THE MARCH UPDATE ON "NEWS FROM ISRAEL" BY MY GOOD FRIEND STEVE LLOYD FROM THE BIBLE PROPHECY FOUNDATION

If there is one thing that has dominated the press over the past few weeks, it is

anti-Semitism. Satan is going after Gods chosen people in an unprecedented way. The UK Parliament is full of it, the US Congress has been majorly thrown into it, the UN is continually obsessed with it and on the whole, the Church ignores it. Praise be to God that His people are still the apple of His eye

For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye (Zech 2:8)

Israel - Torah scrolls were thrown onto the floor and prayer books were destroyed when vandals broke into a synagogue in Jerusalem. The vandals cut into the side of the ark and removed the holy scrolls, and threw acid on them on the floor. The outrage happened at the Beit Knesset Siach Yisrael - a shul of the city's French community in the Kiryat Yovel suburb.

Two other synagogues were also attacked in the resort of Netanya.

A new synagogue known as the Macdonald Shul had the words 'Hail Satan' scrawled upon it and  another synagogue had a hosepipe forced through a window which flooded the building.

Interior Minister Arye Deri said the vandalism was "reminiscent of the antisemitic pogroms carried out in the Nazi era".

UK - There have been a record number of reported antisemitic incidents across the UK - for the third consecutive year according to figures released by the CST (Community Security Trust) for 2018. It is likely that these figures were partly caused by reactions to political events in the UK and overseas, involving the Labour Party and violence on the border of Israel and Gaza.

The report stated that there had been 1652 antisemitic incidents in 2018.

The General Secretary of the Labour Party, Jennie Formby caused uproar after telling MP’s and peers that it was impossible to fully 'eradicate' antisemitism from the party.

She stated that "anyone who thinks that they can completely eradicate something - then they are being dishonest". She spoke after a motion demanded the Labour leadership disclose how many outstanding cases of antisemitism need to be investigated and how many members were awaiting training on Jew-hatred.

Labour MP’s unanimously voted to condemn their own party's handling of its antisemitism crisis. In a joint statement, Jewish Leadership Council chairman Jonathan Goldstein and Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl said "We welcome the decision of the Parliamentary Labour Party to set a deadline to hold Jeremy Corbyn to account over antisemitism   "......his lack of leadership has been extremely disappointing"

USA - Attacks on the Jewish community in Brooklyn have also been on the rise, and following two attacks in Crown Heights 30 volunteers have been recruited to patrol the area from 5pm to 12.30am daily in order to observe and report.

Rabbi Yaacov Behrman stated that 10 people had been violently attacked in the last 60 days alone.

Germany - Berlin has become Europe's capital of antisemitism. It appears to have taken the number one spot that belonged to Malmo, Sweden, which still suffers from major antisemitism.

The Research and Information Centre report stated in the first half of 2018, 527 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the German capital. It included 18 attacks, 21 intentional acts of vandalism and 18 threats. Police sources told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel that the rise in antisemitism was connected to the increased number of migrants from the Middle East living in the city.

Belgium - A float in a Belgian street carnival has been slammed as 'typical antisemitic caricatures from 1939'.

The float - in a street celebration in the city of Aaist featured giant puppets of Orthodox Jews and a rat atop money bags. "It was shocking" said Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs in his condemnation.

This is not the first time this has happened, in 2013, a different group designed a float for the same carnival resembling a Nazi railway wagon used to transport Jews to death camps, the designers, a group known as FTP then marched beside it dressed as Nazi SS officers and Charedi Jews. A poster on the wagon showed Flemish politicians dressed as Nazis and holding canisters labelled as containing Zyklon B, the poison used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews during the Holocaust.

I could go on....but

Now, some good news....

Brazil - Within hours of arriving in Brazil, a huge team of Israelis were recovering bodies from the mud following the mining-dam collapse. 130 IDF soldiers, and 70 reservists flew from Tel Aviv to Brazil following the disaster that killed at least 60 people and left hundreds missing. Once again Israel leads the world in its humanitarian efforts.

USA - Florida's state cabinet has recognised Jerusalem as Israel's "Eternal and undivided capital". The move places it one step beyond the Trump administration's stance on Israel,  which recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital but has not spoken of whether it supports a united or divided Jerusalem.

Russia - Russia is committed to the "very strong security" of Israel, Moscow's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryablov told CNN. He also added in an interview that Russia and Iran are not allies in Syria. And he said that any accusations that President Trump has colluded with Russia are "out of touch with reality".

Israel - Israel has officially joined the space race with its launch of its space craft "Beresheet" (Genesis) from Cape Canaveral. It is due to land on the surface of the moon in mid-April. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said "Despite its smaller land mass and population compared to the other nations, Israel is a giant in initiative and huge in achievements".

The robotic lander is the size of a washing machine. Hidden among the instruments is a coin-like artefact, which holds a sort of Jewish time capsule. The laser-etched coin contains the entire text of the Old Testament plus a collection of Jewish art and music. Israel will become one of only four nations to have made a controlled landing on the moon surface, the others are America, Russia and China. The space craft has already taken a 'selfie' picture of itself with the Israeli flag and the earth in the background.

Pray for the IDF and IAF as they defend the boarders and continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Every blessing, Maranatha.

Steve