Introduction : My day at the Jerusalem Post Conference did indeed live up to my expectations and more. More because of the emotional connection that I felt at the end of the day to the Jewish people and their plight. A bond formed through education and friendship. That education for me began by first exploring what the Word of God teaches regarding that connection. In Romans 11, verses 1-27 the Apostle Paul describes this relationship. Beginning in verse 16 he likens it to a wild olive branch grafted on to a cultivated olive tree.
When I was in high school, I developed an interest in the grafting of rose bushes. I had seen my mother use this technique on our apple tree. In the grafting process, one creates a situation where the tissues of one plant are fused with the tissue of another. You choose one plant, or in this example from Romans 11, an olive tree with healthy roots (Judaism) and the other a wild olive branch with great olives (Christianity). It becomes one plant and there is an improvement. The Jewish people are our stock plant. Without those Jewish roots, there would be no nutrients flowing to nourish the grafted branch, hence the plant would die. We as the grafted branch should give a great show of godly fruit. Christians, does it make sense to hurt the root which nourishes our tree? God's plan involves creating the new tree, one body, thereby fulfilling his broader plan of salvation and completion. God has not and will not abandon the Jewish people and neither should we. Ezekiel 39:25 " Now I will restore the fortune of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name."
Conference Issues :
1. Jewish Identity :The conference was concerned with the practical and the ethical issues of what it meant to be a Jew. One panel was convened to ferret out some of these issues. This involves differences of opinions among orthodox and non-orthodox philosophies. Special Guest, Actor Michael Douglas, discussed this issue as it related to his personal story. Charming and looking well at 77 years old, Michael Douglas told the story of Jewish assimilation in his family. His own father, actor Kirk Douglas was the son of two Orthodox Jews from the former Soviet Union. Kirk married Michael's mother, Diana Dill, native of Bermuda and a non-Jew which traditionally would mean Michael was not Jewish. Throughout his life, many people in the Jewish community affirmed this to him and he felt cut off from Judaism.
Things changed for him when two members of his family had a spiritual awakening. Kirk Douglas was involved in a deadly helicopter crash at the age of 72. Events like this can often lead one to question the meaning of life and for Kirk that meant studying with a Rabbi and rekindling the flame of Judaim in his life. He is 99 years old now. Other things were happening in Michael's life including his son developing an interest in Judaism. He wanted a Bar Mitzvah! Michael has changed the course of his life and is passionate about advocating for inclusion of those not previously defined as Jewish. This would create a place for many American Jews who are frequently in families such as his. That is the reason he was the receipient of the 2015 Genesis Prize. The prize highlights individuals whom have excelled in their professional goals and given back to the Jewish community.
Oldest Synagogue in Zurich
2. B.D.S. : B.D.S. stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. It is a global campaign which is attempting to inflict economic damage upon the state of Israel. It was begun by the Palestinians in 2005. Since that time, the United Nations has joined their ranks as have some unions, colleges, and entertainers, all by deciding to boycott Israel and refusing to do business there. There were estimates
stating that Israel was losing $1.4 billion per year, but a Bloomberg report just disputed that. It states
that foreign investment in Israeli assets since 2005 have tripled and that the Israeli economy is expected to grow by 2.8% in 2016, whereas the United States and Europe will probably grow less
than 2% each.
During the turbulent 1920's in Germany, a campaign was launched to boycott Jewish business. That movement was also taken to the university campuses, just like B.D.S. Seventy-six per cent of the national German student unions voted to exclude Jews from their ranks. This included Jewish converts to Christianity. In 1933, when the Nazis rose to power, the stealing, looting and killing began. Their slogans have a lot in common with B.D.S. " Kauft nicht bei Juden" was the graffiti posted upon the broken store windows. Translated that means, "Do not buy from Jews." Think it couldn't happen again? Well think again. B.D.S. is seeking to destroy the Jews. And what about what is happening at college campuses? The harassment of Jewish and Christian students across this world has been growing.
The week of this conference, a Jewish student named Eliana Kopley was forced to call the police after a group of thugs chased her at the University of California-Irvine campus. As she was attempting to enter a building where an Israeli documentary would be screened, an angry
mob of modern day storm troopers banged on windows and doors and physically stopped her from
entering the building. They chased her and yelled, "F**k Israel" and "Long live the Intifada!" During
Holocaust Remembeance Day and throughout that week at U.C. Irvine there had been many anti-Israeli events. Is it any wonder it culminated in this criminal hate crime against this young girl? Why does a shiksa* like me even care? I care because we must all embrace our moment in history. We have an opportunity to do the right thing. To do that, we must learn from history, understand more about God's will and look for ways in our life to be part of it. Do you have older children in school? Please open a dialogue with them about this incident. Encourage them not to go along with those who would bully Jewish students. If a favorite entertainer chooses not to go to Israel on tour, let them know that you disagree. Let colleges know that you will not be contributing to their
fundraising efforts when they allow anti-Israeli campaigns to permeate campus life. Keep up with current events in Israel because it is the city that God calls his own!
Next Week : The Scourge of Pornography : Christian Tips for overcoming
* Shiksa: derogatory but often affectionate Yiddish term for a non-Jewish girl or woman.
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