Israel, A Journey Through Time is a documentary DVD series filmed entirely in Israel. Each of the six, 45-minute DVDs offers a Christian perspective on the history of the Jewish people from Abraham to Armageddon. Rev. John Tweedie, chairman of Christians for Israel, Canada, hosts the series and gives personal insight into what it means to be a Jew in the land of Israel--both historically and in the 21st century. The segments also include live-action video (some of it graphic Holocaust images), paintings, maps, and Bible verses, along with narration and commentaries by prominent Jews in Israel.

The series is divided into the following historical segments:

1) From Abraham to Jesus: this disc is a succinct summary of the 2000 years between Abraham and Jesus Christ. It lays a nice foundation for the rest of the series and doesn't bog the viewer down with too much information. It is a reminder of the origin of the Jewish nation--the only nation on earth that God specifically called into existence.

2) Jesus: The Jew Who Divided History: No one who has ever lived has affected the life of man more than Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world. An entire segment is devoted to His life and His influence, not only on His own generation but on all people since.

3) Anti-Semitism: Starting with this disc, Israel, A Journey Through Time focuses on the challenges the nation of Israel faces today. First of all, however, a foundation is laid regarding the origins and roots of anti-Semitism, beginning with the Romans in AD 70 and their purging the land of Israel of the Jews. This segment gives a thorough presentation of the Satan-inspired hatred against God's people.

4) Aliyah: Rebirth of a Nation follows the thread that has held the Jewish nation together, even during the dispersion (after AD 70) and through the 20th century until May 1948, when Israel became a nation. It also examines the prosperity and incredible determination of God's people to transform the desert into a modern-day Garden of Eden.

5) Israel in Crisis

and

6) What Time Is It? These last two discs deal with modern-day Israel, the threat of hostile Arab nations, and the fact that Jerusalem, after being virtually ignored for 2,000 years, has become the focus of the world.

Israel, A Journey Through Time is definitely not for young, elementary-age students. Discs 3 - 6 contain graphic images of persecution--Holocaust footage and modern terrorist footage (a warning is shown on the screen at the beginning of these segments). However, middle school and high school students will gain an eye-opening perspective on God's view of His chosen people and their land, and how decisions regarding Israel affect the entire world. The video of a little Islamic girl reciting a poem in Arabic about how her "baba" (daddy) gave her a rifle as a present really hit home for me. Islamic children are being educated to hate Israel and hate the U.S.

I love multi-media presentations to supplement the subjects I teach. This DVD series would be a wonderful addition to a study of world history, if one wanted to focus on Israel's history without going into too much detail. I would definitely have purchased Israel, A Journey Through Time when my high school children and I were studying pre-World War II Europe and the Holocaust.

An added bonus: there is an available study guide that includes background information and discussion questions for each of the six units. Also included in the study guide is a 2,000-year timeline of Jewish and Christian history.

You can watch a video "preview" of Israel, A Journey Through Time on the Christians for Israel website: http://www.israelajourney.ca/

Product review by Susan Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2009