JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Kerry in Cairo for talks on Egypt’s politics, Mideast peace-US secretary of state arrives a day after Egyptian president offered to mediate renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks-By Matthew Lee May 18, 2016, 6:37 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
CAIRO (AP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks Wednesday with Egyptian officials on the country’s political situation and to explore Egypt’s ideas for supporting a new Israeli-Palestinian peace bid.Kerry arrived in Cairo a day after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi offered support for a French initiative to revive the peace process and said he was willing to serve as a mediator.US officials traveling with Kerry said he spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and wanted hear more from Sissi about his plans.Sissi said Tuesday that Egypt’s relations with Israel, rooted in a landmark 1979 peace treaty, can only be “warmer” if the Jewish state reached a settlement with the Palestinians. He pledged that Egypt would “make every effort” toward a solution.He also declared his support for a French proposal to hold a Mideast peace conference, an idea already rejected by Israel. The Egyptian leader cited that offer, along with US efforts, a 2002 Arab peace plan and the international Mideast peace quartet as possible avenues to such a settlement.Addressing Israelis and their government, Sissi said there was a “real opportunity” for peacemaking although some in Israel did not think peace is now necessary given the turmoil in the region. An Israeli-Palestinian deal, he said, would “give safety and stability to both sides. If this is achieved, we will enter a new phase that perhaps no one can imagine now.”In a statement, Netanyahu welcomed Sissi’s “willingness to invest every effort to advance a future of peace and security between us and the Palestinians” and said Israel was ready to join Egypt and other Arab states in “advancing the peace process and stability in the region.”But Netanyahu has rejected the French initiative, saying direct negotiations were the only way to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. He is on record as saying the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative has some positive aspects but could not be the basis for negotiations.The Arab peace plan offers Israel full recognition by Arab states in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from territory it captured in the 1967 Middle East war.In addition to discussing the peace process, Kerry planned to express concerns about human rights, including Egypt’s crackdowns on dissent, free speech and freedom of assembly, according to US officials.
Israel successfully tests shipborne Iron Dome missile interceptor-IDF unveils new weapon that can block short-range ballistic missiles while aboard a moving ship, expected to protect offshore rigs and other assets-By AFP and Raoul Wootliff May 18, 2016, 7:01 pm-the times of israel
Israel has successfully tested a maritime missile interception system that can shoot down short-range missiles, dubbing it the “Iron Dome of the Sea,” the navy announced on Wednesday.The Tamir-Adir system, which the IDF said can shoot down short-range rockets similar to those fired from Gaza, successfully destroyed “several” missiles, Col. Ariel Shir, head of operational systems in the navy, said.Shir said that during tests carried out two weeks ago, a battery mounted to a ship shot down every one of a salvo of short-range ballistic rockets fired from the shore.He said the test “proved the Israeli navy’s ability to protect Israel’s strategic assets at sea against short-range strategic rockets.”A video provided by the army showed a rocket launcher installed on a ship firing at targets in the sky and later intercepting a missile.During the 2014 Gaza war, Israel deployed its Iron Dome system on land to shoot down rockets fired by Hamas and other terror groups across the border, calling the system a game-changer.The Tamir Adir system uses technology developed for Iron Dome but adjusted for the operational needs of a moving vessel.The system was in development for several years, but was only unveiled to the public Wednesday.The battery is designed to be placed on a moving ship traveling up to cruise speed and will be used to protect strategic assets, such as natural gas rigs, in Israel’s territorial waters.Included in Israel’s sea assets is a major offshore gas rig around 16 nautical miles from Gaza which the Hamas terror group has previously targeted unsuccessfully.Any damage to the rig or other rigs under development could be hugely damaging to the Israeli economy, since it provides large amounts of the country’s energy needs and is expected to turn Israel into a gas exporter.
Netanyahu 'close to agreeing' Israel unity government-[AFP]-May 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to agreeing a unity government with the main opposition leader, Israeli media said Wednesday, in a move that could help revive peace talks with the Palestinians.The head of the rightwing Likud has reportedly been engaged in intense negotiations with Labour Party chief Isaac Herzog in recent weeks in a bid to form a government of national unity.Herzog, whose party forms the Zionist Union along with the centrist Hatnuah, could present a possible coalition agreement to his party in the coming days, the reports said.His entry into the government would be closely watched by the international community for its potential impact on the moribund peace process with the Palestinians.An advocate of an independent Palestinian state, Herzog has been touted as a potential foreign minister -- a role currently assumed by Netanyahu in a temporary capacity on top of his role as premier.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday urged Israelis and Palestinians to take historic steps to achieve peace, comments which some analysts interpreted as an attempt to boost the idea of Herzog joining the government.If a national unity government is formed Netanyahu and Herzog could visit Egypt to launch a new peace initiative under the auspices of the Egyptian president, the Jerusalem Post cited anonymous officials from both parties as saying.But resistance to the coalition is strong within both camps and commentators stressed an agreement was far from certain.Herzog's main rival in the Labour Party, Shelly Yachimovich, described the possible alliance as a "blood wedding".She promised on her Facebook page to fight for "justice, clean government, ideology, and the honour of the party".Within Likud, several members said they would prefer an alliance with the nationalist party Israel Beiteinu rather than Labour.The Zionist Union was formed in the run-up to the 2015 election in a bid to unseat Netanyahu but failed, with the premier later forming one of the most rightwing governments in Israel's history.However Netanyahu's coalition has just a one seat majority in parliament and he would benefit from wider backing -- with members of the coalition currently able to hold him to ransom.
Divers find huge trove of statues, coins in 1,600-year-old shipwreck-In ‘biggest find in 30 years,’ archaeologists rescue rare bronze figures of gods, animals, that sank off Caesarea along with ship carrying metal for recycling-By Stuart Winer May 16, 2016, 4:01 pm-the times of israel
Two recreational divers discovered a 1,600 year-old shipwreck on the seabed off the coast of Israel, leading to a salvage operation which uncovered one of the largest caches of marine artifacts ever found, antiquities officials revealed Monday.The hoard was discovered off the coast of Caesarea, a major Roman-era seaport, sometime last month, the Israel Antiques Authority said in a statement, calling the find the most extensive underwater discovery in 30 years.Pieces brought to the surface included a bronze lamp depicting the image of the sun god Sol, a figurine of the moon goddess Luna, a lamp in the image of the head of an African slave, fragments of three life-size bronze cast statues, objects fashioned in the shape of animals such as a whale, and a bronze faucet in the form of a wild boar with a swan on its head, the IAA said.Fragment of jars the crew had used to store drinking water were also found.Experts believe the finds came from a large merchant ship carrying metal slated for reuse when it ran into a storm near the harbor and smashed into the seawall and rocks.“A preliminary study of the iron anchors suggests there was an attempt to stop the drifting vessel before it reached shore by casting anchors into the sea; however, these broke – evidence of the power of the waves and the wind which the ship was caught up in,” the statement said.Ran Feinstein and Ofer Ra‘anan of Ra’anana were diving at the site of the ancient harbor in the Caesarea National Park before the recent Passover holiday in April when they noticed that shifting sand had exposed the remains of a ship and its contents.The pair immediately contacted the IAA, which sent down archaeologists to take a look.To their delight, the team spotted “iron anchors, remains of wooden anchors and items that were used in the construction and running of the sailing vessel,” the authority said.Feinstein and Ra‘anan will be Awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the IAA and given a personal tour of the IAA’s storerooms as a reward for their good citizenry.Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Dror Planer, deputy director of the unit, dated the ship to sometime during the Late Roman Period or 3rd-4th century CE.In the weeks following the discovery by Ra‘anan and Feinstein, IAA divers along with volunteers carried out an underwater salvage survey and by using specialized equipment were able to find and recover many items from the cargo.The bronze statues are particularly rare; slated to be melted down, they instead sank and were preserved by the seawater.“In the many marine excavations that have been carried out in Caesarea only very small number of bronze statues have been found, whereas in the current cargo a wealth of spectacular statues were found that were in the city and were removed from it by way of sea. The sand protected the statues; consequently they are in an amazing state of preservation – as though they were cast yesterday rather than 1,600 years ago,” the IAA said.Also discovered were two lumps, together weighing 20 kilograms, composed of thousands of coins that had retained the shape of the long disintegrated pottery vessel in which they were being transported.“The coins that were discovered bear the image of the emperor Constantine who ruled the Western Roman Empire (312–324 CE) and was later known as Constantine the Great, ruler of the Roman Empire (324–337 CE), and of Licinius, an emperor who ruled the eastern part of the Roman Empire and was a rival of Constantine, until his downfall in a battle that was waged between the two rulers,” the IAA said.Last year a treasure trove of Fatimid gold coins was found in the sea at Caesarea.
Zionist Union MKs call for Herzog’s head over coalition talks debacle-At least 2 Labor Party members tell opposition leader to step down after he freezes negotiations to join the government-By Raoul Wootliff May 18, 2016, 5:13 pm-the times of israel
Knesset Members from the Zionist Union called on party leader Isaac Herzog to resign Wednesday, as the opposition leader was strafed by party members over his unpopular bid to join the governing coalition, which he froze earlier in the day.Herzog had seemed poised to bring his Zionist Union faction into the coalition despite fierce opposition from most of his own party’s lawmakers, but he aborted talks Wednesday afternoon after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced parallel negotiations with the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, led by Avigdor Liberman.Zionist Union MK Stav Shaffir wrote on Facebook that Herzog’s efforts to take Zionist Union into a unity government led by Netanyahu were self-serving and “unforgivable.”“It is now clear that Bibi used Herzog in order to bring Liberman into the government,” Shafir wrote, using the prime minister’s nickname. “A leader who cannot differentiate between the Bibi of a peace agreement and the Bibi who gives the defense portfolio to Liberman is not worthy to be head of the Labor Party.”Colleague Mickey Rosenthal also demanded Herzog’s resignation, saying that the party leader has lost the trust of the voters.“The party will not be able to recover if you do not hand over the keys. You have lost the confidence of the electorate,” he wrote on Twitter.In announcing his decision to freeze talks, Herzog said he would not continue the negotiations so long as Yisrael Beytenu’s inclusion in the coalition was on the table.“Until Netanyahu decides where he is going, we will not conduct parallel negotiations,” announced Herzog, insisting that Zionist Union would not serve in the coalition together with Liberman. “If Netanyahu wants to bring Liberman into the government, then let him do it. We will take them apart from the opposition.”Netanyahu and Liberman were slated to meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.There was no immediate word on the results of the meeting, but several Hebrew websites carried an unsourced report that Netanyahu had told Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon he would have to cede his post, likely to make room for Liberman.There was no confirmation of the report. Sources close to the prime minister said, however, that the meetings with Liberman did not “close the door to the Labor party.”Herzog’s decision to engage Netanyahu in coalition talks had sparked a wide backlash within the party over the past several weeks, and attacks on the party leader grew louder following his announcement those talks would end.MK Shelly Yachimovich, who preceded Herzog as the head of the Labor Party — which is the senior of the two constituents of the Zionist Union faction — claimed victory in her campaign to prevent the party from joining Netanyahu’s government.“We won,” Yachimovich wrote on Facebook, in a post accompanied by an image of a falling man used in the opening credits of the TV show “Mad Men.” “But God, what a disgrace! On the one hand I have a tremendous sense of relief that we succeeded, by joining forces, in stopping the disgrace of crawling into the government. On the other hand I admit that I am really angry. How far could this ongoing political suicide be taken?”Liberman held a press conference Wednesday morning denying that Netanyahu, who has been steeped in marathon coalition negotiations with Herzog, ever directly extended an offer to his party to join the government, and said he would consider such a move if his demands were met.“I heard repeatedly in the media that we received such-and-such offers,” said Liberman, adding that “we didn’t hear anything through official [channels].”“We do not rule out — and have never ruled out — entering the government under certain conditions,” he continued. “There is no personal issue, and all the personal matters are irrelevant. If our main issues are addressed, we have what to talk about.”Liberman’s party was demanding the defense portfolio, support for the death penalty for convicted terrorists, and efforts to resolve the pension crisis for Israelis from the former Soviet Union, according to reports.His ultra-nationalist party is the only right-wing faction in the opposition, which is led by the Zionist Union and includes the Joint (Arab) List. Netanyahu commands a 61-member coalition in the 120-seat Knesset, meaning the departure of any members could compromise his wafer-thin majority.Liberman and Netanyahu ran on the same list in the 2013 elections, but had a public falling out in 2014 over the prime minister’s handling of the war in Gaza.
Belgian lawmakers nominate jailed Palestinian Barghouti for Nobel-Members of Belgium’s Senate and House say terrorist serving 5 life sentences for murder holds key to peace in the region-By Dov Lieber May 18, 2016, 5:33 pm-the times of israel
Belgium lawmakers from across the political spectrum nominated jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti for the Nobel Peace Prize, Palestinian media reported on Wednesday.Barghouti is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail for his role in murderous terror attacks during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.Palestinian activists have been campaigning for his nomination for a Nobel since April.Lawmakers from both the Belgian Senate and House of Representatives penned a letter to the Nobel nominating committee praising Barghouti as a peace activist and key to future talks between Israel and the Palestinians.“He is an important actor for the future of a region more fragmented than ever,” the letter reads, according to the Palestine News Network. “Peace requires the freedom of Marwan Barghouti and of the political prisoners, and more generally the freedom of the Palestinian people living for decades under occupation.”The letter also claims granting Barghouti the prestigious prize would help bring about the elusive two-state solution and “resurrect the indispensable hope to get out of the current impasse.”Palestinian rights groups, lawmakers and officials started a global campaign to nominate Barghouti for the peace prize in April.The Belgians have become the first Europeans to nominate Barghouti for the prize. According to PNN, the Arab Parliament and former Nobel Peace Prize winner Argentine Adolfo Perez Esquivel have also backed the Israeli prisoner.Barghouti is the former leader of the Tanzim armed wing of Fatah and was convicted by Israel of being the founder of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, another Fatah terror group.He was convicted in 2004 on five counts of murder and one attempted murder, and was implicated in and held responsible for four other terror attacks.Barghouti has remained politically active from behind bars, and is often touted as one of a few likely successors to the 82-year-old Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that if Palestinian presidential elections were to take place, Barghouti would top both Abbas and the Hamas candidate, Ismail Haniyeh.Barghouti is seen as a unifying symbol in the divisive world of Palestinian politics, which is split between Hamas, Fatah and several smaller factions.He is also favored by some in Israel’s left as a possible successor to Abbas for his support of a two-state solution and his supposed renouncement of violence. He is also viewed as a legitimate political player with enough credibility in the Palestinian street to see a peace deal through.Were Barghouti to win the prize, he would become the second Palestinian leader thought to be responsible by the Israeli government for terrorism to become a Nobel Peace Laureate.The late Yasser Arafat, the former head of the Palestinian Authority who died in 2004, won the prize alongside former Israeli prime ministers Shimon Peres and the late Yitzhak Rabin for their joint efforts in the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.Arafat is seen by many in Israel as an unreformed terrorist who doomed the 2000 Camp David peace talks and orchestrated the suicide bombing onslaught of the Second Intifada that followed.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Who’s your daddy? Conference traces Jewish DNA back to Holy Land-Founders of this year’s IAJGS forum in Seattle, WA, promise even newcomers will geek out about discovering their genetic history-By Janis Siegel May 17, 2016, 12:59 am-the times of israel
SEATTLE — If you’ve ever wondered how Jews got to Finland, Scotland or New Zealand, there’s a speaker who can answer that question at this summer’s International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies conference in Seattle, Washington.The six-day event with 325 venues, a Jewish film festival, and a new track — Genealogy for Educators — will spark your curiosity and help you on your genealogical journey, whether you’re sleuthing for ancestors or sending your DNA by mail hoping for a match.Last year’s conference was held in Jerusalem, and though organizers can’t promise such a rain-free experience this August in the often-overcast Pacific Northwest, they do warn that once you dabble in this ever-expanding science, in any case you won’t want to leave the building.“People have used the word obsession and they’re not far off,” said conference co-chair and senior research manager for Salt Lake City-based Ancestry Pro Genealogists, Dr. Janette Silverman.“It’s costly, for sure — and those TV shows are highly addictive — but genealogical research places our family in the saga of their history and times. If we can find something that speaks to us, we can make the history personal,” said Silverman.This year’s conference features a global mix of researchers from groups like the Jewish Records Indexing in Poland, the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, the Center for Jewish History, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Archives.Each will bring the latest research on Jewish migration to and from Europe, the Sephardic Jewish experience in America and into the American West, the Jews in South America, Australia, and South Africa, and the Jews’ return to Israel.Devin Naar, the Sephardic Studies program chair at the University of Washington in Seattle, will deliver the keynote address, “Sephardic Family History as Jewish Family History.”Conference co-chair Silverman, a self-described hater of history class throughout high school, has since uncovered links to more than 15,000 family members tracing back to 15th Century Europe.“One of the things that motivate me is the people that died in the Holocaust,” said Silverman, who teaches classes on how to research using online archives. “Part of what I do gives them life and helps keep their names alive.”-‘It doesn’t matter whether you’re Ashkenazi or Sephardi, you look the same on the Y chromosome’-Whether you start with Internet databases like JewishGen.org, Genealogy.org.il, or Ancestry.com — or whether you decide to use a DNA test — most genealogists would probably agree: just get started.For around $100, an autosomal DNA test kit will analyze one of 22 chromosomes — minus the sex chromosomes — and can find relatives that are related to your great, great, great grandparents.For roughly $200, another DNA test can uncover mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA which is passed down virtually unaltered from mother to daughter.And for a few hundred dollars, more or less, a Y-DNA test can analyze the male-inherited Y chromosome passed down nearly unchanged from father to son.“I think everyone should buy the autosomal test because autosomal DNA matches you up, very reliably, against an aunt-uncle, niece-nephew, half siblings, first, second, and generally, third cousins, very well,” said Bennett Greenspan, a conference speaker, entrepreneur and an admitted life-long evangelist for Jewish genealogy.Greenspan founded Family Tree DNA in 2000. The company is one of the most recognized non-medical DNA testers in the world.Greenspan will be presenting several sessions at the IAJGS conference including “DNA and The Jewish People,” which, he said, is guaranteed to provoke conversation.To date, Greenspan has amassed the male-inherited Y-DNA profiles of nearly 15,000 Jewish men in his database, reaching what genealogists call “critical mass.”These numbers of Jewish men allowed Greenspan to compare the genetic signatures found in Middle Eastern populations with those from European populations.Greenspan found that Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews and Muslim Arabs are a nearly perfect genetic match and he hypothesizes that both, quite likely, originated from the same tribe, long ago, in the Middle East.“The Jews are from the Middle East and it doesn’t matter whether you’re Ashkenazi or Sephardi, you look the same on the Y chromosome,” said Greenspan. “There is almost no difference between Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Muslim Arabs.-‘It’s forcing the Arabs to understand that we are from the Middle East as well and that we are not moving to a place that we never were’-“It’s forcing the Arabs to understand that we are from the Middle East as well and that we are not moving to a place that we never were,” said Greenspan.The maternal or mitochondrial DNA is not nearly as simple or as accurate as the male Y-DNA, said Greenspan, because Jewish women were often sent to other countries as brides for single Jewish men or non-Jewish women were converted in order to marry the Jewish bachelors in that land.“I think every man should do a Y chromosome [test] because it’s clear and unambiguous,” said Greenspan, who is eager to compile a census of the Jewish people for his next project.“Either you match someone with your same last name, which means you’re related to them, or you do not match someone with your same last name and the reason is you’re not related to them,” said Greenspan.Still, for IAJGS 2016 conference co-chair Phyllis Grossman, a retired publisher and another genealogy devotee who caught the research bug in 1995, there’s no substitute for one-on-one oral histories.Finding a deed, a passport, or a long lost relative from a town renamed over time to suit the language of the conquering army can tell you a lot.“DNA by itself won’t do anything,” said Grossman. “You really have to do the research. Usually the very first step is to talk to your oldest relatives. Start with yourself, then start working backwards, one generation at a time.”Grossman is on the board of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, the host of this year’s conference. Her search for family members led her to Ukraine three times where she eventually found them in the town of Trochenbrod, which was the subject of the 2005 movie, “Everything is Illuminated.”“Find out what people know, what they remember,” said Grossman. “You don’t want just names and dates, but the stories. You want to fill in the stories about who they were and how they lived.”
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Kerry in Cairo for talks on Egypt’s politics, Mideast peace-US secretary of state arrives a day after Egyptian president offered to mediate renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks-By Matthew Lee May 18, 2016, 6:37 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
CAIRO (AP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks Wednesday with Egyptian officials on the country’s political situation and to explore Egypt’s ideas for supporting a new Israeli-Palestinian peace bid.Kerry arrived in Cairo a day after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi offered support for a French initiative to revive the peace process and said he was willing to serve as a mediator.US officials traveling with Kerry said he spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and wanted hear more from Sissi about his plans.Sissi said Tuesday that Egypt’s relations with Israel, rooted in a landmark 1979 peace treaty, can only be “warmer” if the Jewish state reached a settlement with the Palestinians. He pledged that Egypt would “make every effort” toward a solution.He also declared his support for a French proposal to hold a Mideast peace conference, an idea already rejected by Israel. The Egyptian leader cited that offer, along with US efforts, a 2002 Arab peace plan and the international Mideast peace quartet as possible avenues to such a settlement.Addressing Israelis and their government, Sissi said there was a “real opportunity” for peacemaking although some in Israel did not think peace is now necessary given the turmoil in the region. An Israeli-Palestinian deal, he said, would “give safety and stability to both sides. If this is achieved, we will enter a new phase that perhaps no one can imagine now.”In a statement, Netanyahu welcomed Sissi’s “willingness to invest every effort to advance a future of peace and security between us and the Palestinians” and said Israel was ready to join Egypt and other Arab states in “advancing the peace process and stability in the region.”But Netanyahu has rejected the French initiative, saying direct negotiations were the only way to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. He is on record as saying the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative has some positive aspects but could not be the basis for negotiations.The Arab peace plan offers Israel full recognition by Arab states in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from territory it captured in the 1967 Middle East war.In addition to discussing the peace process, Kerry planned to express concerns about human rights, including Egypt’s crackdowns on dissent, free speech and freedom of assembly, according to US officials.
Israel successfully tests shipborne Iron Dome missile interceptor-IDF unveils new weapon that can block short-range ballistic missiles while aboard a moving ship, expected to protect offshore rigs and other assets-By AFP and Raoul Wootliff May 18, 2016, 7:01 pm-the times of israel
Israel has successfully tested a maritime missile interception system that can shoot down short-range missiles, dubbing it the “Iron Dome of the Sea,” the navy announced on Wednesday.The Tamir-Adir system, which the IDF said can shoot down short-range rockets similar to those fired from Gaza, successfully destroyed “several” missiles, Col. Ariel Shir, head of operational systems in the navy, said.Shir said that during tests carried out two weeks ago, a battery mounted to a ship shot down every one of a salvo of short-range ballistic rockets fired from the shore.He said the test “proved the Israeli navy’s ability to protect Israel’s strategic assets at sea against short-range strategic rockets.”A video provided by the army showed a rocket launcher installed on a ship firing at targets in the sky and later intercepting a missile.During the 2014 Gaza war, Israel deployed its Iron Dome system on land to shoot down rockets fired by Hamas and other terror groups across the border, calling the system a game-changer.The Tamir Adir system uses technology developed for Iron Dome but adjusted for the operational needs of a moving vessel.The system was in development for several years, but was only unveiled to the public Wednesday.The battery is designed to be placed on a moving ship traveling up to cruise speed and will be used to protect strategic assets, such as natural gas rigs, in Israel’s territorial waters.Included in Israel’s sea assets is a major offshore gas rig around 16 nautical miles from Gaza which the Hamas terror group has previously targeted unsuccessfully.Any damage to the rig or other rigs under development could be hugely damaging to the Israeli economy, since it provides large amounts of the country’s energy needs and is expected to turn Israel into a gas exporter.
Netanyahu 'close to agreeing' Israel unity government-[AFP]-May 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to agreeing a unity government with the main opposition leader, Israeli media said Wednesday, in a move that could help revive peace talks with the Palestinians.The head of the rightwing Likud has reportedly been engaged in intense negotiations with Labour Party chief Isaac Herzog in recent weeks in a bid to form a government of national unity.Herzog, whose party forms the Zionist Union along with the centrist Hatnuah, could present a possible coalition agreement to his party in the coming days, the reports said.His entry into the government would be closely watched by the international community for its potential impact on the moribund peace process with the Palestinians.An advocate of an independent Palestinian state, Herzog has been touted as a potential foreign minister -- a role currently assumed by Netanyahu in a temporary capacity on top of his role as premier.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday urged Israelis and Palestinians to take historic steps to achieve peace, comments which some analysts interpreted as an attempt to boost the idea of Herzog joining the government.If a national unity government is formed Netanyahu and Herzog could visit Egypt to launch a new peace initiative under the auspices of the Egyptian president, the Jerusalem Post cited anonymous officials from both parties as saying.But resistance to the coalition is strong within both camps and commentators stressed an agreement was far from certain.Herzog's main rival in the Labour Party, Shelly Yachimovich, described the possible alliance as a "blood wedding".She promised on her Facebook page to fight for "justice, clean government, ideology, and the honour of the party".Within Likud, several members said they would prefer an alliance with the nationalist party Israel Beiteinu rather than Labour.The Zionist Union was formed in the run-up to the 2015 election in a bid to unseat Netanyahu but failed, with the premier later forming one of the most rightwing governments in Israel's history.However Netanyahu's coalition has just a one seat majority in parliament and he would benefit from wider backing -- with members of the coalition currently able to hold him to ransom.
Divers find huge trove of statues, coins in 1,600-year-old shipwreck-In ‘biggest find in 30 years,’ archaeologists rescue rare bronze figures of gods, animals, that sank off Caesarea along with ship carrying metal for recycling-By Stuart Winer May 16, 2016, 4:01 pm-the times of israel
Two recreational divers discovered a 1,600 year-old shipwreck on the seabed off the coast of Israel, leading to a salvage operation which uncovered one of the largest caches of marine artifacts ever found, antiquities officials revealed Monday.The hoard was discovered off the coast of Caesarea, a major Roman-era seaport, sometime last month, the Israel Antiques Authority said in a statement, calling the find the most extensive underwater discovery in 30 years.Pieces brought to the surface included a bronze lamp depicting the image of the sun god Sol, a figurine of the moon goddess Luna, a lamp in the image of the head of an African slave, fragments of three life-size bronze cast statues, objects fashioned in the shape of animals such as a whale, and a bronze faucet in the form of a wild boar with a swan on its head, the IAA said.Fragment of jars the crew had used to store drinking water were also found.Experts believe the finds came from a large merchant ship carrying metal slated for reuse when it ran into a storm near the harbor and smashed into the seawall and rocks.“A preliminary study of the iron anchors suggests there was an attempt to stop the drifting vessel before it reached shore by casting anchors into the sea; however, these broke – evidence of the power of the waves and the wind which the ship was caught up in,” the statement said.Ran Feinstein and Ofer Ra‘anan of Ra’anana were diving at the site of the ancient harbor in the Caesarea National Park before the recent Passover holiday in April when they noticed that shifting sand had exposed the remains of a ship and its contents.The pair immediately contacted the IAA, which sent down archaeologists to take a look.To their delight, the team spotted “iron anchors, remains of wooden anchors and items that were used in the construction and running of the sailing vessel,” the authority said.Feinstein and Ra‘anan will be Awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the IAA and given a personal tour of the IAA’s storerooms as a reward for their good citizenry.Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Dror Planer, deputy director of the unit, dated the ship to sometime during the Late Roman Period or 3rd-4th century CE.In the weeks following the discovery by Ra‘anan and Feinstein, IAA divers along with volunteers carried out an underwater salvage survey and by using specialized equipment were able to find and recover many items from the cargo.The bronze statues are particularly rare; slated to be melted down, they instead sank and were preserved by the seawater.“In the many marine excavations that have been carried out in Caesarea only very small number of bronze statues have been found, whereas in the current cargo a wealth of spectacular statues were found that were in the city and were removed from it by way of sea. The sand protected the statues; consequently they are in an amazing state of preservation – as though they were cast yesterday rather than 1,600 years ago,” the IAA said.Also discovered were two lumps, together weighing 20 kilograms, composed of thousands of coins that had retained the shape of the long disintegrated pottery vessel in which they were being transported.“The coins that were discovered bear the image of the emperor Constantine who ruled the Western Roman Empire (312–324 CE) and was later known as Constantine the Great, ruler of the Roman Empire (324–337 CE), and of Licinius, an emperor who ruled the eastern part of the Roman Empire and was a rival of Constantine, until his downfall in a battle that was waged between the two rulers,” the IAA said.Last year a treasure trove of Fatimid gold coins was found in the sea at Caesarea.
Zionist Union MKs call for Herzog’s head over coalition talks debacle-At least 2 Labor Party members tell opposition leader to step down after he freezes negotiations to join the government-By Raoul Wootliff May 18, 2016, 5:13 pm-the times of israel
Knesset Members from the Zionist Union called on party leader Isaac Herzog to resign Wednesday, as the opposition leader was strafed by party members over his unpopular bid to join the governing coalition, which he froze earlier in the day.Herzog had seemed poised to bring his Zionist Union faction into the coalition despite fierce opposition from most of his own party’s lawmakers, but he aborted talks Wednesday afternoon after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced parallel negotiations with the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, led by Avigdor Liberman.Zionist Union MK Stav Shaffir wrote on Facebook that Herzog’s efforts to take Zionist Union into a unity government led by Netanyahu were self-serving and “unforgivable.”“It is now clear that Bibi used Herzog in order to bring Liberman into the government,” Shafir wrote, using the prime minister’s nickname. “A leader who cannot differentiate between the Bibi of a peace agreement and the Bibi who gives the defense portfolio to Liberman is not worthy to be head of the Labor Party.”Colleague Mickey Rosenthal also demanded Herzog’s resignation, saying that the party leader has lost the trust of the voters.“The party will not be able to recover if you do not hand over the keys. You have lost the confidence of the electorate,” he wrote on Twitter.In announcing his decision to freeze talks, Herzog said he would not continue the negotiations so long as Yisrael Beytenu’s inclusion in the coalition was on the table.“Until Netanyahu decides where he is going, we will not conduct parallel negotiations,” announced Herzog, insisting that Zionist Union would not serve in the coalition together with Liberman. “If Netanyahu wants to bring Liberman into the government, then let him do it. We will take them apart from the opposition.”Netanyahu and Liberman were slated to meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.There was no immediate word on the results of the meeting, but several Hebrew websites carried an unsourced report that Netanyahu had told Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon he would have to cede his post, likely to make room for Liberman.There was no confirmation of the report. Sources close to the prime minister said, however, that the meetings with Liberman did not “close the door to the Labor party.”Herzog’s decision to engage Netanyahu in coalition talks had sparked a wide backlash within the party over the past several weeks, and attacks on the party leader grew louder following his announcement those talks would end.MK Shelly Yachimovich, who preceded Herzog as the head of the Labor Party — which is the senior of the two constituents of the Zionist Union faction — claimed victory in her campaign to prevent the party from joining Netanyahu’s government.“We won,” Yachimovich wrote on Facebook, in a post accompanied by an image of a falling man used in the opening credits of the TV show “Mad Men.” “But God, what a disgrace! On the one hand I have a tremendous sense of relief that we succeeded, by joining forces, in stopping the disgrace of crawling into the government. On the other hand I admit that I am really angry. How far could this ongoing political suicide be taken?”Liberman held a press conference Wednesday morning denying that Netanyahu, who has been steeped in marathon coalition negotiations with Herzog, ever directly extended an offer to his party to join the government, and said he would consider such a move if his demands were met.“I heard repeatedly in the media that we received such-and-such offers,” said Liberman, adding that “we didn’t hear anything through official [channels].”“We do not rule out — and have never ruled out — entering the government under certain conditions,” he continued. “There is no personal issue, and all the personal matters are irrelevant. If our main issues are addressed, we have what to talk about.”Liberman’s party was demanding the defense portfolio, support for the death penalty for convicted terrorists, and efforts to resolve the pension crisis for Israelis from the former Soviet Union, according to reports.His ultra-nationalist party is the only right-wing faction in the opposition, which is led by the Zionist Union and includes the Joint (Arab) List. Netanyahu commands a 61-member coalition in the 120-seat Knesset, meaning the departure of any members could compromise his wafer-thin majority.Liberman and Netanyahu ran on the same list in the 2013 elections, but had a public falling out in 2014 over the prime minister’s handling of the war in Gaza.
Belgian lawmakers nominate jailed Palestinian Barghouti for Nobel-Members of Belgium’s Senate and House say terrorist serving 5 life sentences for murder holds key to peace in the region-By Dov Lieber May 18, 2016, 5:33 pm-the times of israel
Belgium lawmakers from across the political spectrum nominated jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti for the Nobel Peace Prize, Palestinian media reported on Wednesday.Barghouti is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail for his role in murderous terror attacks during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.Palestinian activists have been campaigning for his nomination for a Nobel since April.Lawmakers from both the Belgian Senate and House of Representatives penned a letter to the Nobel nominating committee praising Barghouti as a peace activist and key to future talks between Israel and the Palestinians.“He is an important actor for the future of a region more fragmented than ever,” the letter reads, according to the Palestine News Network. “Peace requires the freedom of Marwan Barghouti and of the political prisoners, and more generally the freedom of the Palestinian people living for decades under occupation.”The letter also claims granting Barghouti the prestigious prize would help bring about the elusive two-state solution and “resurrect the indispensable hope to get out of the current impasse.”Palestinian rights groups, lawmakers and officials started a global campaign to nominate Barghouti for the peace prize in April.The Belgians have become the first Europeans to nominate Barghouti for the prize. According to PNN, the Arab Parliament and former Nobel Peace Prize winner Argentine Adolfo Perez Esquivel have also backed the Israeli prisoner.Barghouti is the former leader of the Tanzim armed wing of Fatah and was convicted by Israel of being the founder of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, another Fatah terror group.He was convicted in 2004 on five counts of murder and one attempted murder, and was implicated in and held responsible for four other terror attacks.Barghouti has remained politically active from behind bars, and is often touted as one of a few likely successors to the 82-year-old Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that if Palestinian presidential elections were to take place, Barghouti would top both Abbas and the Hamas candidate, Ismail Haniyeh.Barghouti is seen as a unifying symbol in the divisive world of Palestinian politics, which is split between Hamas, Fatah and several smaller factions.He is also favored by some in Israel’s left as a possible successor to Abbas for his support of a two-state solution and his supposed renouncement of violence. He is also viewed as a legitimate political player with enough credibility in the Palestinian street to see a peace deal through.Were Barghouti to win the prize, he would become the second Palestinian leader thought to be responsible by the Israeli government for terrorism to become a Nobel Peace Laureate.The late Yasser Arafat, the former head of the Palestinian Authority who died in 2004, won the prize alongside former Israeli prime ministers Shimon Peres and the late Yitzhak Rabin for their joint efforts in the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.Arafat is seen by many in Israel as an unreformed terrorist who doomed the 2000 Camp David peace talks and orchestrated the suicide bombing onslaught of the Second Intifada that followed.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Who’s your daddy? Conference traces Jewish DNA back to Holy Land-Founders of this year’s IAJGS forum in Seattle, WA, promise even newcomers will geek out about discovering their genetic history-By Janis Siegel May 17, 2016, 12:59 am-the times of israel
SEATTLE — If you’ve ever wondered how Jews got to Finland, Scotland or New Zealand, there’s a speaker who can answer that question at this summer’s International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies conference in Seattle, Washington.The six-day event with 325 venues, a Jewish film festival, and a new track — Genealogy for Educators — will spark your curiosity and help you on your genealogical journey, whether you’re sleuthing for ancestors or sending your DNA by mail hoping for a match.Last year’s conference was held in Jerusalem, and though organizers can’t promise such a rain-free experience this August in the often-overcast Pacific Northwest, they do warn that once you dabble in this ever-expanding science, in any case you won’t want to leave the building.“People have used the word obsession and they’re not far off,” said conference co-chair and senior research manager for Salt Lake City-based Ancestry Pro Genealogists, Dr. Janette Silverman.“It’s costly, for sure — and those TV shows are highly addictive — but genealogical research places our family in the saga of their history and times. If we can find something that speaks to us, we can make the history personal,” said Silverman.This year’s conference features a global mix of researchers from groups like the Jewish Records Indexing in Poland, the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, the Center for Jewish History, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Archives.Each will bring the latest research on Jewish migration to and from Europe, the Sephardic Jewish experience in America and into the American West, the Jews in South America, Australia, and South Africa, and the Jews’ return to Israel.Devin Naar, the Sephardic Studies program chair at the University of Washington in Seattle, will deliver the keynote address, “Sephardic Family History as Jewish Family History.”Conference co-chair Silverman, a self-described hater of history class throughout high school, has since uncovered links to more than 15,000 family members tracing back to 15th Century Europe.“One of the things that motivate me is the people that died in the Holocaust,” said Silverman, who teaches classes on how to research using online archives. “Part of what I do gives them life and helps keep their names alive.”-‘It doesn’t matter whether you’re Ashkenazi or Sephardi, you look the same on the Y chromosome’-Whether you start with Internet databases like JewishGen.org, Genealogy.org.il, or Ancestry.com — or whether you decide to use a DNA test — most genealogists would probably agree: just get started.For around $100, an autosomal DNA test kit will analyze one of 22 chromosomes — minus the sex chromosomes — and can find relatives that are related to your great, great, great grandparents.For roughly $200, another DNA test can uncover mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA which is passed down virtually unaltered from mother to daughter.And for a few hundred dollars, more or less, a Y-DNA test can analyze the male-inherited Y chromosome passed down nearly unchanged from father to son.“I think everyone should buy the autosomal test because autosomal DNA matches you up, very reliably, against an aunt-uncle, niece-nephew, half siblings, first, second, and generally, third cousins, very well,” said Bennett Greenspan, a conference speaker, entrepreneur and an admitted life-long evangelist for Jewish genealogy.Greenspan founded Family Tree DNA in 2000. The company is one of the most recognized non-medical DNA testers in the world.Greenspan will be presenting several sessions at the IAJGS conference including “DNA and The Jewish People,” which, he said, is guaranteed to provoke conversation.To date, Greenspan has amassed the male-inherited Y-DNA profiles of nearly 15,000 Jewish men in his database, reaching what genealogists call “critical mass.”These numbers of Jewish men allowed Greenspan to compare the genetic signatures found in Middle Eastern populations with those from European populations.Greenspan found that Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews and Muslim Arabs are a nearly perfect genetic match and he hypothesizes that both, quite likely, originated from the same tribe, long ago, in the Middle East.“The Jews are from the Middle East and it doesn’t matter whether you’re Ashkenazi or Sephardi, you look the same on the Y chromosome,” said Greenspan. “There is almost no difference between Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Muslim Arabs.-‘It’s forcing the Arabs to understand that we are from the Middle East as well and that we are not moving to a place that we never were’-“It’s forcing the Arabs to understand that we are from the Middle East as well and that we are not moving to a place that we never were,” said Greenspan.The maternal or mitochondrial DNA is not nearly as simple or as accurate as the male Y-DNA, said Greenspan, because Jewish women were often sent to other countries as brides for single Jewish men or non-Jewish women were converted in order to marry the Jewish bachelors in that land.“I think every man should do a Y chromosome [test] because it’s clear and unambiguous,” said Greenspan, who is eager to compile a census of the Jewish people for his next project.“Either you match someone with your same last name, which means you’re related to them, or you do not match someone with your same last name and the reason is you’re not related to them,” said Greenspan.Still, for IAJGS 2016 conference co-chair Phyllis Grossman, a retired publisher and another genealogy devotee who caught the research bug in 1995, there’s no substitute for one-on-one oral histories.Finding a deed, a passport, or a long lost relative from a town renamed over time to suit the language of the conquering army can tell you a lot.“DNA by itself won’t do anything,” said Grossman. “You really have to do the research. Usually the very first step is to talk to your oldest relatives. Start with yourself, then start working backwards, one generation at a time.”Grossman is on the board of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, the host of this year’s conference. Her search for family members led her to Ukraine three times where she eventually found them in the town of Trochenbrod, which was the subject of the 2005 movie, “Everything is Illuminated.”“Find out what people know, what they remember,” said Grossman. “You don’t want just names and dates, but the stories. You want to fill in the stories about who they were and how they lived.”
