To prevent the takeover, the organizations petitioned the Jerusalem District Court for temporary ex parte restraining orders, which were granted.

According to the organizations, the case began in 2020, when Mordecai Veberman began an unexpected approach to the Anglican Church and was even officially baptized into Christianity. During these years, Veberman found employment at CMJ (Church's Ministry among Jewish People) – a British organization founded in 1809 that has operated in Jerusalem for nearly 200 years. This is the parent organization to which the Vincent Association and the Israeli Trust of the Anglican Church belong, which operate the church's school and hold the historic properties.

According to the organizations, as time passed, Veberman grew closer to Vincent's CEO, Father Darryl, who recently left his position. Veberman managed to infiltrate the community ranks, expressed interest in joining the pastoral track in the church, worked in the organizations and established personal relationships with key figures in CMJ in Israel and abroad. The trust that CMJ representatives placed in Veberman "The trust that CMJ representatives placed in him was so complete that, because most organization representatives do not speak Hebrew, they signed Hebrew documents at his request without receiving translations, relying entirely on his explanations of their content."

According to the organizations, last month they accidentally discovered a shocking detail – companies that according to the court petition are owned by Veberman and his business partners, hold agreements that are purported to be sales agreements for two real estate properties – the Anglican school at 82 Hanevi'im Street and the old "Voice of Israel" building at 25 Petruschka Street.

The school, purchased by the church in the 1840s, is a complex spanning 15,058 square meters (162,089 square feet). The school educates approximately 230 students annually from kindergarten through high school, many of them children of diplomats staying in Israel. According to the organizations, this is a property whose value is "priceless." The "Voice of Israel" building at 25 Petruschka Street was purchased by the organization in the early 20th century.

In any case, according to the documents accidentally discovered by organization personnel, the Petruschka Street building was allegedly sold for 7.5 million shekels (about $2.2 million), and the Anglican school for 60 million shekels (about $17.9 million).

According to the documents, at the signing ceremony, the companies owned by Veberman and his business partners were supposed to pay Vincent Association 9 million shekels (about $2.7 million) for the school and 1 million shekels (about $300,000) for the Petruschka Street building. However, according to the organizations, no sales transactions were discussed.

The sale of the Anglican school and the Petruschka building was not on the agenda, and in any case the transactions were not properly approved by the organization institutions and CMJ. Moreover, the signatures were allegedly accompanied by a forged seal (according to the organization, it has had no seal for the past five years), and the two people who appear as alleged signatories cannot read Hebrew and never intended to sign sale agreements. According to the court petition, the signatures on the sale agreements on behalf of the organization in Hebrew were obtained by deceiving office holders who do not speak Hebrew.

As part of the petition, the organizations claim that Mordechai Veberman and his attorney, Kobi Ifrach, used forged documents and false powers of attorney designed to create an impression of a sale approval process in the organization's institutions.

According to the organizations, the only transaction discussed with Veberman and his partners that was actually approved was a combination deal in the Petruschka building, and that it was agreed that Vincent Association would remain the landowner. According to them, the subject of selling the school was not discussed at all. The organizations are represented by attorneys Odelia Ofer and Goni Blumfeld from the Herzog Fox Neeman law firm.

The petition further claims that Veberman "played a double game" – on one hand he acted as someone who belonged to the community of believers and claimed he was interested in donating money to the organizations and helping them, and on the other hand allegedly planned to defraud and deceive them and take over their properties. The organizations said that discovering the transactions clarified that this was a "Trojan horse," and that they intend to file a police complaint.

Attorney Kobi Ifrach stated, "First, I have no personal acquaintance with Mordechai Veberman. I met him two years ago in another transaction where I represented the other side. Second, I have never forged documents and/or powers of attorney. Third, some of the signatories are Hebrew speakers and are indeed proficient in reading and writing. Fourth, I have never presented any false document. I am sorry that a large and respected law firm accuses a colleague of serious matters with unrestrained attacks before checking the facts. I am confident that the court will decide that no fault was found in my work as the church's attorney."

No response was received from Veberman by the deadline for closing this edition and publishing the story. His response to the court has also not yet been filed.

Ironically, just days ago the British Christian newspaper Evangelicals Now published a celebratory article about Veberman from CMJ's annual conference. In the article, he was presented as a success story – a former military rabbi who converted to Christianity and told a gathering of 400 people how he "came home" to Messianic Judaism. "I stand before you not as someone who left Judaism, but as someone who found its fulfillment," Veberman was quoted as saying. Days after that, the organizations discovered the affair.

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Jews are rarely so uninhibited in their support of Israel as evangelical Christians in the United States, whose support for the Jewish state during the weekend's Christians United for Israel Summit in Dallas, seemed to be a testament of faith.

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The organization's founder, evangelical Pastor John Hagee, set the tone during his address to more than 700 donors and leaders of the organization in person in a hotel ballroom, as well as general membership who watched it livestreamed, during the first night of the summit titled "A Night to Honor Israel."

"Israel is not a political issue," said Hagee. "Israel is a biblical issue. If you believe the Bible, you will support the Jewish people."

He said that especially, those who do not believe the 12th Chapter of Genesis do not understand the Bible.

"I shall bless those who bless you, and shall curse those who curse you, and all clans on earth will bless themselves by you," the verse states.

Hagee believes that besides blessing Israel, non-Jews are indebted to Jews and should provide them with material blessings, as the Jews have provided gentiles with spiritual blessings.

"What spiritual things? The Jewish people have given us the Bible. Every word in the Bible was written by Jewish people. They [gave us] the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," he said. "They gave to us the prophets. There's not a Baptist in the bunch; they're all Jewish people."

And finally, he said, the Jewish people gave the world Jesus, without who they would not be there at all.

Christian support, he continued, included the recognition of as an eternal, biblically mandated Jewish land. "The point is, the Jewish people today do not occupy the land as the media claims; they own the land and they own it forever," he said. "I've heard theologians say, 'Well, their reward is heavenly.'"

"Nonsense!" Hagee said, citing the Bible verses describing the borders of Israel. "The borders of Israel are very much recorded in scripture, and they include terra firma and that's all."

Unlike pre-pandemic conferences that the group held annually in Washington, DC, which included live choirs singing Israeli music and thousands of energized evangelicals dancing and singing along, this year's program was a more subdued affair, though the attendees were no less passionate about the topic at hand.

Many were themselves pastors from churches and missions across the country. On the first night of the conference on July 11, the audience hung onto the words of the speakers  – most of whom were Republican politicians – professing their love for Israel.

But Hagee was the main draw with his spirited sermons and preacher's delivery.

"The fact is that the blessing of blessed Israel brings supernatural blessing to nations, to churches, to individuals who bless Israel and the Jewish people," he said. "Based on the Bible, I believe that the blessings of God that have been poured out on America since Christopher Columbus discovered what is called America now, looking for a home for displaced Jewish people in the Spanish Inquisition. I also believe the day America stops blessing Israel will be the day God stops blessing the United States of America."

"Yeah!" responded some members of the audience.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who followed Hagee's speech, began by saying that he only agreed to speak that day if he could hear Hagee speak, a sentiment many in the audience agreed with.

Patrick recalled his visit to Israel and spoke about the connections between Texas – the Lone Star State – and Israel, whose flag also features a single star.

He was followed by Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke about the differences between the Trump administration's policies towards Israel as opposed to those of the Biden administration to an audience that opposed policies such as re-establishing a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem and re-entering the Iran nuclear deal.

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the final speaker of the night, whose pro-Israel positions at the world body made her a celebrity among the attendees.

Even Cruz, a potential 2024 opponent of Haley's if both decide to contest the Republican nomination and whose speech largely focused on recounting his involvement in consulting the White House on some of the Trump administration's most pro-Israel policies, complimented her work on behalf of Israel.

Patrick also said that the combination of Donald Trump as president and Haley as his ambassador did more for Israel than any previous administration in American history.

In June, Haley was a guest of Hagee's on a solidarity visit to Israel in the wake of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"I saw the moment I set foot on that hallowed ground – Israel stands strong. The Israeli people stand strong. Because you cannot destroy what God has blessed. And God has blessed Israel and her people," said Haley. "I saw this truth as we traveled the country. The spirit of the Israeli people is as contagious as ever. They continue to live each day like it's their last."

She also recalled how moved she was when she visited the site where a Hamas rocket killed an elderly man and spoke to a neighbor who showed her the spot where she stood to protect her grandchild during the explosion, her hair remaining in the plaster on the wall.

Haley also spoke of her frustration while working in the United Nations trying to combat its anti-Israel agenda.

"During my time as ambassador, I led the fight to fix that failed body. I reminded everyone that the [UN Human Rights] Council is stacked with human-rights abusers –Communist China, Communist Cuba, Russia, Venezuela – it's a 'who's who' of genocidal maniacs, murderous thugs and tin-pot dictators," she said. "It's bad enough that these dangerous regimes use the council to cover up their own crimes. It's even worse that they spend their days going after the free and democratic country of Israel.

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"To this day, the Human Rights Council has a permanent agenda item with the sole purpose of bashing Israel. It's the height of hypocrisy and insanity, and it shows how broken the council really is."

She said that while she was contemplating leaving the council, a European ambassador told her that the US had to remain put since that's the last shred of credibility the council had. And that, she recounted, only encouraged her to go to the president and request to remove the US from the council, which she called a farce.

The Biden administration is planning to rejoin the council, which recently launched an investigation into Israel war crimes in its engagement with Hamas.

"America is sending the worst possible signal," said Haley. "The freest country in human history is lending legitimacy to the most oppressive regimes on the planet. And America is doing it in the name of human rights. It doesn't get more backward than that. Here's the truth that the Biden administration needs to hear: If you support human rights, you must oppose the UN Human Rights Council."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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"We have had a strong and constructive relationship with Scott Morrison personally and had a very good working relationship with the government he led," Jeremy Jones, director of international and community affairs for the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), told Jewish News Syndicate. "We also have worked with many members of the Opposition and the Cross-benchers. We saw the defeat of a number of racist candidates and MPs who associated with maximalist anti-Israel groups."

The victory by Morrison, who hails from the center-right Liberal Party, echoes some of the surprise electoral success other decidedly pro-Israel right-wing candidates have seen in recent years around the world, such as with U.S. President Donald Trump and more recently with Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and potentially in Canada as well next October. However, Austria's Sebastian Kurz, who has also staked a strong pro-Israel stance in Europe, now faces snap elections after his junior coalition partner resigned from the government following a video scandal.

"The Australian government is not 'populist' in the sense of Donald Trump or Bolsonaro or even [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. It is conservative, center-right and ran on a platform of economic responsibility, not populism. Australia has compulsory voting, which militates in favor of responsible centrism," said Jones.

Netanyahu, who visited Australia in 2017, quickly congratulated Morrison on his victory.

"I send congratulations to another friend of mine, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who won the elections after the polls consistently predicted that he would lose. At the last minute, in the final hours, he won," Netanyahu said on Sunday during his cabinet meeting.

Morrison, who took office last August after ousting former party leader and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, drew headlines last fall after he suggested that he was "open" to the idea of moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem.

While it seemed Morrison was initially open to the idea of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the embassy there, ultimately the Australian leader only recognized western Jerusalem as the country's capital and opened a "Defense and Trade Office" in Jerusalem instead. This move was likely due to pressure from Australia's Muslim neighbor Indonesia, which had been outspoken against the embassy relocation.

Nevertheless, Jones expects Morrison to continue to be a strong friend of the Jewish community and Israel, saying he "has been engaged with issues of direct concern to the Jewish community, as he attended school with many Jewish students, has political influences well-disposed to Israel and Jewry, and he is a committed Christian who is well-versed in the Bible."

Indeed, Morrison, an evangelical Christian who first took office last August, will likely continue to build on his country's strong pro-Israel stance.

Is an embassy move to Jerusalem in the cards?

Despite their geographical distance, both countries have a robust economic relationship, with more than $1.1 billion in bilateral trade annually. Many Israeli companies operate in Australia, providing IT services such as cybersecurity and agricultural technology.

In 2017, Netanyahu became the first sitting Israeli prime minister to visit Australia as part of his ongoing diplomatic efforts to bolster Israel's relations around the world. During the visit, Netanyahu and former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull signed a number of bilateral agreements in areas such as education, innovation, agriculture, water, energy and environmental protection.

More recently, in March 2019, the two countries also signed their first-ever tax treaty, which will help to prevent double taxation and tax avoidance.

In addition to Morrison, other pro-Israel lawmakers also saw electoral success in last weekend's election. Liberal Party politician Dave Sharma, the country's former ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017, won a close race for a seat from the heavily Jewish district of Wentworth, a suburb of Sydney.

Given his previous experience, Sharma is already reportedly being considered for a cabinet post and has said he is open to the idea of an embassy move.

"I think we should be open to considering it as Australians. The U.S. has done it," Sharma said during the campaign.

Yet Jones does not expect any major policy shifts in the near future for the Morrison government, including an embassy move.

"The Morrison government will most likely act with prudence and careful consideration of many different factors in any further actions relating to Israel generally and Jerusalem specifically," he said. "We do not expect any immediate variation on the current policies."

Instead, Jones says that his organization will work closely with Morrison to focus attention on the growing threat of Iran.

"We will be urging the government to focus more attention on the threat of Iranian adventurism, as well as urging continued support for peace-building through people-to-people engagements and direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority."

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Many evangelicals see Israel's existence as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and a pilgrimage to the holy city is auspicious during the festival of Sukkot – a holiday which evangelicals celebrate as the Feast of the Tabernacles – which this year started on Sept. 23 and ends Sept. 30.

Thursday's parade was festooned with Israeli flags, as well as those of the native countries of the marchers, many of whom also wore their traditional national garb.

Israeli police said more than 7,000 people took part in the march which the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, a main organizer of the event, described as an "expression [of] our solidarity with Israel."

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