But certainly Israel has heard of the Y2K Millennial computer bug and is batting down the hatches and stocking up on all of their dry goods and MRE’s haven’t they? Nope. The average Israeli has heard of Y2K, but is clueless of it’s implications and possible impact. I’ve not met or heard of one Israeli that is preparing. The government and big business have prepared, as a matter of fact Israel is twelfth in preparedness based on a United Nations report. The government has announced that one should do nothing and go about business as usual. One Israeli told me that he will not stock up because he did so for the Gulf war and ended up throwing it all away after it spoiled!
Israel’s Millennial concern is the fear of fanatics. Earlier in the year, a cult group called “Concerned Christians” was caught planning to murder people in the streets so as to usher in the tribulation. The leader said that he would lay dead in the streets of Jerusalem for three days and then be resurrected to preach to the world. As far fetched as it sounds Israel took them serious. Last month in Haifa a group suspected of being from this same cult were deported. It turned out that they were not of this cult. Earlier in the year an old bearded man who called himself Elijah was deported because he was considered dangerous. There have been so many kooks in bed sheets wandering the Judean wilderness claiming to be John or Jesus that they have coined the condition “the Jerusalem syndrome.” When one of these religious nuts is captured they are taken to a specific mental hospital that has a wing dedicated to this one disorder (or possession?).