Our 5777 Israel Project:

Shalom & welcome to our update page. This will be the page we will attempt to update each day so website members can keep abreast of the goings on a fairly close accounting. You’ll notice we don’t publish names of towns or people’s names, trying not to show or expose faces. It is our attempt to be as discrete as possible. The laws of Israel are not the same as that of the States, therefore it is our responsibility to protect the Believers in country. Now that is your responsibility, too. Save lives … don’t publish or share these posting … NO EXCEPTIONS … LIVES DEPEND ON IT!

Current Demographics:

The demographic features of Israel are monitored by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. The State of Israel has a population of approximately 8,585,000 inhabitants as of September 2016. 74.8% percent of them are Jews (about 6,419,000 individuals), 20.8% are Arab (about 1,786,000 individuals), while the remaining 4.4% (about 380,000 individuals) are defined as “others” (including family members of Jewish immigrants who are not registered at the Ministry of Interior as Jews, non-Arab Christians, non-Arab Muslims and residents who do not have an ethnic or religious classification).

Israel’s annual population growth rate stood at 2.0% in 2015, more than three times faster than the OECD average of around 0.6%. With an average of 3 children per woman, Israel also has the highest fertility rate in the OECD by a considerable margin, and much higher than the OECD average of 1.7

Generally, population trends in Israel reflect distinct patterns of three sub-groups: Non-Haredi Jews (around 63.3% of the population), Haredi Jews (11.7%), and Arabs (20.7%). Over the past decade, the Muslim annual population growth has fallen significantly from around 3% to less than 2.2% by 2013, while the overall Jewish growth rate rose from around 1.4% to 1.7%, primarily due to the expanding Haredi sector.

Education:

Education between ages 5 and 15 is compulsory. It is not free, but it is subsidized by the government, individual organizations (such as the Beit Yaakov System) or a combination. Parents are expected to participate in courses as well. The school system is organized into kindergartens, 6-year primary schools, and either 6-year secondary schools or 3-year junior secondary schools + 3-year senior secondary schools (depending on region), after which a comprehensive examination is offered for university admissions.

Economic: 

The economy of Israel is technologically advanced by global standards. As of 2015, Israel ranks in the top 18 nations in the world on the UN’s Human Development Index, which places it in the category of “Very Highly Developed”—the highest ranked in the Middle East, allowing the country to enjoy a high standard of living rivaling other Western countries such as Australia, France and Finland.

The major economic sectors include high-technology and industrial manufacturing; the Israeli diamond industry is one of the world’s centers for diamond cutting and polishing. Relatively poor in natural resources, Israel depends on imports of petroleum, raw materials, wheat, motor vehicles, uncut diamonds and production inputs, though the country’s nearly total reliance on energy imports may change with recent discoveries of large natural gas reserves off its coast on the one hand and the leading role of the Israeli solar energy industry on the other.

Israel’s quality university education and the establishment of a highly motivated and educated populace is largely responsible for ushering in the country’s high technology boom and rapid economic development. With its strong educational infrastructure and high quality incubation system for new cutting edge ideas has allowed the country to create a high concentration of high-tech companies across the country backed by a strong venture capital industry. Its central high technology hub “Silicon Wadi” is considered second in importance only to its Californian counterpart.Numerous Israeli companies have been acquired by global corporations for their reliable and quality corporate personnel. The country was the destination for Berkshire Hathaway’s first investment outside the United States when it purchased ISCAR Metalworking, and the first research and development centers outside the United States for companies including Intel, Microsoft, and Apple.

The economic dynamism of Israel has attracted attention from international business leaders such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, investor Warren Buffett, real estate developer and U.S. President Donald Trump and telecommunications giant Carlos Slim. Each entrepreneur has each praised Israel’s economy and invested heavily across numerous Israeli industries beyond their traditional business activities and investments back in their home nations. Israel is also a major tourist destination, with 3.54 million foreign tourists visiting it in 2013.

In September 2010, Israel was invited to join the OECD. Israel has also signed free trade agreements with the European Union, the United States, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, Jordan, Egypt, and on 18 December 2007, became the first non-Latin-American country to sign a free trade agreement with the Mercosur trade bloc

Saturday – Shabbat One: Shabbat Shalom … we have had a time to relax and catch up on our rest from a long (uneventful) flight. We located a late night restaurant and had a nice rest. Breakfast in the land is simple but unique in flavor, aroma and in a garden. We’re finalizing our future visits and contacts, setting the overall project into its’ final stages of preparation for our team to arrive. There is a meeting we will have tomorrow and all should be complete. The days have been humid and warm. The evening in the 60’s. Today was breezy and delightful. A special sense is in the air as Yovel for Jerusalem approaches. Until the team arrives, be blessed and thank you for praying for us.

Chronological of Israel Project 5777

Tuesday – May 23, 2017

Airport pickup – One flight 4 hours late, everyone is fine, just tired. All luggage in tact, too.Returned to hostel 10pm,

No dinner – to late & tired

Wednesday – May 24, 2017

7:30 Breakfast – Beit Immanuel

9:30 Praise & Worship, Bible Study (Titus)

11:00 walking culture plunge: Listening pray discussed in full and a practicum of observing prayer walk (first part completed).

Lunch: Shawarma on Muslim street vender

3:30 Beth Hallel – Ashdod for humanitarian out reach

R.D. gives 5 minute presentation and welcoming – olm ( Jewish immigrants making Aliyah-530 families)

Anti-missionary encounter

10pm return – supper w/ leftovers from lunch & lite bite

Debrief

Thursday – May 25, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

9:30 Praise & worship, Bible Study (Titus)

11:00 Second Culture Plunge. Old Rail station, Military Museum, rested

3:45 return

Lunch @ Falafel street vender

6:00pm meeting in prayer room debrief of observation exercise: lots of activity, new things, peace, families, spiritual flurry, construction, more affluent & prosperous growth in area, disturbing graffiti, points of witchcraft, military museum, saw new cadets. Feeling inspired – Old train station

6:45 – 9:45 Pedro – Museum presentation

10:00 pm homemade sandwiches @ BI dining room

Friday – May 26, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

9:30 – Praise & worship, Bible Study (Philemon)

11:30 – Final walking culture plunge – Old Yaffo, Simon Peter’s vision experience & discussion, Yaffo Hill -Gan Ha Pisgah, Clock tower – 1901 under Turkish Sultan, Catholic Monastery of St Peter 1891,Sea front & port

Lunch @ the cave – Arab sit down restaurant

6:00 Erev Shabbat Service – Beit Immanuel, Bar Mitzvah – refreshments followed

 Saturday – May 27, 2017

8:00 Breakfast

11:00 Shabbat Service – Adonai Roi w/ Avi ; Baby dedication, communion, lite refreshments in the garden

2:00 Lunch – Homemade sandwiches

3:30 Jerusalem for dedication of Glory of Zion location – Chuck Pierce, reunion with W.G. returned 8 pm

8:30 RD & staff walk to get food, pickup 2 Pizzas’ / fruit – plums & oranges

Sunday May 28, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

8:45 Prayer room w/ just team

10:00 leave for driving/ walking day

• Mt Scopus – Ammunition Hill, movie & museum re:1967 war
• Mt of Olives – Church of the Nations, Garden of Gethsemane, Dominus Flevis
• Car angels (Arabs) help blocked car be released

8:00 pm Snitzel from street vendor

8:30 Airport for final 2 participants

Monday 29, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

7:45 – leave for Galilee

11:00 – Faith Boat / Ancient fishing boat museum & film

1:30 – Shawarma @ restaurant

2:30 Mount of Beatitudes

3:30 checked into overnight hostel on Galilee

4:20 Cappernaum – Synagogue of Yeshua, new digs

5:30 return to new hostel

Free time to swim til 7pm

7 pm – Debrief then large map to scale of Israel

8 pm picnic

Tuesday May 30, 2017

7:15 Breakfast

8:45 – Departure

9:30 Galilee Experience – Movie & Shopping

11:00 Mt Carmel – Elijah slew false prophets, panorama view of Jezreel Valley – Shofar blown, read scriptures and the accounts & discussed – went into Chapel

2:00 ate @ Arab Druze restaurant

5:00 pm returned to BI

7:00 meet in lobby, Study of Ruth in Prayer room, reading of Ruth

9:00 homemade sandwiches w/ special dessert

Wednesday May 31, 2017 – Shavuot

7:30 Breakfast

9:00 Leave for picnic @ Yad Hashmona, live praise, many different artist – saw BH – Ashdod worship group – children, dancing, flags, violins (2,000 Believers in attendance)

1:30 picnic on sight

4:45 return via Elvis experience

7:00 Prayer room meeting w/ Book of Mysteries, Show me Prayer

8:00 RD & Daniel walk to get supper

Thursday June 1, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

9:15 Leave for Joseph Project Warehouse

10:15 Presentation from Director, w/ pastries & coffee, several videos

12:00 after viewing the facilities, we prepared 40 large boxes of clothing and separation for distribution

3:00 Jewish Mall for food & coffee

5:00 Baal Perezim- prayer for G-Ds Break through

8:30 returned & debrief w/ watermelon

Friday June 2, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

9:30 Prayer & Worship, Bible Study Acts

11:00 Shopping / RD s & Daniel for supplies

12:30 Sharma’s for lunch

3:30 leave for B.H. Ashdod Erev Shabbat

8:15 return to BI

9:00 snacks & sandwiches

Saturday June 3, 2017

8:00 Breakfast

11:00 Service w/ Adonai Roi

1:45 walk to lunch @ cave

4:00 return to BI, some go to swim in Mediterranean

8:00 Debrief – Book of Mysteries, review next 2 days, to full for supper

Sunday June 4, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

9:15 – leave for Jerusalem, park @ Mall

12:00 Western Wall

Hezekiah’s Tunnel, 3D Movie

Western Cardo (Roman Road), First Temple Excavation Wall,

Golden Menorah for Third Temple – short teach

Tower of David, Old City & City of David

4:00 pm eat @ dairy restaurant  – Holy Café

8:30 Return

Monday June 5, 2017

7:30 Breakfast

9:00 Debrief & Book of Mysteries

10:00 – 8 Leave for Shopping in Jerusalem

5:00 Return to BI

7:00 Pizza for supper

 Departures June 6,2017 – Rd & RS returning home