Jewish World Update Jul/Aug 2020
New Danish Bible Expunges The Word Israel
The Danish Contemporary Bible 2020, the first Danish translation in more than 20 years, has removed the word Israel and replaced it with the Jewish people, the Jews, and the people.
The Bible 2020 translation rewrites “land of Israel” as “land of Jews,” and it rewrites “People of Israel” as “the Jews.” The word Israel appears only twice in the Bible 2020 New Testament, although it appears in the original Greek 60 times.
Jan Frost, a Danish Bible enthusiast and Israel advocate, posted on his Facebook page, “The old theological expression for this is ‘replacement theology,’ in which you replace Israel with the church,” reported timesofisrael.com.
CBN News said The Danish Bible Society is defending its translation and argues the word Israel was changed to prevent readers from confusing the land of Israel with the modern State of Israel. “However, the names of countries from ancient times like Egypt have not been rewritten,” reported CBN News.
The Song of Ascents from the book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, a popular Sabbath hymn for Jewish people, originally states, “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” The new translation replaces Israel with us, said timesofisrael.com.
JNS.org reported that Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, an Iranian-born Shi’ite cleric and former radical who now preaches peace, took to Twitter to censure the omission. “Danish Bible Society has published a new Bible that does not include the word ‘Israel’ whether it refers to the Holy Land or to the Israelites. ‘Israel’ has been replaced with ‘Jews’ or erased altogether. The agenda is to present Jews as stateless. It’s false and against God,” he said.
The Bible Society in Israel, which is maintained and led by Jewish believers in Christ, studied Bible 2020 and released a statement on its website, biblesocietyinisrael.com: “While new Bible translations are usually cause for celebration, this new contemporary Danish Bible is cause for serious concern.” The following is from the Bible Society press release:
NEW TESTAMENT
→ Matthew 2:21: “And he rose and took the child and his mother [speaking of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus’ return from Egypt] and went to the land of Israel.” The words land of Israel are changed to home.
→ Matthew 15:31: “God of Israel” is changed to “God” (in other places as well).
→ Luke 4:25: “Many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah” is changed to “many Jewish widows.” The Bible Society noted, “This is an anachronism: the word ‘Jewish’ was not in use in Elijah’s time, and he was a prophet in the northern kingdom, not in Judah.”
→ John 1:49: “King of Israel” is changed to “king of all people.”
→ 2 Corinthians 3:7: “The Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face” is changed to “Moses’ face radiated so strongly that the Jews could not bear to see it.” The Bible Society noted, “The term ‘Jews’ was not then in use.”
OLD TESTAMENT
→ Isaiah 41:14: “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declared the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” The words Jacob, Israel, and The Holy One of Israel all have been replaced or removed.
→ Isaiah 43:1: “But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’” The words O Israel and O Jacob have been removed.
→ Jeremiah 49:3: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” Israel is changed to my chosen.
Uproar Forces Lob To Wait Until 2021
Former HIAS Chairman Dianne Lob’s nomination to head the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations has caused such an uproar that she will cool her heels in the newly created position of “chair-elect” until April 2021. “Lob’s selection has drawn protests,” wrote Israeli-American journalist Caroline Glick, “because HIAS, the organization she led from 2016–2019, is a post-Jewish organization. Its leaders openly support and defend anti-Semites like BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] leader and Hamas supporter Linda Sarsour. Sarsour, for her part, held a fundraiser for HIAS in October 2018.” Commenting on her website, carolineglick.com, Glick added, “HIAS works against, not on behalf of the interests of the American Jewish community. As its immediate past chairman, Lob oversaw many of HIAS’s anti-Jewish operations and as such, she seems a poor candidate to lead an organization that serves as the umbrella group for 53 American Jewish organizations and is widely seen as the most important Jewish organization in America.”
Israel Returns Productive Farmland To Jordan
Israel returned the last parcel of land it leased from Jordan through a joint peace treaty in 1994. The treaty gave Israel a 25-year lease on two areas Israel has held since the 1967 Six-Day War: one near Naharayim in the north and the other the Tzofar enclave, about 60 miles from Eilat, reported worldisraelnews.com. In 2018, Jordan’s King Abdullah announced that he wanted all leased territory back and refused to negotiate other terms with Israel. The farmland of Naharayim was returned in November, but Tzofar was reprieved until April 30 so the vast bell pepper crop planted on 200 of the 1,112 acres could be saved. But the COVID-19 pandemic closed the overseas markets and restaurants, forced the pickers to stay home, and has resulted in hundreds of tons of peppers rotting in the fields.
New Israeli Face Masks Use Anti-Pathogen Fabric
The Israeli company Sonovia has developed a special fabric-finishing technology that makes its face masks almost impregnable by dangerous pathogens, even after being washed 100 times, The Jerusalem Post has reported. “Most of Sonovia’s clients are distributors and nonprofits in the United States,” the Post said. Dr. Jason Migdal, a research scientist with Sonovia, told The Jerusalem Post, “The technology is based upon a physical phenomenon called cavitation. Sound waves are used to physically infuse desired chemicals onto the structure area of materials, enhancing them with clinically proven antiviral and antibacterial properties.” Migdal said the novel coronavirus spreads via aerosol and direct contact, making anti-viral personal protective equipment “of crucial importance.” Sonovia also has designed but not yet manufactured masks for dogs and cats because research now shows pets can become infected and infect people.
Germany Outlaws Hezbollah
Germany has designated Iran-backed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and banned all Hezbollah activity on its soil, JNS.org reported. “The activities of Hezbollah violate criminal law and the organization opposes the concept of international understanding,” Germany’s interior ministry said in a statement, adding that the group’s assets can now be confiscated. Approximately 1,050 people in Germany belong to the Lebanese terror group. The move came after Israel’s Mossad gave Germany information concerning Hezbollah activities there, timesofisrael.com reported. “Germany branded the entirety of the Iranian-backed group—both the military and political wings—a ‘Shiite terrorist organization,’” timesofisrael.com said, “with dozens of police and special forces storming mosques and associations across the country linked to the group.”
More Hamas Hypocrisy
The terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza has arrested a Palestinian journalist/peace activist and other Palestinians for video chatting with Israelis to discuss COVID-19, while it continues to seek Israeli medical assistance with the pandemic, reported journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, with The Gatestone Institute, according to worldisraelnews.com. Toameh said Israel had recently transferred 96 tons of medical supplies into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Crossing, along with 1,368 truckloads of goods. The week before it had transferred 88 tons of medical supplies and 1,116 truckloads of goods. “Yet, Hamas is now saying that the Palestinian ‘peace activists’ who talked to Israelis through an online videoconference will face legal measures for their ‘crime,’” he reported. He said Hamas is also hiding the fact that Palestinian doctors are being trained by Israeli doctors and that family members of senior Hamas officials receive medical treatment in Israel.
MSNBC Graphic Lists ‘Palestine’ As Country
A background graphic on MSNBC during The 11th Hour With Brian Williams recently displayed “Palestine” in a rolling list of countries affected by COVID-19, reported JNS.org. Sean Durns, with CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, told JNS.org, “The facts are clear: ‘Palestine’ is not, and has never been, an independent state.” He said, “That’s what negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are about.” Dan Gainor, a vice president of the Media Research Center, a media watchdog group, added, “Even the ‘breaking news’ on MSNBC ends up as propaganda. There is no place called ‘Palestine,’ yet MSNBC wants to include it in the official list of places because it’s not news, it’s agenda. The interesting question is what place does MSNBC consider to be part of Palestine? Gaza? Or is it claiming Jerusalem?”
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