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Colonel John H. Patterson: Righteous Among the Nations

One of the reasons that the museum features the story of Colonel John H. Patterson is that most people have never heard of him. That is unfortunate. Another reason is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother, Yoni, was named after him. That is special.

The final reason is because we believe that his story should never be forgotten. That would be reprehensible.

Patterson was a staunch advocate of Zionism in a storied military career that included commanding the Zion Mule Corps, a contingent of 750 Jewish soldiers recruited from the Diaspora to fight in the Boer War and in World War I.

Two years after it was formed in 1915, the Mule Corps was expanded and, thereafter, was known as the Jewish Legion. Its five battalions consisted entirely of Jewish volunteers. The 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers was comprised of Jews living in Great Britain and a number of Russian Jews who joined forces with the former Mule Corps members. The 39th Battalion was made up of Jewish men from the U.S. and Canada. Palestinian Jews and former Jewish POWs held captive by the Ottomans became the 40th Battalion. The 41st and 42nd Battalions completed the Legion, but were posted in England without seeing action.

The Jewish Legion fought in the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917 and the Battle of Megiddo in 1918. The Battle of Megiddo was the last, and decisive, Allied offensive thrust in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign under General Allenby.

Patterson served as commander of the 38th Battalion until his retirement in 1920. Perhaps his passion and vision for Zionism are best exemplified, not by what he said at the end of his career, but by what he said to his men on March 31, 1915 upon the formation of the Zion Mule Corps.

“‘Pray with me that I should not only, as Moses, behold Canaan from afar, but be divinely permitted to lead you into the Promised Land.”

His prayers were answered as he led his men in recapturing the Promised Land in a battle that was among those with the fewest Allied casualties in all of World War I.

Patterson served in the British military for 35 years until his retirement. There is no doubt that leading the Jewish Legion, the forerunner of the Israeli Defense Forces, was his greatest honor. Following WWI, Patterson authored The Story of the Jewish Legion, somewhat of a companion piece for his previous books, With the Zionists at Gallipoli and With the Judeans in Palestine. Patterson successfully lobbied to raise funding for Zionist efforts after retiring to California.

He died in La Jolla on June 18, 1947, less than a year prior to the establishment of the nation of Israel, a day for which he had worked and prayed for an entire lifetime. According to his last wishes, Patterson’s ashes were brought to his beloved Zion and buried in an undisclosed location. The Mike Evans Museum is planted here for the very same reason that his ashes are. Because we love Israel.

In 2004, Patrick Streeter published Mad for Zion, A Biography of Colonel J.H. Patterson. His inspiring story is available at Amazon.com.

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Not Your Typical Museum

There are already thirty-two museums in Jerusalem. Isn’t that enough already? How can another one add anything to what is already here? The answer to that question may not come from where most people expect. While most museums are built to preserve antiquities of some form of art, culture or history, the raison d’être for the Mike Evans Museum, officially named the Friends of Zion Heritage Center, is to tell a love story that has been misunderstood, and even missed entirely, by the tellers of history. It is the story of the enduring love and compassion that true Christians have, and have had, for the Jewish people and now for the nation of Israel.

Dr. Mike Evans has dedicated his entire life to telling the story and to encouraging the people of Israel. This museum is yet another way of communicating that beautiful love story that so many so-called Christians have tarnished, so much so that the Jewish people – God’s chosen – have been unable to comprehend that anyone really loves them with the passion that Dr. Evans and Bible-believers around the world really do.

It would be easy to sell the Mike Evans Museum as unique, simply based on the use of 21st century technologies that make it a museum of experience that takes visitors well beyond the ordinary and expected. It is a place where this love story is unfolded for all to acknowledge and receive. We pray that this will be place where skeptics’ disillusionment becomes enlightenment, where the ignorant become educated and where those who feel unloved realize that they are not.

Our expectation is that, within these walls every visitor will become acquainted with the stories of men and women who have gone to great lengths to aid and protect the Jews, promote the cause of Zionism and preserve the nation of Israel. But, more than the education, our hope is that each person will sense the love of our staff and realize that it represents the love of multitudes among the nations who also love them.

Politicians and men of high position throughout the ages have misappropriated the Christian label without understanding its true meaning and have often used that label to promote their personal agendas to persecute the Jewish people. Much to our mutual misfortune, this has led to misconceptions that Christians hate the Jews and cannot be trusted. The Mike Evans Museum exists as a beacon of assurance that those misconceptions are false.

We love you, Israel. We pray for your peace, Jerusalem. We bless you, children of Abraham. We know the plans that YHWH has for you, plans for you to prosper. We are here to demonstrate and teach you how much we care, and to share with you the stories of others who have gone before who have done the same. Shalom.

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Agent 15 May Be in Syria

It has been reported that Agent 15 may be in Syria.  No, we are not talking about 007 or Maxwell Smart.  Agent 15, also known as BZ, or 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, is a chemical weapon.  There is more and more evidence that it is the chemical agent that was reportedly used in Syria in December.

Although almost any chemical could be deadly in certain circumstances, Agent 15 is not known for its killing power like its more pernicious cousins Sarin or mustard gas, but more for its ability to disorient and incapacitate those upon whom it is used.  Instead of outright killing the enemy, it confuses them.  The effects may include hallucinations, dizziness, erratic behavior, blurred vision, irrational behavior, euphoria, hypothermia, general restlessness or stupor.  Medics attending victims of the alleged December attacked witness symptoms as described.

The effects of Agent 15 poisoning may commence anywhere from half-an-hour to three days after exposure, but most typically within several hours, depending on how the chemical is delivered.  Symptomatic response usually lasts anywhere from 72 to 96 hours, with the more severe responses lasting typically not more than 36 hours.

  Mild central nervous system symptoms usually appear within four hours of contact.

Stupor and hypothermia typically set in between the fourth and 20th hour.

Hallucinations and delusions are typically intense from hour 20 to hour 96.

The final reactionary phase to exposure tends to be characterized by paranoia and other milder symptoms.

If this is, indeed, the type of gas that was allegedly used, regardless of which side used it, it may be a clue to the intentions of one side to determine the effectiveness of using Agent 15 as an incapacitating weapon.  It also, therefore, may imply that there is some thought being given to delivering the chemical to allow ground troops to almost literally impose their will on enemy combatants.

We share this information so that our readers may be better able to discern what is actually happening just to the north of the nation of Israel and how those activities might potential effect Israel.  Israel is surrounded by wars and rumors of wars.  Where there is no war in the Middle East, there is almost always the threat of war, whether Arab versus Arab, or Arab versus Israel.

Please pray with us for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).  Pray that the Lord will keep and protect her from the battles going on around.  Pray that Israel will turn to the Lord and honor him as Scripture promises that she will.

Source material included Business Insider, Wikipedia, and Wired.

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No Purple Hearts for Fort Hood Victims

A Congressional initiative that would award the Purple Heart Medal to the military victims of Major Nidal Hasan’s attack on Fort Hood is being blocked by the U.S. Department of Defense in a most bizarre rendering of reasoning.

“Passage of this legislation could directly and indirectly influence potential court-martial panel members, witnesses, or the chain of command, all of whom exercise a critical role under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).  Defense counsel will argue that Major Hasan cannot receive a fair trial because a branch of government has indirectly declared that Major Hasan is a terrorist — that he is criminally culpable.”

According to Neal Sher, the attorney for the Fort Hood victims and families, the DOD wants this case to be prosecuted as just another instance of workplace violence.  We would have to agree with his observation that the DOD position is “An utter outrage (and) a cynical travesty.  What the government has done by making this statement is guarantee that anything done to help the victims will effectively prevent or impair Hasan’s prosecution.”

The DOD said “The Army objects to (the proposal) because it would undermine the prosecution of Major Nidal Hasan by materially and directly compromising Major Hasan’s ability to receive a fair trial.  This provision will be viewed as setting the stage for a formal declaration that Major Hasan is a terrorist, on what is now the eve of trial.  Such a situation, prior to trial, would fundamentally compromise the fairness and due process of the pending trial.”

Once again the U.S. government, for reasons unbeknownst to us, seeks to enjoin some sort of political correctness regarding defendants’ rights as opposed to calling an Islamic terrorist an Islamic terrorist.  You’ll have to excuse us if we can quite wrap our brains around the unwillingness of the administration to cite a Muslim man who shouts “Allahu Akhbar” before taking the lives of 13 innocent people as an Islamic terrorist.  Do they really believe that they can convince us that he was just having a bad hair day just because he acted on his own?  Suicide bombers do the same thing.

In case you might be wondering what the White House thinks, “The Administration objects to Section 552 which would grant Purple Hearts to the victims of the shooting incidents in Fort Hood, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas.”  This a direct quote from an eight-page official STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY issued on the letterhead of the Executive Office of the President.

We must ask ourselves, “Where is the America that will defend its own against acts of terrorism?”  Then it follows that we must also ask, “Where is the America that will defend its allies?”  That leads to asking “Where is the America that will defend Israel?”  Fortunately for Israel, she does not need America nearly as much as she thinks she does.  Almighty God is her Protector and Redeemer.  Some might argue, asking “Where has He been for the last 2,000 years?”  Those who ask do so through the eyes of flesh that miss the fact that His dealings with Israel are not done.  He has walked with the Jews through the “valley of the shadow of death” and He will lead them to a time when they “shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  That time has not yet come, but it is close at hand.  We need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) with a heart that completely trusts the Lord and knows that His plan is perfect in every way.  Pray with us, please.

Source material includes Fox News and the White House.gov.

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The Core Issue According to Obama

By now we are all aware of President Obama’s remarks in his speech to the people of Israel on Thursday.  We know that he committed to extending the agreement to keep giving Israel a qualitative military edge.  We know that he is committed to the security of Israel.  We know that he has indicated that Israel will always have the support of the United States.  But it was in his press conference in Ramallah with the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas that he explained what he believes “the core issue” is.

“The core issue right now is how do we get sovereignty for the Palestinian people?   And how do we assure security for the Israeli people?”

Not unexpectedly, the central issue of his brief speech in the West Bank and the questions that followed was the legitimacy of Israel settlements there.  It is one of the issues that the PA has used over and over again to gain the support of a whole world that is ignorant of the fact that Israel is not encroaching upon Palestinian soil.  The truth is that the so-called Palestinians – they are really Arabs – are squatting on Israeli soil.

Prior to his exposition of what he sees as the core issue, President Obama told his audience “The Palestinian people deserve an end to occupation and the daily indignities that come with it.  Put simply, Palestinians deserve a state of their own.  The United States is . . . the single largest donor of assistance that improves the lives of Palestinians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza.  We consider these to be investments in a future Palestinian State.”

The President also that he had “reaffirmed to President Abbas that the United States remains committed to realizing the vision of two states.  We seek an independent, a viable and contiguous Palestinian state as the homeland of the Palestinian people, alongside the Jewish State of Israel” (emphasis ours).

With all due respect, it appears that the President is delivering an unclear message.  As we have said before, his political-speak is dripping with ambiguity.  It becoming abundantly clear to those who are listening closely that Mr. Obama is clearing the way to implementation of the “Last Chance for Middle East Peace Plan” authored in part by newly-appointed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

One of the surest ways to know that a politician is on a witch hunt is when he steps out and says that he is not.  One of the best ways to know that one is about to try to impose a plan is when he says he is not here to do that.  We need to set the rhetoric aside to see the truth.  Even then it’s hard to know what the U.S. president and administration intend to do.

We need to be aware, but we do not need to worry.  The statehood, the repopulation, and flourishing of Israel may appear to be man-made, but it is only because God has led the Jews back to the land so that He can bring His promises to Israel to fruition.  The time is coming when Israel will stretch from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates.  How and when that will happen, we do not know.  But, we do know if God is going to do that, there will be no more question about the West Bank being a part of Israel.  Pray with us for the peace of Jerusalem.

The source material for this article was the actual transcript of the president’s speech in Ramallah.

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Persia - The Final Jihad by Mike Evans

                                            Persia. The very word evokes images of kings and princes and tales of Arabian nights, of Scheherazade, the teller of 1001 stories of cunning and derring-do.  However, Persia was not solely acclaimed for the tales of 1001 Arabian Nights, but for algebra, Backgammon, a postal service, military conscription, and advances in human rights. The kingdoms of Persia and Babylonia inhabited the region that played host to the world's earliest civilizations. They are thought by most archaeological scholars to contain the site named in the Old Testament book of Genesis as the Garden of Eden. Ur of the Chaldeans, the home of Abraham, was also a part of the region that was once Babylonia-later controlled by the Persians. The Persian population would eventually learn that it had exchanged one tyrannical ruler for another. Under Islamic rule the people would be forced to forsake the Persian language in favor of Arabic, which would become the sanctioned language of the Muslim world. In 1935, Reza Shah Pahlavi the Great, asked the world to stop referring to his nation as Persia and instead call it Iran, "land of the Aryans." Today, Iran can best be described as a rogue nation with a tyrannical leader at its helm; one who is pursuing nuclear weapons with reckless abandon as part of his mission to annihilate the Jewish people and bring the United States to her knees. Its people will, unfortunately, be forced to reap the whirlwind sewn by Mr. Ahmadinejad and his ruthless followers. Persia: The Final Jihad by Mike Evans, outlines the history of Persia long before Daniel or Esther. It sets the historical stage for modern-day Iran, and peels the layers from deceptions and lies of Iranian leaders. Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons with reckless abandon as part of its mission to annihilate the Jewish people and bring the United States to its knees. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's unequivocally terroristic threats may be taken by world leaders as boasting and bullying; that could be a costly mistake. The brightest minds globally are charged with finding a solution especially now that Iran is but the turn of a screwdriver away from an atomic bomb. The holy grail of understanding is that this is truly a battle between two books, two kingdoms, and two peoples. The good news is that a biblical solution is not only available, but accessible. Having met with over fifty Iranian diplomats, past and present, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi, former Ambassador to the US Ardeshir Zehadi, and the Empress Farah Diba, Dr. Evans is more convinced than ever that this is a spiritual battle of biblical proportions. Persia - The Final Jihad by Mike Evans is now available on JPT.

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Remembering “The 35”

A bloc of Jewish settlements named Gush Etzion sits just a few miles south of Jerusalem.  It started as four agricultural communities that were purchased in the 1920s and 1930s and settled in the mid 1940s.

Today Gush Etzion consists of 22 settlements with a total population of over 70,000.  What is there today was rebuilt following the Six Day War of 1967, because it was all destroyed during or after the 1948 War of Independence.

The Jews who had settled the original four kibbutz enjoyed amiable and congenial relationships with their Arab neighbors . . . until November 30, 1947.  The day following the first UN proposed partition of the British Mandate of Palestine, Arab militants attacked Gush Etzion, the inhabitants of which found themselves on the wrong side of the proposed partition line.

On January 15, 1948, two days following an Arab blockade of a Jewish supply convoy to Gush Etzion, 38 young Haganah men were chosen to take the much needed supplies on foot under the darkness of night and along a different route than the previous motor convoy had taken.  One solder sustained an ankle injury that did not permit him to continue.  Despite their protests, he was ordered to return to Jerusalem with the help of two others.  That accident saved their lives.

Due to logistical and strategic issues, the convoy departed hours later than they had originally intended.  Though they were urged to wait until the next evening, the commander, Danny Mas, was adamant to press on that night.  Unfortunately, having left late, the cover of night was not long enough to cover them.  By dawn they were still an hour short of their destination.  They had passed a few Arabs along the road . . . some say shepherds; some say women carrying wood . . . and that proved to be their undoing.  Like the woman at the well in Samaria, they ran to their villages, told what they had seen, and villagers headed toward where the men had been sighted.  Only these villagers were carrying weapons.  And they were joined by hundreds of militant Arabs.

The 35 were trapped.  Hopelessly, in retrospect, and valiantly, from any perspective, The 35 fought gallantly for nearly the entire day, never considering surrender, fighting until their ammunition ran out and their last man was standing.  By late afternoon, the battle was over.  There were no Jewish survivors.

Upon hearing an Arab radio conversation and learning of wounded Arabs arriving in Hebron, the British sent out a platoon to investigate what had happened to the missing men.  What they found was a killing field of bodies and body parts mutilated beyond recognition.  Those involved in arranging for the burial of the men said that it was nearly impossible to identify which parts belonged with others.

In 1967 the British officer who had found the bodies of The 35 in 1948, identified the hilltop where he had found them.  It was on the Israeli side of the partition line.

Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and the brave men and women who have committed their lives to protecting her.

Source material for this article can be found at Gush Etzion.org, aish.com, andWikipedia.com.

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Living in the F.O.G. (Favor of God) by Mike Evans

The revelation inside the pages of Living in the F.O.G. (Favor of God)  by Mike Evans is life transforming. Until God gave me this revelation, I had no idea that Scriptures I had circled even as a child would have special significance in the years to come.

After having seen Jesus face-to-face at the age of eleven, I knew I wanted to hear His voice again. That is what sparked this amazing search. I learned through this revelation how to hear the voice of God again and again-through His Word. As a little boy who desperately wanted approval, and was accustomed to nothing but rejection, I could very easily have lived my life compromising to gain acceptance. But this revelation has kept me from doing that. Instead, I have sought Divine affirmation - to turn my equity into currency, and my influence into favor. The thing that frightened me most was not that I was inadequate, but that I felt with my whole heart that I was called to manifest the light of God. I realized that staying small would not serve my world. Shrinking to accommodate my critics would not transform the world around me. The words of the prophet Jeremiah cried out to me: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." May the Spirit of God open your eyes to this revelation! Once you get it, you will refuse to be obsessed with what you're going through; you will be obsessed with what you are going to. Click here o get a copy of  Living in the F.O.G. (Favor of God)  by Mike Evans.

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Guard, Bomber Killed In U.S. Embassy Attack

A Turkish guard is dead and another person injured in a suicide bomb attack today at the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.

The blast, just inside a security entrance to the embassy compound, didn’t do any damage to the embassy building itself and was quickly condemned by the Obama administration. White House spokesman, Jay Carney told reporters, “The attack itself is clearly an act of terror,” while Vice President Joe Biden said the bombing “obviously as a terrorist attack on our embassy in Ankara.”

News photos of the explosion site showed extensive damage to a one-story building just inside the compound where visitors must pass through a security checkpoint and x-ray machine. Turkish investigators say the bomber may have detonated the suicide belt prematurely as he was passing through the checkpoint.

The injured victim – who is listed in serious condition – was identified as a former foreign news reporter who had a meeting at the embassy. A State Department spokeswoman said several other embassy staff members were treated for minor injuries from flying glass but that was the extent of their injuries.

Turkey’s Interior Minister said the bomber was a known member of an outlawed leftist radical group, but American officials said the motives for the bombing and who was responsible remains under investigation. After the suicide bombing, the U.S. Embassy posted an emergency message on its Web site warning Americans not to visit the embassy or the consulates in Istanbul or Adana until further notice.

One worker at a nearby restaurant frequented by embassy officials said their windows “shook with a loud sound, and people who worked at the embassy rushed out in panic, running toward the embassy.” He said police and ambulances quickly arrived at the scene.

Once again terrorists have struck an American facility overseas, but with far less disastrous results than the attack on the embassy in Benghazi,  last September that killed four Americans. This attack – unlike the Benghazi incident – was immediately labeled a terrorist attack by the Obama administration and again points to the dangers for Americans serving overseas. Pray for the safety of both Americans and Jews who are surrounded by hostile foreign powers that seek their destruction.

To read the original New York Times article, click here.

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Increased Activity Reported at Gaza Border

This is not a story about terrorism or war (although the title was crafted for readers to infer that).  This is about the everyday things that happen at the Israel-Gaza border that don’t make world headlines.

Just because activity at the border does not make world headlines, doesn’t mean it is not important.  In fact, what happens there is very important.  Some of it is eye-opening.  Read on to learn what really happens every day at the Israel-Gaza border.  To help envision what happens we will be using information from last month’s (December 2012) report issued by Israel’s official Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGA).

Let’s get the big picture first.  During the month of December, 6,298 truckloads of merchandise passed through the Kerem Shalom Crossing and into Gaza.  If the crossing was open every day during December, which is probably was not, that’s an average of 203 trucks entering Gaza every day.  Anyone familiar with logistics will understand that the majority of those trucks are trying to get through at the same time, which creates massive traffic jams.  Border crossing are a lot like airports – jam packed when the flights are arriving and passengers are making connections; as quite as a church on Monday morning after the fights have taken off.

Here is what comprised those truckloads:

58 truckloads of agricultural inputs, e.g., seeds and fertilizer

132 truckloads of clothing and shoes

186 truckloads of electrical products

406 truckloads of ceramics and plumbing products

1,392 truckloads of food

2,511 truckloads of construction materials

If you are particularly astute, you may have already noticed that those numbers don’t add up to 6,298.  That is partially due to some items, like cooking gas, not being measured in truckloads, but in tons.  3,131 tons of cooking oil were delivered across the border during the month.  Almost 88% of all the goods being transferred into Gaza were from the private sector.  The balance was humanitarian aid from international organizations.

In addition to the truck traffic, Israel issued over 3,600 permits for persons wishing to exit the Strip.  Over 2,000 of those permits were for businessmen, plus more than 1,600 for persons and their companions seeking medical treatment, 85 permits to attend weddings, funerals, or other family events, and 67 permits for employees of international organizations.

You can see that the Israel-Gaza border is a busy place in times of peace as well as in times of conflict.  Somehow the world at large seems to believe that the Israeli government has held the people in Gaza hostage.  The reality is quite to the contrary.  In light of the recurring hostilities directed from Gaza towards Israel, the government had no choice but to secure the border to help protect people living on either side.  Even during the eight days of conflict in November 2012 one of Israel’s priorities was to keep the crossing secure so that food and other supplies could reach their intended destination.

Israel continually demonstrates a firm resolve to protect its citizens and its territory while trying to live in peace.  They are not out to get anybody, but they reserve the right to protect what is theirs.  It is not only legal to do so, it is a moral obligation.  Peace is a hard thing to protect, so we are committed to praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).  Will you join with us?

Source material for this story was provided by COGAT.

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The Significance of the Tenth of Tevet

As cities go, Jerusalem is, without a doubt, the apple of God’s eye!  That’s why it is not surprising that so many of the holidays associated with Judaism revolve around that city.  Having just finished observing Hanukkah, which celebrates around the Miracle of the Eight Days of Oil, preparations are immediately made for the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet - commemorating the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem that ended with the Babylonians taking Israel into captivity.  In the excerpt below, taken from the Jewish Virtual Library, we find there is a lot to learn about this holiday.

The Tenth of Tevet (Heb, Asara b'Tevet) marks the day on which the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem began in the year 588 BCE, an event which eventually led to the destruction on the Temple in 586 BCE and the first exile from Israel. Though the day usually falls out near the time of Hanukkah, the two holidays have no significant relationship with each other. The Tenth of Tevet is considered a "minor fast" and orthodox Jews refrain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset on the day of fasting.

In Israel, the Tenth of Tevet has also come to be marked as a memorial day for the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The kaddish (Prayer for the deceased) is recited on this day for people whose date or place of death during the Holocaust is unknown and that is how the date has gotten the unofficial Hebrew moniker, Yom Ha-kaddish ha-kleli, literally translated as The General Kaddish Day.

 “And it was in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth (day) of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon came, he and all his hosts, upon Yerushalayim, and he encamped upon it and built forts around it. And the city came under siege till the eleventh year of King Tzidkiyahu. On the ninth of the month famine was intense in the city, the people had no bread, and the city was breached” (Second Melachim 25).

We see then, that the tenth of Tevet — on which the siege of Yerushalayim began, was the beginning of the whole chain of calamities which finally ended with the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash.

'The essential significance of the fast of the Tenth of Tevet, as well as that of the other fast days, is not primarily the grief and mourning which they evoke. Their aim is rather to awaken the hearts towards repentance; to recall to us, both the evil deeds of our fathers, and our own evil deeds, which caused anguish to befall both them and us and thereby to cause us to return towards the good. As it is said: “And they shall confess their transgressions and the transgressions of their fathers.” (Vayikra 26. Rambam Hilchot Ta'anit Chapter 5). The aim of fasting, therefore, is to subjugate our evil inclination by restriction of pleasure; to open our hearts and stir us to repentance and good deeds through which the gates of Divine mercy might be opened for us.

Therefore, each person is obligated to examine his deeds and to repent during these days. As it is written of the people of Ninveh: “And the Lord saw their actions ” (Yonah 3) . . upon which the Rabbis say: “It is not said, He saw their sackcloth and fasting, but rather their actions ” (Ta'anit 22). We see hence that the purpose of fasting is repentance.

With the month of December crammed with remembrances of perils that surrounded the Holy City, it is no wonder that David advises us in Psalm 122:6 to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as the world - - then and now, tends to want nothing more than to destroy it.

To learn more about The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet, go to the Jewish Virtual Library website:

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Hanukkah 2012 Gifts for Christians

Hanukkah or The Festival of Lights this year will be observed starting December 8 until  December 16.  It's a one week celebration for all our Jewish friends and is observed by lighting of Hanukkah candles, daily prayers, Hanukkah meals with your family and gift giving.    Make this Hanukkah 2012 a festive celebration to those people close to your heart. Hanukkah 2012 Gifts for Christians are now available at the JPT website.  Click here to get a glimpse of your favorite Hanukkah 2012 gifts.

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2013 Israel Calendar Print

The Jerusalem Prayer Team 2013 Calendar features stunning color photographs from Israel and powerful Scripture promises to strengthen your faith and encourage your prayers each day of the coming year. This 2013 Israel Calendar Print is available at the JPT website.  Request your copy when you send your donation of any amount this month.

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Living Fear Free by Mike Evans

So many Believers are too intimidated to show their true emotions for fear of condemnation. The hurt, guilt and shame are too real, which causes people to run from their pain. God does not want you to live as a captive to fear and rejection! There is a remedy. Today’s average Americans find themselves overwhelmed and anxious in a world of economic and political uncertainty.   With a collapsed economy, corporate banks that are going bankrupt, a mortgage meltdown, a housing crash, Wall Street and auto industry bailouts, high unemployment, and a deflated dollar, many wonder where our nation is headed. Every day, we see global media outlets unveiling the turbulence in the Middle East. Conflicts with Israel and her neighboring enemies, riots in Syria, and a clash over the Suez Canal are causing oil prices to skyrocket.  We see those things, not to mention international trepidation because Iran is intent on manufacturing a nuclear weapon. Nations, fearing a potential World War III, are stricken with apprehension.  In these days of constant threats and troubles, God wants His children to live in perfect peace—and I want to show you how you can know that peace without fear.  Click here to get this newly-revised and updated book Living Fear Free by Mike Evans.

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Tourists and Other Strangers Pay More in Israel

A new survey of hotel rates finds tourists pay 18% more than locals for the same room in Israel. The poll, conducted by The Marker, found the lower rate for locals comes despite the fact that tourists are exempt from paying the value-added tax (VAT) on hotel rooms, tours and car rentals. Prices are supposed to be lower for tourists to attract them as visitors.

The survey is causing some embarrassment for the Tourism Ministry, which recently launched a promotion asking Israelis to invite tourists to visit Israel.

Hotel managers say the discrepancy exists because rooms are often pre-sold to overseas travel agents at a set price which can’t be lowered, while prices for Israelis fluctuate depending upon demand and discounts.

Some tourists have figured out the pricing structure and are looking elsewhere for their stays in the country. For the first nine months of 2012, the Israel Hotel Association reports a two-percent drop in the number of nights tourists spent in hotels when compared with the same period last year. However, that may be offset by a four-percent rise in the number of tourists arriving during the first nine months of this year.

Although the latest numbers indicate shorter hotel stays, industry officials say it probably also represents an increasing trend toward renting out private apartments, staying with relatives and friends or in hostels to avoid the relatively high hotel rates in Israel.

Exodus 23:9 is an exhortation to welcome strangers “because you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.” It would appear that the current pricing structure has a negative impact on business visitors and tourism. Pray that the Israeli government or travel industry will move to make visiting the country more affordable for tourists and other strangers.  Pray for the peace in Jerusalem.

To read the original Haaretz article, click here.

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Iran Threatens To Halt Oil Sales

Iran is preparing for life without oil revenues. That’s the word from the Islamic Republic's oil minister, who says his country may stop petroleum sales if economic sanctions against the nation continue.

"We have prepared a plan to run the country without any oil revenues," Iranian oil minister Rostam Qasemi told reporters, adding, "So far to date we haven't had any serious problems, but if the sanctions were to be renewed we would go for 'Plan B.' If you continue to add to the sanctions we (will) cut our oil exports to the world."

According to estimates published by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iran pumped about 2.72 barrels-per-day (bpd) in September, although Qasemi said the figure is closer to four bpd.

The United States and other Western nations have imposed strong economic sanctions against Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, which the West says is designed to produce a nuclear weapon, but Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes. So far, it appears the sanctions are working. According to Iran’s central bank, the nation’s inflation rate last month was 24%, although Western industry analysts says they believe the real inflation rate may be twice as high.

Romans 13 reminds us that governments have ordained powers, such as those protect, tax and rule. Therefore, the government of Iran is within its authority to decide how their oil will be distributed and to whom. How this would impact oil prices is anyone’s guess in the volatile world market. Pray today for Iran’s leaders and the choices they have to make regarding their oil production and using petroleum as a “weapon” against Western economic sanctions.  Join us and pray for peace in Jerusalem.

To read the original Jerusalem Post article, click here.

[jerusalemprayerteam-blog-blog]

Obama, Romney Pledge Support to Israel

Both President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney vowed to stand with Israel in Monday night’s third and final presidential debate.

The Florida debate, which came just two weeks before Americans go to the polls to choose the next president, focused on foreign policy with Israel being mentioned more than 30 times.

In response to a question about a possible attack against Israel by Iran, President Obama said, "I will stand with Israel if they are attacked. And this is the reason why, working with Israel, we have created the strongest military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries in history."

Romney concurred, saying, "When I'm President of the United States, we will stand with Israel. And if Israel is attacked, we have their back, not just diplomatically, not just culturally, but militarily."

The candidates agreed Iran shouldn’t be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Romney also said as president he would tighten the economic sanctions that are already putting a strain on the Iranian economy.

The two sparred over foreign policy in general, with Romney telling the audience that the president has overseen a “steady decline” in American influence that has encouraged enemies like Iran. “In nowhere in the world is America’s influence greater today than it was four years ago,” Romney said, also blasting the president for his “apology” tour and the administration’s cool relationship with Israel.

Obama countered with charges that Romney’s views are “all over the map” on world affairs and of embracing a foreign policy that’s “either flat-out ‘wrong’” or a different version of what the president himself has already done, only “louder.”

Proverbs 17 and 18 talks about the loyalty of a friend and speaks of one that “loves at all times” and a “sticks closer than a brother.” The United States has historically been such a friend to Israel, and as a result God has blessed America. Pray that our special friendship will continue under a second Obama administration or under the leadership of Mitt Romney.  Join us as we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

To read the original Haaretz article, click here.