A Look at Life in Israel
Many of our readers have asked us what life is like in Israel, especially for Jewish believers in Jesus. So we asked Meno Kalisher to answer a few questions for us…
ISRAELI LIFE
The Great Divide
Why should Israelis and American Jews see eye to eye? Americans and Israelis are not alike. They have different concerns, interests, lifestyles, and even a different calendar…
Israel’s Broken Political System
Many Americans scratch their heads trying to figure out Israel’s political system. Here’s an overview of it from someone who truly understands it…
Helping Israel’s Lone Soldiers
What do you do when you have no place to go for Shabbat? That’s when the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin becomes a lifesaver—in more ways than one…
Jewish World Update May/Jun 2019
U.S. technology giant Intel Corp. has announced it will invest an unprecedented $11 billion to expand its operations in Israel…
Inside View Mar/Apr 2019
It was troubling to watch the video of Rafi’s Jeep going up in flames, the victim of an incendiary balloon launched in Gaza and carried by the wind into Israel. Within seconds, the entire Jeep was aflame…
The Gaza Problem
The Israeli cabinet’s decision to accept a cease-fire with the Islamist terror group Hamas after Palestinians fired more than 450 rockets and mortar shells from the Gaza Strip into Israel within a two-day period set off a heated debate…
Inside View Sep/Oct 2018
In the book of Deuteronomy, God told the Israelites to teach His Word diligently to their children—when they were in their homes, when they went out, when they were lying down, and when they rose up so that all may be well with them (6:1–7). The psalmist said the Word of God will guide us in truth…
Israel Has the Right Idea
Universities have become a hotbed of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic activity. Students call Israel a “terrorist state” and encourage others to engage in “intifada” and violence. Professors compare Israel to Nazi Germany and peddle the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement…
Jewish World Update Sep/Oct 2018
“You are the ammunition for Hamas’s guns; you are the warheads for its missiles,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the UN General Assembly when it recently condemned Israel for…
Happy Birthday, Israel!
For years I had a dream. I wanted my hometown baseball team (the Cleveland Indians) to play the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. I had adopted the Cubs when I lived in Chicago. Both teams excelled at losing…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2018
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries—the world’s largest manufacturer of generic drugs and one of Israel’s largest employers—has announced its decision to lay off…
Bible Museum Opens Soon in Washington
If you love God’s Word and Israel, you won’t want to miss the Museum of the Bible’s grand opening in November in Washington, DC. Located only three blocks from the United States Capitol Building and…
What Shall We Eat?
When the ancient Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, it was “flowing with milk and honey.” But when the Jewish pioneers arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was as barren as a stone. This article, written in 1953 when the State of Israel was just 5 years old…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2017
If you’re a runner and love Israel, you may be interested in signing up for the third annual Bible Run on October 6, a reenactment of the first-ever recorded marathon—the trek of a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin who ran from…
Stories from the War—Asher Yuval
The day the war broke out, my unit of reservists had already been mobilized for three weeks. Those weeks came to be known as the “waiting period.” I was in Reserve Battalion 161 of the Jerusalem Brigade (Hativa) under Lt. Col. Asher Dreizin.
Stories from the War–Cecilia Stark
I was born in London and came to Israel in 1963. When I arrived in Jerusalem, the city had a small-town feel. There were around 165,000 people in western Jerusalem. There was one traffic light—at the intersection of King George, Strauss and Jaffa Streets.
Stories from the War—Naomi Paynton
I arrived on June 10, 1967, on a special El Al flight for war volunteers. It came from Paris, where I lived at the time. It was packed and quite frightening. We did not know what we were coming to. They did not give us the usual meal, but just a packet…
Stories from the War—Rosie Gordon Elkana
I immigrated to Israel from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1964. By then, I was already a registered nurse, having trained at Manchester Jewish Hospital in England. Right away, I got a job at Hadassah Hospital Ein Karem.
Stories from the War—Uzi Eilam
The day the war broke out, along with my fellow paratroopers, I was at the Tel NofAirbase located not far from Rehovot. At age 34, I was the commander of a battalion of paratroopers, though I was not a full-time army man.
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2017
Following the UN Security Council’s vote condemning Israel’s presence in eastern Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed his resolve by going to the Western Wall to light the second candle of…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2016
An online petition has been launched calling on UNESCO to reverse its recent “insulting” resolutions that deny any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount or Western Wall…
Inside View Mar/Apr 2016
One of my responsibilities as executive director of The Friends of Israel is to lead our Up to Jerusalem tours to Israel. It’s something I enjoy immensely. I’m often asked…
Sirens of Silence
People stood shoulder-to-shoulder under the Jerusalem morning sun—still, respectful, and mindful of the solemn communication for which they had assembled. The only sound was that of…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2015
Seventy percent of all the children living in the southern Israeli city of Sderot suffer from at least one symptom of post-traumatic stress, and 50 percent continue to relive…
Inside View Sep/Oct 2015
Do you ever feel like you want to do something to help Israel in addition to praying? That was how we felt when we started the Israel Relief Fund many years ago.
Psalm 128: Our Source
A steady stream of families paraded across the stones and steps that marked the path to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. I sat nearby as they carried canopies, banners, and balloons…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2015
“It’s the economy, stupid!” That was the phrase coined by James Carville, chief strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, to help his team focus on the recession…
Touring Ariel
Ariel is an amazing success story. It is a story of struggle against all odds, of immigrant absorption, international outreach, and dynamic growth. As you travel through Ariel…
Ariel University Helps Students Overcome Autism
Udi, a graduate of Ariel University, never dreamed he’d be able to address a crowd. When he was young, he was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disorder that affects…
Remembering Gush Katif: 10 Years Later
On Wednesday morning, August 17, 2005, some 10,000 Israeli soldiers fanned out across 21 Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip. Their mission, following the Israeli army’s order eight days earlier, was…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2015
The world accuses Israel of being an apartheid state, but it was Arab-Christian Israeli Supreme Court Justice Salim Jubran who oversaw the recent elections in Israel.
The Genesis 12:3 Principle Obadiah 10—14
Obadiah 10—14: Imagine having to sleep with a gun under your bed. I am not talking about Detroit, New York, or Philadelphia. I am talking about Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. This…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2015
When high school graduates in the United States head off to college or work, Israeli graduates enter the military. Men are required to serve for three years and women for two. Men remain…
Israel’s Government Today
In May 1948, the Jewish people became sovereign in their land for the first time in more than 2,500 years. Spearheading the modern government was the venerable David Ben-Gurion, who…
Mechina Academies: Israel’s Gap-Year Phenomenon
It’s still dark in Upper Nazareth as Nadav Cohen, 19, delivers a pithy, inspirational talk to his comrades—choosing Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’…
Creative Lawyering
His dark eyes brimmed with sincerity and love for his people. Having grown up in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, the man who sat across from me in the…
Discovering Our Biblical Roots in Modern Israel
Israel is a thoroughly modern country with major cities, modern highways, and mass transit. But have the picturesque sites and ancient customs from…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2012
A few months ago, a young ultra-Orthodox man whom I did not recognize came to our home with some of his friends. He was not nice or friendly. In fact…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2012
I have lived in the same neighborhood in Jerusalem for 37 years, and now I am becoming important to my Arab neighbors here. Why? Because I speak Arabic and am willing…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2012
I am always looking for a chance to speak with people about our Savior, Yeshua Hamashiach (Hebrew for “Jesus the Messiah”). And often people are looking for me, but they…
Zvi May/Jun 2012
Many Orthodox people here in Jerusalem have known me a long time. Sometimes it seems they almost have a competition to see who among them can put me down and become …
Zvi Mar/Apr 2012
Living in Israel is like living on an active volcano. It has been this way ever since I came here more than 65 years ago. More than 150 million Arabs…
Zvi Jan/Feb 2012
I have lived in the same neighborhood in Jerusalem for 37 years. Most of the people here know me, and we are good friends. But some people do not like me because…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2011
Miracles do not happen every day. But one happened recently while I was in a clinic waiting to see a doctor. Usually there are long lines, and it is difficult to speak to people.
Zvi Sep/Oct 2011
Anyone who remembers our War for Independence in 1948 knows about Latrun. It is an area in Israel located on a hilltop on the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2011
Something happened recently that was hard even for me to believe. But as we say here in Israel, “When God wills it, everything is possible.” Not long ago my wife was in the hospital.
Zvi May/Jun 2011
This May it is 63 years since Israel became a state. I remember it well. Much time has passed, and I have grown much older. After everything I endured in my life…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2011
Never has anyone come to our church to investigate those attending. Yet so it was recently. An elderly woman came because she had heard about me and that I am a Holocaust survivor.
Zvi Jan/Feb 2011
As it is written in Proverbs 19:21, “There are many plans in a man’s heart; nevertheless the Lᴏʀᴅ’s counsel—that will stand.” A few years ago, a religious school invited me to speak about…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Nov/Dec 2010
Before Benjamin Netanyahu began his current term as prime minister of Israel, he spoke about Iran at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. I’ll never forget hearing him declare with conviction…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2010
Journalist Mitchell Prothero said Hamas is confiscating humanitarian goods donated by the international community and forcing Gaza Arabs to pay for them. Prothero spoke to a commander of Islamic Jihad…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2010
We live in a special situation in Israel. Most of the world is against us, particularly the Muslim countries that surround us. I have lived in this part of Jerusalem…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2010
I recently had a big surprise. From time to time I go to the ultra-Orthodox synagogues where I have long, involved discussions about faith in the Lord. You cannot go…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2010
A recent Arutz-7 headline read, “Ex-US Envoy Indyk: Bibi’s Refusal to Obama ‘Threatens Alliance.’” Martin Indyk apparently has left Israelis wondering just how much is actually at stake in Israel’s decision…
An Interview with Daniel Pipes
I think it is. There are three components to it. The first is demographic. Indigenous Europeans are not having enough children by about one-third. You need 2.1 children per woman…
Excerpts From Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem Day Speech
“For Zion’s sake, I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be still, until her righteousness emanates like bright light, and her salvation blazes like a torch” (Isa. 62:1)…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2010
For many days I had been asking myself, How do I find people like me, who survived the Holocaust, so that I may bring them the gospel of Christ? Speaking…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2010
Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu’s brother-in-law, has called U.S. President Barack Obama an anti-Semite. Netanyahu immediately rejected the remarks. “The time has come to tell the truth,” Ben-Artzi…
Zvi May/Jun 2010
It is written in Proverbs 19:21, “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lᴏʀᴅ’s counsel—that will stand.” We cannot know what tomorrow will bring, so we must…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2010
We often have many surprises in life. And so it was one week when a neighbor came to my home to confront me about my faith in Christ. He was not friendly…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2010
A dynamic factor in the Jewish people’s prophetic return to Zion is a special group of several thousand young men and women designated as “lone soldiers.” Leaving everything behind, including their families…
Eye on the Middle East Jan/Feb 2010
When Ya’akov Teitel was arrested for multiple criminal acts in Israel last fall, the Ortiz family in the town of Ariel in Samaria breathed a sigh of relief. For nearly…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2010
Young female athletes from Israel’s fencing team swept top medals at a 28-nation European tournament in Austria in November, but when they received their medals, the organizers did not play…
Zvi Jan/Feb 2010
In Proverbs 27:10 it is written, “Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.” We have lived in this neighborhood in Jerusalem for more than 35 years. I know…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Nov/Dec 2009
Raslan Abu Rukun. His name is more Arabic than Jewish. Yet a few months ago, 33-year-old Raslan Abu Rukun was welcomed to his new post as Israel’s deputy consul general…
Eye on Middle East Nov/Dec 2009
The Financial Times headline read, “US Attacks Israel Over West Bank Settlements.” Startling on the surface, the article merely confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruffled some feathers when he announced…
The Ghettoization of Israel
Inferior status, limited opportunity, and heavy restrictions. These are characteristics of ghettos. And they seem eerily like what the world is trying to impose on the free and democratic nation of Israel.
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2009
Virulent anti-Semitism thrives on a Dutch social media Website used by nearly half of the entire population of Holland, according to a recent report. And many of the online instigators…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2009
In Psalm 94:3 it is written, “How long will the wicked triumph?” There are many wicked people in this world, but it is especially sad when one of them is your neighbor…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2009
“Our goal has never been peace,” a Fatah official admitted on Palestinian Authority (PA) TV. “Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine,” meaning the conquest of Israel. “It has been said…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2009
Now we are approaching the most important holidays of the year: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many people in Jerusalem where I live are going to the rabbis asking for help…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2009
Warnings abound that the Obama administration’s policies will leave Israel to face Iran and Hamas alone. The warnings are summed up in recent articles by the West’s two main pro-Israel…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2009
Believe it or not, many schoolchildren in Israel have never heard of the Holocaust. So when Holocaust Memorial Day draws near in the spring, schools look for survivors to come and tell…
Zvi May/Jun 2009
Now, after so many years have gone by, I cannot believe I am still alive. During the Holocaust of World War II, many people died before my eyes. I was brutally…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Mar/Apr 2009
Readers of Israel My Glory understand from Scripture that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and the focal point of God’s plan for humanity. We also realize that the founding…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2009
I’ve been in Gaza for a week. We’re in an armored reconnaissance unit, which means we are infantry that goes in front of the tanks….The army was very tight with us about security…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2009
Not long ago I met a group of ultra-Orthodox men in our neighborhood in Jerusalem. They have not caused any trouble lately. It has been quiet for two years. But now…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2009
The prophetic significance of meeting Jewish people who have come home to their Land of Promise was not lost on those of us who recently went “Up to Jerusalem” with The Friends…
Zvi Jan/Feb 2009
Some days you can plan what to do first and what to do second. Other days, things happen that you never expect. And so it was recently when my wife sent…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Nov/Dec 2008
Lisa was on the job only two days when the call came. But she was ready. Sixty intensive hours in the classroom, including written instruction and practical training, had prepared her…
Russia Is Back in Business
When Communism crumbled in the 1980s and the USSR was no more, the impoverished leaders of what remained were happy to receive aid and comfort from the West. As a result…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2008
We are approaching the great holiday of Christmas. At this time of year, people do not forget me. In fact, some of the ultra-Orthodox men to whom I have spoken about the Lord…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2008
Apparently Harvard graduate Barack Obama has trouble with the English language. Or he says one thing when he speaks to Jewish people and another when he speaks to CNN.
Zvi Sep/Oct 2008
A while ago I had a long conversation with our Arab neighbors here in Jerusalem. They came to me to convince me that they are holy people who are more humane than we.
Israelis Prepare for the Worst
On April 1, sirens across the entire State of Israel sounded for a full 90 seconds, warning all citizens to head immediately for the shelters. This exercise was no April Fools’ Day trick.
Zvi Jul/Aug 2008
As it is written in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “There is nothing new under the sun.” And this is so. When I go to people who consider themselves good servants of God, they always ask me the same questions…
Israel’s Long and Hard War of Independence
Despite its military victories, Israel still does not enjoy peace. So the country’s anniversary celebration took a different turn this year—for a significant reason.
Security Fence
To protect itself from car bombs and suicide bombers, Israel is constructing a security barrier that runs roughly along the perimeters of the 1949 armistice lines. Unfortunately, huge chunks of the barrier…
Order of Battle
Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, Ehud Olmert’s former military aide, was appointed head of Central Command in June 2007 by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.
The Home Front
Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan is the recently appointed commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front, replacing Yitzhak Gershon who stepped down following harsh criticism of his command’s performance during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Religion and the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel
Israel, once so secular, is becoming more religious. Plans are afoot to build a third Temple, and several interesting events are confirming the truths of Bible prophecy.
The New Sanhedrin
In 2004 on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, a new Sanhedrin arose after an absence of more than 1,400 years. Staffed by Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbis who want Israeli life…
Why We Want to Kill You
A terrorist mind-set is concerned with occupation. To them, everything is an imperialist or Zionist conspiracy. The reality is that the terrorist mind is occupied with half truths. Although many times the terrorist knows the truth…
Israeli Economy Gallops Ahead
As Israel turns 60, its economy is moving ahead more rapidly than anyone would have guessed. Here are some facts and figures that probably will astound you.
The Poor Ye Will Always Have With You
Israel’s recent economic prosperity is hardly shared by everyone living here. Sadly, the poverty rate has actually grown this decade as the stock market and financial compensation for most chief executive officers (CEOs) roared ahead.
You’ve Come A Long Way, Israel
Israel may be small, but it ranks high when it comes to education. Such regard for learning is rooted in Scripture. Nehemiah 8:8 states, “They read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God…
Zvi May/Jun 2008
Not long ago I was out walking, and four ultra-Orthodox men stopped me on the street. “Do you recognize us?” one asked. “I am not sure,” I replied. “We had a long conversation with you…
Religion and Politics: Who’s in the Game
An interesting contest seems to be heating up as the world paves a road to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The religious left has felt compelled to issue a series…