“As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.” Zech. 8:13
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MARKS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST DAY: The European Union Parliament marked International Holocaust Day on Sunday 27 Jan. 2019, and emphasized the continuing importance of the vigilant fight against anti-Semitism in Europe. "The message of the parliament is clear," said President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, speaking at the ceremony, "there is no place for hatred and anti-Semitism in Europe." Tajani said that the parliament must act in light of a recently published survey showing that a majority of Europeans do not believe anti-Semitism is a major problem in Europe, despite the rise in anti-Semitic attacks and rhetoric. Chairman of the Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog also reacted to the survey, saying "30% of Europeans do not know anything about the Holocaust. This is clearly a threat." The survey found that more than four in ten Europeans (42%) were aware that there is a law against Holocaust denial in their country while more than a third were not aware of such a law, and close to a quarter didn't know. Approximately 25% of respondents understood that issues such as anti-Semitic violence, Holocaust denial and the desecration of Jewish cemeteries are “very important,” but they were unable to elaborate on their views due to lack of knowledge on the matter. Close to 60% of interviewees said they could not expound on the matter because they believed there were no problems in this aspect of their country. Meanwhile, “over half of Europeans (54%) believe that the conflicts in the Middle East have an influence on the way Jewish people are perceived in their country,” the survey stated. “A majority share this opinion in 13 member states, mainly in Northern and Western Europe.” (J.Post) Intercede against the alarming growth of anti-Semitism in Europe. Pray for in-depth education in schools about the Holocaust and the unceasing persecution of the Jewish people throughout the centuries. May comfort and protection be upon Global Jewish communities and God’s shielding from fear.
THE HOLOCAUST: The "Holocaust" refers to the period from 30 January, 1933, when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, to 8 May 1945, the end of the war in Europe. Millions of Jewish men, women and children were murdered by Hitler and his brutal cohorts during this time. While it is impossible to ascertain the exact number of Jewish victims six million is the round figure. Auschwitz concentration camp was a network of concentration and death camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II. Buchenwald was a German Nazi concentration camp established near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and largest of the concentration camps on German soil. It was in holes such as these that Jewish victims were starved, tortured, subjected to slave labor, beatings, inhumane medical experiments and murdered in gas chambers by the millions. Elderly Holocaust survivors in Israel suffer mental and physical torments to this day. Their children in many cases bear traumatic scars as a result of being raised by such emotionally and physically shattered parents. (JNN) Pray for provision, healing and the peace of God to be with the now elderly and often impoverished victims of the Holocaust, and their children.
HERZOG SAYS HE IS ‘EXTREMELY DISTRAUGHT’ BY CORBYN’S ANTI-SEMITIC BEHAVIOR: Jewish Agency for Israel chairman Isaac Herzog told Israeli media sources that he was “extremely distraught” to witness the anti-Semitic sentiments plaguing the British Labour Party and coming from its leader, Jeremy Corbyn. “I’m extremely distraught,” he said. “Labour in England is a sister party of the Labor in Israel where I come from,” said the former MK. “The fact that there is a kind of indifferent attitude to anti-Semitism and its definition, and to the story of the Holocaust, is very troubling.” In 2016, Corbyn refused an invitation from Herzog – then leader of the Labor party – to visit Israel and tour the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum. Last year, the Israeli Labor party officially cut ties with its British counterpart over its handling of anti-Semitism within the party. The Jewish Agency chairman said this week that the State of Israel must work with organizations around Europe and the world to thwart Holocaust denial, boost Shoah education and counter anti-Semitism. “This is an international effort. It’s not a standalone effort,” he said. “We have to uproot the plague that’s raising its ugly head and therefore it has to be coordinated efforts. I’m worried. I’m disturbed by political elements in Europe – from the extreme right to the extreme left – that are using anti-Semitism to gain their own political profits at the expense of human values and at the expense of Jews.” (J.Post)
BRITISH SPIRITUAL LEADERS URGE UNITY ON HOLOCAUST DAY: The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Chief Rabbi of Britain, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, and Imam Qari Asim, Chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, signed a joint letter calling on people to come together and create a better future on the occasion of International Holocaust Memorial Day 2019, which was marked on Sunday 27 Jan. 2019. “This Holocaust Memorial Day we, the undersigned, are uniting and calling on people of all faiths and backgrounds to come together, reflect, and create a better future for us all. Now, more than ever, with the threat of identity-based prejudice and hostility facing people in the UK and around the world, we must find common bonds and renew our commitment to respect one another and be compassionate,” they wrote. “Holocaust Memorial Day is seeing hundreds of thousands of people attend events to remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
“Prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all. Right now, across the world, many people are at risk of persecution because of their identity. Despite the world saying ‘never again’ after the Holocaust, genocide and mass killings have taken place again and again. We must be vigilant, show solidarity with people in desperate situations and use our voices to call for action,” wrote the spiritual leaders. International Holocaust Memorial Day is an international memorial day on 27 Jan. commemorating the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during World War II. The day was designated by the UN General Assembly on 1 Nov. 2005. (INN) According to a poll released on Sunday, 27 Jan. 2019 some 2.6 million British people think the Holocaust is a myth. In other words, five percent of British adults do not believe millions of Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis.
MERKEL: IT’S UNACCEPTABLE THAT JEWS ARE UNDER ATTACK IN GERMANY: German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned anti-Semitism in an interview with Israel's Kan television channel and said that her country's law enforcement is doing everything it could to fight the phenomenon. During the interview, Merkel was asked about what she was doing to fight anti-Semitism such as the kind that occurred in the eastern city of Chemnitz this past summer, where a large neo-Nazi march was held. "We are doing everything in our power to fight these acts," Merkel responded. "The authorities will, of course, continue to investigate everything that is needed." Merkel said that following the aforementioned protests, "there was also a large civil movement that made it clear that we do not want it in our country and we will stand against it. I believe, it is also important that there are many people who clearly demonstrate courage and zero tolerance for anti-Semitism. It is fundamentally unacceptable that all Jewish institutions need to worry." Regarding Germany's role in commemorating the Holocaust, Merkel said that "Nazism and the Holocaust that followed are part of our history, and therefore we are committed to preserving its memory in order to prevent the recurrence of such terrible things in the future." (Israel National News)
STEINITZ COMPARES IRAN TO NAZI GERMANY, BLASTS EUROPE FOR STANDING ASIDE: Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz declared last weekend that “Iran is like Nazi Germany,” and said the world had not learned the lessons of the Holocaust in light of the threat Iran poses to the Jewish state. Steinitz made his comments at Israel’s official ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “Iran speaks about destroying the Jewish state and tries to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and modern Europe sits on the sidelines and doesn’t do a thing to prevent it,” Steinitz said at a ceremony in the presence of some 60 ambassadors. He also denounced Iran’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria to create a base from which to threaten and attack Israel, saying that although other parts of the world have forgotten the lessons of history, “We have learned the lesson, and therefore are fighting Iran, and we will not let it turn Syria into a military base.” Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, was also present at the ceremony and gave an address in which he said that “everyone remembers the millions of Jews who were cruelly killed by the Nazis in ghettos and camps,” and that Russia and President Vladimir Putin were committed to fighting Holocaust denial. (J.Post)
IDF SEARCH AND RESCUE UNIT HEADS TO BRAZIL AFTER DAM COLLAPSE: 130 IDF soldiers have left Israel for the area of the collapsed dam in Brazil. The delegation includes engineering experts, doctors, search and rescue teams, firefighters, and soldiers from the Israeli Navy's underwater missions unit. Search and rescue teams are equipped with advanced means of cellular location, underwater radars, and drones. The IDF said that their primary duty will be to search for survivors of last weekend’s dam collapse, which sent a massive torrent of mud over the complex where 300 employees of the dam were working. At least 58 people have lost their lives due to the tragedy and hundreds are missing. Within hours of arriving at the site in Brazil, an Israeli aid team located and recovered several bodies from the thick sludge. “The scope of the disaster is huge,” said a leader of one of Israel’s teams. (i24News) Pray many lives will be rescued and saved through the dedicated volunteer teams that have been sent to assist Brazil in the tragic aftermath of this collapsed dam.
WE’LL HAVE A CURE FOR CANCER WITHIN A YEAR, SCIENTIST CLAIM: A team of Israeli scientists claim they will likely develop a cure for cancer in the next year, media sources reported on Mon. 28 Jan. 2019. The new treatment is being developed by Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies under the leadership of CEO Dr. Ilan Morad, according to the report. “We believe we will offer in a year’s time a complete cure for cancer,” said Dan Aridor, chairman of the company’s board. “Our cancer cure will be effective from day one, will last a duration of a few weeks and will have no or minimal side-effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market.” The treatment, called MuTaTo, will use a combination of cancer-targeting peptides and a toxin that will specifically kill cancer cells. The treatment will eventually be personalized and a specific cocktail of the drugs will be given to patients based on their type of cancer, said Morad. (N.Y. Post)
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The suggestions, opinions and scripture references made by JNN writers and editors are based on the best information received.
Barry Segal with the Editorial Staff