Politicians use peace for their own purposes, but it is God’s name!
He visits the Netherlands for the first time and he really likes it. Many countries ask him to share the story of his life and his profound biblical conviction based on his faith. Yehuda Glick is 53 years of age. He was an MK, member of Knesset, the Israeli Parliament; director of the Temple Institute and a defender of the freedom of religion and civil rights for Jews on the Temple Mount. He barely escaped an attack. In the meantime, he founded the Shalom Jerusalem Foundation. Furthermore, he devotes himself to orphans who were victims of murder attempts on their parents. A rabbi with a special story!
Moskowitz-prize
Yehuda: “The Temple Mount has been connected to the history of Israel for over 3,000 years. That Jews are not allowed to pray in their own country on the Temple Mount, where once the First and Second Temple stood is not realistic, and unjustified. The Bible says: “…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7b), this goes for Jews and for Biblical believers. I dedicate myself to achieve this.”
He became the symbol of the battle for religious freedom and civil rights for all believers on the Temple mount. For this reason, he founded HaLiba; an acronym for a number of organizations, in a nutshell “The Temple Mount Movement”.
Because of his dedication he was awarded the “Moskowitz Prize for Zionism” in 2015, an Israeli Nobel prize for Zionism. Yehuda: “That was an encouragement for me and a recognition of my battle, but also a confirmation of what it says in Isaiah 2:3a “Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Temple Institute
Furthermore, he was also the director of the Jerusalem based Temple Institute. An organization preparing and promoting the construction of the Third Temple, also by means of information and education. Yehuda: “On Mount Sinai the Jewish people were ordered as written in the Book of Exodus: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8). And why shouldn’t this command be in effect anymore today?”, he says convincingly.
The Temple Institute fascinatingly shows that practically everything is ready for the Third Temple, accurately and accordingly to Biblical regulations made and prepared, based on the First and Second Temples; the musical instruments, the clothes, the Priest’s implements and the golden Menorah. Yehuda: “The Third Temple could be built on the Temple Mount next to the Golden Dome, the Dome of the Rock.”
Attack
After Yehuda’s speaking arrangement on a conference in Jerusalem towards the end of 2014, his life changed drastically. “As I wanted to go home all of a sudden an Arabic man came up to me on a motorbike and asked if I was Yehuda Glick. He went on to say: “Sorry but you are an enemy of Al Aqsa, so I have to do this. Then he shot me in the chest four times from a 30 centimetre distance and quickly disappeared. I tried to walk a couple of metres, but I couldn’t. Before I lost my consciousness, I thought: “My life is in God’s hand!” He is still deeply upset when he talks about it. Softly he goes on to say: “In hospital I received surgery nine times. One bullet missed my aorta by a few millimetres. I was severely injured.”
A life-and-death struggle
After been in a coma for more than a week, Yehuda began to show signs of life. Started to recognize family members and could communicate with them by moving his head. Later he managed to slowly breath independently and started to speak. Two weeks afterwards he had to recover after being in the hospital for a month in a life-and-death struggle. “Prayers from many Jews and Christians helped me and God saved me”, he continues emotionally. Answering the question whether he obtained permanent physical damage he says: “I am in pain all the time and have to undergo many treatments, but God gives me hope”.
The perpetrator was apprehended. He turned out to be a member of the Islamic Jihad. Before committing the attack on Yehuda, he had served an 11-year sentence for other crimes. In a gunfight with the police Mutaz Hijazi was killed.
Member of Knesset
In 2016 Yehuda became a member of the Israeli Parliament. He witnessed Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the dismantlement of the Israeli settlements, for which he warned severely and for this reason resigned as spokesman for the department of Immigration and Absorption. He also worked for the department of Health and Defence. Yehuda: “Politicians use the phrase “peace” for their own purposes and do not realize that “peace” is not the absence of war, but the name of God. In Judges 6:24a it says: “So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.” (*) That is why I tried in politics to bring Jerusalem, which also means “peace”, closer to the world. In Haggai 2:9b it says: “’And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” That is why I believe that evil will be overcome with good and that real peace will come!”
Orphans
Yehuda has eight children, including 2 foster children. When Ytzak and Talya Ames, parents of 6 children, were killed in an attack, Yehuda and his wife Yaffa were given custody of these children.
In 2016 his neighbour, Dafna Meir, was killed in an attack in the presence of her 4 children. Yehuda and his wife took care of these children as well. Yehuda: “Who loses his parents, loses his shield. But fortunately, God says: I am your shield.” In 2018 Yaffa died and well over a year later Yehuda married Hadas, who founded a foundation that cares for orphans.
(*)Ophrah of the Abiezrites (ed.)
