Caption transcript for Beauty For Ashes: “The Peace” (8/9)

• 00:01 Today on Zola Levitt Presents,
• 00:03 we give you a bird's eye view of Israel...
• 00:06 from a hot air balloon.
• 00:08 Stay with us.
• 00:32 ISAIAH 61:3 "I will console those who mourn in Zion,"
• 00:36 ISAIAH 61:3 "to give them beauty for ashes,"
• 00:39 ISAIAH 61:3 "the oil of joy for mourning,"
• 00:43 ISAIAH 61:3 "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,"
• 00:47 ISAIAH 61:3 "that they might be called oaks of righteousness,"
• 00:51 ISAIAH 61:3 "the planting of Adonai, that He may be glorified."
• 01:00 Shalom, Havarim
• 01:02 Hello Friends and welcome to our program.
• 01:04 I'm Myles Weiss.
• 01:05 And I'm Katharine Weiss
• 01:06 and we want to welcome you to
• 01:07 our series, Beauty for Ashes.
• 01:09 We've been doing a series on the horror of the Holocaust
• 01:12 and yet the miracle of the modern State of Israel.
• 01:15 I think this is the most
• 01:17 contrasting program in the series
• 01:19 because we were able to go up in a hot air balloon
• 01:22 and see the beauty of Israel.
• 01:23 But when we were in Poland
• 01:25 we really closed the series with
• 01:27 the most profound and deep sense of awe at
• 01:31 the destruction of the Jewish people.
• 01:33 It was just -
• 01:34 It was very emotional for both of us.
• 01:35 Yeah, yeah.
• 01:37 It was a difficult time.
• 01:38 We saw the way the Nazis distributed
• 01:41 and dealt with the bodies of the Jewish people.
• 01:44 And it was very disturbing.
• 01:46 We feel like this is a proper way to end this series
• 01:50 because we need to remind you that Israel is God's idea.
• 01:55 It is His plan, it is His restoration,
• 01:58 it is His hope, hatikva , "the hope",
• 02:01 for the future and for all humanity,
• 02:04 Jews and Gentiles, who ever will worship
• 02:06 the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob together.
• 02:08 And He is the One who preserved the Jewish people
• 02:11 through the depths of the Holocaust.
• 02:13 We were in Poland at Auschwitz, Birkenau.
• 02:17 We saw the ponds where the Jews ashes were placed
• 02:22 when they ran out of space,
• 02:24 to use them for fertilizer.
• 02:26 And it was a very profound time.
• 02:27 So let's go now to Poland
• 02:30 and pick up the story of the Holocaust
• 02:33 and then the restoration of Israel.
• 02:58 In this pastoral,
• 03:00 bucolic, beautiful
• 03:02 and peaceful place,
• 03:04 it's hard to imagine that what's behind us
• 03:07 is a pond full of human Jewish Ashes.
• 03:14 This Holocaust did not begin here but there is
• 03:20 a centuries-old hatred against the Jewish people,
• 03:25 the pogroms of the 1930s in Russia and Hungary,
• 03:29 Greece, Romania and here in Poland were
• 03:33 the beginnings of it.
• 03:35 On November 9, 1938 Kristallnacht when
• 03:39 90 Jews were killed,
• 03:41 when thousands of stores were smashed,
• 03:44 when over 100 synagogues were burned.
• 03:47 It was the growing statement that
• 03:51 it is up to the "master race"
• 03:55 to do away with the inferiors.
• 03:59 You know Myles when I think about
• 04:01 the horrors that happened here.
• 04:03 Right ahead of us are the barracks
• 04:06 that are called "Kanada"
• 04:09 and it's where they stripped the Jews and other prisoners
• 04:12 of all their belongings and sorted them,
• 04:15 and disinfected them, and then used them.
• 04:19 The Germans used them or stole them or gave them away.
• 04:23 Basically they were raped
• 04:26 of their dignity,
• 04:27 of their life,
• 04:29 of the child's ability to even be a child.
• 04:33 And I just... it goes on and on and on.
• 04:36 But I want you to know that
• 04:39 this place had no grass whatsoever.
• 04:41 It was a completely muddy area
• 04:44 and maybe even full of human feces.
• 04:48 If there was a blade of grass, it was eaten
• 04:51 because the people were starved to death,
• 04:53 because they weren't even considered worthy
• 04:55 of having the gas used on them
• 04:57 lest they use up more of the wealth of the Germans.
• 05:02 And so this is a very sacred place for us.
• 05:05 I mean, what the Polish people have done in
• 05:08 preserving this so beautifully
• 05:10 and keeping it as a memorial
• 05:12 to the memory of the Jewish people.
• 05:16 So many Israelis are able to come
• 05:18 and to remember to honor and to vow "never again".
• 05:23 And so this pond behind us
• 05:25 is a little teeny reflection of where
• 05:28 lives were simply blown into the wind
• 05:31 and sunk to the bottom of this area.
• 05:34 6 million Jews died.
• 05:36 Think about this.
• 05:38 If that had not happened.
• 05:40 That was one third of the world's Jewish population.
• 05:43 If they had lived and grown at the normal 1.4% of population
• 05:50 there would be 40 million Jews in the world today.
• 05:53 Think about the stories in this series,
• 05:57 the stories of the blessings that are coming out of Israel.
• 06:00 Think about the technology, the medicine, the breakthroughs,
• 06:03 the continual blessing of Abraham and how that's been robbed.
• 06:08 And I ask - What died in Europe?
• 06:11 Was it the Jews who died in Europe?
• 06:13 Or was it a piece of the future of the world that died here
• 06:16 as Jewish genius was destroyed,
• 06:20 but still is rising because
• 06:22 of the goodness of God in Israel?
• 06:26 We are here to break the veil of silence
• 06:28 We want to stand here with the survivors.
• 06:30 We want to stand with anyone who
• 06:32 is willing to break the veil of silence
• 06:35 to keep speaking and to be part of
• 06:37 this repentance that is going on
• 06:39 and to say, "never again".
• 07:05 Through this series we hope that you are
• 07:06 seeing the horrors of the Holocaust
• 07:09 and the reality of what anti-Semitism does.
• 07:12 Sometimes it is not as overt as the Holocaust
• 07:15 and sometimes it is sneakier
• 07:17 whether it be a joke
• 07:19 or whether it be a propaganda
• 07:20 that the Jews don't have a right to the Land
• 07:23 or whether it be the big Jew and the little Palestinian.
• 07:27 These are very sensitive subjects
• 07:29 but what we need to do as Bible students
• 07:31 is look into the Word of God
• 07:33 and see what the Word of God says.
• 07:35 In Ezekiel 37 it says,
• 07:41 No longer to be plucked up and
• 07:43 because of them being planted in the Land
• 07:46 God would cause the Land to produce
• 07:48 because of His Word and His fulfillment
• 07:50 of them being in the Land.
• 07:52 It's His Land but He gives it to them.
• 07:54 That's exactly right.
• 07:55 They are stewards of the Land that belongs to God.
• 07:58 We'll be back after this.
• 08:01 We hope that you are enjoying our series
• 08:03 "Beauty for Ashes"
• 08:05 as we contrast the horrors of the Holocaust
• 08:07 with the miracle of modern Israel.
• 08:10 Get this series for yourself
• 08:12 or to share with friends.
• 08:14 Just call us at 1-800-WONDERS
• 08:17 or go to levitt.com and
• 08:18 ask for the DVD series
• 08:21 "Beauty for Ashes"
• 08:25 Hi, you know, so much is happening
• 08:26 in the world today regarding Bible prophecy
• 08:29 and especially in Israel too.
• 08:31 This is the lens through which
• 08:33 everything has to be told
• 08:34 and that's what we're doing here
• 08:36 at Zola Levitt Presents.
• 08:38 We're only able to do it
• 08:39 as you're able to give.
• 08:40 Your generous donations
• 08:42 keep our program going.
• 08:44 So please continue to give as you are able.
• 08:46 And we will continue
• 08:48 to bring you the news
• 08:49 through this Word.
• 08:57 ♪ Background Music ♪
• 09:30 Myles and would love
• 09:31 to invite you to come
• 09:32 with us on a tour
• 09:34 of God's Covenant Land.
• 09:36 And you will see the
• 09:37 fulfillment of Scripture
• 09:39 for your own eyes.
• 09:40 So please call us
• 09:41 and make sure you get
• 09:42 on our next tour.
• 09:43 We go Spring or Fall.
• 09:45 Yes, we would love
• 09:46 to host you in Israel.
• 09:48 Well, let's go to the north of Israel to the Galilee.
• 09:57 Here we are in a wheat field
• 09:59 at the end of the age
• 10:01 speaking to you about things you
• 10:02 will never hear regarding Israel.
• 10:04 Think about the recreation that
• 10:06 is the high end of the restoration of this land.
• 10:10 We have not only the people being brought back to the Land
• 10:13 we have the reclamation of the Land itself.
• 10:17 And also we're looking forward to
• 10:19 this spiritual renewal that has already begun
• 10:22 and will continue as this land get's a hold of the fact
• 10:26 that Messiah Yeshua is in fact the Jewish Messiah.
• 10:31 We're about to go up in a hot air balloon here in Israel
• 10:34 something you'll never see on CNN.
• 10:37 But think about this.
• 10:38 This tiny country -
• 10:39 You can start in the North
• 10:41 and go snow skiing
• 10:42 and go all the way to the South
• 10:44 and go snorkeling.
• 10:45 You can do the whole thing in a day
• 10:47 because this little compact country
• 10:49 has every type of recreation.
• 10:51 Every kind of joy that is possible
• 10:54 is available here in this land.
• 10:56 And we wanted you to know
• 10:58 that there is so much more going on here
• 10:59 that you will never see on the news
• 11:01 in America and around the world.
• 11:03 We wanted to bring you that message.
• 11:05 The ultimate message is about the spiritual
• 11:08 renewal of this place, just as God promised,
• 11:12 He would sprinkle clean water upon the Jewish people
• 11:15 when they came back to the land.
• 11:17 That is happening now
• 11:19 with the Messianic movement, that is happening.
• 11:21 Jewish believers in Yeshua and Arab Christians
• 11:25 coming together and becoming one, as was promised
• 11:28 in Ephesians 2:14 and following.
• 11:32 This promise is not just something that
• 11:35 was fulfilled after the Holocaust.
• 11:38 This was not something that was begun in 1948.
• 11:40 This goes back 4000 years to the promise of God to
• 11:45 Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - generations.
• 11:49 And that through Abraham
• 11:52 all the families of the Earth will be blessed.
• 11:54 And that's what we are experiencing here.
• 11:57 We have Jews and Christians together.
• 11:59 People from around the world gathering
• 12:01 and all partaking of the blessing
• 12:03 that is available in this land.
• 12:06 Recreation, spiritual renewal,
• 12:09 the land bringing forth the fruit again,
• 12:12 a land of milk and honey being reborn.
• 12:14 Can a nation be born in a day?
• 12:16 Yes.
• 12:17 May 14, 1948 this nation was born in a day.
• 12:21 The economy continues to soar,
• 12:24 the heat of the economy continues to grow.
• 12:28 The GNP, the high tech world, everything that is going on in Israel
• 12:33 is affecting the entire world in a positive way.
• 12:36 and that is the story of this place.
• 12:39 We see that God is going to continue to prepare a people full of worship as
• 12:46 He prepares Himself to come back
• 12:48 and to rule and reign from Jerusalem
• 12:51 for a thousand years.
• 12:52 We are looking for the coming of Messiah.
• 12:55 I am thinking about what my orthodox friend
• 12:57 up in the mountains of Samaria said;
• 13:00 Myles, if you are right
• 13:03 I will be like this
• 13:05 and if I am right
• 13:06 you will be like this.
• 13:08 The fact is Jews and Christians have a shared
• 13:11 destiny that is unfolding right here in the Land.
• 13:15 And we're looking for the coming of Messiah.
• 13:19 I would say to you, "Look up,"
• 13:21 because your redemption is drawing close".
• 13:39 This is a significant time,
• 13:41 seeing the Jewish people restored
• 13:44 and for the first time in history,
• 13:47 help is coming primarily from
• 13:50 Bible believers around the world
• 13:52 who are standing with Israel and
• 13:55 beginning to say that we want to be Haverim ,
• 13:59 the "friends" who stand with and who help to support
• 14:04 this restoration that we are seeing.
• 14:06 Kathararine - We are seeing it
• 14:08 in the agriculture,
• 14:09 arts, beauty, medicine, people,
• 14:12 in the "up up and away" -right?
• 14:15 Yeah we're seeing the supernatural aspect
• 14:20 of the physical, sciences, technology.
• 14:23 Start up nation aspects
• 14:26 we have been telling you about in this series.
• 14:28 We are seeing it also
• 14:30 in the promise of spiritual renewal.
• 14:33 And you want to be on the side of history
• 14:35 that is rising as we are in this balloon
• 14:38 because we believe that the restoration will continue-
• 14:41 [sound of flame)
• 14:45 That noise you hear is the sound of the fire
• 14:49 taking us up even higher.
• 14:51 On a personal note, when we were married
• 14:54 Katharine's Dad gave her away to me
• 14:56 and whispered in her ear "Up Up and Away"
• 14:58 her favorite childhood song.
• 15:00 Here we are, Up Up and Away
• 15:02 not only on a personal level,
• 15:04 but standing for this incredible restoration.
• 15:07 Everything is possible in this land.
• 15:10 This is the start up nation.
• 15:12 Ideas are flowing from here everyday.
• 15:15 Katharine - This is the Land that has a shared covenant.
• 15:18 And it's the covenants with God
• 15:20 that draws the people back to the Land.
• 15:23 And it's also the covenant for the Gentiles.
• 15:26 The Ministry of Tourism has invited us here
• 15:30 to enjoy the Land, the people
• 15:33 and our shared history in this Land.
• 15:37 The tomb is empty and it's the only religion
• 15:41 where the tomb is empty.
• 15:43 Come see that it's empty.
• 15:45 He is not here, He is risen!
• 15:47 And that's part of the reasons why
• 15:49 we are up here in this hot air balloon
• 15:50 is because he took flight and we will soon take flight.
• 15:54 Most of all we want you to know that it is time for us
• 15:57 to stand and to be that light,
• 15:59 to be that blessing to those around us,
• 16:02 to walk in that message of love.
• 16:04 So remember that Israel is not about the bad news,
• 16:08 it's about the "Good News" of the Gospel,
• 16:11 the beauty, the restoration, and the miracle of
• 16:15 the new birth that happened here.
• 16:26 We hope you are enjoying our series,
• 16:28 "Beauty for Ashes"
• 16:30 as we contrast the horrors of the Holocaust
• 16:32 with the miracle of modern Israel.
• 16:35 Get this series for yourself
• 16:36 or to share with friends.
• 16:38 Just call us at 1-800-WONDERS
• 16:41 or go to levitt.com
• 16:43 and ask the DVD series "Beauty for Ashes"
• 16:50 Myles - I asked our Balloon Pilot what people expected
• 16:53 when they take their first ride on a hot air balloon.
• 16:57 First of all, they don't really know what they are going into,
• 17:00 because it's a very unfamiliar experience.
• 17:05 So when they're finally there it is very calm.
• 17:10 It's not like the aircraft is [doing] any hard maneuvering
• 17:14 and you feel it on your body.
• 17:15 It is very calm like to stand up in an elevator
• 17:18 to see our beautiful valley and area.
• 17:25 Most all of them are stunning.
• 17:29 Do y ou see the Jewish people and Arabs together on the balloon?
• 17:32 Yes - absolutely!
• 17:33 So the world needs to know that.
• 17:35 So let them know.
• 17:36 Yes, that this is part of a peace plan.
• 17:42 Sort of.
• 17:42 Shi's peace plan.
• 17:53 You can literally smell the fragrance
• 17:54 of the oranges beneath us.
• 17:56 It's amazing.
• 17:58 Just like a fragrant flower.
• 18:00 It's so beautiful here.
• 18:01 We're passing Almond trees,
• 18:03 we're passing citrus,
• 18:06 animals are beneath us.
• 18:08 It's simply gorgeous.
• 18:10 Look at how big the grapefruit is!
• 18:12 Are those grapefruit or oranges?
• 18:14 Those are grapefruit.
• 18:17 I'm speechless.
• 18:19 It's just so gorgeous.
• 18:23 Words fail because
• 18:24 we're seeing the fulfillment
• 18:26 of the Words of God over this land.
• 18:28 It's the most beautiful thing
• 18:30 I've seen in a long time.
• 18:32 The green, the restoration,
• 18:36 the newness of life.
• 18:39 We're coming up on Pesach .
• 18:41 We're getting ready for "Passover".
• 18:43 And just the word of "restoration"
• 18:46 and every year saying
• 18:47 "Next Year in Jerusalem",
• 18:49 " Li-shanah Haba'ah Yerushalayim "
• 18:51 Here we are in Israel
• 18:53 restoration is in motion,
• 18:55 it's taking place.
• 18:57 And t he desert has bloomed.
• 18:58 Galilee is gorgeous, it's lush.
• 19:01 It's rich in agriculture and in beauty.
• 19:05 And just as the Land is lush, the people are lush.
• 19:08 In the face of trials we get richer,
• 19:13 and so that is what you see here.
• 19:18 Katharine - We spoke to an Israeli couple
• 19:20 who rode in the balloon with us.
• 19:23 Well, it's kind of hard to see it
• 19:25 just from watching CNN or FOX because
• 19:28 you see the same little
• 19:29 clip of violence rolled and rolled.
• 19:31 Actually the quality of life here is
• 19:33 not about that at all.
• 19:34 Coming here from New York which is
• 19:36 a place where people "live to work" -
• 19:39 this is a switch because in Israel
• 19:41 I think people really "work to live".
• 19:43 Their life is much more
• 19:44 about their kids and their families.
• 19:46 This is sort of ground zero for us.
• 19:48 We met 11 years ago in Tel Aviv.
• 19:52 I was living in New York at the time.
• 19:54 We started dating.
• 19:55 And shortly after we came right over here to Mount Gilboa.
• 19:59 And that's kind of where we fell in love.
• 20:02 We ended up naming our first son "Gilboa".
• 20:05 We call him"Gilbo" for short.
• 20:07 A nd we live in Modiin with our three boys,
• 20:09 And we try to get up North as much as we can.
• 20:12 In fact, we were up here hiking
• 20:14 on Thursday and Friday.
• 20:16 Myles - So you could live in the States,
• 20:18 but you choose to live here. Why?
• 20:20 Well, I married an Israeli,
• 20:21 [Laughing]
• 20:23 and that is the most sure fire indicator of Zionism.
• 20:26 [Laughing]
• 20:35 [Myles Laughing] Nothin to it!
• 20:39 So we've had this amazing experience
• 20:41 on this hot air balloon.
• 20:43 Tell us about the story of your family.
• 20:46 Who did not make it through the Holocaust
• 20:48 and who made it here and how you got here?
• 20:50 My grandfather, David, had I believe 10 brothers
• 20:55 and he was trying to convince them
• 20:58 to come to Israel from Poland.
• 21:01 Umm, I am not sure I think it was before the state was born
• 21:06 so maybe 1935.
• 21:10 But they didn't want to come so he came alone.
• 21:13 He was a pioneer and he had a farm, they had cows and chickens.
• 21:19 Unfortunately when my father was 18 years old
• 21:23 he asked his father to go take a horse that was making a lot of noise.
• 21:28 My grandfather went and got kicked by the horse and died immediately.
• 21:33 And my father had to take over the farm.
• 21:36 That was from my father's side.
• 21:39 My father is really, you know, he's a land person
• 21:43 and later he fought in some of the Israeli wars.
• 21:48 My grandmother from my mother's side, they also,
• 21:51 her parents came from Germany.
• 21:54 They lived in Jerusalem and they were very poor.
• 21:58 My grandmother one day was cooking, they used to have
• 22:02 these little fire things that you would turn on.
• 22:05 It just caught on her dress and she burned immediately.
• 22:11 They were trying to find an ambulance.
• 22:13 but the British were ruling and nobody stopped
• 22:16 so she died in a few hours.
• 22:18 My mother who was four years old came home and
• 22:22 nobody let them in, they just saw a burned house.
• 22:25 There were tragedies from both families
• 22:29 but I have a huge family now.
• 22:31 Tons of cousins and aunts and uncles.
• 22:34 It is wonderful.
• 22:36 So, the ones that didn't come with the grandparents,
• 22:41 they stayed in Europe.
• 22:42 They all died in the Holocaust.
• 22:44 All of them except one brother from
• 22:47 my mother's side, who went to Paris
• 22:53 and married I think a non-Jewish woman
• 22:55 but never told their kids that he's Jewish.
• 22:59 All the rest perished in Auschwitz.
• 23:04 So, your family is evidence of
• 23:08 the irrepressible Jewish spirit that
• 23:12 No matter what happens, good can come
• 23:15 and beauty and family and future
• 23:18 Yeah
• 23:19 Your future and a hope.
• 23:20 Yeah, I guess you could say that.
• 23:22 You are Hatikvah .
• 23:24 Amen - Yes.
• 23:37 WOW that young couple embodies the hope that is in Israel.
• 23:41 They just want to live in peace,
• 23:43 raise their children and enjoy their lives.
• 23:46 And yet they are beleaguered on every hand.
• 23:48 They are just surrounded by enemies.
• 23:52 And there is a human cry around the world
• 23:54 to join in together against this tiny nation
• 23:57 who is producing the most beautiful
• 23:59 technological, medical and artistic
• 24:03 breakthroughs to the whole world.
• 24:04 It's just so ironic.
• 24:05 They're bringing so many advances to the world
• 24:08 because of the grace of God and the Light
• 24:10 that's in their minds and that's in the Word
• 24:12 that's causing them to produce.
• 24:14 You know this ministry is always been about
• 24:17 building bridges and standing with the Prince of Peace.
• 24:19 We end every show with "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"
• 24:23 because they need our prayers.
• 24:25 You know they're not fighting a natural war.
• 24:27 This is a supernatural war.
• 24:28 This is the enemy of our soul
• 24:30 seeking to snuff the people of the Book out.
• 24:34 Yeah, and Romans 11:26 tells us
• 24:36 "that all Israel shall be saved."
• 24:37 We want to be in on the side of God
• 24:40 as He leads us to that time
• 24:42 when all Israel will be saved.
• 24:44 Remember - what happened in Europe
• 24:46 was a systematic demonization of the Jewish people.
• 24:50 A systematic stripping of their rights.
• 24:52 A systematic economic oppression
• 24:54 and just a narrowing of life
• 24:57 that allowed them to be so dehumanized
• 25:00 that people could feel either nothing
• 25:02 or feel justified in wiping the Jewish people out.
• 25:06 And I want to tell you that today
• 25:08 that same spirit is at work in the world.
• 25:11 That's why we call on you to stand with Israel.
• 25:13 It's not perfect.
• 25:15 It's not politically perfect.
• 25:16 Not every decision they make is right.
• 25:17 But they are the people of the Book.
• 25:19 And we-you who are grafted in
• 25:22 are people of the Book as well.
• 25:24 And so we want to stand together.
• 25:26 One of the movements today
• 25:27 that I'm glad to hear is faltering a little bit is the
• 25:29 Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Movement.
• 25:32 Which is an attempt to strip the economy of Israel.
• 25:36 And the irony in that which is to try to
• 25:39 oppress the economic strength of Israel.
• 25:42 The irony in it is that it hurts our Arab cousins.
• 25:45 who are employed by the booming economy in Israel.
• 25:49 And so it's absolutely the wrong way to go.
• 25:52 The attempt to divide the Land, to divide Jerusalem God says
• 25:55 very strongly that He will stand against those who try to do that.
• 26:00 Now usually at the end of every program we
• 26:02 end from a prayer from Psalm 122:6
• 26:05 to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
• 26:07 But today we're going to take you back to Poland.
• 26:10 We're at the pond where the Jewish ashes were spread.
• 26:15 I was able to say the "Mourners Kaddish "
• 26:18 The Mourners Prayer for the sake of our ancestors.
• 26:23 And in God's beauty and wonder my wife and our good friend Ken
• 26:29 stood with me at that time.
• 26:37 ♪ Myles singing the Prayer ♪
• 27:41 "May you who makes peace in His heights"
• 27:43 "make peace upon us"
• 27:46 "and upon all Israel"
• 27:48 "and say Amen."