September 1997: Volume 19, Number 9



Contents



A Voice from Hebron

by Gary M. Cooperberg

This article arrived from Israel on the very day we were choosing material for this issue. We feel that the testimony of a Jewish person living on the ground in Hebron every day is worth more than reports from all the newspaper and T.V. networks in the world. The writer, Gary Cooperberg, has appeared on our television program "Peace and Terrorism" from the Jerusalem 3000 series. Gary is an articulate spokesman for the Holy Land.

          Yasser Arafat, it is alleged, has failed to "fight terror." After this "startling" discovery, the Prime Minister of Israel has suddenly decided to implement his concept of "reciprocity" for the first time since he introduced it. In a "powerful" display of his dissatisfaction with the PLO Nobel Prize Laureate [Arafat], he imposed a new closure on the "territories" and withheld tax monies to the PLO.

          In spite of his new "hard line" actions, he went out of his way to permit food and medical supplies to the besieged Arab communities, and has been gradually lifting the closure. [U. S. Envoy] Dennis Ross has returned to "assist the parties to return to the peace table," and claims have been made that he is succeeding.

          What is wrong with this picture? First of all, we have seen closures before and know that they can never remain indefinitely. Secondly, we also know that the funds being withheld will eventually be released. The demand that Arafat "fight terror" might sound good, but I never heard a specific explanation as to under what conditions that demand will be considered fulfilled, nor what the consequences will be if they are not.

          The fact is that the entire scenario is fraudulent. We entered into an alleged "peace agreement" under duress. Rather than put down insurrection, we surrendered to it. Even now, at this late date and under the guidance of a right-wing government, we are still creating a ridiculous equation. If Arafat stops murdering us, then we will give him parts of our homeland. Aside from the fact that we have already given him parts of our homeland to which he has absolutely no right, and in return for which we get demands for more and more, the very concept of land for a cessation of terror is out-and-out blackmail!

          How could we have strayed so far from the most basic concept of self-respect? This country was created to be a homeland for the Jewish People. This was always so, not only on a religious level, but on a secular national level as well. If not, then there would not have been a need to create the State in the first place. It was a reaction to the recognition that Jews were nearly annihilated because they had no homeland which caused the world to accept the concept of Israel as the Jewish homeland. It was only our foolish leaders who refused to make that concept an indelible part of the legal structure of the State.

          Peace can never result from submitting to blackmail. Today, even were we to cede half of our country to Arafat, all we would have accomplished is to have set the precedent that we back down to blackmail. Other Arabs in Israel would follow the example set by their brothers and terrorize Jews in order to get their piece of the pie. There would no end to it until all of Israel was carved up, and then the Arabs would fight among themselves for control.

          It may not be pleasant to think about it, but the only way to deal with blackmail is to stand up to it. When you pay off the blackmailer, he always comes back for more. Only when he sees that he cannot get what he wants will he back off.

          When [former Prime Minister] Shamir said, "We can live with the Intifada," what he really meant was, "We are unwilling to physically eradicate it." This was a loud and clear message that physical violence was a legitimate tool to use against Israel. The response should have been swift and brutal. Had it been so, not only would the insurrection have come to a quick end, but many, many lives, both Jewish and Arab, would have been saved. Instead we set the pace that eventually led to our recognition of the PLO as a legitimate entity, as well as to the beginning of our physical surrender to it.

          It is neither Jewish morality nor common sense to back down to terror and blackmail. Such a stance will never achieve positive results. Those who claim that by surrendering to terrorists we will achieve peace are either fools or liars. Peace will only result from strength. If we display genuine self-respect, we will earn the respect of friend and foe alike. If not, we will never gain the respect of anyone and will certainly not achieve peace.

          What is most disturbing about this scenario is the lack of interest on the part of our so-called religious leaders who have a moral foundation upon which to base their behavior. To close a street on Shabbat [Sabbath]; to prevent archaeologists from desecrating Jewish graves; to prevent nonreligious sects of Jews from praying at the kotel [Western Wall]; and to stop a Reformed woman from taking a post on the religious council in Natanya are all reasons to create national crises. Yet, to hand over Hebron to Arafat for peace, which is an out-and-out violation of the Torah, rabbinical leaders can become equal partners and lend their signature to this perfidy.

          There is only one way for the Jewish State to survive all the countless crises that threaten to destroy it. We need a leadership that recognizes that Israel is the Jewish State. It is, first and foremost, the homeland of the Jewish People. It is more than just a place to call home, rather it is a holy land with a holy purpose. This purpose was designed to bring genuine peace to all of the nations of the world. And the method to accomplish this noble goal is for us to recognize that the Law of God is the final authority on how we conduct ourselves, both as individual Jews and as a Jewish nation. By ignoring or defying this fact, we bring tragic consequences upon our own heads.

          In Deuteronomy Chapter 6-8, the commandment to take possession of the Land is clearly defined. It is also emphasized that our welfare is dependent upon our obeying God's commandments, even should we prefer to avoid doing so. The Land of Israel is far more than a "gift" to the Jewish People. It is a Divine Command, an obligation of the Jew throughout eternity. We do not live in Israel because it's a nice place to live. We live in Israel because that is our obligation to our God. His commandments can only be fulfilled in this Land.

          If Arafat decides tomorrow to fight terror (whatever that means), that, in no way, gives a Jewish prime minister the right to grant him legitimacy to take one grain of Jewish sand away from our exclusive sovereignty. Peace will never reign before Arafat and his "Palestinians" are removed from Jewish soil and all of the Land of Israel is clearly defined as belonging exclusively to the Jewish People.


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A Note From Zola

Your Tax Dollars At Work!

Dear Friends,

          Our government's policies are supported by our tax dollars. When Washington supports the Palestinians, for example, you and I are paying for it. Following are some recent events that have been influenced by the policies of our government and our media.

          How many distortions can you cram into one headline? The New York Times top-left, front-page headline on August 13 read: "Israel and Palestinians Agree to U.S. Role in Attack Inquiry," referring to the recent suicide bombing in Jerusalem.

          The first falsehood is that Palestinians and Israelis have to agree to let the U.S. have a role in the inquiry, as if we were not running their daily affairs already. Can you picture either side telling Washington, "Mind your own business?" The awful situation in Israel has largely been "made in the U.S.A."

          The second distortion is that an inquiry is needed to find out who perpetrated the bombing. Hamas, a Palestinian gang, which we're supposed to assume is somehow different from the rest of the Palestinians, claimed credit for the bombing in Jerusalem the day it happened. There is no reason to doubt their cowardly boast. They've done it before, and they'll do it again.

          And third, the idea of the Palestinians agreeing to an inquiry implies that they have no idea who did this. The fact is, the whole world knows that they themselves did it. Keep in mind that The New York Times is the "newspaper of record" and is considered an authoritative source to quote on the events of our times. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20)

          Senator Alan Simpson commented recently concerning the media, "They are institutionally incapable of admitting an error." When asked what the media might do to improve their image, he answered in three words: "Tell the truth." I can personally attest to many an argument with staffers at The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, The Indiana University Daily Student and any number of other newspaper sources who virtually laughed in my face when I pointed out their errors and their biases against Israel.

          Working a crossword puzzle recently, I came across more distortions about Israel. One clue was "Jerusalem site for Lamentations." The answer was the "Wailing Wall." First of all, it is not known by that name in Israel. The Romans called it that when they observed the Jews (probably on the Festival of Tisha B'Av) lamenting the destruction of their Temple in 70 A. D. On all other days during normal worship, individuals may weep (as some do in church), but ordinary prayers are positive and upbeat at the Western Wall. The concept of "wailing" could as well be applied to any church if you happen to go there on the day of a sad funeral.

          Another clue in the same puzzle called for "An Ancient Palestinian Land." There is no such thing — one might as well call for an ancient American land. The term Palestinian was invented in 1967 A.D., yet more recently we have been given to understand that the term is "ancient" and the Arabs to whom it refers go back thousands of years. Should we ever begin to teach history again in our schools, our reporters won't be quite so easy to fool.

          The answer to the clue, which I could not fathom, was "Edom," which of course was located in what is now southern Jordan and had nothing to do with the Philistines (whose land was along the Mediterranean coast at Gaza). We have discussed before that the Romans took the name of the Philistines when they called Israel Palestine. There is no connection at all to Arab peoples. The Philistines themselves were Greeks from the Adriatic area. The modern Palestinians are Arabs from Israel, as well as Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc., who have come over the borders since the building boom was started by the Jews in 1948.

          Arafat is getting very bad press among his own people right now. It seems the "government" he has in Gaza occupies large villas, enjoys belly dancing, and is generally corrupt. Why am I reminded of our good friends in Washington?

          Arafat has recently taken to saying that the Palestinians are starving. He said in a recent news conference, "Is starvation part of the peace process?" Let it be known that there is no starvation in modern Israel and there never was. If you want to see starvation, go to most of the other Arab dictatorships, where it is plentifully available.

          When we criticize Israel for what we call "punitive measures" and "collective punishment" of the Palestinians, we don't stop to realize that all democracies employ some form of the same strategy to cope with unruly dictatorships. Witness our sanctions on Iraq or Cuba, for example.

          The PLO recently settled a lawsuit brought against them by Leon Klinghoffer's family that dates from the hijacking of the Achille Lauro. PLO thugs threw this American, still in his wheelchair, into the Mediterranean Sea in front of his wife. The PLO stalled the lawsuit for 12 years, but the matter was about to come to trial and people were about to get up and testify that the Palestinians are bloody murderers, and so they paid off the plaintiffs. The Palestinians admitted "no wrongdoing" in the settlement, though at the time of the attack they had bragged to the world how courageous the young men were to attack Klinghoffer and the other unarmed cruise-ship passengers.

          Our newspapers are full of stories about police torture in New York City. We don't want it in our country, but the Palestinians whom we blindly support do it every day. Arafat's arrests with no charges, midnight courts, detentions of news editors, and police brutality are rampant in all sectors where the Palestinians have been given land. They seem to be following the example of Syria, Iraq, and the other Arab dictatorships.

          And while we claim to be peacemakers, the United States is the weapons salesman of the world. We sold 11.3 billion dollars worth of arms last year, mainly to the Third World countries we are purporting to help. Britain and Russia sold around five billion to claim second place. "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)

          As if to "thumb their noses at the world," the Palestinians released the bus bombers of March 1996 from jail recently. They are at large to build more bombs while we dither about giving them land for "peace."

          The Los Angeles School System intends to use a book by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. I really didn't think I'd live to see the works of a cult included among public school books when the Bible itself is not permitted. The book has preliminary approval at this point. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrines but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, have itching ears." (2 Timothy 4:3)

          The Champions of Faith series will begin airing on TBN September 20. This will be an insightful look at the heroes of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Shot on location in Israel, this series of programs, inspired by the "Faith Hall of Fame," explores not only the characters, but also teaches unique aspects of their lives to give us insight and instruction on the development of faith. Modern-day believers, both Jewish and Gentile, are interviewed and give witness to faith that builds the foundation for not only lives that overcome in spite of adversity, but "overcoming lives."

          There's still time for you to get on board! Our Deluxe Israel Tour is October 7-17 and includes the major sites of our Lord's ministry on earth. The Grand Tour, October 4-17, offers an extension to southern Israel for a stay in the beautiful Red Sea resort city of Eilat, known for its beaches, scuba diving, and fascinating underwater aquarium. Grand Tour passengers will also have a trip into Jordan to view the Promised Land from Mount Nebo as Moses did, and visit the ancient city of Petra with its famous tombs carved into the native rock. Time is short, so call Cynthia at 214-696-9760 to register immediately.

          Also, our brochures for the December Tour are now available. The dates for the Hanukkah/Christmas Tour are December 13-22 for the Israel-only itinerary, and December 13-26 for the extended Israel tour. Just call our office and ask for Cynthia.


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Sayings of Chairman Moishe

by Moishe Rosen

Moishe Rosen Jews for Jesus is a sister ministry of ours with which we have had a long and close relationship. People often confuse us with that ministry, but our calling is slightly different. Jews for Jesus approaches Jewish people directly with the Gospel, often in street witnessing campaigns. We mainly train Gentile Christians to witness to the Jews. It's not unlike the distinction between the ministry of Peter, called to witness to the Jews in Israel, and Paul, called to witness to the Gentiles in the Roman Empire. Naturally, we witness to Jews, and Jews for Jesus witnesses to Gentiles on occasion, as did Peter and Paul.

          The wisdom of Moishe Rosen, now retired as leader of Jews for Jesus, has always been precious to the Messianic community and churches alike. In the following article, which appeared in the March 1997 edition of the Jews for Jesus newsletter, Moishe answers the questions of many readers regarding On Wings of Eagles, a ministry purporting to be a "fellowship of Christians and Jews." Since we have received numerous letters asking about this ministry and the Ebenezer Emergency Fund (a ministry we support), we want to print his thoughts for your edification.

          The Ebenezer Emergency Fund carries out the same mission as On Wings of Eagles—bringing Jews out of Russia—and was featured recently on our television program. Its founder, Gustav Scheller, was our guest, and he explained how this fund is used to transport Jewish people from Russia to Israel. Scheller is certainly a Christian of lifelong experience and testimony. He accomplishes his mighty work, giving credit to the Lord Jesus Christ. You can contact the Ebenezer Emergency Fund, also known as "Operation Exodus," by writing to P. O. Box 271653, Fort Collins, CO 80527-1653. Its phone number is 970-223-3301.

          A friend of our ministry wrote to ask, "Do you have any knowledge of a group called On Wings of Eagles, a ministry of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews?"

          This friend had heard that On Wings of Eagles was helping Jewish people return to the Land of Israel, and since it is under the umbrella of an organization with the word "Christian" in it, wondered if it might be an appropriate way for Christians to show support of Israel.

          Let me say that we do have some knowledge, mainly that the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. Rabbi Eckstein does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah and discourages Christians from witnessing to Jews in the strongest terms possible. In fact, it seems that his intention has been to develop relationships with committed Christians—not merely to raise funds for Israel, but to undermine evangelistic efforts directed toward Jewish people. He's apparently a very personable man and very subtle in his approach. He has cozied up to evangelicals and many see their friendship with him as a step forward in "Jewish-Christian relationships."

          Unfortunately, friendships between evangelical Christians and Rabbi Eckstein cannot help foster the most important relationship of all: that is the relationship that Jewish people need to have with Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. Eckstein's misunderstanding of who Jesus is and what it means for a Jew to believe in Him have misled many well-meaning evangelicals into the false notion that it is disrespectful and even harmful to share their faith with Jewish people.

          For example, in his book titled What Christians Should Know About Jews and Judaism, Eckstein wrote, "When directed at Jews, however, Christian missions conflict with and even jeopardize the central ethic guiding Jewish life today—Jewish survival. While Christians have sought to convert Jews to Christianity for almost two millennia, after the holocaust those attempts are regarded as especially pernicious threats to Jewish survival—indeed, a form of spiritual genocide."

          Eckstein does not have a relationship with Jesus, does not believe that the New Testament is the word of God and cannot be expected to know that "no one [Gentile or Jewish] comes to the Father except through Jesus. " Christians who believe that Jews need Jesus should know that supporting Eckstein's causes will not help Jewish people in the long (eternal) run.

          Our readers need to understand that the government of Israel provides airfare for any new Jewish immigrant who remains two years. Not only that, Israel provides new immigrants with rental subsidies, partial grants toward the purchase of a home, free language instruction, a stipend for those without employment and free elementary schooling.

          I realize that many well-known Christians have seemingly endorsed what Rabbi Eckstein is doing. It's entirely possible that they aren't aware of all of the facts.

          With regard to a fellowship between Christians and Jews, this is another matter for theology. Is it possible to have fellowship with people who don't share our faith that Jesus is the promised crucified and risen Messiah for Jews and gentiles?

          In II Corinthians 6:14, we read, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (emphasis added). That doesn't mean that all believers always behave righteously and all unbelievers behave unrighteously, but even as you can't bind righteousness and lawlessness together, so you can't find unity in matters of faith between believers and unbelievers.

          Most evangelical Christians fail to recognize that fellowship is a function of faith and that there are not many different kinds of faith. "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Eph. 4:5, emphasis added.)

          I'm not advocating we stay away from unbelievers; we've got to reach out to them in love with the gospel. However, I will not advocate a friendship with someone who uses his friendship to make people ashamed of telling the gospel.

Jews for Jesus International Headquarters: 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-5895


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"Dishonored" Father Beheads Bride Who Eloped

The following article makes for very unpleasant reading. We do not include it so much as a piece of news as for the fact that it did not get very wide distribution when the Associated Press issued its August 20, 1997. For example, I turned every page of the USA Today newspaper and did not find it. I doubt if your hometown paper carried it, either. There seems to be an unspoken agreement among the American media to suppress embarrassing news about Arab cultures, but to make all possible effort to criticize Israel.

          We must recall that petro-dollars purchase a great deal of advertising in the media—definitely a for profit business. And anti-semitism has been, unfortunately, a tradition throughout the Western world for centuries.

          In this time when you are being lambasted with the supposed sins of Israel, which for some reason reacts negatively to its citizens being bombarded, it's well to remember how many Arab communities conduct themselves. The following story issues from the best city of arguably the best and most modernized major Arab nation.

          CAIRO, Egypt — Nora Marzouk Ahmed was on her honeymoon yesterday when her father chopped off her head and carried it down a dusty neighborhood street as a punishment for dishonoring the family.

          She had eloped. Holding his 25-year-old daughter's freshly severed head, Marzouk Ahmed Abdel-Rahim said to hundreds of onlookers in the low-income Cairo neighborhood: "Now, the family has regained its honor."

          He then surrendered to police.

          Nora Marzouk Ahmed is not an isolated victim in Egypt, where activists say scores of women are killed or beaten every year by their fathers, brothers, or husbands for actions deemed to have sullied the family honor.

          Their deeds could include premarital sex, eloping, being seen publicly with a man who is not a relative or going outside without a veil.

          "Honor and integrity in Egypt have become warped, " Nawal Saadawi, a leading Egyptian feminist writer, said. "For many Egyptian men, integrity is now linked to the actions and behavior of the women in the family."

          There are no official figures. Many cases, activists say, escape scrutiny because families describe the deaths as accidents to prevent further scandal.

          The current case might not even have come to light had her father not so brazenly defied the law. A police official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said Abdel-Rahim had rejected Ashraf Mohammed Ahmed as a suitor when he asked for Nora's hand in marriage.

          Islamic tradition stresses parental approval for a wedding, so Nora and Ashraf decided to elope. Abdel-Rahim hunted them down and killed his daughter as a way of proving to his neighbors that he was an honorable man, the police official said. He refused to provide further details.

          Family members were not available for comment.

          Saadawi, the author, said most honor killings take place in lower income groups. Often, daughters are seen as money-earners because in traditional Islamic marriages, a groom gives his in-laws a dowry.


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Letters to Zola

Dear Friends,

          It's always uplifting to hear from our viewers and our readers. This letter was especially encouraging to me because our ultimate goal is to point others to Christ and to help each one establish a more personal, intimate relationship with Him. May this letter bless you as it did me.

Dear Zola,

          First, I would like to thank you for your ministry. It has been a wonderful help. My wife and I were raised in a cult. We were taught to love the Lord all our lives, but the doctrine of the cult prevented us from seeing the real Jesus. In a sense, we were like the Jewish people, blinded by the Law and trusting in it for salvation. It is only in the last three years that the Great God of Israel has been delivering us from our former false beliefs. Your teaching on the Jewish Wedding [A Christian Love Story] is such a beautiful and precious story and has opened up in a new light to us so many of Jesus' parables. The story of the folded napkin shed such wonderful light on Scripture that never made sense to me before.

          We just started to receive your Levitt Letter and bought the two tapes of the Seven Feasts of Israel. We have watched them many times. We love the Jewish People very much and constantly pray for Israel. We hope to go to Israel with you this year, perhaps with a group from [our church]. But, if not, we wlll go to Israel with you anyway because I will not go with anyone else.

          I get so disgusted when I read the biased opinions of the press, and the hateful attitude of the Arabs makes me want to do all that I can to help Israel.

          We look forward to meeting you and hearing more of the wonderful Word of the Lord. To me, you are like Paul of old, a Jewish Christian who understands the old and the new. So take good heart, my brother, and keep on preaching the Word! We love it. God Bless.

Sincerely,

A. & R.T.



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Copyright © 1997 by Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All rights reserved. Brief passages may be quoted in reviews or other article. For all other use, please get our written approval.