“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. ISAIAH 56:17 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

On a 75-degree February day in Abu Dhabi, JNS had the chance to view the Abrahamic Family House site on Saadiyat Island on its opening day in the United Arab Emirates. Three houses of worship—Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, His Holiness Francis Church (Roman Catholic) and Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque—stand in equal proportion. At first glance, they seem identical, but closer inspection reveals that each has features iconic to the respective customs.

Elie Abadie, the senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, told JNS that it is very notable for an Arab country to build a Jewish house of worship.

“In fact, this is the first one built in the region in almost a century,” he said. “By doing this, the government sends out a great message—one of tolerance and acceptance, as they allow the different Abrahamic faiths to come together here to worship. In fact, we worship the same God.”

“It is a great gift from Sheikh Mohammed to the Jewish People,” David Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee and former chief rabbi of Ireland, told JNS. “Myriads of people from around the world visiting the country will visit this complex simply because of its location and beauty.”

“It is a great gift from Sheikh Mohammed to the Jewish People,” David Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee and former chief rabbi of Ireland, told JNS. “Myriads of people from around the world visiting the country will visit this complex simply because of its location and beauty.”

Those who come to the site can see the three Abrahamic faiths represented.

“For a people that have suffered and still suffer from prejudice and bigotry born out of ignorance and misrepresentations, this place offers an amazing opportunity to educate the world about the beauty and true values of Jewish tradition,” said Rosen.

The Abrahamic Family House opened to the public on March 1. No one associated with the site was immediately available for comment.

Read more at: www.israel365news.com

Somewhat under the radar, a group of religious Jews have been eagerly preparing for the day a Third Temple will stand in Jerusalem.

During Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, Jewish priests (kohenim) and Levites wearing white robes draw water from the Pool of Siloam in order to perform the traditional “Pouring of the Water” (Nissuch HaMayim). This is a biblical ceremony according to which water is drawn in silver vessels from the pool on the eastern slope below the Western Wall, and is then poured out on an altar especially erected for this purpose.

The ceremony that accompanies this water libation is called Simchat Beit HaShoeva, rejoicing at the place of the drawing of water. This water is called, according to Isaiah 12:3, Waters of Salvation:

“You will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.”

The kings of the House of David were anointed at this source.

Jesus was also familiar with this water-drawing ceremony (John 7:37).

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”’”

Jesus was thereby proclaiming that he is the long-awaited redeemer and Messiah. Jesus also healed the blind man at this pool (John 9).

Read more at: www.israel.co.il

A Massachusetts Democrat is facing tremendous backlash after he suggested at a recent city council meeting that special-needs babies should be aborted so that they can never become a drain on public resources.

On February 7, the city council of Framingham, Massachusetts, about 20 miles west of Boston, held a meeting. During the meeting, council members were considering revisions to the draft of a proclamation which supports unfettered access to abortion and denounces crisis pregnancy centers — which encourage vulnerable, pregnant women to choose life for their unborn children — as “misleading” and “deceptive.”

Michael Hugo, the chair of the Framingham Democratic Committee, spoke during the meeting and expressed his belief in the necessity of abortion. However, the argument he used to support his opinion has angered many, including some so-called pro-choice advocates in his own party.

Hugo claimed that crisis pregnancy centers were a threat to the Framingham community because they might prevent women from aborting babies with special needs. Hugo said he feared that special-needs babies might then grow up and become a financial burden on the system.

Read more at: www.theblaze.com

Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% in Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site, a report seen Tuesday by The Associated Press said.

The confidential quarterly report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency distributed to member states likely will raise tensions further between Iran and the West over its nuclear program. That’s even as Tehran already faces internal unrest after months of protests and Western anger over sending bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war on Ukraine.

The IAEA report only speaks about “particles,” suggesting that Iran isn’t building a stockpile of uranium enriched above 60% — the level it has been enriching at for some time.

The IAEA report described inspectors discovering on Jan. 21 that two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at Iran’s Fordo facility had been configured in a way “substantially different” to what had been previously declared. The IAEA took samples the following day, which showed particles up to 83.7% purity, the report said.

Read more at: www.apnews.com

Vice President Kamala Harris claimed on Wednesday that the Biden administration has decreased electricity prices for American families even as data indicate the exact opposite.

Harris remarked during a speech at Bowie State University in Maryland that efforts from the White House to lower costs have translated to lower power bills. “For working families,” she said, “we have reduced heating and electricity bills so folks have more money in their pocket to buy things like school supplies, replace the dishwasher, or take a family vacation.”

The national average cost of electricity has nevertheless increased from $0.136 per kilowatt-hour in January 2021 to $0.168 per kilowatt-hour in January 2023, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, constituting a 24% increase over the two years since President Joe Biden assumed office. Electricity costs had remained relatively stable for the previous decade, never exceeding $0.150 per kilowatt-hour until March 2022.

Power costs in the northeastern United States increased 39%, from $0.169 per kilowatt-hour to $0.235 per kilowatt-hour, between January 2021 and January 2023, while western and midwestern cities, respectively, saw prices rise 17% and 15% over the same time horizon.

Even more severe trends exist for utility natural gas: national average prices for the fuel rose 63% between January 2021 and January 2023, according to more data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices for utility gas increased 112% for cities in the western United States, while prices rose 55% and 47% in the midwestern and northeastern portions of the country.

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

Children are always going to misbehave, teacher Daniel Buck says, and that’s why discipline is needed in the classroom.

“I think the idea that we’re going to solve misbehavior is kind of utopian,” Buck says, adding that is “what the progressive idea is.”

“If we just get the system right, then kids are going to behave. And that’s never going to happen,” he says. Instead, Buck advocates for a strong disciplinary “system in place that anticipates and responds to misbehavior.”

The lack of such discipline in the classroom is leading some teachers to resign and harming students’ ability to learn, says Buck, the author of “What Is Wrong With Our Schools?: The Ideology Impoverishing Education in America and How We Can Do Better for Our Students.” The book was published in December.

Buck joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain how the agenda of the woke Left has led to a lack of discipline in American classrooms, and why a restoration of discipline would improve learning outcomes for students.

Read more at: www.dailysignal.com

A Hebrew Bible that is over a thousand years old is on track to break records when it goes up for auction this spring, Sotheby’s, the group auctioning it off, said on Wednesday.

They estimate the Bible will go for $30 to $50 million. If it were to bring in $50 million, it would become the most valuable historical manuscript or document ever sold at an auction. Known as the Codex Sassoon, it consists of 400 pages of parchment sheets — including all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible. Sotheby’s notes that it is missing 12 leaves. Some of the missing pages are the first ten chapters of Genesis, according to The New York Times.

“The biblical text in book format marks a critical turning point in how we perceive the history of the Divine word across thousands of years and is a transformative witness to how the Hebrew Bible has influenced the pillars of civilization – art, culture, law, politics – for centuries,” Sharon Mintz, Sotheby’s senior Judaica specialist, said.

Likely dating to the 9th century, the Bible has notes that include deeds of sale. It was eventually dedicated to a northeast Syrian synagogue. Sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries, the synagogue was destroyed, either by the Mongol Empire or the Timurid Empire. Sotheby’s says it was potentially rebound for the first time while there. Salama ibn Abi al-Fakhr was the man entrusted with the Bible and was expected to return it once the synagogue was rebuilt, the auction house says, which notes that it is still not reconstructed.

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

White House physician Kevin O’Connor claimed in a memo on Thursday that the results of President Joe Biden’s most recent physical shows that he is in sufficient shape to remain serving as President of the United States, even though a cognitive test was not conducted.

“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” physician Kevin O’Connor claimed in a Thursday memo.

The physician said that Biden was being treated for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (A-fib), hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux, season allergies, peripheral neuropathy of feet, and a stiffened gait.

The medications that Biden takes include Eliquis, Crestor, Dymista, Allerga, and Pepcid.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), who served as White House physician under former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, called out the fact that a cognitive test was not performed.

“We learned NOTHING from Biden’s physical exam. How bad is his cognitive issue?” Jackson tweeted. “Is he on ANY drugs to treat his mental decline? This exam was a JOKE. COVER UP!!”

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

A massive painting of Jesus walking on water will no longer be visible at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in New York after an advocacy group complained about the artwork.

In a Jan. 10 letter addressed to USSMA Superintendent Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan, Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, issued a “demand” that Nunan “expeditiously remove a massive, sectarian painting illustrating the supremacy of Jesus Christ” from the Elliot M. See Room inside Wiley Hall, which serves as an administrative building at USMMA.

According to Weinstein, MRFF is representing 18 midshipmen, faculty, staff and graduates in their appeal to the Kings Point academy. The USSMA is not under the Defense Department but rather the Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was also copied on Weinstein’s initial email.

The 10-foot by 19-foot painting titled “Christ on the Water” depicts an image of Jesus and merchant seamen adrift in a lifeboat “presumably after being torpedoed in the Indian Ocean during World War II,” according to a USMMA spokesperson.

Also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat,” the piece was painted in 1944 by U.S. Maritime Service Lt. Hunter Wood to hang in the chapel built at the USMMA Basic School in San Mateo, California.

Read more at: www.christianpost.com

Scientists are using a new space telescope to peek into a space cloud and witness the birth of stars and planets in a process that one scientist describes as being “consistent with the story of Creation.”

The James Webb space telescope, the largest optical telescope in space, was launched 13 months ago at a total cost of $10 billion and began sending images back to earth in July. It recently turned its lens toward NGC 346, a cluster of stars located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) more than 200,000 light-years from Earth. While visible to the naked eye, the SMC is estimated to be 3-5 billion years old and is considered a “primitive” dwarf galaxy that resembles the conditions of the early universe with relatively low concentrations of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Scientists believe it is the kind of galaxy that is the building block for larger galaxies and is easier to study.

Using the Near Infrared Camera of the Webb telescope to observe NGC 346, scientists were able to observe for the first time infant stars in the process of forming from gravitationally collapsing gas clouds. The infant stars had not yet ignited their hydrogen fuel to sustain nuclear fusion.

Dr. Schroeder reacted to the new finding by saying it was “entirely consistent with the story of Creation.”

“I was asked how it was that God created light on the first day but the stars and heavenly bodies weren’t created until the fourth day,” Dr. Schroeder said to Israel365 News. “This is consistent with what physicists are learning now; that the universe was opaque at first and then began radiating. Stars had yet to be formed but there was energy.”

Read more at: www.israel365news.com