Inside Israel News
Week of October 6, 2025
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Archaeologists Discover A Huge Dam Around The Ruins Of The First Temple In Jerusalem
The Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science, excavated a massive dam-like structure enclosing what remains of the Temple of Solomon at the Pool of Siloam in City of David National Park in Jerusalem.
The dam was constructed of stones resembling those of the Temple walls themselves. It measures twelve and eight meters in height and width, respectively. Radiometric dating indicated that the retaining wall was erected between 805 BCE and 795 BCE, possibly during the reigns of Judean Kings Joash (2 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 24) and Amaziah (2 Kings 14:8-18; 2 Chronicles 25).
The structure linked a large cistern with a tower damming the Spring of Gihon and floodwaters from the Tyropoeon Valley. Water emptied from the tower into a conduit which, in turn, drained into the Pool of Siloam which was used for hydrotherapy and served as part of the local urban water supply.
Climatologists, hydrologists, and other specialists speculated that the dam was built in response to the frequent cycles of alternating drought and flash floods characteristic of the Judean capital in the late ninth and early eighth centuries BCE.
Archaeologists were able to establish the dam construction date range within a decade by subjecting the wood and mortar in the dam wall to carbon dating and microarchaeological techniques. They also proposed that the Siloam Pool formed from the erection of the retaining wall helped expand the development of Mount Zion and the southern and western parts of Jerusalem.
The Pool of Siloam is mentioned at several places in the Bible, such as John 9. There, Jesus restored sight to a man blind from birth and commanded him to bathe in those waters.
In This Week’s Issue
Archaeologists Discover A Huge Dam Around The Ruins Of The First Temple In Jerusalem
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In Front Of Evangelical Leaders, Israeli President Herzog Thanked U.S. President Trump For His Efforts To End The War
At the Feast of Tabernacles, before a delegation of local and international evangelical Christian influencers, President Isaac Herzog graciously thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his valiant efforts to free the hostages in Gaza and end the war in Israel.
The meeting convened at the residence of President and First Lady [Michal] Herzog in Jerusalem and was followed globally through social media by at least three hundred million people worldwide. The event was organized and coordinated by Bishop Robert Stearns, a staunch supporter of the state and the people of Israel.
President Herzog expressed his profound gratitude to President Trump for “almost single-handedly [leading] a strategic shift toward ending the war and securing the release of the hostages.” He also thanked the Christian delegates in attendance for “standing so firmly…in this battle of light against darkness” and “fighting the battle of the entire free world…and for the future of our children.”
The First Lady shared that she dedicated a great deal of her time assisting women—Jewish and Gentile—who became victims of various forms of abuse and torment since the Iron Swords War broke out near Gaza two years ago. She also applied herself toward comforting and consoling mothers who lost babies and children and the families of those who were killed at that time.
Bishop Stearns founded Eagles’ Wings Ministries in his native Buffalo, New York, and went on to launch the Birthright Israel project. While both organizations coordinate visits of American evangelical Christians to the Holy Land, the latter caters mainly to college students. He has also directed Christians United for Israel and the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.
He believes that the nation and people of Israel continue to figure prominently in God’s eternal plan. He also expressed a strong desire to preserve and grow evangelical youth ministries and outreach in Israel and bridge the gaps and foster dialogue among the communities there.
Pray for:
- Global prayer for the success of the truce/hostage release plan
- A strong stand of evangelical leaders for Israel
- Boldness among young believers in Yeshua in the Holy Land
Visionary Rabbi Establishes Centre Fostering Dialogue Among Different Religious And Political Groups In Israel
Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Rabbi Nitzan Reuven officially announced his plan to establish the Ahavat Shalom [‘the love of peace’] Centre adjacent to his office in Holon, Israel. The building will be a three-storey, nearly 40,000 sq. ft. facility on a half-acre plot, and will include a memorial hall dedicated to fallen soldiers, ritual baths, a synagogue, a study hall, classrooms, counselling rooms, mediation centres, and a Jewish Diaspora museum. Its estimated cost will be about nine million USD.
The primary purpose of the Centre is to favour communication and unity between secular and religious, Ashenazy and Sephardi, Liberal and Conservative, and Diaspora and Israeli Jews—and even between Jews and Gentiles inside and outside the Holy Land. It has been the mission and heart’s desire of Rabbi Reuven to be a ‘bridge [between people] for unity and peace’.
For decades, he has preached peace and advocated for civilised conversation among divergent political and religious groups in Israel. He has promoted open, respectful discussions on points of contention while discouraging divisiveness and bad language among these groups. However, the activity of his ministry has increased exponentially since the Iron Swords War broke out nearly two years ago.
Some of his fellow Haredi rabbis regard him as a bit of a maverick because he advocates for frank and honest communication among widely differing groups. He encourages other Haredim not engaged in Torah study to serve in the IDF, and recommends Jews in the Diaspora to do serious introspection before making aliyah (emigrating to Israel).
Rabbi Reuven was raised in a traditional Mizrahi Jewish home in Jaffa and adopted the religious life at age 16—the age of mandatory male conscription in Israel. Though he trained to be an engineer in the IDF, by age 19 he had gone into full-time rabbinical service, married, and went on to raise twelve children.
Pray for:
- The protection of all those who will serve at Ahavat Shalom Centre
- An end to the hostilities in Israel and Gaza once and for all
- A saving knowledge of Jesus Christ among secular and religious Jews and Gentiles in the Holy Land
Evangelical Christians Worldwide Recorded Messages Of Solidarity With Israel Two Years After October 7, 2023
From the Friends of Zion (FOZ) Heritage Center in Jerusalem, American Pastor Mike Evans reached out to about 250 million evangelical Christians around the globe to express in audio and video recording and in writing their support for the citizens and leadership of Israel on the second anniversary of the outbreak of the Iron Swords War.
Pastor Evans encouraged Christians everywhere to express their solidarity with the state and people of Israel and their commitment to stand openly against global antisemitism. He also urged them to remain in individual and corporate prayer for the consolation of the families of the war casualties, an end once and for all to the ongoing war, and the release and safe return of all hostages to their homes and loved ones.
At least nine other renowned American pastors of evangelical Christian churches from various denominations collaborated with Dr. Evans to organize and execute this project. They exhorted all spiritual leaders to take the time at their Sunday worship services to invite the participation of their congregants in prayer vigils for Israel and the Jewish people.
Pastor Evans said that FOZ will host the first-ever Ambassadors for Israel Summit in cooperation with the Government of Israel in Jerusalem on December 1-8, 2025. Registration for the event has reached capacity, and ministry leaders are already submitting applications for the next Summit scheduled to convene in early December 2026. In the interim, ministers and pastors will be able to enroll in an online Ambassadors Certification Program.
Over fifty years ago, Pastor Mike Evans founded FOZ in Jerusalem ostensibly to promote dialogue between Christians and Jews and combat antisemitism both in Israel and the Diaspora. Pastor Evans is also a nominee for a Nobel Peace Prize, the founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, and the innovator of the Ambassadors for Israel Summit.
Pray for:
- A strong positive global impact of the FOZ prayer vigil
- A strong stand of evangelical leaders against antisemitism
- Spiritual revival among Jewish people everywhere
A Special Opportunity To Parents Of Soldiers
As we survey all the love and support we have given to soldiers through our ministry—both believing and not-yet-believing—we realized there is a group of people who are hurting and need some care and prayer. Just recently, our team in Jerusalem planned a four-day retreat for parents of soldiers! They have been living in prolonged worry and anxiety as their sons and daughters serve all over Israel and in Gaza. Most of the children were actively deployed and serving in combat. Of the twenty-six couples who came, half were believers and half were not yet believers. The group met twice a day and heard from seasoned speakers—themselves officers in the IDF—who shared their wisdom, testimony, and how the Lord will sustain and help each parent. The attendees asked questions, got honest answers, and shared their own experiences. Singing and praying together created a special atmosphere—it filled their hearts with peace and hope. The time together offered a perfect opportunity to share faith and provide spiritual support. One woman approached the leadership team on the last day; she cried as she said she was able to rest, sleeping through the night for the first time in a year and a half.
We pray that each one who came felt the Lord’s love and comfort for them. Please pray that they each draw closer to Him! Please pray for the safety of their sons and daughters.
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