I am afraid that I am not in agreement with the way we, collectively, have been treating Israel. Our elected representatives are not pursuing policy that is in line with my principles that are based on the directions that my Bible teaches that we should follow.

Genesis 12:3 says, “I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses you.” Here God was addressing Abram, as He was making him the father of the Jewish people, and giving to him the Land of Canaan.

In Joel 3:1,2 we read this warning: “For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will bring again the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will fight with them there for My people and for My inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.” Notice that Israel is not to be divided. Is this something that we want to happen to our country?

Pastor John Hagee states that “History has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the nations that have blessed the Jewish people have had the blessing of God; the nations that have cursed the Jewish people have experienced the curse of God.” This can be seen from the history of ancient Egypt, up to recent events in Russia.

Nowhere in my Bible can I find reference to anyone other than the Jewish people living on that land, nor is there any mention of their giving it to any other people group. However, it seems that our national leaders are determined to persuade Israel to give their lands to the Arabs who have the avowed intention to eliminate Israel, and to allow other people groups to inhabit the land that was given to the Jews to occupy alone.

My interpretation of this policy is that we are being led into a situation where God will be protecting His people by cursing us, U.S.. I am afraid that I am not willing to participate, and have determined to find a way that I, as an individual, can be a blessing to Israel rather than a curse.

With these things in mind, I began searching for ways that I could be a blessing to Israel. Yad Eliezer is an organization that provides many kinds of assistance to needy Israelis. It was a surprise to me that many of Israel’s citizens are severely impoverished, and I decided that regular contributions to this charity would be worthwhile.

Another organization that benefits Israel and her people is Ministry to Israel, an arm of the Church of God.   One of their many ministries, and one in which we are involved, is what they term “Final Exodus”.  Our Bible says, in Isaiah 49:22, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders."   In this way, MTI helps impoverished Jews from many parts of the world in their return to Israel, and we are thankful to be a part of this prophesy.

Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, of the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem has written an essay, “The Jewish Ethicist: Socially Responsible Investing”. In his essay, Rabbi Meir states, “There is no question that Jewish tradition recognizes that business investment can be an agent for social good. The Talmud states that helping a needy person with a business investment is preferable to giving charity, and Maimonides writes that this is the highest form of charity.” He says further, “However there is one kind of business activity that we find the sages of the Talmud constantly encouraging and regulating: developing the land of Israel… The renowned 18th -19th century authority Rabbi Moshe Sofer opined in a much quoted passage that in fact all economic activity in the land of Israel has the status of a mitzvah, that is, fulfillment of a commandment.” Rabbi Meir sums up, “So it follows directly that for Jews, investment in a business that operates in Israel is a “positive screen” - it promotes a business that has inherent added value because it promotes the development of the Jewish homeland”.

With Rabbi Meir’s essay in mind, I looked for Israeli securities when I was in a position to invest. I found a mutual fund that invests in Israel: iShares MSCI Israeli Capped Investible Market Index Fund, which is an ETF fund made up entirely of Israeli corporations traded on American stock exchanges. The iShares fund stresses the financial opportunities that exist in Israeli investments. Investing in Israeli companies benefits the country's economy by expanding the market for Israeli securities. This makes it easier for Israeli companies to raise capital and grow.   Another interesting, and more recently established ETF, is Van Eck’s Market Vectors Israel Fund.

What would it mean to Israel and her people if oil were found there? Currently, Israel must buy all of her petroleum from her enemy neighbors. However the Middle East area is the oil producing area of the world, so why would it not be possible that Israel also sits on reserves of oil? Zion Oil and Gas, Inc. has the dream of finding oil in Israel, and is drilling there right now. Have a look at the fascinating story of Zion’s search. At its low share price, even though it is extremely speculative, wouldn’t an investment in Zion Oil stock be fun to watch?

I have just learned of another great way to support Israeli businesses, and to obtain some interesting and unusual products as well. Israeli Products is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and is a distributor for merchandise made in Israel. They sell a wide selection of items on a mail-order basis, and my experience has been that they offer quality products and fast delivery. Have a look at IsraeliProducts.com to see the unique merchandise that they sell.

[Home] [Our Chickens] [Capons and Caponizing] [Our Bees and Honey] [Our Cats] [Joyce's Quilting] [Polish Tatra Mountain Sheepdog] [Blessing Israel] [Sausage and Meat Curing] [Our Travels] [Our Estate] [Links] [Contact Information] [Website Building]