WORDFROMJERUSALEM INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM // JULY/AUGUST 2022 // GLOBAL EDITION Restored IN THE PROMISED LAND
WORDFROMJERUSALEM
In His great love, Dr. Jürgen Bühler InternationalPresident
I rather believe the teachings of Jesus were clear and left them with no doubt. God would indeed restore His Kingdom to Israel. The disciples were just unsure about the timing, and His answer that day was “only the Father knows”. But the coming Kingdom for Israel remained the hope of early Church, as Paul made so crystal clear – that Israel’s future restoration will be “life from the dead" for the whole Today,world.
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was established in 1980 in recognition of the biblical significance 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 recognise 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 to more than 170 countries, with branch offices in over 90 nations.
we are closer than ever to that day. Israel’s return to the Promised Land is miraculous. Most Israelis I talk to agree that the existence of Israel, its remarkable advances, its protection during wartime, and the greening of the desert are all miracles. Just recently, the nation which started out as a refugee nation in a desert land, survived repeated wars, and is constantly threatened, boycotted and criticized worldwide, has somehow overtaken some of the wealthiest countries of Europe regarding its GDP per capita. How amazing!
Our vision is: * To reach every segment of Israeli 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.
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. All gifts to this ministry are tax-deductible (in countries where this applies). For more information, visit us at www.icej.org
Just three verses earlier, we read that Jesus was “seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” So it is rather remarkable to assume that – after three years of experiencing the personal teachings of the great King Himself, after watching Jesus pray, eat and heal people, and after 40 days of incredible encounters with the resurrected Lord – the disciples had it all wrong and were still stuck in a bygone hope. Remember, the disciples themselves had already preached the gospel of the Kingdom and rejoiced that “even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (Luke 10:9, 19). Thus, it is remarkable how patronising some theologians can be.
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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.
BLESSTODAY!ISRAEL WFJ_2022-0708
Dear Manyfriends,modern commentators scold the disciples for still clinging to an old paradigm of Jewish nationalism that was about to pass away. Today, we know better and would not ask such a seemingly foolish question.
But all this is just the overture of the miracle still to come. The typical opera starts with a magnificent overture, an orchestral piece that immediately gets everyone’s attention. But it is just the intro to the main work of art – the opera itself. Israel today is just like that. An impressive, miraculous and fascinating overture to the real thing, the promised manifestation of the Kingdom of God. The next act we can expect is the outpouring of God’s Spirit. The Hebrew prophets speak over and over about this soon coming day. And, of course, the climax will be the coming of the King Himself. Already today, the overture fascinates us and calls us to action until that day the curtain opens and the main act begins. As ICEJ, we are committed to standing with Israel in this critical stage of their history. I ask you to prayerfully consider standing with us as you read this magazine.
CREDITS ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler VP International Affairs Mojmir Kallus VP Finance David Van der Walt VP Operations Barry R. Denison VP International Spokesman David Parsons VP AID & Aliyah Nicole Yoder Managing Editor/Publications Director Laurina Driesse Staff Writers Anastasiya Gooding, Graphic Design/Illustrator Ryan Tsuen Administration Tobi H Photography Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Carina Reiger, James Cheatham, Dennis Zinn/JNF, newsroom.intel.com, ICEJ Staff and Branches, wikimedia commons, YouTube.com
The New King James Bible is used for all Bible references unless otherwise noted.
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM P.O. Box 1192, Jerusalem • 9101002, ISRAEL Support our ministry online at www.icej.org SCAN ME TO
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ISRAEL, THE UNICORN NATIONCONTENTS168 JULY/AUGUST 2022 GLOBAL EDITION 4 18 HAIFA HOME TAKES IN HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS FLEEING UKRAINE THE MESSIANIC CHURCH A SIGN OF OUR TIMES ICEJ TOUR GROUPS VISIT AID PROJECTS, BOMB SHELTERS ICEJ HELPS PROVIDE ‘FIRST HOME IN THE HOMELAND’ FOR NEW JEWISH IMMIGRANTS 11
A SIGN OF OUR TIMES
TEACHING
“YOU CHRISTIANS WERE ZIONISTS BEFORE WE JEWS WERE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNISE THAT.”
THE ADVENT OF A ‘HEBRAIC ROOTS’ MOVEMENT
With the increased availability of the Word of God, an awareness grew – especially in Europe and North America – of Israel‘s central and enduring role in redemptive history. In parallel, there was a greater awakening to the Jewish These were the words of former Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he addressed the delegates of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast meeting in the Knesset in June. Indeed, it was mainly Protestant and Evangelical theologians and ministers who arose after the Reformation that first publicly advocated for a national restoration for Israel. Whether the
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THEM essianic CHURCH
BY DR. JÜRGEN BÜHLER, ICEJ PRESIDENT Puritans, Moravians, Methodists, Pietists or the emerging Pentecostal and Renewalist movements, they all believed in a future destiny of the Jewish people back in their ancient homeland. For the first time in centuries, the Reformation gave even ordinary Christians access to the Scriptures in their common languages, and thus foundational biblical truths were re-discovered – including the promised Jewish ingathering to their ancestral land.
The Oxford lecturer Alfred Edersheim also greatly contributed to the growing understanding in that time of the Hebraic roots of Christianity. Edersheim was the son of a rabbinic family and received Talmudic training before he became a converted Jew. His seminal work “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” expanded the Christian awakening to the Jewishness of Jesus and the Gospels.
But by re-discovering the Jewishness of Jesus and the early Apostles, the awareness grew that those original First Century believers did not join a Christian religion, but were merely Jews who believed that Yeshua is the Messiah.
A WINDOW TO OUR ORIGINS
Today, the Messianic movement is experiencing again a measure of growth, with current estimates of between 7,000 and 20,000 adherents in Israel. For many theologians and church leaders today, the Messianic Jewish community represents a small yet prophetic move of God in our time. Even in the Vatican in Rome, consultations between Catholic clergy and Messianic leaders have taken place in recent years. The very fact that after 1800 years, a Jewish stream of Christianity is re-emerging is not only fascinating but seems to open again a window back to when the Church first started.
Joseph Rabinowitz
For many Christian Zionists today, this small yet growing Messianic shoot represents the most original form of their faith. Over the centuries, many forgot that Jesus was Jewish and was referred to as “Rabbi” by his followers. His disciples and the writers of the New Testament were all Jews. Until the mid-Second Century, the Church still followed Jewish traditions. The early disciples gathered in the Temple in Jerusalem, observed Jewish dietary laws, and had no thought of starting a new world religion. Initially, Gentiles were only reluctantly allowed in and the baptism of the
A NEW PHENOMENON It was this new-found understanding of the Jewishness of Jesus and the early Church that led to the rise of another phenomenon in Christian circles. Many Jews began believing that Yeshua (Jesus) was their awaited Messiah while retaining their Jewish traditions. For centuries, Jews who came to faith in Jesus, though small in number, were generally forced to make a radical change by foregoing their Jewish identity. Since the early ecumenical councils, they were forbidden to attend synagogue, keep Jewish traditions, or celebrate Jewish holidays – including Shabbat.
The Balfour Declaration TEACHING roots of the Christian faith. Talmudic and Old Testament research started to flourish in many theological institutes in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the works of John Gill (1697-1771) and Bishop J.B. Lightfoot (18281889) had a great impact, as their commentaries included many rabbinic insights and were widely read by Christians. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several “Institutum Judaicum” were established in German universities, the most prominent one in Leipzig by Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), whose Old Testament commentary is widely read until today. Delitzsch also was known for the very first translation of the New Testament into Hebrew, notably decades before the revival of the Hebrew language by Eliezer Ben Yehuda.
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The first modern expression of this was in 1882, when Joseph Rabinowitz, the son of a rabbinic family, embraced faith in Yeshua as his Messiah. He refused to join a Christian denomination, nor did he abandon his traditions, but maintained a Jewish style of worship with a unique Jewish prayer house in Kishinev, Moldova – where services were held in Yiddish. Many consider this as the beginning of the modern Messianic Jewish movement. Rabinowitz expectantly experienced significant resistance from both the Jewish and Christian communities. But he also found enthusiastic supporters in the Protestant churches from leaders like Franz Delitzsch in Germany, who saw in his stand a new representation of the very origins of Christianity. While Rabinowitz later became a member the Anglican Church (to the concern of some of his members), the idea of Hebrew Christians gained growing interest among Protestants and AccordingEvangelicals.toChurch historian Prof. Donald M. Lewis, these growing numbers of Jewish converts significantly impacted the development and theology of the new movement for the restoration of Israel, especially in England. Lewis sees even the “restorational language” of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 as strongly shaped by the teachings of these Jewish believers, who were strong supporters of a restored Jewish homeland in Eretz Israel This nascent Messianic movement experienced significant growth in eastern Europe in particular during the turn of the 19th/20th century. According to the well-known Lutheran pastor Richard Wurmbrand, it grew in Romania alone to several tens of thousands of adherents. In a doctoral study by Mitch Glaser, head of Chosen People Ministries, between 200,000 to 300,000 Messianic Jews were living mostly in eastern Europe prior to World War II, with only a few deciding to follow Rabinowitz’s example by blending into traditional churches. Tragically, their faith in Yeshua did not save their lives in the land of the Reformation, as during the Holocaust most Messianic Jews in Europe perished in Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps alongside their fellow Jews. One Evangelical church in Germany back then even adapted their bylaws to hold that ‘Jews were not allowed in their congregations’, as they were ‘Christ killers.’ Sadly, the country that helped launch the Christian Zionist movement became a nation that wrote the darkest chapter of Jewish-Christian history.
Therefore, while we stand in unwavering support with Israel and the Jewish people, we also recognise our inseparable connection and friendship with our Messianic brothers and sisters, particularly in Israel. By doing so, it helps shield the Church from Replacement theology and testifies that God’s eternal promises are indeed “Yes and Amen” in Messiah (2 Corinthians 1:20). These are truly amazing times in which we live!
Even Paul himself used his very own identity as an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin as a symbolic message to the Church that God has not rejected His people (Romans 11:1).
The early Apostles, like Paul and Peter, never struggled with their Jewish identity even while they fought for acceptance of Gentiles into the Body of Messiah. Paul’s understanding was that salvation history is likened to an ancient olive tree. This noble tree sprang from the roots of Abraham’s faith as a tradition of mostly Jewish men and women of Messianic hope. Now, Paul understood that God was ‘making room’ on this ancient tree for Gentiles. Some of the noble branches (Jews) were partially cut off in order that wild olive branches – Gentiles – could be “grafted in”, so that they might draw strength and hope from the nourishing sap of this ancient tree of Messianic faith. Paul saw in this process the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham that, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8) This ‘branch replacement’ was not permanent, however, as Paul understood that one day God would graft the noble branches back into the olive tree again. Paul even gave the greatest significance to this return of the original branches. In Romans 11:12-15, he states an amazing truth: If the Jewish fall has already brought blessings to the Gentiles, how much more their acceptance. The original branches grafted back into the tree will represent a release of God’s resurrection power. Therefore, preachers like John Wesley foresaw in it the catalyst for the greatest revival yet to come.
The focus should therefore be more on how the Church can give room and relevance to this newly formed yet still gentle shoot of Jewish believers again growing before our eyes. The Church needs to stand with them in their prayers, friendship and support, all the while recognising the uniqueness of our time.
6 | JULY/AUGUST 2022 TEACHING GENTILES COULD BE “GRAFTED IN”, SO THAT THEY MIGHT DRAW STRENGTH AND HOPE FROM THE NOURISHING SAP OF THIS ANCIENT TREE OF MESSIANIC FAITH.
A SIGN OF HOPE Therefore, the re-emergence of a Messianic church in Israel is for many Christians not only part of the modern-day restoration of Israel, but also a powerful antidote against Replacement theology and even anti-Israelism.
Even when Paul – the Apostle to the Gentiles – later started his mission trips to Asia Minor, Greece and Rome, he always made a point to begin his ministry stops in the local synagogues, as he understood that the Good News of the arrival of Messiah was firstly promised by God to the Jews and only then to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16ff). But once the first Gentiles were accepted, the demographics of the Church rapidly changed. Even by the end of the First Century, most Christians were Gentiles and thereafter leadership of the Church swiftly shifted from Jewish to Gentile hands.
David Roberts: The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70 first Gentile convert, Cornelius, came only after a clear leading of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 10).
Two main factors contributed to this shift. First, the Gentile converts quickly outnumbered the Jewish believers. Many of the congregations within the Roman Empire which started out as predominantly Jewish were altered by the large number of Gentile believers even during Paul’s time. Secondly, the Roman conquests of Judea under Vespasian and Titus (69/70 AD) and later Hadrian (134 AD) decimated the Jewish population in the Land of Israel, with roughly two-thirds killed and the remainder scattered abroad. In parallel, Jerusalem was lost as the center of Jewish spiritual life. The importance of Jerusalem to the early believers is hard to over-estimate. The first Church council took place in Jerusalem, and Paul still routinely visited the holy city to report to the leading Apostles on his expanding ministry efforts. While there, he also visited the Temple for the biblical holidays and always brought donations from the new churches he founded for the “poor among the saints” of Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). And he never came alone; he always brought with him a delegation of new Gentile converts (Acts 20:4), as he apparently wanted to make sure they were well connected to Jerusalem. Therefore, when the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, this was not only a political but also a spiritual earthquake. In 134 AD, Hadrian also banned Jews from Jerusalem. In an act of humiliation, the province of Judea was renamed Palestina after one of Israel’s ancient enemies, while Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina With this, the Bishopric of Jerusalem also was placed in Gentile hands. The last Jew in antiquity to serve as Bishop of Jerusalem was Judah Kyriakos, the great-grandson of Jude, brother of Jesus. But he was replaced in 135 AD by the first Gentile bishop, Marcus, who notably was no longer the “Bishop of Jerusalem” but the “Bishop of Aelia Capitolina”. From then on, the new spiritual center of Christianity was Rome. Over the following 200 years, not only did Jewish influence in the Church wane, but the Church separated itself more and more from Israel and the Jews. In fact, this Gentile Church considered itself to be the “New Israel”, replacing the Jews as God’s chosen people.
The question many theologians ask today is: How does the New Testament view the Messianic Jewish body? This query actually might have been offensive to the early Jewish Church, while for later Gentile congregations – such as the German Lutheran Church, which vehemently excludes Messianic Jews from the program on their national church days – it would have been anathema. For them, it is hard to accept that the faith of the early Church was a fulfilment of the ancient hopes of the Jewish people for their nation.
ICEJ and JNF leaders at the special treeplanting ceremony to kick off the ILC.
INSIDE THE EMBASSY
7 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM After two years of virtual meetings only, ICEJ national directors and staff from our global network were finally able to physically gather together in Jerusalem in May for our annual International Leadership Conference. The three days of ILC meetings were full of joy and thankfulness to the Lord for bringing us through the difficult COVID period and making us even stronger and more united than ever. This was evidenced by the record attendance, the positive reports from our Jerusalem leadership, and the many testimonies from our ministry colleagues from around the world. The ILC agenda started with a special tree-planting ceremony hosted by KKL/Jewish National Fund at a nursery near Jerusalem, and culminated with the awarding of certificates to the first thirteen successful graduates of the ICEJ Leadership Course. In between, there were excellent lectures and Bible teachings, presentations on the status and growth of the ministry, and much prayer and discussions about planning for the future. The tree-planting marked a reaffirmation of the ICEJ’s decades-long partnership with JNF to ensure the ‘greening’ of Israel. The trees planted by our representatives from 25 nations were native Mediterranean oaks which will be used to restore burned areas in the nearby Jerusalem Forest. This year’s ILC was a hybrid event, meaning people could attend in person or online. Together with our Jerusalem staff, we had a record turnout of 264 attendees from over 75 nations. This included 52 physical attendees from abroad and another 190 who joined us via our online platform specially developed for the Feast and Envision conferences.
Some delegates made extra efforts to be with us in Jerusalem, such as our Taiwanese national director Joseph Chou and his wife Deborah. They came for four days of meetings knowing that they would have to quarantine for two full weeks once they arrived back in Taipei. Their ministry travels throughout the Chinese-speaking world have continued over the past two years of COVID travel restrictions even though it has meant spending more than half a year total in quarantine. The International Leadership Conference is the most important annual business meeting of our global family of leaders, who make up the backbone of the ICEJ’s ministry. With their skills and dedication, these national leaders are great assets for the Christian Embassy, and we are blessed to work together with them towards the vision of reaching every nation on earth with our biblical message of standing with Israel.
BY DR. MOJMIR KALLUS, VICE PRESIDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler leads a session at the ILC.
ILC attendees enjoy a final evening together in the old Jaffa port.
ICEJ HOLDS OUR LARGEST-EVER INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
BY CALEV MYERS
Let’s talk about the technological and business success of Israel, why we are called today the ‘Unicorn Nation’. We have to put it in the context of an amazing miracle which far exceeds just our economy. Israel is the only country living in the same land, speaking the same language, with the same faith and the same name that we had 3000 years ago. There's no other country like that on earth. And the fact none of that existed for 2000 years should be mind boggling. Why is this?
ISRAEL,THEUNICORNNATION
Well, the younger generation has grown up in the information explosion. Any facts you hear from anyone, they can Google it and check it out within seconds to see if it's accurate or not. So, everybody is a skeptic. And you say there is a God who can do miracles, who can raise people from the dead? Has anyone here ever seen somebody raised from the dead? What about a whole nation that has been raised from the See,dead?looking at the miracle of Israel, it is so irrational, so illogical, it defies every law of nature and history. It is the greatest miracle we can point to today to show this generation that there is a God in heaven. A God who can choose a nation and say this people will be in this land and be blessed. No matter what the UN says, or the EU says, or what BBC or CNN or Al Jazeera say, this is going to happen. This has been important to me. The thing that's kept my faith firmly grounded in the Bible, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is stepping out of my front door every day and seeing a miracle of epic proportions that I have no way of explaining. This is an important story. Before we touch on the economy, just a few words regarding the ecology of Israel. There are many talking about climate change. Al Gore was not the first one to predict climate change. I would give that credit to the prophet Isaiah. Among other verses, Isaiah 35 says springs of water will burst forth in the wilderness and He'll give the glory of the Carmel, which is very tropical and beautiful, to the Negev. And the desert of Israel is indeed coming to life today. Israel has the highest agricultural output per capita of any country in the world, even though we are in a desert land. There's only one country in the world that has more trees today than it had 100 years ago, and that is Israel. We actually have 450 million more trees than we had 100 years ago. British scientists came here in the 1930s and said there's enough water resources to provide A vineyard in the Negev Desert.
CURRENT AFFAIRS Many of you are familiar with the Ten Commandments. Without looking at Exodus 20 in your Bibles, what are the first words written there?... “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.” So, God chose to identify Himself as the God who brought Israel out of Egypt. That phrase is repeated another 130 times in the Old and New Testaments. In fact, anytime He wants to say something important to the children of Israel, He begins with that sentence. Why? Well, the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt was such a nature-defying, irrational, illogical event, we might want to hear what the God who did that has to say. Right? But after God repeatedly identifies Himself this way, He then says twice – once in Jeremiah 16:14 and once in Jeremiah 23:7 – that the day is coming when He will no longer be called the God who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, but the God who led back the descendants of Israel from the North and from all the countries where He had driven them. The current regathering of the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel is a miracle of biblical proportions. It supersedes the Exodus of Egypt to the extent that God says: “They will no longer call me the One who did that, but the God who did this.” And our first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, said “in order to be a realist in Israel, one must believe in miracles.”
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Meanwhile in science and culture, Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees per capita of any nation in the world, the highest number of engineers and PhDs per capita by a large margin, the highest rate of entrepreneurship among women. We have more museums per capita than any country in the world, more orchestras, we publish more books per capita by a large margin. And this is a fun one: Beersheva has the largest number of chess grandmasters per capita of any city in the world. Now regarding our economy, we have the largest number of start-up companies per capita in the world, more than 2,600 start-up companies as we speak. Israel has the highest amount per capita of R&D centers in the world, and almost every serious multinational company has their R&D in Israel. Here’s a very partial list of around 25 out of 250: Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Barclays, Dell, DropBox, eBay, Facebook, General Electric, General Motors, Google, HP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, John Deere, Johnson & Johnson, Lenovo, Marvel, Microsoft, Monsanto, Nokia, PayPal, PepsiCo, Philips, Samsung, SanDisk, Texas Instruments, Xerox. That's a small list, and maybe you've heard of some of these companies.
CURRENT AFFAIRS for two million people maximum. Those same water resources today are providing for 12 million people in Israel and the Gaza Strip, even while we are exporting water to our neighbors. We recycle and reuse more water than any country in the world by huge margins. Over 80% of our water is reused. Spain is in second place at 40%. We desalinate far more water than any other country in the world, as 90% of the water today in the taps anywhere in Israel is from desalinated water. We brought drip irrigation to the world, smart ways of doing farming in arid areas. A simple kibbutznik was walking by a row of pine trees some 40 years ago, and he noticed that one of them was twice the height of the others. And he looked down and saw a leaking pipe. True story! And he thought to himself, if we could make intentionally leaking pipes, we could do really well with agriculture in arid climate. He created a company called Netafim, which was sold to a Mexican company for US$5 billion about five years ago.
There are more Israeli companies traded on the NASDAQ in New York than the entire European continent. Germany's Deutsche Bank recently ranked the Israeli shekel as the world's second strongest currency, falling only behind the Chinese yuan.
Regarding unicorns, every start-up company wants their exit to be a “unicorn”, which means a billion dollars in initial funding. The year 2021 was the greatest year for Israeli fund-raising for startups in our history. In IPOs (initial public offerings) on the NASDAQ in New York, there were 72 of those in 2021, which raised together over US$71 billion. Now they've created a new term called a “decacorn”, which is raising at least 10 billion dollars in your initial public offering. There were at least two of these in Israel in 2021. So, Israel continues to lead the global innovation scene, I would even say that it's far surpassed Silicon Valley by now.
Calev Myers is an Israeli attorney and founder of ARISE, which promotes Christian investment in Israel. This article is excerpted from his presentation at the ICEJ’s International Leadership Conference in May.
Bibi Netanyahu says there are three reasons why every country in the world today wants diplomatic relations with Israel: technology, technology, technology. And there are two things that every leader of every nation wants for their people: economic prosperity and security. Well, Israel is providing economic prosperity through innovation, with all these companies that I mentioned, and security by sharing our excellent intelligence and preventing terrorist attacks on every continent. And that's more important today than fossil fuels. And I expect the list of nations that are moving their embassies to Jerusalem to grow in the foreseeable future. Even the big players in the Arab League are all doing business with Israel today. We have seen business people going before the diplomatic community in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, doing business with Israel, and it took five to ten years for the diplomatic community to catch up. This is why I believe that the mother of all peace agreements probably will take place sometime in the next five years, because Saudi Arabia is where the UAE was five years ago.
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Intel opened a new 11-story development center in Petah Tikvah in 2019, pitching it as the ‘smartest building in the world’ due to its 14,000 sensors controlling lights, temperature, ventilation, parking, etc.
As Israel observed Yom HaShoah, its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem engaged in a series of events to mark the solemn occasion, which fell this year on 27-28 April. Given our unique partnership with Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial and museum, the ICEJ enjoyed special access to share the official Holocaust remembrance ceremonies out to the Christian world. The anchor event was our live broadcast of the official wreath-laying ceremony held at
HOSTS SPECIAL BROADCAST FOR HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
The ICEJ is honored to serve as the official Christian partner of Yad Vashem, which is highly revered as the State of Israel’s only institution specifically tasked by Israel’s parliament to honor the six million Jews who perished in the Nazi genocide.
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INSIDE THE
ICEJEMBASSY
ICEJ LEADERS JOIN PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION, KNESSET PRAYER EVENT
Meanwhile in early June, Jürgen was asked to bring a message and prayer at the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast’s opening reception in the Knesset, with several hundred Christian and Jewish leaders in attendance. His wife Vesna Bühler also was asked to sing at the event, where she performed the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace”, among other worship songs.
Among the other speakers addressing this sixth annual edition of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast were Israeli cabinet minister Matan Kahana, Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, former US Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and Nick Vujicic, a Christian motivational speaker born without arms or legs who will also be speaking at the Feast of Tabernacles in October.
BY DAVID PARSONS Yad Vashem. Entitled “Lest We Forget”, the streamed program featured a live report from senior ICEJ leaders Dr. Jürgen Bühler and Dr. Mojmir Kallus after they laid a wreath during the state ceremony in Warsaw Ghetto Square. It also included excerpts from the memorable speeches by Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on the evening before, as well as several moving songs performed that night and footage on some of the six Holocaust survivors who served as official candle lighters. The broadcast also went live to the ICEJ’s Home for Holocaust survivors in Haifa for a report on Yom HaShoah observances there, and ended with an interview of Sari Granitza, director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem.
The ICEJ also co-sponsored the annual Christian Leadership Seminar hosted that week by Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, which drew dozens of top church and ministry leaders from around the world to Jerusalem for the Yom With public gatherings allowed once more here in Israel, ICEJ leaders in Jerusalem have been busy taking part in official meetings and receptions which were not possible over the past two years. Among these events, ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler was invited to the traditional Passover reception held at the President’s Residence in April for diplomats and religious community leaders in Israel. Besides greeting President Isaac Herzog, Dr. Bühler also engaged with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at the reception (see photo).
HaShoah ceremonies. They also were enriched by a series of lectures by Holocaust experts and personal encounters with survivors.
BY BIRTE SCHOLZ
INSIDE THE EMBASSY
In Jerusalem, the students had guided tours to important Bible sites in and around the Old City. They also had the privilege to participate in a Shabbat meal for their first time, arranged by Shabbat of a Lifetime, which offers the experience of an authentic Shabbat at the home of a Jewish host family in the heart of Jerusalem.
ICEJ-GERMANY TOUR DELIVERS FOOD AID TO NEEDY ISRAELIS
In early May, ICEJ-Norway brought a group of students from a Lutheran Bible college on a special tour to Israel. On the last day of the tour, the students visited the ICEJ’s global headquarters in Jerusalem. They were warmly welcomed by the staff, before ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler, Vice President & Senior Spokesman David Parsons, and Dag Øyvinid Juliussen, National Director of the Norwegian office, briefed the students on the ICEJ’s mandate, history and work, and the biblical foundation for Christian Zionism. Before arriving in Jerusalem, the students enjoyed guided tours around the Sea of Galilee and spending a night at Kibbutz Ein Gev, on the shores of the beautiful biblical lake. Twice a week, the gray parking garage of a shopping center in Rishon LeZion becomes a place of kindness and provision for needy Israelis.
“Thank you for being here!” he said. “Your efforts are important for today's supply of food aid to 500 families. Every week, with the help of volunteers, we distribute food to thousands of Israelis in need. In the long term, we want to help them break the cycle of poverty.”
ICEJ-NORWAY BRINGS BIBLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ON VISIT TO ISRAEL
“People come with trolleys and broken bags, there are so many people in need”, said Tina, a German volunteer. “It is touching to be able to help “You'retoday.”immediately
welcome, a part of the team and you give the poor something to eat”, added Susanne, who loved her chance to take part.
On Memorial Day, when Israelis remember their fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the group was invited to spend time with the residents of the kibbutz, remembering their loved ones. “It was an absolutely unforgettable experience”, said Martin Gellein, the ICEJ-representative who led the group from Norway. "We felt like we were becoming a part of their struggle, heartache and hope for the future."
The ICEJ’s German branch is sponsoring the monthly lease of a refrigerated truck now required by Israel to distribute food to the “Thisneedy.truck picks up goods donated by companies and farms”, reported Sa'ar. “We received it in March 2020 – just in time, because new regulations would have forced us to close our distribution centers without a refrigerated truck - at a time when the corona crisis left thousands of Israelis unemployed and in need of assistance!”
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“Among the aid recipients are many Russian speakers", noted Helena. “I think some are ashamed that they need help. They look so sad, keeping their eyes on the ground. But when I address them in Russian, a smile lights up their face. That's so beautiful to see.”
BY ICEJ STAFF Sa'ar then assigned to the group their tasks for handing out vegetables, bread, dairy goods and meat.
For a small sum of money, they can receive the weekly food requirements for their families, whether large or small. For years now, the ICEJ has supported this food distribution center with “Pitchon Lev” (Open Heart). In May, a tour group with ICEJ-Germany came to help at the center. Sa'ar, who organizes the food distribution, welcomed the German group.
INSIDE As Israel has opened its doors wider to tourists post-corona, ICEJ tour groups from Germany, the United Kingdom and Finland recently came to Israel to visit our AID projects and see portable bomb shelters they have donated. Children at a kindergarten in the mixed Jewish-Arab community of Maalot Tarshiha, in northern Israel, now have a safe place to run in the event of an incoming rocket attack, thanks to the generous donations of Christians in Germany. An ICEJ-Germany tour group visited the town in May and saw the shelter Meanwhile,first-hand.
PLEASE DONATE give.icej.org/crisisAT:
the ICEJ-UK tour group received a warm welcome, complete with Arabic coffee, In May, representatives from ICEJ-Zimbabwe and ICEJ-Switzerland were overjoyed to accompany our AID team in delivering “welcome home” gift packages to some 50 immigrant youths who had recently arrived from Ukraine and other former Soviet republics. The packages included such essential items as toiletries, bedding and towels, plus a gift card to purchase much-needed clothing. Currently housed in an absorption center, many of these youths escaped the Ukrainian conflict and arrived in Israel with only a suitcase.
Jeni Stables of ICEJ-Zimbabwe is greeted by Jewish children while visiting a bomb shelter in Sderot.
THE EMBASSY
Some 50 young Ukranian immigrants heard from the ICEJ about Christian love for the Jewish people.
Help us protect more Israeli communities from the threat of rocket attacks by providing them with mobile bomb shelters.
The group from the United Kingdom entering a bomb shelter in Ras Ali.
ICEJ TOUR GROUPS VISIT AID PROJECTS, BOMB SHELTERS BY LAURINA DRIESSE
To date, the ICEJ has now donated 172 lifesaving bomb shelters to communities across Israel, with ten of them placed in the Zevulun region over the past year or so.
ICEJ TOUR GROUPS REACH OUT TO UKRAINIAN YOUTH BY LAURINA DRIESSE
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“It was a special visit”, noted Nicole Yoder, ICEJ Vice President for AID and Aliyah. “We had an opportunity to share with them about Christians around the world who want to bless Israel.”
The ICEJ-Germany group inside one of their donated bomb shelters in northern Israel.
Considering the sad history of Jewish-Christian relations, one young man was curious to know how the Israeli government receives Christians. His face lit up on hearing that we have a good relationship with the government and that the ICEJ’s Christian donors from around the world love and care for the Jewish people, and generously give to helpWhilethem.the Ukrainian youths are delighted to be in Israel and are overwhelmed by the kindness they are experiencing, many are very concerned for their friends and family still in Ukraine, especially when hearing tragic news from home or not hearing any news at all.
Meanwhile, Jani Salokangas of ICEJ-Finland was accompanied by our ICEJ AID team as well as ICEJ-Zimbabwe national director Jeni Stables during a recent visit to see a bomb shelter placed in Sderot, in the Negev. There, they discovered it was protecting a lively world of young school students who serenaded them with beloved Psalms in Hebrew and eagerly lined up for pictures!
while visiting the nearby Arab community of Ras Ali. Showing their appreciation for the bomb shelter given by British Christians, the community leaders gave the UK team a picture of the beautiful Zevulun region. During their time in the Land, the UK group led by pastor Mike Kerry also visited with Holocaust survivors residing at the ICEJ Home for Holocaust survivors in Haifa. Both Maalot Tarshiha and Ras Ali are located in the Zevulun region, near the large port city of Haifa, making these towns extremely vulnerable to rocket attacks from Hizballah in Lebanon.
ICEJ WEBSITE TAKES ON A FRESH NEW LOOK!
Our “Events” section is where you will see the various events hosted by the ICEJ, from online webinars and Global Prayer Gatherings to our Envision Pastors and Leaders conference, our annual celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, as well as the Arise summer youth tour. Remember as well to visit our online “Store” menu tab, where you can expect a variety of Resources available for purchase, with delivery straight from Jerusalem to your home! Our new website is sure to give you a pleasant browsing experience. We look forward to having you visit us at: www.icej.org We also would love to hear from you! Share your comments with us by sending an email to: media@icej.org.
INSIDE THE EMBASSY W
e are so excited to share with you our newly revamped website at www.icej.org. With just a few clicks, the website can be viewed on your desktop computer, your laptop or comfortably on your mobile device. So, what are some of the new features you can expect to see? When you visit icej.org, you will see a fresh new look with larger fonts, making the text easier to read. The website is multilingual, available in English, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and other major languages. It features improved Donation pages, where the acknowledgement receipt is also enhanced and sent in near-real time. You also have an option to set up recurring donations either monthly or Ourquarterly.onlineforms
make it easier for you to stay in touch with us by signing up to receive our Ministry Update emails and the monthly Isaiah 62 Prayer Letter with prayer points.
When was the last time you visited the Christian Embassy’s website? At the bottom of the home page, you can search for the contact information of an ICEJ International office near you by simply clicking on a region of the map and then the country, or by using the search function. Our simple menu structure makes it easier to find what you are looking for. Our Home page welcomes you with the latest highlights taking place within the ICEJ. At a glance you can stay informed with what is happening in our “This week in Jerusalem” section, and as you scroll down you can read the latest “Featured” articles.
The ICEJ team with a young Ukrainian immigrant (2nd from right) Thank you for supporting the ICEJ’s work of caring for immigrant youth. Through your generosity, they can experience first-hand the love of Christians toward them.
From our Home page, take a look in the “Discover ICEJ” section. Here you can learn about Our Why, Our Biblical Mandate, Our Scriptural Calling, Our History and Prophetic Vision.
Next, in the “Our Work” section, you will discover the heart of the ICEJ, as we daily go about fulfilling our Biblical Mandate in the Land of Israel: ‘“Comfort, comfort My people!” says your God. Isaiah 40:1.’ See the areas of our Ministry focus: Aliyah and Integration, Israel in Crisis, A Future and a Hope, Holocaust Survivors, Fighting Antisemitism, Prayer Initiatives, Young Adults, and our Education activities. If you would like to explore Israel and gain a deeper understanding of her biblical and modern history, simply click on “Understand Israel”. The modern-day restoration of Israel is of great prophetic significance, and in this section we help you understand why.
While in this section, remember also to read our latest magazine and browse through the wonderful Ministry Reports, as well as interesting commentaries.
NEW!NEW!NEW! NEW!NEW!NEW!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO GIVE AT: give.icej.org/ukrainianaliyah
In this section, you also can meet the ICEJ leadership and staff, and if you are wondering how you can serve in Jerusalem, please check out our latest Open Positions!
ICEJ AID On Sunday (May 29th), Israel marked Jerusalem Day, which is usually a time of celebration and flag marches. But lately it also has become a day filled with tension and threats from Israel’s foes.
TURNED OUT DIFFERENT FOR LOD THIS YEAR BY LAURINA DRIESSE
Racheli, a Jewish social worker, described her own struggles. “Suddenly, there was war in the streets, and it was very scary”, she recalled. “There was a lot of confusion. I love my Arab and Jewish co-workers, but after the crisis it was hard to return to work and speak to my Arab colleagues.”
Chanadi, an Arab community leader, shared how difficult it was to start working again with her Jewish counterparts. “There was a lot of fear. I had to separate internal issues of identity and politics, to consider the practical implications for everyday life,” she explained.
“I am crying out for more hours of treatment”, school counsellor Sabrin told Nicole. “We see children who need service, and if they do not get it, you will see the results in the community, like suicide, drugs, and crime.”
SHINING LIGHT IN A DARK PLACE
JERUSALEM DAY
Working with local educational officials, the ICEJ is supporting a special initiative called the “Peace Room”, which is being placed in schools in Lod. It creates a space for healing within the school framework, by providing counseling, diagnosis, treatment, and group therapy sessions with the children, as well as advice to parents.
“With your donation we built a first aid response”, noted Hadas, a psychologist for the city of Lod. “This school did not have a Peace Room, but it was added since the conflict last May. In another instance, children saw their classrooms being set on fire in front of them. We put in three Peace Rooms there.”
In Lod, near Ben-Gurion airport, Jewish and Arab residents who have lived together for decades began fighting in the streets.
ICEJ Vice President for AID and Aliyah, recently visited one of the 14 schools in Lod still healing from last year’s conflict. There, she learned that not only the children, but even local teachers continue to deal with the trauma and fear from that crisis.
“This is almost the only opportunity for the children here to get help, especially the Arabs. They are so underprivileged. To return them to a good development path, they need to get help at school because they likely will not receive it anywhere else,” she concluded.
Hadas also told of an encounter with the mother of a child nearing the end of treatment who did not want the sessions to stop, they were helping so much. Indeed, through your generous giving, these Peace Rooms are bringing hope again for the children of Lod.
Hadas, a Jewish programs director at the Center, added: “Last May was tough, but we have lived together peacefully for many years… We must decide what we’ll do going forward.” Day flag march enters Damascus Gate on 29 May this year (Photo by James Cheatham).
Lod is a mixed town of Arabs, religious Jews, and Ethiopian Jewish immigrants, and unfortunately it is chronically rife with poverty, drugs, violence and crime. But last year’s street brawls were a new low for Nicoleeveryone.Yoder,
While in Lod, Nicole also visited the Ramat Eshkol community center which had become a friendly place for people to engage in uplifting activities. In 2018, they made a deliberate shift to organizing events for Jews and Arabs in a shared space on the same floor. Then came the street battles of May last year.
“Last May, I was afraid to come to work due to the violence. Now we are seeing depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and all of this on top of Corona”, she added. “We first need to feel secure, then we can give a response and help.” Nicole also heard from Diana, a veteran psychologist who described her work in Lod last year as one of the most challenging times in her life. She tried to remain neutral and professional, but with the conflict so close it was extremely difficult.
Last year on Jerusalem Day, Hamas fired missiles at Jerusalem from Gaza, triggering an 11-day rocket war. The violence swept across Israel, as clashes between Arabs and Jews broke out in several major cities.
Jerusalem
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gaps as children unable to attend virtual classes fell behind. Since March 2020, the lab has refurbished 1250 computers and screens donated by hi-tech companies and the private sector.”
Through your generous giving, the ICEJ can instill hope in many more Israeli lives. Please continue to support our aid work at: give.icej.org/givinghope A volunteer at the Ramot community center repairing a computer.
ICEJ AID Iludai, an Ethiopian Jewish worker, recounted how no one could go to the public shelters when the rocket alarms sounded due to the street clashes. “My workplace was burned,” she said. “We talked a lot about what happened. It was very difficult. My daughter is still afraid when I leave for work”. With Lod shaken by the events of last May, small steps are being taken to rebuild trust and unify the whichaincludedThespace”includingcommunities,“sharedprojects.processhasconductingcommunitysurvey,showedthe need for a shared play area for the children. So, the playground was remodeled and new equipment purchased. They also prepared an area for bicycles, as well as a bicycle club the children can enjoy.
15 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM
One couple sent a letter of gratitude, saying: “Both of us [parents] were unemployed because of corona, and at one point we had five children at home who needed to study online… We did not have a computer at home, and you came to our aid and really saved us.”
Those receiving the computers span all age groups and cultural backgrounds, and are referred to the Ramot center by their social workers. As they collect their computers, the repair lab volunteers happily explain how they “Duringwork.the corona crisis, the lack of computers among Israel’s lowest strata was painfully clear”, explained Nicole Yoder, ICEJ Vice President of AID and Aliyah. “This resulted in learning
The ICEJ team preparing computers for delivery to needy Israeli families.
ICEJ HELPING CLOSE SOCIAL GAPS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
The computer repair lab is run by disabled national service volunteers, youths-at-risk, and others with scholarships to study computer repairs. They attend weekly computer classes and receive a Cisco certification in PC repair to boost their job qualifications and social mobility.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE ICEJ AT: give.icej.org/givinghope
Thanks to Christian donors, the ICEJ was able to fund the repair of 100 recycled computers, along with accessories and software needed for them to run smoothly.
To advance in most careers today, one needs computer skills, especially in the “Start-Up Nation”. However, 25% of Israelis are computer illiterate. According to a recent Globes report, half the poorest Jewish families and nearly 60% of all Arab families in Israel do not own a home computer. So, our ICEJ AID team was excited to learn of an opportunity to provide computers to disadvantaged families while also helping Israeli youths-at-risk and disabled national service volunteers learn computer repair. When an ICEJ team recently visited the Ramot community center in Jerusalem, the computer repair lab was being moved outdoors. Excited youth continued their repair work while local families came to collect computers. Our team quickly manned tables to help distribute the refurbished computers to those in need.
The Christian Embassy is supporting reconciliation and coexistence at this Lod community center by funding the refurbishing of the outside bicycle area to serve the new bike-club, upgrading benches to sit in the shade, and purchasing bicycles the children can use. In time, the Arab and Jewish children in the bicycle club hope to represent Lod together in “Thecompetitions.donation was significant because it turned on a light in a dark place”, assured Hadas. “Everyone was in post-trauma. It opened possibilities for both Arabs and Jews. It is forbidden to let this opportunity die.” Thank you to everyone who is supporting our social aid work in Israel. Through your giving, this Jerusalem Day turned out much different than last year for this Israeli community.
Nicole Yoder with Arab and Jewish staff at the Lod community center. Shade benches installed by ICEJ at the Lod community center.
BY LAURINA DRIESSE
BY ANASTASIYA GOODING
oday, Jewish people from many diverse backgrounds are returning to Israel from around the world, each with their own personal stories. Some had been planning the move for years, while others were forced to leave everything behind – save a few items in a suitcase – as they fled from war to Israel.
T
Donate to our Aliyah & Integration efforts today at: give.icej.org/aliyah HELPS PROVIDE ‘FIRST HOME IN THE HOMELAND’ FOR NEW JEWISH IMMIGRANTS
ALIYAH & INTEGRATION
To start with, local kibbutz families donated furniture in good condition for the open apartments. However, new furniture and appliances – such as beds, kitchen tables, study desks, chairs, clothing closets, refrigerators, air conditioners, and many other items –were helpneedheardChristiantherequiredimmediatelytofurnishapartments.TheEmbassyofthisurgentandsteppedintocoverthebudget.
New arrivals from Ukraine and Russia at Revivim. A new apartment furnished by ICEJ at Kibbutz Revivim. Jannie Tolhoek of ICEJ AID visits a new immigrant family that now has beds for their children. 16 2022
The ICEJ delegation was warmly welcomed at Revivim, where the immigrants were amazed to hear that the gifts were coming from caring Christians worldwide. After just a short few months in Israel, each family was already able to introduce themselves in Hebrew, and there were smiles and warm cheers all around.
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ICEJ
Each olim (new immigrant) arrives with a dream to build a brighter future for their families in the Jewish homeland. This always starts with finding a new home, but how and where?
Currently, some 48 kibbutzim in northern and southern Israel are providing homes for Jewish families who have just made Aliyah. Last year, 210 immigrant families benefited from this open door. This year, there has already been a sudden influx of 130 new families due to the crisis in Ukraine, which has also stirred immigration from several other Russian-speaking countries. Thus, the program has been scrambling to find additional farming communities which could offer apartments. In response, ten new kibbutzim quickly joined the First Home in the Homeland program. Yet much work remained for the coordinators urgently seeking to prepare places for the new arrivals. What to do?
One option is the “First Home in the Homeland” project, which was launched by the kibbutzim network in 1989. ‘First Home’ has welcomed hundreds of immigrants and given them a soft landing spot while they learn the Hebrew language and make decisions about where to settle permanently.
Newly arrived Jewish families are welcomed to the kibbutzim – Israel’s renown system of collective farms – where they study Hebrew for their first six months. Many stay on for a full year if there is space on the kibbutz. This program also provides a built-in community, with mentoring and other assistance from local kibbutzniks whom they encounter every day.
establish themselves in their ancestral homeland. Thank you for helping us ensure that they are warmly welcomed and provided for as they adjust to their new life here in Israel.
Despite being located in the Negev desert, their new home of Revivim has been turned into a very green, charming place, with modest homes and a peaceful atmosphere for more than 800 residents. The kibbutz is a mixed community of Russian, Brazilian and Sephardi Jewish families, Anglo-Saxon immigrants, young Israelis completing their national service, and now the new Ukrainian and Russian-speakingourmorefurnishedthemlittle,fledfamiliesJewishussupportThus,immigrants.yourgeneroushasenabledtowelcome50newimmigrantwhorecentlytoIsraelwithveryandtoprovidewithfullyhomes.Manyimmigrantsneedassistanceasthey
Our gift went to ensure full furnishings for 50 apartments in Kibbutz Revivim and Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh in the south, as well as in kibbutzim near Nahariya in the North. In one instance, we helped furnish apartments in a vacant hotel/hostel with small one-room apartments, where connecting doors were opened between them so the new families would have two units each to make their stay more comfortable. In addition to donating these home furnishings, the ICEJ also is providing the new immigrant families with gift packages of household items, such as blankets, sheets and towels. The welcome baskets were recently delivered to 20 families during a visit by the ICEJ AID team to Kibbutz Revivim, while the other 30 families will receive their baskets soon.
ICEJ SPONSORS MEDICAL TRAINING COURSE
S
Often, when we meet olim (new immigrants), we see a burning desire in their hearts not only to establish their personal lives in Israel, but also to make a special contribution to the country in which they are now citizens.
The program contains many benefits as it provides a place to stay, stipend for food, and the freedom to study without having to find work immediately. This was very helpful to Ilya and Olga because it gave them the opportunity to focus on their studies.
Ilya and Olga made Aliyah last year and through the sponsorship of the ICEJ joined the medical course to work towards certification in Israel.
“What you and other Christian organizations do is an opportunity to change the bad history, to bring hearts together. This is very beautiful”, Emil added. “I hope it will continue and that we will be brothers and sisters living in peace. Thank you so much.”
BY ANASTASIYA GOODING
In response, the ICEJ actively supports various programs that help new immigrants update their professional credentials or receive training so that they can pursue employment opportunities and fully develop their careers here in Israel.
Dima, along with his wife (also a doctor), moved to Israel from a small town. Dima studied general medicine and now both he and his wife are successfully completing the medical training course with exams just a little over a month away. “I am very surprised by the gift that this program has been”, he stated. “Israel has some of the best medicine in the world. I have not seen anything better and feel that this is an opportunity to advance.”
ALIYAH &
ince 1980, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has faithfully helped the Jewish people return to Israel and put down roots in their ancestral homeland by supporting various integration initiatives.
Now they want to become established here in Israel and be good doctors and good citizens. They dream to be able to offer their children a better future and more opportunities than what they could have before.
Emil, one of the training program coordinators, responded: “Thank you so much for all of your support and help. I am a historian by profession.
Nicole Yoder, the ICEJ’s Vice President for AID & Aliyah, recently met with some of the medical trainees we are sponsoring and explained that our financial support for them comes from Christians around the world who want to bless the people of Israel in practical ways.
In turn, we want to thank you – our supporters – for your generous giving, which is breaking down barriers built up over the centuries and is forging new relationships between the Christian world and the Jewish people.
INTEGRATION
“This is a very high-level course and we have learned a lot of new information that was very useful for our doctor’s career”, said Ilya. Olga also pointed out what a great inspiration it has been for them to learn that there are treatment options in Israel that did not exist in the hospitals where they worked before. “Thank you for this opportunity and thank you for your interest in these programs. Thank you so much for your help”, said a grateful Ilya.
While studying, Dima has made many friends among the other doctors in the program. At the end of July, they will take their exams. After passing the exams they will move to different places to complete their internships and build their new lives and careers in one of the cities in Israel.
“I would like to study cardiology and start first in Haifa”, Dima offered.
Ilya always had a dream of making Aliyah and wanted to serve as a doctor here in Israel. He studied to be a family doctor and plans to specialize in Oncology. His wife Olga is an epidemiologist, however after moving to Israel Please continue to support the ICEJ at: give.icej.org/aliyah she decided to study a new field of medicine to broaden her horizons.
I know that there have been many tough times throughout history between Christians and Jews.”
Nicole Yoder and Jannie Tolhoek of ICEJ AID with new areimmigrantsJewishwesponsoringformedicaltrainingtopracticeinIsrael.
One such program offers a medical training course for doctors from Russian-speaking countries aimed at helping them pass a recertification exam so they can practice their profession in Israel. This course is a win-win for immigrants and for Israel, where there is a great need for qualified medical professionals. Upon successful completion of their exams, these immigrant doctors undergo an internship supervised by Israeli doctors before they are fully qualified in Israel. Some 99% complete the course and receive assistance to find employment in hospitals around the country.
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“The most difficult thing here is that I cannot speak with people”, Shela said tearfully, noting she does not know Hebrew yet. At her age, starting over is extremely difficult.
HAIFA HOME
Her sons are still in Kharkiv, as they were not allowed to leave the country, while her two daughters-in-law fled to Canada and Germany. Thus, Lena is very grateful for the loving home she has found here.
The work on the elevator has finally begun, and soon this building will be full of residents who are not only Holocaust survivors, but also new immigrants from a country ravaged by war. At their elderly age, these Ukrainian survivors had to leave behind everything they built up in life and start anew with only their memories and a small suitcase of clothing. For now, the first six arrivals from Ukraine are being housed in other apartments at the Haifa Home, while a seventh new resident has just arrived.
A year and a half ago, her husband died of cancer because he could not receive any treatments due to COVID lockdowns. Even though they had completed an application to immigrate to Israel in the 1990s, they did not come. And Lena never dreamt she would set foot in Israel this year! But the constant shelling in Kharkiv became unbearable. Then her cousin Arnold called from Warsaw, where he was waiting with his wife to fly to Israel. Lena decided to leave everything behind as well and join them in Israel.
“Ihall.miss my family,” Lena said, her eyes filled with tears. “I call them every day, but I just could not live there anymore.”
BY YUDIT SETZ Arnold is reunited in Israel with his cousin Lena.
JULY/AUGUST
Lena also recently found herself caught in the Russian siege on Kharkiv. She was born during World War Two in Kazakhstan, where her family had fled from the German invasion of Ukraine. After the war, they moved back to Kharkiv, where Lena met her husband. Lena became a nurse and they had two boys. But the couple decided to use a Russian family name so their children would not suffer from the rampant antisemitism in Ukraine at that time.
On 10 May, she arrived straight from the airport to the Haifa Home. The moving reunion between these cousins took place in our dining
Her cousin Arnold flew to Israel with his wife, Alla, on her birthday of May 2nd and they arrived at the Haifa Home the next day. With most of their relatives buried in Kharkiv and having lived there most of their lives, they never The ICEJ constructed a new apartment building for residents at our Haifa Home for Holocaust survivors, but we have been waiting a long time for an elevator to be installed before it could open. Yet who would have thought this delay would mean the building can now be filled with Holocaust survivors fleeing the war in Ukraine?
A VERY UNEXPECTED TURN
Shela, now 85, was a young girl when she survived the German siege of Leningrad in 1941. After the war, she ended up in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where she met her husband. Although they talked about immigrating to Israel many times, he wanted to stay, so it never happened.
Then he passed away in 2010 and their only daughter died two years later at age 32, leaving Shela all alone. When Russian troops began shelling her town this winter, she was sure this would be her end. Through a true miracle, her only close relative contacted our partner organization for help to rescue Shela from the constant bombardment of Kharkiv. Within two days, She had to pack a small suitcase and say goodbye to all she knew.
A MOVING FAMILY REUNION
Shela came straight to the Haifa Home and two days later lit a memorial flame at our Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony.
HAIFA HOME TAKES IN HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS FLEEING UKRAINE
Shela at bombed-outher home in Kharkiv. Days later at the HaifaceremonyRemembranceHolocaustDayattheHome. 18 | 2022
“Thank you, thank you”, she keeps saying. “I so much want to learn Hebrew now, so I can talk to everyone. I learned some Hebrew from our prayer book.”
ANOTHER ESCAPE FROM WAR Viktor and his wife Sonia decided to evacuate from Kyiv after the Russians began bombing the city and a rocket exploded next to their house.
He and Sonia have been together since their school days. Both made it through World War Two. When the German army bombed Kyiv in 1941, little Sonia was removed from the city by her parents. But the route to safety was perilous, as trains were targeted from the air while full of people. Sonia was lucky to survive and afterwards returned to Kyiv.
The couple managed to pack four of their wedding pictures and some clothing, and then they locked the door behind them. With all her physical problems, it has not been easy for Alla. “It is so hard for me to see my wife suffering already for so long, and it is hard to wait for all the medical appointments,” explained Arnold. They are very happy that their only daughter and her husband also came to Israel and are living nearby. Their grandson could not leave the Ukraine, however his wife along with Arnold and Alla’s great grandchild are also living close by.
After arriving in Israel, Viktor and Sonia spent a month in a government-supported hotel. Then they needed a place of their own and they found their way to the Haifa Home. “We had wanted to come to Israel a long time ago, but through circumstances in life it didn’t work out”, remarked Viktor, a successful nuclear engineer in Soviet days. Asked if they are relieved to now be living at the Haifa Home, Viktor replied without hesitation: “We are so happy to be here. We had no one to help us any more in Kyiv, and here we have a community around us, and the medical help is so much better in Israel.”
The ICEJ team enjoys a coffee with the new Haifa Home residents from arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport. Viktor and Sonia with a Ukrainian-speaking aid worker. scan me 19
ArnoldUkraine.andAlla
Yet who could have imagined that, at the end of their lives, Sonia and her husband would have to flee another assault on Kyiv and another dangerous journey to safety? The fact that Russia helped defeat the Nazis but now is the enemy of Ukraine is hard for them to fathom.
For new immigrants in general, life in a new country is difficult as it takes a long time to adjust to a different language, climate and culture. But for elderly people to leave everything behind amid a raging war and start over in a new land is something hard to even describe. After meeting their basic needs like clothing, food, and a place to live, their greatest need is care and attention; to make them feel safe and at home.
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The Christian Embassy has the privilege to not only take care of their physical needs, but with our ICEJ team on the ground in Haifa we give them all the love and emotional support we are able, knowing they so desperately need it.
There is still a long way to go for these Ukrainian survivors to have a sense of being settled and at home. But with your help, we have hope their last years will be truly good ones here in the Land of their forefathers. Please support the work of the ICEJ’s Haifa Home for Holocaust survivors by giving at: give.icej.org/survivors
HAIFA HOME considered leaving; that is, until a rocket recently fell on their home and broke all the windows. Shortly after that, another one landed in their courtyard. The blasts affected Alla, as she could no longer deal with the fear. That evening they decided to leave and the very next morning they were picked up by the ICEJ-sponsored rescue team.
At the time, there were no supermarkets or pharmacies open and Viktor was distraught, as his wife suffers from a chronic illness and badly needed medicines.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES 2020ICEJ WORLDWIDE
CZECHS AND GERMANS HOLD ISRAEL SOLIDARITY RALLY IN PRAGUE BY DR. MOJMIR KALLUS
I
Also attending were medical doctors who received training at Hebrew University Med School through Israel’s Foreign Ministry, military officers who served with UN forces on the Golan, and several Fiji rugby players with Tel Aviv’s pro rugby club.
The main program was held in the garden of the Czech Parliament in Prague and featured the Israeli Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Anna Azari, and top political figures. The solidarity event’s highlight was undoubtedly the presence of Eva Erben, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor originally from Czechoslovakia and now residing in Ashkelon. Fluent in Czech and German, the lively lady won respect for her charming way of recounting her own horrible story from the Shoah. She made it very clear for everyone why the State of Israel must exist – to protect every Jew who might face persecution.
n May, ICEJ-Slovenia national director Marcos Tavares was honored at a ceremony marking his retirement from professional football after 20 years as a striker for the successful club NK Maribor. He ended his career as the highest scorer in the nation’s history, and in tribute a section of the stadium was named after him. Marcos had always prayed that he could play until his eldest son was able to join him on the pitch, and indeed the son came on as a substitute during his emotional farewell match.
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The annual event has been organized by the ICEJ’s Czech and German offices for 19 years running and has become a fixed tradition of pro-Israel advocacy in central Europe.
Czech and German students joined the pro-Israel march in Prague and visited Terezin (Photo by Carina Reiger)
The ICEJ’s gala welcome was attended by numerous government, community, business and church leaders, including a previous prime minister plus several current and former cabinet ministers and parliament members.
ICEJ-FIJI WELCOMES NEW ISRAELI AMBASSADOR BY ICEJ STAFF
national director Mikaele Mudreilagi warmly welcomed the Ambassador and assured him of the overwhelming Christian support for Israel in Fiji. Amb Rosenblit responded by expressing his keen interest to engage with the Pacific Island nations, especially Fiji due to its strategic role in the region.
In April, several hundred Czech and German citizens filled the streets of Prague in a solidarity march for Israel. Among them were 100 high school pupils from Germany and the Czech Republic who also went the next day to tour the infamous Terezin concentration camp.
Fine Ditoka, executive secretary at the ICEJ Headquarters in Jerusalem, traveled home for the occasion to coordinate the welcome event and the Ambassador’s official visit toICEJ-FijiFiji.
ICEJ-Fiji recently hosted a welcome banquet for Roi Rosenblit, Israel’s new Ambassador to Fiji and the Pacific Island nations. The reception and dinner took place just after Amb Rosenblit presented his credentials to Fijian President Ratu William Katonivere and paid courtesy calls on the Prime Minister and other senior government figures.
SLOVAKIA RALLIES FOR ISRAEL
DYNAMIC ISRAELI SPEAKERS
LIBERIAN CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE YOM HA'ATZMAUT
In May, ICEJ-Liberia national director Aaron Wright and his team hosted a banquet and a special women’s conference to mark Israel’s Independence Day.
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In May, ICEJ-Germany's Arise young adults team joined Israeli worship leader Shilo Ben Hod and his band for a musical tour through Germany. The tour opened at a conference in City Chapel Stuttgart, where Arab pastor Tass Saada, a former Muslim and PLO sniper, also shared about his remarkable encounter with Jesus. As the tour moved on, hundreds of young adults joined us for three church services and four other worship nights in various venues across southern Germany. Besides the wonderful worship times in Hebrew and English, Shilo and his team also shared personal testimonies from Israel and encouraged young believers in Germany to pray for Israel.
Recently, ICEJ-Norway national director Dag Øyvind Juliussen and his team held a large pro-Israel conference featuring the dynamic Israeli guest speakers Hananya Naftali and Yosef Hadad.
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ARISE GERMANY HOSTS ISRAELI WORSHIP BAND CARINA RIEGER
NORWAY CONFERENCE FEATURES
In May, ICEJ-Slovakia national director Peter Švec and his team hosted a series of “Milk & Honey” rallies in Bratislava to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day and Jerusalem Day. The celebrations featured biblical teachings and current affairs lectures, open-air music and dance performances, street markets, children’s programs and more. ICEJ Vice President Mojmir Kallus also took part, spoke in local churches, and had good discussions with the Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, a devout Christian and supporter of Israel.
ICEJ WORLDWIDE
ICEJ-UK HOSTS FIRST OF SIX CONFERENCES
In April, the ICEJ-UK branch hosted the first of six teaching conferences it has planned for 2022. David Parsons from the Jerusalem leadership team was the featured speaker at the Billinge conference. Over the coming months, other guest speakers will address conferences in Southampton, Lincoln, West Midlands, London and Glasgow. The UK team also has launched a regular “Jerusalem Dispatch” podcast and TV program on Revelation TV with cohosts Simon Barrett and branch director Rev. David Elms.
NEW EPISODES now airing on our ICEJ official channels and GOD TV Encounter Israel, brought to you by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, features enriching biblical teachings, compelling personal stories and exciting events all from the Land of Israel! All of our Encounter Israel episodes are available on demand at GOD.TV/VOD/ENCOUNTERISRAEL and on our OFFICIAL MEDIA CHANNELS Encounter Israel Airs on God TV every Monday - Friday at 6:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. in each region Follow @icejofficialICEJ scan me to watch an icej original program Make your donation today at: give.icej.org/yadvashem TOICEJNATIONS’AMONGTHEHONOURING‘RIGHTEOUSTHEPARTNERSWITHYADVASHEMGUARDTHEIRLEGACY
Yad Vashem is the only institution which gives official recognition to the “Righteous Among the Nations,” a special designation honouring non-Jews who took great personal risks to save, hide and rescue Jews during the Holocaust.
Yad Vashem has planted some 2,000 trees at its Mt Herzl campus in Jerusalem to honour the Righteous Among the Nations, but the trees need yearly maintenance and tending. Christian Friends of Yad Vashem is seeking supporters to help with the upkeep of the 2,000 trees for Righteous Gentiles that line the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem. You are invited to identify with their legacy by becoming the ‘Guardian of a Tree’. For your donation of US $365 per year, you will receive: A certificate with the name of a ‘Righteous Gentile’ and your name as the one adopting the tree. The story of the Righteous Gentile. Together, we are working for a brighter future, to ensure “Never Again!”
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The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem is honored to serve as the Christian partner of Yad Vashem – the most significant Holocaust memorial and museum in the world.
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A HISTORY OF ZIONISM:CHRISTIANFROM THE REFORMATION TO THE CENTURYTWENTY-FIRST
VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE AND RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT ON ALL PURCHASES! Go to: ICEJSTORE.COM and use the discount code: WFJ2022ICEJ –The special 10% discount for your purchases at Embassy Resources is valid throughout 2022. 2022 FEAST T-SHIRT 'THE LAND OF PROMISE' (Visit our site for all available sizes) Exclusive 2022 design MERCHANDISE For full product descriptions visit our online store! Available from Embassy Resources for US$36.00 | www.icejstore.com EMBASSY RESOURCES // WWW.ICEJSTORE.COM35USDTHENEWERTESTAMENTbyBradH.Young BOOK 17.50 USD THE OILANOINTINGJERUSALEMNEW-30mL SOUVENIR 18 USD
(InterVarsity Press / 2021) 23 | WORD FROM JERUSALEM
Reviewed by David R. Parsons
This is a welcome work of excellent historic and religious scholarship, dealing with complex views on theology, eschatology, the calling and destiny of Israel, and the forces that guide world history. Indeed, A Short History of Christian Zionism instantly belongs atop the required reading list of everyone interested in Israel.
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ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman Christian support for Israel stands at unprecedented levels today, as tens of millions of Christians worldwide have a compelling love for Israel and the Jewish people. Yet we are still being vilified as no different from past Christian generations who were largely antisemitic. Christian Zionists are accused of racism, and of blocking peace. We are assigned sinister motives, such as longing to trigger Armageddon as one final ‘convert or die’ scenario. Academics and journalists demean Christian Zionism as a recent outgrowth of the American Christian Right. This is all a huge misreading of the noble history, global scope, and sincere motivations of the Christian Zionist movement. For over four decades now, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has been defending our movement from such misrepresentations and slanders. And now a book has finally come along which nails these falsehoods in an unmatched scholarly fashion.
A Short History of Christian Zionism: From the Reformation to the Twenty-First Century, by Donald M. Lewis, is the most comprehensive treatment of the subject to date, covering Christian attitudes towards the Jewish people since the early Church fathers, the rise of Evangelicalism out of the Protestant Reformation, and the development of Christian Zionism ever since. While it does lay bare some of the problematic Christian miscalculations on Bible prophecy in the past, the book also is thorough and persuasive in establishing that most Evangelicals today genuinely care for Israel and the Jewish people in the here-and-now. In the process, the late Prof. Lewis convincingly dismantles the false notion – broadly promoted in the media – that all pro-Israel Christians are Dispensationalists. Also of great note, he introduces the uniquely keen insight that Evangelical self-identity over recent centuries has been profoundly shaped by our favorable approach to Israel and the Jew. Besides serving as an invaluable resource for our movement going forward, A Short History of Christian Zionism also serves as a personal mirror for the reader to reflect on exactly where they stand on important biblical, prophetic and political issues related to Israel today. Are our motives towards Israel pure? Have we learned the lessons from past Christians whose faith faltered when their messianic expectations failed?
By Donald M. Lewis
9-16 OCTOBER 2022 The Feast of Tabernacles 2022 is being planned as both an In-Person and Online event. Attend Feast In-Person: Three packages available. Join Feast Tour: 3-Star and 4-Star packages available. Online Feast Packages start at US$5000 To register or for more details about the Feast options, please go to: REGISTER AT: feast.icej.org
