ICEJ welcoming 3,000 Christian pilgrims for Feast 2023
Published on: 22.9.2023
Large Fiji delegation arriving on historic chartered flight to Israel
By: David Parsons, ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman
Next week, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem will be welcoming to Israel some 3,000 Christians from more than 80 nations to attend its annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration. The variety of Feast pilgrims this year includes national delegations from nearby countries such as Egypt and Turkey all the way to a large group of Fijian pilgrims coming from the ends of the earth on a chartered flight of Fiji Airways, which will be making the airline’s first-ever landing in Israel.
The ICEJ’s eight-day Succot gathering runs this year from 29 September to 6 October, and will take the Christian visitors on a pilgrimage through the Land of Israel, starting with two evening concerts at En Gev on the Sea of Galilee, then up to Jerusalem for six days of exciting events, including a Communion service in the Garden Tomb, the colorful Roll Call of the Nations and the ever-popular Jerusalem March, plus a solidarity visit to the western Negev.
“We are privileged again to welcome the nations to Jerusalem for Succot, according to the ancient vision of the Hebrew prophet Zechariah,” said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “We trust that as they encounter Israel up close, they will return to their home countries with a deeper love for this nation and a fresh inspiration from God, in keeping with Isaiah’s prophecy that the word of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem.”
Among this year’s Feast attendees are Fiji’s deputy prime minister Viliame R. Gavoka, who is leading his government’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem next year, along with cabinet ministers, parliamentarians, and dignitaries from many other countries around the world. The roster of prominent Christian leaders coming in for the Feast includes Dr. Billy Wilson, president of Oral Roberts University, and Dr. Enoch Adeboye from Nigeria, who pastors the largest church in Africa.
The featured speakers at the Feast will include Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel, and Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, while President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver recorded greetings to the gathering, which once again will be the largest annual Christian tourist event in Israel this year.
Another special Israeli guest speaker will be IDF Brig. Gen. Avigdor Kahalani (ret.), who will appear on Israeli Guest Night as the Feast marks the 50th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. This traditional Feast event also will feature performances by musical artists from Israel and around the world in a joyous multi-cultural atmosphere and strong show of Christian support for Israel. Israeli Guest Night is open to all Israelis and will be held on Tuesday, 3 October 2023 at 7:30 PM in the Jerusalem Pais Arena.
The musical performances at Feast 2023 will feature a wide variety of local and international singers, musicians and dance troupes from Brazil, Fiji, Germany, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Sweden, an Israeli-Ukrainian klezmer band, a popular Israeli Arab vocalist, and an Iranian-born singer who will perform songs in Persian.
As the Feast winds up, the ICEJ will take hundreds of Christians to the Sha’ar HaNegev region for a solidarity gathering with local Israeli communities along the Gaza border, followed by a special ceremony in the Be’eri Forest to dedicate the new “Christian Embassy Nature Park.” The new park is a special project the ICEJ has undertaken in partnership with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund to re-plant a 126-acre section of the forest burned in recent years by aerial arson attacks from Gaza.
Besides the scores of pilgrims attending the Feast in person, tens of thousands of additional Christians will join the Feast on the ICEJ’s special online streaming platform.
ICEJ迎接3,000名基督徒朝聖者參加 2023年住棚節慶典
發佈於：2023年9月22日
斐濟大型代表團乘坐歷史性包機抵達以色列
作者：David Parsons，ICEJ 副總裁兼資深發言人
下週，耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館將歡迎來自80多個國家的約3,000名基督徒來到以色列參加一年一度的住棚節慶祝活動。今年的住棚節慶典朝聖者種類繁多，包括來自埃及、土耳其等周邊國家的國家代表團，以及乘坐斐濟航空包機從天涯海角趕來的一大群斐濟朝聖者，這將是該航空公司的首個朝聖者。-曾經登陸過以色列。
ICEJ 今年為期八天的住棚節聚會將於9月29日至10月6日舉行，將帶領基督徒遊客穿越以色列土地朝聖，首先在加利利海的En Gev舉辦兩場晚間音樂會，然後前往耶路撒冷為期六天的令人興奮的活動，包括花園墓的聖餐儀式、豐富多彩的國家點名和廣受歡迎的耶路撒冷遊行，以及對內蓋夫西部的聲援訪問。
ICEJ 主席尤根布勒博士表示：「根據希伯來先知撒迦利亞的古老異象，我們再次榮幸地歡迎各國來到耶路撒冷參加住棚節慶典。」 「我們相信，當他們近距離接觸以色列時，他們會帶著對這個國家更深的愛和來自上帝的新靈感回到自己的祖國，這與以賽亞的預言一致，即耶和華的話語將從耶路撒冷發出。”
今年的住棚節慶典出席者包括斐濟副總理維利亞姆·加沃卡(Viliame R. Gavoka)，他正在領導斐濟政府做出明年在耶路撒冷開設大使館的決定，出席者還有內閣部長、議員和來自世界各地許多其他國家的政要。出席住棚節慶典的著名基督教領袖包括奧羅爾·羅伯茨大學校長比利·威爾遜博士和非洲最大教會牧師、來自尼日利亞的伊諾克·阿德博伊博士。
住棚節慶典上的主要發言人將包括以色列外交部長埃利·科恩、情報部長吉拉·加姆利爾和耶路撒冷副市長芙蓉·哈桑-納胡姆，而以色列總統赫爾佐格和以色列總理內塔尼亞胡將向聚會發表錄音問候，這將再次成為以色列今年最大的年度基督徒旅遊活動。
另一位以色列特邀演講嘉賓是以色列國防軍準將。 阿維格多·卡哈拉尼將軍（已退休）將出席以色列賓客之夜慶祝贖罪日戰爭 50 週年的慶典。 這項傳統的節期活動還將有來自以色列和世界各地的音樂藝術家在歡樂的多元文化氛圍中表演，並強烈展示基督教對以色列的支持。 以色列嘉賓之夜向所有以色列人開放，將於 2023 年 10 月 3 日星期二晚上 7:30 在耶路撒冷派斯競技場舉行。
2023 年住棚節慶典的音樂表演將有來自巴西、斐濟、德國、科特迪瓦、荷蘭、尼日利亞、挪威、菲律賓、瑞典的眾多本地和國際歌手、音樂家和舞團、以色列-烏克蘭 klezmer 樂隊、流行的以色列阿拉伯歌手和伊朗出生的歌手將用波斯語演唱歌曲。
隨著節日的結束，ICEJ 將帶領數百名基督徒前往Sha'ar HaNegev 地區，與加沙邊境沿線的當地以色列社區舉行聲援聚會，隨後在Be'eri 森林舉行特別儀式，為新的「基督徒大使館公園」舉行落成儀式。新公園是 ICEJ 與 Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund 合作的一個特殊項目，旨在重新種植近年來因加沙空中縱火襲擊而燒毀的 126 英畝森林。
除了數十名親自參加住棚節慶典的朝聖者之外，數以萬計的基督徒也將在 ICEJ 的特殊線上串流平台上參加住棚節慶典。