Russian Orthodox Liturgical Chants

Something a Bit Different~Russian Orthodox Celebrate Christmas on 07 January

Silent Night, Holy Night...

An Old Favourite from the Late Yvvan Rebroff~Silent Night

Gates of Brass~A Timeless Film Everyone Should See

In 1984, four Canadians took a film crew to Moscow and Leningrad to obtain secret interviews with Jews who had been denied the right to immigrate to Israel. When the KGB became aware of their intentions, they confiscated the film footage and interrogated the filmmakers. Unknown to the KGB, the Rawlings/Allen film team made two copies of the film, and three months later, through a complex network of cooperation, they were able to get the footage out of the Soviet Union.

The resulting 54-minute documentary, Gates of Brass, had it's Canadian premiere in Ottawa in October 1985. The film provides footage of the Russian revolution, World War II and the Six Day War, as well as dramatic recreations of scenes of oppression, and interviews with a number of Refuseniks (those Russian and Ukrainian Jews refused visas to Israel by the Soviet authorities), some of whom now reside in Israel, and with with the (then),recently released Anatoly Shcharansky, who for the previous nine years had been considered the symbol of Jews not allowed to leave the Soviet Union.

Gates of Brass was shown by Canadian producers Jay and Meridel Rawlings in fifty cities on an international tour. In a written statement about Gates of Brass, Meridel Rawlings stated: "To our knowledge, this is the first time that footage of this nature has reached the West. Having visited the Soviet Union three times...we were inspired to make a film giving a voice to these unfortunate people who are trapped inside of the Soviet Union.

At the time, the Rawlings hoped the film would serve to educate the general public that it was not just the Jews that were victims in the Soviet Union, but in fact, all people seeking basic human rights and religious freedom.

This film, produced by World Vistas / Israel Vision, won the First Production Award from the Canadian Film and Television Association. The Jewish Community worldwide used this film to educate and stir people into action. Consequently Jewish activists and Christian supporters joined together (often after viewing the film) and went into the streets and marched in front of Soviet Embassies worldwide crying out "Let My People Go".

We must never forget that the Lord has answered the daily "Amida" prayers of centuries of faithful Jewish people crying out for the "ingathering of the exiles". The pleas of the suffering Refuseniks were also heard from within the Soviet Union, and slowly, the Iron Curtain began to crumble.

Christians prayed and gave generously for flights and buses to bring them home. As Jews and Christians found a way to agree to a common purpose, then miracles took place. Over 1,000,000 former Soviet Jews were released home to Israel between 1991 and 2005.

Jerusalem Vistas/Israel Vision is Very Proud of their Award Winning Film...Gates of Brass

Gates of Brass~Jay and Meridel Rawlings

Jews in the Soviet Union~Based on Jay and Meridel's Book of the Same Title

One of the Most Beautiful Versions of Silent Night~Ever!

Ivan Rebroff Sings Silent Night in Russian

Final Celebrations of the Christmas Season...

Serbians in Belgrade~Picture Credit: Blazing Cat Fur

For many people, especially outside of North America, Christmas does not come on 25 December. The Orthodox Churches in Russia and other Slavic countries as well as in the Middle East, hold their Christmas Eve celebrations on 06 January.

The Assyrian, Armenian and Coptic patriarchs celebrate with marches and services held in Bethlehem and  within Jerusalem's Old City. There are also Christmas markets in Bethlehem and Nazareth as well as the Old City, and a variety of religious services and activities. Tourists from around the world travel to Israel for this special time.

Although this is a time for peace and celebration there are still conflicts. In the entire middle-east, Israel is the only country where the Christian population has increased. Bethlehem, which is now under "PA" control, has gone from a majority Christian to a majority Muslim city. The Christian population now is about 10%, and those remaining dare not speak out for fear of persecution. The Christmas "Tourism" business is pushed, but once the tourists leave it is a different story. There are even factions who are trying to "steal" the day by claiming that Mary was a Palestinian, and Jesus was the first Jihad. Even during this holiest time of the year, propaganda and politics rule the day.

Regardless, those who are true believers have only one thing in mind on this day~and that is the Miracle and Hope that was given to all mankind. Despite threats and oppression, the tiny Christian communities continue to pray and wait for the time when all the world will know peace.

Please pray for the Christian Communities in the Middle East! They are now among the most persecuted (and ignored) people in the world!

Божићна песма - Превјечни родисја по љети~The Pre-Eternal is Born

Angels Are Singing~Serbian Christmas Song

Finally~A Leader Who Believes in Christian Values...

Wait--The Only World Leader Talking About Real Morals Is Vladimir Putin?? We're Doomed...

Where is Your Brother...Genesis 4:9

A French priest, Father Patrick Desbois  has been crisscrossing the countryside of Eastern Europe to locate the hidden mass graves of Jews killed during the Holocaust. To date, he and his team have identified 800 of an estimated 2,000 unidentified sites.

Holocaust Remembrance Day usually calls attention to the infamous death camps~Auschwitz, Treblinka, Dachau~the main centers of killing. What is often forgotten is that approximately 1.5 million Jews in the Soviet Union were slaughtered by Nazi mobile killing units, or Einsatzgruppen. Almost all those killed were civilians and in fact included people from all walks of life ranging from the intelligentsia to political commissars to gypsies. Shot to death (and sometimes buried alive), their bodies were unceremoniously piled in mass graves that have remained unmentioned and untouched for decades.

These "unknown dead" would have remained so, if not for the efforts of Father Desbois and his organization Yahad-In Unum (YIU) (founded in Paris in 2004 by leaders in the French Catholic and Jewish communities). He says, that as a clergyman, his role is not to judge...

Do watch the two clips below. The first is a report on Father Desbois, and in the second Father Debois gives a tour of his amazing exhibition "Shoah by Bullets: Mass shootings of Jews in Ukraine 1941--1944". Words cannot describe what has been uncovered...

Report on Father Desbois...May He Be Blessed

Shoah by Bullets: Mass shootings of Jews in Ukraine 1941--1944

Part 6~Israel, Iran and The Bible~God's Prophetic Time Clock

In Part 6, Dr. Rawlings examines the "false prophets", and the Islamic belief in a "false" messiah.

Much of what drives the Iranian quest for power is their belief system. At the core of this system is of course what they consider their holy book and the prophet Mohammed.

Much of what drives the Iranian quest for nuclear power and war is what Dr. Rawlings terms the "Spirit of Persia" or the Mahdi.  

You will see how scripture has foretold of these things and how the world will react and in fact we are seeing this now, in our times! More disturbing, is how the Islamic world is now claiming that when Islam becomes the "only" world faith, and Jesus (of the Bible) will embrace Islam, and turn against Christianity to "Break the Cross"!!

Part 6~False Messiah and False Prophets

Israel, Iran and The Bible~God's Prophetic Time Clock

Links to All 8 Parts:

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/israel-iran-and-biblea-new-teaching-dvd.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/part-2israel-iran-and-bible-gods.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/part-3israel-iran-and-bible-gods.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-4israel-iran-and-bible-gods.html
http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-5israel-iran-and-biblegods.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-6israel-iran-and-biblegods.html 
http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-7israel-iran-and-biblegods.html
http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-8israel-iran-and-biblegods.html

Part 5~Israel, Iran and The Bible~God's Prophetic Time Clock

Part 5~The Eurasian Alliance

 Israel, Iran and The Bible~God's Prophetic Time Clock

Links to All 8 Parts:

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/israel-iran-and-biblea-new-teaching-dvd.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/part-2israel-iran-and-bible-gods.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/part-3israel-iran-and-bible-gods.html

http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-4israel-iran-and-bible-gods.html
http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-5israel-iran-and-biblegods.html http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-6israel-iran-and-biblegods.html http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-7israel-iran-and-biblegods.html 
http://israelvisiontv.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/part-8israel-iran-and-biblegods.html