Happy Birthday Israel!

Happy Birthday Israel! And many more! I bless you as a nation and as a people in the name of Yeshua! May you reside in peace and joy.

Israel celebrated her 60th Birdthday on May 8th. Throughout the media we have been reminded how hard these 60 years have been, and how much the people of Israel had to sacrifice in order to have a country of their own in 2008. Many special guests are visiting Israel to celebrate together with us. Thousands of tourists also flooded the country to show their support of Israel and the Jewish people. Leaders of various countries around the world have congratulated Israel on her anniversary. The atmosphere here is special, and it seems that, even if just for a day, many people here have decided to stay away from criticism, voicing dissatisfaction and complaining. It's during these types of celebration that we can say without hesitation - "All Israel are Friends (Comrades)."

The Following are some articles from Dateline Israel, a news briefing i get.

During this special time we would like to share with you a couple of things that were forwarded to us and blessed us tremendously. The first one is a link to the video made 30 years ago, showing a conversation between Barbara Streisand and Golda Meir on Israel's 30th anniversary, with Barbara then singing the Israeli Anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uPHaioopKM. The second is a power point made especially for Israel's 60th Birthday, which you can VIEW BY CLICKING HERE. (For best viewing save the file to your computer when prompted.)We hope you will be blessed just as we have been with these two exceptional resources.

NIZKOR! WE SHALL REMEMBER AND NEVER FORGET!
By Katy Sorsher Smith

Today I already consider myself as one of the previous generation. At thirty I find that I am completely different - even from those in their early twenties, and truth be told - it really scares me. It seems that we have completely different values, as if we have been raised centuries apart. The younger ones seem to forget faster, and the voices rising up today from every direction surprisingly of the generation older than mine are promoting the growing ignorance of this and Google and MySpace generations.

How quickly does the world forget! How quickly the enemy raises up new opposition to the army of God! I was taught that we should never forget. Today’s generation is taught tolerance and acceptance which is nothing more but ignorance and apathy in my eyes. This self-consumed generation is easily swept by propaganda and words that are pleasant to their ears. You don’t have to search for it what I call 'The Obama Phenomenon' is self-explanatory.

But I am determined to never forget. And not only today, Holocaust Memorial Day, but every day!

My anger is stirred up every time someone even as much as entertains the thought of the severity of the holocaust being exaggerated and so much more when people outwardly and without shame deny it ever happened!

Sadly, these voices are growing louder and louder while the voices of survivors are getting thinner and thinner - as every year less and less of them remain to tell about the horrors of what humanity put them through. But if you've talked to a survivor once in your life, if they let your fingers slide on their skin where the numbers are engraved forever leaving their mark, you will not be able to forget.

The headlines of Israeli newspapers online were filled with anti-Semitism this past week:

Ukraine started selling Hitler dolls, and the manufacturer says they consider them to be in the same category as Barbie dolls! More products like these dolls will follow, depending on the sales. 'The Hitler figurine features moveable arms that enable it to reproduce the Nazi dictator's infamous salute, and consumers are able to choose from a variety of outfits, including "early days Adolf" and "wartime Adolf".’ (Ynet News, 4/26/08)

A Jewish leader in Germany this week suggested that the ban on selling Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, should be lifted, also saying it should be published and available to everyone online. His suggestions have been, thank God, rejected - at least for now.

To top this, Jean-Marie Le Pen, infamous for his remarks about the Holocaust, now says that gas chambers in Auschwitz and other death camps did not exist, and that the prisoners were merely workers in these labor camps. If I could, I would dare him look in the eyes of a survivor from one of the camps and say that.

How can anyone stay apathetic to these remarks and not speak against them? Well, most of us don’t, even though I think we should. One voice is, of course, just one voice, but if joined together, we will be heard!

However, this generation does not seem to care. Totally consumed by their own desires they simply choose NOT to remember. Well, not only them. We, too, seem to forget, or sometimes bluntly ignore the fact that there are people today determined to wipe off the face of the earth other people they don’t like… We seem to dismiss the fact that a leader openly says he wants to wipe Israel off the map. Do we really think he’s just being misunderstood or is making empty threats?

Will we again remain silent and hide behind “God will have His way anyway?”
We should never forget! We should never allow this again! Our children and their children (should the Lord tarry) should never forget either.

When the alarm sounded in Israel this morning, every person, every student, every child stood silently in Honor of the victims of Holocaust. Let’s remember with them. Let’s remember not just today but every day! Let’s fight the enemy with prayer and intercession for Israel. Let’s petition our Lord and Savior to plea with the Father to fight again for Israel, asking Him what can we personally do.

NIZKOR! WE SHALL REMEMBER AND NEVER FORGET!

Personal Note: There were a few pictures that i couldn't carry over from my email. And another side note... why is it soo much to ask for people to start recognizing Israel and the Holocaust? If they want to deny that, why not just deny the Pearl Harbor or some other major disaster?