ISIS Accused of Trying to Pull Israel into Their Fight

Israeli defense officials concluded that ISIS used the rockets to provoke Israel into attacking the Syrian army, with the purpose of trying to stop President Bashar al-Assad’s assault on ISIS terrorists, reported YNet News.

Because government, Hezbollah and pro-Iranian forces were attacking long-held ISIS positions from the north and east, there was no reason for ISIS to fire to the west. This would mean the rocket attack on Israel’s most popular beach was intentional.

DEBKAfile, an independent website that provides intelligence and security news, reported, “This ruse was staged to lure [Israel Defense Forces] into pinning the blame on, and attacking, the Syrian army, drawing off the counter-ISIS assault.

“The ruse did not work,” the report continued. “The IDF identified ISIS as the source of the rocket fire and struck back after refraining (to do so) for years.”

Israel Destroys ISIS Rocket Launcher

Retaliation was swift and strong. Later that day, the IDF bombed the rocket launcher and shelled the surrounding area, a pocket of ISIS-held land near the Israel-Syria border.

“In response to the two rockets launched at Israeli territory from Syria, (Israeli) aircraft targeted the rocket launcher,” reported an Israeli army release. “The area surrounding it was targeted by artillery. The IDF will act against any attempt to violate the State of Israel’s sovereignty and undermine the security of its citizens.”

 

The Russian news agency Sputnik reported that the attack destroyed the rocket launcher and killed several ISIS soldiers, for which Russia praised Israel, saying in a statement, “Russian armed forces command in Syria used the existing communication channels to thank the IDF leadership for killing terrorists and stopping a massive provocation.”

Unintended Consequences

Unfortunately, Israel’s counter-ISIS operation “enabled Syrian, Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian forces to capture the terrorist enclave and reach a point close to the Sea of Galilee,” reported DEBKAfile’s military sources.

The international news agency Reuters explained that “Israel worries that Assad may defy a U.N. armistice that demilitarized much of the Golan, or allow Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces to deploy there.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on developments in Israel related to these events, and will continue to keep you updated.

Please pray:

• Thanking God that no Israelis were hurt when the ISIS rockets were launched toward beachgoers
• For protection from Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian forces now entrenched even closer to Israel’s border.

Thank you for transforming lives through your love and compassion!

Here’s how your generous support is being multiplied to transform even more lives 

It seems obvious that lives are immediately transformed when a Jewish Voice Medical Clinic gives someone back their sight through cataract surgery. Or provides clean, healthy water. Or treats a serious and painful dental infection. 

But sometimes Jewish Voice Clinics transform people’s lives in ways that are more than just immediate. Sometimes those lives are transformed in ways that continue to impact others for many years to come …

Demes: Inspired to do more

The first time our Jewish Voice medical teams saw Demes, he was a shoeshine boy at a community clinic where we held a Medical Outreach in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Partially deaf, and from a slum area, Demes did not seem to have many opportunities in life. 

But Demes was inspired by what he saw happening in our Outreach, and he asked if he could help. For a few dollars a week, he became a patient assistant and translator.

This simple experience transformed Demes’ life forever!

Thrilled that he could actually help others, and moved by the love and compassion he saw expressed by Jewish Voice workers and volunteers, Demes decided he would do something more with his life.

Studying hard, Demes achieved high marks on exams and got into dental school in Addis Ababa. In two years he will graduate as a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS).

But he’s already traveling throughout Ethiopia and Zimbabwe as a dental hygienist with our team, treating people with dental problems in the name of Yeshua.

Selam: Reaching out to her own people

Selam is a young Jewish Believer who – like Demes – also started as a JVMI helper, escorting patients at Jewish Voice Medical Clinics in her community in Ethiopia.

Catching a vision for all she could do to help her people, Selam entered nursing school. Now a nurse, she’s able to both help her community and support her family, while also leading the clean water education efforts at many of our Jewish Voice Clinics.

Because of her work, Selam is both preventing and treating disease, to bring physical health to her people, while also sharing the Good News of the Messiah.

Your support multiplies the impact of transformed lives 

Indeed, there are many layers of help provided by our Jewish Voice ministry efforts in Africa. Some people are physically healed from long-term afflictions. Others receive the spiritual healing that comes from a first-time relationship with Yeshua.

And for some, there is all this PLUS the opportunity to find meaning by showing the love of Jesus to others in practical ways.

All of this is part of Jewish Voice ministry. And it’s all made possible by you and the many other generous partners who pray for this ministry and give to multiply our efforts so that even more Jewish people can be reached with help, healing and hope. Thank you!

Help more Jewish believers like Demes and Selam

Few people in the West know what an amazing and historic country Ethiopia is ­– or why we care so much about some very special Ethiopian people.

For example, did you know:

• The earliest evidence of modern humans was found in Ethiopia. It’s believed these early people migrated from Ethiopia to populate the Middle East and areas beyond.
• Ethiopia’s ancient script, known as Ge’ez, is believed to be the oldest alphabet still in use in the world.
• Tradition holds that the Queen of Sheba, as mentioned in the Bible, was from Ethiopia and that, when she returned home from visiting King Solomon, she was carrying his son. That child grew to become King Menelik I. About that time, a number of Jewish people migrated to Ethiopia, and today, we have genetic (DNA) evidence that, among the Ethiopian people, there are many of Jewish origin who immigrated there during that ancient period.
• During the time that Yeshua (Jesus) was on earth, Ethiopia was home to the Aksum Kingdom – which, with Rome, Persia, and China, was one of the four great powers of the world. The Ethiopian eunuch, whose baptism was recorded in the eighth chapter of Acts, was an important official from this kingdom.
• Ethiopia has close historical ties with both Judaism and Christianity. In the fourth century, it was one of the first countries to officially adopt Christianity as the state religion.
• The 1897 flag of Ethiopia, used during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, featured an image of the Lion of Judah. One title for the Emperor was “Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”
• In Amharic, a leading language in Ethiopia today, “Israel” means “miracle.”
• Ethiopia is where the first coffee beans were grown, and the country continues to produce some of the world’s most highly regarded coffee.

But the people of Ethiopia also have a long history of suffering:

• Nearly a third of the country’s population died in the Great Ethiopian Famine of 1888­–1892.
• Ethiopia was occupied by Mussolini’s Fascist army from 1936­–41, resulting in the imprisonment and massacre of many Ethiopians.
• The reign of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie ended in September 1974, when he was deposed in a Soviet-backed military coup. The communist dictatorship put into power then killed as many as half a million people, using hunger as a weapon. The communists were eventually ousted by a bloody civil war.
• The 1983­–85 famine in Ethiopia affected nearly 8 million people and caused 1 million deaths.
• Ethiopia is now in the fourth year of its worst drought in half a century, resulting in a devastating famine currently affecting more than 6 million people.

Among those people suffering in Ethiopia, some of the hardest-hit are members of historic Jewish communities ­– especially the Gefat people of Woliso and Hosanna.

In addition to being poor and especially vulnerable to drought and famine, the Gefat are victims of widespread prejudice in response to their uniquely Jewish religion, worship and customs. Because of this, many people in the surrounding areas refuse to do business with them, causing the plight of the Gefat to become increasingly desperate in hard times.

But persecution endured by the Gefat is much more serious than their threatened livelihood. These Jewish people weep as they tell us they have been called “Evil Eye” by non-Jewish members of the community. Some show us burns sustained when their houses were set on fire – while they were still inside – by people with hatred for all Jewish people.

Jewish Ethiopians are also known as “falasha” or “unwanted strangers” ­– even though they have lived in this same land for centuries.

These dear Jewish people have almost nothing. And, although they do no harm to anyone, they are reviled and persecuted, suffering terrible hardship simply because they are Jewish.

That’s why Jewish Voice is so active among the Jewish people of Ethiopia!

First, we help ease their suffering through practical humanitarian aid. At our 2018 Outreach in Debre Birhan, we provided medical, dental and eye care to nearly 16,000 people who, because they are ostracized, had no access to such critical services, even if they could have afforded them. We also help prevent disease by providing them access to clean, healthy water by providing free LifeStraws® – devices that can filter water for individuals or whole families. At Debre Birhan in 2018, we were able to distribute 12,000 of these LifeStraws.

But, most importantly, we pray for and with these dear people and introduce them to Yeshua (Jesus) – their long-awaited Jewish Messiah who loves them and wants to save them.

This critical part of our ministry has led to tens of thousands of people finding salvation directly through the ministry of Jewish Voice!

Won’t you be part of helping to care for destitute and persecuted Ethiopian Jews, while sharing the Good News with them?

The Shema

Yeshua mentioned the Shema when referencing the greatest commandment. While it is not literally a prayer or a blessing, the Shema (Sheh-MAH) is the heart and soul of Jewish prayer. It is the declaration of faith for Jewish people. The entire Shema contains three parts: Deuteronomy 6:4‒9, Deuteronomy 11:13‒21, and Numbers 15:37‒41. The first portion includes the Shema and the V’ahavta (V’ah-HAHV-tah).

Shema means “hear, listen,” and is the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4. The Shema is spoken at least twice a day by observant Jews, at morning and evening services. Many Jewish people also say it at night before going to bed.

The Shema

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad.

Baruch shem k’vod malchuto l’olam vaed.

Hear O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity.

V’ahavta (Veeya-HAV-tah)

Yeshua also referred to the first verse of the V’ahavta in the context of being part of the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36‒38). The V’ahavta is found in Deuteronomy 6:5‒9. The Jewish customs of tefillin (the-fih-LEEN) and mezuzot (meh-ZOO-zot) grew out of obedience to the commands of God contained within the V’ahavta.

V’ahavta

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart

with all your soul and with all your might.

And these words which I command you today shall be on your heart.

And you shall teach them to your children,

and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way,

and when you lie down and when you rise up.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and to be as frontlets between your eyes.

And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Aleinu

The Aleinu (Ah-LAY-noo) is a prayer recited near the end of every Jewish prayer service. The word “aleinu” means “it is our duty to praise.” The prayer directs the congregants’ hearts to their responsibility as Jewish people ‒ whom God chose and set apart ‒ to praise Him as the Master of all. It expresses gratitude for God’s covenant with the Jewish people and highlights His worthiness of all praise.

The Aleinu also looks ahead to the Messianic Age when God restores all things and when “every knee will bow” to Him. Those in Messianic Judaism hear the echo of these same words used by the apostle Paul in referring to Yeshua (Philippians 2:10.)

Aleinu

It is incumbent upon us to praise the Master of all, to exalt the Creator of the world, for He has made us separate from the nations and unique among the families of the earth. Our destiny is not like theirs; our calling is our task.

We bow down and acknowledge before the King of Kings that there is none like Him. For He stretched forth the heavens like a tent and established the earth. Truly there is none like our Lord and King.

As the Torah says, “you shall know this day and reflect in your heart that it is the Lord who is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, there is none else.”

We hope, O Lord our God, to soon behold Your majestic glory when all abominations shall be removed and all false gods shall be at an end.

Then shall the world be perfected under the rule of the Lord Almighty and all mankind shall call upon Your name. For to You every knee must bow and every tongue declare that You are God.

Reign over us soon and forever. May the kingdom of David’s greater son be established forever. For then shall the words be fulfilled, “the Lord shall be King forever,” and “The Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day, the Lord shall be One, and His name One.”

Mourner’s Kaddish

The Mourner’s Kaddish (KAH-dish) was not originally written for mourners but later became the traditional prayer to recite after losing a loved one. Surprisingly, it is not a prayer seeking comfort from God. Instead, it praises God acknowledging His greatness and sovereignty. The fact that this particular prayer was adopted for mourning speaks volumes of the Jewish heart of worship and understanding that God deserves our constant praise, even in the midst of loss and suffering. Congregants within Messianic Judaism also embrace the practice of saying the Kaddish when grieving a death.

The Mourner’s Kaddish

Glorified and sanctified be His great name in the world which He created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom during your lifetime and during the lifetime of all the house of Israel, speedily, yes soon; and say, amen.

May His great name be blessed forever and forever eternally.

Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One. Blessed be He who is high above, far above all blessings and hymns and praises and consolations which are spoken in the world; and say, amen.

May there be great peace from heaven and life for us and for all Israel; and say, amen.

He who makes peace in the heavenly realms, may He make peace for us and for all Israel; and say, amen.

Look for “More Prayers and Blessings of Messianic Judaism” where we’ll take a look at some of the inspiring Jewish blessings for daily life.

“And answering, the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
                                                                                                            -Matthew 25: 40 (TLV)

Our weeklong Medical Outreaches provide medical aid and spiritual care to thousands of people in rural African Jewish communities. Due to limited health care access in these communities, our Medical Clinics often provide the only opportunity for people to be treated by a medical practitioner all year.

You could be a part of bringing critical medical care to these suffering people, as well as the life-changing Good News of Yeshua (Jesus).

In October, we will return to Ethiopia for our final Outreaches of 2018. FromOct. 4-13 we will be in Alamata followed by a 3-day specialty dental and eye care Outreach in Jijiga from Oct. 13-17. Both of these Outreaches are at new locations and we anticipate large crowds.

For Alamata especially, we need volunteers to help in line management. We could also use more physicians, pediatricians, dermatologists and gynecologists. 

Ready to join us? Watch this short video to see how the Outreaches change lives. 

For more details about the October Medical Outreaches in Alamata and Jijiga, click the button below.