Messianic Times - Beth Zion Messianic Synagogue

When They First Arrived
Linked in His Love
Many people are of the impression that Jewish
names were altered when immigrants came to
America following World War ll. This great myth
claims it all started with the clerks at Ellis Island. But
according to an expert, that may not be the case. A
leading genealogist, along with an historian of New
York’s famous port, help unlock influences that
challenged our relatives to modify their monikers—
and perhaps yours, too.
See story, page 12
It’s called a retreat—but it was really more of
an advance. Women throughout the Messianic
movement gathered recently in Pennsylvania
to minister to each other in a spirit of echad
(unity). For the eighth consecutive year, leaders
from congregations and organizations came
together in an atmosphere of confidentiality
and openness keeping Yeshua front and
center in their lives.
See story, page 13
Messianic Times
THE
Serving the International Messianic Jewish Community
Volume 22 Number 3
May/June 2012—Iyar/Sivan/Tammuz 5772
INSIDE the MT
Waves of Reconciliation 1, 18
messianictimes.com
Canada/US $5
Waves of Reconciliation
Ready to
do a 180?
page 19
by Corry Bell
“Y
or believers seeking peace in the Middle East, George Habash
would be an unlikely role model. Brought up in a Greek Orthodox
environment, he left his hometown of Joppa in 1948 during Israel’s War
of Independence. A zealous disciple of Gamal Nasser’s pan-Arabism,
Habash would form the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP), a group which has carried out hijackings, suicide bombings,
and targeted killings. The 1985 murder of Leon Klinghoffer—an elderly
Jewish tourist thrown overboard while on a cruise—stands out as one
graphic example of PFLP violence. Little wonder that Habash was
labeled “Terrorism’s Christian Godfather” by Time magazine.
ou have waves in Israel?”
Maya Dauber, first professional
Israeli
female
surfer, chuckles as she fields
this question from curious
colleagues, while traveling the
pro circuit across the world. The
frequent inquiries are amusing,
and Dauber graciously explains
her country’s oceanic resources
as being not the best, but do-able.
With one eye on the sea
and the other on the skies,
surfers in the Holy Land are ever
watchful for threats from their
enemies, even as they wait for
the next swell. As most athletes
of this sport are pensive people
to begin with, those residing in
the northern coastal town of
Nahariya have much more to
think about as they sit on their
boards in the lull before the ride;
Nahariya has been a target of
terrorist attacks since 1977.
A passion for Israel and a great
understanding of the Christian
Church’s responsibilities towards
her are the driving forces behind
a new documentary called
Promised Land. The feature is coproduced and directed by Todd
Morehead of Walking on Water
Films. Morehead is a Christian
from Southern California and
an avid surfer. His best friend,
Hani Ovadia, is a Persian Jew
living in Israel and a “shaper” of
surfboards by trade.
What is the common bond
these two men share? It’s their
passion for surfing and their
desire to see peace in the Middle
East. Although their religious
beliefs differ, their friendship
is genuine, and doesn’t seem to
be affected by their differences,
nor the miles that separate
them. Surfing, they agree, is an
escape for some from the many
challenges that surround them.
This is the angle from which they
tell their narrative.
4Continued on page 20
4Continued on page 18
Todd Morehead gets tubed off the Israeli coast
Controversy Collides into
Checkpoint 1, 20
He Thinks For Himself
Ministry of Sid Roth
1, 17
From the Editor
3
Letters to the Editor
3
Editorial: Undermining
Israel4
News, Etc.
• Messianic Daily News
• Messianic News Briefs
Can a Prophet Come
Out of Jersey?
6
7, 21
Messianic
8, 9
• Testimony of Avital Guernsey
• Survey: Kashrut (Kosher laws)
Congregational Profile
Ahava B’Shem Yeshua10
What's in a Name?
12, 27
Women’s Retreat
Advances Unity
13
Sifting the Biblical
From the Traditional
14
Hebrew Corner
14
He Thinks
For Himself
Controversy Collides into
Checkpoint by Joe Weissman
by Gabriel Patton
Honor Due
Esther Rosenberg16
Doing a 180—
in a Hearthbeat
19
Reviews21
• The Sound of the Spirit
• Songs in the Night
Congregational Directory
22–25
Last Man (Not)
Standing 26
Milestones27
J
immy Carter had recently
been inaugurated as the
39th President of the United
States. A little startup company
called Apple Computers had
just been formed in a garage
in California. Long hair and
sideburns were in style, and
disco was all over the airwaves.
And Elvis Presley would soon
give his last concert before his
untimely death would shock
the world.
4Continued on page 17
Armed members of the PFLP
F
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2
The Messianic Times
March/April 2012
FromTheEditor
O
ne of the greatest challenges of
writing for a bi-monthly publication is that by the time the newspaper
reaches your mailbox, the content
might have already changed. Timeliness is always a risk, particularly
when it comes to politics. Rick Santorum, who dropped out of the Presidential race, is one example. Nevertheless, there are several qualities
about him that will remain classic,
regardless of how the political pendulum swings. You can read all about
it in The Last Man (Not) Standing.
The Messianic Times is expanding
its parameters to accommodate more
hard news—both domestic and
international—pertaining to the
Messianic community. Whether in the
format of Messianic Newsbriefs, which
offers a quick roundup of several
noteworthy items, or a full-fledged
article, like Controversy Collides
into Checkpoint. It’s a modern “wolf
in sheep’s clothing” story about a
conference touting a desire for “peace
and reconciliation” that lent a notso-covert cover to an anti-Semitic
agenda.
Ever mindful of continuing
tensions in Israel, we offer hope with
Promised Land, a new documentary in
which the thrill of surfing transcends
international tensions, as athletes
navigate waves, and not war.
In this issue, Messianic Rabbi
Eric Tokajer reports about the
May/June 2012 incorporation of our greatly expanded
news service with The Messianic Daily
News. For well over six years, Eric has
been reposting items from a broad
spectrum of Messianic online sources
on a daily basis. It has been his hobby,
more or less, simply to serve our
community. This worthy effort has
been available since January on our
Messianic Times website. Now, Eric
has agreed to indefinitely suspend his
own service and share this valuable
information on our website, fully as
part of our team.
It always pleases us to publish
articles that engender reader reactions
such as, “I didn’t know that!” One such
case appears in What’s in a Name? I,
too, used to think that almost every
person who emigrated to the United
States after the Holocaust had their
names changed by Ellis Island officials.
Not so.
Just across the Hudson River from
Ellis Island is the birthplace of Esther
Rosenberg, who is featured in Honor
Due. From the Bronx to Beverly Hills,
this remarkable woman is fearless
when spreading the Good News. While on the subject of New York
City, Manhattan is the backdrop of
author Jonathan Cahn’s new book,
The Harbinger. Now everyone wants
to know what led him to write about
what would become a New York Times
best-seller. Don’t miss Can A Prophet
Come Out of Jersey?
Be sure to read the profile about
Ahava B’Shem Yeshua, located in
Prescott, Arizona—a place you would
not normally associate with any
sizeable Jewish population, let alone a
Messianic congregation. Led by Al and
Dee Rodriguez, an anointed Gentile
couple, you’ll see what it took to build
up a sizeable Jewish membership.
He Thinks for Himself commemorates the 35th anniversary
of Sid Roth’s ministry, a story of
perseverance and faith, leading to a
relocation that culminates in a dream
come true.
To some, Lag B’Omer is just a
lesser-known Jewish holiday, where
you don’t have to send greeting
cards, roast a turkey or exchange
gifts. Even though this holiday is
not commanded or even mentioned
in the Scriptures, there is plenty of
Biblical validity in the marking of
the 49 days from Passover to Shavuot.
It’s all explained in Sifting the Biblical
from the Traditional.
The May/June issue would
not be complete without our twopart Messianic Youth section that’s
always comprised of a testimony
and a thought-provoking survey.
The topic for the survey is kashrut,
the commitment to keeping kosher,
and how it applies to high school
and college students today. In her
testimony, Avital Guernsey shares
about a special trip that changed her
life. With aspirations to become a
writer, and judging by the fine job
she did, it looks like she’s well on her
way.
We value participation from the
young and the not-so-young, alike.
Please consider taking the time to
write to us, suggest a story, let us
know what you think of an article, or
send us a word of encouragement!
Karen S. Meissner
Managing Editor
The views and opinions expressed in the
Letters to the Editor, articles, reviews and
advertisements do not necessarily reflect
those of the Messianic Times. Writers are
directly responsible for the accuracy of their
facts and information. The Messianic Times
reserves the right to publish or not publish
submissions, as well as to edit articles
for clarity and space. The MT welcomes
comments from our readers. We’d love to
hear from you! If you would like to share
your thoughts with us, contact us at editor.
[email protected] or write to:
Messianic Times, 23811 Washington Avenue,
C-110-384, Murrieta, CA 92562.
The Messianic Times
3
Editorial: Undermining Israel
F
or decades, we have endlessly
heard of the conflict
between the State of Israel and
the made up people, known
as Palestinians. Sometimes it
seems like a knife fight taking
place in a telephone booth.
The difficulty has always
been characterized as geopolitical conflict, occupational
oppression and terrorist
response. No one quite knows
what to do, or how to come
to a solution. This is an old
problem based on nationalism.
Perhaps it is time to
consider that Replacement
Theology (Supersessionism)
provides a theological
undergirding to the attempted
anti-Zionist justification.
Up until now, the Messianic
movement has been somewhat
tolerant of an age-old Biblical
misunderstanding which
has been taught in Christian
seminaries for many years.
Maybe our community should
become more assertive in
arguing this theological point,
since this teaching has fostered
anti-Semitism, now morphed
into anti-Zionism.
If among Christians,
Supersessionism would be
relegated to the dustbin of
history, Palestinian arguments
would substantially fall apart.
For many centuries, traditional
Jewish people have maintained
that the Old Testament
prophecies covering the Land
were valid, materially and
literally. However, the long
dispersion seemed to suggest
there must have been only a
symbolic meaning. It was easy
and convenient for Christianity
to assume the Church was now
Israel. Now an unexpected
regathering is well underway,
but the former understanding
has not yet been sufficiently
discarded.
The disagreement existed
throughout the ages. Jews
take the Scriptural prophecies
literally and Christianity
interpreted them figuratively.
Now come the Messianics. We
maintain both the physical
and spiritual are correct on
two different levels at the
same time. Physical Israel and
ongoing regathering are facts.
It has its parallel in the bornagain believers increasingly
being gathered unto God’s
kingdom. There is physical
hostility in the Middle East
and spiritual hostility in
modern culture.
After all, of the increase
of His government and
peace, there shall be no end
(Isaiah 9:7). More and more
will come under Yeshua’s
authority. We could think of
it as a parable; what happens
to the tiny Land of Zion
physically can give possible
spiritual insights about the
Body of Messiah.
In an ideal world,
everyone will accept the
validity of the Holy Scriptures
in the future. At such a time,
the distortion of Replacement
Theology will be discarded
with hindsight. Until then,
much of mankind has yet to
catch on to the idea that God’s
promises are real on both a
physical and spiritual level. For
now, much of Christianity is
still beguiled by the 500-yearold seminary teaching that the
people of Israel are no longer
Biblically relevant and that the
Church alone is operative in
Providential events.
Christian support is vital
and necessary to the survival
and expansion of the Messianic
movement. For this reason—
and not wanting to emphasize
differences among believers,
Messianics
have
made
allowances and quietly grieved
without great debate when
Christians don’t seem to object
to Supersessionism accepted by
so many churches.
Perhaps, it’s time for
us to be more challenging,
and to say that Replacement
Theology is a well-intended
error. This is especially
important in our firm defense
of Israel’s right to its Godgiven borders. A two-State
solution with Palestinians is not
mentioned in the Bible.
While living in Israel for nine
years, I got to know many of the
30 or so Arab Christian bornagain church leaders and their
congregants. We would exchange
pulpits, spend weeks together in
the desert and have theological
consultations. The fellowship was
always rich and delightful.
My observation, however,
was that 90% of them embraced
Replacement Theology. They
couldn’t get it into their heads
that Israel was to be a Jewish
homeland. Of course, there will
always be Arabs in the Land,
prospering with full rights, as
now.
Unfortunately, the Arab
Christians have tended to become
the unwitting propaganda
pawn of Palestinian nationalists.
Personally, I intend to be
more aggressively opposed to
Supersessionism. To me, it is the
Zionist thing to do.
In Messiah,
Paul Liberman
Publisher
The Messianic Times
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4
Letters
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I appreciate reading the Messianic Times and it
does help me to be a better follower of Yeshua. I
like the articles on Israel and other related stories
about Jewish history, both political and religious.
Thank you for making the Messianic Times more
affordable for inmates ($5). Please accept the extra
postage [stamps] I am including as a gift to help
you to reach others with your publication. It really
means a lot to me to be able to assist, as I can.
Thanks again, and shalom!
Jerry Stiles
Winfield, LA
I really enjoyed the March/April 2012 issue of
the Messianic Times, in which the articles were
interesting and insightful. I particularly liked the
story about Ahavat Zion Messianic Synagogue,
where one of the previous rabbis had sought to
disguise their congregation’s allegiance to Yeshua.
The rabbi at that time was convicted about how
wrong this was, and how it had blighted his
congregants. He preached a sermon about it,
and had everyone rededicate the congregation
to Yeshua. I have seen this blind spot played out
in many congregations and organizations. It has
grieved me, because Yeshua has often been a made
into a side issue at best, rather than the focus of
our worship and teaching. He said, “You won’t
see me again until you say, Baruch ha ba b’shem
Adonai.” (Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the Lord). Is He welcomed, high and lifted up in
our gatherings? If not, He should be!
I am so glad that the Messianic Times put
into words what was already in my heart. You
conveyed a great truth that could bring anointing
and power in our midst.
For Yeshua’s Honor,
Marlene Rosenberg
Howell, New Jersey
The Messianic Times
Statement of Faith
We believe…
…the Tanakh (Jewish Scriptures) and the
Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) are the
inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of
God.
…that there is one God (echad), who
exists eternally in the “Trinity” of God the
Father, Yeshua the Messiah and Ruach
HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).
…in the deity of our Lord Yeshua the
Messiah, His virgin birth, His sinless life,
His miracles, His vicarious and atoning
death, His bodily resurrection after three
days, His ascension to the right hand of
God the Father and His personal return in
power and glory. Yeshua was Mashiach
ben Yosef (Suffering Servant) and His
second coming will be Mashiach ben
David (ruling King) when He returns.
…regeneration by the Ruach HaKodesh
(the Holy Spirit) is essential for salvation
and the indwelling of the Ruach is necessary to live a godly life.
…in the resurrection of the saved and
the lost. Those who receive salvation
through Yeshua will live forever with
God; those who reject Him will know
eternal separation from God, as the
Scriptures describe.
May/June 2012
continued…
On That Day 4Continued from front page
NewsEtc.
Messianic Daily News
by Eric Tokajer
L
ast January, a strategic partnership was established between www.messianicdailynews.com and the Messianic Times. This concept was the brain
child of Paul Liberman, and his vision for unity in ministry has encouraged me in ways I cannot fully express.
I am the publisher of www.messianicdailynews.com. When I received a phone call from Paul Liberman, Executive Director and Publisher of
the Messianic Times inviting me to get together with him, I had many thoughts going through my mind. The last communication I had received
from him was an email questioning the need for two different news sources for the Messianic community. Not knowing Paul as well as I do today,
my initial response was to take this in a negative light. However, I accepted his invitation to meet in Arizona, while we were attending a conference
hosted by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Bernis.
As Paul spoke the first few words at our meeting, I realized that his email to me was not intended to encourage me to get out of the way, so that
the larger, better known news source could take full control of the “market.” Rather, it was his way of opening a conversation with me that would
bring unity to our works, allowing our team effort to be stronger together than either individual source on its own.
The day I started www.messianicdailynews.com almost 7 years ago, the Messianic Times website had not been updated in almost a year. I saw a
need for a Messianic news site that could show every day the vastness of the growing Messianic movement.
The Messianic Times was well known, but their Internet presence was not. Over the years that Paul has been overseeing the Messianic Times, he has directed a tremendous upgrade
to the website. But it was still only updating each time the newspaper was distributed. Meanwhile, www.messianicdailynews.com was providing Messianic news on a daily basis.
The two websites grew in readership, and were fulfilling their goals and purposes. However, it was clear that while both sites also were functioning well, they were providing only
half a service. The Messianic Times brought in-depth articles about the Messianic community, previously five, and now six times a year. While www.messianicdailynews.com provided
daily updates and articles to keep people informed about the growing Messianic movement, it didn’t provide a print edition and all of the benefits it can bring.
It was Paul’s desire to form an alliance that would merge together our two news sources, aiming for the same goal, combining the strengths of both efforts to complement the
two venues, and bring a more complete news service to our community. The Messianic Timess will still bring a print edition six times a year, and the website will continue to bring
its articles to the virtual edition. At the same time, www.messianicdailynews.com will provide daily news articles. It is my hope that our whole movement will grasp Paul’s vision, which encourages complementation instead of competition, as we strive to provide together the best news
coverage possible. MT
Messianic News Briefs
M
essianic news has recently made a splash
in Jewish, Christian and secular media.
Here are some recent highlights:
Jews and Evangelicals
Writing in the Jewish Journal, nationallysyndicated radio talk-show host Dennis
Prager shared, “The fear of Christian
missionaries that pervades Jewish life” is
“out of all proportion to its reality.” Prager
apprised that after almost every lecture he
has given, a member of the audience “asked
about Jews for Jesus and how to counter their
threat.” Prager’s response: “We should be far
more concerned with Jews for Nothing than
with Jews for Jesus.”
Jewish Demographics
n The Baptist Press estimated the current
number of Jews in Israel who believe in Jesus
to be at 20,000, with about 150 Messianic
Jewish congregations.
n HM Magazine announced there are 284
active Messianic congregations in the United
States and Canada, not counting small housechurch fellowships.
n The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
released a poll on March 20, 2012, a day
after the shooting at a Jewish school in
Toulouse, France. It showed that anti-Semitic
attitudes in 10 European countries remain at
“disturbingly high levels.” The opinion survey
of 5,000 adults, conducted from January 2 to
31, 2012, revealed “Pernicious anti-Semitic
beliefs continue to be held by nearly onethird of those surveyed.” Classic anti-Semitic
notions included Jews having too much
power in business, being more loyal to Israel
than their own countries, and “talking too
6
The Messianic Times
by Susan Perlman
much” about the Holocaust. In France,
the overall level of anti-Semitism
increased by 24 percent compared to the
ADL’s 2009 poll.
Anti-Missionary Sighting
Yisrael Medad, an American-born
commentator living in Israel, was not happy
with the new Jews for Jesus documentary,
Awakening, that covers the organization’s
annual New York City summer witnessing
campaign. On camera, JFJ Executive
Director David Brickner stated, “We come
to New York to make the Messiahship of
Jesus an unavoidable issue.”
“Well, it can be avoided. It need be
avoided,” retorted Medad on his blog. On
the positive side, Medad also quoted JFJ’s
mission statement, thereby inadvertently
sharing the Gospel with readers.
Critiquing a Jewish Jesus
The Jewish Journal interviewed Professors
Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Brettler of
Vanderbilt and Brandeis Universities
respectively, about their book, The Jewish
Annotated New Testament. In supporting
the work, Levine assured that the New
Testament is an excellent source for Jewish
life in the first century. She added their
research also “addresses the statements
that have led to anti-Jewish views, such as
texts that present the Jewish community as
responsible for the death of Jesus.” Brettler
identified two Christian beliefs “that do
not inform our Jewishness”; that the
Messiah has already come and will come
again, and that God appeared on earth in
incarnate form.
“We have no interest in converting
people from Judaism to Christianity…
nor do either of us, as some have guessed,
have any affiliation with Jews for Jesus,
Messianic Judaism, or similar movements,”
Levine affirmed.
n In the Los Angeles Times, writer Mitchell
Landsberg summarized Rabbi Shmuley
Boteach’s book, Kosher Jesus. “It focuses
on the Christian savior’s Jewishness,
portraying him as a hero who stood up to
Roman rule of Palestine and paid with his
life. In keeping with Jewish theology, it does
not accept his resurrection or his divinity.
And it emphasizes Boteach’s belief that
the New Testament intentionally deflected
blame for the crucifixion from the ruling
Romans and redirected it—unfairly,
Boteach believes—on the shoulders of the
Jews.”
Landsberg noted, “One might
expect Christians to take exception. But
Boteach’s Jewish critics were way ahead
of the curve.” Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf of
Chicago accused, “Boteach’s latest book
is apikorsus (heresy) and must be treated
as such.” But the only part of the treatise
Wolf had read was the title!
It is “forbidden for anyone to buy or
read this book, or give its author a platform
in any way, shape or form to discuss this
topic,” wrote Immanuel Schochet, a
prominent Orthodox rabbi in Toronto.
“Boteach “is an Orthodox rabbi with
few scholarly credentials and limited
credibility in the academic world,” Ira
Chernus charged in Religion Dispatches.
As Professor of Religious Studies at
the University of Colorado, Chernus
challenged Boteach’s claims that the
source of “most of Jesus’ statements was
the Talmud. “The Talmud was compiled
at the earliest some four centuries after
Jesus died, and only an infinitesimal
portion of its words are attributed to
rabbis who might have lived before
Jesus’ time.”
U.S. Politics Stereotypes Our Movement
Politico disclosed that the Messianic
Jewish Alliance of America paid Rick
Santorum $6,000 to speak at its 2010
annual conference. After Politico
erroneously indicated in its headline
that Jews for Jesus paid Santorum,
other major online media including
Tablet, The Huffington Post, The Jewish
Chronicle, The Atlantic Wire, and The
Daily Beast (Newsweek) picked it up, as
well. Contacted by JFJ, Politico changed
its headline to Messianic Jewish Group
Paid Rick Santorum, and the abovementioned magazines followed suit.”
Messer Fiasco Unifies Jewish
Response
The Associated Press covered the bizarre
service at New Birth Missionary Baptist
Church in the Atlanta area, where Ralph
Messer, who calls himself a Messianic
rabbi, instructed two men to slowly
wrap Bishop Eddie Long in a large Torah
scroll.
Long was seated in a plush chair,
covered in a prayer shawl while holding
the Torah, and lifted by four men.
Responding, Rabbi David Shiff of
Congregation Beth Hallel in Roswell,
Georgia, denounced the act. “Ralph
Messer in no way represents Messianic
Judaism…I found the presentation to be
repulsive and inappropriate.”
“The notion that he wraps Bishop
Long in a Torah is horrifying,” asserted
Bill Nigut of the ADL, “simply because
it’s completely inappropriate. It’s an
awful way to use the Torah, and it doesn’t
in any way approximate any Jewish
ritual.”
Additionally, the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency reported that The Union of
Messianic Jewish Congregations and the
Messianic Jewish Alliance of America
issued a statement in which they agreed,
“We join our voices with the wider
Jewish community in condemning this
action.” MT
May/June 2012
MessianicPerspective
Can a Prophet Come Out of Jersey?
M
essianic Rabbi Jonathan
Cahn has accomplished
many things in his years as a
spiritual leader. If you’d asked
him a year ago if he expected to
become a first-time novelist on
the New York Times best-seller
list, he might have laughed. Yet
he’s accomplished just that with
his book, The Harbinger. As the
head of Beth Israel Worship
Center in Wayne, New Jersey, he
attributes his success to following
the leading of the Lord.
His father fled Germany to
escape from Hitler and the Nazis,
while his mother’s family escaped
from Russia, and was raised in
a Reform Jewish household. As
a child, he attended synagogue
and Sunday school, but being the
son of scientists, he simply didn’t
see any evidence of God. At the
tender age of eight, he became an
avowed atheist. Several years later,
he came to the conclusion that
there had to be something deeper
that defined the meaning of life,
and began seeking more answers
than atheism could provide.
He began reading widely
about science, religion, the
occult, and even UFO books. His
explorations led to reading Hal
Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet
Earth, which examined what the
Bible had to say about the end
of the world. This opened up
new areas of investigation, and
he started reading the Hebrew
Scriptures.
“I began seeing prophecies
of the Messiah,” he recalls, “things
that I thought were only Catholic.
They were talking about Yeshua. I
began to believe a little, at least in
my head.”
Jonathan was living a life
that wasn’t remotely godly, but
he was so excited, he started
talking to other people about
what he was studying. Not yet a
believer himself, he somehow led
individuals to faith in Messiah!
“This went on through my
adolescence,” he smiles. “I was
like a spotlight getting more and
more focused, until I realized
that it wasn’t just reading the
Bible, it was Yeshua, and it wasn’t
just believing in one’s mind, but
surrendering your life and living
for Him. But I didn’t want to
do it. I figured if you became a
believer, it meant checking into a
monastery. I thought you had to
give up anything good.”
Instead, Jonathan attempted
to make a deal with God. He
told Him if he received a long
Jonathan Cahn gazes at the skyline of New York City,
across the Hudson River from Ground Zero
May/June 2012 life, he would accept Him on his
deathbed. Shortly after, Jonathan
was involved in a traumatic car
accident that nearly ended his
life. While driving to college one
night, his Ford Pinto accidentally
ended up on the tracks in the
path of an oncoming train. As
the locomotive crashed into
the car, Jonathan cried out to
God. Although the vehicle was
destroyed, he didn’t receive as
much as a scratch. In the wake
of this miracle, he discovered
nothing could be more Jewish
than to follow Messiah, and
placed his faith in Yeshua.
Jonathan helped found
Beth Israel in 1983, a fellowship
that began in the home of Gary
Selman, Jonathan’s partner in a
weekly call-in radio program, Two
Nice Jewish Boys.
“I met Jonathan in 1979,”
Selman remembers. “He worked
as a security guard in a building
next door. Beth Israel began
under the auspices of Pastor
Charlie Rizzo, and initially we met
in my living room. In just a couple
of years, we grew from five people
to 50. In the fall of 1987, God told
me to ordain Jonathan as leader.”
Selman indicates this
decision has been confirmed
in the years since. He describes
Jonathan as one of the most
humble men he’s ever met. “In
30 years, I have never seen him
get angry or heard him raise his
voice to anyone. He is gentle, full
of humor, and kind.”
Annette Iasso, longtime
administrator at Beth Israel, agrees
with Selman. She began attending
in 1996, and she and her husband
quickly realized that they didn’t
want to worship anywhere else.
“Jonathan has one of the
most beautiful qualities,” she
beams, “in that he is always even.
He cares for his sheep, and there
is a genuine intimacy with the
Lord that comes out through his
teaching.”
The walls of his fellowship
have certainly not bound
by Chad Elliot
Jonathan’s
fruitfulness
in
ministry. Under the auspices of
Hope of the World, the outreach
arm of the congregation,
Jonathan has a daily teaching,
The Nice Jewish Boy, which is
transmitted on hundreds of radio
programs. Jonathan has become
aware that Orthodox Jews listen
to him regularly, some of whom
he knows to be “secret believers”
in Yeshua. Jonathan also hosts a
television program, Something
Different, and both broadcasts
have resulted in people coming
to receive Yeshua.
His work has become a
worldwide outreach that includes
ministry as well as spreading
awareness of the international
persecuted and underground
Church. Jonathan says that one of
the most fascinating places God
has led him is Mizoram, a state in
northeastern India.
“An Oriental tribe known
as the Bnei Menashe lives there,”
he enthuses. “They trace their
roots back to the Israelite tribe of
Manasseh, and to this day, they
maintain Jewish customs and
traditions. As the world became
aware of them, some made aliyah.
We traveled to India to teach them
they could be Jewish and believe
in Yeshua.”
Given his congregation’s
close proximity to New York City,
it was inevitable that the events
of September 11 would affect
Jonathan and those he leads.
When he speaks of the attacks,
his jovial manner gets a bit more
serious.
“My wife Renata was
meant to be at the World Trade
Center that morning, but her
plans changed,” he reflects. “Two
members of the congregation
were inside one of the towers and
made it out to safety. I knew even
then there was some spiritual
significance to 9/11.”
In November 2004, while
visiting Ground Zero, Jonathan
spotted the remains of a sycamore
tree that had stood in nearby St.
Jonathan connected
the dots to allow people
to see the hand of God
dealing with America
Paul’s Chapel. It had been knocked
down by falling debris when the
first tower fell. Something about
this image stuck with him.
Jonathan confides, “I was
led to Isaiah 9:10: The bricks have
fallen, but we will rebuild with
hewn stone; the sycamores have
been cut down, but we will plant
with cedars in their place. This
became a puzzle, whose solution
connects the fall of ancient Israel
to disturbing times in today’s
society.
“The Biblical kingdom
of northern Israel received
nine harbingers prior to its
destruction,” explains Jonathan,
“and they’re re-appearing on
American soil. People are taking
part in these things, not knowing
what’s actually happening.”
At Beth Israel, Jonathan began
preaching the meaning of these
harbingers as the revelation of an
ancient Biblical mystery behind
everything—from the attacks of
9/11 to the sudden drop in the
American economy in 2008—so
specific that it ordains the very
words of our nation’s leaders!
In 2005, he wrote what
became The Harbinger. Drawing
inspiration from the admonition
of Proverbs 15:2: The tongue of the
wise makes knowledge attractive,
he offers the non-fiction prophetic
message in the framework of a
fictional narrative.
“It’s a unique method of
presentation,” praises Steven
Strang, CEO of Charisma Media.
“I don’t know of anyone else
who’s done it. Jonathan connected
the dots to allow people to see
the hand of God dealing with
America.”
4Continued on page 21
The Messianic Times
7
Messianic
My name is Avital. It means “Father
of dew” in Hebrew and refers to God
as Sustainer. I work two jobs and attend
community college part time. I’m not sure
what degree I’m aiming for, but I know I want
to be a writer. I was born in Israel, I’ve been
attending a Messianic congregation since the
age of five, my parents speak Hebrew, and—
I’m not Jewish!
My parents, who are both Christians,
have been interested in the Jewish roots of
their faith since before they were married.
For instance, while on their honeymoon in
the Bahamas, they bought a menorah not
knowing what it was; only that it came from
Israel. As they settled into married life, they
began to sense God calling them to move to
the Holy Land.
Following two years of serious prayer,
study and counsel, they volunteered to work
for over a year on Ein Hamifratz, a kibbutz
near Haifa. Upon leaving the kibbutz, they
relocated to Haifa, where my older sister,
Talia, was born. Their next home was in
Tiberias, where I came into the world in
Poriya, a small town nearby.
When we moved again, it was to
Germany, where my dad worked for the
United States Army. I was a baby, so I don’t
remember much. My little brother, Asher, was
born there. I professed my belief in the Savior
in front of the Sunday school at our church
when I was three.
And it’s where I attended kindergarten.
When I was five, we returned to the
United States, to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Searching for a fellowship to attend in the
area, and having already visited a number of
the more traditional Christian churches, my
parents decided to look in the phone book
under “Synagogues, Messianic.” They found
one entry, called Charam Yeshua. Having
retained their love for Israel and the Jewish
people, we tried it, we liked it, and it’s been
my spiritual home ever since. It now goes by
the name Ahavat Yeshua.
I grew up identifying as a “Messianic
Gentile,” with memories of Christmas
mornings and Easter baskets mixed with
lighting the Hanukkah candles, spinning
the dreidel, and eating matzah ball soup. I
remember sometimes finding it difficult to
explain my lifestyle to people. I’d tell them
“I go to a Messianic Jewish congregation. It’s
Jews who believe in Yeshua, Jesus, as the Son
of God and Savior of the world.”
“Oh, so you’re Jewish.”
“No, I’m not Jewish.”
“Then why do you go there?”
Why not? I couldn’t understand why
others were puzzled. Why did other Gentile
believers refer to the churches they attended
as being “normal”? In my mind, normal meant
services on Friday nights, liturgy in Hebrew,
and dancing during worship. I loved it, and
I enjoyed being part of it. Perhaps the most
valuable lesson, looking back, was seeing
that God had me exactly where He wanted
me, and that even though I was tucked in
Indiana, He was planting a desire in my heart
that would take me again to Israel.
The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America
(MJAA) holds an annual international
conference at Messiah College in Grantham,
Pennsylvania, attracting Messianic believers
far and wide. I was 12 when my older sister
first attended. You had to be thirteen to
participate in youth group activities. My
birthday, though, fell only one week short
of the conference date. I cried and begged
8
The Messianic Times
M
MYtestimony
Avital Guernsey
my hs graduation
w/big sis
me
then!
me
now!
a youth leader to make an exception and allow me to go.
She very gently denied my request, leaving me, still a preteen, feeling devastated. Anticipation, of course, heightens
enjoyment, and my first Messiah Conference in 2000 became
well worth the wait. I began to attend annually.
In 2006, I came home from the conference desiring to
visit Israel. There was no big “aha” moment of realization; I
just knew that was what I was supposed to do. When I told
my parents I wanted to volunteer, just as they had, they
agreed. Someone had recently even mentioned to them a
moshav (village) near Jerusalem called Yad Hashmona—the
only moshav of believers in Israel.
Finding the website, I learned that “Yad Hashmona,”
sometimes written Yad Ha8, means “Memorial to the Eight.”
It is the name given by the founding settlers in memory of
eight Jewish refugees who were surrendered by the Finns
to the Gestapo in November 1942, leading to the deaths in
Auschwitz of all but one.
“The Finnish founders of the Moshav wished
to somehow atone on behalf of their nation,” I read,
“and they viewed their contribution to the Land of
Israel as a public request for forgiveness.” Additionally,
they “desired to contribute their share to the Zionist
movement. They also wished to express their gratitude
to the God of Israel, who blessed all the nations with the
gift of the Messiah Yeshua.”
I pulled together my references, and mailed in my
application. To my delight, I was accepted. Everyone was
thrilled, and in January, 2007, one week following my
sister’s wedding—I couldn’t miss that—I got on a plane
headed for Tel Aviv. Assigned to work in housekeeping
for the moshav guest house, which was a small, intimate
hotel, I fell into the job quickly, eventually becoming the
“head of shift” most days.
Those six months were the best experiences of my life.
We were like one big, extended family. I could hop on the
bus whenever I wanted to go into Jerusalem. I even had an
accidental cameo in a special report by Channel 2 news,
regarding Messianic Jews; the story was partially filmed
at Yad Hashmona. I must have been working too hard to
notice the camera crew, because I had absolutely no idea
that I was caught on tape. It’s a bit surprising when you’re
relaxing on a Friday night—in a foreign country, no less—
and people keep walking through the door, saying they saw
you on television.
I loved traveling around the countryside. I walked
through the Old City to the Western Wall, and spent a night
on the shore of the Dead Sea, walking up Masada in the
morning, and then back down. I was actually able to take a
trip to Tiberias and visit the congregation our family attended
a long time ago. Someone remembered my dad, and asked if
my dad still told jokes. He does.
Five years later, back in Indiana, I realize the increasing
significance of connecting to the place where I was born,
even if it causes some problems. Think: “Place of birth, Israel.
Extra scrutiny at Ben Gurion airport, anyone?”
My dad asks me on a semi-regular basis if I’m planning to
return there. I tell him I don’t know—and I really don’t. Until
very recently, I didn’t realize that I think of Israel as my home.
The thought makes me literally sob from the power of my
emotions. It terrifies me to think of the future, the inevitable
period of time prophesized in Zechariah 14:1-2, when all the
nations will abandon this vital strip of land that is so small, yet
so important.
I fear for you, Israel. I weep for you, and I love you. God
knew what He was doing with my life before it began. I must
trust that He still knows exactly what He’s doing—not only
for me, but also as the Sustainer of the nation of my birth. MY
May/June 2012
Messianic
Survey
Kosher: Is it What’s for Dinner?
by Mandie Greenberg
K
ashrut (kosher laws) is the act of abiding by the dietary laws outlined mainly in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, which has long been commonly
associated with Jewish identity. And while rabbinical commentary has added to these laws, Jews, as a people, have held these commands as a precious
part of their existence. In many cultures, the universal language of food brings people together, but kashrut has, for centuries, separated the Jewish people from
the rest of the world.
Generally, kashrut is divided into two levels of observance, based on the origins of their guidelines. Keeping Biblical kashrut is selecting foods
according to the exact rules given to Moses by HaShem in the Torah. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 19:23 and Leviticus 23:14
continue to direct how the Hebrews were to eat.
Rabbinical kashrut took both that which is written in Torah, as well as teachings and interpretations from the Talmud and Midrash, and enlarge
them over time. One example is the command given in Exodus 23:19, 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21, where it is made clear not to “cook a kid (baby goat)
in its mother’s milk.” The interpretations of these verses ultimately led to a separation of meat and milk products. Separate kitchens, plates and utensils are
commonplace in a household that follows rabbinical kosher. However, over the course of migration around the world, fractures between sects within Judaism
and the adopting of western ways of eating, current generations have varying views and convictions about this age-old subject. We approached four young
Jewish believers in Yeshua and asked them the following questions:
1. 2. What does “keeping kosher” mean to you?
Considering both the Old and New Covenants, do you believe it is important for Jews,
including those who believe in Yeshua, to honor this tradition?
M
Despite assimilation into
the American way of life,
each participant still
maintains the strong
cultural awareness that
has followed the Jewish
samantha degorskey zachary morel
Zachary Morel, 20, of
Clearwater, Florida, gave us
insight into how he observes
kashrut. “To me, kosher is what
God wrote in the Torah, through
Moses. It’s all clearly written in
the Old Testament. I grew up not
eating the two main unclean
meats: pork and shellfish.
But recently, my family and I
have taken to keeping a more
rabbinical diet. About two or
three years ago, my father and
brother started separating meat
and milk. I just followed suit.
Now, all the plates in our kitchen
are color-coded and the shelves
in our refrigerator are designated
for one or the other. When I go to
a restaurant, I decide if I’m going
to have a meat dish or a dairy
dish, and look for something that
won’t mix the two. I believe Jews
should keep kosher, because it’s
important to not lose sight of
who we are as a people. God set
up this regimen of consuming
clean foods, and to set us apart.
Personally, keeping kosher is a
part of the worship and honor I
give the Lord on a daily basis. I
want to pass this on to my future
children. Whether or not it will
be rabbinical will also depend
on my spouse, but at the very
least, I want my family to hold
on to what is outlined in the
Scriptures.”
May/June 2012 jen dodsworth
Jennifer Dodsworth, 25 of
Phoenix, Arizona, explains her
very different opinions. “It seems
like the word “kosher” has taken
on the same obscurity as “to be
Jewish.” To be Jewish is hard to
directly define, as is kosher. This
word has many definitions, be
it “Biblically kosher” which to
my knowledge means to not
consume “unclean animals” such
as pork, bottom feeder fish, and
animals without cloven hooves.
As for the ultra-Orthodox, there
are the separate dishes, no
meat eaten with dairy. When I
was in Israel, it meant choosing
whether you wanted a meal
with meat or with dairy because
the restaurants only served one
or the other. And I’ve taken to
asking people, “Is that kosher?”
as if asking “’is this okay’”? I didn’t
grow up keeping kosher, nor do
I now. My mother, who is Jewish,
was raised “kosher-ish.” Her
parents weren’t very strict about
it. We never really talked about
it. But my mother’s grandparents
were devout, having two sets of
dishes and two dishwashers. Even
so, my mother was so horrible at
cooking pork chops that I grew
up avoiding them. My father
doesn’t like seafood or shellfish,
so I almost grew up slightly
kosher, if that makes sense.”
Jennifer reveals her personal
ariel rabe
convictions on the subject. “The
613 mitzvot in the Torah were
put in place to separate the
Jewish people and mark them
as different and holy, but none
can uphold them all, hence the
need for sacrifices. Yeshua is the
only one who has ever upheld
all 613, thus being the ultimate
sacrifice for us all. Now that we
are living under Yeshua’s grace,
we can live under grace as new
creations. The Holy Spirit now
lives within us because we are
cleansed by the blood of Yeshua.
We are redeemed, so we can have
a right relationship with God
and have a direct relationship to
Him, through the His shed blood.
I do not believe that kashrut is
necessary for Jewish people who
believe in Yeshua, because it does
not bring about salvation. That is
already ours, because of what He
did on the cross.”
While Jennifer’s base of knowledge allows her to draw a
strong conclusion, Samantha
DeGorskey, 20, of Troy, Michigan,
admits her lack of research
into the topic. “I didn’t grow up
practicing any kind of Judaism.
Most of my life has been spent in a
non-Jewish church setting. About
two years ago, my father got in
touch with his Jewish heritage and
soon began keeping kosher, as did
people for centuries.
my mother. I still don’t know all
the rules and regulations. I’ve
never made it a huge issue in
my life. I think I like bacon too
much!” she laughs. “But lately,
I’ve been getting convicted
about it. Keeping kosher is a
marker of Jewish people, and as
a Jew, I want to pass on some
kind of stability and identity
to my future children. Right
now, I’m growing into it. As I
learn more and start to live my
heritage, matters like these will
take on more significance in my
life. I think it is important for us
to keep this tradition. It’s just
taking some time for me.”
Ariel Rabe, 25, of Baltimore,
Maryland, shares his heart. “I
follow Biblical kosher, according
to the book of Leviticus. When
I was born, my family didn’t
keep kosher, but once I was
a toddler it became a regular
part of our lives. So, for as
long as I can remember, I’ve
kept it. I made the conscious
decision to keep kosher myself
after my bar mitzvah. I was
becoming a man, according to
Judaism, and made the choice
to start observing the Torah
for myself. That really solidified
it for me. I think it’s important
to our identity, customs and
health. Part of keeping kosher
is trusting that God knows what
is good for our bodies. In John
14:15, Yeshua says that if we
love Him, then we will keep his
commands. I believe that kashrut
is still relevant. It not only joins us
with countless generations before
us, it connects us to the very
Word of God itself. If I’m going to
live this life, then observing the
dietary laws is a critical part of it.
Being Jewish and not keeping
it doesn’t make sense to me. I
know people who keep kosher
at home, but when they go out
to eat, they throw it aside. I don’t
seem to understand how people
can do it. It seems hypocritical.
But, I know for sure that my future
generations will maintain this
practice, wherever they are.”
Though all the participants
are relatively young, it is
interesting to note that three
out of four expressed a concern
for their future progeny.
Despite assimilation into the
American way of life, each
one still maintains the strong
cultural awareness that has
followed the Jewish people for
centuries. However, with such
differing viewpoints, it appears
that keeping kosher is deeply
personal; a commitment that
every person needs to make
for themselves. MY
The Messianic Times
9
CongregationalProfile
Ahava B’Shem Yeshua
by Nancy Kurrack
W
hile many Messianic assemblies have a minority of Jewish
members, it’s unusual to find a Gentile-led congregation
where a very large portion of the members come from
Conservative and Orthodox backgrounds. Ahava B’Shem
Yeshua is located in one of the ten best places to live in America
today: Prescott, Arizona (according to various magazines). So
how did this amazing phenomenon come about?
It all began with a rather unlikely non-Jewish couple. Al
Rodriguez came from an Hispanic, Catholic family and was
a regional manager in a very high profile company. His wife
Diana, better known as Dee, came from Michigan, where she
was raised in the Mormon Church. When they married, God
was not in the equation.
“In 1986, I was driving home from work in Orange County,
California, when a question popped into my mind,” recalls
Dee. “What is life really all about?” Life was throwing her some
curves and her search for answers had officially begun. Several weeks later, she received an outreach letter from
Saddleback Valley Community Church in Mission Viejo, and
attended one of their services. “Pastor Rick Warren seemed to
be speaking directly to me with John 8:32: You shall know the
truth and the truth will set you free. Then, a shaft of light, what
I now know to be God’s Shekinah glory, suddenly enveloped
her. “Before I knew it, I was praying to commit my entire life
to a new-found Jesus.” Very quickly she knew her world was
getting put into order.
Al was afraid to become a “Jesus freak,” but he followed suit
within a year after drilling Pastor Warren with questions. With his
anchor finally set on God, life was good. In 1990, he decided to go
into business for himself. Two years later, Al and Dee moved to
Palm Springs, where they first attended Calvary Chapel.
Dee started noticing Brookie Escott at many of her Bible
studies, but it took a year for her to officially meet this Jewish
woman. Brookie had been teaching the Hebrew roots of the
Christian faith in the Palm Springs area and once the two of
them got together, they became fast friends. Although Brookie
later moved to Israel, she was the one who introduced Al and
Dee to Steve Babkow’s Messianic congregation, Ohav Shalom.
At this point the Rodriguezes delved deeper into their faith and
enjoyed a second burst of spiritual growth.
One day, while deep in prayer, Al heard a voice. “Move to
Prescott, Arizona.” Dee questioned him because it didn’t make
any sense. Sure, they were moving towards retirement, but
they had a beautiful home in Rancho Mirage, all their family
lived close by, and Al was still the CEO of a very prosperous
business. “You’d better pray some more,” Dee suggested. They
both knew “voices” needed to be tested.
“No matter how many times I prayed,” Al recalls, “the
message was clear as day.” Out of obedience, they made the
move in 2004. As they were settling into their new home and
community of 36,000 people, they realized there were no
Hebraic congregations in the entire metro-plex area.
Al decided to ask his friend Paul Liberman, publisher of
the Messianic Times, what they should do for fellowship. Paul
clearly remembers. “You may have to start something on your
own, Al. You wouldn’t be the first to hang out a shingle.”
Al really didn’t think he was in any position to try his hand
at ministry, but he was serious enough with the Lord to make a
commitment. He would open his guesthouse for a year to see
if people wanted to join them in worship and study. Some of
the first people the couple attracted were Jewish.
Al met Ofer Harel at the gym. He had attended a local
synagogue, but his sister and brother-in-law in Florida had
been praying for someone to witness to Ofer and his wife,
Shoshana. It began with a barbeque at the Rodriguez’s home,
and the couple ended up accepting Yeshua.
It was Shoshana who invited her Orthodox friend, Laura
Satren, to one of Dee’s weekday women’s Bible studies. “Oh,
I’m not interested in that!” Laura retorted. She ended up
saying “Yes,” though to this day, she doesn’t know why!
Laura and her husband Larry had also been attending a
traditional synagogue. Larry had even served as vice-president
on their board, but they felt something was missing. During
Dee’s class, Laura folded her arms tightly and determined not
to say a word. She was Jewish and had never been exposed to
the Book of John.
For two straight hours Laura could not stop asking
questions. She later confessed to the group, “I hadn’t even
told my husband that I had been wondering if Jesus was truly
10
The Messianic Times
Above: Davidic worship at Ahava B’Shem Yeshua. Below: Leaders Dee and Al Rodriguez, Cantor Larry Satren and wife Laura.
the Messiah.” Near the end of the meeting came a
moment of clarity when she accepted Yeshua as “The
Promised One.” “My life has completely changed
focus since then and I no longer feel that spiritual
emptiness inside,” she boldly tells everyone.
That same afternoon Laura invited her husband
Larry to the following Shabbat at the Rodriguez
guest house. He was famous for saying he would try
anything once. Larry and Al immediately hit it off,
but Larry knew the Hebrew language and wanted
to take it slowly. “Show me,” became his motto. The
clincher came in Isaiah 53 with the description of
the Messiah.
Laura also wasted no time telling her Jewish
friend, Sharon Sablofsky, about Dee’s Bible study.
Sharon, who came from a very Orthodox family,
already knew about Yeshua and heaven at the age of
eight. She had been told she was dying of asthma and
knew there had to be more to God than what she had
been taught. At 14, she was secretly reading the B’rit
Hadasha (New Testament).
Sharon was so excited about Dee’s classes that
she actually invited herself to attend. Later, she
and her daughter, Leesa, asked to be immersed
(baptized). They found themselves part of a core
group of eight people who joined Al and Dee in the
formation of the new kehila(congregation). They
quickly outgrew the guesthouse and relocated in
the basement of the local Alliance Bible Church.
“We knew immediately it was the perfect place for
us, because it had the most beautiful menorah banner
hanging near the altar,” Dee reflects. Soon, even the
fellowship hall couldn’t contain the new Messianic
assembly, and they were allowed to move into the
main sanctuary for Saturday services. “Al always tells his people that he is just a
business man who has a vision for Israel,” shares
Paul Liberman, “but that’s just part of his charm.
He is still running his business and people don’t
even know that Dee and Al never take any of the
offerings as salary.” A tithe from their weekly
tzedakah box goes to the rent for the facilities, and
the rest of the funds go directly to two different
ministries in The Land.
Today, just seven years after Al and Dee’s bold step
of faith, Ahava B’Shem Yeshua is thriving. Nearly 100
people attend each Shabbat, and the group is alive
with singing, dancing, rich fellowship and festival
observance. In fact, over 200 people traditionally
attend their Passover seders. “We enjoy inviting the
entire community to experience the Lord’s feasts,”
Dee beams.
In January of 2012, Al was ordained as a
Messianic rabbi by the International Alliance of
Messianic Congregations and Synagogues in Florida.
Paul Liberman was there for the ceremony. “This
reflects the hard work Al has put in all the years. He’s
stepped out of his comfort zone, taken a leadership
role in teaching the Scriptures, and placed the spiritual
needs of his people above his own.”
Ahava B’Shem Yeshua is planning a new outreach
into the greater metro-area to hold monthly Friday
night services in nearby Cottonwood and Camp
Verde. “We never had any idea God would use us to
lead a Messianic congregation,” Al admits, but the
accolades the couple hear from the synagogue sounds
like a symphony of praise.
“For me, there’s no greater gift than seeing Jews
and Christians coming together and holding hands in
praise and prayer,” Al concludes. “People who attend
say they’ve never before felt so much love among
believers.” Of course, this is produced by Adonai
shining through Al and Dee. Powered by the Ruach
haKodesh, the fruit of their labors is a work not yet
complete. MT
May/June 2012
M
by M
David at home in his study
E
veryone wants to be remembered for something unique or
import
Born in 1936, a poor sharec
his wife, Kim, and said, “There’s
no me without her.” MT May/June 2012 The Messianic Times 11
JewishHistoryinAmerica
What’s in a Name?
by Miryam Meier-Howard
There’s a story of a Jewish immigrant on a ship to America. A fellow traveler tells him his name sounds too Jewish, and suggests a new one before they arrive in New York. When the
Ellis Island clerk asks the new immigrant his name, he becomes flustered, crying out in Yiddish: “Shoyn fargessen!” (I already forgot!) The immigration officer stamps the papers
that bear the name: Sean Ferguson.
Gary Mokotoff
G
ary Mokotoff is a brilliant American
genealogist. At 74, he refuses to
relinquish his passion for research, as
new projects continue to beckon him.
He is the author of several books and
founder of Avotaynu, an organization
that publishes genealogical materials and
hosts an Internet database. In 1959, his expertise as a pioneer
of the computer software industry with
IBM segued him into co-authoring the
Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex System and
the JewishGen Family Finder, which
provides a database of ancestral towns
and surnames used by Jewish genealogical
researchers throughout the world.
“Name changes never occurred at
Ellis Island, or any other United States
ports, such as Boston, Baltimore, or
Philadelphia,” Mokotoff reveals. “It’s
a great myth. A clerk always spoke the
native tongue of the new arrival, and
worked from a list complied when the
passengers boarded.” Since foreigners
would not be accepted into Ellis Island
without proper documentation, the
shipping companies were very careful to
check paperwork and ensure its accuracy
to avoid having to return the immigrant
home at the company’s expense. This isn’t
to say that family names weren’t altered
after they came to America; however, it
was not due to the system of immigration
officials. The two most common reasons
for changing names were pronunciation
difficulties and anti-Semitic attitudes.”
Millions of immigrants, once landed,
voluntarily shortened their names to fit
in with the culture. Chaikowsky became
Shaw, and Manowicz became Manners.
Endings such as,” berg” and “ski” were
eliminated. Others chose an easier
phonetic spelling. Minc was changed to
Mintz. Secondarily, anti-Semitic attitudes
were widespread. A Jewish name meant
unemployment in the 1920s.
Barry Moreno is both the author,
librarian and historian at the Statue of
Liberty National Monument and the
Ellis Island Immigration Museum in
New York. He possesses an encyclopedialike mind, as he describes details about
the immigration process. He shares that
before 1921, passports and official papers
12
The Messianic Times
Ellis Island
were strangely not needed to board a ship
to the United States. Even the correct
spelling of a name was considered rather
unimportant, as many passengers could
not even spell their names. “One thing
about Jewish men is that no matter how
poor they were, they had a very high rate
of literacy, due to the tradition of studying
the Holy Scriptures.” Each passenger
would receive a manifest card to fill out
before their departure. They were asked
about their age, occupation, race, whether
they could read, next of kin, how much
money they had in their possession, if
they were polygamists or anarchists, and
physical description.
If the passenger could not write,
a special clerk would be assigned to
assist. The name recorded on each card
was used to create a manifest list, and
was considered a legal document. After
1921, the U.S. required newcomers to
obtain a passport from their country of
origin before traveling to America. Once
processed from Ellis Island, Moreno
points out, new names were often selected.
There was a massive cultural phenomenon
of Jewish immigrants modifying their
names. Moshe became Murray, Rachel
became Rose.”
Hollywood made a profound stand
in 1947, when Gentlemen’s Agreement hit
the silver screen. Despite the controversial
subject matter, the filming commenced,
but not before Samuel Goldwyn and
other Jewish film executives approached
producer Darryl Zanuck, and asked him
not to go through with it, fearing it would
“stir up trouble.”
who went undercover as a Jew for a
newspaper article. Assuming the name
of Greenberg, the plot depicts the lack of
acceptance in business, community, and
social arenas, based on having a Jewish
name. Gentlemen’s Agreement received an
Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
The search for family lineage can take
us down a winding trail of fascinating
historical intrigue. Provided with Internet
databases and genealogical research sites,
one can discover facts about ancestry
which might otherwise be lost. This
insurgence of information is especially
exciting amid the prophetic return of the
Jewish people, as written in the book of
Ezekiel: Surely I will take the children of
Israel from among the nations, wherever
they have gone, and will gather them from
every side and bring them into their own
land (Chapter 37:21).
At 19, Mordecai Lempel, a young
boy from Rajeov, Poland, had survived
the loss of his entire family to the ovens
of Auschwitz. At the end of the war, there
were 250,000 displaced Jewish refugees
in Europe, among them, many orphans.
There were very few choices open to these
survivors. Most had no homes, and few
countries were willing to admit them.
While staying in the displaced persons
camp of Feldafing, Bavaria, Lempel
heard that Canada was sympathetic to
war orphans. However, to qualify for
citizenship, he could not be older than 18.
Feldafing, Bavaria
His daughter Frummie recalls, “My father
always feared that should he revert to his
original last name, he might be deported
if the Canadian government discovered his
real age. So he kept that last name until the
day he died. On the back of his headstone
I wrote the true names of my parents and
relatives, as they had all been murdered in
the camps, and of course had nothing to
mark their graves.”
In 1947, the Canadian government
granted permission for 1,000 Jewish war
orphans to enter their country. Members
of the Canadian Jewish Congress and the
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation
Administration worked to find orphans
under the age of 18 and to facilitate their
relocating to Canada. Less fortunate
survivors remained in orphanages and
displaced persons camps for years after
the war, waiting for the international
community to determine their fate.
The survival of Jewish surnames
over the decades has been turbulent.
Ronald Waling, a prominent doctor in
the Pacific Northwest, relays his family’s
name change. “My great-grandfather was
the Governor of Malta in the early 1800s
and was nicknamed Mad Jack, due to his
eccentric character.” Waling’s Maltese
surname, Azzopardi, was derived from the
word Sephardi, referring to the Sephardic
Jews. Despite this lineage, Azzopardis in
Malta have been Roman Catholic since
1492, when Jews were ordered to convert
to Catholicism or be persecuted. Ronald’s
grandmother married the Duke of Waling
in the mid-1800s. In 1908, his father
moved to the United States and changed
his name to Waling, partly due to a falling
out with his father, coupled with the
4Continued on page 27
Malta
Shortly after the war, many Americans
were beginning to realize the depth of
anti-Semitism. The movie portrayed
Gregory Peck as a skeptical journalist,
At this time, Mordecai befriended a
younger man named Moshe Horowitz,
also in the displaced persons camp. Moshe
chose to depart for Israel on a ship called
Exodus, under the radar of the British
authorities. Moshe had no need of a
passport, so he offered his own to Lempel.
With a new identity and strong desire to fit
into a better society, he settled in Canada.
May/June 2012
MessianicMinistry
Women’s Retreat Advances Unity
I
t is a simple concept: a women’s retreat
hosted by Beth Zion Messianic Congregation
themed, “More Than Conquerors through
Him Who Loves Us.” What, then, made the
annual affair this February, and now in its
eighth season, so popular that it attracts
registrants from a broad local and national
spectrum?
In short answer, Messianic leaders from
various venues are invited to partake equally
during the weekend, achieving a unique
spirit of echad (unity). As the women mingle,
“relationships form beyond congregational
and organizational lines,” comments attendee
Sara Chwatt.
Sara, a member of Beth Messiah in
Livingston, New Jersey, says, “I came to
deeply appreciate the sisterly bond between
those from the Messianic Jewish Alliance of
America, along with the Union of Messianic
Congregations, Jews for Jesus, and many other
associations. We all exhibited genuineness and
transparency. I felt that is what made it so
meaningful.”
In opening remarks at the 2012 event,
Messianic Rebbetzin Marlene Rosenberg,
reminded, “The number one reason for having
the retreat is Yeshua. He is to be kept front and
center in what transpires.” With her husband,
Jan and Marlene lead Beth Zion located in
Jackson, New Jersey.
“I was overwhelmed with the heart of
Adonai,” relayed Emily Snyder, of Congregation
Beth El Gibbor in Easton, Pennsylvania.
“The message about trusting God called
me to a higher level of righteousness in a
specific relationship that had not been wholly
glorifying to Him. I felt convicted by my battles
concerning a situation with a co-worker, which
I found oppressive.”
Four panelists expounded on the theme
by teaching how to overcome in prayer, love
and life. Using themselves as examples, the
presenters challenged and encouraged those
attending by sharing commonplace situations.
Not content to communicate a “mountaintop
experience” that would quickly fade once back
home, practical tips were given to illustrate how
to achieve and maintain the victory. “When
we turn our focus on the Messiah, we master
fear,” exhorted Miriam Nadler from Word of
Messiah Ministries. She advised participants
not to let anxiety quench the daily success
promised by God.
The overriding lesson over the three days
was, “Don’t listen to the lies of Hell.” “Be aware
of the enemy’s tactics to isolate and draw us
into condemning ourselves,” advised Rebbetzin
Gloria Brawer of Aytz Chaim Messianic
Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida.
Referring to Revelation 12:11, she proclaimed,
“We can defeat the enemy through the blood of
the Lamb and the word of our testimonies.” As
to the source of this transformational power,
Ronna Cohen, of Jewish Voice Ministries,
focused on the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit)
and His ability to lead followers to victory.
Using a variety of topics, more than
20 teachers addressed cross-cultural and
generational issues. “Most of them had tenminute slots to speak about one aspect of the
theme,” Marlene Rosenberg explains. “Younger
women were invited to be mentored and
trained by those who are older and established
in the movement.” She urged the ladies to
welcome newcomers, emphasizing that cliques
were not allowed.
“Our schedule is different in the way that
it’s programmed,” she continues. “We do not
May/June 2012 by Carol Calise
have a plenary speaker. Even though
I am the overseer of the event, I serve
simply as the mistress of ceremonies.
My goal is to delegate to as many
people as possible. In the beginning I
did everything. Now I take pleasure in
seeing God raise up others.” Applying
this thought to the young adults present,
Marlene indicates, “In our most recent
group, six of our presenters were in their
late 20s or early 30s. We want to give
those who show promise an opportunity
to mature and shine.
“The initial collaboration was
accidental. We planned a smaller gathering
but overbooked the rooms. The only thing
to do was open it up and start calling the
synagogues I knew. I was amazed that
almost everyone was interested in joining
us! That first event we had 60 women
from nine fellowships. By word of mouth,
we doubled in size the next time.” This
year, 168 ladies from 28 venues and 14
states filled the rooms at Pennsylvania’s
Tuscarora Inn. “We always had it in
our minds what the ideal conference
would look like, but our retreat planning
committee never dreamed we’d have the
option to play it out in real life.”
Many attendees have found the
retreat to be a shelter where struggles
can be confessed without condemnation.
“In this type of atmosphere we can be
vulnerable, hearts can be mended and
willingly reach across—or even
ignore—denominational ties. There
is an unusual level of authenticity
and honesty even among the
teachers, who are often leaders or
leaders’ wives.”
At the Saturday afternoon
workshops, Patricia Bucko, a
member of Beth Zion, instructed the
art class. “Viewing the various age
groups, backgrounds and cultures,
I was reminded yet again of how
our Creator delights in variety,” she
observes. “Yes, we are one in Messiah,
yet unique as daughters of the King
of Glory. As brushes and paper
produced a symphony of color and
design, I sensed that for many of us,
art is a form of therapy. Souls are
quieted, refreshed and restored.”
“I have been blessed here—and
each of the eight retreats have been the
best ever,” quips Peggy Michalchuk,
made new, and the ladies can really get to
know one another,” Marlene elaborates.
Beth Zion Women’s Retreat has
become a sanctuary of great refuge
for many,” offers panelist Messianic
Rebbetzin Ranjiena Shulman, from Beth
El Gibor in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“We are challenged to grow, and we’re
not judged for who we are or what we
are going through. We find a lot more
in common than not. We come from
different localities, but know that we
will end up in the same place—with our
Messiah.”
“What I appreciate so much is
the welcome and acceptance I find,”
enthuses speaker Melissa Moskowitz
from Jews for Jesus. Somehow, we
Congregational leader from Lion of
Judah, Yardley, Pennsylvania. “One
of the greatest gifts is the establishing
and renewing of relationships among
those in the Body of Messiah. During
the mealtimes, I have gotten to hear
amazing personal testimonies of
salvation, healing and deliverance,
and how God is advancing His
kingdom
through
ordinary—
actually extraordinary—women.”
“I’ve been coming for approximately
five years,” says Ethel Chadwick,
who directs worship at Shema
Yisrael in Rochester, New York.
“These events are wonderful and
refreshing. We bask in the Lord as
we enjoy friends—both new and
old. This was my third occasion to lead a
choral workshop. It’s always exhilarating
and fulfilling to see the end result. After
a very short rehearsal, we join in perfect
harmony and sing our praises, directing
them to an audience of One. I always look
forward to getting together, and I thank
God for the sweet fellowship that lasts
until we meet again.” MT
Top: Miriam Nadler leads an enthusiastic and
heartfelt worship time
Middle: Some of the speakers included Gloria
Brawer, Marlene Rosenberg and Merryl Eaton
Lower: Dancing and singing express the joy
of women's worship
All photos: Grace Hudacek
The Messianic Times
13
HolyDaysandHolidays
Sifting the Biblical From the Traditional
by June Levine
T
he Jewish calendar is filled with feasts and fasts. Some have their origins in
the commandments of the Scriptures and others have emerged over time to
become part of annual Jewish observance. Pesach (Passover), the Yom HaTeruah
(Feast of Trumpets), and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are all clearly
outlined in the Torah (Leviticus 23). Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks) and Sukkot
(the Feast of Tabernacles) are likewise revealed in the Divine command. But
other now-standard celebrations such as Hanukkah (the Festival of Dedication/
Lights), Purim (Feast of Lots/Esther), Tu B’Shevat (the anniversary of trees) and
Lag B’Omer are not specifically delineated in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures).
Numbers, in Hebrew, are represented by the letters of the alef-bet (alphabet).
In the case of Lag B’Omer, the name actually translates as the “33rd day of [the
counting of] the omer,” an activity that is clearly described in the Bible, both in
Leviticus and then again in Deuteronomy:
You shall count for yourselves, from the day after the Shabbat, from the
day when you bring the omer of the waving, seven Shabbats, they shall
be complete. Until the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count, fifty
days... Leviticus 23:15–16
You shall count for yourselves seven weeks, from when the sickle is first
put to the standing crop shall you begin counting seven weeks. Then you
will observe the Festival of Shavuot for the Lord, your God. Deuteronomy
16:9–10
“Omer” is the Biblical reference to a measure of grain. Early Israelite society,
like that of neighboring tribes, was agrarian, and annual feasts revolved around
the planting and harvesting of specific crops that marked out the year. The
earliest harvest was barley, which was associated with the time of Passover. The
Scripture commands us to count 49 days, from there on, as the wheat fields ripen,
culminating in the harvest holiday called Shavuot…literally “weeks,” referring to
the 49 days between Passover (barley) and Shavuot (wheat).
The Tradition Grows: The Rabbis
During the post-Biblical era, Jewish leaders elaborated upon the often scant
discussion of the Biblical holidays. The Passover celebration took on myriads of
traditions, which were added to the skeletal commands to eat lamb, bitter herbs
and unleavened bread. This created a formal and frequently lengthy Passover
seder. Traditions connected with other holy days were similarly embellished.
The counting of the omer became not simply the marking of time in
anticipation of the harvest, it assumed a sense of its heightened holiness. A
conflation of commemorations ascribed new meaning to the simple agricultural
H e b r e w
And, if you ask an Isralha
C o r n e r
Sheva
gca
Seven is important...we promise!
At this time of the year when we celebrate Shavuot—,uguca—the Feast of Weeks
(or “sevens”)—it is most appropriate to examine the root for the number seven,
which many call God’s divine number, one which implies perfection, completion or fulness.
Important sevens that can be found in the Scriptures include shivat ha-Minim—
ohbhnv ,gca—the seven species found in the Land of Israel, as recorded in
Deuteronomy 8:8. The sabbatical year, sh’nat ha-sheva—gcav ,ba—is a crucial
component of Israel’s agrarian economy, which insists that each tract of land remain
fallow after seven growing seasons. There are, of course, the ever important seven days
of creation, which culminated in God's day off: the Sabbath—,ca—seventh (day).
When mourners gather following a funeral, they remain seated on low chairs during the
seven-day period called shiva—vgca—literally “seven” (days) when certain aspects
of bereavement are observed. The Bible also records seven deadly sins, seven Noahide
laws, and includes a seven-fold blessing God declared in the Abrahamic covenant of
Genesis 12. As a verb, this root means to make a promise or swear an oath, and the
Hebrew name Elisheva— gcahkt—or, Elizabeth—means “promise of God.” In
the new covenant, God makes a specific promise to Elizabeth that she will be the
mother of John the Baptist, who will announce the arrival of the Messiah.
14
The Messianic Times
holiday. Shavuot also became the anniversary of God’s special relationship with
the Jewish people, through Z’man Matan Torah—the time of the giving of the
Torah. In 70 ce, when the destruction of the Temple effectively cancelled all
pilgrimage holidays, emphasis on Torah and de-emphasis on the priestly duties
became essential for addressing the new paradigm within Judaism. Even today
in Orthodox communities, the faithful remain awake through the night, reading
from the Scriptures (especially the Book of Ruth with its tale of the faithful
daughter-in-law who was favored by her cousin and permitted to glean the edges
of the harvest) and other holy writings of the Jewish mystical tradition.
As time passed, the counting of the omer grew historically more holy and
solemn. Weddings and other celebrations were not permitted, postponed until
after Shavuot. Many trace this soberness back to a plague that occurred in the
2nd century ce, during the life of the highly respected Rabbi Akiva. The disease
wiped out many of his disciples one year during the season between Passover and
Shavuot, until, as if by a miracle, it completely ceased on the 33rd day of the omer,
sparing the rabbi and many of his followers. The most famous of these disciples,
Shimon bar Yochai, who died years later on this same date, was said to be the
source for many mystical Jewish insights. Lag B’Omer became set aside as an oasis
of joy in the midst of solemnity as Jews visit bar Yochai’s hometown to celebrate
what became known as the Scholar’s holiday. On this day the mood lifts, weddings
are performed and joyous celebration is permitted.
The Tradition Grows: The New Covenant
In the days shortly following the resurrection of Messiah, the apostles and their
followers wrote of new developments that emerged on the holiday of Shavuot.
Only seven weeks after Yeshua the Messiah added to existing Passover tradition
by reciting the words “This is my body, broken for you,” (speaking of the matzah)
and “This is my blood, shed for you,” (speaking of the Passover wine), Jews
gathered in Jerusalem for the annual pilgrimage holiday of Shavuot. They came
from everywhere, bringing their grain offerings to the Temple,.
When they heard this sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind,
and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what
looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of
them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in different
languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:6).
When this brought speculation from the crowds who were curious about what
they saw and heard, the Apostle Peter stood up and referred the gathering Jews to
verses from the words of the prophet Joel:
I will perform miracles in the sky above and signs on the earth below—
blood, fire and thick smoke. The sun will become dark and the moon blood
before the great and fearful Day of Adonai [the Lord] comes. And then,
whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 19–21, quoting
Joel 2:30–32).
Among followers of Yeshua, this event, called Pentecost (Greek for “fifty”), reimaged Shavuot, the holiday from which it arose. Instead of Shavuot following
seven weeks after Passover, the church adopted the model of Pentecost Sunday
following seven weeks after Easter. Instead of the anniversary of the giving of
the Torah to the Jewish people, it became the birthday of the Church. Whereas
Passover was celebrated with unleavened bread, Pentecost was observed by lifting
two loaves, representing God uniting Jews and non-Jews in the Body of Messiah.
Replacing Biblical and traditional celebration with Christian interpretation, the
Church began to understand itself as separate from—even replacing—the Jewish
people. As one examines the history of the early centuries ce, it is impossible not
to observe the Jewish and Christian communities as two streams flowing further
and further apart.
Traditions Flowing Back Together
A Hebrew expression currently popular in all branches of Judaism today is
“Tikkun Olam.” The phrase, which has been taken in a very broad way, literally
means “repairing the world,” and originates from within the mystical tradition
that is celebrated every year on Lag B’Omer.
Several years ago, this also became the rallying cry of the Messianic
movement—to help re-contextualize the teachings of Yeshua the Messiah as they
first arose from within the Jewish community, much of which embraced him;
to bring back the ancient Biblical feasts so that all believers might understand
and participate in the fullness of the blessings of God; and to help Jewish people
recognize Yeshua the as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world. In the days
between Passover and Shavuot, let us count the omer and focus on all of the
many truths that have emerged from both of these holy days—God’s provisions,
the redemption from slavery in Egypt, the giving of the Word, the sacrifice of the
Lamb of God, the creation of the Body of Messiah, and the pouring out of God’s
Spirit. Surely there is much to be grateful for seven weeks and beyond. MT
May/June 2012
Profile
O
by Nancy Kurrack
L
ying in ambush with his powerful
Simonov rifle, Tass Abu Saada was
poised me to fight with Yasser Arafat.
At the battle of al Karameh, the first
successful jasooa in Arabic, and Yeshua
to his cousins, the Jews. MT
Taas with his wife, Karen
HonorDue
Esther Rosenberg
by Robert Wolff
E
sther Rosenberg is a force to be reckoned
with. Whether inside her prayer closet,
at the corner deli, or frequenting a nearby
house of worship, this formidable woman
packs a spiritual punch that brings our
enemy to his knees. If she played baseball,
her hometown Bronx Bombers, the
Yankees, would have her pitching and
batting cleanup.
Neither Esther nor her beloved
husband Moses, who passed away in 2007,
started out this way. Challenged in the
middle of her life with a ten-year struggle
over a degenerative spinal disease that had
her headed toward the wheel chair, Esther
found herself desperate for a touch of
God. And touch her He did.
As Esther relates her story, she was
seeking answers to spiritual questions as
she was led to the Beverly Hills residence
of Paul and Lenore Herne for a prayer
meeting and Bible study. She encountered
Dr. Ray Gannon, a young Bible scholar
filled with the Lord’s wisdom. But, Esther
was quite skeptical. How could such a
youthful man teach a middle-aged Jewish
woman anything about God?
Little did Esther suspect that her
life was about to take a miraculous turn
toward heaven. This was not the first time
she had encountered the Lord. As a young
woman, she was in Long Island, where
her friend Ronnie Brauchler shared the
person of Yeshua of Nazareth, informing
Esther than He was her Messiah. Esther
was hesitant to believe, but she realized at
that very moment she was being deeply
affected by the Spirit of the Lord.
After years of furtive prayers for her
agonizing condition in a lonely existence
that Esther feared could ensnare her for
the rest of her life, she seriously considered
suicide. Calling out to God, she heard
a voice speak the name that is above all
names. Three times she heard it: “Yeshua.
Yeshua. Yeshua.” Startled by the response,
Esther recalled two decades into her past
—that first encounter with the living God
on Long Island.
On that pivotal night at the Hernes in
Beverly Hills, Esther left the Bible study,
stunned by the presence of the Lord. As
Gannon had read from the fifth chapter of
James, she had felt he warmth of the Holy
Spirit move through her body. Disease,
depression, and fear were vanquished
by the healing touch of Yeshua. The
Lord answered Esther’s cry and she was
undeniably set free.
Shortly thereafter, on the annual
family outing to Vacation Village in
Laguna Beach, Esther and Moses would
experience the power of God at work.
While visiting a restaurant by the ocean
shore, the patrons were dismayed to see a
dead body roll out of the surf and up onto
the beach.
16
The Messianic Times
Esther Rosenberg this Passover in
the company of Rabbi Jason Sobel
Below: Esther as a young woman,
and together with husband Moses
New in their walk with the Lord, the
Rosenbergs were moved to bind the spirit
of death and pray for this deceased young
17 year-old male. Several minutes later, an
ambulance arrived. Attempts were made
to resuscitate the victim. Electric paddles
were used to shock the body. Oxygen was
administered, but to no avail. The corpse
was removed, a tragic death affecting all
present. But the story wasn’t over.
The deceased man was transported to a
local hospital where he was identified, and
the young man’s mother was summoned
to confirm the loss of her son. As she stood
grieving next to his gurney, her son lifted
his arm, pulled back the sheet covering his
face, and sat straight up! The morning’s
headlines reported to this sleepy beach
community the miraculous raising of the
dead. This is a powerful lesson to new
believers to be bold as they step out in faith.
Gannon recounts, “From the first
days of Esther Rosenberg’s faith in her
Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, she has been a
bold and effervescent witness to God’s
love and saving graces. Within days of
our initial encounter in 1973, Esther was
instrumental in bringing her husband and
three teenage children (Steven, Hillary, and
Deborah) to faith. She was on track to 40
years of dynamic Jewish outreach ministry
accompanied by her partner, Moses.”
The Rosenbergs joined Temple Beth
Emanuel in Encino, California from its
Messianic inception with a powerful
outreach to the Jewish community. After
the synagogue moved, Moses and Esther
were led to the Church on the Way in Van
Nuys, California, where they discovered
a genuine calling for Israel and the Jewish
people. There they founded L’Chaim
Ministries, which has blossomed into
Malkosh (Latter Rain) Ministries.
Dr. Jack Hayford, Esther’s former
pastor and now Chancellor of King’s
University declares, “She is an example of
a devoted disciple and ardent student of
God’s Word. In short, Esther characterizes
her namesake—a woman who is willing to
risk her own convenience and comfort for
the sake of her people; personable, creative,
diligent and trustworthy.” Esther’s care and
concern for the spiritual life for her fellow
Jewish people,” heaping further praise, “is
beautifully matched to a sensitivity and
graciousness in the way she relates. She is
characterized by a tenacity to her calling
that is honorable and faithful to the task of
sharing Yeshua.”
Jonathan Bernis of Jewish Voice
Ministries joins in. “Esther is one of the
most unique women I have ever met. As a
Jewish believer who also happens to be an
octogenarian…and an evangelist, she is a
rare breed indeed! Her zeal is contagious.
She will boldly go anywhere and talk to
anyone about the most important person
in her life, Yeshua her Messiah and Savior.
I hope I can introduce her to my unsaved
Jewish mother some time!”
Sitting atop a tall apartment building
housing hundreds of multinational elderly
residents with a commanding view of
the San Fernando Valley, Esther’s “prayer
tower” watches over the activities of the
populace. This mother, grandmother, and
great-grandmother has a keen focus and
heart for the thousands of Jewish souls
across the surrounding communities who
have yet to come to faith in Yeshua.
“She has demonstrated phenomenal
respect and a fully cooperative spirit with
the various Jewish ministries across greater
Los Angeles and has always been a teamplayer in the interests of the Kingdom of
God,” Gannon adds. Esther’s passion for
Jewish people, her loving demeanor, her
perpetual devotion and unceasing prayer,
have endeared her to multitudes, Christian
and Jew alike.”
Esther often voices her gifts on the
media. Her teaching skills carry her far and
wide to the nations. Signs and wonders
regularly accompanied her home Torah
study group. Locally, she boldly proclaims
the Lord to Hollywood celebrities and
neighbors and within her monthly
newsletter, “Reigndrops.” Most Shabbats
you will find Esther with Messianic Rabbi
Jason Sobel at Congregation Ruach L.A.
As her legacy continues to grow,
Gannon shares, “It has been my great
privilege to know and love Esther
Rosenberg for 40 years. As Esther’s ministry
specializes in reaching elderly Jews before
their departure into eternity, she will long
be esteemed for miraculously delivering to
heaven a host of Jewish souls.”
In recent years Esther’s desire has
been to begin a Beit Machaseh (House
of Refuge) for spiritually hungry Jews to
learn the Hebrew roots of their faith; to
have a place of safety in the anticipated
days of persecution. This vision includes
a spacious living and teaching area, a pool
for immersion (baptism), guest rooms,
counseling services and prayer for all
nations.
“As Noah prepared the ark for more
than a hundred years,” Esther relates,
“it behooves us as Messianic believers,
both Jewish and non-Jewish, to see the
handwriting on the wall, just as the sons
of Issachar knew the seasons and acted
accordingly to learn the ways of the Lord.”
Esther’s hope is that many would share
this vision and prepare the way for the
coming season as she labors to advance
God’s kingdom. MT
May/June 2012
MessianicMinistry
He Thinks For Himself
4Continued from front page
All that may seem like a long time ago, but to Sid
Roth, it seems like the blink of an eye. “I’m 71 years
old, but I feel like I’m just getting started,” says Sid, who
recently celebrated 35 years in a Messianic ministry that
now includes a presence on radio, television, the Internet
and in print. “Everything I have done to date was in
preparation for what I am about to do. I am just now
reaching the point of beginning the work I was destined
to do. My wife has suggested I retire and take life a little
easier, but what the Lord is doing in these last days is way
too exciting to quit.”
After 35 years, Sid has good reason to be excited.
His radio show began under the name Messianic Vision
in 1977, the same year he and friend Paul Liberman
started a little congregation called Beth Messiah in the
Washington, D.C. area. “We were part of the Hebrew
Christian Alliance,” Sid reminisces, “a ragtag group of
Jewish believers most people would call ‘misfits.’ One
day Paul suggested that we start our own Messianic
congregation. Shortly thereafter, Beth Messiah was
born in May 1973—the first Messianic congregation
of its kind, to my knowledge, to be totally independent
of outside Christian support. Several months later, we
invited Manny Brotman to move from Florida be our
Messianic leader, and he mentored me on how to reach
the Jewish people. Every week, we began to see them
come to know Yeshua as their Messiah.”
Today, the radio show continues under the title, It’s
Supernatural, with a television program of the same
name. The author of numerous books, including an
autobiography, There Must Be Something More! He has
also written They Thought for Themselves, a compilation
of stories about ten Messianic Jewish believers and
how they came to trust in Yeshua. Millions of copies
of his books have been distributed worldwide in eight
different languages.
Additionally, the ministry hosts two web sites, www.
theythoughtforthemselves.com, which tells of the ten
believers chronicled in the book of the same name,
and www.sidroth.org, where listeners and viewers of
the radio and television shows can access testimonies,
teaching and program information.
Born September 7, 1940, in Washington, D.C., he
was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home. His mother
was American; his father was from Poland. During his
teen years, shortly after his Bar Mitzvah, Sid became
disenchanted, finding Judaism to be “boring and
irrelevant” to his life.
He attended American University in Washington,
D.C., earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public
Relations. He worked in the investment business as
an account executive for Merrill Lynch, and vowed to
become a millionaire by the time he was thirty. At 29, he
began to accept the reality that this worldly goal was not
going to be met. Disillusioned and very unhappy, after
years of little or no belief system, he became deeply
entangled in the occult.
“By the early 1970s, I was involved in a New Age mind
control meditation program,” he recalls. “I just couldn’t
seem to break free of the evil presence that had taken
hold of my life, and it brought me to the greatest fear a
human being can have this side of Hell.” He tells of being
separated from his wife and daughter for more than a
year, and of reaching what he describes as “a breaking
point.”
Sid was ready to hear the truth. It was then a friend
told him about the power of praying in the name of
Yeshua. “Coming from an Orthodox Jewish family, this
was a big step to take,” he remembers. In his desperation,
he cried out, “Jesus, help!” The next morning, his fear
and depression were gone. “I sensed God telling me to
May/June 2012
Sid takes his time ministering to large groups of people through personal prayer and the laying on of hands
return to my wife and daughter,” he affirms.
Despite the fact that he had been lost for years to the
occult, Sid’s parents did not react well to the news that
he had become a believer in Yeshua. “Dad went ballistic,”
Roth admits. “Mom was not happy, but she convinced my
father my newfound faith was a phase, and that it too,
would pass. My mother would listen to me, but my father
would close his ears. Then one day, my father let me
read to him from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. By the time
I finished, he accused me of reading from a ‘Christian
Bible.’ He said he would only accept a text from his
Orthodox rabbi. It was obvious my father thought Isaiah
was speaking of Yeshua.”
The next day, Sid went to see the family rabbi, who
gladly gave him a copy of the Torah, complete with
several kind personal words inscribed on the inside cover.
“I could not wait to show this powerful gift to my dad,” he
continues. “I began to read the same passage from Isaiah.
Now he had only two choices. Either he had to agree that
Yeshua was the Messiah or he had to think something was
wrong with the rabbi. To my shock, he said, ‘I’ve always
thought there was something wrong with that rabbi.’ He
then proceeded to tell me how he once saw the rabbi
eating in a restaurant on Yom Kippur—the day of fasting.”
However, Sid’s parents couldn’t deny the change
in him and in his marriage. Today, because of God’s
faithfulness and Sid’s perseverance, he has seen his
parents, sister, brother-in-law, daughter and her family
become Messianic believers.
From that small congregation and local radio show
in 1977, the ministry has come to enjoy a worldwide
following. They’ve since outgrown their 7,500-squarefoot building in Georgia, and have recently moved into
a new 40,000-square-foot facility in Charlotte, North
Carolina.
Bob DuVall is the ministry’s Vice President of
Communications. “There is a supernatural connection
between Jew and Gentile, the Jewish people and the
Church,” DuVall contends. “The spiritual blindness
referred to in the Bible is coming off the Jewish people.
That’s exciting for the Gentile as well, because the Apostle
Paul writes in Romans 11:15 that when the Jewish people
come into the Body of Messiah, it will be ‘life from the
dead.’”
Sid wants to be a part of building that bridge
between God’s Chosen People and their Christian
brothers and sisters. In his most recent book, The
Incomplete Church, he coins the phrase “One New
Man,” and shows how Christians and Jews are vitally
interconnected. He insists that this phenomenon
will cause more people to become believers than
at any time in recorded history. As the Jewish
people begin to realize that Gentile believers are
their closest allies, Sid believes that more power
will spring forth out of that sacred relationship,
thereby turning centuries of hurt and suspicion
into forgiveness and a new, life-giving union.
Warren Marcus is one of the ministry’s board
members and Vice President in charge of television
and radio production, as well as fundraising. He
too shares Sid’s vision for the future of their work.
“When Yeshua walked the earth,” Marcus says, “He
was healing people. I believe that Jews and Gentiles
alike need to see miracles. I believe the Church
needs to see them, too.”
So what does a former practitioner of New Age
beliefs turned Messianic dynamo have to say about
where God wants him to go from here? “What I
want to create in our new facility is a setting where
many people can see miracles before their own
eyes,” Sid exclaims. “But I am more fascinated with
people coming to know Yeshua, especially Jewish
people, than with the supernatural.”
After years working in relatively cramped
quarters and recording their programs elsewhere,
when asked how they celebrated the 35th
anniversary of the ministry, Sid replies, “With a
glorious celebration service! We recorded our very
first television interview before a live audience, in
our very own studio, using our very own equipment.
It was wonderful.” MT
Below (l to r): Sid Roth at a New Age encounter; In Kaifeng,
China, home to a significant number of Chinese Jews; Sid
in the '70s; Ministering in Rockville, MD with Dr. Michael
Brown; Early days of ministry; Sid displays a copy of his
book, They Thought for Themselves in Russian; Interviewing Betty Kingsbury on his radio show early in his ministry
The Messianic Times
17
LivingintheLand
Waves of Reconciliation 4Continued from front page
Israel can be a difficult
place to live, to be sure, with
the constant looming realities
of war, but surfers claim they
find common ground in the
water. Surfing for Peace founder
Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, who
is Jewish, declares the ocean to
be the great equalizer. “There’s
only one enemy when a man
steps into the water, and that’s
himself,” he observes. His
organization provides surfboards
to Palestinians in Gaza.
So what makes this
documentary different from
all others of its kind? Ovadia
believes it is Divinely guided.
From his first visit to America
to his most recent one, he feels
more connected to the American
people than ever. The work made
its première in front of audiences
in Israel and garnered favorable
reviews. Morehead has now
brought his message to the United
States with hopes of educating
and motivating believers to take
their place in God’s plan for His
chosen people. Panel discussions
have been held at several of the
viewings. A companion study
guide offers an in-depth look
at the Scriptures pertaining to
this precarious country, as it sits
at the center of world attention
surrounded by enemies on all
sides. Surfing is simply the vehicle
for which a greater understanding
and deeper appreciation is
achieved. The film proclaims itself
to show “Israel through the Eyes
of Surfers,” with the hope that
the world may see the soul of this
complicated nation.
“If we were all surfers we’d
have peace,” declares Paskowitz.
Ovadia concurs. “I really hope
that peace can happen, but we
need everybody to surf first,”
he says with a sheepish smile.
Behind his humor is a very
serious issue; one he hopes the
world will take to heart as they
see his homeland in a renewed
way—and not just what they
catch on the nightly news. For
Morehead, the project goes far
beyond the region. His work has
been well received in the United
States by both the Christian and
Jewish communities, resulting
in dialogue and developing
friendships.
The
indirect
objective has been to foster an
undeniable, overflowing love
from the Gentile believing
community for their “elder
brothers” in the faith.
Morehead’s
enthusiasm
for understanding the Jewish
community
enabled
him
to befriend Barney Kasdan,
Messianic Rabbi of Kehilat
Ariel in San Diego, California,
and a lifelong surfer himself.
Kasdan’s original role was
that of consultant. A Passover
seder (“order,” in Hebrew) was
scheduled to be conducted in
18
The Messianic Times
the Land during filming, and
Kasdan was asked to lead it.
The significance of this ritual
meal as a natural illustration
of togetherness, coupled with
the profound point that in
the Exodus story Yeshua is the
afikomen (a piece of matzah
broken, hidden and found) was
to be the rabbi’s forté.
As the story line progressed,
it became apparent that Kasdan’s
involvement went far beyond
the telling of the seder, and was
more important than that of mere
sounding board. He had much
to contribute to the goals and
objectives of the assignment and
soon found himself in front of the
camera, although he will tell you
that he was “content just to be the
rabbi in the back of the van.”
Kasdan’s relationships with
the greater Jewish community
proved to be an invaluable
connection for Morehead,
although not always warmly
received by several members of
the other segments of Judaism,
who comprised part of the
audience at the panel discussions.
Still, Morehead is grateful for
Kasdan’s Biblical insights from
a Jewish perspective. Kasdan
sees this as an opportunity to
open fresh dialogue between
Jewish believers and those who
do not believe that Yeshua is the
Messiah. Overall, the production
was well received by audiences.
As a caveat to the message,
Tom Curren, three-time world
surfing champion, was brought
into the picture to solidify the
bridge that Morehead hoped to
build between the two religious
communities and to demonstrate
the real devotion many Christians
have for the birthplace of their
faith and its people.
Curren has a unique
philosophy about surfing. He
believes the waves in the ocean can
be humbling, and therefore change
attitudes and prompt respect.
Regardless of one’s pre-set opinion,
the experience can redirect a
person’s viewpoint in a positive
way. “In the water,” he reminds,
“cooperation is imperative. Politics
should be like this!”
Curren’s courteous and
unpretentious
demeanor,
despite his world fame, was
especially highlighted when he
met a Palestinian teenager in the
Mediterranean Sea. Side-by-side,
they surfed without the ability to
understand each other’s language.
But words ultimately proved
to be unnecessary. Curren, in a
spontaneous gesture, decided to
give the boy one of his surfboards,
without expecting anything in
return. In the documentary, the
young man’s father can be heard
asking, “How much do you want
for the board?” “Nothing,” replies
Curren. “It’s a gift,” symbolizing
Morehead’s vision, with no
strings attached. To see the love
of Yeshua in action shows the
world a view of Israel from one
of the best seats in the house: the
surfers’ seat. MT
Top to bottom:
Surfers Barney Kasdan, Todd
Morehead, Dorian (Doc) Paskowitz,
Bryan Jennings. Paskowitz says,
“If we were all surfers, we’d have
peace.”
Movie poster for Promised Land:
Israel Through the Eyes of Surfers
Surfers Todd Morehead,
Hani Ovadia and Tom Curren
Mayor of Sderot, David Buskila,
speaking at the movie première
for Surfers
May/June 2012
Perspective
Doing a “180”—in a Heartbeat
“F
inish this sentence: ‘It’s okay
to destroy a baby in the womb
when…’” This comment accentuates
an unflinching confrontation with the
issue of abortion in the documentary
180: Changing the Heart of a Nation.
Upon its release in October 2011, the
video passed one million views on
YouTube in the first month, with almost
2.5 million free views on the 180movie
website, to date.
The documentary, available
on DVD, has been acclaimed as a
brilliant and brave vehicle for the prolife message. Endorsements include
internationally known Christians,
such Stephen Kendrick, producer of
Fireproof and Courageous. On Project
Heart Changer, 180’s promotional
website, Kendrick writes, “May God
continue to use this mightily to open
the eyes of millions for the sake of
the unborn.” Another endorsement
comes from Francine Rivers, a
prolific Christian novelist whose
stories frequently include themes
of forgiveness. Her book Atonement
Child involves a young Christian
woman who becomes pregnant after
being violently raped. “180 is our
wake up call,” attests Rivers.
Written and produced by Ray
Comfort, 180 is one of his many
projects. A minister and evangelist,
his ministry, Living Waters, “serves the
local Church by assisting in educating
God’s people in the principles of
Biblical evangelism.” Born in New
Zealand, Ray identifies being Jewish
through his mother’s lineage. He came
to faith in Yeshua in 1972, and moved
to the United States in 1989. He and
his family now live in California,
where he filmed 180.
Throughout the movie, Ray
draws an unapologetic comparison
between the Holocaust and the crisis
of abortion. “On April 26, 1938, Hitler
enforced a law demanding that all Jews
give a detailed report of their wealth,”
he explains. “Every time a Jewish
family was killed, their assets were
seized. Experts tell us that one third of
Hitler’s war machine was financed by
Jewish blood. American abortion has
the same incentive. If you want your
16-week-old baby killed, according to
current prices it will cost you $690.
If you want your 19-week-old baby
killed, the price jumps to $2,690.
American abortion makes billions
each year.”
In Israel, a country just a fraction
of the size of the United States, around
20,000 gover nment-author ize d
abortions were carried out in 2010.
It is estimated that a further 20,000
unauthorized terminations were
conducted in private clinics during
the same period. “The taking of the
life of an unborn child is murder,” Ray
emphasizes. “And for that, we should
all should be more than concerned—
we should be horrified.”
Asked how the endeavor came
about, Ray replies, “I wrote a book
called Hitler, God and the Bible, and
asked my publisher if they would
May/June 2012 like a free video to go with it. They
said they would, so I decided to go
to the streets with a camera and find
out what people believed about the
notorious dictator. The movie was
originally called Hitler’s Religion, but
it went in a pro-life direction.”
The documentary begins by
recording spontaneous responses as
Ray asks people on the street—mostly
twenty-somethings—“Who was Adolf
Hitler?”
“Was he an actor?” one person
blurts out. As the interviews progress,
14 people are captured on camera
claiming they never heard of the Nazi
chancellor. Watching the film, Howard
Bass, leader of Israeli congregation
Nachalat Yeshua, affirms, “It is very
shocking to see the ignorance of
people—especially in the West—when
it comes to men like Hitler.”
Ray then takes his interviewees
through a series of startling, thoughtprovoking questions. He asks what
they would do if faced with the
decision of taking a human life in
a situation where it might seem
justified. In a discussion with a young
woman about God’s command to not
murder, Ray states, “Hitler declared
Jews as non-humans and exterminated
six million of them. That’s what you’re
doing when you claim ‘it’s not a baby
until three months.’”
Joy Heylen, an Australian
intercessor and staunch supporter of
Israel, watched 180. “The interviewees’
understanding of the value of life
grew,” she shares, “as Ray equated the
Holocaust with the murder of babies
via abortion. This effort to educate
people to have an accurate and
righteous worldview is wonderful.”
Howard reflects, “Ray Comfort
certainly focuses in on the question of
moral responsibility. When it comes
to voting for a political candidate
for high office, we often hear from
evangelical believers that the position
on Israel should be the determinant.
But what if a strong Israel supporter
also supports abortion?”
One man made the remark that
abortion might be acceptable after
rape. “Why would you kill the baby for
the crime of the father?” Ray implores.
“Which is worse, rape or murder?
Adoption is presented as the proper
alternative in the event a mother is
unable to care for her child.”
When it is suggested that it
might be wise to abort if the child
has birth defects, Ray instructs them
to imagine: “The Nazis are in front of
you and they’re going to kill kids with
Down’s syndrome. They did this. You
think that’s okay, then?”
In Israel, abortion is free if a
fetus is discovered to have physical or
mental abnormalities. Sandy Shoshani
is dedicated to the protection of
mothers and unborn children through
her non-profit, pro-life association
Be’ad Chaim. The organization
includes seven pregnancy counseling
centers throughout Israel, and
outreach services. Offering her
by Karen Faulkner
thoughts on 180, Sandy comments, “I
think it’s very well done. What I most
appreciate in Ray’s technique is how
he enables people to draw their own
conclusions by confronting them with
real facts. Ray challenges them to reevaluate their opinions based on truth
rather than feeling.
“We recently ‘adopted’ Ray’s
technique as we went on the streets of
Jerusalem with fliers, a rollup poster,
and survey forms. We asked people
when they believe life begins. We then
told them to study our poster and
re-answer the question. Knowing the
facts changed opinions.”
Having mentioned this, however,
Sandy discloses that Be’ad Chaim
would not use Ray’s video in Israel.
“I think the comparison of abortion
to the Holocaust is valid, yet it
would alienate Israelis for whom
the Holocaust is not merely history
but personally painful.” The AntiDefamation League has denounced
180 for this reason.
Ray uses his production to
correct
some
misconceptions.
When discussing Nazism early on
in the documentary, Ray corrects
the mistaken belief that Hitler was
a Christian. “He hated Christianity.
He called it a disease.” Ray offers the
comfort that there is forgiveness of
sins through Yeshua, including that
of abortion. This opens the door for
him to present a powerful Gospel
message to those whose convictions
have dramatically altered. While not
all respond positively, some do pray
for salvation, taking themselves and
viewers of 180, full-circle. MT
Top to bottom:
Handing out the 180 DVD to young people
The 180 DVD is available as a teaching tool; it is a project by evangelist Ray Comfort
Steve is a neo-Nazi who was interviewed for the 180 project
The Messianic Times
19
continued…
Checkpoint Controversy 4Continued from front page
For believers seeking peace in the Middle
East, George Habash would be an unlikely
role model. Brought up in a Greek Orthodox
environment, he left his hometown of Joppa
in 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence.
A zealous disciple of Gama Nasser’s panArabism, Habash would form the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),
a group which has carried out hijackings,
suicide bombings, and targeted killings.
The 1985 murder of Leon Klinghoffer—an
elderly Jewish tourist thrown overboard
while on a cruise—stands out as one graphic
example of PFLP violence. Little wonder that
Habash was labeled “Terrorism’s Christian
Godfather” by Time magazine.
Habash died in 2008, yet, his image and
influence are still palpable in Bethlehem,
where PFLP slogans, posters and graffiti
deface walls and lampposts. Post-Habash,
the PFLP backs Hamas aggression,
campaigning for an end to the international
designation of “terrorists” by arguing that
“resistance is not terrorism.” Mayor Victor
Batarseh is a PFLP member and identifies
himself as a Christian. In January, Batarseh
attended a memorial service celebrating
Habash’s life, arranged by the PFLP. The
Bethlehem of today’s Palestinian Authority
(PA) has a Christian outer façade, yet it
strikingly bears the image of Habash’s PFLP.
Against this background, the second
international Christ at the Checkpoint
(CatC) was organized by the Bethlehem
Bible College. Ostensibly, the conference
claimed to encourage reconciliation
between Palestinian evangelicals and the
wider evangelical Church, with several
Messianic Jews invited to play a role. Victor
Batarseh himself gave the opening address,
encouraging participants to speak out
against injustices in Bethlehem.
The 600 participants welcomed
Batarseh’s address, thus failing to
acknowledge his membership in a terrorist
group. Certainly, no one challenged
Batarseh’s political sympathies publicly. At
first glance, hosting a PFLP partisan would
appear at odds with the CatC’s publicly
stated aim of reconciliation. This was not the
case in practice. Rather, conference program
director Stephen Sizer made a photo
album that he posted online, stocked with
Bethlehem murals of George Habash, PFLP
flags, and graffiti of a smiling young Leila
Khaled—a PFLP plane-hijacker—posed
holding a machine gun.
Sizer’s travel itinerary also raises doubts.
He toured Southern Lebanon on a trip
sponsored by Hezbollah’s official media
outlet, Al-Manar TV. While there, he met
20
The Messianic Times
with the commander of Hezbollah’s armed
forces, Sheikh Kaouk. Sizer also toured Iran
at the invitation of Ayatollah Khomeini’s
daughter, Zahra Mostafavi. She arranged a
translation of Sizer’s book about Christian
Zionism into Farsi, welcoming him at
many of their state universities. This, as Iran
continued its three decade-long persecution
of its own Christians—a campaign instigated
by Mostafavi’s father.
Further, Mostafavi invited Sizer to a
meeting in Indonesia along with Alex Awad
of Bethlehem Bible College, Holocaust
denier Fred Tobin, and representatives of
Hamas and Hezbollah. At the previous CatC
assemblage, Sizer filmed a conversation
between himself and Brother Andrew, in
which both men agreed that Hamas has
“every right” to attack the West.
Another presenter was anti-Zionist
activist Ben White. “I do not consider myself
an anti-Semite, yet I understand why some
people are,” he infamously declared. White
has previously praised Habash’s “significant
role in the resistance to Israel” in an Islamist
journal. Should we be surprised?
A main CatC organizer, Sami Awad,
presents another interesting connection.
Sami is the nephew of Mubarak Awad, the
Palestinian advocate of nonviolence, who
was deported from Israel in the late eighties,
accused of fomenting civil disobedience.
Mubarak advocated resisting Israel by
“non-violent” means, such as boycotts
and large-scale protests. George Habash,
who nevertheless maintained his own
organization’s commitment to violence,
endorsed Mubarak’s tactics. Significantly,
Mubarak did not publicly distance himself
from Habash. His nephew Sami appears
to have repackaged for Western evangelical
consumption this movement’s “nonviolent”
Palestinian, anti-Israel movement.
Sami Awad with pro-terror
priest Atallah Hana
“Nonviolence” is an awkward term,
referring to ways to undermine and counter
the Israeli state without engaging in brutality.
Yet, its promoters do not condemn acts of
direct aggression. Indeed, Sami considers
Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan a hero.
Sami has further expressed his support for
the anti-Semitic sheikh Raed Salah, and
has often appeared in public with Atallah
Hanna, the Greek Orthodox priest fired
for his approval of suicide bombings. Sami
aligned with the 2010 Gaza flotilla, which
carried weapons to Hamas. This is the
“nonviolence” of Sami Awad.
On the eve of the event, many Messianic
leaders, even if unaware of the extent of the
extreme views displayed by many speakers,
nevertheless could recognize the unorthodox
theology that undergirded and justified its
worldview. For this reason, the Messianic
Weapons discovered
on the passenger ship
aboard the Mavi Marmara
Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA), the
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations
(UMJC), the International Messianic Jewish
Alliance (IMJA), and the International
Alliance of Messianic Congregations and
Synagogues (IAMCS), issued a joint, public
statement voicing their dissatisfaction
and exposing the “underlying agenda” of
CatC. “The conference claims to seek peace
and reconciliation, but reflects Biblical
interpretations that deny the ongoing
validity of God’s covenants with the Jewish
people,” they contended. The President
of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance
(BMJA) expressed his strong agreement, as
well. YouTube and over 600 media outlets in
the United Kingdom, United States, Israel
and other countries picked up the story.
Beforehand, individual Messianic
leaders planning to attend hinted at
plans to challenge CATC ext remism.
T his, however, proved difficult once on
site. In the end, British scholar Richard
Harvey, in his presentation, expressed
the possible option
of replacing Israel
with a state known
as “IsraPalestine.”
Somewhat theatrically,
Evan Thomas, a
prominent leader of
Musalaha (an Arab
Christian organization
with ties to some
Messianic leaders),
compared himself to
Paul of Tarsus, who
dared to eat with
Gentiles. Thomas
likened Messianic critics
to Simon Peter, who refused to break bread
with them. Thomas told his listeners that
internal “community pressure” against CatC
required repentance. The only substantial
challenge to CatC came from Wayne Hilsden,
the Messianic leader of King of Kings
congregation in Jerusalem, who handled the
controversy on an esoteric and theological
level. The opportunity to publicly warn
CatC speakers against admiring anti-Semitic
Islamist terrorists was largely missed.
What followed was farcical. CatC
released a Replacement Theology-driven
manifesto mentioning the Messianic
speakers by name, implying the conference
had agreed to the document. The
Messianics saw it for proofreading before
its completion, which gave opportunity to
dupe them into being seen as in agreement.
Sami Awad claimed that Messianic CatC
participants had full opportunity to edit
and provide input into the declaration.
While at first this appeared unbelievable,
in a joint statement those Messianic
participants and delegates admitted that
“some” of them did see it and suggest
grammatical changes. Additionally, they
referenced discussions at CatC to assist the
administration of Gaza with nonviolent
tactics. In layman’s terms, CatC held
sessions discussing how they could help
Hamas. The Messianic contingent did not
challenge this publicly.
The impressive list of evangelicals,
peppered with names from the global
Messianic community, gave CatC a veneer
of credibility. Yet, its substance remained
problematic—for Palestinian believers
as well as Messianic Jews. This was most
evident the day following CatC, when it
emerged the PA had refused to recognize
the legitimacy of the First Baptist Church
in Bethlehem, and subsequently might
not sanction marriages conducted there.
While many concerned believers
digested
this
information,
CatC
organizers Munther Isaac and Porter
Speakman published an article admitting
that evangelical churches in the West
Bank “are not considered legitimate”
by the PA. Isaac and Speakman claimed
that CatC had made dialogue between
Palestinian evangelicals and the PA easier,
adding—incredibly—that PA recognition
of evangelical churches “does not depend
entirely on the PA,” blurring the issue.
This was an attempt by CatC to dilute PA
responsibility in this area—presumably
because opposing its policy directly would
be bad for the image of the conference.
And how could they oppose it? Their
honored guest, the Mayor of Bethlehem,
has never spoken for the rights of
Palestinian evangelicals. Days earlier, CatC
had welcomed PA Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad with a standing ovation, claiming
his group gave evangelicals “equal rights,”
when this was clearly untrue.
CatC thus gave the impression of
representing Palestinian evangelicals and
reconciling them to Messianic Jews before
the whole church. Yet, CatC does not have
the best interests of Israeli and Palestinian
believers at heart. Rather, it is concerned with
shoehorning its particular ideology into
mainstream Messianic and evangelical
thinking. CatC participants may yet be
sincere in their quest for reconciliation. If
so, then its speakers ought to move away
from the likes of Victor Batarseh and the
PFLP he represents, and start again from
scratch. MT
May/June 2012
Reviews—BooksMusicFilm
Songs In the Night
The Sound of the Spirit
Film
Produced by Guy Camara
Directed by Michael Wolf
Running time: 128 minutes
Release date September ©2012
by Karen Davis
©2011
Galilee of the Nations
www.the.P.com
Music
Review by Rose Weinstein
Review by Ya’akov Pisk
Why is this movie different from
all other movies?
Jews ask questions. We know
this from Passover seders, as well
as popular Jewish culture. This is
not only a truism, it’s a portion of
dialogue from the brand new fulllength motion picture, The Sound
of the Spirit.
This film is different, not because we recline while we nosh matzah instead
of popcorn, but because it is the first professional full-length theatrical Messianic
Jewish movie ever. It is written and directed by Michael Wolf of Ohio, and
produced by Guy Camara, Kingdom Pictures, who hails from Indiana. In April, Kingdom Pictures signed a contract for The Sound of the Spirit
with Bridgestone Multimedia Group, the largest distributor of faith-based
films in the world. This all came about because Michael Wolf dared to ask the
question: “Why can’t a Messianic Jewish rabbi also make quality films?”
Those who enjoyed Wolf ’s children’s videos in the 1990s are in for a shock.
This is the real deal.
The story centers on Rivka, a beautiful, precocious 12-year-old who happily
attends a Messianic Jewish congregation with her father. Rivka finds her life
changed forever when her father suffers a fatal heart attack. Circumstances
force her to live with her traditional Jewish relatives and attend their synagogue,
just as she is preparing for her Bat Mitzvah. From her stormy relationship with
her uncle, to a meeting with the synagogue’s senior rabbi, to the attention of the
cutest boy in the synagogue, Rivka learns life lessons that stir her faith to new
levels, touching the hearts of those whose lives she has reluctantly impacted.
In his screenplay, Wolf thankfully avoids the tired clichés too often
associated with “spiritual” films. We’re also spared an unrealistic, corny ending,
such as the whole congregation getting saved on the steps of the synagogue.
Throughout the plot, the characters are believable and well developed. The star,
Anna Lasbury, puts in a truly moving performance as Rivka.
The Sound of the Spirit has premiered in major theaters at invitation-only
events in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Traditional Jewish people who have
viewed the film say they now see Messianic Jews in a new light; Christian
audiences who never before understood the dynamics between Messianic Jews
and the greater Jewish community are now enlightened. If you missed the
screenings, two more are scheduled at both the MJAA and UMJC conferences
this summer.
Here is your chance to watch a “must see” film and take part of cinematic
history in the making. MT
It’s hard to come up with enough superlatives
to describe Songs in the Night, the fifth
album released by Karen Davis. She’s the
worship leader at Kehilat HaCarmel, a
Messianic congregation located at the top of
Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. The music is
richly structured, employing subtle nuances
that add to the listening experience, much in the way that a dash of cinnamon enhances a
good cappuccino. Karen says this new project was birthed amid the tension and turmoil
experienced by many Israelis in the past few years. “I chose this title because in Psalm 42:8, God promises us that in the night His song
shall be with us. Most of the pieces I’ve written here as I’ve poured out my heart to the
Lord have been in the midst of the night seasons—whether that night has taken the
form of a suicide bombing, missiles falling on our neighborhoods, or personal times of
discouragement and intense weariness.”
Karen and her husband David have been engaged in a ministry of reconciliation
almost since they made aliyah to Israel in 1989, with a vision to help drug addicts by
sharing the power of God’s love. They soon realized that His love didn’t extend just to their
fellow Jews, and for 20 years have reached out to Jewish and Arab addicts in Haifa through
Beit Nitzachon (House of Victory), a residential rehabilitation center.
Yochanan ben Yehuda, President of Galilee of the Nations Music, says that the new
album represents the best work that Karen has ever written.
“Karen’s songwriting and ministry have always been deeply rooted in Scriptures,
such as Ephesians 2:15,” he points out. “The concept of ‘One New Man’ has been a theme
throughout her first four records, and this represents her most innovative music.”
The opening title “Al Tiru” (Fear Not) begins with a set of dark, ominous chords that
build slowly, punctuated by resounding drums. Quite suddenly, the music seems to open
wide, like clouds being pierced by bright sunshine. Hopeful lyrics remind listeners of a God
who is their salvation. A guitar solo enters like a thunderclap as backing vocals declare Yeshua
to be King of Kings and King of Glory. Given what is happening today—threats from Iran,
the nations raging against Israel—this is a declaration of the reality of God’s promise to bless
those who bless His people, and curse those who curse them (Genesis 12:3).
Other tracks, such as “Be Exalted,” contain unexpected musical treasures such as the
syncopated rhythm, found amid plucked strings in the midst of a slow, sweet ballad that is
nothing more than a love song to God. Beautiful woodwinds and contemplative piano are
to be found on “You Restoreth My Soul” (based on Psalm 23) and “Who Am I.”
“The closing song, ‘We’ve Come Together,’ features the voice of Amal, a gifted young
Arab Christian woman from Nazareth,” Karen confides. “The opening verse is ‘We’ve come
together, Jew and Gentile, one new man in the Messiah, being built together for a dwelling
place of God’ (Ephesians 2:21). Our prayer is that the God of Israel will once again manifest
His presence and dwell in the midst of His people.” MT
continued…
Prophet from Jersey 4Continued from page 7
Strang thinks the novel has struck a
chord for a simple reason. “A lot of
believers sense there is something
terribly wrong in the United States,
and in the world. The message
of The Harbinger helps explain
what is going on. There’s been an
overwhelming response; buyers
purchase multiple copies so they
can give them to their friends, and
the momentum is still building.”
Jonathan agrees with Strang.
“America is in a state of decline—
spiritually and otherwise. A
good portion of this country
is involved in apostasy and
backsliding. The same warning
that Israel received prior to
annihilation is sounding now.”
God has always placed
“watchmen on the walls.” His plan
is to sound the alarm in due time
so that calamity might be avoided.
The Harbinger is that watchman
for this day and age.
May/June 2012 Many books of prophecy
have been published, so why is
The Harbinger such a hit? Perhaps
because it does something that
other end times publications
are unable to do: appeal to an
audience in both religious and
secular markets. The book’s
content has ignited a spark of
curiosity to explore Old Testament
prophecies, demonstrating they
are as meaningful today as they
were thousands of years ago.
“If you’re scared by what
is happening in the world, and
if you don’t know the Lord,”
advises Jonathan, “there is
salvation in Him. Yeshua means
salvation, but it also means
safety. For those who already
follow Him, the main thing is to
be in His will. If there’s anything
in you that isn’t of Him, it’s time
to get rid of it. The message is to
turn back to God.” MT
The Messianic Times
21
MessianicCongregationalDirectory
UnitedStates
Alabama
Birmingham: Beth Hallel-IAMCS Rabbi Eric Walker Meets: 2230 Sumpter
St 35226 Serv: Fri 7:30pm Sat Torah Study 10:30am Tues 11:30am
Prophecy in the News 7pm Jewish Roots (205) 822-2510
www.shalombirmingham.com [email protected]
Alaska
Nenana: Nenana Messianic Fellowship–MP Steve & Rb Franceilia
McDonald Meets: Sat 10am (907)832-1006 www.nmf-ak.com
Arizona
Glendale: Arrowhead Messianic Congregation-Pastors Allan and
Anita Moorhead Meets: Tabernacle of the Son 10738 N 75th Ave Ste
B2 Peoria 85345 Serv: Adult Bible Study Sat 8:30am Worship 10:17am
(623)780-0172 www.myamc.org [email protected]
Phoenix/Anthem: Congregation Baruch HaShem-IAMCS Leader
Tim & Candyce Hyslip Meets: 28660 N Black Canyon Hwy Phoenix
Serv: Sat 4:30pm (623) 521-3845 www.baruch-az.org
Prescott: Ahava B’Shem Yeshua-IAMCS Leader Al Rodriguez
Meets: Alliance Bible Church 2601 W Iron Springs Rd
Serv: Sat 10:30am followed by Oneg (928) 443-5988 or
(928) 776-8501 www.ahavabshemyeshua.com [email protected]
California
Anaheim/Orange: Temple Aviv Judea Rabbi Corey Sylvester Meets:
632 N Eckhoff Orange CA 92868 Serv: Sat 10:30am
(714) 748-4504 www.avivjudea.org
AppleValley/Cucamonga: Beth Shalom-IAMCS/UMJC/Tikkun
Rabbis Rene & Robert Bloch Meets: 9592-7th St Rancho Cucamonga
Serv: Sat 10am (760) 240-8883 [email protected]
Canoga Park (LA area): Beth Ariel Messianic Congregation Leader Gary
Derechinsky Meets: 22222 Saticoy St Serv: Sun 11 am worship
nursery & Sun school (818) 610-8600 www.bethariel.org
Crestline/Redlands: Shiloh Messianic Congregation Pastor Bruce Dowell
Meets: Fri 7pm & Sun 9:30am Crestline (909) 338-4846; Sat 10am
Redlands (909) 338-0685 www.shilohmessianic.org
[email protected]
Fresno: Beit Tefillah Messianic Fellowship-CTOMC Torah-observant
Assembly Rabbi Adam J. Bernay Meets: 525 E Clinton Ave
Serv: Sat 3pm (559) 477-4977 www.fresnohouseofprayer.com
Fresno: Beth David Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS Meets:
4147 E Dakota & Cedar Serv: Fri 7:30pm (559) 435-0106
www.bethdavidmc.org [email protected]
Grover Beach: Beit Tehillah Fellowship Leader Mitch Rosen Meets:
1935 Newport Ave Serv: first & third Sat of the month at 2pm
(805) 215-6636 www.beittehillah.org [email protected]
Irvine: Adat HaMashiach Messiaic Congregation-IAMCS Messianic
Pastor Robert Black Meets: 25991 Pala Mission Viejo Serv: Sat
10:30am (714) 630-6703 www.myadat.com [email protected]
Irvine: Shuvah Yisrael-IAMCS Messianic Rabbi Larry Feldman
Meets: 5000 Barranca Pkwy Serv: Sat 10am Shabbat School
& Nursery (949) 679-1261 www.shuvahyisrael.org
Modesto: Congregation Lev L’Yisrael Leader Donald Ross Meets: 4021 Beyer
Park Dr Serv: Sat 10am (209) 557-0696 www.heartforisrael.org
Monterey: Sar Shalom Messianic Fellowship-UMJC Serv: Fri 7:30pm
(831) 624-4350 www.sarshalompg.org [email protected]
Orange: Ben David Messianic Jewish Congregation-AMC Messianic
Rabbi Doug Friedman Meets: 1800 E LaVeta Serv: Sat 10:30am Shabbat
School & Hebrew Instruction (949) 551-2659 www.BenDavidMJC.org
Palm Springs: Ohav Shalom-IAMCS Steve Babkow Serv: Sat 10am
(760) 775-0181 www.ohavshalom.net
San Diego: Kehilat Ariel-UMJC Rabbi Barney Kasdan Meets: 3219
Clairemont Mesa Blvd Serv: Sat 10:30am (children’s program) Youth &
Yeshiva class Tues 7pm (858) 490-4355 www.kehilatariel.org
San Diego: Tree of Life Messianic Congregation-IAMCS Rabbi Joel
Liberman Meets: 2705 Via Orange Way, Ste A, Spring Valley
Serv: Sat 10am (619) 656-1168 www.treeoflifeca.org [email protected]
Santa Barbara: Chapel Ariel-UMJC Leaders Rev. Warren and Leanne
Simandle Meets: Upper Room 1435 Cliff Dr Serv: Fri 6:30pm Torah
Study Tues 6:30pm (805) 682-6809 [email protected]
West Covina: Simchat Yeshua Meets: 1100 E Cameron Ave, room #10
Serv: Sat 11am worship prayer schmooze, nosh. Bible study 2 pm
(626) 290-0234 www.simchatyeshua.org [email protected]
West Hills: Adat Y’shua Ha Adon Michael H Brown
Meets: 7475 Fallbrook Ave Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 10:45am
(818) 222-0200 www.adatyshua.org [email protected]
Colorado
Denver: Congregation Yeshuat Tsion Rabbi Chaim Urbach
Meets: 5600 E Belleview Ave Greenwood Village Serv: Sat 10am
(303) 740-5413 www.yeshuattsion.org
Florida
Boca/Deerfield/Pompano/Coral Springs: Beth Hillel Rabbi Dr
David Barsky Meets: 6279 W Sample Rd Coral Springs 33067
Serv: Traditional-Fri 8pm Contemporary-Sat 10:30am
(954) 341-4682 www.bethhillel.com
Boca Raton: Ayts Chayim Messianic Synagogue-UMJC/Tikkun
Rabbi Ira Brawer Meets: Grace Community Church 600 W
Camino Real 33486 Serv: Sat 10:30am (561) 487-3839
www.acmsboca.org
Boynton Beach: Beth Sar Shalom Messianic Congregation
Rabbi Dr Ben Alpert Meets: 1015 Old Boynton Rd Serv: Sat Shabbat
School 9:30am, Worship service 10:30am Torah Discussion Sat 3pm
(561) 737-1431 www.bethsarshalomflorida.com
Clearwater: Ohr Chadash-UMJC Rabbi Dr John Fischer
Meets: 3190 Gulf-To-Bay Blvd Serv: Fri 8pm Come for tradition
that’s vital, warm & caring! (727) 726-1472 www.ohrchadash.org
Davie: Kehilat Bet Avinu Meets: 11850 W St Rd 84 Ste A-16 33322
Serv: Kabbalat Shabbat Fri eve Shabbat 10:30am (954) 629-2100
www.bethavinu.org [email protected]
Fort Lauderdale: Temple Aron HaKodesh–IAMCS Rabbi Joseph Vitkus
Meets: 4751 NW 24th Ct Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 11am
Weekly small groups (954) 485-8491 www.tak.org
Hollywood: Beth T’filah-UMJC Rabbi Gidon Nelson Meets: Ramada
Inn 1925 Harrison Serv: Sat 10:30am (305) 458-2284
www.bethtfilah.org [email protected]
Lakeland: Shoresh David Lakeland Messianic SynagogueIAMCS Rabbi Yosi Laster Meets: Trinity Christian Center
4416 E County Rd 540-A Serv: Sat 11am (863) 701-8885
www.shoreshdavid.org
Melbourne: Kol Mashiach Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS/MJAA
Rabbi Alan Levine Meets: 1621 Lake Washington Rd Serv: Sat 10am
(321) 255-2557 www.shalombrevard.com
Ocala: Mishkan Messianic Congregation-IAMCS Rabbi Jerry Keyes
Meets: 6675 SE Maricamp Rd Serv: Sat 11am (352) 687-4434
www.mishkanmessianicinocala.org
[email protected]
Orlando: Congregation Gesher Shalom-IAMCS Rabbi Dr Charles I
Kluge Meets: 6969 Venture Circle Orlando 32807 Serv: Fri 8pm &
Sat 11am (407) 671-4700 www.geshershalom.com
Ormond Beach: Beth Judah-IAMCS/Tikkun Rabbi Jerry Miller
Meets: 3217 State Road 40 Serv: Sat 10am Shabbat school
and teen group (386) 672-8443 www.bethjudahmessianic.org
[email protected]
Pensacola: Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS Rabbi Eric Tokajer
Meets: 6700 Spanish Trail 32504 Serv: Shabbat 10am Tues Study 7pm
(850) 484-0900 www.shalompensacola.com [email protected]
Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce: Kerem El Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS
Contact us at (877) 855-3843 www.keremel.org
Tampa: Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS Sr. Rabbi Steve
Weiler Meets: 4320 Bay-to-Bay Blvd Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 11am
(813) 831-LORD www.shoreshdavid.org
Tarpon Springs: Temple New Jerusalem-IAMCS Rabbi Michael
Stepakoff Meets: 1190 East Lake Rd 34688 (727) 940-5886
www.templenewjerusalem.org [email protected]
Wesley Chapel: Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS Leader
Larry Johnson Meets: Trinity UMC 33425 State Rd 54 Serv: Sat 6pm
(813) 831-5673 www.shoreshdavid.org
West Palm Beach: Congregation Gesher Shalom of the Palm BeachesIAMCS Senior Rabbi Dr Charles I Kluge Meets: 2501 Bristol Dr,
Suite A-7, WPB, FL 33409 Serv: Sat 11am Bible Study Wed 7pm
(561) 681-1550
Boynton Beach: L’Chaim Messianic Congregation-C&MA Bruce
Elman Congregational Leader Meets: 1815 Forest Hill Blvd 33406
Serv: Sat 10:30am (561) 350-6964 www.lchaimmessianic.org
Georgia
Augusta: Congregation Beth Shalom-IAMCS Messianic Pastor Don
Lansing Meets: 701 Atomic Rd 29841 Serv: Sat 11am
Mail: 2307 Neal St 30906 (706) 796-3797
www.congregationbethshalom.org
Roswell: Congregation Beth Hallel-IAMCS Rabbi Kevin Solomon
Meets: 950 Pine Grove Rd Serv: Fri 8pm Sat 11am & Tues 7pm (770)
641-3000 www.bethhallel.org
Hawaii
Honolulu: Tikvat Yisrael Rabbi Daniel Klutstein We are Torah observant
Meets: 277 Ohua Ave Waikiki Serv: Sat 10:30am-4pm Wed 6-8pm
Bible & Hebrew studies (808) 351-6364 www.TikvatYisrael.com
Illinois
Rolling Meadows: Temple Shalom Yisrael-IAMCS Messianic Pastor
Paul Helle Meets: 2720 Kirchoff Rd 60008 Serv: Sat. 10:30am
(847)488-1724 www.temple-shalom-yisrael.org
Sherman: Petah Tikvah Messianic Synagogue Leader David Cohn
Meets: 6800 Bahr Rd Serv: Sat 11am, Hebrew 1:30pm, Torah
Study 2:30pm (217) 544-6545 www.petahtikvah.org
Suburban Chicago: Olive Tree Congregation Leader Dan Strull Meets:
400 N Elmhurst Rd Prospect Heights 60070 Serv: Sat 10am; Shabbat
School 11:45 (847) 222-1230 www.olive-tree.org [email protected]
Indiana
Indianapolis: Congregation Shaarey Yeshua Rabbi Jeffrey A Adler
Meets: Dayspring Assembly of God, 2415 E 72nd St Serv: Fri 7:30pm
(317) 202-0789 www.shaareyyeshua.org [email protected]
Kansas
Overland Park: Or HaOlam Messianic Congregation-IAMCS
Rabbi Shmuel Wolkenfeld Meets: 7029 W 74th St Serv: Sat 10am
worship service, 2pm Torah parasha and other classes (913) 383-8448
www.orhaolam.com
Wichita: L’Chaim B’Yeshua Elder Hubert Shorb Meets: 1441 E 37th St
N 67219 Shabbat Serv: Fri 7pm (316) 295-2366
www.lchaimbyeshua.com [email protected]
Louisiana
Harahan: Adat Yeshua Synagogue-UMJC Leader Grant Burgess
Meets: 1501 Hickory Ave 70123 Serv: Fri 7pm and Sat 10 am (504) 701-4848 www.adatyeshua.org [email protected]
Mandeville: Congregation Beth Hallel-IAMCS Rabbi David Schiff
Serv: 2nd & 4th Fri each month w/Home Fellowship Study 3rd Fri
(985) 277-3109 www.LaMessianic.com [email protected]
Metairie: Fellowship Beth Hallel-IAMCS Rabbi David Schiff Serv:
3rd & 4th Sat each month w/Home Fellowship Study 2nd Sat (985)
277-3109 www.LaMessianic.com [email protected]
Maryland
Arbutus: Brit Chadasha Synagogue Leaders B Reiter/B Globus/A Frydland
& James Willet Meets: 4748 Shelbourne Rd Hope Presbyterian
Church Serv: Sat 10:15am (410) 646-3306
22
The Messianic Times
May/June 2012
MessianicCongregationalDirectory
Baltimore/Pikesville: B’nai Avraham-AMC Leader Pete Koziar
Meets: Commer Centre Suite 208 (Reisterstown Rd & 695)
Serv: Sat 10am (410) 998-9915 www.MessianicPikesville.org
[email protected]
Baltimore/Owings Mills: Rosh Pina-UMJC/Tikkun Leader Irv Horseman
Meets: 3408 Walnut Ave Serv: Sat 10:30am (410) 363-4954
www.rosh-pina.com [email protected]
Bel Air: Ain M’Chitzah-IAMCS/MJAA Pastor Lyle Dauber Meets:
Call for location Serv: Sat 10:30am Torah & Hebrew studies (410)
588-5840 [email protected]
Clarksville/Columbia: Emmanuel Messianic Jewish CongregationUMJC Rabbi Barry Rubin Meets: 6120 Day Long Lane Clarksville
Serv: Sat 10am (410) 531-2093 www.godwithus.org
Owings Mills: Am Yeshua Congregation Meets: Upper Room Northminster Church, 705 Main St Reisterstown Serv: Sat 10:30am (443)
465-8857 www.amyeshua.com [email protected]
Wheaton: Son of David Congregation Leader Dennis Karp
Meets: Wheaton Community Church, 3211 Paul Dr 20902
Serv: Shabbat service 10am (240) 403-2138 www.sonofdavid.org
Massachusetts
Danvers: Shema Israel Messianic Fellowship Please call for more
information (978) 335-6644 [email protected]
Michigan
Bloomfield Hills: Congregation Shema Yisrael Rabbis Loren Jacobs
& Glenn Harris Meets: Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church, 3600 Telegraph
Rd Serv: Sat 10:30am (248) 593-5150 www.shema.com
Grand Rapids: Adat Eytz Chayim Congregational Leader Mike Lohrberg
Meets: 5070 Pine Island Dr NE Comstock Park, MI 49321Serv: Sat
10:30am (616) 531-7455 www.adateytzchayim.org
Missouri
Branson: The Tabernacle- IAMCS Rabbi Jeremy Storch
Meets: 256 Church Rd 65616 Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 11am
(417) 334-7373 www.TheTabernacleinBranson.com
St. Louis: Beit Chesed Messianic Congregation Leader Jake Rosen
Meets: 2501 Rockland Ave 63144 Serv: Fri. 7:15-8:30pm (314) 504-8539
[email protected] www.beitchesed.com
Nebraska
Omaha: Adat Hatikvat Tzion-IAMCS Nate Seitelbach Meets: SW
Church of the Nazarene 14808 Q St PO Box 564 68010 Serv:
Sat 10am (402) 592-2404 www.Adat.org
Manhattan/Upper Westside: Congregation Sha’ar Adonai-CPM/
UMJC Rabbi Steve Fenchel Meets: 2 West 64th St Serv: Sat 11am
(212) 223-6751 [email protected]
Plainview: Beth Yeshua Leader Martin Fromm Meets: 88 Southern
Parkway 11803 Serv: Sun Worship 11am Wed
Bible Study 8pm (516) 513-0964 www.bethyeshuany.org
North Carolina
Cary: Congregation Sha’arei Shalom-UMJC Seth Klayman Spiritual
Leader Meets: 700 Old Apex Rd Serv: Sat 10am (919) 388-3678
www.entershalom.org [email protected]
Charlotte: Hope of Israel Congregation Leader Sam Nadler
Meets: 11630 Elm Lane 28277 Serv: Sat 10:30am Shabbat School
9:30am (704) 544-1948 www.hopeofisrael.info
Ohio
Bath: Rosh Pinah Messianic Congregation Rabbi Michael Humphrey
Meets: 3891 Ira Rd Serv: Sat 10:30am Yeshiva Wed 7pm
(330) 668-6840 www.rosh-pinah.org [email protected]
Canton: Simcha Derech HaMelech Messianic Congregation-IAMCS
Leader Edward J Mooney Meets: 2222 Fulton Rd NW 44709 Serv:
Sat 10am Torah Study Tues 7pm Davidic Dance Wed 7pm (330)
340-6343 www.sdhmessianic.org
Cincinnati: Beth Messiah Synagogue Rabbi Michael Wolf Meets:
9054 Columbia Rd Loveland Serv: Fri 8pm & Sat 11am
(513) 683-8817 Fax: (513) 683-8917 www.bethmessiah.net
Columbus: Beth Messiah Congregation-UMJC Messianic Rabbi
Howard Silverman Meets: 4950 Morse Rd 43230 Serv: Sat 10:30am
www.bethmessiahcolumbus.org [email protected]
Lyndhurst: Tikvat Yisrael Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS Rabbi Eric D
Lakatos Meets: 1370 Richmond Rd 44124 Serv: Sat 10:30am (216)
297-9929 www.TikvatCleveland.com
N Canton: The Star in the East-IAMCS Rabbi Michael J. Oyler
Meets: 2638 Easton St NE Serv: Sat 10am Shabbat celebration
Thurs 6pm Davidic/Israeli Dance 7pm Torah Study
(330) 491-7827 www.starineast.org [email protected]
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: Rosh Pinah Messianic Jewish Congregation IAMCS Messianic Rabbi Michael Weygant Meets: 2600 NW 55
Place Serv: Sat 10:40am Lunch/Dance/Hebrew Tues Bible Study
7:30pm (405) 842-1967 www.roshpinah.org [email protected]
Pennsylvania
Fairview: Beth Goyim-CTOMC Rabbi Andrew Dinnerman Meets:
20-26 Industrial Ave 2nd Floor (elevator available) Serv: Sat 11am
Bible study Tues 7pm (973) 338-7800 Live Internet Broadcasting
Tues, Thurs & Shabbat, WBGMC Internet Radio www.bethgoyim.org
Jackson/Central Jersey: Beth Zion-IAMCS Rabbi Jan & Marlene
Rosenberg Meets: 68 Bennetts Mills Rd Jackson Serv: Sat 10:45am
(732) 928-7700 www.bethzion.org [email protected]
Livingston: Beth Messiah Congregation-AMC Rabbi Irving Salzman
Meets: 15 N Livingston Ave Serv: Sat 10:30am (973) 994-4431
www.beth-messiah.org [email protected]
Allentown: Beit Simcha Messianic Fellowship-IAMCS Leader
Rabbi Glenn Blank Meets: 5042 Schantz Rd Serv: Every Shabat 10am,
followed by oneg & classes (610) 289-2011 www.beitsimcha.org
Bethlehem: Beth El Gibor-IAMCS Messianic Rabbi Mark Shulman
Meets: 1555 Linwood St 18017 Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 10:30am
(610) 419-1464 www.bethelgibor.org [email protected]
Lancaster/Lititz: The Seed Of Abraham Lloyd Elias Scalyer Meets:
“The Mill’’ 813 Rothsville Rd Serv: Sat 10:15am (717) 687-8913
www.messiahpa.org [email protected]
Philadelphia: Congregation Beth Yeshua-IAMCS Sr Messianic Rabbi
David Chernoff Meets: 7501 Haverford Ave Serv: Fri 8pm & Sat 11am
Prayer Wed 7:30pm (215) 477-2706 www.cby.org [email protected]
Pittsburgh: Maoz Tzur–Rock of Ages Messianic Jewish Congregation
Leader Abraham E Sandler II Meets: Rock of Ages Church, 124
Pearl Ave Cheswick 15024 & other locations throughout Pittsburgh
Weekly Home Fellowships, Public Services two Fri nights each month
(412) 609-1117 www.rockofagesmjc.org
Pittsburgh: Shoresh David-UMJC Leader Nathan Puro Meets:
105 N Park St, Monroeville Serv: Sat 10am & Wed Chavurah 7pm
(412) 829-0810 www.shoreshdavid.com
Yardley: Kehilat Ari Yehudah/Congregation Lion of Judah-IAMCS
Congregational Leader Peggy Michalchuk Meets: Yardley Cmty Ctr 64
S Main St Serv: Sat 10am (215) 493-4460 www.lojpa.org
New York
Tennessee
Bellmore: Shaarei Ha Shamayim-UMJC/Tikkun Rabbi Ron Corbett
Meets: 2740 Martin Ave (Rambo Hall) Serv: Sat 11am Wed
Chavurah (516) 538-4699
Buffalo: Congregation Brith Hadoshah-IAMCS Rabbi Frank Lowinger
Meets: 2608 Elmwood Ave Serv: Sat 9:30am (Shabbat school)
Serv: 10:30am (716) 873-8986
Long Island/Plainview: Shuvah Yisrael-IAMCS/UMJC
Rabbi David & Rebbitzen Helene Rosenberg, M.Div. Meets:
88 Southern Parkway 11803 Serv: Sat. 10:30am (866) 463-7742
(516) 333-7227 (866) 4-Messiah www.Shuvah.com
Manhattan/Upper Westside: Kehilath HaDerekh-IAMCS/UMJC
Rosh Kehilah Reb Benzi HaLevi Sherry Meets: 236 W 72nd St
Serv: Sat 2pm (917) 670-8989 www.MessianicNewYork.org
[email protected]
Bristol: Ari Yehudah Congregation-IAMCS Rabbi Joseph Bell
Meets: The Manna Bagel Co 634 State St Serv: Sat 10:30am
(423) 652-1188 www.forzionsake.org [email protected]
Bristol: Beth Shalom-HCGC Messianic Pastor Brent Fiedler
Meets: Addilynn Memorial United Methodist Church 3225 Avoca Rd
Serv: Sat 1:30pm (423) 967-4228 www.messianicbethshalom.org
Memphis: B’rit Hadasha-UMJC/Tikkun Congregational Leader
Chad Holland Meets: 6320 N Quail Hollow Rd Serv: Sat
Torah study 9am & Shabbat service10:30am (901) 685-9267
www.brithadasha.org [email protected]
Nashville: Kol Dodi Messianic Congregation-IAMCS Rabbi Ken Alpren
Meets: 101 Bowling Ave 37205 (West End Area) Serv: Shabbat 11am
Offering Shabbat School, Yeshiva Classes and services in Chattanooga
(615) 973-6933 www.koldodi.org
Nevada
Las Vegas: Lev HaShem Shmuel Oppenheim Meets: 3646 N Rancho
Dr Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 10:30am (702) 869-8983
www.levhashem.org [email protected]
Reno/Sparks: Beth Am Echad-AMC Messianic Rabbi Hy Kozak
Meets: 1509 Greg St Sparks Warehouse Christian Ministries
Serv: Sat 10:30am (775) 356-1096 [email protected]
New Jersey
May/June 2012 Texas
Bedford: Metroplex Messianic Fellowship Rabbi Marty Cohen
Meets: River of Life, 217 Harwood Rd Serv: Sat 10:30am
(877) 713-6416 www.metroplexmessianic.org
Dallas: Adat Shalom Messianic Congregation Leader Robin D Rose
Meets: 12727 Hillcrest Rd Serv: Fri 7:30pm Bible studies Wed 7pm
(972) 271-4976 www.adatshalom-dallas.org [email protected]
Dallas: Baruch HaShem Synagogue Rabbi Marty Waldman
Meets: 6304 Belt Line Rd Serv: Sat 10:40am (972) 386-0121
www.BaruchHaShemSynagogue.org [email protected]
Dallas: Eitz Chaim-UMJC Meets: 650 W Campell Rd Richardson/
North Dallas Serv: Sat 10:30am Wed Prayer
6:30pm (972) 231-3884 www.eitz-chaim.org [email protected]
Dallas: Shalom, Shalom Messianic Congregation Leader
Dr. Todd Baker Meets: Fellowship Bible Church Rm 202 99330
N Central Expway 75231 Serv: Fri 7pm (214)356-2583
[email protected] Radio shows at www.brit-hadasha.org
Duncanville: Bat Zion Messianic Congregation Leader Steven
Jaslow Meets: 730 N Cedar Ridge Rd Serv: Sat 10:40am
(972) 709-8761 www.bat-zion.org [email protected]
Fort Worth: Beth Yeshua Congregation Meets: 5685 Westcreek
Dr Ste 301 Serv: Fri 7:30 pm & Sat 10:30 am (817) 921-3195
www.bethyeshuaftw.org
Houston: Congregation Beth Messiah-UMJC Messianic Rabbis
Richard Freeman and Ron Aaronson Meets: 9001 W Airport Blvd.
77071 Serv: Sat 10am (713) 271-5757 www.cbmhouston.org
San Antonio: Shoresh David Messianic Congregation-IAMCS
Rabbi Stuart Fabricant Meets: 201 Harriman Pl (First Christian
Church) Serv: Sat 10:35am (210) 499-4447 www.shoreshdavid.net
[email protected]
Wichita Falls: Texoma Messianic Fellowship-IAMCS Congregation
Leader Christine Walker Meets: 719 W Scott Ave Ste 300 76301
Serv: Sat 11am (940) 687-0300 or (940) 923-6643 See website
for parking instructions www.texomamessianicfellowship.org
[email protected]
Virginia
Fredericksburg: Beth Israel Messianic Jewish Congregation-UMJC
Congregational Leader Joseph Cabino Meets: 2222 Jefferson Davis
Highway 22401 (540) 582-3444 www.beth-israel-va.org
[email protected]
Leesburg Kehilat Sar Shalom Rabbi Neal Surasky Meets: 908
Trailview Blvd Ste 200 20175 Serv: Sat 10:30am Shabbat School
and Worship Dancing (443) 253-0982 www.kehilatsarshalom.org
[email protected]
Norfolk: Beth Messiah-UMJC/IMJA Rabbi Dr. Joseph Rosenfarb
Meets: 7130 Granby St Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 10:30am
(757) 423-3440 www.bethmessiahsynagogue.com
Washington
Lynnwood: Shorashim/Roots Messianic Congregation Pastor
Shepherd David Yaniv Meets: 5823 176th St SW Serv: Sat 10:30am
(425) 322-5858 www.rootsmessianic.org [email protected]
Mercer Island: Beit Messiah Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS
Rabbi Matt Rosenberg Meets: United Methodist Church 7070
SE 24 St Serv: Sat10:30am (206) 232-0490 www.beitmessiah.com
[email protected]
The Messianic Times
23
MessianicCongregationalDirectory
Newcastle: Beit Tikvah-IAMCS Rabbi Hylan Slobodkin Meets:
7935-136th Ave SE Serv: Sat 10:30am (425) 793-3000
www.beittikvah.us [email protected]
Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater: Chesed v’Shalom Ministries Rabbi James
Pace Meets: 3rd and C St Tumwater Serv: Sat 10am (360) 736-1601
www.cvsm.us
Port Orchard: Beth Yeshua-A Messianic Torah Congregation
Elder Dale Jacobs Meets: First Baptist Church, 2308 Sidney Ave
98366 Serv: Sat 11:30am (877) 779-1790
www.bethyeshuagigharbor.org
Seattle: Beth Ha Shofar-UMJC Meets: 13001 37th Ave S
Serv: Sat 10am Torah study Tues 7pm Hebrew classes offered
(206) 246-5345 www.shofar.org [email protected]
Thornhill: City of David-IAMCS Rabbi Jeffrey Forman Meets:
Gates of Zion Centre 7775 Yonge St Serv: Fri 7:45pm & Sat 11am
(905) 761-8118 www.cityofdavid.com
Toronto: Congregation Melech Yisrael-IAMCS Rabbi Ya’acov Farber
Meets: 272 Ranee Ave Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 11am Bible studies
Sat 9am & Mon 7:30pm (416) 785-7612 www.cmy.on.ca
Quebec
Montreal: Beth Ariel Congregation-AMC Jacques Gabizon Meets:
6297 Monkland Blvd Serv: Sat 11 am Children’s program,
Hebrew lessons & Messianic Dance (888) 685-5902
www.arielcanada.com
International
Wisconsin
Milwaukee: Beth Messiah-Milwaukee-IAMCS Rabbi Frank Susler
Meets: 9900 W Capitol Dr Serv: Sat 10am (414) 464-9782
www.bethmessiah.us
Canada
Alberta
Calgary: Beth Shechinah Meets: 2635-32nd St SW Serv: Sat 10:30am
(403) 256-3478 or (403) 685-4170 www.bethshechinah.com
[email protected]
Edmonton: Congregation Beit Mashiach Messianic Pastor Andrew
Ketel Meets: 12404 140th Ave Serv: Sat 10:30am (780) 901-5859
www.beitmashiach.com [email protected]
Lethbridge: Beit Tefillah Sameach (Joyful House of Prayer)
Congregational Leaders Sidney and Linda Speakman Meets: 733-13th
St N Serv: Sat11am (403) 634-8200 [email protected]
Nova Scotia
Halifax/Dartmouth: Congregation Ner Tamid-CTOMC
Rabbi Avner Solomon Sat 10:45am Call for location (902) 444-0153
www.nertamid.ca
Ontario
Ottawa: Ottawa Messianic Congregation Meets: 82 Colonnade Rd N
Serv: Fri 7:15pm Sat 1:30pm Bible Study (613) 736-9480
www.ottawamessianic.com
Israel
Ariel: Kehilat Ariel Ph: 972 (3) 936-4771 [email protected]
Be’er Sheva: Kehilat Nachalat Yeshua Leader Howard Bass Meets:
15 HaAvot St Bible study/prayer Ph: 972 (8) 627-7022 Fax: 627-7936
www.streamsinthenegev.com [email protected]
Eilat: Kehilat Eilat PO Box 501 88104 Ph: 972 (8) 637-2859
Haifa: Kehilat HaCarmel Mail: PO Box 7004 Haifa 31070 Serv: Sat
11am [email protected]
Haifa: Kehilat Kerem El For details, please email [email protected]
Haifa: Return to Tzion-Shavei Tzion Leader Leon Mazin Serv: Sat 11am
972 (0) 50-2010-261 www.shaveitzion.org [email protected]
Jaffa: Kehilat Beit Immanuel Leader David Lazarus Meets: 8 Auerbach
St Serv: Fri 6:30pm Hebrew with English/Russian translations
Ph: 972 (3) 682-1459
[email protected] www.beitimmanuel.org
Jerusalem: Beit Geulah Ph: 972 (2) 583-4949
Jerusalem: Kehilat El Roii Ofer Amitai-Pastor Meets: Prayer Tower,
Jaffa St 97. 14th Floor Serv: Sat 5pm [email protected]
Jerusalem: Kehilat Even Yisrael Nikoli Lemeshkin Meets: Baptist
House Center 4 Narkis St. Serv: Fri. 5:30pm Russian speaking/
translations available. Ph. 972 (2) 651-1536
Jerusalem: Kehilat Kol BaMidbar Meets: 32 Shivtei Yisrael
Serv: Sat & Wed 7pm Ph: 972 (5) 428-2803
www.voice-wilderness.com [email protected]
Jerusalem: Shemen Sasson John Myers Senior Pastor Meets:
downtown Jerusalem Serv: Sat evening Ph: 972 (2) 623-5155
www.shemensasson.com
Karmiel: Kehilat HaDerech PO Box 502 Karmiel 20101
Serv: Sat 10:30am Ph: 972 (4) 988-5916 [email protected]
Karmiel: Nachalei Mayim Chayim Shabbat Serv: Sat 11am study Tues
7pm Ph: 972 (4) 998-1374 [email protected]
Kiryat Yam: Ohalei Rachamim (Tents of Mercy) PO Box 1018 Kiryat
Yam 29109 Ph: 972 (4) 877-7921 [email protected]
Kfar Saba: Kehilat Ha Ma’ayan Leader Tony Sperandeo PO Box 827
Kfar Saba 44108 Serv: Sat 11am Ph: 972 (9) 766-2351
Fax: 766-2350 www.kehilat-hamaayan.org.il
Modi’in: Kehilat Modi’in Interim Pastor Ray Pritz Shabbat 10:30am
& mid-week meetings Ph: 972 (2) 534-3882
[email protected]
Netanya: Beit Asaph Leaders Evan Thomas, David Loden & Lev Guler
Serv: Sat 10:30am Hebrew with English/Russian translations
Ph: 972 (9) 885-0029 www.beit-asaph.org.il
Rishon L’Tzion: Grace and Truth Christian Congregation
Meets: Rechov Shmotkin 8 Old Industrial zone of Rishon L’Tzion
Serv: Sat 10:00am Ph/Fax: 972 (3) 966-1898 [email protected]
Tel-Aviv: Adonai Roi Avi Mizrachi Meets: Beit Immanuel, 8 Auerbach St
(off Eliat St) Serv: Sat 11:00am 972 (3) 621-2100 Dugit Center 1 Ben Yehuda
St Open Mon–Thurs noon to 7pm www.dugit.org [email protected]
Tel Aviv: Brit Olam Fellowship 22 Ben Atar St PO Box 5023 61050
Serv: Sat 10am Hebrew with English translation
Ph: 972 (3) 527-2845 [email protected]
Tel Aviv: Kehilat Tel Aviv Contact Eli at Ph: 972 (5) 449-1539
[email protected]
Tel-Aviv: Kehilat Simchat Yeshua Michael Zinn Meets: 5 Brenner St
Serv: Sat 11am Ph: 972 (2) 563-2005
Tel-Aviv: Tiferet Yeshua Leader Ari Sorko Ram Meets: 38 Yitzhak Sade
Serv: Sat 11am Ph: 972 (3) 639-0505 www.tiferetyeshua.co.il
(in Hebrew) [email protected]
Tiberias: Kehilat Peniel Daniel Yahav The Galilee Experience
Serv: Sat 11am Ph: 972 (4) 670-8705
Tiberias: Morning Star Fellowship Contact Claude for information at:
[email protected]
Argentina
Buenos Aires: Bet Sar Shalom Rabbi Ricardo Chemi Meets: Sarmiento
3726 & 3730 Serv: Fri 7pm Kabalat Shabat & Sat 6pm Havdala Ph:
54 (11) 4865-3567 beitsarshalom.org.ar
Australia
Bondi Beach: Immanuel Messianic Fellowship Rev Moshe Elijah Sat
& Sun Rock of Truth Ministry Box 119 Bondi Beach NSW Australia
Ph: 61 (2) 9130-7988
Bondi Junction: Beth Messiah Bob Mendelsohn Meets: 576 Oxford
St Bondi Junction Sydney NSW Serv: Sat 10am Ph: 61(2) 9388-0559
www.jewsforjesus.org.au [email protected]
24
The Messianic Times
Caulfield South: Beth HaMashiach-IAMCS Rabbi Lawrence Hirsch
Meets: 206 Bambra Rd South Caulfield Serv: Sat 10:30am
Ph: 61 (3) 9563-5544
Melbourne: Celebrate Messiah Australia Director Lawrence Hirsch
PO Box 304 Caulfield South Victoria 3162 Ph: 61 (3) 9563-5544
www.celebratemessiah.com.au [email protected]
Sydney: Agudat Bris Director Covenant Fellowship Elder Maurie Hollman Mail: 44 Mosaic Ave, The Ponds NSW 2769 Ph: 61-408426944
www.agudatbris.com.au [email protected]
Tweed Heads Region: The International Messianic Community of Faith
IMCF Rebbe Dr Les Aron Gosling Yeshiva Meets: Shabbat at Pottsville NSW
2489 Contact Rebbetzin at PO Box 6523 Tweed Heads South 2486
Ph: 61(2) 6676-3969 [email protected]
Belarus
Minsk: Brit Chadasha-IAMCS PO Box 66 220012 Ph: 375 172 13 10 59
Fax: 375 172 54 16 96
Czech Republic
Pilsen: Chajim-Chadashim-IAMCS Spolkova 19 312 00 Mr.Jaroslav Kupka
[email protected] [email protected]@iamcs.org
Belgium
Hainaut: Beth Yeshoua Rabbi Lorenzo Grecco Shabbat Serv: Sat 3pm Mail:
219 Rue de Baume, 7100 La Louvière. Serving Yeshua since 1987.
Ph. 32 (2) 344-7951 [email protected] www.bethyeshoua.org
Brussels: Messianic Centre of Brussels Rabbi Paul Ghennassia Shabbat &
holiday services outreach ministry Ph: 32 (2) 344-7951
Brazil
Belo Horizonte: Congregação Judaico-Messiânica Har Tzion-UMJC
Rabbi Marcelo Miranda Rua Funchal 185 Bairro Ouro Preto 31310
440 Ph: 55 (31) 3498-1761 www.ensinandodesiao.org.br
Rio De Janeiro: Congregação Judaico-Messiânica Beit Tefilat Yeshua
Eduardo Stein Maroniene Shabbat Serv: Friday 7:30pm Saturday 9am
Ph: 55 (21) 252-71368 judaismomessianico.com.br
Sao Paulo: Beit Mashiach Leader Gilberto Branco Meets: Rua
Joaquim Murtinho 252- Bom Retiro Serv: Fri Kabalat Shabat 19:30
Torah Service Sat 10am Ph: 55 (11) 3312-0176
www.beitmashiach.org
El Salvador
San Salvador: B’nei Israel-IAMCS Residencial Monte Bello, Calle Monte
Cristo #4B Rabbi Jorge Isaias Ascencio Ph.and Fax: 503-2274-9032
[email protected]
Finland
Helsinki: Shorashim Fellowship in Finland-IAMCS Ruoholahdenkatu 16 Ed
Marvin Ph: +358-40-731-6843 [email protected]@iamcs.org
France
Marseilles: Gan-Eden Congregation-IAMCS 11 rue Delille 13002 David
Cohen Ph: 00-33-4-91-90-85-40 www.gan-eden.over-blog.com
[email protected]
Paris: El Beth El-IAMCS Emmanuel Rodriguez-Perez 1 Rue Omer Talon
Serv: Sat 4pm & Tues 7pm Ph: 33 (14) 805-8973
Germany
Berlin: Beit Sar Shalom-CPM Rabbi Vladimir Pikman Shabbat meetings
& Bible studies Ph: 49(30) 3083-8130 office@ BeitSarShalom.org
Great Britain
Bristol: Shaqad Mr. John Mott & Steve Chappell Meets: 52 Cam
Green Ashmead Hall Cam Dursley S Gloucestershire GL 115HN
Ph: 44 (117) 5354-7494
Eastbourne: Mayim Chayim Messianic Congregation Leader
Brian Bailey Meets: 8 Saffrons Rd (Old Orchard Rd entrance)
Serv: Sat 12noon Ph: 44 (132) 372-4065 [email protected]
Leicester: Teshuvah Messianic Synagogue-UBMJC Rabbi Dr Julian
Scott Serv: Sat 10:30am & mid-week prayer and fellowship
Ph: 44 (116) 212-7990 www.ubmjc.org/teshuvah
London: Beit Nitzachon-BMJA Elder Lionel Zucker Meets: Stamford Hill
United Church, Portland Ave Stamford Hill NI6 6SB Serv: Sat 11am
Ph:(44)020-8986-2000 For information contact Deaconess Bernice Allen
London: Beit Sar Shalom-BMJA Leader Daniel Nessim Meets:
851 Finchley Rd, Golders Green NW11 8LY Serv: Fri 7:30pm Sat
10:30am Ph: 0788 632-4869 www.beitsarshalom.org.uk
Manchester: Sulam Ya’aqov Messianic Fellowship-BMJA Pastor John
E. Young. PO Box 5, Droylsden M43 6EL Contact: 0161-371-1877
[email protected]
Norwich: Adat Yeshua-UBMJC Rabbi Andrew Sheldrake
Serv: Sat 10:30am also mid-wk prayer 44 (160) 346-4367
www.adatyeshua.co.uk [email protected]
Nottingham: Beit Shalom Peter Avallone Ph: 44 (115) 929-7112
www.restoreallisrael.com [email protected]
Sunderland: Beit Yeshua Laurence Levine Mail: 30 Gatwick
Rd Grindon Sunderland SR4 9QH Ph: 44 (191) 534-3786
www.beityeshua.org.uk [email protected]
Surrey: Zera Avraham Messianic Synagogue-UBMJC 108-112 Chipstead
Valley Rd Coulsdon CR5 3BA Rabbi Brian Sabey Ph: +447919043179
Torah Service 10:30am [email protected]
May/June 2012
MessianicCongregationalDirectory
Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek: Beit Yeshua Alexander Rossinskiy Serv: Sat 16:00 Mail:
PO Box 642 Bishkek 720001 Ph: 996 (312) 620-248 [email protected]
Mexico
Guadalajara: Yeshua Ben David-IAMCS Rabino Manuel
Hernández Apartado Postal 5-455 Guadalajara Jalisco 45000
Ph: 52 (33) 3642-6535 [email protected]
Mexico D.F.: Kehila B’nei Torah-IAMCS Calle Norte 86-A #4308
Col. Malinche 07890 Rabbi Ishmael Mizrahi Portillo Ph 52 (55)
5817 2626 Fax: 52 (55) 2164 6726 www.geocities.com/beneitorah
[email protected]
Netherlands
Amersfoort, Utrecht: Messianic Fellowship Benee Awraham MP Coordinator Anton de Ruiter Meets: Evangelische Hogeschool
Drentsestraat 1(near train station) Serv: 2nd & 4th Shabbat each
month, & Biblical Feasts Mail: Oud Veldzichtlaan 24, 7322 HT
Apeldoorn, Ph.+31-(0)-55-360-5486 www.benee-awraham.nl
[email protected]
Amsterdam: Beth Yeshua Messianic Congregation Meets:
Veluwelaan 20 Amsterdam (near Rai Station) Serv: Sat 11:30am
Ph: +31 (20) 890-6950 www.beth-yeshua.nl www.womanofvalor.org
Amsterdam, Noord Holland: Shiloach Messianic Fellowship
-IAMCS/MP Congregational Leader David Warnink Meets:
‘Keerpunt’, Address: Arent Janszoon Ernststraat 302, AmsterdamBuitenveldert Mail: Steenderenstraat 49, 1107 LB Amsterdam,
Ph. (0)-20-609-0936 www.shiloach.nl [email protected]
Apeldoorn, Gelderland: Messianic Platform (Dutch Alliance of
Messianic Congregations & House Groups) Coordinators Anton
de Ruiter & Jochanan Castelijn Meets: Oud Veldzichtlaan 24,
Ph. +31-(0)-55-360-5486 www.messianicplatform.nl
[email protected]
Den Haag, Zuid Holland: Messianic Congregation Lama’an Tsion
-MP Elder Jochanan Castelijn Meets: Noorderkerk, Schuytstraat
9-11 Mail: Nieuwe Havendwarsstraat 56, 2511 ZC Den Haag
Ph. +33-(0)-61-915-2146 [email protected]
Drachten, Friesland: Messianic Congregation Mayaan Yeshua-MP
Elder Gerard J Wijtsma Meets: De Rank, Berglaan 10 (Centre)
www.mayaan,nl
New Zealand
Auckland: Bet Ya’akov Elder Richard Green Serv: Sat
Call for more information 64 (21) 119-9609 [email protected]
Auckland: Talmidei Yeshua Messianic Kehilah Nasi (President)
Graeme Purdie PO Box 44-118, Auckland 1246 Meets: Sat 10:30am
Ph: (09)846-8618 [email protected] www.messianic.org.nz
Crimea: Jewish Messianic Congregation Mazl Tov-IAMCS str.
Molodiojnaja 1 apt 53 Novoozjornoe 97491 Rabbi Natalia
Kimovna Kuchuhidze Ph: +380646946709
[email protected]
Dniprodzerjynsk: Messiah-IAMCS Kharivonova str. 11 flat 11 51918
Senior Pastor Vladimir Zaytsev [email protected]
Herson: Hava Nagila Herson-IAMCS 295 Strelkovoy Divizii 4/55
73003 Rabbi Sergey Movshovich [email protected]@iamcs.org
Hmelmitsky: Hava Nagila Camenets-Podolsky-IAMCS Schevchenko
str.41Camenets-Podolsky Rabbi Jacub Juriy Vladimirovich Ph:
+3809664888207 [email protected]
Kiev: Ner haShem Kiev-IAMCS Congregational Leader Andrei Denukov
Ph: +380678045913 [email protected]@iamcs.org
Nikolaev: Jewish Messianic Religious Congregation-IAMCS
Schevchenko Str. 71 Yuri Borisovich Korshun Ph: 8 (063) 226-21-65
[email protected] [email protected]@iamcs.org
Nikolaevskaja: Cala Shel Mashiah-IAMCS Dzerjinskogo 6 str
Pervomajsk 55200 Pastor Oleg Leonidovich Sulima Ph:
+380638929750 [email protected] [email protected]
Odessa: Gateway to Zion-Congregation of Odessa-IAMCS US mailingaddress: Rabbi David Schneier 414 N Guillemard St Pensacola, FL
32501 [email protected]
Zhitomir: Kehilat Brit-IAMCS Gagarina str. 34 1002 Rabbi
Sergey Pinchuk Ph: +380412341769 [email protected]
Uganda
Mhale: Yeshua Messianic Synagogue-IAMCS Rabbi Solomon W
Isabirye Congregation of Abayudaya Jewish Believer. Contact Rabbi
for location & times Ph: 256-773-459325 [email protected]
Uruguay
Montevideo: Adat HaMashiach-IAMCS Carlos de la vega 4724/300
11900 Messianic Pastor Ubaldo Bas Ph: 598-99-474-932
www.mesianicaadat.org [email protected]
Venezuela
Caracas: Bet El Shadai-UMJC Rabbi Eliezer Bograd Meets: Av
S Rafael Quinta Fragen Urb La Florida Serv: Sat 10:30am
& 6:30pm Havdalah Ph: 58 (212) 731-6597 www.betelshadai.org
Zambia
Lusaka: Zambia Messianic Fellowship-IAMCS Rabbi Alex Yalenga
Meets: Plot 34285 Shantumbu Rd, Rockfield Serv: Sat 10:30am
Ph: 260 (21) 123-4791/260 (97) 785-8061
www.zambiamessianicfellowship.info
ChurcheswholoveIsrael
Paraguay
Asuncion: Beit Shalom Messianic Renewed Synagogue Messianic
Rabbi Julio Dam Ph: 595-21-606-608 www.beitshalom.org
[email protected]
Peru
Lima: Bejatzrot Yeshua-IAMCS Manuel Zelaya 449 Urb. Pamplona
Baja 29 Rabbi Enrique Huaman Ph/Fax: 00-511-276-7759
[email protected]
Romania
Oradea: Bat-Tzion Messianic Congregation Rabbi David Nagy
Ph: 40 (74) 003-8735 www.mesianic.ro [email protected]
Republic of Panama
Panama City: Sinagoga Judio Mesianica Bet Yeshua Rabino Ricardo
Kraus Serv: Fri 7:30pm & Sat 10am Yeshiva 1pm Edificio Tikal via
transist mica Ph: 507-261-9875 [email protected]
Spain
Madrid: Community Shema Sefarad Rabbi Mijael Sofer
Ph: (676) 04 05 61 www.shemasefarad.org
Toledo: Shalom Sefarad Samuel del Coso Roman
Tls: +34.925.357618 and +34.659.682031
www.shalomsefarad.com [email protected]
Ukraine
Crimea: Hava Nagila-IAMCS International st. 138 c. Yevpatoriya
97403 Rabbi Vilenskiy Viktor Yurievich Ph: 8 (06569) 5-17-27
[email protected]
Crimea: Hava Nagila Chernomorsk-IAMCS Lenina str. 25
Chernomorsk Rabbi Sergey Vjacheslavovich Umma
Ph: +380656951717 [email protected]
Crimea: Hava Nagila Kerch-IAMCS Kazakova str. 44/1 Kerch
98306 Rabbi Pavel Eduardovich Koshelev Ph: +380677733365
[email protected]
Crimea: Hava Nagila Pheodosia-IAMCS Zapadnaya str. 21/2
Pheodosia Rabbi Alexandr Viktorovich Stanchevsky Ph:
+380990813826 Fax: +380962342698 [email protected]
Crimea: Hava Nagila Sevastopol-IAMCS Vosstavshih square 6
Savastopol Rabbi Mihail Aleksandrovich Kovalchuk Ph:
+380656951727 [email protected]
Crimea: Hava Nagila Simferopol-IAMCS Sevastopolskaka tr. 54
Simferopol Rabbi Dmitry Vladimirovich Tjulin
Ph: +380656951727 [email protected]
Crimea: Hava Nagila Yalta-IAMCS Lomonosova st. 27 Yalta
98600 Rabbi Rusran Urievish Taranenko Ph: +380964826021
[email protected]
May/June 2012 Florida
United States
Hollywood: Iglesia Gracia Y Verdad Pastor Carlos Gabriel
Meets: 7200 Davie Rd Ph: (305) 610-8145 [email protected]
North Carolina
Asheville: Sunnyside Missionary Church Pastor Neal Adams
Secretary-Treasurer [email protected]
South Dakota
Sioux Falls: Christ Community Ministries Contact Bernie Schock
(605)371-1889
Texas
Brownsville: Free Lutheran Fellowship Church Pastor Joseph O’Bell
Meets: Motel 6 North Conference Center Serv: Sun 10am
(956) 466-5580
Fabens: Shalom Christian Church Pastor Victor Franco
Ph: (915) 764-4464 [email protected]
Washington
Bothell: Rejoice Fellowship Ministries Pastors Francis & Betty Bittner,
Joshua & Keya Bittner Meets: 16110 40th Dr SE 98102
(425) 488-4046
Canada
Nova Scotia
Westville: Heart to Heart Ministry Association
Leaders Jack & Lynda MacDonald Ph: (902) 396-4759
[email protected]
Ontario
Niagara Falls Niagara International Worship Centre
Pastor Christer Ireborg Meets: 6846 Frederica St. L2G 1E2 Ph:
(905) 356-0635 www.worshipniagara.org
[email protected]
El Salvador
International
San Salvador: Adat Shalem Congregation Pastor Rodolfo
Olivares Ph: 503 (2) 286-0233 [email protected]
France
Toulouse: Eglise Evangelique de Montaudran (LAMPE)
Pastor Roy Reese Ph: 33 (561) 998-042
Singapore
Jews for Jesus (Singapore Chapter): Ph: 65-9665-7734
[email protected]
The Messianic Times
25
Election2012
Last Man (Not) Standing by Doug Patton
hat do you call a guy with a closet full of sweater vests, three college
W
degrees, a wife of twenty years, seven children and a deep faith in
God? Until recently, it might well have been “Mr. President.” Now “Mr.
Vice President” is a better bet.
As of this writing, former United States Senator Rick Santorum has
suspended his campaign for the presidency. One reason could well be his
three-year-old daughter, Bella, who was born with Trisomy 18, a rare genetic
condition. Bella was hospitalized twice during the course of her father’s
campaign.
Whatever the reason, even as it became obvious that former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney would be the Republican nominee, no one could
deny that Santorum had demonstrated the heart of a winner.
The 53-year-old former Pennsylvania Senator’s campaign was an
inspiration. He started the primary season as a jet-black dark horse: no
money, no organization, and little hope of overcoming the recognition and
financial advantage enjoyed by several other candidates.
Santorum was given little chance to advance past the Iowa caucuses in
January—until he won them. He visited all 99 counties, holding town hall
meetings all across the state—nearly 400 in all. Whether there were ten people
or 100 (and there were many more of the former than the latter), he remained
until the last hand was shaken and the last question answered. It was retail
politics at its finest.
During his steady ascent from obscurity to serious candidate, Santorum
watched one candidate after another rise and fall. First, it was former Governor
Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out in August 2011 after losing the Ames Straw
Poll to fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann, the feisty congresswoman from
Minneapolis. She was soon (but briefly) replaced by Governor Rick Perry, who
rose and fell faster than a dry tumbleweed in a West Texas dust storm.
Then it was Herman Cain’s turn. The Atlanta businessman came on
strong before being hit with questionable accusations of sexual harassment.
He dropped out in December.
Cain’s withdrawal was quickly followed by the rise of Newt Gingrich,
whose candidacy had been on life support until he distinguished himself in
the televised GOP debates. Gingrich was actually leading in the polls in Iowa
in December, but a slew of negative television commercials by the Romney
machine sent the former House Speaker’s campaign into another tailspin.
It was that exact moment when Rick Santorum began to rise in the polls,
and he won Iowa by a mere handful of votes. He then went on to win primaries
in ten more states, but in the end, Romney’s wealth and organization were
impossible to overcome. Yet, there is no denying that Santorum had gained
the respect of many Republicans, Independents and even Democrats during
the course of his campaign.
As we go to press in the latter part of April, the question is this: Will
Mitt Romney pick Rick Santorum as his running mate? And if so, what
kind of president would Santorum make if he suddenly had to step into
that office?
A devout Catholic, his passionate defense of innocent human life
and traditional marriage was always at the core of Santorum’s 16 years in
Congress. However, he has also been a national security hawk who believes
strongly in aiding America’s allies—especially Israel—and he carried these
themes into his campaign for the presidency.
He refers to Israel as “our anchor in the Middle East,” and has been
highly critical of President Barack Obama’s call for a return to the Jewish
state’s pre-1967 borders (1948). “Does the President even realize what he
said?” Santorum asks. “The 1967 borders include East Jerusalem—the
site of the Western Wall—and would make Israel nine miles wide at its
most vulnerable point. Making matters worse, President Obama said the
Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach
their potential, in ‘a sovereign and contiguous state.’ Take a look at a map
of Israel and see what this ‘contiguous state’ means: transecting Israel in
two, further weakening her defenses from terrorism, missile launches,
or invasion. As Bibi Netanyahu puts it, ‘Peace based on illusions will
eventually crash on the rocks of Middle East reality.’
“Who do we think will be the worse off victim in such a crash?”
Santorum continues. “This is why Ronald Reagan said: ‘In the pre-1967
borders, Israel was barely ten miles wide at its narrowest point. The bulk of
Israel’s population lived within artillery range of hostile armies. I am not
about to ask Israel to live that way again.’”
A staunch advocate of Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital, Santorum
has stated flatly that as long as the Palestinian Authority and others in the
Middle East refuse to accept the Jewish state’s right to exist, there can be
no peace. “And we should not force Israel into any negotiation until that
condition is met,” he adds.
An exasperated Santorum tells audiences he doesn’t know how
foreign leaders can negotiate with a leader like Obama. “The President
throws Hosni Mubarek under the bus,” he exclaims, “then the new
military regime in Egypt brokers a deal between Hamas and the
Palestinian Authority. Then the President rewards that by saying we’re
going back to the 1967 borders. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist if
you’re sitting in the Arab-Muslim world thinking, ‘Well, how do we deal
with this guy?’”
26
The Messianic Times
Above:
Rick Santorum and his young
daughter Bella
Rick Santorum:
Maybe the next VP?
Santorum likens Israel to Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s—a small nation that has never
been in greater danger of disappearing. “Today, Israel is surrounded by an armed alliance
of Jihadist fundamentalists and nationalists, from North to South to East,” he observes. “To
the West is the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel’s enemies would like to push her Jewish
population. President Obama has put Israel’s very existence in more peril.”
Santorum is particularly adamant about taking a tough stand against Iran in their attempt
to develop nuclear weapons. When he gave his first speech on this issue during his presidential
campaign last November, he called for a preemptive strike if U.S. intelligence continues to show
that Iran is moving in that direction. It was the same week the International Atomic Energy
Agency reported that Iran appeared to be doing just that.
He repeated his call for a preemptive strike before the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, D.C. in March. “We need to put that ultimatum
in place,” he intoned, “and we need to be prepared, if that ultimatum is not met, to engage Prime
Minister Netanyahu and the people of Israel in an effort to make sure that if they do not tear
down those facilities, we will tear them down.”
He also accused President Obama of doing little to prevent Iran from developing nuclear
capabilities. “He says he has Israel’s back, but from everything I’ve seen, he has turned his back
on the people of Israel,” Santorum remarked of Obama.
In an op-ed piece published at National Review Online, Santorum called Obama’s Middle
East policy “immoral,” decrying the way the President has dealt with the major players in the
region. “He told Egypt’s Hosni Mubarek he had to leave office,” Santorum argues, “but he has
coddled Syria, rewarding that rogue state with an ambassadorship President George W. Bush
pulled years ago. Despite that country’s more brutal crackdown on its own people, President
Obama has yet to call for Syria’s leader, Bashar Assad, to leave power. The confusion to most of
us—but not to our enemies or Israel’s—is precisely this: Mubarek was an ally, and the key leader
in Egypt responsible for maintaining peace with Israel. Assad is an enemy, heading one of the
chief state sponsors of terrorism in the Middle East.
“Israel has long enjoyed the support of the United States,” Santorum concludes. “Our mutual
ties have been historical, cultural, religious, and strategic. Today, those ties have been put in more
doubt than at any other time in our relationship. Israel hasn’t changed; the United States has.
But the United States, a large and powerful country, is not in danger of disappearing. The same
cannot be said of Israel, and it is to our shame we have increased that risk for the Jewish State.
One can only hope this dangerous turn in our foreign policy will change. In the meantime, it
is the duty of each and every American citizen who abhors terrorism and supports freedom to
stand up and say, ‘I support Israel.’”
Will Mitt Romney, who appears to be sailing toward the Republican presidential nomination,
select the former Pennsylvania Senator as his running mate? There will be many candidates from
which he will be able to choose, but he will be hard-pressed for find a greater advocate for Israel
and the Jewish people than Rick Santorum. MT
May/June 2012
MessianicMilestones
Obituary
On March 17, Marie Gerlach Einspruch,
beloved wife of the late Reverend Dr.
Henry Einspruch, died peacefully at
the Village at Rockville, Maryland,
where she resided for the past 22
years. Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
in 1909, and having a Pennsylvania
Dutch background, she had no trouble
understanding Yiddish. She became the
official typesetter for the Yiddish New
Testament, translated by Dr. Einspruch.
They married in 1941. When Dr.
Einspruch died in 1977, she became
the director of the mission, known
today as the Lederer/Messianic Jewish
Resources International. Messianic Rabbi
Barry Rubin, its current president, says
of Marie, “She was one of the wisest
women I’ve ever known; her priorities
were always in line with God’s.” A
funeral service was held on March 26
in the chapel at the Village in Rockville. She is survived by her daughter Muriel
and son-in-law Edward A. Hopkins of
Baltimore, and many loving relatives in
Pennsylvania.
Anniversary
Congregation Beth Hallel Birmingham celebrated its fifth anniversary on February
10th with a concert by Marty Goetz and a message from Ari Sorko-Ram from MAOZ,
Tel Aviv. Over 650 people attended the erev Shabbat and Shabbat morning services.
The celebration included the unveiling of two handmade menorahs, designed and
built by Dan Katz, a Messianic Jewish craftsman from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Birthday
Elisabeth (“Elsie”) Hoffman just
celebrated her 83rd birthday on
March 15th in Irvine, California.
After World War II, she married
Wolf Rosenfarb in Germany. After a
few years of waiting in the Displaced
Persons camp in Germany, they set
sail to America with their first born
son, Joseph. Their first stop was New
York, before moving to Cincinnati,
Ohio. Two additional children were
born, Frances and Michael. The
entire Rosenfarb family came to
faith in Yeshua the Messiah though
Martin and Yohanna Chernoff and
their congregation in Cincinnati.
Joseph became a Messianic rabbi
at Beth Messiah Congregation in
Norfolk, Virginia. Frances is married
to Messianic Rabbi Larry Feldman
of Shuvah Yisrael Congregation
in Irvine, California. Michael, a
pharmacist, lives in Virginia Beach
with his wife and 3 children. Elsie is
active at Shuvah Yisrael Congregation,
and loves sharing her faith, reading
God’s Word, praying, and helping
everyone—especially her family.
$
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negative political baggage of the day attached to Azzopardi in the United States. It
has been only recently that many of the Waling family have discovered their hidden
Jewish ancestry.
The stories of Conversos in Spain and Mexico are becoming more widely known.
Under significant government pressure (an alternative to death), Jews converted
to Catholicism and their Hebrew names disappeared. Many became Crypto-Jews,
or marranos, those who secretly continued to practice Judaism, yet outwardly
pretended to be Catholic. These people did not enjoy equality, becoming targets of
occasional pogroms, and subject to the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions of the
14th and 15th centuries. “It is almost certain when Columbus discovered America
and the Spanish started populating the western hemisphere,” Mokotoff expresses,
“they were Jews!”
Mokotoff encourages those who want to discover their ancestry. He explains
that the two most common remarks he hears are that not enough details are
remembered, and that records have been destroyed due to the Holocaust.
Nevertheless, his emphatic response is, “It’s do-able!” He suggests pulling out family
photos that may trigger memories, and looking through birth and death records,
ship manifests, and naturalization papers.
Throughout pogroms, inquisitions, and holocausts, the Jewish people have
been dispersed across inconceivable distances. With the aid of modern technology
and scientific DNA testing, many are just now discovering their Jewish roots. MT
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The Messianic Times 27