PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Mo lagged behind the tour group being escorted into Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter. He’d been here hundreds of times over the past ten years but decided he needed to take one last look.

Decades of Islamic terrorism had escalated into war. Netanyahu finally ordered the IDF to excise Hamas from Gaza. It wouldn’t be enough. Soon even the Americans would turn against them.

He would travel back in time as Moshe ben Isaiah, the only name Shaul would understand. Moses had to save the life of the Apostle to the goyim and stop twenty centuries of Anti-Semitic hate before it began.

It’s Wednesday and time once again to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 24 November 2023 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.

As far as these weekly tales are concerned, I’ve been avoiding the Israel/Hamas conflict that’s been going on since early October (and that has been really going on for many long years).

The landmarks in her photo are easy to recognize and even if they aren’t, a little quick “Googling” will tell you where the picture was taken.

I really do have a published science fiction story based on the above theme called “Saving the Apostle” first announced in early 2021.

Promotional image for the Planetary Anthology “Saturn”

The anthology and series went out of print until recently, so if you are interested in reading the full story, it can be found in the Saturn planetary anthology, yours on your Kindle device for a mere 99 cents.

There are many Christian and Jewish scholars who believe that the teachings of the Apostle Paul (also known as Saul or Shaul) were the basis for two-thousand years of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hate. They say even Hitler used those parts of the Bible to turn Germans against their Jewish neighbors.

I believe (the explanation is very long) that if Paul had not been imprisoned and executed in Rome, his teachings would ultimately have led the Gentile Christians to respect and revere the Jewish origins of their faith, promoting a positive worldview of Judaism and the State of Israel.

To that end, my scientist travels back in time to save Paul’s life, even against the Apostle’s will sometimes.

I have a Jewish friend who taught me that a Jewish Hebrew speaker of the early years of the Common Era would have no trouble understanding a modern Hebrew speaker. He helped me with the English phrasing so it would sound more as if it had been translated from Hebrew, as well as how a modern Jewish physicist would explain certain concepts to his ancient counterpart.

The outcome of this “experiment” was unanticipated and in its own way, very exciting.

To read other stories based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.

Oh, “goyim” just means “Gentiles” or non-Jews.

I am afraid for Israel in the months and years ahead. According to prophesy, Israel will eventually emerge as the world leader and Mashiach will be King. We will all be taught the ways of peace and fealty to the one Creator. But until then, there will be much suffering.

May the Messiah come soon and in our days.