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Just in time for Purim, a fragment of a clay jar decorated with a human face that dates to the Persian period (fourth to fifth centuries BCE) that had been found in the City of David was revealed to the public, according to the Antiquities Authority on Wednesday... While pottery from this time period had been previously exposed in the City of David, "this is the first time that such a vessel has been found in excavations in Jerusalem" or anywhere in the region, according to Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the authority......

“Indeed, my God does nothing Without having revealed His purpose To His servants the Neviim.” Amos 3:7 (The Israel Bible™) Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of the most prominent rabbis of this generation, made a shocking statement, claiming that the Messiah will precede the upcoming Israeli elections. Several rabbis noted that the writing is on the wall and the signs that the process leading up to the Messiah has already begun…for those who have the eyes to see it. Rabbi Yekutiel Fish, an expert in Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) gave a lesson this week in which he discussed how the Messiah...

Why Isn’t G-d’s Name Mentioned in the Megillah?Compare the story of Purim with that of our other holidays. Ever notice how the plot features no open miracles? No seas split, no mass revelation, no dwelling in clouds for forty years, and no overcoming an enemy a hundred times our size using guerrilla warfare. What did happen? A lot of people were in the right place at the right time to provide just the political clout necessary when needed. What a coincidence. Of course, the word “coincidence” is not part of the Jewish lexicon. All these events were deliberately orchestrated...

Today, Jewish people from around the world celebrate the holiday of Purim. Purim commemorates the day in which the Jewish people living in areas controlled by the Persian empire were victorious in fighting against their enemies – those who had plotted to destroy them – and were victorious. The word purim or “lots” in Hebrew refers to the lots which were drawn by the wicked Haman, advisor to King Ahasuerus, to determine the best date to eradicate the Jews on. It was during the period between the destruction of the first Holy Temple and the building of the second Holy...

In a meeting with Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu said Persia had made “an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed” some 2,500 years ago, an event commemorated through the Jewish holiday of Purim, which Israel will celebrate starting Saturday night and lasting in some places until Monday. “Today there is an attempt by Persia’s heir, Iran, to destroy the state of the Jews,” Netanyahu said. “They say this as clearly as possible and inscribe it on their ballistic missiles.” Adopting a conciliatory tone, Putin said that the events described by Netanyahu had taken place “in the fifth...

Moshe Arens, Israel’s defense minister at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, wanted to launch a ground operation against Iraqi missile launchers firing missiles at Tel Aviv, but ran into strong opposition from then-IDF Chief of Staff Dan Shomron, according to recordings from IDF archives released Thursday on the 26th anniversary of the war. After American forces invaded Iraq in January 1991, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein fired a total of 39 modified Soviet ‘Scud’ missiles at Israel in the hope the Jewish State would respond to the provocation by striking back at a Iraq. He reasoned the move would...

Steve Cioccolanti explains the significance of the Wikileat's Vault 7 release during the Feast of Ester.

Pastor J.D. zeros in on the meeting between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, painting a prophetic picture of the pre-tribulation rapture on the canvass of typology from the book of Esther.

Those who feel time in their bones know the patterns of history, reading ages like constellations, can never lose themselves in one age or fall into the fallacy of a new era. They know that there is nothing new under the sun. Machines may come and go, but the world is a broken place because the hearts of men have not turned from their ways. And so they remember that every age carries within it the seeds of its ruin. They witness the ruin, climb out of the ashes and move on. Jews like Mordechai understand this. New Age Jews...

      HAPPY PURIM Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other...

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SPRING VALLEY - For the second time in a week, the Orthodox Jewish tradition for the Purim holiday has alarmed non-Jewish members of the Spring Valley community. When News 12 went to the home on Wednesday, the doll was found folded over on the porch. The homeowner declined comment. Residents say the doll was hung by children for Purim to symbolize the death of the ancient tyrant Haman and was not meant to offend. Hundreds took to social media after a black-faced doll was found hanging nearby, on Paikin Drive in Spring Valley. Rockland NAACP President Wilbur Aldridge says he...

The Hamas newspaper Falastin carried an article on Monday that claimed Jews in Hevron and Jerusalem held Purim ceremonies portraying the killing, torture and expulsion of Palestinians from “their land.” As proof, the author said that “settlers” uploaded a video to Arutz Sheva showing the 2009 execution of journalist Obeida Dweik in Hevron. […] Needless to say, there is no video on Arutz Sheva of anyone “executing” Dweik. He added that the “settlers” celebrate their Jewish holidays by performing “horrible crimes of murder with the support of the occupation government and military commanders” and that there is a rabbinic “blessing”...

Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Archaemenian dynasty and the Persian Empire. Cyrus' military victories eventually put him in possession of the largest empire in the world at that time. No doubt he was a remarkably humane ruler for his time. Certainly he has achieved his greatness not by words but by hard and difficult choices, actions, and sacrifice. Without any doubt all the above selected criteria in regard to Cyrus the Great is true. Even the Greeks, who for a long time considered the Persian Empire to be the chief threat to their own independence, never ceased...

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The Jewish Crisis Management Team of Antwerp urged the community to comply with these rules and declared the next three days to be days of mourning with celebrations and public feasting forbidden. A clear set of rules for Purim celebrations were released on Wednesday in a press release from the office of the High Commissioner of the Antwerp Police in light of the terrorist attacks that took place in Brussels on Tuesday, according to reports by local media. According to the report, due to heightened security concerns, police have requested that the Jewish community avoid wearing masks that cover the...

For the Jews of Belgium, Wednesday should have been the happiest day on the calendar. Purim, the most raucous and joyful Jewish holiday, begins Wednesday at sundown. But this year, there will be no merriment in Brussels. With the holiday falling the day after terrorist attacks that killed at least 31 people and injured 270 more in the capital city, the Jewish congregations in Brussels decided that celebrating Purim would not be appropriate — or safe.

Jewish holidays are not merely a commemoration of an event in time. The time of year in which the amiracle occurred was an opportune time for the conception of that miracle. As we make our way toward the Purim holiday, we are entering a time zone in which the all the Haman's of the world can fail and Jewish redemption is born. The death and downfall of Stalin is an example of a miraculous, yet untold, modern day Purim story. Joseph Stalin, tyrant of communist Russia dubbed the invincible “man of steel,” who murdered approximately 20,000,000 of his own people,...

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