“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9
18 January 2021. I am sitting by my window watching the precious, beautiful raindrops falling. At last, after 3 weeks of glorious but oh so dry winter weather, the rains have returned to refresh the land and bring life. My neighbor’s cat is drinking from a puddle on top of my stone fence. A special treat for him. My own cat is snuggled up in my warm and dry bed – he doesn’t like to get wet! I thank God for all these blessings. It is so easy these days to be overwhelmed with grey sadness as we are stuck in our homes in lockdown once again. How important it is to count all our blessings and meditate on the lovely things of this world. Paul knew that. Life in the Roman Empire was no picnic in his time, and Paul himself wrote the words above while in prison, waiting to learn if he would be executed or not. His advice to the believers then is still good advice for us now as we try to cope with the boredom and isolation of lockdown, the continuing threat of virus infection, economic difficulty, the political turmoil and the military threats of our time. I am deeply grateful for all the beautiful things of life, friends and family, my home, my cat, the flowers in the garden and the blossoms in the forest, and most of all for the sure hope of a better future in the Lord.
Update 20/01 : It is very cold today and it is still raining. There is even some ice amongst the rain. We may get some snow but the forecast is for snow only down to 900m. We are at an altitude of about 800m. It is snowing on Mt Hermon and some of the higher hills in the north. It is only 6 degrees C here right now (at noon) and it is expected to go down to around freezing point tonight. Brr! We are not used to such low temperatures.
LOCKDOWN 3.5
In the grips of a third wave of Covid-19 infection, Israel went into its third lockdown on December 27th, 2020. As the second week approached it became apparent the lockdown was too ‘leaky’ and the infection numbers were continuing to rise. Restrictions were therefore tightened on the 7th of January, leading to the dubbing of the current phase ‘Lockdown 3.5’. This lockdown was due to end on the 21st of this month but as the infection rate is still high, and hospitals are struggling to cope, the lockdown has now been extended until the 31st January at least.
Daily infections passed a grim milestone and reached a peak (I hope) of 10,021 on the 18th of January (1,2). That same day the total number of confirmed infections in Israel since the beginning of the outbreak stood at around 552,000 (5.5% of the population), and deaths have reached 4,006 (0.7% of cases). This comparatively low death rate can be attributed to our high level of testing and to the courageous and dedicated medical staff who have gone far beyond the call of duty in treating the seriously ill (In comparison, Sweden which has about the same population as Israel, and approximately the same number of reported infections, has experienced 10,323 deaths, more than 2.5 times that of Israel).
In spite of many mistakes, the dithering and zigzagging of government decisions and the lack of cooperation within of several sectors of the society, I think Israel is coming through this crisis reasonably well, compared to other countries. I believe our prayers do make a difference. Nevertheless it is not easy and there is a considerable cost in economic terms and in the mental welfare of the population. The statistics mask the human element of suffering. Our economy is still only ticking over at about 50% and unemployment is around 25% with many businesses, especially small businesses, going bankrupt. Social welfare services are reporting a sharp rise in families needing help, in people reporting symptoms of depression and a rise in suicide rates. My pastor, who is a practicing clinical psychologist and counsellor, also reports a similar rise even amongst believers. In these days we need to know how to draw on the deep wells of living water (John 4), rejoicing in the Lord and counting our blessings.
Israel is boasting of its success with the vaccination process which began around the 18th of December. We have vaccinated a greater proportion by far of our population than any other country. To date, 80% of our medical personnel and 75% of our over 60s have already received their first shot, and many their second shot as well. This represents around 22% of our total population. The full effects of the vaccination do not kick in until about a week after the second shot and therefore we are only just beginning to see results from the vaccination program. Infection rates in the elderly have dropped considerably, even after only receiving the first shot. We have now begun to vaccinate teachers and the over 45 age group. The limiting factor is the availability of vaccines but we are managing to vaccinate over 150,000 every day. Yesterday, 19/01, over 200,000 were vaccinated. One reason we can do this is because of the cooperation between the IDF Home Front Command and the Health Funds. Home Front medics are qualified to give injections and are manning many of the vaccination stations in addition to the Health Fund and hospital nurses. Because of our unique Health Fund system we can effectively gather statistics so Pfizer is using Israel as a massive trial to gauge the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. This will provide valuable information for the rest of the world – just another way that Israel blesses the world.
Of course there are risks with such a new technology and a large percentage of Israelis are refusing to be vaccinated, or do not wish yet to be vaccinated. There are also many, especially amongst the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities who are refusing vaccination because of religious, political or ethical reasons, or because of misinformation about the risks. Unfortunately many in these same communities are also violating the restrictions designed to limit infection and consequently it is in these communities that the infection rates are highest. About 30% of tests are coming back positive in ultra-orthodox towns compared to about 5% for the national average (3).
The video below shows hundreds of guests dancing at an ultra-orthodox wedding taking place in the ultra-orthodox town of Bnei Brak. In these communities, many synagogues, yeshivas (schools for Torah study) and schools are remaining open contrary to regulations and there have been outbreaks of violent resistance when police have attempted to arrest violators or break up gatherings. (Under current restrictions the gathering of more than 10 people indoors is banned and in addition masks must be worn and social distancing maintained).
It is not only the ultra-orthodox and the Arabs who are violating restrictions but also many of the secular youth. The video below shows a party taking place in the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, also contrary to regulations. The hospitals are reporting that they are seeing more and more young people amongst the seriously ill being admitted in this third wave.
No one in Israel is being forced to accept the vaccination, but what is being introduced is the issuing of a ‘green passport’ in the form of a cell phone app which will grant those who have been vaccinated a pass to attend places of worship, theatres, restaurants, sports facilities and to also have a greater freedom to travel. I am somewhat concerned about the social tracking aspect of this ‘passport’, and the data being gathered through it, but since the security forces are already tracking us by means of our cellphone GPS systems, it probably is not a significant additional loss of privacy. On the positive side it will allow more sectors of our economy to begin to open up for business, especially the internal tourism and hospitality sector and the entertainment sectors. We may also soon be able to meet together in places of worship.
Many Messianic believers here, as in other parts of the world, also have objections to receiving the vaccinations. To address this I wrote an article that was published this week in the Kehila News online magazine. If you are interested you can read it here: https://news.kehila.org/to-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate/
Many of the hospitals are reporting that they are reaching their capacity in the coronavirus wards. There is no lack of beds or equipment, but there is a limited supply of qualified doctors and nurses who can treat the seriously ill. A few days ago, the largest hospital in Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein Kerem, had to close its doors to non-Covid emergency admissions and some Covid patients were rerouted to other hospitals. Covid ward staff are suffering exhaustion and reporting many PTSD symptoms, which inevitably will sooner or later result in a drop in the quality of care and a rise in the death rate amongst the seriously ill. Hospital staff are being drawn in from other departments which decreases the care available to patients suffering from other illnesses or trauma.
We are all hoping that the vaccines will put the brakes on the Covid pandemic but there are still a lot of unknowns, especially with the rapid spread of new mutant strains. We already have both the UK and South African strains spreading in Israel and we are trying to keep the Brazilian strain from entering the country. No one knows if the vaccines that are being given will be effective against these new strains, which are much more infective than the older strains. We bade goodbye to 2020 with the hope that 2021 will be a much better year, but this is far from a certainty. It may yet prove to be an even worse year.
ISRAELI ELECTIONS AND AMERICAN POLITICS
Our coalition government was unable to agree on a budget within the required time and therefore the Knesset (Parliament) has been dissolved and new national elections must be held, according to the law. The election will take place on the 23rd March. This will be our fourth round of elections within the last two years. There is a great deal of electioneering taking place, with parties disintegrating, forming and reorganizing, and much wheeling and dealing going on. Polls suggest that Netanyahu and his Likud Party will once more gain the majority of the votes, largely because of the disarray in the opposition with the major left wing parties fragmenting into smaller parties. The Likud Party has lost the support of some of the more extreme right wing parties and so in recent days we have seen Netanyahu courting the votes of the Arab sector. In short, the new elections seem unlikely to result in the formation of a viable government as Israeli society is becoming more and more polarized and fragmented, and this at a time when, more than ever, we need to stand together and have a strong government. I thank God that He is still on His throne and ultimately in control. Please pray that He will raise up righteous men and women who will put the well-being of the nation before their own personal agendas, and who can unite us rather than divide.
Here in Israel we watch American politics closely. The USA is one of Israel’s best friends and whatever happens there affects us deeply. Many Israelis are dismayed that Trump is being replaced by a new president, Joe Biden. Trump did much to help Israel during his term of office, such as moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem, cancelling the flawed agreements with Iran, and helping to broker the Abraham accords. On the other hand, many are relieved that Trump is leaving office as he had become increasingly unstable and unpredictable in his actions. Against this, Joe Biden is as yet an ‘unknown quantity’. He does support Israel and at least 11 of his chosen cabinet are Jewish. We all hope he will consult closely with Israel in matters concerning Middle East policies, especially those relating to Iran.
The swearing in of the new president, Biden, will take place in just a few hours from now in Washington DC, under unprecedented security arrangements following the shocking riots that took place there a week ago. We are all hoping there will not be a repeat of the violence and bloodshed.
I believe it is more important than ever that the church distance itself from politics. One of the most serious mistakes of church history was the combining of state and church that occurred during the Roman Empire period. It led to heresy and the incorporation of paganism into the doctrine and practices of the church. We who follow Yeshua do not belong in the world, we are in the world but not of it (John 17:9-18), and our focus needs to be on spreading the word of the gospel and making disciples. If Christian or Messianic believers side with one political party or another, or one politician or another, we will rise or fall with them, alienate those on the ‘other side’, weaken the witness and bring the Name of God into disrepute. We need to ‘seek first the kingdom of God’ and look to the true ruler of Heaven and Earth. It is He who raises up kings and brings them down (Daniel 2:21). Someone sent me this song today and it seems apt:
(31) The Lord Reigns and One God with Lyrics – YouTube
SECURITY
Although our attention has been focused on the Corona crisis, this does not mean that the external threats to Israel have lessened. Iran is still breathing dire warnings every day and continuing to build up its arsenal of long range missiles capable of attacking all Israeli territory and US military installations in the Middle East. They are also threatening those Arab nations, which stand against them, namely Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. These nations have drawn closer to Israel as a result and this has led to them forging economic and military agreements with Israel, known as the Abraham Accords. The latest country to open full diplomatic relations with Israel is Morocco. The economic advantages these accords afford Israel will go a large way to offset the losses we have experienced due to the Corona pandemic. The military implications are yet to be seen. Perhaps it will cause Iran to hesitate longer before attacking Israel, or perhaps not. Time will tell.
Meanwhile Iran is continuing to increase its uranium enrichment program and develop its nuclear and conventional weapon arsenal. It now has long range missiles capable of hitting any country in the Middle East and not a few in Europe. Not only that Iran continues to arm its proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. Iran recently showed off its vast array of missile and drone capability sending a clear threat and message to the USA, Israel and our allies.
The President-elect of the USA, Joe Biden, has stated that upon taking office on the 21st of this month, he will initiate talks with Iran in order to renegotiate a deal regarding its nuclear weapons development program. This is being regarded with some horror in Israel but it all depends upon whether any new deal struck will reign in Iran’s nuclear development program or not. In view of the ever rising tensions with Iran, Israel continues to strengthen its defensive and offensive capabilities. Additional anti-missile batteries are being set up around all major cities, including Eilat which is vulnerable to attack both from Yemen and from ISIS, which is now in the Sinai Peninsula.
The Corona crisis has resulted in a drop in internal terror attacks and in the year 2020 only two Israelis were killed in terror attacks. Disturbances on the Gaza border have also decreased but not stopped completely. Last night, for example, two missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip towards the Israeli city of Ashdod. They both landed in the sea, causing no harm. This morning Israel retaliated by attacking Hamas tunnels in Gaza. This follows a military exercise involving Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza during which missiles were fired into the sea and a mock tanks were attacked. It is believed this was intended to send a “clear message to the Zionist enemy” (4). The evening before the exercise Hamas attempted to fire a missile into Israel but it failed to cross the border. Two days earlier two rockets were fired into Israel, one of which landed near Ashdod and the other landed on Palmachim Beach south of Tel Aviv. Fragments of an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor rocket, which failed to hit the missile that was headed towards Palmachim beach, landed in Bat Yam causing some minor damage but no injuries (4).
Tensions are also high in the north. Last month the IDF released the information that in 2020 they had carried out around 500 attacks and a number of cyberattacks, aimed at countering the Iranian entrenchment in Syria (5).
IMMIGRATION
For the first time since the founding of the State of Israel, the Jewish population has dropped below 74% (6). In light of this it is good news that immigration has continued during the Corona virus pandemic, albeit at a slower rate than before. The Jewish Agency says that in 2020 some 20,000 people immigrated to Israel, mainly from the former Soviet Union and including some 1200 from Ethiopia (7). The first immigrants to arrive in 2021 were another 300 Ethiopians (8). They were part of the airlift dubbed “Operation Rock of Israel” intended to bring all the remaining Ethiopians waiting to come to Israel, many of whom have been waiting, separated from their family members, for 15 years or more. The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem sponsored the flights of 1/3 of the immigrants in this latest airlift. Increased efforts are being made to bring the last of the remaining Jews from Ethiopia as conditions have deteriorated over the last year due to food shortages, the armed conflict in Tigray province and the coronavirus. This endeavor is being spearheaded by Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, who is an Ethiopian immigrant herself, and Jewish Agency chairman Isaac Herzog.
In December 2020 a group of 250 members of the Bnei Menashe from northern India also immigrated to Israel. The resumption of immigration to Israel by these descendants of the Tribe of Menashe which were exiled 2700 years ago was also the fruit of the efforts of MK Pnina Tamano-Shata. She was not alone. The Jerusalem Post noted that “This aliyah was also the fruit of efforts by a wide range of Christian Zionists and lovers of Israel around the world. International groups such as Christians for Israel, Bridges for Peace, Ebenezer Operation Exodus, the ICEJ and Shalom Israel Asia Pacific, as well as many Christians from Scandinavia to Seoul, poured out their hearts in prayer and provided support to carry the sons of daughters of the Bnei Menashe back to Zion just as Isaiah (49:22) foretold” (9). Some 6500 members of the Bnei Menashe are still waiting to come to Israel.
Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel…
Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations,
And set up My standard for the peoples;
They shall bring your sons in their arms,
And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders…
Then you will know that I am the Lord,
For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”
Isaiah 49:6, 22-23
REFERENCES
- https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/coronavirus-israel-registers-record-of-10000-new-cases-in-a-single-day-655930
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/record-high-of-nearly-10000-new-daily-cases-as-total-infections-pass-500000/
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/20-detained-as-ultra-orthodox-clash-with-cops-enforcing-lockdown/
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-rockets-fired-from-gaza-toward-ashdod-land-in-sea/
- https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/rise-in-israeli-strikes-in-syria-has-led-to-decrease-of-iranian-activity-651716
- https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/in-first-jewish-population-in-israel-drops-below-74-percent-654050?utm_source=spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirculation
- https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/20000-olim-from-70-countries-moved-to-israel-this-year-despite-pandemic-653508
- https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/300-ethiopian-immigrants-the-first-to-make-aliyah-to-israel-in-2021-654086
- https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/the-arrival-of-the-bnei-menashe-is-a-hanukkah-miracle-652437
