All posts filed under: Israel

1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible sells for $38.1 million

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The Codex Sassoon is over 1,000 years old and is considered the world’s oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible, which is the Old Testament in Christian Bibles. Dated to around the 9th Century, the ancient Bible recently sold for $38.1 million at a Sotheby auction in New York City on May 17, 2023, the New York Post reports. The Bible is composed of 792 pages written on animal skins and is almost fully intact as it is only missing 12 pages. According to the New York Post, it set the record for the most expensive manuscript ever auctioned. It was purchased by American Friends of ANU, with a large donation from former US ambassador Alfred Moses, on behalf of the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, where it will be put on permanent display. READ: World’s oldest, most complete Hebrew Bible sold for $38.1M at auction

Jewish rabbis ask the Israeli government for permission to conduct the Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount

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Israel365 News reports that a group of rabbis has sent a letter to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Itamar Ben Gvir, the Minister of National Security asking for permission to perform the Passover Sacrifice on the Temple Mount. The Passover sacrifice is one of the most important rituals on the Jewish calendar and the Rabbis state it can only take place on the Temple Mount where the Jewish altar once stood. Since there is no temple, the Rabbis would build a temporary altar for the sacrifice. They add that Temple Institute has already trained priests to perform the sacrifice. Though Jerusalem is under the authority of the Israeli government, Israel has allowed Muslims to control the Temple Mount on which the Jewish Temple once stood through the Jordanian waqf. At present, there are two Muslim buildings on the Temple Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. However, the Muslims are absolutely opposed to the Jews performing such a sacrifice, and it is further complicated by the fact that if the Jews …

2022 sets a record for the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the US

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According to the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish advocacy group in America, there were 3,697 incidents of anti-Semitism in the US reported in 2022, the Christian Post reports. ADL has been tracking anti-Semitic violence and harassment since 1979, and 2022 set a record for the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in a single year. But equally concerning is that the 2022 statistics reflected a dramatic 36% increase over the previous year when there were 2,717 reports of anti-Semitism. According to ADL’s report, this reflected a 51% increase in vandalism over 2021, a 29% increase in harassment, and a 26% increase in anti-Semitic assaults. This also included 91 bomb threats against Jewish synagogues, schools and other institutions. The ADL stated the significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2022 could not be tracked to one ideology or group, but it noted that there was a significant increase involving White Supremacist groups which accounted for 852 incidents in 2022. This was more than double the number of incidents, 422, involving members of these groups in 2021. If the …

Politicians try to criminalize sharing the Gospel in Israel

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A piece of legislation was recently introduced into Israel’s Knesset or parliament that would make it illegal for anyone to share their faith in Israel. If passed, anyone convicted of sharing the gospel by word or any other medium such as the printed page, radio, internet or TV could be sentenced to one year in prison. This would be increased to two years, if it involved someone under the age 18. It would essentially criminalize sharing the Gospel in Israel. The bill was introduced by two ultra-orthodox members of the Knesset, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher. Gafni and Asher are both members Ashkenazi Haredi party United Torah Judaism that are helping keep Prime Minister Netanyahu minority government in power. Gafni and Asher stated that they were motivated to introduce the legislation, because there has been a noticeable increase in Christians sharing their faith: “Recently, the attempts of missionary groups, mainly Christians, to solicit conversion of religion have increased. At times these attempts do not involve monetary promises or material gains and are therefore not illegal …

Israel’s red heifers will soon be of age to be sacrificed

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Orthodox Jews were excited about the arrival of five red heifers in Israel last fall as they are a necessary step in preparing for the construction of a third temple in Jerusalem. CBN reports, that the excitement is mounting as the red heifers have still not developed off-color hairs, white or black, that would disqualify them for the ritual sacrifice. The ashes from the red heifer are used to purify the priests and since a sacrifice produces such a huge reservoir, there have only been 9 red heifer sacrifices in Israel’s history. The red heifers are being kept at a secured location in Israel and are between 1.5 and 2 years of age. They will not be sacrificed until they are three years old and will not be used if they become ritually impure by growing a single black or white hair. They will be inspected with a magnifying glass to ensure their purity. According to Rabbi Mamo, the Temple Institute already has what he described as “nine pure priests” who are ready to perform …

Survey: Nearly 1 in 4 Dutch young people believe the Nazi holocaust never happened

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According to a survey commissioned by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, nearly one in four Dutch young people (Millennials and Gen Z) believe the German Holocaust is a myth, CBN reports. The survey also found that a significant number of Dutch people also think the number of Jewish deaths was exaggerated and believed less than 2 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust. The actual number was over 6 million. And even though, 70% of Dutch Jews (102,000 of 140,000) were hauled away and killed by the Nazis in their concentration camps, over half of Dutch of all ages do not believe Holland was affected by these events. The Nazi holocaust was one of the motivating forces behind the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, an event prophesied in the Bible. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (Isaiah 11:12 ESV) READ: Survey: Nearly 1 in 4 Dutch Young …

Kanye (“Ye”), Kyrie, and the Black Hebrew Israelite Elephant in the Room

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By Dr. Michael Brown If you live in a major city of America, then you have probably been well aware of the Black Hebrew Israelites for a few decades. But for many other Americans, their numbers, their influence, and their beliefs are coming as quite a revelation – and a shocking one at that. In the early 1990s, while walking the streets of Manhattan before an outreach service one Saturday afternoon, I heard a loud voice booming through a PA system. When I got closer to the sound, I was surprised to see a small crowd of listeners, all of them Black, listening carefully to the speaker who was standing on a platform, with bodyguards standing on the street in front of him. Their outfits were striking – I remember thinking they looked like a cross between Star Wars and some type of angelic garb – but their words were even more striking. They were quoting the Bible and some other books, even using occasional Hebrew words. At once I realized who they were. They …

Orthodox Jews walking down a street in Old Jerusalem. Photo: Rico Grimm/Flickr/Creative Commons 21millimeters.ricogrimm.de

One million born-again Jews worldwide, study reports

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According to an article on by Joel Rosenberg, on All Israel website, it is estimated that there are approximately one million Jews around the world who have become Christians by putting their faith in Christ. This is based on a study by Lifeway, that found there are approximately 871,000 people of Jewish descent in America who believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. In addition, a study by Dr. Erez Soref, Israel College of the Bible, estimates there are about 30,000 Messianic Jews living in Israel. This puts the number of Messianic Jews in these two countries at around 900,000. According to World Population Review (WPR), there are approximately 15 million Jews worldwide, though some estimate the number could be over 17 million. The disagreement on the size of the Jewish population stems from how a person defines a Jew, which is traditionally determined by being born to a Jewish mother. In 2022, WPR reports there are 6.8 million Jews living in Israel and 5.7 million living in the US, but WPR notes on its website …

A partial solar eclipse in Israel has Orthodox Jews wondering

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Israel365 News is an Orthodox Jewish news site based in Israel. Though they don’t accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, they believe there will be a Messiah. Along with that, they have an end-times theology, that speaks of when this Messiah will return. And in that day —declares my God— I will make the sun set at noon, I will darken the earth on a sunny day. (Amos 8:9 The Israel BibleTM) There was a partial eclipse of the sun in Israel on Tuesday, Oct 25, 2022, and Israel365 wrote of its spiritual significance. For reference, the Torah is what we refer to as the Old Testament, and the Talmud refers to an ancient Jewish commentary on the Torah. Israel365 has this to say about the solar eclipse: In its discussion of eclipses, the Talmud (Sukkot 29a) specifically described solar eclipses as being a bad omen for the nations that base their calendars on the solar cycle. At the end of this section describing the omens contained within eclipses, the Talmud states a disclaimer: “When …

Why did a Jewish university in NYC ban all student clubs?

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  Yeshiva University, an orthodox Jewish school in New York City, has suspended all clubs on campus after New York County’s Supreme Court ordered it to recognize an LGBTQ club on campus. In addition to providing academic training in such fields as psychology, business and law, the university trains its students in Jewish culture, the Torah (Old Testament Law) and Hebrew. Though the majority of students are Jewish, many non-Jewish students attend Yeshiva’s business and law schools. Yeshiva University had appealed the lower court’s decision to the US Supreme Court. However, it refused to hear the case until Yeshiva had gone through the appeals process in the lower court. This left the New York Supreme Court ruling in place, which led to the university’s decision to ban all clubs on campus. CBN provides more details: Last year, three former students and a current student sued the school and demanded the state of New York force them to recognize an undergraduate LGBTQ advocacy club. New York County Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students saying …

The significance of five ‘unblemished’ red heifers that were delivered to Israel

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Recent news about the arrival of five ‘unblemished’ red heifers at Tel Aviv’s International Airport in Israel has caused quite a stir among those who study end-times prophecy. The red heifers were sent from Texas and were previously inspected by Jewish Rabbis to confirm that they were unblemished. What is interesting is that Evangelical Christians helped in the procurement of the cattle. The Mosaic Law required an unblemished red heifer to be sacrificed for the sins of Israel outlined in Numbers 19. It involved one of the most key sacrifices associated with the Temple. And according to a Christian website, theIsraelguys.com, the arrival of the red heifers is important prophetically because it paves the way for building the third temple in Jerusalem: “According to rabbis and leaders in the Orthodox community, these heifers could be used to reinstate many of the practices of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, even before the 3rd Temple is rebuilt. “[…] “At the welcoming ceremony, the small group witnessed the unloading of the heifers, recited blessings of thanksgiving, sang and …

Canada: Trudeau’s anti-racist program terminated because of racism?

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Earlier, this year, the Liberal government of Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, had provided taxpayer funds to Community Media Advocacy Center to develop an anti-racism strategy. However, the federal government was allegedly forced to terminate the contract with the group in late August, after tweets surfaced made by the group’s chief consultant, Laith Marouf. The Blaze provides more of the alleged details: Marouf, a Palestinian-Syrian activist, has a history of well-documented anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist comments, particularly on his now-locked Twitter account, for which the bio reads: “Decolonizing the media since 1999.” One of his tweets said: “You know all those loud mouthed bags of human feces, aka the Jewish White Supremacists; when we liberate Palestine and they have to go back to where they come from, they will return to being low voiced bitches of thier [sic] Christian/Secular White Supremacist Masters.” […] In a posting on July 8, 2022, he attacked French Canadians, writing: “French Frogs are very tasty roasted. Go back to your franco gutter.” READ: Justin Trudeau’s anti-racist program flops after top proponent exposed as …

Historic first: Jews enter the Temple Mount through the Gate of Tribes

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From a Jewish perspective, it was a historic event. On August 28, 2022, Jews were allowed to enter the Temple Mount through the Gate of Tribes located on the Northeast corner. It was the first time that Jewish worshipers were allowed to enter through this gate since Israel became a nation in 1948. There are 12 gates surrounding the Temple Mount and as well six sealed gates. Over the years, the Muslims have entered the Temple Mount using the Gate of Tribes, named after the 12 Tribes of Israel. To this point, the Jews have only been allowed to enter via the Mughrabi Gate, (also called the Dung Gate, Hallel Gate or Gate of forgiveness). Technically, it wasn’t the first time that Jews entered through the Gate of Tribes. In 1967, Israeli paratroopers used gate when they liberated the Temple Mount during the seven-day war in 1967. Shortly after the group of approximately 50 people entered, six broke off and prostrated themselves on the ground and were quickly removed by Israeli police. According to Jewish …

A strange omission at the ‘Museum of the Jewish People’ in Tel Aviv

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Israel Today reports on an interesting fact about the Museum of the Jewish People (ANU) found on the campus of Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. The massive 72,000 square foot structure, which cost $100 million and took ten years to construct, is supposed to provide a history of the Jewish people. It reopened in 2021 after a major renovation. However, the museum that is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of Jewish people around the world does not include a single mention of arguably the most famous Jewish person of all time — Jesus Christ. This omission was noticed by a Christian Arab woman, Ruby Azraq, who lives in Old Jerusalem and recently visited the museum. It was a strange omission, because billions of people, including Jews and Gentiles, believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. And contrary to what many believe, likening Israel to an Olive Tree, the Apostle Paul teaches that God grafted the Gentiles into Israel (Romans 11:11-24). The church, which is made up of Gentiles and the Messianic Jews who …

Has Israel started the construction of the Third Temple?

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Many Christians believe that a third temple will be built in Jerusalem as part of the end times prophecy leading to the second coming of Christ. And because of this, there was recent excitement on several end-times websites, when Israel365, an Orthodox Jewish website in Israel, reported that Orthodox Jews have started building the third temple. For the most part, a group of Orthodox Jews has manufactured all the utensils and furniture necessary for a functioning temple, including the sacrificial altar. They have also set up a school to train the priests on how to perform sacrificial offerings. All that is missing is the temple itself. Though at the moment there is no political will in Israel to build a temple, that would undoubtedly face violent resistance from the Muslims, there is sufficient room on the Temple Mount for a Jewish Temple. The Jordanian Waqf currently administers the site. Israel365 reports that several Orthodox Jews have started preparing the stones that would eventually be used for the construction of the temple. According to the Jewish …

How a Jewish pop ‘Idol’ star in Israel found Jesus after being bitten by a snake

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If you have ever been a fan of American Idol, you may enjoy this story about a Jewish woman, Birgitta Veksler, who finished eighth in Israel’s version of the program, ‘Kochav Nolad’ (Pop Idol). Birgitta was born to a Jewish family in Sweden and lived much of her early life in Estonia before her family decided to move to Israel when she was 12. But before she left, Birgitta had believed in Jesus for her salvation. However, when her family joined Israel’s Jewish community, Birgitta quickly learned that Jesus was an unacceptable, even taboo, topic, and quickly quit talking about her relationship with Christ. She became famous in Israel at the age of 17, when she finished in the top ten in the country’s equivalent of the American Idol. As her popularity grew, she was drawn into the partying scene of alcohol and boys, which left her feeling empty. But things would soon change for Birgitta. Israel has compulsory military service and at the age of 18, young men and women are drafted into Israel’s …

50% of Jewish students on US campuses hide their identity

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A recent survey of Jewish students in the US discovered that nearly 70% stated they experienced antisemitism or were personally aware of antisemitic attacks in the previous 120 days leading up to the survey. Israel 365 News adds that the survey also discovered that 65% of students feel unsafe on campus resulting in 50% of Jewish students purposefully hiding their Jewish identity while attending classes The survey discovered that increasingly Jewish students in the US were being collectively blamed for Israel’s actions in the Middle East. The survey was conducted before the Gaza conflict in May leading many to wonder what the results would have been if it had been conducted after the Gaza war that was instigated by Islamic extremists. The survey of over 2,000 students in two predominantly Jewish fraternity groups, Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPhi) and Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), was conducted by the Cohen Research Group and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law this past April. READ: Survey finds nearly two-thirds of Jewish students feel unsafe, half hide …

How a Jewish Navy Sailor found Christ after reading the forbidden chapter in the Bible

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In an interview with One for Israel Ministry, a Jewish man, named Israel, shared how he became a Christian while serving in the US Navy. And specifically, it was one chapter in the book of Isaiah that challenged him to believe Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. Israel had grown up in a Jewish home and at his Bar Mitzvah, the Rabbi warned Israel against believing in Jesus and as well told him never to read the New Testament, because it was just for gentiles. When he joined the US Navy in 1960, he tried fitting in with the other sailors by drinking and cavorting with the girls, but this only violated his conscience and made him feel guilty. At the time, the US Navy was giving Bibles to the sailors according to their faith. There were Bibles for Catholics and protestants and Jews also received their own Bible, the Tanakh, that only contained the Old Testament. But when one of his fellow sailors encouraged Israel to read Isaiah 53, that talks about the suffering of …

Archaeologists find evidence of Biblical earthquake in Jerusalem

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In Amos 1:1, the prophet did an interesting thing. He used an earthquake that hit Judah and Israel about 2,800 years ago, during the reign of Judah’s King Uzziah, as a sign post dating his prophetic calling: 1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he saw in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Uzziah reigned as King of Judah between 790 and 739 BC. It is believed the earthquake took place around 750 BC. This was nearly 200 years before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC, when Babylon invaded Jerusalem and hauled off the nation into captivity. But Amos was not the only prophet to mention the earthquake, centuries later the prophet Zechariah (520 to 470 BC) was still talking about the earthquake that occurred in King Uzziah’s day (Zechariah 14:5). This suggests that there was such devastation, it was still in public memory as it …

BLM co-founder called for ‘end of Israel’

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Patrisse Cullors, the self-proclaimed trained Marxist, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and multi-million dollar home-owner, can now add another to her list of left wing accomplishments. According to the Daily Mail, while speaking on a panel sponsored by Harvard University’s Human Rights Program in 2015, Cullors called for an end to Israel’s existence as a nation.