Yesterday, Israeli Memorial Day for men and women who have given their lives for the protection of their country and its people, gave us another opportunity to share in the life of Israel. Commemoration of lives lost, since before Israel's indenpendance up to today, took place in Karmiel just down the hill from our apartment.

It seems that the Jewish people are always faced with the need to protect their lives; and not only their own, but even the lives of those who would treat them as equal human beings and do common, everyday business with them.

Today I read an April 20th Jerusalem Post article by Caroline Glick, titled "The Elephant of Jew-hatred", in which she tells the story of Mohammed Abh Shahala who was sentenced to death this week by the Palestinian Authority for selling a house in Hebron, near the Cave of the Patriarchs, to Jews. He was arrested when the new Jewish owners moved in, and then sentenced to death.

Jewish residents in Hebron have sent a letter pleading for international intervention to save his life to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, director-general of the Red Cross Yves Daccord, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and others. Hopefuly these international leaders will move to prevent this death.

It is unbeleivable that such a law could actually be on the books of any peoples' charter in modern times, but it is there and acted upon.

We need to pray that the international community will open its eyes to such blatant hatred of Jews that exists, not only in the countries surrounding Israel, but in the larger world community, as seen in the fact that such laws can exist without an international outcry.