Missionary Sex

There was to will be an assembly of the faithful yesterday on Wednesday in Ariel to raise consciousness about a supposed problem of missionary activity here in Judea and Samaria.  I say "supposed" because as far as I know, this is no missionary activity being undertaken by the HaYovel people, those accused of such a 'crime', most recently here (and my reply here).

Here's the poster, under the headline "Jews for Sale?  Jewish Souls in a Final Sale":

A bit to the hysterical to my taste.  And there are those that go after people like Mike Huckabee.  And on and on.

My own thinking was published last year in Hebrew (i am polishing an English version).

Of course, there real, and not imagined problems in the field of inter-religious relations or relationships. yes, there is the Messianic Jews for Jesus groups and others.  But I am now referring to illicit ones by Jews.  As reported:

Israeli police say they have broken a prostitution ring where Jewish women were brainwashed into having sex with non-Jewish men as a path to religious redemption...the prime suspect was an eccentric 60-year-old man from Kiryat Arba, a hardline settlement in the southern West Bank.

Police say they arrested a group of eight "messianic" men and women who targeted vulnerable women and "prostituted them under the influence of drugs and alcohol."   They told them that having sex specifically with non-Jews would "save the Jewish people and bring about redemption."

...some 15 women had been recruited, some of whom were believed to be minors.  Their "clients" included Palestinians from the West Bank and foreign workers from Tel Aviv, the newspaper said.

The affair was brought to the attention of police by Lehava [which claimed] the prostitution ring was operational for six to seven years and involved "four or five women."

As in point 1 here and on page 37 of this book, it is quite possible to understand that sexual relations with non-Jews are not considered to have any validity in a Halachic sense.  The conclusion that the women should have drawn is that how, then, can sex with non-Jews assist the coming of a redemption era?  How can their souls be saved?  The sex doesn't count.

One response could be that these girls' Rabbis never dwelt on this subjects. And that is connected to a problem I have with the claims that Christians will snatch Jewish souls amongst the vineyards.  Do they educate their pupils?  Do they instruct them how to counter the arguments that might be used to sway them?

Just like in this case of sacrified prostitution, use sex to missionize for Jewish purposes, so, too, in the matter of fear of possible missionary activity by Christians (again, of which there is no credible evidence but suspicions that feed and fund activity that is detrimental to the settling of the Land of Israel, the key is pre-education.

And that is the responsibilities of the Rabbis and educators.

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No, My Cheek Stays Where It Is

My comment left at this site:

Let me be brief.  Disappointing.  No Jew living in the communities of Judea and Samaria, the New Testament term for these regions, are interviewed.  Only a pro-Pal. voice is heard.  You mention my home town, Shiloh, but my voice is missing.

Your last words are "Christians globally can and should advocate for a sustainable solution that recognizes and honors each person in the Holy Land as an equal child of God."  But if Islam (and we won't go into its persecution of local Christians) declares Abraham a Muslim and robs Judaism of its basis, how is that equal?

You quote Hana Ashrawi lying: "“Palestinians are the descendants of the early Christians,” says Palestinian legislator Dr. Hanan Ashrawi. “We are probably the straightest line to original Christianity. The Christian presence in Palestine is important. Christianity is part and parcel of the Palestinian identity.”  That should be first, Christains are the descendents of Jews who chose a different Biblical/Prophetic interpretation regarding the identity of the Messiah.  Second, the so-called "Palestinians" are descendents of those Arabs who conquered the Land of Israel in 638 CE, subjugated its local Christian and Jewish population and then occupied the land, off and on, until 1948, usually denying Jews any religious rights (no entry to the Temple Mount; no ascent past the 7th step of Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs; etc.).

In the New Testament there is no "Palestine".  Jesus was born in Bethlehem "of Judea" (Mark).  The Apostles walked through "Judea and Samaria" (Acts).  You adopt their narrative, religiously.

But we are no longer a "community" but a State and negative Christian perspectives do not peace make.

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Have A Merry Festive Season

.

"Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, 

during the reign of King Herod" 

- Matthew 2:1

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Mina Fenton is Saved! Halleluah!

Mina Fenton is an implacable foe of any and all Christian assistance to the State of Israel as well as Christian help to the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

She was with JewishIsrael but even they realized the need to extricate themselves from her grip.

For her, it appears, all is a grand design for missionary activity.

She can be a bit overenthusiastic and downright silly.  She once opposed, I was informed, a Jerusalem Municipality sponsored appearance of כנסיית השכל which translates as the Church of Commonsense.  It just so happens that that is the name of an Israeli rock group.

Two years ago, she published a report on a Rabbinic rally against Evangelical Christians and it appeared in the Machon Meir weekly Parsha sheet, Emet v'Emunah.  Here:

The relevant section to which I draw your attention reads:

The system of penetration, conquering and subjugation is by providing millions of dollars...among the large Christian organizations are the ICEJ, the CFI, the BFP and the CFOIC...the organizations are inter-connected one with the other, they have a missionary programs and they support missionary organizations and messianic communities...

CFOIC is Christian Friends of Israeli Communities Heartland.

I am a member of its Executive Board.

It is a Jewish Israeli association.  And we do not engage in Christian missionary activity.  Nor do we support it.

Mina's brush was way too broad and she lied, libeled and impaired and Machon Meir were negligent in not checking her "facts" or providing a response from CFOIC.

Moreover the "apology" they published later was no apology nor was the article removed.

Well, now they must remove it within 30 days.

And, they must contribute 10,000 NIS - in the name of CFOIC - to Yad Sarah in Ariel.

That was the decision of the Jerusalem Magistrate Judge Malkah Aviv.

We originally requested that CFOIC be the recipient of the contribution but they announced that that would destroy Machon Meir.

Here is the wording of the expression of regret and apology:

Mina Fenton, though, was lucky.

In the first instance, she was almost tossed out of the courtroom for speaking out of turn.  Second, she was saved embarrassment when she was not required to present "expert testimony".  She is not an expert and her depositions displayed ignorance and lack of sophistication in the matter.

Third, the judge demanded that we agree that we will not pursue a further libel suit against her personally based on this libelous publication.

The judge, in remarks made not to the protocol expressed her view that her courtroom was not the place to battle the suspicions of Jews regarding missionary activity.  In fact, she thought we were a Christian group until the four of us made clear we are all Orthodox Jews.  She also wondered why there wasn't further cooperation between Jews and Christians in support of Israel, aid that Israel, in its diplomatic condition, needed from non-Jewish friends.  She even thought rabbis should go to churches to speak on behalf of Israel.

I know my Christian friends are aware of my position:

ASSIST ME FOR WHAT I AM,

NOT WHAT YOU WISH I WOULD BE

If you believe in the prophecies of Israel restored; if you believe that Israel is fulfilling those prophecies, especially in Judea and Samaria;  if you are convinced that you want to be amongst the "foreign sons" who come and seek to associate with Zion - then do so unconditionally.

I will not interfere in your theology and you will do the same.  We will respect each other.  There will be no proselytizing or missionary activity. You may believe what you wish and I will believe in what I believe.  But we both believe in the covenant between God and Israel and the vineyards being planted and the abundance the land provides.

That is more than enough.

And if you wish to participate in the miracle, do so - but on that basis of shared understanding.

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Responding to JewishIsrael's Ellen Horowitz

Ellen Horowitz, a good friend, in a personal sense, who heads JewishIsrael, a group that has erred in the matter of the HaYovel group, left a comment on a post here and I think I should upgrade the discussion.

She wrote:

JewishIsrael is taking a very painstaking and careful approach to this problem. People in Yehuda and Shomron were up in arms about the Wallers and their missionary affiliations long before JewishIsrael started investigating or issuing reports.

We don't know what kind of hot heads are dwelling among you who see fit to issue provocative poster campaigns and threaten rabbis. That is not JewishIsrael’s style. However, we don't need people like you and David Rubin leveling false accusations at us over an issue that requires serious debate and consideration by the Jewish community.

The rabbis who have thus far viewed the same material we presented at Har Bracha are very soft spoken, mild-mannered and thoughtful in their approach. And yet they concur that the material presented is "of great concern, very serious in nature, and requires follow-up" and "they can't understand how Rav Melamed could possibly ignore such vital information."

I'm reminding you that it was you who originally suggested to me that there be a serious site set-up to inform the Jewish community of the various problematic evangelical groups and personalities active in Israel.

At the very least these leaders in Yehuda and Shomron should have the integrity to admit to their own communities that, "Yes, for what we consider to be the good of the yishuv, we made a decision to partner with hundreds of Christian missionaries. But they have assured us that they will not proselytize or share their faith with you - at least not here in this community. But we don't have control over their larger agenda and what they do and what their plans are for the rest of Am Yisrael"

Perhaps it is the lack of honesty that is the real "Chilul Hashem".

Let's go over that and concisely respond.

"People in Yehuda and Shomron were up in arms about the Wallers"

People?  And there are people who aren't, who don't care or who are actually excited about their volunteering.  And maybe those "people" are wrong"?  And who cares if JI was late?  You're in at present and leading the charge.

"You"?

Why not "you"?  How do you know they are amongst "us" but not "you"?  I don't.  But I can guess they are much more motivated by what "you" put out then anyone else on this planet.  They didn't get that link from out of thin air?  Or maybe it was Mina Fenton who was the source and she is much more connected to JI than HaYovel is to me. Or maybe they just fed off your misinformation?

False accusations?

No more than yours, and much less.

"The Rabbis".

Maybe the word threat should be clarified, soft-spoken or otherwise.  If a meeting is called by you, and you inform the person, a Rabbi, that if certain demands are not met, then verbal or published injury against the Rabbi will be taken, most people would think that a threat.

 

"The material".

Of course, the question is: is your "material" relevant, true, exact or supposed?  Does it actually indicate your main charge - that HaYovel is a danger in that its participants engage in missionary activity?  Does it?  How 'vital' is it?  Or is the innuendo?  Guilt-by-association?  Implied?

More important, is it not true that some of your rabbinical support not even care about the details?  For them, the issue is not missionary activity but something termed "achiza ba'aretz" and "ma'amd"?  For them, it is not an issue of halacha but theology and therefore, they prefer not to deal with the particulars and that, perhaps, even if I proved that I am correct as to what is actually happening, or more importantly, what is not happening, it wouldn't make a difference with them?  And so, all this discussion is useless.  They are interest in facts.

it was you who originally suggested

Well, if I was so smart then, why don't you trust me now?

I never said there wasn't a problem.  What I am saying is that in this specific instance, you're wrong.  And I will add that given the situation Israel is in, and given the guidelines I think exist in the Tanakh, and given halachic possibilities, we should not reject outright rapprochement but rather seek new frameworks.

"to partner with hundreds of Christian missionaries".

They aren't though.  Can't you get that?  Have you proof that they do missionize in Yesha?  Has anyone been snared?  I fully accept that a Christian, especially an evangelical, sees his purpose in life to convince others to believe in Jesus.  I trust our Rabbis and educators are doing their job to offset that threat.  The situation here is different.  You refuse do admit that and  prefer to smudge the reality to fit your agenda.

"Lack of honesty"?

What lack of honesty?  You haven't proven, in a solid, indisputable fashion, any of your specific claims.  Doesn't that count as a moral failing on your part?

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Rabbi Eliezer Melamed Expresses Support for HaYovel

My readers are aware of my support for the HaYovel effort, led by Tommy Waller and family (here; and here).  Others oppose.

Yes, there are Christians who seek to proselytize but I am satisfied that HaYovel is a genuine effort in the paradigm of the "foreigner who comes" which is the first stage before "the foreigner that accompanies" in my theological reading.

Now, Har Bracha's Rabbi Eliezer Melamed expresses full support (the original Hebrew is here):---


The Enveloping Light of the Sukkah

The mitzvah of sitting in the Sukkah is unique in sanctifying man’s daily routines. The eating and drinking, the chatting, and the sleeping which we do in the Sukkah are elevated and sanctified to the point where they are deemed mitzvot.

It is specifically on Sukkot that we merit this, because Sukkot is Chag HaAsif (the holiday of ingathering). This is when both the physical and spiritual ingathering of the year are completed – the ingathering of grain and fruit, as well as the ingathering of all our Torah study and all of our good deeds. Thanks to the repentance and atonement that we undergo during the month of Elul and Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (the ten days of repentance), this ingathering is innocent and pure, and we can thoroughly enjoy it.

Sukkah and the Land of Israel

In this sense, the mitzvah to live in the Sukkah and the mitzvah to settle the Land of Israel are similar (Vilna Ga’on, cited in Kol HaTor 1:7). Both of these mitzvot envelop us, and we immerse ourselves in their atmosphere of holiness. By doing so, even our mundane activities become sanctified.

By settling the Land, the Jewish people show the world that when life is illuminated by faith and Torah, everything becomes sanctified: eating, drinking, and sleeping; family life and interpersonal relationships; work and craft; business and scientific research.

The Sukkah of Peace

If we gather together all the different types and degrees of goodness, even those which seem to contradict each other, God spreads His Sukkah of peace over us, and the Jewish people stand united and with solidarity. If each positive quality stands alone, there is no unity. But on the holiday of ingathering, when all positive qualities are gathered together, unity appears. Thus our Sages state: “It is appropriate for all Jews to sit in one Sukkah” (Sukkah 27b). Similarly, taking the four species together hints at the variety of Jews who join together on Sukkot.

The Land of Israel unites the entire Jewish people, including all its groups and subgroups; the redemption depends upon this. Therefore, it comes as no great surprise that all the evil in the world has risen up against the Jewish people, which has returned to rebuild its homeland in accordance with God’s word as conveyed by His servants the prophets.

Israel and the Nations of the World

Since Sukkot reveals the sanctity of all spheres of life, the holiday is relevant to non-Jews (who are traditionally referred to as the seventy nations of the world). Accordingly, our Sages state that the seventy bulls which we offered in the Temple over the course of Sukkot were offered on behalf of the seventy nations. (See Peninei Halakha, Laws of Sukkot 1:13.)

Our relationship with non-Jews is complex. Throughout our long history, they often viciously abused us; nevertheless, our basic attitude towards them is positive.

The following two quotes from the Sages illustrate this attitude. The Talmud states, “Woe to the non-Jews, who lost something but do not know what they lost. When the Temple stood, the altar atoned for them. Now who atones for them?!” (Sukkah 55b). According to the Midrash, “The Jews said, ‘Master of the Universe, we offer seventy bulls [for the non-Jews]; they should love us, but they hate us.’ Thus we read in Tehillim 109:4: ‘They answer my love with accusation, but I am all prayer’” (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:24).

Sukkot in the Future

Because Sukkot is the holiday which expresses the connection between Jews and non-Jews, in the future it will be the litmus test for the nations of the world. All who ascend to Jerusalem on Sukkot, to bow before God and to celebrate together with the Jewish people, will merit great blessing. This accords with what Zechariah says about non-Jews: “All who survive of all those nations that came up against Jerusalem shall make a yearly pilgrimage to bow to the King, Lord of Hosts, and to observe the holiday of Sukkot. Any of the earth’s communities that do not make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bow to the King, Lord of Hosts, shall receive no rain. . . It shall be afflicted by the same plague with which the Lord will strike the other nations that do not come up to observe the holiday of Sukkot” (Zechariah 14:16-18).

Attitude Towards Philo-Semitic Christians

In modern times, we have witnessed increased support for Israel among evangelical Christians. Lord Balfour is probably the best-known among them. Thanks to his belief in the Bible, he spearheaded the British decision to establish a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. Since the foundation of the State of Israel, the numbers of philosemitic evangelicals have increased. They see with their own eyes how the Jewish people is returning to its land after its awful, two-thousand-year-long exile, and is creating a prosperous country. They see new settlements and vineyards flowering in the very areas described by the Bible, and they are excited by our miraculous return to Zion. They are overwhelmed by the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of the prophets of Israel.

However, Jews must deal with the question of how to relate to friendly Christians. For close to two thousand years, Christians have persecuted the Jewish people – murdering, debasing, expelling, or forcibly converting them. How is it that suddenly Christians love us? Furthermore, how do we handle the Rambam’s declaration that Christianity is idolatry?

The Attitude Towards the Jews and the Torah Is the Litmus Test

It would seem that everything depends on their attitude towards the Jewish people and the Torah. The most serious problem we have with Christianity is its denial of God’s choice of the Jewish people and of the eternal relevance of the Torah. Christians have classically believed in supersessionism, maintaining that they have replaced the Jews and that the Torah and its commandments are no longer binding. Because of these beliefs, they caused us a tremendous amount of suffering. Additionally, they did as much as they possibly could to convert Jews to Christianity.

As Rav Kook puts it: “The primary poison contained in belief systems which deviate from the Torah, such as Christianity and Islam, is not in their concepts of God, even though they differ from what is correct according to the fundamental light of the Torah. Rather, [the poison] is in what results from them –abrogating the practical mitzvot and extinguishing the [Jewish] nation’s hope regarding its complete renaissance” (Shemonah Kevatzim, Kovetz 1, #32).

Elsewhere, in discussing Jewish attitudes towards different religions, Rav Kook states that our goal is not to replace or nullify them, but rather to gradually elevate and correct them, so their dross will disappear. This will inevitably lead [the religions] to return to their Jewish source (Igrot HaRa’ayah, Vol. 1, p. 142). It seems that Christian philo-semites are undergoing a very impressive process of elevation never previously experienced by Christianity. Therefore, with the appropriate caution, we are spiritually and ethically obligated to relate to this process very positively.

Tommy Waller

Recently, a troublemaker distributed libelous materials accusing Tommy Waller, an American Christian, of being a missionary. This despite the fact that Tommy has been actively recruiting Christian volunteers for Israel for ten years, and not a single Jew claims that Tommy or any of the thousands of people he has brought here have tried to undermine their faith. Therefore, I feel it is incumbent upon me to speak on his behalf.

Out of an abiding faith in the uniqueness of the Jewish people and in the Divine mission to settle the Land, Tommy has rallied support for Israel from American Congressmen and Senators. The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Mr. Gershon Mesika, told me that Tommy’s activities have been very influential. Each year, through the summer, he organizes groups of Christians who love Israel to volunteer here. As he is a big believer in family values, many of the volunteers come with their entire families, including the young and the elderly. In recent years, at the request of the Regional Council, the Har Bracha settlement has hosted the volunteers on a hilltop near our community. From this base, the volunteers set out to work in vineyards and orchards throughout the Shomron.

Because of our difficult history with Christians, and due to concerns about possible missionizing, I felt it necessary to meet with Tommy. I wanted to have an upfront discussion with him about precisely what his positions were. At the same time, I wanted to convey a Jewish position without kowtowing or obsequiousness.

In the course of our conversation, I asked him: “If a Jew were to come before you and ask you whether it is better to be a Jew or a Christian what would you tell him?” He responded: “I would tell him to be a Jew!” Tommy added that he had not always thought this way. Originally, like other Christians, he was interested in everyone becoming Christian, but eventually he realized that this earlier position was the result of ignorance. Now, following his exposure to the Jewish renaissance in the Land of Israel, he wishes for all Jews to observe the Torah and mitzvot.

I asked Tommy what led him to dedicate his life to bringing Christian volunteers to Israel. He told me that he read Yeshayahu 61:5: “Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks; aliens shall be your plowmen and vine-trimmers.” This greatly moved him, and he said to himself: “Maybe I can be the one who is privileged to fulfill this holy verse!” Ever since then, he has encouraged people to visit Israel and to help Jews work the land.

Every summer Tommy brings hundreds of volunteers, some for a week and some for longer periods. They bring us greetings of peace and friendship from tens of millions of Americans who love us, and when they return home they serve as loyal ambassadors for Israel.

For the Sake of Heaven

When I began to look into this issue a number of years ago, I publicly declared that I would not accept any money for myself or my yeshiva from Christian friends of Israel, so that I could research the subject without a conflict of interest. I also made a statement to that effect in my column about two years ago.

In the meantime, at the initiative of a Jewish go-between, the Har Bracha settlement received such a donation, 120,000 shekels which it used towards building a park that cost over half a million shekels. When I heard about this, I asked the secretary general of Har Bracha to do me a favor and return the money. This was not because I felt there was any halakhic problem with accepting it, but because I wanted our positive attitude towards Christian philo-semites to be purely for the sake of heaven. The righteous secretary general apologized and said he had not thought I had included the settlement in my commitment. (In truth, while I am the rabbi of the settlement, I cannot make commitments for it.) To my delight, he nevertheless responded positively to my request and returned the entire amount.

Hopes of Redemption

Sometimes I see these honored guests walking on our roads and paths, and I am filled with great love; I am deeply moved and have to hold back tears. How beautiful are these people, who volunteer enthusiastically, crossing oceans and continents to come express their wonderful connection with us. How they shine with joy at being privileged to see the miraculous return to Zion, to walk on holy ground, and to contribute to making the desert bloom. Perhaps they are the pioneers who begin to fulfill the words of the prophecy:

In the end of days, the Mountain of the Lord’s House shall stand firm above the mountains and tower above the hills, and all the nations shall stream towards it. Many peoples shall go and say: “Let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, that He may instruct us in His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.” For Torah shall come forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge among the nations and arbitrate for the many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not take up sword against nation, and they shall never again know war (Yeshayahu 2:2-4).

------------
For related articles by Rabbi Melamed, see “Christians Who Love Israel” and “Make His Deeds Known Among the Nations.”


___________

UPDATE

The sections Tommy Waller and For The Sake of Heaven are not in the Arutz 7 site.

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Some of My Good Friends are Christians...

And because so, I suggest you attend this event:-

The Liaison Committee – a joint forum of B’nai B’rith World Center – Jerusalem and the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel together with Menachem Begin Heritage Center – will convene on November 8 a symposium entitled “The Present and Future of Christians in the Middle East”. The symposium will take place at Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem at 20:30 (light refreshments at 20:00).

Thursday, November 8, 2012, 8:30 PM

Menachem Begin Heritage Center

8 Nahon Street

Jerusalem, Israel

The symposium takes place as ancient Christians Communities in Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan and elsewhere in the region face persecution and the prospect of disappearance in some of these countries and the implications of this for the State of Israel.

Speakers at the symposium:

> Raymond Ibrahim, Associate Fellow, Middle East Forum and Shillman Fellow, David Horowitz Freedom Center (USA);
> Juliana Taimoorazy, Founder and President, Iraqi Christian Relief Council (USA); and
> Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar Ilan University.

Dr. Mordechai Nisan from the Hebrew University will chair the symposium.

Greetings will be delivered by: Herzl Makov, Director, Menachem Begin Heritage Center; Alan Schneider, Director, B’nai B’rith World Center and Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt, Director, The Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel. 

Raymond Ibrahim  is a Middle East and Islam specialist, A widely published author best known for The Al Qaeda Reader (Doubleday, 2007), he guest lectures at universities, including the National Defense Intelligence College, briefs governmental agencies, such as U.S. Strategic Command and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Born and raised in the U.S. by Egyptian parents born and raised in the Middle East—has provided him with equal fluency in English and Arabic.

Juliana Taimoorazy - An Assyrian Christian born in Iran. Requested religious asylum at the American Embassy in Germany after fleeing Iran. In the United States she obtained her graduate degree in Instructional Design and worked as a reporter at a local station in Chicago for many years. In addition to owning her own businesses, creating employment opportunities for Iraqi Christian refugees, she has worked since she was 19 years old to elevate the Assyrian Christian cause in the United States.

Dr. Mordechai Kedar - BA in Arabic and Political Science (1982) and a PhD in Arabic (1998) both from Bar-Ilan University, Israel. His areas of research include: Islam, Islamic movements, gender issues in Islam, Arabic mass media, popular culture in the Arab world, and state and society in the Arab world.

Dr. Mordechai Nisan - born in Montreal, earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from McGill University. After moving to Israel, he taught Middle East Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, while lecturing as well at other academic institutions in the country. He has specialized and written books on Israel, Lebanon, Islam, minority peoples in the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

6

Christian Extra-Temple Mount Practices Condemned

Reported:

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– Al-Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said hundreds of Jewish settlers and foreigners from different nationalities attended on Sunday evening a noisy dancing and singing party held in the Umayyad Palaces area behind the Aqsa Mosque’s mihrab (niche).  The party continued until midnight and the loud sound of music and singing disturbed the Palestinian worshipers as they were performing their Magharib and Isha prayers inside the Aqsa Mosque.  The foundation said this party was part of a series of the Hebrew new year’s celebrations [??!!] which falls next week.  It noted that the Israeli occupation authority and Jewish groups invest such parties and concerts to propagate their Jewish claims about the holy city and tell tourists fabricated stories.

Those "foreigners"?

They are Christians although I am not knowledgeable what exact event went on.

Even though their hands are up, they are not Jewish Kohanim blessing the congregated:

You'll note that the blasting of their loudspeakers from the minarets does not occur to them to be any form of a disturbance to the Jews praying at the Western Wall (or throughout Jerusalem) as well as Churches in the Old City or on the Mount of Olives.


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The Mitzvah of Social Witnessing

I caught this here on the issue of divesting from companies doing business with Israel:

...pro-Palestinian activists consider the withdrawal of funds an act of social witness.
The Rev. Walt Davis, of the Israel Palestine Mission Network, a pro-Palestinian Presbyterian group, argued the denomination would have divested years ago from the companies under church’s socially responsible investment guidelines “were it not for the Israel lobby.”
“They said first that it’s anti-Semitic, then that it’s anti-Israel, then that it delegitimizes Israel. It’s none of those,” Davis said. “It’s us being true to our values.”
But the liberal-leaning Americans for Peace Now, which calls for the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the territories and supports a Palestinian state, said the Presbyterian effort was “misguided and counterproductive.”

I really wonder how active this "social witnessing" is from persons and groups engaged in anti-Israel policy operations when in comes to the rest of the Middle East.

Like in Syria.

And it is also good to know from where the theological basis for this Christian social witnessing originates:

“You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

The territory of the Jewish national home.  Where Jesus, a Jew, who "was born in Bethlehem in Judea" walked and where his disciples walked such as John the Baptist who "came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea" as mentioned throughout the New Testament, like here in Acts 8:1-6:

the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria...

And even farther afield (Matthew 4:25):

Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan

So why are all these Christians seeking to dislodge Jews from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria?

Why can't they be true to their values?

Or at least our Jewish values?

It would be a mitzvah.

^

Jerusalem, Sepharadim and Christians

From a book review of Abigail Jacobson's From Empire to Empire: Jerusalem Between Ottoman and British Rule. reviewed by Thomas Philipp

...Jerusalem('s) importance derived strictly from its assumed holiness...Only with the Crimean War, Jerusalem reappeared in the consciousness of the European powers and it became – via interference with various Christian communities – the object of international relations. Zionist immigration complicated [???] the picture further. The city’s population grew to more than 40,000 at the eve of World War I. This study focuses on a very few but fateful years in the long history of Jerusalem, from the Balkan Wars in 1912 to the establishment of the British Mandate in 1920...her aim (is) to provide a more differentiating picture of three presumably monolithical monotheistic communities or the simplistic dichotomy “Jews vs. Arabs”. She does that mainly by looking at the internal political discussions within each community and ethnicity...

...The hostility between Arab Christians and Jews, for instance, did not arise only with the Zionist issue but was the result of the loss of old trade routes and commercial connections by the Jews throughout the 19th century and a concomitant ascent of some Christian communities in local trade and new export trade in raw materials. Muslim commerce underwent a decline similar to that of the Jews, while European merchants were advancing and with them the Christian Arabs, hence a certain alliance between Muslims and local Jews.

Internal differences in politics within the Jewish community and in the relations to the Arabs are discussed in the third chapter. It throws new light on an aspect that the typical Zionist-Arab narrative is not aware of. At issue is the position of local and usually young Sephardic Jews who enjoyed a modern secular education, knew a variety of languages, including Arabic and Hebrew, and supported the Zionist movement in Jerusalem. But this support never let them become oblivious of the need to foster good relations with the Muslim Arabs and seek their support. There were influential Sephardic communities in other cities, especially in Aleppo, but this group in Jerusalem seems quite unique. They actively – through a newspaper, articles, speeches, and meetings with the Muslims – tried to seek their support or at least their understanding. At the same time they again and again pointed out to the immigrant Zionists that the Arab population had to be considered in their plans. Jacobson’s relational model proves its usefulness also for the period after the Balfour Declaration when a rapprochement between Muslim and Christian Arabs occurred against a newly strengthened Zionism, while the Sephardim Zionist position lost ground between the hardening fronts.

I presume, not having read the book, that the Sepharadi Jews are the heroes, even trying to cooperate with the locals where those European Jews, the 'newcomers', messed things up. Of course, this is a well-known and well-trod approach.
True, Sepharadi Jews did manage to acculturate to the Muslim general society btter than the Ashkenazim - in the early 19th century, Ashkenazi Jews from Safad trying to move to Jerusalem had to disguise themselves as Sephardim. But to employ a term like "complication"?

Nevertheless, the idea that Arab nationalism in the country owes much, if not the utmost, to Christians is to be welcomed. From Antonius on to Habash, if it were not for them, no one would have heard of Palestinianism.


P.S.  EG adds:

let's bear in mind as apparently Ms Jacobson does not, that the British occupying forces fostered "Muslim-Christian Associations" [think Ronald Storrs & Ernest Richmond, as I recall], so the rapprochement between the two groups was not simply a natural result of shared antipathy with the Jewish National Home. [in re this see Porat's book on pal Arab nationalism]. Also recall that Brit officials [Col. Waters-Taylor, etc] encouraged the Nebi Musa pogrom of April 1920.


The term "Zionist immigration" is anachronistic for any period up to 1882. Jews were already a majority in Jerusalem by 1853 but not or not yet political Zionists.

^

Bob "Hatchet Job" Simon and His Christians

Bob Simon was surprised that Israel's US Ambassador Michael Oren presumed that he would do a 'hatchet job' on a story on Israel. (and see at end)

{I am updating so go to the end where I am adding material if you've been here previously}
_____________

But, of course, it was a hatchet job.

Here are portions of the text from the transcript of Bob Simon's April 22 '60 Minutes' piece, "Christians of the Holy Land", Harry Radliffe, producer, - with my comments in square brackets in italics (and the video clip is here):-

The lead-in sets the tone:

(CBS News) The exodus from the Holy Land of Palestinian Christians could eventually leave holy cities like Jerusalem and Bethlehem without a local Christian population, Bob Simon reports. Why are they leaving? For some, life in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become too difficult.

[wait, what 'exodus'? what 'Holy Land'? are Christians leaving...Israel? or what? and, by the way, aren't Jews a people who have holy cities? should that not figure in? do Muslims have holy cities? So, where is this "Holy Land"? Is it only "Occupied Palestine"? Jordan is not part of the "Holy Land"? They'd be disappointed as their tourism (see below) depends on that characterization. Simons never develops for the listener/viewer the reality, in all its proportions and complexity. he 'smoothes over' all the politics, the history - flattening it out so the viewer is putty in his hands]

Christianity may have been born in the Middle East, but Arab Christians have never had it easy there, especially not today. In Iraq and Egypt, scores of churches have been attacked, hundreds murdered. In Syria, revolution seriously threatens Christian communities. The one place where Christians are not suffering from violence is the Holy Land

[but they are, at the hands of fundamentalist Islamists who punish them as part of their fight with Israel in Gaza, and all throughout the Palestinian Authority but as you'll see later on, Simon allows that to slip away, too]: but Palestinian Christians have been leaving in large numbers for years. So many, the Christian population there is down to less than two percent, and the prospect of holy sites, like Jerusalem and Bethlehem, without local Christians is looming as a real possibility.

[Sounds ominous, does it not? And who is at fault?]

This is what the Holy Land looks like today. Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. [Jesus was born in "Bethlehem of Judea" - that is, Judea, not "Palestine"]. Nazareth, where he grew up. Jerusalem, where he died and where Christians believe he was resurrected. Nazareth is inside the state of Israel. Bethlehem is on the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Christian section of Jerusalem is also under Israeli control. [actually, the neighborhood is termed the "Christian Quarter' but Christians live all throughout]

Bob Simon: When you first came here in 1964 [when Jordan occupied the area], what was the percentage of Christians in the old city?
Theophilos: There were around 30,000 of-- Christians living in the Old City.
Bob Simon: And now how many are there?
Theophilos: Very few.
So few, some 11,000 Christians out of a population of almost 800,000 -- just one and a half percent.

[wait, but what was the previous percentage?  UPDATE: k/t=DG: - Keith Roderick wrote in December 2006: "Midway through this century, Christians comprised about 80 percent of the population of Bethlehem. Christians now make up less than 15 percent of the town. This is a trend that mirrors the Christian flight throughout the Palestinian Authority. However, this exodus began long before Israeli checkpoints and the security wall. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of the Christian population fled during the time when Jordan occupied the West Bank. The Christian population under the Palestinian Authority has suffered from a negative growth-rate and now number less than 50,000, or about 2.4 percent of the population".]

Religious leaders are afraid Jerusalem could become a museum, a spiritual theme park, a great place for tourists and pilgrims, but not for the Arab Christians whose roots date back to the church's very beginnings.

[but were there Arabs in Jerusalem when Christianity began?]

Mitri Raheb: Christianity started here. The only thing that Palestine

[don't forget: "Palestine" is a post-135 CE geopolitical concept; don't allow Simons to mix you up with today's "Palestine".]

was able to export so successfully was Christianity. Mitri Raheb is a Palestinian, a Christian and a Lutheran minister from Bethlehem. He runs schools, cultural centers and health clinics.

[and Israel considers him a 'racist' and an 'anti-Semite']

Mitri Raheb: Christianity has actually on the back a stamp saying, "Made in Palestine."

[it does? by whom? is that correct? no, it isn't. it's a propaganda ploy]

Palestinian Christians, once a powerful minority, are becoming the invisible people, squeezed between a growing Muslim majority and burgeoning Israeli settlements

[we in the Jewish communities in Yesha have nothing to do and surely are not squeezing Christians].

Israel has occupied the West Bank for 45 years.

[and the figures are: in Israel,it was reported in December 2011 that Christians constitute roughly 2 percent of the country’s citizens, or 153,000 people out of the 7.5 million population, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics. According to the figures, 80.4% of the Christians in Israel are Arabs and the rest are immigrants who arrived under the Law of Return, since they had Jewish relatives. The majority of those in the second category of Christians arrived during the large waves of aliya from the former Soviet Union. Nazareth has the largest Christian community with some 22,000 people; Haifa follows with 14,000, Jerusalem with 11,000 and Shfaram has 9,200 Christian residents. The CBS statistics also show the makeup of Christian families in Israel. The average family has two children, slightly fewer than the 2.2 for Jewish families and the 3 for Muslim citizens. so maybe Christians also have their own demographic problem? Moreover: Israel is the only Middle East nation where the Christian population has grown in the last half century (from 34,000 in 1948 to 140,000 today), in large measure because of the freedom to practice their religion. And It was during Jordan's control of the Old City from 1948 until 1967 that Christian rights were infringed and Israeli Christians were barred from their holy places. The Christian population declined by nearly half, from 25,000 to 12,646. Since then, the population has slowly been growing. Some Christians have been among those inconvenienced by Israel's construction of the security fence, but they have not been harmed because of their religious beliefs. They simply live in areas where the fence is being built. The proportion of Christians in the Palestinian territories has dropped from 15 percent of the Arab population in 1950 to less than 1 percent today. Three-fourths of all Bethlehem Christians now live abroad, and the majority of the city’s population is Muslim. The Christian population declined 29 percent in the West Bank and 20 percent in the Gaza Strip from 1997 to 2002. By contrast, in the period 1995–2003, Israel’s Arab Christian population grew 14.1 percent (CAMERA, December 24, 2004).]

Israel built the wall over the last 10 years, which completely separates Israel from the occupied West Bank. The wall was built to stop Palestinian terrorists from getting into Israel. And it's worked. Terrorism has gone down 90 percent. At the same time, the wall completely surrounds Bethlehem, turning the "little town" where Christ was born into what its residents call "an open air prison."

[you do not see those quotation marks on the screen, do you?]

...The Anastas family lives on the third floor. This is the view from the kitchen, from the master bedroom and bathroom. The children's room has a good view of this Israeli guard tower. The family runs a souvenir shop on the ground floor, sells Christian artifacts on what used to be the busiest commercial street in town. Now, it's a dead end...Claire Anastas: I tell them, we have to stay. We need to stay and struggle and fight. This is our cross.

[too bad Simons doesn't clarify exactly which wall he is referring to: the security barrier of the wall Israel has to erect after Arabs firebombed and shot at peaceful religious pilgrims trying to safely reach Rachel's Tomb]

...Michael Oren, who used to be Israel's director of Interreligious Affairs, is Israel's ambassador to the United States...according to Ambassador Oren, they're thriving. The reason Christians are leaving the West Bank, he says, is Islamic extremism.

[why doesn't Simons interview Christians who, as I know, have a different opinion that the Christians he has allowed to appear? btw, I think Oren made a poor showing and he could - or did he and it was edited out - supplied better information]]

...I think that the major problem in the West Bank as in elsewhere in the Middle East is that the Christian communities are living under duress.
Bob Simon: And this duress is coming from Muslims, not from the Israel occupation?
Ambassador Michael Oren: I believe that the major duress is coming from that.

[that's it, Mr. Ambassador?]

[And what is this doing in the transcript? A producer's note of excitement for his anti-Israel angle?]

[Zahi Khouri: Great selling point. Easy to sell to the American public.]

Zahi Khouri: I'll tell you I don't know of anybody and I probably have 12,000 customers here. I've never heard that someone is leaving because of Islamic persecution. [he's lying]

[and Bob adds here: In 2009, this group of Christian activists did something unprecedented. They published a document called Kairos, the original 1985 one was against South African apartheid, criticizing Islamic extremism and advocating non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation which they called a sin against God.  That "document" was roundly criticized by many Christians and Jews.]

Ari Shavit: Israel is not persecuting Christians as Christians. The Christians in the Holy Land suffer from Israeli policies that are a result of the overall tragic situation. And this, of course, has consequences for everybody.

[they don't suffer from Islamists?]

Bob Simon: For Israel, there could be serious economic consequences. According to Israeli government figures, tourism is a multi billion dollar business there. Most tourists are Christian. Many of them are American. That's one reason why Israelis are very sensitive about their image in the United States.

[Jews are such money-grubbers.  heavens that Israel should simply be concerned about things like truth, facts, lack of bias, etc.]

And that could be why Ambassador Oren phoned Jeff Fager, the head of CBS News and executive producer of 60 Minutes, while we were still reporting the story, long before tonight's broadcast. He said he had information our story was quote: "a hatchet job."

Michael Oren: It seemed to me outrageous. Completely incomprehensible that at a time when these communities, Christian communities throughout the Middle East are being oppressed and massacred, when churches are being burnt, when one of the great stories in history is unfolding? I think it's-- I think it's-- I think you got me a little bit mystified.
Bob Simon: And it was a reason to call the president of-- chairman of CBS News? ...Nothing's been confirmed by the interview, Mr. Ambassador, because you don't know what's going to be put on air.
Michael Oren: Okay. I don't. True.

[but he's no dummy. when has Simon or "60 Minutes" ever done a fair piece on Israel?]

Bob Simon: Mr. Ambassador, I've been doing this a long time. And I've received lots of reactions from just about everyone I've done stories about. But I've never gotten a reaction before from a story that hasn't been broadcast yet.

Michael Oren: Well, there's a first time for everything, Bob.

Bob Simons:  Pilgrims have been coming here since 1106 AD [why only from then?] to wash themselves in the holy fire, to celebrate the founding miracle of Christianity. They will certainly continue to do so. But how many will be coming from the neighborhood? That's not a religious question anymore. It's political.

[and one in the court of the Arab Muslims. Israel permits religious freedom and Christian residency]

Simon feeds this view:

... for many of the Palestinian Christian clergy and their activist sympathizers, “the Palestinian church is the real church. Jesus, on this reading, was an underdog, who came to champion the underdog. He was oppressed by the Romans, so if you are Christ-like, you are also oppressed, like the Palestinians. This increasingly includes the idea that Jesus was a Palestinian. It’s an adopted narrative that is believed to have started with Yasser Arafat, but to some people it’s become a gospel fact.” In other words, it’s a narrative that denies Jesus’ Jewish identity. “It is a very ugly expression of Christian anti-Semitism,” Neal said.

__________

EoZ has pre-blogged.
____________

P.S. Received from LBD:

DENIAL OF RELIGIOUS RIGHTS BY THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

According to the U.S. State Department's Annual Report on Religious Freedom: "Periodically, there are incidents of Christian-Muslim tension in the occupied territories. Tensions have arisen over Christian- Muslim romantic relationships or when Christians have erected large crosses in the public domain. Christians in the Bethlehem area also have complained about Muslims settling there and constructing homes illegally on land not zoned for building. "During the period covered by this report, there were periodic reports that some Christian converts from Islam who publicize their religious beliefs have been harassed. Converts complained that they were mistreated and threatened. The draft Palestinian Basic Law specifically forbids discrimination against individuals based on their religion; however, the PA did not take any action against persons accused of harassment."

HISTORY OF PALESTINIAN ASSAULTS ON HOLY SITES

Abraham's Oak Russian "Holy Trinity" Monastery Located in the Palestinian-controlled part of Hebron, the monastery belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. On July 5, 1997, Palestinian policemen arrived at the monastery, physically removed the monks and nuns, and took over the site. Several of the monks and nuns required hospitalization.

Joseph's Tomb During the September 1996 riots, a Palestinian mob led by Palestinian policemen assaulted the Tomb. Palestinian security agents opened fire on Israeli …

Church of St. Nicholas, Beit Jalla During the October and November 2000 hostilities, Fatah gunmen -- members of the "Tansim"-- fired on the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo from areas adjacent to churches in Beit Jalla, most notably the Church of St. Nicholas, hoping that Israel's return fire will hit a church," reported a Christian cleric. "Then it will be front-page news for the "Christian West,' that Israel is now destroying churches."

Jericho Monastery In January 2000, Palestinian police evicted five "White Russian" monks from their 19th-century monastery in the West Bank town of Jericho, handing the property over to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Church of the Nativity In May 2002, 13 Palestinian terrorists forcibly took over the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. They stole gold objects from the monks, ate their scarce food, and urinated on the church floor. Tanzim commander Abdullah Abu-Hadid told Yediot Achronot that the seizure of the Church was premeditated. He said: "The idea was to enter the church in order to create international pressure on Israel ... We knew beforehand that there was two years worth of food for 50 monks, oil, beans, rice, olives. Good bathrooms and the largest wells in old Bethlehem…”

________________

Oh, and from DG:


Recently the IDF named its outstanding soldiers of the year. I've seen items about two of them. One, (via Daily Alert Blog) comes from Israel Hayom.

“S,” an Arab from eastern Jerusalem, is one of the outstanding IDF soldiers who will be recognized at this year’s Israel Independence Day ceremony at the President’s residence. “First of all, I’m an Israeli,” he says. “For me, to continue to serve in the IDF is a dream.”

Is "S" a Christian or a Muslim?

_________________

P.P.S.

Haaretz blogger adds:

At the Israeli Embassy, the final report was seen as sort of diplomatic victory, and the ambassador's attempt to intervene was presented as a fine example of a pro-active approach to Israeli diplomacy. "The relationship between Israel and the Christian world is our strategic interest and when we received information about this report several months ago and plans for broadcasting without any reaction by Israeli officials, Ambassador Oren did what a diplomat is supposed to do to prevent serious damage to the country he represents," a senior Israeli diplomat told Haaretz.
"What we asked to do is to comment on it, and also recommended they talk to other Christian officials. As far as we know, they didn't talk to them, but the result is still not as bad as it could have been without any Israeli reaction," said the official. "The final result was just a biased report touching on several familiar issues that should be resolved between Israel and the Palestinians...

______________


And here is that idiot, MJ Rosenberg, who (a) inserts a bit of anti-Semitic conspiracy theory -Jews can get media people fired; and (b) while getting the story line wrong, proves how biased Bob Simon's report was:

How long will Bob Simon keep his job with 60 Minutes?  On Sunday, the Jewish American CBS correspondent, exposed the exodus of Christians from Israel (a once dominant community is now a shell) and laid it at the door of Israel’s policies toward all Palestinians, Christians and Muslims.

The story was the supposed Christian exodus from the "Holy Land", by which Simon meant East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, aka the 'West Bank'. Not Israel.

If MJ got it wrong, Simon was, alas, too good.

___________

From a The Tablet writer:

I thought Oren came off lamely, almost deliberately so, as though he feared appearing impotent less than he did all-powerful. I don’t see why the Israeli ambassador should be embarrassed about fighting stories that make Israel look bad; I’m sure U.S. diplomats around the world do it all the time. It’s past time we stopped calling run-of-the-mill government public-relations efforts by its Hebrew name, hasbara, and automatically assuming it is clumsy, sinister, or both (it sometimes is, but it isn’t by definition). Instead of dissembling, I wish Oren had responded to the effect of, “You’re damn right I called your boss, because your story sounds like it’s going to be B.S.”  Because here’s the thing: the story is kind of B.S...

Jennifer Rubin in the WashPost and CBS reaction.

Natan Guttman in The Forward.

JTA.

Mondoweiss was applauding, though.

StandWithUs urges action.

JE Dwyer.

And here is, finally, CAMERA's review.  Summary:

Simon deceived viewers in a number of ways. For example:

He described the Palestinian population as dwindling when the Christian population in Bethlehem and the surrounding communities has actually increased since Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967. It's declined as a percentage of the total because of the growing number of Muslims.

Simon sharply downplayed Islamist hostility toward Christians in Palestinian society when it's a highly negative and often menacing factor in the lives of many.

Although profiling the village of Taybeh, "60 Minutes" completely ignored the terrorizing of Taybeh's Christians by Palestinian Muslims in 2005.

He falsely portrayed anti-Israel propaganda issued by Palestinian Christians in the form of the Kairos Document as an honest attempt to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians, omitting mention that the Central Conference of American Rabbis denounced the document as "supersessionist and anti-Semitic."

He falsely claimed Israel's security barrier "completely surrounds Bethlehem, turning the 'little town' where Christ was born into what its residents call an open air prison." The barrier does not encircle the city but curves around its northern and western sides.

Although mentioning Nazareth, "where [Jesus] grew up," the segment completely ignores the Christians who live there now. In fact, it completely ignores all Israeli Christians, who live in safety and whose numbers are growing.

"60 Minutes" could not find time in the story for a statement by Ambassador Oren detailing how Israeli Christians are thriving but only posted a brief video on its website. Why couldn't "60 Minutes" include mention of the fact that Israeli Christians serve on the Supreme Court, in the Knesset, and volunteer to serve in the IDF by the thousands?

Simon completely ignored the fact that:

200,000 Christians have fled Egypt in the past year since the "Arab Spring"

80% of Iraqi Christians have fled and 200 churches have been burned there in the past few years

Recently the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia declared that all churches in the region should be destroyed

These errors, distortions and omissions need to be fully corrected on-air in a segment that tells the truth about the assault on Christians in the Middle East.

There's a lot more detail, follow the link.

And here is the expose on Bob Simon's perfidy refarding Oren's appearance:

...Simon’s apparent shock — and high dudgeon — at Oren’s conduct were nowhere to be found in a letter he wrote the ambassador before the taping, and which was provided to BuzzFeed by a political operative not party to the dispute who said he shared it because he thought it illustrated CBS doubletalk.


“Fortunately, we are still in the process of reporting the story, so [CBS News Chairman Jeff] Fager and I want to give you an opportunity to express your views and correct any misrepresentations or omissions which you apparently believe might have occurred,” Simon wrote, in a courteous missive on personalized “60 Minutes” letterhead, dated January 4. “Thank you and best wishes.”
 
...It’s not unusual for reporters to seek difficult interviews with innocuous correspondence. Less common is the theatrical outrage Simon expressed on air, but not in the letter, at Oren’s interest in shaping a story about his country...Oren dropped any hope that he could shape the segment in a February 13 letter CBS, also provided to BuzzFeed, written after the confrontational interview but before the episode aired.


“The interview not only confirmed my concerns about the segment but deepened them,” he wrote, calling Simon’s approach “a feebly disguised attempt to exploit Christians—and inflame religious tensions” without any “historical or diplomatic context."

Oren blasted “Mr. Simon’s lack of understanding of – or genuine interest in – the basic facts regarding Christians in the Holy Land,” and anticipated the segment “would be irresponsible, unfair, and beneath the standards of your program.”...

In connection with the theme, here is Raja Shehadeh, writing in the New York Times on April 19, about "Easter in Ramallah",

For the small minority of us Palestinians who are Christian — meaning, mostly, Greek Orthodox— Easter is the holiest of festivals. There used to be other big festivals in Jerusalem, like the ones commemorating the Way of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa or the Annunciation, for which Christians and Muslims would camp out on the hill outside the Lion Gate. But since Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem, either these celebrations have been canceled or Palestinian Christians from outside Jerusalem have not been able to participate because they can no longer freely enter the Holy City.

Of course, that is a misrepresentation.  Entry depends on the security situation and the level of Arab incitement.  And this is so passe:

It was so normal back then for Christians, Muslims and Jews to partake in each other’s religious celebrations.

 

More resource material on the situation of Christians.

-_______________________

Good point from Daniel Laufer:

The construction of the segment is such that it is based around a solitary element of data: the demographics of Christians in the Holy Land...What’s more is that he never really attempts to prove a specific thesis. He just sort of implies, against a backdrop of pictures and some interviews that at best speak in general terms about the conflict, that the responsibility for the drop in Christian population is directly tied to Israel.

How is it tied to Israel? Well, he only utilizes a coherent argument for “why.” That is, he elaborates at length about “why” Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, might want to stop the segment, and how airing it could damage support for Israel. Then Simon frames the ambassador’s actions in conspiratorial terms and actually tries to chastise him. The detailed explanations stop there...Simon doesn’t actually explain the mechanics of why Christians are leaving the Holy Land, or how Israel’s actions affect Christians specifically.

That’s because such an explanation would require facts. And Simon and his team haven’t got many of those...

amd

Which raises another question: How far has the journalistic standard fallen that 10-odd minutes of tired Middle-East clichés qualify as an “investigative report?”  Where are the academic experts on history, demographics, sociology and religion? Where are the charts of facts and figures? Where is any research at all?

If there is only one complaint allowed of this episode, it isn’t an accusation of bias or misreporting of facts — it is the non-reporting. The sheer laziness of 60 Minutes apparent in the segment should be appalling not just to its viewers, but should be cause for anger upstairs at CBS’s management. What is it, after all, that Bob Simon and his team are paid for? It cannot be to simply repeat an interviewee’s claims as fact and go home, job done.

^

Jews Are Jews and Christians Are Christians

I snapped this photo of the yard of the Baptist Congregation on Narkiss Street last Friday:

You'll notice that the boy is wearing tzitzit (fringes) and one man a kippah:

Let's keep Christians Christians and Jews Jews and not mix-up religions.

^

It's the Jews and the Christians vs the Muslims

Christian Today reports:-

A mob of 50 Muslims reportedly attacked a group of Christian tourist's atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount, according to Israel Today Magazine. Israeli police intervened to protect the Christian group and three officers were wounded.

Many of the attackers were minors and 11 of them were caught and arrested.

Investigators believe the attack was sparked by the former Muslim mufti (scholar) of Jerusalem, Ekrama Sabri...Muslim religious figures claim that Israel is plotting to destroy the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque to rebuild a new Jewish Temple. Muslims claim that a Jewish Temple never existed.

The al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock were constructed at Temple Mount after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, according to The Muslim Conquest of Syria.

Temple Mount is the most holy place on earth for Jews and many Christians, according to Israel Today. However, Israel must comply with strict Muslim demands for restrictions of non-Muslims who visit the site. Christians and Jews are forbidden from carrying Bibles at Temple Mount and even uttering silent prayers

Is this echoed in Isaiah 2?

it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem

When will we know?

^

Martyred In Jerusalem In 1391

Skimming through an article on Haram al-Sharif documents from the 14th century in Jerusalem, "THE HARAM AL-ŠARĪF COLLECTION OF ARABIC LEGAL DOCUMENTS IN JERUSALEM: A MAMLŪK COURT ARCHIVE?" that I found here, I read this, of which I was unawares:

...a very spectacular case that was reported in Mamlūk chronicles in Ḏū l-Hiğğa 793/November 1391: four Franciscan monks from the monastery of Zion had publicly insulted the religion of Islam, the Qur’ān and the Prophet Muhammad. After trial, they were imprisoned and eventually executed in accordance with a ruling by the Hanafī judge. The monks’ exceptional, and for Muslim contemporaries incomprehensible, behavior found its way into the chronicle of Ibn Qādī Šuhba75 and was later also mentioned by Maqrīzī.76 In the Christian West, the monks were revered as martyrs.77

75 Ibn Qādī Šuhba, Taqī al-Dīn Abū Bakr, Ta’rīḫ Ibn Qādī Šuhba, ,A. Darwīsh (ed.), Damascus, 1977-1997, 3:389f., on Ḏū l-Hiğğa 793.
76 Maqrīzī, Taqī al-Dīn Ahmad, Kitāb al-Sulūk li-ma,rifat duwal al-mulūk, S.,A. ,Āšūr (ed.), Cairo 1970, III, 2 (783-801), 3:792, during the year 795. Was this a second group of monks?
77 Heullant-Donat, I., “Les martyrs franciscains de Jérusalem (1391), entre mémoire et manipulation” in D. Coulon et al. (eds.), Chemins d’outre-mer. Études d’histoire sur la Méditerranée médiévale offertes à Michel Balard, Paris, 2004, 439-460, whom I thank for this information.

Interested, I discovered the monks were Nicholas Tavelic, Stephen of Cuneo, Deodato Aribert from Ruticinio and Peter of Narbonne, Franciscan Priests, and the date of their execution - they were burned for "preaching boldly in the public square in front of the Saracens, the Christian religion, professing Strongly Christ Son of God" - was November 14, 1391.

Details are:

...the four Friars Minor, decided to bring the Gospel to the Mohammedans, publicly exposing the arguments of Christianity and Islam and comparing them with those after consultation with two theologians, prepared a memorandum in which, in a detailed and rich in historical references and theological, meticulously exposed the Christian doctrine by refuting Islam.

On November 11, 1391, they went before the Cadi (judge) of Jerusalem in the presence of many Muslims, they were exposed reading this, they worked out with great courage. While they listened carefully, it was not accepted by those present, in the end they went into a rage and then the monks were asked to recall what they said; the four monks refused and so were sentenced to death for three days were put behind bars where they suffered abuse.

On November 14, they were brought back to the streets, again asked to recant what was said against Islam, after rejection this they were killed, blown to pieces and burned, the Muslims did disappear any remains, even the ashes, so that they were not honored by Christians.

This pilgrim, John de Douai from France, as also John of Lamballe, vice-count

witnessed on Nov 14, 1391 the decapitation of four Franciscan martyrs. The execution happened outside Jaffa Gate. The corpses were burned.

They were

the first martyrs of the Custody...after they tried to preach the Gospel on the Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) and in front of the Cadi of Jerusalem

and this addition:

...In 1335 the Friars Minor were at the "coenaculum" and in 1342 Clement VI formally instituted the Custody of the Holy Land. The friars soon were officiating the "coenaculum", the Holy Sepulchre and Bethlehem...On 11 November 1391 the friars went to the temple mount, which was, and still is, a holy place to the Moslems. That day happened to be the Islamic festival of Bairam. The friars were expelled from the mosque, and taken to the house of the cadi or magistrate, where they preached the Gospel. After being mercilessly beaten they were thrown into prison. On 14 November they were taken out of prison to their place of execution, where they were massacred by the mob and their remains thrown into the fire.

They were multi-national:

Croatian, French, Italian, French

Imagine what it was like to be Jewish there and then.

^