In 1st Christmas Speech, King Charles Recalls 2020 Bethlehem Visit

December 30, 2022

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First Temple-Era Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem to Be Excavated, Opened to the Public

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With the New Year approaching on Sunday, we would like to wish all of our readers a beautiful and memorable beginning of the year 2023. May the new season bring you health, happiness, prosperity, and may the Lord’s blessings fill your home and help you rejoice.

King Charles III broadcasted his first Christmas message as monarch in a speech on Monday, December 26, that paid tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and recalled his visit to Bethlehem.

 “Some years ago, I was able to fulfill a lifelong wish to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity,” said Charles of his 2020 visit to Israel and the West Bank. 

“It meant more to me than I can possibly express, to stand on that spot where as the Bible tells us, the light that has come into the world was born,” he said. 

The British monarch has long had ties to the region — his grandmother sheltered Jews during the Holocaust and is interred at the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene, just outside Jerusalem’s Old City. 

Charles added that “while Christmas is of course a Christian celebration, the power of light overcoming darkness is celebrated across the boundaries of faith and belief. 

So whatever faith you have, or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light and with the true humility that lies in our service to others, that I believe we can find hope for the future.” 

The message was delivered alongside a choir that sang the carol “O little town of Bethlehem.” (TOI / VFI News)

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” - Psalm 133:1

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

Israeli security forces have identified and captured the Arab terrorist, believed to be responsible for a pair of bombings in Jerusalem last month, that left two people dead, and over a dozen injured.

On Tuesday, December 27, Israel’s military censor cleared for publication details of the arrest, including the identity of the suspected terrorist. Eslam Froukh, a 26-year-old mechanical engineer living in Israel with no prior known ties to terrorism, was arrested on November 29th, following an investigation by the Shin Bet internal security agency, Jerusalem District police, and the IDF. 

The additional suspects arrested in the November 29th bust were later found not to have had any connection with the case and were released. 

Investigators say Froukh identifies with the Salafist movement within Sunni Islam, and is a supporter of the ISIS terror organization. 

Froukh carried out the twin bombings alone, authorities said Tuesday. Two explosions rocked Jerusalem on the morning of November the 23rd, hitting bus stops in Givat Shaul and Ramot. Aryeh Schupak, a 15-year-old Canadian yeshiva student, and Tadessa Tshuma, a father of six from Pisgat Ze’ev, were both killed in the Givat Shaul bombing. 

Froukh, investigators say, was an avid consumer of pro-terrorist media content, which also aided him in learning how to assemble the bombs used in the attacks. 

Froukh also used the pit to conceal explosive material for assembling new bombs, a Carlo-style automatic firearm, and a bomb already prepared for use. Shin Bet officials say Froukh was in the midst of planning an additional attack when he was arrested. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for helping our authorities arrest terrorists and terminate their malevolent plans before they come to fruition. We hope that no one in Israel will live in fear of a terrorist attack onwards.”

Iran’s state broadcaster has aired a video describing what it claims would be the response to an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, warning that Israeli targets would be destroyed within minutes, and that a follow-up wave of rocket attacks would “raze Tel Aviv.” 

The video aired on Iran’s state-controlled media on December 17, and was reported upon by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute monitor group on Monday, December 26. 

In the clip, narrator Younes Shadlou began by noting that Israel had recently held exercises with the US to simulate an attack on Iran. 

“Let’s assume that Israeli jets manage to reach the Natanz nuclear site in one piece” and manage to damage it, Shadlou posited, referring to a major facility buried under a mountain where Iran has installed advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium. 

“Even if they manage to leave Iran’s sky safely,” he continued, it would take the jets “at least an hour” to return to their base. “The question is whether there would be any base for them to land at,” Shadlou said. 

The remarks were followed by footage showing multiple launches of surface-to-surface missiles and impacts on the ground, as Shadlou predicted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would launch barrages of solid-fuel missiles that “in less than seven minutes will destroy their targets with great accuracy.” (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask that Iranian threats against Israel will not be materialized, and that Israel is able to defend its citizens at all times, regardless of the origin of the potential perpetrators.”

Prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, December 26, rejected remarks by his son that appeared to suggest that prosecutors be put to death for pressing charges against the elder Netanyahu, though he noted that everyone has freedom of speech. 

His statement came a day after Yair Netanyahu said senior prosecutors and police had committed “treason,” the sole crime punishable by death in the Israeli penal code, when they prosecuted his father for alleged corruption. 

“I love my son Yair, who is an independent person with his own views,” the elder Netanyahu tweeted. “Although everyone has the right to express criticism, I did not agree with the things he said that were published yesterday.” 

Yair Netanyahu claimed Sunday on a right-wing radio station that officials had committed “a willful coup d’état.” “It’s called a coup, it’s called treason, and everyone can look at the State of Israel’s laws and see what the punishment is for treason — and it is not prison.” 

The comments from the younger Netanyahu, who has a history of making incendiary statements, echoed near-constant attacks on law enforcement and the judicial system, as the Likud leader’s backers have sought to delegitimize the cases against him. (TOI / VFI News)

“Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you. ” - Deuteronomy 16:20

If you searched the word "Jew" on Google throughout the day on Tuesday, December 27, you might have been surprised to find that the definition given was an ancient anti-Semitic stereotype. 

The word "Jew," according to this Google result with data derived from Oxford Languages, did not list someone as being a member of the Jewish people. Rather, it was listed as a verb marked offensive, defined as "to bargain with someone in a miserly or petty way." 

Looking further after clicking "translations and more definitions," the Google result included several conjugations of this verb, such as "jewed" and "jewing." 

It further revealed that the origin of the verb "Jew" is from the 19th century, in reference to how Jewish people work with money-lending and trading. 

Only after that, however, was the noun "Jew" shown as an option by Google, which is far less offensive and far more accurate. 

By Tuesday evening, the Google definition had been reverted back to its original definition, leading with the noun, rather than the verb. 

Several people and organizations spoke out on social media over the definition of Jew on Google, as several people immediately rushed to the search engine to see this for themselves. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that people and organizations which harbor anti-Semitism face consequences for their actions, and such incidents are brought to light, so that reparations can be made and the Jewish people can be represented honorably without stereotypes attributed to their name.”

Jewish activists and community members demanded Goldberg face termination from her daytime talk show over the weekend, after she doubled down on past Holocaust remarks, saying that the Holocaust wasn't a matter of race but "white-on-white violence". 

Goldberg's controversial statement came amid an interview promoting her new movie. “My best friend said, ‘not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that we’re probably not a race,'” Goldberg told UK media. 

“It wasn’t originally” about race, Goldberg continued, saying the Nazis also killed people they believed to be “mentally defective.”

Goldberg said it was wrong to use the Nazi definition that they considered Jews a race. “The oppressor is telling you what you are. Why are you believing them? They’re Nazis. Why believe what they’re saying?” she insisted. 

The comments occurred just 10 months after Goldberg was suspended from the daytime talk show for insisting that the Holocaust was "not about race." She showed little remorse for her past statement, arguing again that the estimated 6 million Jews who were systematically killed in the Holocaust were not targeted based on their race. 

She also claimed that the Nazis targeted people of African descent in addition to Jews, because they were physically different. Furthermore, she suggested that Jews had an easier time blending in with white people and hiding from the Nazis than black people did at the time of the Holocaust. (JPost / VFI News)

“Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked.” - Proverbs 3:25

The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority, and the City of David Foundation announced Tuesday, December 27, the commencement of the excavation of the historic Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. 

The Pool of Siloam, located in the southern portion of the City of David and within the area of the Jerusalem Walls National Park, is an archaeological and historical site of national and international significance. 

The Pool was first constructed some 2,700 years ago, as part of Jerusalem's water system in the 8th Century BCE, during the reign of King Hezekiah, as described in the Bible in the Book of Kings II, 20: 20: "Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the Pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 

Due to its location and importance, the Pool of Siloam was renovated and expanded some 2,000 years ago at the end of the Second Temple period. It is believed that the Pool was used during this time as a ritual bath ('mikveh') by millions of pilgrims who converged at the Pool of Siloam before ascending through the City of David to the Temple. 

For the first time in modern history, the excavation will enable the complete exposure of the Pool of Siloam, within the context of an official archeological excavation. 

In the first stage, visitors will be able to observe the archaeological excavations, and in the coming months the Pool of Siloam will be opened for tourist access, as part of a route that will begin at the southernmost point of the City of David and culminate at the footsteps of the Western Wall. (INN / VFI News)

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” - Romans 15:4

The International Jerusalem Winner Marathon will be held on Friday, March 17, 2023 for the 12th time, and will mark its “Bat Mitzvah” year with the participation of tens of thousands of runners from all over Israel and around the world.

The Jerusalem Marathon is part of a distinguished list of international marathons and is considered one of the most beautiful and challenging in the world. 

The uniqueness of the marathon stems from a track that includes important and historical landmarks in Jerusalem, alongside spectacular and breathtaking views, among them: the Supreme Court of Israel, the Israel Museum, the President’s Residence, the walls of Jerusalem surrounding the Old City and the Armenian Quarter, the Tower of David, the Khan Theater and the Sultan’s Pool. 

The event is a celebration for the city of Jerusalem, when tens of thousands of visitors visit the city and the local businesses during the marathon weekend, with local businesses and hotels offering discounts, special travel packages, and more. 

Not only a sports event, the Jerusalem Marathon is considered a special social and community happening, in which dozens of associations take part in the community race (0.8 km), such as Chaiyanu, Isha L’Isha (Woman to Woman), Shalva, Runners Without Borders, Bat Melech, Keren Gefen and Home Base. 

The runners registered for the marathon will receive a package including; an official SAUCONY Dri-FIT race shirt, a personal competition number, a disposable timing chip, as well as other benefits.  (JPost / VFI News)

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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