JEWISH VOICE BLOG

July 28, 2014

What is happening in Israel, and the world, changes hourly. It is hard to keep up. However, there are some key points that can be prayed at any and all times, that are general enough to fit the many, developing and volatile situations in the Middle East and elsewhere, but potent enough to hit the mark in the spiritual realm! Focus your prayers and get equipped to intercede for: Wisdom for LEADERS: This includes not only Israel’s leaders, but the leaders of any other nations or groups surro...

July 28, 2014

Amid UN Security Council demands for a ceasefire, rocket fire increased immediately after a brief respite for Palestinians to observe a Muslim holiday. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Under these circumstances, Israel must do what it must do to defend its people.” Hamas has fired at least 2,500 rockets into Israel since the conflict began. Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu The Prime Minister said Israeli forces will continue to dismantle Hamas’s cross-border tunnels and ...

July 28, 2014

Grabbing dinner at the hotel. Everyone is plenty tired after thirty hours of travel, but happy to be in Zimbabwe. The worship team leads a time of worship before the orientation to Zimbabwe begins. Everyone on the team arrived safely in Zimbabwe on Saturday. Most everyone's luggage made it as well, but a few people are still waiting to see their things catch up with them. Please pray for a smooth set up of the site and that any hiccups be smoothed out without too much stress or incident. ...

July 26, 2014

Our team is on its way to Zimbabwe! Over the weekend they will finish up their travels to Buhera – a rural region of the country – and help with the final set-up of the clinic facilities. Big white tents become a triage center, nurses’ units, examination rooms, and even surgical units. While we may have the luxury of a couple of standing walls here and there, or perhaps even a building with full-fledged rooms, the JVMI medical mission compound will also house a pharmacy and a prayer room. Wh...

July 26, 2014

As the sun rose in Israel on Saturday, Day 19, of “Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s agreement to “pause” the Gaza offensive for a 12-hour “humanitarian window” was fragile, though Hamas was cooperating. Hamas said it and other groups in Gaza had reached “a national consensus on the humanitarian truce,” and advised people not to approach bombed-out buildings and militant bases for fear of “explosive objects.” The ceasefire began at 8:00 am. Israel did clarify that “we’ll c...

July 25, 2014

While a relatively quiet, rocket-free night brought a measure of calm for the residents of southern Israel, Hamas called for “a third intifada” and “A Day of Rage,” following a mass protest in Jerusalem that attracted a crowd of up to 10,000. Two Palestinians were killed in the riotous melee. Some 40 Palestinians were treated at East Jerusalem hospitals for minor injuries; 60 people were arrested. Hamas released a statement saying, “We call on the Palestinian people to a day of rage against the ...

July 24, 2014

News Highlights Source: IDF Blog (see below) The United Nations Human Rights Council voted today to launch an inquiry into allegations of Israel violating international humanitarian rights laws and fundamental freedoms of the Palestinians. Only one country opposed the strongly worded resolution, the US. (UN News Centre) Israel’s IDF infographics illustrate the number of Hamas rockets fired at them, something that the U.N. resolution was evidently silent on, juxtaposed against ...

July 24, 2014

The United Nations Human Rights Council drafted a resolution Wednesday demanding an independent investigation be launched against Israel, charging violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in Gaza and condemning “widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” In an emergency meeting, 29 UN-member countries voted in favor of the investigation with the single negative vote coming from the United States. Seventeen countries abstained. The...

July 24, 2014

Israeli soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade mourn over the grave of Sgt. Bnaya Rubel during his funeral at the military cemetery in Holon, Israel, Sunday, July 20, 2014. Rubel was killed while fighting Palestinian militants in Gaza on Saturday. As Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” saw the eighteenth day of fierce fighting and the IDF death toll rising, Hamas operatives killed three young Israeli paratroopers from an elite demolitions company within the IDF, as they entered a booby-trapped...

July 23, 2014

If any other nation on earth was experiencing daily rocket attacks from a hostile, neighboring country, no one would raise an eyebrow when the nation under attack moved to defend itself. But Israel is not just any nation. In recent days, as Israel took measured steps to root out Hamas’ rocket launchers in Gaza — many of which are hidden in schools, daycare centers, and hospitals — ugly and sometimes violent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests erupted all over the world. That Israel i...