Israel? Really? I didn’t know that!
My family moved to Jerusalem in September 1980. Within three days of our arrival our daughter Jennifer celebrated her first birthday. Two weeks later Josh turned three.
For Lori and me everything we encountered was as new to us as it was to our kids; none of us had ever visited Israel previously. On the Friday our flight landed in Tel Aviv we hurried up to Jerusalem. Our first stop: the Western Wall.[1] I hadn’t realized previously that a barrier separated men and women who came to pray near the place the Temple once stood.
We struggled to take in all we were seeing and feeling as the sun set on the City of Gold, ushering in the Sabbath. We were unprepared for the reality that most all the restaurants in West Jerusalem closed on Shabbat. Thankfully, the Sova Restaurant was open – but meal tickets had to be purchased before sundown!
“I didn’t know!” I told the man behind the counter.
“I can’t sell you tickets on Shabbat,” was his loud reply. But then, with compassion, he followed us outside and quickly thrust the needed meal tickets into my hand, asking for the required amount in exchange. Grateful, we went back inside to satisfy our growing hunger.
The next day we attended our first church service. At first it felt weird to worship on Saturdays – but on Sundays most everyone was back at work or in school, so believers met on Shabbat.
We didn’t have a vehicle so we quickly learned to ride buses and the occasional taxi. Public transportation doesn’t run in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, so we took a sherut (shared taxi operated by non-Jewish or non-religious driver). We learned Israelis have a “work around” for most needs.
One of the most startling first impressions was how many guns were visibly carried in public. Most everyone serves in the Israeli Defense Forces after high school; bases are scattered throughout the country. We soon grew accustomed to uniformed military personnel everywhere, including on public transit.
Every establishment of any size, including the grocery store, had an armed guard searching purses and bags before entry was granted. This is reality in a country which has had to deal with armed conflict and terrorism in every decade of its 73-year existence.
Our neighbors for the most part were Sephardic Jews, most of whom had immigrated from North Africa. The Jewish family across the hall had come from Cairo. Itzhak (Isaac) broadcast the news on Israeli radio – in Arabic.
Sara, the first Israeli we ever met back in the States, came from a Moroccan Jewish family. We thought that was unique – until we learned that (at that time) the country which had provided the greatest number of Jewish immigrants to Israel was Morocco.
None of our neighbors had English as a first language and most knew only a little – but more than we knew Hebrew initially. We had all kinds of “I didn’t know that” moments when light would dawn. Oh, THAT’S what that means!
Coming from America, we had much to learn about Israel’s politics. The Knesset was established as a parliamentary system, so citizens vote for a party not a person. Coalitions between various political parties must necessarily be made to comprise a ruling government[2] with at least 61 of the 120 seats. We were privileged to be present (twice!) when Prime Minister Menachem Begin spoke. We got to visit President Itzhak Navon’s home when he and wife Ofira hosted a gathering to which Sara had been invited and we were able to accompany her.
In 1980 Israel’s population was 3.7 million. Today it exceeds 8.8 million,[3] with citizens from more than 100 countries.
During our almost two years in residence, we traversed the Land north to south (about 300 miles) and west to east (71 miles to the Jordan River from the Mediterranean). We enjoyed driving through the vast Makhtesh Ramon (Israel’s “Grand Canyon” in the Negev desert), seeing the Red Sea’s beautiful coral reefs, floating in the Dead Sea, and taking a boat ride on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). We discovered Mount Hermon boasted a ski resort – so much diverse geography in a small country.
We’ve been grateful to have many opportunities to return to this special land which God deeded in an unconditional covenant to Abraham (see Genesis 15). Reengaging with friends and ministry colleagues is always a personal highlight. But one of our great joys in bringing groups to Israel is watching them behold the ancient sites and modern sights for the first time. I was moved to tears as one dear friend, Joann Archer, gasped with awestruck wonder at her first glimpse of Jerusalem after so many years of wishing for that moment.
Every time we return we are amazed at Israel’s progress. Cranes for new construction are seen throughout the Land. Whole cities and most of the highway system have been built since we lived there. Even our beloved Jerusalem, an ancient city, has undergone remarkable transitions over the decades.
Israel is known for her cutting-edge high tech.[4] The Pentium chip in my computer was developed outside Abraham’s old hometown of Beersheba. Private instant messaging, part of every smart phone, was invented in 1996 by four Israeli young people (and bought by AOL two years later for $407 million). The Iron Dome defense system has intercepted thousands of rockets launched against Israel. Medical advances by Israeli researchers continue to bless the world.
One of the greatest developments in Israel has been the growth of the Messianic movement. The mere handful of Jesus-believing congregations which existed in 1980 included very few sabras (native-born Israelis). Messianic Jews have continued to make aliyah (immigration to Israel) but hundreds of others have come to faith in Yeshua in the Land.[5] By far the greatest growth of the Body of Messiah in Israel has been among the Russian Jewish population.[6]
To stay up to date on what’s going on in fast-paced Israel is a challenge. “I didn’t know that” remains a recurring reality for me. The “Red Alert: Israel” app[7] on my phone sounds whenever Israel’s Iron Dome detects a rocket being fired into Israeli territory. Valued news sources include Joel Rosenberg’s All Israel News, i24 News, The Times of Israel, and The Jerusalem Post. Charlie Dyer and Jon Gauger do a great weekly broadcast on Moody Radio, The Land and the Book.
The goal of being informed is not to be a news junkie or trivia expert. Jerusalem is the “center of the nations” (Ezekiel 5:5). It is where most biblical history took place and the prophetic future culminates. But today it remains a place where the light of the gospel is shining brightly and God is at work transforming lives. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6) is still in effect.
And now YOU know!
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
1) What did you learn about Israel today?
2) To continue your “I didn’t know that” moments, we recommend reading: Donna Rosenthal’s The Israelis and Senor and Singer’s Start Up Nation.
Endnotes:
[1] Often called “The Wailing Wall,” the proper name is “Western Wall.” This is the outer wall of the court surrounding the Temple Mount, the lower courses of which were built in King Solomon’s day.
[2] See the composition of Israel’s present government in the 24th Knesset.
[3] The population growth since 1960 is depicted at https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/israel-population/. Interesting data is also found at https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/israel-population.
[4] Senor and Singer’s Start-up Nation documents how Israel’s lack of institutional hierarchy and cross-discipline cooperation have fostered amazing breakthroughs. The ISRAEL21c newsletter does a great job highlighting new advances in medicine, agriculture, digital tech, etc.
[5] Our friends at One for Israel have captured hundreds of video testimonies of Jewish believers in Messiah Jesus, including a growing number recorded in Modern Hebrew.
[6] See https://news.kehila.org/how-russian-speakers-in-israel-find-faith/. In addition to Kehila News, you may subscribe to Caspari Center’s Media Review for free weekly updates on news affecting Israeli believers.
[7] Available for Apple and Android phones, the alert includes the name of the targeted area – a great prayer prompter!