An amazing article published in Haaretz by Shahar Ilan that describes the way Jewish Hasidim "celebrate" Christmas: Christmas Eve is one of the few occasions when Hasidim refrain from Torah study, do not conduct weddings or go to the mikveh. But they do play chess and work on their bills.
On Christmas Eve, known in Jewish circles as Nitel Night, the klipot (shells) are in total control. The klipot are parasitical evil forces that attach themselves to the forces of good. According to kabbala (Jewish mysticism), on the night on which "that man" - a Jewish euphemism for Jesus - was born, not even a trace of holiness is present and the klipot exploit every act of holiness for their own purposes.
Shahar Ilan, Haaretz, Dec 24, 2004
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ISRAEL \ Dec 29, 2004
1655
Irineos I, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in Israel, has withdrawn and nullified a lawsuit he filed against the Maariv newspaper to the tune of four million shekels.
Irineos filed the suit several months ago because the newspaper had accused him of expressing anti-Semitic sentiments. Earlier this month, however, Irineos withdrew his suit, and even agreed to pay 10,000 shekels ? plus Value Added Tax ? to Maariv to cover its legal expenses. Sources say that a sense of humiliation pervades the Church.
From Arutz 7, Dec 24, 2004
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ISRAEL \ Dec 29, 2004 2083
Differrent people from around the world came to Jerusalem to attend the recent dedication of a new church facility. While building a church in the U.S. is not unusual, building one in the city of Jerusalem is unique.
It's called the pavilion, a new state of the art facility, located in the heart of Jerusalem and the new home of King of Kings Assembly pastored by Wayne Hilsden.
By Chris Mitchell, CWNews, December 10, 2004
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ISRAEL \ Dec 24, 2004 1645
A total of 144,000 Christians live in Israel, of whom 117,000 are Arab and 27,000 are new immigrants, according to a report released yesterday by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) ahead of Christmas. In 2003, Christians constituted 2.1 percent of Israel's population.
Approximately 98 percent of Israel's Christians live in urban settlements, with 20 percent in Nazareth, 12 percent in Haifa and 10 percent in Jerusalem.
Approximately 11 percent of all 12th-graders in the Arab education system are Christian, and they lead the population in attainment of matriculation certificates.
By Moti Bassok, Haaretz, Dec 24, 2004
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PALESTINE \ Dec 22, 2004 5549
Long before the death of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Open Doors founder and author Brother Andrew began to provide training and support to churches in that region. The man who gave Arafat a Bible for his daughter's first birthday says that Christ?s love is the solution to the Middle East conflict.
Janet Chismar, Senior Editor for Faith, Cross Walk, Nov 15, 2004
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PALESTINE \ Dec 22, 2004 3710
Urban Bethlehem, with a population of about 61,000, is now surrounded by nine Israeli settlements, roads restricted to Israelis, a multitude of checkpoints, 78 physical obstacles, and an Israeli barrier nearing completion on two sides of the town to protect against suicide attacks and other violence, the report said.
The Assoicated Press, Dec 22, 2004
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ISRAEL \ Dec 22, 2004 1419
Among the roots of ancient olive trees, archaeologists have found pieces of large stone jars of the type the Gospel says Jesus used when he turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding in the Galilee village of Cana.
They believe these could have been the same kind of vessels the Bible says Jesus used in his first miracle, and that the site where they were found could be the location of biblical Cana. But Bible scholars caution it'll be hard to obtain conclusive proof - especially since experts disagree on exactly where Cana was located.
The Associated Press, Dec 22, 2004
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ISRAEL \ Nov 24, 2004 2198
Thousands of believers flocked Saturday night to attend Benny Hinn's crusade at Tel Aviv's Yad Eliahu stadium - among them foreign workers, Messianic Jews and Christian Arabs.
The following is a report written by an Israeli who attended the crusade. It is brought to you un-changed as it was published in Haaretz.
By Daphna Berman, Haaretz, 20/11/200
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FEATURES \ Nov 24, 2004 4610
Athletes in Action, a ministry for reaching out people with the good news of Jesus through Sport Evangelism visited Galilee this month. During one week they were able to meet some 2000 young people in different schools and sport clubs and even get a TV interview on the national cable Arabic Station.
Special For Come and See, Nov 12, 2004
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