Anti-Semitism and the Islamic End Time - Levitt

I N S I D E I T E M S ▼Destroying Israel is central to Islam’sbelief that Jews are the antiChrist’sarmy. – Jeff

SEPTEMBER 2008

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.”–ROMANS 10:1

By Timothy R. Furnish Ph.D. (Islamic History), www.hnn.us

Conventional wisdom among many Americancitizens—as well as numerous journalists,politicians, and media anchors—has it thatanti-Semitism in the Islamic world constitutesa not unreasonable reaction to the late 19thcentury Zionist movement that led to thecreation of the State of Israel right after WorldWar II. In this view, were Israel to totally with-draw from the West Bank (and other disputed“Arab territories”), as well as enact the “right ofreturn” or compensate “displaced Palestinians,”anti-Semitism in the Islamic world woulddissipate like a mirage.

Unfortunately, hatred of Jews runs muchdeeper than a century or so into the past. Infact, it originates not only in the actions ofthe founder of Islam himself, but also in theeschatological belief-system of the world’ssecond-largest religion. Powerful end-timemotifs in Islam contribute immensely to theacrimony that too many Muslims feel towardsthe Jews: that of al-Dajjal.

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Anti-Semitismand the IslamicEnd Time

Scholarly JewsRethinking theResurrectionBy Professor Israel Knohl, Ha’aretz

Ancient [non-Christian] Jewishgroups believed the Messiahwould die, be resurrected in threedays, and ascend to Heaven.

The recently published text of thefirst century BC Hazon Gabriel, orthe Gabriel Revelation, notes thisspecifically and conveys a tellingapocalyptic vision of the Arch-angel Gabriel. But one of themost important words in it hasnot been properly deciphered.

Line 80 begins with the phraseLeshloshet yamin (In three days),followed by another word thatthe editors could not read. Thencomes the phrase Ani Gavriel (I, Gabriel). I believe that this“illegible” word is actually legi-ble—it is the word hayeh (live)—and that Gabriel the Archangelis giving orders to someone:Leshloshet yamin hayeh

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■ Ask The Professor.................4■ Classic Zola........................5■ Shalom From Sandra.............6■ Hal Lindsey.......................7■ DeSeifering Our World.........8-9■ Our Man In Jerusalem...........10■ Cox: Can Islam Reform?........11■ God-Fearing Swiss...............12■ 7th Century Mindset.............13■ Digital TV..........................14■ Silence Of The Times............15■ Bulletin Board....................16■ Hebrew Lesson....................20■ Jerusalem: Final Frontier.... ..21■ Letters To ZLM................22-23■ News & Views.........24-27,31-34■ Mark: On The Money.........28-29■ The Final Word..................35

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ANTI-SEMITISM AND THE ISLAMIC END TIME continued

bordering Israel. A recent Indian Muslimwriter is convinced that “the Jews arewaiting impatiently for the coming ofDajjal, their beloved king,” for…

Zionists in their bloodthirsty lust for powerare not satisfied with Palestine. In their

arrogance, they openly admit that they wantall Syria…Lebanon… Jordan… Iraq…

Iskenderun…the Sinai…the Delta area ofEgypt and the Upper Hejaz and Najia….

They even want the holy Madinah [sic]….Their main aim is to exterminate Islam.

This writer goes on to repeat the hadiththat the Jews will get their comeuppancebefore the end, when in the final battles“they will not be able to hide behind anystone, wall, or animal or tree without itsaying ‘O Muslim, servant of Allah, hereis a Jew, come and kill him.’” The Dajjalwill actually be killed by Jesus, and theDajjal’s dispirited army of Jews, unbe-lievers and “Magians” will then bedefeated by the Mahdi and his army ofMuslims. Afterwards peace will reignunder the global rule of the Mahdiand/or Jesus for some time (the hadithsare not harmonious on just who will besuperior and who will live longer), beforeboth great Muslim leaders die andunbelief again proliferates. Thereafter,at some point, will come the true endof time and the Judgment.

Islamic eschatology has seen a resurgencein recent years. A powerful yearning forthe Mahdi to come and deliver the ummah(Muslim world) has grown among bothSunni and Shia Muslims, and the escha-tological play cannot be acted out untilthe Dajjal comes, as well. For many inthe Muslim world this figure of evil is“the Jew,” particularly in his armed-and-dangerous incarnation as “the Zionistentity”—Israel. If even a small percent-age of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslimsare influenced by such a belief, as wellas by the undeniably anti-Semitic exampleof their own founder—and all indicationsare that this is indeed the case—thenit’s naïve at best and dangerous at worstto expect that any sort of political orterritorial concessions on the part of theIsraelis will enervate such rancor.

The Dajjal, or the “Deceiver,” is one offive major end-times actors accordingto Islamic teachings, and the chiefembodiment of evil. In the anti-Godcamp with him will be the rapacioushordes of Yajuj and Majuj, as well asal-Dabbah, the “Beast.” Opposing thesewill be the returned ‘Isa, or Jesus, andal-Mahdi, the “rightly-guided one.”Jesus, Yajuj and Majuj, and the Dabbahhave both Koranic and hadith sourcing(hadiths are extra-Koranic sayingsattributed to Mohammed); however, theDajjal and the Mahdi appear nowherein the Koran, but only in hadiths—curious, considering that in manyways they are the two most importanteschatological figures in Islam.

What has this to do with anti-Semitismin Islam? The main role of the returned(Muslim) prophet Jesus and the Mahdiwill be to defeat the evil forces ofunbelief and usher in a global Islamiccaliphate. And the forces that theDajjal will lead forth to battle theMuslims will be… Jewish!! The Dajjalhimself is usually described, drawingupon relevant hadiths, as corpulentand/or tall, frizzy—(perhaps red-)haired, one-eyed, able to perform shammiracles, having the Arabic linguisticroot for “unbelief”—K-F-R—tattooed onhis forehead. And while he is actually notdescribed as Jewish himself, the hadithaccounts of his Jewish supporters haveprovided much ammunition for Muslimexegetes to assume that he, too, will beJewish and—of course—linked to Israel.For example, the K-F-R on the Dajjal’sbrow is said to be the same symbol usedon the tailfins of Israeli fighter jets.

While the hadiths suggesting that theDajjal will be Jewish go back to the 9thcentury A.D., the recent upsurge ineschatological anti-Semitism probablydates to about 20 years ago, when theEgyptian writer Sayyid Ayyub beganpublishing works in Arabic claimingthat the Dajjal was already active onEarth and that he was Jewish. Andthis view is not active only in the ArabMuslim world, in the “front-line” states

SEPTEMBER 2008 P.O. BOX 12268 • DALLAS, TX 75225-0268 • (214) 696-8844 • WWW.LEVITT.COM 3

. . .RETHINKING THE RESURRECTION continued below

The author of the Gabriel Revelation seemsto be interpreting the biblical narrative asfollows: An evil king arises and virtuallydestroys the Jewish people (the “people of the saints”). He even manages to over-come and slay their leader (the “prince ofprinces”). This is the leader who will beresurrected in three days.

The Gabriel Revelation has been dated, onthe basis of linguistics and orthography, tothe end of the first century BC. If this istrue, then during this period, which wasclose in time to the birth of Jesus, therewere people who believed that the death of the Messiah was an integral part of thesalvation process. It became an article offaith that the slain Messianic leader wouldbe resurrected within three days and riseto Heaven in a chariot.

The Gabriel Revelation thus confirms my thesis that the belief in a slain and resurrected Messiah existed prior to theMessianic activity of Jesus. The publicationof this text is extraordinarily important. It is a discovery that calls for a completereassessment of all previous scholarshipon the subject of Messianism, Jewish andChristian alike.

Israel Knohl is Yehezkel KaufmannProfessor of Biblical Studies at theHebrew University of Jerusalem and a senior research fellow at theShalom Hartman Institute.

(In three days, you shall live). In otherwords, in three days, you shall return tolife. The word haye (live) is written herewith an alef. Similar orthography appearsin the Dead Sea Scrolls, for example in theIsaiah scroll, where the word yakeh (30:31)is written with an alef after the yod.

This is followed by traces of two morewords. The letters are not easy to makeout, but the first word seems to beginwith a gimmel and vav. The next word isnot clear either. The letter lamed is quitelegible, and the letter before it seems tobe an ayin. I believe the sentence can bereconstructed as follows: Leshloshetyamin hayeh, ani Gavriel, gozer alekha(In three days, live, I, Gabriel, commandyou). To whom is he speaking?

The answer appears in the following line,Line 81: Sar hasarin (Prince of Princes).The sentence reads: Leshloshet yaminhayeh, ani Gavriel, gozer alekha, sarhasarin (In three days, live, I, Gabriel,command you, prince of princes.) Who isthe “prince of princes”? The primary bib-lical source for the Gabriel Revelation isthe narrative in the Book of Daniel (8:15-26), in which the Archangel Gabrielreveals himself to Daniel for the first time.Gabriel describes a “king of fierce coun-tenance.” This king “shall destroy themthat are mighty and the people of thesaints... he shall also stand up againstthe prince of princes” (Daniel 8:24-25).

Cutting-edge commentary on today’sprophetic developments.


Ask The ProfessorBy Dr. Jeffrey L. Seif

Q. “How can Jesus have spent three days and nights in thetomb if he was buried late Friday and rose Sunday morning?”

A. This is a popular question. At first,it doesn’t make sense, so let’s consult a source that I recommend to myseminary students: Gleason Archer’sEncyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.Gleason is an evangelical scholar whoearned a Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.)from Princeton University and a Ph.D.from Harvard University. In addition,he took a law degree from SuffolkUniversity. A good lawyer and an ableapologist for the faith, Dr. Archer offersresponsible responses to questions thatfolk put to both the Sacred Literatureand to the historic biblical faith.

In his book, Archer takes up the question about three days and nightson the basis of the obvious conclusionyou note—that it seems impossible toreckon three distinct twenty-four hourdays and nights with a Friday executionand a Sunday morning resurrection.(pp. 327-329)

From Luke’s account (Lk 23:44, 54) welearn that Jesus died at about 3:00 p.m.and was interred about 6:00 p.m.

Archer—and other traditional scholars—suggests that Jesus’ dying at 3:00 p.m.before sunset on Friday would accountfor one day—for a reason that I’ll offerlater on; Friday 6:00 p.m. throughSaturday 6:00 p.m. would count as thesecond day; Saturday 6 p.m. throughSunday would constitute the thirdday—thus a resurrection on the thirdday, as traditionally construed.

At first, Archer’s response doesn’t seemto satisfy Matthew’s account of “threedays and three nights” (Mt 12:40). Dr. Archer supports his position bypointing out that “in ancient parlancewhen you wished to refer to three sep-arate twenty-four hour days you said‘three days and nights’— even thoughonly a portion of the first and thirddays might be involved.”

With his argument in mind, I assumethat the Gospel’s wording is a colloquialexpression. Here’s my analogy: one mightsay “I worked a full day on Wednesday,”but not be referring to having workedfor the full twenty-four hour period of time on Wednesday, but rather anunderstood part of it. In much thesame way, I suspect that the Gospelwriters spoke the language of the day.You can read Gleason on it more fully.

I hope this satisfies your question.Personally, I am not heavily invested inthe debate. For me, of primary impor-tance is that He rose; and, for me, thetiming question becomes insignificantagainst that fact.

Having ItBoth Ways


CLASSIC ZOLA FROM OCTOBER 1998

What bothered me over the years wasthat I never found a non-religiousscientist who opted for the YoungEarth and other biblical theories ofcreation. They seemed always torequire a scientist wearing a whitecoat but with a test tube in one handand a Bible in the other. I secretlywondered if the creation scientistsweren’t more preachers than scientists.And I was nervous about them“bending the science” to fit theirideas of what Scripture meant.

With Gerald Schroeder, I could “haveit both ways.” He agreed with the mostconventional theories of Genesis andalso with the most conventionaltheories of non-religious scientists.

Among the creation science literatureis Starlight and Time by D. RussellHumphreys, Ph.D. This fascinating littlebook is available through Christianbookstores and Amazon.com.

Dr. Humphreys, like Dr. Schroeder,started out to work on the great dis-tances of the universe through whichlight has always traveled. After all, wecan see objects as far as 12 billionlight years away, and if the Earth isonly 6,000 to 10,000 years old, how isit that the light has reached it? Inother words, in order to see the birthof that star, I would have had to standon Earth gazing at its location througha telescope for 12 billion years!

Well, Dr. Humphreys, a creation scientist with a deeply-felt belief inJesus Christ, reaches many of thesame conclusions as Dr. Schroeder. (Schroeder’s work detailed on p. 17.)

Without trying to review his wholetheory, I can see this much: The twoscientists agree on God and that Hecreated the world in six days, andthose are 24-hour normal-lengthEarth days. They further agree on theflood, and they both agree that no

“evolution” ever took place on this Earth. And finally, they agree that time changes throughout this universe, so that a clock in one place keeps time entirely differently from a clock far away. Time dilates with distance, both menacknowledge. And both men agree that the first six days of creation wereprofoundly different from the rest ofhistory.

And both are modest, prayerful men. It is a subjective judgment on my part,but I found both of them humble beforetheir God and very impressed by Hiscreation. Both are unassuming menwho do not claim that their theoriesare precisely true, but only steppingstones to greater truth. In the words ofDr. Humphreys: “We need more andbetter creationist cosmologies. I say‘more’ because mine may prove to havefatal flaws of its own, but if we have avariety of good theories to choosefrom, we are much more likely to findthe truth.”

I was personally very moved and veryrelieved to see Christian Believersholding to a similar theory with Dr.Schroeder, whose scientific credentialsand experience are beyond question.

“Bless Israel” TourJoin Sandra on a tour ofIsrael that focuses on serving God’schosen. You will volunteer in soupkitchens, food and clothing banks,and at other charitable projects inIsrael. Since this differs from our customary study tour, we recommendthe Bless Israel Tour for Believers whoalready have toured Israel. The datesare November 15 - 25, and the cost is$3,650, departing from Dallas.

For more information, please contact Abel at (214) 696-9760 or [email protected]. Also see page 36for an announcement about our traditional Holy Land tours.


SHALOM FROM SANDRA LEVITT

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty;only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.GALATIANS 5:13

Several months ago, Jeff Seif and I talked about our views on life and witnessing. Jewshave long obeyed the instruction byMoses to help the poor (Lev 25:35),and all of us in Messiah should besimilarly engaged in helping a hurtingworld. Jeff’s and my discussion centeredon how? “Sandra,” Jeff finally said,“find your own voice.” His words reallystruck me. Can I, do I, slow down andlook at other possibilities in my life?Israel will always be my first love, sofinding a local avenue for volunteerwork, for performing a mitzvah(blessing), puzzled me. What did theLord want me to do? And so, I prayed.

For the last few months now, I havebeen volunteering at a “soup kitchen,”and I am amazed at how much I enjoyit. No one there knows that I am onTV, that I speak in churches, or leadtours to Israel; nor would they beimpressed if they did know. They justwant a good meal and some kindwords.

When I volunteered, I didn’t knowwhat to expect from the homeless orfrom myself. Would I be repulsed orfeel some empathy? I was surprisedby the kindness and the gratitude ofthose I was feeding. Yes, there were acouple of strange characters, butaren’t there always a few characters in our daily lives? We are all unique children of God. I enjoy both servingthem and expecting nothing in return.Yet, I do receive a joy in my heart fromknowing that I have helped my fellowman, that I have made a difference,no matter how small. By serving others, I am reminded of how much I have been given by God, and how at times I forget how much God has done for me. I have my health, a great job in the Lord, close friends, and a healthy family.

For me, life does not get any better.

Lunch this week featured a Mexicantheme with tortillas, refried beans,chicken, and all the trimmings. Theproject feeds between 300 and 400people daily, so I dished the refriedbeans from a giant container withwhat looked like an oar. When a mansaid Shalom, I was taken aback, butonly for a second. I responded, Shalomto you. And I knew I was where Godwanted me to be. Shalom, peace. Thisdown and out man was wishing mepeace. My blessing was literally blessingme back! I hope you find a way to do amitzvah and serve God today.

Join Jeff and me as we serve a mightyGod in Israel. Learn more about theLand and the People of God. You canserve them by knowing more aboutIsrael. Our fall tour is upon us, and we already are reserving spots for ourMarch 2009 tours. See page 36 for falltour details.

And as you go, please, pray for thepeace of Jerusalem.

Blessings,Sandra

ShalomFrom

Sandra


ISLAM COMES UP SHORT

PalestinianContributions To The WorldBy Hal Lindsey, www.WorldNetDaily.com

I listened to Israeli Ambassador DanGillerman describe the terrorist attackin Jerusalem in which a Palestinianconstruction worker suddenly turnedthe bulldozer he was driving into traffic,crushing everything (and everyone)in its path. The attack took place onone of Jerusalem’s busiest streets.

Ambassador Gillerman noted sarcas-tically that the driver “courteously”stopped to let a car pull in front of him,which he then ran over, crushing andkilling the driver and her baby. Inanother car, a woman threw her babyout the car window before the bull-dozer crushed her to death. (The babysurvived, the ambassador said, but was“gravely wounded.”)

According to Gillerman, the construc-tion worker was an Israeli Arab whoworked for an Israeli Arab. “He tookthe bulldozer, with which he fed hisown wife and family, and used it tocrush other families to death, simplyfor being Israeli Jews.”

Gillerman described the attack astypical of the Palestinian contributionto the world. Of course, the ambassadorwas angry (who wouldn’t be?). But hewent on to argue his point, remindingthe audience that it was the Palestin-ians who invented airline hijackings.The long lines at airports are anotherPalestinian contribution to the world,said Gillerman.

In today’s political climate, one mightbe accused of “racism” for observingsuch contributions, like hostage taking,suicide bombings, and the use ofinnocents as human shields. After all,it is not for nothing that Yasser Arafatearned the sobriquet, “The father ofmodern Islamic terrorism.” Let’sconsider what he and his friends havegiven us.

Recently, I typed the keywords“Palestinian contributions” (but with-out the quotes) into the Google NewsSearch and got 519 hits containingthose two words. Browsing throughsome of the hits, I noticed that whereverthe word “contributions” appeared, itwas in reference to contributions madeTO the Palestinians. I couldn’t find anylisting Palestinian “contributions” inthe sense of the Palestinians being thecontributors.

So, I thought I’d narrow the search: Ityped “Palestinian contributions” usingquotes, which forces Google to returnonly those documents that containthose exact words. This was what I got:“Your search—‘Palestinian contributions’— did not match any documents.” Ithen tried expanding the search to theWeb. Using “Palestinian contributions”enclosed by quotations, it appearsthere are but 295 documents out of thebillions indexed by Google daily on theWorld Wide Web in which those twowords are used together. I didn’t readthem all, but the ones I did consistedof questions about Palestinian contri-butions followed by negative answers.

So, if anybody actually can list a fewpositive Palestinian contributions tothe world—ever—in the history of thePalestinian people, drop me a line.


DeSeiferingOur WorldBy Dr. Jeffrey Seif

DESEIF ERING OUR WORLD

The time is ripe for some biblical deciphering. America is wrestling with presidential candidates who are not strongly evangelical. Israel, racked by political intrigue and anxious to seecalm among its people, seems eagerto trade away more of its PromisedLand for the promise of peace withbelligerent neighbors. Speaking ofbelligerent neighbors, Iran is callingfor a world without Zion. Pursuing itsnuclear nightmare, it appears to bethe backdrop as Israel ramps up itsmilitary machinery to take a preemp-tive strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities.With all that’s happening over therein the Middle East and over here inAmerica, the need for biblical perspec-tive seems particularly acute now.

I wrote The Iranian Menace a coupleof years ago, believing that tensionswith that Islamic nation-state wouldinevitably boil. Similarly anticipatingthat Israel would see a preemptivestrike as its only rational option, I followed with a book called Guns &Moses. In it I considered how it issometimes necessary, thoughunpleasant, for nations to bear armsin defense of home and hearth. Iexplained in biblical terms that thisdefense does not offend biblical reli-gion. Our two most recent televisionseries, Daniel and the Last Days’Battle for Planet Earth and Ezekieland the MidEast ‘Piece’ Process, lookat those prophets’ predictions of warin the Middle East and support myunderstanding that the saber-rattlingin the region is predicted in the Wordof God.

My position is rather simple: historyis not spiraling out of control despitethe fact that history-makers are.

I believe that America desperatelyneeds a revival! The Church is weakand declining rapidly in too manycases. Many pastors bring a Bible intothe pulpit but barely read it or com-ment on its principles. Many extol the virtues of their own perspectives

but pay too little attention to God’sperspectives. Many of those who doread and preach the Bible wind upmisreading it, often because they areinfected by a Replacement Theologythat downplays Israel, ignores prophecyoutright, and thus gives them and theirlisteners a diminished view of whatGod is up to in the world.

I refuse to be guilty of that. With yourhelp I have labored to produce Bible-ready television, write timely Bible-related books, write articles that speakto contemporary situations, and pre-sent the thought-provoking writings ofothers through our Levitt Letter. Inaddition, We have never had to cancela tour when taking pilgrims to Israel—and we never will.


DESEIF ERING OUR WORLD cont.

We noted a pleasant increase in partic-ipants for both the spring and summertrips. The October-November trip isfilling nicely, as well. I am encouragedby the growth and enjoy getting toknow those who travel with us.

I anticipate filming a new series onKing David this fall, finances permitting.We desperately need David-like leadersfor these Goliath-like times, so I amparticularly anxious to get this storyout. This would be a good time for youwho contribute to specific projects tosow a faith seed into our Word soil.

With all that’s happening in our world,Judaism’s high holy days may beparticularly meaningful. This news-magazine comes to you at a time whenIsrael begins to focus on the comingcelebrations of the Feast of Trumpets(Rosh Hashanah, Sept 29/30), the Dayof Atonement (Yom Kippur, Oct 8/9),and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot,Oct 13/14). I pray that the Lord touchespeople at this time and manifestsHimself in ways that folk might seeHim more clearly.

It was long on Zola’s heart—and onSandra’s and mine—to show clearlyhow the Old Testament’s feasts arefulfilled in the New Testament’sMessiah. We do this on TV, throughnewsprint, books, the Internet, andmore. Before signing off here, let mesay how thankful I am to meet manyof you when I travel about, visiting inchurches. I love it when churchesinvite me in as a guest speaker. Ialways have a great time. Becauseinvitations usually result when well-placed people use their influence toput a bug in their busy pastor’s ear, letme offer a special thanks to those whohelp us by getting the ball rolling.

Hope you enjoy this Levitt Letter. Dokeep us in your prayers and let usknow you’re out there.

Yours,

Bush Gave Israel Amber Light To Attackwww.JPost.com

U.S. President George W. Bush has given Israel the “amber light” tocarry out an attack on Iran if diplomaticefforts are unsuccessful in causing theIslamic Republic to back down andrelinquish its nuclear program,according to a senior Pentagon official quoted by the British Sunday Times.

According to the official, Bush has given Israel free rein to attack Iran’s nuclear sites ifsanctions fail in spite of oppositionfrom US generals and regardless ofthe possible economic and politicalrepercussions of such a strike.

“Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediateattack and tell us when you’re ready,”the official said, adding however, thatIsrael had been told that it could notcount on the US to lend it military support.

Recently, sources in the Iraqi DefenseMinistry told a local news network thatIAF warplanes were practicing in Iraqiairspace and landing on U.S. airbasesin the country as a preparation for apotential strike on Iran.

“It’s really all down to the Israelis,” theofficial added. “This administration willnot attack Iran. This has already beendecided. But the president is reallypreoccupied with the nuclear threatagainst Israel, and I know he doesn’tbelieve that anything but force willdeter Iran.”


OUR MAN IN JERUSALEM

Will

Kin

g

Running onEmptyBy Will King, www.imagesofisrael.com

Forget Iran and nuclear weapons,Hamas and Hezbollah. Both oil andwater are precious resources in theMiddle East, and wars have beenfought in the past over their control.It’s not far-fetched to think that oneor both of these resources could be acontributing factor to the next MiddleEast war as well.

Let’s examine first the water situationin Israel. The Sea of Galilee is theprimary fresh water source in Israelfor drinking, irrigating crops, and forother needs. A full third of Israel’s watersupply comes from the Sea of Galilee.However, persistent, less-than-averagewinter rain and snowfall means thatthe lake doesn’t receive enough water.After years of low rainfall, the Sea ofGalilee is now facing a crisis point.

In early July of this year, the water levelfell below the lower red line of 699 feetbelow sea level, nearly 14.7 feet belowits optimum level. Beneath the lowerred line, the ratio of pollutants towater makes it dangerous to extract.However, the government recently seta lower black line at minus 703 feet atwhich all pumping must stop, period.The lake is expected to reach thatblack line sometime in December,just as the rainy season begins.

Israel is 12,360 million cubic feet ofwater short of supplying the expecteddemand over the coming year,according to the Water Authority. At arecent press conference in Tel Aviv,Israel Water Authority Chief Uri Shanisaid that Israel was facing “the worstwater crisis in 80 years, since theystarted keeping records.” And not justIsrael; the entire region is facing asimilar drought, meaning that wateris becoming an ever more sought-afterresource among not so friendly nations.

On top of the water worries, Israel isone of the few, if not the only, countryin the Middle East with practically nonatural oil reserves.* In Israel—as inother industrialized, oil-importingnations around the world—the rise ingas prices has hit consumers hard.They were already paying about fiveshekels per liter (approx. $6/gal.), butnow gas prices have risen to more thanseven shekels per liter, or around $8.50per gallon.

$8.50 per gallon of gas! Maybe that’swhy Israel is pushing to become thefirst country with a nationwide infra-structure for all-electric cars.

And as the water levels drop, the pricesgo up. The price of water for domesticuse has nearly doubled this year.

As you pray for the peace of Jerusalem,pray also that this winter will be filledwith rain. Pray that Israeli scientists andinventors find new ways to conserveand manage the water, and that some-body discovers an alternative source ofenergy or strikes oil in Israel.

* In October 2006, both Business Week andthe Levitt Letter (p. 30) addressed the slip-pery business of oil exploration in Israel.www.levitt.com/levletter.html

Tamar ZIskind, 22, (right) of Haifa was crowned2008 Miss Israel. She is the granddaughter of aHolocaust survivor, whose wife and four childrenwere killed by the Nazis. Her dream is to becomea doctor.

MissIsrael2008


DON’T BET THE FARM ON IT!

Can Islam Reform?By Patrick Cox, Contributing Editor

Okay, this is a quiz. Whatinternational political forcewas America’s standing military established tofight?

If you’ve been reading this publication forvery long, you know the answer.

I’m talking, of course, about the war Americafought from 1801 to 1815 against Islam. I usethe word “Islam” in this context purposely,as do Muslims. The Ottoman Caliphate, afterall, embodied both government and religiouspower. When the U.S. government paidOttoman Empire officials the tribute moneythey demanded, it received temporary lullsin the attacks on U.S. ships and citizens.Moreover, America won that war only whenwe stopped chasing the terrorists, butattacked the Islamic governments and citiesthat protected them.

Even in those early days of the Republic,however, Americans were already letting theMuslim world get away with a deception thatcontinues to this day. I’m talking about themyth that Islamic terrorists did not act onbehalf of Islamic authorities. As a result,our history books talk about a war with the“Barbary Pirates” as if the enemy were abunch of unaffiliated outlaws and brigands.They were not. The forces that attackedAmerican ships at will and enslaved theircrews and passengers were part of anorganized and lethal military force. Theywere an industry accepted by Muslim governments as agents of the Caliph.

The fallacy of the “pirate” myth is demon-strated simply by looking at the scope andscale of their activities. Though based in theport cities of North Africa, they operatedthroughout the Mediterranean and as farnorth as Iceland. Raids were made on seaside communities in Italy, Spain, Portugal,France, England, the Netherlands, andIreland. That sort of organization does notexist without the approval and support ofits home countries and governments.

Historian Robert C. Davis puts the number

of Europeans enslaved for sale into Muslimlands, from the 16th to the 19th century, atmore than a million. This was a well-organizedmilitary effort and market. Thousands ofEnglish, Spanish, and French ships were takenby these forces. Large sections of Spanishand Italian coastline were uninhabitable untilthe 19th century for fear of these marauders.

Nevertheless, most of our schools fail toteach that Islam, which is both a system of government and a religion, waged a centuries-long war against the West. Onlythe military defeat of the Ottoman Empirebrought us a temporary respite.

Unfortunately, most Americans have neverunderstood this. Instead, we have projecteda Judeo-Christian separation of church andstate onto a culture that rejects violently thevery concept.

When Hamas sends rockets and terroristsinto Israel, it is in exactly the same traditionas the Caliphate’s use of the so-called BarbaryPirates. When Iran uses its Hezbollah troopsto attack Israel, and denies it is waging war,it is the continuation of a centuries-old ploy.

I want Islam to reform. I hope Islam reforms,but it hasn’t happened yet. Look at the Muslimworld. Despite bright spots, it is mostly lackingin freedom and human rights. Slavery con-tinues to this day in too many Muslim coun-tries. Those who open their arms to Muslimculture, telling Muslims that we welcometheir traditions as equal to our own, are nowseeing the fruits of this foolishness.Arranged marriage—itself a form of slavery—and honor killings are spreading intoAmerica. So is a vicious anti-Semitismstraight out of the Koran.

In the end, I don’t know if Islam canreform. But I do know what reformed Islam would look like. It would celebratethe nation of Israel’s survival, stop pretendingthat Muslim claims on Jerusalem are anythingbut political deception, and welcome Christianmissionaries and churches into Muslimcountries. How many of you honestly believethis will ever happen?


Fighting Sharia Law One Minaret At A TimeBy Diana West,www.JewishWorldReview.com

Now engaged in probably its greatestbattle yet, the Swiss People’s Party hasamassed the requisite signatures topetition a national referendum onwhether Switzerland should banminarets, the towers that often soarhigh enough over mosques to transformthe skyline of any cathedral town inEurope.

Discussing the “long progression” ofIslam—now 4.3 percent of Switzerland’smainly Christian population of 7.5million—into Swiss life, party leaderOskar Freysinger explains that whatconcerns him is “not the (Islamic)religion, but the law,” meaning Islamic,or sharia, law. And while there is reli-gious freedom in Switzerland for newmosques, this same freedom does notextend to minarets, which he sees aspolitical more than religious symbols.“Minarets are not necessary for thepractice” of Islam, he explains.

Indeed, historically, the minaret hasoften served as a sign of Islamic polit-

GOD-FEARING SWISS

ical power. “In that case,” Freysingercontinues, “we said: ‘OK. We attack thissymbol of conquering Islam and we say:You are welcome in our country, butthere is one law and one constitutionfor every person in this country. Andthere is no special law for an Islamicgirl, or an Islamic man. There is nosharia. Nothing.’”

Given the inequities of sharia, oneenlightened law and constitution forall should be a simple, desirable stateof Western affairs. But as the West tiltsto accommodate aspects of shariaranging from diet to sexual segregationto polygamous marriage to shariabanking to censorship regarding Islam itself, Freysinger’s point of viewbecomes an increasingly controversialand dangerous one, reliably elicitingcatcalls and worse from world mediaand political establishments.

I ask Freysinger where Israel fits intohis worldview. “Our party has alwaysdefended Israel because we are wellaware that if Israel disappears, we losea vanguard,” he replied. “They arefighting now our fight, in fact; and aslong as the Muslims are concentratedon Israel, it is not so hard for us. But assoon as Israel will have disappeared,well, they will come to get the otherpart.” I think by “the other part” hemeans the rest of the West.


7TH CENTURY MINDSET

Forced Saudi Bride’sDivorce Deniedwww.ArabNews.com

When Rasha registered for high schoola few years ago, she discovered thather estranged father had married heroff without her knowledge to a manin his 80s in exchange for an $8,000dowry payment. Now a court hasdenied her appeal to divorce the man.

“The officials at the Girls EducationDepartment discovered that my filehad no birth certificate,” Rasha toldAl-Riyadh newspaper. “After searchingthrough my papers, they gave me theshock of my life when they told methat my father had married me to an85-year-old man when I was just 10years old, and that I am his fourthwife.”

Now the 18-year-old (who lives nearMecca) is appealing to the governmentand the National Society for HumanRights to intervene after a local judgedeclined to grant the divorce, evenafter a donor agreed to reimburse thedowry money that the old man wasdemanding to terminate the marriage.

The Civil Affairs Directorate, in chargeof the civil status of Saudi citizens,told Rasha to file a suit against her

father and the old man in court. Thecourt ordered her to take out newspaperadvertisements to find the old man. A tip from someone who read theannouncement led to the discoverythat the old man is demanding arefund of the dowry.

“I looked for a year for someone whowould pay this amount until PrincessJawhara bint Abdul Aziz took the ini-tiative and donated the entire amount.When I took the money to the judge tocomplete my divorce procedures, hesaid the case had been closed,” Rashasaid.

Shut out of the legal system, Rasha isnow appealing to the government andhuman rights activists to help her outof this predicament.

Polygamy, Child Brides Coming To U.S.?www.WorldNetDaily.com

Polygamy and child brides may make a comeback in the U.S. as a result ofrecent court rulings and the simultaneous rise of Islam. “In light of the recentCalifornia court ruling and the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Latter DaySaints) legal fiasco in Texas, is the time coming when we in the U.S will beforced to tolerate child brides and multiple wives?” asks Joel Richardson,editor of the provocative new book Why We Left Islam: Former MuslimsSpeak Out.

One Islamic tradition that caused several of the book’s contributors to leave thereligion is that girls are often expected to marry adult men. For example, in theIslamic country of Yemen, 50 percent of all married women are under 14 yearsof age—including girls who have been married for several years. Girls as youngas 6 and 7 are married to men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.


ZLM INTO THE FUTURE!

ZOLA LEVITT PRESENTSIn High DefinitionBy Jerry Hodges: GM of Berg Productions,producer and syndicator of our TV programs

February 2009 will usher in a changethat will affect Zola Levitt Ministriesviewers: the new digital mandate. Allof the television stations that broad-cast over the public airwaves will gooff the air that month and will bereplaced with multiple digital stations.Unless you have a cable box or satellite,after February 2009 you will need adigital converter box to view broad-cast television on your old analog TVsets. I alerted you to this in theSeptember ’07 Levitt Letter (p. 11),archived at www.levitt.com.

Not only will the “digital mandate”affect how you watch TV, it hasalready affected how we produce ZolaLevitt Presents. Berg Productions tooksteps ahead of the mandate to beginconverting the Closed Captioningoption from the old analog method tothe new digital format. We jumpedthe gun in order to begin broadcastingin High Definition (HD) with two ofour broadcasting partners that havebegun airing in HD. Zola LevittPresents has been broadcast in HDsince February on the TCT Network(which is available in HD on DirecTV)and since March on the ABC Family

channel. Because all HD is compatiblewith the new digital mandate, the newclosed captioning technique has alreadybeen encoded into the pictures.

If you have an HD television set andare capable of receiving either ABCFamily or the TCT Network in HighDefinition, we’d like to know. Pleasewrite us and tell us where you areviewing it. Zola Levitt Ministries is literally the first ministry in America to broadcast a regularly scheduledprogram in High Definition, and we’vedone it at practically no additionalcost to the ministry. We hope you willbe able to enjoy this enhanced way ofviewing our program.

Investing In Israelwww.JPost.com

Israeli technology companies raised$465 million in capital from venturefunds and other private investors inthe second quarter, 7 percent morethan a year earlier, the Israel VentureCapital Research Center said.

Investment in Israeli technology com-panies for the first half was the highestin seven years, reaching more than $1billion, the center said. Mergers andacquisitions involving Israeli technologycompanies reached $3.2b. last year,encouraging venture investors to putmore money into start-ups.


MUM’S THE WORD

Not a word in The Times. Nor was thepaper moved to editorialize about theglobal “anger and hate” sown by Enderlinand his cameraman, Talal Abu Rahma,in spawning the false, incendiary al-Duraallegations against Israel.

As The Wall Street Journal editorialized,it is “hard to exaggerate the significance”of the court decision that “called the[al-Dura] story into doubt.”

It is also significant that The New YorkTimes is mute about this triumph forfree speech in what has rightly beentermed a blood libel against the State ofIsrael. Ironically, former Times executivedirector Abe Rosenthal was eulogizedin the same paper for his fierceness inconfronting entrenched institutionsand for saying: “When somethingimportant is going on, silence is a lie.”

Efforts to call the defamers of Israel toaccount have long been news The Timeshas deemed not fit to print. Its silenceon recent developments concerning theal-Dura affair is just the latest iterationof a decades-long Times lie.

Read this article in full and see whatled the judge to vindicate Karsenty atwww.levitt.com/news.

Silence of The TimesBy Andrea Levin, www.JPost.com

The power of The New York Times isundeniable—even in an era of declin-ing mainstream media influence.What its editors choose to report stillinfluences policymaking, as coverageof, or silence about, two recent Gaza-related events underscores.

Which of these stories rated front-pagecoverage in The Times, with photos,follow-up stories, and an editorialtriggering swift repercussions? Was it the bureaucratic blunder that temporarily deprived seven Palestinianstudents in Gaza of their Fulbrightscholarships? or the landmark Frenchcourt decision challenging a France2television report from September2000 claiming that Israel murdered12-year-old Gazan Muhammad al-Dura,a sensational allegation that hasfueled hatred of and violence againstJews for nearly eight years? [See July 2story Pallywood and Israel atwww.levitt.com/news.]

Anyone familiar with The Times’schronic failure going back to the1930s to cover the dimensions andsignificance of anti-Jewish propagandaknows the answer.

The Palestinian students’ dilemmastirred the paper to full-throated coverage, triggering a diplomaticscramble in Washington and Jerusalemto enable the Fulbright winners topursue their programs. A Times editorial—with a passing nod to itssecurity needs—lectured Israel aboutmeasures that “sow more anger andhate.”

And what of the stunning “victory”and vindication in Paris of PhilippeKarsenty against charges of havingdefamed Charles Enderlin, France2’sMiddle East Bureau Chief who reportedthe al-Dura story? Karsenty haddenounced the episode as “a fakeddeath,” a “hoax” and a “fraud.”


ZLM Bulletin Board

Zola’s Tours toIsrael:

See page 36 for details

“Come Home!”

Free Levitt LetterOveragesWould you like 12, 24, or 36 recent LevittLetters to give away at your church? Wehave been printing a few extras for people

who want to serve as NewsletterAmbassadors.Imagine deliveringthis ministry’s variousteachings to thosethat don’t know iteven exists — free.Please help us toreach more peopleby periodically let-ting us know howmany newsletters youcan put to good use.

Jewish Heritage CalendarCaution: buying this year’s will make you want next year’s aswell! This is the BEST time to order our new Jewish HeritageCalendar for the year 5769, which begins in September. You’llhave the dates of biblical feasts and Sabbaths, and the names ofthe months, the Holy Days, etc. You will also become acquainted with many fasci-nating artifacts through colorful pictures anddescriptions you may wish to save for years to come. Please order from page 19.

Jeff Is JewishMany viewers and readers are surprised to learn

that Jeff is every bit as Jewish as Zola. Jeffattended Hebrew school at Yeshiva Academy in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and had his BarMitzvah at Temple Beth El, also in Harrisburg.

His wife, Patty, is Jewish and (not coincidentally)so are his two sons, Jacob and Zachary. Jeffbecame a completed Jew in 1973, primarily

through the witness of an individual handingout tracts on the street.

Join the KingDavid Club

Help us bring in theKingdom!!

If you can donate $10,000,you will receive the

following with our gratefulthanks:

One each of all our teachingmaterials (more than $2,400

worth), not just for yourlibrary, but also to give away.

One $500 discount on eachof up to four (4) of our tours

to Israel.

A one-on-one telephoneconference with Jeff to

discuss this ministry’s goals,plans, and visions.

FEATURE ITEMS

The Evidence of God TV Series– 8 half-hour TV programs on DVD or VHSCountering claims that the Bible’s Creation “fantasy”is incompatible with dinosaur bones, fossils, and carbon dating, nuclear physicist Dr. Gerald Schroeder explains time dilation—how time has shrunk since the Big Bang—and bridges the perceived differences between science and Scripture. Science confirms the biblical sequence of events that occurred during our planet’s first week.

The Universe had a Beginning — Physicist Gerald Schroeder explains how sciencecan look backwards in time and count fifteen billion years since the Big Bang; yet,from God’s perspective this vast time period happened within six 24-hour days.

Relatively Speaking — Gerald presents scientific evidence that time is not a constant.Similar to how astronauts weigh less on the moon than on Earth, experiments showthat atomic clocks run slower on high-speed aircraft. Because the universe is expanding,time is perceived differently in different locations.

Tuned for Life — Science observes that the universe has expanded a million milliontimes. Dividing 15 billion (the number of years in the scientific record) by a million million equals .015 years, or approximately six days.

Day One of Creation — Using the Hebrew Bible, Gerald and Zola analyze the first dayof the Creation account. Out of chaos, the Spirit of God created order.

Days Two and Three of Creation — Gerald demonstrates how both Genesis and science show that a firmament was created and water was formed before life beganon Earth.

Day Four of Creation — How could the sun, moon, and stars not appear until dayfour? The words evening and morning correspond to their Hebrew roots, chaos andorder, revealing the overall trend of creation.

Days Five and Six of Creation — Science proposes an explosion of life that agrees insequence and time with the Bible’s account of day five and Gerald’s computations.

Creation Reviewed — Zola reviews how science agrees with the Creation account inGenesis 1. Technologically, we are only now achieving the ability to prove how trueand accurate the Bible really is.

The book below and the series on DVD and VHS are offered on page 18.

Genesis One Study BookletBy Dr. Gerald Schroeder with Zola

This booklet is a transcription of the first two interviews with Dr. Gerald Schroeder, a nuclear physicist, on our Evidence of Godtelevision series. Please see above for a description of all eight programs. Dr. Schroeder gives his theory that “six actual days”could equal 15 billion years.


OR

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FOR

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SPECIAL OFFER: 50 OF ZOLA’S CLASSICSTUDY BOOKS ABOVE (MIX OR MATCH) $49 ____

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___ An Israeli Love Story $8 ________ Battles With Seminaries $10 ________ The Beginning of The End $8 ________ The Bible Jesus Read $10 ________ Broken Branches:

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in Prophecy (see page 3) $10 ________ Dateline Jerusalem $12 ________ First Christians Transcript $10 ________ Footsteps Of The Rabbi From Tarsus $12 ________ Genesis One $5 ________ Guns & Moses (see page 3) $8 _____

___ The House That God Built $8 ________ The Iranian Menace... (see page 3) $8 ________ Is Fanatic Islam A Global Threat? $13 ________ Israel’s Right to The Land $2 ________ Jerusalem: The Truth,David Bar-Illan $4 ________ Jesus — The Jew’s Jew $7 ________ Meshumed! $8 ________ Mountains Of Israel $10 ________ Once Through The New Testament $8 ________ Our Hands Are Stained w/Blood $13 ________ Passover Haggadah $5 ________ The Prophesied Messiah $8 ________ Raptured $10 ________ Return to Galilee $8 ________ Satan in The Sanctuary $8 ________ Secrets of the Scrolls Special Trans. $5 ________ Signs of The End: The Millennium $5 ________ The Stones Cry Out $10 ________ The Trouble with Christians & Jews $10 ________ Whose Land Is It? $4 ________ Woman By Divine Design $10 ________ Zola’s Introduction to Hebrew $29 _____ Fill out the coupon, tear out and send

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Zola &Jeff onVideo-DVD & VHS

Qty Videos PriceTotal___ A Child Is Born (1 prog) (1-VHS) $19 _____

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(3-DVD) $49 ________ Age Of Terror (8 prog) (2-DVD) $49 ________ Bad Moon Rising (8 prog) (2-DVD) $49 ________ Beloved Thief – Musical (1-VHS) $19 _____

(60 min) (1-DVD) $19 ________ The Best of Zola’s Music Videos

(2-DVD) $49 ________ The Bible: The Whole Story (2-DVD) $39 _____

(7 prog)___ The Covenants of God (2-VHS) $49 _____

(8 prog) (2-DVD) $49 ________ The Crusaders (8 prog) (2-DVD) $49 ________ Daniel & Last Days’ Battle...(2-DVD) $49 _____

(8 prog)___ Evidence of God (8 prog) (2-VHS) $49 _____

(2-DVD) $49 ________ Feast of Lights (3 prog) (1-DVD) $19 ________ In The Footsteps Of

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(8 prog)___ The Holocaust (6 prog) (2-VHS) $39 _____

(2-DVD) $39 ________ Holy Days of Our Lord (11 prog) (3-DVD) $69 ________ In Loving Memory (90 min) (1-DVD) $19 ________ Israel,The Church&TheFuture (3-VHS) $69 _____

(7 hr) (4-DVD) $69 ________ Israel My Love (6 prog) (2-DVD) $39 ________ Mine Eyes Have Seen (1 Music DVD) $19 ________ The Miracle of Passover (1-VHS) $19 _____

(2 prog) (1-DVD) $19 ________ Revelation (6 prog) (2-DVD) $39 ________ Roadmap to Armageddon (3-VHS) $69 _____

(12 prog)___ Secrets of the Scrolls (2-VHS) $49 _____

(7 prog) (2-DVD) $49____ The Seven Feasts of Israel (2-VHS) $49 _____

(7 prog) (2-DVD) $49 ________ She Shall Be Called Woman

(8 prog) (2-DVD) $49 ________ Sons of Israel (9 prog) (3-VHS) $59 _____

(3-DVD) $59 ________ The Stones Cry Out (12 prog) (3-DVD) $69 ________ Tell It On the Mountains (3-VHS) $59 _____

(9 prog)___ The Temple (6 prog) (2-VHS) $39 _____

(2-DVD) $39 _____ ___ This Is Israel (12 prog) (3-VHS) $69 ________ Thy Kingdom Come (3-VHS) $69 _____

(12 prog) (3-DVD) $69 ________ Upon This Rock Special- (1-VHS) $19 _____

(60 min) (1-DVD) $19 ________ Voices From Israel (10 prog) (3-VHS) $59 ________ The Witnessing Series (1-VHS) $29 _____

FEATURE

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___ Whose Land Is It? (1-DVD) $19 _____ (1-VHS) $19 _____

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Music CDs & TapesHear samples of all atwww.levitt.com

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___ A Pilgrim’s Journey Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Beloved Thief* Tape $10/CD $12 _____ ___ Beyond Words* Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Champions of Faith Tape $10/CD $12 ________ The Covenants of God Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Faith in the Fire** Tape $10/CD $12 ________ In The Wilderness** Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Israel My Love* Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Israel: By Divine Right**Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Jerusalem 3000** Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Living Waters CD $12 ________ Love Stories of the Bible Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Messiah* Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Mine Eyes Have Seen**

(Zola’s After-Christmas Musical)Tape $10/CD $12 _____

___ Tell It On The Mountains**Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Next Year in Jerusalem*Tape $10/CD $12 ________ Return to Galilee* Tape $10/CD $12 ________ The First Christians** CD $12 ________ The Works (Zola’s first 8 albums

marked with*) 4 CD Set $49 ________ The Works II (Zola’s next 8 albums

marked with**) 4 CD Set $49 ________ Thy Kingdom Come Tape $10/CD $12 _____

___ Unto The Gentiles** Tape $10/CD $12 _____

___ Zola’s Songs by Lamb*Tape $10/CD $12 _____

Studies, Etc.

___ 2 Flag Collar Pin $2 ________“Ask For Death” Set $19 ________ “Grafted In” Decal $2 ________ Pray for Peace Bumper Sticker $2 ________ Half-shekel Key Chain $8 ________ Jerusalem Journeystone $8 ________ Jewish Heritage Calendar (08-09) $5 ________ Matzoh Postcards (pack of 12) $8 ________ Messianic Prophecy Scroll $29 ________ Pictorial Map of Jerusalem $8 ________ Pilgrims’ Map of The Holy Land $6 ________ Flag of Israel (3’ x 5’) $10 ________ Things to Come Bookmark 2 for $1 ________ Zola’s Notebook (The Bible:

The Whole Story) $20 ________ Catalog of Ministry Materials no charge___ Institute of Jewish-Christian Info. no charge___ Program Airing Schedule no charge___ Christian Will Workbook-

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Israel in Prophecy CD $7 ________ Discovering Our Jewish Roots (9 CDs) $39 ________ Encounters with UFOs CD $7/TP $4 ________ Glory! The Future of Believers CD $7/TP $4 ________ How Can a Gentile Be Saved? CD $7/TP $4 ________ Jesus the Jew’s Jew CD $7/TP $4 ________ The Miracle of Passover CD $7/TP $4 ________ The Seven Feasts of Israel CD $7 _____ ___ Spirit of Pentecost CD $7/TP $4 ________ The Tribulation Temple CD $7/TP $4 ________ Zola Teaches New Testament (6TP) $25 ________ Zola Teaches New Testament (6CD) $29 _____

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HebrewLesson


The Reciprocity of Prayer By John J. Parsons

The one who seeks good is called shocher tov, “a seeker of good.” The shocher tov hasa good eye (ayin ha-tovah) that constantly sees the worth and potential in others. Theone who searches out evil is doresh ra’ah, “a searcher of evil.” The doresh ra’ah has anevil eye (ayin hara) that is critical and faultfinding. The principle may be stated this way:When you seek the good of others, you find God’s favor (ratzon), but when you searchfor evil in others, the very evil you find becomes your own.

Note that the word for “seeking” (shocher) comes from the word for “dawn” or “morning”(shachar), suggesting an “early” or irrepressible seeking (as the dawn continually followsnight). The parallel term “searching” (doresh), on the other hand, comes from the verbdarash, from which the word midrash (interpretation) derives. The sages therefore notethat it is easier to be doresh ra’ah than it is to be shocher tov. Assuming the worst inothers is relatively effortless, but seeking their good requires compassion and thewillingness to bear their burdens.

The “law of Messiah” (Gal. 6:2) is to bear one another’s burdens (the Greek word for burdenis (“weight,” from which we derive the word barometer)). This same word is usedin 2 Cor. 4:17 to refer to the “weight of glory” that we will experience in the world to come.Bearing one another’s burdens reveals the glory of the One who willingly bore our sinand shame at Calvary (1 Pet. 2:24).

Bearing one another’s burdens means caring enough to pray for them. The sages remarkthat he who prays for another and is in need of the same thing is answered first (Talmud,Bava Kamma). For example, when the prophet Job prayed for his friends, God restoredJob’s own fortunes (Job 42:10). There is a shared blessing when we pray for others, asKing David said in Psalm 35:13: “may what I prayed for happen to me!” (literally, tefillatial-cheki tashuv — “may it return upon my own breast”).

“May what I prayed for happen to me...” Some of our prayers are conscious words spokento God, whereas others are unconscious expressions of our inner heart attitudes. Whenwe harbor indifference, ill will, or unforgiveness toward others, we are only hurtingourselves. When we seek the good of others we find God’s favor, healing and life. Amidrash states that if someone speaks well of another, the angels above will then speakwell of him before the Holy One.

We should always, therefore, seek the welfare of others, since as Jesus said, “the measure you use will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

FRONTLINE IN TERROR WAR

per capita in Israel than practically anywhereelse in the world. From simple soup kitchensto terror victim support groups, these organi-zations have woven a tapestry of humanity andcompassion that would be the envy of theworld—if only the world’s news media werefair in its coverage of Israel.

Opposite that, an enemy stands on the otherside of the Wall. A culture of hatred and deaththat starts in kindergarten. A faith that hastranslated its holiest book into a screed ofsavagery. A cowardly army that launches rocketsfrom schoolyards and hospitals. Mothers whocelebrate the suicide deaths of their bomber sonsand who send their daughters on postnatalappointments to bomb the Israeli midwives whodelivered their last grandchild. Unrepentantterrorists who vow to return to their murderingways even as their freedom is negotiated inexchange for a simple set of Israeli dog tags.

This may be the front line, but the demon seedhas already pollinated in Europe and America.London and Madrid have had their own tasteof 9/11, and there will surely be more to come.As for me, whenever I stand at the Kotel, I feelvery strongly that this wall represents the thinline between these parallel universes of ourtime. When I stand at the Kotel, I also focus onall those kvitlach—the hundreds of scribblednotes pushed into the cracks of the wall. Eachone seeks help from the Almighty in some wayor another: to cure a sick child, to find a suitablemarriage partner, or simply sufficient funds andfood to keep the family going. But mostly, justa simple wish for “peace”—whatever that wordmeans in the lexicon of this troubled region.

I don’t know if there is a similar wall or “wishdepository” in Islam’s world. But if there weresuch a thing on the opposite side of the Wall, I imagine the majority of entreaties from theradicalized masses could be summarized by onecentral theme: “Death to the Jews.”

Jerusalem: TheFinal FrontierBy Zalmi Unsdorfer, www.IsraelNN.com

The appeasement of the world’s demands forthe dismemberment of the Jewish state goes onagainst the backdrop of a growing existentialthreat from Iran. I venture to suggest that thefuture of Jerusalem is not just a Jewish orIsraeli problem, but an issue that has majorramifications for the free nations of the West.

We are in the midst of a world war commonlyreferred to as the “War on Terror,” one thatwill later be referred to by its real name: theIslamic War. A conflict between good and evil,between those who cherish life and those whoembrace death; between those who seek tobuild on a century of democracy and techno-logical progress, and those who wish to bombus all back into the Middle Ages. The front lineof this essentially religious struggle is notin Iraq or Afghanistan, but in Jerusalem.

Ever heard of the Kotel HaMaaravi—theWestern Wall of the ancient Jewish Temple?In front of this Wall stands everything that isgood. An impossibly tiny nation whose peoplecount for one-tenth of one percent of theworld’s population, but hold the highest pro-portion of Nobel prizes in all fields of endeavorthat have enriched the world and the welfareof mankind. The only nation in history to havereturned to its homeland after 2,000 yearsand, to top it off, in half a century transformeda desert landscape into a world-beating pow-erhouse. This side of the Wall swears-in therecruits of the most humane army that has everexisted in the history of conflict; the only armythat takes a human rights lawyer into battleagainst its enemies. Perhaps more important,this side of the Wall is home to citizenswhose compassion and humanity are secondto none in the world. A people who have notknown a day free of terrorism in the 60 yearssince their state was formed and yet who aredaily healing the ailments of their enemies.

On our Jewish side of the Wall stands a peoplewho can claim to be the most charitable onEarth. Arising from government cuts to main-tain the essentials of defense and the huge costof absorbing over a million new immigrantsfrom Russia and Ethiopia, citizens have turnedkindness into an art form. There are morecharitable and voluntary support organizations



Some letters have been edited for space.

Why Still “Zola”?

Greetings to ZLM,Why does the ministry still go by Zola Levitt Ministries? Why not simply LevittMinistries or something else? God Bless.K.

Dear K.—A writer once asked Miss Manners why widows continue to use “Mrs.” instead of“Miss” even though they’re no longer married. Miss Manners replied that if societyrequired the newly single women to give up their matrimonial titles, perhapsthe widows also should be forbidden to wear their wedding rings. It is for morethan sentimental reasons, however, that our ministry keeps its original name.

The name “Zola Levitt,” as opposed to “Zola” or “Levitt,” has become a well recognized brand name that stands for high-caliber Messianic teaching. UnlikeNissan, which used to be Datsun, we don’t have the budget necessary to buildfrom scratch brand recognition for a new name. Also, keeping the name “ZolaLevitt” conveys the sentiment that we cherish our founder’s vision for solidBible teaching with an emphasis on Christianity’s Jewish roots, the importanceof Zionism, and the continuing relevance of Israel to God’s eternal plan. —Mark

If It Quacks Like A Nazi…

Jeff and Mark,When I was a boy growing up in an affluent suburb, I tried gently but regularlyto insult the Jews much and often because you are a “stiff-necked” people. I knowyou like to complain that you lost your parents to Hitler’s Evil. Every time someonebrings up WW II with a Jew, the “professional victim” in each of you comes through.You like to point out that “6 million Jews” were killed by Hitler. Every Jew I have ever known becomes insulted when I remind them that close to fifteen million gentiles were killed, as well. What do you say to that? I can’t wait to read your self-serving response.Yours, D. M. Workers clean the well preserved mosiac floor at Armageddon, recently

excavated and possibly the oldest aboveground church.


LETTERS TO ZLM continued

Dear D. M.—Hitler couldn’t have done it alone. Knowing that he had lots of help, I attributethe millions upon millions of merciless deaths to the myriad of bigots who spokejust like you. Tragically, as you note, there likely were over fifteen million otherunfortunates slaughtered in WWII. The issue with Jews was how non-combatantcivilians were singled out for extermination on the basis of our being a jaded,stubborn, “stiff-necked,” and self-serving race—you know, the way you representus. As for our being “professional victims,” here in Israel—where I am pleasedto be right now—Jews place a premium on being professional soldiers. Thisenables us to better protect ourselves from individuals with warped perspectives,who sound like you. —Jeff

How Many Arabs Are Really Jews?

Dear Dr. Seif,I was raised Catholic, but when I became involved in a Bible study group thatwas discussing the Levites’ priestly duties, I had a strange feeling. It was as if Ihad been there doing the actual work myself. I also felt that someone was tellingme I was a Levite. I tried to dismiss it, but the feelings wouldn’t go away. Itbothered me so much, I contacted the Family Tree DNA testing group and hada 37-point DNA test done. The results were astounding. So far, I have 228 directmatches and most of them have listed themselves as either Ashkenazi Levites, orAshkenazi. What an honor to be chosen by God, not only as a Christian, but alsoas a Jew. I wonder how many so-called Palestinians and Arabs would actuallyturn out to be Jews if they took a DNA test?P.S.

Dear P.S.—I have heard the question raised before, and learned that there’s indeed anargument that a number of Arabs are themselves Jews. —Jeff

Can’t Be Jewish AND Christian

Zola Levitt Ministries,Your website is completely and totally disgusting. You can’t be Jewish andChristian at the same time. You can’t have two sets of values that are totallyopposite in many ways.

In Judaism, the focus is on doing good deeds now. Heaven, if it even exists atall, is meaningless. To Christians, what you do now means nothing. The onlything that is important is life in Heaven.

I won’t go on and on. But please don’t even THINK that you are Jewish. You disgust me.R. H.

Thanks for writing, R. H.—Twice you note how disgusting we are, how Heaven is “meaningless,” andstereotypically and emphatically say that action means “nothing” to followersof Jesus. Given your premium on “good deeds,” I wonder if it is “good” of you tospew such prejudice on others and to cast judgments—like saying Jesus’ followersdo not care about doing good—upon people you obviously don’t understand. Iam glad you wrote, though saddened by the misinformation in your response.Why don’t you read the New Testament and see what Christians really believe?— Jeffrey Seif


A “MODERATE” MUSLIM NATION

SufferingChildren ofIslamBy Desy Nurhayati,www.TheJakartaPost.com

The Indonesian government hopes toremove as many as 22,000 childrenfrom hard labor and provide assistanceto 2,000 poor families by 2011, underthe second phase of a programrecently launched.

State Minister for Women’s Empower-ment Meutia Farida Hatta said millionsof Indonesian children were forced todrop out of school to enter the work-force before they had completed eventheir basic education. These childrenare trapped in this situation becausethey have to help provide for theirpoor families, she added. “Governmentdata reveal that currently about 11.7million children have dropped out of elementary or secondary school,”Meutia said.

It is estimated more than 1.5 millionchildren aged between 10 and 17years are employed in the agriculturalsector.

According to International LaborOrganization (ILO) data, about 166million children between ages 5 and 14years worldwide are currently involvedin labor, 74.4 million of whom aredoing hazardous work, such as in thechemical industry.

In Indonesia, about 700,000 childrenyounger than 18 were working asdomestic laborers in 2003. Most ofthem were girls from rural areas whowere lured with promises of decentwork with high wages but were notgiven details of where they would betaken or their working conditions.

“These children are prone to commercialand even sexual exploitation,” Meutiasaid. ILO data show 21,552 childrenyounger than 18 were involved in prostitution throughout Java in 2003.

To deal with the issue, the governmenthas established a national action planover 20 years. The program aims toreduce the number of child laborers byproviding access to formal and informaleducation, counseling, and internships.It also provides assistance to the children’s families through economicempowerment programs.


PROTESTING PROTESTERS

ProfessorInvites MuslimsTo Leave U.S.www.snopes.com

The story begins at Michigan StateUniversity with a mechanical engi-neering professor named IndrekWichman who sent an e-mail to theMuslim Student’s Association inresponse to the students’ protest ofthe Danish cartoons that portrayedthe Prophet Muhammad as a terror-ist. The group had complained thecartoons were “hate speech.”

Enter Professor Wichman. In his e-mail, he said the following:

Dear Moslem Association,

As a professor of MechanicalEngineering here at MSU, I intend toprotest your protest.

I am offended not by cartoons, butby more mundane things like behead-ings of civilians, cowardly attacks onpublic buildings, suicide murders,murders of Catholic priests (the latestin Turkey), burnings of Christianchurches, the continued persecutionof Coptic Christians in Egypt, theimposition of sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinaviangirls and women (called “whores” inyour culture), the murder of filmdirectors in Holland, and the riotingand looting in Paris, France.

This is what offends me—a soft-spoken person and academic—andmany, many of my colleagues.

I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive,brutal, and uncivilized slave-tradingMoslems to be very aware of this as youproceed with your infantile “protests.”If you do not like the values of theWest—see the 1st Amendment—youare free to leave.

I hope for God’s sake that most ofyou choose that option. Please return toyour ancestral homelands and buildthem up yourselves instead of troublingAmericans.

Cordially,

I. S. Wichman, Professor of MechanicalEngineering

As you can imagine, the Muslim groupat the university didn’t like this too well.They’re demanding that Wichman bereprimanded and that the universityimpose mandatory diversity trainingfor faculty and mandate a seminar onhate and discrimination for all freshmen.

Now the local chapter of CAIR (Councilon American-Islamic Relations) hasjumped into the fray. CAIR apparentlydoesn’t believe that the good professorhad the right to express his opinion.

For its part, the university is standingits ground in support of ProfessorWichman, saying the email was privateand they don’t intend to publicly condemn his remarks.


Israeli Drug First To SlowParkinson’sBy Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, www.JPost.com

The Israel Parkinson Association welcomed with“excitement and joy” the results of a study showingParkinson’s drug Azilect (rasagiline), developed byProfs. Moussa Youdim and John Finberg of theTechnion-Israel Institute of Technology, to be effective at slowing the progression of the chronic and fatal neurological disease, a first for any drug.

In the randomized, double-blind ADAGIO study, thedrug was found to be effective, safe, and well tolerated.Based on these results, the drug could become the firstParkinson’s disease treatment in the world to receive alabel for “disease modification.” Azilect received theapproval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for sale in the spring of 2006.

Jewish Pilgrims In MoroccoBy Alfred de Montesquiou, Associated Press

It’s an uncommon sight for an Arab country: hundreds of joyous Jewish pilgrimsgathering without fear around a rabbi’s tomb, greeted by local Muslim officialswho share a prayer with them at a synagogue.

Yet most of the 400 Jews who converged on the Moroccan coastal town of Safi—some from nearby cities, others from as far as France or Israel—at a weekendpilgrimage said they felt welcome.

While religious tensions flare in Jerusalem and beyond, in Morocco, Jews andMuslims say they nurture a legacy of tolerance and maintain common sanctu-aries where adherents of both religions pray. Decades of emigration to Israel byMorocco’s Jews and terrorist bombings in Casablanca that targeted Jewish siteshaven’t diminished the draw of these annual pilgrimages.

During the festival, visitors prayed and feasted around the shrine of AbrahamBen Zmirro, a rabbi reputed to have fled persecution in Spain in the 15th centuryand then lived in Safi, where he is buried with six siblings.

A half-Jewish, half-Muslim band played local tunes during a banquet, includinga song in French, Arabic and Hebrew with the line: “There is only one God, youworship Him sitting down and I while standing up.”

Regional governor Larbi HassanSebbari said, “We’re very proud of it:it gives a lesson to other countries of what we do together without anytaboo.”

Two Jewish pilgrims pray in the shrine of a 15thcentury rabbi in Safi, Morocco during a large pilgrimage. Most of the 400 worshippers attendingthe pilgrimage, or Hilloula, were Jews of Moroccandescent who keep strong ties to the country. (AP Photo/Alfred de Montesquiou)

SELECT BRIEFS

Medical School for InternationalHealth (MSIH), a collaborativeprogram of Ben-Gurion Universityof the Negev and ColumbiaUniversity Medical Center (NY), is the only medical school in theworld designed to train a new typeof international/multicultural physi-cian. Medical student and formerU.S. Marine chopper pilot RachelBarney with Yaakov Terner, mayorof Beersheva.


ARABS ON ARABS

My Fellow Arabs (intentionally left uncorrected)By Sami Alrabaa, www.AmIslam.com

Arab regime leaders and their affiliates swim in wealth (luxury private palacesand private jets, i.e. flying palaces), ignore the poor, repress the population,blame local backwardness on the West, and support fundamentalist Muslims.

Arab regimes have always been despotic and totalitarian. They have neverbelieved in egalitarianism, economic opportunity, religious tolerance, and self-criticism. They have used medieval forces of governance: tribalism, especiallyin the Arabian Peninsula, authoritarian traditionalism, and most recently Islamicfundamentalism. Arab schools and universities turn out more graduates inIslamic studies, falsified history, and void nationalism than in science, engineering,and medicine. Critical studies and scientific research have screeched to a halt.The majority of Arab professors translate works and research done in the Westand claim they are their own. Empirical work is almost non-existent. Studentsgraduate without having the slightest clue about what is really going on in theWestern world. The only things the majority of them know about the West isthat it produces good car, but it is decadent; people drink much alcohol andwomen sleep with everybody.

Billions of barrels of oil, fertile land along the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates valleys,which in the past helped creating great civilizations, yield an excess of miseryrather than riches like in South Korea or Hong Kong, for instance. Billions ofdollars are squandered on armament and a lavish lifestyle enjoyed by corruptdespotic rulers of the Arab world and their affiliates. Totalitarian oil rich Arabgrandees from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Emirates, and Qatar, who plundertheir countries’ resources, invest their billions of dollars in the West. Countrieslike Egypt and Jordan, which receive billions of dollars as aid from the Americaand Europe, spend the money on strengthening their regimes.

Tragically, prospects of improvement are dismal. Arab government spokesmenand the predominantly state-owned media entertain the illiterate and semi-literate population with anti-Western and anti-Israel propaganda.

Read the full article at www.levitt.com/news.


MARK: ON THE MONEY

Bridges for PeacePO Box 410037Melbourne, FL 32941-0037(800) 566-1998postmaster@bfpusa.orgwww.bridgesforpeace.comwww.bjpusa.org

If you want to send them a gift, youcan send it to us and we will forward it to them, making sure they receive100% of it. Or you can write to themdirectly. You may recall that Zola inter-viewed their previous CEO, ClarenceWagner, at least twice on our TV program. (Archived at www.levitt.tv)

A recent Jewish Telegraphic Agencyarticle announced that EvangelicalChristians had been given “a powerfulseat at the table” of the Jewish Agencyfor Israel. For those unfamiliar, theJewish Agency is a worldwide coalitionof Jewish organizations that overseesthe immigration and absorption ofJews into Israeli society. The news thatEvangelicals had been given such arole in the Jewish Agency shockedmany Jews who feared giving that kindof influence to Christians who mightwant to “proselytize Jews.”

Such fears were unfounded, however. Infact, there never was a seat at the tableof the Jewish Agency for EvangelicalChristians. Rather, it was Rabbi YechielEckstein, president of the InternationalFellowship of Christians and Jews, who had promised the Jewish Agency$45,000,000 over three years in order tosecure himself a seat on their executiveboard.

How was there such confusion aboutEvangelicals, considering that RabbiEckstein is an Orthodox Jew and not aChristian by any stretch? It happenedbecause the $45,000,000 the rabbi offeredfor his board seat was to come from thedonations of Evangelical Christians inAmerica. And when the promised boardseat for the rabbi failed to materialize,another headline soon announced,“Evangelical Group Cuts Off Donationsto Jewish Agency.” The rabbi giveth, andthe rabbi taketh away.

How Evangelical is theInternational Fellowship of Christians and Jews?By David Brickner, Director of Jews for Jesus

Introductory Comments by Mark Levitt

Jews for Jesus is a sister ministry ofours with which we have had a longrelationship. People often confuse us,but our callings are slightly different.

Jews for Jesus approaches Jewish peopledirectly with the Gospel, often in streetwitnessing campaigns. ZLM mainlytrains gentile Christians to witness tothe Jews. It’s not unlike the distinctionbetween the ministry of Peter, calledto witness to the Jews in Israel, andPaul, called to witness to the gentilesin the Roman Empire. Naturally, wewitness to Jews, and Jews for Jesuswitnesses to gentiles on occasion, asdid Peter and Paul.

The wisdom of Moishe Rosen, nowretired as leader of Jews for Jesus, hasalways been precious to the Messianiccommunity and churches. On morethan one occasion, Moishe has an-swered readers’ questions about “OnWings of Eagles,” a ministry purportingto be a “fellowship of Christians andJews.” You can read his comments in“Feeding the Hungry” on page 11 ofour July 2006 Levitt Letter, which isarchived at www.levitt.com.

David Brickner has succeeded Moisheas Director of Jews for Jesus. Below heoffers a startling revelation about theInternational Fellowship of Christiansand Jews, which also goes by the nameOn Wings of Eagles.

If you are looking for a no-nonsenseministry in Israel that assists needyimmigrants while witnessing to them,as opposed to American middlemenwho rake administrative expenses offthe top, Zola always wholeheartedlyrecommended:

Bric

kner


HOW EVANGELICAL. . . cont inued

These recent events illustrate a curioussituation that has developed withinEvangelical circles here in America,discussed in numerous Jews for Jesuspublications. Simply put, the Inter-national Fellowship of Christians andJews is a sophisticated fundraisingoperation that implies that it isEvangelical, but is not. It’s not evenChristian, for that matter.

Through the use of contrived info-mercials and appeal letters, RabbiEckstein has duped Evangelicals intocontributing over a quarter of a billiondollars to his organization. He thengives that money to various secularand religious Jewish groups, such asthe Jewish Agency, the JewishFederation of Chicago, and ChabadLubavitch. Eckstein is essentially amiddleman, raising vast sums ofmoney from Evangelicals to be usedat his own discretion for decidedlynon-Evangelical purposes.

How has this come about?

Rabbi Eckstein has studied and

learned all about Evangelical supportfor Israel and has tapped into thatsentiment under the guise of buildingbridges between Christians and Jews.Everywhere I go I meet people inchurches who give generously toRabbi Eckstein, but who are surprisedto learn that he is not a “Messianicrabbi.” On the contrary, he doesn’tbelieve in Jesus and works against theGospel going to Jewish people.

Said Eckstein: “The Jewish communityand Evangelicals are to cooperatewhenever possible, but if they[Evangelicals] are involved in targetedmissions toward Jews, like Jews forJesus, we won’t work with them.”Eckstein encourages Christians togive money for his cause, but he doesnot want them telling Jewish peoplethat they need Jesus—and he expectsChristians who work with him to chooseone way or the other. I imagine that ifmost of the Christians who contributeto Rabbi Eckstein’s group knew thesefacts, they wouldn’t be as generous.That is perhaps why you will neverhear this from Rabbi Eckstein.


TV AIRING SCHEDULE (below)

TCT on DirecTVTCT is Channel 377 on DirecTV:Visit www.tct.tv for your area’s schedule.

NOTE: If you are unable to view Zola Levitt Presents,please contact your local cable company or refer to your satellite directory.

Our entire TV Airing Schedule is posted atwww.levitt.com.

FoxNews-Hair Salon Sued by Scarf-wearing Muslim A hair salon owner in London claims her business was driven to the brink of ruin after she wasordered to pay $7,800 to a Muslim woman who claimed her feelings were hurt after she was nothired because she wouldn’t show her hair at work.

Wedge Salon owner Sarah Desrosiers requires employees to showcase different looks for clients,as her shop specializes in alternative cuts and colors. Bushra Noah, 19, who made it clearduring her interview that she would not remove her headscarf for religious reasons, accusedDesrosiers of discrimination.

“She is simply someone I met for a job interview, who, for a host of reasons, was not right forthe job. I cannot see how she deserves £4,000,” Desrosiers said. “I have not done anythingwrong, and this is a terrible price to pay for a meeting that lasted 10 minutes.”

Noah admitted she had attended 25 interviews and not been chosen for any of them before shemet Desrosiers. The extremist Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir later admitted it had “advised her.”


SELECT BRIEFS

They changed, altered, and distortedtheir holy books, and Islam came torectify this. Islam has not changed athing in the teachings of Moses.

Interviewer: So one of the basic principles of dialogue is to accept thatthey [Jews and Christians] have a religion?

Al-Yamani: Yes, and we respect thisreligion, but we say to them: ‘You havechanged it, and you must know thatthe books you have are not the divinegospel and the divine Torah. You havechanged them. You yourselves admitthat your books were written by priests and others who altered them.We want to bring you back to the original religion.’

Jews in Israel live in the midst of their mishpacha—their family. We arean unruly, bickering, sometimes dysfunctional family, but we are onefamily nonetheless. That family in action shines in this true story:

Lia Rostenne was shopping in the Machane Yehudah farmers’ market.She bought a couple dozen eggs, but when she went to pay the vendor,she realized she had run out of money. “Don’t worry,” the vendor toldLia, who was a complete stranger. “Next time you come, you’ll pay me.”

Once Lia brought a check to a moneychanger, but in writing it, shemade a mistake that rendered the check invalid. The moneychangergave her the cash she needed — thousands of shekels — and told herto bring a good check the next day. All he took as “collateral” was herphone number.

Similar incidents have happened to me, when vendors who did notknow me said to take the merchandise and pay them later. EveryIsraeli no doubt has many such stories.

LIFE INBy Sara Yoheved Rigler, www.aish.com

Saudi Minister:The Bible HasBeen DistortedIsrael Today

In an interview on Saudi Arabia’s IqraTV, the country’s Information MinisterMohammad Abduh Al-Yamani spokeabout the truth of Islam and the dis-tortions of Judaism and Christianity:

Al-Yamani: The [Judeo-Christian]religion is monotheistic. They did notcreate it. This religion was sent downto Jesus and Moses.

Interviewer: But Islam got rid of itbecause it is the supreme religion?

Al-Yamani: It was not Islam that gotrid of it. It was caused by the contam-ination that occurred in this religion.


SELECT

BRIEFS

UN Sinks to New Depths By Nile Gardiner and Ray Walser,www.HumanEvents.com

The unopposed election of NicaraguanReverend Miguel D’Escoto Brockmannas the next President of the 192-mem-ber United Nations General Assemblywill further undermine the standingof the UN in the eyes of the Americanpublic. D’Escoto served as foreign min-ister of Nicaragua during the Sandinistadictatorship of Daniel Ortega in the1980s and is known for his extreme,stridently anti-American views.

In a June 2004 radio interview withDemocracy Now, the Los Angeles-bornRoman Catholic priest declared that theUnited States was “the greatest enemyof the right of self-determination ofpeoples” and Americans “the mostignorant people around the world.”

D’Escoto was the pick of the 33-nationLatin American and Caribbean groupwithin the UN. Under the system ofregional rotation the bloc was able toput forward its own candidate for thepresidency of the General Assembly(which controls the UN budget) with-out challenge from the rest of theworld. He will take office at the nextAssembly meeting in September, suc-ceeding the low-key former foreignminister of Macedonia, Srgjan Kerim.

There is every chance that D’Escotowill abuse his status by turning thepresidency into a platform for hisanti-U.S. vitriol. The position willprovide a high profile bully pulpit forlaunching ferocious attacks on U.S.foreign policy, and the traditionalneutrality of the presidency is likelyto be shattered by the presence of anideological zealot with a deep hatredfor America.

The conflict in Darfur is a news story that has been widely and emotively covered bywestern media but has attracted relatively little coverage within the Arab media.

Brockmann (above)

Arab Media Blind To DarfurBy Salah Khadr, english.aljazeera.net

Sudan’s population is 40 percent Arab,and Arabs are at the heart of the Darfurconflict; but for many in the Arab world,the humanitarian catastrophe may aswell not exist.

The reason being the Arab media havelargely ignored it.

Lawrence Pintak, a journalist and Arabmedia expert, says the problem withDarfur when it comes to the Arab mediais that it does not fit the template ofArabs being the victims and other people the aggressors. “Arabs here aregood guys and bad guys,” he says.

“I think we are in a state of denial,”Jehad Khazen, a former editor of theal-Hayat newspaper, says. “A Zogbypoll around March or April in 2007showed there is a real eagerness inArab public opinion to read more andlearn more about what is happening in Darfur. But this is not reflected inthe Arab media.”

“There is always going to be some sort of reluctance to demonize theirown,” Opheera McDoom, Reuters’scorrespondent in Darfur, says.


SELECT BRIEFS continued

Russia Threatens MilitaryResponse To U.S. MissileDefense DealBy David Charter, www.TimesOnline.co.uk

Russia threatened to retaliate by military means after a deal with theCzech Republic brought the U.S. missile defense system in Europe astep closer.

The threat followed quickly from theannouncement that U.S. Secretary ofState Condoleezza Rice signed a formalagreement with the Czech Republicto host the radar for the controversialproject.

Moscow argues that the missile shieldwould severely undermine the balanceof European security and regards theproposed missile shield based in twoformer Communist countries as ahostile move.

“We will be forced to react not withdiplomatic, but with military-technicalmethods,” the Russian Foreign Ministrysaid in a statement. The ministry didnot detail what its response mightentail.

Dr. Rice, the US Secretary of State,hailed the agreement as a step forwardfor international security. The signingceremony seemed to bury that idea.Addressing Russian anxiety about the

anti-missile system in what used to be its backyard, Rice added: “We wantthe system to be transparent to theRussians.”

Mirek Topolanek, the Czech primeminister, said that the deal was anexample of “our joint desire to protectthe free world” and that his countrycould not afford to miss out as it hadafter the Second World War.

Presbyterian MembershipLoss Worst In DecadesThe Courier-Journal— Louisville, Kentucky

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)released statistics showing the worstmembership loss in decades for theLouisville-based denomination, bothin numerical and percentage terms.

The denomination lost 57,572 membersin 2007 and now has 2,209,546 members,a drop of 2.5 percent from 2006. It’s the worst membership loss in terms of numbers since 1981—before thesouthern and northern branches of the church merged and moved theirheadquarters to Louisville later in thedecade.

And it’s the worst percentage loss since1974.


SELECT BRIEFS continued

Iran: ChristianConverts DetainedFor ‘Apostasy’www.CompassDirect.org

Iranian authorities have detained twoconverts to Christianity, MahmoudMatin and Arash Bandari, in thesouthern city of Shiraz for eight weekson suspicion of apostasy (leaving Islam).In Iran, apostasy is a crime that canbe punishable by death.

During a visit on June 24, Matin’s wifewas able to speak with him for fiveminutes as officials listened in, a sourcetold Compass. Seated in a dimly litroom behind a glass window, theprisoner told his wife that there hadbeen a misunderstanding and that hecould not teach Christianity any more.

“They are pushing me to tell them thatI am connected to a church outside[Iran] and that I am receiving a salary,but I told them that I am doing it onmy own,” he told his wife, accordingto a source who requested anonymityfor security reasons. Despite Matin’sclaims that he was being well treated,his wife told the source she believedotherwise. “He was just trying tomake me calm; that’s what I could seebecause he’s my husband and I knowhis face,” Matin’s wife said, accordingto the source. The source said thatMatin was not even aware where hewas being held until his wife told himduring the visit.

The June 24 meeting was the first andonly face-to-face contact Matin’s familyhas had with him since his arrest in May.

Matin and Bandari were detainedwith 13 other Muslim converts toChristianity while meeting together ina park in Shiraz. Police confiscated thegroup’s cell phones and “temporarily”released everyone except Matin andBandari over the subsequent days.

According to the source, the 13 havebeen told they have an ongoing court

case against them. They remain underhouse arrest and have been called infor questioning about alleged politicalactivity and Christian faith.

Officials have not informed the 13released Christians of the specific chargesagainst them. But the nature of theirquestioning has led them to believe that they are suspected of apostasy andpolitical crimes against the government.

Matin telephoned his wife several weeksafter his arrest to tell her that he hadbeen charged with apostasy and torequest that she acquire a lawyer to takehis case. But on June 22, she received acall from an official telling her that Matindid not need legal representation andinviting her to visit her husband in Shiraz.

“The caller did not say who they were,just that they were from the secretpolice and that the family could visitMatin on June 24 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.,” the source said. He said thatMatin’s wife traveled 17 hours by busfrom her home in Tehran to visit herjailed husband.

Matin has had no further contact withhis wife and three children (ages 22,18, and 12) since the June 24 jail visit.

As Believers, we need to exercise ourbelief in our Lord. The AmericanChurch is weak and flabby because itdoes not get any exercise. We are afraidto witness, or even declare we believein God, to hostile listeners. It is time tostand up and be counted.—Sandra


THE FINAL WORD

Death for ‘Apostates’Debated in IranianParliamentwww.CompassDirect.org

A penal code that would mandate thedeath penalty for any Muslim whoconverts to Christianity is up for consideration in Iran. Under sharia(Islamic) law, apostasy is one of several“crimes” that can be punishable bydeath, although Islamic court judgesare not required to hand down sucha sentence.

The draft of the penal code underconsideration explicitly sets death asa fixed punishment that cannot bechanged, reduced or annulled.

Many believe that the governmentintends to use the proposed penalcode to clamp down on the surge inconversions in Iran over the last fewyears. Commentators have called thesurge a “mass exodus” from Islam,which in its Iranian Shiite versionimposes harsh limitations on lifestyleand personal freedoms.

On July 2, Iran’s Members ofParliament voted to discuss as a priority the draft bill that seeks to“toughen punishment for harmingmental security in society,” Agence

France-Presse (AFP) has reported.The news agency noted that the draftbill also includes the death penalty for “establishing weblogs and sitespromoting apostasy.”

Over the last few years, the Internetand media such as television havebeen conduits of information onChristianity and are feared as sourcesof “corruption” of the Iranian people.The Internet is widely used in Irandespite restricted access for thousandsof websites with “immoral” content orcontent—including Christian ones—deemed as insulting religion and promoting political dissent.

In a statement earlier this year, theEuropean Union (EU) criticized thepenal code draft and particularlySection Five on the death penalty forapostasy. The EU said this section andother parts of the code violated Tehran’scommitments under internationalhuman rights conventions.

Christians in particular have sufferedpersecution in Iran since the Islamicrevolution in 1979. Christian convertsare regularly arrested and imprisonedwithout due process, tortured andplaced under surveillance. Muslimswho have embraced Christianity haveno right to practice their newfoundfaith, and the printing of the Bible inFarsi, the national language, has beenbanned.


Only a few seats remain for our October14 and 19 flights. To join any of our fourOctober tours, please get your passportand domestic connection ASAP. — Abel

Jewish HeritageCalendar–Begins inSeptember!Caution: buying this year’s will makeyou want next year’s as well! This is the BEST time to order our newJewish Heritage Calendar for the year5769, which begins in September.You’ll have the dates of biblical feastsand Sabbaths, and the names of themonths, the Holy Days, etc. You willalso become acquainted with manyfascinating artifacts through colorfulpictures and descriptions you maywish to save for years to come.

Please order from page 19.

Our four fall toursdepart October 14 and19 and return October29 and November 2.

Choose between theDeluxe, Grand Petra,Grand Athens, and ourUltra Grand tours.

Please call Abel in ouroffice at (214)696-9760during business hoursor 1-800-WONDERS(966-3377) anytime. Or email Abel at [email protected].

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Anti-Semitism and the Islamic End Time - Levitt