In Touch Quarter 3 - 2014

IN TOUCH
No.180
Christian Friends of Israel UK
3rd Quarter 2014
“Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree, and no
one will make them afraid, for the Lord
Almighty has spoken.”
Micah 4:4
Keren Pryor looks
at what the Biblical
feasts teach us
about spiritual
growth. P.6-7
Sam Hailes explains
why some Israeli
Christians are no
longer calling
themselves Arab.
P.10
JNF UK shows how
they are helping turn
the Negev Green
to secure a brighter
future for Israel. P.11

An Israelite
under a fig tree
In Touch
is the newsletter of
Christian Friends
of Israel UK
CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by
means of practical and moral
support, and to serve the Church in
teaching about God’s purposes for
Israel and the Hebraic roots
of our faith.
CFI also produces a monthly News
Report, a monthly Prayer Letter and
a Middle East Update CD/MP3.
Please send for full details of the
practical projects and also of the
many teaching resources available.
As an educational charity,
we carry a variety of
resources relevant to our
purpose. We do not
necessarily endorse every
view expressed by our
guest writers or authors
of these resources.
Published by:
CFI Charitable Trust
PO Box 2687
Eastbourne
BN22 7LZ
Tel: 01323 410810
Fax: 01323 410211
Email: info@cfi.org.uk
Websites: www.cfi.org.uk
www.keshercourse.org.uk
facebook.com/cfiuk
twitter.com/cfi_uk
Registered Charity
No. 1101899
Registered Office c/o
Caladine, Chantry House
22 Upperton Road
Eastbourne, BN21 1BF
Company No: 0498515
VAT Registration No: GB678780275
Front Cover Image:
A fig tree in Nabi Samuel
Copyright © Yuri Arcurs
DesignPics.com
An early
instance,
t o w a r d
t h e
commencement of
Jesus’ ministry in
Israel according
to John’s gospel
account, concerns Nathanael, a
man Jesus describes as an Israelite
in whom there is no guile, or no
deceit.
There are a number of aspects
to the story that are of interest.
Following on from previous
editorials, it is noteworthy that
Nathanael is referred to by Jesus
as an Israelite, someone from the
land of Israel, in today’s words
an Israeli.
Another aspect of interest is
how Nathanael is introduced in
John’s gospel account, ‘under a fig
tree’ (John 1:48). This has echoes
of that most significant period
in Israel and Judah’s history just
after the First Temple has been
built: the ideal of living in safety,
everyone under their own vine or
fig tree. This picture is referred
to in the Bible both historically
(looking back) and prophetically
(looking forward).
During Solomon’s lifetime Judah
and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,
lived in safety, everyone under their
own vine and under their own fig
tree. (1 Kings 5:25)
Everyone will sit under their own
vine and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
(Micah 4:4)
‘In that day each of you will invite
your neighbour to sit under your
vine and fig tree,’ declares the Lord
Almighty. (Zechariah 3:10).
Perhaps Nathanael was already
living out this ideal. The fact
that Jesus referred to him as both
By Jacob Vince
an Israelite and as without deceit
(or straightforward), might well
indicate Nathanael’s desire to take
literally the scriptures from Kings,
Micah and Zechariah, and live
them into being.
As the passage in the Book of
Kings identifies, living under one’s
own fig tree is analogous of living
in safety - something that those who
live in Israel today continue to long
for. Sadly, as the recent kidnap and
murder of three Israeli teenagers
illustrates, this is yet to be so.
Nonetheless Israelis certainly, like
Nathanael, do indeed seek safety
and likewise endeavour to live
this into being and work toward
this end. Perhaps we can pause
at this juncture and pray for the
families and friends of these young
men: for strength and comfort in
their bereavement, and that the
perpetrators of this despicable
crime be brought to justice.
Returning to our narrative,
Nathanael bluntly expresses his
thoughts about Nazareth, ‘can
anything good come out of Nazareth’
and indeed, as we now know,
something good could and did.
Interestingly, today Nazareth has
a large non-Jewish population but
there are some Christians who live
there, including a senior clergyman
in the Greek Orthodox Church
along with others in the land from
the Christian Aramaic community
and evangelical church, who
express tangible support for Israel
– so something good continues to
come out of Nazareth.
Nathanael in his discourse refers
to Jesus as Rabbi, teacher. Not
only for him is Jesus self-evidently
Jewish, but he is also considered
a Jewish teacher. Following this,
Nathanael, even before Peter’s
great confession (Matthew 16:16 -
also reference Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20,
2 // IN TOUCH

John 6:69) and not forgetting that
of Martha (John 11:27), makes his
own incredible confession, ‘You are
the Son of God’, then, going one step
further, states ‘you are the King of
Israel’ (John 1:49). Talk about being
straightforward and not showing
any guile! Jesus then alludes to
the amazing dream of the patriarch
Jacob, (later called Israel) telling
Nathanael that he would see a
similar phenomenon.
From his response acknowledging
Jesus as the King of Israel, we can
once more observe Nathanael
declaring his great expectation of
what is yet to come, as indeed do
the apostles on the last occasion
they speak with Jesus before his
ascension, ‘Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’
(Acts 1:6).
We don’t hear about Nathanael
again in John’s gospel or indeed
anywhere else in the Bible, until
after Jesus’ resurrection and then
only one more time. However,
whilst John does not directly name
Nathanael as one of the twelve,
some suggest Bartholomew,
counted as among the Twelve in the
Synoptic gospels, might actually be
Nathanael. 1
Whichever, John names Nathanael
as being among the disciples
present when the resurrected Jesus
appears to them by the Sea of
Tiberias: Simon Peter, Thomas (also
known as Didymus), Nathanael from
Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee,
and two other disciples were together
(John 21:2). This indicates that
Nathanael remained consistent to
his conviction, and its enlargement
by Jesus in response to Nathanael’s
earlier confession. Likewise, we too
should remain committed to our
conviction, including our Christian
friendship of Israel and strengthen
that friendship as we pray and
advocate for the safety of all in the
land of Israel.
May the time soon come in the
land of Israel when, Everyone will
sit under their own vine and under
their own fig tree, and no one will make
them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has
spoken. (Micah 4:4)
And perhaps even more
poignantly, ‘In that day each of you
will invite your neighbour to sit under
your vine and fig tree,’ declares the
Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 3:10)
1
Most Bible scholars believe Nathanael and
Bartholomew were the same person. The
name Bartholomew is a family designation,
meaning ‘son of Tolmai.’ Nathanael means
‘gift of God.’ In the synoptic Gospels, the
name Bartholomew always follows Philip
in lists of the Twelve. Whereas in the
gospel of John, whilst Bartholomew is not
mentioned at all, Nathanael is listed instead,
after Philip. [Ref. About.com – Christianity.
Nathanael - The True Israelite: Profile
of Nathanael, believed to be the Apostle
Bartholomew by Jack Zavada].
Oh the Depths of the Riches...
CFI-UK ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2014
Saturday September 20 th , Victoria Baptist Church
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
9.00am
9.30am
11.00am
11.30am
12.45pm
2.00pm
3.15pm
4.00pm
5.30pm
Doors open - CFI Bookstall open
Opening Celebration
Refreshment Break - Bookstall open
Morning Session
Lunch Break - CFI Bookstall open
Afternoon Session
Refreshment Break - Bookstall open
Closing Celebration
Conference concludes
Biographies of the guest speakers, and practical
information on the day are included in the brochure
accompanying this magazine, or can be downloaded
from the CFI-UK website: www.cfi.org.uk
A full printed programme, along with conference
recordings order form, will be available on the day.
facebook.com/cfiuk
twitter.com/cfi_uk

Presbyterian Church attacks the
one Middle Eastern nation that
protects Christians
In June, the Presbyterian
Church in the USA voted
to divest from three
companies deemed to profit
from “Israeli occupation”.
The motion passed by an
exceptionally narrow margin
(310-303) and will mean
around $21 million worth
of funds will be diverted away from Caterpillar,
Motorola and Hewlett-Packard.
Speaking immediately after the vote, moderator
for the church meeting, Heath Rada said that the
decision was, “in no way…a reflection of our lack of
love for our Jewish brothers and sisters”.
It is unlikely the Jewish community will believe
Mr Rada’s words. And why should they? History
is full of Christians showing a lack of love toward
their Jewish brothers and sisters, in everything from
Martin Luther’s anti-Semitic leaflet “On The Jews
And Their Lies” to the silence among most Christian
leaders during the Holocaust.
Divestment may not be as extreme as these
horrific examples, but needless to say the motion
will do nothing to improve relations between Jews
and Christians.
Divestment in this case has masqueraded itself
as being part of a ‘peaceful pro-justice initiative’.
The reality couldn’t be further from the truth as an
extremist movement known as BDS has backed the
Church’s decision.
BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
Its leaders have stated that the movement’s goal is
the end of Israel entirely, and they reject a two-state
solution (Omar Bargouti, John Spritzler, Ahmed
Moor). Even the notoriously pro-Palestinian
academic Norman Finklestein has admitted BDS
is a “cult” with a “large segment” that wants to
“eliminate Israel”.
The idea of boycotting everything Israel produces
is near impossible for the 21 st Century Westerner.
Instant messaging, voicemail technology and even
SIM cards were developed in Israel. Boycotting
Israel means never using Google (they have offices
in Israel). After boycotting Google, you’ll have to
burn your mobile phone and laptop.
The Presbyterian Church must realise that by
listening to the BDS movement they are supporting
a movement who are anti-Israel and more
importantly anti-peace. It’s a cause that often seems
to care more about the destruction of Israel than the
wellbeing of Palestinians.
What crimes have these three companies
committed which warrant divestment? Caterpillar
sells bulldozers to the US who then pass them on to
Israel. Caterpillar itself does not and never has sold
anything to Israel. To repeat, Caterpillar has sold
a grand total of zero bulldozers to Israel. Not only
does Caterpillar have no say in how its vehicles are
resold, but legally the company cannot turn down
the US military as a client. Divestment in this case is
completely nonsensical.
What about Motorola? The Israeli Defence
Force (IDF) buys the company’s communication
technologies. This is the same IDF that the former
commander of the British forces in Afghanistan Col.
Richard Kemp praised for doing “more to safeguard
the rights of civilians in the combat zone than any other
army in the history of warfare.”
Finally we turn to Hewlett-Packard who supplies
biometric scanners at Israeli checkpoints. These
airport security style checkpoints exist to prevent
terrorist attacks. It’s ironic that the reason HP
got involved was because the Palestinians often
complain passing through checkpoints can take
hours. HP’s answer was to design technology that
would speed up the process without endangering
lives. That’s right, HP are helping the Palestinians.
Yet the Presbyterians think they’re doing the
Palestinians a favour by divesting from this
technology.
Denominations and Christians across the world
must wake up. BDS is anti-peace. It singles out
the only democracy in the Middle East for attack.
Churches must stop supporting this hateful
ideology.
There is a tragic irony here. What kind of Church
attacks the only Middle Eastern nation that
guarantees the safety of Christians? The Presbyterian
Church has been at pains to state their action of
divestment has nothing to do with BDS. But talk
is cheap. Their actions speak volumes. Aiding the
4 // IN TOUCH

mission of BDS is immoral and completely contrary
to Christ’s teachings to love your neighbour. It’s
time for Christians to say enough is enough and
support our Jewish brothers and sisters. Given our
history, rejecting BDS really is the very least that we
can do.
Christians who understand God’s heart and
plans for the Jewish people should also be active in
praying for those in the Presbyterian Church who
opposed this motion. Across all denominations
both in the UK and US there are believers who
are fighting both on the front lines and behind the
scenes to make sure that Biblical truth about Israel
triumphs. Their efforts to oppose anti-Israel rulings
should be praised.
By Sam Hailes
Where’s the Word Study?
Eagle-eyed readers will notice that John C.P.
Smith’s Hebrew Word Study is missing from
this edition of In Touch. Please keep John in your
prayers as he moves with his family to the United
States to undertake a Masters Degree in Hebrew
and Semitic Languages. We’re hopeful that the
Word Study will return next issue. Thank you for
your understanding.
Calendars now available
Get your orders in for our new Biblical 16 month
Calendar. Sixteen unique photographs make
each page suitable for framing. All major Jewish
and Israeli holidays are marked and explained.
New Area Rep
We
are
pleased to
announce a new
CFI-UK Area
Representative
has joined the
team. Elaine
Elcock will
be taking on
the area that
C h r i s t i n e
Sherrard used
to cover –
Y o r k / S e l b y ,
D o n c a s t e r ,
Leeds area. Our
Church Liaison
Officer David Soakell writes, “I’ve known Elaine
for quite a few years now having met her at the
various conferences we have done, and have been
discussing the possibility of her becoming a Rep
for the past few months. A former teacher, she has
worked out in Israel and is already looking to set up
an Israel Prayer Group in her area. I am delighted
to welcome Elaine on board.”
Find us at the Summer Festivals
CFI-UK will be exhibiting at the following events:
• New Wine 26 th July–1 st August
(Week 1) 3 rd –9 th August (Week
2) Bath and West Showground,
Somerset. www.new-wine.org
16 months // Calendar // £9.00 (incl. UK p&p)
• Momentum 22 nd –26 th
August. Bath and
West Showground,
Somerset. www.momentum.co.uk
• C h r i s t i a n
R e s o u r c e s
E x h i b i t i o n
(CRE) 8 th –9 th October. EventCity, Manchester.
www.creonline.co.uk
facebook.com/cfiuk
twitter.com/cfi_uk

Summer
Growth
Keren Pryor looks at what the Biblical
Feasts teach us about spiritual growth
Our life’s journey, like a
mountainous hike, is
a constant challenge
of upward growth
– growth in spirit, in character,
and in relationship with our God,
which is reflected and worked out
in our daily actions and earthly
relationships. This inner growth
continues throughout our years
on earth for the destination is only
found in eternity. Consequently,
there are no “instant fixes” in one’s
spiritual development. We need
to learn and grow constantly in
order to overcome negativity and
the desire to quit and simply drift.
If we are not moving forward
intentionally and purposefully,
then we will stagnate and drift
further and further away from
our true purpose in life; even
slowly but surely away from God
Himself.
To help us in this endeavour, and
to aid us in moving in harmony
with His purposes, our Father
has set up His calendar and made
regular and special appointments,
on a weekly, monthly and annual
basis, to meet with His children.
As we journey in sync with it, we
are afforded relevant ‘rest stops’ to
pause and review our progression
through the Biblical Cycle of the
year and to also bear in mind our
ultimate destination, which is to be
in the Presence of our Father and
the Beloved of our souls forever.
Then we can be grateful for the
potential of each new day and
can reinforce our motivation, and
strengthen our determination to
press on. From our present Spring
to Summer transition point, (see
diagram below), let us look back
on the way we have come, and
look forward in anticipation of the
joy of the harvest ahead.
We came through the darkness
of winter illumined by the light
of His Word and His Presence
and rededicated the temples
of our lives at Hanukkah. We
experienced the “Time of our
Freedom”, our Pesach /Passover
Exodus from slavery, drawn forth
by God’s mighty outstretched arm
and redeemed by the blood of the
Lamb. We celebrated the Firstfruits
of Messiah’s Resurrection
Life and the joy of spring and new
growth. We counted the days, the
seven weeks of the Omer, until the
gathering of the Spring harvest at
Shavuot /Pentecost when we sang
grateful praise for the bountiful
provision of our King. We rejoiced
at the great gift of His Torah,
His eternal Word, and in the
outpouring of His Holy Spirit in
a bursting forth of new Kingdom
life.
Now, refreshed and empowered
of spirit, we stand ready for the
next phase of the hike – the
long, hot summer during which
all the fields and crops need to
be carefully tended in order to
celebrate the final great harvest in
the Autumn of the year – the Fall
Festivals of Rosh HaShana, Yom
Kippur and the joyful Feast of
Tabernacles – Sukkot.
6 // IN TOUCH

A Time to Grow
Summer is a time of rapid
growth. As we nurture our
spiritual growth, we need to be as
watchful, careful and industrious
as good farmers who tend the
crops in their fields. To be assured
of a bountiful and fruitful harvest,
invading insects and scavengers
need to be warded off, the weather
needs to be monitored, unwanted
weeds must be uprooted and
disposed of, crops must be
watered and fertilized. Then, in
the Autumn, like the farmer we too
can rest back in contentment and
celebrate the fruits of our labours
and give generously in gratitude
to the One who is the Source of it
all.
Through the coming season we
can monitor our growth, as it were,
by exploring and considering the
following topics for which the
word ‘GROWTH’ is an acronym:
G – Gratitude and Generosity
R – Repentance and
Righteousness
O – Obedience and Order
W – Worship and Warfare
T – Trust and Truth
H – Hope, Humility and
HalleluYah!
For an exploration of these GROWTH
principles, please visit Keren Hannah’s
website His-Israel.com and click on
Summer Growth
receive and take pleasure in the
many gifts of life that He has given
us; and, (3) to give back to Him
through offerings of worship and
obedience, and through tzedakah
– giving to charity and acts of
are walking and working with God,
our progress will be strong and
will endure. The positive growth
will be meaningfully etched in
our characters. In addition, before
setting out to face the challenges
“When our motives are pure and we are
walking and working with God, our progress
will be strong.”
A worthwhile exercise, as we
now pause at the transition point, is
to examine and clarify our motives
for the journey. Why do we, and
should we, desire to grow? Three
positive motives to consider: (1)
to fulfil God’s plan and purpose
for my life, as His child; (2) to
loving-kindness.
On the other hand, negative
patterns of motivation that hinder
our Father’s purposes in our lives
need to be recognized and dealt
with according to His grace. Again,
three of which are: (1) to impress
others and
gain favour;
(2) to cover
insecurity;
and, (3) fear
of reprisal or
punishment.
When our
motives are
pure and we
of summer growth, here are three
few basic, foundational concepts
each one needs to have clear in his
or her understanding: (1) you are
worthy and highly esteemed in His
eyes; (2) it is God’s Will that you
grow; and, (3) you are equipped,
by His grace, with all you need to
grow in strength, in wisdom and
in knowledge of Him.
Dear fellow ‘hikers’, may all that
we do flow from our heart’s desire
to bless our Almighty God and
Father, in the love of our Messiah
Yeshua, and in the power of the
Spirit of Holiness.
facebook.com/cfiuk
twitter.com/cfi_uk

Resources
If It’s Not Impossible...
The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton
There are around 6000 people alive today
because of Sir Nicholas Winton - descendants of
endangered Jewish children who in 1939 he rescued
from the Nazis. Here his daughter sets out to look
at the character, motivation and life of this noted
humanitarian.
Some of the children know of his existence and
the part he played in their history, many others
do not. It was a short event in his life, but a critical
one for those whose lives were saved. For him,
that intervention was over in a flash and other
adventures supplanted it. Only much later did
this episode re-emerge in his life and ever since
has brought him visitors from all over the world
anxious to learn his story.
Nicky’s Family DVD
Dubbed the ‘British
S c h i n d l e r ’
for his heroism,
this tells the story
through dramatic reenactments
narrated
by those he rescued
and Sir Nicholas
himself. Winner of
multiple awards
including “Best
Documentary” at
Montreal World Film
Festival. The New
York Times called it:
“Enthralling. Evocative.
A true story of heroism.”
D123 // 97 minutes // PAL DVD // £11.00 (incl. UK p&p)
This book lays out that story in detail, exploring
the motivation and early experiences that led to
him acting to save young lives, while others looked
the other way. His motto “If something is not
impossible, then there must be a way to do it” led
him to follow his own convictions and undertake
an operation others had dismissed as unnecessary
or too difficult.
B464 // 288 pages // Paperback // £15.00 (incl. UK p&p)
From Matron to Martyr - One Woman’s
Ultimate Sacrifice for the Jews
After
finding
a family
connection to the
mysterious and
captivating Jane
Haining, journalist
Lynley Smith
took the historical
events of Jane’s
life and crafted
fictionalised diary.
An inspirational
and bittersweet
biography of a
faithful servant
and Scottish
missionary who
died at the hands of
the Nazis in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration
Camp during World War II.
B463 // 208 pages // Paperback // £13.00 (incl. UK p&p)
8 // IN TOUCH

Restore Magazine: Reformation Issue
The
latest
e d i t i o n
of Restore!
Magazine is titled
“ R e f o r m a t i o n ,
Renewal, and
R e s t o r a t i o n :
Lessons from the
Potter’s House”,
and focuses on
the subject of
Reformation by
examining its
principles and
a p p l i c a t i o n s ,
e v a l u a t i n g
reformations of the past to learn lessons for the
continuing work of reformation and renewal.
Authors include Dr John D. Garr and Dr Richard
Booker.
M25 // 34 pages // Magazine // £6.50 (incl. UK p&p)
God’s Blueprint
Is the Old
Testament just
the prelude to the
New? Has it served
its purpose, now
that we have a
“better covenant”?
Or do we ignore it
at our peril? This
reveals a goldmine
of discovery and
delights as the Old
Testament is laid
bare like never
before.
In this follow-up
to God’s Signature
(available from CFI-
UK for £11.50 incl. UK p&p) you will discover:
• Recurring themes that build up a wonderful
picture of God.
• The actions and teachings of the Biblical
prophets in context.
• The benefits of viewing the Scriptures
Hebraically.
• What the Old Testament has to say to the 21 st
Century man.
B466 // 224 pages // Paperback // £12.00 (incl. UK p&p)
Bible Time Line
This
booklet
c o v e r s
Genesis to
Revelation in a
glance showing
h u n d r e d s
of Biblical
events, kings
and prophets
chronologically,
s i d e - b y - s i d e ,
with World and
Middle East
history. Gain a
new perspective
on the place and
time of Biblical
history when
you see the
comparisons.
Psalms in God’s Presence
Explore
one
of the most
beloved portions
of Scripture,
d i s c o v e r
the varieties
of Psalms -
including those
of Thanksgiving,
Lament, Wisdom,
and Royalty.
Learn how to
u n d e r s t a n d
these beautiful
Scriptures by
knowing the
who, what, when
and where about
them.
www.cfi.org.uk/shop
BT115 // 12 pages // Booklet // £3.50 (incl. UK p&p)
BT116 // 14 pages // Booklet // £3.50 (incl. UK p&p)
facebook.com/cfiuk
twitter.com/cfi_uk

Arab or Aramaic?
Sam Hailes explains why some Israeli Christians are no longer
calling themselves Arab.
Inside Israel a battle is raging. This fight is not
about land, borders or checkpoints. It’s about
language, definitions and semantics.
The Arabic speaking Christian community
in Israel have historically been regarded as
“Israeli Arab”. But as a source close to the Israeli
government recently told me, this terminology is
often unhelpful.
An increasing number
of Arab Christians say
that citizenship in Israel
brings many benefits.
Israel affords great
freedom to religious
minorities, meaning the
Jewish state’s Christian
minority is treated far
better than in surrounding
Arab nations.
But with the conflict
in the Holy Land often
being described as “Arab-
Israeli” this has put
Israeli-Arab Christians in
a difficult position. While
many Arab-Israelis have a negative view of Israel,
plenty of Arab-Israeli Christians love their nation.
It’s partly for this reason that more and more
Israeli-Arab Christians are dropping the “Arab”
label. Instead of self-describing as “Arab” they
are reviving the
ancient label of
“Aramaic”.
“We love Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Father Gabriel Nadaf.
as Christian
citizens and we
are ready to
defend it…otherwise, we and Jews will be kicked
out and persecuted by Arabs,” writes one Aramaic
Believer.
The left leaning Israeli paper Ha’aretz has described
this subtle but important change in terminology as
a “quiet revolution”. Led by Greek Orthodox Priest
Gabriel Nadaf, the movement strongly emphasises
an Israeli identity and takes a very positive view of
the state.
In practice this means that despite being exempt
from national service, more and more Aramaic and
Arab Christians in Israel are choosing to express
their support for the state by joining the Israeli
Defence Forces (IDF).
A law passed earlier this year by the Israeli Knesset
has made this distinction clear. Muslim Arabs are
now seen as a separate community to Christian
Arabs and Aramaics.
“Thank God we live in
Israel,” Lt. (res.) Shadi
Halul, who heads the
Christian IDF Officers
Forum, says. “Christians
here are protected, and
now they are recognised
without being lumped
together with any Arab
party.
Christians have their
own historical identity
and heritage with a
destiny different from
Arabs and Muslims.
We as Christians with
Aramaic roots deserve
the right of self-identity
and national identity with our own representatives
in all Israeli institutions.”
The Aramaic Christian community in Israel is
zealous in its support for Israel as a Jewish and
democratic state. This has led to the community’s
“Christians have their own historical
identity and heritage with a destiny
different from Arabs and Muslims.”
leaders being
simultaneously
rejected by Arab
and Palestinian
figures and
embraced by
Israeli leaders –
including the Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
(see picture).
Today, only a few scattered communities across
the Middle East still speak the Aramaic language,
but the Maronite Centre in Israel has been busy
revitalising it. The aim is to unite Christians across
the Middle East as one distinct people and nation.
The “quiet revolution” appears to be getting
louder...
10 // IN TOUCH

Introducing the Jewish National Fund
Find out how JNF UK are turning the Negev green to secure a
brighter future for Israel.
Founded in 1901 at the Fifth Zionist Congress at the
initiative of Theodore Herzl, JNF’s purpose was
to act as a central fund to enable Jews across the
earth to play their part in rebuilding an independent
Jewish State in the land of Israel after nearly 2,000 years
of exile.
When the State of Israel was finally declared in 1948,
JNF’s work continued apace. Today much of their work
is inspired by the strong vision of Israel’s first Prime
Minister Ben Gurion to transform the Negev.
The Negev is a strategic asset to Israel, taking up
60% of the land area and yet only 8% of the country’s
population, so in order to attract more people to the
region, communities, infrastructures and facilities must
be established.
Ben Gurion’s words were powerful and relevant when
he described that it is in the Negev that the people of
Israel will be tested, in terms of creativity, youth, and a
united volunteering people. Since that speech, time has
only reinforced the power and meaning of his vision.
JNF UK responded to the creativity challenge
with the installation of enchanting promenades
and playgrounds, like the one in the town of Sderot,
situated on the border with Gaza, which helps children
escape the stark reality of living under the constant
threat of rocket fire. The Charity also had the creativity
and vision to support the awakening of international
companies that are moving south from their glossy Tel
Aviv offices, expanding their rich talent pools in the
region.
JNF UK’s work is heavily focused on youth, including
student enterprise and innovation initiatives, such as
the Ayalim Association in Arad; the establishment of an
Early Childhood Centre in Yerucham; and investment
in Derech Eretz, a volunteer-driven pre-army youth
programme which is a cutting-edge model of education
and environmental conservation in the heart of the
Negev. These projects are where the next generation
learns resilience and verve; fosters a sense of purpose
and brings alive the original pioneering spirit that
brought Israel to the Independent State it is today.
The Charity engenders a strong sense of unity
and solidarity through the support of volunteering
programmes such as Hashomer Hachadash (The New
Guardians), which sees people from around the world
and from other parts of Israel join together to dedicate
their personal time to stand guard at night to protect
farmers’ precious livestock from criminal attacks. It’s
also evident in the thousands of tourists who visit the
towns and generate international support through first
hand story-telling.
For more information, please visit: www.jnf.co.uk
facebook.com/cfiuk
twitter.com/cfi_uk

Post-Conference Tour begins:
For CFI’s 30 th Anniversary Year, CFI-UK are planning to take a UK
contingent to the Jerusalem Conference (June 1 st –4 th ), with a follow-on
tour from June 5 th –12 th , hosted by Jacob and Ellen Vince. We are currently
working with Keshet Educational Tours on a CFI-UK specific Israel tour
programme, including accommodation, travel, local guide and flight
options. This is a unique opportunity and we encourage all who can to set
aside these dates and join us in June 2015. More details to follow soon.