THE WEEK AHEAD: Jerusalem March, Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall and 3 Israeli ministers visit in Saudi Arabia; Is a peace deal coming soon?

• Israeli ministers in Saudi Arabia

• Jerusalem March

• Kohanim blessing

• Simchat Torah

ISRAELI MINISTERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

One week after Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz traveled to Saudi Arabia to participate in a United Nations conference, two more Israeli ministers are expected to take the same route.

Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi and Likud party Knesset Member David Bitan are expected to join Katz in making history as the first Israeli officials to publicly pay a visit to the Saudi Kingdom. 

This is yet another indication that Saudi Arabia and Israel are on the cusp of normalizing ties in a highly anticipated, long sought after, historic peace treaty. How do we know? First, because both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told us. Second, just a few weeks ago, Saudi Arabia rejected the entrance of Israeli ministers as part of an Israeli delegation to a UNESCO conference. 

With every week that passes by, the expectation for a diplomatic breakthrough is greater. How soon will it happen? What is holding peace back? Watch the analysis of ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief, Joel Rosenberg, on TBN’s The Rosenberg Report. Meanwhile, with peace or without it, a new study has shown that one-third of Saudi citizens are ready for business ties with Israel. 

JERUSALEM MARCH

The 68th annual Jerusalem March will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 4, during the holiday of Sukkot. As in every year, it is expected to draw tens of thousands to Israel’s capital. The colorful parade brings together individuals, families and groups from Israel and around the world, including tourist groups, marching bands, IDF soldiers, street artists, dance troupes and more. 

Among the marchers will be the participants of the ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles, the largest annual Evangelical Christian celebration in Israel which brings thousands of tourists to Israel for an 8-day-long celebration over Sukkot. 

One of Jerusalem's deputy mayors, Aryeh King, has warned the public against the “Christian missionaries.” King, who has taken part in violent “anti-missionary” activities in the past, announced his warning in a statement on his Facebook account, claiming the missionaries’ goal was to “make contact with Jews and convert them to their religion.” 

KOHANIM BLESSING

The holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) continues to be celebrated this week with highlight prayer services that will take place at the Western Wall.

Birkat Kohanim, or the Priestly Blessing, usually attracts thousands of Jewish worshippers to the holy site each year. During the course of the blessing, hundreds of Kohanim - the descendants of Aaron – say a prayer for the Israeli public and the Jewish nation with this special blessing from the Torah. The Kohanim lift their hands beneath their tallits shoulder-high, as they recite the ancient prayer. 

Due to the high demand and the public's desire to participate in the traditional ceremony, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation will hold this year's service twice. The first will take place on Monday, Oct. 2, and the second will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 4. 

SIMCHAT TORAH

The last of the Jewish High Holidays, Simchat Torah - which translates into “Rejoicing of the Torah” - will be celebrated by Jewish worshippers on Saturday, Oct. 7. However, after the fights and scuffles that occurred on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in Judaism - many Israelis wonder if rejoicing would be made possible? 

The holiday marks the end of the annual public reading of the Torah and the beginning of a new cycle. The traditional celebration includes dancing at synagogues with Torah scrolls, singing and chanting verses in a ritual called ‘Hakafot’, meaning, in a circle.

The custom relates to the Book of Joshua, which tells the story of the surrender of Jericho to the Israelites. Once a day, throughout an entire week, the Israelites walked around the city in a circle while carrying the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day, as they blew the shofar and shouted, the walls of the city eventually fell down.

This week we are also keeping an eye on these developing stories:

• … Jerusalem’s historic Tower of David - Was it really connected to biblical King David?

• … Why is the world facing a choice between a ‘blessing’ and a ‘curse’, according to Netanyahu?

• … Canadian Parliament speaker resigns after recognizing Ukrainian Nazi war veteran

• … I’m a Muslim convert to Christ, but two Muslim preachers want me dead