Word from Jerusalem - October 2016 (USA Edition)

Word

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM // OCTOBER 2016 // USA edition

from JERUSALEM

ANTI-SEMITISM IN CHRISTIANTY TODAY

HAIFA HOME for holocaust survivors

prayer

For Israel

ICEJ-USA Speaking Events

DR. JÜRGEN BÜHLER

REV. MALCOLM HEDDING

MICHAEL HINES

REV. JOHN SMALL

October 22 • 6:30 pm • Florida • Rev. John Small The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was established in 1980 in recognition of the biblical significance of all of Jerusalem and its unique connection to the Jewish people. Today the ICEJ represents millions of Christians, churches, and denominations to the nation and people of Israel. We recognize in the restoration of Israel the faithfulness of God to keep His ancient covenant with the Jewish people. Our main objectives are: • To stand with Israel in support and friendship; • To equip and teach the worldwide Church regarding God’s purposes with Israel and the nations of the Middle East; • To be an active voice of reconciliation between Jews, Christians, and Arabs and to support the churches and congregations in the Holy Land.

From its head offices in Jerusalem, the ICEJ reaches out into more than 140 countries worldwide, with branch offices in over 80 nations.

Our vision is: • To reach every segment of Israel’s society with a Christian testimony of comfort and love, and • To reach and actively represent to Israel the support of denominations, churches, and believers from every nation on earth.

The Christian Embassy is a non-denominational faith-based ministry supported by the voluntary contributions of our members and friends across the globe. We invite you to join with us as we minister to Israel and the Jewish people worldwide by donating to the ongoing work and witness of the ICEJ.

Word from JERUSALEM

CREDITS Executive Director Dr. Jürgen Bühler International Director Juha Ketola US Director Susan Michael Editor/Communications Director Estera Wieja Graphic Design/Illustrator Peter Ecenroad, Patricia Ecenroad, and Nancy Schimp Copy Editor Julaine Stark Administration David van der Walt, Wim van der Zande Photography ICEJ Staff & Branches, IStock

Riverside Church 11205 Roseland Road Sebastian, FL 32958

November 5 • 5:00 pm • Louisiana • Michael Hines November 6 • 11:00 am House of Prayer New Orleans 4737 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119

November 6 • 10:30 am • Tennessee • Rev. Malcolm Hedding Awaken Life Church 290 Ardmore Hwy Fayetteville, TN 37334

November 7 • 12:00 pm • California • Dr. Jürgen Bühler Pastors Lunch with Pastor Jack Hayford and Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles This event is free of charge but registration is required: www.icejusa.org/events Florence Avenue Foursquare Church 11457 E. Florence Avenue Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

November 9 • 12:00 pm • Texas • Dr. Jürgen Bühler Pastors Lunch with Consulate General of Israel, Southwestern United States This event is free of charge but registration is required: www.icejusa.org/events The King's University 2121 E. Southlake Blvd Room 205 Southlake, TX 76092

The New King James Bible is used for all Bible references unless otherwise noted.

WORD

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM // OCTOBER 2016 // USA EDITION

Word From Jerusalem is published by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Word From Jerusalem has no subscription price and is supported through contributions worldwide. The ICEJ-USA Branch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with offices in Tennessee, Florida, and Washington, DC. All gifts to this ministry are tax-deductible according to United States law.

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM - USA P.O. Box 332974, Murfreesboro. TN 37133 • (615) 895-9830

COVER PHOTO:

ICEJ Staff ministering to a Haifa Home resident

FROM JERUSALEM

For Magazine Archives visit www.icejusa.org/wfj ANTI-SEMITISM IN CHRISTIANTY TODAY

HAIFA HOME

FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

Support our ministry online at: www.icejusa.org

PRAYER

FOR ISRAEL

Contents

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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 U S A E dition

ANTI-SEMITISM IN CHRISTIANITY TODAY

A STORY FROM THE HAIFA HOME

14 PRAYER FOR ISRAEL

13

ACROSS THE GENERATIONS

18

WHAT DOES ISRAEL DO FOR THE WORLD?

“Anti-Semitism in Christianity Today�

By SUSAN MICHAEL

MANY CHRISTIANS involved in support of Israel fail to recognize the amazing moment in history that we are privileged to be a part of today. Only those who know a little about the sad history of Jewish-Christian relations can appreciate the miraculous turnaround that has occured and understand the importance

of recognizing and eradicating all forms of modern anti-Semitism which seek to divide us again.

Persecution and animosity toward the Jews began early in their history, long before Christianity. However, we who are Christian, should be concerned about the

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part some from our community played in this disturbing drama. That persecution of the Jews arose from within our ranks is a tragedy and a shame with which our community must deal.

To paraphrase Raul Hillberg in The Destruction of the European Jews, the early

church preached against Judaism and declared, “You have no right to live amongst us as Jews.” That anti-Jewish theology then paved the way for anti-Jewish legislation by the state powers who expelled Jews from their lands or confined them to ghettos as though to say, “You have no right to live amongst us.” Then, Hitler later decreed, “You have no right to live.”

This is the deadly progression of antiSemitism through the ages. The fact that the Christian church had a role to play in it is something we all have to come to terms with as Christians.

THE SHIFT Today, we are privileged to be part of a shift, away from that anti-Semitic past.

The roots of this great turnaround lie in something that happened 500 years ago: the translation of the Bible into the common languages and, thanks to the printing press, its widespread availability.

For most of Church history ordinary Christians did not have access to the Bible to even know what it taught. Only those who knew Hebrew, Greek, or Latin could read it.

As a result teachings arose about the Jewish people such as Supersessionism also known as Replacement Theology.

Replacement Theology taught that the Jews had been cursed by God for their rejection of Jesus’ Messianic credentials and had been, therefore, replaced by the Church in the plans and purposes of God. This theology led to the teaching of contempt for the Jews as “Christ Killers” and condoned their denigration, persecution, and expulsion.

However, as soon as Christians were able to read the scriptures for themselves, many discovered the error of their ways. They realized that Jesus was Jewish and that Christianity had been born out of Judaism.

They also read the many promises of God to one day regather the Jewish people back to their ancient homeland. Preachers began to teach about that return, and they prayed for and supported it as an act of justice for a people who had suffered persecution for centuries.

While Replacement Theology does still

exist, and is usually the dividing line in the Christian world regarding those who support Israel and those who do not, the Church as a whole has come a very long way in its relations with the Jewish people.

In addition to the availability of the scriptures, the Christian world has also been profoundly affected by two events of the last century which have brought about a major change in their relations with the Jewish people. The first was the Holocaust which shook the historic churches predominant in Europe. The Catholic and Lutheran churches reevaluated their theology and liturgy. In fact, some of the most beautiful words of Christian repentance towards the Jewish people ever written are by the Catholic Bishops of Europe.

But, the second event, the birth of the State of Israel, had an even greater effect on the Evangelical world. Over the last few decades, millions of Christians have visited Israel, “walked where Jesus walked,” and many, for the first time, have met a Jewish person or realized the Jewish roots of Christianity. It is no coincidence that over the last 40 years, when Christian tourism to Israel mushroomed, so has Jewish-Christian relations.

But, more importantly, Evangelicals are reading the Bible with a new worldview.

The Jewish people have been gathered from the north, the south, the east, and the west, back to their homeland in fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. No longer are Christians looking down on the Jewish people and heaping condemnation on them. Instead, they are loving, comforting, and blessing them.

Many churches are honoring the Jewish roots of Christianity and learning from them. The fact that God is faithful and is fulfilling His promises to the Jewish people is an encouragement to Christians that we serve a faithful God who is true to His Word. Now, as a result, the fastest growing segment of Christianity, which is Bible-based and Evangelical, is largely pro-Israel.

THE ICEJ MAKING HISTORY With this history in mind one can

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understand why the birth of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) in 1980 was such an historic, ground-breaking moment. It was the first time in history that Christians had voiced support for Israel on such an international scale and from the heart of the newborn State of Israel. It is also understandable that some segments of the Jewish community were, and still are, skeptical.

We cannot change 2,000 years of history overnight. But, the ICEJ has had the privilege of tackling this history and establishing a new relationship with the Jewish people for 36 years now. This is evidenced in the ICEJ’s partnership with Yad Vashem. Where once some within the Christian community promulgated the ideology which made Hitler’s empire possible, today, the Christian Friends of Yad Vashem is taking Holocaust awareness to Christian churches around the world, teaching them about anti-Semitism in our day and how to stand against it. This is a remarkable turn of events.

THE CHALLENGES The majority of Christians today would never condone the religious anti-Semitism that birthed centuries of discrimination, persecution, ghettos, and exiles in the heart of Christian Europe, nor the racial antiSemitism that Hitler developed leading to the horrific attempt at annihilation called the Holocaust. There is no turning back.

However, there is a reason why historian Robert Wistrich calls anti-Semitism "the longest hatred." This evil pursuit of the Jewish people has continued for millennia, and every time it seems to be dying out, it reinvents itself with a different look and a different name. The goal, however, is always the same: to rid the world of the Jewish people.

The newest form of anti-Semitism challenging our world today is political anti-Semitism known as anti-Zionism.

Since a Jewish nation-state is antithetical to today’s ruling philosophies of globalism and secularism, this modern form of antiSemitism, which has found a stronghold and large-scale acceptance today, is political.

The challenge now is for the Christian

Flag of German Christians 1934 (Deutsche Christian) denominations that have denounced classical anti-Semitism, and sought a right relationship with the Jewish people, to recognize this anti-Israel campaign that is demonizing Israel as anti-Semitic.

One cannot demonize a nation without that being a demonization of its people, and the Israeli people are a subset of the Jewish world. This is why a Jewish person can be attacked on the streets of Paris because Israel took defensive actions in Gaza.

Some mainline denominations in America deny this campaign is anti-Semitic and have passed anti-Israel resolutions based on it. Within the Evangelical world we have a new movement to be: “Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine, Pro-Peace, and Pro-Justice.” This movement seeks to “correct” the pro-Israel movement within Evangelical circles by entertaining an anti-Israel narrative under a banner of “love and peace” for everyone!

In 2011, two ethics professors from leading Christian universities issued a scathing “Open Letter to America’s Christian Zionists” in which they accused Christian Zionists of being sinful for supporting Israel and encouraging Israel’s sinful policies. They went so far as to say that should “some nation” become “inflamed with resentment” at Israel and “make their land desolate” (noting that sounded like a “nuclear attack”) that Christian Zionists would bear part of the responsibility.

The ICEJ issued a strong response, but because of the growing influence of these voices, we went on to build an educational website to defend both Israel and Christian support of Israel. The purpose of the IsraelAnswers.com website is to equip Christians to better articulate a defense of Israel as well as Christian Zionism.

However, more than respond, we need to close the door to antiSemitism altogether. There are two open doors in the Christian Church in America to this deadly influence.

REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY Replacement Theology is gaining traction in Christian circles under various names; one is Fulfillment Theology. It is important to clarify that just because someone holds a form of Replacement Theology does not mean that they are anti-Semitic. Some theologians simply interpret the New Testament in this way.

Many pastors hold Replacement views as a theological assumption based on the lack of teaching on Israel and the Jewish people in seminary. Therefore, they begin ministry with the assumption that Israel and the Jewish people are irrelevant; it is all about the Church today.

While this thinking may reflect Replacement Theology, it is not the anti-Semitic version of the past that went on to call for the persecution and demonization of the Jews in return.

Nevertheless, it is the same theological foundation from which historical Christian anti-Semitism sprouted. Many scholars agree that the Holocaust could have never happened had it not been for the centuries of Christian anti-Semitism that was rooted in this theology. Therefore, we need to be very concerned about its growth and learn to refute it.

GROWING BIBLICAL ILLITERACY IN AMERICA Another door leaving the Church vulnerable is the loss of biblical literacy in America. Some of the mainline denominations denied the authority of the Bible long ago. They use it more as a devotional

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resource with wisdom for everyday life and not as absolute truth.

These denominations are in rapid decline, because a religion that is not true is no religion at all.

One of the core tenants of evangelicalism is its belief in “scripture alone” as the infallible source of doctrinal truth. While Evangelical Christianity, and its inherent support for Israel, is mushrooming in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, it has plateaued in the United States and is losing its momentum. This is evident in the growing biblical illiteracy in society, not to mention prominent evangelical voices challenging core biblical tenets including the definition of marriage, the nature of human sexuality, and the sanctity of life.

This move away from the Bible will not only relegate the Evangelical movement in America to history, but will make it as vulnerable to anti-Semitism as the mainline denominations.

ANTI-SEMITISM’S EFFECT ON THE CHURCH You and I are part of a historic shift in Christianity. The largest segment of the Christian world, the Catholic Church, has embraced the Jewish people. The Evangelical world, which is the 2nd largest segment of Christianity and based on current growth rates will one day be the largest, has not only embraced

Robert Wistrich calls anti-Semitism "the longest hatred." This evil pursuit of the Jewish people has continued for millennia, and every time it seems to be dying out it reinvents itself with a different look and a different name. the Jewish people but the State of Israel. I believe that Christianity will never go back to its anti-Semitic past.

However, we must learn to recognize and stand against the antiSemitism of the day. The political form, anti-Zionism, seeks to rid the world of the influence of the Jewish people by demonizing them and wiping Israel off the map.

Anti-Semitism’s goal in the Christian world is, and always has been, to rob Christians of the very root that sustains their faith and to separate them from the people that demonstrate the truth of the Bible and the faithfulness of God to fulfill it. As the Apostle Paul said, it is the Jewish faith that is the very root that supports us. To be separated from that root, means spiritual death.

Therefore, the battle against this evil ideology, is our battle. It behooves us to do everything we can to help churches recognize it for what it is and to stand against it.

Extract of a position paper under the same title found at: www.icejusa.org/susans-blog

REFUTING REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY Replacement Theology assumes four things: 1. That God does not know what He is doing because Plan A failed. The people in Plan A (Israel) failed him, and He had to come up with a new plan with a new people. Yet, Ephesians 1:4-6 says that God’s plan, laid before the foundations of the world, was always that we would be adopted into the family of the redeemed through Jesus.

Redemption through His death was always plan A and was assumed in God’s covenant with Abraham.

2. That God is unfaithful: He does not keep His Covenants, nor His promises. Yet, Psalm 89:34 says: “My Covenant I will not break nor alter the word that has gone out of My mouth.”

Jeremiah 33:37 says that only if God breaks His covenant with night and day, and with the moon and the sun, would He be able to break His covenant with the Jewish people.

3. That the Abrahamic Covenant has been abolished or spiritualized either in part or in whole. Yet, the New Testament confirms the Abrahamic covenant and its promises (which always included the Land), and assumes a future time of restoration in the Land as promised by the prophets. In Acts 1:6-7 Jesus did not deny his disciple’s hope in a future restoration of the kingdom to Israel and instead addressed the timing of that event as something only the Father knew. He had earlier declared that Jerusalem would one day be under Jewish sovereignty again in Luke 21:24.

4. That if people fail God He rejects them forever. Yet, the Apostle Paul in Romans 11 affirms that God’s call over the Jewish people as a nation is irrevocable. Psalm 89:33-34 is clear that even though God should punish the people of Israel for their sins that His lovingkindness would never be taken from them, nor His faithfulness, and He would never break His covenant with them.

YAD VASHEM

The ICEJ Spokesperson Malcolm Hedding and the General Manager of International Relations at Yad Vashem Shaya Ben Yehuda (middle) with honorable guests and organizers of the International Leadership Mission, including Susanna Kokkonen, head of the Christian Desk at Yad Vashem (left).

Yad Vashem’s International Leadership Mission

R

ev.

Malcolm Hedding, ICEJ’s International Spokesperson, recently had the honor of being a keynote speaker at Yad Vashem’s recent International Leadership Conference. This was the first time a Christian was called upon to make the address at the closing event of the Conference. The first three days of the conference were held in Poland; the event then moved to Yad Vashem’s impressive facility in Jerusalem, Israel, for its final three days.

This year’s event was attended mostly by Jewish leaders, academics, donors, and supporters of Yad Vashem from five nations of the world, with a small contingent of Christians also joining the initiative. The event was planned and executed mainly by the office of Shaya Ben Yehuda, General Manager of International Relations at Yad Vashem, which includes Susanna Kokkonen, head of the Christian Desk at Yad Vashem.

The purpose of this conference was to expose attendees to the industrialized killing machine of the Nazis during the Second World War. As attendees toured the towns of Wroclaw, Bedzin, Krakow, and the awful death camps of Auschwitz and Auschwitz Birkenau, the nature and scope of this evil was truly laid bare for all to see. Attendees then journeyed to Israel, where they were

received by President Reuven Rivlin at his official residence, and then later given access to Yad Vashem’s many activities including the archives and the School of Holocaust Studies.

Malcolm Hedding was given the distinct honor of being chosen as the closing dinner’s keynote speaker. Over four hundred guests attended the event, including Rabbi Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel Emeritus; Avner Shalev, the Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate; the senior staff of Yad Vashem; and important guests from Jerusalem. In his speech, Malcolm stressed the Christian responsibility for the tragedies during the time of the Holocaust, but also mentioned the many priests and pastors who were imprisoned during the Second World War for standing with the Jewish people. Malcolm’s speech was very warmly received and served to strengthen the ties between the ICEJ and Yad Vashem.

Dr. Jürgen Bühler, the Executive Director of the ICEJ, was present and remarked, “Malcolm’s speech was truly inspiring and historic. Indeed, a highlight of the event!”

Christian Friends of Yad Vashem is a strategic partner of the ICEJ. Together we work to further Holocaust remembrance and education in Christian communities. To support this essential work of the ICEJ, visit:

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www.icejusa.org/yadvashem

H A I F A H OM E

Story from the Haifa Home for Holocaust Survivors Mordechai, Builder of Israel

“I was standing next to my mother, holding her hand,” Mordechai shared, holding back tears. “She leaned towards me and said, ‘Mottel (his name in Yiddish), quick, run away, so that you may tell the world about what’s happening here.’”

Without thinking twice, nine-year-old Mordechai left his mother’s side and ran into the woods. He would never see her again, never call her “Mommy,” or feel the warmth of a motherly embrace.

“They destroyed our childhood; they deprived us of our childhood.

We had nothing to play with, no toys… nothing that is considered basic for every child in the world,” he painfully recalled. It wasn’t just a month or two of hiding; the war lasted five more years!

“Every day you had to fight for your life,” he added.

Mordechai and other orphans wandered across Europe, finally arriving in France where they boarded a boat to Haifa. But, their difficult journey was not over. The British fleet blocked their access to the harbor in Haifa and redirected the ship to Cyprus, where passengers were detained in a refugee camp.

Released by Youth Aliyah eight months later, Mordechai finally reached his promised land! Since most new immigrants were orphans, they were dispersed across the country to various Kibbutzim to live with other Jewish families. Mordechai learned

to drive a tractor on his Kibbutz and, after fighting in the War of Independence, he became a contractor for the army.

“When I say we built this country, it’s not just a slogan,” Mordechai adds with a smile, explaining how he built many roads across Israel. “I was developing the country all along, building it with my own hands.”

For many Holocaust survivors in the latter part of their years life becomes difficult to live on their own. That’s where the ICEJ’s Home for Holocaust Survivors comes in. The staff take care of their needs and a nurse is on call to make sure they stay healthy.

Mordechai and the 70 other Holocaust survivors receive daily care at this special home thanks to partners like you. We could not maintain the ICEJ’s Home for Holocaust Survivors without your financial support. Go to icejusa.org/Haifa and give your best gift today!

You can listen to Mordechai share his story with ICEJ TV by following this link: www.icejusa.org/icej-report-mordechai Watch this and other ICEJ Reports every week on Israel Now News on Daystar Television Network. For air times please check the network’s website.

ICEJ TV IS YOUR WINDOW TO ISRAEL! For more information and to support this vital ministry, visit: www.icejusa.org/broadcasthope 9 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM

Help us set up a natural monument FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN ISRAEL

Forest of Life You can be a part of an amazing witness of Christian love in Israel! By donating to the needs of Holocaust survivors, you simultaneously plant an olive tree in their honor!

some of the expenses of running the Haifa Home, where the survivors receive the care and attention they need and deserve.

Why do the trees matter?

Survivors of the Holocaust who made their way to Israel were met with a barren waste land. One of their first tasks was to

How does it work?

plant trees. These trees soaked up malaria infested swamps,

Gifts of any amount for the Forest of Life are welcome and all

invited more rain into the area, and made the desert bloom.

are used to support the Haifa Home for Holocaust Survivors.

By planting trees in their honor we are creating a living

For each donation of $500 the ICEJ also plants an olive tree in

monument in their name. Olive trees live for hundreds of

the Jerusalem Forest in their honor. As an additional sign of

years, so this is a monument that will be visited by generations

our appreciation, your name or the person you chose to honor

of young people who never knew a survivor personally.

or commemorate, will be included on the Wall of Supporters located at the Haifa Home. You will also receive an official

Has it already started?

certificate as a confirmation of your contribution.

YES! National representatives of the ICEJ, as well as private donors from many countries took the initiative and have

Where does the money go?

already supported this great cause. We have begun planting

By supporting this great cause, you directly impact the lives

trees in Jerusalem, while continuing and improving the great

of elderly survivors of the Holocaust. Your donation will cover

operations of the Haifa Home for Holocaust Survivors.

Do not hesitate to enlarge the Forest of Life in Israel!

DONATE TODAY AT WWW.ICEJUSA.ORG/FORESTOFLIFE 10 | OCTOBER 2 0 1 6

Support and Honor Survivors

BY PLANTING A TREE YOU BLESS THE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AND PRESERVE THEIR MEMORY, WHILE ALSO REVIVING THE LAND OF ISRAEL. FOR A DONATION OF $500 TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS THE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM WILL PLANT AN OLIVE TREE IN THE FOREST OF LIFE AND PLACE YOUR NAME ON A COMMEMORATIVE WALL AT THE HAIFA HOME WWW.ICEJUSA.ORG/FORESTOFLIFE 11 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM 11 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM

H A I F A H OM E

A surprise outing

From time-to-time the residents of the Haifa Home enjoy very interesting outings. Recently, residents, joined by other local Holocaust Survivors, traveled to a picturesque village set in gentle hills providing the backdrop to the Coastal Plains. Here they visited a kibbutz where they were greeted in Hebrew, but were surprised to hear that

their hosts were German Christians from the community known as Bet El. At the Kibbutz, the residents and their friends enjoyed watching a film about the kibbutz and discovered that the first factory it founded was for ventilation and filtering systems intended to provide protection against non-conventional weapons. In addition to these and other

industrial products, the kibbutz also produces highly sought after organic food products. An informative talk was given and residents had an opportunity to ask questions.

Later they were generously treated to a beautifully prepared luncheon made from the kibbutz's organic farm.

Esti, from the Home, shared her story. As a little girl she witnessed the murder of her mother and had to flee through the forest with an older sister who had also been wounded by Nazi gunfire.

After sharing her experience with the German kibbutzniks, she was especially delighted to be entertained with Hebrew songs that were based on the Bible, or specifically about Jerusalem. She added sadly, “if only these voices had been around seventy years ago.”

Your support of the Haifa Home allows the ICEJ to take the residents on outings such as this.

A wonderful volunteer

When Michelina was growing up in Poland, her parents sent her, a non-Jew, to a Jewish school for her education, so Jewish traditions and customs were familiar to her. She learned too, of the dark history that saw most of Poland’s Jews murdered. Her time as a volunteer at the Haifa Home for Holocaust Survivors was very special to her and she was well accepted into the Haifa Home

family. Residents originally from Poland were surprised and thrilled that they had someone who could speak Polish with them.

Memories were shared; there were very bad ones of course, but good ones emerged as well. Childhoods spent in a more idyllic time, like going by river to visit grandparents, and well-loved Polish songs were suddenly remembered.

Her month spent among the residents, documenting their stories and their past, made a deep impression on her. “The Home is a bit like a colony that provides

a place of togetherness,” she says.

“In many cultures old people can be forgotten, but here they have each other, and they receive attention from regular visitors from the community such as groups of soldiers or school children.”

She was impressed by the effort the survivors make to enjoy themselves on outings, or at the weekly dance night.

“There is a dance that was popular in Israel in 2009, and all the residents know it and join in as well as they can.

It’s extraordinary to witness how much fun and pleasure they get from this one dance,” she chuckles. Residents will miss their young Polish friend. Thank you Michalina for bringing another kind of pleasure to the Haifa Home.

Your support of the Haifa Home allows the ICEJ to provide volunteers to assist the Survivors and minister love and comfort to them.

Please support the Haifa Home at www.icejusa.org/haifa

H A I F A H OM E

H OM E

ca r e

Across the Generations

By Maxine Carlill

The loving work of ICEJ Homecare spans decades and has now accompanied some Jewish families in need across the generations

Though speaking of her difficult past was upsetting to Valentina, the qualms vanished when she held on to Corrie, long-time friend also having been the caregiver of her mom.

In the 1990s, when ICEJ’s Homecare Department was asked by a Russian Jewish family to help care for Golda, their 87-year-old grandmother, a relationship began which stretched across generations. Three times a week, the ICEJ nurses faithfully provided basic nursing care for a sweet lady who was sometimes a challenge to care for as her age and illness advanced.

However, a story unfolded that made worthwhile all the loving care they gave. One day, a granddaughter who was brought up by Golda, mentioned some things from her grandmother’s past. Although Golda had already passed away at age 93 with the whole story untold, ICEJ Homecare nurse Corrie knew it was a story that should be remembered. Corrie wondered if Golda’s daughter, Valentina, would be able to fill in the blanks. Though hesitant at first, Valentina agreed and, in bursts of painful recollections, the story of this Jewish immigrant family slowly came to light.

When the Nazis invaded Golda’s hometown in Ukraine, she managed to flee. Along the way she learned her family home had been completely destroyed. Her husband had been killed in the war, so she made a new home for herself and her two daughters in another part of the Soviet Union. Shortly

after the war ended, when the girls were 10 and 5-years-old respectively, another event – typical during the Communist era – changed their lives once again: Their neighbours falsely accused Golda of a crime she did not commit and reported her to the police. She was sent to prison for three years and upon being released, was not allowed to get her girls back.

Valentina, now 74, still remembers the twelve years she was forced to spend in an orphanage. The long years were filled with bitter cold and hunger and a sense of loneliness and abandonment. Later, divorce and economic hardship meant that in order to seek employment, she had to relinquish most of her daughter’s upbringing to a kinder environment Grandmother Golda’s care.

At the age of 85, Golda made Aliyah to Israel along with her two daughters and their children. Soon afterwards ICEJ Homecare became an essential part of their lives. Valentina remembers with delight the family’s enjoyment of ICEJ Homecare’s visits. When both her mother and older sister died, and much-loved nephew and family returned to Russia, her life was not one of ease. Homecare’s love and support is still required, which Corrie joyfully gives, fulfilling ICEJ´s mandate of comforting the Jewish people.

With your support, the ICEJ can continue to be a tangible expression of Christian love for Israel. Your gift to ICEJ Homecare will support this worthy cause! To give, visit our website today: www.icejusa.org/homecare 13 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM

ISAIAH 62 PRAYER CAMPAIGN

Prayer FOR ISRAEL

by David Parsons

Q

uite often I am asked for advice on how to pray for Israel. We all try to keep up with the news so we can know what is happening in Israel and the Middle East, and thus what is the need of the moment for the Jewish people and their Arab neighbors.

Still, we are a lot like the disciple who asked Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). Thus, this prayer letter is designed to help guide Christians worldwide in knowing how to pray for Israel and the region at this time.

The best counsel I can give on how to pray for Israel is simply to pray back to God the promises He has made to this nation. This advice is good for anyone at any time. The Bible is full of prophetic promises for Israel in this day and we just need to bring them to His remembrance with full faith and confidence that He will bring them to pass in due time. Indeed, the important “watchman” passage of Isaiah 62 instructs us that we are to remind the Lord day and night of His great promises for Israel and especially for the city of Jerusalem.

Over and over again, the Bible speaks of how God “remembered” something He had promised to do and it stirred Him to action. We see it already in the story of the Flood, when Genesis 8:1 says that “God remembered Noah, and every living thing,” and therefore brought a great wind to

cause the flood waters to recede. In Genesis 9:16, it says God placed the rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Himself of His everlasting covenant with every living creature.

Elsewhere in Scripture, we find key moments when God remembered His promises to Abraham and the other Hebrew Patriarchs (for example, see Genesis 19:29, Exodus 2:24, Psalm 105:42). Even the birth of Jesus is described as a moment when God “remembered” His oath to Abraham (Luke 1:72-73).

Likewise, we see great men of God in Scripture urging God to remember His sworn promises to these same Patriarchs.

When Moses intercedes for Israel, both after the sin of the golden calf and the bad report of the ten spies, he pleads for God to recall all the good that He had vowed to do for the descendants of Abraham (Exodus 32:13, Deuteronomy 9:27).

King Solomon asked God to remember the sure mercies He had promised to the House of David (2 Chronicles 6:41-42).

And, in his intercession for Israel, Nehemiah also reminds God of His pledge to forgive the nation if they repent and turn back to Him (Nehemiah 1:8-9).

So, we cannot go wrong when we remind God in prayer about His promises to the Jewish people. He does not consider it badgering in any way; rather, He actually expects us to “give

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Him no rest” until all His glorious purposes for Israel and Jerusalem are complete.

We are now entering a season of remembering, as all of the Jewish High Holidays fall within the month of October. Rosh Hashana reminds us of Creation and mankind’s unique place in the universe. At Yom Kippur, we are to remember our need for God and His mercy and forgiveness. Finally, the festival of Sukkot, or Tabernacles, brings back to mind

God’s faithful provision during Israel’s wanderings in the Wilderness. It also is a time to look forward to when God fulfills all His covenant promises to Israel, to restore the nation and place the eternal King Messiah on the throne of David forever in Jerusalem, thereby making the city a praise in all the earth.

As we go through this season of remembrance, let us also remind God without ceasing of His glorious promises concerning Israel.

May our prayers rise as a sweet incense to the Lord!

Pray for Israel

Pray for the ICEJ

• Thank God for keeping all His promises so far to restore the Jewish people to their ancient promised land and ask that He would continue to do good to Jerusalem just as He has promised to do with great zeal. Pray according to Jeremiah 33:1-11 and Zechariah 8:1-17.

• Pray for the new diplomatic doors that are opening for Israel in the region and worldwide, including the renewal and strengthening of relations with many African nations and the discreet ties being forged with several Sunni Arab states. Pray according to Isaiah 60:10-12.

• Pray that all the efforts by foreign nations, leaders, and other activists to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state would be totally frustrated. Pray along with Psalm 2.

• Praise the Lord for being faithful and always providing for the needs of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem during our 36 years of existence as a ministry.

• Pray with us for continued and expanding provision for the many requests that arrive at our office. Pray with Psalm 105:1-4.

• Pray for our upcoming Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem, that the Lord would draw believers from all over the earth and open the way for them to attend the Feast.

Pray that God’s presence and blessing would be over the Feast mightily this year. Pray according to Psalm 84:4-7.

Pray for the Middle East • Profess that God rules over the nations and that nothing can happen in the Middle East outside of His will and purposes. Pray based on Psalm 22:27-29.

• Pray for the conflict and bloodshed in Syria and Iraq to end soon with the humbling of the oppressive Assad regime as well as the destruction of ISIS and other radical Islamic militias operating in the two countries. Pray using 2 Samuel 22:28 and Jeremiah 18:1-10.

• Pray for all the millions of people displaced from their homes by the raging conflict in Iraq and Syria. Pray in line with Isaiah 11:4.

• Pray for the protection of our Christian brothers and sisters living throughout the region, that they might be bold and faithful in their witness in the face of persecution. Pray with Revelation 3:7-13 in mind.

Join the Isaiah 62 initiative of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem as we corporately pray for Jerusalem, the nation of Israel, and the Middle East: • Join as an individual prayer warrior at www.icejusa.org/isaiah62 • Begin an Isaiah 62 prayer group in your community • Join us in fasting and praying on behalf of Israel every month • Join us in prayer on the first Wednesday of the month at 12:00 pm CST Phone: 857-232-0156; Code: 405014

15 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM

For Pastor Appreciation Month in October, give your pastor a gift that will change his life and impact his ministry.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER PLEASE CONTACT TOURS@ICEJUSA.ORG CALL 866-393-5890 WWW.ICEJUSA.ORG/TOURS 16 | OCTOBER 2016

I C E J W OR L D W I D E

New ICEJ representative in

Malawi At the end of July, Rev. Juha Ketola, ICEJ International Director was privileged to visit the country where missionary and explorer David Livingstone first set his feet about 150 years earlier: The Republic of Malawi, one of the smallest countries on the African continent. There, in the capital city of Lilongwe, Ketola appointed Professor Rev. Tuweh Gadama as ICEJ Malawi Representative.

Ketola met with one of the longest serving MPs in the country, MP Uladi Mussa, and also current Malawi Government member, Minister Atupele Muluzi.

ICEJ International Director honored in Malawi During the visit to Malawi, ICEJ International Director Juha Ketola was awarded an honorary doctorate degree for his ministry over the years and around the world, including on the continent of Africa. “It was a great joy and a humbling experience for me to receive an Honorary Doctor of Ministry award for my service in the Kingdom of God since I committed my life to full time ministry for the Lord Jesus more than three decades ago,� said Ketola.

ICEJ West Africa Representative Rev. and Dr. Abdou Maiga received an Academic PhD of Religion Science.

Over the last four years the ICEJ has reached 18 new nations in different parts of the world to help connect the Church with Israel!

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Spreading the biblical message in the Balkans As a member of the ICEJ Board, Mojmir Kallus traveled to several countries in southeast Europe to establish new contacts for the ICEJ and strengthen the existing branch in Croatia. As a result, new representatives were appointed for Serbia, Bulgaria, and Albania, and promising new relationships were established in Montenegro, Bosnia, and Macedonia. The Lord has opened a big door for the work of the ICEJ in that region.

During his visit to Croatia, where ICEJ is represented by Nebojsa and Nevenka Duric, and Serbia, where Rodoljub Orescanin became a new ICEJ representative, Kallus spoke at eight events and met with many church leaders.

Orescanin organized a conference at the Protestant Theological Seminary in Novi Sad, a city considered the center of Evangelical Christians in Serbia. The event was well attended and attracted good media coverage on national television.

Later, Kallus traveled to Bulgaria and appointed Ivan Hazarbassanov, pastor of a Word of Life church in Sofia, as ICEJ representative for Bulgaria. Hazarbassanov was one of the first graduates of the Yad Vashem seminars for Christian leaders. In Albania, Kallus appointed new ICEJ representative Gentjan Dervishaj, pastor and overseer of the Ray of Light churches. Kallus was greatly encouraged by the openness of the local Albanian church towards Israel.

We are encouraged and inspired by what the God of Israel is doing in this unique region of Europe. To support the international work of the ICEJ, visit: www.icejusa.org/international

YOUR ISRAEL ANSWER:

WHAT DOES ISRAEL DO FOR THE WORLD?

By Susan Michael Israel is a small country making a big difference for South Sudanese social workers how to combat sexual others around the world. In 2010, disaster struck Haiti, violence. Just recently, Israel sent medical professionals as a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake ripped across and mobile emergency clinics to high-risk areas in Western Africa to combat Ebola. Israel the island, killing more than 100,000 people. Shortly after, a team of 240 Israeli Israel breathes life into sees this work as a moral duty based on Jewish values. doctors, nurses, and relief workers arrived the core values of the in Haiti and were the first to set up a fully While Israel is technically at war with equipped field hospital in Port-Au-Prince.

Bible by helping the Syria, this has not stopped its armed This ultimately saved hundreds of lives. forces and civil society groups from people around the providing desperately needed medical For Israel, this is par for the course. From world who need it most. aid to refugees from the Syrian civil Japan to Nepal to the Philippines, Israeli war. Since 2013, hundreds of Syrians doctors and rescue teams have been the first on the scene to help when disaster strikes and are have been treated in Israeli hospitals. Sadly, Syrians who receive treatment in Israel must guard their identity among the last to leave. closely so they are not branded as “collaborators” and Since the 1950s – when Israel was still a developing faced with even more danger when they return home. country – the Jewish state has sent its experts to help other nations achieve prosperity. Israel has trained Senegalese In short, Israel is the Jewish State: it breathes life into the lettuce farmers to use advanced drip irrigation, Ghanaian core values of the Bible by helping the people around the doctors how to treat malaria with minimal costs, and world who need it most.

Do you have questions about Israel's humanitarian efforts?

Visit us at www.IsraelAnswers.com and get your questions answered!

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