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
Ministers vote to resume construction of settlement for Amona evacuees-Interior minister reaches agreement with treasury to release agreed-upon sum of NIS 55 million for building of Amichai-By Jacob Magid-September 3, 2017, 5:10 pm-TOI
After a month-long building freeze due to budgetary disputes, the cabinet approved a plan on Sunday that will allow for construction to resume on a new settlement for evacuees of the illegal Amona outpost.The Finance Ministry will transfer NIS 55 million ($15.3 million) to the Interior Ministry for the purpose of infrastructure work in Amichai, adjacent to Shiloh in the northern West Bank.In late July, work on Israel’s first new government-planned settlement in a quarter of a century was halted, just a month after it began, due to lack of funds. The Binyamin Regional Council had been bankrolling the building of the new settlement under the assumption that it would be compensated by the state, but then said it was forced to stall the project because the government had not contributed.With no ministry willing to take control of the project, Housing Minister Yoav Galant agreed to do so in early August on condition that the originally agreed-upon budget be doubled to NIS 120 million ($33.5 million). The Finance Ministry refused the request, and Galant has since been accused by some settler leaders –including Avichai Boaron, a representative of the Amona evacuees — of making the offer in order to play to his right-wing supporters, all while knowing that the Finance Ministry would never approve the doubling of Amichai’s budget.A month later, Aryeh Deri’s Interior Ministry reached an agreement with the treasury to transfer the originally planned amount of some NIS 60 million ($16.8 million), which will be funneled to the Binyamin Regional Council in order to resume construction.An additional NIS 5 million ($1.4 million) will go to the Defense Ministry to fund the installation of mobile homes on a hilltop adjacent to Shiloh until the construction of permanent homes is completed.While the government approved the building of the new settlement, the Civil Administration — the Defense Ministry body that authorizes West Bank construction — has yet to authorize Amichai’s building plan of 120 housing units. Until then, the Amona evacuees are prevented from settling in temporary housing on the hilltop adjacent to Shiloh.During Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Deri for his work in reaching a solution to unfreeze the budget for Amichai. “I want to thank you… for your ministry’s [help] in solving the budgetary distribution problem, and I want to congratulate you,” Netanyahu said.Boaron “cautiously welcomed” the government decision.“We congratulate the prime minister and all members of his office on advancing the decision. The prime minister has proven that he is committed to the people of Amona, but this commitment will not be fully realized until we move to the new settlement,” he said in a statement.The Peace Now settlement watchdog panned the cabinet’s decision. “There is no limit to the groveling of the Israeli government,” the NGO said in a statement Sunday. The group added that “42 families, which the court ruled had stolen private land, are extorting the government,” while funding for educational programs and pensions for the disabled is neglected.Amona was evacuated in February after the High Court of Justice ruled that it had been built on private Palestinian land. The 42 families that used to live there have since been residing in dormitory-style housing in the nearby Ofra settlement, waiting for the completion of Amichai.Last week, a group of Palestinian landowners and village heads, and Israeli rights NGOs, filed an objection to the Civil Administration in a bid to prevent its approval of the Amichai building plan. In their petition, they argued that the new settlement will harm the lives of Palestinians living and working nearby by preventing them from accessing their land.Even if the petition is not fully accepted, it could delay the new settlement for months until the Civil Administration, which authorizes Israeli construction in the West Bank, responds to the concerns of the petitioners and possibly recommends changes to the building plan.Netanyahu’s right-wing government has worked to speed up the establishment of the new settlement — breaking ground for roads and infrastructure before final permits were issued by the Civil Administration.Speaking with The Times of Israel hours after the objection was filed, Boaron said he “still hopes to be able to move [to Amichai] in two to three months.”
Ex-Israeli intelligence chief: Trump should attack North Korea if he can-Amos Yadlin says Pyongyang has nuclear capability but is likely unready to launch attack, doubts Washington has the necessary intel to strike safely-By TOI staff-September 3, 2017, 5:55 pm
The former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence said Sunday that the US should launch a preemptive strike against North Korea if it has the capability to do so in the wake of an apparent hydrogen bomb test by Pyongyang. However, he said he was not sure, and didn’t know if Washington was sure, whether it had the ability to do so.Maj. Gen. (res) Amos Yadlin, who also served as IDF attaché to Washington and who is currently the director of the Institute for National Security Studies, told 103FM Radio said the military option against North Korea was very complicated and risky.While he recommended that US President Donald Trump “make a preemptive strike” to prevent North Korea from continuing to develop its nuclear weapons capability, he said such a strike would require “excellent intelligence.”“If, after such an attack, a missile is launched against him, then there is no point in attacking,” he said. “The question is whether the United States has the intelligence to allow it to carry out a preemptive strike that will destroy North Korea’s capabilities.”Yadlin said he didn’t know whether the US had sufficient intelligence, and wasn’t even sure whether Washington knew the answer to that question.He added that the situation in North Korea was further complicated by the fact that the most likely targets of a counter-attack would be in South Korea and Japan.North Korea on Sunday said it set off a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet.However, Yadlin told the radio station he believed there were large gaps between the hype and the reality of North Korea’s military technology.“There is the reality and there is the war of words,” he said. “The reality is that North Korea has nuclear weapons. This is not new.”However, he cautiously said there was no immediate need to panic, as North Korea had yet to achieve its goals.“The country wants to have significant operational capabilities that depend on three things,” he said. “The ability to launch a nuclear weapon on a missile, the ability to survive an attack, and converting an atomic bomb to a hydrogen bomb… The hydrogen bomb has much more power than the atomic.”Yadlin, who would have been the Zionist Union faction’s choice for defense minister had the center-left won last year’s elections, said Pyongyang wanted the world to think it had achieved those goals.He also downplayed the significance of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions vis-a-vis the situation in Iran.“Iran is 20 years behind North Korea in nuclear development,” Yadlin said. The Iranians “signed an agreement with the P5+1 that they are keeping… The issue of Iranian weapons will become relevant toward the end of the agreement, which allows Iran to have nuclear capabilities within a short time.”Yadlin said that the bigger danger from Iran was that it would step in to fill a vacuum in Syria after the US and Russia had destroyed the Islamic State group.He added that it was slightly embarrassing that Israel was relying on the US and Russia to do its dirty work in Syria.“We are not a country without capabilities,” he said. “Israel has excellent intelligence and ability to strike Syria.”Taking a different approach, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon took to Twitter to warn that Israel should pay close attention to the US response to North Korea.“The international response, led by the US, to the North Korean regime’s provocations, sheds light on how it will behave toward the Iranian regime on their nuclear efforts in the near future,” he tweeted. “Although the nuclear test is not our issue, the tension should concern us.”
North Korea claims hydrogen bomb test a ‘complete success’-Pyongyang sets off nuclear weapon for 6th time, with blast five to six times larger than previous explosion-By Foster Klug September 3, 2017, 10:35 am-TOI
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it set off a hydrogen bomb Sunday in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet.South Korea’s weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea’s fifth test in September 2016. That would mark a significant step forward in the North’s quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.On North Korean television, a newsreader called the test a “complete success” and said the “two-stage thermonuclear weapon” had “unprecedented” strength. Hours earlier, Pyongyang claimed its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.Seoul’s weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12:29 p.m. local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past. Seoul officials revised their earlier estimate of 5.6 magnitude quake. The US Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude 6.3.The US State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea’s presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea’s military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the US.Japan confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. “It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.The USGS and China’s earthquake administration detected a second tremor in North Korea minutes after the first, describing it as a cave-in or collapse. South Korea’s weather agency, however, said no second quake occurred.North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the September 9 anniversary of the nation’s founding. It has since maintained a torrid pace in weapons tests, including its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles test in July. Last month, North Korea fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan.Earlier Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM. What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present. Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a “homemade” H-bomb with “super explosive power” that “is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton.”North Korea’s nuclear and missile program has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father’s death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam.It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a “meaningful prelude” to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated Sunday was an H-bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radioactive material. The US and its allies attempt to detect blast material to gauge North Korea’s progress, but Pyongyang has become better at containing it as its nuclear program has evolved.To back up its claims to nuclear mastery, such tests are vital. The first of its two atomic tests last year involved what Pyongyang claimed was a sophisticated hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful atomic detonation ever.It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons program. South Korean government officials said the estimated explosive yield of last year’s first test was much smaller than what even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation would produce. There was speculation that North Korea might have detonated a boosted fission bomb, a weapon considered halfway between an atomic bomb and an H-bomb.It is clear, however, that each new missile and nuclear test gives the North invaluable information that allows big jumps in capability. A key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.South Korea’s main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturized nuclear weapons that can be mounted on long-range ballistic missiles. Some experts disagree.The White House said US President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan regarding “ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea.” The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North’s latest claim.A long line of US presidents has failed to check North Korea’s persistent pursuit of missiles and nuclear weapons. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program in exchange for aid fell apart in early 2009.The North said in its statement Sunday that its H-bomb “is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals.”Kim, according to the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, claimed that “all components of the H-bomb were homemade … thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants.”In what could be read as a veiled warning of more nuclear tests, Kim underlined the need for scientists to “dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force” and “set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes.”The two Koreas have shared the world’s most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.
Iran says it’s testing homegrown air defense system-After increased missile production announced, Revolutionary Guards official says work on aerial defense batteries 'underway'-By AFP and TOI staff-September 3, 2017, 11:37 am
TEHRAN — Iran has tested its homegrown air defense system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense said.“In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway,” Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.“The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its subsystems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted.”Bavar (which means “belief”) is Tehran’s first long-range missile defense system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran’s S-300 defense system became operational in March.On Saturday, the new defense minister Amir Hatami said Iran has “a specific plan to boost missile power.”He said he hoped “the combat capabilities of Iran’s ballistic and cruise missiles” would increase in the next four years.Iran is a key supporter of Syria and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. Both threaten Israel with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles.Israel has in recent years repeatedly hit convoys believed to be transferring advanced rockets and missiles, being transferred from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah.Jerusalem has also warned against Iranian efforts to set up missile production facilities in Lebanon, with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman telling United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a meeting in Israel earlier this week that Iran is “working to set up factories to manufacture accurate weapons within Lebanon itself.”Esmaili and Hatami’s comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program.
Turkey eyes deal for Russian air defense system, irking West-Experts skeptical Ankara will end up inking purchase of S-400 batteries, but say the message of dissatisfaction with NATO is what's important-By Stuart Williams-September 3, 2017, 6:47 amTOI
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey and Russia are inching toward an accord for the first major Turkish weapons purchase from Moscow, troubling Ankara’s allies in NATO even though the deal may not ultimately materialize.According to Turkish and Russian officials, all preparations have been made for the purchase of a sophisticated S-400 missile defense system, Ankara’s most significant accord with a non-NATO supplier.But despite confident proclamations, the deal has yet to be officially inked.Analysts remain skeptical over whether Turkey will ever take delivery of the surface-to-air missile defense batteries. Some argue the message sent to the West matters more than the actual acquisition.The Pentagon has already sounded alarm, saying bluntly that “generally it’s a good idea” for NATO allies to buy inter-operable equipment.But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan boasted that “God willing we will see the S-400s in our country.”Erdogan has argued that Turkey’s fellow NATO member and occasional regional foe Greece has Russian-made S-300 batteries on its southern island of Crete, originally bought by Cyprus in the late 1990s but passed on to Greece to prevent escalation on the divided island.Dmitry Shugaev, the head of Russia’s military-technical cooperation agency, told the Kommersant daily that the deal was “almost done” with just some “subtleties” to solve.The United States “may be indignant but Turkey is an independent state and can decide itself,” he said.However Igor Delanoe, Deputy Director of the French-Russian Analytical Center in Moscow, said he was “very skeptical” that the deal would come to fruition.Russia was uncomfortable with the transfer of technology and production localization demanded by Turkey, he said. Moscow also had a demand backlog to its own forces as well as to key client China.“Both Moscow and Ankara use this story on the political level to show their respective dissatisfaction to the West,” Delanoe said.Russia’s relations with NATO have been in crisis over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and for backing pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.But while still a key member of NATO, Turkey’s ties with the United States in particular have been strained over Washington’s support of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) Syrian Kurd militia which Ankara considers a terror group.“Ankara is also tempted to use (the S-400 issue) since it has been deeply frustrated by America’s ongoing military cooperation with the Syrian Kurds,” said Delanoe.Timur Akhmetov, Ankara-based Turkey expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, said the talks helped Russia promote its arms systems and corrode trust among NATO members, while Turkey wanted to show its Western allies it has a strategic choice in its relationships.“The longer the talks on the S-400 systems are on the agenda, the better for Russia and Turkey’s respective interests,” he said.-‘No trust’-The fact the two countries are even discussing the purchase is a rich symbol of the transformation in relations since a reconciliation deal last summer following the shooting down by Turkey of a Russian plane over the Syrian border in November 2015.Moscow and Ankara remain on opposed sides in the Syrian conflict with Russia backing the Damascus regime and Turkey the rebels.In 2012, Turkish jets forced a Syrian plane flying from Moscow to Damascus to land at Ankara airport on the grounds it was carrying military equipment, reportedly radar parts for a Syrian air defense system.The two post-imperial states both show an ability to compartmentalize relations by not letting a centuries old and persistent regional rivalry pollute potentially fruitful, but limited, areas of cooperation.Yet analysts say talk of the S-400 deal is far short of an indication of a major strategic alliance.“The only thing that makes both Turkey and Moscow drift to each other is their intention to pressure their own respective relations with the West,” said Akhmetov.Delanoe said “both partners do not trust each other” but “have built a geoeconomic partnership mainly based on energy” with work in progress on the TurkStream pipeline to pump Russian gas under the Black Sea.According to a study by Can Kasapoglu of the EDAM center for economic and foreign policy studies, Turkey’s desire to obtain the weapons is also motivated by its dearth of qualified military pilots due to the purges that followed the July 15, 2016 failed coup which has necessitated an urgent shoring up of air defenses.Were Turkey to get its hands on the S-400 system, it would produce an outcome where NATO members Turkey and Greece were both operating Russian-made weapons, risking the same “vicious circle” that sees Moscow supplying bitter foes Armenia and Azerbaijan, he added.
Palestinian suspect shot by IDF said to die of wounds-PLFP terror group mourns death of 'fallen fighter Raed Al-Salihi,' who was shot by soldiers during an arrest raid in August-By Dov Lieber-September 3, 2017, 6:37 pm-TOI
A Palestinian official said Sunday that a 21-year-old Palestinian man, Raed Al-Salihi, has died of wounds he incurred during an arrest by Israeli soldiers in August.According to Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, Salihi, who was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group, was arrested in his home in the Deheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem on August 9.During his arrest, Salihi was reportedly shot and critically wounded by IDF soldiers. Qaraqe said in a statement that Salihi was shot five times at close range.He was being treated at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed Salihi’s death.The IDF said it was looking into the incident and was not immediately able to comment.An image of Salihi holding a PFLP flag was shared widely on Palestinian media.The PFLP’s armed wing, the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, said it “mourned” the death of the “heroic fallen fighter Raed Al-Salihi,” in a statement published on its website.Since October 2015, mainly Palestinian assailants have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans, a Palestinian man and a British student, in stabbing, shooting and vehicular attacks. In that time, some 294 Palestinians or Arab Israeli were killed by Israeli fire, a majority of them attackers, according to authorities.AFP contributed to this report.
Teen’s bar mitzvah gives Houston a chance to commiserate, heal-Coming-of-age ceremony in the wake of Harvey's catastrophic flooding is open to all at a time when 'you need people to lift you up'-By JULIET LINDERMAN-September 3, 2017, 9:38 pmTOI
BELLAIRE, Texas (AP) — It wasn’t a typical bar mitzvah, but then nothing has been typical in the Houston area since Harvey came ashore as a powerful hurricane and left whole sections of the city underwater, including its predominantly Jewish neighborhood.Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss opened Saturday’s ceremony ushering 13-year-old Doran Evan Yustein into manhood by pointing out the importance of coming together as a congregation and broader community during such times of hardship.“We have an obligation to celebrate, nonetheless, because we are alive and have what is most important: ourselves, our families and this great opportunity to be together,” he said.Hausman-Weiss is the rabbi for Shma Koleinu, a roving Jewish congregation without a permanent house of worship, and he’s been tending to his flock despite being forced from his home by the flooding. On the Friday the storm hit, he held a service on Facebook for congregants who were busy getting their own homes ready or who were riding out the storm outside the city.With his home so damaged, Hausman-Weiss couldn’t hold services there this past Friday night. And so on Saturday, the first Shabbat, or Sabbath, since the previous weekend’s catastrophic flooding, Doran and his family opened his bar mitzvah service — typically an invite-only affair — to anyone from the larger Jewish community who wanted to come. It was held at congregation Brith Shalom’s synagogue in Bellaire, a Houston enclave.“We wanted people to come and celebrate the bar mitzvah, but also offer prayers for the community, because there’s been so much sadness, and so many lives have been affected,” said Doran’s mother, Gabrielle Moses. The day before, the family helped Doran’s Hebrew teacher, Debbie Uzick, clean her house. She lost everything in the flood.Flooding has had an outsized presence on this fledgling congregation. Its founder, David Rosenfeld, died suddenly the day before a Memorial Day flood in 2015. Hausman-Weiss and his wife, Natalie, waded through floodwaters to help bury him, she said. This time, the Hausman-Weisses were rescued by a congregant; nearly 60 people from the Jewish community showed up to help them in the days that followed.“This is the time you need your community,” Natalie Hausman-Weiss said. “This is the time when you need people to show they care and lift you up.” Holding an open service “was a good opportunity for that,” she said.On Saturday evening, the synagogue was about half-full. Some were friends and family of Doran’s. Others, including Bernadine Frank, came because they needed to feel connected after such a trying week.“We’re all in need of some prayer right now,” said Frank, who saw the open invitation on social media.Laurie Gass, a congregation member and religious school teacher, said it was important for her to attend services after going through such an ordeal.“It’s about healing and to celebrate a happy occasion,” she said. “And after the last week, of all the bad things, it’s very joyful to have something happy.”
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
Ministers vote to resume construction of settlement for Amona evacuees-Interior minister reaches agreement with treasury to release agreed-upon sum of NIS 55 million for building of Amichai-By Jacob Magid-September 3, 2017, 5:10 pm-TOI
After a month-long building freeze due to budgetary disputes, the cabinet approved a plan on Sunday that will allow for construction to resume on a new settlement for evacuees of the illegal Amona outpost.The Finance Ministry will transfer NIS 55 million ($15.3 million) to the Interior Ministry for the purpose of infrastructure work in Amichai, adjacent to Shiloh in the northern West Bank.In late July, work on Israel’s first new government-planned settlement in a quarter of a century was halted, just a month after it began, due to lack of funds. The Binyamin Regional Council had been bankrolling the building of the new settlement under the assumption that it would be compensated by the state, but then said it was forced to stall the project because the government had not contributed.With no ministry willing to take control of the project, Housing Minister Yoav Galant agreed to do so in early August on condition that the originally agreed-upon budget be doubled to NIS 120 million ($33.5 million). The Finance Ministry refused the request, and Galant has since been accused by some settler leaders –including Avichai Boaron, a representative of the Amona evacuees — of making the offer in order to play to his right-wing supporters, all while knowing that the Finance Ministry would never approve the doubling of Amichai’s budget.A month later, Aryeh Deri’s Interior Ministry reached an agreement with the treasury to transfer the originally planned amount of some NIS 60 million ($16.8 million), which will be funneled to the Binyamin Regional Council in order to resume construction.An additional NIS 5 million ($1.4 million) will go to the Defense Ministry to fund the installation of mobile homes on a hilltop adjacent to Shiloh until the construction of permanent homes is completed.While the government approved the building of the new settlement, the Civil Administration — the Defense Ministry body that authorizes West Bank construction — has yet to authorize Amichai’s building plan of 120 housing units. Until then, the Amona evacuees are prevented from settling in temporary housing on the hilltop adjacent to Shiloh.During Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Deri for his work in reaching a solution to unfreeze the budget for Amichai. “I want to thank you… for your ministry’s [help] in solving the budgetary distribution problem, and I want to congratulate you,” Netanyahu said.Boaron “cautiously welcomed” the government decision.“We congratulate the prime minister and all members of his office on advancing the decision. The prime minister has proven that he is committed to the people of Amona, but this commitment will not be fully realized until we move to the new settlement,” he said in a statement.The Peace Now settlement watchdog panned the cabinet’s decision. “There is no limit to the groveling of the Israeli government,” the NGO said in a statement Sunday. The group added that “42 families, which the court ruled had stolen private land, are extorting the government,” while funding for educational programs and pensions for the disabled is neglected.Amona was evacuated in February after the High Court of Justice ruled that it had been built on private Palestinian land. The 42 families that used to live there have since been residing in dormitory-style housing in the nearby Ofra settlement, waiting for the completion of Amichai.Last week, a group of Palestinian landowners and village heads, and Israeli rights NGOs, filed an objection to the Civil Administration in a bid to prevent its approval of the Amichai building plan. In their petition, they argued that the new settlement will harm the lives of Palestinians living and working nearby by preventing them from accessing their land.Even if the petition is not fully accepted, it could delay the new settlement for months until the Civil Administration, which authorizes Israeli construction in the West Bank, responds to the concerns of the petitioners and possibly recommends changes to the building plan.Netanyahu’s right-wing government has worked to speed up the establishment of the new settlement — breaking ground for roads and infrastructure before final permits were issued by the Civil Administration.Speaking with The Times of Israel hours after the objection was filed, Boaron said he “still hopes to be able to move [to Amichai] in two to three months.”
Ex-Israeli intelligence chief: Trump should attack North Korea if he can-Amos Yadlin says Pyongyang has nuclear capability but is likely unready to launch attack, doubts Washington has the necessary intel to strike safely-By TOI staff-September 3, 2017, 5:55 pm
The former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence said Sunday that the US should launch a preemptive strike against North Korea if it has the capability to do so in the wake of an apparent hydrogen bomb test by Pyongyang. However, he said he was not sure, and didn’t know if Washington was sure, whether it had the ability to do so.Maj. Gen. (res) Amos Yadlin, who also served as IDF attaché to Washington and who is currently the director of the Institute for National Security Studies, told 103FM Radio said the military option against North Korea was very complicated and risky.While he recommended that US President Donald Trump “make a preemptive strike” to prevent North Korea from continuing to develop its nuclear weapons capability, he said such a strike would require “excellent intelligence.”“If, after such an attack, a missile is launched against him, then there is no point in attacking,” he said. “The question is whether the United States has the intelligence to allow it to carry out a preemptive strike that will destroy North Korea’s capabilities.”Yadlin said he didn’t know whether the US had sufficient intelligence, and wasn’t even sure whether Washington knew the answer to that question.He added that the situation in North Korea was further complicated by the fact that the most likely targets of a counter-attack would be in South Korea and Japan.North Korea on Sunday said it set off a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet.However, Yadlin told the radio station he believed there were large gaps between the hype and the reality of North Korea’s military technology.“There is the reality and there is the war of words,” he said. “The reality is that North Korea has nuclear weapons. This is not new.”However, he cautiously said there was no immediate need to panic, as North Korea had yet to achieve its goals.“The country wants to have significant operational capabilities that depend on three things,” he said. “The ability to launch a nuclear weapon on a missile, the ability to survive an attack, and converting an atomic bomb to a hydrogen bomb… The hydrogen bomb has much more power than the atomic.”Yadlin, who would have been the Zionist Union faction’s choice for defense minister had the center-left won last year’s elections, said Pyongyang wanted the world to think it had achieved those goals.He also downplayed the significance of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions vis-a-vis the situation in Iran.“Iran is 20 years behind North Korea in nuclear development,” Yadlin said. The Iranians “signed an agreement with the P5+1 that they are keeping… The issue of Iranian weapons will become relevant toward the end of the agreement, which allows Iran to have nuclear capabilities within a short time.”Yadlin said that the bigger danger from Iran was that it would step in to fill a vacuum in Syria after the US and Russia had destroyed the Islamic State group.He added that it was slightly embarrassing that Israel was relying on the US and Russia to do its dirty work in Syria.“We are not a country without capabilities,” he said. “Israel has excellent intelligence and ability to strike Syria.”Taking a different approach, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon took to Twitter to warn that Israel should pay close attention to the US response to North Korea.“The international response, led by the US, to the North Korean regime’s provocations, sheds light on how it will behave toward the Iranian regime on their nuclear efforts in the near future,” he tweeted. “Although the nuclear test is not our issue, the tension should concern us.”
North Korea claims hydrogen bomb test a ‘complete success’-Pyongyang sets off nuclear weapon for 6th time, with blast five to six times larger than previous explosion-By Foster Klug September 3, 2017, 10:35 am-TOI
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it set off a hydrogen bomb Sunday in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet.South Korea’s weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea’s fifth test in September 2016. That would mark a significant step forward in the North’s quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.On North Korean television, a newsreader called the test a “complete success” and said the “two-stage thermonuclear weapon” had “unprecedented” strength. Hours earlier, Pyongyang claimed its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.Seoul’s weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12:29 p.m. local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past. Seoul officials revised their earlier estimate of 5.6 magnitude quake. The US Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude 6.3.The US State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea’s presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea’s military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the US.Japan confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. “It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.The USGS and China’s earthquake administration detected a second tremor in North Korea minutes after the first, describing it as a cave-in or collapse. South Korea’s weather agency, however, said no second quake occurred.North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the September 9 anniversary of the nation’s founding. It has since maintained a torrid pace in weapons tests, including its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles test in July. Last month, North Korea fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan.Earlier Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM. What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present. Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a “homemade” H-bomb with “super explosive power” that “is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton.”North Korea’s nuclear and missile program has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father’s death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam.It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a “meaningful prelude” to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated Sunday was an H-bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radioactive material. The US and its allies attempt to detect blast material to gauge North Korea’s progress, but Pyongyang has become better at containing it as its nuclear program has evolved.To back up its claims to nuclear mastery, such tests are vital. The first of its two atomic tests last year involved what Pyongyang claimed was a sophisticated hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful atomic detonation ever.It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons program. South Korean government officials said the estimated explosive yield of last year’s first test was much smaller than what even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation would produce. There was speculation that North Korea might have detonated a boosted fission bomb, a weapon considered halfway between an atomic bomb and an H-bomb.It is clear, however, that each new missile and nuclear test gives the North invaluable information that allows big jumps in capability. A key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.South Korea’s main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturized nuclear weapons that can be mounted on long-range ballistic missiles. Some experts disagree.The White House said US President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan regarding “ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea.” The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North’s latest claim.A long line of US presidents has failed to check North Korea’s persistent pursuit of missiles and nuclear weapons. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program in exchange for aid fell apart in early 2009.The North said in its statement Sunday that its H-bomb “is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals.”Kim, according to the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, claimed that “all components of the H-bomb were homemade … thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants.”In what could be read as a veiled warning of more nuclear tests, Kim underlined the need for scientists to “dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force” and “set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes.”The two Koreas have shared the world’s most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.
Iran says it’s testing homegrown air defense system-After increased missile production announced, Revolutionary Guards official says work on aerial defense batteries 'underway'-By AFP and TOI staff-September 3, 2017, 11:37 am
TEHRAN — Iran has tested its homegrown air defense system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense said.“In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway,” Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.“The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its subsystems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted.”Bavar (which means “belief”) is Tehran’s first long-range missile defense system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran’s S-300 defense system became operational in March.On Saturday, the new defense minister Amir Hatami said Iran has “a specific plan to boost missile power.”He said he hoped “the combat capabilities of Iran’s ballistic and cruise missiles” would increase in the next four years.Iran is a key supporter of Syria and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. Both threaten Israel with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles.Israel has in recent years repeatedly hit convoys believed to be transferring advanced rockets and missiles, being transferred from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah.Jerusalem has also warned against Iranian efforts to set up missile production facilities in Lebanon, with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman telling United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a meeting in Israel earlier this week that Iran is “working to set up factories to manufacture accurate weapons within Lebanon itself.”Esmaili and Hatami’s comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program.
Turkey eyes deal for Russian air defense system, irking West-Experts skeptical Ankara will end up inking purchase of S-400 batteries, but say the message of dissatisfaction with NATO is what's important-By Stuart Williams-September 3, 2017, 6:47 amTOI
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey and Russia are inching toward an accord for the first major Turkish weapons purchase from Moscow, troubling Ankara’s allies in NATO even though the deal may not ultimately materialize.According to Turkish and Russian officials, all preparations have been made for the purchase of a sophisticated S-400 missile defense system, Ankara’s most significant accord with a non-NATO supplier.But despite confident proclamations, the deal has yet to be officially inked.Analysts remain skeptical over whether Turkey will ever take delivery of the surface-to-air missile defense batteries. Some argue the message sent to the West matters more than the actual acquisition.The Pentagon has already sounded alarm, saying bluntly that “generally it’s a good idea” for NATO allies to buy inter-operable equipment.But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan boasted that “God willing we will see the S-400s in our country.”Erdogan has argued that Turkey’s fellow NATO member and occasional regional foe Greece has Russian-made S-300 batteries on its southern island of Crete, originally bought by Cyprus in the late 1990s but passed on to Greece to prevent escalation on the divided island.Dmitry Shugaev, the head of Russia’s military-technical cooperation agency, told the Kommersant daily that the deal was “almost done” with just some “subtleties” to solve.The United States “may be indignant but Turkey is an independent state and can decide itself,” he said.However Igor Delanoe, Deputy Director of the French-Russian Analytical Center in Moscow, said he was “very skeptical” that the deal would come to fruition.Russia was uncomfortable with the transfer of technology and production localization demanded by Turkey, he said. Moscow also had a demand backlog to its own forces as well as to key client China.“Both Moscow and Ankara use this story on the political level to show their respective dissatisfaction to the West,” Delanoe said.Russia’s relations with NATO have been in crisis over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and for backing pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.But while still a key member of NATO, Turkey’s ties with the United States in particular have been strained over Washington’s support of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) Syrian Kurd militia which Ankara considers a terror group.“Ankara is also tempted to use (the S-400 issue) since it has been deeply frustrated by America’s ongoing military cooperation with the Syrian Kurds,” said Delanoe.Timur Akhmetov, Ankara-based Turkey expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, said the talks helped Russia promote its arms systems and corrode trust among NATO members, while Turkey wanted to show its Western allies it has a strategic choice in its relationships.“The longer the talks on the S-400 systems are on the agenda, the better for Russia and Turkey’s respective interests,” he said.-‘No trust’-The fact the two countries are even discussing the purchase is a rich symbol of the transformation in relations since a reconciliation deal last summer following the shooting down by Turkey of a Russian plane over the Syrian border in November 2015.Moscow and Ankara remain on opposed sides in the Syrian conflict with Russia backing the Damascus regime and Turkey the rebels.In 2012, Turkish jets forced a Syrian plane flying from Moscow to Damascus to land at Ankara airport on the grounds it was carrying military equipment, reportedly radar parts for a Syrian air defense system.The two post-imperial states both show an ability to compartmentalize relations by not letting a centuries old and persistent regional rivalry pollute potentially fruitful, but limited, areas of cooperation.Yet analysts say talk of the S-400 deal is far short of an indication of a major strategic alliance.“The only thing that makes both Turkey and Moscow drift to each other is their intention to pressure their own respective relations with the West,” said Akhmetov.Delanoe said “both partners do not trust each other” but “have built a geoeconomic partnership mainly based on energy” with work in progress on the TurkStream pipeline to pump Russian gas under the Black Sea.According to a study by Can Kasapoglu of the EDAM center for economic and foreign policy studies, Turkey’s desire to obtain the weapons is also motivated by its dearth of qualified military pilots due to the purges that followed the July 15, 2016 failed coup which has necessitated an urgent shoring up of air defenses.Were Turkey to get its hands on the S-400 system, it would produce an outcome where NATO members Turkey and Greece were both operating Russian-made weapons, risking the same “vicious circle” that sees Moscow supplying bitter foes Armenia and Azerbaijan, he added.
Palestinian suspect shot by IDF said to die of wounds-PLFP terror group mourns death of 'fallen fighter Raed Al-Salihi,' who was shot by soldiers during an arrest raid in August-By Dov Lieber-September 3, 2017, 6:37 pm-TOI
A Palestinian official said Sunday that a 21-year-old Palestinian man, Raed Al-Salihi, has died of wounds he incurred during an arrest by Israeli soldiers in August.According to Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, Salihi, who was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group, was arrested in his home in the Deheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem on August 9.During his arrest, Salihi was reportedly shot and critically wounded by IDF soldiers. Qaraqe said in a statement that Salihi was shot five times at close range.He was being treated at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed Salihi’s death.The IDF said it was looking into the incident and was not immediately able to comment.An image of Salihi holding a PFLP flag was shared widely on Palestinian media.The PFLP’s armed wing, the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, said it “mourned” the death of the “heroic fallen fighter Raed Al-Salihi,” in a statement published on its website.Since October 2015, mainly Palestinian assailants have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans, a Palestinian man and a British student, in stabbing, shooting and vehicular attacks. In that time, some 294 Palestinians or Arab Israeli were killed by Israeli fire, a majority of them attackers, according to authorities.AFP contributed to this report.
Teen’s bar mitzvah gives Houston a chance to commiserate, heal-Coming-of-age ceremony in the wake of Harvey's catastrophic flooding is open to all at a time when 'you need people to lift you up'-By JULIET LINDERMAN-September 3, 2017, 9:38 pmTOI
BELLAIRE, Texas (AP) — It wasn’t a typical bar mitzvah, but then nothing has been typical in the Houston area since Harvey came ashore as a powerful hurricane and left whole sections of the city underwater, including its predominantly Jewish neighborhood.Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss opened Saturday’s ceremony ushering 13-year-old Doran Evan Yustein into manhood by pointing out the importance of coming together as a congregation and broader community during such times of hardship.“We have an obligation to celebrate, nonetheless, because we are alive and have what is most important: ourselves, our families and this great opportunity to be together,” he said.Hausman-Weiss is the rabbi for Shma Koleinu, a roving Jewish congregation without a permanent house of worship, and he’s been tending to his flock despite being forced from his home by the flooding. On the Friday the storm hit, he held a service on Facebook for congregants who were busy getting their own homes ready or who were riding out the storm outside the city.With his home so damaged, Hausman-Weiss couldn’t hold services there this past Friday night. And so on Saturday, the first Shabbat, or Sabbath, since the previous weekend’s catastrophic flooding, Doran and his family opened his bar mitzvah service — typically an invite-only affair — to anyone from the larger Jewish community who wanted to come. It was held at congregation Brith Shalom’s synagogue in Bellaire, a Houston enclave.“We wanted people to come and celebrate the bar mitzvah, but also offer prayers for the community, because there’s been so much sadness, and so many lives have been affected,” said Doran’s mother, Gabrielle Moses. The day before, the family helped Doran’s Hebrew teacher, Debbie Uzick, clean her house. She lost everything in the flood.Flooding has had an outsized presence on this fledgling congregation. Its founder, David Rosenfeld, died suddenly the day before a Memorial Day flood in 2015. Hausman-Weiss and his wife, Natalie, waded through floodwaters to help bury him, she said. This time, the Hausman-Weisses were rescued by a congregant; nearly 60 people from the Jewish community showed up to help them in the days that followed.“This is the time you need your community,” Natalie Hausman-Weiss said. “This is the time when you need people to show they care and lift you up.” Holding an open service “was a good opportunity for that,” she said.On Saturday evening, the synagogue was about half-full. Some were friends and family of Doran’s. Others, including Bernadine Frank, came because they needed to feel connected after such a trying week.“We’re all in need of some prayer right now,” said Frank, who saw the open invitation on social media.Laurie Gass, a congregation member and religious school teacher, said it was important for her to attend services after going through such an ordeal.“It’s about healing and to celebrate a happy occasion,” she said. “And after the last week, of all the bad things, it’s very joyful to have something happy.”
