During the week covered by this review, we received 10 articles on the following subjects:
Anti-missionary Attitudes
Christians in Israel
Book Reviews
Political Issues
Christian / Jewish Holidays
Anti-missionary Attitudes
Yediot Hadera, December 17, 2021; Yediot Netanya, December 17, 2021
Residents in the center of Hadera complained that missionary leaflets had been placed in their mailboxes. Although the leaflets clearly stated that they are intended for people aged 18 and up, the residents expressed fear that they would fall into the hands of children. One resident reported: “The leaflets look like the leaflets from Breslov (a branch of Hasidic Judaism); even the font is similar, and it’s not coincidental. The distributors intend to create confusion, to entice the reader, and only after you’ve read it do you discover that it is actually missionaries and Christianity. They use expressions like the Jewish people and Messiah to confuse us”. The Yad L’Achim organization said that they are acting to eradicate the phenomenon.
Hamodia, December 21, 2021
Or L’Achim claimed that politician Anat Ben Levy Yelizarov from Meretz, who has just become a Tel Aviv city council member, is in fact a “missionary lecturer”. In a letter to the mayor, Ron Huldai, and to the council members, the organization called to keep watch, and make sure that this woman does not take advantage of her position to fund missionary activities through the municipality.
Christians in Israel
Haaretz, December 22, 2021; Haaretz, December 22, 2021; Haaretz, December 23, 2021
Leaders of Christian denominations in Jerusalem have launched a campaign criticizing Israel for its lack of response to violent attacks by extremist Israeli radical groups, and pointed to “countless incidents” of physical and verbal assaults and the vandalizing of holy sites and churches. They also warned that radical groups continue to “acquire strategic property” in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem, using “underhanded dealings and intimidation tactics” to evict residents from their homes, with the goal of diminishing the Christian presence. In response to the campaign, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the claims were “baseless and distort the reality of the Christian community in Israel”, and accused the church leaders of incitement which might cause violence and affect innocent people.
Book Reviews
Haaretz, December 24, 2021
This was a book review of “History of the Three Kings”, which was written by John of Hildesheim, (1310/20-1375), a scholar and Carmelite friar from the German town of Hildesheim. The book is a collection of stories, fables, and traditions, which John collected in his extensive travels throughout Europe, relating to the three wise men mentioned in Matthew 2:1 – who they were, their backgrounds before following the star to Bethlehem, their lives after leaving Bethlehem, and the history of their relics and their descendants. According to the article, it is the most extensive book on the subject.
Political Issues
Makor Rishon, December 24, 2021
A 20-year-old dispute between the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and the Jewish National Fund over property came to an end when an Israeli court ruled in favor of the Jewish National Fund, and ordered the Patriarchy to pay 13 million NIS.
Christian / Jewish Holidays
Maariv, December 24, 2021
The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, led by Nizar al Khater, the winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Conductors, performed the traditional Christmas concert at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Among the 700 spectators was the United States Ambassador to Israel.
Yedioth Ahronoth, December 26, 2021
Doctors from three religious backgrounds came together to celebrate Christmas with little Hannah, a Christian eight-year-old girl from Myanmar, who’d been brought to Israel by the Save a Child’s Heart association in a humanitarian effort to save her life. While recovering from her life-saving heart surgery, she asked her father Joseph to celebrate her favorite holiday, Christmas, and the medical team came together to wish her a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.