During the week covered by this review, we received 7 articles on the following subjects:
Israeli / Jewish Attitudes Concerning Christians / Christianity
Christians and the Holocaust
Christians in Israel
Archaeology
Anti-Missionary Attitudes
Israeli / Jewish Attitudes Concerning Christians / Christianity
Jerusalem Post, November 14, 2021
During the Government Press Organization’s seventh annual Christian Media Summit, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned in a pre-recorded message delivered at the virtual conference: “Here in Israel, we are fighting a very visible enemy, radical militant Islam. The terror that begins in Tehran seeks to destroy Israel, dominate the world, and drive it into a dark abyss.” Bennett said that people should not kill, engage in war or spread hatred in the name of the God of life, peace and love. The only place in the Middle East that fully protects Christians is Israel, where the Christian community is growing, thriving and prospering. “More than ever, Israel stands united with Christians. We’re brothers and sisters. We are united. We won’t let anyone extinguish our light.” Bennett thanked Christians for standing up for Israel and the truth.
President Herzog also warned about growing anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of Israel, while saying Israel can count on its Christian allies. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid similarly thanked “millions of Christians [who] proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with us, fighting the wave of anti-Semitism we see today, wherever it rears its ugly head. Thank you for telling our story, for listening to our story. Thank you for being part of our story.”
Christians and the Holocaust
Matsav Haruach, November 19, 2021
This article was about a Christian woman from the city of Jaslo in Poland, who undertook the task of preserving and caring for the graves of 11 Jews transferred from their burial place, where a new road had been paved, to another Christian cemetery in the city. The grave was that of Jews who had perished in the Holocaust and been buried alongside other Jews in a mass grave. When Inga Marczyńska, a local resident, found out about this, she began visiting the new gravesite every day to care for it. Following her actions, delegations from local schools began visiting the grave to pay their respects.
Christians in Israel
Yediot Ayalon, November 19, 2021; Gal Sheva, November 19, 2021
A great number of Orthodox Christians from all over the world participated in the yearly celebration of St. George in Lod. On November 16, the Orthodox Church of Lod celebrated the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. George from Cappadocia – modern Turkey – to the city of Lod in 305 AD. The celebration was presided over by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus III.
Archaeology
Jerusalem Post, November 18, 2021
A rare Scroll of Esther, written by a 14-year-old Jewish girl from Rome in the 18th century has recently been discovered and will be put on auction in Jerusalem next week. The scroll was written in 1767 by Luna Amron, daughter of the prominent, wealthy Amron Jewish family from Rome, and has been highlighted for providing a unique insight into Jewish life in what is now Italy, during this era. According to Kedem Auction House, there are only two other copies of such a scroll in Italy written by prominent women.
Anti-missionary Attitudes
Hapeles, November 19, 2021; Ashdod Bakotarot, November 10, 2021
As reported in our last two reviews, the articles claimed that Yad L’Achim exposed a “Gentile-Messianic” family that been living “in disguise” in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem. The Argentinian family supposedly immigrated to Israel using a Jewish name, when in fact, they were not Jews. According to the articles, the family participated in missionary activity, until they were exposed by Yad L’Achim. The first article went into great length to describe the ease with which missionaries enter Israel under false pretenses.