Why Achieving Trump’s “Ultimate Deal” Remains Elusive

Trump and the Jews

Author: David Rubin

Publisher: Shiloh Israel Press, USA, 2018

Full disclosure: I am a big supporter of President Trump and I have high regard for Israel and its people. Nevertheless, as much hope as this book attempts to convey, and it does so with excellence, it also, perhaps unwittingly, paints the canvas depicting why achieving the President’s “ultimate deal” is such a grueling and feasibly impossible task.

David Rubin is a former mayor in Israel and founder of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He has written several other books focusing on Israel and her challenges – all well-received by those who are interested in what is going on with God’s chosen people.  This current book brings the battlefield right to our front door as it relates what is going on in the Middle East to what is happening in Washington.

Rubin provides a historical background to Jews in America and how former leaders from Washington up the present President have regarded the Jews. That’s a fascinating read in itself. He shares how the relationship went from a strong one to a difficult one and what Presidents caused it to go south. There’s a chapter reserved for the Obama years alone clearly showing how the 44^thAmerican President was not just neutral towards Israel but became the first one to be blatantly pro-Islamic and Palestinian in his policies, actions, and comments. The write-up on Obama’s “shoe for Israel” is well worth the price of the book.

The book goes on to describe Trump (one of its two main characters) in some pretty detailed accounts about his life prior to becoming a Presidential candidate and then the incredible campaign that he ran. That’s followed by a chapter on the other key categorical ‘character’ of the book – the ‘American Jews’ – telling us who they really were and are. The history is fascinating. What comes out time and time again is the fact that there is no doubt that “American Jews (as immigrants). . . totally threw themselves into American life and culture.” While at the same time, they did not try to change it – instead they changed themselves. That is a contrast we often forget when considering other people groups. Throughout the book, solid statistics are presented on many of Rubin’s arguments from reliable sources.

But not all America’s Jews are fans of President Trump. Rubin explains which ones are not and why. He explains the challenges that go along with that for conservatives and Republicans like Trump.

With the background of what’s going on in America as it relates to Judaism, Rubin then steers his readers to the Middle East. He starts with a chapter on the “Far Left And Far Right” describing their two poles of intolerance. As with the rest of his book, this chapter too is filled with great examples as well as photographs and illustrations. Unfortunately, the polarization seems to be getting worse.

The author then takes us to the “land” itself – Israel and her search for peace. He takes us back to 63 AD (although he calls it CE for ‘Current Era’) and explains the original source of the term “Palestinian”.  This is done exceptionally well.  I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was. In this chapter, he also touches on the links between Arab leaders and Hitler, and their requests of the latter.

From there, we are ushered into the world of modern leaders of the opposing sides – Israeli, and Arab or Palestinian, as well as the role the current American administration must play.  There’s a chapter reserved for Iran and how it views the American-Israeli relationship entitled “Big and Little Satans”.  In it, he also delves into the Iranian nuclear deal and why Trump had to cancel it.

To the ordinary reader who watched most of this unfold on television news over the decades, this book was not only a reminder of what they may have experienced, but it also filled in all the gaps in my mind as to why certain things happened. It’s a must-read for those who want to understand what has occurred to date and what may be in store.

Rubin’s last chapter contains “Eleven Suggestions For Trump (From the Jews)”.  I think Trump would do well to follow as many as possible.  And as far as the “ultimate deal” is concerned, Rubin’s book, at least for this reader, does much to convince me that the real Dealmaker won’t be anyone less than the very God that had called Israel “His people” thousands of years ago.

Highly recommended.

·     Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, January 22, 2019, www.accordconsulting.com

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Have We Been Missing the Apostle Paul's Intent for Writing Romans?

Hope For The Nations: Paul’s Letter to the Romans, A Corporate Reading

Tom Holland, Apostolos Publishing Ltd., London, UK, 2015

                                              

This is a book that presents both traditional concepts as well as new ones on what the Apostle Paul was intending for his audience to fully grasp.  That sounds mundane but I must admit I could not put it down.  It’s written by a scholar but within easy reach of a layman like me.  Tom Holland, Senior Research Fellow in Biblical Studies at the Wales Evangelical School of Theology, has given us a well researched and extremely well written book that speaks to every believer in a valuable and timely way.

His theory is that it is all about “context” and he shows us why time and time again.  Holland says for years we have taken the letter to the Romans as one speaking primarily to “individuals” in the church – to you and me.  But he shows us why Paul was writing about, and to, much larger groups – Israel, the Gentiles, and the new combined Church as an entity. He is careful to point out that this position does not exclude the idea that the points which Paul is making to the Roman Church are not as applicable to the individual Christian – they are, but when studying the Epistle we must remember his intended audience.

Holland argues and shows that Paul, in just about every key phrase in the letter, was drawing from the Old Testament, and especially Isaiah.  He talks about the first, second, and third Exodus of the people of Israel, the Jews, and how God has led them out of slavery, gave them a great part to play in history of all mankind’s salvation, and now is calling them to be part of the Gospel that they themselves ushered in.  He is careful however to distinguish between all of the Jewish people and those that were (and will be) a “remnant” and those that still will accept the Gospel.

He points out the various “covenantal” themes we find in Romans tied to the rest of Scriptures.  He helps us see and understand why when reading Romans we need to look at the references therein to the Old Testament from the perspective of how the early Church read it.

This is a great book for those studying Romans, teaching it in a group or to a class, or preaching a series on it.  For the individual student, it serves as a modern commentary on each verse.  Holland takes great effort to not put down the thoughts of others, but also shows us why he personally tends to go with a particular view.  I like that.

He deals extensively with the tension caused by the requirement that converted Jews placed on Gentiles to be circumcised. He also deals with the issue regarding the eating of meat sacrificed to idols and explains particularly well why that may be a problem to Gentile converts and not to Jewish ones. (The answer he provides was instrumental, by extrapolation, in helping me understand why certain Christians object to alcohol today and why some do not.) Both issues he addresses were major contributors to the discord between the two sources of origin for the original Christian Church.  In the process he deals with how Paul sees the purpose of the Law in the Old Testament and for the new Church, as well as for us today.

The book is full of gems of knowledge and wisdom for the taking. Issues that I personally struggled with were helpfully explained time and time again.  My copy of the book is filled with my notations on new insights.

You can listen to preacher after preacher and teacher after teacher on Romans and never really understand the “big message” or see the “big picture” of what the author is trying to share.  Getting a hold of a scholarly work rewritten for non-scholars yet communicating the secrets of historical and contextual hermeneutics to bring alive God’s Holy Word allows you to stop and think and question and reflect.  Tom Holland does just that for you.  I very highly recommend it to all.  I will be looking for more of his books.

The author’s bottom line (and his own desire for writing) is given away in the very title of this book – there is indeed “Hope for the Nations” of both Gentiles and Jews.

    -- Ken B. Godevenos, Accord Resolution Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario. 15/10/08  

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A New Pharaoh Fears the Future Exodus 1:8-11

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.  Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and in the event of war, they also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us, and depart from the land.”  So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor.  And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Once in a while in our reading, we are presented with an unpromising sentence.  The Bible seems to have them as well and for me Exodus 1:8 is one such sentence.  “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.”  I am reminded of some children’s stories I used to read to my daughters and son when they were younger, or some that we still read to our grandchildren – “Now a new something or other …”.  That’s ominous enough after the great introduction to Exodus telling us how “the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.”  But now add to this the second phrase, “who did not know Joseph” and you can see the troublesome cloud forming and almost upon the Israelites.

Robert Jamieson in his commentary suggests that about sixty years after Joseph died the old dynasty was overthrown and the then two parts of Egypt were united as one.  The new ‘king’ likely reigned in Thebes far from where the Hebrews were, and knew nothing of Joseph and the Israelites.  Thus they regarded them as foreigners who were to be “disliked and scorned”.  This resulted in the the fear that arose in Pharaoh concerning their future role.

As I study this verse and think of the world I live in I wonder if God’s children today are in much the same circumstance as the children of God found themselves in back in the days of Exodus 1?  I think it can well be written about our times, “Now a new order of things arose over all the earth, one which did not know Jesus.”  You don’t have to venture too far physically beyond your own residence to detect it, to see more than church programs on television, or to read much beyond your Bible to be bombarded with it.  If you thought the times were changing quickly when you were a little younger, you know were wrong given the rate of change (and not for the good) that we see today.  And as the old adage goes, “we’ve only just begun”.  I believe our children and grandchildren are in for a major shock in the years ahead.  We haven’t seen anything yet.  Only God can preserve them.

Now here is an interesting take on this new pharaoh, one that is perhaps unlike what our own current global leaders seem to be like.  Based on what he said to his cohorts, this guy actually feared the growth of the Israelites in his land.  In fact, he feared they could gang up against him and the Egyptians and in the event of war, join their enemies (most likely the Hittites from the north) and with them fight the Egyptians.  Worse still they feared they would depart from Egypt taking all the services and products they provided with them.  I don’t detect that same fear of God’s people among global leaders today.  In fact, if anything they see as annoyances to be dealt with slowly but surely.  And they’re doing a good job.

But just like today, the pharaoh of the time wanted to deal “wisely” with the Children of God.  Today, leaders in the Western world want to walk on both sides of the fence when it comes to Christians, but it is mainly because they fear the cost they would have to pay with respect to lost votes if they quickly and obviously totally alienated us.  But as I write this, I am thinking that this too will not be a deterrent for too long.  Either global leaders will take over in a way in which our vote (or anybody else’s for that matter) will not be of consequence or because we are all becoming too compliant with their wishes, too confused by the Enemy, or too apathetic to the importance of standing up for the Truth.  (One just has to post a strong position on the issue of same-sex marriage on Facebook these days and see the outcry that comes from those that call themselves Christians.)

The Bible says the Pharaoh in Exodus 1 appointed taskmasters who gave the Israelites hard labor, forcing them to built entire storage cities for the Pharaoh.

What surprises me about this statement is it’s stark and sudden contrast to “the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them” that we had read about just four verses previous to this one.  What we know very little about is how long it took from verse 4 to verse 11 and what were the methods that Pharaoh used to so debase the Israelites that they went from free men in Egypt to slaves.  Things like this, as we’re learning in our lives today, do not happen over night.  The Enemy has a way of sneaking them in little by little, so that we don’t even feel the increased heat until it’s too late.

David Guzik in his commentary on Exodus reports that the children of Israel (in their period of slavery which lasted from 134 years to 284 years depending on which historical analyst ones follows) built many of the great cities and monuments in Egypt, including as our text says, Ptihom and Raamses.  He believes they did not build the pyraminds that were completed much earlier.  But how did we get that far that fast?

The answer that Robert Jamieson gives is alarmingly similar to what is going on today in America – economic pressure and then total dependency on the government for all services.  He suggests that first they forced the Hebrews to pay enormous rents that they could not afford.  That got them into to trouble with the government that in turn degraded them to serfs and employed them as laborers to carry out their projects.  They added taskmasters with whips to punish those that were not “up to par” as workers.  Jamieson reports that captives built all public or royal buildings in Egypt at the time and inscriptions proudly stated that no “free citizen” had been used.  What ensues on a path such as this is slavery.

You will remember Raamses.  It was first mentioned in Genesis 47:11 as the place in Egypt where Joseph settled his father and his brothers many years earlier.  Pithom, according to the Bible dictionary was probably the Patumos that the Greek historian Herodotus referred to.  As late as 1883, archeologists discovered the ruins of supposed grain-chambers and that it was built from bricks that were made without straw.  The secular name of the city according to some is Succoth that we will hear more about later in Exodus, but its sacred name was Pithom.  The store cities were also deemed to be dwelling cities of the various royals.

Not only were the Hebrews given hard tasks, but also those in charge were instructed, “to afflict them”.  We can only imagine all that this entailed.  Their spirits were likely broken, their health was harmed, their longevity was shortened, and there was an impact on their numbers.  Matthew Henry also suggests they were likely discouraged from marrying and having children as their offspring would be born to “slavery”.  The whole aim was to eliminate the race (the Jews have been used to that ever since) and wipe off the name of Israel from the land of Egypt (that’s happening today as well, just follow the issues of Israel’s fear of the Iranian regime).  When a people have this kind of oppression exercised on them, is there any wonder some fall away from their own beliefs and start getting involved in idolatrous worship?  And are we not seeing just that among some of our Christian brothers and sisters today?  Many of our numbers cannot take the pressure of the squeezes we are feeling as the Church, Christ’s Body on earth, and it is easier to succumb to the practices of the oppressors.  But the story of the Israelites in Egypt does not end there.

What remains is for us to decide how our own personal/individual story will end as we face tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.

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Joseph’s Death & the End of Genesis - Genesis 50:24-26

And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you, and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.”  Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”  So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

With this passage we come to the end of the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.  In it, we find Joseph himself, in a manner similar to what his father experienced, being aware he was about to die.  I believe more of us know when our time is just about up than we may want to admit.  There are those who die suddenly in an accident or via a heart attack, of course, but more of us seem to get some warning, than those that do not.  Assuming you and I may get such a warning, the question arises as to whether or not we will be able to handle it as well as both Jacob, and later Joseph, did.

Joseph’s biggest concern as death approached him was the welfare of his brothers and their families.  He wanted to assure them that God would indeed take care of them.  He wanted to remind them that the goal was for God to lead them up from the land of Egypt to the land the Almighty had promised their father Jacob, their grandfather Isaac, and their great-grandfather Abraham.  This was an “oath” of God – a promise that would be kept not only because it was a promise, but also because it was God Who made it.  With this statement and his subsequent request to his brothers, Joseph is showing the depth of his faith in the God of his fathers.  And with it, an understanding that even he who had risen to the position he had in Egypt realized he was just a “wayfarer” there and not a citizen.  His real home was the land that God had promised his people.  That is the understanding that all of us need to have, exhibit, and share with those that come after us.  As true believers, we realize we are only journeying through life on earth, and our destination is the home that our Heavenly Father has prepared for us.  If you are a Christian and reading this, and don’t feel that way – may I humbly suggest that something is out of kilter and you need to find out what it is.

In Joseph’s days, promises were very serious things.  Once made, people did all they had to in order to deliver them.  Would that we would take our ‘promises’ to others and to God as seriously.  Would that we would go out of our way, to any extent necessary, to keep our oaths.  To be a disciple of Jesus or to be like Jesus, to be like His Father, keeping promises made becomes one of the highest priorities.  And that goes from keeping a promise that simply says, “I’ll call you,” to one that says, “Until death do us part.”

Sometimes promises are requested from us.  In this case, Joseph asked his brothers to promise to carry his bones with them to the land God was going to give them when they went – whenever that would be.  And that was it; no more was said.  Given how well the people of God honored oaths and promises, we could be certain that Joseph’s brothers would both accept and deliver their promise to him.

My dad, in his 91^st year, and as he was knew his remaining days were very few due to his advanced cancer, asked a favor of me.  His one desire was that I, being an only child, would not sell the home he and mom had bought in 1953 – the home from which I was married, the home from which mom died, the home his three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren loved to visit, and the home from which he died.  He did not care if we rented it, used it, or left it empty – but he just did not want it sold until I had died.  He realized the generation after me would likely not value it for its historic or sentimental value.  He never posed it as a promise I had to make, but I knew that doing so would make him happy.  I, on the other hand, chose to ‘promise’ him that I would keep his request.  And so I did.  When dad died, we wondered what we would do with the house.  It turned out God had His plans already lined up; we just had to come in line with them as He brought His desire, and something that would have made my dad so pleased, to our minds and then, our pursuit.

My wife and second daughter spent the first year after dad’s death working with an architect to design a home that would allow three generations (my wife and I, my daughter and her husband, and their three children) to enjoy as one family.  And what a home they designed.  They hired a contractor and we watched as dad and mom’s home bought almost six decades ago was taken down, a new larger foundation was built, and a new house was erected.   As I pen this we have all enjoyed the benefits of living together (and yes, dealt with and still face some of the challenges) for close to four years already.  We all know we are in God’s will -- for us at least -- and we have all been able to keep the promise I made to my father.

I was not emotionally attached to the land my father had bought when I was five years old.  But I treasured it for what it meant to our family since my youth.  And when I saw it still had a role to play in the rest of my life and then in the life of one of my children and some of my grandchildren, I learned to really love it.  And I know I will love that way it until my own dying day.  Bible commentator Chuck Smith suggests the love the Jews have for Israel even today was not something that they latched onto in recent years, it was there from the time of Abraham forward, even before they possessed it the first time.

Joseph made his request of his brothers and then he died after having lived one hundred and ten years.  The Scriptures say he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.  There is no evidence that he was ever buried.   He lay in a coffin in probably some austere room for all the years between his death and when God took the Israelites out of Egypt.  Some commentators say that was 300 years, others say it was over 400 years.  It all depends when we start counting.  Either way, it was a long time.  And in that coffin, he lay above ground as, according to David Guzik, “a silent witness for all those years that Israel was going back to the Promised Land, just as God said.”  When a Jewish child would see the coffin and would ask why the corpse in it was not buried, the parent had an incredible opportunity to tell him/her about the Promised Land.

We do not know if Joseph had any indication from God as to how long it would be before the Jews were to leave Israel, but his faith in what God had promised could last as long as it took.  That is what real faith is all about.   It does not have a “limited time application” sticker on it.  If I believe in God and what He said, time is not an issue.  It will happen.

Joseph died, and even though the Egyptians whom he served so well would have wanted him buried in Egypt, he was likely given a royal funeral but then preserved in a coffin as per his wish, until he could be carried to the land God was giving his people.  While we focus on the hope that such a coffin would bring to the generation of Jewish people for the next 400 or so years, we must also be aware of the fact that its exposure was a thorn in the flesh to many Egyptian rulers that followed between Joseph’s death and the Exodus.  The idea of loosing all that population and later slaves was not an easy one to accept.

Matthew Henry points out “Joseph died looking forward to God’s unfolding plan of redemption”.  What a fitting ending for Genesis, the Book of Beginnings.  Henry writes, “It (Genesis) concludes looking forward to the continuation of God’s eternal, loving, wise plan.”  Are you in it?

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What's So Special About Jerusalem to Islam? Maybe Not That Much Unless . . .

Okay I know this is from an Israeli newspaper.   And I know this is based on the thinking of a Jewish panel.   But it lays the topic on the table.  It takes a position using the Koran / Qur'an and it begs the Muslims to argue with it.  I'll be waiting.  In the meantime, compare the importance of Jerusalem to the Jews, and even the Christians, with its importance to the Muslims.  Take a look. 

Panel: J'lem of incidental importance in... JPost - National News

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Afghan boy suicide bombers tell how they are brainwashed into believing they will survive.

Once in a while a story comes out about "man's inhumanity to children". This is one of them. And on top of it all is "denial". The Telegraph from the U.K. sees it a little different than that and I hope we do too.

The people that do this are not men -- they're not even mice. But they succeed because the WEST has encouraged them by taking a stance of being first and foremost "politically correct" and "tolerant". I don't care about political correctness, but I am concerned about being tolerant where tolerance is justified.

I refuse to be tolerant towards those that would use children to kill Americans and Jews.  I refuse to be tolerant to those who want to wipe out a whole race from the face of the earth.  I refuse to be tolerant to those that have these positions and hide behind the skirts of a so-called religion.  I refuse to be tolerant to a religion whose aim is to kill the infidels that don't accept it as the only religion.  (I never liked that from sects within Christendom and I don't like it from so-called faiths outside of it.)

And I refuse to be tolerant towards Western regimes such as Obama's (and unfortunately the Bush administration before him) which fail to see the folly of being tolerant to radical jihadist Islamists.  I refuse to accept administrations which fail to demand that true Islam denounce strongly and practically the tactics of jihadists and to fight with us to defeat them.

Americans have a chance to change that tide in 2012.  But are they politically astute enough to do so?

Here are the details of what gave rise to my thoughts.

Afghan boy suicide bombers tell how they are brainwashed into believing they will survive - Telegraph

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This White House Change Does Not Bode Well.

A pro-Israel advocate on Obama's team is leaving the White House. He says it is for "family reasons" and a promise he had made to his wife. But some of us don't believe that's the whole story. It never is. Trust me, I've been around "executive exits" long enough as a senior Human Resources person to be able to say that with confidence. You can also read it between the lines in the article associated with the link below -- keeping in mind it comes from more of pro-Palestinian press.

What happens next (well, we may have to wait until after the 2012 election when Obama does not need the Jewish vote any longer) -- what happens next will be, I predict, an ever increasing frustrated Obama that puts a lot of pressure on Israel in order to get a Middle East settlement during his next term of office and leave that as his legacy. Good luck getting a second term. That, however, has more of a chance than getting a peace agreement that lasts between Israel and the Palestinians. That just is not in the cards and never will be.

'Israel's advocate' to leave White House - Features - Al Jazeera English

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Picking On Jewish Gender Discrimination Practices.

This is a most interesting story.  Here we are again in New York City.  The public bus company has franchised a bus route and buses to a private company to provide services to a Jewish Orthodox neighborhood.  So far, so good.  The problem arises when women riding the bus are asked to give up their seats and move to the back of the bus, especially when male Orthodox Jews board to ride it.  The public company says they're in violation of the agreement and have no authority to discriminate.

I would agree.  The Hasidic group is wrong in this case.  If they want to discriminate, let it be on totally private buses, not those franchised from the city.  Although, personally I would not be discriminating under those circumstances either -- just for the record.   But then thinking like that might go contrary to their "religious beliefs" and I'd be in deep trouble with my religious authorities.

Does all this sound familiar?  What are we doing about all the religious practices that go against our societal mores but are so-called requirements under the Islamic beliefs?   Not much.  For those we turn a blind eye and deaf ear because it would be un-Obama-American these days to go against anything the Muslims want.  If they were Jews, well that's another story.   Do you get my point here?  I hope so.

NY may close gender-seg... JPost - Jewish World - Jewish Features


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The New Libya: No Room for Jews

And you thought things would be a little friendlier without Gaddafi, and with the new rulers of Libya. Think again. This kind of thing is repeating itself all over the group of countries involved in the Arab Spring. The Islamic uprising against Jews is tremendous. But first, they get the support of the U.S. and NATO by claiming the pursuit of freedom against dictatorship. And the U.S. and NATO give them support without conditions.

In essence, our people are supporting the undermining of the Jews worldwide and we'll pay a price for that one day. If not for that, we'll pay a price for facilitating the growth and world takeover of Islamic radicals. Enjoy your dream or wake up.   Hear are the ugly details.

Following calls for deportation, Gerbi to ... JPost - Middle East

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An excellent example of how things work out well for Muslims in Christian-founded countries.

This is a story about a public school board allowing Muslim prayers in school facilities.  It is about the school board saying it will do all it can to accommodate its students' religious requirements.   They agree to listen to opposition but admit they will not change their minds, especially as they say the 'costs' are covered by the Muslim community.

In the article you will read about the facts of the case.  But as always, we try to distinguish between facts and truth.  The truth has to do with the purpose and significance of the story.

As I see it, here are some of the implications and other interesting aspects of this situation that you won't be reading or hearing about:

1.  Christian groups (and I bet Jewish groups) have had and would continue to have a much more difficult time getting permission to use school facilities, especially where some accommodations would be required from school staff, etc.

2.  The Muslims are working within the laws of the land.  In this case, the school's religious accommodations policy and more.

3.  The authorities are standing (or hiding) behind the laws of the land and/or their own policy.  They have no intention of changing their minds.

4.  By sheer population growth numbers themselves, the Muslims' uncoordinated efforts across the city, the province, the country will ultimately change the face of Canada.

Perhaps it is time for Christian groups (and Jewsish ones) to start asking for a) similar devotion from their followers and b) requests for facilities from their school boards to carry on their religious activities.

Also, recently I blogged about anti-Christian groups lobbying PayPal to investigate ministries among their client that are anti-homosexuality practices.

It just hit me that many Islamic websites asking for money and using PayPal are by their very nature, against homosexuals and their treatment of same around the world indicates this very clearly -- yet they weren't the object of the investigations or the allegations.   Many will miss this distinction.

Now back to the schools.  Here's the story for your own consumption and serious thought.   Your world and mine is changing daily.  Do you know it?

Tempers flare over prayer in schools - Toronto - CBC News

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Slavery Days? Hitler Days? No. America Today.

As I read this article and especially the letter from the legal counsel to the New York Port Authority, I could not help but feel that I was reading something out of the days of Uncle Tom's Cabin or when the Nazis were aggressively moving across Europe.  It was scary.  And it's going on right now in America.

Apparently some Jews have restrictions put on what they do or take with them when boarding certain airplanes headed for Saudi Arabia from JFK International Airport in New York.  And why?  Well, because Saudi Arabia has put limitations on what Jews they'll allow into the country.  Islamic limitations if you like.

The issue is not whether or not Saudi Arabia has the right to do that.  Let's say they do, although we'll save our arguments for another time.  The issue is whether or not American taxpayer dollars spent at a publicly owned airport is being used to "facilitate" these restrictions in the United States.

Reading this made me think of the movies Sophie's Choice and The Hiding Box about Corrie Ten Boom.  God help us all.

Is this back-door Shariah? Complaint cites New York

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More Data To Indicate Jews & Muslims Must Co-exist and Thus Another Reason Why Some Radical Islamists Hate America.

To our data-loving readers, here's an interesting article on some interesting research about Jews and Muslims inter-marrying in the United States. Not at a tipping point yet, but maybe if we all worked on it . . . although, I'm not recommending, just saying, what if the percentage were much higher?

How many Jewish Americans have Muslim spouses? | Jerusalem Post - Blogs

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Jews Break the Law & Oppose Messianic Jews near Jerusalem

You know it's down-right dangerous being a Christian in a predominantly Islamic nation.  You also feel it's rough being a Christian in North America.  But what about being a Jew who believes that Christ is indeed the Messiah?  How safe is it to be a Christian Jew in Israel?

Well, generally, you'll be okay in most places.  But not necessarily.  Take a look at what is going on these days in a town near Jerusalem.  The whole thing reminds me of the accounts of the disciples and the Christians in Jesus' times and the opposition they had from the Jewish leaders and the Sanhedrin.  It's time to pray for these folks you'll learn about in the link below.

Messianic Jews ‘named and shamed’ in J'l... JPost - National News

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The Temple Mount: Finally the 'Heradim' Are Visiting, But Why Now?

Here is what Wikipedia says about the Haredim Jews or the Haredi, complete with more links to Wikipedia information:


Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox.  A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi (Haredim in the plural).
Haredi Jews, like other Orthodox Jews, consider their belief system and religious practices to extend in an unbroken chain back to Moses and the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. As a result, they regard non-Orthodox, and to an extent Modern Orthodox, streams of Judaism to be deviations from authentic Judaism. Haredi Judaism comprises a diversity of spiritual and cultural orientations, generally divided into Hasidic and Lithuanian-Yeshiva streams from Eastern Europe, and Oriental Sephardic Haredim. Its historical rejection of Jewish secularism distinguishes it from Western European-derived Modern Orthodox Judaism.

Well, it appears that for years Haredim were not allowed, by their own authorities to visit the Temple Mount.  More recently their visits were frowned upon by other Israeli factions, fearing they being extra-conservative, might also be extreme in their thinking and possible actions -- which in turn could result in trouble for those trying to keep the 'peace' up on the Temple Mount.

But more recently the Haredi authorities have stopped preaching against such visits, although still not encouraging them.  In addition, the authorities are treating such visitors much better when they do visit.

The link below provides us with some great insight into life in modern Israel today, especially Jerusalem.  For those of you that are Christians, well, you'll have to work this into your own thinking and understanding of history, the present, and the future.

Visits to Temple Mount by h... JPost - Jewish World - Jewish News

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U.S. Jews, Circumcision, and The Law

This is a most interesting story not so much for why U.S. Jews are happy with the decision, but because of the reason for the decision. As I understand this case, it was not won by the plaintiffs based on 'religious freedom' as much as it was won because they argued that medical state laws cannot be over-ruled by municipal laws. Take a look, but also think about the implication for such religious rules in the long-run.

On the other hand, we seem to be in support of male circumcision because many of us recognize it as an Old Testament requirement for the Jewish people and thus we're glad any move to ban circumcision in San Francisco was over-ruled. But what if the issue were about banning female circumcision, a practice engaged in by some cultures that could easily be carried on in America by immigrants from that culture -- would we have wanted the attempt to ban it to be over-ruled?

All this to say that sometimes we need to be careful of the precedent setting that is established by legal decisions favorable to Christians. And furthermore, it points out that Satan is indeed the Prince of the World at the present time, a title that Jesus gave him three times in scriptures. He's still working his evil and entrapment. Believers beware.

US Jews hail decision against San Fran c... JPost - International

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Where I Believe Jews Are Going Wrong . . .

I am a friend of Israel's. I also believe that Jews were God's chosen people and that they still have a very special place in His heart, and perhaps most likely, in His plans.

But as I read this well-written opinion in the attached link, I start to wonder if what the author believes in and calls for won't take Israel down a very wrong path.  I wonder whether it will officially be the beginning of some undesirable experience again for the Jewish people.  God has warned those that abandon and turn their back on the Jewish people.  But what happens when the majority of Jews abandon God?  What happens to them?

Well, the good news is that I can't and won't try to speak for the Almighty or to even try to guess how He will react.  The bad news is that He will react just as He has throughout history when God-fearing countries start to disregard Him and turn against Him.  And I believe, based on His track record, the impact of His reaction will not be too pleasant for the world to deal with.

But read the attached article via the link below and make up your own mind.  I'd appreciate your views.


The "Passport of the Jewish people" | Jerusalem Post - Blogs

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Understanding The Jewish Vote In America

This is a top-notch video analysis of the topic. I'd be worried if I were the presidential incumbent in 2012 -- unless of course, B.O. thinks that if Jews flee from the Democrats as is likely to happen, there is enough anti-Semitic feeling in the U.S., that their leaving will actually help his chances. Watch this video and decide for yourself and know the various scenarios that can make a big difference in November 2012, and why.

YouTube - Obama and the Jewish Vote: Could The President Lose Jewish Voters in 2012?

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I'm No Fan of George Soros, but the Current President of the U.S. and his Dems Have Been Buddy-Buddy. Now Read This.

I don't make this stuff up folks. But we all need to know the truth. If you know anything about George Soros -- you'll know he's a big supporter of B.O. and B.O. has lots of time for him. When you read this article, you'll see how some of B.O.'s stances on various issues, especially Israel and the Middle East fit together. If you've read much on B.O. you know that his goal is to bring about fundamental change to America and the world -- one step at a time and he thinks he's got at least eight years in total to do it.

He reminds me of the new pastor who came to the church at th beginning of January. He wanted to move the piano from the left side of the platform to the right side. He was informed by the elders of his church that the congregation would run him out of town the very next week if he tried that. So, he thought it over, and decided to move the piano around a foot each week. No one noticed. By Christmas time, the piano was exactly where the pastor wanted it and no one said anything.

B.O. and guys like Soros think we're all frogs in a pot of water they're boiling. They know we'll scream if they put the element on 'high' but if they put it on low to medium, we'll all enjoy being cooked.

Take a close look at who your president hangs out with and remember this when you vote in November 2012.

George Soros Says He Feels No Remorse For Collaborating With Nazis During WWII to Send His Fellow Jews to the Death Camps, Steal Their Property

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American Jews Not Happy About Potential San Francisco Ballot Issue -- Circumcision

Now the do-gooders in San Francisco are out to "save" more children. This time they take on "circumcision" and want it banned. But it will first have to get on the ballot. Chances are it may make it there. But then what? We keep you informed.

Sure this blog with others that may be interested.

San Francisco circumcision ban headed for November ballot | Joshua Sabatini | Local | San Francisco Examiner

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Jews and Anti-Zionists in American University

Here's an interesting story that sheds some light as to what is possibly brewing in America these days regardless of the official position of the government on Israel. Things can only get worse.

Rutgers bars Jews from anti-Zionist gathering

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