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"Freemasons" first conference in Israel |
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The organization's French-speaking fraternities from around the world participated in a conference that took place in Jerusalem in mid-February 2008, with the assistance of the Ministry of Tourism, wishing to encourage the heads of the organization to hold annual conferences in Israel. 250 French-speaking members participated in the first "Freemasons" conference which took place in Israel on February 14th-22nd 2008. Among the participants were over 20 of the organization's leaders, including France's Worshipful Master, Lodge Secretary, the Women's Grand Worshipful Master, French Parliament members, Gabon's Minister of Economics. The topic of the conference was "Freemasonry in modern society", and it took place in the YMCA hall in Jerusalem. Following the conference, a ceremony in which members of the organization received certificates of merit took place in the Ramat Rachel Hotel. In addition, Dr. Gerald Finklestein gave a lecture on archeological findings dating back to King Solomon's reign in the Ophel ("the City of David"). Conference participants also toured Israel in places such as the Yad Vashem Museum, the Dead Sea, Kumran, Masada, Tel-Aviv, sites in the Galilee and the Old City. The Freemasons organization has a motto values such as maintaining freedom of religion, conscience and thought, but due to the persecution and oppression of its members by various rulers through history, it maintained a network of secret connections, and was previously known as a secretive, clandestine and mysterious organization. Among its members were famous people such as Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Beethoven, Tolstoy, King Hussein and others. The first lodge in Israel was founded in 1868, and is one of the 70 worldwide active lodges under the direction of the Grand Lodge. Legend holds that the order originated in Solomon's Temple during his reign in Jerusalem, which resulted in its appearance in different books as a global highly influential body.
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