Here is a calendar of upcoming events, up and down the country. Some are organized by us, others by like-minded organizations and groups.
SHAVUOT
2pm, Sunday 15th June
Northwood Villa Clubrooms, O’Neill Ave, Northwood, Christchurch.
Admission: Plate of finger food.
This month, we are privileged to present an address by Rebecca Marchand on the biblical feast, Shavuot. She will be covering its origins, its meaning to the Jewish people, its associated customs, ceremonies, and how it is relevant to Christians today.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rebecca Marchand is Secretary of the New Zealand Friends of Israel Inc, and a long time student of the bible.
We would like to inform you of a Peace Rally that is being organised in Wellington.
WHEN: 12pm, Friday July 18th
WHERE: Midland Park, Cnr of Johnston Street and Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011
PURPOSE: This is a rally in support of Israel’s right and responsibility to defend her citizens. Israel was never the aggressor in this conflict, but the defender.
WHAT TO BRING: There is a chance of rain so bring jacket and/or umbrella.
You can read more about it here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1483996181843645/. Here are some additional details:
- The Theme/Slogan for this event is: “New Zealanders support the right of Israel to live in peace”
- Placards and banners must support this theme.
- We do not want to venture into anything negative about Palestinians or Hamas. this will only serve to steal away from the positive message of peace.
- We encourage everyone to bring as many New Zealand and Israel flags as possible. We want there to be mix of both.
- We are aiming for the high road; no shouting and of course, no violence. We will operate in the opposite spirit.
- If Pro-Palestinian protesters catch wind of our rally and try to disturb us, we would like our response to be one of silence. If they come close and begin shouting, we have agreed we will all turn our backs towards them and continue as best we can with our rally. Not shouting matches, no eyeballing, opposite spirit.
Feel free to pass this message on to other friends and supporters of Israel in the Wellington area.
If you have any further questions, please contact Tony Martin (kingscause@gmail.com).
The DCM at the Embassy, Yael Holan has asked if we would like to “adopt” a family of hostages to raise awareness of their plight.
They are the Bibas family.
Kfir, Ariel and Shiri Bibas, and presumably their father Yarden were all kidnapped from Nir Oz, an Israeli kibbutz that was devastated when it came under attack by Hamas militants on October 7. The attackers murdered more than a quarter of the community and seized scores of others, as they fired at people’s homes, looted and destroyed what they could.
The armed wing of Hamas has claimed, without providing evidence, that Kfir, his 4-year-old brother, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri, were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said they had been killed in earlier Israeli bombing.
Kfir was nine months old when he was abducted, he will turn one on January 18.
We are proposing to hold a special meeting for them on Thursday, January 18.
Hao Room, Halswell Centre, 341 Halswell Rd, Christchurch.
Indigenous Peoples and the Middle East Conflict
Today, one hears that the Palestinians are an indigenous people that is having their homeland stolen from them by the white settler colonialists, the Jews. Is this true?
The events of October 7 have divided New Zealanders. The connection to indigenous rights has created fault lines for our Maori community.
On Thursday, we are delighted to welcome Dr Sheree Trotter to talk to us about the establishment of the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem and her views on how the Middle East Conflict has impacted her Maori Community.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr Sheree Trotter is a researcher, writer, and co-director of the Indigenous Coalition For Israel. She also co-founded the Holocaust and Antisemitism Foundation, Aotearoa New Zealand (formerly Shadows of Shoah). Sheree is Māori (Te Arawa) and earned her PhD in History at the University of Auckland.
Hi Folks
Are you shocked by the killing of innocent civilians? Are you feeling conflicted as to who is “in the right” in the Israeli-Gaza conflict? Why as a Christian should you care about a dispute on the other side of the world? Are you puzzling over what a Christian response should be? If any of these questions resonate with you, then this event is for you.
Hope Presbyterian in Amyes Rd Hornby, has invited us to join a discussion panel at their evening service, this Sunday at 7pm.
The topic is: What should be the Christian attitude toward Israel and Gaza?
They have already had two sermons over the last two weeks on the history of Israel for background, and the sermons can be found here (click the image):
You’re invited to take part in this fascinating discussion. The Q&A session is going to be informative and rewarding. Even more so, if you have thought about it already so bring some questions with you.
See you there!