Antisemitism Awakens from Its Slumber

According to a recent TIME report, antisemitism and political violence have surged in the U.S., particularly following the Hamas terror attacks in October 2023. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that in the three months following the start of the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased by 361%.

Recent terror attacks exemplify this alarming trend:

• The residence of Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, was firebombed during Passover on April 13, 2025.

• Two Israeli embassy workers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025.

• Jewish protesters advocating for the release of hostages in Gaza were attacked by Mohamed Sabry Soliman in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025.

These incidents underscore the growing threat of antisemitic violence in the U.S., as experts warn of its normalization and escalation.

https://time.com/.../rise-of-antisemitism-political.../

https://www.msn.com/.../after-dc-shooting-the.../ar-AA1FmjRT

https://www.msn.com/.../imagine-surviving-the.../ar-AA1FX5kR

Mahdi and Jerusalem Temple

I came across an article by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, which claims that a Muslim Mahdi/Messiah has called for Arabs and Jews to collaborate on building a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

In a video titled "The Mahdi Aba Al-Sadiq Responds to the Christian Hysteria," dated April 30, 2025, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq claims to be the Mahdi, the true Pope, the successor of Jesus Christ, Simon Peter, the prophets, and the messengers (4:20–6:20).

In another video, "The Mahdi Wants Peace Between Israel & Palestine," dated April 8, 2025, Aba Al-Sadiq advocates for peace between Israel and Palestine. He calls on Muslims and Jews to end the war, work together to build a shared temple (8:20–15:00), and create a paradise on earth.

For more information on Aba Al-Sadiq, see Sarah Harvey’s "Factsheet: The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light" from the Religion Media Center.

Messianic Judaism – Joseph Rabinowitz

Jewish Christians, or Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah, were present in Jewish communities in the early centuries of Christianity.  From the 5th to the 18th centuries, Messianic Jewish history shifted from communal narratives to stories of individual Jewish believers becoming part of a predominantly Gentile Christian community.  However, a modern revival of Messianic Judaism emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.^[1]  In the 1880’s, Joseph Rabinowitz established one of the earliest, if not the first, Jewish Christian community.^[2]  Rabinowitz created the “community of Hebrew Christian believers out of the boundaries of established churches and kept it within the realms of the synagogue.”^[3]  Rabinowitz had first moved to Israel from Russia in 1882, wanting to be an early immigrant and part of the modern Aliyah movement.  He spent time on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the city of Jerusalem, where he had a deep spiritual experience.  He carried a copy of the New Testament with him and at some point became a believer in Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah.  He returned to Russia where he was “instrumental in leading many Jewish people to the Lord and establishing congregations of Jewish believers during the last decade of the nineteenth century and up until the First World War.” ^[4]  Messianic Judaism is one of the “candlestick of witnesses to the Messiahship of Jesus.”^[5] 

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^[1] David H. Stern, Messianic Judaism : A Modern Movement with an Ancient Past (Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2007), 74.

^[2] Owen Power, Hugh Schonfield: A Case Study of Complex Jewish Identities (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2013), 60.

^[3] David Sedaca, “The Rebirth of Messianic Judaism,” in The Death of Messiah, ed. Kai Kjær-Hansen (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 1994), 108.

^[4] Louis Goldberg, Fire on the Mountain: Past Renewals, Present Revivals, and the Coming Return of Israel (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 134.

^[5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Hebrew Christianity: Its Theology, History, and Philosophy (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1983), 50.

1700-Year-Old Oil Lamp Discovered in Jerusalem

A 1700-year-old oil lamp with a Jewish Temple menorah symbol was found in Jerusalem. This discovery is significant because there is little evidence of a Jewish presence in Jerusalem after the Roman Emperor Hadrian expelled Jews in 135 CE. This lamp shows that Jewish identity and memory of the Jewish Temple were present in the city around the 4th century CE.

Ancient 'Mount of Olives' lamp with Jewish Temple symbols discovered in Jerusalem | All Israel News

1,700-year-old lamp uncovered in Jerusalem (Photo: Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority

Christian population in Palestinian areas has significantly decreased under the rule of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

THE CHRISTIAN POST: The Christian population in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas has plummeted drastically by up to 90% in some communities, a new study suggests, attributing the decline to violence, discrimination and economic hardships that threaten the survival of Christianity in its historical heartland.

The Christian demographic in Palestinian territories has experienced a dramatic reduction over the past century. In 1922, Christians made up 11% of the population in geographical Palestine. By 2024, this number had dwindled to 1%, marking a nearly 90% decrease, according to a study conducted by the Israeli think tank Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

"The international community often disregards the plight of the Palestinian Christian community. While minor clashes with some Israeli Jewish extremists are reported in hyper-focus in the media, the PA represses the reporting of grave incidents of Christian systemic oppression, the stories never seeing the light of day," the report, authored by Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch and attorney Tirza Shorr, states….

Christian population nearly wiped out under Hamas, PA rule in Christianity's birthplace

The City of Bethlehem in the Distance.  2018.  Photo by LFL.

Hanukkah and Christmas

Despite being distinct holidays—Hanukkah being Jewish and Christmas being Christian—they share some common themes. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem after it was defiled by Gentiles, following the Maccabean Revolt which allowed Jews to worship freely in Jerusalem. Similarly, the Christian tradition of Christmas includes significant references to Israel and Jerusalem. In the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah praises God for saving His people so that they might worship him without fear, Simeon speaks of Jesus as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, and the prophetess Anna speaks of the redemption of Jerusalem.

Ethiopian Israelis celebrate Sigd in Jerusalem.

Ethiopian Israelis, also known as Beta Israel, celebrated Sigd, which celebrates their longing for the return to Israel. It is celebrated 50 days after Yom Kippur. Although its origin is Ethiopia, Sigd is also celebrated in Jerusalem. It became an official holiday in Israel in 2008. This year’s celebration included prayers for unity, rebuilding of the temple, and the release of Avraham Mengistu and the other 100 hostages held in Gaza. https://www.jns.org/ethiopian-jews-mark-sigd-in-jerusalem-with-prayers-for-peace-and-freedom/

Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

Indigenous Leaders in Solidarity with Historical Jewish Connection to the Land of Israel

This news article took me by surprise.  A group of indigenous leaders gathered in Jerusalem from around the world to support the historical basis of Israel’s connection with the land.  They marched from the Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall to show their solidarity.  According to Sheree Trotter, co-director of the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem,

There is a false narrative that has taken hold of the Western world, including the country where I live, that paints the Jews as the foreign colonizers who have dispossessed the indigenous Palestinians. We want to change that narrative.

There are those who try to nullify the existence of the State of Israel with the argument that Israelis are settlers and colonizers that should be replaced with a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea.”  So, it is encouraging to see a group that stands in solidarity with Israel.

Online Source: Indigenous Leaders Rally in Jerusalem, https://www.timesofisrael.com/indigenous-leaders-rally-in-jerusalem-to-affirm-historical-jewish-ties-to-the-land/.  November 3, 2024.

An international delegation of indigenous leaders at the Western Wall, Jerusalem, 

October 28, 2024 (Gianluca Pacchiani/Times of Israel)

The Mission of Abbé Glasberg, by Leo M. Abrami

I came across an article by Leo M. Abrami on Father Alexander Glasberg. Father Glasberg was part of the French Resistance during World War II and worked to save Jewish children during that turbulent time. He helped create the State of Israel and received the Yad Vashem Medal of the Righteous posthumously.

https://www.tribunejuive.info/2016/04/26/la-mission-de-labbe-glasberg-par-leo-m-abrami/

Update on Jewish Prayer on the Temple Mount

In an article by Rayhan Uddin in the Middle East Eye, Israeli Minister Ben Gvir says, “If I could do what I wanted, a synagogue would…be established on the Temple Mount.”  There have been mixed responses to Gvir’s statement.  Uddin points out that the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that there are no plans to change the “status quo” on the Temple Mount.  Uddin adds that some Israeli ministers and politicians were critical of Gvir’s remarks, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel.  However, not all agree with their criticism.  In 7Israel National News, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute, claims there was some support among the Chief Rabbinate Council in 2000 for a Jewish synagogue on the Temple Mount.  However, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron is to have argued that the majority of the council was against building a synagogue on the Temple Mount for religious reasons.

 

With all that being said, there are those who argue against the “status quo” and for Jewish freedom to pray on the Temple Mount.  In a recent opinion piece, Michael Freund insists there is no Temple Mount “status quo” because the Wakf and Palestinians trampled it.  Jeremy Sharon reports that Israeli Police have been allowing Jewish worshipers to prostrate and pray on the east side of the Temple Mount in recent weeks; this practice is said to have begun around 2018 but has increased since August 13, 2024.   

Jewish worshippers prostrate themselves on the Temple Mount during a prayer service at the holy site,
August 28, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

Old Testament Land Promises and Israel Today

I came across three articles that discuss the theme of the "land promise" made to Israel in the Old Testament and how they relate to the present state of Israel’s existence in the Middle East.  All three articles are dated November 17, 2023, thus all three were written following the Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7^th of that same year.  Gregory Beale's article is titled “On the Expected Universalization of the Old Testament Land Promises,” Darrell Bock’s article is entitled, “On Israel’s Role in the Land Promise,” Gerald R. McDermott's article is titled “On Why the Land Promises Belong to Ethnic Israel.”

McDermott argues against supersessionism—that is, the idea that the Christian church has superseded the Jewish people of Israel.  Rather, the land promises belong to ethnic Israel.  McDermott claims, “Jesus predicted a time when Jews would have political control over their capital. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say the beginning of Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem could be seen as a fulfillment of prophecy by the New Testament Jesus.”

Beale investigates the land promise to Israel in the Old Testament.  He sees that the promises were meant to extend beyond the ancient borders to envelop the "whole earth."  The ancient location of the land promises in Canaan evolved to encompass the whole earth.  This “eschatological expansion of Israel’s borders” was part of “God’s predestined plan.”  In this present age, the promises have already begun to be perfected spiritually in Christ, and the land promises will find their ultimate physical fulfillment in the new heavens and new earth.  Thus, Beale concludes, “none of the references to the promise of Israel’s land in the Old Testament appears to be related to the promises of ethnic Israel’s return to the promised land on this present earth. What’s going on in Israel today is in God’s predestined plan, but it’s not any kind of fulfillment of his promises in the Old Testament.”

Block argues, "Whatever else happens with the Christ promise, whatever expansion the promise involves, it doesn't involve the elimination of the original commitments."  He asserts, "The New Testament stresses Gentile inclusion not Israelite exclusion from the promise." Block insists that the New Testament hope includes Israel, which is found in texts such as Matthew 19:28; Luke 13:34-35; 21:20-24; 22:30; Acts 1:6-7; 3:18-22; 26:7; and Romans 9-11.  

YMCA - Jerusalem, Israel

Tisha B’Av (תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב)

As Tisha B’Av 2024 approaches—this is a fast day that remembers the destruction of the First Jewish Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and the razing of the Second Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 CE—Israel awaits the reports that Iran could launch an attack on Israel this week.  At the time of this post, I am watching the Western Wall Live camera in Jerusalem.  The time stamp is 23:52.  There are many gathered at the wall.  There are some Jews who argue that the Jewish Temple belongs to Israel’s past.  However, not all agree.  Rabbi Sam Millunchick argues that,      

On Tishah b’Av, we grieve not only for the physical loss of the Temple but also for what that loss represents — our current distance from the ideal relationship with the Divine that the Temple embodies. We yearn for a day, soon to come, when we are again worthy of God’s presence.

Is Iran planning to attack Israel?

According to the Jerusalem Post, Iran is planning to attack Israel on Tisha B’Av, which begins this month on Monday, August 12^th, and ends Tuesday, August 13^th.  On Tisha B’Av, the first and second temples were destroyed.  On this day, Jews fast, mourn and remember the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem.  The planned attack is said to be in response to the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran.

Iran plans to attack Israel on Tisha B’Av - the Jewish day of disasters, Western intelligence says (msn.com)

Jews Have Worshiped and Visited the Temple Mount for Nearly 2500 Years

 

Jews Have Worshiped and Visited the Temple Mount for Nearly 2500 Years

I came across an interesting video.  I wish to share it with you.  It is an interview between Adam Scott Bellos and Rabbi Yehuda Levi who is the Director of Outreach for Yeshiva Har HaBayit.  They discussed the importance of ascending the Temple Mount and the almost “2500 year unbroken chain of connection [of] worship and visiting of the Temple Mount by Jewish people.” The video of the interview can be seen here.  Rabbi Yehuda had written an Opinion piece for Daily Wire titled “Temple Mount Is Judaism’s Holiest Site, And It Always Has Been.  Here’s Everything You Need to Know."  In this interview, Rabbi Yehuda discusses this history.  When Adam Scott asks the Rabbi to summarize Judaism, his response is in large part “Love your fellow man as yourself” (22:41 min).     

"I know that the LORD has given you the land."

 

“I know that the Lord has given you the land.”^[1] The historical context for the above saying is from the Book of Joshua, where Rahab speaks to the two spies sent to Jericho to investigate the land just before the conquest in the 13^th century BCE.  When I read from Joshua today, I imagined what it would be like for Palestinians to say, “I know the LORD had given you the land of the Haram Al-Sharif.”  This view was once held by the Supreme Moslem Council in A Brief Guide to AL-HARAM AL-SHARIF, dated 1924.  It states,

Its identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute.  This, too, is the spot, according to the universal belief, on which “David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.[2]

In recent years, some Palestinians have denied any connection between the site and Solomon’s Temple.  I found this out firsthand from conversations with Palestinians when I visited Jerusalem, Israel in May 2017.  However, in a recent report, a new book entitled, The Noble Sanctuary Book, is claiming the historical connection.  The work is by the Jordanian photographer Bashar Tabbah and the scholar Dr. Robert Schick; the book is a photographic and historical exploration of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Haram Al-Sharif.[3]  According to Arnon Segel, “Despite the Arab tendency to deny the Jewish past of the mountain, it is interesting that this book actually mentions the existence of the two Jewish temples there.”[4]

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Jos 2:9.

[2] A Brief Guide to Al-Haram Al-Sharif Jerusalem (Franciscan Printing Press: Jerusalem, 1925), 4.  * #

[3] Saeb Rawashdeh, “Jordanian Photographer Launches Photobook of Noble Sanctuary,” The Jordan Times.  March 4, 2023.  Online Source: Uploaded June 14, 2023.* 

[4] Arnon Segel, “A Book Financed by Jordan Confirms: There Were Temples on the Temple Mount,” Makor Rishon, June 5, 2023. Translated. Online Source: Uploaded June 13, 2023. *

TIME TO FAVOR ZION

 

Psalm 102:14

 אַתָּ֣ה תָ֭קוּם תְּרַחֵ֣ם צִיּ֑וֹן כִּי־עֵ֥ת לְ֝חֶֽנְנָ֗הּ כִּי־בָ֥א מוֹעֵֽ^[1]

You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to favor it;

the appointed time has come. ^[2]

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^[1] Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: With Werkgroep Informatica, Vrije Universiteit Morphology; Bible. O.T. Hebrew. Werkgroep Informatica, Vrije Universiteit. (Logos Bible Software, 2006), Ps 102:14.

^[2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 102:13.

Temple Mount Opens for Jewish Visitors

 The Temple Mount opened earlier this week for Jewish visitors.  This comes after weeks of conflict on the mount, which is not unusual during holy days.  Interest in allowing Jews to visit the Temple Mount has been identified by a recent report.  Although the Temple Mount clashes have been reported to endanger Prime Minister Bennett’s coalition, according to the Times of Israel, half of Jewish Israelis support not only Jewish visiting the mount, but also buttress the freedom of allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.

I am reminded of the saying, “may Zion’s vindication shine like the morning dawn and her victory burn like a torch.” May the river of mercy flow from generation to generation; on her banks may there be the tree of life, which bears fruit every month and her leaves be for the healing of the nations (Ezk 47:1-12). 

    A group of religious Jews walk past the Dome of the Rock during their visit to the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary), in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 20, 2022. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Temple and a Standard among the Nations

After the recent tensions on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, Jordanian officials expressed concern and desire to discuss the Status Quo with Israel.  However, the Israeli government is reported to have refused the request because of the incitement and violence on the mount. Hamas is to have warned of attacks on Jewish synagogues if Israel carries out another conflict at that location.  However, I think this ignores the riots and incitement on the Temple Mount and those who are behind and responsible for them.  I am mindful of the desolation of the mount and remember the promise of God’s mercy on behalf of his Holy Name (Ezk 39:7, 25, 27-29).  I see a sacred and immaculate heart that has spread from Israel throughout the earth with a torch that burns brightly as a standard that rose among the nations, which will triumph in the end.

People gather around the Dome of the Rock, in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City October 28, 2021 (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD) 

Update on the Temple Mount

This year the Jewish Pascha and Christian Triduum in the Catholic Church began the same week.  On April 16, 2022 the Vigil of Easter and the Jewish Passover coincided as the moon arose as a Full Moon in the constellation of Virgo.  Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this weekend (April 22-24).  It is also the Muslim holiday of Ramadan (April 1-May 1, 2022). 

In Jerusalem, there were tensions surrounding the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa.  A Jewish movement called “Back to the Temple Mount” called for and attempted to sacrifice a Passover Lamb on the mount on the Passover Eve.  Four residences from the West Bank in their 20’s were arrested for planning to sacrifice Lamb on the Temple Mount.

Throughout the past week there were heighten tensions between Palestinians and the Israeli police on the Temple Mount.  For an update and pictures, click here for details. 

Temple Mount group offers NIS 10,000 for Pascal lamb sacrifice.

(photo credit: ARNON SEGAL)

Clay Seal Impressions Discovered from First Temple Period

 

Clay seal impressions were found near the Temple Mount dating as far back as the First Temple Period in 8^th century BCE.  They were discovered from excavations at the Ophel Park near the mount and the sifting of Temple Mount soil.

Tiny clay seals reveal First Temple royal treasuries in Jerusalem, researchers say | The Times of Israel