There are no exact figures for the number of Christians living in Israel, though estimates from official sources place the figure at somewhere between 180,000 and 185,000. That old joke about two Jews, three opinions rings even truer among Christians, who represent numerous denominations under the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Church umbrella entities.
Collectively, they are Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Ukrainian, Melkite, Maronite, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, Protestant, Coptic, Armenian, Syrian Orthodox, Ethiopian, Russian, Oriental Orthodox, Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Evangelical – and that’s not all. In addition, there are many different orders in the Catholic Church, and there are also Jews for Jesus, who, for the most part, practice Modern Orthodox Judaism, while simultaneously believing in Jesus.
Most of these denominations were represented at the annual Christmas/New Year reception that President Isaac Herzog hosts for religious and civic leaders of the Christian communities. Just like ultra-Orthodox Jews can be distinguished by their attire, so can Christian patriarchs and other clergy, especially those of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, whose cassocks and headgear have differences in accordance with the traditions of each denomination.
However, nuns are far less recognizable than in years gone by. Some no longer wear habits with floor-length hemlines, and some don’t wear habits at all. Of those who do, some have done away with floor-length hemlines and are now wearing short-skirted outfits. There were a lot of females at the president’s reception, but only one in a habit – and the color was neither black, brown, blue, nor white, which distinguishes certain orders. It was gray.
The key Christian faith leader in the Holy Land, which is how most local Christians refer to Israel, is Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.
Among the other leading figures present were Custos of the Holy Land Francesco Lelpo; Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourhan Manougian; Bishop Rafic Nahra, Vicar of the Patriarch of Jerusalem; Archbishop Dr. Amer Youseff Matta, head of the Catholic Church of Haifa and the Galilee; Archbishop Yaser Al-Ayyash, Patriarch Vicar in Jerusalem of of the Greek Catholic Patriarchate; Archbishop Abanathaniel Dagne, Ethiopian Archbishop in Jerusalem; Archbishop Antonios, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of the Holy See of Jerusalem and the Near East; Archbishop Anthimos Jak Jakoub, Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Jerusalem; Dr. Hosem Naoum, head of the Anglican Evangelical Episcopal Church in Israel; Bishop Elect Dr. Imad Haddad, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Israel; Archbishop Moussa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarch in Jerusalem; Bishop Camil Seeman of the Syrian Catholic Patriarch Church in Jerusalem; and Bishop Louis Naamo of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
There were other spiritual leaders present among the dozens of Christians gathered in the main hall of the President’s Residence.
One of the heartening aspects of the event was that in the midst of all the complaints about the government, someone had something positive to say about the Interior Ministry’s Department of Special Assignments, and all its staff who were praised by Theophilos for “their excellent work and dedication.”
David Brinn’s 35-year career at 'The Jerusalem Post'
When he decided to invite a few friends to join him in a drink to mark his semi-retirement, David Brinn, the long-time senior editor at The Jerusalem Post, had not planned for it to evolve into a party.
But somehow the invitation list mushroomed, and what started as a small get-together became an impromptu reunion as a sizable crowd braved the Saturday night rain to join Brinn at Jerusalem’s near-deserted First Station in Jerusalem.
Some 90% of those present were former members of the paper’s editorial staff, and included three former editors-in-chief: Jeff Barak, Steve Linde, and Yaakov Katz. Linde, after leaving the paper, returned to edit The Jerusalem Report, the flagship magazine of the Post, but the most veteran former staffer was Alvin Hoffman, 85, who started working at the Post in 1969, and later went on to edit the Report before leaving again.
Many former Post staffers never quite sever their connection with the paper and come back as regular columnists or as occasional writers. Among them are Yaakov Katz, Liat Collins, and Gil Hoffman, while Calev Ben David and Arieh O’Sullivan write occasional articles, and Ruth Eglash recently returned to edit the Report.
Journalism is not always well-paid and the working day can often stretch to way beyond eight hours, but the compensations for many journalists are being on the scene as history is made; getting to meet famous people; all-expenses-paid trips abroad to cover events of global or national interest; assigned to be food, fashion or film reviewers; plus a host of other experiences that would not come their way in other professions.
In his 35 years on the job, Brinn has had his fair share of memorable experiences. He shared some of the highlights with past and present colleagues. Quite early in his career at the Post, he was sent to Vienna to meet PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Other trips abroad included China and Taiwan, the Caribbean, Copenhagen, and Tuscany – all for different reasons.
Among the dignitaries and celebrities that he met, including some who spent or will spend time in prison, were Shimon Peres, Alice Cooper, Jibril Rajoub, Ehud Olmert, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Larry David, Patti Smith, Lior Suchard, Uri Geller, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Gene Simmons, Johnny Cash, Brian Wilson, and Chaim Topol. And that’s just a sample of a very long list.
Some people are born into titled or wealthy families, but most of us come from ordinary backgrounds with no sense of where our journeys through life will take us. Looking back on his career, Brinn said, “It’s all something that a kid from Portland, Maine, could never have dreamed of.”
Paying tribute to his wife, Shelley, for dragging him kicking and screaming “to this crazy world and crazy life, I see this just as an end to a chapter, and I can’t wait to write a new one.”
Brinn is a talented musician as a lyricist and composer as well as a keyboard player. He could have gone far in the music world, but with a growing family to support, he decided to settle on a career that offered more stability, but one that was certainly not devoid of excitement.
Over the years, he has been almost everything one can be in a newspaper, and as Calev Ben David commented, the newspaper world is full of pressures, but no matter how tough things got, Brinn managed to stay calm, and in his relations with others on staff, was always helpful and a mensch, and has remained one.
He was asked several times to take on the job of editor-in-chief, but he always refused. Given his personality, one suspects that he didn’t want the responsibility of having to sack anyone.
Despite the weight of newspaper pressures and crises, he was never far from music, and together with Elliot Zimmerman, Alan Abbey, and the late Ilan Haim (all ex-JP), he formed a band. Zimmerman and Abbey performed at the so-called semi-retirement party as well as at Brinn’s recent birthday party.
Brinn’s posts on social media always end with “Listen to my music.” In retirement, he may take up where he left off 35 years ago.
Rabbi Mirvis arrives for Ohel Hana inauguration
It's not uncommon for a rabbi to be a guest at a congregation far from home, but there’s more excitement than the norm at the newly established Anglo-Orthodox Ohel Hana synagogue in Ashkelon, where the guest rabbi this Shabbat will be Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Britain and the Commonwealth.
Mirvis was due to attend the 75th anniversary celebrations in 2019 of the establishment of latter-day Ashkelon, which was one of the key development projects by South African Jewry, and which is still regarded as a South African enclave, as many South African Jews made their homes there after coming on aliyah.
Unfortunately, he was sitting shiva at the time and was unable to attend, but promised that he would come on some future occasion. The inauguration of the new synagogue was the best possible reason to do so, and Rabbi Mirvis, being a South African himself, will feel perfectly at home.
Peace groups organize solidarity protest
While Israeli political parties are reluctant to include any Arab party in a coalition, peace activists have no such qualms, and organizations calling for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories include both Jews and Arabs. Today, Friday, there will be a demonstration of this nature in the village of Ras Ein al-Auja in the Jordan Valley.
Demonstrators will stand in solidarity with the residents and will demand that human rights be observed. They will be protesting against what they call “Jewish settler terrorism,” which has been published as such in many Hebrew media outlets. Residents also speak of attempts at expulsion and ethnic cleansing.
The demonstration will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m., with the arrival of buses carrying activists from across the country.
Ras Ein al-Auja is the last remaining Palestinian Bedouin village in the area. For a long time, its residents have been facing harassment, intimidation, violence, and damage to property by settlers with extremist viewpoints and actions.
Assailants frequently arrive in groups, roam through the village, damage its infrastructure, threaten residents, abuse animals, and pressure the community to leave, according to demonstration organizers.
“Dozens of families have already been expelled from their land, and the siege around the community is tightening. Since October 7 – and even more so in recent weeks – the expulsion process has accelerated: outposts have been established in the heart of the village, settler harassment has become a daily routine, and the army and police enable the violence by active cooperation and by standing aside. It is impossible to carry on as usual while an entire community is being erased before our eyes.”
Participating organizations in the demonstration include: Looking the Occupation in the Eye, Standing Together, The Peace Partnership, Peace Now, Combatants for Peace, Rabbis for Human Rights, Jordan Valley Activists, Machsom
Watch, Breaking the Silence, MAVIsrael, Free Jerusalem, UCP, Bnei Avraham, and Psychoactive. For further information, call: Dror: +972 50-7248688 | Ronit: +972 52-333-6526
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