Peace and grace to you all in Jesus name!
Well here we are in literally one of the foremost cradles of civilization. Today we await the arrival of our tour group from Canada. I will meet the aircraft and along with our tour guide, Allan Rabinowitz (very long time friend of our family), and will get them checked into the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. Their first agenda will be to "crash and burn" because I can guarantee that jet lag will be uppermost in their minds. Then this evening Shabbat will officially begin at about 4:15 p.m. By that time most of the streets of Israel will be deserted with a beautiful calm and will remain so for a period of 24 hours while the entire Jewish Nation celebrates their weekly observance of the Sabbath rest.
At about 7 p.m. an extremely lavish dinner will be served here in the Hotel dinning room. There will be many guest / tourists of course but also the room will be full of Jewish families dressed in their Sabbath best. At 4:15 p.m. (Shabbat (Sabbath) begins) the elevator buttons stop working and everything mechanical in the Hotel goes on "automatic pilot" for the next 24 hours. What an experience that will be for all concerned.
Tomorrow, Brandy, Santiago and I will lead our group on a walking tour of the ancient 4,000 year old City of Jaffa (Joppa). Yesterday we refreshed ourselves with a visit of this extremely old and famous city that was alternatively conquered and occupied by the Pharaohs of Egypt, including both Thutmose III and Pharaoh Ramesses II. Then came the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Christian Crusaders (including King Richard the Lion Heart) and the French Emperor Napoleon, (not necessarily in correct chronological order).
This city was also much earlier taken by Kings David and Solomon, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, the Maccabees, various pirate clans, the Ottoman ruler Sultan Salim I, the British under General Allenby and finally, by Israel on the 13th of May 1948. By the way, for the sake of brevity I have left out VERY MANY other conquests of this key seaport city.
Today the city is part of Tel Aviv but separated by about 3/4 of one mile. The current population is 25,000 Arabs and another approximately 10,000 Jew and Christian residents, all of whom get along pretty well.
A highlight of our day yesterday was a tour of the small Mediterranean coastline museum of "ETZEL" (I.Z.L.) which later evolved into the current I.D.F. (Israeli Defense Force). Part of the earlier ETZEL was a very dangerous fighting force known as the IRGUN. Originally many of these young Israeli men and women had entered service with the British Army as it defended the Middle East against the German Field Marshall Rommel. Later the Irgun turned against the British as they sided with the Arab populations and tried o block Jewish immigration into the newly reestablished Nation of Israel as given mandate by the League of Nations (later to become the current United Nations).
Our host for this tour was a true hero by the name of Yosef Ben David Nachmias. He joined the fighting while only 14 1/2 years old, was captured and imprisoned twice, wounded 4 times and is highly decorated. It was a fascinating experience listening to this elderly gentleman explaining how the early Israeli freedom fighters went on to win a war of independence that was gained against several fully equipped Arab armies, at the cost of much death and bloodshed by the Jews who had few weapons and little food or ammunition. He was quick to give credit to God for these victories, as should be the case.
As stated earlier, our group arrives today and we will take them to Jaffa tomorrow. For my Christian readers it should be noted that Jaffa is where Peter the Apostle was called from to minister to the Roman Centurion Cornelius and his household. Also where the home of Simon the Tanner was located and where Jonah fled to as he was trying to escape from the Lord! It is also believed by some historians that Jaffa was originally founded and settled by Noah's son Japheth.
Our formal tour begins Sunday morning with a visit to Independence Hall where David Ben Gurion declared Israeli National Independence of May 14, 1948. We are one of the few tour groups that take our people to the Independence Hall here in Tel Aviv. We do this so our folks can witness first hand what Israel must do simply to survive. There is seldom a day that missiles are not landing in some portion of tiny Israel. And yet every time Israel responds to these unwarranted attacks agains innocent civilians, the United Nations passes scathing declarations AGAINST ISRAEL. What do you think would happen if just ONE missile from an enemy source struck anywhere in the United States, Canada, Mexico , Russia, China, or most European Nations? I will leave you today with that question.
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
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