What happened 20 years ago?
16 September 2021

Twenty years ago, in early September 2001, two events occurred that redefined the world. 

One were the attacks on 9/11 in New York and Washington D.C. 

The other was the disaster, a few days earlier, in Durban. A UN-sponsored conference intended to fight racism ended up as an orgy of anti-Jewish hatred, under the banner “Zionism is racism”. 

Both events constituted attacks against the Western world. Taken together, they marked the end of the United States as global power, and of the centrality of Judeo-Christian values in the international order.

September 2001 ushered in a new era, a new phase of world history, in which the “old” realities are no longer accepted as truth. Somehow, since then, everything is different. The Al Qaida attacks marked the ascendancy of Islamic jihad as major global force. “Durban” marked the ascendancy of secular humanism as the new religion of the Western world. 

In her recent essay, Caroline Glick argues that “[w]ith 20 years of hindsight, and in light of America’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan last month, it suddenly seems clear that the Durban Conference changed the course of history as much if not more than the Islamic terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.”

These two events show why the restoration of the Jewish people to the land is so controversial and divisive. The miraculous return of Jews from the four corners of the earth to the land of their forefathers confounds the inner logic and foundational principles of both Islamic jihad and secular humanism – which is why they are both so opposed to it. It is incomprehensible to the eyes of the world. Only eyes of faith can begin to understand it. 

This week, Christians for Israel had the privilege of helping 130 Jews return to the promised land from Ukraine. As those families and teenagers packed up their belongings, left behind friends, jobs and security, and boarded the flight from Kiev to Tel Aviv, we witnessed evidence of something inexplicable: God continuing His work of redemption in the midst of this broken world. 

Today, the Jewish people observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That too, cannot be understood through worldly eyes, it only makes sense through the eyes of faith. On this day, the High priest went alone into the Holy of Holies. The Jewish people today are called to go into deep communion with God. Its celebration is full of hidden meaning, it reminds us that God’s name is being established on earth, His name alone will be glorified. 

The miraculous return of Jews to the land, and their solemn observance of Yom Kippur and other holy days, are sure signs that God is still faithful to His promises. 


The Editorial team

Israel & Christians Today

Assessing the twin disasters of September 2001

Caroline Glick writes (JNS): “With 20 years of hindsight, and in light of America’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan last month, it suddenly seems clear that the Durban Conference changed the course of history as much if not more than the Islamic terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.” 

Why Durban and the BDS Movement are problematic 

The BDS movement was officially launched in 2005 by 171 Palestinian NGOs. Relying on Durban and the precedent of the successful anti-apartheid movement that overthrew the white regime in South Africa, they called for economic and diplomatic pressure on Israel until it submits to Palestinian demands for self-determination, “…in accordance with international law.” According to thinc., both the BDS movement and the actions of states under the influence of the BDS movement, violate the fundamental rights of Israel and the Jewish people under international law.

Yom Kippur

Kay Wilson writes: “On this holy day you try to come to terms with yourself, your fellow humans and G’d.” 

Historic anniversary flight to Israel: 25 years of ‘Bringing the Jews Home’

It is Tuesday, 14 September 2021, 4.30 PM. 130 Ukrainian Jews will from this moment on call Israel their new homeland: ninety teenagers and a number of families. They emigrated to the Promised Land thanks to the support of many Christians around the world. “Making Aliyah” is what this is called in Israel.