(The Jerusalem Post) The Jewish community of Hebron hosted actor Jon Voight, 83, on Sunday – the most recent stop on his 10-day mission to Israel, where he is gathering material for a biblical film series.
Voight is an Academy Award winning actor and the father of Angelina Jolie. He is known for his outspoken support for the State of Israel.
Sources in the Ministry of Tourism told ALL ISRAEL NEWS that Voight’s series will focus on Israel and stories of the Bible and is aimed at Evangelicals. The first episode is dedicated to the journeys of Abraham in the Holy Land. The actor is both the narrator and host.
At the end of his visit to Hebron, the actor received “Abraham and Sarah” medals from the city.
“We were all moved by the visit and the things that were said, including deep insights into the essence of the fathers and mothers as spiritual sources and the foundations of morality and human values,” Voight said in a video filmed with Hebron spokesperson Yishai Fleisher.
He explained to Fleisher that he is working on a “little show” about the land of Israel.
“We are calling it ‘The Land of Israel: God’s Story,’ because it is God’s story,” Voight said. “What we want to do is trace the beginnings of [the story] and come here and show people the places where these events happened and [give them] insight into the personalities of the patriarchs and all of the chosen people that have brought us to this time.”
Last week, Voight visited Har Bracha (Mount of Blessing) in the West Bank.
“I do not understand why Judea and Samaria are called the ‘West Bank,’” Voight said. “If you look at a map, it is clear the area is the heart of Israel.”
The actor visited the area with Chabad Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Kunin and Rabbi Chaim Kunin and met with Samaria Regional Council head, Yossi Dagan, according to Israel media. At Mitzpe Yosef on Har Bracha, which looks out over Joseph’s tomb, Dagan gave the movie star a bottle of wine from Har Bracha Winery.
Dagan referenced the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:5: “You will plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria,” and said to Voight, “What I hold in my hand is not just a bottle of wine – 2,000 years ago the prophet Jeremiah promised that one day the people of Israel would return to their land, return to Samaria and plant vineyards.”
“Over the course of a thousand years of Muslim conquest, other peoples managed to grow vines in the north, south but not on the lands of Samaria. And when the Jewish people returned here, to Samaria, 25 years ago when Jewish settlement returned to Samaria, they began planting vineyards, and suddenly began growing vines that today yield wine – winning international awards and considered one of the best in the world.”
“When I give you wine from the Har Bracha settlement at the top of Mount Gerizim, it’s not just a bottle of wine, you are actually holding a prophecy of Jeremiah that is being fulfilled right here,” Dagan added.
Voight told Fleisher in Hebron that God is “trying to reach human beings and bring them to the glory He wants for them” and that “when all nations come to appreciate the Jews, there will be peace on earth.”
He said, “I think something marvelous is happening… I think we are on our way.”
