April 15, 2019
PM Benjamin Netanyahu wins a 5th term as Prime Minister of Israel. US President Trump phoned Prime Minister Netanyahu from Air Force One to congratulate him on his election victory. The Central Elections Committee released the final results of Tuesday’s elections following delays, malfunctions, and recriminations. Center-left Likud Headquarters challenger Gantz/Lapid Blue and White party received 35 seats in the Knesset. Netanyahu’s party, the Likud won with 36 seats. In total, the center-right political bloc gained 65 seats, while the center-left received 55. If the winning party cannot form a coalition, then the next up will have a chance. It is believed at this point that Netanyahu will be able to form a coalition government. Usually you only see signs of the Candidate, but it was clear to all that Trump was almost as popular as Netanyahu!
PM Benjamin Netanyahu wins a 5th term as Prime Minister of Israel. US President Trump phoned Prime Minister Netanyahu from Air Force One to congratulate him on his election victory. The Central Elections Committee released the final results of Tuesday’s elections following delays, malfunctions, and recriminations. Center-left Likud Headquarters challenger Gantz/Lapid Blue and White party received 35 seats in the Knesset. Netanyahu’s party, the Likud won with 36 seats. In total, the center-right political bloc gained 65 seats, while the center-left received 55. If the winning party cannot form a coalition, then the next up will have a chance. It is believed at this point that Netanyahu will be able to form a coalition government. Usually you only see signs of the Candidate, but it was clear to all that Trump was almost as popular as Netanyahu!
Political Party for Bible Believers In Israel – The ‘Bible Block’ Party established by Avi Lipkin, was registered this year, and was one of the 47 parties listed on the ballot as Israelis casted their votes on April 9th. Bible Bloc’s official Knesset list consists of observant Jews, Christians and a Messianic Jew, David Friedman. All parties registered to run in the election were allotted a small budget and one minute of air time to get their message out to the public.
The commercial for the ‘Bible Block’ Party translated from Hebrew to English below “Dear citizens, After 2,000 years, Christians and Jews march side-by-side down the streets of Jerusalem. A new Christian-Jewish party called the Bible Bloc seeks to give representation to both Jewish and Christian citizens, all those who believe in God’s promises to the people of Israel found in the Bible. The party will give equal voice to Jews and Christians. The Jews [in the party] will consist of those who are religious, traditional and secular. The Christians [in the party] will be from all denominations, as well as Messianic believers. Eight percent of Israel’s population is made up of non-Jews, including Christians, and they are not properly represented. Our goal is to establish a strategic Jewish-Christian alliance to stand up for all Jews and Christians around the world who are facing the threat of terrorism, as well as to preserve Judeo-Christian culture around the world and in the State of Israel.”
Israel is the 7th Country to Achieve Lunar Orbit – Artist depiction of the Genesis Lander Israelis were looking to the sky on Thursday as the Genesis (Bereshit) spacecraft, (the name was chosen in an online vote, and means “In the beginning”) was scheduled to touch down between 10:00-11:00 p.m. Israel time. But minutes before the craft was to land, its main engine shut down and communication with the spacecraft was lost. Minutes before the craft was to land, its main engine shut down and communication was lost. Prime Minister Netanyahu told those at mission control, “If at first you don’t succeed, try again.” When Beresheet achieved lunar orbit on April 4, Israel became the 7th country on earth to achieve such a feat. Israel would have been the 4th country to land on the moon joining the U.S., China and Russia. “The fact of this attempt is a major accomplishment,” Netanyahu said. The ship carried a plaque with the Israeli flag and the words “small country, big dreams,” as well as “Am Israel Chai” which is translated, “The people of Israel live”. The nonprofit organization XPRIZE announced that it will award SpaceIL with a $1 million award for being just the 7th nation to orbit the moon. And said that, “The team’s ability to build a lunar lander for $100 million and with less than 50 engineers was remarkable.
Weekly Government Bible Study – President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin on Sunday, 7 April/2 Nissan, hosted the 23rd Bible Study Group of 929, on the subject of ‘From Slavery to Sovereignty: Beginning the Book of Isaiah’.
Airbnb Decided to ‘Relist’ Jewish Rentals – Earlier this year, Airbnb black-listed Jewish owned properties in Judea and Samaria, (West Bank). After Airbnb was sued and many boycotted Airbnb for not including Jewish homes, Airbnb announced that they have reversed their decision. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has condemned the Airbnb online hospitality service for reversing its decision to prohibit listing Jewish-owned homes in Judea and Samara on its website.
The West Bank of the Jordan River was won back by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 war on Israel. This land is called ‘disputed territory’ because the Arabs who live there want it as a part of their future ‘Palestinian State’. Today there are 392,000 Jewish people living in the ‘disputed territory’ of Judea and Samaria.
Every year millions of prayer notes are placed in the Western (Wailing) Wall by locals and visitors. Also, prayer notes are sent through the website of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, (WWHF) and other non-profit organizations. To date, 672,210 notes have been sent through the website of the WWHF alone. Before Passover, which begins on the Eve of the 19th of April, the notes are removed under the supervision of the Rabbi of the Western Wall using wooden tools. In order to preserve the privacy and dignity of the people, the notes are kept in a special area until the collection is complete, then they are placed in sealed bags. The notes are buried, normally on the Mount of Olives. At the conclusion, the Rabbi of the Western Wall prays that all requests written on the notes be answered.
Tel Aviv-Yafo Preparing to Host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest – In one month, Tel Aviv will host the 64th Eurovision, the 2nd most watched live TV program in the world and the cultural event with the highest ratings and largest international coverage to ever take place in Israel.Tel Aviv is preparing with: *The largest Eurovision Village ever *Free public transportation on Shabbat *Special permits for bars and restaurants to enhance nightlife *Extensive city decorations *A new Tel Aviv tourism website