ZION
the displacement of Mount Olives.
Around the year 2002 Howshua amariel foot steps for the first time in the archaeological site of Tel Arad. He decided that the whole world is wrong and that he spotted Jerusalem. According to him, because of his adherence to the site, archaeologists have given him the keys to the site, let him live in a tent as a Watch man, he received a certification of a volunteer and even helped building the gate . Still, he admits that they were angry with him when he tried to close the entry for the visitors into the holy of hollies , that is allowed only for the High Priest. Today he notes that the Arad city treats them well,because "We can bring in a lot of people.”
Howshua hoped that his belief about Tel Arad will touch immediate believers. It did not happen. "I had a lot of YouTube videos, but only in the last two years, thanks to Ashira going around the world, people began to join," he admits
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With Ola howshua and Brian, I take a taxi to Tel Arad. On the traffic at the junction of Tel Arad stands a wrecked car. Howshua requires the driver to stop and for me to take photos of the accident. I refuse to photograph accident, he insists, and finally he give up. "This is proof that because of his people turning to the left leading to dimona and death rather than making the right turn to Zion and leading to life there is a lot of accidents there," he says. "Did you read the book the Alchemist ? like it says in the book there is No such a thing as coincidence," Ola adds.
We walking under the hot sun towards Tel Arad. Howshua pointing at outlet beside of the road and confidently states, "It is Gihon". He says that its known that after the destruction Dragons doweled at the Gihon and he points at the lizards. "Descendants of the dragons of the ancient days." Then he open a map signed by the Temple Institute, the temple in the map is similar to Tel Arad which he presents as a proof that it is the original David tabernacle. Brian just landed and he was not yet in Tel Arad,he was very excited and drank the words of the prophet with the red sweat band in thirst.
According to the maps of Howshua, the hill which Arad stands on is the Mount of Olives. He points at a bald hill on the horizon and says this is where they crucified Jesus. "T HE Archaeologists says that the City of David can not be in the place here everybody saying it is. And how the City of David and Mount Zion are in different places when i is the same place ? the date of the construction the walls is written in Muslims letters . I will convince the Jewish to join us."
for the orthodox Jews he actually has an affection: "They are not just wear black. They respect me and call me Messiah ben Ephraim. I have the agreement between Salah el din and the crusaders in Arabic, that proves that Jerusalem is a scam. The numbers do not lie. The Palestinians know that the tabernacle of David is not in the Temple Mount and they say that all the time. for example, it written that Jerusalem should be surrounded by mountains, how can that be when Jerusalem itself on top of the mountain? "
Mourners march to the real ZION . The messiah will come and save us when the 144,000 men will come to sacrifice at the real Temple Mount (ZION)
According to him, WITH the discovery of the Tel Arad, in 1962, David Ben-Gurion arrived and prayed there. Information that he received, Ben-Gurion demanded immediately to close the site. His explanation for this is that Ben-Gurion wanted eastern Jerusalem to be occupied ,and he knew that if the fact the Temple Mount is at Tel Arad will be revealed he will not have an excuse to occupied it.he did not take me straight into the Temple, but take a walk around the fortress, " just like with girls you do not go straight to business,you have to ease on her" he explains.
When we turn he points up and says, "This is the real Western Wall". he also make it clear that this is not Solomon's Temple that was completely destroyed which its also in the area, but its the Tabernacle of David.
As we enter the fortress, i felt a little bet as a part of the whole thing and I did not want to take the risk. Maybe he's right. I said I was afraid to step on the holy of hollies and i asked him to warn me before we get to it. They got excited. They understood it that I am one of them and asked me to say it again ,so they asked me and I say it again, that it will be photographed with a mobile and to put it up Facebook . We're forging the dialogue. Howshua get enthusiastic and carries a long speech to Ola's camera with a statement of him saying, how I believe his words, but many of the Hebrews of Dimona are doubting it.he demand them to accept the facts!
a thought crossing my mind, that part of his choice to determine that bJerusalem is in Arad its just a community inside politics, . Howshua the alpha male wants to lead the Hebrews, after Ben Ami Ben-Israel passed away, and there was no one that toke his place yet , there is no clear leader and howshua wants to move the center of the community from Dimona to Arad. "Now that their messiah has died, there is more likely chance that they will unite with us," admits Howshua. "They believed that he was the Messiah, but I did not believe that, because the Messiah supposed to lead to ZION, and Ben Ami lade them to another place." later on in the Facebook chat , his answer to my question if he himself the messiah was NO.
The taxi arrived, but one of the workers at the site says that a guest arrived to tel arad specifically to meet howshua . he Is a white man with a wife and children, apparently Mormons, who arrived to the place following the videos on Jerusalem at Tel Arad. Their credit cards did not work and Howshoua offering him to stay at his farm at har(Mount) Amassa, which he calls "Inheritance of Ephraim." Both embrace, but the taxi driver nervous and we have to go on from there.
The ratio of arad residents that I talked to, toward the colorful group , ranges from indifference to curiosity. Alongside the great potential in the city, Arad has a host of problems. The city is in a deep struggle against a nearby phosphate mine that could endanger the health of the residents, in a big fight between secular and orthodox, that is moving to the city because of the low housing prices. And there are those who are struggling with Bedouins. When I'm there,the coordinator of Bnei Akiva in the south is warning in a local newspaper, from turning "this charming city into the capital of the camel riders(the Bedouin)".So This colorful gang of Howshua is currently the latest trouble of the city Arad.
It's a strange group and misunderstood for me," says Gabi Zentner,the manager of the site of Tel Arad(ZION). "They believe that this is the temple. It is true that a temple was established here modeled on the Temple in Jerusalem, but their identity as if it were Jerusalem is weird. It's not Mount Zion nor Jerusalem. They say that Ze'elim river is actually Kidron Valley, they claims that Ein Gedi it galgatha and that Masada is Jericho . every new archaeologist will tell you that all their IDs are reversed. It is not clear to me why they picked on Tel Arad(ZION) from all other places. and they have strange and funny ceremonies “.
in the other hand, our religion is also pretty funny.
"Personally, I'm glad they're here. They are good and pleasant people. the Travelers show interested in them ,and they do not cause friction. in This year that I'm working in here , I feel that the phenomenon is continually growing. even white people start to come believing that Tel Arad is Jerusalem. All this story is Strange ."
Yet in his seat as manager, he is concerned about the approaching Passover: "Passover pilgrims who came here are in shock. They arrived with suitcases as they about to check in the hotel, they did not came with tents, and they are not prepared to camping for weeks”.
Despite the sympathy, Zentner did not allowed to slaughter the lamb on the site of Tel Arad (zion) and demanded that it will be held outside the fence. "I have no problem with the fire, and I do not ask where the meat came from, but the slaughter - no not here," he says.
Zentner telling me that Brian, our friend from Jamaica, was circumcised. We call Brian to come to the office and he was glad to have an air conditioner. Wearing sunglasses, he explains that only circumcised can participate in the Passover meal and therefore he chose to be cut. I asked fearfully if he have a wife and he assures me that he was single. "I feel that i started in a journey," says Brian. "A lot of things that the church is saying are not true. Like the Christmas tree. This is idolatry. Tel Arad (zion)This is the right place, Jerusalem is a fake."