Recently Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement representative Lori Vera participated in a special course with archeologist Gabi Barkay. The photos left and right show the very newly discovered assent route from the Second Temple era Pool of Siloam where the pilgrims immersed themselves before going up to the Temple. "As you can see, these steps are in very good condition. They almost look like poured concrete because they are in just that good of shape," she told us. "All of this is underground today. You can also see holes in the floor where the Jews broke through the flooring trying to escape Jerusalem during the 70 CE destruction via the sewerage system. Unfortunately, there were Roman soldiers at the other end waiting for them. Inside this passageway were also found rooms off to the sides where there had been shops, remembering that people bought sacrifices, etc. Also found in this recent discovery are coins, pottery, and tablets from the shops including records of the sales, etc. Seeing this was all very, very moving. I have to say the most exciting and moving thing I have seen ever!"

On Monday, just after Israel observed Holocaust Memorial Day and thousands of miles away, Rumanian-born Holocaust survivor Liviu Librescu gave his life in another senseless murder, but on Librescu's part an apparent act of heroism. Among the thirty-two people killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Tech Monday was the seventy-six-year-old engineering professor, who was also a citizen of Israel. According to eyewitness accounts, Librescu ran to the door of his classroom and blocked it with his body – preventing the gunman from entering but getting shot to death himself as a result. Alec Calhoun, a twenty-year-old student who had been in Librescu's class (room #204), told a reporter that at 9:05 a.m. they heard screams and a loud banging sound from the next-door classroom. When the students realized it was gunfire, he said, some hid behind tables, and others leapt from the classroom's windows. Calhoun himself was among the last to jump. "Before I jumped from the window, I turned around and looked at the professor, who stayed behind, maybe to block the door. He had been killed."

Librescu is survived by his wife of forty-two years, Marlena, who was with him in Virginia, and their sons Aryeh and Joe who are in Israel. They laid him to rest Friday in the Kfar Lahman cemetery in Ra'anana, Israel.

At a Holocaust Memorial ceremony Wednesday, in Washington D.C., attended by U.S. President George W. Bush, the president praised Librescu, a Holocaust survivor. "That day we saw horror, but we also saw quiet acts of courage. We saw this courage in a teacher named Liviu Librescu. With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety," Bush stated. "On the Day of Remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others may live. And this morning we honor his memory and we take strength from his example."

Asael Arad, an Israeli student who visited the widow after the tragedy, said that Marlena had been receiving e-mails from students who credited Professor Librescu with saving their lives. "I lost my best friend," said Marlena. "He was a great person, who loved teaching more than anything." Marlena said someone had initially informed her that her husband was injured in the shooting. "I looked for him in the hospitals all day but I didn't find him," she said.

The Librescus are Rumanian Jews who came on aliyah (immigrated to Israel) in 1978 – after then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin interceded on their behalf with the Rumanian government. The couple went on a sabbatical to the United States since 1986 and has been living there ever since.

Recently twenty-one members of Fellowship Church (shown left) in Casselberry, Florida traveled to a small town in the region of Samaria called Kedumim. They went there with the express purpose of helping the residents to expand their borders and to encourage them to continue to build up the land God promised to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants forever. The project involved clearing out debris from a pool (pond), running piping up the mountain side, attaching an electric pump, and pouring a concrete bed for the pool and water path down the mountain.

The group of Christians was at first confounded by the lack of necessary tools, but then began to see the real but unsensational hand of God providing all that was necessary for them to do the job. As Jewish residents witnessed the same, both groups shared a very special time and have bonded a special relationship. All of the participants and church members have expressed a desire to return and help the community with other developmental projects. The photo (bottom left) shows residents of Kedumim and other neighboring communities enjoying the newly developed park during the week of the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

The word Kedumim literally means "firsts." This name was given to this community because they were the first of many communities to be established and are currently growing for more than thirty years in the regions of Judea and Samaria. The largest neighboring city is Ariel.

Fellowship Church has been developing a relationship with the community of Kedumim since 1984 when Pastor Ken Garrison first met Kedumim mayor Daniella Weiss. He was overwhelming impressed with her strong faith, making many statements like, 'God had met their forefathers on these mountains and they intended to meet Him there as well.' Not only were her words impressive, but also her bold spirit, courage, and determination. These many years later, and in spite of the loss of many loved family members and friends, they still stand strong. Other photos and a detailed article on this project can also be seen at the Kedumim community web site.

The Tzemach Institute has joined forces with the Christian Friends Of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) in planning a special tour of the heartland of biblical Israel. Join us as we explore Israel from a genuine Biblical Zionists perspective. Meet the people who are continuing the Biblical narrative in the Land today. See for yourself how ancient prophesies are being fulfilled. Discover how you too can participate in the ongoing process of Biblical Redemption. Join us for an opportunity of a lifetime, to see the real Israel from the viewpoint of those who are living the Bible today. The experience will change your life. The tour has been coordinated with Sondra Baras of CFOIC and will be guided by Associate Pastor Jon Klein [pictured left].
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