Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Onward Christian Zionists, marching as to . . .

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REUTERS photo from today's Haaretz online newspaper

Although yours truly was a lazy blogger today and did not go out under a rain-threatening sky to photograph it for you, today was the annual Sukkot Jerusalem March. Some 35,000 Israelis were walking the three possible routes too, but a big contingent was some 7,000 Christian Zionists, pilgrims from a hundred nations who came to express their love and support for Israel. The International Christian of Embassy Jerusalem, a global organization that promotes ties between Israel and the world's Christian communities, is sponsoring a week-long convention in the capital. After the hikers converged on Jerusalem another 20,000 people joined in the festivities at Sacher Park.
The Christian visitors always call the Sukkot holiday the Feast of Tabernacles.
You can read more about the march in the Haaretz article and/or see a brief video of the marchers from IBA television here.
A humorously biting coverage of this and last year's march is here, at the Jerusalemite blog.

UPDATE: Thursday's Jerusalem Post has full coverage of the event here and explains the important point that "Citing different verses of scripture shared by Jews and Christians alike, organizers pointed out that Succot is the time when the nations of the world are supposed to come to Jerusalem and celebrate with the Jewish people." . Sukkot is one of the three ancient Jewish pilgrimage festivals (along with Passover and Shavuot), when Jews from all over the world were to come up to the Temple in Jerusalem.

5 comments:

  1. I guess when Christians say they love Israel and the Jewish people, it's a little like a husband telling his wife he loves her; words (and parades!)are perhaps not enough.

    I've read a book called The Hiding Place, written by a lady named Corrie Ten Boom, whose family were Christians in Holland, and they sheltered many Jews in their home during the Holocaust. The whole family was ultimately caught, arrested and thrown into concentration camps. All of them perished there except Corrie. I'd say this family truly showed their love. It will be interesting to see where we all stand, as the months and years progress -- will we prove our love?

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  2. Thank You Dina for the explain...
    But why "march" in the name of this marching ???

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  3. Shalom Kaybee, thanks for adding these thoughtful thoughts. Yes, it's a difficult question...

    I heard a lot about "The Hiding Place" but have still not read it. Yad Vashem has special recognition for the many "Righteous of the nations" who rescued Jews. I wonder if I would have been so brave.

    Bonjour Webradio, yes, good question. I think it has always been translated as march because Hebrew has only one word for both parade and march. Here in Israel the Hebrew "tsa'ada" usually means a popular (i.e. for the people to walk together) hike, not a military march.
    The last military parade I can remember in Jerusalem was in 1968. We don't do them anymore.

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  4. i really dislike military parades, they're like a show of force rather than a love for your country

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  5. Interesting. Though I have to admit being somewhat sceptical when words like "Tabernakel" Or "Pentecostal" appear. Often times these demoninations overlook the scriptures message in their offer to interpret it.

    Cheers, Klaus

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