A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, the new podcast by Jewish Voice Ministries International, launches next week, but we couldn’t wait for you to meet your hosts, Ezra Benjamin and Carly Berna.
Check out what we call Episode 0. In this short introductory podcast, Ezra and Carly share a little about themselves and some of the great content you can expect on future A Jew and A Gentile Discuss podcast episodes.
Have a listen at the link below. And stay tuned for the first full episodes coming Tuesday, September 8!
With Rosh Hashanah approaching, and the beginning of the Jewish Fall Feasts, I wanted to write to you.
Widely celebrated in the Jewish world as the new year, Rosh Hashanah and the blowing of the shofar signify a wake-up call for repentance and restoring our relationship with God.
What timing with all that is going on in our world! From the coronavirus pandemic to protests and political unrest, there’s so much to bring us to our knees before our God.
The wake-up call of Rosh Hashanah is followed by:
Yom Kippur: The holiest day on the Jewish calendar — a day of somber reflection seeking atonement for our sins before the Lord. Again, so timely and needed right now!
Sukkot: A time to remember the Lord’s provision and look ahead to the day when Yeshua (Jesus) will return. What a day that will be!
These Fall Feasts are then followed by another important event as winter approaches:
Chanukah: An eight-day holiday to commemorate the miracle of oil at the Temple rededication.
These Festivals have held a special place in the lives of Jewish people throughout history. They’ve been a light of restoration and hope through the ages. And they can be for you today. Learning about and celebrating these holidays is a
wonderful way to connect you to the roots of your faith!
And there’s no better way to demonstrate your heart and compassion for Israel and the Jewish people than by sending a gift of support during the Jewish holidays. Plus your gift will double in impact because of the $100,662 Matching Challenge!
Your support will provide:
And when you give today, because of a $100,662 Matching Challenge, your gift will double in impact up to $100,662!
The Fall Feasts & Chanukah book
God commanded Israel to observe annual Feasts to connect with Him in very specific ways. In this book, you’ll learn the significance of each of the Fall Feasts and Chanukah and what they mean for you and your faith.
Please know I’m grateful for you and thankful for your partnership in ministry.
P.S. Please give as generously as you can today — and throughout the Jewish holidays if you’re able. As we start this new year, you can give to reach Jewish people with physical help and the hope of new life in Jesus their Messiah! And your support will double in impact through our $100,662 Matching Challenge.
“You keep in perfect peace one whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You””
Isaiah 26:3 TLV
It may not be perfect peace, but the deal reached late last week between Israel and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is one of great significance.
Since Israel became a nation in 1948, there have only been two other peace deals with Arab nations. Below, we’ve put together much of the key information that has come out in the news about this historic agreement.
One interesting note is that this deal includes a suspension of the annexation of the West Bank. But annexation is not completely off the table.
Meanwhile, violence against Israel continues, from ongoing attacks along the Gaza Strip to an attempted terror attack in Jerusalem on Monday that left a Border Police officer injured.
Your continued prayers are appreciated for Israel and the Middle East.
For only the third time ever and the first time in more than 25 years, a peace treaty has been signed between Israel and an Arab state.
Israel and the UAE agreed to full normalization of relations in a phone call last Thursday that included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE’s Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu called the deal “full, formal peace,” with “one of the strongest countries in the world,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
Trump called it “a truly historic moment” and said, “Now that the ice has been broken, I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates.”
Previously Israel had no diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab countries. Shared concern over Iran have led to unofficial contacts between them, according to BBC News.
The agreement includes establishing embassies, exchanging ambassadors, investment in the Israeli economy, trade and beginning direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi. In addition, there will be cooperation in matters of energy, water and environmental protection.
Also planned is an investment in Israeli efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine. And early this week, Israel and UAE stem cell therapy companies agreed to collaborate on COVID-19 treatments.
The historic peace agreement reportedly took Palestinian leaders by surprise. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal amounted to “treason” and the Palestinian ambassador to the UAE was being recalled.
Israel agrees to suspend West Bank annexation plans
Although Netanyahu agreed to suspend the planned extension of sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samarai to facilitate relations with the UAE and potentially other Muslim countries, it is not off the table.
“I will never give up on our right to our land,” said Netanyahu.
The Trump administration is in talks with other Gulf States to reach normalization agreements with Israel, according to sources in Washington D.C. and Jerusalem. Bahrain is likely to be next.
On Twitter, Netanyahu thanked the leaders of the Arab world for their support of the agreement. He wrote, “I thank Egyptian President al-Sisi, and the governments of Oman and Bahrain for their support of the historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”
Tensions are rising amid rocket and incendiary attacks from the Gaza Strip and Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes and fishing restrictions.
On Monday, one attack started a fire outside a kindergarten. Thankfully, no damage was caused to the school and there were no injuries.
This was the latest in a week of incendiary balloon attacks that ignited wildfires in Israel and led to Israeli airstrikes in response. Israel has targeted positions of Hamas, the terror group that runs that Palestinian territory.
The latest tensions meant Israel also closed its Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza and tightened its naval blockade of the territory. This restricts Gaza’s coastal fishing zone.
A statement from Israeli fire services said fire scene investigators had identified 149 blazes in southern Israel since August 6 caused by incendiary balloons floating across from Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.
The Israeli army said dozens of Palestinians had “instigated riots along the Gaza Strip security fence” on Sunday evening.
As we thank God for the historic peace treaty between Israel and the UAE, please pray with me for:
The normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE to be the first of more opportunities for peace with Arab countries
Thank you for praying with us for Israel and the Jewish people. You can also show your support with a financial gift.
Your generous gift will meet urgent needs for the most vulnerable Jewish populations in Israel – who are suffering even more because of the pandemic. You’ll help come alongside elderly men and women, recent immigrants, widows, orphans and others who are struggling with even basic necessities.
Your support today will also be used to reach the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” scattered around the world, with humanitarian aid, clean water and medical, dental and eye care.
Meeting physical needs opens the door to share the love and hope of Yeshua (Jesus) with Jewish people, bringing spiritual healing to hurting hearts.
Your gift will also help engage the Church concerning Israel and the Jewish people through our publications and social media presence, leadership training and more.
Thank you for being a faithful supporter of Jewish Voice and for your love for the Jewish people in Israel and around the world. I’m grateful for your partnership and know you share in my enthusiasm about this new, historic peace agreement. May God open more opportunities for peace!
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.””
James 1:5 NIV
Wisdom. God wants to give it to us if we will ask. Let us not only ask for ourselves, but for leaders and decision-makers around the world. We need wisdom in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus. Israel’s leaders need wisdom to do what is best for their people. And, let’s pray specifically for the people of Lebanon as they need great wisdom to move forward after last week’s shocking tragedy.
In the wake of that devastating explosion in Beirut, massive protests took place against the Lebanese government and against Hezbollah. The country’s economy has been in dire straits for a long time and for many, this incident was the last straw. On Monday, the prime minister and the entire Lebanese Cabinet resigned. We’ll all be watching closely to see what happens next and praying for God to raise up the right people to lead Lebanon forward.
Here is more detailed news about the latest developments regarding Lebanon and the coronavirus in Israel.
On Monday, after a weekend full of protests and anger directed at the country’s ruling elite over last week’s devastating blast in Beirut, Lebanon’s government resigned.
The government has been accused of corruption, incompetence and mismanagement for months. Since October there have been mass demonstrations demanding the leadership’s departure.
“Lets hope a new government will be formed quickly,” Public Works Minister Michel Najjar told reporters. “An effective government is the least we need to get out of this crisis.”
The blast is believed to have been caused by a fire that set off a 2,750-ton stockpile of explosive ammonium nitrate. It had been stored at the port since 2013 with few precautions despite warnings of the danger.
World leaders and international organizations pledged nearly $300 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Beirut in the wake of the explosion. But Lebanese authorities must commit themselves to the political and economic reforms demanded by the people before money for rebuilding the capital would be made available, according to The Times of Israel.
Doctors in Israel fear many lives will be needlessly lost if people who were wounded in last week’s port explosion in Beirut aren’t allowed to go to Israel for treatment.
“It will mean unnecessary suffering and death,” Anthony Luder, a senior doctor at Ziv Medical Center in Safed, told The Times of Israel.
Luder said that if Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Iran-backed terror group that is also part of the Lebanese government, blocks the treatment, “these people will be the victims of Hezbollah terror, no less than people who are shot by the group.”
“The number of people killed in Beirut indicates there are thousands facing health issues, and they just don’t have the facilities to treat them, while other neighbors aren’t in a good situation to help them,” Luder explained.
In addition to Israeli hospitals offering treatment, the Israeli government offered humanitarian help to Lebanon last week. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We distinguish between the regimes and the people.”
Israeli government working to ensure its citizens can receive Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available
Biotech company Moderna, working with the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., has started the third and final stage of the clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccination.
The company’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Tal Zaks, said, “As a former Israeli I'm glad to know that the Israeli government has indeed seen fit to make sure the vaccination will be available to its population.” Zaks confirmed that Israel is one of the countries that has already ordered the vaccine, according to YNet News.
Moderna and the National Institutes of Health are starting mass human trials with 30,000 participants – half will receive the vaccination and the other half a placebo.
There is currently no concrete timeline as to when the vaccination will be made available to the general public.
"We assume that around November-December we will know if the vaccination works," said Zaks.
Just over two weeks into his appointment to lead Israel’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Ronni Gamzu got his strategic plan passed by the coronavirus cabinet last week.
This victory means at least two weeks without a country-wide lockdown. Gamzu’s plan received top scores from three medical experts.
The Jerusalem Post asked for input from: Cyrille Cohen, head of the immunotherapy laboratory at Bar-Ilan University, Hadassah Medical Center head Zeev Rotstein and Arnon Afek, deputy director-general of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer.
Cohen said Gamzu avoided what would have been an ineffective and unwarranted lockdown.
“I hear a lot of people saying put lockdown in effect now and end” [the spread of the virus], said Cohen. But if nothing else changes within two weeks of lifting the lockdown, Israel would be back where it started concerning the infection rate and the economy will be worse off than before, he explained.
He added that if we look closely at the data, it is correct that “we are seeing a kind of flattening of the curve.” He said Gamzu is looking not only at the total number of new patients, but the number of critical patients.
Rostein said the number of severe patients and total number of patients is on the decline.
“Under this observation, no more restrictions are needed,” Rostein said, with emphasis on “more,” meaning he would not advise lifting any of the remaining restrictions.
Afek said, “We are trying to recreate an agreement with the public about the importance of doing all the right things to prevent this lockdown. I hope the public understands the need to cooperate to prevent a lockdown.”
We are learning today that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have just agreed to the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country in the past 25 years, according to The Jerusalem Post. The peace treaty was decided on in a phone call between U.S. President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed. Next week, we will present full coverage on the topic.
As we ask God for wisdom for ourselves and others, please pray with me for:
Leaders in Lebanon to do what is best for their people as the country works to recover from the devastating explosion in Beirut, including making sure those who are injured get the medical care they need
Israel’s government to work together in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus
Thank you for praying with us for Israel and the Jewish people. You can also show your support with a financial gift.
Your generous gift will meet urgent needs for the most vulnerable Jewish populations in Israel – who are suffering even more because of the pandemic. You’ll help come alongside elderly men and women, recent immigrants, widows, orphans and others who are struggling with even basic necessities.
Your support today will also be used to reach the “Lost Tribes of Israel” scattered around the world with humanitarian aid, clean water and medical, dental and eye care.
Meeting physical needs opens the door to share the love and hope of Yeshua (Jesus) with Jewish people, bringing spiritual healing to hurting hearts.
Your gift will also help engage the Church concerning Israel and the Jewish people through our publications and social media presence, leadership training and more.
Thank you for being a faithful supporter of Jewish Voice and for your love for the Jewish people in Israel and around the world. I’m grateful for your partnership.
