Merry Christmas - Photography from Israel
Wishing my Christian readers, friends, colleagues, and supporters, a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Plus: PM Netanyahu's Christmas greeting video.
Left to Right:
Sunset photo at the Cenacle (traditionally believed to be the site of the Last Supper) on Mt. Zion in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Church of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tavor (Tabor).
Ceiling of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem Old City.
[This report —recorded in our homefront “mamad” bomb shelter perch in the northern Galilee—will be updated as events dictate. Meanwhile, please feel free to share this post, subscribe, and donate to help support my efforts to bring you accurate, sourced reporting, and close-up-and-personal slice-of-life scenes here in northern Israel and our Life on the Border - thank you for your consideration]:
Dawn, midday, and afternoon over the Kinneret Sea of Galilee; the two latter images are photographed from near the Mount of the Beatitudes.
All in Israel — the only place in the Middle East where Christians are welcome to live, visit, and worship in safety and peace.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Greeting to the Christian Community (Tuesday, 24 December 2024):
“My dear Christian friends, as you gather with your family and friends this Christmas, I wish the Christian community in Israel and around the world blessings for a Merry Christmas from the Holy Land.
At a time when Israel is fighting on seven fronts, we deeply appreciate the steadfast support of our Christian friends around the world.
You've stood by our side, you've stood by our side resiliently, consistently, forcefully as Israel defends our civilization against barbarism.
The people of Israel are united in defending our nation against those bent on our destruction.
We seek peace with all those who wish peace with us, but we will do whatever is necessary to defend the one and only Jewish state, the repository and the source of our common heritage.
Israel leads the world in fighting the forces of evil and tyranny, but our battle is not yet over. With your support, and with God's help, I assure you, we shall prevail.
From Jerusalem, city of peace, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.
Illustrations: Yaakov Kirshen: “Political Analyst, Yale Fellow, Blogger, and Dry Bones Cartoonist.
“Kirschen was born in Brooklyn NY in 1938. He studied art at Queens College and became a cartoonist after he graduated in 1961.
“In 1971 he moved to Israel, changed his first name from Jerry to Yaakov, and in 1973 began drawing a daily editorial strip called Dry Bones, which has become internationally syndicated and is known as Israel’s Political Comic Strip. Kirschen is a member of both America’s National Cartoonists Society and the Israeli Cartoonists Society.”
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Warm regards,
Dave Bender
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