In Israel, Shabbat (the Sabbath) is an extraordinary day. People spend much effort to get everything perfectly prepared for this special season that lasts from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. For those of you who have ever visited Israel, you’d know that Friday morning is the time that everyone here is rushing around doing errands before everything closes.
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I love fishing but sadly, I haven’t been able to do it in quite some time. Yeah, I know, one would think there’d be some good fishing spots here in Israel. However, from what I understand, they’re not really available to the public. So sad. Nevertheless, fishing gives me a chance to get a break from the world and just relax and meditate — and on a good day, maybe catch a fish or two.
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Last night began Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) as Israelis remember the over 23,000 soldiers who’ve perished in various wars fought throughout the course of Israel’s short history. Even right now, as we write this devotion, again the sirens ring aloud. Everyone in Israel can hear the sirens at this moment and just about all of them will stop what they are doing in remembrance of those who’ve laid their lives down for this country’s freedom.
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Living in Israel can be interesting. The people here are brutally honest. They’ll tell you what’s on their mind, no holding back. If you’ve gained a few pounds, you’re surely gonna to hear about it. If you’re standing in line at the store or wherever, you can pretty much expect someone to cut right to the front of the line with a sad excuse if any at all.
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As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to announce Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it comes at a historical time as it will be 100 years (2 Jubilee cycles) nearly to the day when Jerusalem was liberated from the Ottoman Empire by the British in 1917. And in 1917, when the British entered into Jerusalem, it was 400 years (8 Jubilee cycles) to the day of when the Turks initially entered Jerusalem in 1517. So this month will mark 500 years (10 Jubilee Cycles) since the Ottomans first captured the holy city. Historically, it will also mark 50 years (1 Jubilee Cycle) since Jerusalem was liberated in the Six Days War in 1967.
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Yesterday Israel celebrated Yom Yerushalayim or Jerusalem Day. It marked the 45th year of the restoration of Jerusalem back into Israeli hands. Hundreds of thousands of tourists have come to participate in the various celebrations going on in this beautiful city today.
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Last week, just before Chanukah, the United Nations passed resolution 2334. The resolution, in a nutshell, states that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria (commonly called the “West Bank”), have “no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law”. The resolution enjoins the world to “to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.”
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