Arisenow issue.6

arisenow ISSUE #6 / March 2014

SCARLETT JOHANSSON The power of the cross The story of the most powerful event in human history

SODA STREAM BATTLE Soda Stream in the middle of an international boycott campaign

THE SILENT END An eye opening report on abortion in Israel

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OUR vision is to courageously and creatively teach, live and share God’s passion for the young generation and stand firm by His plans for Israel and the world.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Jani Salokangas WORKING IN: USA, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway, England, Philippines, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Namibia, Switzerland...

Rooted in the powerful scripture of Ephesians 5:14, Arise stands to unlimitedly glorify God: to inspire and promote Biblical truths into young people’s everyday lives. Arise devotes itself to cause a generation to arise for spiritual awakening, works of love and support for Israel.

arisenow

CREDITS

International Director JANI SALOKANGAS Media Strategist EMANUEL MFOUKOU International Administrator SYBILLE HOCHULI AriseNow editors EMANUEL MFOUKOU AND JANI SALOKANGAS

From its beginning in 2002 the ARISE movement has had one mission – to gather students and young people from across the globe to live a life centered in God. We believe that God has a special plan for each person and it is our responsibility to live that calling to its fullest potential. Above all we want this generation to see and discover the unique and crucial plan that God has for Israel in His epic world redemptive plan.

The Arise movement is spreading worldwide. Join the movement today!

Proof reading CHRIS CHAMBERS, LAURA SALOKANGAS Graphics / Illustration JANI SALOKANGAS Writers EMANUEL MFOUKOU, SARAH AYILEYE, JANI SALOKANGAS, SYBILLE HOCHULI, PAUL PARKHOUSE Photography ICEJ STAFF, JANI SALOKANGAS, POND5, EMANUEL MFOUKOU, PAUL PARKHOUSE ARISENOW is published by Arise ICEJ. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem www.icej.org

For more information contact us www.arisegeneration.org arisegeneration@icej.org Telephone: +972-2-539-9700 PO Box 1192 Jerusalem 91010 Israel

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From the leader’s pen

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n a culture where stage presence and public personas are idolized I see a dangerous threat rising up within the chuch. We as young people want to resonate so much about what we see and what we feel is relevant that in this process too many loose themselves and become shadows of others. These shadows are copies of others, the originals.

ooking at the 12 disciples of Jesus none were the same although they were called by the same man even towards the same purpose.

What would’ve happened if David would’ve copied Saul? What could we become if we would trust and understand that there is a profound uniqueness inscribed into each of us?

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od has installed unique and custom made plans for each one of us. God is a Creator who created you not to copy but to follow that special talent and ability that you posses. In Genesis God says that He made man into His image and this image possesses a deep purpose not just about what we are but about who we are in Him and what he wants us to do with this creation we call life.

he problem is thatcopying skips the role of true understanding.

Understanding is the yeast for originality. You have to understand why something works or why something is how it is. When you copy it, you miss that. You miss the pain and the process. You stole the cookie recipe but you fail to understand the ingenuity, creative pain and value that this process of creating the recipe gives.

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am afraid too many young leaders are missing their calling because they are confusing learning from others to copying others. Too many end up copying trends, styles and even speach because they are afraid to search originality which is given to all of us.

Too many leaders end up dry, empty and alone in the midst of big hype and fullfilling someone elses calling. You are you for a reason. Have the courage to be different to be salt and light.

Choose battle over comfort, a voice over silence and an original calling over imitation. You were born original, don’t die as a copy. •

Hot articles in this issue The power of the cross

page 6

Visit Israel

page 10

The Last Ten Days

page 14

The foolish BDS movement

page 24

2C Dining in Heaven

page 26

The Silent end

page 32

The case of the Soda Stream boycott

page 38

Opened eyes

page 42

Why come to the Feast?

page 45

The Druze community inside Israel

page 46

www.arisegeneration.org

Jani Salokangas is the Arise International Director and he is based in Jerusalem with his family.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, Romans 12:4-5

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the movement today Like us in Facebook. facebook.com/arisegeneration

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The information war The general impression seems to be that we are living in an age in which people are particularly knowledgeable. Everyday we are bombarded with 177-newspaper worth of information from TV, Internet, email, text messages, magazine and apps. Today’s companies process more than 60 terabytes of information annually, about 1,000 times more than a decade ago. The information war starts from the second you open your lids in the morning.

Our information access is remarkable. George Washington had to wait two weeks to find out that he had been elected as president of the United States. That’s how long it took for the news to travel from New York to him at his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Now we can watch developments as they occur in Ukraine while you live in Mexico in real time. It is little wonder then that young people boast of their knowledge.

Many young people feel that they are the wisest generation in history.

Arguable, I have to say. Possessing information does not capitalize into wisdom necessarily. If this would be the case the streets would be flooded by geniuses solving all foundational problems in our societies. That is however not the case. Moreover I see overly confused individuals who in their internal information war cannot distinguish right from wrong, war from peace, sin from holy and truth from lies. No wonder the case of Israel is so confusing, misinterpreted, misunderstood and flagged with great stop signs in our churches.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. //Psalm 119:9

We must be willing to encourage our young people to search through the Scriptures and to meditate the word under the counsel of God. We cannot bail out and think that they are not ready to study the Bible or too young for it to apply. The Bible is always appropriate and influential. Then, it is up to our young people to accept its message and step out in faith.

Those who want to grow must find a way to break away themselves from the surrounding garbage, laziness, coldness, biblical illiteracy and get into the Word and grow up. It will take courage, and it may well be a deserted road. But it is right and worth it.

May we as adults do our part to support this maturity process and serve the young people in their needs. We must do our best to raise up young people who are willing to build God’s Kingdom, speak loudly for the truth and pray and comfort the nation of Israel. •

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TEACHING

THE POWER

of the Cross Juha Ketola | Photography Pond5

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The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that if he had to condense the Christian faith into one single message, it would be the message of the cross of Christ. When visiting the church in Corinth, he was “determined not to know anything… except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). For all eternity, the Cross declares an eternal and powerful message to the world.

The Cross is a mighty demonstration of God’s character...

A demonstration of God’s love At Calvary we see more than anywhere else the character of God. Paul declares: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) If there is one place where God’s love can be seen and understood best, it is at the foot of the Cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...”

No matter how noble the cause, would any among us consider giving up our children for it? No, family comes first! And of course, this is our first realm of responsibility as good parents. But this was not the case with God. He was willing to give His Son, not to redeem a noble company of saints, but Jesus died for wretched sinners like you and me.

This is the exciting news; God did not wait for the human race to improve until He decided to offer the incredible redemptive gift of His Son. He did so while humanity was hopelessly lost and in open rebellion against Him. This love was not deserved and it remains beyond our understanding. This also gives us hope. Paul uses that very truth to assure the status of the believer. If God was willing to offer the incredible gift of the death of His only Son while we were still sinners, Paul urges us to consider how much more will He now give us everything as His children. God will never come to a point that He is finished with you. He literally is willing to do whatever it takes to finish the good work He started in you (Romans 8:32, Philippians 1:6). So never give up on yourself!

During the Passover season each year, we are reminded of the most powerful event which ever took place in human history.

At exactly the moment when thousands of Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus – the Lamb of God – died on the Cross and carried away the sins of the world. This perfect fulfilment of the Paschal sacrifice on a Roman cross outside the city walls of Jerusalem has become the primary symbol of Christianity.

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A demonstration of God’s righteousness The Cross also demonstrates God’s righteousness. “Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…”

(Romans 3:25) The Cross is a powerful display of the righteousness of God. The German theologian Erich Sauer wrote: “All the patience of the past was only possible in foresight of the Cross and all grace of the future is justified in hindsight of the Cross.” It is there at the Cross where every single righteous requirement of God is being met. It is only at the Cross where God’s righteousness can become our very own righteousness. It is this glorious exchange at the Cross which allows us to enter freely into the presence of God, knowing that all our sins past, present or future are being met by the grace of God.

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The exaltation of the person of Jesus It was the unconditional obedience of Jesus to his heavenly Father which exalted him above all measure. When Jesus is introduced by John in the first chapter of his Gospel, the Apostle sees “the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18; see also Proverbs 8:25-31). After the Cross, Jesus returned to his Father, yet not to His bosom but “after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God”, with “angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him” (Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22). What an exaltation!

Paul described this in the following way: “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

(Philippians 2:8-11) This does not mean that Jesus through the Cross attained a more divine nature or a higher heavenly status. He already was the all-powerful Creator (John 1:3). Yet the Cross has earned him that glorious name of Jesus which is worthy of all our praise and adoration forever.

The transformation of humankind The great impact the Cross on the human race is that it is not just a means to avoid punishment and hell. Jesus did not die to just save the sinner from certain death (even though this would have been reason enough to thank God for all eternity). Rather, the Cross delivers to us something far greater.

The death and resurrection of Christ make us part of God’s eternal family!

When Jesus died on the Cross, an incredible exchange of identity took place.

It is not only Jesus who died on Calvary, but everyone who places their faith in his hands died with Christ and is resurrected to a new identity (Romans 6:6). Or as Jesus put it, we are “born again” (John 3:3). And once this transformation takes place, our new identity is that of a son or daughter of God. Jesus brings us into such an intimate relationship with the Father that we can call him “Abba” (Romans 8:15). Jesus has become our all-powerful elder brother and he himself “is not ashamed to call [us his] brethren! (Hebrews 2:11) We have become co-heirs with Jesus and one day we will rule and reign with him! What a wonderful redemption!

Therefore let us rise up from the all our lethargy and misery. The Cross has become our victory for today and the gateway to a triumphant future. Let us live according to that glorious destination and let us give thanks to God for His saving love! •

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“God did not wait for the human race to improve until He decided to offer the incredible redemptive gift of His Son. He did so while humanity was hopelessly lost and in open rebellion against Him.� www.arisegeneration.org

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CULTURE

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VISIT ISRAEL During 2013 some 3.54 million people visited Israel, out of which 2,9 million were tourists from across the globe. Over half of these, 53%, were Christians with a desire to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and make the bible come alive.

Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Jani Salokangas

The Land of Israel gave the world the Bible. Here, Jesus the Messiah grew up, was baptised, preached, performed miracles, healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, died on the cross, and rose again. From his ministry base in Capernaum he reached out to the people of the land with the Good News. And from the Mount of Olives he ascended into heaven - the same mountain that he one day will return to in glory.

Needless to say, God is present everywhere. Nevertheless, all Christians with a love for Jesus and the Bible should try, at least once in their lifetime, to pay a visit to the Holy Land. Connecting your biblical knowledge to the land where it all took place can be compared to making a journey from theory to practice, and it will most assuredly cause you to see the Bible from a multitude of new angles. The Bible declares that the letter of the law can kill while the spirit gives the written word life. Likewise, visiting the Holy Land brings the word of God alive. It is therefore a powerful and exciting way to build your faith.

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During 2013 some 3.54 million people visited Israel, out of which 2,9 million were tourists from across the globe. Over half of these, 53%, were Christians with a desire to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and make the bible come alive. The most visited sites were the Western Wall, followed by the Jewish quarter, the Church of Holy Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa, the Dead Sea and the Mount of Olives, while the most visited cities in their turn were Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tiberias and Nazareth.

Tourism is one of Israel’s most important income sources and in 2013 it is estimated that it brought some NIS 40 billion to the country’s coffers while at the same time employing 100 000 Israelis out of which 1/3 works in hotels.

In 2013 the majority of the visitors came from the US, followed by Russia, France Germany, UK, Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Canada and Brazil.

With tourism being of such importance to Israel, the country’s tourism Minister, Uzi Landau, recently announced that his ministry has decided to make several of the country’s tourist sites more accessible for people with disadvantages and that a sum of some 6,6 million NIS will be invested for these purposes. So far the sound and light show in Beit Shean as well as certain locations of the popular ruins of Masada have been remodeled to cater for the needs of wheel chairs. “It is important for us to properly represent people with disabilities in order to make it easier for them to relax and enjoy their holiday like everyone else. The Tourism Ministry under my leadership will continue to make tourism sites accessible,” Landau explained.

To find out where the Israeli tourism industry is heading, AriseNow paid a visit to the 20th International Mediterranean Tourism Market held between February 11 – 12 2014 at the Israeli Trade Fairs and Convention Center in Tel Aviv.

The conference was attended by various players from the Israeli tourism industry along with a host of agents from across the world, 1500 exhibitors from 48 countries.

Among the traditional representatives from the Israeli tourists industry were to be found iTravel Jerusalem representing the city of Jerusalem with its many religious, historical and cultural sites such as the City of David, the Davidson Center, the Jerusalem Archeological park, the Roman Plaza, and the Rampart walk to mention

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You can sleep like bedouins in numerous places in Israel. Their hospitality combined with their delicious food is an unforgetable experinece.

•In 2013, 348 hotels operated in Israel with 48 600 rooms.

• Jerusalem - 72 hotels with 9500 rooms, Eilat - 50 hotels with 11 000 rooms, Tel Aviv - 55 hotels with 7100 rooms.

• 22,5 million bed nights were registered in 2013, 12,8 million of these were from Israelis.

• 64% of the tourists stayed in hotels while 4% stayed in youth hostels

• Of the 3.5 million visitors who came to Israel in 2013 – 2.6 million arrived by air (73%) 381 000 came through the land borders (11%) 578 000 were day visitors (16%) of these 257 000 came on cruise ships.

but a few. Other players such as the City council of Tel Aviv and the first Hebrew port in Israel, the Port of Tel Aviv, advertised what they have to offer as did representatives from the Nazareth village, Bethlehem’s Grand Park Hotel and companies from the area around the Dead Sea and the Timna Park, where visitors are able to see an exact replica of the Tabernacle used by the Israelites while in the wilderness.

Alternative tourism companies such as the Pantry Packer, offering an opportunity to help those in need while on holiday, displayed their products and promised a powerful 90 minute experience that the tour groups will remember forever.

Other companies such as the Top94 – Eilat Extreme Park offered everything from archery, rock climbing, paintballing, go carting to shooting and target range, while Moshav Dishon in the heartland of Galilee serves tourists with exciting ATV, tomcars and rangers trips. For the more daring, Israel Extreme provides activities such as adventure tours, abseiling, canoeing, bungee swings and hang gliding, etc.

Tourism is one of Israel’s most important income sources and in 2013 it is estimated that it brought some NIS 40 billion to the country’s coffers while at the same time employing 100 000 Israelis AriseNow spoke with one of the exhibitors, Hadar, a young woman working for Vered Hasharon, an Israeli tour agency, when we asked her what she does to promote Israel,she replied that you don’t have to promote Israel; it promotes itself. “We are in the Holy land so a lot of Christians like to come here, to Jerusalem and Bethlehem where Jesus was born and to the Sea of Galilee where He walked on water. Apart from religious sites, Tel Aviv offers its visitors lovely beaches with great warm weather most of the year.”

Before leaving the exhibition we ran in to Oren, who works for Skydive.co.il.

Oren explained that his company takes people up to heights of 3km from where one is leaving the plane while enjoying the views. According to Oren who has over 2800 jumps under his belt, one of the most unique experiences can be found skydiving over the Dead Sea, as well as over Eilat, from where one is able to see four different countries. ”Israel has much to offer, but seeing the country from the perspective of a skydiver is truly a unique experience,” he concluded.

If you would like to explore the land of Israel you are able to do so by joining this year’s ARISE summer tour, from 15-25 July 2014. To find out more or to reserve your spot on the tour, visit our website at: www.arisegeneration. org •

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1. The amazing rock formations at the Dead Sea in front of Masada.

2. The beautiful clean beaches of Herzeliya.

3. Arise young group enjoying the country and athmosphere.

4. Jeep adventure in the Negev desert.

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TEACHING

THE LAST

DAYS Ahead of the yearly commemoration of Jesus crucifixion, death and resurrection, AriseNow are offering you a series of photos of the places in Jerusalem where Jesus is believed to have spent his last days. Episodes of his life that are fundamental for our faith and for the salvation of human kind.

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Jerusalem City Matt 20:17-19. Then, as he was about to go up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and spoke to them as they walked along. “Listen, we are now going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes—and they will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the heathen to ridicule and flog and crucify. And on the third day he will rise again!”

www.arisegeneration.org

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Bethany Joh 12:1 “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

Bethany is today located in an Arab city named after Lazarus, al-Azariya (Place of Lazarus). Bethany means House of misery or poverty, it was the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and this is where Jesus often lived when he came to Jerusalem.

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Upper room / Mt.Zion Mark 14:15 “And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us. And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.�

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Mt. of Olives Mark 14:26 “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

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Garden of Gethsemane Mark 14:32 “And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane…” Gethsemane means “Oil press” in Hebrew, and just like olives are treated in the process of making oil, so was Jesus dealt with. He was shaken, crushed and pressed and it was during the agony in Gethsemane that he uttered the precious words, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

www.arisegeneration.org

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Sheep gate / Stephen’s Gate He was taken in through the Sheep gate, called by this name as it was through this gate that the offering lambs for the temple entered, but this time, Jesus Christ, had become the ultimate offering lamb and for the sake of our salvation he passed through the gate.

Before the crucifixion Jesus went through two different trials, a religious trial where he first faced Annas, believed to have been the former high priest and Caiaphas the high priest, along with other members of the Sanhedrin. After this he went through a civil and political trial where he was heard by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas.

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Golgotha Jesus was crucified on Calvary or Golgotha which means the place of the skull. On the cross He accomplished the salvation work in a period of 6 hours. In 360 minutes He turned it all around and set us free with His precious blood. As he died the veil of the temple was torn in two and we were granted direct access to the Holy of holies, i.e. free entrance to the Father. In His presence there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever more.

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Garden Tomb Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. “Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.� After three days Jesus rose from the dead.

He defeated death and left the tomb and after 40 days the man who descended to save us, ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand side of the Father in glory.

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Get connected

Arise newsletter http://www.arisegeneration.org/connect/email-signup

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FROM THE ARISE MONTHLY LETTER

THE FOOLISH BDS MOVEMENT The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel) movement has assembled a rather strange sort of “customers”. It is led by Arab-Muslim professional propagandists who seek Israel’s destruction, along with leftist students and faculty members seeking a ‘cause,’ and none better than one “to stick it to the Jews.” Among them, one finds naïve students with little understanding of the history of the Middle East or the Arab-Israeli conflict. Maybe the BDS movement should stop this laughable anti-Israel scheme and start helping the people in suffering, dying by the thousands each month in Lebanon and Syria, but I guess that is too hard, dangerous and non-sexy when speaking of media value (international media is primarily anti–Israel).

Guess who is helping the people suffering from this terrible war? Well surprise, surprise, Israel.

During the past weeks the BDS movement in trying to boycott Israeli products has encountered some epic fails.

• The website of the Cornell University branch of ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ explains that the group’s campaigns include boycotting skincare products, soft drink manufacturers, and even hummus, while the ‘Palestinian Holocaust Museum’ website actively attempts to smear the Jewish state with claims of a “Palestinian Holocaust”.

The only problem is… both websites were built on the Israeli web-platform “Wix”.

Wix is an Israeli built website-building program based in Tel Aviv.

• The revelation comes hot on the heels of the viral news story of a student at Oxford University who pointed out his classmate’s hypocrisy in using an Apple product, which contains parts developed by an Israeli tech-firm, while plastering his Macbook with anti-Israel propaganda.

It is your right to boycott Israel and demand sanctions. But, when the time comes, don’t be a hypocrite. The BDS movement is not only ignorant of the facts it is guilty of hate peddling which has no room on campuses dedicated to learning and exploration of truth.

Get ready, because the BDS movement is coming to your campuses to spread antiIsrael hate and twisted ideologies. Don’t be scared, get ready and inform yourself with the truth. Get educated with truthful facts and history and, moreover, get educated and transformed with the word of God. How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. //Psalm 119:9

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BDS’s goal: “Extinguish Israel as a Jewish state.” BDS unequivocally rejects Israel’s many peace offers— including numerous land-for-peace proposals supported by the United States— and rejects Israel’s willingness to sit down to direct peace talks without preconditions.

Thus, the facts make BDS’s intentions clear: Rather than being a movement that seeks peace and freedom, it is a movement motivated by an obsessive hate of Zionism and Jews and opposition to the Jewish state— one bent on fomenting strife, conflict and enmity until Israel is utterly defeated.

OH, BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES WHAT YOU SEE Jani Salokangas | Photography Pond5

Remember that Christian children’s song from Sunday School? ”Oh, be careful little eyes what you see!

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see!

For the Father up above Is looking down in love, So be careful little eyes what you see.”

Does it matter what I as a believer choose to fill my mind with in the form of visual or auditory media? I believe it does.

Why does it matter so much? One of the things I’ve learned in my life as a christian is that the mind is the arena of faith and can also be the devil’s playground, if we are not careful. It is a battlefield of thoughts and words. Every day I have to make choices about which voices I will listen to: the voices that call me to a walk of righteousness or the voices that encourage me to indulge the lusts of the flesh.

Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge Proberbs 23:12

“Pay attention to what you hear” (Mark 4:24): the word “hear” obviously includes what I read, because which is written or printed will be addressed to my ears in my daily life. Few people today realize the urgent need for “paying attention” unto what they read.

Just as the natural food which is eaten either helps or hinders the body—so the mental food we receive either benefits or injures the mind, and that, in turn, affects the heart.

First and foremost, I believe that I need to be a daily student of His Word. Once I know His Word and Him, as revealed in His Word, it becomes easier to discern between things that will help me to grow in His image.

www.arisegeneration.org

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CULTURE

2C - Dining in Heaven The restaurant which has been around for more than 10 years offers the most exceptional views of the bustling city of Tel Aviv, and while enjoying your meal in the presence of your loved ones you are at the same time able to lay eyes on sites such as the Old Jaffa, the Shalom tower, the Port of Tel Aviv and Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s first neighborhood, not to mention the Mediterranean Sea. Next time you are visiting the Holy land you cannot miss out on the opportunity of eating on the top of Israel, fine dining in the clouds next to God. When you are done eating you can visit the Azrieli Observatory on the 49th floor across the hall from the restaurant. From here you are able to see the rest of the city, the largest metropolis in Israel, and when you have had enough you can simply descend with the elevator and pay one of Israel’s largest shopping malls, the Azrieli mall a visit.

To find out more about the 2C Restaurant we turned to its Marketing and media manager, Danielle Koren who invited both old and new guests to come dine in the skies.

The Holy land is first and foremost known for its many biblical and historical sites, but in the last years it has also made headways as an upcoming culinary destination with top class restaurants to be found in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. One unique eating experience satisfying both your taste glands as well as your eyes is the 2C Restaurant in Tel Aviv, situated on the top floor of Israel’s second highest building, the Azrieli tower, measuring some 189 meters.

“The restaurant is visited by a variety of people, not just from Israel but from all over the world. The view, the special food prepared by world class chefs, and the place in itself is one of a kind. From the top of the restaurant everything looks so small, the highest places in Tel Aviv becomes tiny from up here. On top of that, the restaurant is one of the best in Israel; we serve special courses like file steak with goose liver, and all kinds of beverages. It’s a nice, quiet and classic place, offering business and regular lunches, evening menus, and so on. We are also organizing special events, birthdays and New Year’s parties.”

“If you are visiting Tel Aviv you have to pay us a visit. From the restaurant you will be able to find the best views of the city, you will be able to see the sea, old and new neighborhoods and if you are lucky and you come on a clear day you will even be able to see all the way to Jerusalem.” •

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RUNNING

IN THE CITYOF THE GREAT KING On March the 21, Jerusalem held its 4th edition of the Jerusalem Marathon with some 25 000 participants enjoying the unique views of the city while looking forward to the finishing line. Each year hundreds of charities and various organizations encourage its workers to participate in one of the marathon’s six different distances and along the course everyone from politicians, musicians, soldiers, tourists and other public figures can be seen.

This year three staff members from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem had tied their shoe laces and took to the streets of the City of the Great King, representing the ministry. All of them, Scott Morgan, Esther Wieja and Jani Salokangas are experienced runners in the sense that they were participating in the marathon for the second year in a row, this year in the 10 km course. Jerusalem is known for being one of the toughest marathons in the world due to its many hills, and if you haven’t yet participated we encourage you to start the preparations and to join us in Jerusalem in 2015.

Scott Morgan

Some 25000 participants took part in the fourth edition of the Jerusalem marathon.

Men’s 2014 winner: Abrham Kabeto KETLER ETH 2:16:30 Women’s 2014 winner: Mihiret Anamo ANTONIOS ETH 2:47:27

Estera Wieja

Jani Salokangas

JERUNSALEM

13.3.2015

COME AND RUN THROUGH HISTORY AND GET TO KNOW THE BIBLE IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL IN AN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS WHO LOVE SPORT AND JESUS. MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON

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REPORT

ARISE

ON THE ROAD

The first trimester of 2014 has been a busy one for ARISE ICEJ; the team has travelled to three countries in order to advance the Kingdom of God. We would like to take the opportunity to thank our supporters around the world for past, current and future prayers. Without your fervent support we would not be able to do what we are doing.

In February Jani Salokangas visited Switzerland where he spoke to young adults in both the German and French speaking parts of the country. The meetings were marked by a strong presence of God which both invigorated and envisioned the participants. The young adults of Switzerland are living in an abundance of material blessings and their quality of life is very high.

Material health is one of the reasons why young adults take church less serious, as they feel that they don’t need God to secure their safety. As a result many churches are struggling in retaining their youth and keeping their values in order. However during the meetings it became evident that this shallow lifestyle driven by comfort is creating a void in their lives that only Jesus is able to fill. “The people were hungry for the word of God and it was encouraging to see that even in the midst of rich countries like Switzerland there are people who want something more than just what the society can offer,” Jani said. Arise will continue reaching out to the young people in Switzerland and the Swiss Arise Director Joel Bigler is doing a fantastic work in order to accomplish that.

Meanwhile, Emanuel Mfoukou visited Sweden where he spoke and informed numerous congregations about Arise and the ICEJ. In addition he held several meetings with pastors and leaders in order to find ways to strengthen the work of the ministry in the country. “Jesus loves Sweden and there is a deep passion among the people I met to hear more about Him and the land where He was born,” Emanuel explained, and added that he is excited about the doors God is opening up in the largest of the Scandinavian countries. •

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However during the meetings it became evident that this shallow lifestyle driven by comfort is creating a void in their lives that only Jesus is able to fill.

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REPORT

TOUCHING PEOPLE WORLDWIDE SOCCER WITH ARABS In the beginning of June 2014 Arise will be hosting its first and one of a kind soccer camp with professional soccer player Marcos Tavares. The camp will be held in Bethlehem and it will act as a bridge to bring comfort and joy to the Palestinian youth. The camp will be lead by NK Maribor captain Marcos Tavares who also is the ICEJ Slovenian Director.

Marcos has an extensive resume in the professional field of soccer playing against the best teams in Europe such as Tottenham, Lazio, Wigan and so many more. The Arise Director Jani Salokangas will also be co-leading the camp. In Bethlehem our local partner will be Naim Khoury, founder and seniour pastor of the First Baptist Church.

HELP UKRANIAN JEWS The ongoing revolution in Ukraine has caused great concern for the Jewish people living there. Both pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian elements are blaming Jews for provoking the current crisis and neo-Nazi forces are taking advantage of the chaos to make their presence felt in the streets. Thus many Jews are thinking about moving to Israel and some have already begun making their preparations to leave. The Jewish Agency has bolstered its staff in the Ukraine with more Aliyah coordinators in order to meet the increased demand Since the early 1990s, the ICEJ has sponsored over 42,000 Ukrainian Jews in making their way home to Israel. Some were courageously evacuated by Christians from conflict zones, while others made the decision to move to Israel under quieter conditions. But this unexpected crisis in the Ukraine now demands that we act once again to bring needy and endangered Jews home from this troubled region.

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30 YEARS IN FINLAND The ICEJ Finnish branch celebrated 30 years since their establisment. The celebration was filled with joy, special guests and powerful messages from God. The Finnish chapter is one of the oldest among the ICEJ branches and it keeps proving itself to be vibrant, growing and reaching out to new areas in the media and churches across Finland.

ARISE UK CONFERENCE PASSOVER PACKAGES Spring is just around the corner and that means the biblical festival of Passover is not far away. For Jewish families in Israel this sacred holiday is a very special occasion, and many begin preparing for it well in advance. Yet it can also be a difficult season for those lacking the means to celebrate the Feast of Passover according to custom.

The ICEJ staff has been busy transforming your financial blessings into Passover boxes to help poor families, needy new immigrants, single-parents, elderly and especially Holocaust survivors all across Israel.

The Passover seder meal approaches, recent government figures have indicated that more than one-third of Israelis are living below the poverty line. Many of these folks come from large families with numerous children, meaning extra mouths to feed. Local charities will need to provide basic food staples to hundreds of thousands of these impoverished families. Thus we look to you, our friends and supporters, to help us meet the needs of as many Jewish families as we can this holiday season.

Arise UK held their first conference event on the evening of Saturday March 8th at Billinge Family Church in the North West of England. The event followed on from the main ICEJ conference event earlier in the day and maintained the same theme of ‘Restoration’.

The aim of the event was to draw in young adults from the area to expose them to the message that we are a generation living in the most Biblically significant days since the time of Jesus. With this in mind, we therefore booked a worship leader and speaker who are respected among the younger generation, as well as providing the temptation of Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts!

After a short introduction by Paul Parkhouse of Arise UK, Chip Kendall took us into a time of high energy and highly interactive worship! Chip, formerly of Bandwithnoname, now leads the Chip Kendall Band (www.chipkendall.com) and spent his teenage years living in Israel while his father worked with ICEJ. He therefore brought both a passion for God’s name and a hunger to see our generation awakened to His purposes for Israel.

We then heard a timely message from Clive Urquhart on God’s heart to raise up One New Man in Christ. Clive is Senior Pastor of Kingdom Faith in the UK (www.kingdomfaith. com), which is a growing network of churches with an understanding of Israel as a core value. The message closed with a meaningful response time where Clive challenged us to lay down any prejudices and to commit to being on no other side but God’s.

Feedback from the young adults after the event was very positive, two signed up for the Summer Tour and we look forward to doing more events like it in future.

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INSIDE ISRAEL

THE SILENT

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ments going back to 1550 BC, consisting of 110 pages believed to have been copied from earlier texts from around 3400 BC. These texts recommend a mixture of acacia, colocynth, dates, honey and plant fibers, while other sources suggested the use of crocodile and elephant feces to abort a pregnancy.

Further, abortions has never been an isolated phenomenon belonging to a specific set of countries, but rather a worldwide issue, which even exists in the Holy land. When discussing Israel and its different communities, it is important to remember that it is a society like all others, and with similar struggles to the rest of the world. The Israeli policy related to abortion, just like European and US policies on the subject matter is therefore an area which requires prayer.

Abortion in the Holy land dates back to even before the reestablishment of the state in 1948. The Jewish women in pre state Israel, before 1948, often used abortion as a form of birth control, and according to Prof Lilach Rosenberg-Friedman from the Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at the Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, who have conducted thousands of interviews with Jewish women from the period, the birthrate in pre state Israel was among the lowest in the world. Some of the women who today are in their 70’s and 80’s admit that abortion was a commonly used form of birth control, with some women having 10 to 12 abortions. In 1942 the then Chief Rabbi, Isaac Herzog, compared abortions to the Shoah and went as far as to state that the Holocaust took place as a consequence of the high number of abortions.

In 1942, one of Israel’s founding fathers, David Ben Gurion, who was to become Israel’s first Prime Minister, referred to abortion as a ”moral degeneration of the capitalist civilization,” and asked himself, “would our enterprise in the land have come about if our mothers had behaved like our daughters? Most of us never would have been.”

Prophet Jeremiah, aka the weeping prophet, explains how God knows each individual before they are formed in their mothers’ womb. This is a rather strong statement, one of many, which could be used as a biblical stand against abortion. According to the World Health Organization, there are 40-50 million abortions taking place per year across the world, of these 21,6 million are so called unsafe abortions carried out in places lacking necessary medical skills and equipment. In 2013 over 13 million abortions were carried out in China alone, and both Russia and Romania have in the past reported on having more abortions than live births.

The contemporary discourse in Western media, whether prolife or prochoice, makes it sound like abortion is a new phenomenon, but there is nothing new under the sun, and one of the earliest records known mentioning this form of birth control, dates back to the Ebers Papyrus. The Ebers Papyrus is a set of medical docu-

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It is estimated that since the reestablishment of the state of Israel in 1948, some two million children have been aborted, and statistics has it that some 40 000 children are being aborted per year.

To get a better grasp of abortion in Israel, AriseNow sat down with Sandy Shoshani, President of Be’ad Chaim, a non-governmental body helping mothers considering abortion to keep their child. Be’ad Chaim which means prolife in Hebrew was founded in 1988 by Christians from around the world that had learnt about the staggering abortion numbers coming out of Israel. Initially it began as a prayer group, but with time it developed and in 2005 as Shoshani addressed a church in Tel Aviv, Operation Moses was born, an operation which started off by giving assistance to some 15 women, providing them with furniture, baby stroller’s, diapers and bed sheets.

“Many of the girls are single women whose boyfriends don’t want to stand with them during their pregnancies, they are afraid to

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be alone and they don’t have the finances. I tell the women, it’s honorable to keep the baby; you shouldn’t be ashamed to keep the child. We help the women during a period of one year, some of our clients are 16 years old, the majority is in their 20’s and some of them are over 40 years old. ” According to statistics there are about 140 abortions per day including illegal ones, and Shoshani claims that all hospitals in Israel carry out abortions, “some hospitals say that they don’t do abortions, but they all do them.” In 2013 Israel had about 160 000 live births, and 40 000 abortions, which means that every 4th or 5th pregnancy in Israel ends up in abortion.

Today Israel has one of the most liberal abortion policies in the world, especially after the ratification of a new law which saw its birth on December 31. This law offers abortions free of charge to all women under the age of 33 and over 40, abortion is legal until birth, but if the pregnancy surpasses the first trimester one has to ask permission from a special committee.

“If there is a medical issue with the child, even until week 39 you are allowed to abort. I had a friend who was 39 weeks pregnant when she went in for a check; the doctors told her that her baby was not growing normally. As a result they offered her the option to abort, despite their recommendations she decided to keep the child, and a couple of weeks later she gave birth to a perfectly normal baby.”

Shoshani explains that before she became active in Be’ad Chaim she saw a picture in her mind of an ostrich, “then God spoke to me and asked if I wanted to continue keeping my head in the sand or admit that I know. I am so glad that I followed his lead, since 2006 we have saved over 800 children from being aborted.”

One of the girls who thanks to Be’ad Chaim decided to keep her child is 23 years old Shira from Jerusalem, she already has a son and two daughters and she told AriseNow that her last baby came as a bit of a surprise and that it would have been financially hard to keep a third child. “I didn’t know about this organization and it was my friend who convinced me to come here. As soon as I sat down to talk to the staff they convinced me to keep the child.

They have been so good to me and given me all that I need for my baby, it is thanks to Be’ad Chaim that I decided to keep my child, today she is seven month old and she is truly a little princess.”

Another woman is Esther, a Christian refugee from Eritrea with a daughter diagnosed with downs syndrome. Despite finding out about her daughter’s condition she never considered abortion, based on the fact that she is a believer in Jesus. “When I first heard that my baby had Downs syndrome I was afraid, but with time I came to my senses and realized that it’s not my work but

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Today Israel has one of the most liberal abortion policies in the world, especially after the ratification of a new law which saw its birth on December 31.

This law offers abortions free of charge to all women under the age of 33 and over 40.

God’s. God can do anything and it is all in his hands, and I decided to receive my child as God gave her to me. I am so thankful to Be’ad Chaim and what they have done for me, if it weren’t for them I don’t know what would have happened, I don’t think I would have been able to survive.”

Shira, agrees and explains that without Be’ad Chaim she would never have kept her little boy. “This organization has given me the courage to keep my baby. I considered abortion as I had the wrong partner. I always thought of having my child with the right person, but I am absolutely happy I kept the child, it’s beautiful. I would like to tell all women who consider an abortion to keep their child. If you keep your child God will bless you, and if you think that you will not be able to take care of your child, God will come through in whatever circumstance. People, who have had an abortion, will eventually feel guilt, even if it happens 10 – 15 years later.”

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Finally we talked to Ricky and her baby girl Tamar. In her case she was abandoned by her boyfriend when he found out that she was pregnant. “I really did not know what to do; I had nobody, no money and no job. Without Be’ad Chaim I would have had an abortion, but they convinced me to keep my baby and promised me financial help. They showed me pictures which made me realize that I had a baby inside of me, because I didn’t really know, but they enlightened me and I am so happy for my little Tamar.”

In conclusion we asked Shoshani what Christians from around the world can do in order to assist the work of Be’ad Chaim. One of the ways to help is for individuals or churches to adopt or sponsor a baby for a period of one year, while another way is to turn towards the Lord. “There is a lot to pray for, people need to take a stand at the moment as Israel has no movements at all against abortions. Pray that adoption will become more popular as it now seems like it’s better to abort than to adopt. Also pray that the laws will change, that abortion will not be legal, and that it eventually will become a shame to have an abortion in Israel.”

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CORNER It’s time to say goodbye This is it. My time in Jerusalem is coming to an end after 28 months. This is my last column for the AriseNow magazine. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for over two years! In a way, the time just flew by, on the other hand it’s also been a long time. It’s been two years full of new experiences, exploring the land, going through good times and difficult periods, meeting new people and saying goodbye to others. I met people from all over the world. With some I spent a few weeks, with some several months, and others have been here all along. Jerusalem is a melting pot of locals and foreigners, long term workers and short time volunteers. It is something wonderful and sad all at the same time.

There have been so many highlights, but I’m going to attempt to mention just a few.

I’ve had the privilege to visit many different places in Israel, not only on the Arise tours but also with friends. We hiked some beautiful places in the Galilee or in the desert, we spent days and weekends on the beach at the Mediterranean, we had picnics and played games in the park. At the Dead Sea I went horseback riding for the first time (and almost was thrown off my horse, so I’m not sure if I want to do it again, even though I always wanted to learn how to ride). I will always remember the incredible jeep trek through the Negev desert together with ICEJ staff.

It was spring and after the rainy winter the desert was blooming. There were colorful flowers and lush green bushes in the dry river beds surrounded by different shades of brown, black, red and yellow of the desert plains and mountains. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen in my life!

The Arise tours will remain a great memory in my heart – especially meeting the interesting young people and seeing how God changed their lives here in Israel. I was encouraged to see young people rise up and express their willingness to follow Jesus no matter what. It’s exciting to see how God continues to work in their lives, as with some I am still in touch (facebook really helps with that).

Last but not least, I have to mention the annual Feast of Tabernacles conference. They are always a great time, even though it’s the busiest time of the year for ICEJ staff. After months of preparation the conference starts and it’s amazing to see how it all comes together with the help of hundreds of volunteers and thousands of participants from all over the world. They all come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot in Hebrew) and to worship Jesus Christ. I love the international flair, meeting the people, listening to the speakers and worshipping our God together. What a blessing!

Now it’s time to turn the page. God is opening a new chapter in my life and I’m looking forward to what He has prepared for me. I will surely miss my friends, my co-workers and Israel. To you, our readers, I would like to say thank you for supporting our work and sharing our vision.

May God bless you! •

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Bible passage “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,” Romans 12:4 Copying others skips the role of true understanding. Understanding is the yeast for originality. You have to understand why something works or why something is how it is.

When you copy it, you miss that. You miss the labour of the process. You stole the cookie recipe but you fail to understand the ingenuity, creative pain and value that this process of creating the recipe gives.

Looking at the 12 disciples of Jesus none where the same although they were called by the same man even towards the same purpose.

What would’ve happened if David would’ve copied Saul? or if Martin Luther King the leaders of his era? what could we become if we would trust and understand that there is a profound uniqueness inscribed into each of us? Bottom line is that we all have a unique and custom made place and calling in His Kingdom. • 37

INSIDE ISRAEL

THE CASE

OF THE

SODA STREAM

BOYCOTT Emanuel Mfoukou | Photography Emanuel Mfoukou

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European Court of Justice decided that goods produced in these areas were not to be considered Israeli products and hence not exempt from custom fees.

2014 started off with various headlines revolving around boycotts against products coming out from Israeli settlements located within the Green line, or the 1967 borders also referred to as Occupied Palestinian territories. Boycotts are not a new thing for Israel and the Jewish people, and during the 30’s Nazi Germany encouraged boycotts against Jewish business. Since the reestablishment of Israel, boycotts against the nation have been used on several occasions.

To get a perspective of the current issues in play and to understand the context, we have to go back to June 2000, when the EU Israel Association agreement came in to force. This free trade agreement stipulated that goods from Israel were to be exempt from custom fees, except products originating from areas that Israel took control over in the 1967 Six Day War, i.e. the West bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights. Despite this arrangement Israeli labeled products coming out from these areas as “Made in Israel,” led to a dispute between the EU and Israel. In 2004 the row was resolved as Israel agreed to label their products with its place of origin, hence making it easier for the EU to differentiate between Israeli products and the ones produced behind the Green line. In 2010, and as a result of products from Soda Stream, the European Court of Justice decided that goods produced in these areas were not to be considered Israeli products and hence not exempt from custom fees.

Several non-governmental organizations have also fought against products produced by Israeli companies in the disputed territories; one of these groups is the so called Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions, the BDS movement. The goal of this movement, created in 2004, is to further three demands, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, Israeli withdrawal from behind the green line as well as equal opportunities for Israeli Arabs and Palestinians.

The etymology of the word boycott dates back to the latter parts of the 19th century, and the Irish land wars. It entered our vocabulary as a result of Captain Charles Boycott and his decision to evict 11 tenants from the land he oversaw. This resulted in an isolation of Mr. Boycott, as farm workers, business men and even the local post men avoided doing business with him, eventually his family name came to be related to a set of sanctioned actions, and what was once a surname, took on a whole new meaning.

Earlier this year the boycott debate reached new levels. This time Scarlett Johansson, the actress known for movies such as the Island, Iron Man 2 and the Avengers, decided to leave her posiwww.arisegeneration.org

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tion as Oxfam’s goodwill ambassador where she helped the organization fight extreme poverty. She left Oxfam after she had gotten under critique for being the spoke person for the Israeli company Soda Stream, whom according to international law is operating in the occupied territories. When Johansson left Oxfam her agency released a statement saying that ”Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years…She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.” In a recent interview with the British newspaper Independence, she claimed that Oxfam are in support off the BDS movement. “I think for a non-governmental organisation to be supporting something that’s a political cause… something feels not right about that to me.

There’s plenty of evidence that Oxfam does support and has funded the BDS movement in the past. It’s something that can’t really be denied.”

In regards to Soda Stream, the factory has been in business since 1903 and today they are a world leader in their industry producing home water-carbonating appliances, and pride themselves with being more healthy than Coke and Pepsi. According to research, 68 percent of its company sales stem from Europe and it is estimated that one of every five households in Sweden are owners of a Soda Stream device. The HQ of Soda Stream is located in the Air Port City, next to Tel Aviv, while their largest factory is to be found in Mishor Adummim, in the disputed territories.

One of the arguments in favor of plants such as the one in Mishor Adummim is the promotion of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians enabling them to work together hence breaking down false misconceptions. Stronger economic ties between Arabs and Israeli Israelis are a step closer to coexistence, and according to some figures there are currently 30 000 Palestinians from the West Bank working on Israeli factories or plants situated within the disputed territories.

During a recent visit to Soda Stream’s factory in Mishor Adummim, AriseNow was able to obtain a clearer view of what all the fuss is really about. Here we met with Daniel Birnbaum, Soda stream’s CEO and were able to freely walk around their facilities and talk to the workers. According to Birnbaum, around 500 of the 1300 employees are from the West Bank, 400 are Israeli Arabs while the rest are made up of Israeli Jews.

Birnbaum started by explaining that he couldn’t see any issues with the factory being at its current location. “I don’t understand how a place of employment can be an obstacle to peace, on the contrary, we bring people together and normalize people’s lives. Unemployment and poverty is an impetus to war, terrorism and conflict. But we on the other hand are giving employment to people. That’s a really good foundation for peace. We are bringing Israeli Jews and Arabs together by creating a bridge of peace and communication; we should celebrate this cooperation and see it as a model for peace.”

In regards to the ongoing boycott it seems like the BDS movement 40 AriseNow

She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

have been a powerful marketing tool as Soda Stream has gone from strength to strength since the boycott began. “Judging by the business results of Soda Stream, a boycott is a really good thing because our business has been growing 30-40 percent every year in the last five years. So I don’t think the BDS are celebrating their success with us, but the folks who are paying the price of the boycott so far are mostly our Palestinian employees.”

To verify what the Palestinian workers thought of their work at Soda Stream, AriseNow spoke with several of the employees who all expressed their support for the company and portrayed it like a place where they felt they were part of one big family. One of the workers, Yosef Muhammed who works at one of Soda Stream’s assembly lines revealed that he is blessed to have work at the factory. “I am very happy with the work and the salary is much better here compared to places in the Palestinian territories, on top of that we have been given an insurance package in case of accidents. My friend who cut off his hand in a machine in Palestine some time back, didn’t get any assistance whatsoever, but here it’s different. Personally I don’t really see it as a problem that the factory is located in a settlement.”

Another of Soda Stream’s workers is 28 year old Ahmed Nazer from Ramallah, the sole bread winner of a large family, made up of seven people. He echoed Muhammed’s answer and explained that it’s a great opportunity for those Palestinians working at Soda Stream. “I would like to say to the people in favor of boycotts that they should come to this factory and to see for themselves how Israeli and Palestinians are working together in peace.”

Birnbaum continued and explained that a few markets in Scandinavia have requested that their products originate from other factories than the one in Mishur Adummim. “They are receiving products from the mother of human rights, China,” he explains. ”If these markets would reconsider and say that we do want to contribute to the Palestinian economy, to the employment of Palestinians, to bringing Jews and Palestinians together, and that we do want products from this facility. We could recruit about 100 Palestinians tomorrow, and that would be a wonderful thing.”

In a final word, Birnbaum reiterated his standpoint and concluded by saying that he believes in the use of business to further the chances for peace. “This is a factory, this is not Jews in the West Bank, and I firmly believe it’s a place of employment that gives life, and you don’t shut that down. I don’t really care who controls this factory, who owns the land, it doesn’t matter to me. And if one day this factory will fall under the Palestinian side of the border, we will still continue to operate it as long as we can.” •

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TESTIMONY

Sarah Ajileye | Photography Jani Salokangas

OPENED EYES “Raising our hands to worship the Lord Jesus in the Ein Gedi desert.

Simply an amazing experience”

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I fell in love with Israel. When I attended the 2013 Feast of Tabernacles celebrations hosted by the ICEJ I came to Israel with an open heart trusting it was God’s will for me to go there. Having been raised in the religion of Christianity, it wasn’t until I was 21, during a period in my life where I was battling depression and the uncertainty of my future, that I started my walk of faith. I gave my life to Jesus at a Friday night youth service that a work colleague invited me to and I can honestly say I have never regretted it. Fastforward to a simmering hot afternoon during the Jewish celebrations of Sukkot, I and other members of the Arise feast of Tabernacles tour group along with hundreds of other believers from all over the world are raising our hands to worship the Lord Jesus in the Ein Gedi desert. Simply an amazing experience!

Being part of the ICEJ Arise tour opened my eyes to the bigger picture, I realised how little I knew of Israel and the Jewish people- the root of my Christian faith. The Arise tour included full access to the annual Feast of Tabernacles conference and it was at the conference that I began to learn so much about the nation of Israel and the biblical truths of God’s plans for both the church and Israel. I gained so much from the great speakers such as Angus Buchan, Malcolm Hedding, Kenneth Meshoe and many others as well as other conference goers who shared their testimonies with me.

The atmosphere in Jerusalem was one of celebration and good cheer. When exploring Jerusalem with the Arise team I noticed that there were moments of the hustle and bustle you would commonly see in metropolitan cities around the world and yet there were also quiet serene moments (such as Shabbat) when I just took in all the wonders of the ancient city as we visited significant sites such as the old city and the Garden Tomb. It’s hard to put into words what it felt like for me to be in Israel and visit places that are in the bible. A lot of people I spoke to who had also visited the holy land would say that “Being in Israel and seeing the sites really brings the bible to life”, I agree to an extent, however, I would also take a different stance and say that the holy bible itself is full of more life than we could ever imagine and that personally for me being in Israel opened up a new perspective on life and made me appreciate the grace of God. I look back on my visit to Israel with very fond memories. I arrived alone (which for me was a major step of faith), met amazing people from all over the world, I got to experience fun things such as floating on the Dead Sea, shopping in the markets of the Old City, enjoying the local cuisine as well unwinding in Tel Aviv at the beach but I also experienced sobering moments at Yad Vashem, a feeling I will never forget. My favorite moments were the biblical teachings we received from the Arise team members who were our tour guides and the evening devotional at Jaffa in Tel Aviv because I left Israel feeling like I was meant to be there and that it wasn’t just a holiday in the sun. I got to see the real Israel and not what I thought was the real Israel based on second hand information! If you have ever felt a calling to visit Israel, please do so. My prayer would be that God opens the door for that to become a reality.

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FEAST of TABERNACLES PRESENTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES Highlight the dates, October 10-15 in your calendars. This is when the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, the ICEJ, will open up the doors for the yearly Feast of Tabernacles celebrations. This year’s theme is Restoration, and it will truly be a feast with Jesus in the centre as thousands of people from all corners of the world will gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the King of the Jews, Jesus Christ. The Feast can in many ways be compared to the stories from the book of Acts, where people of all colours, tongues and languages came together in unity to big up the Most High, and to exalt His name which forever is above all other names.

Such a multicultural event with thousands of participants would not be possible unless the body of Christ comes together as one, with all of us using our God given gifts for the Kingdom. It is not an easy task to organize an event of this calibre and it requires hard work. The bible says that we all are members of one body and in order for the body to work correctly in harmony, all members must do their part, and it is the same thing with all the different departments working to make the Feast a success. Not one part of the body is less important than the other, and they all need one another to function to the fullest. Just like the speakers are in need of the sound technicians, so are the dancers depending on the musicians, and if it weren’t for the usher’s, nurses or security guards the Feast would not be the same.

If you feel called to with us and we will team. It’s an oppor

http://feast.icej

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Volunteer Registration

Tina Hartikainen, Finland This year I am volunteering in the Registration department, it’s been quite tough but much fun. We are in charge of the badges for all groups and pilgrims that come to the Feast and we are also selling tickets. One of the biggest challenges for us is when big groups with over 30 people come. Then one has to try to remain calm and focused. If you get along with people and like to meet new ones I suggest you should try and volunteer for the registration department next year.

Pilgrim

Clinton Zhen, 24, Singapore I came to Israel with my father who is an experienced traveller in Israel. The Feast of Tabernacles has been amazing and I have really been touched by the Lord through the worship. Every morning I get touched by the Lord. The messages given by the speakers have all been very edifying and given me fresh revelations from the Lord.

Pilgrim Pilgrim

Christabelle, 22, Canada This year’s Feast has been really great, and I can tell that all the speakers have been touched by God. The messages that I have received have been really relevant to my life. I would like to encourage other young Christians from the world to come to Israel, it’s an experience that they will never forget.

Volunteer Singer

Dorothy Bedford, USA. Singer Singing at the Feast is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I feel it is an opportunity to get a glimpse into heaven.

Seeing all different types of people, different languages, and different cultural backgrounds come together to honour the ONE TRUE GOD, Jehovah. It’s really special. Everyone should be afforded this experience at least once in their lifetime. After all, isn’t that what the FEAST is, a rehearsal for what will truly be?

During the Feast of 2013, 178 volunteers from different countries came together to work in various capacities in order to make the Feast a reality. This year we are once again asking for your support. All ages are welcome to participate, but as Arise, the young adult chapter of the ICEJ, we are especially urging all young adults to come up to Jerusalem and give a couple of days of their time to the service of the Lord.

Bethany, 20 Australia I love the conference, it’s pretty transforming, and it has impacted me a whole lot so far. I can’t wait to see what’s next in store. Young adults should come visit next year’s feast, they will surely be empowered.

Volunteer Music

Tim Malilin, 25 Philippines. Bass guitar To see the nations, every nation serving one God, one Jesus and one voice, is amazing. Another thing is that you get attached to the feast family, and it doesn’t go away. You are excited to see them, and you are excited to meet new people.

Volunteer Translation

Maren, 31, Germany. Translation In the translation department we are trying to translate simultaneously.

Sometimes it can be challenging to translate fast speakers, especially in the mornings, but I still love it very much. I would definitely recommend others to come and volunteer in the translation department. It’s one thing that the job is fun, but even more, the whole volunteer community thing is amazing. We all live together with the dancers and the musicians and there are all types of people from all countries and it’s just fun, everyone is waiting for the next year to see one another again and some are coming back year after year, it’s really fun.

o join us in Jerusalem this October, don’t procrastinate, get in touch l find you a place on the 2014 Feast of Tabernacles Feast volunteer rtunity of a life time which you will never forget.

j.org/volunteer-1

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INSIDE ISRAEL

The Druze Community in Israel

As promised, AriseNow will continue covering the different people groups living in Israel. In the last issue we paid a visit to Mt Gerizim and the Samaritans, this time we travelled all the way to the north in order to meet a people group who have lived in the northern regions of Israel for several centuries, the Druze community.

The Druze is one of Israel’s many people groups. It’s a people spread out all over the world, but mainly concentrated to the Levant and the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Religiously the Druze belongs to the Shi’ite schism of Islam, but despite this they are very different from this school of Islam. For instance, they don’t pray in mosques but rather in prayer houses called khalwa, meaning solitude in Arabic. They have their own holy books while they acknowledge both the Bible and the Koran, the only way to join their community is by having two Druze parents.

In addition they do not celebrate the feasts stemming from the Abrahamic religions, with the exception of Eid. Instead they gather five times a year to revere their five most important prophets. These gatherings are an opportunity to meet and discuss affairs pertaining to their community. The most important yearly gathering takes place on the 25 of April in Tiberias, when they meet at what they believe is the tomb of the most important of the five prophets, Nebi Shu’eib or Jethro. Another important gathering takes place near Acre on the 25 of January to remember the Prophet Elijah.

“Instead of our own country, we have our own flag which means a lot to our identity and ways of living. The flag is made up of five different colours which each represent something.”

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The roots of the Druze religion dates back to Jethro the Midianite, Mose’s father in law. According to their beliefs Jethro wrote down their holy texts which remained hidden until they once again were revealed in Egypt in the 11th century. From here the Druse religion developed and spread among the people, and during a period of 24 years it was possible to become a member of the religion. Throughout the centuries and since the birth of their religion, the community have faced fierce waves of persecution from various groups seeking to eradicate their faith.

He started by explaining that the very name which the community is known for, comes from a man which today is seen as an heretic in the community. The name was given to them as a way of embarrassing them. Kasem and his community don’t look upon themselves as Druze, and within their community they go by the name of al-Muwahhidin, meaning monotheists or believers in one god.

In relation to Israel, Kasem explained that they don’t have their own Holy country as in Judaism, but that the whole world is holy to them. “Instead of our own country, we have our own flag which means a lot to our identity and ways of living. The flag is made up of five different colours which each represent something. Green represents the nature and the land, red is the heart and the blood, yellow is the wheat, blue the water and white pertains purity. Being loyal to the nation one is living in is extremely important for us.” As a result they have served in the Israeli army since the reestablishment of the state in 1948, with the exception of religious Druze.

Today their community in Israel is made up of around 100 000 people, in addition to another 20 000 living on the Golan Heights.

The holiest site for the Druze is Jethro’s tomb on Mt Arbel near Tiberias, another of their five most revered prophets is Sabalan, believed to have propagated their faith in the 11th century, his tomb is found in the village of Hurfeish.

AriseNow paid the village of Hurfeish, one of Israel’s 22 Druse villages a visit, to find out more about the Druse community. Hurfeish is located two kilometres from the border of Lebanon and is home to some 5500 people of whom 96 percent are Druze and four percent Christians. The idyllic village is known of the locals as the northern gate of the country, and according to Jewish tradition one of Jacobs’s sons, Zebulun, is buried there.

In Hurfeish we met with Sheik Kasem Bader. In the past he used to oversee Prophet Sabalun’s tomb, while today he is acting as the leader of the Druze community in Hurfeish. He met us dressed in a traditional sharwal outfit in addition to a hat which shows that he is a religious Druze. Another significant trait among religious Druze which Kasem, according to his faith subscribes to is a shaved head and a large moustache. After having tasted the mandatory Arabic coffee, Kasem took us on an exciting stroll back in to time as he showed us the Old City of Hurfeish with over 900 years history. Here we had the opportunity to see some of its ancient architecture as well as the city’s church and a Druze prayer house. In the prayer house there are no pictures on the walls, and during prayers there is a separation between men and women.

He further explained that they do not really have a holy day like Friday, Saturday or Sunday for the Abrahamic religions, and that every day is considered holy; nevertheless, they meet and pray on Thursdays and Sundays.

At the foot of Mt Zevulun and over a traditional Druze meal consisting of hobz, za’atar, labneh and olive oil, Kassem opened up about his religion and how it is to be a Druze living in Israel. www.arisegeneration.org

Throughout the years the village of Hurfeish have lost 29 of their sons to the different wars fought by the Israeli army, and today the village hosts a monument in remembrance of the fallen ones.

Kasem continued by explaining that the Holy Scriptures, the katub al-din, are secret for outsiders, but that they consist of 25 books written in Arabic and which are forbidden to translate. If you are part of the Druze community you also have to abstain from alcohol, cigarettes and pork meat, and cannot subscribe to polygamy as do the Muslims. The Druse community don’t condemn people belonging to a different religions, hence Jesus, John the Baptists and several other Prophets from the Bible are of importance. ”The Druze religion used to be open, it remained so for 24 years and since then it has been a secret religion. No one is able to convert and become a Druze; the only way to enter our community is by being born of two Druze parents, he reemphasizes,” and continues by saying that they believe in reincarnation. “When a person dies the soul can only be transferred to another human being. A man’s soul can only be transferred to another man’s body and so forth,” he explains.

Before leaving Hurfeish, AriseNow spoke to Said, a 26 year old resident of Hurfeish, he gave us an insight in what young adults within the Druze community get up to in their spare time. “First of all, it is a challenge when the secular meets the religious way of life,” he explains. ”Within Druze tradition there are no such things as cinemas and night clubs. When I finish my job I go home and relax, I go out with my friends and we visit different cities and their holy sites. There are always families visiting these places so it is very social atmosphere. If you don’t know much about our community you are welcome to visit, we are a very friendly people who respect others and I believe that we truly know what hospitality means. Next time you are in Israel you are welcome to visit us and our holy sites in order to learn more about our community.” •

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