The Milk Moon Assassin by L. A. Couriel - An Amazing Historical Story!

This book is an echo. No more than an echo. There is no truth to it. Seek, and you will not find. There are no lies in it. Seek, and you will not find. This book is merely an echo returned by the hillsides that surround the Hill of Battle where thirty-five sacred souls fell in the War of Independence, fighters from Palmach and infantry units, on their way to attempt the rescue of besieged Gush Etzion. Their footsteps pressed a deep furrow through our lives, where stories, myths, and echoes have grown. The tale of their heroism echoes in the hilly landscape facing the windows of my home, and it sounds deeply in my life. Their song was played on a unique string that has broken and disappeared from the instrument, and if we, the author and the reader, listen very closely, the instrument’s sound box—the times we live in, here in the State of Israel—provides us with echoes that help us imagine and extrapolate their origin. Most of us no longer have a direct connection with the strings of objective truth, but I hope that we all still seek their pure tone.  And I hope that you find an echo of the notes that I personally found.

It was the title of the book that made me consider buying and, of course, the brief description allowed me to proceed to purchase. Neither of these prepared me for the book itself. It is extremely long, but does not allow for speed in reading. Be prepared to spend time with this story...An amazing story that is like no other, nor should it be. It is based on a true story of what happened on a Hill of Battle. Tragic, yes, but for one man, the main character, it changed his life dramatically, even though he didn't participate in that war...

Instead, he was a young boy, who had just learned about photography and carried his camera everywhere. So, it was that day, when the troup were about to take that hill preparatory to battle, that the young boy was called over to record forever those who were there to serve...

He professionally lined up the men, taking time in preparation so that all who were there were captured. And he promised that group that he would make and present the photograph for them when they returned.

None of them returned... Was that the truth? Thus begins a mystery to be solved--one that will not be solved until the climactic ending of the book!

Promised Land Homestead

Judean Hills—May 4, 1985 

(Hebrew date—Iyar 14, 5745) 

9:59 p.m. 

A kill? 

An actual kill? 

Again? 

His practiced finger slid around and around the trigger guard. Clockwise. Counterclockwise. Around. And back. The pistol lay in front of him, a Smith and Wesson Model 41. Magazine. Ten bullets. Long barrel. The amber-colored grip responded silently to his touch. Clockwise. And back. Re-accustoming itself to the feel of his hand, to his fingertips, after years of not killing. 

His body, toned and tensed, began to sink into the old armchair. The dim veranda was surrounded by a thick jumble of low stone walls, sketching a plan many times more grandiose than his available budget, and they brought to mind the sides of some ancient unfinished fortress. His resources had dwindled, and now those walls were his testament, the echo of his legacy to the coming generations. 

As always, mid-month on the Hebrew calendar meant a full moon—but the moon, piercing through the the sooty blue paint on the face of Moshe Roth-Vardi, was already beginning to abate. Twenty-three minutes before, his eyelids had been bathing in the sensation of the magic, silvery light when the bottom left edge of the moon had suddenly showed erosion, which progressed with a speed that left no doubt: a lunar eclipse! An unexpected glitch. Moshe screwed his nerves tighter. Can’t go slack, not now. Despite the rare obstacle to his plan, nothing would stop him. Tomorrow, when the moon came up, it would shine on a fresh new mound added to the other memorials that Moshe had left in nation after nation.

~~~

As a young boy, Moshe's parents had left their son and small baby alone to go out and enjoy dinner. During that time, Moshe had become afraid and though his parents had warned against any lights, that young boy turned on a very small light.  Just enough to allow a mosquito to come in and bite that small baby. And he died...

Instead of accepting their own responsibility for leaving the children, Moshe's mother instead blamed Moshe. So much so that she told her husband to send him away...

Memories of that event haunted Moshe throughout the rest of his life. He was never able to forgive himself. But having left home, he did form a long-time friendship--Maurice, who through his magnetic personality became his mentor and leader...and a rivalry that also lasted through their lifetimes... especially with regard to women...

Moshe became an assassin. He didn't see himself as a murderer. He was trained to kill and through his vivid mental and psychological skills soon became the best of the best. He was sent all over the world for one reason. To kill whoever he was told to kill. Until that fateful "incident" that led to his forced relocation to another job and ultimately retirement.

Was he really free to go away and create a new life? His family and friends second-guessed him at every turn, up until the point he decided it was time for him to act on his own to make decisions. In writing the story, Couriel has chosen to begin at a place after retirement--he is set up for a new assignment a new hit job...and then he leaves readers to proceed through various points of his history to slowly build an unbelievably taut, extraordinary tale of how an assassin is forced to come to the reality of his past and how each life incident had influenced his actions.

There are periods of deep depression and, perhaps, escapism from reality, for Moshe. On the other hand, he becomes friends with "an enemy" of the past from whom he acquires the land and builds the home he wanted based upon his strict specifications. Can you be neighbors with a man who may also be your enemy? 

More importantly, Moshe had chosen to come back to the days of his youth when he had taken his first picture...of a group of soldiers...who had all died on The Hill that was located just above his new home... Little by little Moshe works through everything that had happened since his younger baby brother died, and he had been blamed.

If you find yourself hearing echos from your past as I did, then perhaps, you will find yourself arriving at the place where Moshe finally lives for the rest of his life. I found it to be a remarkable journey, though vastly different from my own life. Yet, I found myself often seeing Moshe in myself as each of us struggles to proceed through and, hopefully, arrive at a point in life where we are, at last, content, if not totally happy. 

Assassinating other people may be a job. But it also can be the destruction of the mind and heart of he who assassinates. During times of war or in times of daily living, we are often stifled in so many ways from our own reality. Moshe taught me much, even in just realizing that there is no truth in this story, only echoes of a past we have been forced into... If you hope to find yourself in a story, however, this just might be the best possible book into which to immerse yourself. Some might even declare it a must-read... The music of your past life must be heard only by you... Highly recommended.

GABixlerReviews

Lior Couriel is an architect and urban planner who has practiced both in the US and Israel. He is also an e-commerce specialist, fierce environmentalist and a veteran of an airborne intelligence wing. He enjoys volunteering for local public positions to help with his community.
He loves to write about topics describing both struggle and tragedy: romance, vengeance, espionage, history, conspiracy, the Mossad, flight...
Lior is the father of four adults. He's married to his teenage crush, and lives amid forested hills in a stone house, with a fireplace inside and Sienna, the cat, outside.
Lior Couriel pursues the kind of life he would like to remember, never taking his eyes off the target: passionate writing. More historical fiction novels are currently under way, the locations of whose plots he researches thoroughly through extensive traveling.
Wish to take part in the journey? Contact Lior by sending an e-mail to Couriel@012.net.il or by leaving a message at nazur.net.

Wonderful Young Adult Fantasy by Lorilyn Roberts - Seventh Dimension - The Door

The door creaked as I turned the handle. I held my breath and peered through the tiny slit. Moving shadows darkened the room. Judd, Rachel, and Chumana stared into a small brown shoebox. 

Chumana burst out crying. “I hate Shale.” I cringed. She already hated me anyway, ever since my mother and me moved in with them a few months earlier. 

Rachel stood and recited a Jewish prayer. “Barukh shem k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed. Blessed is the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever.” With her unkempt hair, puffy red eyes, and flushed face, I barely recognized my best friend.

“Why are you praying?” Judd snapped. “We aren’t here to pray.” “Accidents happen,” Rachel said. 

“She should be cursed,” Judd exploded.

 “Don’t say that,” Rachel said. 

“How do you know it was an accident?” Chumana asked. I looked away. I couldn’t listen. My whole body shook— what kind of curse? Judd’s voice cracked. “I demand she tell us what happened.”

The three twelve-year-olds sat silently for a moment before Rachel responded. “She fell down the stairs with Fifi, and she’s afraid.” I swallowed hard.

Judd pulled his uncle’s Atlanta Braves cap over his eyes and clinched his hand into a fist. “I hope Shale never has any friends— for the rest of her life.” He covered his face and sobbed. 

I bit my fingernail holding back tears. I’d never heard a boy cry. Could his curse come true? 

Chumana’s red hair matched her fiery temper. “That’s not enough of a curse. She already doesn’t have any friends.” 

“I’m her friend,” Rachel said. “Accidents happen.” Rachel lived two buildings down from us in the Hope Garden Apartments. Would she still be my friend if I told her the truth?

I didn’t just fall—it was what I was doing when I fell. I was too afraid. I rubbed my swollen ankle, a reminder of my foolishness. The doctor hoped it would heal, but Fifi lay in the box. 

Probably God hated me, too. If I told the truth, everyone would hate me. I couldn’t even tell my mother. My father— he left me long ago.

~~~

In an author's note, the author shares the intended audience for this book... the Debut of the Seventh Dimension series...

For every child who struggles with doubt, for every kid who has been bullied, for every teen who comes from a broken home, and for every young adult who longs to be understood— this book is for you.


Personally, I think that about covers all of us, don't you? At least at one time or another, especially as teens, we have been one of those children she wants to reach... For many, who will know who they are, I'll recommend this to you as a "must read!"

The Door:
Seventh Dimension

By Lorilyn Roberts

Shale Snyder was an unhappy girl--unhappy at home, at school, and now she'd had a curse placed on her after she had fallen, holding a friend's dog, and it had been killed. Two years later, Judd still hated her and was harassing her, the latest by sneaking up to her in the halls of school, touching her, and then moving away quickly so nobody noticed other than Shale who, at first, wasn't sure who was doing this--though she had a good guess...

“Who Am I?

 when no one sees

 when no one loves

 when no one understands

 when no one hears

 when no one cares

 about Me.”

~~~

Now she felt like her only friend was her Diary, always opening with Dear DOG... (And although she spelled His name backwards in case anybody ever read it, God listened to her thoughts as she wrote to Him...)

Does love always make one happy?
 As You Like It has its roots in Greek
literature,  although written by
Shakespeare between 1598 and 1600…”
Her voice trailed off as she read a
 few more lines to herself. Then, with
 one fell swoop, she threw my paper
 in the trash.  “This is too well written
 to be original. I’m sure Shale copied it
 off the web. I’m not going to read it.”
 Thirty sets of eyes shifted to me,
 and my face and neck felt hot.
Mrs. Wilkes’s beady eyes pulsated.
No one moved.
If I dropped the straight pin hidden in
 my sweater pocket, the room would
have heard it ping on the floor.
After an unbearable silence, she
added,  “We’ll deal with this later.”
~~~

It was on the day that she'd found an old book she always loved, The Donkey and the King,  that she found a straight pin that her mother must have lost, and started carrying it with her... that led to her becoming frustrated and angrily using that pin on the back of Judd, her enemy, who had once again been playing games!

As often happens, though, she was the one who got in trouble!

But it had started when one of her teachers had accused her in class of plagiarizing her paper on as you like it!

By that time she was so upset that when Judd started again, she turned, followed him and stuck that pin deep into his back!

It got much worse, she had been suspended, her parents didn't support her, and her best friend's parents told her she couldn't be her friend anymore!


That was the day that Much Afraid came... She had barked outside her door long enough until Shale followed him, on and on, but then her foot caught in a hole and she fell. When she woke up, she heard a lady talking...

“Shale, are you okay?” a female voice asked. 
Who called my name? I looked up, but the light from above was too bright, although the gentle warmth comforted me. I only saw flowers. I called out to the dog. “Much-Afraid?” I didn’t expect her to appear, but I had the feeling I wasn’t alone. The bright light captivated me, but the cone was fading, and soon the beam would vanish. Blue lights along the walkway grew brighter leading towards an open door. “Much-Afraid?” 
The silhouette of a dog covered the opening briefly. She sat waiting. “Much-Afraid.”
“Follow me,” a female voice said. Was that Much-Afraid speaking to me? The effervescent light from the doorway bubbled in multi-colors. I stood and tested my ankle. As I tiptoed along the walkway, too afraid to believe I could run, light bubbles floated by as the diamond archway grew brighter. The dog became visible once more. 
“Shale,” the voice called again. 
“Wait! I want to go with you.” Without hesitating, I stepped through the open door. I reached for her as she slipped through my fingers. Then she was gone.

THE GARDEN The portal opened. A kaleidoscope of soft lights floated around me, humming like musical snowflakes. Each was unique and lifted my spirits, making me long for something I couldn’t quite touch. An image came to me of a quiet, secluded park where one might go with a best friend. The experience lasted until the musical snowflakes turned to bubbles and then dissipated. The soft mist lifted, revealing a display of endless flowers that covered everything. The view in the woods was a glimpse of the garden that now spread in all directions. Greens, blues, reds, purples, oranges, and colors I didn’t have a name for covered the ground... 
Where was I? The doorway had disappeared, but I noted it was near an alcove of diamonds. Colorful flowers covered the embankment. The rock I tripped over while chasing the dog mysteriously glowed. The sizzling letters carved into the surface spelled e-b-e-n-e-z-e-r. 
“Much-Afraid!” I called her several times. I heard a female voice, but was it the dog speaking to me? The grassy knoll was like a carpet in front of the hidden doorway. Surrounding the knoll were ribbons of more multi-colored, sun-loving plants— lavender catmint, zinnias and roses. Black-eyed Susan’s basked in the sun on the adjacent rolling hillside. Along the pathway, crystal rocks, accented by clusters of smaller blooms, created a labyrinth of color and texture with alternating flowers and crystals. The large formations reflected the delicate blossoms where butterflies danced. The crystals seemed alive. I squatted down to examine one. A distorted image emerged on the face of the crystal. I waited to see if it would materialize completely. Winged creatures flying around in a dark cave came into focus. Then I saw the white dog. Heavy ropes bound me as I sat on a rock slate. “No!” I cried— and the image dissolved. 
I staggered back from the rock and shook my head to erase the disturbing vision. What had seemed so perfect until now apparently wasn’t. I would stay away from the crystals. I followed the trail lined with flowers. The double and triple blooming roses were striking— without the rust the flowers had in our yard. Other plants were more exotic looking. I couldn’t identify them. As I strolled along, rose heads followed me like gyroscopes. When I stopped moving, they stopped. I reached over to pick one of the red blooms. As I bent the stem, a snake slithered though my fingers. I screeched and yanked back my hand. When I examined my fingers, they looked normal— no bite wounds, redness, or indication that something had touched me, but I could still feel the soft skin of a snake. 
“Who’s there?” My voice seemed small and insignificant in the garden. The trail opened to a large grove of apple trees. Unexpectedly, I spotted a large, gray donkey and a small white rabbit lounging under a tree. The donkey was warming himself on a brown blanket, staring up at the sky with his legs crossed. The rabbit, wearing a blue bonnet with white flowers poking out the top, sat perched on a rock. They looked like friends on a leisurely picnic... 
“Cool,” I said, under my breath, giggling quietly— a fat donkey and a silly, talking rabbit.

~~~

Shale had crossed a portal and wound up in a beautiful garden where she found animals--that could talk! She realized that they seemed to be the animals that were in her favorite book when she was a child, and wondered if she was dreaming.

 “I’m Nevaeh, and you are a daughter of the king,”

 the winged animal whispered, and then he flew away. 

Why did it tell me that?

~~~

But she was here now, so she started talking to the donkey and discovered that, indeed, his name was Baruch! They told her she was in the King's garden and they roamed around for awhile, talking more, until...The Crows Came!

And they were afraid and left the Garden...until they came to another garden that Baruch recognized when he had been led to meet the King...

“I know this garden,” Baruch said. “This is where I was taken by the sheep when the king called me.” A high rock wall enclosed the garden, and a clump of thick olive trees provided a false sense of security. The place was dark except for two fire pits cradling a fire by a stone entrance...

“Where are we?” I asked. “Besides an olive garden that looks familiar to you?” 

“Shhhh. If the guard discovers us, we’re dead.”

 “What guard? Come on, don’t scare me.” My hands were cold, and I stuck them under the blanket to keep them warm...

~~~

They went on...always searching...meeting dangers...until they found themselves in Jerusalem...and discovered that Shale's father had his home there, although he was not there at the time...

But Shale longed to find the King and, one day, they saw him in the distance... And listened while Christ, after his time in the wilderness, was tempted...

“I’m telling you, that’s the king,” Baruch said. “The other creature is an underling. Maybe THE underling. The underlings looted the garden and stole from the king. The king protected us...
~~~

You know, this is an amazing story, especially for me...It is the book review that I lost earlier. Today as I was trying to finish it, I've had similar problems...once the review came up without the title...I made an extra copy at that point...and then another copy without a title was discovered. If I had not carefully waded my way through what was happening, I would have lost it again. But this sure has been a spooky time with this book...

Roberts has intertwined the events of Christ's life so skillfully that you find that you are walking in Shale's footsteps, seeing everything new as she was... It's magical, fantastical, and so very, very, memorable... and this is only the first book in the series! I'm excited about the book, a young adult story that is bound to attract young readers through the age of 99... We are all looking to find the King and in this journey into a fantasy set in Jerusalem, you may indeed find Him...

Even with the problems in getting out this review, I must add this to my personal favorites for 2016...and it just might be at the top! Get this book as a gift for your teens...and read it also! It's beautifully written, and beautifully inspired. I think you'll agree with me if you decide to meet Baruch and have him help you through the journey. Highly, highly recommended.

GABixlerReviews

Lorilyn Roberts is an award-winning Christian author who writes for the young and the young at heart. 

When not writing books, Lorilyn provides closed captioning for television. 

Lorilyn is a single mother by choice. She adopted her two daughters from Nepal and Vietnam. Read her Amazon best-selling memoir, Children of Dreams, endorsed by New York Times best-selling author Jerry Jenkins, and be inspired.

Lorilyn has been a speaker at various events and functions, including women’s groups, adoption support groups, and writer workshops. She is the former president of the Gainesville Chapter of Word Weavers International.

Lorilyn has appeared on many radio and television shows, including WATC 57 Friends and Neighbors out of Atlanta, Georgia, and Discovery Channel’s Monsters Inside Me related to increasing awareness of parasitic infections in international adoption.

Lorilyn is also the founder of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, a network of Christian authors. 

Lorilyn has also been involved with the charitable organization Child Hope International bringing Christian books to the orphans of Nepal. She has coordinated the donation of over two hundred books from John 3:16 authors to prisoners at the Wakulla Correctional Institute in Tallahassee, Florida, and she has donated many copies of her award-winning devotional book, "Am I Okay, God" to Created Gainesville, a charitable organization that ministers to women involved in the sex trafficking trade.

A Vision of Angels--A War Against Wars--Out July 3rd by Timothy Jay Smith Easily In My Top Ten for 2013!

"May War Rest in Peace"

"The chant grew until it echoed off the surrounding concrete buildings.

"Policement rushed the demonstrators, who fell back still changing.

"Peace NOW? Peace NOW? Peace NOW?

"A cop punched Mishe on the shoulder to hasten him into the back of the van, and he tripped, hitting his head on the edge of the metal bench. Blood ran into his eyes and down his cheek. Nina helped him up. "I'm okay," he said to her worried look.

"Fucking pigs," Dvir grumbled through his gag.

"Gershon rocked the van when he slumped on the bench. Peace NOW? Peace NOW? Peace NOW? The shouts grew louder.

"Eitan, the last to climb in said, "It's like a fucking police state."

"Now he gets it," Dvir joked through his gag.

Mari start weeping.

Roz said, "Don't be afraid, they can't hold us for long.

"I'm sad, not afraid."

"Shots rang out. They could hear panicked screams, and moments later burning clouds of tear gas drifted over the van...

..."The door slammed and the driver pulled into the street. The square retreated through the van's tiny back window. White smoke rose in the blue sky as frightened demonstrators fled in every direction.

"Roz inspected her glum companions. "Lift your eyes with hope," she said.

"Yeah, I feel real hopeful," said Eitan.

"Life your eyes with hope..." Roz tried again, that time with a lilt.

"Nina was the first to recognize The Song of Peace. "Not through the rifle sights," she said, reciting the next line.

"Roz sang the first verse alone...

~~~

Powerful     Compelling     Inspired     Inspiring     Dynamic     Eyeopener     Riveting     Revealing

A Vision of Angels     

By Timothy Jay Smith

This novel, which won the Paris Prize for Fiction is one of the most memorable books I will ever read... I cannot think of sufficient adjectives for it, but the above are a beginning...If you have not already seen my blog entry from Sunday, please consider my "prelude" to learning more about this fantastic novel...

Before this novel, the reality and proximity of the people living within the location above had not made a "big enough" impression on me. But when you read individual scenes in a new story, one of the main things you do is begin to know your characters. Smith has done that routinely. However, when you realize that each scene takes you into a family who is either Jewish, Muslim or Christian, it makes an additional factor in your learning curve--at least it did for me. In fact, I wondered whether the author did it for impact--you just must pay attention to this book!

Was I reading about a Jewish child, a Muslim soldier, a Jewish military leader, or was he both a Christian who was now living in a Muslim family environment through marriage trying to learn Muslim ways?

"The scene was all too familiar to David. Somalia,
Bosnia, Congo, Iraz, Afghanistan. He'd covered their
wars--wars all nourished by ancient carnage.
Unexpectedly war had become the story he was
destined to tell. Mogadishu had been his first story--
the shittiest assignment given to the cub reporter--
where he discovered the broken humanity that the
war had swept over. Children lost to their mothers.
Farmers lost to their land and families to their
livelihoods. The young men forced to fight and the
girls forced into prostitution. David had been telling
war stories ever since, not afraid to explore what
others were unwilling to find behind the front lines--
though he'd been there enough times too. Wars
only stopped when they became too personal and
David had decided to personalize each one. He
prowled hooker allegs, drug dens and black markets
using his reporter's camera to capture the images
that would wake up the world to each war's own
misery; not its carnage--that was ancient news--
but its toll on people taking detours to survive.
When it got back to headquarters that he had been
prowling Kabul at night masquerading as an
Afghani deaf mute, his editor ordered him home
and David balked. He had his own war to fight:
the war against wars, and he decided to cover the
one that had spawned so many others. The war
for the Holy Land. A war so old that it had lost
its human face. David had decided to give it one!
~~~

I loved the main character (if there was one), David Kessler, an American Journalist--but so much more...

He had decided to go freelance and was spending more time as a photographer, perhaps hoping to catch that vision of angels amid hatred, terror, killing...and people just trying to live...

Especially in Gaza, where there was barely any food...

Kessler did indeed  catch the angels--it was a picture of a soldier walking away after shooting a young boy, whose mother immediately ran to hold him--as well as another soldier and a Peace Now member who was reaching, trying to save the boy...

The picture made world-wide news...but...

The mother was not permitted to go to the hospital to be with her son...
The boy died without having his mother there...
The soldier and student carried him to the hospital, but could not stay, of course...
And a bomb had gone off in a bus, flames engulfing its unlucky passengers...

This is...living...in this forever-fighting zone...

Kessler had chosen to have his own war against wars and he was staying in the Holy Land area to do it! He was right there "clicking" when that perfect example had occurred. A mother now with empty arms, her child being carried by strangers after another strange had shot him...

But others also were nearby that day the bomb exploded. The young student who had tried to reach the boy--who was a member of Peace Now--was also the son of Major Jakov Levy...

And it was the order of Major Levy that, in its own way, led to everything that happened after that, including the death of his daughter and his son in jail... Would he had made the same decisions if he had known?

And did he know that his Muslim counterpart thought of him, praying, placing a candle in the window, even though the peace vigil had not happened...

Of course, the bomb had been placed by a young man, so I took the time to read a little about those 72 virgins that are always promised... Even after I read a little, I still didn't get it...LOL...but it did remind me of something that was discussed in this book...

http://wikiislam.net/wiki/72_Virgins...
"Where are the boys?"
"Sharif's asleep and Papa's giving Azziz a history lesson in the kitchen." Nadia applied ointment to his wound.
"A history lesson?"
"Azziz's teacher told his class that Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe in the same God because all three religions were founded by Ibrahim." Nadia finished taping a square patch of gauze to his foot.
"He's very confused."
"And your father is explaining it to him? That should really confuse him..."
"Issa slipped on a pair of thongs and limped after his wife, entering the kitchen as Azzedine was saying, "... the grandfather of all of the prophets."
"The boy jumped up and threw his arms around his father's waist. "Baba?" he cried.
"Issa patted his back while sniffing the air. It smells good in here...
"...Baba?..."Uh huh?"
"Today at school my teacher said that Muslims and Jews and Christians all believe in the same god, and grandfather says it's true. Is that true, Baba?
"In a way. Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe in one God."
"Then why not make only one religion?"
"You didn't explain that?" Issa queried the old man.
"I saved it for you."
"Issa considered his answer. "That's complicated. I suppose the best way to explain it is that we hear Him say different things."
"He doesn't say the same thing to everybody?"
"He does, but He uses different messengers, and different people interpret the messages differently..."
"My teacher says we're related to the Jews," Azziz persisted.
"It's true. We're very distant cousins.
"Don't confuse the boy," Azzedine said, "or he'll start believing that we're Jewish."
"Are we?" Azziz asked, intrigued.
"No, we are not Jewish," Nadia said. "Now eat your supper."
"The boy ate half-heartedly while pondering another question. "If we are all cousins, and we all believe in the same god, then why does it matter if you are a Christian and grandfather is a Muslim."
"It doesn't matter," replied Azzedine while directing his gaze at Izza. "The important thing is to respect Allah's--or God's--will..."
"By each invoking the other's word for God, they had begun to bridge the divide between them, and fell silent..."
~~~

Now you who routinely read me know that I'm not going to let that pass...LOL So my question to my readers is simply? What if God said different things to different messengers in order to see if we were able to act with reason and accept the differences, while working together for the good of all mankind? 

If so, all the wars have proven that we can't! How do you explain to the children living in our world that the grownups they are supposed to learn from cannot even effectively communicate with each other?

 There is so much in this drama--so many people who are affected by the actions of those in power to make decisions. For instance, Jakov Levy had agreed to give passes for a local farmer so that he could take his tomatoes to market exactly when ready. Because of the bomb, Levy reneged and the farmer lost his entire crop--while at the same time, giving all of the tomatoes to those in Gaza who had no food. But for that farmer, he committed suicide since he'd lost everything.

But that farmer, before he died, agreed to a plan to help smuggle a bomb through, ready for the next attack that was to happen...

Each action, each decision made, led to another... And Kessler, wanting to fight a war against wars, got caught right in the middle!

It was the countdown of days until Easter--Maundy Thursday...Good Friday...Easter... and...also Passover...

"Peace Now" had tried to have a peace vigil...The government denied it...Jailed the students... and the inevitable began

"Lift your eyes with hope

Not through the rifle sights

Sing a song for love

And not for wars..."

I challenge you - Read this Book... Not for me, but for our children...

GABixlerReviews

Timothy Smith Lived in Jerusalem for two and a half years during the roll-out of the post-Oslo peace process, assisting Palestinian businesses regain market access.

Raised crisscrossing America pulling a small green trailer behind the family car, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and Indian tailors: he’s hung with them all in an unparalleled international career that’s seen him smuggle banned plays from behind the Iron Curtain, maneuver through war zones and Occupied Territories, represent the U.S. at the highest levels of foreign governments, and stowaway aboard a ‘devil’s barge’ for a three-days crossing from Cape Verde that landed him in an African jail.

If life were a sport, Tim’s life would qualify as an extreme one, yet he’s managed most of it by working with people in personal, even intimate, settings. His professional life took him from the White House corridors to America’s harshest neighborhoods, from palace dinners to slum pickings, and these experiences explain the unique breadth and sensibility of his work.

Tim brings the same energy to his writing that he brought to a distinguished career, and as a result, he’s won top honors for his screenplays, stageplays and novels in numerous prestigious competitions; among them, contests sponsored by the American Screenwriters Association, WriteMovies, Houston WorldFest, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and the Hollywood Screenwriting Institute. He won the 2008 Paris Prize for Fiction and his first stageplay, which went on to a successful NYC production, won the very prestigious Stanley Drama Award.

Justice Finally Served in Legal Thriller by Rocco Martino!

http://www.descopera.ro/cultura/3965166-
ilustrii-nebuni-de-pe-tronul-romei
"Execute them all!" The Emperor Tiberius was angry. The news from Judea was ridiculous. What was that fool Pontius Pilate up to? What incredible nonsense in that last dispatch from Judea. The carpenter son of a virgin had risen from the dead after being crucified. Impossible! What fools would believe a fairy tale like that? The criminal was really innocent? Who would murder an innocent man? Was this an execution for state reasons or for private gain? How could Pontius Pilate allow such a mess to happen? Worse still, how could it now come to his attention? There must be a situation brewing. The followers of this risen criminal could be a threat to Pax Romana - the peace of Rome. Nonsense! He would send Tribune Quintus to find out what had really taken place. His orders would be to investigate what happened, determine the best interests of Rome, and act accordingly. If need be, he could execute the whole lot; all the followers of the criminal, and even Pontius Pilate. "Send for Tribune Quintus!" he roared to his aide.
~~~

. 

The Resurrection:
A Criminal Investigation

By Dr. Rocco Leonard Martino

Believe it! For 99 cents, I was able to read, perhaps, one of the most important books I will ever read! Once I started, I couldn't stop until finished, less than a day! For me personally, it seemed to give me what I had been searching for all my life!

Where was the justice for Jesus?

Of course, most of us have read that his death was all part of a plan...But for those of us who ask Why? Who seek to solve the mystery of what happened...and Want Closure... Dr. Martino has provided it! If you do a search on Dr. Martino, you will discover that he is an international authority in his professional fields. Please conclude therefore, that the work is well done, presented in a logical format, and, in my mind, would represent a professional investigation report that would be suitable to present to your superior.  Please note that there is nothing religious about this book...and should be read that way. That's why I considered it a thriller--a police procedural investigation novel that has one of the best cop characters I've ever read! Some readers may recognize some names who are called as witnesses...

Quintus kept a straight face, but he was greatly disturbed. Tiberius was right. Something very out of the ordinary had occurred here. This was a Centurion before him. This was a man who had carried out many executions and who was now telling him that the disappearance of the body of the criminal may have been a true resurrection from the dead. He decided to be stern to gauge the reaction. Emphatically he lashed out, “Centurion, you are a Roman soldier. Are you a believer in this Jewish Sect? Are you no longer a believer in our Roman gods? In fact, what do you believe?”
Drawing himself even more erect, Longinus looked directly at Quintus, “Tribune, I am a firm believer in the gods of Rome. I am a firm believer in the laws of Rome. I am a firm believer in the policy of our occupation that we work in a cooperative atmosphere with the religious beliefs of our conquered people. I am not a follower in the belief of the Jews as I understand it, and as I have seen it practiced in the Temple and in my duties as part of the occupation garrison,” Here the Centurion took in a deep breath, “but I do believe there is something radically different about this man, Jesus of Nazareth. I am leaning more and more toward the opinion that this man was not a criminal, but only a political pawn between the religious forces of the Jewish people. I believe He was caught in a power struggle between what He was preaching and the status quo. He was a threat to the religious leaders of the Jews, and they engineered His execution by us." The centurion paused, somewhat lost in deep thought, and continued, “He may have even been a god. As time goes on, I am attracted more and more to what He had preached.
Upon my retirement as a soldier in a few short years, I may even become a follower of His beliefs. I truly believe that none of His teachings are detrimental to Rome. Some of our soldiers even reported to me that He continually preached and said, ‘Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's.’” 
“What about the Roman gods?”
“Tribune, I have always kept a separation between my duties as a soldier and our religion of many gods. I know the Jews believe in one god rather than many; I further accept Jesus of Nazareth believed in a singular god. I am beginning to wonder if He was man and part of that god at the same time.”
Quintus sat back. This was a Roman soldier telling him there was a possibility that Jesus of Nazareth had not been a criminal and that He had risen from the dead, and that He might have been a god. Quintus was silent. “Thank you Centurion. You are dismissed.”
~~~

Now let's look at the main characters. The superior in this case is Tiberius, Second Emperor of Rome. Tiberius was fuming as we open the book because he just received a communication from one of his subordinates, Pontius Pilate. What had he just done?!

Tribune Quintus, who at that time was defined as an individual who defended the rights of people (cop!) was chosen to investigate what had caused all the trouble in Jerusalem. He and over 100 individuals took sail immediately upon receiving orders.

Both of these individuals worshiped the Roman gods at that time, so, I felt that was important, don't you think? Neither of these officials had any vested interest in anything other than the actions of Pontius Pilate and King Herod, both of whom ruled some part of the lands owned by the Emperor. His mission was:

• Find out what exactly happened to the body.
• Determine the political and power situation in Judea. This would require exhaustive examination of the relationship of the Jews, the Jewish leaders, King Herod, and the followers of Jesus to each other and to Rome. 
• Uncover the reasons for the current unrest, and unearth all factors in the life of Jesus and the actions of his followers, both as real and potential threats to Pax Romana.

Interestingly, Quintus was instructed to stop to visit Saul, a Tentmaker on their way. This was the first individual to whom Quintus had talked other than the Emperor and while he recognized his education as a pharisee, he also saw that Saul was adamant that Jesus should have been killed. As an aside, Quintus was assisted by a secretary, a slave who took notes which was fun to consider since it is hard to imagine how somebody would be able to keep notes at that time.

Fortunately for Quintus, Pontius Pilate was in Damascus so Quintus had the opportunity to proceed in his absence without any type of interaction. He immediately sought out Lucius who was head of the Roman Garrison. Although there had been early notices of what was to happen, Lucius had not been told to prepare so they went over things, and Quintus then asked for a list of all those that had been involved in either the death or the burial of Jesus. Two centurions, Sutonius and Longinus were identified and soon became totally involved in the investigation. Another centurion had come with Quintus, so they are were quickly formed into teams that would be responsible for various duties.

Longinus had been first interviewed by Quintus. He had been at the site when Jesus died. He had been the one to pierce his side with a lance to see that water and blood flowed out, as it would in death... Longinus became a personal aid to Quintus as he grew to trust him more and more and planned on nominating him as a Tribune when he met with Tiberius.

The disappearance of the body was the most problematic to Quintus and his investigation. He studied the grave, interviewed all individuals who were still alive--the guards that were assigned there were all executed--and could not find how the body had been stolen, carried away, or, if the man had not been dead, role the stone back by himself and escape.

Subsequent interviews with Pontius Pilate and Caiphas were brilliantly done. King Herod's interview was not covered much--it was clear to Quintus, upon meeting him, that this man was evil and would do anything to protect himself...

In my opinion the importance of this book is that there was no mandate guidance from the Emperor. He knew the two men involved but he couldn't just oust them from their positions. Sending an officer, albeit a close friend of his, was exactly what was needed. In fact, that is what Lucius, head of the Garrison, said should have happened long ago. Since it was not led by either the Jewish or the local officials, the novel allows so much to be explored by the individual in charge of the investigation--one who had no background on what had happened, who the people were that were really involved, nor the charged criminal...

This is a must-read for anybody who would like to learn how the investigation of an individual should be conducted...before...they were crucified... Thank you Dr. Martino for satisfying my personal need for closure...and for justice to prevail, at least legally...


GABixlerReviews

About the Author: Dr. Rocco Leonard Martino    

Dr. Rocco Leonard Martino is Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Cyber Technology Group, Inc. and of CyberFone Technologies, Inc. Most recently he was Founder, Chairman and CEO of XRT, Inc., the world leader in providing complete global treasury, cash and banking relationship management solutions for many of the world's largest corporations and government entities. Treasury systems designed by Dr. Martino are integrated and operate in real-time in a fault-tolerant, on-line environment in over thousands of organizations around the world. Dr. Martino has patented and is the inventor of the CyberFone - the first Smart Phone - and the driving force behind the software systems that unite communication and computer power. The CyberFone provides real-time video, voice and data linkages. in the home or in the office. Dr. Martino is a pioneer and international authority in the planning and use of computers, and originated many of the methods in use today.
Dr. Martino served in various high-level positions prior to XRT and CyberFone Technologies, Inc. He was EVP of Mauchly Associates created in partnership with Dr. John Mauchly, the co-inventor of electronic computers. He allied with Rear Admiral Grace Hopper USN, on Automatic Programming techniques, which were the forerunner of COBOL. As Director of the Computer Division for Adalia Limited, a consulting firm headed by Sir Robert Watson-Watt, the inventor of radar, Dr. Martino participated in the extensive development of wireless navigation systems. Dr. Martino graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Toronto in Mathematics and Finance. He earned a Ph.D. from the Institute of Aerospace Studies for work in the re-entry of Space Vehicles, especially in heat transfer requirements for heat shields.
In 1993 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Neumann University for his contributions in Information Technology. In 2000, he received Honorary Degrees from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia and from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Both degrees were awarded for his humanitarian and charitable activities, as well as for his scientific achievements. The National Italian American Foundation honored Dr. Martino for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, as did the Monte Jade Society in 1999, and the CYO in 2000. In this latter award he was chosen as a symbol for Youth. In 2011 he was awarded The Order of the Golden Palm by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre; and in 2011 the Order of Merit by the Order of Malta. Dr. Martino served as Professor of Mathematics and Engineering at the University of Waterloo and at New York University. His graduate and senior undergraduate lectures included such topics as Artificial Intelligence, Space Flight, Information Systems, Economics, and Financial Modeling Systems. He continues to lecture at numerous Universities throughout the World.
Dr. Martino has been knighted five times. Most significant is his Papal Knighthood in the Order of St. Gregory the Great awarded by Pope John Paul II in 1991. Dr. Martino has served on various Public Service, Charitable, and Church Organizations. He served as Vice Chair of the Board of the Gregorian University Consortium Foundation and as a member of various public service Boards, including: St. Joseph’s University; Equestrian Order of the HolySepulchre; Order of Malta; Vatican Observatory Foundation; and Founding Chairman of the MBF Foundation dedicated to applying computer technology for those with severe physical and/ or mental handicaps. Dr. Martino has also served on various Corporate Boards over the past fifty years. Dr. Martino has been a guest speaker at many functions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. He has taken part in scores of radio and video broadcasts speaking on Foreign Affairs, Information Technology, Innovation, and National Security. He is a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Dr. Martino is the author of twenty-one published books, including three novels, as well as scores of papers, and numerous corporate monographs. He is listed in various biographical anthologies.