Shocking: Lebanon's Prime Minister resigns, slams Iran and Hezbollah

November 10, 2017

In an astounding development over the weekend, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned. According to a report in The Washington Post, the surprise move ends Hariri’s alliance with the powerful Hezbollah terrorist movement and raises the threat of conflict in Lebanon.

Hariri announced his resignation in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on Saturday, citing the influence of Iran over the Lebanese government as the reason. His move puts Lebanon in the middle of a growing power struggle between Tehran and Riyadh.

Hariri said in a televised address from Riyadh that, through Hezbollah, Iran has created “a state within a state” in Lebanon. He accused Iran of sowing “sedition, devastation and destruction in any place it settles.”

“I want to tell Iran and its followers that they are losing in their interferences in the affairs of Arab nations. Our nation will rise just as it did before, and the hands that will harm it will be cut,” Hariri said. Many observers took his statements as foreshadowing the beginning of a broader effort, backed by Saudi Arabia, to confront Iran.

The Trump Administration, which has been more assertive toward Iran recently, did not immediately comment. It’s unclear whether the President was involved in what appears to be a Saudi initiative to answer Iran’s meddling in Lebanon.

An already shaky alliance ends

The resignation appears to end the shaky alliance between Hariri, a Sunni Muslim and longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, and the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah terrorist group. The arrangement helped Lebanon distance itself from the violent civil war in neighboring Syria, even as concerns were deepening among Iran’s foes about the growing influence of Tehran in Lebanon.

Israel, which has threatened recently to go to war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, said it welcomes Hariri’s resignation. According to a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reported in The Washington Post, Hariri’s decision is “a wake-up call to the international community to take action against Iranian aggression.”

Feared for his life

In his resignation statement, Hariri hinted he believes his life is in danger. He described the atmosphere in Lebanon as similar to the national mood when his father, Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, was assassinated in 2005, after resigning from office. “I sensed what is being woven in secret to target my life,” Hariri said.

An attempt on Hariri’s life “had been thwarted in Beirut a few days ago,” according to the Saudi news website Al-Arabiya, although Lebanese security officials said they had no knowledge of any such attempt.

The assassination of Hariri’s father in a 2005 car bombing is widely blamed on Hezbollah operatives. The murder has been followed by years of tension in Lebanon between Hezbollah and U.S.-backed allies in the Sunni and Christian communities.

The Washington Post reports that a string of bombings killed more than a dozen Hariri allies and Christian politicians. The tensions culminated with Hezbollah’s armed takeover of the streets of West Beirut in 2008, which secured their political influence over Lebanon.

Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Hezbollah, through Iran’s backing, has emerged as a powerful military and political force in the region. Designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., the movement has sent thousands of its members to Syria to fight for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its war with Islamic State.

Late last week during an interview with Lebanese TV, Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan sharply criticized Hezbollah, calling for its “toppling” and promising “astonishing developments” in the coming days.

Al-Sabhan had met earlier with Hariri in Saudi Arabia. Hariri abruptly returned on Friday before his bombshell announcement on Saturday.

In a series of tweets after meeting Hariri, al-Sabhan described it as a “long and fruitful meeting” that resulted in agreement over many issues that concern the Lebanese. He criticized the Lebanese government and said, “What comes is better, God willing.”

He earlier had said that those who cooperate with Hezbollah must be “punished.”

Part of a bigger plan?

If this plays out as many observers think it might, Prime Minister Hariri’s resignation may be the next step in a Saudi Arabian plan to increase stability in the Middle East and counter the growing influence of archrival Iran.

You’ll recall that in June, Saudi Arabia joined four of its Arab neighbors in severing ties with Qatar, saying Qatar supports Islamic terrorism and Iranian designs on the region. Some analysts saw the escalation as a sign that the Saudis and their allies are growing bolder in their campaign to fight terrorism in general – and Iran state-sponsored violence in particular.

This amazing development will play out in the coming weeks. And it may get very interesting if the Saudi’s deliver on their promise of “astonishing developments” in the coming days.

All we can do is pray that these events bode well for the state of Israel and her people. Islamic infighting may bring greater security to the region. Or it may bring greater chaos. We don’t know.

But we serve the God who does know. Let’s ask Him to protect His people – and give us even more opportunities to reach the Jewish people with care, compassion and the Good News of Jesus their Messiah.

We also appreciate your prayers for us here at Jewish Voice Ministries as we bring hope and health to Jewish communities around the world. Your prayers and financial support are such an encouragement, as they make this life-transforming work possible.

Surrounded by enemies, but protected by God

November 03, 2017

War between Israel and the Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah is inevitable and certain to be devastating for both sides.

This viewpoint is presented in a new report published late last week and covered in detail by Israeli media outlets The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post.

The High Level Military Group, an international military think tank, prepared the report. The authors say that, while Iran-backed Hezbollah doesn’t want war right now because of its extensive involvement in the Syrian civil war, its actions and propaganda suggest that it considers future armed conflict with Israel a given.

Hezbollah is “the most powerful non-state armed actor in the world,” according to the report’s authors – retired generals and defense officials from the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other democratic nations. The analysts outline the strategies each side would use in a future conflict as well as the potential drawbacks of those plans.

The examination also found that the U.N. interim peacekeeping force in Lebanon is not enforcing the U.N. resolution intended to keep armed militias like Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.

A formidable enemy

The report’s authors believe Hezbollah has approximately 25,000 full-time fighters – 5,000 of whom have undergone advanced training in Iran, according to the former military leaders comprising the research group. At least another 20,000 fighters serve in reserve units.

This terrorist army boasts of possessing attack drones, air defense systems, armored personnel carriers and even tanks. It is also believed to have more rockets than many European armies, as well as shore-to-sea missiles that are a threat to Israeli Navy ships.

But the report also notes that Israel’s military is considered by many observers to be the most powerful in the Middle East and suggests that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have more than 400,000 active frontline personnel, more than 3,600 tanks and nearly 1,000 aircraft.

Leaving Syria

Hezbollah’s high command has issued orders mandating that its remaining fighters leave Syria in early 2018, reports the Israel Hayom news source. The pullout is designed to ensure that Hezbollah has sufficient force along Lebanon’s border with Israel should hostilities with the Jewish state resume.

For the past five years, Hezbollah forces have fought alongside the Syrian military in that country’s bloody civil war. It is believed that the Shiite terrorist group, along with other Iranian-backed militias, has helped turn the tide in favor of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Still, based on Hezbollah’s entrenchment and activities along the Golan Heights, IDF officials believe that the terrorists will avoid escalation with Israel until they can achieve their priority of winning the Syrian civil war.

Surrounded by enemies, but protected by God

Can you imagine how stressful it must be for the people of Israel to live under the kinds of threats they face? They’re surrounded by enemies sworn to destroy them: Hamas controls the Gaza Strip to the west, the Palestinian Authority rules the West Bank region to the east, ISIS is increasingly active in the Sinai to the south, and Hezbollah is biding its time, waiting to strike from the north.

No wonder we at Jewish Voice have promised to stand with all peace-loving people in Israel. They need our prayers and our support. Of course, we know that while Israel is under constant threat of attack, in the end, God’s plan for both the Nation of Israel (all Jewish people) and the State of Israel (those living in that tiny, vulnerable Middle Eastern country) will lead to a world-redeeming conclusion that has been decided since before the beginning of time.

JVMI 50th Anniversary – Looking Back on 2013-2016

November 01, 2017

Just before 2013, Jonathan Bernis introduced Jewish Voice Today Magazine readers to some of the most difficult-to-reach Jewish people – those living in the United States. With a Jewish population second in size only to Israel right at the doorstep, Jewish Voice was working on a project that would both honor Jewish people and share the Messiah with them.

2013: Documenting a Miracle

In the spring of 2013, the ministry launched a television special that was three years in the making. “The Miracle of Israel” is a historical snapshot of the Jewish people and their miraculous survival and restoration to their Land.

Narrated by the late Leonard Nimoy, the documentary reveals Israel as the only nation in history that maintained a national identity for centuries without a homeland. The story points to the miraculous providence of God for His people. In the film, Jonathan Bernis shares his views on Messianic and Last Days’ prophecy as well as the identity of the Jewish Messiah.

The film was broadcast in five airings over a two-year period across the United States, targeting 30 cities with large Jewish populations. Viewership exceeded 2.1 million households. Messianic congregations in broadcast cities followed up with those who called the telephone number, building relationships and sharing more about Yeshua.

The Miracle of Israel received eight Telly Awards in 2013: two silver awards in the Documentary and Education categories and six bronze awards in other categories. It was also named Best Documentary of the Year by the National Religious Broadcasters.

In 2013, JVMI also tackled its most ambitious Medical Outreach schedule to date. Teams of doctors, nurses, dentists, and non-medical Outreach Partners provided care to nearly 46,000 patients through six Clinics held in Ethiopia, India and Zimbabwe that year.

2014: A Year of Firsts

For the first time in 20 years, the performance teams of Hear O’ Israel! Festivals of Jewish Music & Dance returned to Kiev, Ukraine, in 2014. Attendance at the Festival was 12,500.

As always, a team of Outreach Partners provided essential help throughout the Festival including street ministry and constant prayer. Much of that work was accomplished by passionate followers of Yeshua who are members of the thriving Messianic congregation that formed in Kiev as a result of Jonathan Bernis’ first Festival there in 1994.

It was a powerful event. One man who attended the Festival became so emotional during the moving dance performed in front of a slideshow of Holocaust photos that he had to leave. He later contacted the congregation and revealed that he was a Holocaust survivor and had seen a picture of himself in the presentation.

2014 held several “firsts” for the ministry. That year, Jewish Voice:

· Launched a new humanitarian aid ministry to elderly Holocaust survivors living in poverty in Israel

· Conducted the first Messianic Leadership Retreat in Ethiopia, encouraging Messianic leaders from throughout that country

· Reached out to its third location in Zimbabwe, in Gutu. It was here that the ministry celebrated the milestone of treating their 250,000th patient since JVMI behgan these Medical Outreaches

· Held its first citywide pastor’s gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, making great strides in dispelling prejudices against Messianic Believers and the Jewish people among evangelical pastors. More than 1,200 local leaders participated in the historic event, which included representation from every major church in Ethiopia’s capital city.

2015: A Record-Breaking Year

In 2015, Jewish Voice returned to Ukraine with a Festival in Odessa, where 15,600 attendees packed the world-famous Odessa opera house. And it was another record-breaking year for Medical Outreaches. The Gutu, Zimbabwe, Outreach broke the JVMI record for the most patients treated in a single clinic day at that time, with 2, 518 patients. The record was short-lived, however, as the next day 2,701 were welcomed and treated.

Later that year, in Gondar, Ethiopia, the efficient medical team and non-medical partners enabled the ministry to break its record at that point for the most patients treated in a five-day clinic: 13,018.

Also in 2015, JVMI held its second Messianic Leadership Training in Ethiopia, investing in the leadership of Messianic congregations throughout the nation through training and encouragement of 60 dedicated men of God.

A similar event in Zimbabwe hosted 60 faithful Messianic leaders from among the Lemba to receive training for shepherding young congregations there. Since the first Jewish Voice Zimbabwe Outreach in 2012, 55 Messianic congregations had grown up and, in April of 2015, JVMI helped ordain the first National Overseer for the Lemba Messianic community.

2016: Television, Persecution – and Another Record

After 49 years of consistent ministry and growth – and with the rapid growth of technology – an update to the television studio and media department was overdue. The 10-year-old set received a complete remodel with cameras, computers, sound and editing equipment all upgraded to state-of-the-art standards.

Louis Kaplan would be amazed at the reach that the Jewish Voice television program had acquired by 2016. His heart’s desire was to see the ministry he founded back in 1967 extend overseas. In 2016, the program that sprang from Louis’ obedience to the Lord’s call had reached a worldwide distribution available to more than 575 million homes through satellite, cable and local networks; it was available to even more through the internet.

Jewish Voice conducted six Medical Outreaches to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in 2016, adding a new location in each country. In Ethiopia, the team experienced unprecedented opposition as it reached out to help the severely persecuted Beta Israel of Tach Gayint.

For the first time, a Jewish Voice Medical Outreach Prayer Room was closed down by local officials. Prayer Partners dispersed among the people and shared Yeshua’s Good News in examination rooms and with patients as they waited in long lines.

The closure paved the way for new ministry opportunities. The Beta Israel live outside Tach Gayint in small villages nestled in the hills of this mountainous region of Ethiopia. Teams visited two villages with personal water purifying filters and the Gospel of Yeshua. Every member of a community of 70 Beta Israel Jewish people received Him as their Messiah, and 30 or more came to faith in Yeshua in the second village.

Jewish Voice also returned to the Gefat in Hosanna, Ethiopia, for the first time since 2013 and brought medical aid to the Lemba and their neighbors in a new Zimbabwe location, Masvingo. By the end of 2016, Jewish Voice Medical Clinics had treated 68,787 patients – the most helped yet in one year – and facilitated 4,691 professions of faith in Yeshua as Messiah in the same period.

Join us on the Jewish Voice Blog each month in 2017 as we unfold the Jewish Voice story and show how two ministries with the same heart merged and became Jewish Voice Ministries International as you know it today.

Check out Flashback Fridays on our Facebook page, where you’ll see glimpses of our 50-year journey.

Discover the entire inspiring JVMI story with our beautiful, full-color coffee table book, Jewish Voice: A Look at 50 Years. Through more than 200 photographs, it chronicles 50 years of ministry, including biographies, stories and reflections from television guests, partners and staff.

Previous JVMI 50th Anniversary blog posts:

Meet Louis and Chira Kaplan

The Early Years – Jewish Voice Broadcasts

Jonathan Bernis

Hear O’ Israel Ministries

Meeting, Partnering, and Merging

Jewish Voice Ministries International

Called to Ethiopia

JVMI: 2008–2010

A Look Back to 2011-2012

The Night of Broken Glass

November 01, 2017
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On the night of November 9, 1938, the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany gathered unfettered momentum. An organized wave of violence spread throughout Germany, Austria and areas of Czechoslovakia.

Kristallnacht

The dark hours of that night echoed with the sound of shattering glass as an estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses were vandalized and looted. Kristallnacht means “crystal night,” and has come to be known as “Night of Broken Glass.”

Nazi soldiers and members of the Hitler youth organization marauded Jewish homes, intimidating and assaulting Jewish families while throngs of citizens and local police stood by and watched. They burned or destroyed 267 synagogues and vandalized countless Jewish residences, killing 91 Jewish people in the process. As the pogrom spread, tens of thousands of Jewish men were arrested, and most were transferred to concentration camps.

Kristallnacht proved to be a key turning point in Nazi persecution of Jewish people. Hitler was gauging resistance to his plan to eliminate the Jews from Europe, and he saw that non-Jewish citizens would stand by and observe these actions without objection.

Those who survived Kristallnacht 79 years ago and remain to share their stories were children on that terrible night. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington shares several video testimonies of Kristallnacht survivors. Here are some of their stories.

Children of Kristallnacht

Susan Strauss walked to school and saw her synagogue burning. There would be no school that day. Back at home, she heard radio warnings to stay inside and that most of the synagogues in town were on fire. A few hours later, a throng of people made their way to her family’s door and broke it down. They rampaged through the home and smashed dishes, cut pillows, tore books apart and threw plants over.

Months later, the family dentist became a high-ranking Nazi, and he wanted their property for himself. Men came and took Susan’s mother outside and beat her. She had no choice but to abandon the home.

Johanna Gerechter saw a large crowd of people in front of her synagogue throwing stones at the beautiful stained glass windows. They had already ransacked the interior and thrown Torah scrolls into the street.

 “The Torah scrolls,” Johanna said, “this is the basis of our belief, the basis of our observance, the basis of our lives. This was thrown into the street, torn up, desecrated by hordes of people who had absolutely lost all respect [for] any other people’s religion.”
– Johanna Gerechter

Johanna’s family gathered at her grandmother’s home. “My father was a very courageous man,” she explained, “and you weren’t going to tell him that he cannot walk on the streets of Germany. He went downtown. I remember him coming back quite shaken up.”

Back at their own home in the evening, the family didn’t turn on any lights in the apartment, and they went to bed immediately. In the middle of the night, soldiers pounded on the door. That sound and the fear it instilled in Johanna is something she can never forget.

But the family remained silent in the apartment, and eventually a neighbor woman opened her door and shouted at the troops, “What are you doing? People are trying to sleep!”

“We want these Jews,” the men said.

“They’re not home,” she told them.

To this day, Johanna doesn’t know if the woman really believed the family was away or if she was protecting them. “But, certainly,” Johanna said, “her remark saved us.”

You Can Make Twice the Impact!

October 30, 2017

Early next year, our team of skilled and dedicated medical professionals – most of whom volunteer their time – will finally head to Chitsungo, Zimbabwe, to serve a community called the Lemba. These are Jews who, according to their oral history, migrated to Africa from Israel about 2,500 years ago!

They’ll host a 5-day Medical Clinic for thousands of impoverished Jewish people and their neighbors in this remote village in the northern part of the country.

I say “finally” because we’d planned to go in July. But the trip had to be cancelled due to heavy rains and washed-out roads that cut off our access to thousands of people in need of healing and hope.

While we care for everyone who comes to us, we’re especially called to minister to Jewish people in remote parts of the world, many of whom are descended from the Nation of Israel that was scattered.

We call them “Lost Tribes” – pockets of Jewish people who often live in poverty and isolation. Because of their ancient Jewish customs, they often are rejected and isolated – and in some places persecuted by the surrounding cultures.

And almost always, they struggle with a lack of access to even the most basic services, like medical care.

So much suffering! Won’t you help?

While it’s painful to me and our team to see the depth of suffering and need these people experience every day, I’m convinced our work in Chitsungo can have a dramatic lasting impact – both physically and spiritually.

But I need you to stand with me and other Jewish Voice partners to ensure that these impoverished people get the help they need.

Will you join me by sending the most generous gift you can to care for these struggling, isolated Jewish people?

Each $30 you send right now will provide them:

  • Medical care, surgeries and emergency treatment
  • Dental and eye care
  • An opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus, their Messiah

Through your gift today, you’ll be the hands, feet and heart of Yeshua (Jesus) to these desperate people. Just as the Lord healed so many, you now can help these precious people find healing and hope.

The average cost of care for one person at a Jewish Voice Medical Clinic is only $30. But right now, your gift will accomplish even more to help the Lemba people of Chitsungo, Zimbabwe. Here’s how …

DOUBLE your gift. Reach TWICE as many Jewish people!

Right now, a $400,000 Matching Grant provided by some generous partners of Jewish Voice will DOUBLE any gift received by November 30.

That means when you give by that date, your gift effectively will be matched dollar for dollar. You can bring physical healing to TWICE as many Jewish people in Zimbabwe.

But most important, as we gain the trust of those we serve, we’ll have the opportunity to share with them the motivation behind our care: our faith in Jesus, the One who died for them and wants them to receive the gift of eternal life.

And that’s what we – and YOU – want to do above all else. These Jewish men, women and children will see that our kindness comes from an earnest faith that compels us to reach out with compassion in the name of Jesus, the Messiah.

During our recent Medical Outreach – in Buhera, Zimbabwe, just a few months ago – we were able to treat 9,610 patients. An amazing 315 of them accepted Yeshua as Messiah for the first time!

Miracles still happen today. God can work among His people through you!

Our experience with a woman named Memory is just one example of how your gift can transform lives.

Memory, who is about 44 years old, was brought to the Clinic on a stretcher by her sister. She was suffering from a variety of serious medical problems, including near total paralysis that kept her from walking or talking.

After being examined by our medical team, we prayed in faith for her healing. In a miraculous display of His limitless power, the Messiah healed her body.

Memory stood up … she walked … and talked! She was so happy, she asked our counselors to guide her in a prayer of salvation. Her sister, who witnessed her healing, also prayed to receive Jesus.

Word of the miracle – and you can’t call it anything but that – spread quickly, prompting several members of the local medical team working with us to come to faith too. Soon, the news had spread community-wide!

This is the kind of impact you can have when your financial support is multiplied by the $400,000 Matching Grant I mentioned earlier.

Miraculous results like these will be possible, but only through your generosity. And with the Chitsungo Clinic coming quickly, your gift is urgently needed.

Through your generous gift today – doubled by the $400,000 Matching Grant – you’ll bring healing in the form of medical, dental and eye care to those in desperate need.

What’s more, as you help us address physical suffering, many people will be moved to open up to the message of God’s love we’ve come to share.

Your gift of $30 will go TWICE as far, providing care for two people. $90 will care for six people. And $150 will care for 10 people!

The more generous you can be, the more people you’ll reach with real help, and also hope through an introduction to their promised Messiah and Savior, Jesus.

As my way of saying thank you for your support today, I’d like to send you a special gift in appreciation for your partnership in this important outreach.

For a gift of any size, I’ll send you a boxed set of 12 Light of the World Holiday Note Cards. Featuring Isaiah 9:2 on the front, they’ll help you share the true light of Yeshua during the coming holidays.

If you can give $40 or more, you’ll receive the note cards, plus the photo book Comfort, O Comfort My People, which chronicles our outreach to the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, and the 2018 Jewish Voice Ministries Calendar.

And if you can give at least $100 now, I’ll send you – along with the gifts above – a lovely Chanukiah, just in time for the Chanukah season. The brochure I’ve enclosed for you gives more detail on these gifts.

Won’t you please send your most generous gift possible right now to provide both physical and spiritual care to the Jewish people of Zimbabwe? Thank you!

 

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