It’s Photo Friday!
Here’s a moment to treasure — two kids playing along an empty streetcar track on a rainy afternoon in Jerusalem.
“Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this” (Jeremiah 14:22). Shabbat Shalom to all — have a wonderful weekend.
Comments (2) »Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 3:34 PM | Stand for Israel
A memory of the Intifada
As we come to the 10-year anniversary of the height of the 2002 terror war against Israel, IFCJ and SFI staff will be sharing with you their memories of those difficult days.
The second intifada had already started by the time I got to Israel – most people say it began with Sharon going up to the Temple Mount in September of 2000, others say it had been ongoing for some time. I arrived on June 2, 2001 (the day after the bombing at the Dolphinarium) for my first year in seminary. I settled in to my apartment at 5 Lincoln (yes, THAT Lincoln) St. in the neighborhood of Rechavia. One block down the hill was my school. A ten minute walk from the Old City. 15 minutes from the Wall. Still one of the happiest times of my life.
But gradually, over the course of the year, the violence got worse. It’s hard for most people to remember now, but the Israeli army had left the West Bank and Gaza years before as part of the Oslo Accords. The forces of Yasser Arafat were solely responsible for security and police work in the territories.
Around this time, in early 2002, the situation started to come to a head. The violence against civilians escalated severely and there were attacks or thwarted attacks every single day. It was during this time that I developed a policy of emailing my parents as soon as I could after a bombing to let them know that I and my classmates were alright. My father saved many of those emails and sent them to me a few years ago.
And then, in early 2002, in the middle of my year in Jerusalem, things started to get really bad. Ten years ago this afternoon, a suicide bomber blew herself up on Jerusalem’s busy Jaffa Road (Yaffo, in Hebrew). Pinhas Tokatli, 81, of Jerusalem was killed and over 150 people were wounded, four seriously. The female terrorist, identified as a Fatah member, was armed with more than…
Read More » Comments (7) »Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 3:53 PM | Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg
Hamas officials sheltered by Red Cross in Jerusalem
Photo by Chameleons Eye / Rex Features
It appears that, for the better part of the last year and a half, officials at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Jerusalem have been sheltering two wanted Hamas officials.
Hamas, you’ll remember, is a designated terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip and which unabashedly calls for the destruction of Israel and the destruction of the Jewish people. When not engaged in genocidal anti-Semitism, they also like to endanger their civilian population, degrade and subjugate women, and commit violence against their political enemies.
Israeli police arrested the two men this morning.
Funny…even with that level of cooperation, the ICRC still couldn’t manage to get into Hamas-controlled Gaza to visit with kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit during his captivity. Or, perhaps because of that level of cooperation, they just weren’t trying all that hard. Kind of makes it tough for Israelis to trust them, huh?
Comments (8) »Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 10:17 AM | Stand for Israel
Photo Friday goes to Jerusalem’s Old City
Hey, friends! This week we’re visiting Jerusalem’s Old City, home of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. We love the clear blue sky. Enjoy this breath of fresh, holy air!
Comments (2) »
Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 3:34 PM | Stand for Israel
Clay seal from Second Temple period unearthed
Photo Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority
Archaeologists in Jerusalem uncovered a Second Temple artifact which testifies to the ritual practices performed in the Holy Temple. The artifact, a clay seal the size of a button, is inscribed with the Aramaic words Daka Le’Ya, meaning “Pure for God.”
The inscription dates back to the first century, and is consistent with Jewish literature which teaches that no oil was to be used for lighting the menorah in the Temple unless it had the signature of the High Priest stating that it is “Pure for God.”
The fact that this ancient artifact has been brought to light on Hanukkah is no coincidence. While there were many miracles performed for the Jewish people when they waged war against the much mightier Greek army, it is the miracle of the oil that we celebrate.
After the Jewish people succeeded in driving the Greeks out of their land, the priests entered the Holy Temple to perform the Temple service that had been prohibited by the Greeks. When they entered, they found a Temple that had been completely desecrated – the instruments of service were destroyed and the oil used for lighting the menorah was defiled.
Amidst the havoc which prevailed in the Temple, the Cohanim, or Priests, found one jar of oil remaining which had the seal of the High Priest – “Pure for God.” The jar contained enough oil for one day and it would take an additional eight days to produce more pure oil fit for lighting. Yet, God performed a miracle and the oil lasted for eight days.
The service of lighting the menorah in the Temple was called the Aish Tamid or “Eternal Flame.” The Cohen (priest) would light the menorah every morning and it would continue to burn through the following morning, so that the menorah would be lit continuously.
What is unique about the light of the menorah which was lit in the Temple and that we light today on Chanukah? When describing the creation of the…
Read More » Comments (0) »Tuesday, December 27th, 2011 at 9:45 AM | Amichai Farkas
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