Friends,
It's the Jewish holiday of Purim, where everything's upside down! From King Achashverosh's decree to kill the Jews of Persia to Esther saving her people. From Haman the evil to Mordechai the righteous. From somber to joyous, from serious to downright raucous. We gather in synagogues and communities tonight to read the story, Megillat Esther, to rejoice in the hand of God sometimes hidden and sometimes obvious. To share with our friends and neighbors, in spirit and in body, to feast and drink and pray and give thanks for Hashem once again saving the Jews.
We might not know the ultimate plan, but we are witness to events that should remind us we have a part to play in a long line of history.
~
This week we were privileged to host Congressmen David McKinley & Scott Tipton, with Mary and Jean, here in Israel. It was a whirlwind trip, concentrating on three issues: Jerusalem, Jewish sovereignty and infrastructure/border security. Each was seen on the ground, shared with experts, and discussed with leading decision makers from the Prime Minister to the IDF to local mayors and people on the street. You may have caught whiff of our 'extended olive branch' episode on Temple Mount, or seen photos of biblical proportion. A key piece of the puzzle came together just as we sat with US Ambassador Friedman and then received the news of moving the Embassy to Jerusalem in time to celebrate Israel's 70th birthday this May - truly wondrous.
This educational, fact-finding mission provided much food for thought, and we will share the issues as they arise - so that together we can strengthen the values and efforts relevant to our work together. Meanwhile, take a look at some of what was said and done during the past week:
All the best,
Ruth & Sarah