PHOTOS: Christians face barriers to Easter worship in Jerusalem

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://972mag.com/photos-christians-face-barriers-to-easter-worship-in-jerusalem/89921/

Palestinian Christians and international pilgrims faced Israeli barriers and harsh treatment by officers as they attempted to celebrate the Easter season in Jerusalem this year. In scenes similar to previous years, thousands of worshipers were denied entry to the Old City of Jerusalem by police barricades as a heavy presence of security forces controlled access to the city.

Despite VIP status, even Robert H. Serry, the United Nations’ special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, faced similar treatment. The Washington Post reports:

But despite earlier assurances of unhindered access to the church, Serry said in a statement, the Israeli police refused to allow his group entry, saying they had orders to that effect…. The special coordinator expressed dismay at the incident and called on “all parties to respect the right of religious freedom, granting access to holy sites for worshipers of all faiths and refraining from provocations not least during religious holidays.” …

This month, the Israeli High Court of Justice agreed that Palestinians’ rights were being violated by police checkpoints and other restrictions that annually create obstacles to worship.

It's troubling that Israel would deny religious freedoms for some and call itself a democracy. I guess that some religions are more equal than others in the Apartheid picnic.

[RobertEarl]

1. Apartheid picnic, is correct

You have to remember that Christians are not of the Jewish faith.

[King_David]

2. Except for Jesus, I guess ...

And how is that relevant to anything?

I am trying to remember that Bhudists are not of the Jewish faith too.

[RobertEarl]

3. Jesus was Palestinian, right?

A long haired anglo-saxon-like Pal, from all the pics I've seen.

One thing we can be sure of: Jesus is a Christian.

[Mosby]

4. Jesus was a Palestinian Jew

[RobertEarl]

5. How did that happen?

Jesus is the first Christian as far as I can tell. What he was doesn't matter, right?

[Mosby]

22. Jesus was born a Jew, lived as a Jew and died as a Jew

He may have been a Rabbi and was probably a member of the ultra orthodox Essene sect of Judaism.

[RobertEarl]

24. I don't think so

What evidence do you have for those statements?

[Mosby]

25. some links

He was born, lived, and died as a Jew

Jesus' identity cannot be understood apart from his Jewishness.

Was Jesus a Jew? Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible. He celebrated the Jewish festivals. He went on pilgrimage to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where he was under the authority of priests.... He lived, was born, lived, died, taught as a Jew. This is obvious to any casual reader of the gospel text. What's striking is not so much that he was a Jew but that the gospels make no pretense that he wasn't. The gospels have no sense yet that Jesus was anything other than a Jew. The gospels don't even have a sense that he came to found a new religion, an idea completely foreign to all the gospel text, and completely foreign to Paul. That is an idea which comes about only later. So, to say that he was a Jew is saying a truism, is simply stating an idea that is so obvious on the face of it, one wonders it even needs to be said. But, of course, it does need to be said because we all know what happens later in the story, where it turns out that Christianity becomes something other than Judaism and as a result, Jesus in retrospect is seen not as a Jew, but as something else, as a founder of Christianity. But, of course, he was a Jew.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/bornliveddied.html

Jesus was Born a Jew

Jesus is a real, historical person, born in the Land of Israel, during the Roman occupation, in approximately the year 3 BCE. However, at the time His name was actually pronounced, "Yeshua," and that is the name used in this article.

Jesus lived as a Jew

Although He was born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1, Micah 5:2), Yeshua was raised in Nazareth (Luke 2:39-40). Both were Jewish towns at the time, according to archeologists and historians. Bethlehem is just south of Jerusalem while Nazareth is north, in the Galilee section. Both of Yeshua's parents were from Nazareth (Luke 1:26-27, 2:4, 39) and they returned there with the Child when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord that His birth required (Luke 2:39). His aunt and uncle were also Torah observant Jews (Luke 1:6) so we can see that probably the whole family took their faith very seriously.

Jesus died a Jew

When Yeshua was taken prisoner by a Roman captain, his cohort, and some Jewish officials (John 18:12), He was delivered into the custody of the Jewish priests, elders, and scribes (Mk. 14:53). The Roman soldiers would not have placed Him under Jewish jurisdiction if He were not Jewish.

http://jesusisajew.org/Jesus_is_a_Jew.php

[RobertEarl]

26. What does this mean?

A "Jewish town"

My parents were republicans, I became a Democrat. I was born in one state and have been a citizen of many more. So what am I? Whatever I want. Jesus would have said the same, eh? What dd he say he was? IDRecall.

Did not Jesus state that the old law (Judaism) was now cast out? He may have been born one thing but lived to be another by virtue of the law and his words. The law which he lived by and pronounced and introduced to the world. His followers would have been Christians, like me. I follow the wisdom of Christ.

[RobertEarl]

12. He was born a Palestinian and was taught Judaism

Is that right? Then he rejected Judaism and is the 1st Christian.

[azurnoir]

6. ah ya right

try this, unless of course you believe the shroud of Turin is genuine

[RobertEarl]

7. Sorry no utube here

Is there something you can say?

[azurnoir]

10. so you do not get graphics I take it? n/t

[RobertEarl]

11. Especially flash

I find utube to mostly be a huge waste of time.

I like reading words that attempt to be graphic.

Is there something you can say to express your point?

[azurnoir]

14. so you do get you tube you simply refuse to watch it? n/t

[azurnoir]

15. here

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/forensics/1282186

[RobertEarl]

16. I love your avatar n/t

[King_David]

8. Jewish

But what's your point ?

I still don't get it.

[RobertEarl]

9. Jewish is religion, right?

Not a race, or nationality. Jesus may have been taught Judaism, but i think he kinda rejected that, eh?

What's your point?

[King_David]

13. Weird conversation alert ...

Bizzarrio

[azurnoir]

17. exactly how did Jesus "reject" Judaism?

seeing that the divinity of Jesus is predicated on his death and resurrection, Christianity came into being after Jesus lived, not during his lifetime, more over much what is accepted as modern day Christianity came from the first council of Nicaea in 325, and is IMO a political construct made to unite a crumbling Roman Empire under a religious banner

[RobertEarl]

18. In the Bible, new part

Where he pretty much said: Those are the old rules, I'm giving you the new rules.

That's when Christianity was born. The rest of it is just theology.

But this is a religious discussion which we don't need here. Do we? Maybe we do? I bow to your discretion.

[azurnoir]

19. Jesus said-"Those are the old rules, I'm giving you the new rules. "

I'll admit to not being all too familiar with the new testament but that's a very new one on me

also IMO your claim that there is no such thing as the Jewish people is rather antisemitic, there is very much such a thing-created in no small part out of more than a millennia of segregation and isolation mostly at the hands of Christians, or look up the word ghetto

[RobertEarl]

20. I admit to not being too familiar with what being Jewish entails

But I do find it a fascinating subject. Tell me more?

Oh, I believe in Jewish people, so you are mistaken there. Proceed.

[azurnoir]

21. Look it up opinion is all over the place on that

however do you believe that Mary was a Jew, if so then by any accounting so was Jesus

[Mosby]

23. Israel dismisses UN critique of Easter ‘incident’

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday dismissed claims by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry that a procession of Christian Arabs had been prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as part of Easter celebrations in Jerusalem’s Old City.

In a statement issued Saturday evening, the ministry called Serry’s claims “odd” and said they referred to “a non-event.”

The ministry stated that the day’s ceremonies, attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims, had ended peacefully, “despite taking place in such a narrow and constricted space as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and its adjacent square.”

Police, the ministry insisted, “handled the event with the required professionalism and sensitivity, regulating crowd movements and ensuring the safety of all attendants.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-dismisses-un-critique-of-easter-incident/

Israel successfully managed a multi-day event involving 10s of thousands of people without even ONE incident.

That's the truth anyway.

[King_David]

27. Yep