Date: July 5th, 2007 8:21:15 p.m.

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AZUZA NEWS
Summer Edition - July 2007
http://www.azuza.org
info@azuza.org

"That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent."

Shalom and blessings to all of our friends!

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:: NEW VIDEO - "HATIKVAH"
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5GNKd5rico

We are excited to tell you about our new video for our recording of
"Hatikvah," the Jewish national anthem. We hope that you will enjoy it
and share it with your friends. Be sure to leave your comments also!

Why is this important to Christians? Israel has been chosen by God to
be His people (Deutronomy 7.6), and He has chosen Messiah (and His
body) to be the anointed vessel in their midst. If we look at Exodus
17.8-13, we see that as Joshua is fighting the physical battle, Moses
(a picture of Yeshua) is fighting the spiritual battle. As followers
of Yeshua, we are to be as Moses, interceding for God's people. God
has redeemed His people, even according to His promises, and they are
back in the land He gave to them. God is ever faithful.

( Be sure to check out our previous video also: "His Holy Temple"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kQArJ9-kE )

: History of "Hatikvah" - The Hope

Naphtali Herz Imber was born in 1856 into a Hasidic family. He
received a traditional education, and left home at an early age to
wander around the world. In 1882, he came to what was then called
Palestine and stayed for six years writing essays, poetry, and
articles for Hebrew periodicals.

"Tikvatenu", one of Imber's most popular poems, was first published in
1886, although it had initially been read in public as early as 1882
to a group of farmers in Rishon LeZion who received it
enthusiastically. Among them was Samuel Cohen, who was born in
Moldavia. He decided to set the poem to a traditional Moldavian-
Rumanian folksong called "Carul cu Boi" ("Cart and Oxen").

During the 1880's in Palestine, many tunes and adaptations became
folk songs, no one thinking of copyrights. The "Tikvatenu" melody thus
quickly became anonymous, and Imber's association with it, all but
forgotten.

Imber's poem "Tikvatenu" was later renamed "Hatikvah", and was sung at
the conclusion of the Sixth Zionist Congress in Basle in 1903. The
anthem was sung at all subsequent Zionist Congresses, and at the 18th
Congress, held in Prague in 1933, it was officially confirmed as the
Zionist anthem.

Imber's poem lived on, becoming the unofficial anthem of Jewish
Palestine under the British mandate. At the Declaration of the State
of Israel on May 14, 1948, "Hatikvah" was sung by the assembly at its
opening ceremony.

The words of "Hatikvah" have a timeless relevance for Jews everywhere,
reinforced by both good and bad experiences - reinforced by wars and
peace treaties alike. Naphtali Herz Imber's words are as old as the
Jewish people itself, yet they are also as young as the State of
Israel, which took them to its heart.

The wording went through a number of changes over the years,
reflecting changes of nationalistic ideas and customs. The words
"Where David once lived" were exchanged for "Zion and Jerusalem" in
the choruses. The poem was cut to two verses and the chorus and the
call was to be "a free nation in our own land," not just to "live in
the land of our fathers." The accent was switched to the Sephardic
pronunciation. The melody was also changed to fit the cadence and
syllable stress of the new version. These changes can be traced
through the various printed editions of the work such as the one from
the Hebrew Publishing Company of 1909.

The transliterated Hebrew lyrics:

Kol od ba le-vav pe-ni-ma
ne-fesh Ye-hu-di ho-mi-ya
ul-fa-a-tay miz-rach ka-di-ma
a-yin le-Tzi-on tzo-fi-ya

od lo av-da tik-va-te-nu
ha-tik-va bat shnot al-pa-yim
li-heyot am chof-shi be-ar-tze-nu
e-retz Tzi-yon vi-Y'ru-sha-la-yim
li-heyot am chof-shi be-ar-tze-nu
e-retz Tzi-yon vi-Y'ru-sha-la-yim

The English interpretation:

As long as deep in the heart
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And towards the East
An eye looks to Zion

Our hope is not yet lost
The hope of two thousand years.
To be a free people in our land
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
To be a free people in our land
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

[Sources: Dulcy Leibler; The Jewish Press; My Israel Source]

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:: OUR NEW OFFICIAL NON-PROFIT STATUS

In May we received notice from the Internal Revenue Service that we
have been approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. That means
that contributions to Azuza ("Azuza Music Production, Inc.") in the
United States are tax-exempt to the extent provided by law. Donations
and monies received from purchases are used in support of those
organizations that work for the building up of the nation of Israel,
in accordance with God's word:

"'For behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will
restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.' The Lord says, 'I
will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers
and they shall possess it.'" Jeremiah 30:3

If you would like to make a donation to a specific organization,
please be sure to tell us. We have many listed on our links page:
http://www.azuza.org/links.php#donations

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:: OUR MUSIC IS BEING ADDED TO MORE INTERNET STATIONS

Recently, some of our songs were added to the regular line-up at
Christian Music Inet. The station is a personal ministry project of
Michael Hughes. He is located in Kansas City, Missouri. He has some
great music, which covers major artists as well as many independents
like us. Be sure to check it out! (You will be able to request our
songs in a few days.)
http://www.christianmixinet.com/

Many radio stations that believe it is more worthy to praise the Lord
than to go the commercial route need your prayers. Some have even come
under attach by hackers and the like and they are in need of a hedge
of protection around them so they can continue to play music that
praises the Lord. Please support and encourage these stations by
listening, writing, donating, and commenting on their forums. They
would love to hear from you. You can find links to them on our Web
site at: http://www.azuza.org/online.php

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:: WE ARE AVAILABLE!

Azuza is available to play at churches, conferences, events, and small
gatherings. Currently, we are available in the Florida area. Contact
information is available on our Web site at:
http://www.azuza.org/contact.php or contact us directly at: info@azuza.org

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:: RATE OUR CD'S ON CD BABY and ITUNES

Want to have your personal review of an Azuza CD on the Web? We would
really appreciate it.

You can rate 'His Holy Temple' at:
CD Baby: http://cdbaby.com/review/azuza2
iTunes: http://azuza.org/cgi-bin/r/a1

You can rate 'Songs of Passover' at:
CD Baby: http://cdbaby.com/review/azuza
iTunes: http://azuza.org/cgi-bin/r/a2

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:: AZUZA STUFF

For those of you that like art with a statement, you will enjoy our
new line of Azuza stuff. We are currently offering items with artwork
from our new CD, "His Holy Temple.". Check out the line of t-shirts,
caps, beautiful wooden boxes, and more at:
http://www.cafepress.com/azuzastuff

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: COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

Have any comments or questions you would like to share? We would love
to hear from you. Also, please let us know if we can post them for
everyone to see. Contact us at: info@azuza.org

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.....................................................................

May the Lord bless and praise you as you walk in His light each day.

"Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I — to the Lord, I will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel." Judges 5:3

Blessings from everybody at Azuza!

Bryan Wong
Beth Wong
Lee Underwood

http://www.azuza.org
info@azuza.org


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