Sponsored by Aish.com: In 354 BCE, the prophet Zechariah predicted the rebuilding of Zion, as recorded in the biblical Book of Zechariah (1:7). King Darius of Persia had given permission to rebuild the second Holy Temple, and Zechariah rebuked the people for not quickly taking the opportunity to do so.
Read More +From IsraelNN.com: Jacques Gauthier, a non-Jewish Canadian lawyer who spent 20 years researching the legal status of Jerusalem, has concluded: “Jerusalem belongs to the Jews, by international law.” Gauthier has written a doctoral dissertation on the topic of Jerusalem and its legal history, based on international treaties and resolutions of the past 90 years. The dissertation runs some 1,300 pages, with 3,000 footnotes. Gauthier had to present his thesis to a world-famous Jewish historian and two leading international lawyers – the Jewish one of whom has represented the Palestinian Authority on numerous occasions. Gauthier’s main point, as summarized by Israpundit
Read More +Sponsored by Aish.com: Today is Tu B’Shvat, the New Year for the Trees. This is technically the day when trees stop absorbing water from the ground, and instead draw nourishment from their sap. In Jewish law, this means that fruit which has blossomed prior to the 15th of Shvat could not be used as tithe for fruit which blossomed after that date. The custom on Tu B’Shvat is to eat fruits from the seven species for which the Land of Israel is praised: “…a land of wheat and barley and (grape) vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of
Read More +Sponsored by Aish.com: In 1790, France granted full and equal citizenship to Sefardi Jews. (Ashkenazi Jews gained citizenship a year and a half later.) The French Revolution, born of the ideals of Enlightenment, had become the first society to emancipate the Jews, permitting them to enter the highest levels of government and finance. In 1807, Napoleon created the French Sanhedrin — a Jewish communal structure sanctioned by the state. (The French Sanhedrin sat in a semicircle, following the custom of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem that served as the Jewish supreme court during the times of the Holy Temple.) Despite these
Read More +Sponsored by Aish.com: In 1943, plans were finalized to deport the Jews of Athens, Greece. From 1941-1943, Greece was under control of the Italians, who by and large protected the Jews against the Germans. But in 1943, things changed for the worse; as punishment for Greece’s fighting against the Axis, freedom of movement was restricted for all Jews. Some Jews fled and hid in the countryside, but most were deported to Auschwitz. Jews had lived in Athens since the 3rd century BCE — the longest continuous Jewish presence in Europe; the remains of an ancient synagogue were found at the
Read More +Dear President Bush, Today you stated that Israel should cease its “occupation” of Arab land. What is Arab land, Mr. President? Who decides its borders? Do you? No, I don’t think you have the authority to tell Israel, another sovereign nation, how to administer its cities and villages. The fact that Muslims charge that the Gaza Strip is still “occupied” even though palestinians exercise self-government, and the Israeli civilian and military presence in this territory have been removed, reveals a flawed bias, Mr. President. It means that the charge of “occupation” is a ruse to serve the Islamic agenda to
Read More +Sponsored by Aish.com: In 1933, Adolph Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. The November 1932 elections saw the Nazis emerge as the largest party in the Reichstag. Leading German politicians and businessmen persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor, as a way to stabilize the government and economy. Hindenburg reluctantly agreed. Two months later, the Nazis passed the Enabling Act, giving Hitler dictatorial authority. Hitler’s government then banned all other political parties, and in July 1933, a Concordat (agreement) was signed with the Vatican. Hitler secured popular support by persuading Germans that he was their savior from
Read More +Sponsored by Aish.com: On this date, as the Jewish people were completing 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses gathered the entire the nation and began his farewell address. Moses’ speech would continue for 40 days until his death, as described in the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses reviewed the commandments of the Torah, gave a historical reflection, prophesized about future events, and offered poetic blessings. Also during this time, Moses wrote 13 Torah scrolls — one for each tribe, plus one to place in the Ark of the Covenant.
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