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By Arlene Bridges Samuels

BRING THEM HOME came true last Sunday for three Israeli hostages. Red Cross vehicles drove out of Gaza carrying long-awaited female passengers back home to Israel. Doron, Emily, and Romi walked into the arms of their mothers, who greeted them with jubilant hugs and tears. These daughters instantly became the daughters of every Jewish parent and sisters of the entire nation.

The next day, at noon January 20th as defined by the U.S. Constitution, the 45th president of the United States took his second oath of office, making Donald John Trump the 47th president of the United States. Americans are celebrating our soon-to-be rescued freedoms and our Judeo-Christian values. Even before Chief Justice Roberts swore him in, with Melania holding his mother’s 1955 Bible, President Trump had made a significant mark in the hostage release deal.

Two long-standing allies are marking two historic events. Drawing deep breaths of gratefulness interwoven with hope, both nations also recognize the difficult days ahead.

First, celebrations broke out everywhere. Excited supporters flew into a frigid Washington, D.C., and one flight warmed up when a traveler video recorded passengers, who began singing “YMCA.”

In a Sunday night rally at Capitol One Arena, 20,000 supporters packed into the arena cheering as Trump walked onto the stage with Lee Greenwood singing his beloved song, “Proud to be an American.” Trump greeted Greenwood, stepped to the podium, and declared, “We won!” Two of Trump’s young grandchildren in the arms of Eric and Lara Trump led the Pledge of Allegiance and recited it perfectly.

Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma, popular podcasters of “Girls Gone Bible,” offered a compelling prayer. “President Trump, we set the name of the Lord upon you, and we declare that no weapon formed against you will prosper and that every tongue that rises up against you in judgment will be condemned.”

The Trump family, along with an eclectic slate of speakers and music, filled out the exhilarating program.

After President Trump’s remarks concerning the executive orders he would be signing the following day, the Village People took the stage with the iconic 1970s YMCA song. Trump remained on stage and showed some of his dance moves. The entire arena pulsated with happiness.

Some of YMCA’s lyrics are especially appropriate for Trump’s American supporters. Four years of increasing alarm enveloped us as we watched our country’s slide into lawlessness, the broken borders, and ungodly choices. We prayed and went to work and changed history with a massive number of votes tallied on November 5, 2024. More Christians finally decided to vote this time around and it made a big difference. Like the YMCA lyrics say, “There’s no need to feel down … pick yourself off the ground.” And that is what Americans did.

Earlier in the day, prior to his inauguration, President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, their wives, and key members of Trump’s team visited Arlington National Cemetery for the solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Trump had invited two Gold Star family members to pay their respects. A wounded warrior on crutches, who appeared to have lost his right arm and left leg, placed the final wreath as he stood beneath the cold, light rain.

Meanwhile, when the release of Doron, Emily, and Romi was official, Israel’s national airline El AL announced the good news on every flight. It is easy to guess the reaction of passengers.

Israelis anticipate a wide range of excellent policy decisions emerging from Trump’s administration. The good relationship between Trump and Netanyahu also signals unwavering American support for Israel if Hamas violates its agreements during the 42-day ceasefire.

International Bible teacher Amir Tsarfati is calling for 42 days of prayer. The Israeli explained, “The next 42 days will be unlike anything our nation has ever experienced so far. While fighting on seven fronts, we are being mentally and psychologically tortured by a demon-possessed terror group that won’t even tell us which of the 33 hostages to be released are still alive.”

Here is the agreed-upon schedule, although Hamas has not relented in its murderous goals. Four hostages will be returned to Israel on the seventh day. Thereafter, Hamas would release three hostages every seven days, starting with the living, and then moving on to return the bodies of those who have died. Finally, 14 hostages would be returned in the sixth and final week of Phase One.

If Hamas backs out of the deal it would be no surprise, although many hundreds of terrorist murderers are being released. This is a nightmarish Gordian Knot, a metaphor for an intractable problem eventually solved by the ability to “think outside the box.” Let us add our prayers here on earth for Trump and Netanyahu to untie the knot. The reality is that God Himself will untie the knot. Psalm 94:14-15 tells us, For the LORD will not abandon His people; nor will He abandon His inheritance. For judgment will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

In an interview, Yoav Engel offers a stark description of what Israelis are facing. His son Ofir, now 18 years old, was visiting a friend at Kibbutz Be’eri where terrorists murdered 101 residents, burned homes, and committed other atrocities. Ofir was captured that day on October 7, 2023, and released after 54 days. However, Yoav says that everything reminds him of the fear, anguish and anxiety of those two months. When he and his wife discuss the two anguish-filled months of not knowing whether Ofir was dead or alive, he says the family is still held captive by trauma.

Regarding the remaining hostages and their families, Yoav tries to understand. “I can’t even describe how I am. There are no words in Hebrew that describe this. The words don’t exist in our language.”

Our CBN Israel team welcomes you to pray with us this week following Psalm 146:1-3: Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.

Prayer Points:

• Pray with praises for Doron, Emily, and Romi’s release and for remaining hostages and their families.
• Pray that Hamas will keep its part of the deal.
• Pray for President Trump’s safety at all times.
• Pray for successes for members of Trump’s cabinet.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

For over a week, the intense blazes leveling California neighborhoods have been headline news. After months of near-zero rainfall, the area was vulnerable to the flames and fiery embers propelled by fierce Santa Ana winds. What perhaps hasn’t made the headlines is how Israel quickly came to their aid.

Two leading Israeli humanitarian relief organizations, IsraAID and SmartAID, sprang into action as the disastrous fires spread in and around Los Angeles, driven by severe and intense winds. SmartAID is already on the ground providing solar-telecommunication trailers, with 150 portable battery units supplied to U.S. medical charities and individuals that rely on refrigeration for insulin, food, CPAP machines, and oxygen.

IsraAID is making its plans now. Once the fires are contained, their Emergency Team of Israeli volunteers and humanitarian professionals will partner with California communities, providing ongoing help to rebuild their lives. Grievously afflicted Californians, and for that matter deeply concerned families and friends across America, can draw a measure of comfort from Israeli experts on the ground.

Israeli help is often the first to arrive and the last to be recognized. Although that lack of recognition isn’t surprising to these organizations, it does not stop them from carrying out their compassionate service to others.

IsraAID’s CEO, Yotam Polizer, remarks: “We are devastated to see the destruction … and our hearts go out to all those who have lost their homes or been displaced.” He adds, “We have long-standing ties to communities in Los Angeles and across California and have deeply felt the impact of this emergency.” In addition to their own work inside Israel during their defensive war, IsraAID’s commitment remains to “support communities experiencing crisis, no matter where they are.”

As of January 2025, IsraAID, established in 2001, has responded to more than 100 disaster emergencies in over 65 countries. IsraAID has a history of offering its competent help regardless of any country’s different politics, religion, or ethnicity.

In one of their best-known outreaches, 200 IsraAID medical teams were the first on the scene in Haiti’s horrific 2010 earthquake. They saved thousands of Haitian lives in their quickly set up tents with medical operating rooms. Some Haitian mothers named their babies “Israel” to honor the Jewish doctors who had safely delivered their babies. With half of its funding coming from non-Jewish sources, the award-winning organization has managed to continue working overseas during the 15 months since Israel suffered its now-ongoing disaster on October 7, 2023.

SmartAID’s founder, Shachar Zahavi, also emphasized the bond between Israel and the United States, recognizing that both are “empowered and strengthened by our shared commitment to global humanitarian aid and technological innovation.” Zahavi adds that “technology plays a crucial role in enhancing our collaborative efforts … especially in times of disasters.” In the first 40 days of the Hamas-launched war against Israel, SmartAID quickly proceeded to facilitate aid to Gazans, including smart classrooms for evacuated children and technology in civilian shelters.

Last year, SmartAID deployed its technology teams to Florida and North Carolina after Hurricane Helene wrought devastation there on an unprecedented scale. In Israel, they have opened a Safe Space Trauma Centre. Read here about their extensive outreaches.

As you can see, IsraAID and SmartAID are not strangers to global or American disasters. Although Israel is surrounded by an exaggerated culture of death threats against its homeland, the enshrined Jewish culture of life is expressed in multiple humane actions. Modern Israel, with a backdrop of centuries-long Jewish survival, has purposefully fashioned itself into providing innovative, humanitarian aid both within and without the world’s only Jewish state.

As 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 proclaims, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Swayed by hatred, too many groups and institutions will likely not believe what I am exposing. That is why I often say that it is up to those of us who know the truth to pass it on in person and via social media. Why not begin by reading the links about IsraAID and SmartAID and choosing a fact to oppose anti-Israel lies?

I recently rediscovered a quote that encapsulates the need for prayers matched with actions on behalf of Israel, our spiritual homeland. “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” Reverend Edward Everett Hale’s career included vigorous opposition to slavery, his benevolent “Lend A Hand” clubs (that lasted 100 years), and serving as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate from 1903 until his death in 1909. Let us revive his quote with the neon lights of advocacy for Israel!

In closing, anti-Israel lies and accusations are circulating like a social media storm despite Israel’s critical help amid the catastrophic fires. Use wisdom when you read or watch these posts. For example, many posts on X declare that the Iranian Red Crescent Society is offering its help and sympathy. Really? All the while, the Islamic Regime, its proxies, and even American antisemitic cheerleaders are pushing another opportunity to hate Israel and the United States.

Palestinian Media Watch reports, “Palestinian Authority says that California fires are Allah’s punishment of Trump.” A Muslim social media “journalist” accuses Israel with this twisted claim: “You burn hospitals and refugees on a live stream.” Although U.S. aid to Israel ($12.5 billion) is less than 0.00001% of U.S. federal spending (75 percent is spent in U.S. weapons manufacturing), our foreign aid to Israel is essential for U.S. security. Nevertheless, organizations such as Code Pink, Jewish Voices for Peace, and other hate-motivated groups here in the U.S. are contacting Congress with this boorish message: “When U.S. taxes go to burning people alive in Gaza, we can’t be surprised when those fires come home.”

As usual, no reference is made to Hamas as the warmongers who, on October 7, 2023, incited the ongoing conflict. Hamas and its backer, the Islamic Regime, are responsible for the situation in Gaza today. Recall that in 2005, Israel turned Gaza over to Palestinian Arabs—a move intended to “grant Israeli citizens the maximum level of security,” according to Ariel Sharon. Others hoped the move would create a prosperous “Singapore by the sea.” No Jews have lived there for the past 20 years! Unfortunately, the Palestinians voted for Hamas in 2007—putting Hamas totally in charge.

CBN Israel welcomes you to join our prayers this week based on Psalm 147:3—He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Prayer Points:

• Pray with thanks for Israel’s aid, along with firefighting assets from Canada and Mexico.
• Pray for the safety of firefighters, first responders, and forensic recovery dogs.
• Pray that some 150,000 displaced people might have adequate food, shelter, and comfort.
• Pray for CBN’s Operation Blessing and other Christian organizations that are offering relief and hope during this terrible disaster.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

The world’s failure to speak up for the only Jewish state and Jews everywhere has not diminished Israel’s thousands of years of endurance—living under hate of every kind. In fact, although January 2, 2025, marked the end of Israel’s second Hanukkah while fighting its defensive war, they sang, they danced, they feasted, and lit their Feast of Dedication candles. They sang on the Temple Mount, they sang at the Western Wall (Kotel), they sang in the streets, and they sang in their homes. Their overcoming endurance remains eternal, even as they suffer nationwide trauma, loss, and lies from every corner of the globe.

True, during Israel’s Hanukkah celebrations, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, over a thousand miles to the south, fired ballistic missiles toward Israel every night of Hanukkah, forcing millions of Israelis to run for bomb shelters. However, the Jewish ability to drive out darkness with light began before Hanukkah, when a menorah was built in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv made from missile and rocket pieces. In another location, Israelis built a menorah using fragments from an Iranian ballistic missile fired at Israel a few months ago.

This amazing capacity to drive out darkness takes us back over centuries. The main reason for Hanukkah celebrations, of course, is the victory of the ancient Maccabees over the Seleucid Syrian King Antiochus in 164 B.C. History is replete with facts that the small nation of Israel and its people have overcome the worst circumstances—from Roman rule and the Babylonian captivity to the Holocaust—and, I believe, will do the same in their present-day war against the world’s biggest terror network. This will be the outcome, despite the Islamic Regime’s leaders and proxies in the Middle East having spread their wicked tentacles across the globe, reaching into universities, praising Hamas in the streets, and yes, many pastors and churches remaining silent and fearful. 

However, Israel’s obvious warring enemies—or those who are apathetic, or mentally scarred by propaganda—easily forget that Israel is eternal. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob created and designed Jews to bless the world with redemption and rescue for those who believe in Jesus, our Jewish Messiah. In Isaiah 62, verses 1-4, God makes Himself clear: For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.

Forgetfulness also extends to the fact that God invested His own words to the world through His chosen people. The Bible, written through Jews, for Jews, and to Jews was extended to us as non-Jews grafted into the olive tree roots of Judaism. In the New Testament, God transformed Saul on the road to Damascus, struck him blind, healed him, then renamed him Paul. This brilliant Jewish scholar, intent on murdering Jewish believers in Jesus, was transformed and commissioned by God to take the Good News to the Gentiles.

Today, lawlessness and the wars on the ground are manifestations of spiritual warfare in the heavens, good against evil. It is easy to fall into depression or despair hearing the news, which is filled with a Hitler-like propaganda against Israel that leads to inaction. We believers in Jesus, our Jewish Messiah, would do well to renounce these emotions. Instead, we should focus on God’s thousands of years preserving His Jewish people, and, for that matter, rescuing us from our own personal challenges. Israeli stamina is a role model for the world—if the world would only grasp that truth.

Like the ancient Maccabees, Israel is victorious on fronts far beyond what was thought possible in their seven-front war for the last 15 months. As an aside, in John 10:22-23, the apostle reported the only passage in the Bible about Jesus attending the Feast of Dedication in the Second Temple. The Maccabees had reclaimed and cleansed it hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. I daresay our Savior, the King of Kings, rejoiced in the Maccabees’ victory.

More good news for 2025 emerged in the U.S. Congress. You may be surprised to know that our 119th Congress is deemed the most pro-Israel in history. On January 2, 2025, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) reported that 348 pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans—plus the leadership teams of both parties—were sworn in as members of Congress. Included in the success are Mike Johnson’s reelection as Speaker of the House and that two members of the notoriously antisemitic “Squad” no longer serve as members of Congress. These successes rest in large part on Americans who are dedicated to consistently interacting with members of Congress—to educate others and urge them to support Israel—which provides mutual security benefits to both countries.

Please do not mistake the good news here as downplaying the reality of war and the many challenges that lie ahead. Boosting our prayers, matched with our actions, is a necessity. Once again, I am sending out a plea for every reader to include in-person and social media advocacy for Israel in your New Year’s resolutions.

Israel advocacy is part of honoring God in His eternal plans for Israel, yet we have an important role to play in the here and now.

Social media advocacy is simple. It is not time-consuming. Here are several of my favorites: CBNIsrael.com, AlIisrael.com, Israel21c.org, ICEJ.org, CAMERA.org, and IDSF.org. Explore one, then forward one fact/article to correct lies about the Holy Land with truth. If every reader decides to pass on a fact a week, a bigger cadre of truth tellers will emerge.

We welcome you to join our CBN Israel team this week to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem using Psalm 122:6.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Israel to continually carry the lights of her patriarchs.
• Pray for wisdom and health for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Pray for more mental health providers for Israelis.
• Pray for Christians to join an army of media truth-tellers.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

I recently interviewed two remarkable friends whom I greatly admire, who are inaugurating an inspiring new project in Israel aptly named Root & Branch. Between November 17-27, 2024, they brought 18 Christian volunteers to Israel to help with the olive harvest—a trip with new dimensions and unexpected inspirations.

First, let me introduce Iranian-American Marziyeh Amirizadeh and Israeli-American Jonathan Feldstein, before outlining the surprises—both planned and sacred—with their newly formed Root & Branch project. The two connected on Marziyeh’s first trip to Israel in March 2023. Their friendship has since propagated Root & Branch, a collaboration that is expanding the profound truth and symbolism of Israel’s ancient olive tree.

The olive tree reflects the ancient Jewish faith described by the Jewish Apostle Paul in Romans 11, where he expressed that Christians are grafted into the covenant that God made with the Jewish people, that the root supports the branch.

Jonathan, a modern Orthodox Jew who is a father and grandfather, made Aliyah to Israel in 2004. He launched a non-profit U.S. foundation in 2017, Genesis 123, with the goal of building bridges between Jews and Christians to benefit Israel through cooperative projects and to build friendships. He is known for his podcast Inspiration from Zion—broadcast in 100 nations—along with almost too many cooperative projects to name. These include Run for Zion, raising money to help persecuted Pakistani Christians, warm jackets for Israel Defense Forces, and outreach to displaced Israeli families during the ongoing war. In 2023, he published Israel the Miracle to celebrate Israel’s 75th modern anniversary, which featured prominent pro-Israel Christian leaders. Jonathan is a gifted, energetic organizer and a prolific, sought-after media personality.

Marziyeh, who was born and grew up in Iran, encountered the Lord Jesus in a vivid dream. Her passion to share her faith with the Iranian people later manifested in her visionary idea: a covert distribution of 20,000 Bibles under the cover of darkness into mailboxes and other locations mostly in Tehran, Iran’s capital. Although sharing her faith was, and is, a capital crime instituted by the oppressive Islamic Regime, Marziyeh gave out the Bibles for three years.

Marziyeh was finally arrested and condemned to Iran’s notorious Evin prison, one of the world’s worst places to be incarcerated. Although suffering the traumas of food deprivation, abuse, and threats to execute her by hanging, amid the unimaginable horrors as a persecuted Christian, Marziyeh voiced her love and unwavering faith with the other imprisoned women.

Within these dark, dank, and putrid prison cells, God cultivated a church and new believers. Some were executed and some survived. After nine months, in 2009 Marziyeh was miraculously released following worldwide prayers and intervention from the U.S., U.N., and Vatican. In 2011, she immigrated to the United States and in 2016 became a citizen. Marziyeh has been interviewed in the media countless times in prominent outlets such as Fox & Friends, Mike Huckabee’s show, The Times of London, CBN News, Israeli TV, and more. You may read more in her books, Captive in Iran and A Love Journey with God, via her U.S. non-profit, NewPersia.org.

Marziyeh had longed to go to Israel since she met the Jewish Savior in the Islamic Republic years ago. Walking in Jesus’ footsteps gave her new dreams and plans. When Jonathan interviewed her, their friendship began, resulting in the cooperative project between Genesis 123 and NewPersia.org. Marziyeh founded NewPersia.org to advocate on behalf of persecuted Christians, empowering oppressed women, and dedicated to restoring relationships between Persians, Jews, and Christians. 

As an Israeli, Jonathan admits that he “knew nothing about harvesting olives or making oil,” and Marziyeh knew she “could not do the project alone living in America.” With her big-picture vision for the trip and Jonathan’s expertise to make it happen on the ground, their cooperation began what I call “The Olive Tree Dream Team.”

The Root & Branch harvesting took place in Ashkelon National Park, southwest of Ashkelon on the Mediterranean and north of Gaza. Jonathan explained, “Imagine harvesting olives from trees hundreds of years old and near a 3,500-year-old Canaanite gate in the national park.” Often hearing the artillery of war in the background, Marziyeh observed that none of the team became afraid and she herself firmly trusted Jesus for safety as in her past. Jonathan noted that an 18-member group was “considered big during the war” and drew the attention of many inquisitive and appreciative Jews.

On November 18, the first morning of harvesting, a rainbow appeared in the Israeli skies. Marziyeh viewed it as an affirmation from God for Root & Branch. A second rainbow then appeared at the end of their day. For Marziyeh, the two rainbows held enormous meaning. The rainbows appeared exactly 15 years after her release from Evin Prison on November 18, 2009! When Jonathan shared the meaning of the number 18, life, Marziyeh was filled with gratitude once again—for her salvation and for God sparing her physical life.

After harvesting, the team shared meals with Israelis. The group met with one family whose loved one is still held captive in Gaza. Marziyeh grasped their hands and prayed for them with a deeply personal understanding as a former prisoner of the Islamic Regime. Another evening, the team hosted a meal for an elite IDF unit assigned in Gaza. Afterwards Marziyeh shared with the soldiers explaining, “I grew up in Iran under the Islamic Regime. I became a Christian and I was imprisoned. I want to apologize to you for having to leave your families to fight the Regime.” The IDF commander, who identified himself as a Christian, thanked her: “What you said and prayed as an Iranian, my soldiers will remember as long as they live.” 

The Root & Branch team experienced amazing and varied moments. One rainy harvesting day, an Israeli official, Avi Dichter, came to greet them. A member of the Knesset, the agriculture minister gave them an excellent security briefing. Dichter is also the former head of Shabak, Israel’s General Security Service.

When Jonathan was researching a place to have the 1,000 kilos (2,204 pounds) of harvested olives pressed into oil, an earlier contact told him about a small olive press business in Latrun, about 15 miles west of Jerusalem.

Another sacred surprise occurred when they met the owner, an Arab Christian! He was excited to meet Marziyeh, Jonathan, and the Christian volunteers. He revealed that he too was a Christian. The olive presses were quite noisy but fascinated the group, who watched the entire process until the flavorful oil was ready. Jonathan took a video you may watch here.

The added dimension of an Arab Christian, with an Iranian Christian and a modern Orthodox Jew, can only be described as the hands of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob shaping the Root & Branch outreaches into an endeavor far beyond what was earlier envisioned.

Marziyeh’s vision extends to “not only building friendships between Jews and Christians but also restoring the friendship between Persians and Israelis. The combination is powerful.” She is quick to educate others, telling them that the “Iranian people themselves love Israel.”

When our lunch and interview concluded, Jonathan pulled out a bottle of their freshly harvested olive oil. I took a small piece of bread for a taste. Yes, it was truly more dynamic than any I have ever tasted. Plans will take place for anointing oil and other products to bless Israeli families who are rebuilding their lives. The Root & Branch collaboration promises to ripen into a powerful crop of friendships that will have a world-changing impact.

Jonathan and Marziyeh are already planning their next Root & Branch trip for 2025, during the October/November olive harvest time. Jonathan has received more than 100 inquiries so far and anticipates that busloads of volunteers will participate, including pastors and their tours—even if just for a day.

For more information, please email Root & Branch at rootandbranchisrael@gmail.com or visit their website: www.rootandbranchisrael.com.

Please join our CBN Israel team in prayer for Root & Branch, recalling Zechariah 4:10 (NLT): “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.”

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the new seeds scattered by Root & Branch.
• Pray for Marziyeh and Jonathan as they plan the next mission.
• Pray for the Arab Christian businessman and his community.
• Pray for Jonathan, his family, and Israel—now under fire for almost 15 months.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Last night at sundown, Jewish families lit the first candle for their eight-day Hanukkah celebrations. Joining on Christmas Day this year, both Jews and Christians are celebrating light. As Anne Frank once observed, “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” During the last 14 months, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have bravely defied their enemies in a seven-front war and “define[d] the darkness” every day with lights of victory.

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists and active-duty soldiers have served in the IDF since October 7, 2023. According to the state of Israel’s requirement, any Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze, or Circassian must serve in the Israel Defense Forces. In Gaza alone, during the Swords of Iron war, as of mid-December 386 soldiers have fallen in combat and 5,493 have been wounded. As we light a Hanukkah candle each night during Hanukkah, also called the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights, such loss of life is heartbreaking. 

For upwards of 7 million Jewish citizens, nearly everyone knows someone who has died, been wounded, or is missing. Prayers are lifted up for the remaining 100 hostages living in the darkness of evil. Isaiah 40:1-2 is an inspiring Scripture to pray for our Jewish friends in Israel and globally during their Hannukah Festival of Lights. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for.”

During a time of sorrow and trauma, Israelis will light their candles each evening, signifying the single cruse of oil that miraculously lasted eight days in the Second Temple candelabrums while the priests made more of the specialized oil needed. Jewish families will eat latkes—the fried potatoes that celebrate the oil—and will dance, sing, and give gifts. 

Amid the precious traditions, however, the Festival of Dedication is more significant today than candles, latkes, and gifts. It is a time where the victories already won by the IDF are miracles. Parents and grandparents will retell their children about the ancient victories won by the Maccabees who amazingly defeated King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. 

The Greek (Hellenistic) king ruled the Seleucid Syrian Empire from 175 B.C. until his death in 164 B.C. He had desecrated the Temple, plundered its sacred vessels, outlawed circumcision, and burned sacred Scriptures. He adopted the name Epiphanes, which means “God manifest, illustrious,” and demanded that the Jews renounce their faith and worship him and his pagan gods. On the front side of a coin minted for Antiochus he is shown wearing a diadem, a crown. 

The IDF, defending the world’s only Jewish state, is a modern replica of the brave Maccabees who rose up against Antiochus. The Islamic Regime and its proxies are the new versions of Antiochus and his pagan empire. The present-day ayatollahs worship a Mahdi, thinking of him as their Islamic savior. Their so-called “savior” allegedly forces the entire world into an oppressive caliphate, not the freedom already won by our Jewish Savior 2,000 years ago. If he were real, the so-called Mahdi would wear a diadem, a crown—as if he had the sovereign power to erase the world’s Jews, Christians, and anyone who was in opposition. 

The modern Islamic Regime has already made its goals as clear as the brightest day on earth. That hateful, murderous regime targets its own population and is emblematic of Antiochus. Also, like Antiochus, the Islamic Regime will eventually suffer defeat based on what the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has voiced throughout Scripture. 

Jewish children really enjoy hearing grown-ups retell the story of the Jewish “hammers,” the colloquial term for Maccabees. Everything came to a head when a Seleucid official tried to force Mattathias, a priest, to make a sacrifice to a pagan god. The Maccabees’ history unfolded from that moment in the already-desecrated Temple when Mattathias killed the enemy. Jews united under him and his five sons and led the liberation, becoming known as the Maccabees (Hebrew for “hammer”)—described as striking hammer blows against their enemies. Jews refer to them as Maccabees, but the family is more commonly known as part of the Hasmoneans. 

Underestimating the Maccabees’ determination, both Antiochus and today’s Islamic Regime (and proxies) have underestimated Jewish resolve. Such resolve—matched with strategic brilliance—to defend their sovereignty and their citizens has been apparent since October 7, 2023. Antiochus first deployed a small force against the Maccabees, and when that force was defeated, the tyrant king sent in much larger, more powerful forces. But the persistent determination of his Jewish adversaries led to Jerusalem being recaptured by the Maccabees and the purification of the Temple—a massive victory that gave birth to the holiday of Hanukkah. 

During the years when Maccabee defenders fought the Seleucids, Antiochus died and his successor agreed to Israel’s independence in 142 B.C., and after more than 500 years of occupation, Jews were free again. When Mattathias died, his son Judas, also known as Judah Maccabee, led the revolt. At the war’s end, only Simon, one of the five sons, survived. He ushered in an 80-year period of Jewish independence in Judea, Israel. The Kingdom regained boundaries, most of Solomon’s realm, and Jewish life flourished. The Hasmoneans claimed the throne of Judah. 

Now, despite the small nation of Israel fighting a seven-front war, the successes of the “modern Maccabees” are beyond imagination too! The highly respected native Israeli, Amir Tsarfati, president of Behold Israel and international Bible teacher, highlights some of the near-miraculous IDF successes. He mentions that Israel now has a buffer zone in both the north and the south where terrorists cannot simply pour over the border. Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran in Syria have been decimated, both their leadership, manpower, and weaponry (ground and aerial). 

Syrian President Assad, a dictator whose regime killed hundreds of thousands of Syrian citizens, has fled to Russia. Israel has made sure that the massive store of weapons that he and his welcomed Iranians left behind is not usable by any rebel or terror groups who take over. Go to Behold Israel on Telegram and other social media for Amir’s commentary and news. 

On December 17, it was an extraordinary moment when Prime Minister Netanyahu stood in Syria on the peak of Mount Hermon with his military leaders making Israeli security assessments for the future. In a video, he commented that it was “nostalgic” to be in Syria once again after 53 years when he was “with his soldiers in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit.” He announced that the IDF would remain in Syrian buffer zones until “other arrangements were made.” An ancient and modern connection in Syria where the Maccabees won each time! 

Israel’s defensive war goes on, yet their achievements bring fresh light into Hanukkah 2024. If you wish to discover additional fascinating details and facts about the Maccabees, read 1 and 2 Maccabees. They were included in Catholic Bibles, omitted from Protestant Bibles, and I am glad that Amazon has not omitted them! 

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Israelis to have a calm Hanukkah inside their borders where they may safely walk, drive, and celebrate. 
• Pray for families and friends of imprisoned hostages, that comfort will pierce their unrelenting grief. 
• Pray with thanks that Lebanese Christians are openly expressing their love for Israel. 
• Pray and praise God that the cruel Assad is no longer in Syria. 
• Pray that world leaders will have wisdom in evaluating any new leaders in Syria. 

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Beloved by Christians for generations, Corrie ten Boom has sustained and inspired millions with her wisdom. One of those sayings is: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

Her book The Hiding Place, published in 1971, tells the story of her family, watchmakers in Haarlem, the Netherlands, during the Holocaust. She was a heroine in the Dutch resistance and survived imprisonment in a concentration camp after Nazis arrested her and her sister for hiding and saving Jewish families.

Both Christians and Jews esteem Corrie. Israel’s Yad Vashem Remembrance Authority honored Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) as “Righteous Among the Nations.” Strolling along the Avenue of the Righteous at Yad Vashem, Christian visitors make sure to stop at Corrie’s tree, which was dedicated on December 12, 1967. I have walked the avenue many times. Her tree has grown tall.

My interest in Israel began when I married my Jewish husband, Paul. When we heard Corrie speak at a church, her testimony motivated our advocacy for Israel. Reading The Hiding Place, seeing the movie, and visiting the Ten Boom House Museum in the Netherlands has remained with both of us, a Gentile and Jewish couple.

Following the horrors of October 7, 2023, I have written every week about Israeli traumas in the aftermath. Israel had instituted trauma treatments in the past, such as the Israel Trauma Coalition and its 12 resilience centers that provide multidisciplinary intervention before, during, and after emergencies. However, with an entire nation traumatized the need is massive.

Avida Bachar, a farmer from Kibbutz Be’eri, watched Hamas terrorists murder his wife and son on October 7. He also lost his leg and makes an observation that the United States and every other country need to understand: “Palestinians must be moved from Gaza … transfer them to other sovereign states.” Since no other nation is willing to relocate them, it leaves Israel under intense pressure to solve the problem amid terrorists threatening them every day and well into the future.

After October 7, Israel quickly began expanding every trauma treatment avenue in its government and in private institutions—joined by Jewish institutions globally and Christian charities, as well. For example, CBN Israel, Regent University, and the Israel Trauma Coalition developed a unique approach to train Russian-speaking Israeli counselors to help Russian-speaking Israelis, who comprise 15 to 20 percent of the Israeli population. The trauma therapy techniques they implemented were learned by counselors during Ukraine’s war with Russia.

Jewish Israelis are attempting to embrace their histories of resilience, yet their process is compounded by antisemitic demonstrations invading the world with shouts of “kill the Jews.” It is shocking that protestors refuse to understand why Israel is forced to defend its nation in the seven-front war it’s currently engaged in.

Jewish traumas are historically deep-seated and brutal amid echoes of expulsions, pogroms, and the Holocaust. My husband Paul’s parents, like millions of Jewish refugees to America (1880-1924), fled Russian pogroms as children with their parents. They stepped into freedom through Ellis Island, later met and married in Bronx, New York, worked hard, and raised five children. His “pops” served in World War II, drove a taxi, and ran a newspaper stand in Manhattan. They rarely if ever spoke about that period, but Paul vividly remembers his mom describing her childhood traumas “hiding in haystacks” to escape the Russian czar’s pogroms against Jews. Paul is a proud first-generation American, a Navy veteran, and has adopted Fiddler on the Roof as his family’s story.

In addition to Israel’s national trauma, it seems that mental health struggles are hovering like a cloud over our world. Here in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control reported that we are facing a “mental health catastrophe.”

Our response to this catastrophe is three-fold. Paul and I coauthored the recently published book, Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. We wrote it to help others hold on to hope, as we had amid our own personal dark clouds and blue skies. We have been married for 48 years, and Paul’s lifelong bipolar condition was finally diagnosed 25 years ago. Second, Paul began volunteering in 2022 as a weekly co-facilitator with the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). Finally, and most significantly, as believers we felt compelled to share our own pain to comfort others with the comfort God has repeatedly given to us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.

Corrie ten Boom’s testimony grew even more foundational from years ago, capturing our hearts for Israel, and now when we began writing and formulating messages of hope and help. Her quote, which I mentioned above, is included in our prologue. The train theme became descriptive for our book! Mental Health Meltdown is a reader-friendly book, a traveling companion that pierces the darkness with light—through first-person stories of 35 others who share their sorrows and successes with depression, bipolar, PTSD, and other mental health issues.

We invite readers to ride what we call the hope train through their individual tunnels and to sit with us and our storytellers to gather practical tools and look ahead for Light and trust the Engineer. In voicing wide-ranging life experiences—ours and others’—we want the stories to help readers grasp insights about differently wired brains from a variety of people.

Public perceptions are changing and hopefully erasing stigmas. No one chooses a physical disability or illness, and no one chooses a mental illness. When the public views mental illnesses with the same kindnesses offered to those with physical illnesses, it will serve to reduce the reality that “no one takes my status seriously because no one can see the disability.”

We have discovered that pastors are often at a loss about how to approach mental health support within their congregations. We included a chapter with one inspiring and insightful pastor’s sermon where he kindly and honestly spoke about mental illnesses. He clearly emphasizes that “God works through miracles and medicines,” and adds, “If you are in Christ and suffer with mental health issues, it does not mean you are less of a Christian nor is it a sin to have a mental illness.” He illustrates King David’s depression in Psalm 139:7-12. His chapter is incredibly helpful!

Personally, knowing others with mental illnesses—and knowing Israelis are determined to survive amid profound grief and traumas—let us recall the prophet Elijah falling asleep under a juniper tree due to emotional, spiritual, and physical exhaustion. In 1 Kings 19:3-4. Elijah asked God to take his life, yet God responded with comfort, encouraging him to rest and providing food and water for him. When it comes to Israel and anyone you know grappling with mental struggles, following God’s example of focusing on prayer, with help and comfort as your watchwords.

You may order our words in Mental Health Meltdown on Amazon.

Our CBN Israel team welcomes you to pray with us this week:

• Pray for an outpouring of help for Israelis in their daily national trauma.
• Pray for the hostages imprisoned by Hamas amid traumas we cannot even imagine.
• Pray for families of hostages suffering emotional pain and grief.
• Pray for Americans and their families who are facing mental health crises.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Two glorious celebrations converge on December 25, 2024: Christmas Day and the first day of Hanukkah. Also called the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah lasts eight days. The first candle is lit at sundown on December 25. Although it is a time of gift-giving in the Jewish community, its significance is spiritually splendid. 

The Feast of Dedication marks two compelling events. First, an unexpected military victory when the brave Maccabees, beginning in 164 B.C., reclaimed their desecrated Second Temple from the Syrian dictator. Secondly, the Maccabees discovered one small cruse of Temple oil that proved to last eight days—far beyond its normal capacity—while a batch of specialized olive oil was made by Temple priests for the candelabrum. These miracles transpired 165 years before Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) birth. 

We will return to Jesus’ profound words as He walked in Soloman’s Portico during the Festival of Lights, as written in John 10:22-23. You may ask, how does the United States Congress fit into my Hanukkah perspective? And what is the connection between the Festival of Lights and Christmas?

It has to do with Judea and Samaria, Israel’s biblical heartland. For 369 years the Tabernacle, located in ancient Shiloh, served as Israel’s capital and thrives today! Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Judaism’s two Temples were located in Judea.

These historic credentials were reinforced a few short days ago, on December 5, 2024 (Hebrew month Kislev). Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton (R-A.R.) and House Member Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) introduced legislation to dismiss using the term West Bank in federal documents. The short title of the bill is the “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act.”

The bill requires using only “historically accurate terminology” to align U.S. policy language with the geographical and cultural significance of the region. Senator Cotton emphasized, “The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years. The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.” Sen. Cotton and Rep. Tenny recognized Israel’s ancient and modern sovereignty by proclaiming the facts. Congresswoman Tenny added, “At this critical moment in history, the United States must reaffirm this.” 

How did the senator and congresswoman come to their historically correct conclusion? It goes back to 1967. It is commonplace among Christians worldwide to refer to Jesus’ birthplace as Bethlehem. However, it is easy to overlook the fact that Bethlehem and its fields were and are in Judea. After Arab armies instigated the 1967 Six-Day War against Israel, part of Israel’s victory took place when Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recaptured Judea and Samaria and reunited Jerusalem, also located in Judea. 

Since then, however, much of the world refers to Bethlehem as being in the West Bank and refuses to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital. The description “West Bank” simply refers to the region west of the Jordan River. After Israel’s modern independence was announced on May 14, 1948, Jordan had occupied Israel’s biblical heartland for 20 years before the IDF liberated it from Jordanian occupation. Like so many other dismissals of the heritage of Jews in the land of Israel for thousands of years, the West Bank nomenclature has overtaken the true geography called Judea and Samaria, Israel’s biblical heartland. Jews are historically the indigenous people of Israel. 

It is not surprising that the Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act is already creating controversy. The idea of a two-state solution, one for Palestinians and one for Jews, has served as a sacred cow for decades and was promoted by successive U.S. administrations (both Democrat and Republican), the United Nations, and the European Union. President-elect Trump briefly considered the idea in his first administration, but it is crystal clear now that after the October 7 war was launched, Israelis will not consider it. Nor should they. The inhuman nature of terrorists and oppressive Islamic ideology and actions are in plain view everywhere the Israelis turn. No “peace” partner exists.

Cotton and Tenny are following in big footsteps. During President elect-Trump’s first term he opened doors wider for Israel’s biblical heartland, populated by 500,000 Jews, when he announced that what the world calls “settlements” are not illegal, nor are they a violation of international law. Returning the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem (in Judea) marked the implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, when most of the Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, passed the law to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv back to Jerusalem. 

Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden bypassed the congressional decision in a loophole that allowed them to delay the embassy move every six months. Then and now, some members of Congress are opposing Cotton and Tenny’s legislation. Let us pray for success in this important legislation—as a Hanukkah gift to Israelis in their time of war.

When it comes to the eternal plans of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, no amount of opposition will hinder His timetable. When Jesus attended the Feast of Dedication, walking in the Second Temple, He made Himself clear. John 10:22–42 are the only verses in the Bible about Jesus celebrating the victorious Festival of Lights. Questioned by crowds pressing in to tell them “plainly” if He was the Messiah, Jesus created an uproar with his answers. He declared Himself to be both Messiah and Son of God (10:24) and added, “I and the Father are one” (v. 30). Jesus already knew His destiny as the Light, the Redeemer. 

In this particular passage, Jesus does not declare Himself in the phrase, “Light of the world.” Nevertheless, the Apostle John emphasizes that Jesus had proclaimed earlier in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life.” While the Maccabees recaptured, then restored, the Temple from the darkness of evil, Jesus’ birth in Judea fulfilled prophecies and brought Eternal Light to our world. His light cannot—will not—be extinguished. 

Jesus is the eternal Hero that John declares in John 1:5, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John goes on to write later in Revelation 21:23 that “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” 

Just as Jesus attended the Feast of Rededication, let us take a moment to rededicate ourselves and our families to Him in this 2024 season of Light with luminous candles, Advent, and Hallelujah choruses. May Israel miraculously experience The Light during their eight days of Hanukkah. 

Our team welcomes you to celebrate with us while reflecting on Yeshua’s assuring words in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life.” 

Prayer Points:

• Pray for more Christians to rediscover the Jewish roots and foundation of our faith. 
• Pray that Israeli Jews will be able to observe Hanukkah 2024 in peace. 
• Pray for the hostages and all Israel that Light will shine into their traumas. 
• Pray for Israel’s IDF, the new Maccabees, for victories and security. 
• Pray that the Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act is passed.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Attending a sing-along of Handel’s magnificent Messiah is one of my favorite traditions during Christmas. Singing carols in our church choir is also a fresh reminder of the past and a hope for the future. Our decorated tree and our simple, gently used manger scene are displayed. On Christmas Eve we will open my 80-year-old family Bible and read about Messiah’s birth in Luke, Chapter 2.

I choose to keep those traditions. However, exploring Genesis 35:21 and Micah 4:8—and doing research about the Tower of the Flock and the professional role of Bethlehem shepherds—add the richness of the Jewish context.

Recognizing the Jewishness of the Bible is more necessary than ever due to Israel’s defense of its ancestral homeland and the resulting tsunami of accusations against it. Christmas 2024 is an excellent opportunity to quietly emphasize Messiah’s birthplace in Bethlehem, Israel, and His Jewish background through Mary. God chose the young Jewish virgin, the only woman in history to receive this singular miracle. Emphasize the fact that our Christian faith was birthed in Israel, and we honor God for enlisting His Jewish scribes to preserve His words in our Bibles.

Neither war nor antisemitism can erase Messiah’s birthplace. Yet, hating Israel is by association a hatred for our Messiah (Y’shua). God in human form chose to come to a little land in a humble act of world-changing redemption as noted in the Bible, which is distinguished by Guinness World Records as the best-selling nonfiction book of all time. In research by the British and Foreign Bible Society, their best estimate is that between 5 and 7 billion copies have been printed since the printing press was invented in the mid-1400s. 

In a recent column, I mentioned research suggesting that King David and Jesus were born in or near Migdal Eder (Micah 5:2), where Levitical shepherds raised and oversaw the births of Passover lambs. Today I’d like to more deeply explore. In ancient times, Migdal Eder (the Tower of the Flock) stood on the road between Bethlehem Ephrath (Bethlehem’s ancient name) and Jerusalem. Migdal Eder no longer stands, but it was known long before Messiah was born.

Genesis 35:19-21 informs us that Jacob (renamed Israel) cast his tent at Migdal Eder, where he buried Rachel, the love of his life. “So, Rachel died and was buried on the way to Bethlehem Ephrathah. Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb and Israel moved on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.” Today it still marks Rachel’s tomb.

Micah 4:8, a prophecy written around 700 years before Jesus’ birth, reveals, “As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.” God offered His planned intervention into humankind for Messiah’s coming birth at Migdal into the established Jewish ancestry.

Fast forward to Caesar Augustus’ imperial census decree that set the stage for Joseph to lead Mary, sitting astride a donkey, on the 90-mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Caesar ordered all Jews to their ancestral home for a census. Bethlehem was the couple’s destination, as Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father, was in King David’s lineage.

It was part of God’s plan that Mary would give birth to Jesus in Bethlehem—within or near the Tower of the Flock. Micah 5:2 reiterates, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be ruler over Israel, Whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” The Tower of the Flock, where sacrificial Temple lambs were born, seems the perfect place for The Perfect Lamb’s birth, which signified His sacrifice for us 33 years later.

Jewish sages writing in the Mishnah (Jewish oral tradition) and the church historian Eusebius (deemed the Father of Church history) confirm the existence of the Tower of the Flock. Eusebius lived from about 260–339 A.D. The tower’s existence was also reinforced by shepherds retelling stories around campfires for hundreds of years before a Byzantine monastery was built over Migdal Eder in the fourth century.

For millennia, shepherds were familiar with the Tower of the Flock. The tower and the Bethlehem fields were their workplace. The Sadducees, in charge of Temple sacrifices, chose the Bethlehem shepherds, who were experts in animal husbandry. Sadducees viewed them as Levitical Shepherd Priests—because the lambs they helped birth and tended among the hay-filled stone mangers were lambs destined for Temple sacrifices.

Migdal Eder was a two-level stone structure, allowing the Chief Shepherd to look out over the flock for predators. At birthing time, shepherds led the ewes from the fields to the tower. The ancient veterinarians reached into the ewe’s womb to pull out the newborns, then snugly wrapped the lambs in strips of swaddling cloths. If the lambs harmed or scarred their limbs, Sadducees rejected them at Passover as Temple sacrifices. Exodus 12:5 instructs, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.”

After the Levitical shepherds herded the lambs into Jerusalem, the Sadducees examined them at the Lamb’s Gate on Palm Sunday (called the Day of Lambs in ancient times). Perfection was the rule in the Temple hierarchy.

When the angel and heavenly host appeared to shepherds in the Bethlehem fields, although stunned the shepherds immediately understood the lyrical directions in the angelic birth announcement. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Shepherds knew that Bethlehem Ephrath meant the fields and “town of David.”

As a shepherd boy, David was surely familiar with Migdal Eder, too. We do not know how far the shepherds ran to see the promised Messiah, but no GPS was needed. The Tower of the Flock was their ancient veterinary office.

These glistening threads of ancient Jewish history connect Jesus’ birthplace with the Tower of the Flock where the Temple lambs were born. It is a richer context for Messiah’s destiny as the Sacrificial Lamb. Imagine the glorious songs the Levitical shepherds heard in the night skies, then running toward Migdal Eder to see baby Jesus all in one night! Is it possible that 33 years later, they marveled again while herding that year’s scampering lambs for Messiah’s final Passover as He rode among them?

May this ancient insight into Messiah’s birth shine far brighter in 2024, dispelling darkness now and always! The Lord is our Perfect Lamb and Shepherd!

Our CBN Israel Team welcomes you to join us in celebration focusing on Luke 2:14, Gloria in Excelsis Deo! Glory to God in the Highest!

Prayer Points:

• Pray gratefully for any personal blessings received since last Christmas.
• Pray for various Christian denominations in Israel for their safety in war.
• Prayers and praises for Israel’s commitment to freedom of religion.
• Prayers and praises for Christian freedoms in Israel, the safest place for them in the Middle East.
• Pray for increased unity among believers in the Christian, Arab, and Messianic Jewish communities.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Often lost in the pages of American history was that 41 pilgrim fathers signed the Mayflower Compact, with their endorsement coming even before our Pilgrim fathers and mothers disembarked from their ship, the Mayflower. The Compact became the first document of the New World’s government. It was signed on November 11, 1620. At the first Thanksgiving, some historians believe the Pilgrims fashioned their celebration after the Jewish fall festival of Sukkot.

Our early founders derived many of their best concepts from a Judeo-Christian perspective. Since May 14, 1948, when the modern Jewish state declared its independence, our alliance has combined into massive blessings for both nations.

As citizens of the United States, we have endless reasons to thank God for our freedoms, family, and friends at our Thanksgiving tables. For Israeli families, weekly Shabbats (a day of rest) are like Thanksgiving each week! Despite their current seven-front war, Israelis have proven the observation of an early 20th-century Zionist, Ahad Haam: “More than the Jews kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” Rabbi Abraham Heschel described Shabbat as a “palace in time.”

The array of mutual blessings for our two nations is wide-ranging. I have chosen a few, to celebrate our mutual ideals of freedom, economic prosperity, equality, rule of law, and security. With Israel described as the start-up and genius nation, Jews—with a small population, living in their small strip of land—have made profound contributions to our world. First and foremost, it is not surprising when we recall God designating Abraham as the first Jew. He then fashioned the Jewish culture and tasked His chosen vessels in ancient times to reveal the Old and New Testaments in a 66-book Bible that has transformed the world with truth.

In exploring the modern contributions of the start-up, genius nation, I begin with two of my favorites. I witnessed these Israeli inventions at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conferences during my nine years on AIPAC staff. Thousands of us watched as a paraplegic walked onto the stage in a “ReWalk,” a robotic exoskeleton. Moments of astonishment and an extended applause filled the Washington Convention Center. Available to the public since 2014, ReWalk uses a wrist-mounted remote control to give movement signals from a backpack of batteries, enabling its user to stand, walk, and take stairs—rather than sitting in a wheelchair. 

Creating water out of air? We gasped as we watched an amazing demonstration at another policy conference inside the Washington Convention Center. Someone held a glass up to the WaterGen machine and pushed a button. We watched the glass fill, then the product demonstrator drank the high-quality water extracted from the air. Now in 65 countries and backed by a 24/7 tech support team, WaterGen invites you to “Enjoy a Sip of Fresh Air.”

Thank Israel for the Flexible Stent. You or a loved one may have benefited! It has saved millions of lives. Physicians use the tube-shaped device to open arteries up to treat coronary heart disease and blockages. Its use can significantly reduce the need for open-heart surgery.

Technology we rely on to protect mobile phones and computers is a security invention through Israel’s cornerstone firewall, Check Point—the original protection from cyber threats across the digital world. From pioneering firewalls to our AI-powered, cloud-delivered security solutions, they are committed to safeguarding organizations with an industry-leading 99.8% prevention rate.

Israelis invented another important water-related technology in 1967: Netafim’s drip irrigation, using pipes that drip water onto crops, thereby reducing water usage. This boon to crops is now used in 110 countries, including the USA, where it helps farmers “Grow More With Less”!

In TIME magazine’s 2024 best products, 10 of Israel’s products are included. Here are a few: Nuvo’s wearable Invu remote pregnancy monitor performs non-stress tests on babies before birth. OrCam Hear is an upcoming AI-powered hearing amplification tool for those needing focused hearing help. BeeHero, a beehive management system. InnerPlant’s CropVoice, where plants inform farmers about funguses. NanoxAI helps identify undetected chronic conditions by analyzing CT heart scans of the heart, liver, and bones.

Looking at some sectors of our valuable partnership with the Jewish state, Israel invests in our economy, creates American jobs, and promotes our innovation. Their partnership supports more than 255,000 American jobs. Likewise, the U.S. is the largest foreign investor in Israel, a business hub for more than 2,500 U.S. companies. Our free trade agreement with them since 1985 has provided billions of dollars for Israelis and Americans.

Our two nations are pioneering together in future challenges in cybersecurity, healthcare, artificial intelligence, water scarcity, food security, climate change, and renewable energy. When you board a flight or use your computers, be aware that Israeli technology and expertise help protect American airports, cities, cyberspace, and other infrastructure from terrorist threats.

Israel can be described as our “aircraft carrier” in the Middle East. Israel is our eyes and ears in the region. With its military strength, location, and our shared intelligence cooperation, it helps our homeland security and American soldiers. Our annual congressional approval of security investments in Israel directly increases our security and safety here at home. Unlike other U.S. allies, Israel insists on defending itself by itself. They rely on our help only to guarantee Israel’s added ability to defend itself with U.S. funding, most which is spent here in America. 

Christian advocacy for Israel in the United States makes a huge difference in influencing congressional appropriations for Israel’s security. Those decisions in turn increase our security. Our partnership also protects our American troops with military technology, helping us to counter missiles, tunnels, and drones. Israel is also a leader in helping soldiers from both nations cope with PTSD—a much-needed service.

At your Thanksgiving table today and in the future, you may place a prayer in the Western Wall (Kotel) for Israel and its people especially during war. AISH.com, which overlooks the Western Wall Plaza, will print your prayers. The AISH staff gathers all the prayers, takes the short walk to the Kotel, and places them in the crevices: [Submit your prayer here].

Our CBN Israel team wishes our readers and supporters a most blessed Thanksgiving 2024! Together let us recite Psalm 107:1, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the ongoing emotional traumas suffered by Israelis.
• Pray for upwards of 6,000 wounded IDF soldiers.
• Pray with thanks for senior medical officers stationed with each company.
• Pray for the 101 hostages still captive in Gaza and their heartbroken families.
• Pray with thanks for our longstanding friendship with Israel.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

On December 6, Netflix is releasing its Christmas movie called Mary. The title character is played by 21-year-old Noa Cohen, with 22-year-old Ido Tako as Joseph. Legendary actor Anthony Hopkins in the role of Herod is sure to weave a star-powered combination in the trio. However, BDS and anti-Israel groups are outraged! Why? The actors portraying Mary and Joseph are Israeli Jews—not Palestinians.

When Palestinians instigated boycotts in 1995, they assumed Israel would breathe its last if strangled with economic warfare, terror, and propaganda. Clearly, they were mistaken. BDS—Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions—targets Israel, the world’s only Jewish nation. Now, BDS is manifesting further madness about the film, Mary.

Bottom line: BDS adherents aim at erasing the Jewishness of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus—our Jewish Messiah—born in the fields of Bethlehem Ephrathah near the Tower of the Flock (Migdal Eder). In a fascinating side note, some research suggests that King David and Jesus, the Perfect Lamb, were born in or near Migdal Eder (Micah 5:2), where Levitical shepherds raised and oversaw the births of Passover lambs.

Trying to erase 2,000 years of world history, BDS is aimed not only at Jews but also levels its slander into the minds of 2 billion Christians. Unfortunately, some Christians have swallowed these lies as if they were truth. Satan has resurrected Hitleresque propaganda by invading the world through social media warfare and savagery.

Frankly, I do not know if the film Mary will please the Christian community with regard to its portrayal of Jesus’ mother. I have not previewed it. But I respect Director D.J. Caruso’s comments in October’s Entertainment Weekly. “It was important to us that Mary, along with most of our primary cast, be selected from Israel to ensure authenticity.” Filmed in Morocco, Caruso added that the film’s writing and production were done with “great care” to create “a story that feels both sacred and modern.”

For decades the Palestinian Authority, as well as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists, have called the Holy Family “Palestinians.” Author and theologian Eitan Bar writes about those who claim, “Jesus was a ‘Palestinian freedom fighter,’ suggesting Jesus led a revolt against—you guessed it—the Jews!”

Bar adds that some Muslims and radical liberal Christians have adopted the Palestinian freedom fighter narrative in trying to justify violence against Jews. It is a fairly recent construct, dating back to 2018, when a university campaign in the U.S. claimed that Jesus was Palestinian. If you wish to go deeper into this controversy, click here.

The movie denigrators represent millions of people in both Muslim and non-Muslim communities who have adopted violence as a tool, recently evidenced by Muslim gangs launching a vicious attack against Israeli fans attending soccer games in Amsterdam and Paris.

Some social media agitators are “offended” by Israeli actors portraying Jewish Mary and Joseph. Here’s an example of such comments: “A film [about] a Palestinian woman played by actors from the settler state [Israel’s biblical heartland] that is currently mass slaughtering Palestinian women. Oh, the disgusting audacity.”

Proponents of BDS are taking the word of Hamas and its evildoers and treating them like heroes. Those with minds persuaded by lies are calling for a boycott against the film Mary, which is not only offensive to Christians but also denigrating to the Jewish people seeing that Mary, Joseph, and their children were all Jewish, historical figures who lived in biblical Judea.

Nevertheless, despite the October 7 genocide and escalating dangers globally, Israelis remain dedicated and determined to win their defensive war of justice. Unsurprisingly, Israel Defense Forces are finding Arabic translations of Hitler’s handbook Mein Kampf in the tunnels under Gaza. When an IDF unit in Lebanon found a copy of Mein Kampf in a living room, one soldier observed that “parts were underlined and highlighted inside, as if someone had studied it line by line.” In fact, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the degenerate gangs funded by the Islamic Regime imitate Hitler’s strategies that led to the genocide of 6 million Jews.

Sadly, in the U.S. and beyond, BDS includes churches, labor unions, universities, and grassroots groups that BDS recruits internationally to inflict financial and propagandic havoc on Israel. In fact, just a scant few days after October 7, 2023, a hateful global intifada exploded among university students—and professors—sitting in prominent campus locations.

These groups now mourn the mounting deaths of Hezbollah leaders instead of October 7 victims and hostages, among them seven Americans. At Columbia University, the mindless shouts of “We are Hamas” and “Hamas make us proud” fill the air. Thirty-six percent of protestors deem violence as acceptable.

No matter what is happening in our personal lives and the Jewish world, Zephaniah 3:17 assures us that “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior Who saves. He will take great delight in you … but will rejoice over you with singing.” 

I daresay that one of the biggest crises in our world today is that too many are boycotting the Judeo-Christian faiths and the Bible—both the Old Testament, which clearly prophesied our coming Jewish Messiah, and His fulfillment in New Testament.

The world may use its evil energy to devise every boycott, divestment, and sanction it can against the God of the Universe, yet He is the everlasting King.

Our CBN Israel team welcomes you to pray with us for Israelis and the 15.8 million Jewish people globally.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s safety from incoming drone attacks against his private home.
• Pray for the IDF’s great successes to defeat Hezbollah.
• Pray for IDF families with increasing IDF deaths in Gaza and Lebanon.
• Pray for Christians to repost truthful social media.
• Pray thanking God from Deuteronomy 7:6, “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.”

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.