May/June 2017

50 Years and Counting

The Reunification of Jerusalem and the Importance of That Great City


IMG In Depth: Our radio host, Chris Katulka interviewed Elliot Jager about his article in this issue.

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Features

Antique fountain pen on parchment.

From the Editor May/Jun 2017

June 1967 was a good time to be Jewish. At least it seemed that way to me. I was a teenager during the Six-Day War, and I was so proud of the Israeli soldiers. Not only were they fighting for their country, but they were fighting...

Ma’ale Adumim: It’s Not What You Think It Is

Before we arrived in the spring of 2000, I asked the 16 members of our Friends of Israel Youth Adventure team (now called ORIGINS) to describe what they thought a settlement would look like.

Six Days In June

When the 1967 Six-Day War erupted, the Jewish state had just celebrated 19 years of independence. Levi Eshkol, 71, was both prime minister and defense minister. Eshkol had replaced the legendary David Ben-Gurion in June 1963. Filling Ben-Gurion’s shoes...

Rehearsal for Armageddon

How important is Jerusalem to the Jewish people? Their souls have been intertwined with it for more than 3,000 years. Unfortunately, their heartache is not over. This article was written shortly after Six-Day War and ran in the...

It’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over

A city’s significance is often measured by its commercial importance, the height of its skyscrapers, or the grandeur of its architecture. But Jerusalem is not like any other city. Jerusalem’s significance comes from the One who chose to dwell...

When Heaven Comes to Earth

It is probably the best known and most fought over city in the world. The Jewish people cherish it. The Muslims want to take it. The United Nations wants to divide it. Nations are willing to go to war over it. But the Jerusalem of today is not the...


More In This Issue

Inside View May/Jun 2017

Does God fight for Israel? When Israel triumphs over multiple Arab armies attacking on multiple fronts, it certainly seems that God fights for Israel. Such was the case in 1967 when Israel won a humanly improbable...

Silhouette of man speaking.

Fighting for Life

Scientists, humanists, atheists, and others have spent years speculating about when life begins. But anyone who reads God’s Word should know the answer. God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I...

Map of the Middle East.

End of the Two-State Solution

U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced he will not insist on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two. But honestly, if Bibi and if...

Christian Persecution May/Jun 2017

In a horrific incident of torture, Esam, from Qaraqosh, related what ISIS did after his sister’s husband refused to convert to Islam: “He was crucified and tortured in front of his wife and children, who were forced to watch. They [ISIS] told him that...

Message in the Wall

Sounds of gunfire, soldiers singing “Jerusalem of Gold,” and the faint sound of a shofar were heard over the army wireless. It was June 7, 1967, and the Israel Defense Forces paratroopers had just liberated the Temple Mount and Western Wall.

Fifty Years Later

The Six-Day War begot the hackneyed catchphrase Israeli-occupied West Bank. Mindless talk of the “occupation” generally goes hand-in-hand with unvarnished ignorance or a willful disregard of the area’s strategic value.

The Fall: Mythology or History?

The book of Genesis records the fall of man—the event where humanity rebelled against God and thus exchanged an innocent nature for a sinful nature, immortality for mortality. Archaeology reveals that...

A Minister’s Heart

1 Thessalonians 2:13–20: The testimony of a new believer in Christ causes other believers to rejoice. Imagine how overjoyed the apostle Paul was to learn of the Thessalonians’ steadfast faith despite their persecution. He rejoiced over them and longed to see them again.

Who is This Person?

What if you looked in a mirror and were unable to recognize yourself? Unfortunately, this type of thing happens. Sometimes traumatic brain injuries or diseases make it difficult for people to recognize faces, even their own. The condition is known as...

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...

Apples of Gold May/Jun 2017

At one time, the Jordanian artillery pinned us down for 20 hours. Finally, the order came to attack. My task as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces is to go before the troops and clear the minefields...

Web Exclusives

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.

Daily News from Israel

Israel at War: Week 23

Prime Minster Netanyahu has given a clear and convincing direction for Israel in pursuing their aim of defeating, dismantling, and destroying Hamas...

News Digest — 3/18/24

The IDF launched a precise operation in the area of the Shifa Hospital in the...

News Digest — 3/15/24

The War Cabinet is scheduled to gather Friday (15th) to discuss Hamas’ new proposal for...

News Digest — 3/14/24

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning (13th) with the troops of the IDF’s...

U.S. Trying to Oust Netanyahu?

Last Thursday, U.S. President Biden was caught on hot mic saying he needed a “come to Jesus meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister...

News Digest — 3/13/24

Two people were injured in a stabbing attack at a checkpoint at the entrance to...

Israel at War: Week 22

Two thoughts for today as Israel enters day 158. The numbers of both Palestinian and Israeli people mount almost daily...

News Digest — 3/12/24

Israel responded with strikes after alarms sounded in the Galilee and the Golan Heights as a barrage of at least 100...

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