United Israel

The Israelites cried out to the YHVH, and the YHVH raised a champion for the Israelites to deliver them….Judges 3:9.

Founder and president David Horowitz wrote an article in the first issue of United Israel Bulletin dated July 1944, entitled “Washington and Ezekiel’s Vision”. He opened by saying that very few Americans are aware of the fact that George Washington was a Godly man who had been inspired with visions of truth and there can be no doubt that Jehovah guided him in his actions and deeds. The article gave an account of the most important of Washington’s visions which was the one he personally related to Anthony Sherman who in turn related it to Wesley Bradshaw. Following this mysterious experience, a troubled Washington felt that he had seen a vision wherein it had been shown to him the birth, progress and destiny of the United States. It is a remarkable accounting, the majority given in Washington’s own words.

I would like to recount for you another of Washington’s inspirational thoughts and actions. Coming at a time in our struggle for independence in 1776, it was the closest the Americans ever came to disaster.

The year opened with the British evacuating Boston. Then both the American Penobscot Bay Expedition and invasion of Canada failed. General Washington’s Continental Army moved to protect New York, but was routed by superior forces that outmaneuvered them at every engagement. Only by luck and British ineptness was Washington able to keep his forces relatively intact during the long retreat through New Jersey into Pennsylvania.

Then in mid-December when the weather turned extremely cold General Howe made one of the fateful decisions of the war. He suspended military actions until spring, establishing a string of outposts on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River and retired most of his army to New York.

Things were drastically different for Washington’s forces across the river from Trenton, a village of a hundred homes, two mills and iron furnaces and most of the townspeople had fled. Some 2500 Hessians occupied the town. Hessians were mercenary German soldiers supplied to the British army in it’s fight against America. They were employed by George III who simply did not have enough soldiers in his own army to supply the needs of his commanders in America. In total nearly 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British in North America. A stronger outpost was at Brunswick, 20 miles away.

Washington had about 6,000 troups, hundreds fell ill, and all suffered from the cold. The period of enlistment would expire for more than a third of Washington’s army in January. Congress had fled from Philadelphia and two members had gone over to the enemy. It was reasonable to presume that the war was essentially over and the Americans had lost.

On December 14, Washington told key members of his staff that “a lucky blow” against the enemy would “most certainly rouse the spirits of the people, which are quite shrunk by our misfortunes.” Later he confirmed plans for an attack on Trenton to begin on Christmas night.

On Christmas Eve, Washington went over the final details. The army would cross the Delaware and attack at three places, a force of 1,500 would cross downstream and advance on Burlington, and a smaller force would attack directly across the river at Trenton. The largest force of 2,000 led by Washington would cross upstream and come back south.

The first step, crossing the river, would commence at midnight, and all forces were scheduled to arrive at Trenton and attack at six. In spite of Christmas Day weather deteriorating: wind, snow and sleet, the river was up, and filled with broken ice, the password was still: “Victory or Death.”

The crossing was made on big flat-bottomed, high-sided boats that could carry 40 men standing up. The troops, with horses and 20 cannon began moving during the afternoon. Washington crossed early and observed the slow process. Near midnight a major storm arrived and temperatures dropped. It was three in the morning before all of Washington’s contingent was across.

Downstream both forces encountered so much ice that they were forced to abort their mission. Washington’s forces were behind schedule and the storm got worse, with rain, sleet, snow and violent hail. They had six miles to get to Trenton and got there about eight. The attack began.

The Hessians rushed out of their quarters and attempted to form up. Henry Knox’s cannon scattered them and their commanding officer was killed. Being surrounded, most of the Hessians lay down their arms and surrendered. It was all over in 45 minutes. Twenty-one Hessians were killed, 90 wounded, 900 became prisioners and another 500 escaped.

Only four Americans were wounded, including Lieutenant James Monroe, the future president of the United States. No Americans were killed.

Washington had prophesied that some “lucky blow” would “rouse the spirits of the people” and it did have a stunning effect on the morale of the country.

The war for independence would continue, endlessly it would seem for some, for another six and a half years before the Treaty of Paris formally ended the war in 1783.

Practically all of us have seen one of the most-recognized paintings in history: that of Washington crossing the Delaware in an 1851 oil-on-canvas work by Emanuel Leutze, a German-American painter, commemorating the attack by George Washington’s Continental Army on Hessian forces encamped at Trenton, N. J. on Christmas Day, 1776.

Dr. Ezra Stiles the seventh president of Yale College, often spoke of America as a “modern Israel.” In referring to George Washington, Dr. Stiles made this significant statement: “Whereupon Congress put at the head of the spirited army, the only man on whom the eyes of all Israel were placed. Posterity, incredulous as they may be, will yet acknowledge that this American Joshua was raised up by God for the great work of leading the armies of this American Joseph-now separated from his brethren-and conducting these people to liberty and independence.”

Later as president, George Washington would write letters of welcome and reassurance to Jewish congregations at Charleston, Philadelphia, New York, Richmond, and Newport, Rhode Island, the latter of which has become the classical expression of religious liberty in America.

None however revealed Washington’s sense of providential guidance quite as much as the following statement taken from a letter he wrote to Congregation Mikve Israel in Savannah, Georgia in 1789.

“May the same wonder-working Deity who, long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian oppressors, planted them in the promised land-whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent nation-still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessing of that people whose God is Jehovah.”

Ralph Buntyn

Joseph wept” … I have been unable to get these words out of my mind since first reading them in the Torah portion of Miketz several weeks ago. I have a special fondness for the Joseph stories as I am sure do many of you. Much has been written on them, but I think there is another point that needs to be considered here before we move on to yet another powerful saga of the Egyptian bondage and another deliverer, Moses, whose story is recounted in the powerful book of Deuteronomy.

Our Torah portion this past week in the annual cycle is Vayechi. It ends Beresheit, Genesis, and with it, the life of Jacob or Israel and also Joseph. Going back several chapters to the account of the brothers coming home with Joseph’s bloody coat and showing it to their father, Jacob, we read in Gen. 33:37-35 that Jacob rent his garment, and wept and said that he would go down to his grave weeping. There are no other instances, however, that record Jacob ever weeping again, not even when he found that his beloved Joseph was alive or even when he was reunited with him and saw his grandchildren for the first time! This seemed somewhat strange to me. Rabbi Hirsch states in his commentary that Jacob in Joseph’s absence had led a dull and monotonous life and that all his energies had been spent in weeping for Joseph. Joseph, on the other hand had had a very eventful life, and as a result had had no time to surrender to the feelings of the separation from his father and give in to weeping. He had to expend his energies for the tasks that were set before him. Yet, in his father’s embrace, he must have truly felt the impact of the long and painful separation and he wept openly.

This passage above is what began my thinking. I knew that there were other passages regarding Joseph weeping, when he revealed himself to his brothers, etc, but I wanted to read them all, and found some that I had not really taken into account. When I did read them all, one after the other, the impact was quite strong and I was struck at how profound they are! Believe it or not, there are EIGHT passages. I will copy them below and I think that if you will read them, perhaps they will jump out at you in a similar way. The bold print, italics and parenthesis in the texts are mine.

1. Gen 42:23-24
“And they (the brothers) did not know that Yosef understood them, for the interpreter was between them. He turned away from them and wept.”

2. Gen 43:29-30
“ He (Joseph) lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin, his brother, the son of his mother, and said: ‘Is this your younger brother, of whom you have told me:’…”And Yosef hastened– for his feelings toward his brother had been stirred up and he wanted to weep—and he went into the room and wept there.” Speaking of Joseph’s deep feelings, the TEV (Transparant English Version) puts it very graphically, “his insides were inflamed toward his brother.”

3. Gen 45:1-3
“ Yosef could no longer restrain himself before all those who stood before him. He cried, ‘Everyone go away from me and go out!’ And no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers. He gave his voice free rein in weeping; Mitzrayim heard it, and Pharaoh’s house heard it Yosef said to his brothers: ‘ I am Yosef; is my father still alive?’ The brothers could not answer him because they were bewildered in his presence.”

4. Gen 45:14
“He fell upon the neck of his brother Benyamin and wept and Benjamin wept upon his neck.”

5. Gen 45:15
“He kissed all his brothers and wept in their embrace, and afterwards his brothers spoke with him.”

6. Gen 46:29
“When he (Joseph) presented himself to him (Jacob), he flung himself upon his neck and was still weeping upon his neck”

7. Gen 49:33-50:1:
“When Yaakov had concluded the commands to his sons, he drew his feet back into the bed, expired and was gathered to his peoples. Then Yosef threw himself upon his father’s face and wept upon him and kissed him.

8. Gen 50:17
“Say this to Yosef: ‘O please forgive the crime of your brothers and their sin, that they did evil to you.’ And now please grant forgiveness for the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Yosef wept when they said this to him.

What hit me so strongly is that it was Joseph who was doing the weeping in passage after passage! And each time, it had to do with his family, his long lost father and his brothers…seeing them after so many years, and his brother’s mistrust of him. He did attempt to restrain himself a few times and was successful, but in the end he could no longer hold back the tears and deep emotion of seeing his family again…especially little Benjamin. Note that aside from Benjamin, his little brother and son of his own mother Rachel, none of the other brothers wept. Why was this?

I have to wonder whether there an inherent difference in the emotional/psychological make-up between Joseph and the rest of his brothers? I believe there is. If so, could that inherent difference stem from the deep passion that Jacob felt in his union with Rachel, Joseph’s mother, as opposed to his lesser feelings for Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah?

It is becoming clearer and clearer as our understanding of genetics increases, that psychological tendencies are inherited. To carry this theory further, would it not also make sense that the descendants of Joseph would reflect his personality? Is there an ancient DNA thread that can be traced back to Joseph and his brothers that would account for difference in their emotional make-up?

In light of this possible scenario of inherited psychological/ emotional tendencies, think about what happens today when we go into a church today and when we go into a synagogue. Most evangelical churches have “greeters” at the door who will greet you with a hug or a hearty handshake whether you want it or not; and some even non-appointed greeters will do the same. In most of these churches, the services can get quite emotional with weeping, raising of hands, etc. On the other hand, most synagogues do not have “greeters” and the services are more reserved with less of a welcome to visitors. I realize that there are exceptions, but could we say that those of Joseph are in general more openly emotional than those of Judah and is it as a result of an ancient DNA thread?

Perhaps this is a stretch, but I cannot help but think that it is Joseph and his children, those of the lost tribes, that are still weeping today. Rachel is weeping for her children because “he” (Joseph) is not, Jer. 31:14. Joseph is weeping because he has been lost in the land of Mitzrayim and has been separated from his family and when he finally discovers them, they do not recognize him and when he reveals himself to them they mistrust him. How often has this been the case with Joseph today when we “reveal ourselves” to our brother Judah and they don’t trust us initially.

One thing that we might need to make mention of is that in the beginning of last week’s torah portion, VaYigash (Gen 44:18), it was Judah who “drew near” to Joseph. There are definitely some of those of Judah drawing close to us, such as David Horowitz, founder of UIWU, Rabbi Chayim Richman of UTN, in addition to other rabbis, and of course our own Hanoch Young. This in itself is encouraging beyond words, and one has to wonder how close it is to the time when the final revealing of Joseph to Brother Judah will come to pass.

One day when the “two sticks” are joined, we will all be reunited and will become “one in His hand.”

In the meantime let’s think about why it would be Joseph who did most of the weeping? Is the EIGHT TIMES at all significant or did it just happen that way?

Betty/Elisheva Givin

Naomi Farrell, who serves as the United Nations representative of World Union Press, has published a very nice tribute to the late David Horowitz in the Jewish Press titled “A Life Remembered: A Tribute to David Horowitz.” It can be assessed on-line. The article is nicely illustrated with some historic photos of Horowitz with various world leaders taken from our archives. Horowitz was the founder of World Union Press in 1945. He served as its chief editor until his death in 2002. He was at the UN from the day it was founded and had the distinction of being the oldest and longest serving correspondent in the Press Corp. Horowitz saw every post-War President, king, and world leader come and go over a career of over 50 years as each paraded onto the stage of the United Nations. He met most of them, corresponded with quite a few, and became personal friends with others. The entire David Horowitz archive of documents is now preserved and housed at the David Horowitz Memorial Library, which is part of our United Israel offices here in Charlotte.

This particular Torah reading, Vayigash: Genesis 44:18-47:27, taken from the first word “to draw near,” where Judah DRAWS NEAR to Joseph, has great meaning to United Israel World Union and its history.

It just so happens that on January 1st, 1943, the weekend that United Israel World Union was officially formed in upstate NY by David Horowitz, that the Torah reading was indeed Vayigash! David had no idea of this at the time, and never noticed it years later when it was pointed out to him around his 90th year.

There could have been no more appropriate date or reading, in that Horowitz at that time represented the ONLY significant person of the House of Judah who was determined to do something to “DRAW NEAR TO JOSEPH.” Is this not rather incredible!! Indeed this Joseph cycle of readings has proven very significant in our own time. Allenby took Jerusalem on December 9, 1917 (just “happened” to be on Kislev 24!), and the reading with Mikketz (Gen 41). The UN Partition vote was on November 29, 1947 and the reading was Vayeshev. In both cases, the nations that I would associate with Joseph come to the aid of Judah and his companions, saving their LIVES in a great time of trouble, and there is a kind of “uniting” of the two houses even then, but in a preliminary way.

It is obvious that the Rabbis who complied the Haphtorah readings from the Prophets saw more than an ordinary meaning in this phrase, in that they chose Ezekiel 37:15-28, the passage about the two “sticks,” one for Judah and the sons of Israel his companions, and the other for Joseph, and all the house of Israel and his companions. Those sticks are UNITED, thus the whole idea of UNITED ISRAEL which David Horowitz has pioneered for over 50 years now. One stick IS the stick of Joseph, but it is in the hand of Ephraim–and we learn why in next weeks Torah reading where the aged Jacob adopts the two sons of Joseph, but puts the younger Ephraim, BEFORE the older Manasseh, and gives Joseph the birthright, taken from Reuben, the firstborn son. You might have expected it to go to Judah, since Judah is clearly next in line since Simeon and Levi were eliminated for their cruelty (see Gen 49:5-7), as well as being one of the strongest and most prominent of the twelve tribes, but Jacob rather chose his beloved Rachel’s son Joseph. Joseph is also given the special plot of land in Shechem, where he was later buried, and the site of such contention now with the Palestinians (Gen 48:22; Josh 24:32). YHVH declares that these TWO sticks will become ONE in His Hand (Ezk 37:20) and the following verses explain how that will happen:

I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them ONE NATION in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and ONE King will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.” This chapter of course opens with the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.

So the children of Israel end up in TWO COMPANIES, as was already hinted at the previous Torah reading Vayishlach (Gen 32:10).

The whole Joseph story seems to echo this history of the Lost Tribes. Joseph is sold into slavery, as was ancient Israel, the Northern Kingdom. He is effectively given up for DEAD (thus the valley of Dry Bones), and forgotten by his brothers, here represented mostly by Judah, who remains in the Land and returns to the Land after the Babylonian disaster. He marries a GENTILE woman, an Egyptian, and eventually reaches a great position of power and prominence, the highest of the kings of the earth–and for all practical purposes completely loses his identity–but all this time YHVH was with him. He is the DREAMER, the one who did not fit in, the one rejected by his brothers. According to Genesis 49:22-26 the descendents of Joseph will achieve great blessings and incredible wealth, and Moses adds his own details to the prophecy in Deut 33:13-17–Joseph is to push to the ends of the earth, and have the favor of “the one who dwells in the Bush,” achieving great favor and prominence. We should expect then, at the time when Judah returns to the land (the prophets declare: I will save the house of Judah first), which we have seen the this past century, that Joseph will exist someone on the earth, looked upon as Gentile, but somehow oriented to the God of Israel and the Bible, but with incredible wealth and power. The key then would be that large portions of such “Gentile” populations would begin to feel an irresistible pull toward Judah and the Land of Israel, and be drawn home. There is a preliminary return, spoken of in Jeremiah 3 and 16, but also that massive return that will pale the Exodus in size…we seem to be living in such days, and have for the past 50 years, but especially I think we have seen the return of large pockets of Joseph to God, Israel, and Torah in the past 25 years. It can only increase not decrease, and it is one of the strangest phenomena on the earth today, as thousand of “Gentiles” seem suddenly interested in discovering their Hebraic “roots.”

There appear to be some incredible parallels between the Joseph story, the Lost Tribes saga, and the story Jesus tells in Luke 15, most often referred to as the Prodigal Son. One son stays “home,” the other becomes “lost” and forgotten among the Gentiles, but eventually returns home…

Both Houses of Israel, that is Judah and Ephraim (usually called Israel in the prophets, in contrast to Judah) are chastised and rebuked, but the language of Jeremiah 3:6-14 is most important and interesting. Judah is called treacherous while Israel is called faithless (lit. turned, slidden away), but v. 11 says that “Faithless Israel has proven herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.” That, no doubt, becomes the source of the jealous that Isaiah 11 speaks about, and it is echoed in the Prodigal son story. Judah is very reluctant to give up her privileged place of “faithfulness” to a backslidden Israel–but it is Judah’s attitude that has to change. In the end, though falling into great apostasy, Joseph is proven MORE RIGHTEOUS, and returns home. Also, based on the words of Jacob in Gen 49 it does appear that the Scepter departs from Judah and eventually goes to Joseph also–from him comes the Stone, the Rock of Israel–or Shiloh…This will surely be a surprise to all the world, both Jews and Christians, who are so focused on a Davidic Messiah figure.

The story in the Torah today is itself so very moving. What a scene, and yet there is such power in the grace and love that he ends up showing his brothers. It is easy to forget that the sons of Israel are a very diverse mix, born of four different women, and with very different temperaments and characteristics, as are outlined by father Jacob in next Sabbath’s reading.

Exodus 17:16 is a very interesting verse that is translated in a variety of ways in modern English versions. It’s literal translation is quite interesting and was often commented upon by the founder of UIWU, the late David Horowitz.

The setting and context for the verse is the scene of the first battle the Israelites faced in coming out of Egypt. They were attacked by the clan of Amalek, one of the descendants of Esau through his Canaanite wife Adah, known for their brutal cruelty, particularly the murder of women, children, and the old, sick, and feeble, that were in the back of the camp on Israel’s journeys. Moses stood on the top of a hill overlooking the battle below with the “rod of God” that he held high in the air. Aaron the Priest and Hur the Prince of Judah flanked him right and left, holding up his arms. Joshua, of Ephraim was the field commander of the battle. Following the defeat we get this declaration, literal translation here:

“Because a Hand is upon the seat of Yah, war will be between YHVH and Amalek from a generation of a generation.”

Israel is later told in the Torah that they are to REMEMBER to NOT FORGET to utterly blot out Amalek for this cruelty (Deut 25:17-19).

This scene was understood to be both literal and symbolic, a kind of proleptic precursor of the “eternal war” between the forces of Amalek against the “seat of Yah.” Yes, a “hand against the throne.”  This means that in every generation, as the Rabbis tell us, the forces of Amalek will seek to work their evil and must be opposed. This is not just a “spiritual” warfare, in the sense of it having no literal historical consequences and realities. It is very spiritual in that it involves cosmic forces of darkness, but it is manifested in very real, physical, historical ways–namely the slaughter of innocents and in particular, a hatred of the Israelites/Jews and all they represent.

The first battle scene is also most interesting in that what we have represented, as a kind of generation to generation symbol, are the THREE FIGURES on the hill–Moses the Center figure, in the place of the Adon of the whole earth, the Prophet in this case, who is flanked by his two “messiahs,” one of Aaron and one of Judah. This precisely the scene we get in Zechariah 4 with the two olives branches, or “sons of fresh oil,” elaborated in Zech 6, which properly translated is two figures, not one.
Anyway, this means that “Amalek” can represent many things. On a global level there are forces that want to blot out not only those who have returned to the Land of Judah, but really all things they call “Zionist” or Jewish. Saddam talked of turning Tel Aviv into a crematorium, and Ahmadinejab has echoed the same. The same shrill voice, calling for the slaughter of the Jews used to come for hours out of Egypt when Nasser would rant and rave on the radio in the 1950s and 60s. It has been heard down through the ages, in the mouths of world leaders as well as individuals.

That first battle and the declaration of Exodus 17:16, taken with all the other references to Amalek in the Torah, indicate there is something here that unfolds from generation to generation.

As sundown falls across Israel, Europe, and the United States this evening millions of Jews and many others who care about the history of Israel are marking the advent of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. What might be lost is the historical grounding of the feast of Hanukkah itself, which seems to actually derive from today’s date: Kislev 24 or the 24th day of the 9th month of the Jewish calendar. Notice carefully this historical background:

The book of the prophet Haggai comes to us from the 2nd year of the Persian King Darius, late summer, August, 520 BCE. It is one of the most precisely dated books in the Hebrew Bible, much like its sister Zechariah, and its twin Malachi. The three go together, like peas in the pod, both coming from that crucial time of the “restoration” of Judah to the Land following the Babylonian captivity. Collectively they are our LAST WORD from Yehovah in terms of how the redemption is to unfold. It is very likely, based on Haggai 1:12, where the Prophet is called the “messenger of Yehovah,” that Haggai is in fact the author of the book we call Malachi, as this book is just named “My Messenger,” and the name of the prophet who wrote it is not given. Both Haggai and Zechariah address their contemporary situation, as one would expect, and are concerned that the Temple be rebuilt and that the constitution of the new state of Judah be ordered according to the Torah. However, if read carefully, both clearly understand that this restoration of Judah is only a preliminary, even symbolic step, to a coming GREAT restoration of Judah and ALL Israel. Even though there is a Priest (Joshua), and a Governor (Zerubbabel) of the Davidic line, there is no anointing of the BRANCH figure of whom both Isaiah and Jeremiah had spoken. One way of putting this is to say that Haggai and Zechariah are working in the tall shadow of JEREMIAH (see especially chapters 30-31), and they know, from his clear and powerful prophecies, that the final days have not come with this tiny little beachhead return of a portion of Judah to the land. But they do believe that this return of Judah is a “sign” of things to come, and a guarantee that the Plan of Yehovah, to fill the earth with justice and righteousness, through Abraham’s seed, is not to fall to the ground.

And that leads us to the curious and fascinating references to the 24th day of the 9th month–Kislev 24 in modern Jewish parlance.

Notice, reading the book of Haggai is sequential, it takes you through the last months of the year. It begins with the Rosh Chodesh of the 6th month (August), takes you through the 21st day of the 7th month (2:1), which is the last day of Sukkoth (October), and then into December–with the 24th day of the 9th month. Haggai’s third and fourth messages come on this very day. It is a short book, and if you skim it through you will see the building sequence.

Kislev 24 is mentioned FOUR times in the second chapters, verses 10, 15, 18 and 20. Twice it is emphasized that “from THIS DAY FORWARD I will bless you,” and twice Haggai gets a special Word from Yehovah, on this very day. You have to read the whole chapter to get the context, but the message is basically that Yehovah will “SHAKE the heavens and the earth and ALL NATIONS,” overthrowing their power, anoint the chosen one (symbolized in that day by Zerubbabel), and essentially make Jerusalem the new world capital. For the DETAILS you need to go back, of course, to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah in particular, as they set forth the entire agenda to which Haggai only briefly alludes.

This message is addressed to the two “messiahs,” the Priest and the “King” or Governor, Joshua and Zerubbabel, respectively (2:4-5). They become “signifiers” of things to come. They are not the final anointed ones, and Zechariah picks this up in his visions, especially chapters 4 and 6. These symbolic figures, as well as the promised presence of the Holy Spirit (see 2:5 and Zech 4:6!), are the guarantee that Yehovah will bring about these promises.

Notice, Zechariah begins getting his visions and messages in the 8th month of that same year (Zech 1:1), or mid-November. He has EIGHT night visions, they are all quite difficult to follow, but prophetically important in forecasting the redemptive future. There is much more detail in Zechariah, but the two, Haggai and Zechariah, should be read in tandem, as one explains the other. Now, note carefully, Kislev 24 is not specifically mentioned in Zechariah, but it is alluded to in chapter 4:8-10. It is the famous “day of small things,” that one might be led to “despise,” because after all, this tiny little remnant of Judah, beginning to lay the foundation of a nondescript temple, under the mighty thumb of the Persian empire, was hardly even worthy of the name of a city-state, much less a world kingdom, and yet had HOPES and DREAMS and promises of world dominion!

Chapters 7-14 of Zechariah, which he gets two years later, are quite different. They are straightforward and fairly plain, laying out, likely in some sequential order, both the preliminary events, and the detailed climax, of the “time of the end.”

So, what about Kislev 24? It seems to have a three-fold meaning. First, in the time of Haggai and Zechariah, it was the day MARKED for the promise that the redemption would ultimately come about, not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of Yehovah–but “in its time.” Second, subsequently though history, this day seems to be one upon which key events take place, perhaps only a few of which have been recognized down through history. And finally, it might well turn out that on some Kislev 24 in the future, that date will serve as a “countdown marker” for the unfolding of the mysterious 1260/1290/1335/2300 days of Daniel’s visions, which interested Sir Isaac Newton so much.

During the period of the Maccabees, when Syrian ruler Antiochus IV unleashed his great persecution against the Jews of Judea/Palestine, it was on Kislev 24 that the enemy was defeated and the Temple freed from its desecration. That is why the festival of Chanukah is celebrated beginning at sundown, at the end of Kislev 24. In other words, it is NOT so much Chanukah that is important, as its marker date: Kislev 24. It seems to become a kind of banner date in history that marks any kind of “signal” of future redemption.

Fast forward to December 9, 1917. General Allenby, leading the British forces (remember Lawrence of Arabia), liberates Jerusalem for the first time in centuries from Turkish/Muslim rule. The date on the Jewish calendar–you guessed it: Kislev 24! That evening the Jewish soldiers in the British army celebrated Chanukah and went to the Wall in openness and freedom. The Torah reading that week was Mikketz (Gen 41), where JOSEPH is raised to power and saves Judah. And the Haphtorah reading, for the special Sabbath of Chanukah, as it is today, is the fascinating Zechariah 2:14-4:7! Note how it begins: “I have returned to Zion,” which seems to be the essential meaning of THIS DAY.

It is doubtful that Allenby was aware, during the heat of the battle, of even Chanukah, but certainly he knew nothing of Kislev 24.

If we begin checking in history over the past 2520 years (remember that number), there have been numerous times when Kislev 24 has played a large part, and even a smaller more symbolic part, in the unfolding of redemptive history. For example, no matter what one’s view of Yeshua might be, it seems in all likelihood that Yeshua was conceived on this day, nine months before his birth in September 3 BCE.

Some UIWU officers also noticed some years ago that the encounter David Horowitz had at the cave with his teacher Moshe Guibbory, as recounted in his autobiography, Thirty-three Candles, was on Friday night, December 16/17, 1927–and again, you guessed it, this was Kislev 24th. The Torah reading was Vayeshev, which begins the Joseph cycle, and the Haphtorah was Amos 2:6-3:8, which seems quite appropriate. Horowitz had no idea of this until over 50 years later when it was pointed out to him by others.
Now, a tiny bit on the numbers. Note, these important visions came in the year 520 BCE. The year 2000/2001 marks 2520 years since that first Kislev 24 vision of Haggai. The number 2520 is interesting, it has several mystical mathematical properties, but one most obvious one is that it is 7 x 360, or seven “prophetic years.” A prophetic year in the Bible is 360 days, thus we get in the books of Daniel and Revelation the period of 1260 days for 3.5 years. There are a number of indications, both in the Torah and Prophets, especially Ezekiel, that a kind of “day for a year” principle applies in Prophecy, and accordingly, the official “Exile” of Joseph and Judah would last 2520 years. Perhaps this is the meaning of the phrase “after two days” and “on the third day” references in Hosea 6. Now Judah was essentially “restored” in type at least, in the year 520, but the full restoration, and the union of things between Judah and Joseph is yet to come, “after two days” according to Hosea (a day is a “thousand years” in these prophetic texts). The point is, based on this chronology, we are “in” the third day, as of the year 2000. And indeed, it does appear we have begun to experience a “shaking of all things.” Whether this is the ultimate upheaval to which Haggai refers remains to be seen.

It is also worth noting, in terms of Kislev 24, that if you add 2300 days (the figure in Daniel 8) to that day, you always, on the Jewish calendar, come to the last day of Unleavened Bread, oddly something like 6.3 years later. In other words, it is sort of a strange figure. And there are then various interesting ways, too complicated to go into here, that the periods of Daniel (1260/1290/1335) fit in, taking one to Shavuot of any given sequence of years. We do know for certain that the 2300 “days” was fulfilled as a “day for a year” running from Alexander’s defeat of Darius in 334 BCE (June 7), to the day, to June 7, 1967–when Jerusalem was liberated by the Israelis in the Six Day War. The point seems to be that Alexander’s march to Jerusalem began a period of 2300 days/years of the trampling of Jerusalem. So what this seems to indicate is that there is a larger (day for a year) fulfillment of these periods, as well as a shorter “day for a day” fulfillment, once the “countdown” begins.

One might conclude then, from these indications, that on some Kislev 24, at some year “on our days and in our time” (whether past or future), people will come to recognize that Haggai’s “shaking” did indeed begin. It does not seem likely that time has quite yet come, but every year at this time one’s thoughts go to this date, given such an important designation by Haggai and Zechariah. On a personal level, it seems it can always be a date of “renewal” for any of us, and a time of new beginnings, looking to both the past and to the future.

UIWU was founded by the late David Horowitz in January, 1944, incorporated in the State of New York. The original By-Laws of the organization are most instructive to read 64 years later. We still have in our office here in Charlotte some original copies of this historic document. What they convey, particularly in the preamble, is not so much the rules and regulations of an organization as a Biblical prophetic vision of the founder, David Horowitz. This vision is as elegant as it is simple, particularly in terms of how membership requirements are formulated in such an open way. It is clear that Horowitz was wanting UIWU to transcend denominational and confessional boundaries, by centering and focusing on the essentials of what he understood to be Abrahamic Faith. It is also quite notable that Mr. Horowitz used inclusive gender language regarding even in 1944 with his references to “brothers and sisters” of United Israel World Union. We thought it might be instructive to post these here.

By-Laws of United Israel World Union, Inc.

ARTICLE I. Name, Standard and Greeting

Section 1. The name of the Association shall be UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC.

Section 2. The Standard of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. shall be: “My House shall be called a House of Pray for all Peoples.”

Section 3. The official greeting of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. is: Shalom, namely, Peace.

ARTICLE II. Places of Activities

Section 1. The activities of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. will be conducted principally in the State of New York, but also in all other States of the United States of America and in foreign countries.

ARTICLE III. Objects and Purposes

Section 1. The objects and purposes of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. are: To reawaken the lost tribes of Israel to consciousness of their true identity; to bring this about by means of conveying to them true knowledge of the Bible and of history, particularly by publications dealing with the identity of Israel; to unite the lost tribes (i.e. people of Anglo-Saxon-Celtic, American and kindred origin) with Judah, by means of inculcating original Biblical truths, through publications and lectures; to facilitate the return of all Israel to the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and to His republic as founded by Moses; and above all, to work and strive for that glorious peace, the plans for which are laid down in the writings containing the Blueprint of God’s ordained world order; The Bible; to establish places of devotion and spiritual guidance for its members; to appoint and install the necessary teachers for the various Units of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC.

Section 2. UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. further proposes on the basis of the Biblical injunction; “My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all Peoples,” and further on the basis of the words: “Whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered,” to be as universal in creed and outlook as the Bible itself is: wherefore UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC., will function as a non-political, non-denominational, non-sectarian, non-profit, religious membership corporation.

Section 3. UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. intends to publish a monthly bulletin, which is to serve as the main organ of the corporation and the chief medium of unification for all members and units of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. It will contain important Bible data and messages of current interest.

ARTICLE IV. Membership

Section 1. Any person who recognizes and accepts the original Bible of Jehovah, The Father, The Creator, as the basis for his or her daily conduct of life, acknowledging further the laws of Moses, as instituted at Mount Sinai, as a foundation, may become a Brother or Sister in UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC.

Section 2. Membership is open to all, irrespective of color, race or creed, who accept the creed of UNITED ISRAEL WORLD UNION, INC. as set forth in these By-Laws.

Annapolis - 60 years to the day after Partition -

By Stan Goodenough - www.jnewswire.com

On Jewish calendar date 17 Kislev 5708 (the evening of November 29, 1947 in Israel), 46 countries voted on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 - the proposal to partition the Land of Israel (known then as Palestine) into two states, one Jewish, the other Arab.

Thirty-three voted in favor, 13 voted against. The Arabs rejected the outcome, immediately initiating hostilities that erupted into the War of Independence after Israel was established and recognized internationally six months later.

Next week, on 17 Kislev 5768, 60 years to the day after that UN vote, nearly 50 nations have been invited to Annapolis for the US-hosted International Conference on the Creation of Palestine - an Arab state the international community wants to see erected on the biblical heartland of the Jewish people.

Of these nations, only 15 are Arab states. Included among the rest are France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, Sweden, Norway, South Africa and India.

Observers have noted that this will indeed be a gathering of the nations of the world in a united stand against the rights of the Jews to their sacred soil.

The international community is virtually single-minded on this issue: the theft of Jewish lands for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Not a single invited national representative nor journalist is expected to challenge this position at Annapolis on Tuesday.