Land Of Israel Research Articles

From the “Man of Jerusalem” to the Beit El Yeshiva: Late Nineteenth Century Rabbinic Leadership in the Jewish Community of Tripoli

Abstract This article details a polemic among the rabbinical leadership of the Jewish community of Tripoli, Libya, in the late nineteenth century. At stake was an initiative of the community’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Eliyahu Bechor Hazzan, to change the traditional educational system to include secular topics and foreign language. The communal rabbis who opposed the idea wrote the rabbinical leadership of Jerusalem, requesting support in overturning Rabbi Hazzan’s proposal. This study details the issues at stake in this aspect of the infiltration of modernism into Jewish communities in Muslim countries and presents the letter written to the rabbinic authorities of the land of Israel that led Rabbi Hazzan to abandon his initiative and, later, to resign from his leadership post.

The mergers and splits that occurred with Ahdut Ha'avoda (1930- 1968 AD): الاندماجات والانشقاقات التي حدثت مع أحدوت هاعفوداه (1930- 1968م)

The Ahdut Ha'avodah party is one of the most important Arab Zionism that emerged during the twenties of the twentieth century, due to its essential role in the formation of the Zionist institutions that contributed to the establishment of the (Jewish state). AD, and its formation, the Mapai Party, until its formation in the Israeli Labor Party in 1968 with the Mapai and Rafi parties, in addition to the most prominent ideas of the party in every stage in it, in addition to the reasons that lead to those initiatives that were established in those events, and highlighting the most important party, the party in every stage. Stage of its stages, The study aimed to know the mergers and splits that occurred with the Ahdut Ha'avoda party since its union in 1930AD, and its formation of the Mapai Party, until its formation in the Israeli Labor Party in 1968 with the parties of Mapai and Rafi, in addition to identifying the most prominent ideas and programs of the party at each stage in which it is located, in addition to knowing The reasons that led to those mergers and splits that occurred with the party, and to highlight the most important leaders of the party in every stage of its stages, and the researcher followed in his study on the methodology of historical and descriptive analytical research, by narrating the historical events and then expressing an opinion about them, among the most important results he reached The researcher in his research is as follows: 1.Ahdut Ha'afudah played an important role in uniting the Zionist workers in Palestine, through the formation of the Mapai Party. 2.One of the main reasons for the emergence of Bloc B and the leftist movement in the Mapai party was its objection to the foreign policy of the party, and its demand for the restoration of democracy to its institutions, and it split from the Mapai party in May 1944, and established a new party that took for itself the historical name of the Ahdut movement Ha'avoda: “Give it to Lahoud Ha'foda” (The Movement for Labor Union). 3.Ahdut Ha'avoda saw himself as the sole heir of the historical Ahdut Ha'avoda movement, carrying the general idea of ​​unification of the Zionist socialist parties in the land of (Israel). 4.The Ahdut Ha'avodah Party derives its main strength from the kibbutz movement, which is called the (Hakibbutz Ha'avodah Movement - United Kibbutz). 5.Contacts took place between the Ahdut Ha'avoda and Bay parties during the years 1964- 1965AD to form an electoral alliance between them, and the supporters of Achdut Ha'Afoudah supported that approach. Because of the ideological attrition among party members. 6.On May 19, 1965 AD, the alliance agreement between the Mapai parties and Ahdut Ha'avodah was signed in Haifa, despite the opposition of the minority in the two parties, whether the minority in the Mapai party led by David Ben- Gurion, or the minority led by (Yitzhak Tabenkin) - the spiritual leader of the party Ahdut Haafodah -. 7.The two- party alliance agreement stipulated that the two allied parties present a joint list of candidates in the Knesset and Histadrut elections, municipalities, the world Zionist movement, and other bodies in which the elections are held on a party basis under the name (The Alliance for the Unity of Israel Workers) - HaArakhtan (The Small Gathering). 8.The 1967 AD war highlighted the idea of ​​unifying the four workers' parties in (Israel): Mapai, Ahdut Ha'avodah, Rafi and Mapam. Based on the findings, the study recommends the following: 1- That the Palestinian and Arab research centers pay attention to Zionist affairs. 2- Draw lessons from the history of Zionist workers' parties and their role in establishing the Zionist state; (Israel), and the possibilities of benefiting from that experience in the Palestinian reality through: o Benefiting from the party experience (the Zionist workers parties) of the Palestinian parties. o Planning and preparation is an element of success in party work. o Competition between parties for the common good. 3- That some researchers in modern history proceed to prepare studies in the history of Zionism, by referring to the Hebrew sources and references. 4- Research centers' interest in translating Hebrew sources and references, to assist researchers in the history of the Zionist movement.

Towards a More Precise Understanding of Pseudo-Jonathan’s Origins

Abstract Many have assumed that Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (TgPsJ) is the product of first millennium Palestine. This study presents evidence suggesting that TgPsJ is neither from the first millennium, nor from Palestine. TgPsJ displays an unawareness of some basic facts with regard to the geography of the land of Israel, which makes the argument for its author being a native of Palestine unpersuasive. Excerpts from Even Bochan, a twelfth-century Hebrew lexicon written by Menachem ben Shelomo, the author of Sekhel Tov, exhibit textual similarities to statements found elsewhere only in TgPsJ. The nature of these statements lead to the conclusion that Even Bochan precedes TgPsJ and not vice versa. This suggests that the origins of TgPsJ are to be found in twelfth-century Italy.

Seasonal Net Shortwave Radiation of Bare Arable Land in Poland and Israel According to Roughness and Atmospheric Irradiance

Tillage of arable fields, using for instance a smoothing harrow, may increase the magnitude of albedo of such soil surfaces depending on the location, the sun’s illumination and atmospheric components. As these soil surfaces absorb less shortwave radiation compared to plowed soils, the result is an atmospheric cooling and a positive effect on the Earth’s climate. This paper is the follow-on of a previous study aimed at quantifying the seasonal dynamics of net shortwave radiation reflected by bare air-dried arable land areas located in contrasting environments, i.e. Poland and Israel. Soil tillage includes a plow, a disk harrow, and a smoothing harrow. Previous work concentrated on the estimate of net shortwave radiation under clear-sky theoretical scenarios, whereas the present study deals with a realistic atmosphere throughout the year 2014. This latter is characterized by the observations of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instrument on board the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). The variations of the net shortwave radiation for the selected bare arable land areas were assessed in combining observations from Landsat 8 images and digital maps of land use and soil, plus model equations that calculate the diurnal variations of the broadband blue-sky albedo with roughness inclusive. The daily amount of net shortwave radiation for air-dried bare arable land in Poland and Israel for the time their spatial coverage is the largest was found to be about 40–50% and 10% lower, respectively, in cloudy-sky conditions compared to clear-sky conditions.

Home and Away: The Opposition to Travel in Sefer Ḥasidim

This paper examines R. Judah he-Ḥasid’s approach towards journeys to distant places, including pilgrimage to the land of Israel. Unlike other twelfth-century rabbinic authorities who did not object to travel for various purposes and, in certain cases, even encouraged it, R. Judah he-Ḥasid held a uniform, consistent approach that opposed almost any journey beyond the local area. Some scholars have suggested that R. Judah he-Ḥasid’s opposition to undertaking a pilgrimage to the land of Israel reflects his opposition to messianic activism. However, this study suggests that R. Judah he-Ḥasid’s negative approach towards traveling to Palestine ought to be examined in light of his overall rejection of travel. In his writings, R. Judah he-Ḥasid laid out a new path to achieve redemption and atonement for one’s sins. This path does not depend on physical journeys to holy places or on the national redemption of the Jewish people, but rather aimed at achieving personal redemption, through the adoption of the pietistic way of life as detailed by R. Judah he-Ḥasid in Sefer Ḥasidim: repentance by confessing one’s sins before a sage and performing the prescribed mortification rites. This approach remained unique in Jewish thought, yet one can find parallels in Christian theology of the tension between stability and inner self-improvement, on the one hand, and the advantages of a physical journey to holy sites to achieve atonement for sins.

Wojciech Pikor, The Land of Israel in the Book of Ezekiel

Wojciech Pikor, The Land of Israel in the Book of Ezekiel

‘Zion, Memory and Hope of All Ages’: Nina Davis Salaman’s Romantic-Zionist Poetry

Abstract This article analyses the romantic-Zionist poetry of Nina Davis Salaman, contextualising it alongside other fin-de-siècle Zionist poets to argue that she too similarly adopted bibliocentric, prophetic, and diasporic perspectives, particularly themes associated with the medieval Andalusian poetry of Judah Halevi. In doing so, Salaman, much like other Anglo-Jewish women writers, defined her own subjectivity in the context of nostalgic, romanticising religious and nationalistic discourses. However, uniquely, Salaman’s poetry adopts not only the themes of medieval Andalusian verse yearning for Zion-Jerusalem and the land of Israel, but also, as she put it, its diasporic ‘clothing of metre and rhyme’. Indeed, Salaman’s romantic poetry is populated with intertextual links recalling the biblical Prophets and Halevi’s exilic poetry, which offer historical and scriptural substantiation to support contemporaneous Zionist discourses. Songs of Many Days draws equally on her underlying belief that ‘metre and rhyme’, including in her own poetry, are a feature of diasporic existence.

Beyond abstract labor: rethinking the role of farming hand tools in Second Aliyah labor ideology

ABSTRACT The existing literature on the Second Aliyah commonly focuses either on the human agents (‘the workers’), their activity (‘agricultural labor’) or the object on which labor is being performed (‘the Land of Israel’). The article adds to the existing works by charting the conceptual space of farming hand tools by which the workers sought to labor the land. A close reading of the Second Aliya workers’ writings reveals their view of these tools as an important factor – both as passive as well as transformative instruments – in accomplishing the major objectives guiding their labor ideology.

It was good to die in the twenties: Trumpeldor’s last words in their historical context

ABSTRACT Trumpeldor’s last words, “it is good to die for our country,” have been celebrated since his death as a fulfillment of Zionist ideals, but were devaluated as decades went by. I contend that this change is not only a change of evaluation, which followed a change in Zionist pioneering ideology, but primarily a change in interpretation. In the historical context of the 1920s, the sentence had a different meaning: it was an authentic expression of experiences that dissipated in favor of ideological propaganda. Due to historical circumstances, in the 1920s the inevitability of death was taken for granted. Therefore, Trumpeldor’s sentence was not understood by his contemporaneous comrades as a preference of death over life but as a dedication of life, as well as its impending end, to a noble cause. Half a century later, as the situation changed and Jews became more optimistic about their future in the Land of Israel, the earlier experience faded and was forgotten, and the understanding of Trumpeldor’s last words changed.

The HaZor'im Organization: Religious Pioneers in the Lower Galilee between 1937–1947

The HaZor’im settlement in the Lower Galilee, associated with the HaPo’el HaMizraḥi movement, was founded by religious pioneers from Europe. This article demonstrates that members of the HaZor’im organization were unable to fully realize their dream of combining the study of Torah with working the soil in the Land of Israel – “Torah and Labor” – that they had envisioned when they were on the training farm in Europe. Much has been written about the pioneering settlements of the secular labor movement, but there has been relatively little research about the pioneering religious settlements. This article seeks to address that lacuna by answering questions such as why the HaZor’im group was a dominant one throughout the Land of Israel. How could they realistically expect to create a viable settlement movement in Israel without faith in the righteousness of their choices and lacking social cohesion based on pioneering-religious ideology? The story of HaZor’im illustrates the worldview of religious Zionism during the British Mandate. The members were pioneers of the fifth Aliyah who faced social, economic, and religious difficulties. They collaborated in formulating and writing their ideological views, as well as in shaping a coherent work program for their activities on the land. The group began their venture in the Land of Israel in a labor camp near Rishon LeZion, then settled in the Galilee on land they received from other settlers. This study examines the difficulties they faced and shows how their conceptual world was expressed in practice.

החרבת בית מקדש שומרוני בידי מלך יהודה: בין יאשיהו ליוחנן הורקנוס הראשון

In the complicated history between the Jews and the Samaritans in antiquity, it is possible to identify several foundational events that influenced the relationship between the two groups. Two of these events concern the destruction of a Israeli/ Samaritan temple by the ruler of Judah. The first is the destruction of the Israeli/ Samaritan temple in Beit El by King Josiah at the turn of the seventh century BCE. The second is the destruction of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim by John Hyrcanus at the end of the second century BCE. Although more than 500 years elapsed between the two events, the two nonetheless show many similarities. In both cases, the period in question is the first period of independence in Judea after many years of foreign rule; in both cases, the ruler of Judah had carried out significant religious reforms in the Land of Israel; in both cases, this was a Jewish ruler who had expanded the borders of his kingdom; in both periods, a national awakening had taken place. The resemblance between these two events associated with the destruction of a Samaritan temple is even more pronounced in the view of the "long dimension," which examines processes in history over centuries. Along with the many similarities, however, we found that the events' consequences were completely different: While Josiah's goal was probably to bring the Samaritan population closer to Judah, John Hyrcanus treated the Samaritans as rivals. The destruction of the Temple at Beit El appears to have brought some of the Samaritan population closer to the Kingdom of Judah and the Temple in Jerusalem, thus apparently fulfilling the goals of King Josiah. By contrast, the destruction of the Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim and the transformation of the complex, holy to the Samaritans, into a heap of ruins was probably a breaking point in the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans. From that point on, the relationship began to deteriorate severely, culminating in actual physical injury on the eve of the destruction of the Second Temple.

It's a Roman … it's a Persian … it's Rabbi Meir! Secret Identities and the Rabbinic Self in the Babylonian Talmud

It's a Roman … it's a Persian … it's Rabbi Meir!Secret Identities and the Rabbinic Self in the Babylonian Talmud Sara Ronis (bio) What kinds of leaders were the late antique Babylonian rabbis? What kinds of heroes did they think they were? This paper explores Talmudic narratives about heroic rabbis using insights from modern superhero studies. What does it mean to see the Babylonian rabbis as superheroes? According to Peter Coogan's popular definition, a superhero is A heroic character with a selfless, pro-social mission; with superpowers—extraordinary abilities, advanced technology, or highly developed physical, mental, or mystical skills; who has a superhero identity embodied in a codename and iconic costume, which typically express his1 biography, character, powers or origin (transformation from ordinary person to superhero); and who is generally distinct, i.e. can be distinguished from characters of related genres (fantasy, science fiction, detective, etc.) by a preponderance of generic conventions. Often superheroes have dual identities, the ordinary one of which is usually a closely guarded secret.2 Though Coogan ignores the gender diversity inherent in the modern world of superheroes, he notes a range of commonalities across superheroes that shape what it means to be a superhero. But there are actually two kinds of superheroes.3 There are figures like Batman—Batman's true identity is the all-too-human Bruce Wayne, an identity that he hides when he puts on his Batman costume and gets in the Batmobile to save Gotham City. An ordinary human making himself extraordinary through a costume. Then there are figures like Superman. Superman really is Kal-El, the alien child from Krypton who has extraordinary powers here on Earth. Superman hides this identity when he dresses up as Clark Kent to earn a paycheck and date Lois Lane. He is an extraordinary being disguising himself as ordinary. Yet both types of superhero are selfless, exceptional, have multiple identities, and exist in particular literary contexts. Indeed, superheroes' commonalities move beyond the surface. As Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris have noted, "The stories of these characters embody [End Page 93] our deepest hopes and fears, as well as our highest aspirations, and … can help us deal with our worst nightmares. They chart out questions we'll all have to face in the future. And they shed new light on our present condition."4 Superheroes function in similar ways in our collective imagination, reflecting a particular imagined past as they also shape the range of futures that are possible. When we think of the rabbis of the Babylonian Talmud, we do not tend to think of them as masked men in tights, flying about ancient Babylonian cities. And indeed, they were not superheroes in the modern sense. But the rabbis did think of themselves as exceptional, as heroes, and even as superheroes relative to ordinary people with their ordinary abilities. Their actions entailed developed physical and mystical skills, self-sacrifice, pro-social agendas, and special titles ("rabbi"), though spandex had not yet been invented. And as superheroes, they took their self-imposed responsibility for the Jewish people seriously. Their stories also served to model one way to live in a complex and often hostile world in which few had political and economic power. They offered one vision of the Jewish past and present that had the potential to shape a rabbinic future. The rabbis of Late Antiquity lived in two geographic regions, at the whims of two major forces: the Sasanian Empire and the Roman Empire. The land of Israel was part of the Roman Empire, which was at times hostile to its religious minorities. Babylonia was a part of the Sasanian Empire, which largely had a policy of toleration of religious minorities. And yet, even in Sasanian Babylonia, the rabbis were aware that they were at the mercy of mercurial kings and administrators.5 In a world in which imperial policies were set by a dynastic ruler, the rabbis of both regions were very aware that each ruler brought the potential for radically new and destructive policies. The rabbis had many ways of mediating this danger: prayer, bribery, respect, and subterfuge. To achieve their aims—like all superheroes—the rabbis...

The Use of the Terebinth Tree (Pistacia ssp.) in the Land of Israel in Antiquity: Fruit, Oil, and Resin

This article undertakes a comprehensive study of the place of the terebinth (Pistacia palaestina) and the Pistacia atlantica (P. terebinthus) in both the cultivated and uncultivated landscapes of ancient Israel. Presenting detailed accounts of historical sources (primarily rabbinical and classical literature), along with archaeobotanical and paleographic archaeological sources, the study focuses on describing how the terebinth’s fruit has been used to provide food and oil and resin even until today. The main contribution of the article is in describing the practical process of producing oil and resin from the pistacia trees. The evidence shows that in the past, the resin, made mainly from the Pistacia atlantica, was used for medical purposes, and, especially, as an ingredient in incense. This resin was in high demand in the ancient world and became an export product of the Land of Israel. For the purposes of the study, resin was produced in Israel from some eighty trees at four different sites. Production was carried out based on two models: resin production from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) as practiced on Chios Island in Greece; and the method of resin production from the Pistacia atlantica in Iraqi Kurdistan, which is still sold throughout the Arab world. The large quantities of resin obtained confirm that this resin production was indeed an industry with economic potential and profitability in ancient Israel.

Abraham and Sanballat

Several important features of the narrative character of Abraham allude to the features of the historical person of Sanballat, the first Israelite governor of the Persian province of Samaria. The most important common features of Abraham and Sanballat are the origin in the city of Haran, a non-Yahwistic name, being related to the cult of the moon god Sin, being given the land of Israel as a hereditary possession, founding the central sanctuary of Yahweh on Mount Gerizim, and respecting an important priest from Jerusalem. These and other common features point to the origin of the book of Genesis in the secular elite of the Persian province of Samaria ca. 350–340 B.C. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312–3621/2021/v34n1a3.

From Migdol to Syene: Documents Pertaining to Jews in Egypt in the Persian Period by Bezalel Porten

Reviewed by: From Migdol to Syene: Documents Pertaining to Jews in Egypt in the Persian Period by Bezalel Porten Zev Garber bezalel porten, From Migdol to Syene: Documents Pertaining to Jews in Egypt in the Persian Period [Hebrew] (Jerusalem: Bialik Institute, 2020). Pp. xxvi + 178. Paper ₪98/$29. This informative book is an abridged version Bezalel Porten and Ada Yardeni, Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt [Hebrew] (4 vols.; Jerusalem: Hebrew University of Jerusalem–Department of the History of the Jewish People, 1986–99). P.’s book is a collection of important documents written in Aramaic on papyri and dating from the sixth and fifth centuries b.c.e. pertaining to the Jewish community on the island of Elephantine ( , Yev) near Aswan on the Nile, on the border between Upper Egypt and Nubia (Kush/Sudan). The Elephantine papyri are caches of legal documents and letters documenting a Jewish community that included mercenaries whose twofold task was to protect the Egyptian border with Nubia (Kush) and also to ensure the safe passage of products coming from and going to Nubia. Adjacent to the Jewish settlement at Elephantine was the Aramean garrison at Syene (Aswan), on the eastern bank of the Nile. While less evidence is available for this Aramean garrison, extensive records document life within the Jewish garrison at Elephantine. In Elephantine, the Jews built a temple for YHW (“Yahweh”), which resembled Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. During the fifth century b.c.e., contemporary with the Persian rule of Egypt, the temple was destroyed by Egyptian adherents of the Nubian god Khnum, represented as a ram-headed man, whose land included Elephantine. No doubt the Egyptians were offended by festival ram offerings in the Jewish temple, which justified their role in its destruction, following which the Jewish settlement dispersed and dissolved. The fate and faith of Jews in Egypt in the period of Persian conquest coupled with Judean exile, destruction, and return to Zion are a basic motif in this collection. The name of the book is extracted from the first of five oracles in Ezekiel (29:1–16; 29:17–30:19; 30:20–26; 31:1–18; and 32:1–32) concerning Egypt: “Assuredly, I (God) am going to deal with you and your channels, and I will reduce the land of Egypt to utter ruin and desolation from Migdol [northeast border of Egypt, to the east of Tahpanhes, commanding the road to the land of Israel] to Syene [Aswan], all the way to the border of Nubia” (Ezek 29:10 NJPS/1985 JPS). Living in Judea and ingathering to Zion, rejection of Egypt and wandering in exile following the Babylonian conquest and destruction of the First Jerusalem Temple (587 b.c.e.) constituted the strong advice of Jeremiah in the name of God, but the people did not listen (Jeremiah 42–44). Condemnation (e.g., idolatry, cult of the queen of heaven, [End Page 323] Jer 44:1–11), defeat, and destruction remain the fate of choosing Egypt over Judea. And ingathering by the will of God is the prophetic remedy (see Isa 11:11–16; 49:8–13; Zech 10:10; etc.). P.’s book, part of Encyclopaedia Miqra’it (Biblical Encyclopaedia Library 17) contains a short bibliographic list, eight illustrations of documents but no chronological list or maps. Editor Shmuel Aḥituv contributes an informative introduction on the beginning of the Judean diaspora in Egypt. The Hebrew translation and drawing of the documents are by Ada Yardeni (d. 2018). Three archives have emerged from Elephantine: two family archives with eleven and thirteen legal documents, respectively, and one communal archive consisting of ten letters and one list. Chapter 1, “The Jedaniah Archive (Communal)” is named after the leader of the Jewish community at the end of the fifth century b.c.e., Jedaniah son of Gemariah, probably a cousin of the two sons of the woman Mibtahiah whose private archive is covered in chap. 2 of the book. Ten documents of the communal archive have been brought together because they were addressed to Jedaniah, were written by/for him, or concern events in which he was involved. Included is a fragmentary letter from an unknown...

Minor Prophets

Minor Prophets Fred W. Guyette, Christopher T. Begg, Ian T. Kinman, and John M. Halligan 641. [Minor Prophets; Day of the Lord] Heather Bunce, "The Day of the Lord in the Book of the Twelve: Cycle of Creation," The Earth Is the Lord's, 84-100 [see #783]. The Book of the Twelve describes The Day of the Lord as a cycle of creation, uncreation, and re-creation. We can understand this cycle better by looking at the prophets within their ANE milieu. Tablets describing the exploits of Baal were discovered in the 1930s, and these happenings are sometimes referred to as the Baal Cycle. Hundreds of years separated the thriving culture of Ugarit from the time in which Israel's prophets would have been writing, but Ugaritic literature left its mark on the region. There are specific Ugaritic images, such as "Cloud-Rider," warrior, and Baal's mountain stronghold that the prophets borrow to express their understanding of Yhwh's power to create, destroy, and recreate. Amos 5:8 says Yhwh created the constellations Pleiades and Orion. In Jonah 1:9, the prophet is explaining his faith to the pagan sailors on the storm-tossed ship and tells them, "I worship the Lord, who made the dry land and the sea." Zeph 1:15-16 uses many images of judgment and destruction to describe the Day of the Lord: a day of chaos and destruction, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry. However, the theme of judgment in these texts does not eclipse the repentance motif. Repentance leads to changed hearts and actions. A form of the Hebrew word šûb "to return" occurs 83 times within the Book of the Twelve. Joel 2:12–14 says, "Return (šûb) to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return (šûb) to the Lord, your God, for God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." As Hos 14:1-7 puts it, on that day, "God will be like the dew and Israel like the plants which are beginning to take root and bloom once more."—F.W.G. 642. [Book of the Twelve; Messiah] Anthony Petterson, "The Messiah in the Book of the Twelve: Glory through Suffering," The Seed of Promise, 219-41 [see #797]. The prophet Hosea is deeply saddened by the violence he has witnessed and the political assassinations that have thrown the land of Israel into a state of upheaval. Amos protests the injustices of the king against the poor, and says the time for repentance is over. God's judgment is coming. Micah says the people will be removed from the land—that's how great their sin is. But God will forgive their sins and cast them into the depths of the sea. Habakkuk's message: God delivered Israel from Egypt and he will do it again for a later generation. Haggai sees the Temple lying in ruins, but he anticipates a glorious day when Jerusalem will be rebuilt. These are just a few of the ways that the role of the Messiah is tracked across the Book of the Twelve. God's anointed one will judge, teach, bless, and redeem all those who turn to him in repentance and faith.—F.W.G. 643. [The Twelve; Wisdom] Daniel C. Timmer, "Where Shall Wisdom Be Found (in the Book of the Twelve)?" Riddles and Revelations, 147-64 [see #772]. Seeing how it can be hard to juggle twelve balls at once, T. decides to work with just a few, to see what he can discover from these about the relationship between wisdom and [End Page 221] prophecy. Job (wisdom literature), Habakkuk, and Nahum (both prophets) exhibit some intriguing similarities and differences: (1) In these books the cosmos is currently under God's control but is not without mystery or unpunished sin; (2) they approach the timing and/or degree of realized divine justice as a problem to...

The International Law of Prolonged Sieges and Blockades: Gaza as a Case Study

In 2007, after Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, the area was subjected to an Israeli land siege, complemented in 2009 by a sea blockade. Since then, the already-dire living conditions in the Strip have declined consistently and the area’s dependence on external aid has grown. Yet, there is no end in sight for either the siege or the blockade, or – by extension – for the inhumane circumstances of the Strip’s population. This essay examines the duties of a military power in imposing what is effectively a years-long confinement of people and outlines a general argument for expanding the obligations of a party that imposes a prolonged siege or blockade. I consider these obligations in light of three potentially relevant legal frameworks: the law of occupation; international humanitarian law; and human rights law. In this essay, I argue that, although Gaza is no longer occupied, Israel, in exercising prolonged siege and blockade, must respect a set of obligations that encompass much more than simply not starving the besieged population or not cutting off their water supply. Paying attention only to the basic, biological needs of the besieged population ignores their human dignity because it reduces – in the eyes of the blockader – human existence to the intake of food and water. The essay concludes that the law should be interpreted as demanding that the besieger respect a wider scope of rights – including, among others, the right to enter and exit the besieged area – and, while it may limit such rights, such limitations must be compatible with the requirements of proportionality, taking into account the human toll caused by the extraordinary yet long-term situation.

JPS “Hidden Gems” and “Greatest Hits”: The Law and Palestine

This essay examines JPS’s fifty-year archive of law-related content from the prism of its contribution to the author’s own thinking (and writing) about the relationship between law and politics in the context of the Palestinian question. Noura Erakat identifies as a “greatest hit” Hanna Dib Nakkara’s “Israeli Land Seizure under Various Defense and Emergency Regulations” (1985) for its meticulous documentation of the Israeli legal regime established to confiscate Palestinian lands. Erakat’s “hidden gem” is “Juridical Characteristics of Palestinian Resistance: An Appraisal in Law,” coauthored by W. T. Jr. and S. V. Mallison. Published in 1973, the article argues for the treatment of captured fedayeen as prisoners of war four years prior to the amendment of the Geneva Convention recognizing national liberation struggles as international conflicts.

Haderech lekaf-tet b'November: Parashat UNSCOP vereshit meoravuto shel ha'um basichsuch ha'Aravi-Israeli (The road to partition: UNSCOP and the beginning of United Nations involvement in the Israel-Arab conflict)

Haderech lekaf-tet b'November: Parashat UNSCOP vereshit meoravuto shel ha'um basichsuch ha'Aravi-Israeli (The road to partition: UNSCOP and the beginning of United Nations involvement in the Israel-Arab conflict)

The Central Synagogue of Nazareth Illit and its architectural dialogue with Nazareth\u2019s Basilica of the Annunciation

The hometown of Jesus, Nazareth, is an international center of Christian pilgrimage that has capitalized on showcasing its sacred sites. Architect Antonio Barluzzi was commissioned to design Nazareth’s modern Basilica of the Annunciation in 1954, and a cornerstone for the project was laid in a well-attended ceremony. It seems that the establishment of the modern church was the catalyst for the eagerness with which the Israeli authorities approached establishing a Jewish monument in the region. In 1957, a design process for the Central Synagogue in Nazareth Illit (subsequently renamed Nof HaGalil) began, with the aim of proudly competing with the churches and mosques in the Nazareth region. Both the basilica and the synagogue were erected by Israeli construction firm Solel Boneh and were inaugurated in 1968 and 1969, respectively. This article examines the impact of the inception, establishment and building of Nazareth’s Basilica of the Annunciation on the drive to strengthen Jewish presence in the Nazareth region, which in turn stood behind the construction of the Nazareth Illit synagogue. This research is based on a comparative investigation of the histories of both structures, including early design proposals, architecture, and the religious artworks therein. This comparative investigation reveals the influence of the basilica on the synagogue and the shared aspects of their design and execution. While existing literature dedicated to the Central Synagogue in Nazareth Illit has focused on its significance and meaning as an Israeli architectural landmark, this article presents a new perspective, examining how a modern architectural trend was used as an agent in the struggle between local Jewish and Christian monumental dominance. It also contributes to the literature by shedding light on a heretofore overlooked quest for an appropriate architectural style for religious buildings in the Land of Israel during the mid-twentieth century.