NEW Return to Zion: The Jesus Boat

Hosted by Rabbi Eckstein, these short two to five minute video programs explore many fascinating and important topics about Jewish life, the Jewish roots of Christianity, and the Bible.


The Jesus Boat
As the water in the Sea of Galilee continues to recede, more and more amazing artifacts are being uncovered. Recent discoveries have included a 1st century boat, just like the one described in the New Testament as being used by Jesus and his disciples. Gain a deeper understanding of Israel during the times of Jesus on this week's Returning to Zion.

Follow this link to view: http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/rabbi/return_to_zion

Israeli officials agree to freezing settlement construction

Israeli officials freezing settlement construction
August 18, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli officials reportedly have agreed to freeze construction in the West Bank until the beginning of 2010.

JTA first reported the unofficial freeze on July 6.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Housing Minister Ariel Atias have agreed to a moratorium on building in the settlements in order to give the peace process a chance to move forward, several news outlets reported this week.

"Since the government was established five months ago, no tenders have been issued for Judea and Samaria," Atias told Israel Radio on Tuesday, echoing what officials told JTA in early July. "The fact is, we are in a holding pattern; an attempt, I believe, to reach an understanding with the U.S. administration and a comprehensive peace agreement."

Netanyahu's office has not confirmed the freeze.

The freeze reportedly includes eastern Jerusalem, according to the French news agency AFP, but Peace Now told Reuters that the building of more than 1,000 previously approved housing units is continuing.

The United States has called on Israel to halt all construction in the West Bank. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the Palestinians will not agree to resume peace talks until all settlement-building activities cease.

IDF: No Israeli soldier found to be kidnapped

IDF: No Israeli soldier found to be kidnapped
August 14, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A previously unknown Palestinian group's claim that it kidnapped an Israeli soldier has turned out to be false, the Israel Defense Forces says.

The Israel military conducted an internal check Thursday night and did not discover any missing servicemen, according to reports.

A group calling itself the Al Quds Army released a statement Thursday announcing the abduction of an Israeli soldier.

"A group of our resistance fighters captured a Zionist soldier near Ben-Gurion Airport and withdrew along with the soldier without incident," said the statement sent to the Palestinian news agency Ma'an. "We will provide details about the captured soldier later."

In addition, a female soldier had filed a report earlier in the day claiming she saw two people forcing a soldier into a car near an Air Force base near the international airport, the IDF spokesman said in a statement Thursday evening, according to reports.

Army and police checkpoints were set up Thursday afternoon on roads near major Israeli cities as well as in the West Bank.

Ma'an reported that a soldier made a phone call to an unnamed person claiming to have been kidnapped.

A Palestinian security official told the Israeli news outlet Ynet that the Al-Quds Army is believed to have links to Hezbollah.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/14/1007239/palestinian-group-claims-israeli-soldier-kidnapping

Palestinian group claims it captured Israeli soldier

Palestinian group claims it captured Israeli soldier
August 13, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A previously unknown Palestinian group claims it kidnapped an Israeli soldier.

A group calling itself the Al Quds Army released a statement Thursday announcing the abduction. "A group of our resistance fighters captured a Zionist soldier near Ben-Gurion Airport and withdrew along with the soldier without incident," the statement, sent to the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, said. "We will provide details about the captured soldier later."

The Israel Defense Forces told Israeli media it is investigating the reports. The IDF spokesman said in a statement Thursday evening that a soldier had filed a report earlier in the day claiming she saw two people forcing a soldier into a car near an air force base close to the international airport, according to reports.

Army and police checkpoints were set up Thursday afternoon on roads near major Israeli cities as well as in the West Bank, according to reports.

Ma'an reported that a soldier made a phone call to an unnamed person claiming to have been kidnapped.

A Palestinian security official told the Israeli news outlet Ynet that the Al-Quds Army is believed to have links to Hezbollah.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/13/1007239/palestinian-group-claims-israeli-soldier-kidnapping

Sons of murdered Yemeni Jew make aliyah

Sons of murdered Yemeni Jew make aliyah
August 12, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The sons of a Jewish man killed last year in Yemen have left the country for Israel, a Yemen news agency reported.

The sons of Moshe Yaish al-Nahari left Yemen on Tuesday, according to Yemen News, quoting the murdered man's brother, who serves as the chief rabbi of the district of Ridah. Naharis daughters made aliyah in December. His parents, wife, four brothers and a sister remain in Yemen.

Nahari was gunned down in December by a man who said that Yemen Jews should convert or be killed.

Harassment and threats against Jews in Yemen have increased, according to the report. About 400 Jews remain in the country.

13-year old, New Yorker donates $40,000 to Israel

Bar mitzvah donates gifts for Israel park
August 11, 2009

NEW YORK (JTA) -- A 13-year-old from New York donated $40,000 to build a park in southern Israel.

Benjamin Sternklar Davis decided to give the money he received for his bar mitzvah to the town of Sderot, which has been bombarded by Kassam rockets launched from Gaza, in order to create a recreational facility for local residents, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported Tuesday.

"I felt bad during the war for the children of Sderot who had to go to school and come back with the constant thought they could be hit by a Kassam rocket at any given second," Benjamin said.

Sderot residents and officials participated at a reception Tuesday in the area honoring the young philanthropist's bar mitzvah, an occasion that according to Jewish tradition marks the age at which boys reach adulthood.

David Buskila, the mayor of Sderot, thanked Benjamin and gave him a decorated prayer shawl as a token of appreciation for his donation.

Israel bombs Gaza smuggling tunnel

Israel bombs Gaza smuggling tunnel
August 10, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel bombed a smuggling tunnel between Gaza and Egypt in retaliation for attacks from Gaza.

No injuries were reported in the Israeli airstrike early Monday, according to Reuters.

A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said the attack came in response to rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza at southern Israeli communities. A Kassam rocket fired from Gaza Sunday struck an open area in the western Negev. No damage or injuries were reported.

It was the first Kassam rocket attack on Israel in nearly a month.

Later Sunday, two mortar shells fired by Gazan Palestinians landed near the Erez Crossing with Israel near ambulances that were transferring a Palestinian patient to Israel for treatment for a heart condition, according to reports. Other reports put the number of mortar shells at six.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/10/1007122/kassam-hits-israel

Hamas tests upgraded rocket

August 7, 2009

(JTA) -- Hamas fired two rockets into the sea near Gaza in what is being described as a test for an upgraded version of the Kassam rocket.

The mlitant group fired the rockets on Thursday to test their capabilities, Israel's daily Ma'ariv reported. The new Kassam reportedly has an increased range and could strike farther into Israel.

Since 2002, Hamas has fired thousands of rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding numerous civilians. In a three-week war with Israel last January, Hamas' rockets reached Israeli targets as far away as Beersheva, Yavneh and Kiryat Gat. There has been a steep decline in Hamas rocket fire since that war.

This article was made possible by JTA.

German police storm neo-Nazi 'camp'

A neo-Nazi "youth camp," which had been set up in a debt-ridden hotel in Germany by a leading Holocaust denier, was raided by German commandos on Tuesday, hours after a court in Lower Saxony had ordered the "campers" evicted, the Telegraph reported on Thursday.

In mid-July the owner, Jens Wilhelm, tried to order the neo-Nazis out of the hotel, the reported stated. However, not only did they reject the demand, a group of their supporters stormed the building and refused to leave.

Fears that the neo-Nazi tenants were armed alerted police and German commandos to the scene. A tense stand-off ensued, with the police both keeping guard over the building while simultaneously trying to prevent a clash between neo-Nazi supporters and anti-Nazi demonstrators who also flocked to the area, the report stated.

The incident ended when police stormed the hotel after hearing what they believed to be gunshots. The Telegraph reported that several fake firearms, a concealable truncheon and pepper spray were found in the building.

Four minors who were part of the neo-Nazi camp were handed over to youth services following the raid. The remaining eight members were not arrested, and left the premises masked and hooded.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6301443149422627942

Watch this week's NEW episode of Journey To Zion: Jewish Groups of the 1st Century.

What was Jewish life like at the time of Jesus? Explore with Rabbi Eckstein the various Jewish groups that existed in the first century. And later, you'll visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue at Capernaum, the very synagogue where Jesus taught.

Journey to Zion is a unique and exciting weekly television program that will help Christians grow in their faith as they learn about the Jewish roots of Christianity, and strengthen Jewish-Christian relations by teaching Christians about Jewish history, traditions and culture. Each 30-minute show features Fellowship founder and president Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein teaching before a live audience and exploring issues related to Israel, Jewish faith and traditions, and Jewish-Christian relations.

http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/programs/journey_to_zion/second_season?s_src=tv_journey&s_subsrc=JEW0900XXEXXX