AS MANY PALESTINIANS GROW TIRED OF UPRISING: JERUSALEM - A U.S.-backed plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict won’t be ready by its December 20 target date and may be delayed until after the Israeli elections a month later, a Palestinian official said Friday.
“Separately, another influential Palestinian joined Friday in criticizing the Palestinian uprising that has left 1,954 Palestinians and 683 Israelis dead in 26 months of fighting.
“The delayed release of the so-called ‘road map’ to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, most likely until after the January 28 elections, would mean a further delay in reaching a truce in the uprising, which has come under increasing criticism by Palestinian officials and citizens.
“The United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations have jointly been trying to finalize a plan for a negotiated settlement.
“The plan, which was to be presented on December 20, calls for a three-phase, three-year program that would result in a Palestinian state living in peace beside Israel.
“But Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath, after a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington, said the Americans told him release of the plan would likely be delayed.
“They prefer to wait until after the Israeli elections, where there will be an Israeli government ready to work with this plan’, Shaath said.
“The delayed release of the plan comes amid signs that many Palestinians are growing increasingly weary of the uprising, or intefadeh.
“‘The intefadeh sent a very important message to all the world that there is occupation on the ground,’ Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia said. ‘Now we have to evaluate the situation… Why the intefadeh has been transformed into a military act - is it useful or not?’
“He said negotiations were a peaceful way of achieving what Palestinians wanted. ‘Intefadeh - popular [unarmed] intefadeh - is another way, not military,’ he said.
“A poll published Thursday found that a majority of Palestinians want their security forces to crack down on militants attacking Israel - a shift that indicates Palestinians are souring on the uprising.” (The Associated Press, November 30, 2002)
“TERROR + WEAKENING ECONOMY = POVERTY: The ongoing terror situation has impacted the economy significantly. The tourism industry is near collapse. As the number one industry in Israel this collapse has impacted every area of society economically. E.g. A local butcher goes out of business because there are no tourists eating meat in hotels. The local population can’t afford to eat meat at home or to eat out in restaurants. The resulting economic downturn has resulted in high unemployment rates and the situation worsens every month. Every week brings news of further layoffs at major companies.” (Bridges For Peace, November 2002)
“ISRAEL IS POVERTY STRICKEN: More than ONE MILLION Israelis live under the poverty line! That is an astonishing 17.6% of all Israelis. Yet, a United Nations Report states that POVERTY IN ISRAEL WILL INCREASE. In the wake of severe cuts to the Israeli budget, the severely weakened economy and growing inflation the average Israeli has less money in his pocket than he had last year. The experts say it is going to get worse. Unemployment is up and, at the same time, prices of basic goods are increasing. This week the cost of flour went up nearly 5% and the cost of tomatoes (a staple of the Israeli diet) increased by 72.3%. Salaries that used to be barely adequate are stretched to the breaking point as more Israelis find they simply don’t have enough to survive.
“How shocked we were to read that there is a sharp reduction in food purchases. The population has not decreased! In fact, there are more people in Israel now than ever before. The alarming fact is that families simply don’t have the funds to buy the food they need to survive. Sadly we are hearing of people stealing food to live, or going through dumpsters in an attempt to find something edible.
“The Bridges for Peace staff meets daily with desperate individuals and families seeking their assistance. We are literally inundated with requests for assistance and in an attempt to meet the many needs, we have added new families, new communities and new organizations to the recipient list. Last month we distributed forty-five tons of food to nearly 14,000 people, an increase of nearly five tons over three months ago. But, compared with the million who need assistance, it is but a drop in the bucket.
“Not only are we providing food for the needy, we are giving it with Christian love. Those we help come to us for the food, but when they leave, they talk about the love.”
(Bridges For Peace, November 2002)
“PRIME MINISTER SHARON NOW CLOSER THAN EVER TO EXPELLING YASSER ARAFAT: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz are seriously considering expelling Yasser Arafat if the current wave of Palestinian terror is not checked, The Jerusalem Report has learned.
“Sharon hinted as much when, during a late-November tour of the line between Israel and the West Bank in the Jerusalem area, he declared that ‘no one will be immune’ from Israeli countermeasures against Palestinian terror. Mofaz, aides say, is convinced that Arafat is behind the current terror wave, and that the Palestinian Authority chairman is using terror in a bid to decide the outcome of the Israeli election - seeking to undermine Sharon by orchestrating devastating attacks inside Israel. Israel, the aides warn, ‘will not stand idly by.’
“The tougher government stand on expulsion comes after a wave of Palestinian shooting and suicide bombings in which over 30 Israelis were killed within the space of two weeks in November. Strongly making the case for expelling Arafat is Amos Gilead, the coordinator of government activities in the West Bank and Gaza. Gilead argues that as long as Arafat is around, the terror won’t stop. Apparently preparing the ground for deportation, Gilead uncharacteristically made his views public in a late November TV interview.
“What is holding Sharon back, his aides say, is primarily his concern over a possible American backlash. He does not want to antagonize Washington in the run-up to the anticipated attack on Iraq and as Israel presses a request for $10 billion in U.S. loan guarantees. But they say, he and Mofaz have agreed to watch closely for an opportunity to act if, in the wake of mounting Palestinian terror, Washington gives a tacit green light.
“In the meantime, Sharon and Mofaz intend to fight Palestinian terror by tightening the IDF’s hold on all West Bank Cities and launching daily, pinpoint counter-terrorist raids to keep the terrorists off balance. The aides say they do not intend to call up reserves, mount a major operation or reinstitute Israeli civil administration in the newly reoccupied territories. But they make it clear that Sharon and Mofaz regard the Bethlehem and Hebron agreements with the Palestinians, under which those cities were out of bounds to the army, as null and void, and that the army will be free to operate wherever they deem necessary.”
(By Leslie Susser, The Jerusalem Report, December 18, 2002)
“ELECTION HATE: There has been a frightening increase in anti-Semitism rhetoric used in election campaigns world-wide, a trend that suggests candidates feel that anti-Semitism is an electoral asset, according to a World Jewish Congress report on global anti-Semitism.
“This is one more example of a growing number of indicators measuring the rise of anti-Semitism.” (World Jewry, November 20002)
“DÉJÀ VU: Facing criticism by German Jewish community leaders, police have begun an investigation into anti-Semitic disruptions at a Berlin ceremony to restore a street name referring to Jews that had been erased by Nazi officials in the 1930s.
"Police are accused of standing by while hecklers at the event booed, whistled and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. The event marked the reestablishment of Juedenstrasse - Jews’ Street - a name dating back to the 16th century.” (World Jewry, November 2002)
“POTENTIAL: A team of scientists at Israel’s Technion - Israel Institute of Technology - has been working on producing hydrogen by so-called solar water splitting systems that show potential for powering electric cars with constantly-renewable energy, overcoming problems with recharging, battery weight, pollution and short battery life that plague today’s electric cars.
“Successful research in Israel into improving the efficiency of solar-hydrogen fuel cells has raised the potential for their use in non-polluting cars of the future, and has attracted the attention of companies such as Royal Dutch/Shell.” (World Jewry, November 2002)
“CHRISTIANS RALLY FOR ISRAEL: On September 11, 2002, Washington and environs were gripped by fear of the sniper, and closed in by police blockades of all major arteries. In spite of these obstacles, compounded by pelting rain and high winds, ten thousand American Christians rallied in support of Israel at the Washington Convention Center.
“The rally was part of the Christian Coalition’s “Road to Victory 2002” weekend convention, attended by prominent ministers, legislators, journalists, and supporters from every corner of the United States. Ehud Olmert greeted the participants, saying, ‘God is with us in supporting the State of Israel. You, the great Christians of America, are with us and we will stand firm together against the terrorists. It is hard for us in Israel to live with the sights of terror, to go to sleep with them, to wake up in the morning, to know what you have seen, but don’t get it wrong. This is pain, not weakness.’ The crowd waved Israeli flags, chanted Hebrew melodies, blew shofars, and called out ‘We love Israel.’ Singer Ted Pearce sang ‘Zealous for Zion’ and the rally ended with a dance by the ‘This is the Day of Elijah’ troupe.
“Pat Robertson, founder and past president of the Christian Coalition, stated, ‘We should not ask Israel to withdraw from the so-called occupied territories, we should stand with them and fight. Jerusalem is the eternal, indivisible capital of the state of Israel, and it must not be divided.’ Tom DeLay (R-Texas) refuted the charge that Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are ‘occupied territories,’ and Roberta Combes, the Coalition’s current president, declared: ‘We love you. We love Israel. We will always be there for you.’ In one voice, waving posters and placards, the participants said ‘No’ to a Palestinian state in Israel’s historic and religious lands.
“Others participating included Senator Sam Brownback, Rep. Lindsay Graham, former ambassador, presidential candidate and talk show host Alan Keyes, and member of the Knesset Benny Elon.
“Americans for a Safe Israel takes special pride in being the first pro-Israel organization to grasp the extended hand of Evangelical Christians: we have featured a leader of the Christian conservatives at every single one of our national conferences. AFSI rejects those who would try to divide Jews from evangelical Christians supporters with carping about ‘motives’ and domestic issues of less moment. For all the noise made by liberal groups with ‘Jewish’ in their title, in fact there is no consensus on abortion or school prayer, or even on Israel, among Jews.
“Most on the Christian Right support our religious, historical, strategic, and legal rights to our patrimony. They reject imposing territorial withdrawal on Israel. They are categorically opposed to another Arab state between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. They uphold an undivided and indivisible Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the focus of the Jewish faith from time immemorial. They support Israel’s right to defend itself and they support our own nation’s struggle against the evil forces of international terrorism.
“Even in the face of insulting criticism from some quarters in the Jewish establishment with a self-serving definition of ‘defamation,’ the Christian Coalition stands fast, arm in arm with Zionists, against all enemies of Israel and proponents of anti-Semitism.
“We don’t believe there is room for debate. There are no caveats. The support of the Christian Coalition is crucial and AFSI offers a simple and heartfelt ‘thank you.’”
(By Herbert Zweibon, Chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel, Outpost, November 2002)
“JUST SAY NO: Jews tend to be generous in donations to the colleges and universities they attended. Perhaps it’s time for them to rethink when asked for donations to elite colleges with faculties involved in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agitation (many of them with disproportionately Jewish student bodies). That includes Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia. At least at Harvard, President Larry Sommers protested the anti-Semitism underlying the campaign at Harvard to force colleges to ‘divest’ from companies that do business with Israel. The presidents of the other schools have not been heard from. Columbia, home of the notorious Edward Said (and a leading advocate, naturally, for divestment), is actually inviting an anti-Israel clone, Rashid Khalidi - who likens the creation of Israel to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinian Arabs to the Holocaust - to fill an endowed chair named for Said. As Daniel Pipes has observed: ‘He [Khalidi] is extreme. He is inaccurate. He is apologetic to tyranny and radicalism. That’s what Columbia likes.’”
(Outpost, November 2002)
Comment: “Surely, the wrath of man shall praise thee: the reminder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Of course God will reward those that praise Him, but does not reward the iniquity or errors.
“‘WE WILL USE JEWISH SKULLS TO BUILD A BRIDGE TO HEAVEN’: The Hamas website published a banner December 16, 2002, encouraging the murder of Jews as part of Jihad (Holy War). The banner depicts an eagle pecking at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s severed head with the slogan: ‘We will use the skulls of Zion’s sons (Jews) to build a bridge to Heaven.’
“The banner was signed in the name of Iz A Din Al Kassam Brigades, which is the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
(IDF Spokesperson, December 16, 2002, Bridges For Peace)
“YERUSHALAYIM, (JERUSALEM) THE SPIRIT OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE: Jerusalem was never central to the Moslem religion. The Christian world has Rome, as their special city, the Moslems world was Mecca. Never in all the years of the Ottoman Empire, did Jerusalem have any special significance to Arabs of the Middle East. But Jerusalem has always been deeply inscribed in the heart of every Jew. It is the soul of the Jewish people. Whenever a Jew prays he turns in the direction of Yerushalayim. The increasing terrorist attacks shows the Moslem world has not changed. Through the years the United Nations resolutions concerning Israel have been ignored by the Arab world.” (Bible Light on the News, December 2002)
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DAVID HOROWITZ
1903-2002
With great sadness we announce the death of our good friend David Horowitz in October 2002. He had a very long and productive life battling to help the Jews and the State of Israel. He was a correspondent in the United Nations from the time of its inception in 1945, and continued active in that capacity until about a year before his death. He had columns in several Jewish newspapers and contributed some of those columns to our publications. His columns always had reference to the Hebrew Scriptures and their prophecies of the Jews to their land and to God’s favor.
He was the author of several books, including one that was titled Pastor Charles Taze Russell An Early American Christian Zionist. He will be greatly missed in the Jewish community, but also in our Christian Truth community. So we say, “God Bless his memory.”