During the week covered by this review, we received 6 articles on the following subjects:
Archaeology
Political Issues
Jewish-Christian Relations
Interfaith Relations/Dialogue
Anti-missionary Activities
Archaeology
Bakehila, September 22, 2022
During construction work at the Palmachim National Park, a popular beach near Tel Aviv, a fallen rock revealed an untouched 3,300 year-old cave from the era of Ramses II, the pharaoh associated with the Exodus from Egypt. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime find! It’s not every day that you discover a cave with tools on the floor that haven’t been touched in 3,300 years,” Israel Antiquities Authority Bronze Age expert, Eli Yannai, said in a press release. “The fact that the cave was sealed and not looted in later periods, allows us, with the scientific means available today, to extract a great deal of information from the objects and materials that survived in them, and which are not visible to the eye.”
Political Issues
Haaretz, September 29, 2022
This was an opinion piece in response to an article by Ram Fruman, Chairman of the Secular Forum arguing that “the term secular Judaism is an oxymoron,” and “the time has come to disconnect the Israeli identity from the Messianic-Jewish religious base and to create, in and around Tel Aviv, the original Herzlian state: a secular liberal Israeli state.”
The author of this article disagreed with Fruman, claiming that “many of the modern identities are full of contradictions related to their history, symbols, and willingness to hold on to traditions.” He argued that there are no simple answers to the question of the modern approach to the Hebraic and Jewish past, but most Israelis would not want to completely disconnect from what they still consider to be their heritage. There is a problem with some biblical content and traditional Jewish values, but we must accept the complexity, with all its contradictions, acknowledge it, sometimes also get angry with it, however we cannot disconnect from it. “Can a secular democracy be headed by a king who is also the head of the local religion? Of course not, this is an oxymoron! But this is what is happening in the UK and Norway. Fruman might have claimed that Judaism and Christianity should not be compared, since in Christianity, from the beginning, there was a separation between the emperor and God, between the secular and the religious realms, but the power relations between religion and government were not simple in Christianity, and it is enough to recall the Walk to Canossa of Emperor Henry IV in 1077 to bow before the Pope, after he excommunicated him.”
Jewish-Christian Relations
Israel Hayom, September 30, 2022
This lengthy article was a series of interviews with several Afro-Americans, regarding their support for Israel or lack thereof, and relationship with their local Jewish community. One of the individuals interviewed was Pastor Gilford Monrose, head of the Office for Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, established by the mayor of New York, Eric Adams. The article described Monrose as “tall and charismatic, impressive in his wording and worldview; a pastor, who, in addition to his position in the municipality, guides Christian groups in Israel.” In the interview, Monrose stated that “most Americans see Israel from a spiritual-religious point of view, not a political one. They believe in the Bible and for them this is a holy land. People pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and when they come to visit – and everyone wants to visit Israel – they see this nation resurrected. They see Masada, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and all the other places, and that automatically makes them supporters. I don’t know if the Israelis understand that this is not just tourism.” When asked about the political tension between the two communities, Monrose replied that “between Jews and Blacks there is the background of a joint struggle against racism, out of which also arose the Black church of which I am a part.” He also expressed his opinion that “Israel should embrace the Black church, something that almost never happens today. We bring a thousand people to Israel every two years, which is quite a lot. But we have never met with a representative of the government.”
Interfaith Relations/Dialogue
Israel Hayom, September 30, 2022
A three-year old Israeli girl, who for many months was struggling for her life waiting for a heart transplant, received the heart that saved her life, after another boy, the son of a Christian mother and a Muslim father, tragically died in a car accident. The parents of both children met for the first time, and bonded immediately. “I have been looking forward to this meeting,” said the girl’s father. “The most exciting thing is the connection between the three religions. Even though there is such a big conflict, we managed to achieve such unity, which is amazing to me. From now on we are a family.” The boy’s parents said that they were never bothered by the thought of who would receive their son’s organs, nor to what religion they would belong. “Our children are our lives,” stated the mother. “What could be better than giving another child life? It was never important for me to distinguish between religions and people. In our extended family we have Muslims and Christians as well as Jews. All religions direct us to be good people as much as possible.”
Anti-missionary Activities
Kol Hair Bnei Brak, September 29, 2022; Olam Katan, September 30, 2022
A monument with elements of Messianic Judaism that was placed at the Ein Keshatot archaeological site in the Golan Heights, reported on in previous reviews, was smashed and the remains were removed from the site. The monument represented inter-religious fraternity and had been erected by Curt Landry Ministries in conjunction with the Golan Regional Council. Yad L’Achim expressed joy at the fact that the “idolatry” was smashed, and said a special prayer for the occasion.