Freemasons For Dummies: Outpouring of Sympathy and Support for Grand Lodge of Israel

Sunday, October 08, 2023

Outpouring of Sympathy and Support for Grand Lodge of Israel

by Christopher Hodapp

In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel this past weekend, the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel AF&AM has posted a statement on its Facebook page acknowledging the enormous outpouring of support by the world's Freemasons.

Click the image below to enlarge.

It reads:

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Dear Brothers of all the world.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the letters and phone calls from all over the world of fraternal support and solidarity during these challenging times in the State of Israel. It is truly moving to receive so many expressions of identification with the Grand Lodge of Israel, its Dear Brethren, and the entire populace in Israel.

We find solace in being part of this worldwide movement where fraternal unity among Dear Brothers transcends all forms of hatred. Our Grand Lodge serves as an exemplary illustration of this, as we have Dear Brothers from all faiths, races, languages, and countries living together in harmony with genuine brotherly love.

We have received unwavering support from our Dear Brothers living in the North, who stand in solidarity with the Dear Brothers and families residing in the South. Our building is soon to be opened and made available to those in need, and we are voluntarily bringing our Lodge of Magicians to entertain the children. This is how a fraternal society is built, and we are the ones who must lead the way.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely and fraternally.

M.W. Bro Man Segev, Grand Master

R.W. Bro Jose Cohen, Grand Secretary

The official seal of the Grand Lodge of Israel includes a Star of David, a Christian cross, and a Muslim crescent, all superimposed over a Masonic square and compass and encircled by a Chain of Union. The Grand Lodge was established in 1953, and the country has almost 50 lodges at work today. Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druse brethren all work together, and their various holy books are all opened side by side on the lodge altars. Despite decades of violence in the Middle East centering around the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, finding a better illustration of of true brotherly love in that nation would be difficult.

2 comments:

PatrickThu Oct 12, 07:51:00 PM 2023
I have visited Brooklyn, NYC 5 times since 2019 and met wonderful Israelites on my journey.

May God Bless The State Of Israel and all of it’s citizens.

(My prayers are sent daily.)

🇺🇸☘️⚜️☘️🇺🇸
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Bluethunder90Thu Oct 12, 11:34:00 PM 2023
I did not know there was a Grand Lodge of The State of Israel. I will definitely be donating to help as I can. I would dearly like to visit the Grand Lodge of Israel and an Israeli lodge one day.
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Legendary brotherhood
With a mythic past
And a visionary future.

Freemasonry is the largest, oldest and best-known gentleman's fraternity in the world. Historically, it is based on the Medieval stonemason guilds who built the great castles and cathedrals of Europe. Mythologically it is founded upon the building of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, as told in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Modern Freemasons likewise use the tools, traditions and terminology of those Biblical stonemasons as allegories for building Temples in the hearts of men, using Solomon as our ideal example of wisdom, justice and faith.

At its core, Freemasonry is simply an attempt to make the world a better place, one man at a time. For each man, it can become as simple or as complicated as he himself desires.

It's said that we are a secret society. We do indeed have secrets—secrets that each individual man has to discover for and about himself.

It's not for everybody. It never has been, and was never meant to be. That's the point.

Maybe it's for you.

Christopher L. Hodapp is the author of Freemasons For Dummies, the international, best-selling introduction to the Masonic fraternity; and Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C..

Prior to joining the Masons and becoming an author, Chris spent 23 years as a commercial filmmaker with Dean Crow Productions in Indianapolis.

Since 2009 he has been on the Board of the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, and serves as its Associate Director and Treasurer. In 2021, Chris was named as Public Relations and Marketing Director for the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana.

As a Freemason, Chris is a Past Master of Broad Ripple Lodge No. 643 and of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 under the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana; he is a member of Indiana's Schofield Lodge 1818 U.D.; and of Internet Lodge No. 9659 in the Province of East Lancashire of the United Grand Lodge of England. Most recently, he served as the Worshipful Master of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D. in Indiana for 2019-21.

In 2018 he was awarded the Caleb B. Smith Medal of Honor by the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana for his "distinguished service to Freemasonry in Indiana and worldwide."

Chris is a 33° Mason in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (NMJ), Indianapolis Valley. He is a Past Sovereign Master of Imhotep Council No. 434 of the Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a founding member of Levant Preceptory, a medieval Knights Templar period recreation degree team in the York Rite, and he is an officer of the Indiana College of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis. He belongs to numerous other Masonic appendant organizations.

As a Masonic author, in 2012 he was named as Friar No. 101 in the Society of Blue Friars. Chris was a Founding Fellow of The Masonic Society, and was the founding Editor in Chief of The Journal of The Masonic Society. He was the editor and a contributor in 2004-5 to "Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response to Dwight Smith" by the Knights of the North, a Masonic leadership think-tank focusing on modern lodge solutions. He has written for Indianapolis Monthly, Heredom, Masonic Magazine, Templar History, the Scottish Rite Journal, the Knight Templar Magazine, the Indiana Freemason , the Phylaxis, and numerous other publications.

His most recent Masonic book, Heritage Endures, was published in January 2018 as part of the 200th anniversary of Indiana's Grand Lodge.

Chris is also the co-author with his wife Alice VonKannon of The Templar Code For Dummies and Conspiracy Theories And Secret Societies For Dummies. Together they developed scripts for the History Channel program, Brad Meltzer's Decoded in 2010, and contributed material on conspiracies and secret societies for TruTV and the American Heroes Channel. They have both appeared on National Public Radio, the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel - most recently in the 2024 episode of America's Book of Secrets - The Freemason Factor for History and Prometheus Productions.

Chris and Alice reside in Indianapolis with their canine companions , Sophie the Flying Poodle and Maxwell, the Idiot Circus Doodle, who have them both answering to basic commands. They can frequently be found alarming the wildlife and dazzling the rustiks in their Airstream trailer as they crisscross the country. Appropriately, their newest books together are RVs and Campers For Dummies, released in June 2021; and RV Vacations For Dummies - 7th Edition, released in June 2023.

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