United Israel

Back in 1993 I self-published a 100 page book called Restoring Abrahamic Faith. It was distributed to a few thousand people, given away free, funded by a non-profit I had formed called Genesis 2000. Over the years I have gotten an amazingly positive response to that little book and many thousands of copies were made by others and further distributed.

The book was a kind of “manifesto” of my own personal faith, but subject wise I would say it was an exposition of what I would call the ancient “Hebrew faith” based on the texts of the Hebrew Bible. It covered most of the great Questions of Biblical Faith: Who is God? What are the Holy Scriptures? How does one know the will of God? What does salvation mean? What about the so-called “Lost Tribes” of Israel? Is the present return of Jews to the Land of Israel significant? What about the coming of the Messiah? Who was Jesus and what was his message?

I have decided to republish a new edition of Restoring Abrahamic Faith. It is a thoroughly revised version, 180 pages, professionally designed and attractively printed as a self-published trade book through Genesis 2000. It will be available soon but we are taking pre-orders now. Anyone who orders during July will receive an autographed copy. You can go to genesis2000.org for full information on how to order either on-line or by check. I wanted here to offer a prepublication peek at the Preface. I think it gives a good sense of what this book is about:

Preface

I began thinking seriously about the contents of this book back in the late 1960s. I had graduated from college with majors in Greek and Bible, fired by a passion for discovering the historical Jesus. It was that Quest that led me to the insights and concepts represented herein. The more I learned about Jesus the more I realized how vital it was to see him as a Jew who put his faith in the God of Abraham, who upheld the Torah, and who lived and died for his ancestral faith.

As a Christian I had grown up with a strong emphasis on the New Testament. The “Old Testament,” as we called it, was looked on as mere “background” to the superseding revelation brought by Jesus and the apostle Paul. I had never taken the “Jewishness” of Jesus very seriously—at least not in terms of its implications.

I presented the results of my forty years of academic work on the historical Jesus in a previous book, The Jesus Dynasty (Simon & Schuster, 2006). This book goes quite a few steps beyond. It is a personal manifesto of my own biblical faith, informed by my historical work, while at the same time moving outside its strict academic parameters.

I am enamored with the Hebrew Bible—Torah, Prophets, and Writings—and it has riveted me like nothing else over these many years. In its pages I find compelling testimony to the experiences of those who have sought to “walk with God,” and a program of hope for our troubled planet. The idea and the ideal of the Kingdom of God—that is, God’s will being done on earth as in heaven, is one that beckons us across the ages. This book is about that ancient Hebrew faith and what it might mean to us in the 21st century.

Pentecost, June 15, 2008
Mevasseret Zion, Israel

Go to genesis2000.org for more information.

James D. Tabor

These are some of my notes for the Torah portion this week. I have plenty of other thoughts but I wanted to send these out early and encourage you to read the portion this week.

This week’s Torah lesson begins with a story about Moses sending out leaders from every tribe (except Levi) to explore the land of Canaan. They are often referred to as “spies”, but the Hebrew word “tur” literally means to seek out or explore. Their purpose is to bring back information - specific information requested by Moses and so in a way, they are to “spy out” the land.

Chapter 13:4-15 gives the names of these leaders. Two of these leaders (interestingly enough…one from Judah and one from Ephraim) bring back a good report while the others give an “unfavorable report” (see 14:32). They are to search out and report on the following:

1. What is the land like?
2. Are the people weak or strong?
3. Are they few or many?
4. Is the land good or bad?
5. Are the towns walled or not?
6. Are there trees or not?
And finally they are told to “be bold” and bring back some of the fruit of the land (13:17-20).

The reconnaissance mission takes them 40 days. Caleb, the leader representing the tribe of Judah and Hoshea, the leader representing the tribe of Ephraim (whose name is changed by Moses to Yehoshua - 14:16) bring back the good report.

There is a lot of clamor in the camp as the “spies” relate what they saw. Caleb quiets the people before Moses and tries to encourage the people to take possession, but again this week we find the people complaining and even desiring death or a return to Egypt rather than the prospect of pushing onward into the land of promise.

I find that the allure of what one knows can be very distracting to people in the quest. The unknown is not the popular choice for most, and slavery can be difficult to shake off. People can grow comfortable in the most uncomfortable situations.

The valiant two give the people their best arguments to move ahead. They tell the Israelites that the LORD is with them and warn the people not to “rebel against the LORD”, but this only brought them threats of stoning (14:5-10)!

God is angered by the poor choice of the people and wants to destroy them, disinherit them and start over with Moses (14:11-12). Moses intercedes for the people reminding God of His very nature. Notice what he says -

“Let the power of the LORD be great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying: The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (hesed), forgiving iniquity and transgressing, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation.” This becomes a repeated description of God throughout the Bible (see Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, Joel 2:13, and Jonah 4:2). One should study these words closely.

God listens to the voice of Moses and agrees to forgive (14:20) but then says something quite remarkable. He swears that “the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD”. We read elsewhere of this global mission. I understand this to mean that the taking of the land was to be the beginning of something incredible. Israel’s mission would be manifested from this promised land. From there they would become a Light unto the nations! Here we read that the “glory of the LORD” would fill the earth. Notice the following passages from the prophets:

KJV Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
KJV Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

This is the goal and meaning of history - it is the manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth.

God is persuaded by the intercession of Moses, but the penalty of unfaithfulness will be paid in full. These leaders had “spied out the land for forty days” and brought back a bad report and so they would now bear their iniquity - a year for every day! They would learn God’s displeasure and would die in the wilderness. Ironically, this is what they had requested (14:2).

Chapter 15 describes various offerings that were to be offered when they did finally cross into the land. In 15:14-16, we read that the alien who resides with Israel shall do as the Israelites do. They are to have and keep the same ordinances as every natural Israelite. See also verse 29 for the same idea dealing with “atonement”.

The torah reading ends with a passage requiring the wearing of “fringes - tzittzit” on the corners of their garments(15:37-41). See also Deuteronomy 22:12.

This Torah reading offers some insights into what is expected of those who find themselves in a leadership role among the people of God. Our faith in God must be strong. Even when things look ominous, we must keep our eyes on God and not allow circumstances or situations to influence our walk with God, or keep us from fulfilling His commands.

We should seek to intercede for the people of God. Moses learned to reason with God based upon “knowing” his character. This week’s lesson contains an excellent description of God’s character. We should learn it by heart!

We also learn that God gives us challenges that He will help us through. These may seem impossible, but they often put us in a place to be a light to those around us. Have faith and be bold. Stand on God’s word and you cannot fail.

A valuable lesson is communicated in this Torah portion that is often overlooked. Forgiveness does not free us from the consequences of our sins. We must often bear our iniquity - and this sometimes takes years to play its course.

I hope that you will take the time to read and study this Torah portion. There is much to be gleaned and I have only scratched the surface. Shalom and good reading!

Ross K. Nichols www.RootsofFaith.org

I wanted to post some of my notes this week related to my personal study of the weekly parsha called Be-Ha’alotcha (translated, “When you put up”). It has some key points and some of the most interesting - though seemingly unconnected stories.
 
It begins with instructions for the “putting up” of the menorah, and speaks of the “purification of the Levites”, who according to the literal reading of the Hebrew (8:16) are “given, yes given” to YHWH.
 
There is allowance made for a “make up” Passover for those that were on a journey or impure when the Pesach of the first month was kept.
 
In Chapter 9, we read an interesting point that “there will be one statute for you (pl) and for the stranger and for the citizen of the land”.  I love this idea.  There are many out there that place artificial distinctions between Israel and humanity.  It is my opinion that all of the world will be instructed into the “Way of YHWH”. Indeed this is the reason for Israel serving as a nation of Priests, being given a charge to be a light to the nations, etc.  One only has to read Isaiah chapters 2 and 56 (for example) to see that this is the goal for humanity.
 
Chapter 9:15-23 we read of the cloud and how it guided the travels of the Israelites. I had not noticed it in previous readings of this text, but the movement of the cloud and the reaction to this move by the people following, are closely associated with their obedience to the “word of YHWH” (mouth might be a better rendering).
 
Chapter 10 deals with the reasons for the sounding of the trumpets and the order of travel for the tribes.
 
Chapter 11 switches gears on us. Here we meet with much complaining by the people. They long to return to Egypt. I guess this had me thinking.  Often, I meet people who have left their “spiritual Egypt”, but for one reason or another they begin to crave the things that they had there. The provision of God begins to lose its flavor and they want to return. These complaints are “bad in the ears of YHWH” and His anger is flared - and subsequently we read that it was bad in Moses’ eyes.
 
The people still direct their complaints to the man Moses and not to God. In this week’s lesson we see that despite Moses’ humility - he is becoming a bit tired.  The people lash out at Moses and he unloads on God.  He feels that he is carrying the burden alone and asks God to kill him if things continue as they are.  I think that it is interesting to note that God does not react…or should I say over-react to Moses when he makes this comment.  In fact, he seemingly ignores his drama altogether and just resolves the issues at hand. Often, I think we take comments of others and over-react causing more problems rather than setting forth solutions.  This can be a lesson to us all.  God does not chide Moses for his exaggerated remark, He merely sets things straight.  Read it and see how God “fixes” the problem!
 
In verse 20 we find that God informs Moses what he should relate to the complainers.  If they want what they had in Egypt, then that is what they shall get.  Not just a taste of what they had, but enough that it will run out of their noses!  It should be noted that this is a result of their “rejecting YHWH”.  This is very similar to the later demand for a King like the nations.  Often, I find that God fulfills the request of His people, even when they are in rebellion.  He allows them what they ask for in order that they will realize what they have done and return to His ways.  Be careful what you ask for!
 
This Torah reading also contains some interesting points on the imparting of the Spirit.  Chapter 11:1-18, and 24-25 reveal the solution to Moses carrying the whole burden alone. God takes some of the Spirit that is upon Moses and shares it with the “70″. They prophesy as an indication that the Spirit is on them, but then it says that they did not do so again (v.25).  One is reminded of the story in 1 Samuel 10.  Of particular note is what is recorded in 1 Samuel 10:6 - When the spirit comes upon you…you will become a different man!  How true is this?  When people claim to be spirit filled and continue to practice their ungodly behavior, one has to wonder if their claims are true.
 
When Moses is informed that some are in the camp prophesying and that he should make them stop - he says that he wished all YHWH’s people were prophets.  This is important. Too often, leaders want to be in charge and have others serve them.  Not so with Moses! Yeshua said that this is the way Gentiles think.  Many churches are full of this in their pastor adoration! We should all learn from this.
 
An interesting play on words that shows up in the Hebrew comes next.  Moses has just asked that YHWH “put his Spirit on” the people so that they could all be prophets.  In the very next verse, the “Ruach” does indeed travel to the people, but translated as “wind”, the Ruach from YHWH brings the quail that the people craved!  Be careful what you ask for!
 
In Chapter 12, we find Aaron and Miriam complaining against Moses.  This is a remarkable story! God calls them into account for their challenge against Moses. He would later ask them, “Why did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?!”  We should learn from this that one should be very cautious when speaking words against the meekest man on all the earth. God spoke to him, mouth to mouth and he saw the “form of YHWH”!
 
For her part in this, Miriam is afflicted.  I find it very instructive to read the prayer that Moses offers on her behalf.  I have been in prayer meetings with many over the years where people petition God with many words.  Yeshua talks of this repetitious prayer practice.  Do we think that we must go on and on for God to hear us and answer?  Moses says 5 Hebrew words and God acts. “God, please heal her please.” We should learn from this. 
 
So this is my summary of the Torah reading for this week.  Study it and learn from it. The festival of Shavuoth has just passed. I pray that like the ancient Israelites, we receive the Torah afresh. Put these words in your heart. Be humble, seek God and keep your prayers simple. Plead with God on behalf of others - even when they do wrong to you. Moses wished that all of God’s people were prophets and that He would put his spirit on all of them.  I pray that as well.
 
Have a great week.  Shalom, Ross
 
Ross K. Nichols
www.RootsofFaith.org

This is the descriptive entry that will appear in the new 8th edition of the Encyclopedia of American Religions, the most authoritative reference work on religions of all types in America:
★2086★

United Israel World Union (UIWU)
200 East 10th Street
Suite # 111
New York, N.Y. 10003

Editorial Offices: P.O. Box 561476, Charlotte, NC 28256

The United Israel World Union (UIWU) was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1944 by founder David Horowitz who served as President until his death at age 99 (1903–2002). The primary purposes of UIWU are to represent a universal version of the Hebraic faith to the non-Jewish world, based primarily on the Hebrew Bible, as well as to provide a meeting place for Jews with non-Jews who are accordingly drawn to this message. The hallmark of the organization is Isaiah’s prescription that “My house will become a house of prayer for all peoples.” Central to this mission is the conviction that scattered among the Gentiles are untold numbers of descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel who are discovering their identity and their kinship to the Jewish people. Membership is based on the simple declaration of faith in the One God of Israel and a commitment to live according to the principles of the Hebrew Bible. Members, accordingly, observe the Sabbath day, Jewish festivals, and a biblical “kosher” diet, although the manner and extent of such observances is left to one’s individual conscience.

During the decades of the 1950s through the 1970s the movement flourished with centers in New York, Michigan, and West Virginia; members scattered through 30 States and 15 foreign countries; and an active mailing list of 9,000. Horowitz edited and published the triennial United Israel Bulletin from 1945 until his death. As an accredited member of the United Nations Press Corp since 1945, and serving twice as its president, Horowitz rubbed shoulders with many Ambassadors and heads of State, forming a close friendship with the late Dag Hammarskjöld. He published a syndicated weekly column that appeared in 22 Anglo-Jewish newspapers, reflecting his Jewish perspectives on world events in the light of UIWU perspectives. Horowitz received many honors including Israel’s Defender of Israel Medal presented by Prime Minister Menachem Begin. In the 1980s and 1990s operations of UIWU reached a low ebb due to the age and health of Mr. Horowitz.

Although it remains incorporated in New York, in 2004 the UIWU transferred most of its records, archives, and operations to Charlotte, North Carolina. Administered by Dr. James D. Tabor, the offices house the David Horowitz Memorial Library, which holds correspondence between Horowitz and various world leaders and celebrities including David Ben Gurion, Eleanor Roosevelt, and King Abdullah of Jordan, 60 years of back issues of the United Israel Bulletin, and a complete archive of Horowitz’s weekly UN Columns (1950-1998).

Membership: As of 2008 membership is at 300 with active surface and e-mail lists totaling 1700.

Periodicals: United Israel Bulletin has ceased regular publication but both archive and current materials are regularly added to the organization’s Web site: unitedisrael.org, and special issues will be published on specific topics once a year.

Sources:
http://unitedisrael.org
By-Laws of United Israel World Union, approved 1944, amended 2005.
David Horowitz, Thirty-three Candles (New York: World Union Press, 1949)

Although there are examples of the Covenant God made with all Israel through Moses at Horeb/Sinai being “renewed” at various points (e.g. Deuteronomy 29:1; 2 Kings 23:1-3), the “New Covenant” of which Jeremiah speaks (31:31-34) seems to stand out in terms of how it is both described and placed in context.

If one reads carefully that historical context, namely chapters 30-31 of Jeremiah, it is abundantly clear, both by the descriptive content and the timing indicated (”At that time” “in that day” “the days are coming” etc.), that this is a singular, unique, event that has not come about or transpired as of yet but is to take place in a specific time when all the Tribes of Israel are gathered together back in the Land, with Judah and Israel becoming one, etc. This event is spoken of in all the prophets with a consistency and a specificity that rivals any other theme or subject in the Hebrew prophets, and is particularly evident in Ezekiel 37, that also mentions this “new” covenant, using different words. Although there is a sense that one might still refer to this as a “renewed” covenant, it seems to stand out as different from the various “renewals” in the previous history of Israel, so that it is understood, by analogy at least, like a divorce and a remarriage. That said, there is only ONE covenant with Israel, as the Psalmist says, commanded to a “thousand generations,” thus the abbreviation O.T. could perhaps more rightly refer to the Only Testament, rather than the “Old” Testament.

Given this historical context one must pause over Paul’s ideas that the “new covenant” spoken by Jeremiah has come through his ministry, in contrast to the ministry of death that Moses instituted, that those who read the “old covenant” are blinded until they turn to Christ, or that the glory Moses experienced at Sinai is or has faded (2 Corinthians 3). The “last” Prophetic word we have on the level of the Hebrew Prophets is to “Remember the Teachings of My Servant Moses,” and that appears to take us to final days, characterized by the appearance of Elijah (Malachi 3/4). Rather than fade, the “glory” Moses experienced, that was the very Kavod of HaShem, will be renewed and enhanced in the time of which Jeremiah speaks. If one just reads Jeremiah 30-31 one does not find Paul’s ideas, that is, including his “heavenly Christ” who brings eternal life to those who accept him (with the rest blinded and hard of heart), or anything he says in 2 Corinthains 3 (and one really needs to include chapters 4-5 to get his full views here) referred to or predicted. There seems to be zero correspondence, other than the catchword “new covenant.”

This is not to say that the images of putting the Torah in the heart, or having a “new heart,” that Paul makes use of, are not found in the prophetic passages that speak of the “new covenant” and its operation. They lie at the heart of things, but they are nothing new, in that these very possibilities and potentials are all at the center of the covenant Moses made with Israel. Moses constantly tells the ancient Israelites to circumcise the heart, to have hearts of flesh not stone, and to put the Torah within. This is repeated constantly in the Psalms and Prophets as well. This is nothing “new” that comes with Paul and his “heavenly Christ.” It is at the heart of the Sinai/Horeb revelation always, and people in so-called “Old Testmant” times always had access to the Holy Spirit, a truly spiritual conversion, the Law written in the heart, etc. Grace, forgiveness, and a bonded friendship with the Creator through the Holy Spirit has always been offered freely to human beings, and all the more so through Moses’s covenant with Israel. Paul’s view of a “fleshly” and “spiritual” dichotomy is well known to us in all the hellenistic dualistic systems of thought of the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly the Platonists, Pythagorians, and to some extent the Stoics. That is why he thinks what one “eats or drinks” or observing “days” has nothing to do with the “real” inner person, or that God does not care for “oxen” when he says not to muzzle an animal threshing grain, but really has in mind his “new covenant” ministers being supported financially (1 Corinthians 9:3-12). Another response to Paul’s question–Does God care for oxen? is a resounding “yes,” as the Torah addresses ALL aspects of human life on planet earth.

A central issue when it comes to Paul is not whether he was a good guy or a bad guy, sincere or insincere, or even whether the ethical principles of the Torah are abrogated or carried through into the “new covenant” as he understands it. I have no doubt that Paul thought he was living in the “end times” and would live to see all that Jeremiah spoke of come about, at least in some “spiritual” way, since he had given up the idea that what he calls “fleshly” Israel mattered anymore. The real issue is whether one, Jew or Gentile, can have a right relationship with God by grace through faith, as Abraham had, by turning directly in repentance and faith, without the requirements of “accepting Christ” and receiving “eternal life” through the blood of the cross, as the exclusive new “way of salvation.” This is where “Christianity,” at least as viewed by Paul, parts with Judaism, and for that matter, with a plain reading of the Hebrew Bible, both Torah, Prophets, and Writings. And yet for Paul, centering everything on God offering his divine Son as a sacrifice for sins is the heart of his “new covenant” ideas. If one then turns back and reads Jeremiah 30-31 there is little to no correspondence between what Jeremiah says and the ideas Paul expounds that he calls the “New Covenant.”

Jesus himself offers something dead center in terms of reflecting the Hebrew Bible and its “way of salvation.” His well known story of “justification” given by Jesus in Luke 15 and the lost son who comes home, requires only the father’s gracious acceptance of a son who is truly broken up over his past wrong behavior. Even more to the point, the tax collector of Luke 18 who bowed his head, struck his breast, and said “God be merciful to me a sinner.” This is the one Way of turning to God that has always held true through the ages, from Adam to our time, and it involves none of the major elements of Paul’s system of people receiving eternal life.

There are two verses from the Hebrew Bible that seem to put it most clearly:

Psalm 145:18: “The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”

Isaiah 56:6-7: “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

The Hebrew means to seek truly/sincerely, and it not referring to a set of “truth” in terms of religious dogmas and doctrines. These texts are bedrock and they cut through any theological or complex systems of religious dogma. They are relational not systematic. Many seminaries have courses called “Systematic Theology” and most all are complex expositions of Paul’s teachings, with all the ins and outs. These verses seem to skirt that whole arena, even though they are addressing a similar question–How can one come to know God, be forgiven, and walk with him?

One important characteristic of the Prophets is that they are on the whole relational and almost completely non-systematic, so even a fool, yea a wayfaring man, will not stumble on the path. They sketch out in fairly plain language the “vision” of things for the “days to come,” and along the way, with the Prophets commenting on their own day and time, they offer avenues toward repentance and return to their contemporary hearers, and thus by extension, to readers down through the ages.

Even though the Israeli celebration of Independence Day, based on the Hebrew calendar, was last week, there is something profound about May 14 on the Gregorian Calendar that really acts as a marker of great events of the last century.

Just to think, on this very date, in 1948 these great and momentous things happened. One very interesting fact is that if you follow an “observed” Jewish calendar for 1948 and don’t add the 13th month that year, it moves everything one month back–that is “Adar II becomes Nisan, Nisan becomes Iyyar, and Iyyar becomes SIVAN–which makes the establishment of the State of Israel fall on Sivan the 5th…Well that just happens to be the fixed date for Shavuot or Pentecost in Jewish tradition…

One can not help but think of Isaiah’s ancient query:

Is. 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

There is a nice set of article on the Aish HaTorah Web site dealing with the history of Israel. I found a very nice set of articles on the Web that talk POSITIVELY about Zionism and returning to the land of Israel. If you have some time read through some of these, they are really good, this is one of the BEST Web pages I have ever found and I can not recommend it highly enough for this day in history!

http://www.aish.com/holidays/Israel_Independence_Day/holiday_page.asp

In this day and time when “Zionism” is used by so many as some kind of ugly word, it is refreshing to capture some of the Spirit that the true “returnees to Zion” really had 60 years ago.

For those a bit “rusty” on the history, here is a crash course Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History:

Crash Course in Jewish History Part 65 - The State of Israel
by Rabbi Ken Spiro
After the British brutally turned away Holocaust survivors from Israel, the UN voted to partition the land.

The British broke promise after promise to the Jews while they created new Arab countries out of the land of the former Ottoman Empire. In addition, because of Arab revolts and pressure, the British even barred entry to the land of Israel to Jews fleeing the Holocaust. (See Part 64.)

Even when the full scope of the Holocaust was known, and thousands of Holocaust survivors were stranded in refugee camps (DP camps), the British refused to relent.

One of the most egregious of the British actions involved the refugee ship, Exodus, which the Royal Navy intercepted in 1947 in the Mediterranean Sea with 4,500 Jews aboard. The ship was brought into Haifa port under British escort; there the Holocaust survivors were forcibly transferred to another ship and returned back to Germany via France.

Abba Eban, who was then the Jewish liason to a special UN committee — called Special Commmitte On Palestine or UNSCOP — persuaded four UN representatives to go to Haifa to witness the brutality of the British against the Jews.

Historian Martin Gilbert includes Eban’s account of what happened there in Israel: A History (p. 145):

“[In Haifa] the four members watched a ‘gruesome operation.’ The Jewish refugees had decided ‘not to accept banishment with docility. If anyone had wanted to know what Churchill meant by a “squalid war,” he would have found out by watching British soldier using rifle butts, hose pipes and tear gas against the survivors of the death camps. Men, women and children were forcibly taken off to prison ships, locked in cages below decks and set out of Palestine waters.’

“When the four members of UNSCOP came back to Jerusalem, Eban recalled, ‘they were pale with shock. I could see that they were pre-occupied with one point alone: if this was the only way that the British Mandate could continue, it would be better not to continue it at all.’”

UN PARTITION OF PALESTINE

The British also wanted out of the problem. They had 100,000 soldiers/police trying to maintain control with a total population of about 600,000 Jews and 1.2 million Arabs. (Interestingly, they had the same size force controlling India with a population of over 350 million!)

And so it came to pass that the British turned the matter over to the UN which decided to end the British Mandate over what was left of “Palestine” (after the creation of the country of Jordan) and to divide the remaining land among the Arabs and Jews. The proposal called for the Jews to get:

a narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean coast, including Tel Aviv and Haifa

a piece of land surrounding the Kineret (Sea of Galilee), including the Golan Heights

a large piece in the south, which was the uninhabitable Negev Desert
The Arabs were to get:

the Gaza Strip

a chunk of the north, including the city of Tzfat (Safed) and western Galilee

the entire West Bank of the River Jordan and the hills of Judea and Samaria
Jerusalem was to be under international control.

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted for this partition plan. Of those voting, 33 nations voted yes, including USA and USSR; 13 mostly-Arab nations voted no; 11 nations abstained.

Hard-hearted to the end, the British did not vote yes; they abstained.

As disappointed as the Jews were with the portion allotted for the Jewish state, they felt that something was better than nothing after all the waiting and the pain.

However, the Arabs, always maximalist in their demands, rejected the UN resolution. The next day Arab rioting began, and two weeks later soldiers from surrounding Arab countries began arriving into Palestine.

The British, happy to be out of the situation, were packing up to go and turned their backs on what was going on. Writes David Ben Gurion in his Israel: A Personal History (p. 65):

“The British did not lift a finger to stop this military invasion. They also refused to cooperate with the UN committee charged with supervising implementation of the General Assembly resolution. At the same time, the Arabs living in the district destined to become part of the Jewish state began evacuating their homes and moving to the Arab states neighboring Palestine at the orders of the Arab High Committee.”

In the midst of confusion, the rioting continued with almost 1,000 Jews murdered by Arabs in the ensuing four months.

One of the worst incidents occurred on April 13, 1948. A convoy of 70 doctors and nurses making their way to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus was ambushed by Arabs. This happened 200 yards of a British police station. After a seven-hour shoot-out, during which the British did nothing, all the doctors and nurses were killed. Afterwards, the Arabs mutilated their bodies.

JERUSALEM UNDER SIEGE

In all of this, the British encouraged the King of Jordan, Abdullah, to invade and annex the Arab sections to his kingdom. To Abdullah this was not enough. He wanted Jerusalem too.

As a result Jerusalem came under siege.

The focus of the struggle during April and May 1948 was the road to Jerusalem which passes through the mountains. The vehicles on that road are completely exposed to gunmen up above. It was on this road that all supplies to the Jews of the city had to come. But they could not get through.

Hunger reigned. The residents of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City were completely cut off.

And then an amazing incident happened. A young Yemenite Jew, who was not known for his shooting skills, almost accidentally killed three Arab men in the hills. One of these men was the Arab leader, Abdul Khader el Husseini. Demoralized, the Arab forces abandoned their positions to attend his funeral.

As a result a huge convoy of 250 trucks of food was able to re-supply the city. Writes Berel Wein in Triumph of Survival (p. 397):

“[On Shabbat, April 17, 1948] Jews left their synagogues and, with their prayer shawls still draping their shoulders, helped unload the convoy. The siege of Jerusalem was broken for the moment. The Arabs, however, mounted a strong counter-attack, and by the end of April once again cut the Jerusalem road… for the next seven weeks Jewish Jerusalem was isolated.”

A NEW STATE IS BORN

The official date given by the United Nations in their partition vote for the creation of the two new entities was May 15th, 1948.

Thus, May 14th was to be the last day of the British Mandate. At 4 p.m., the British lowered their flag and immediately the Jews raised their own.

It was a flag designed in 1897 by the First Zionist Congress. It was white (the color of newness and purity), and it had two blue stripes (the color of heaven) like the stripes of a tallit, the prayer shawl, which symbolized the transmission of Jewish tradition. In its center was the Star of David.

Thus on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m., Hay Iyar, the 5th of Iyar, Israel declared itself a state.

After 2,000 years, the land of Israel was once more in the hands of the Jews.

David Ben Gurion read the Declaration of Independence over the radio:

“The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here the spiritual, religious and national identity was formed. Here they achieved independence and created a culture of national and universal significance. Here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world…

“Exiled from Palestine, the Jewish people remained faithful to it in all the countries of the dispersion, never ceasing to pray and hope for their return and restoration of their national freedom.

“Accordingly we, the members of the National Council met together in solemn assembly today and by virtue of the natural and historic right of the Jewish people and with the support of the resolution of the General of the United Nations, hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine to be called Israel…

“We offer peace and amity to all neighboring states and their peoples and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all…

“With trust in the Rock of Israel, we set our hands to this declaration at this session of the Provisional State Council in the city of Tel Aviv on Sabbath Eve, 5th Iyar 5708, 14th day of May 1948.”

(Note that the Declaration of Independence of Israel — unlike the American Declaration of Independence — does not mention God. This is because the hard-line secularists that dominated the Jewish Agency opposed any such thing. “Rock of Israel” became a compromise.)

Everyone was dancing in the streets. But not for long.

Almost immediately five Arab countries declared war and Egypt bombed Tel Aviv.

Jews around the world observe the Passover according to a time-honored tradition preserved in the Seder, but increasingly multiple numbers of non-Jews, who identify themselves in various ways (Hebraic Christians, “Lost Tribes,” B’nai Noah, Righteous Gentiles) are also marking this day and week of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. The following message was written by Ross Nichols of Roots of Faith. We post it with the hope it can serve as a study guide and inspiration to many who read this Blog.

I am certain that within our diverse group there will be multiple “versions” of the Passover.  I wanted to send this out tonight for those that have never “kept” this festival before.  Here are some basic things that you need to know.

Shalom and Chag Sameach!

Ross Nichols

The legacy of Passover has inspired the cause of liberty, as a natural right, in the United States in particular and throughout the globe in general.

I have compiled the following reflections on Passover based on writings by Jewish sages as a backdrop to the notion of liberty as a God given right.

The Exodus took place around 1500 BC. The Passover is celebrated on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan, the first month of the Jewish year and the introduction of natural and national spring (Nitzan is the Babylon word for spring and the Hebrew word for bud). Nissan (”Ness“-miracle in Hebrew-is the root) is the month of miracles, such as the Exodus, parting of the sea, Jacob wrestling the Angel, Deborah’s victory over Sisera and Daniel in the lion’s den. The 15th day of any Jewish month is endowed with a full moon, which stands for optimism in defiance of darkness and the most difficult odds.

Passover has four names: Holiday of Pesach (the sacrifice), Holiday of Liberty, Holiday of Matza and Holiday of Spring. It is the first Jewish holiday, according to the Jewish calendar, which starts in the spring (Aviv in Hebrew). A time when all things come alive. The word spring is mentioned three times in the Torah, all in reference to Exodus. Passover, which commemorates the creation of the Jewish nation, lasts for seven days, just like the creation of the universe.

David Ben Gurion, Israel’s founding father, highlighted Passover’s focus on the land of Israel and memory (UN Commission, 1947): “300 years ago, the Mayflower launched it’s historical voyage. How many remember the data of the voyage? How many passengers were on the Mayflower and what kind of bread did they consume? However, 3,300 years earlier, the Exodus from Egypt took place. Every Jew knows the date of the Exodus, the 15th day of the month of Nissan, and the kind of bread, Matza (unleavened bread) consumed. To this day Jews all over the world, tell the story of the Exodus and eat Matza on the 15th of Nissan. They conclude the story of the Exodus (Hagadah) with the statement: “This year we’re slaves, but next year we shall be liberated; this year we’re here, but next year in Jerusalem.” Consistent with Ben Gurion’s comments, Jacob and Joseph demanded to be buried in Hebron and in Shchem (Nablus) and not in Egypt, since burial sites perpetuate presence and deed.

Passover, just like monotheism, the Sabbath, Ten Commandments and repentance/Yom Kippur, constitute a Jewish gift to humanity. It has been a global inspiration to liberty and to national liberation (Let my people go).

The Exodus inspired the Puritans, the Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers, who considered themselves “the modern day People of the Covenant”, King George III “the modern day Pharaoh”, the Atlantic “the modern day Red Sea” and America “the modern day Promised Land”. The term “Federalism” is based on “Foedus“, the Latin word for “The Covenant”. The Founding Fathers considered the political structure of the Twelve Tribes, sustaining semi-independance, governed by Moses, Aharon, Joshua and the 70 person Legislature, a model for the 13 colonies and the US political system.

Moses, the hero of Passover, has become a role model of leadership. The Mosaic legacy has greatly impacted US democracy, hence Moses’ marble replica at the House Chamber on Capital Hill, at the Rayburn House Office Building’s subway station and at the Supreme Court (holding the Ten Commandments).

The Exodus is mentioned 50 times in the Torah, equal to the 50 years of Jubilee, another historical pivot of liberty. “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10) is inscribed on our Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

Our forefathers viewed our country’s founding through a biblical lens. Consider:

*George Washington and John Adams were compared to Moses and Joshua.

*Adams, Jefferson and Franklin proposed a depiction of Moses parting of the sea as the official US seal. This was mentioned in several past UIWU bulletins along with the likeness.

*John Locke considered Moses’ 613 laws as the most fitting legal foundation of the new society in America.

*Ezra Styles, the President of Yale University, stated that “Moses, the man of God, assembled 3 million people, the number of people in America in 1776…” (May 8, 1783).

*John Winthrop, the first Governor of Massachusetts: “God has entered into a Covenant with those who are on their way to wilderness in America, just as He had entered into Covenant with the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai…” (1630 sermon on the Arbella).

The legacy of the Exodus has nurtured optimism, principle-driven defiance of odds, long-term tenacity and the centrality of tradition, education and national memory. It may be best summed up by a statement by President Calvin Coolidge on May 3, 1925: “The Hebraic mortars cemented the foundations of American democracy…”

For more on this subject, please see previous UIWU blog articles entitled: “America’s Hebrew Heritage” and “George Washington, an American Joshua”.

Ralph Buntyn

65th Anniversary Annual Meeting
April 11-13, 2008
Doubletree Guest Suites/SouthPark
Charlotte, North Carolina
The 65th Annual Meeting of United Israel World Union will be held in Charlotte, NC, April 11-13th. We will gather at the lovely Doubletree Hotel in Southpark with our Sunday night program at the Jewish Community Center. There is no conference fee for attending our meetings.

On the occasion of the Purim holiday, I’d like to share something I have read in a number of sources over the years and find fascinating to this day. It is the strange and captivating connection between the Megilla Esther story and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials in 1946.

Those of us familiar with the story of Esther (478-464 B.C.) know how she was instrumental in bringing deliverience to the Jews living in Persia who did not return to Jerusalem after Cyrus’ decree. The defeat of the wicked Prime Minister Haman whose lies were intended to bring destruction to the Jewish people is still celebrated today as the Feast of Purim. More on that later.

On October 16, 1946, ten of the highest-ranking Nazi officers of Hitler’s Germany were put to death. Three more were given life sentences (Rudolf Hess, the last surviving relic of the trials, died in Spandau Prison in 1987 at the age of 93), four were imprisioned for up to twenty years, and three were acquitted.

After 216 court sessions the International Military Tribunal, convened specially for this purpose, disbanded itself and later in that day the ashes of the men responsible for the Holocaust were scattered into a little brook in Munich-Solln, and thereupon vanished forever. The true horror of Nazism had been revealed to the world every day for almost a year, and now the grimmest chapter in the history of the civilized world was all but closed. While the ashes of Hitler’s top politicians and officers have disappeared into oblivion, not many people are aware of a more divine significance of this historic event, one connected to an episode in Persia over 2,500 years ago.

When King Ahasuerus, then the most powerful man on earth, offered to grant Queen Esther whatever she desired for having saved his life, she replied, “If it please the king, let it tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do according to the law of this day, and let the 10 sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.”

This is a remarkable request since Haman’s 10 sons had already been killed by the sword in the citadel of Susa (Esther 9:6-14). Nevertheless, in accordence with Esther’s wishes their 10 dead bodies were hanged. In the Apocryphal Greek version of Esther, chapter 9 verses 13-14 reads: And Esther said to the king, “Let the Jews be allowed to do the same tomorrow. Also, hang up the bodies of Haman’s 10 sons.” So he permitted this to be done, and handed over to the Jews of the city the bodies of Haman’s sons to hang up.

When the Megilla Esther was written, the names of the 10 sons of Haman who were hanged are enumerated. In the Hebrew text, the letters of the names are several times larger than the regular text. Yet, in the second, eighth and eleventh entry in the list, there are three letters; Tav, Shin and Zayn which are only one-half the size of the regular text. This mysterious order has been followed every since. The numerical value of the three diminished letters equals 707.

The Nuremberg Trials ended on October 1, 1946, which corresponded with the Jewish year of 5706. However, the due process of law meant the sentences of the convicted men could not be passed down until after appeals for clemency, of which there were many, had been heard. Finally, the sentences were pronounced. The Jewish New Year had arrived in the interim-it was 5707.

Twelve Nazis were meant to hang-although the method of execution might equally as well have been the firing squad-but Martin Bormann had escaped at the end of the war and was sentenced to death in absentia, and Herman Goering committed suicide two hours before his destined execution, leaving 10 condemned men.

In the early hours of October 16, 1946 during a 90 minute period, these 10 top Nazis went to their death on the gallows. The guards, with precise, ruthless efficiency brought them in one by one to deliver their last words and die. Only Julius Streicher went without dignity. His appearance happened at 2:11 a.m. He had to be pushed across the floor, wild-eyed and screaming, “Heil Hitler!” Mounting the steps, he cried out: “and now I go to God.” He was pushed the last two steps to the mortal spot beneath the hangman’s rope. Streicher swung around to face the witnesses and glared at them. Suddenly he screamed “Purim Fest 1946!” Then he was hanged.

The Megilla Esther had predicted that just as these 10 sons, descendants of Amalek and enemies of the Jews, were hanged, so again in the year 5707 (1946) would 10 other children of Haman be hanged.

The day of the early morning executions the front page headlines of the October 16, 1946 Late City Edition of The New York Times broke the story of what had just happened. In another strange twist, this was the day of Hoshana Raba.

“…On the seventh day of the Succot Holiday (Hoshana Raba), the judgement of the nations of the world is finalized. Sentences are issued from the residence of the King. Judgements are aroused and executed on that day.”

Zohar Vayikra 31b

Ralph Buntyn