AMI Jerusalem Center Newsletter, Sep – Oct 2025

There is a Famine and it is in the Western World!

By Daniel Gwertzman

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

The famine we are talking about is spiritual famine. What does that have to do with Christian concerns? The same idea is mentioned by Jesus in the Temptation Narrative in Chap­ter four of the Gospel of Matthew in verses 1-4 when he is tempted by the devil after He had fasted forty days and nights. His answer was the same about man not living by bread alone.

Man has a spiritual dimension and when this is absent from the domain, it is filled by evil, superstition or simply the dark side. This void is re­sponsible for anti-religious attitudes, beliefs in witchcraft and demonol­ogy. Surf the internet and it is filled with these ideas. The Bible is quite clear about the attitude to those who are secular.

“You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts?” So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.’ ” (Malachi 3:14-15)

Those between the ages of 18-24 have been extremely affected by the lack of faith and community tradi­tions. Diversity is not a substitute for faith and tradition and most of all family.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

France, the United Kingdom and Canada have taken positions hostile to Israel. Each in its own way will face judgment. In 2024 France had 1700 anti-Semitic incidents which was 300% higher than two years earlier. Jews endure physical aggression on a daily basis: intimidation at schools, assaults near synagogues, and ha­rassment in public places. Macron’s recognition of the State of Palestine will only embolden his nation’s anti- Semitism. Why does he do this? The answer is France is bankrupt. This is not just a moral statement; it is also an economic reality. Qatar holds a significant share of French debt and has invested 40-50 billion Euros in the French economy, from real estate to key industries and sports. It has signed a 28 year gas supply deal with France which means long term reli­ance on a state which bankrolls Isla­mist networks in Europe.

Public debt has climbed to 3.345 tril­lion or 111% of G.D.P. Interest pay­ments will reach 62 billion in 2025 an amount equal to the entire educa­tion budget. Foreign investment fell 12% in 2024. Youth unemployment affects one in four. Seventy percent of French citizens no longer trust their institutions. Abroad France has been forced to withdraw from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and Russia has filled the vacuum. Two French hostages are still held by Iran. This is the Socialism of Fools which is an­other name for anti-Semitism. This is why France presumes to dictate con­ditions for peace in the Middle East to Netanyahu.

Starmer is facing increasing protests in the United Kingdom over illegal immigration to England which, by the way, is coming across the Chan­nel from France and of course, about rising crime. Carney in Canada is watching his Western Provinces threatening to leave the Canadian Union.

There may be globalism, but there is a judgment and a judge who will pro­nounce judgment.

“O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:13-14)

From Bezalel to The Israel Museum

By: I. W.

In the Book of Exodus, we read about Bezalel. He was chosen by God (Ex. 35:30) to work on the items used for the service of God. The name Bezalel means “in the shadow of God” or “un­der God’s protection”. Bezalel constructed the Tabernacle, the vessels and sacred artifacts, all according to God’s commands. Bezalel was given wisdom and understanding how to work on these sacred vessels to be used for the service of God.

“See, I have called by name Bwzalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe od Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.” (Exodus 31:2-3)

In the early 1900s, Jews in Eu­rope had ideas and a vision about creating handicrafts and home industries for Jews who lived in the Holy Land. Many of these were people receiving charitable support from their brethren in Europe and America. One of these Europeans was Bo­ris Schatz, born in the Russian Empire. Schatz studied art and sculpture in Vilna and Warsaw. In 1903, he wanted to establish an art school in the Holy Land. After Theodor Herzl’s death in 1904, it was decided by the Sev­enth World Zionist Congress in Basel, to implement this idea. Schatz and other leaders start­ed to raise funds for it and initi­ated the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts which also included a museum. It contained a col­lection of archaeological antiqui­ties, artifacts, and Judaic items. It was the first Jewish museum in Jerusalem. The goal was to help the Jews, who had suffered many hardships, to promote ed­ucation which would help them to be independent and to work for their livelihood, instead of re­ceiving charity. Jerusalem was

the natural place for this type of work as there were increasing demands for various beautiful artworks from pilgrims and oth­er visitors. Jews, Christians and Muslims were traveling to Jeru­salem, and they wanted souve­nirs from the Holy Land.

Later, in 1925, the name of the museum was changed to Beza­lel National Museum, a fore­runner of the Israel Museum. The Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts continues. It educates designers and other artists who are very active in Jerusalem.

Teddy Kollek was the Mayor of Jerusalem from 1965-1993. He wanted to establish a National Museum in Israel and searched for a place to build a cultural center for this purpose. During that time, Jordan occupied the eastern, northern, and south­ern part of Jerusalem. The only area to build a national museum was the neighborhood of Givat Ram, in the western part of the city. The inauguration of the Is­rael Museum took place in May 1965, two years before the Six- Day-War.

The collection from the Bezalel National Museum was moved to the newly constructed Israel Museum. The architect was Alfred Mansfield, a Russian- Israeli, who designed the first buildings. These buildings could easily be changed as needed. In 2010, the museum was reno­vated and space for the gallery was doubled. The garden of the museum contains beautiful art­works.

The Israel Museum has a col­lection of about 500,000 items, from pre-history to present day. It includes Archaeology: both Biblical and Ancient from the Land of Israel and surrounding cultures: Fine Arts, Jewish Art, and a Life Wing containing Jew­ish Religious Artifacts, to name some of them. It is interesting to see the difference of the in­teriors of synagogues from Suri­nam, India, and Germany, which reflect the environment of their time and place.

One building stands out: the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the Book of Isaiah, are displayed. In 1947, the first scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy at Qum­ran, at the Dead Sea. This area continued to be excavated until 1956. A planning project was started to house the Scrolls, and the design which was chosen resembles the original shape of the pottery jars in which the scrolls were found. The Shrine was opened in 1965, the build­ing (a white dome), is surround­ed by a pool. A few meters from the Shrine is a black wall of ba­salt. The white structure repre­sents the Sons of Light and the black wall symbolizes the Sons of Darkness.

Another interesting part of the museum is the model of the Second Temple period, which was moved to the museum gar­den from the Holyland Hotel.

This year there is an impressive display of 60 Years of Exhibition Catalogues. Next to this display of all the catalogues, one can see the tools which are used for restoring old items and curators who are occupied with repairing artifacts. It is always interesting to visit this museum, and there are advantages to joining guid­ed tours, in order not to miss im­portant details.

In the same neighborhood are the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Wohl Rose Gar­den, the Supreme Court and the National Library. It is well worth making arrangements to visit all of them if possible. There is much to learn from each one.

Is It Good for the Jews?

By Daniel Gwertzman

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (Psalms 1:1)

The Magazine of The Jerusalem Post from August 29, 2025, has a long ar­ticle entitled “The Anti-Israel Hall of Shame: Shouting into a World of Hate: Exposing the Haters” from page 8-18 by Judith Segaloff. Some of these critics of Israel and the Jews describe themselves as anti-Zionist, Humanitarian, Democratic or with many other labels to mask their in­tentions. Some deny the massacre of October 7, 2023 while others openly support the cause of Hamas terrorists in Gaza. There are those who have been anti-Israel activists long before Israel’s current war against terror be­gan on October 7, 2023, while others joined the attack late some, saying they don’t hate Jews, just Zionists.

The connection of the Jews with Israel is ingrained as they face to­ward Israel when they pray. Those who hate Israel refuse to acknowl­edge the religious and spiritual con­nection to the Land of Israel. They make Israelis into the occupiers even if they defend themselves against at­tacks on its territory. Therefore, it is important to know who your friends are and who are your enemies. There are those from the media, actors, musicians, entertainers, politics, in­tergovernmental organizations, uni­versities, influencers, business/in­vestment and internal Jewish groups some of whom are Woke and Neo- Marxists. Some of those call them­selves religious critics and even pray for the terrorists. This teaches us that things that our parents and grandpar­ents told us about the Holocaust are real and evil is alive and active in our world.

Where do you turn at a time like this? You turn to faith for an answer. There is a superb teacher, Rabbi Moshe Taragin, who wrote a very impor­tant piece entitled “Faith’s Role in a Breakthrough Moment” which ap­peared in The Jerusalem Post Maga­zine of June 27, 2025. I wanted to publish it in its entirety in our news­letter and I wrote the author and he gave his permission provided, I con­tacted the Editor of the Magazine for official permission. I have since written to her several times without receiving a response. Therefore I will make a brief quotation from the closing part of the article.

“As we continue striving to advance the human condition and bring wel­fare and life to the world, our en­emies, unable to face this reality, continue choosing to hate us. Fool­ishly, they pour their resources into a futile attempt to thwart our mission. They hurl hate at a world we are try­ing to heal. But hate crumbles where our mission endures.” All those in­terested in a Biblical perspective should look it up on the Jerusalem Post website.

I come back to where I began with the first Psalm.

“For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalms 1:6)