Transcript [00:02] Weekly update [00:04] 24th September 2026. [00:08] Israel among the nations and the hope of [00:10] Sukkot. [00:12] When the people of Israel gathered in [00:14] Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah, [00:16] hearing the words of the law brought [00:18] them to tears. Yet their leaders called [00:21] them to rejoice, to share food with [00:24] those who had nothing prepared, and to [00:26] find strength in the joy of the Lord. [00:29] Soon afterwards, they build booths to [00:32] celebrate the feast of tabernacles. [00:35] Nehemiah chapter 8. That as it speaks to [00:39] this week's news as world leaders gather [00:42] at the United Nations, Israel again [00:44] faces grave accusations. While at home, [00:47] the threat of terror remains all too [00:50] real. [00:51] Meanwhile, Jewish families are preparing [00:53] for Sukkot, bearing witness to a hope [00:56] that no speech at the United Nations can [00:59] erase. [01:02] Grave accusations at the United Nations. [01:06] Opening the general assembly on 22nd of [01:09] September, UN Secretary General Antonio [01:12] Gutterus said Israel's actions in Judea [01:15] and Samaria where quote bulldozing the [01:18] path to peace and raising the spectre of [01:20] acting cleansing. [01:22] End of quote. [01:24] Such a grave charge demands evidence, [01:28] not rhetoric. and any credible call for [01:31] peace must confront Hamas responsibility [01:34] for the war and Israel's right to [01:37] protect its people. [01:39] Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon told [01:42] the new syndicate, quote, "Anyone would [01:45] be better than Secretary General of [01:46] Gutter." End of quote. noting that he [01:50] didn't even visit Israel once after [01:52] October 7 and equated the IDF to Hamas. [01:56] With Guuteras leaving office at the end [01:58] of the year, we pray for a successor who [02:01] will treat Israel by the same standards [02:03] as other nations. Pray for Nia Lighter. [02:07] On the evening of 23rd of September, [02:09] Niel Lighter, son of Israel's ambassador [02:12] to the United States, Yah Lighter, was [02:15] critically wounded in a Palestinian car [02:17] ramming attack at the Makabim checkpoint [02:19] near Modim. The IDF reserve soldier [02:22] underwent several hours of brain surgery [02:25] at Shahan Sedic Medical Center in [02:27] Jerusalem and doctors say his life [02:29] remains in danger. [02:32] Nia has served hundreds of days [snorts] [02:34] in the reserves since 7 October 2023. [02:39] His older brother, Major Moshiliter, was [02:43] killed in Gaza in November 2023. [02:47] His father has asked the public to pray. [02:50] Quote, I believe in the power of prayer [02:53] and I believe that when the people of [02:55] Israel unite, miracles can happen. End [02:58] of quote. who controlled the story from [03:01] Gaza. Palestinian photojournalist Mutaz [03:04] Aiza, [03:06] celebrated internationally for his [03:08] coverage of the Gaza war, has described [03:11] in a podcast how Gaza journalist [03:13] belonged to a WhatsApp group called [03:15] Smart, which he associated with the [03:18] Kamas media official. Criticism of Kamas [03:22] was routinantly kept off camera. Quote, [03:25] "When someone gets out of the ambulance [03:27] and says, "May God punish Hamas while [03:30] I'm filming, the people around him turn [03:33] the camera away." End of quote. His [03:36] account fits a wider pattern. The [03:38] Israeli Mir Amit intelligent and [03:40] terrorism information center found that [03:42] at least 157 of the 26 [03:47] media personnel killed in Gaza up to [03:50] November 2025 were operatives or [03:54] affiliated with terrorist organization. [03:56] In June 26, the Committee to Project [03:58] Journalist removed eight names from its [04:01] database after Hamas and Islamic Jihad [04:04] published obituaries identifying them as [04:07] combatants. Images from Gaza must be [04:10] received with discernment. [04:13] Between Yamipur and Sukkot, Yamipur [04:16] ended at nightfall on Monday 21st of [04:19] September. Sukkot begins at sunset on [04:22] Friday 25 of September. [04:25] After the solemnity of fasting and [04:28] seeking forgiveness, the intervening [04:30] days are filled with building the suka, [04:32] preparing festive meals and obtaining [04:34] the four spices, a palm frron, myrtle, [04:37] below, and anrock. [04:40] Repentance becomes visible in the work [04:42] of one's hands. [04:44] What the suka teaches us, for seven [04:47] days, Israel dwells in boots so that [04:49] each generation may remember that God [04:52] sustained his people in the wilderness. [04:54] Leviticus 23 verse 42 and 43. The [04:58] fragile shelter teaches humility. Our [05:01] homes and plans cannot give us absolute [05:04] security. Only God can. [05:07] The festival also commands joy to be [05:10] shared with the stranger, the [05:12] fatherless, and the widow. Deuteronomy [05:15] 16:14 [05:16] and points to a day when the nations [05:18] will go up to Jerusalem to worship the [05:21] king and keep the feast of tabernacles. [05:24] Zechariah 14:16. [05:27] What does this mean for Christians? [05:30] Standing with Israel means speaking up [05:32] when its security is dismissed or its [05:34] people are judged unfairly and using to [05:38] excuse terror. As our Jewish neighbors [05:41] prepare for, let us also learn from [05:44] them. Reach out to a Jewish friend. Open [05:47] our homes to those who are alone and [05:49] give thanks to the God of Israel who [05:51] remains faithful whatever the nations [05:54] say. Prayer this week. Let us pray that [05:57] unjust accusations against Israel will [06:00] be exposed and that truth will prevail [06:02] at the United Nations. Pray for Neria [06:05] Lighter's healing, for comfort for his [06:07] family, and for protection of Israel's [06:09] people from terror. [06:12] Pray that Jewish communities celebrating [06:14] Shukat will know peace and joy, and that [06:17] we may be generous in hospitality and [06:19] steadfast in friendship. Pray for the [06:22] coming of the Messiah and his kingdom [06:23] when the nations will learn his ways and [06:26] Jerusalem will be a place of worship and [06:28] peace.
