Hebrew Voices #44 – The Rebirth of Israel and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Rebroadcast)
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Rebirth of Israel and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Nehemia Gordon speaks on Israel’s Independence Day about why he is a “Zionist”, and how the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls parallels the rebirth of Israel as … Continue reading →
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Rebirth of Israel and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Nehemia Gordon speaks on Israel's Independence Day about why he is a "Zionist", and how the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls parallels the rebirth of Israel as a nation. You can watch the video of his address at the public celebrations of Israel's 69th Independence Day in Huntington, West Virginia or listen to the audio as part of his Hebrew Voices podcast.
I look forward to reading your comments!
Podcast Version:Transcript
Hebrew Voices #44 - The Rebirth of Israel and the Dead Sea Scrolls
You are listening to Hebrew Voices with Nehemia Gordon. Thank you for supporting Nehemia Gordon's Makor Hebrew Foundation. Learn more at NehemiasWall.com.
Nehemia: Shalom, this is Nehemia Gordon in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. I want to share with you this message I gave at Israel’s 69th Independence Day festivities in Huntington, West Virginia. Listen as I explain why I’m a Zionist and how the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls parallels the rebirth of Israel as a nation. Yom Ha’atzmaut sameach! Happy Independence Day to the State of Israel, its citizens, and its supporters around the world.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Le ma’an Zion lo ekhesheh, u’l’ma’an Yerushalayim lo eshkot. (For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest. Isaiah 62:1)
Speaker: His name is Nehemia Gordon. He holds a Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Archaeology from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Pretty impressive credentials, if I say so myself. He’s worked also as a translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls and as a researcher deciphering ancient Hebrew manuscripts. He’s a prominent figure in the Karaite Jewish community. He has written five books on the Hebrew origins of Christianity and he’s active in the interfaith dialogue.
So, what better person to have to come share with us during an interfaith celebration for the nation of Israel between Jews and Christians than Nehemia Gordon?
Nehemia: Shalom. It is really an honor and a blessing to be here on the 69th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, what we call in Israel, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Independence Day. Late in the afternoon on the 14th of May 1948, Israel declared independence. 11 minutes later, the state was recognized by Harry Truman, the President of the United States, and three days later by the Soviet Union.
I was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Israel in 1993. About 10 years ago, I was on a flight from Israel coming to the US to visit, and the flight was connecting through Germany.
On my way back, on the way to Frankfurt from New York, I sat next to a young German boy. He asked me about myself and I told him that I moved to Israel in 1993, born in Chicago. He said, “Why did you do that? Why would anyone leave America and go to the Middle East, where there’s war, and problems?” I explained to him, “I’m a Zionist,” and he had this look on his face as if I just admitted I was a leader in the Illuminati. He couldn’t believe I would admit I was a Zionist, and I could see he didn’t know what it means to be a Zionist.
So I explained to him that when I say I’m a Zionist, what I mean is that I believe in self-determination of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel. I’m also a believer in the Hebrew Bible, in what Jews call the Tanakh. As a believer in the Bible, I also believe that God gave the land of Israel to the people of Israel as a precious gift, and if I have the opportunity to exercise that gift, I should grab it.
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Listening to this on 73rd anniversary, in 2021… just as emotional now as then. Thank you Nehemia – it is always enriching and a blessing to listen to you.
You Jews need to know that catholics are not born again christians ..They dont even believe in being born again and regeneration of the Holyspirit,or Justified by the blood of our messiah Jesus, what you would call Yeshua .
Monastery Monk is a catholic from the Vicar of messiah called the pope,who calls us real christian Heritics and was killing us through out the middle ages because we did not believe in there false religion.They are anti messiah
excellent words spoken with great emotion. thank you.
It was so powerfull that it made me cry.u have strengthen my faith and ur teaching have been a blessing in my life and my walk with Yehovah. I am happy for u and Isreal and his people. I wish I could have been apart of something as this. I will always keep u in my prayers and the state of Isreal. Maybe someday if Yehovah will let me I will go up to Jerusalem. Shalom my friend and my brother.
Powerful Nehemia! I always have longed to be a part of that Israeli drama. So I live it through you, Thank you so much.
Powerful! May Yehovah always bless His land and His people. Thank you for sharing Nehemiah
Dude! You ## killed it! Mic drop material.
Toda achi. It brought tears to my eyes. I long to return home, beautiful land of Israel that bears the Name of our Elohim! HaleluYAH. YaHUaH Eloheinu continue to bless you and keep you. Shalom
Thank u for sharing on so many levels … May YeHoVaH continue to be, and to provide for all that you need, our precious brother/cousin/friend. And may He now powerfully draw and purify His people, that the Land may finally inherit ALL of her promises, which flow from His boundlessly beautiful heart of Love for ALL peoples.
What a tremendous blessing!
May it be Yah’s will that this generation would finally learn the lessons of why the previous exiles happened, in order that it might not happen again.
Bless you big! Am Yisroel Chai !
I thank you for being so open and honest with your feelings. You paint wonderful pictures in my very soul! May YeHoVAH continue His Work in you. And as always praying for the peace of Jerusalem.
“But if ye return unto Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though your dispersed were in the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to cause My name to dwell there.” Nehemiah 1:9 (The Israel Bible™)
Rich history told; and so much hope for the future of Israel. May many of us heed the Zionist call, both Jew and Christian. May Yehovah’s truth grow in our hearts, daily. And may we act to support Israel. Amen.
I am so grateful that you share with us so that we can see the hand of God at work in your life that has allowed you to touch so many and literally change my life.
Thank you and God bless you.
Hey guys…cj here again with one more connection that Abba Father brought to my mind as I posted, regarding words from your “69th Anniversary of Israel” speech “quiet of Jerusalem shattered by thundering artilery & mortars”…
The connect: while teaching school in the 1990’s, a wonderful student gave me a book written by his uncle who lived & survived by the grace of God as a child in war-torn South Vietnam, during the 60’s. The books title “Distant Thunder Hear My Cry”. It was a brief, heart-rending read of the horror & tragedy of war…told from the eyes of a child.
Please pray night & day for peace in Jerusalem…and everywhere that mothers & fathers raise God’s beloved children.
Much Shalom love to all,
Cj
Nehemiah, listening to your heart speech regarding the 69th Anniversary of Israel, Zionism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, & your Grandfather! Amazing! Wow! Holy wow!
We want to thank you for all you do to help re-institute Abba Yah’s ancient path.
We know your walk is important because God said to me, cj, shortly before sending us to Jerusalem, September 17, 2016,
“I need you to help Me re-institute the ancient path.”
Now today as I listen to your speech about about Abba Yah’s holy way of connecting our present lives to His-story of the past, these words captured me, slinging me back into my own past (paraphrased in part) “we were cut off from the world…the quiet of Jerusalem was shattered by thundering artillery and mortars…in them (Dead Sea Scrolls) we heard the distant echoes of an ancient time when the people of Israel dwelt in their land…at times it seemed not of distant past, but of pages of our own lives.”
My past met this article head/heart on as my spirit leapt, remembering a night in the early 2000’s when the will of God called out to me in the quiet night as we tent camped alongside a lake that we called “the new Texas coast”.
His words were poetic & soul stirring, “From a distant land so far away, I here the pounding of ancient drummers calling out my name”
Shalom to the heart of every home,
Cj & Randy Randolph
Amen. Powerful. Thank you for sharing, sir.
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