Today Id like to give you an update on my four-day mission to Israel on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism for the State of Israel from the Golan Heights. Last week, I had the privilege of attending the March for the Living in Poland, which took place at the seat of the worst part of the Holocaust--the destruction of the Jewish people in the concentration camps. We walked with 20,000 other people from all over the world between the well-known Auschwitz concentration camp to another camp called Birkenau. Over 1,500,000 Jews were killed in these two concentration camps alone.
From Krakow, Poland, I flew into Tel Aviv, where Ive spent the last three days in Jerusalem meeting with a number of government officials, including former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is now the Minister of Finance, and the current Minister of Tourism Abraham Hirchson. Tourism is a big issue in Israel, and we have thoroughly enjoyed touring throughout the country. Despite what you may be seeing on major media, let me tell you that I have been in the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as up and down the Golan Heights (a very famous battle area for Israels War of Independence in 1967) and even watched tanks and troops practice maneuvers in the upper mountains of the Golan region, and it is actually very calm. The Golan region is literally just a few miles from the Sea of Galilee where Jesus lived, walked on the water, and where a lot of His ministry took place. Today we walked the path by the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the blind man.
If you have not been to Israel, I want to encourage you to take the opportunity that will put the history of the Bible into a new perspective. There is still a tremendous amount of archeological digging as well. The Israeli government is working very hard to welcome Christians from across the world to Israel, and I have found it to be a tremendously great experience.
While out of the country, I have been in constant communication with our senior staff in Washington, DC, who has been working on the issue of federal judges and staying in touch with members of the Senate. There were reports today that there could be two Supreme Court vacancies taking place, and we are preparing for these possibilities as we speak. Currently, there is a lot of discussion about the whole issue of the filibuster reform, which could come to a vote this week, although it is more probable to come next week. I will be back in our offices on Wednesday to give you a report on all the developments taking place in Washington.
If you have not already, I encourage you to stand with us on the filibuster reform by joining our petition to get this filibuster reform changed. This is the critical time! We really need to hear from you. This battle is worth fighting for to make sure our faith and heritage stay in existence. As I write from Israel, the land of the Bible, my desire is strengthened to make sure that we have the right kind of judges in America so this history is taught, even in our public schools. To join our petition, simply call toll free 1.877.989.2255 or sign on electronically from our website.
Once again, as I look at the beautiful Sea of Galilee, overlooking the Golan Heights in Israel, I encourage you to come visit this beautiful land!