The Miraculous Rebirth of Israel and the Miracle of Hanukkah.pdf

8/9/2019 The Miraculous Rebirth of Israel and the Miracle of Hanukkah.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-miraculous-rebirth-of-israel-and-the-miracle-of-hanukkahpdf 1/20



Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Two Miracles of Hanukkah . . . . . .

Ancient Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Political Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It Would Have Been Enough . . . . . . . . . .

Curses and Devastation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Palestine is Cursed and Unlovely" . . .

Ingathering of the Exiles . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Recurring Theme in the Bible . . . . . .

Her Children WillReturn to Her Borders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Celebrating Independence . . . . . . . . . . .

Russian Aliyah from

Behind the Red Curtain . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Lost Tribe Returns:

Ethiopian Aliyah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Coming Home:North American Aliyah . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Making the Desert Bloom . . . . . . . . . . . .

Israel’s Energy Independence . . . . . . . .

Christians and Jews:

Standing Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

15

12

18

19

6

13

The Miraculous Rebirth of ISRAEL & The Miracle of HANUKKAH

Israel365 Monthly eBook December 2



December 2014 / Hanukkah 5775

Dear Reader,

As the father of young children, I have been fortunate these past few weeks to look forward to

Hanukkah through a child’s eyes and with a fresh perspective. My kids know that Hanukkah isthe highlight of the year and it is wonderful here in Israel to see how the whole country gets intothe Jewish holiday spirit. My job as their father, however, is not only to buy them presents, but toimpart upon their young minds the true meaning of the holiday.

For eight days, we celebrate the successful revolt of the band of Maccabees against the mightyGreek army. Miracle of Miracles, after the Maccabees succeeded in kicking the Greeks out of Jerusalem and ridding the emple of their pagan influences, the Jewish warriors looked to find oil with which to light the Menorah. Not many people realize this, but there was in fact plenty of oillying around the emple at the time, yet the Maccabees couldn't find any ‘pure’ oil. You see, theGreeks had corrupted and defiled the emple’s oil storehouse and the Maccabees didn't want touse anything influenced in any way by the pagan Greeks when rededicating the emple. Whenthey found one tiny jar of pure, holy oil, the flask which should have burned for just one nightlasted for 8 days and by then the Jews had time to produce more pure oil for use in the emple.

In reality, Hanukkah doesn't commemorate a time when our lives were in physical danger. Rather,the Jewish religion and the purity of our orah was in jeopardy. Te Greeks prohibited the Jewsto practice Judaism, not by preventing them with force, but by corrupting the source, representedby the defiled oil. Terefore, the most appropriate way to celebrate Hanukkah is by strengthening

that which they attempted to corrupt and by renewing our ties to Judaism, the orah and theLand of Israel. I hope that I can convey that message to my children this year and through thiseBook, it is my sincere hope that “Te Miraculous Rebirth of Israel and the Miracle of Hanukkah”contributes to your appreciation of this fun filled holiday as well.

Happy Hanukkah,

Rabbi Tuly Weisz

Rabbi uly Weisz Director, Israel365





MUCH MORE than merelyspinning tops and eatingpotato pancakes, the holidayof Hanukkah marks one

of the greatest tales ofmiraculous salvation forthe Jewish people. In truth,Jewish tradition celebrates twomiracles on this day. In orderto understand these miracles,we must step back into thehistorical context, the secondcentury BCE.

FOLLOWING their returnfrom Babylon, the Jews hadsucceeded in establishing astable Jewish monarchy in theLand of Israel. However, aftera few centuries, their powerbegan to wane. Soon enough,the Syrian Greek Empire

extended its hegemony overthe small Jewish state. By themiddle of the second centuryBCE, the Syrian Greek ruler,Antiochus, began to enacta number of discriminatory

policies against the Jewishpeople.

CIRCUMCISION and the

kosher dietary laws, amongothers, were outlawed. Underhis rule, the emple in Jerusalem had been violatedand vandalized, as well. As Jews began to feel the pressureof this religious persecution,Mattathias and his five sons,soon to be known as the

Maccabees, led an insurgencyagainst the Syrian Greekarmies.

IN THE YEAR 167 BCE, the Jews began to fight back. Overthe next couple of years, manybattles were fought. Ultimately,the Jews were victorious and

succeeded in driving out theforeign armies. Here we havethe first miracle of Hanukkah:the victory of the outnum-bered Jewish army over themighty Syrian Greeks. As the

Jews returned to the emple,they were unable to locatethe necessary amount of pureolive oil to light the menorah

the golden candelabra. Teoil, which was only sufficientfor one day, lasted for eightfull days, marking the secondmiracle of this holiday. It isthese two miracles that arecelebrated annually on Hanukkah.

THE MILITARY victoryultimately restored Jewishsovereignty for the next twocenturies. Unfortunately,this newly restored Jewishsovereignty did not lastforever. In the year 70 CE thRomans conquered Jerusalemand destroyed the Jewish

temple. For the next twothousand years, the Jewishpeople remained in exile,hoping and praying for theday to return to their ancienthomeland.

The Two Miracles of Hanukkah

The Miraculous Rebirth of & The Miracle of





POLITICAL

INDEPENDENCE

MAKING THE

DESERT BLOOM

INGATHERING OF

THE EXILES

J E R E M I A H I S S U E D A P R O P H E C Y

I N W H I C H H E D E C L A R E D T H AT

T H E F U T U R E R E D E M P T I O N O F

T H E J E W I S H P E O P L E W I L L B E

E V E N M O R E M A R V E L O U S T H A N

T H E R E D E M P T I O N F R O M E G Y P T.

I N D E E D , T H E M I R A C U L O U S R E B I R T H

O F T H E S T A T E O F I S R A E L I N 1 9 4 8

H A S I N F A C T O U T S H I N E D E V E N T H E

L U M I N O U S M I R A C L E S O F H A N U K K A H .

Jeremiah 23:7

7 Therefore, behold, the days come,saith the LORD, that they shall no

more say: ‘As the LORD liveth, that

brought up the children of Israel out

of the land of Egypt’; 8 but: ‘As the

LORD liveth, that brought up and that

led the seed of the house of Israel out

of the north country, and from all the

countries whither I had driven them’;

and they shall dwell in their own land.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL IN 1948

WAS A UNIQUE HISTORICAL EVENT. THIS MODERN TALE

OF REDEMPTION TRUMPS ALL PREVIOUS REDEMPTIONS

IN JEWISH HISTORY AND IS UNIQUE IN THREE WAYS.





ON NOVEMBER 29TH, 1947,the United Nations voted infavor of the Partition Plan. Tis plan granted a sliver of

land to the Jewish populationupon which to form a Jewishstate, and the rest of the landof Israel to the Arab popula-tion to form an Arab state. Te Jews, grateful to haveeven a piece of their homelandand the chance for nationalrevival, greeted the news with

euphoric excitement. Te Arabs refused to recognize theright of the Jews to any pieceof the land. Later, in May of

1948, the Jews actualized theirmoral, historical, and legalrights and declared the for-mation of the modern Stateof Israel. Many Arab statesresponded by attacking thefledgling country, but after a year of fighting armies greaterin number and weaponry, the

Jewish state persevered, andthe State of Israel stood firmlyon its own two feet. Afternearly 2000 years of exile,

the Jews had finally returnedhome! Tis was the first ofmany miracles to come…





EVERY PASSOVER, Jews all over the world sing a song called “Dayenu” (“It would have beenenough”) on Passover night at the Seder. In this song, we praise God by noting that every stepof the redemption from Egypt is itself worthy of praise and thanksgiving: “Even had He onlytaken us out of Egypt but had not punished our oppressors, it would have been enough [of a

reason to offer Him thanks].” Te State of Israel represents a new chapter in Jewish Historycalling for a new Dayenu:

If we had returned to Israel after two thousand years;

And had not established the State of Israel, Dayenu!

If we had established the State of Israel;

And had not founded cities and made the desert bloom, Dayenu!

If we had founded cities and made the desert bloom;

And had not absorbed millions of olim, Dayenu!

If we had absorbed millions of olim;

And had not revived the Hebrew language, Dayenu!

If we had revived the Hebrew language;

And had not developed a unique Israeli culture, Dayenu!

If we had developed a unique Israeli culture;

And had not founded social action organizations to improve society, Dayenu!

If we had founded social action organizations to improve society;But had not developed technologies which benefit the entire world Dayenu!

If we had done all of this and even more;

But had not returned to the Land of Israel, Dayenu!

DAYENU





FOLLOWING the destructionof the emple and exile ofmost of the Jewish populationin 70 CE, the most accurate

description of the Land ofIsrael can be found in the ter-rible curses of Leviticus:

Leviticus 26:32

I will make the land desolate; and your foes who dwell

upon it will be desolate. And you, I will scatter among

the nations, I will unsheathe the sword after you; andyour land will be desolate and your cities will be a ruin.

RABBI MOSHE ben Nachman(Ramban) travelled to Israelin 1267 and wrote to his son,“Many are its forsaken places,

and great is the desecration. Temore sacred the place, the greaterthe devastation it has suffered.

Jerusalem is the most desolate place of all…Tere are ten menwho meet on the Sabbaths theyhold services at their home.” Just as God had promised inLeviticus, the land laid in ut-

ter desolation for more than1,000 years.Depictions of the Destruction of Jerusalem

and the Holy Temple

The Arch of Titus

Rome, Italy





600 YEARS LATER, Mark wain traveled to the HolyLand in 1867, and wrote Te Innocent’s Abroad, oneof his bestselling (at the

time) books:

...So ends the pilgrimage. Weought to be glad that we didnot make it for the purpose offeasting our eyes upon fasci-nating aspects of nature, for weshould have been disappoint-ed…Of all the lands there are

for dismal scenery, I think Pal-estine must be the prince. Thehills are barren, they are dullof color, they are unpicturesquein shape… Palestine is desolateand unlovely. And why should itbe otherwise? Can the curse ofthe Deity beautify a land? Pales-tine is no more of this work-dayworld. It is sacred to poetry andtradition--it is dream-land.

AGAIN, this time from anexternal source, we have an

eyewitness report of whathappens to the land when the Jews have been exiled. How-ever, we have always hopedand prayed for the fulfillmentof the promises and prophe-cies of blessing:

More than any other time inhistory, the biblical blessings

are being fulfilled in front ofour very eyes! Indeed, ‘this very land, which had beendesolate, has become like theGarden of Eden; and the ru-ined, desolate and demolishedcities have been fortified,inhabited” just as Ezekiel hadpromised.

Mark Twain on his 1867 voy-age to Israel

19th century view of Jerusalem

before the return of the Jewish

People

Ezekiel 36:33

“Thus said the L-rd, on the

day that I will cleanse you

of all your iniquities, I will

cause the cities to be inhabit-

ed and the ruins will be built.The desolated land will be

tilled, instead of having been

desolate in the eyes of every

passerby. People will say,

‘This very land, which had

been desolate, has become

like the Garden of Eden;

and the ruined, desolate

and demolished cities havebeen fortified, inhabited.”





THE TALMUD (Megillah 17b)

teaches and predicts, based on

these verses from Ezekiel, that

at the time of Jewish return to

the land, the land will FIRS

become hospitable and fruitfulonce again, and HEN it

will be ready to welcome the

Jewish people home.

AS MENTIONED earlier, ourfuture return to Israel willbe a lot like our initial entryinto the land except that themiracles will be much greater.How so? It will include the

added dimension of the“Ingathering of the Exiles.” After 2,000 years it is certainlymiraculous, as is, that thereare still Jews in the world atall! It is yet a greater miracle

that any of our ancientpeople have the faintestdesire to return to theirhistoric homeland. However,

the Bible promises that notonly will isolated pockets of Jews return, but that Jewsfrom all four corners of the

world will come back home.Consider for a moment justhow logistically impossiblethis would have been just100 years ago. No common

language, no communication,no transportation, no moderninfrastructure! God’s wisdomis infinite; could it be thatGod waited for a time whenthese tools were available?

Ingathering of the Exiles

Ezekiel 36:7-8

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: I have lifted up My

hand: Surely the nations that are round about you, they

shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye

shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to Mypeople Israel; for they are at hand to come.

The Ingathering is considered to be the greatest biblicalpromise ever made, and a miracle of the grandest proportions.

The Miraculous Rebirth of ISRAEL & The Miracle of HANUKKAH 1




Deuteronomy 30:1-5

When all these blessings

and curses I have set be-

fore you come on you

and you take them to

heart wherever the LORD

your God disperses you

among the nations, and

when you and your chil-

dren return to the LORD

your God and obey him

with all your heart and

with all your soul ac-cording to everything

I command you today,

then the LORD your God

will restore your for-

tunes and have compas-

sion on you and gather

you again from all the

nations where he scat-

tered you. Even if you

have been banished to

the most distant land

under the heavens, from

there the LORD your

God will gather you and

bring you back. He will

bring you to the land

that belonged to your

ancestors, and you will

take possession of it.He will make you more

prosperous and numer-

ous than your ancestors.

Isaiah 49:22

Thus said the Lord GOD,

Behold, I will lift up mine

hand to the Gentiles, and

set up my standard to the

people: and they shall

bring thy sons in their

arms, and thy daugh-

ters shall be carried

upon their shoulders.

Ezekiel 36:24-28

For I will take you out of

the nations; I will gather

you from all the coun-

tries and bring you back

into your own land. I will

sprinkle clean water on

you, and you will be clean;

I will cleanse you from all

your impurities and from

all your idols. I will give

you a new heart and put

a new spirit in you; I willremove from you your

heart of stone and give

you a heart of flesh. And

I will put my Spirit in you

and move you to follow

my decrees and be care-

ful to keep my laws. Then

you will live in the land

I gave your ancestors;

you will be my people,

and I will be your God.Temple Model in Jerusalem





Tere were a number of wavesof immigration to the nascentState of Israel.

PRE-1948: ILLEGALALIYAH (IMMIGRATION)

Te Exodus, the name of aship carrying hundreds of Jewish refugees who hadsurvived the horrors of theHolocaust, became a symbolof Aliyah Bet — the second wave of immigration, often il-

legal immigration. Emigrants,mostly from Europe, secretlymade their way into Israel,hiding from the authori-ties who were often trying toenforce quotas, official limita-tions on the number of Jewsgranted admission into theland of Israel. After World

War II, illegal immigrationincreased, and the Britishauthorities decided to stopit by sending the ships backto their ports of embarkationin Europe. Te first ship to which this policy was applied was the Exodus 1947. Te shipsailed from the port of Site,

near Marseilles, on July 11,1947, with 4,515 immigrants,including 655 children, onboard. As soon as it left theterritorial waters of France,British destroyers accompa-nied it. On July 18, near thecoast of Palestine but outside

territorial waters, the Britishrammed the ship and boardedit, while the immigrants putup a desperate defense. woimmigrants and a crewman were killed in the battle, and30 were wounded. Te ship was towed to Haifa, where the

immigrants were forced ontodeportation ships bound forFrance. At Port-de-Bouc, insouthern France, the would-beimmigrants remained in theship’s holds for 24 days duringa heatwave, refusing to dis-embark despite the shortageof food, the crowding, and the

abominable sanitary condi-tions. Te French governmentrefused to force them off theboat. Eventually, the Britishdecided to return the would-be immigrants to Germany,and on August 22 the ship leftfor the port of Hamburg, then

in the British occupation zone Te immigrants were forciblytaken off and transported totwo camps near Lubeck.

POST-1948:

LAW OF RETURN

Following the declaration ofstatehood, the young Jewishstate had many needs to tendto. One of the first major actsof the Knesset (Israeli Parlia-ment) was to adopt the Lawof Return, granting the “rightto return” and immediate

citizenship to any Jew whodesired to return to his or herancestral homeland of Israel.Enacted on July 5, 1950, TeLaw of Return declares that“every Jew has the right tocome to this country as anoleh (immigrant).”

"The Exodus" 1947





Liberation from Buchenwald

Celebrating Independence





Receive an affidavitfrom a relative abroad, in-viting you to join him. Jew-ish emigration is allowed bythe Soviet government onlyon the principle of familyreunion.

Go to the Soviet Officefor Visas and Permits andfill out a form with infor- mation regarding family,parents, dates of birth,place of work.

Acquire other forms ofdocumentation. One of theseis an evaluation from yourplace of work, signed by alocal trade union represen-tative. Merely upon applica-

tion many Soviet Jews findthemselves demoted or fired,often in the form of pub-lic excommunication by col-leagues. Children in schools must also get one. This isoften followed by ridiculefrom classmates and inabil-ity to graduate.

A document from local housing committee in whichall members of the family

must sign the agreement togo. Parents, and adults, must sign approval whetheror not they are going.

Pay $45, and wait up to6 months at which time youreceive a yes or no answer.

Many people with importantjobs are told no. People in high jobs therefore leavethem for menial labor duringthe application period.

If you are fortunate,you receive a license fromthe Soviet government stat-ing that you can leave thecountry. A race against time begins; you have 10 days toobtain many other documents

in order to leave. Amongthe documents required: onestating that you have re-signed from your job andreturned the work book thatall Soviet citizens carry;one that you have returnedthe trade union book, mili-tary service book, and re-signed from school or uni-versity; one that you haveleft your apartment in prop-er condition; and one that

you paid $1,000 for eachemigration family.

You then travel to Mos-cow to the Dutch Embassy,which represents Israel,where you undergo a triplecheck by Soviet Officials.

If all forms and documentsare completed, you finallyreceive your passport.

Transit visas must beobtained from those coun-tries that you must passthrough on your way to Vi-enna.

Packing cases must be bought from the governmentas well as customs permits

for what is taken out.

You are allowed to takeonly $100 worth of goods.All extras and valuables must be left behind. Yougo through thorough customschecks at borders.

You finally arrive inVienna and into the hands ofthe Jewish Agency, who takeyou to Israel.

Then suddenly, as if overnight, the Soviet Empire collapsed!

America’s dangerous superpower rival fell apart, and the Cold War ended! Immigration to Israe was suddenly a realistic option, and over 1 million Russian Jews immediately came to Israel!

BY STRICT ORDER OF THE KGB:ANY JEW WISHING TO EMIGRATE MUST FOLLOW THESE 11 STEPS:

One of the largest Jewish population centers followingthe Holocaust was located in Russia. Practicing Judaism,however, was a crime in Communist Russia. Until 1970,the Soviet Union granted 400 visas per year to Jews.





THE LOST TRIBE RETURNS:

ETHIOPIAN ALIYAH

Legends of lost communitiesof Jews abound throughout

history, from the time of theexile of the 10 tribes of theNorthern Israel Kingdomin 722 BCE. One particular African community became well known for their refusal tosubmit to Christian prosely-tizing by missionaries in theearly 1800’s. As a result, they

weren’t allowed to own landand were derogatorily called,“Falasha,” meaning “wander-er.” Tis community claimeddescent from an ancient Jew-ish tribe. When civil warripped Ethiopia apart, theirlives were in even greater dan-ger, and so Israel planned an

historic and miraculous rescueoperation.

“OPERATION MOSES”

In November 1984, non-stopflights of 34 Israeli aircraft,including IAF C-130s and

El Al cargo planes travelledcontinuously for 36 straighthours, transporting 14,325Ethiopian Jews to Israel in“Operation Moses”.

“OPERATION SOLOMON”

Te second operation airliftedalmost twice as many Ethiopi-an Jews to Israel as Operation

Moses. Te operation, called“Operation Moses” set a world

record for a single-flight pas-senger load on May 24, 1991 when an El Al 747, whichhas a seating capacity of 600,

carried 1,122 passengers toIsrael. Te 20th anniversary was recently celebrated, andin articles, organizers remem-ber more than anything else, what they wore: they wereall wearing white, their finestclothing prepared for goingto Jerusalem and meeting the

Messiah! Needless to say, theyhad never seen an airplanebefore. Te frightened people were encouraged by their rab-bis to get on the planes; this was what the verse in Exodusmeant, when it stated “on the wings of eagles.” After nearly3,000 years, virtually the entire

Ethiopian community madealiyah to Israel.





LOOK WHERE the trends arepointing! Te Jewish popula-tion in Israel is, thank God,increasing at an increasinglyrapid rate. In the very nearfuture, Israel will have thehighest Jewish population in

the world, for the first time in2,000 years.

WHEREAS at the start of the20th century, Jews were livingin all 4 corners of the Earth(Europe, Arab countries, Africa, North America), now

there are basically two signifi-cant Jewish population centers:Israel and North America. Tispast year, Israel surpassed theUS in Jewish population, mak-ing Israel the largest popula-tion of world Jewry for the first

time since the destruction ofthe emple in 70.

IN 2002, an American rabbiasked: what was it going totake for North American Jewsto make aliyah? Te challenge was this: Jews leaving America

would need to do so not asrefugees running for theirlives, fleeing persecution, butrather as idealists, choosing togo to Israel on their own. Tey would have to go in order tolive the dream of fulfilling

the great biblical prophesiesof national rebirth and re-turn. Nefesh B’Nefesh wasfounded in order assist in thisnoble project. In 10 years, theorganization has helped over25,000 North American Jewsmaking aliyah.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1918 1948 20121972

J e w i s h P o p u l a t i o n s ( i n m i l l i o n s )

Year

JEWISH POPULATIONS SINCE 1918

AMERICA AND ISRAEL

America 2012

6.5 million Jews

Israel 2012

5.9 million Jews





Since the Ingathering of theExiles and the return of the Jewish people to Israel, theland is being revitalized inamazing ways. With God's

blessing, Israel has made itsdesert bloom and is now lead-ing the world in environmen-tal and agricultural innova-tions.

WATER

Nearly one billion people

throughout the world – aboutone in eight – lack access toclean water. More people dieeach year from waterbornediseases than through armedconflict, so finding a solution

to this global threat is amongthe most pressing issues facingthe world today.

Te Jewish state currently

leads the international com-munity in water conservationand desalination, purifyingand reusing 75% of its waste water each year for agricul-tural use. Te second mostefficient nation, Spain, recyclesonly 12% of its water, and theUS…just 1%

A turning point in Israeli waterconservation occurred in the1930’s when a Polish immi-grant noticed a tree growingin the Negev desert, “with-

out water.” Simcha Blass dugaround the tree and uncovereda leaky pipe dripping tinydroplets of water onto its roots.Blass went on to develop drip

irrigation, now a multimilliondollar Israeli export responsiblefor saving thousands of lives in Tird World countries.

TREES

Te State of Israel is one ofonly two countries in the world that ended the 20thcentury with more trees thanit started with, thanks to theefforts of the Jewish NationalFund in planting more than240 million trees.

Irrigation system in the

Negev

Yatir Forest





ELECTRIC CARS

Israel is also working to endthe world’s dangerous addic-tion to Arab oil. While elec-tric vehicles are now availablein many countries, Israel hastaken the first groundbreak-ing step to build an extensivenetwork of battery exchangestations and plug-in chargespots for electric vehicles. Its

small size makes Israel theperfect test market for thisrevolutionary concept that hasthe potential to transform thetransportation industry. Origi-nally conceived as an idea

to make the world “a betterplace,” founder Shai Agassihas promised that Better Place

will be the biggest interna-tional brand to come out ofIsrael since Jaffa oranges.

SOLAR ENERGY

In addition to its chronic water shortage, the State ofIsrael has also faced a per-

petual energy crisis. Unable torely on its oil-rich neighborsfor energy, Israel has lookedto the heavens to provide analternative solution. Abun-dant Israeli sunshine led to

the early adoption of solar water heaters, but cutting edgeresearch and development

has now advanced Israel wellbeyond the “dud shemesh”(“solar water heaters”) whichsit atop 90% of Israeli homes.

A Jerusalem based solar com-pany, BrightSource Energy,recently began to build the world’s largest solar energy

project in Southern California which will produce enoughenergy for 140,000 homes,doubling the amount of solarelectricity currently producedin the United States.

What we are seeing, before our very own eyes, is the State ofIsrael becoming a “RENEWABLE Light Unto the Nations”!

Cutting-edge Israeli

innovation





THERE IS A DEEP connection between themiracle of Hanukkah and the miraculousrebirth of the State of Israel. It is impor-tant to point out that miracles don’t alwaysseem so miraculous as they unfold in real-

time. It’s easy to explain (1) the reestab-lishment of the Jewish state, (2) the physi-cal revitalization of the land, and (3) theIngathering as mere “coincidences,” whichis exactly how most of the world wouldrespond.

After 2,000 years of animosity, persecutionand even murder, Jews and Christians arenow standing shoulder to shoulder, enter-ing a new era of reconciliation based onour common belief in the fulfillment ofBiblical prophecy concerning Israel. Tose who recognize God’s role in the miracles

taking place today in front of our eyes havea special responsibility to do all we can tohelp realize the prophetic vision for thecomplete rebirth of the State of Israel. If we internalize the message of Hanukkahand do everything we can to support Israel,than may God reward our efforts with thecomplete fulfilment that Israel representsby bringing the Moshiach / Messiah to

Jerusalem, speedily in our days, Amen.

There are only two groups in the world today who attributprofound religious significance to the miraculous rebirth of th

State of Israel: Religious Zionist Jews and Christian Zionist



The Miraculous Rebirth of Israel and the Miracle of Hanukkah.pdf

Documents

Transcript of The Miraculous Rebirth of Israel and the Miracle of Hanukkah.pdf