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Weekly Q&A: Why did God call Abram to the Promised Land?
Abram (or Abraham) came from the area of Mesopotamia—the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It boasted larger cities, more developed culture, and wealth than the land of Canaan....
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The Islamic Regime: Skilled Geopolitical Chess Players
The origins of chess are somewhat clouded. When trying to determine which country originated chess around 1,500 years ago, some say India, others credit Iran....
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Food Blesses Struggling Israelis During High Holy Days
In recent years, more people in the Holy Land have faced this unspeakable choice. Between the pandemic and the sudden influx of Ukrainian war refugees, Israelis are feeling the effects of global events that have created widespread economic hardship—including food insecurity....
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Biblical Artifact: Temple Warning Inscription
The first century Jewish historian Josephus described the Jerusalem Temple in great detail. He noted that the large outer court was separated from the holy precincts by a balustrade that had inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding non-Jews from passing this wall. Non-Jews were permitted to be in the outer…...
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Weekly Devotional: A More Excellent Way
Paul’s community of believers in Corinth was a mess. They had all kinds of issues. A man had taken his stepmother from his father. There was the question of eating meat sacrificed to idols. They abused the Lord’s Supper by the wealthy eating and getting drunk while...
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Rosh Hashanah: Feast of Trumpets
Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do...
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Millions of Israelis Prepare to Celebrate the Jewish New Year Amid Escalating Security Challenges
Globally, millions of Evangelicals will express genuine greetings especially toward Israel, our spiritual homeland. Delicious apples and honey treats served at the dinner table reflect wishes for a sweet new year....
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New Immigrant: Diana’s Story
Diana and her daughter were living in Western Ukraine when suddenly, war with Russia broke out. She recalls, “I was scared for my daughter and myself, but I didn’t know where to go, or what to do. I reached out to my local synagogue, asking them for help.”...
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Biblical Israel: Jerusalem
The most mentioned city in the Bible is Jerusalem. From the time that David made it the capital of his kingdom, it became the focal point of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and later of the Jewish people and faith. ...
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Weekly Devotional: When God Rains on Your Parade
“Elijah the Tishbite, from the inhabitants of Gilad, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word’” (1 Kings 17:1 NKJV)....
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Weekly Q&A: Why is it so crucial to rediscover the Jewishness of Jesus?
God’s greatest revelation of Himself is Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:1-18; Galatians 4:4; and Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus was not a religious idea, a man for all generations. He did not belong to the Old Testament world of ancient Israel and Judah, nor was He a student of the Reformation. Jesus…...
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Iran’s Campaign of Aggression Against Israel Also Targets the United States
Both history and the sacrifice of U.S. military troops are vital proofs to help us understand threats in our world today. Although significant facts may have slipped from the minds of most Americans, our military, their families, and friends have not forgotten the direct, deadly attacks engineered by the Iranian…...
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New Immigrant: Olga’s Story
As the Russians invaded Ukraine, Olga and her husband were suddenly living on the frontlines. In fact, their apartment in Mariupol was completely destroyed during the bombings. When their rabbi left the city, they took refuge in the synagogue’s basement....
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Biblical Israel: Wadi Qilt
Roadways are one of the most significant aspects of biblical geography. Roads often gave significance to locations, villages, and cities. In fact, roadways influenced and dictated settlement patterns, the building and establishing of cities and villages. Controlling roadways meant control of travel, commerce, and...
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Weekly Devotional: A Fast that Pleases God
Have you ever noticed that we can approach God with seemingly the right intentions and desires, but in His eyes, our motivations and desires matter little in light of how we treat others?...
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Weekly Q&A: Why should Christians learn about ancient and modern Judaism?
Christianity and Judaism (modern Judaism) are sisters; their mother is ancient Judaism. The New Testament belongs to the world of ancient Judaism. As such, to understand the New Testament, we need to study ancient Judaism....
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Jews, Arabs, and Druze in a Vibrant Israeli Tapestry
Israel’s citizens make up a colorful tapestry of religions and ethnicities, with some two million Arab citizens and more than seven million Jewish citizens who immigrated (made Aliyah) from 112 countries. Most formerly lived in the Diaspora region outside ancient Israel, which began in the sixth century B.C. after the…...
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Biblical Israel: Sepphoris
Sepphoris was the capital of the Galilee during the first part of the 1st century A.D., when Jesus was a boy. Located four miles north of Nazareth, Sepphoris sat in the Beth Netofa Valley, which provided a main east-west roadway in the Lower Galilee from the northwestern part of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: The God Who Makes the Axe Head Float
“They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. ‘Oh no, my lord!’ he cried out. ‘It was borrowed!’ The man of God asked, ‘Where did it fall?’ When he showed him…...
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Weekly Q&A: Why is it important to understand the cultural world of the Bible?
The Bible is God’s revelation in time, place, and culture. The Bible represents the cultural world and worldviews of its authors and their audiences. The cultural world of the Old Testament is that of ancient Israel within the broader context of the Ancient Near East....
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Israel’s Ministry of Interior Faces Losses If It Denies Visas to Christian Ministries
Although there has been some friction in the past over issuing visas to Christian organizations and clergy, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) and Israel’s Ministry of Interior have quietly settled those issues behind the scenes....
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Biblical Israel: Mount Nebo
God also buried him on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). The two and a half tribes that remained east of the Jordan River (Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh) name Mount Nebo as part of the territory they requested from Moses. Its situation near to the southern end…...
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Weekly Devotional: Displeased with God
God’s mercy offends us. When God forgives our sins and we do not receive the reward of our disobedience, we revel in His mercy toward us, and we may even desire such for those like us. But what about those we don’t like, or even our enemies? That is more…...
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Weekly Q&A: Why is it essential to know the historical context of the Bible?
The Bible is God’s revelation in time, space, and culture. History is humanity’s reflection upon its past. The Bible is not one book; it is a collection of books composed by different authors, in different literary genres, written at different times. And, while the Bible contains...
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United Nations Human Rights Council Is Inhumane Toward Israel
The United Nations General Assembly is prepping for its annual meeting, which opens on September 5. Israel remains high on its agenda—expressly in meetings conducted by the Human Rights Council and their star pupil, the Commission of Inquiry....
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Helping Orphans Cope with Trauma and Loss
Nearly 35,000 children in Israel have experienced the death of a parent—heightened in recent years by COVID-19 and terror attacks. Tragically, the toll of such a loss puts them at tremendous risk in the future, and many end up in poverty....
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Biblical Israel: Southern Steps
Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the first century A.D. approached the Temple Mount from the south. After ritually purifying themselves, either in the Pool of Siloam, at the southern end of the City of David, or in one of the ritual immersion baths located along the southern end of the Temple…...
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Weekly Devotional: The One Who Dwells with the Humble
“For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: ‘I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.’” (Isaiah 57:15 HCSB). We live…...
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Weekly Q&A: Why should I study the physical settings of the Bible?
The Bible is God’s revelation in time, space, and culture. The space of Scripture is as much a character as Abraham and David or Peter and Paul. The biblical writers used the physical settings of the biblical world to communicate their message, to explain God, His will for His people,…...
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Yad Vashem: Remembering the Holocaust and Opposing Escalating Jew Hatred
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is one of Israel’s most important visitor destinations. Walking through the museum is a near-indescribable revelation, one that is displayed in heart-wrenching detail....
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Life-Changing Surgery: Afaf’s Story
Little Afaf came running to her home in Bethlehem, sobbing again. The other kids bullied the four-year-old, calling her cruel names, because an eye condition made her look different....
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Biblical Israel: Tower of David
The only gate on the western side of the modern Old City of Jerusalem is Jaffa Gate (so named because the road leading to Jaffa goes through this gate). Inside Jaffa Gate stands the Citadel or the Tower of David. This structure has nothing to do with David, which can…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Cares of Life
We refer to the parable that Jesus tells in Luke 8 as “The Parable of the Sower.” The problem, however, is that the sower is not the point of the parable, neither is the seed. The parable is about the soil and the question:...
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Weekly Q&A: Why should Christians visit the Holy Land?
The Bible is God’s revelation in time, space, and culture. The words of the Bible came from the world of the Bible. Traveling to the Holy Land enables one to encounter the historical, spatial, and cultural contexts of the biblical world, and by entering the world of the Bible to…...
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The Tiny Nation of Israel Helps Feed a Big World
A heat wave is hovering over many parts of the globe, and the words food insecurity are popping up like unwelcome weeds. Although we cannot control the weather, we can take sensible steps to protect the earth and help poor nations to survive....
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Widowed Mother: Luba’s Story
Luba and her husband moved from Russia five years ago to their ancestral homeland of Israel. They were building a life and family in their new country. And then, tragedy struck....
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Biblical Israel: Damascus Gate
Visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem today can enter the city through seven gates scattered around its eastern, southern, western, and northern sides. These gates, like the walls of the Old City, date to the Ottoman Period (16th-20th centuries). Along the northern stretch of the Old City walls are three…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Patience to Wait
“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (Psalm 126:5-6 NLT). Farming in ancient Israel was tough. You cleared your...
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Weekly Q&A: Why did Christianity deviate so far from its Jewish roots?
No one single cause led Christianity to drift from its Jewish roots. No one single event brought it about. A combination of factors and forces caused Christianity’s deviation from Judaism, some came from within the Christian communities and others came from outside....
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How Palestinian Leaders Use Hate—and Their Own Children—Against Israel
“I will make my body a bomb that will blast the flesh of Zionists. ... I will tear their bodies into little pieces and cause them more pain than they will ever know.” –Palestinian Arab boy, age 11...
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Tisha B’Av: Destruction of the Temple
Tisha B’Av (“the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av”), is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples as well as other disasters that have befallen the Jewish people throughout the millennia....
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Biblical Israel: Western Wall
The Western Wall refers to the western retaining wall built to support the Temple Mount platform. In the first century, this wall faced the city of Jerusalem, and as such, it had four gates in it that led onto the Temple Mount platform. The gates alternated in their access lower…...
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Weekly Devotional: Broken on the Side of the Road
“As He drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what this meant. ‘Jesus the Nazarene is passing by,’ they told him. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on...
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Weekly Q&A: Why was the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls significant?
The Dead Sea Scrolls are arguably the most significant archaeological discovery of the twentieth century. Why? What is their significance? To understand the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we need to discuss their discovery and what comprises them....
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U.S. Congress Pushes Back Against Biden’s Dangerous Iran Strategies
He’s not usually known for truthfulness, but in June Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei tweeted an honest, straightforward statement about what he considers the golden key for his homicidal proxies in Israel....
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Empowering Special Needs Individuals in Israel
For disabled adults in Israel, finding the right living situation can be challenging. The desire to live independently and safely can collide with needing unique accommodations. ...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Tabor
In the northeastern corner of the Jezreel Valley sits the solitary, dome shaped hill of Mount Tabor. The steep slopes on all sides of the mountain lead to plateau on top, 1000 meters by 400 meters in area. The tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali meet at Mount Tabor....
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Weekly Devotional: Complaining to God
“Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to…...
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Weekly Q&A: Why has the land of Israel been fought over for centuries?
The land of Israel belongs to the Levant, also called Syro-Palestine. This region consists of the modern countries of Lebanon, Syria, the Kingdom of Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip. It forms the strategic land bridge connecting the continents of Asia and Africa. It sat at the crossroads…...
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Mainstream Media Misrepresents IDF Operation: Another Example of Anti-Israel Propaganda
True to form, much of mainstream media downplayed the IDF’s outstanding accomplishment in its recent Operation Home and Garden in the terrorist stronghold of Jenin. During this 48-hour operation in Israel’s biblical heartland, no Palestinian Arab civilians were killed—only terrorists....
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Victim of Terrorism: Malka’s Story
Years ago, a Jewish couple narrowly escaped the Holocaust, and eventually moved to Israel. They thought the worst was behind them. Over 70 years after the war, Malka and Michael faced more danger, when their home in Israel was targeted in a rocket attack....
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Biblical Israel: Hebron
The city of Hebron played an important role, particularly within the Old Testament narratives. The city features prominently in the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Joshua and Caleb, and, eventually, David, who reigned for his first seven years at Hebron. ...
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Weekly Devotional: What Kind of Disciple Are You?
“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11 NKJV). Are you a lifelong learner? Do you desire daily to learn from the Lord? Walking with the Lord, walking in His truth, means that we...
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Weekly Q&A: What caused the anti-Judaism in the Greek and Roman worlds?
Jews stood out in the Greek and Roman worlds. In a world where uniqueness was appreciated only to a point, Jewish differences became a source of anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence. Jews stood out because of their faith. Their belief in one God, theirs, and...
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Zachor Legal Institute: A Light in the Law
Amid the mountain of Jew hatred metastasizing into a global cancer, it is indeed encouraging to recognize lawful efforts to do what is right as reflected in Proverbs 28:4: “Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them.”...
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New Immigrant: Victoria’s Story
When the Russian invasion began, Victoria was 40 years old, and living in Ukraine with her husband and children. She believed the war would be short-lived, and that world leaders would stop it within days....
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Biblical Israel: City of David
The first seven and a half years that David reigned, he reigned in Hebron, which sat in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah, David’s tribe (2 Samuel 5:5). As he expanded his rule to all of Israel, he decided to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which until...
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Weekly Devotional: Sinning Against Others
We often think that God takes more seriously the sins we commit against Him than those we commit against others. It’s not that we think we should sin against others, but we tend to allow ourselves a bit more freedom and grace for these sins. What does the Bible say…...
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Weekly Q&A: How did Christian anti-Judaism begin?
The non-Jewish followers of Jesus established themselves as a “third race” towards the end of the first century and in the early second century A.D. By this, they distinguished themselves from Jew and those who worshipped idols....
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Amid Troubling Global Shifts, Good News is Ever Present
The global community is increasingly being ensnared by ruthless dictators who are banding together to assert their brand of world dominance. Each day, news emerges about evildoers entrapping entire populations with lies and deceptions that stir up confusion, chaos, and disorder....
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Biblical Israel: Beth Shean
Located at the intersection of two significant roads that crossed the land of Israel from west to east, through the Jezreel and Harod Valleys towards the land east of the Jordan River, and north to south, through the Jordan River Valley, Beth Shean’s prominence came due to its location. The…...
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Weekly Devotional: Your Will Be Done
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NASB). How often do we think about Jesus in the garden on the Mount of Olives? How often do we consider His deep resolve to submit to the will of…...
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Weekly Q&A: What was the Bar Kochba Revolt?
Hope stirred within Judaism sixty years after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of its Temple. Perhaps this was the time when the Jews in the land of Israel would finally remove Rome’s presence. The revolt broke out in A.D. 132. The Bar Kochba...
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Artificial Intelligence Bible Translation: Will it Prove Harmful or Helpful?
News about Artificial Intelligence (AI) is saturating airwaves, articles, and investments. Throughout the world, countries, technology giants, and startups are holding high-level discussions about the AI phenomenon that is speeding into the stratosphere....
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Rescuing Food for Israel’s Hungry
The lingering economic damage caused by COVID-19 is significant. Israel’s government employment office predicts that unemployment will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2025. And sadly, the people affected most are those who live on the periphery—including the...
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Biblical Israel: Ein Gedi
The name Ein Gedi means “spring of the kid (young goat).” Ein Gedi, which is the largest oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, sits between two riverbeds (in Hebrew, nahal, in Arabic, wadi): Nahal David to the north and Nahal Arugot to the south. The oasis contains…...
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Weekly Devotional: A Moment for Awe
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the world we live in? The daily grind, newscasts filled with bad news, an economic downturn, a frightening diagnosis, or simply the distractions of life? It’s easy to be overwhelmed. We can easily lose sight of God amidst the chaos....
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Weekly Q&A: What are the best Bible study resources?
The best resources for Bible study are those which help one understand the physical, historical, and cultural contexts of the biblical world. To understand the words of the Bible, we must understand the world of the Bible. The world of the Bible provides the contexts to its words....
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Saying Goodbye to Pat Robertson and Other Major Christian Influencers
The oldest baby boomers celebrate their 77th birthdays this year. In 1946, boomer babies made their debut in post-World War II after soldiers, pilots, sailors, and nurses returned home from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific....
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New Immigrants: Irina’s Story
Four years ago, Irina’s sister immigrated to Israel from Ukraine, and Irina kept debating about joining her. Then, as the threat of war in Ukraine suddenly loomed large, Irina and her husband took their young family of four and fled to Israel—just days before the Russian attacks. ...
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Biblical Israel: Temple Mount
The Golden Dome of the Rock provides one of the most iconic and recognizable images of any city’s skyline within the world. The Islamic shrine completed in A.D. 692 by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik stands upon the platform of the Temple Mount, which was constructed during the first centuries…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Blameless Way
“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:1-2 NASB). The writers of the Bible, especially the psalmists and prophets,...
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Weekly Q&A: What was the Galilee of Jesus like?
The Galilee refers to the region in northern Israel, north of the Jezreel Valley, east of the Mediterranean coast, and west of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The Jewish historian Josephus described Galilee as divided into two regions—Upper Galilee...
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Israel Defense Forces: Turning Conflict into Commerce and Innovation
Israel has climbed to the heights of innovation in multiple rungs of achievement including healthcare, technology, and agriculture, the only Jewish nation among 193 countries worldwide....
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Single Mother: Yamit’s Story
Born in Israel, Yamit’s life was challenging from the start. She admits, “I come from a family with no money, my mother was a single mom, and I had no contact with my father. I grew up going to a school for kids with special needs and troubled families.”...
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Biblical Israel: Shrine of the Book
The discovery at Qumran of the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 required a suitable place to house them. The American Jewish architects Armand Bartos and Frederic Kiesler were tasked with designing a home for the scrolls at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. On April 20, 1965, the...
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Weekly Devotional: Do You Guard Your Mouth?
“The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3 NASB). Our age of social media enables everyone with an opinion to put it out there for everyone to see. We live in an age where people feel they…...
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Weekly Q&A: How can I study the Bible with a map?
The space of Scripture is a character as much as Abraham and David or Peter and Paul. Biblical authors assume we know they physical settings of the world of the Bible, its geography, flora and fauna, geology, climate, and agriculture....
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Floating Terror: Iran Weaponizing the Seas Aimed at the United States
Surrounding Israel through its demonic proxies in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, Iran’s terror is expanding on the high seas, where they are outfitting Iranian commercial ships with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The Islamic regime’s Ministry of Defense broadcast the...
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Biblical Israel: Second Temple Model
The large, scale model of Jerusalem in A.D. 66 offers one of the main attractions at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Hans Kroch, who owner of the Holy Land Hotel in Jerusalem, commissioned Professor Michael Avi-Yonah and his students to create the model in...
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Weekly Devotional: The Promise of the Father
Pentecost was one of the three pilgrimage festivals within ancient Judaism. Along with Passover and Sukkot (Tabernacles), the Law of Moses required every able-bodied male to appear before the Lord on these festivals. In the first century, that meant coming...
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Weekly Q&A: What benefits are there to studying biblical languages?
The Bible was originally written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Old Testament is written primarily in Hebrew, apart from some chapters in Daniel and Ezra and some scattered verses elsewhere, which were written in...
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Israel Allies Foundation: Networking Worldwide with an Iron Dome of Truth
The Israeli cabinet held its weekly meeting last Sunday in the Western Wall tunnels below the Temple Mount to celebrate the 56th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification. While this was not the cabinet’s first tunnel meeting, the symbolism and biblical mandates endure....
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Shavuot (Pentecost): The Festival of Weeks
“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on…...
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Biblical Israel: Avdat
Located in the modern Negev Desert on the spur of a mountain ridge, overlooking the plain around the canyon of En Avdat (the “Spring of Avdat”), sits the ancient ruins of the Nabatean city of Avdat. Avdat sits along the ancient caravan routes that crossed the barren lands from Elat…...
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Weekly Devotional: Blessed With Daily Desires
“May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields....
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Weekly Q&A: What are some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Israel related to the New Testament?
There are a number of archaeological findings in Israel related to the New Testament, but there are several discoveries that are particularly worth mentioning here: (1) the Pilate Inscription; (2) the crucified anklebone; (3) the Caiaphas Ossuary; and (4) the Thanatos Inscription....
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Israel’s 75th Anniversary Celebrations Undeterred by Terrorism
Among Israel’s friends—600 million evangelicals worldwide—good news surrounding Israel’s 75th anniversary is keeping pace with the bad: deadly rocket barrages from Iran’s terror proxies in Gaza. Among the good news is this: countless Christian-organized...
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Urgent Relief for Terror Victims
The immediate aftermath of a terror attack presents enormous challenges for the victims and their families. These can include an urgent need for childcare while a family member is hospitalized, having to take leave from work, and the pressure to replace...
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Biblical Israel: Pool of Siloam
Located on the southern part of the rock cliff that marks the hill of the City of David (in Jerusalem), near the southern end of the Tyropoean Valley sits the Pool of Siloam. The pool was accidentally discovered in 2004 by workmen laying a new sewage line in the...
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Weekly Devotional: The Lord Who Delivers
“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me’” (Exodus 20:1-3 NKJV). Why did God begin the Ten Commandments by stating, “I am…...
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Weekly Q&A: What are some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Israel related to the Old Testament?
There are a number of archaeological discoveries in Israel related to the Old Testament, but there are three specific finds that are especially worth highlighting here: (1) the Ketef Hinnom Scrolls; (2) the Tel Dan Inscription; and (3) the Mesha Stele....
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When Dictators Rule with the Help of Accomplices
In the current era of lawlessness, inflation, soaring mental illness, and appalling number of fentanyl deaths, it is easy for Americans to overlook news about world-altering events. However, an event on May 4 is worth noting. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi flew into...
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New Immigrants: Oleg and Victoria’s Story
“We had to leave our city with rockets flying overhead,” Oleg remembered. He and his wife Victoria, both 59, have two teenagers—one with a disability—and an elderly mother who was ill. The bombings left their Ukraine apartment in ruins, destroying what they owned. ...
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Biblical Israel: Shiloh
Shiloh served as the place where the Israelites erected the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant after they conquered the land (Joshua 18:1). It became a place for religious pilgrimage and the celebration of festivals (Judges 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:3). The parents of Samuel,...
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Weekly Devotional: Forgive As You Have Been Forgiven
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15 NASB)....
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Weekly Q&A: How does archaeology help us better understand the Bible?
Archaeology by itself can neither prove nor disprove the Bible. But archaeology does help us understand the world of the Bible, daily life, culture, and religious practices. The field of archaeology makes it possible to discover and study the material culture of people in a specific time and place....
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Christian Zionists Celebrate Their Spiritual Homeland’s 75th (Diamond) Anniversary
The recently released book, Every Generation’s Story: 75 Years of American Christian Engagement with Israelis, is a banquet of first-person insights and inspiration gleaned from 18 multigenerational Christians. Eighteen stories in 18 different voices reflect the symbolism of the number 18 in Jewish practice: It represents life or luck with…...
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New Immigrant: Lyuba’s Story
The Russian invasion had begun—and Lyuba was terrified. Living in Ukraine with her husband Michael, she recalled, “When we heard the bombs in the morning, we knew the war had come. We saw how brave our men were as they defended our city.”...
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Biblical Israel: Megiddo
Situated in the western Jezreel Valley at the foot of the lowlands of Mount Carmel stands the ancient mound of Megiddo. It overlooks where Nahal Iron crosses through the Carmel lowlands, which provided passage for one of the branches of the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: Seeking God
“He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success” (2 Chronicles 26:5 HCSB). These words describe the early days of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah. He started out his r...
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Weekly Q&A: What is replacement theology?
Replacement theology refers to the Christian belief that God replaced Israel as His chosen people with the Church. God’s promises to Israel now belong to the Church, and His plans no longer extend to the Jewish people or Israel. The origins of this...
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Celebrating the Innovation Nation’s Diamond Anniversary on Independence Day
Celebrations are taking place across Israel this week, as the world’s only Jewish nation remembers its dramatic beginnings 75 years ago. Based on the Hebrew calendar, Independence Day is the fifth day of Iyar and originally took place on May 14, 1948. ...
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New Immigrants: Galina and Tatiana’s Story
They lived on the frontlines. Galina and her elderly mother Tatiana resided in Mariupol, one of the first Ukraine cities bombed by Russia. Working at a supermarket, Galina heard the explosions and froze, saying, “The store was packed with people… there was panic and fear.” ...
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Yom HaAtzma’ut: Israel’s Independence Day
“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born” (Isaiah…...
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Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Memorial Day
A week after Yom HaShoah, Israelis mark Yom HaZikaron (“Israel’s Memorial Day”) remembering those who died fighting for the country even before it was established and for those murdered in terror attacks....
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Weekly Devotional: A Life Worthy of Christ
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without…...
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Weekly Q&A: When did Jews begin to return to the land of Israel?
The Jewish revolts against Rome (A.D. 66-136) scattered the Jewish community outside the land of Israel. Judaism never lost its connection to the land because the land was part of God’s covenant with Israel. Jewish families recited, “Next year in Jerusalem,”...
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“Jew, Jew, Jew”! Six Million Times! A Special Book Given to a Pro-Israel Pastor
From sunset to sunset on April 17-18, Israelis marked Holocaust Memorial Day. The customary countrywide alarm sounded, announcing two solemn minutes of silence. Jewish citizens froze in remembrance, stopping everything—including their cars on busy...
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New Immigrant: Tanya’s Story
She was blind, Jewish, and came alone from Russia to Israel in 2018 to become a citizen. Living by herself in the northern city of Karmiel, she depends completely on the government to survive—along with a caretaker, who comes for a few hours. Still, she’s...
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Biblical Israel: Arbel
Arbel sits high upon the sheer limestone cliffs along the northwest corner of the lake of Galilee, northwest of Tiberias, overlooking the fertile plain of Gennesar. The Arbel Cliffs form the southern boundary of the plain of Gennesar and provide a striking visual landmark along the northwest shores of the…...
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Israel’s National Holocaust Memorial Day
The Holocaust is etched in Israel’s national memory. Each year, its victims are honored on one special national holiday called Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day.) All places of entertainment are closed. That morning, a siren sounds across the country—and everything stops for two...
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Weekly Devotional: Rain In Its Season
“If you carefully obey my commands I am giving you today, to love the Lord your God and worship Him with all your heart and all your soul, I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain,…...
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Weekly Q&A: What did Jesus’ early followers believe about Gentiles being grafted into the faith?
The New Testament connects the coming of Jesus to Israel’s hopes of redemption (Luke 1:50-55, 68-75; 2:25, 38; 21:20-28; 24:21; and Acts 1:6-8). Jesus’ followers expected the end of the age would bring God’s promised redemption of Israel (Acts 1:6). They called their fellow Jews to repent as part of…...
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Empty Seats at 2023 Passover Celebrations: How Terror and Media are Liable
You may not immediately recognize the names of Leah, Maia, and Rina Dee who lived in Efrat, Israel. Years ago, I stayed in this beautiful town seven miles south of Jerusalem, where more than 13,000 residents—many of whom immigrated from the United...
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Biblical Israel: Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The traditional location of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which sits within the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The origin of the church goes back to the Emperor...
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Weekly Devotional: The Resurrection
“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus....
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Weekly Q&A: Who killed Jesus?
The Gospel of Luke makes clear that the chief priests and their scribes sought to kill Jesus because He challenged those selling in the Temple, the economy the chief priests controlled (Luke 19:47). They could not openly attack Him because of His...
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Holy Week Faces Unholy Strife During Passover, Ramadan, and Easter
Wildflowers are draping Israel’s hills in a show of breathtaking spring beauty. But they do so amid unprecedented political, religious, and security anxieties in the streets. Jerusalem teems with crisscrossing religious observances from the three...
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Giving Help and Hope During Passover
For over a decade, CBN Israel has hosted a special Passover dinner for single-parent families, widows, and families in crisis. These events are offered in locations all over the country....
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Passover: The Feast of Unleavened Bread
For thousands of years, the Jewish people have told the story from the book of Exodus on the eve of Passover, “the fourteenth day of the first month” (Leviticus 23:5) in a special meal with symbolic food called a Seder, which means “order” in Hebrew. There are many traditions from…...
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Biblical Israel: Garden of Gethsemane
Mark and Matthew identify Gethsemane as the place Jesus went with His disciples after eating the Passover within the city of Jerusalem, prior to His arrest (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32). These two Gospels provide the only mention of this place within ancient...
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Weekly Devotional: Blessed Is the King
Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a wave of popularity and redemptive expectations. As He ascended toward Jerusalem, Luke tells us that those traveling with Him were anticipating that the kingdom of God would appear immediately....
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Weekly Q&A: What are parables?
Story parables are a unique style of Jewish teaching found only in the Gospels on the lips of Jesus and within rabbinic literature. As a literary genre, story parables emerged within Judaism after the period of the Old Testament....
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Let Us Revive the Ancient Bonds Between Passover and Easter
Despite three months of deepening political disunity within Israel—along with increased threats of war and terrorism from their enemies—Israeli Jews will still find a way to celebrate their 75th Passover festival (Chag Ha-Pesach) in their modern ancestral homeland. Israel is the epicenter of faith for both Jews and Christians....
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Housing for Holocaust Survivors
Thanks to the dedicated support of friends like you, CBN Israel is linking arms with the Jewish Agency to help ease the plight and meet the needs of disadvantaged elderly men and women, primarily Holocaust survivors, living in Israel....
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Biblical Israel: Masada
Masada, a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2), sits on the south-western shore of the Dead Sea, fifteen and a half miles south of Ein Gedi. The fortress sits atop an isolated rock plateau that overlooks the Dead Sea Valley below....
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Weekly Devotional: Move Forward
“Then they said to Moses, ‘Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?’ … Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today;…...
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Weekly Q&A: What are the main expressions of Judaism today?
Judaism today divides along two lines primarily: the geographic origin of the Jewish community, and the Jewish community’s encounter with modernity and the modern world. Western Christians often struggle to understand the characteristics of modern Judaism because Christian communities in the West divide along theological and doctrinal lines....
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The Libyan Diversion: Another Rosenberg Smash Hit of Truth Forecast in Fiction
Last week, my attention was seized by an exclusive Reuters headline that quickly spread to media worldwide. Two-and-a-half tons of uranium stored in ten barrels had gone missing in Libya. I had just finished reading the New York Times best-selling author Joel...
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New Immigrants: Sergey and Ludmila’s Story
Although they lived in Russia, Sergey and Ludmila were upset by the Russian attacks on Ukraine. Sergey said, “It was horrible, watching this war escalate between people who speak the same language.” Because of their own political beliefs, they knew they...
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Biblical Israel: Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a north-south ridge that sits on the eastern watershed of the hills around Jerusalem. To its east, the land slopes drastically down towards the Jordan River Valley and the area around Jericho, towards the Dead Sea. ...
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Weekly Devotional: Hiding from God
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree and God came to walk with them in the garden, they responded by hiding themselves. Children who disobey a parent often respond in the same manner; they hide themselves....
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Weekly Q&A: What is the menorah?
he menorah refers to the seven-branched candelabra which God commanded Moses to have fashioned as part of the vessels of the Tabernacles (Exodus 25:31-40; 37:17-24). Artisans fashioned the menorah from a single ingot of gold, with the lamps carved separately from gold....
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Bibi’s Broadcast to Beleaguered Iranian Citizens: Israel is on Your Side
Last week, Iran International television news made history in a first-of-a-kind broadcast by featuring an Israeli prime minister—Benjamin Netanyahu—speaking directly to the Iranian people. On March 9, journalist Pouria Zeraati held an exclusive interview with...
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New Immigrants: Anna’s Story
As a single mother, Anna lived with her little boy in Eastern Ukraine when the war broke out. She recalled, “We were totally unprepared... We had to hide in the basement— it was cold and scary.” After weeks of living in fear with her son,...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan River
The most dramatic geographical feature of the biblical land of Israel is the scar of the Rift Valley. Created by the tectonic plates, this forms part of the Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet. Within the land of Israel...
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Weekly Devotional: Patient Endurance
“The word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ And I said, ‘I see a rod of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it’” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 NASB). This interchange…...
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Weekly Q&A: What is replacement theology?
Replacement theology refers to the Christian belief that God replaced Israel as His chosen people with the Church. God’s promises to Israel now belong to the Church, and His plans no longer extend to the Jewish people or Israel. The origins of this belief are ancient. They stem from social…...
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Israeli Apartheid Week: What Is It and What Can We do?
Apartheid is an ugly accusation, and absolutely wrong when it is used to describe Israel. Israeli Apartheid Week, a series of university rallies and lectures that began in 2005 to “raise awareness” about Zionism, will again be crowded with anti-Israel events held this year between March 13–27....
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Biblical Israel: Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It sits 600 feet below sea level. It is a lake, and not a sea; thus, the Evangelist Luke correctly describes it often as a lake (5:1; 8:22, 33). The Lake of Galilee sits in the Jordan River Valley, which…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Lord is My Shepherd
“The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no…...
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Weekly Q&A: How can Christians build bridges of healing with the Jewish people?
To build bridges and to bring healing, we must diagnose the disease. Jews have suffered at the hands of Christians for two thousand years. Modern Christians often retreat into claims of, “Those weren’t true Christians,” or “I support the Jews and Israel,” or even “My church are not Nazis.”...
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Israelis Living in Judea and Samaria: Settlers or Citizens?
Undeterred by recent bloodshed, Christian lovers of Israel walk with wonder in Jesus’ footsteps. In those footsteps, they also enhance the Israeli economy as they patronize hotels, restaurants, public transportation, and souvenir shops—businesses large and small, benefitting...
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Weekly Devotional: Rejoice in Desolation
“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord!…...
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Weekly Q&A: What is the Shema?
Religious Jews recite the Shema twice daily, in the morning and in the evening. It receives its name from the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4—Hear (in Hebrew, Shema). The Shema consists of three portions from the Pentateuch—Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41....
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Is Peace Even in the Vocabulary of Palestinian Leaders?
The United Nations, the United States, and the European Union are persistent in their pressure on Israel to make peace with Palestinian Arabs. However, the Palestinian leadership’s glaring cultural and policy differences make it impossible to talk peace....
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Emergency Bomb Shelters
The Israeli communities neighboring Hamas-ruled Gaza have endured years of rocket and terror attacks from across the border. From there, terrorists have fired rockets and missiles for years, and their range, arsenal and accuracy are only intensifying. ...
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Biblical Israel: Dan Spring
The land of Israel did not merely provide the stage upon which biblical events played out, its flora, fauna, climate, and geology provide the images, metaphors, and vocabulary that biblical writers used to...
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Weekly Devotional: God, What are You Doing?
“How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention…...
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Weekly Q&A: What does kosher mean?
God commanded the Israelites, “Remember the sabbathKosher can refer to food, places where food is prepared, scrolls, tefillin, and mezzuzot. It refers to an object’s acceptability accorded to Jewish law. When most people use the term “kosher,” they refer...
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Good and Evil on Display Amid Rescue Efforts in Syria and Turkey
A massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake—impacting more than 13 million people over hundreds of miles—is already a catastrophe. However, the combination of violence and longstanding Middle East conflicts (on top of freezing temperatures) produce dangers of...
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New Immigrant: Natalia’s Story
It was shortly before the war began in Ukraine. Natalia, a Jewish single mother from Mariupol, immigrated to Israel with her teen daughter Neli, and settled in Hof Hagalil. ...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel is a limestone ridge that bisects the coastal plain of the land of Israel branching off from the mountains of Samaria west towards the Mediterranean coast. It is most famous as the location for the...
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Weekly Devotional: Don’t Trust in Horses
“Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7 NRSV).The land of Israel sat at the crossroads of the ancient world. Its geographic location made the land strategically significant...
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Weekly Q&A: How do religious Jews observe the Sabbath?
God commanded the Israelites, “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or...
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Israel Stopped Syrian and Iraqi Nuclear Ambitions: Is Iran Next?
Debates about nuclear weapons, Chinese spy balloons, Abrams tanks, and war permeate the news cycle with alarming facts and theories. Missing in action is the recognition both of Israel’s past role to ensure that Iraq and Syria did not join the nuclear club—and...
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New Immigrant: Vladimir’s Story
As a 33-year-old Jewish Ukrainian, Vladimir arrived in Israel on February 20, 2022. He was on a free 10-day tour to explore the possibility of someday moving his family there. Four days later, Russia attacked Ukraine. And suddenly, “someday” became an...
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Biblical Israel: First Century Tombs and Burial
Bible readers find the issue of Jewish burial customs and tombs interesting due to the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. While the Gospels do not provide an exact location for the tomb of Jesus...
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Weekly Devotional: Delayed Promises
“Now the word of the Lord came to him [Abram]: ‘This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’…...
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The United States and Israel: Still Standing Together
As we look for light amid the darkness of world events, the U.S. Congress might seem a surprising place to find it. Yet the enduring cooperation between the people and governments of the United States and Israel—surely a beacon of promise and hope—survives...
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Biblical Israel: Capernaum
Mentioned more than any other location in the Gospels, apart from Jerusalem, Capernaum sits on the northern shore of the lake of Galilee. The Gospels indicate it served as an important base during Jesus’ ministry around the lake...
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Weekly Devotional: Comforted by God
“I will give thanks to You, O Lord; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me” (Isaiah 12:1 NASB). As children, we made mistakes. Sometimes a lot of mistakes. And, yes, sometimes our mistakes roused our parents’ anger. If we had good…...
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Help Redeem the Past on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
“May this archive, which serves as restitution for the victims and their families, be a warning to all future generations to never again allow such a horror to afflict humanity.” Since 1952, this phrase has been embedded into a wall in the main building at the Arolsen...
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Biblical Israel: Qumran
Located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about seven miles south of Jericho and twenty miles north of Ein Gedi, sits the ruins of Qumran. Eleven caves around Qumran yielded, arguably, the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: The Fruits of Repentance
Repentance is usually seen as something between God and us. We sin and disobey; we come to Him in repentance. John the Baptist led a spiritual revival calling the people to repent and return to God. For him, repentance had to...
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Weekly Q&A: How did we get the Bible?
This history of how we got the Bible is fascinating. When we hold our Bibles in our hands, we rarely consider how the Bible came to us. So, how did we get the Bible? The Old and New Testaments preserve a library of books written by...
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A Small Christian Charity with a Big Impact in Israel
The word “compassion” beautifully describes an American charity named The Works of His Hands. Since 2007, this ministry of mercy—known in Hebrew as Maasay Yahdav—has enveloped thousands upon thousands of Israelis in a...
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Biblical Israel: Chorazin
Located two and a half miles north of Capernaum, Chorazin sits in the hills overlooking the lake of Galilee at 45-46 meters above sea level and 267-273 meters above the lake. Although only mentioned once in the Gospels (Matthew 11:21-24; Luke 10:13-16), Jesus...
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Weekly Devotional: How Do You Treat Your Enemies?
How we treat our enemies says a lot about our relationship with God. Society today takes great joy in the falling and stumbling of those seen as our adversaries or opponents. Such attitudes permeate our civil and political discourse. We...
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Weekly Q&A: What is the Bible?
The term Bible comes from the Greek ta biblia, which means “the scrolls.” The name conveys the Bible contains a collection of scrolls, books. As such, it is a library of books written over hundreds of years....
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Widespread Anti-Semitic Defamation Attempts to Erase Judaism’s Holiest Place
The Temple Mount is Judaism’s holiest site. Jerusalem is the ancient and modern Jewish capital, and Israel is the ancestral Jewish homeland. These are substantiated facts of history!...
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Hot Meals for the Elderly
Imagine going to bed hungry every night, or missing meals so you can afford medication. For one quarter of Israel’s elderly population, food insecurity is a sad reality. And malnutrition can lead to added health problems and make existing financial...
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Biblical Israel: Magdala
The site of Magdala sits a little over three miles north of Tiberias, on the southern edge of the plain of Gennesar, on the shore of the lake of Galilee. Ancient sources seemingly refer to this site by three names; Greek and Latin sources refer to it as Taricheae; Hebrew...
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Weekly Devotional: The Fruit of the Spirit
We have a problem: The world we live in does not produce the fruit of the Spirit, and too often we fall into the trap of allowing it to inhibit their growth in us. While our world talks about love, in actuality it shows very little true love....
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Weekly Q&A: What does the term “Torah” mean?
The word “Torah” comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to shoot an arrow in a straight direction.” The noun torah as it appears within the Old Testament means “instruction.” By the end of the Old Testament period, the Judeans began to collect writings they deemed...
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A New Year’s Resolution Suggestion for the UN: Book Archaeology Tours to Israel
Before fireworks saturated the skies across the world, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rang in 2023 on December 30 with another irrational resolution against Israel. This time, it requested that the International Court of Justice investigate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli “annexation,” and the “legal status of the occupation.”...
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Holocaust Survivor: Sofi’s Story
Sofi was born the day WWII started, and her father was a Red Army naval officer in Latvia. When he went to war, Sofi’s mother was instantly taken prisoner, and the Nazis took the children to Germany. Those that could pass as Germans were raised in German homes....
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Biblical Israel: Elah Valley
The biblical writers often assume their readers knew the geographic and regional dynamics of the land of Israel. Sites and locations offer more than simply places on a map; they provide the living landscape that shaped and formed the biblical stories. In addition, the...
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Weekly Devotional: How’s Your Light?
We live in a world where people like to talk. Our lives are filled with the noise of communication. Our news, sports, and even weather are filled with talking heads that all have something to say. Social media provides a platform for everyone to talk and express themselves....
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From Prison in Iran to Freedom in America, She Still Speaks Truth
I have followed and written about Iran’s 1979 Islamic takeover until the present-day “Women, Life, Freedom” movement protesting this ruthless regime. Given my long interest in communicating about the dangerous Islamic Republic leadership, God blessed me as only He...
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Biblical Israel: Caesarea
The book of Acts mentions Caesarea a number of times. In Caesarea, the Gospel came to the Gentiles for the first time as Peter proclaimed Jesus to the God-fearing Roman Centurion Cornelius and his family, who subsequently received the Holy Spirit as the Jews had (Acts 10). ...
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Weekly Devotional: Waiting for Redemption
“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had...
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Christmas Songs, Broadway, Philanthropy, and Politics: A Surprising Combination of American Jewish Contributions
The song “White Christmas” is deeply embedded in American culture, whether your state is snowy or sunny this time of year. Irving Berlin (1888-1989) wrote “White Christmas” in 1947. He expressed his love and appreciation for America after...
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Biblical Israel: Bethlehem
Bethlehem gains its notoriety as the birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1-7); however, by the time of Jesus’ birth, the village already had quite a history. Bethlehem first appears in the Amarna Letters (14th century B.C.) as a Canaanite town. Its name comes from this period and means “house”…...
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Weekly Devotional: Glory to God in the Highest
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be…...
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Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights
“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade” (John 10:22-23)....
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Jesus Celebrated Hanukkah’s Momentous Victory at the Festival of Lights
The festival of Hanukkah (“dedication” in Hebrew) celebrates far more than delicious latkes, candles, gifts, and jelly doughnuts. As an observant Jew, Jesus celebrated the enduring major festivals—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. He annually walked the recently rediscovered Pilgrim Road up to the Temple in Jerusalem. ...
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Combatting Poverty and Food Insecurity in Israel
After the pandemic, many families have fallen into economic hardship; from illness or unemployment or any number of constraints the pandemic put on families around the world. More than two years later, many of these families are still in serious need of help....
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Biblical Israel: Herodium
Three miles southeast of Bethlehem sits Herodium, the palace fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2). Overlooking the birthplace of Jesus, Herod’s fortress guarded the eastern roads through the wilderness from Bethlehem to En Gedi....
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Weekly Devotional: The Magnificat
“He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped...
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Bethlehem’s Christmas Amid the Palestinian Authority’s Upside-Down History
On Saturday December 3, lights were set ablaze on the tall Christmas tree in Bethlehem’s Manger Square. Its lighting marked the beginning of the Christmas season where Christian pilgrims by the thousands will travel to Israel...
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New Immigrants: Anna and Oleg’s Story
Anna and Oleg enjoyed their life in Ukraine. Then suddenly, the Russians invaded their country, and everything changed. The young couple had a five-year-old little girl, and they feared for her future. Seeing the growing danger, they quickly fled to Israel. ...
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Biblical Artifact: Theodotus Synagogue Inscription
In the centuries between the Old and New Testaments, an important institution developed within Judaism, the synagogue. The Gospels and Acts mention synagogues frequently; they played an important role in the lives of Jesus, His followers, and the growth of His movement....
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Weekly Devotional: The Annunciation
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born…...
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FIFA World Cup: Anti-Israel Drama Plus Iran’s Brutality Exposed
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup grabs international attention as the biggest sporting event on the planet. FIFA stands, of course, for the International Federation of Association Football, which governs the event. And while Americans call the sport soccer, it is the word...
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Biblical Israel: Nazareth
Nazareth—the boyhood home of Jesus—sits on a limestone ridge (the Nazareth Ridge) in the Lower Galilee that separates the Jezreel Valley to the south from the Beit Netofa Valley to the north. Nazareth first appears in ancient literary sources in the New Testament (Matthew 2:23; Luke 1:26; Luke 2:4, 39,…...
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Weekly Devotional: To Hear and To Do
The words “listen” and “obey” appear frequently within the Bible: “Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land Yahweh, the God of your fathers, is giving you” (Deuteronomy 4:1). Elsewhere we read,…...
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A Memorial of Thanksgiving to be Unveiled in Israel
Americans gather today on Thanksgiving to celebrate our beginnings, led by brave Mayflower Pilgrims and other settlers in the 1600s. They sought religious and other freedoms that eventually led to the Revolutionary War and the blessings enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. ...
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New Immigrant: Irina’s Story
Irina admitted, “I don’t really live… I just try to survive.” Suffering from fibromyalgia and other illnesses, she lacked the strength and memory to run her salon in Ukraine—while her body fought to withstand the cold weather. However, she saw a door of hope in Israel. ...
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Biblical Israel: Galilee
Galilee is the northernmost region of the central mountain range that runs like a spine (north-south) through the land of Israel. The mountains of Galilee have the highest elevations within the hill country, and therefore, offer the coolest temperatures along with lush...
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Weekly Devotional: Gleanings
Farming in the ancient world was incredibly tough. A farmer had to plow his field—most often with oxen—then sowed the seed into the broken-up earth. He then prayed for rain, because if the rains didn’t come within about a week, the seed he had sowed...
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A Famous Conductor Answers the Question, “Where was God?”
I daresay humankind has asked the question “Where was God?” trillions of times over the centuries when trying to untangle the reasons and pain of personal or national tragedy. Certainly this question must have occupied the minds of Jews held in Nazi death camps....
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New Immigrant: Boris’s Story
Boris and his family lived in Belarus, one of the poorest nations of the former Soviet Union. Even after gaining its independence, the president alone still wields most of the country’s power. Wanting a better life for his people, Boris spoke out against the...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan Valley
The Jordan Valley is a narrow valley the extends from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. It is part of the great Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet, that spans from Syria to Lake Victoria in Africa....
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Weekly Devotional: The Classroom of Humility
“Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3 NKJV). We remember Moses as God’s chosen leader for the children of Israel—to bring them out of Egyptian bondage and through the wilderness to the edge of the Promised Land. But what was…...
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Does Small Israel Have Outsized Solutions for Global Food Shortages?
According to the World Bank, we are in a global food crisis. Food shortages across the world are mushrooming like unwelcome weeds amid a nourishing crop of golden wheat. In the United States, the Center for Security Policy (CSP) published a revealing...
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Biblical Israel: Edom
The land of Edom lay south of the land of Moab in the Transjordan. The Zered Ravine, which empties into the southern end of the Dead Sea, formed the boundary between these two kingdoms. The Bible refers to Edom also as Mount Seir (Genesis 36:21; Ezekiel 35:15). ...
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Weekly Devotional: Put Your Hope in God
As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, ‘Where is your God?’…...
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Gaslighting in the United States and Israel: Three Reality Checks
When I want to watch an outstanding movie, I often gravitate to 1940s classics. Gaslight, one of Ingrid Bergman’s most famous movies, is a gripping 1944 thriller. In the film, Bergman played a newlywed, Paula, whose husband was a master at “gaslighting”...
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High Holy Days Food Distribution
Israel leads the world with innovations in technology, medicine, and defense. Yet, it also faces a demographic crisis, as over a fourth of its population lives below the poverty line. Sadly, this means more people are dealing with the threat of hunger, due to...
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Biblical Artifact: Tel Dan Inscription
Excavations in the 1990s at the site of Dan in northern Israel, which sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, uncovered three fragments of an inscription from the 9th century B.C. Written in Old Aramaic the fragments form part of a victory stela of an Aramean king (Hazael?) who claims…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Paganism of Worry
We live in a world built upon stress, our jobs, our busy lifestyles, the news, social media, politics. So much fills our lives with noise and stress clamoring for our attention and allegiance; we find ourselves choked without peace and stability....
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Is Another Revolution Underway in Iran?
Describing Iran as the main state sponsor of terrorism can sound somewhat bland, since the description, although absolutely correct, is repeated so often. However, the severe hardships that Islamic leaders are forcing onto anyone opposing them are...
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Biblical Israel: Lachish
Lachish was one of the largest cities within the kingdom of Judah. Located in the Judean lowlands (Shephelah), it sat in the southern branch of the Beth Guvrin-Lachish Valley system, which provided an east-west corridor between the hill country (the area around...
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Weekly Devotional: How’s Your Temper?
We live in a world where people’s tempers constantly simmer below the surface. If we hear something on the news, see something on social media, or hear someone say something that we do not agree with, how often do our tempers flare? How quick are we to...
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Biden Pauses Iran Deal Before U.S. and Israeli Elections
Amid a stalemate, the Biden administration has paused negotiations in another seriously flawed Iran deal. Yet the relief we feel may be just momentary, as a resuscitated deal remains part of the White House National Security Strategy that was released on...
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Elderly Widow: Valentina’s Story
After many years in Ukraine, working full-time until retirement age, Valentina and her husband found themselves in a system that pays little in retirement benefits. She admitted, “It is hard to rest and enjoy your final years when you find yourself struggling to...
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Biblical Israel: Yodfat
The Galilean village of Yodfat lies in the hills three miles north of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, across Beit Netofa Valley, an easy day’s walk. Its primary industries were textiles and pottery manufacturing. The inhabitants of Yodfat herded...
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Weekly Devotional: Do You Fear God?
We usually equate wisdom with our capacity to understand knowledge. Knowledge equals wisdom. Some may add that wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. The Bible, however, teaches that wisdom equals the fear of God....
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How Faith in Action Led to Christian Humanitarian Aid During the Ottoman Empire
Over the years, many of the informative briefings I staffed took place at the historic American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem. My groups of Christian leaders explored Israel within both a spiritual and a geopolitical context. Briefings came from both Jewish and Palestinian...
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New Immigrant: Shuli’s Story
They came from a long line of Belarus immigrants who have made Israel their home. Shuli and her husband settled in Sderot years ago. Sadly, they have learned to live with terrorism from Hamas-ruled Gaza. Their five children have grown up knowing the stress...
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Biblical Israel: Ashkelon
Ashkelon sits on the southern Mediterranean coast in the modern State of Israel. The Bible identifies it as one of the five Philistine cities along with Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. Ashkelon sits on the Mediterranean coast between Gaza and Ashdod. The ancient site sat on a ridge of cemented…...
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Weekly Devotional: Remember Where You Have Come From
Remember! One of the most frequent commandments throughout the Bible is “Remember!” Remember the road you’ve traveled, the struggles and trials you’ve faced. And remember who brought you along your path. Remember who provided for you, cared for you,...
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Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and…...
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On Being an Advocate for Israel
Being an advocate for Israel begins in the heart. When commanded by Jesus to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” it is important to see that a part of our love is loving His chosen people, the…...
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New Immigrant: Maxim’s Story
For Maxim and his family, being Jewish in a predominantly Muslim area of Russia came with its share of persecution. So in May 2021, he and his wife finally immigrated to Israel with their six children. They stayed with kind friends as they explored the country...
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Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement
“Be careful to celebrate the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of that same month—nine days after the Festival of Trumpets. You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves and present special gifts to the LORD”...
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Weekly Devotional: The Day of Atonement
So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God...
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Will Jewish Year 5783 Be A Good One for Israel? Not if it depends on Abbas and Raisi
Israelis celebrated a new Jewish year 5783 with their traditional Days of Awe, which began with the Feast of Trumpets—also called Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year”)—on September 25-27. On Thursday prior to Rosh Hashanah, around 35,000 people crowded...
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Biblical Israel: Gamla
The ancient site Gamla sits in the central Golan Heights about six miles east of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and the Bethsaida Valley. The ancient village sat on the spur of a hill created by two streams, Nahal Gamla and Nahal Daliyyot. The spur that the…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Trumpets Are Blowing
Rosh Hashanah (“Head of the Year”) is the first of the High Holy Days, which happens this time every year. It is observed as the start of the civil year on the Jewish calendar (in comparison to the religious year, which starts with Pesach or Passover)....
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Rosh Hashanah: Feast of Trumpets
Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do...
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Queen Elizabeth II and the United Nations: A Contrast in Character
On Monday, September 19, an estimated 4 billion people gathered in homes and public places worldwide to say their goodbyes to the beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Among 2,000 guests, some five 500 dignitaries—composed of prime ministers...
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New Immigrant: Anton’s Story
Anton’s nerves were shattered. His town in Donetsk, Ukraine, has been under siege since 2014. As the brutal fighting took its toll on him, he finally moved to Israel, looking for peace. Anton arrived a year ago in a new country, suffering from post-traumatic...
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Biblical Israel: Wilderness of Zin
Many travelers to the modern State of Israel make the mistaken assumption that the boundaries of the modern entity of Israel overlap biblical Israel. Apart from the fact that even within the Bible what constitutes the boundaries of Israel shifts from period to period, the modern State of Israel does...
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Weekly Devotional: True Discipleship
In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for “disciple” means “student.” A disciple, then, is one who studies. We tend to use the term disciple to mean a follower, but that is not the biblical idea of discipleship. Ezra provides the model of a biblical disciple: one who...
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Israel: Living Up to its Promise as the Holy Land—Full of Blessings for the World
There is so much more to Israel and her extraordinary people than what is often portrayed by the global mainstream media. Today, our smart phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs are bombarded with news stories and commentary obsessed with negatives about this...
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Holocaust Survivor: Maria’s Story
Maria’s family fled to Uzbekistan when the Nazis invaded Belarus during World War II. Struggling to live, she worked in a factory seven days a week. After the war, her family returned to Belarus, only to find their home was destroyed. So Maria lived with her...
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Biblical Artifact: Temple Warning Inscription
The first century Jewish historian Josephus described the Jerusalem Temple in great detail. He noted that the large outer court was separated from the holy precincts by a balustrade that had inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding non-Jews from passing this wall. Non-Jews were permitted to be in the outer…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Path of True Blessedness
"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him” (Psalm 128:1). The Bible often speaks about the “fear of the Lord.” That seems odd to us because we often present God as love and loving, someone we want to draw near to, not a being to…...
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U.S. Congress, Israel, Arabs, and American Christian Leaders Rally Against a New Iran Deal
Over the last seven years, the unsuccessful 2015 Iran deal—engineered by former President Obama and then-Vice President Biden—has been on full display. Today, the on-again, off-again negotiations have created an uproar from clear-thinking leaders in the...
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Elderly Immigrant: Michael’s Story
Michael grew up in hardship during World War II in Uzbekistan, when it was part of the Soviet Union. At age nine, he labored long hours on a collective farm to support his mother and siblings. His father was drafted to fight the Nazis but was sent home...
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Biblical Israel: Jerusalem
The most mentioned city in the Bible is Jerusalem. From the time that David made it the capital of his kingdom, it became the focal point of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and later of the Jewish people and faith. ...
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Weekly Devotional: What’s Your Source?
“This is the LORD’s declaration. For My people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:12-13 HCSB). God spoke to the...
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The Lasting Legacy of the First Zionist Congress
A significant quasquicentennial celebration ended yesterday: the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress held August 29–31, 1897. That inaugural congress convened on these dates in Basel, Switzerland. Theodore Herzl, father of Modern Zionism and...
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Biblical Israel: Wadi Qilt
Roadways are one of the most significant aspects of biblical geography. Roads often gave significance to locations, villages, and cities. In fact, roadways influenced and dictated settlement patterns, the building and establishing of cities and villages. Controlling roadways meant control of travel, commerce, and...
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Weekly Devotional: The Law of Christ
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NKJV). How do we obey Jesus and fulfill what He commanded us? According to Paul, we bear one another’s burdens. It’s that simple....
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Seventeen Years After the Disengagement, Israel is Still Reaching Out to Help Gaza
You will not hear this at the United Nations or in mainstream media: Israel will allow more work permits for carefully screened Gazans to enter Israel for jobs through the Erez crossing in Gaza’s north. Meanwhile, along Gaza’s oceanfront, Iranian proxies are...
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Biblical Israel: Sepphoris
Sepphoris was the capital of the Galilee during the first part of the 1st century A.D., when Jesus was a boy. Located four miles north of Nazareth, Sepphoris sat in the Beth Netofa Valley, which provided a main east-west roadway in the Lower Galilee from the northwestern part of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Daily Bread
When the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, God provided for their daily sustenance by giving them manna: “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day” (Exodus 16:4)...
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The Famous Ben-Yehuda Street: A Walk Into Jerusalem’s History
In the last decade, Jews making Aliyah have immigrated to their ancestral homeland from 150 countries in the diaspora that reaches from Asia, to America, to Ethiopia, Europe, and beyond. Israel’s capital bustles with a mosaic of ...
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Family in Crisis: Amelia’s Story
Years ago in Russia, Amelia married young and had a daughter. The difficult labor left Amelia temporarily paralyzed, but she recovered. Then, sadly, her husband left her. Devastated, Amelia moved ahead, immigrating with her...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Nebo
God also buried him on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). The two and a half tribes that remained east of the Jordan River (Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh) name Mount Nebo as part of the territory they requested from Moses. Its situation near to the southern end…...
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Weekly Devotional: What the Lord Requires of You
As you read the Bible, have you ever felt overwhelmed with everything that’s in it? Do you ever wonder, how can I possibly live this way? If you have, don’t feel bad; you’re not alone. The biblical authors themselves recognized the...
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Liberating Art From BDS and Lies About Israel
Entertainment industry insider Lana Melman is a formidable trailblazer. After two decades in executive positions at CBS, Columbia Pictures Television, Warner Brothers, and Paramount, and as a scriptwriter and executive producer,...
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Serving Holocaust Survivors and the Elderly
For our Holocaust survivors and the elderly in Israel, growing old can be lonely— especially for those who are widowed or have no family. Often beset by health and financial challenges, many live in low-income housing on a...
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Biblical Israel: Southern Steps
Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the first century A.D. approached the Temple Mount from the south. After ritually purifying themselves, either in the Pool of Siloam, at the southern end of the City of David, or in one of the ritual immersion baths located along the southern end of the Temple…...
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Weekly Devotional: Give Life
“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence” (Proverbs 10:11 HCSB). Do the things you say, the things you communicate, act as a source of life to people? If not, then...
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Celebration and Triumph: The Jewish Olympics in Israel
What a triumph! It made headlines around the globe. Ten thousand Jewish athletes from 62 countries traveled to Israel for the Maccabiah Games, which took place from July 21-26. Appropriately dubbed the “Jewish Olympics,”...
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Elderly Immigrant: Janna’s Story
Janna’s life is hard and lonely. Immigrating to Israel from Ukraine years ago, this elderly woman lives alone in a small apartment in Sderot—which is often bombarded with rocket attacks from Hamas-ruled Gaza. And she...
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Biblical Israel: Tower of David
The only gate on the western side of the modern Old City of Jerusalem is Jaffa Gate (so named because the road leading to Jaffa goes through this gate). Inside Jaffa Gate stands the Citadel or the Tower of David. This structure has nothing to do with David, which can…...
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Weekly Devotional: Longing for God
He imagines a deer thirsty from the heat seeking out the refreshing water of the stream, and he says that he thirsts after God in the same manner. What brought about this yearning in his heart?...
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Iran: Civilian Population at Risk and Christian Persecution on the Rise
Israel and the broader Middle East are not the only targets of Iran’s brutal theocratic government. Intent on controlling their 88 million citizens through fear and intimidation, Iran’s Islamic leaders are grievously neglecting their...
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Biblical Israel: Damascus Gate
Visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem today can enter the city through seven gates scattered around its eastern, southern, western, and northern sides. These gates, like the walls of the Old City, date to the Ottoman Period (16th-20th centuries). Along the northern stretch of the Old City walls are three…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Sign of Love
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NKJV). When we speak about love, we often refer to an emotional feeling, something that moves our emotions. Love for another, ourselves, and even God often boils down to that which we feel. If my...
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Are Nazi-Style Tactics Swaying Our Culture Against Jews and Christians Today?
Readers may be surprised to know that Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”), a book first published in 1925, is still read today. From 1925 until 1945, when the book was rightly banned in Germany, it sold 12 million copies in German and...
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Single Mother: Anna’s Story
When Anna learned her baby might be born disabled, her husband pressured her to get an abortion. She refused, and he left her. So she moved in with her mother, found a great paying job—and her baby boy was born with no disability!...
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Biblical Israel: Western Wall
The Western Wall refers to the western retaining wall built to support the Temple Mount platform. In the first century, this wall faced the city of Jerusalem, and as such, it had four gates in it that led onto the Temple Mount platform. The gates alternated in their access lower…...
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Weekly Devotional: Living at the Crossroads
Have you ever wondered why God brought Abraham from Ur in Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan? After all, Mesopotamia was far more developed culturally and economically than Canaan. Did you ever speculate why Samuel—...
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The Abraham Accords and President Biden’s Visit to the Middle East
When former President Donald J. Trump officially launched the Abraham Accords from the White House lawn, it marked the beginning of unprecedented transformative relationships in the Middle East. Since then, the benefits have soared as...
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Summer Youth Camps
How can CBN Israel help youth within the believing community say “yes” to God? That’s a question echoed by many youth pastors around Israel. Our youth lack programs, such as youth conferences, youth trips, gatherings,” says one...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Tabor
In the northeastern corner of the Jezreel Valley sits the solitary, dome shaped hill of Mount Tabor. The steep slopes on all sides of the mountain lead to plateau on top, 1000 meters by 400 meters in area. The tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali meet at Mount Tabor....
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Weekly Devotional: Rivers of Living Water
Have you ever been in a desert or dry wilderness and seen what happens when there is water from a spring or river? The land closest to the water is transformed into a garden oasis. The brown dryness of the desert may...
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Presbyterian Church USA Promotes Anti-Semitic Policies Against the World’s Only Jewish Nation
Millions of Christians who support the Jewish nation and people are confident in God’s eternal covenants with Israel and the inerrant truths of Scripture. That’s why recent resolutions of the Presbyterian Church USA’s (PCUSA) Committee on International...
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Widow in Need: Polina’s Story
When Polina and her husband immigrated to Israel in 2004, they found the historic Galilee area a beautiful place to put down roots. But soon, they discovered that there were few good job opportunities—and the very low socio-economic conditions made...
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Biblical Israel: Hebron
The city of Hebron played an important role, particularly within the Old Testament narratives. The city features prominently in the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Joshua and Caleb, and, eventually, David, who reigned for his first seven years at Hebron. ...
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Weekly Devotional: Freed to Serve
“Let My people go, so they can serve Me.” Moses repeatedly uttered this refrain to Pharaoh, insisting the Egyptian ruler release the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. Many modern translations translate Moses’ command as “Let My people go, so they can...
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Israel’s Paradoxes in Politics, Religion, and More
Some readers may not be aware that in the Holy Land, approximately 80 percent of Jewish Israelis are secular, and 20 percent are religious. The land is a vivid tapestry of Jews from across the world, populating Israel from dramatically distinct nations, such...
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Biblical Israel: City of David
The first seven and a half years that David reigned, he reigned in Hebron, which sat in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah, David’s tribe (2 Samuel 5:5). As he expanded his rule to all of Israel, he decided to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which until...
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Weekly Devotional: A Tree of Life
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV)....
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Trilateral Agreement Cements Israel’s Role on Global Energy Stage
In past centuries, explorers could never have imagined sailing the seas in search of underwater treasures beyond those in sunken ships. However, in today’s explorations, another kind of fortune lies deep: natural offshore riches accessible only through modern...
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Biblical Israel: Beth Shean
Located at the intersection of two significant roads that crossed the land of Israel from west to east, through the Jezreel and Harod Valleys towards the land east of the Jordan River, and north to south, through the Jordan River Valley, Beth Shean’s prominence came due to its location. The…...
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Weekly Devotional: Bringing Glory to Your Father in Heaven
Have you ever thought seriously about Jesus’ statement: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV)? It is common for Christians to blame the secular world, the media, government,...
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Israel’s “Chariots of Fire” War Games Primed for Air, Sea, Land, and Cyber
Warily eyeing Iran’s escalating belligerence with its new centrifuges spinning deadlier amounts of nuclear-grade uranium, and the steady weapons transfers from Iran into Syria, Israel recently engaged in month-long “Chariots of Fire” war games. This large-scale...
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Lifesaving Surgery: Yostena’s Story
Sometimes, the littlest people need the most help. In Ethiopia, tiny Yostena was born premature. The frail infant spent 10 days in a hospital’s newborn intensive care unit—where she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart. Her parents feared for her future. ...
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Biblical Israel: Ein Gedi
The name Ein Gedi means “spring of the kid (young goat).” Ein Gedi, which is the largest oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, sits between two riverbeds (in Hebrew, nahal, in Arabic, wadi): Nahal David to the north and Nahal Arugot to the south. The oasis contains…...
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Weekly Devotional: Far from the Promise
David found himself for a period of his life having to flee from Saul. Saul pursued him wherever he went. David felt so pressed that he even had to seek refuge with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (Goliath’s hometown)....
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Fulfilling God’s Promises: The Miracles of Israel’s Six-Day War
Fifty-five years ago—June 5, 1967—marked the beginning of Israel’s Six-Day War (June 5-10). On that day, God fulfilled His ancient promises as recorded in 1 Kings 11:36, where He proclaimed Jerusalem as “the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.”...
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New Immigrant: Olga’s Story
It’s a story behind the headlines. With Russia’s invasion continuing to devastate Ukraine, thousands of Jewish refugees have fled to Israel, seeking safety in the Promised Land. The hardest hit have been poor families, children, and the elderly—most coming with very...
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Biblical Israel: Temple Mount
The Golden Dome of the Rock provides one of the most iconic and recognizable images of any city’s skyline within the world. The Islamic shrine completed in A.D. 692 by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik stands upon the platform of the Temple Mount, which was constructed during the first centuries…...
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Weekly Devotional: First Fruits
Moses outlined for the Israelites the ordinances of the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost). This festival commemorated the harvest seven weeks and one day (50 days, hence “Pentecost”) after the first Sabbath following the Festival of Unleavened...
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Shavuot (Pentecost): The Festival of Weeks
“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on…...
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A Hard Left Turn Against Israel in the U.S. Congress
Decades of support for Israel among Democrats and Republicans in the United States Congress have created a win-win of countless advantages for both nations over the years. For example, in multilevel ventures ranging from intelligence sharing and...
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Business Development: Claudia’s Story
“My parents had no money, and so I found a way to make money myself,” Claudia said, remembering back to her impoverished childhood. At the age of eleven, she taught herself to sew and began making dolls to sell....
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Biblical Israel: Shrine of the Book
The discovery at Qumran of the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 required a suitable place to house them. The American Jewish architects Armand Bartos and Frederic Kiesler were tasked with designing a home for the scrolls at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. On April 20, 1965, the...
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Weekly Devotional: As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem
Psalm 125 is the sixth psalm of the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120–134). Pilgrims sang these psalms as they approached the Temple at times of pilgrimage, especially the festivals of Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost),...
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Yom Yerushalayim: Israel’s Jerusalem Day
“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7 NKJV)....
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The Long-Term Effects of Palestinian Disinformation
Comparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) disinformation and United States’ First Amendment is a lesson in dictatorship versus democracy. The contrast also includes Israel’s freedoms, which are set out in its Declaration of...
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Biblical Israel: Second Temple Model
The large, scale model of Jerusalem in A.D. 66 offers one of the main attractions at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Hans Kroch, who owner of the Holy Land Hotel in Jerusalem, commissioned Professor Michael Avi-Yonah and his students to create the model in...
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Weekly Devotional: Go Into the Wilderness
The dry and arid wilderness south of Beersheva where Elijah traveled is harsh and inhospitable. God takes people into the wilderness in the Bible. It serves as His classroom. Yet, often before they encounter Him in the wilderness, they . ...
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The Nakba, the Temple Mount, and a Magnanimous Tragedy
Last Friday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with President Joe Biden at the White House. Their May 13 meeting focused in part on restoring order after hostilities intensified at the Temple Mount—Judaism’s holiest site for 3,000 years, and...
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Victim of Terrorism: Alexander’s Story
Alexander’s family lives in the lovely seacoast city of Ashdod, located in southern Israel. But due to its close proximity to Gaza, it has become a target of rocket attacks from Hamas terrorists. ...
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Biblical Israel: Pool of Siloam
Located on the southern part of the rock cliff that marks the hill of the City of David (in Jerusalem), near the southern end of the Tyropoean Valley sits the Pool of Siloam. The pool was accidentally discovered in 2004 by workmen laying a new sewage line in the...
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Weekly Devotional: Forgive to Be Forgiven
Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his...
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We Cannot Ignore Iran’s Global Goals
“Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Winston Churchill’s paraphrase of Santayana’s famous saying could easily be applied to Iran’s malicious behavior in world affairs. ...
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Emergency Relief for Ukrainian Jewish Refugees
We left Kyiv on the first day after the bombs exploded near our house in a few kilometers, and then we decided to leave Kyiv. But my husband returned to defend it,” says Olga. You could see the sadness and exhaustion in their eyes...
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Biblical Israel: Avdat
Located in the modern Negev Desert on the spur of a mountain ridge, overlooking the plain around the canyon of En Avdat (the “Spring of Avdat”), sits the ancient ruins of the Nabatean city of Avdat. Avdat sits along the ancient caravan routes that crossed the barren lands from Elat…...
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Weekly Devotional: Little Is Much
And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened” (Luke 13:20-21 NKJV). A little leaven can leaven a larger amount of dough....
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Yom HaAtzma’ut: Israel’s Independence Day
“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born” (Isaiah…...
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The Resilience of the Jewish Nation and People
Yesterday at sundown, on Israel’s Memorial Day, the Jewish nation and people made an incredible leap from remembering their fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism to celebrating Israel’s Independence Day....
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Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Memorial Day
A week after Yom HaShoah, Israelis mark Yom HaZikaron (“Israel’s Memorial Day”) remembering those who died fighting for the country even before it was established and for those murdered in terror attacks....
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Biblical Israel: Shiloh
Shiloh served as the place where the Israelites erected the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant after they conquered the land (Joshua 18:1). It became a place for religious pilgrimage and the celebration of festivals (Judges 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:3). The parents of Samuel,...
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Weekly Devotional: A King and His Servants
It’s interesting to listen to how people speak about their faith. If you pay attention, you may detect that they speak in a manner of what God has done for them. That’s not wrong. The Bible provides people’s reflections on their ...
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Holocaust Remembrance Tour Captivates American Audiences and Hearts
Eighty-three years ago, the steel-plated treads of 2,500 Nazi tanks clattered ominously over Poland’s border along with a million-and-a-half German soldiers bent on destruction. That same day, 2,000 warplanes flew overhead to help subdue the...
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Israel’s National Holocaust Memorial Day
The Holocaust is etched in Israel’s national memory. Each year, its victims are honored on one special national holiday called Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day.) All places of entertainment are closed. That morning, a siren sounds across the country—and everything stops for two...
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Biblical Israel: Megiddo
Situated in the western Jezreel Valley at the foot of the lowlands of Mount Carmel stands the ancient mound of Megiddo. It overlooks where Nahal Iron crosses through the Carmel lowlands, which provided passage for one of the branches of the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: Who is My Neighbor?
“Just then an expert in the law stood up to test [Jesus], saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the law?’ He asked him. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your…...
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The Torn Veil: Why Christians Care About the Temple Mount
Arbel sits high upon the sheer limestone cliffs along the northwest corner of the lake of Galilee, northwest of Tiberias, overlooking the fertile plain of Gennesar. The Arbel Cliffs form the southern boundary of the plain of Gennesar and provide a striking visual landmark along the northwest shores of the…...
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Biblical Israel: Arbel
Arbel sits high upon the sheer limestone cliffs along the northwest corner of the lake of Galilee, northwest of Tiberias, overlooking the fertile plain of Gennesar. The Arbel Cliffs form the southern boundary of the plain of Gennesar and provide a striking visual landmark along the northwest shores of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Resurrection
“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus....
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Passover: The Feast of Unleavened Bread
For thousands of years, the Jewish people have told the story from the book of Exodus on the eve of Passover, “the fourteenth day of the first month” (Leviticus 23:5) in a special meal with symbolic food called a Seder, which means “order” in Hebrew. There are many traditions from…...
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The Perfect Lamb Crushed in Gethsemane
When Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God, rode into Jerusalem at the age of 33, He was about to experience His last Passover on earth. He had arrived in Jerusalem on lamb selection day, when thousands of lambs were chosen for the Temple sacrifices....
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Single Mother: Masaret’s Story
The future looked bright when Masaret first met and married her husband in Ethiopia—and they both planned to live in Israel. But problems arose when they attempted to move here in 1993. Masaret was allowed to immigrate from Ethiopia to Israel, but...
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Biblical Israel: Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The traditional location of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which sits within the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The origin of the church goes back to the Emperor...
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Weekly Devotional: Blessed Is the King
Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a wave of popularity and redemptive expectations. As He ascended toward Jerusalem, Luke tells us that those traveling with Him were anticipating that the kingdom of God would appear immediately....
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Six Predictions on How the Biden Iran Deal Will Impact the Middle East and Weaken U.S. Power
Reports from the Vienna talks indicate that a new “Iran Deal” is expected to be announced imminently. Based on the public information on the probable terms of this agreement, there are six outcomes that I predict are likely consequences of this new...
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Palm Sunday and the Day of the Lambs
When John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him at the Jordan River, he announced, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Those awaiting baptism may have been startled. They knew all about lambs....
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Victims of Terrorism: Rima and Yaakov’s Story
Rima and Yaakov came to Israel from Belarus and became citizens in 2007—and they’ve always been happy about their decision to immigrate. These senior citizens are committed to staying in their town of Sderot, despite the fact that it is a target...
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Biblical Israel: Garden of Gethsemane
Mark and Matthew identify Gethsemane as the place Jesus went with His disciples after eating the Passover within the city of Jerusalem, prior to His arrest (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32). These two Gospels provide the only mention of this place within ancient...
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Weekly Devotional: Hiding from God
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree and God came to walk with them in the garden, they responded by hiding themselves. Children who disobey a parent often respond in the same manner; they hide themselves....
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Israel’s Archaeological Findings Continue to Prove the Bible’s Authenticity
Palm Sunday and Resurrection Day are fast approaching. For Christians, our Holy Week is the most momentous time of the year and the Holy Land is the most sacred place—because it is the land of our Jewish Savior’s birth, where He taught, healed, died, and was...
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Biblical Israel: Masada
Masada, a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2), sits on the south-western shore of the Dead Sea, fifteen and a half miles south of Ein Gedi. The fortress sits atop an isolated rock plateau that overlooks the Dead Sea Valley below....
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Weekly Devotional: Are You Only the God of the Past?
Have you ever found yourself frustrated reading the Bible? Not confused, but frustrated. Frustrated because in its pages you read about God’s mighty acts, His deliverance of His people, His signs and wonders, then you look to our world, to your life, and the...
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Iran’s Persian New Year: What Will It Bring?
To Iranians, Sunday March 20 marked not only Iran’s Persian new year—the year 1401, according to their solar calendar—but also a new century. Iranians worldwide celebrate their beloved new year holiday, called Nowruz—“new day”—on the first day of spring....
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Emergency Relief for Ukrainian Jewish Refugees
Israel needs your help! She needs Christians like you to stand in solidarity with her and help care for her people who are streaming in by the thousands from Ukraine. “They lost everything. That’s the reality,” said an Israeli medic at an overwhelmed Ukrainian...
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Biblical Israel: Dead Sea
The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, at 1,300 feet below sea level. It formerly received six million tons of water daily from the Jordan River. It forms part of the Rift Valley. It is forty-three...
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Weekly Devotional: Be Prepared
A Jewish sage, a contemporary of Jesus, told his disciples, “Repent the day before you die.” His disciples responded with the question: “Who knows the day of his death?” To which their master replied, “Yes, therefore, one should repent...
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Purim 2022: Modern Hamans Spawn Global Terror
Last night and today, the Jewish community is celebrating Purim, which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman in the ancient Persian Empire. Queen Esther acted on her cousin Mordechai’s wise counsel after he...
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Purim: The Story of Esther
Purim celebrates the Jewish people’s rescue from and victory over a wicked government minister who wanted to destroy them thousands of years ago as recorded in the book of Esther in the Bible. And although it’s the only book in the Bible...
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Lifesaving Bomb Shelters
The ongoing threat of attacks from Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon causes Israeli families and communities to live in a perpetual state of high alert and anxiety. Every time a siren goes off—at all hours of the day or night—the people...
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Biblical Israel: Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a north-south ridge that sits on the eastern watershed of the hills around Jerusalem. To its east, the land slopes drastically down towards the Jordan River Valley and the area around Jericho, towards the Dead Sea. ...
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Weekly Devotional: The Right Paths
God’s name is at stake in us, and we can trust in His care for this very reason. The psalmist used the image of sheep and a shepherd to convey this reality. Shepherding in the land of Israel is challenging. The climate of parts of the land can...
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Russia Adding Ukrainian Refugees to the Bitter Fruit of Communism and Dictatorships
Victimized under Vladimir Putin’s campaign of unrestrained violence, Ukraine is another nation to suffer the bitter fruit of oppressive regimes since World War II. At this writing, upwards of 2 million Ukrainians are now classified as refugees...
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Victim of Terrorism: Nina’s Story
When they learned that a barrage of rockets from Gaza had hit their apartment building, Nina and her husband rushed home from work. Staring at their destroyed home, they were in shock. At age 52, Nina felt that life had just begun to...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan River
The most dramatic geographical feature of the biblical land of Israel is the scar of the Rift Valley. Created by the tectonic plates, this forms part of the Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet. Within the land of Israel...
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Weekly Devotional: Doing the Father’s Will
We’ve all heard the saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Jesus told this parable to underscore a very important fact: doing God’s will is what matters most. Jesus, His brother James, and even Paul placed a premium on obedience to God’s will. ...
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Finding Light While Combatting Hate: My Discovery of Evangelical Christian Friends
Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred and has plagued humanity from the beginning of recorded history. As the Trump Administration’s U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, I spent my days tracking antisemitic incidents and...
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Ukraine: Overcoming Darkness with Light
Ukraine has enjoyed freedom ever since 1991, when it crawled out from under the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin’s callous disregard for Ukraine’s population is a grim reminder of Joseph Stalin, one of the world’s most monstrous killers, who ruled the Union...
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Victims of Terrorism: Irena and Suzanna’s Story
The air was filled with red-alert sirens. People were frantically rushing to nearby bomb shelters. This was Irena’s life in the city of Holon near Tel Aviv, during a conflict with Hamas terrorists in Gaza. She was 48, a single mother to her daughter Suzanna—and their city was...
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Biblical Israel: Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It sits 600 feet below sea level. It is a lake, and not a sea; thus, the Evangelist Luke correctly describes it often as a lake (5:1; 8:22, 33). The Lake of Galilee sits in the Jordan River Valley, which…...
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Weekly Devotional: A Broken Spirit
Despair is a common human emotion. As finite beings, we often struggle to see beyond the moment, and when circumstances overwhelm us, we can all too easily find our emotions swept away. The floodwaters come over us, and we despair. And that’s okay—as...
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Iran Negotiations 2022: Landmark or Land Mine?
President Obama and Vice President Biden viewed their 2015 Iran deal as a landmark agreement, believing it the best way to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The last seven years, however, have shown it to be quite ill-conceived...
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Biblical Israel: Dan Spring
The land of Israel did not merely provide the stage upon which biblical events played out, its flora, fauna, climate, and geology provide the images, metaphors, and vocabulary that biblical writers used to...
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Weekly Devotional: When Adversity Strikes
When the chief priests of Jerusalem commanded Peter and John to no longer speak in Jesus’ name, the two disciples had a choice to make. They went to their community and together they prayed. ...
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United Nations: No Valentines for Israel
For Valentine’s Day this past Monday, Americans rushed to buy flowers, candy, and greeting cards for loved ones. That same day, the United Nations watchdog, UN Watch, sent another kind of greeting calling out the...
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Victim of Terrorism: Liat’s Story
Liat’s life has never been easy. Married to a violent husband for years, at age 44 she is now a single mother, raising her two children alone on a limited income. Although she struggles to make ends meet, she is grateful...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel is a limestone ridge that bisects the coastal plain of the land of Israel branching off from the mountains of Samaria west towards the Mediterranean coast. It is most famous as the location for the...
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Weekly Devotional: Do Not Abandon Your Love
Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you...
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Amnesty International Offers No Amnesty to Israel
Amnesty International describes itself as a global movement that protects people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied. And there’s no question that this human rights organization has a...
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Living with Disability: Gila and Noam’s Story
Living in Israel, Gila is 60, and a single mom of four grown children. Three live on their own—but Noam, her youngest at almost 20, was born with cerebral palsy, a severe disability. ...
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Biblical Israel: First Century Tombs and Burial
Bible readers find the issue of Jewish burial customs and tombs interesting due to the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. While the Gospels do not provide an exact location for the tomb of Jesus...
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Weekly Devotional: If It Had Not Been the Lord
When things get difficult, whom do you turn to for aid? Do you try to figure it out yourself? Do you look to family or friends? Or do you look to God? This does not mean simply throwing a prayer heavenward in a moment of crisis; do...
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Isaiah’s Prophecy, Professor Sukenik, and the United Nations
Last week, the Jewish community and millions of caring people worldwide observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In 2005, the United Nations finally called for an International Holocaust Remembrance Day to be observed each January 27, the day that in 1945 saw Auschwitz-Birkenau finally liberated....
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Victim of Terrorism: Ronen’s Story
Imagine being a disabled senior who can barely walk and living in a city that is a target for rocket attacks—with less than a minute’s warning to rush for cover when the sirens sound. For 60-year-old Ronen and her husband, this was...
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Biblical Israel: Capernaum
Mentioned more than any other location in the Gospels, apart from Jerusalem, Capernaum sits on the northern shore of the lake of Galilee. The Gospels indicate it served as an important base during Jesus’ ministry around the lake...
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Weekly Devotional: Who Are You To Judge?
A Jewish contemporary of Jesus said, “Do not judge your neighbor until you have come to his place.” It’s an ancient version of our modern saying: “Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” ...
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On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a Little-Known Story Offers Inspiration
Today, January 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Amid the worldwide resurgence of anti-Semitism, recommitting to the rallying cry of “Never Again” is vital. The venom of hatred is once again poisoning the world against the Jews, God’s chosen...
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Remembering the Holocaust
In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this solemn day, the world remembers the 6 million Jewish ...
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Biblical Israel: Qumran
Located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about seven miles south of Jericho and twenty miles north of Ein Gedi, sits the ruins of Qumran. Eleven caves around Qumran yielded, arguably, the most important...
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Weekly Devotional: What Matters to God?
If someone asked you, “What matters to God?”—how would you respond? We sometimes struggle to feel the impact of the words of the Bible because we do not belong to the world of the Bible. We do not understand worshiping God with sacrifices; we think we do, but we don’t....
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The Miracle of Aliyah: Israel’s Historic Puzzle Pieces Fall into Place
“Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Aliyah is a Hebrew word meaning “to ascend.” When we read Psalms 120-134, in essence we are participating in the “Songs of Ascent” much...
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Single Mother: Elvira’s Story
After her first child was born, Elvira* was weak and exhausted. Plus, she and her husband were in dire financial straits, with no improvement in sight. So, she suggested they wait to have more children until things improved. Instead, he insisted that they have...
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Biblical Israel: Chorazin
Located two and a half miles north of Capernaum, Chorazin sits in the hills overlooking the lake of Galilee at 45-46 meters above sea level and 267-273 meters above the lake. Although only mentioned once in the Gospels (Matthew 11:21-24; Luke 10:13-16), Jesus...
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Weekly Devotional: Do Justice
“He has told you, mortal one, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 NASB)....
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Israel’s Golan: Rising to New Heights
Traveling north to Israel’s Golan Heights is an adventuresome journey of hairpin turns, vineyards, and vistas of the snow-capped 9,000-foot Mount Hermon. Yet despite an ancient history wrapped in boundless beauty, ominous warning signs about uncleared...
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Victim of Terrorism: Ludmilla’s Story
Ludmilla and her husband moved to Israel from Ukraine in 2000 and settled in Sderot. Her husband is now disabled—and at 62, she is his primary caregiver. With four children and eight grandchildren in Ukraine, the couple has no relatives nearby....
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Biblical Israel: Magdala
The site of Magdala sits a little over three miles north of Tiberias, on the southern edge of the plain of Gennesar, on the shore of the lake of Galilee. Ancient sources seemingly refer to this site by three names; Greek and Latin sources refer to it as Taricheae; Hebrew...
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Weekly Devotional: On Display
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” “From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered Him, “and walking around on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered…...
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Hope in the Holy Land? One Film Casts a Light
Peace between Jews and Palestinian Arabs seems as distant as the earth from the moon. Ancients and moderns worldwide have been fascinated by this celestial body, and the Jewish community sets its time by the lunar clock....
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Victim of Terrorism: Malka’s Story
Malka and her husband have weathered many challenges living in Israel. He has been disabled for years with severe spinal problems—and has undergone long periods of treatment. Walking and speaking are now difficult for him, and the struggle has been discouraging. ...
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Biblical Israel: Elah Valley
The biblical writers often assume their readers knew the geographic and regional dynamics of the land of Israel. Sites and locations offer more than simply places on a map; they provide the living landscape that shaped and formed the biblical stories. In addition, the...
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Weekly Devotional: Pursued by God
We are often told to “pursue God” and “draw near to God.” The Bible encourages it: “Your face, LORD, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8 NKJV). The Bible makes clear that God can be found by those who pursue Him. So, at times, the action falls upon us to pursue God. ...
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In 2022, Israelis Are Staring At Some Good News and Some Bad News
Most of us have used or made jokes with the idiomatic expression, “What do you want to hear first—the good news or the bad news?” One psychological study showed that most respondents preferred the bad news first, thinking that ending with the good news...
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Biblical Israel: Caesarea
The book of Acts mentions Caesarea a number of times. In Caesarea, the Gospel came to the Gentiles for the first time as Peter proclaimed Jesus to the God-fearing Roman Centurion Cornelius and his family, who subsequently received the Holy Spirit as the Jews had (Acts 10). ...
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Weekly Devotional: Waiting for Redemption
“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had...
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Immanuel: God With Us
When seen within its world, the Advent story has a different look and feel from how we tend to envision it. It certainly is foreign to the modern spirit of Christmas. Yet, when we view it within its historical and cultural context, we find a world that many felt was…...
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Better Together: Christmas Comfort from Israel, American Jews, Christians, and Businesses
Mayfield, Kentucky, where tornadoes practically crushed the town of 10,000 into kindling wood earlier this month, is now experiencing the calming currents of help and hope in expressions of Christmas giving. Mayfield is hardly alone, since other towns in four states also suffered along 250 miles of whirling terror. Ninety-two…...
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Winter Heater Distribution
Imagine living in an old, frigid apartment with little or no heating—and your fixed income barely makes ends meet… Whenever the weather turns cold in Israel, this is the plight of many impoverished seniors, single mothers, new immigrants, and others trying to survive. ...
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Biblical Israel: Bethlehem
Bethlehem gains its notoriety as the birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1-7); however, by the time of Jesus’ birth, the village already had quite a history. Bethlehem first appears in the Amarna Letters (14th century B.C.) as a Canaanite town. Its name comes from this period and means “house”…...
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Weekly Devotional: Glory to God in the Highest
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be…...
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Jerusalem, the “City of Three Christmases” in Israel, the Land of Religious Freedom
Israel, the world’s only Jewish nation, is historically a beacon of religious freedom for the three monotheistic faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Christmas observances last for days in Israel with a vast array of decorations, festivities, and...
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Holocaust Survivor: Eugenia’s Story
Yafit was young, Ethiopian, and Jewish—and she fulfilled a major dream when she immigrated to Israel in 1991. Surviving the transition of leaving her little farming village for a new country, she eventually got a great job, married, and had four children....
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Biblical Israel: Herodium
Three miles southeast of Bethlehem sits Herodium, the palace fortress built by Herod the Great (Matthew 2). Overlooking the birthplace of Jesus, Herod’s fortress guarded the eastern roads through the wilderness from Bethlehem to En Gedi....
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Weekly Devotional: God Steps Into Our Turmoil
“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria” (Luke 2:1-2 NKJV). ...
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The Connection Between King David, Christmas, and Palm Sunday
The candles are extinguished for Hanukkah 2021, the Jewish Festival of Lights, replaced now with the lights of glowing Christmas trees and decorated homes. Our Christian nativity scenes are on display, with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger....
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Single Mother: Yafit’s Story
Yafit was young, Ethiopian, and Jewish—and she fulfilled a major dream when she immigrated to Israel in 1991. Surviving the transition of leaving her little farming village for a new country, she eventually got a great job, married, and had four children....
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Biblical Israel: Beersheva
The site of Beersheva figures prominently within the Patriarchal stories of the Old Testament, particularly with Abraham. It also became the defining limit of the southern extent of the kingdom of Israel, from Dan to Beersheva (1 Samuel 3:20; 17:11; 24:2; 1 Kings 4:25)....
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Weekly Devotional: The Nature of Redemption
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,...
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Hanukkah in Ancient and Modern Israel: “A Great Miracle Happened There”
On Sunday, November 28, Jewish families worldwide began celebrating Hanukkah—lighting up their homes each day with candles in their Hanukkiahs, their menorah candelabras. By December 6, when the festival ends, all the candles will be glowing. Children are enjoying eight days of gifts and playing dreidel games, and families are…...
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Victim of Terrorism: Rivka’s Story
Rivka and her husband immigrated to Israel from Russia in 1973, and they have established deep roots. Living in the coastal city of Ashdod, they both worked from home as structural engineers, and shared a business computer with all the specialized software they used. ...
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Biblical Artifact: Theodotus Synagogue Inscription
In the centuries between the Old and New Testaments, an important institution developed within Judaism, the synagogue. The Gospels and Acts mention synagogues frequently; they played an important role in the lives of Jesus, His followers, and the growth of His movement....
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Weekly Devotional: The Magnificat
“He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped...
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Thankful for Israel: A Blessing to the World
Today, as we observe a national day of thanksgiving and count our many blessings, I pray that we would also be extra mindful of those who are distressed and in need throughout our world. This is where I especially encourage you to take to heart the extraordinary example of our…...
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Widowed Single Mother: Anna’s Story
When Anna moved from Ukraine to Israel, she started a new life—and found romance. It’s where she met her husband—an Israeli citizen who was also from Ukraine. They had a little girl, and everything was going well. Then, without warning, tragedy struck. ...
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Biblical Israel: Nazareth
Nazareth—the boyhood home of Jesus—sits on a limestone ridge (the Nazareth Ridge) in the Lower Galilee that separates the Jezreel Valley to the south from the Beit Netofa Valley to the north. Nazareth first appears in ancient literary sources in the New Testament (Matthew 2:23; Luke 1:26; Luke 2:4, 39,…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Annunciation
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born…...
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Israel Hosts Fifth Christian Media Summit in Friendship and Unity
A week ago, I attended Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO) Christian Media Summit (CMS). Held virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, this year’s summit drew more than 100 media professionals and opinion leaders from across the world. According to the CMS website, the summit’s goal is to “foster…...
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Single Mother: Makdes’ Story
Life was already hard for Makdes, a single mother with three kids, living in Jerusalem. She hadno contact withherchildren’s father, who abandoned them long ago—and shestruggledalonejust to survive....
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Biblical Israel: Galilee
Galilee is the northernmost region of the central mountain range that runs like a spine (north-south) through the land of Israel. The mountains of Galilee have the highest elevations within the hill country, and therefore, offer the coolest temperatures along with lush...
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Weekly Devotional: Clothe Yourself
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone...
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How Anti-Semitism Reproduces and How to Stop it
By the time World War II ended, the world was reeling in shock and chaos from the ravages of hate gone viral. In Europe alone, an estimated 15-20 million people died in a war viewed as the most destructive in history. ...
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Lone Soldier: Anna’s Story
When Anna was a young girl, her family immigrated to Israel. Although she was not from a religious family, Anna came to faith in God as a Messianic Jew when she was 14. But in her teens, conflicts at home grew so intense that she was forced to leave and…...
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Biblical Israel: Jordan Valley
The Jordan Valley is a narrow valley the extends from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. It is part of the great Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet, that spans from Syria to Lake Victoria in Africa....
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Weekly Devotional: True Humility
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells a provocative parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: “Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his...
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UN Watch: Resolving to Fix the United Nations’ Anti-Israel Bias
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and the UN, strode to the podium on October 29 at a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) at the UN General Assembly in New York. “It’s always open season on Israel at the Human Rights...
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Victim of Terrorism: Sarah’s Story
Ashdod is an idyllic seacoast city, which Sarah’s family calls home. At age 74 years old, she and her husband have lived there for years—with their three children and five grandchildren nearby. However, being so close to the Gaza Strip, it has gradually become a target for...
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Biblical Israel: Edom
The land of Edom lay south of the land of Moab in the Transjordan. The Zered Ravine, which empties into the southern end of the Dead Sea, formed the boundary between these two kingdoms. The Bible refers to Edom also as Mount Seir (Genesis 36:21; Ezekiel 35:15). ...
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Weekly Devotional: Radical Devotion to God
“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple’” (Luke 14:25-26 NKJV). ...
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Restoration and Restitution for Massive WWII Art Heist
Recent news about the upcoming auction of a van Gogh watercolor titled Meules de Blé (“Haystacks”) jubilantly swept through the art world. The Dutch artist’s painting has not appeared in public since 1905, when Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam exhibited it. ...
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Biblical Artifact: Tel Dan Inscription
Excavations in the 1990s at the site of Dan in northern Israel, which sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, uncovered three fragments of an inscription from the 9th century B.C. Written in Old Aramaic the fragments form part of a victory stela of an Aramean king (Hazael?) who claims…...
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Weekly Devotional: Who Are You Causing To Stumble?
“But take care that this freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will his conscience, if he is weak, not be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?...
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The Truth About “Palestine”—Then and Now
Calling Israel “Palestine” is commonplace today. However, the history of that name goes back millennia. First coined by the ancient Greeks for the five-city area in the Philistine confederacy and then adopted by Roman emperor Hadrian, Palestine was more recently copied by former Palestinian...
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Single Mother: Monica’s Story
When Monica and her husband immigrated to Israel in 2000 with their infant son, they were full of hope. Settling in Ashkelon, their family grew to nine children, and Monica’s husband worked hard to provide for his wife and kids. But this past year, life took a tragic turn. ...
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Biblical Israel: Lachish
Lachish was one of the largest cities within the kingdom of Judah. Located in the Judean lowlands (Shephelah), it sat in the southern branch of the Beth Guvrin-Lachish Valley system, which provided an east-west corridor between the hill country (the area around...
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Weekly Devotional: Our Prayer Is Our Life
“Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV).When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to begin their prayer with these three phrases. Hebrew poetry, like prayers, often utilizes parallelism; it is a way of…...
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The Twelfth Man for Israel
In a stunning upset on October 9, “The Twelfth Man” seemed to play a significant role in the victory in College Station, Texas, when the Texas A&M (Aggies) football team beat the No. 1 University of Alabama Crimson Tide. It ended Alabama’s 19-game winning streak in a game that Aggies…...
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Victim of Terrorism: Kalia and Havier’s Story
Kalia and Havier became Israeli citizens in 2000, and lived in Beersheva with their four children. Havier has been the full-time pastor of a large Spanish-speaking congregation...
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Biblical Israel: Yodfat
The Galilean village of Yodfat lies in the hills three miles north of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, across Beit Netofa Valley, an easy day’s walk. Its primary industries were textiles and pottery manufacturing. The inhabitants of Yodfat herded...
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Weekly Devotional: True Religion
“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:...
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The Gush Etzion Tree: A Symbol of Hope in Israel’s Heartland
When tourists visit Israel, some sites are absolute essentials for Christians. The Garden Tomb, Western Wall, the Old City, Capernaum, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Galilee are top priorities on most Holy Land trip itineraries....
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Elderly Widow: Eliana’s Story
During World War II, when Eliana’s father was drafted, her mother and siblings fled Ukraine for Uzbekistan. A year after her father came home from serving on the front lines, Eliana was born. But the war was still raging, and food and essentials were scarce—especially for a family with five children....
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Biblical Israel: Ashkelon
Ashkelon sits on the southern Mediterranean coast in the modern State of Israel. The Bible identifies it as one of the five Philistine cities along with Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. Ashkelon sits on the Mediterranean coast between Gaza and Ashdod. The ancient site sat on a ridge of cemented…...
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Weekly Devotional: Have You Ever Wanted to Give Up?
Jeremiah lived in troubled days. God called him to prophesy to the kingdom of Judah in the years leading up to the Babylonian invasion of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, its Temple, and the deportation of many of its citizens to Babylon....
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Joel Rosenberg’s Newest Book Enemies and Allies: Stepping Into Middle East History
Author Joel C. Rosenberg’s latest book links his front row seat to history with his page-turning style. It’s as if he stepped into one of his previous sixteen thrillers. However, his newest book is not a novel. It is real. ...
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Giving Food and Care to Elderly Jewish Widows
Starvation. Assault. Forced to sleep on the cold, wet ground. And the constant threat of death. These are the unthinkable deprivations that many Jewish children experienced as they were seized from their villages and marched to the horrors of concentration camps. No one should have to experience that brutality, then…...
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Biblical Israel: Gamla
The ancient site Gamla sits in the central Golan Heights about six miles east of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and the Bethsaida Valley. The ancient village sat on the spur of a hill created by two streams, Nahal Gamla and Nahal Daliyyot. The spur that the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Who Is Your God?
And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the…...
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Apartheid Accusations Against Israel Misplaced
Apartheid is an ugly term with an ugly history. Dutch for “separate” or “apartness,” apartheid was the official policy of racial segregation against nonwhites as formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa. Between 1948 and 1994, 170,000 white Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch, German and French settlers—wielded cruel policies against 40…...
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Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and…...
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Biblical Israel: Wilderness of Zin
Many travelers to the modern State of Israel make the mistaken assumption that the boundaries of the modern entity of Israel overlap biblical Israel. Apart from the fact that even within the Bible what constitutes the boundaries of Israel shifts from period to period, the modern State of Israel does...
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Weekly Devotional: Remember Where You Have Come From
“Remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2 NKJV)....
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Yom Kippur: An Ancient Goat, a War, and a Risen Savior
The Day of Atonement (Hebrew: Yom Kippur) is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community worldwide. It began yesterday at sundown and ends tonight, September 16, when the stars become visible in the night skies. No work is done. Traditions of fasting and prayer fill the day…...
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Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement
“Be careful to celebrate the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of that same month—nine days after the Festival of Trumpets. You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves and present special gifts to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:27 NLT). ...
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Victim of Terrorism: Dalia’s Story
As a 69-year-old widow, Dalia has two adult children who live on their own. Yet, one grown child still lives with her—a son who suffers from kidney disease. He is not able to work, and they survive mostly on Dalia’s pension. Living a simple life, they have managed to get…...
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Biblical Artifact: Temple Warning Inscription
The first century Jewish historian Josephus described the Jerusalem Temple in great detail. He noted that the large outer court was separated from the holy precincts by a balustrade that had inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding non-Jews from passing this wall. Non-Jews were permitted to be in the outer…...
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Weekly Devotional: Go and Be Reconciled
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God” (Matthew 5:23-24 NLT)....
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Remembering 9/11 and Praying for Afghanistan
Saturday, September 11, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist flights of radical Islamic death and destruction that took place on a sky-blue Tuesday morning. The hijacked planes—United Airlines 175, American Airlines 11, American Airlines 77, and United Airlines 93—became...
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Single Mother: Ludmila’s Story
He lived in a depressed area, where the economy was weak, and work choices were few. Carmi was grateful for his factory job—and it provided enough for his wife and two children. But when the pandemic hit, the economy worsened. Carmi lost his job—leaving his wife as the sole breadwinner with…...
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Rosh Hashanah: Feast of Trumpets
“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do…...
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Biblical Israel: Jerusalem
The most mentioned city in the Bible is Jerusalem. From the time that David made it the capital of his kingdom, it became the focal point of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and later of the Jewish people and faith. ...
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Weekly Devotional: The Trumpets Are Blowing
“In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord ... Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the...
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Wishing Our Jewish Friends A Sweet New Year
Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year” in Hebrew) is another miracle of promise-keeping by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This Jewish New Year celebration—the 5,782nd—commences at sundown on Monday, September 6, and ends at sundown on Wednesday, September 8. Israel continues to survive and thrive!...
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Victim of Terrorism: Carmi’s Story
He lived in a depressed area, where the economy was weak, and work choices were few. Carmi was grateful for his factory job—and it provided enough for his wife and two children. But when the pandemic hit, the economy worsened. Carmi lost his job—leaving his wife as the sole breadwinner with…...
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Biblical Israel: Wadi Qilt
Roadways are one of the most significant aspects of biblical geography. Roads often gave significance to locations, villages, and cities. In fact, roadways influenced and dictated settlement patterns, the building and establishing of cities and villages. Controlling roadways meant control of travel, commerce, and...
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Weekly Devotional: Overcome Dead Faith
“What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed…...
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Defying Nazis: An American Hero Saved Jewish Soldiers Under His Command
If you stood outside the East Tennessee History Center on one of Knoxville’s busy streets, you couldn’t miss the handsome new blue marker with gold lettering extolling the heroism of a native son. Last Friday, August 20, this was the site of a memorial celebration attended by the Reverend Chris…...
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Business Development: Aya’s Story
Aya was living out her dream. A 53-year-old married Ukrainian immigrant with two children, she had settled in northern Israel—and had a thriving clothing boutique. Then, the pandemic struck… and the economy took a hit. People were not spending money as they had. Aya’s business was deemed non-essential during the...
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Biblical Israel: Sepphoris
Sepphoris was the capital of the Galilee during the first part of the 1st century A.D., when Jesus was a boy. Located four miles north of Nazareth, Sepphoris sat in the Beth Netofa Valley, which provided a main east-west roadway in the Lower Galilee from the northwestern part of the…...
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Weekly Devotional: Choose Life
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your…...
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Abraham Accords—A Year Later, Hope is Taking Hold
The Abraham Accords, signed on the White House lawn on September 15, 2020, heralded an unexpected miracle. After President Trump announced the upcoming agreements on August 13, 2020, the three monotheistic faiths represented at the table—Christian, Jewish, and Muslim—not only honored Father Abraham, but set a new Middle East direction…...
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Single Mother: Ava’s Story
At age 46, Ava was suddenly starting over. She had moved to Israel from Eritrea, got married, and had six children. But her hopes for a good life were dashed when her husband became violent. Israel’s social services had to intervene—placing the children in foster homes and boarding schools. Finally,…...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Nebo
God also buried him on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). The two and a half tribes that remained east of the Jordan River (Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh) name Mount Nebo as part of the territory they requested from Moses. Its situation near to the southern end…...
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Weekly Devotional: His Word Is Near to You
“For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you could say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we…...
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Economic Zionism: A Powerful and Peaceful Way to Oppose Economic Warfare Against Israel
Israel’s biblical heartland is Judea and Samaria. This region is widely known as the “West Bank,” as it lies west of the Jordan River. Much of the world considers Israel as “occupying” this area—but they are wrong. God deeded Judea and Samaria to modern Israel’s ancient ancestors. Genesis 15:18 records it…...
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Holocaust survivor: Zinaida’s Story
It was 1941, and Zinaida was terrified. The Nazis had invaded her Jewish village in Belarus, and the Holocaust began. This child and her family were rounded up and had to live in a barn with the animals. Laboring in their own fields, all their harvests went to Germany—while they…...
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Biblical Israel: Southern Steps
Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the first century A.D. approached the Temple Mount from the south. After ritually purifying themselves, either in the Pool of Siloam, at the southern end of the City of David, or in one of the ritual immersion baths located along the southern end of the Temple…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Secret of Contentment
“For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and…...
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: The Man Behind the Mask
Decades before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, prompting the widespread use of face masks, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas had twisted together his own version of a mask—one that hid his lifelong motives and remade him into a credible world leader....
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Single Mother: Mila’s Story
Less than two years ago, Mila and her husband immigrated to Israel. They brought their five younger children, while their two adult children decided to stay in Ukraine. Just as they were beginning to navigate the challenges of being in a new country, COVID-19 struck. ...
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Biblical Israel: Tower of David
The only gate on the western side of the modern Old City of Jerusalem is Jaffa Gate (so named because the road leading to Jaffa goes through this gate). Inside Jaffa Gate stands the Citadel or the Tower of David. This structure has nothing to do with David, which can…...
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Weekly Devotional: Be Steadfast
“He gives strength to the weary, and to the one who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run…...
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The Ice Cream Wars: Will Anti-Israel Hostility Melt?
The founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have suffered a brain freeze—but not from eating too much ice cream at one time. No, their brain freeze is due to backing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS)....
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Mourning Mother and Widow: Zoya’s Story
Zoya is an older widow who had immigrated to Israel in 1995 with her husband, and her son, Pavel. Since her husband’s death several years ago, Pavel, who was 42 and lived at home, was her only family. He was kind, generous, and loved by many—and he was a blessing…...
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Biblical Israel: Damascus Gate
Visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem today can enter the city through seven gates scattered around its eastern, southern, western, and northern sides. These gates, like the walls of the Old City, date to the Ottoman Period (16th-20th centuries). Along the northern stretch of the Old City walls are three…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Path of Wisdom
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like...
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Israelis and the Summer Olympics: Will Anti-Semitism Compete, Too?
Due to COVID-19’s untimely appearance last year, the Tokyo Summer Games are still called the 2020 Olympics. Ninety athletes—55 men and 35 women, Israel’s biggest delegation yet—are vying for medals in 18 sports. The games begin tomorrow, July 23, and last until August 8, offering sports fans worldwide the thrill…...
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Holocaust Survivor: Tauba’s Story
“I never thought I would hear the horrifying sound of bombings again, especially in Israel,” said Tauba, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor. When the Nazis invaded Latvia, she was just a little girl living in Riga. Her father put her and her mother on the last train to Kazakhstan—where they hid...
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Biblical Israel: Western Wall
The Western Wall refers to the western retaining wall built to support the Temple Mount platform. In the first century, this wall faced the city of Jerusalem, and as such, it had four gates in it that led onto the Temple Mount platform. The gates alternated in their access lower…...
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Weekly Devotional: The Value of One
All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” So He told them this parable:...
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Christians and Jews in Israel Connect Through Modern Readings of Ancient Scripture
An American-based reading-aloud Bible initiative—the Nationwide Bible Reading Marathon—was just completed yesterday morning, July 14, at 7:14 across the world virtually in respective time zones. In Israel, the birthplace of the Bible, the reading uniquely brought Jews and Christians together to recite the assigned chapters 25-66 in Isaiah....
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Lone Soldier: Shoshana’s Story
Shortly after her parents emigrated from Bulgaria to Israel, Shoshana was born. Growing up, sadly, her home never felt like “home.” The fighting and screaming… Her childhood was filled with constant anxiety and stress, and she had a difficult relationship with...
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Biblical Israel: Mount Tabor
In the northeastern corner of the Jezreel Valley sits the solitary, dome shaped hill of Mount Tabor. The steep slopes on all sides of the mountain lead to plateau on top, 1000 meters by 400 meters in area. The tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali meet at Mount Tabor....
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Weekly Devotional: How Do You Want To Be Judged?
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:37-38 NKJV). Matthew’s parallel adds, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure…...
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Israel: Money Well Spent for America’s Most Beneficial Ally
Most American taxpayers are distressed by the way the United States Congress wheels and deals with our national budget. While members of Congress jockey for political advantage, the unwieldy budgets have now contributed to a colossal $28 trillion debt at this writing. Nevertheless, despite its recurring budget power-struggles and often reckless…...
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Elderly Widow: Huana’s Story
When Huana immigrated to Israel with her husband and two children in 1989, the couple worked in a factory, and for years they were content. They lived in Sderot, and despite rocket attacks from Gaza, the family adapted. But then, her husband started...
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Biblical Israel: Hebron
The city of Hebron played an important role, particularly within the Old Testament narratives. The city features prominently in the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Joshua and Caleb, and, eventually, David, who reigned for his first seven years at Hebron. ...
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Weekly Devotional: Wisdom Is a Skill You Learn
“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your possessions, acquire understanding. … I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths” (Proverbs 4:7, 11 NASB). Our modern world often equates wisdom with intelligence, or wisdom as the result of life…...
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Israel’s Search and Rescue Unit in Florida on Another Heroic Mission of Mercy
Even before the expert Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Search and Rescue Brigade arrived in Florida, they had already mapped via satellite the collapsed Champlain Towers South. Carrying with them the hope that their survey would add to the lifesaving efforts of all rescuers on the site, Israel’s “Helping Hand” operation…...
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Hope and Rehabilitation
They had once been homeless, living on the streets, with many of them survivors of drug or alcohol addiction. This group of men had successfully completed a rigorous live-in rehabilitation program. Now, in a half-way home in Israel, facing the Mediterranean Sea, they were given a place...
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Biblical Israel: City of David
The first seven and a half years that David reigned, he reigned in Hebron, which sat in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah, David’s tribe (2 Samuel 5:5). As he expanded his rule to all of Israel, he decided to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which until...
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Deeds Worthy of Repentance
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:19-20 NKJV). A key…...
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Arson by Balloons: Floating Incendiary and Explosive Devices Target Innocent Israeli Civilians
For generations, toy balloons have been a source of fun and joy. That was certainly true in Israel—until Hamas turned these instruments of amusement into implements of terror....
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Biblical Israel: Beth Shean
Located at the intersection of two significant roads that crossed the land of Israel from west to east, through the Jezreel and Harod Valleys towards the land east of the Jordan River, and north to south, through the Jordan River Valley, Beth Shean’s prominence came due to its location. The…...
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Weekly Devotional: Slow to Anger in a World of Tempers
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29 NRSV). We live in a world full of tempers. On our streets, in our homes, on our social media, people express their temper often and loudly. Anger seems to simmer under…...
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Anti-Israel Hostility Is Soaring While Dictatorships Get a Free Pass
When it comes to what drives spiraling anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment, hate is always at the helm. The global mainstream media’s anti-Israel bias could not be clearer. By frequently abandoning or twisting context and facts, they often reveal unrelenting hostility toward the world’s only Jewish state. Astonishingly, they will single…...
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Family in Crisis: Aviva’s Story
For many in Israel, COVID-19 has not only caused financial hardships, but it has also taken a mental and emotional toll on people. The isolation and restrictions made life even worse for those already struggling to get by. And for Aviva, a single mother raising two children by herself, it…...
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Biblical Israel: Ein Gedi
The name Ein Gedi means “spring of the kid (young goat).” Ein Gedi, which is the largest oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, sits between two riverbeds (in Hebrew, nahal, in Arabic, wadi): Nahal David to the north and Nahal Arugot to the south. The oasis contains…...
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Weekly Devotional: Do You Sanctify His Name?
“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them’” (Numbers 20:12 HCSB). The children of Israel found themselves in the wilderness of…...
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Israel’s Ancient Political Dramas: Good Kings, Bad Kings, No Kings, and the King of Kings
Drama has dominated Israeli politics going back to ancient times, when the Jewish nation experienced seasons with good kings, bad kings, and no kings. Its political baggage is packed full of successes, failures, prosperity, disaster, peace, war, unity, betrayal, and...
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