(IsraelNN.com) The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has issued a ruling welcoming the Christians arriving for the annual Feast of Tabernacles conference – and banning Jews from participating.

Feast of Tabernacles is sponsored by the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, self-described as the world’s largest Christian Zionist organization. The annual get-together is a week-long multicultural event held during the Sukkot holiday, which begins this year on Sept. 27. It draws tens of thousands of Christians from around the world for a week of teaching, worship, and prayer, and culminates with a march through the streets of Jerusalem.

The line-up of speakers at this year’s event, which will be held at Jerusalem’s Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center, includes David Pawson. In a speech entitled “God’s Eternal Covenant with Israel” (reprinted in Family Restoration Magazine), Pawson stated,

“One day the people of Israel as a whole will become Messianic Jews [believing in Jesus - ed.]… Prayer for Israel is not enough; preaching is also necessary. The church’s silence over the holocaust was bad enough; her silence about hell would be a worse betrayal… True lovers of Israel will speak on behalf of Jews to Christians and on behalf of Christ to Jews. To pray for the peace of Jerusalem must include that peace with God which only Jesus can bring.”

“‘Zionism’ is only ‘Christian’,” Pawson stated, “when He [Jesus] has the pre-eminence.”

Full Article (Arutz Sheva)

This is a rough one. I have no doubt several speakers over the years have only been involved in hopes of converting Jews. However, I also know ICEJ has a “no missionary activity” rule in effect during the feast out of respect for any Jews involved. Ultimately, I think ICEJ is getting a bad rap here.

Also, Messianic congregations are being unnecessarily accused of missionary activity. Based on a statement in an Israeli news report, it seems the largest Messianic congregation in Jerusalem wants it made clear that they aren’t missionaries. It seems a few over-zealous folks have ruined it for everyone.

Also, I’d like to point out that I reject this as motivation for what I do:

Jews Disappear in the Play’s 4th Act
CBS reporter Bob Simon, in a 1992 “60 Minutes” program on Christian Zionists, asked, “What propels them? Why do they love Israel so much? Because the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland is seen by evangelicals as a precondition for the Second Coming of Christ. Therefore, when the Jewish state was created in 1948, they saw it as a sign. Israel’s conquest of Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967 deepened their excitement, heightened their anticipation… The final battle in the history of the future will be fought on this ancient battleground in northern Israel called Armageddon… And the Jews? Well, two-thirds of them will have been wiped out by [then], and the survivors will accept Jesus at last.”

While I’d like nothing more than to see Messiah return, I came to the realization long ago that I can do nothing to hasten it. In addition, supporting the Jews simply to bring Messiah is support that is borne from selfish motivation, and regardless of any good the outcome would be for anyone else, I shouldn’t be motivated by self-serving desires.

I support Israel because God supports Israel, and I leave it up to Him to work out any other details, as I don’t think anyone really knows how this’ll all pan out in the end.

UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post’s coverage of this story has input from from ICEJ executive director Malcolm Hedding – Rabbinate bans Jews from Succot march

Orthodox teachers of Kabbala reacted with disdain Sunday to pop idol Madonna’s Rosh Hashana visit in Israel, during which she took part in a study session of Judaism’s most esoteric texts.

“It is a known fact in Kabbala that impurity and evil are inherently attracted to sanctity,” said a director of one of the most respected Kabbala yeshivot in Jerusalem who preferred that he and his institution remain anonymous.

“That’s why people of Hollywood, a place of iniquity and lasciviousness, are naturally attracted to the holiness of Kabbala.”

Full Article (Jerusalem Post)

If anything, I’d blame the Kabbalah Center rabbis in the U.S. They’re making a mockery of a beautiful religion.

I’d bet dollars to doughnuts (whatever that means) that Rosie O’Donnell, who accompanied Madonna, probably supports a two-state solution.

Click the comic to see what Yaakov Kirschen, creator of Dry Bones, has to say about 9/11 conspiracy theories (there’s also some input from Barak of IRIS in the comments section).

As for me, I think the “Truth” movement is a product of paranoia and liberal-inspired political correctness.

Young American Jews are feeling increasingly alienated and disconnected from Israel, according to a study to be released Thursday by Professors Steven M. Cohen and Ari Y. Kelman.

Based on the responses of more than 1,700 non-Orthodox American Jews of all ages, the study indicates that successively younger age groups show a greater detachment from the State of Israel.

Full Article (Jerusalem Post)

Sadly, Americans of any flavor only seem to care about what happens right outside their door.

BERLIN – A sharp increase has been registered in the number of Israelis who choose to give up their Israeli citizenship in order to be granted German nationality. While only 30 people contacted the Israeli embassy in Berlin with a request to concede their nationality last year, 150 have already done so in 2007.

According to German law, applicants who wish to acquire German citizenship must give up their former nationality, except in cases of Jews who were persecuted by the Nazis, or of children of mixed couples in which one of the parents is German and the other is not.

Full Story (ynet)

Having lived in Germany for a couple of years, I just don’t get why someone would choose it over Israel. Germany isn’t a horrible place or anything, but I’d take Jerusalem over Frankfurt any day of the week.

I found some stuff by one of my heroes, Jeremy Gimpel:

This stuff comes from the Tzemach Bible Institute.

The Likud party’s official website, www.likud.org.il, was hacked over the weekend by a Muslim group that goes by the name of Hell Team.

The site’s homepage was replaced with the group’s logo and the words, “You are killing the Palestinians and we are killing your servers,” in Hebrew.

Writing in Arabic and poor English, the group “sanctified” the hacking to Palestinian and Lebanese children, and called for an end to the killing of Palestinian children. The page was signed by a hacker by the name of Cold Zero.

Full Article (ynet)

I’ve never grasped how annoying some poor webmaster somewhere accomplishes much of anything…

UNCTAD´s latest report argues that limiting the vulnerability of the Palestinian economy to Israeli restrictive measures requires expanding the policy space available to Palestinian decision-makers and re-orienting Palestinian trade within a context of regional transit transport agreements.

Full Article (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)

Actually, this does make sense. On the off chance this two state garbage comes to pass, I suspect the Palestinian state won’t be on friendly terms with Israel. Why should Israel be forced to have an open border?

Family gets lost on way to vacation resort in Tiberias, ends up in Jericho. Car pulled over by Palestinian police, handed over to Israeli police at checkpoint.

Full Article (ynet)

I know someone who got lost trying make a delivery for a food bank and ended up in Ramallah. She was just as scared.

Not really political, but pretty darn interesting.

Israeli and American researchers have found a way to erase long-term memory in rats without damaging their brains in a study that could lead to targeted drugs for people suffering from dementia.

The findings show long-term memories are not as secure as thought and challenge the idea they stabilize after maturing from short-term memories, said Yadin Dudai, who led the study.

Full Article (ynet)

As far as practical uses for this go, they’re saying this will help treat Alzheimer’s. I, however, cannot help thinking this puts us just a little closer to the scenario presented in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Net emigration is going down, even though there were still more Israelis leaving the country long-term than returning from long-term stays abroad, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced on Tuesday.

Full Article (Jerusalem Post)

I find it bizarre that people would leave Israel more often than staying. I can only assume it has to do with the poverty rate; it’s often tempting to seek your fortune elsewhere when it isn’t showing up at your current location.

I certainly hope people aren’t leaving Israel thinking other countries are safer, because it isn’t true.

The Israeli and international medias are abuzz with reports out of Hebron regarding yesterday’s forced removal of two Jewish families from an old wholesale market building they took over outside of the tiny defined Jewish area of the biblical town.

Nearly every report I have read makes it sound as though these families invaded an active market and evicted the poor Arabs who were trying to do business there. The truth, however, is that this particular market has been abandoned for over 13 years. The Jewish families in question moved into an empty building adjacent to the present-day Avraham Aveinu neighborhood.

Full Article (Zionist.com)

Well worth the read, and proof that the mainstream media demonizes Israel and the Israeli people for no good reason (unless you want to get all spiritual about it).

NETANYA, Israel – Researchers at the Technion University (Haifa, Israel) claim they have developed a theoretical model of a time machine that, in the distant future, could enable future generations to travel into the past.

The team’s findings were published in the latest issue of Physical Review.

Full Article (EETimes)

While this sounds fascinating, I cannot help but think it resembles the underpants gnomes’ business plan from an early episode of South Park:

Phase 1: steal underpants
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: Profit

Adapted to this situation:

Phase 1: develop a theoretical model of a time machine
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: time travel

(IsraelNN.com) A massive manhunt and rescue operation ended in joy around midnight between Thursday and Friday, after a missing child was found alive, floating in the Dead Sea. The high salt and mineral content of the water, while extremely dangerous to ingest, kept the child afloat.

Full Article (Arutz Sheva)

Nothing too profound here, I just really liked this story. Where else in the world can a child float away, fall asleep, and then turn out just fine?

Recently in Jerusalem, a dinner conversation with friends from the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies turned into an impassioned discussion about secular aliya.

While enjoying our vegetarian Shabbat dinner, Deborah, 21, modern Orthodox from Wisconsin, scoffed at the fact that her friend had just made aliya from Miami to Tel Aviv. This friend is completely secular and “despises” religion. “He’s enthralled by secular modernity and the Western way of life,” she said.

So why, she wondered, bother leaving the comforts of America, where opportunities are limitless and terrorism – for the most part – is an ocean away to come to Tel Aviv? And, anyway, why come to the Holy Land only to live in the “decadence” of Tel Aviv?

Full Article (Jerusalem Post)

While I’ve devoted a lot of time to studying Judaism, the Jewish root of Christianity, and even Biblical archaeology, I have to admit I haven’t a clue as to what it’s like to be Jewish. However, it seems to me that a secular Jew wanting to move to Israel may be responding to a very faint divine spark from within of God calling him/her home. Am I off the mark with this?

I agree that this is an act of intolerance. I agree it’s an act of disrespect. I also agree it isn’t a hate crime

This is a recent BBC documentary.

You tell ‘em, Bibi!