Aly Raisman’s Induction to Hall of Fame Will Be Special

The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum has announced that Olympic Gymnastic gold medalist Aly Raisman will be inducted into the Hall in April.  For Aly, it should be as special as was her gold medal performance in the floor exercises.  After her dynamic performance to the strains of “Hava Nagila”, Aly told reporters that it was particularly “special” to win a gold medal with the Jewish music in the background on the

40^th anniversary of the killing of 11 Jewish athletes at the 1972 Munich Games. That should make her induction exceptionally special also, as one of those 11 Munich athletes, weightlifter David Berger, will be one of the other 7 inductees. It was only a year ago that the Hall of Fame, located in Commack, NY, awarded Aly the Pearl D. Mazor Outstanding Female Jewish High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Aly’s remarkable Olympic performance has thrust her into the limelight, where she will undoubtedly remain for quite some time.

The Hall of Fame was created in 1993 and has inducted 143 Jewish athletes to date. Ally and the other 7 inductees will have a “locker” in the Hall. The locker will be adorned with memorabilia, awards, and photos of her performances.  The other April inductees, in addition to Mark Berger, include Randy Grossman from the Pittsburgh Steelers; Steve Bilsky, Athletic Director at the University of Pennsylvania; swimmers Marilyn Ramenofsky and Garrett Weber-Gale; lacrosse player Bruce Cohen; and photographer Andrew Bernstein.

Corrie ten Boom: Imprisoned for Doing Good

“…. observe all that I commanded you, and lo I am with you always” This is, undoubtedly, a promise that Corrie ten Boom claimed often. She and many of her family members were imprisoned for obeying Ps. 122:6 - - pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Continuing a tradition started by her grandfather in 1844, they were eventually imprisoned for their love and prayers. Their love and dedication resulted in the death of many of the ten Booms.

Though she did not lose her life, Corrie faced much suffering. Her “prison life” began when she and the others were taken to the city jail in Haarlem, Holland. From there they went to Scheveningen prison. It was there that she and her sister Betsie were separated from their father.  For the majority of her sentence there Corrie was in solitary confinement. On the night of Hitler’s birthday the prison workers left to go to a party and she was able to find out what had happened to the rest of her family: Betsie was still in prison; her sister, Nollie, and brother, Willem: released.  The next bit of information, however, was devastating - - her father, Casper, was dead!  The stay in Scheveningen was short lived. Soon, she, Betsie and several other female prisoners were shipped to Vught, a concentration camp in Holland. The conditions were terrible, and the place was filled with hatred and violence. It was here, however, that Corrie and Betsie learned forgiveness.  Vught seemed bad, until they were transported to Ravensbruck in Germany. Each place she had been in was a little more degrading, and Ravensbruck prisoners went from being known by their names to just numbers.  To visit the doctor they had to strip naked, in front of men. If they were late for roll call, which was at 4:30, they were beaten.

It was at Ravensbruck that Corrie’s beloved sister, Betsie, died. It was also at Ravensbruck that, through an administrative error, she was released! The tide had turned, if you would, and she finally was able to begin a life of teaching forgiveness and love for the unlovable.

To learn more about Corrie ten Boom read her book, THE HIDING PLACE, and/or take a virtual tour of the museum in Haarlem, Holland dedicated to her at the Corrie ten Boom Mueum. More importantly, join her in her life long quest of fulfilling scripture - - by praying for the peace of Jerusalem as we are directed in Ps. 122:6!

Corrie ten Boom: 100 Years of Praying and Still Counting

The world has known that Israel is God’s chosen people since the penning of the Old Testament. And, down through the years they have been treated in various ways by nations and individuals alike.  What we are supposed to do, however, is obvious because of the directive found in Ps. 122:6 - - we are to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.  There are many verses in the Word of God that give directions, and many a man has had one speak to him and given his life direction. In the case of Ps. 122:6, one of those men was Willem ten Boom.

William ten Boom was a clock maker in Haarlem, Holland who, in 1844, began a prayer meeting to fulfill the directive to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. He carried the tradition on until his death, and then his son, Casper, and his family took over and kept the prayer line open. This went on until 1944, when the Nazis stopped the prayer and placed a number of the ten Booms in prison.

One of those family members imprisoned was Corrie ten Boom.  In her dramatic story, THE HIDING PLACE, she tells how she and her family made their home a refuge to Jews and members of the Dutch underground alike. Today, the ten Boom home where this all took place has been turned into a museum. To take a virtual tour of the museum, go here. To pick up and continue where the ten Booms left off, Dr. Michael Evans created the Jerusalem Prayer Team with the intent purpose of praying for the peace of Jerusalem. As the ten Booms became a friend to the Jews, so has Dr. Evans. And, he is recognized as such, as multiple Prime Ministers of Israel have sought his advice and friendship. Today, along with the Jerusalem Prayer Team, you can serve God as Corrie ten Boom and her family did - -  praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

Inspirational Quotes by Corrie ten Boom - August 20, 2012

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." 
- Corrie ten Boom

To experience the Corrie ten Boom Museum online, click here. 

SHARE this Corrie ten Boom quote to inspire others.

God answers unorthodox prayer, too!

When the Nazis arrested me and put me in prison I hid a very small Bible on my back,

under my clothing, and boy, how I was scared! I thought, O my, they will find my Bible.

Do you know what I said?  I said, Lord, in your Bible you tell that there are angels.

Now I think you must put angels around me,  Lord, that these people do not see me. 

But I thought, Angels are spirits, and you look through them.  So, I said, Lord, will you

please make your angels untransparent?  O, you can pray so very unorthodox when you 

are in need! Do you know that? And, do you know what happened? The people did not

see me. The Lord did what I asked Him to do! Twice I had to pass, and they did not see

me, so I came with my Bible into the prison.

CORRIE TEN BOOM SPEAKS TO PRISONERS

With Chaplain Ray

Your Strength will Equal your Days

Living for the moment, yes, that’s what you need. The Lord’s Prayer says, “Give us today
our daily bread.” Deuteronomy 33:25 says,”…your strength will equal your days.” That is
a promise made more than three thousand years ago. A person does not fall so much
because of the troubles of one day, but if tomorrow’s burden is added, this load can 
become very, very heavy. It is wonderfully easy to live just for the day.

REFLECTIONS OF GOD’S GLORY

Corrie tenBoom

One-woman show Highlights the Memories of Corrie ten Boom, attracts Christians & Jews to Learn about one of the "Righteous among the Nations".

One-woman show highlights the memories of Corrie ten Boom, attracts Christians & Jews to learn about one of the "Righteous among the Nations."

While largely unfamiliar to most Jews, Corrie ten Boom is a well-known hero among believing Christians, a model of how Christians should act in dark times. Her private story of faith and heroism was depicted in the play "Corrie Remembers", staged last Sunday to a wide audience of Christians and Jews from all over northern Israel.

The one-woman show highlights the memories of Corrie ten Boom, one of the "Righteous among the Nations." Corrie's story remains little-known to Jews. However, the City of Afula and the Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations at Yezreel Valley College worked to change that by bringing this drama to Israel.

For more details on this story, go here.