Category Archives: Judaism

August 1, 2024 · 9:00 AM

The Time to Stand against Antisemitism Is Now!

We continue to see antisemitism on the rise, especially οn college campuses! Hillel, the main Jewish campus organization worldwide, recorded a total of 1,810 reported antisemitic incidents on college campuses since October 7, which is a 700 percent increase compared to last year.1

This is a matter of grave concern as students look forward to beginning a new semester at universities across the country. Christian students often set up book tables and find ways to introduce their ministries to new students. The pro-Israel and Jewish Christian groups on campuses will be reluctant to be out-front and vocal because of the possible intimidation and opposition by pro-Hamas groups on campus. They need our help and prayers!

But, the problem is not limited to the campus. It seems to be happening everywhere. May I take a moment of your time and tell you about my heart and concern over this growing wave of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments sweeping across our country and so much of the Western world? 

THE PERNICIOUS NATURE OF ANTISEMITISM

From a biblical point of view, antisemitism is a hatred aimed at destroying Jewish people. 

The Hamas rallying cry “from the river to the sea” is a twisting of Genesis 15:18, which promises the land to Abraham’s descendants “from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” So, from river to river, God promised the land of Israel to Jewish people by covenant. As believers in God’s Word, we have no other choice but to affirm what He has already promised. 

If we support those seeking the destruction of Jewish people or the removal of Jewish people from the land of Israel, then we are working at cross purposes with God. Instead, let us make certain we are partnering with God in every way, including His plan for Jewish people. Let us love what He loves and speak out against what He hates!

Once again, we are not calling all Christians to support every Israeli policy or military action, but rather simply to advocate for Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation. We do believe God gave the land of Israel to Jewish people, but we realize war is hard on everyone. Mistakes are made. But, remember, Israel is defending herself against Hamas, who initiated the conflict by storming Israel with close to 4,000 terrorists who set out to murder, kidnap, and brutalize innocent Israelis. 

Those condemning Israel’s wartime behavior seem to have lost sight of October 7! If not for this Black Sabbath, Israelis and Palestinians could have continued the process of trying to work out a reasonable peace and relationship. Hamas destroyed what so many tried to build through peaceful means. And in the process, their behavior has brought terrible damage to their own people, whom they use as human shields. Hamas’ leader, Yahya Sinwar, openly admitted Palestinian civilian deaths is part of his agenda. As the New York Post reported,

Hamas’ top official in Gaza, who helped mastermind the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, coldly admitted he sees the deaths of Palestinian civilians as “necessary sacrifices” to keep its war against Israel raging. . . . Yahya Sinwar lauded his efforts in stalling cease-fire talks. . . . “We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar said in a message to Hamas officials meeting with Qatari and Egyptian negotiators.2

What a terrible statement for a leader to make about his own people who are suffering!

And now it is not only Israelis and innocent Palestinians who are suffering because of the actions of the Hamas leadership, but Jewish people everywhere are now the subject of a new wave of antisemitism raging like a fire across the globe!

We must put a stop to antisemitism!

A COALITION AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

We held a significant event on Broadway, in Manhattan on June 20 to oppose antisemitism. Hundreds of people attended and made a commitment to do something about the rise of antisemitism. This was a first step in our efforts to fuel a movement of loving support on the part of Christians for their Jewish friends and neighbors.

Now I am asking you to do the same!

We are building a Coalition Against Antisemitism. This effort is especially designed to enable followers of Jesus to make a difference by becoming better informed and taking a more active role in this spiritual battle for the souls of Jewish people. 

We cannot underestimate the importance of providing Christians with a spiritual and biblical foundation for their prayers and actions. Just imagine how Jewish people will feel about Christians and may even take a new and different look at the gospel message because of a Christian’s love and concern, especially after centuries of anti-Jewish attitudes and actions by so-called Christians. My beloved community and God’s chosen people need to see a church in love with the Jewish Messiah and ready to stand with His kinsmen according to the flesh! 

The following statement will form the basis for this new Coalition Against Antisemitism, which we hope and pray will capture your heart and the hearts of believers in Jesus across our country. Please read the statement prayerfully and ask the Lord to help you find ways to support Jewish people during this time of need. 

THE COALITION’S FOUNDING STATEMENT 

  1. Antisemitism is spiritual in origin. When God chose Jewish people to accomplish His purposes on earth, the devil selected Jewish people as well and has sought to destroy this nation. 
  2. Antisemitism became embedded in the church from the fourth century onwards as many Christians took a negative view of Jewish people. 
  3. Antisemitism was linked to Christian political entities, which formulated various anti-Jewish policies during the medieval period. 
  4. Antisemitism became an essential part of Islam as the Muslim armies conquered the Middle East and parts of Western Europe. 
  5. This theologically-fueled disdain for Jewish people ultimately influenced a more virulent form of racial antisemitism, culminating in the Holocaust. Jewish people today often understand modern antisemitism as stemming from the negative views of Jewish people in Christian cultures. 
  6. Antisemitic conspiratorial views spread throughout the world during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Various population pockets around the world accepted these lies. 
  7. The founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948 became a focal point for Islamic antisemitism, which already had a long history in the annals of classical Islamic writings. This hatred has turned especially volatile and violent during the last few decades, erupting into the massacres of innocent Jewish people on October 7, 2023. . . .3 

THE PRAYER

Would you also pray the following prayer:

Oh God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Father of our Messiah Jesus, I ask You to bless and protect Your chosen people and to bring peace to all who live in the land of Israel. By Your Spirit, please guide me to find ways I can help support Jewish people during this season of rising antisemitism. Use me, Lord, through my congregation, small group, my family, and wherever I have influence for You to inspire others to love Jewish people. Lord, may I be Your instrument of mercy, grace, and love to bring help, comfort, and protection to all the children of Jacob in the Holy Land, the United States, and around the globe.

In the name of Yeshua, Amen.

Thanks so much for caring!

Mitch
(Romans 10:1)

P.S. Pro-Hamas activists and their sympathizers are targeting Jewish students around the globe. Many students are cautious, fearful, and concerned about their freedom of expression in their public identification as Jewish people, or as friends of Israel and Jewish people around the world. 

Students, parents, and grandparents, let us encourage them to stand for the Lord and Jewish people during this difficult moment!

Endnotes

1 “Antisemitism on College Campuses: Incident Tracking from 2019–2024,” Hillel, last updated June 17, 2024, https://www.hillel.org/antisemitism-on-college-campuses-incident-tracking-from-2019-2023/. 

2 Ronny Reyes, “Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Believes Palestinian Deaths Are ‘Necessary Sacrifices’: Leaked Messages,” New York Post, June 11, 2024, https://nypost.com/2024/06/11/world-news/hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-believes-palestinian-deaths-are-necessary-sacrifices/. 

3 To read the full statement and join the Coalition, go to http://www.opposeantisemitism.com. 

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Semitism, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

July 15, 2024 · 9:30 AM

Christians Will Stand with Israel

I am writing to you from Israel, where I was encouraging our twenty-five-plus staff members—visiting one-on-one to talk and pray with them as they serve the Lord in the midst of some really challenging conditions.

I spoke to a gathering of more than seventy-five young adults at our current rented Tel Aviv Center. My message was from the book of Acts about relying on the Lord and the power of His Spirit during very stressful times. I was also part of a teaching team at a leadership retreat for forty young adults serving in congregational and mission leadership throughout Israel.

The summer is always a busy time for Your Mission to the Jewish People as we are in the midst of many evangelistic efforts and campaigns around the globe, especially in New York City and in Israel. Please take a moment to pray for our annual Shalom New York outreach, which takes place during the last week of July.

Also, please pray for our children’s camps in both the United States and Israel. Our Israel camps this year will focus on both Russian and Ukrainian new immigrants and their families who have fled one war only to find themselves in the Holy Land experiencing another.

I found some very desperate needs in Israel because of the Israel-Hamas war, and I am praying and hoping for good fruit through our Israeli staff at this very moment.

I am particularly concerned for several groups within Israel, including evacuees, soldiers, and the hostages brutally taken on October 7.

PRAYER FOR EVACUEES

There are still thousands of evacuees unable to return to their homes because they live in border towns in both the north and south of Israel. There are thousands of families who have been living in hotel rooms for almost a year now. This living arrangement is becoming so hard, especially on their children. At the hotel where we held the leadership retreat, there were evacuees all around us, which led to some great opportunities to speak to them and try to encourage them during this very difficult moment in Israel’s history! I told many of those displaced people how American Christians are praying for them, and they greatly appreciated this news. So, please pray for these displaced Israelis all throughout the country.

PRAYER FOR SOLDIERS

Please also pray for the young people in Israel, especially those serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Remember, Israel has a mandatory draft, which begins when these teenagers graduate high school. Every day, eighteen- and nineteen-year-old Israeli boys and girls head to the military. They are young, not yet seasoned for battle, and are learning about life the hard way!

Please pray the Lord would especially keep the believing soldiers safe and also provide them with ways to grow spiritually and opportunities to proclaim the gospel among their fellow soldiers. I cannot tell you how many great stories I heard from our staff during my recent time in Israel as well as from some of the younger leaders who took the weekend off from battle to join us! Two brothers in the Lord are tank commanders and went back to Gaza immediately after the retreat to rejoin their fellow soldiers.

PRAYER FOR THE HOSTAGES IN GAZA

Please continue to pray for the hostages. The Israel Defense Forces have made repeated attempts to rescue the more than one hundred hostages still held in Gaza. Some continue to die in captivity, and others have been tortured and mistreated to an incredible degree. How human beings can treat one another so cruelly is not something I can even begin to understand.

We hear of repeated attempts to bring the hostages home, but for the moment, there has been only limited success. On the last day of the leadership retreat, we rejoiced to hear how four hostages were freed by the IDF in a very dangerous and costly military operation.

We need our all-powerful Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to directly intervene on behalf of those still in bondage. While in Israel, I saw signs all over the country asking for their release. There are pictures of these young men, women, and even still some children, who are being held by merciless captors. It reminds me of the words in the Psalms,

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. (Psalm 137:1–6)

In Jewish tradition, the authorship of this beautiful and mournful psalm is sometimes attributed to the prophet Jeremiah—the weeping prophet. The contemporary Messianic songwriter Joshua Aaron from Israel sings a soul-filled version of this psalm, which captures the hopes of Jewish people in exile from the land of Israel and their longing to return. I am sure hearing his modern rendition of the ancient text will inspire and bless you!1

I can hardly imagine what the hostages are going through and what their families are experiencing. Of course, I am writing well before you receive this so, perhaps, by God’s grace, additional hostages may have been released or rescued by the time you read our newsletter. At this moment, it does not seem likely, and if they have not been released, please pray, ask your church to pray, and may the Lord bring them home soon!

May I make two more prayer requests?

PRAYER FOR GAZANS SUFFERING UNDER THE HEAVY HAND OF HAMAS

Please pray for the Gazans who are suffering at the hands of Hamas who constantly use their own citizens as human shields. I pray for their deliverance and for the “day after” plan for Gaza to include a more benevolent and caring government to nurture the well-being of so many who have suffered. Pray Israelis and Gazans would find hope and peace through the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Messiah, and for the Lord to touch both groups.

PRAYER AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

Finally, please pray for Jewish people around the globe who are experiencing the greatest movement of antisemitism since the Holocaust. This resurgence of the “oldest hatred” is why Your Mission to the Jewish People recently held a rally with more than 400 attendees in Manhattan last month.

We are also planning a larger conference to gather Christians of all ages and backgrounds to stand against antisemitism. This event is also at Moody Bible Institute on November 9. 

I cannot tell you how powerful and positive it is for Christians to stand with Jewish people and against antisemitism. This creates a new environment of friendship between Jewish people and Christians, which I know will be a blessing to both communities!

A NEW SURVEY OF CHRISTIAN VIEWS ABOUT ISRAEL AND JEWISH PEOPLE

So, what do Christians think about Jewish people and the State of Israel post-October 7? We felt we needed to know, so we asked two Jewish scholars who have done some amazing surveys on this topic to let us help them do a new survey. I believe you will be encouraged by what you read!

So, please keep praying for Your Mission to the Jewish People during these very challenging days!

Thank you for caring and for your generous support and prayers!

1 Joshua Aaron, “Bring Us Back (By the Rivers of Babylon) Psalm 137,” music video, 4:25, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7lHsoascJY.

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Semitism, Boycotts against Israel, evangelism, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, New York City

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

July 3, 2024 · 8:30 AM

They Survived!

I am writing to you on behalf of some special Jewish people we love so dearly. They are the last remnant of Jewish people who suffered more than any others during their lifetime. They are elderly, lonely, in need of our love and help, and do not have many more years on this earth before they pass into eternity.

I am, of course, speaking about the worldwide community of Holocaust survivors!

There are fewer than a quarter million Holocaust survivors remaining, with an average age of eighty-six.1 About half of them live in Israel, where Your Mission to the Jewish People has been serving hundreds of these precious souls since 2003.

MINISTERING TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN ISRAEL

Approximately 130,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel today, 99 percent of whom are Russian speakers from the former Soviet Union.2 Most were children at the time of the Holocaust. Many of them underwent horrific experimentation by Nazi doctors and, as a result, could not have children of their own. This outcome led to greater loneliness because they do not have children or grandchildren to care for them in their old age.

Chosen People Ministries—Israel has been faithfully ministering to Holocaust survivors in many ways. First, our staff in Israel care for some of their physical needs. In March, for example, our staff bought a washing machine for one of our survivor friends. Our staff helps by buying groceries, making home visits, and trying to ensure each survivor gets what they need.

In addition, Your Mission to the Jewish People is helping address their health concerns. The psychological trauma many Holocaust survivors endured when they were so young often led to sickness. The current conflict in Israel is also taking a toll on them physically. Our staff visits them when they are in the hospital, takes them to doctor’s appointments, and purchases medical equipment like walkers, hearing aids, and glasses. Our staff also takes them to buy their medications.

Most importantly, our ministry is caring for the spiritual and emotional needs of these precious survivors. Before the current war, our staff held community events, like art classes, to provide Holocaust survivors with companionship. But since October 7, survivors—who were already experiencing severe trauma—now need more intensive spiritual and psychological help. For many of them, the horrific events of October 7 reminded them of the Holocaust. One woman fled Israel because she did not want to go through “one more Holocaust.” After seventy-five years, October 7 brought all those memories back to the surface.

PROGRAMS AND TRIPS FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

Through it all, our ministry is reaching Holocaust survivors with the love of Jesus the Messiah. At our three-day retreats for survivors from the south of Israel, our staff spend time with them, pray with them, and answer their difficult questions like, “Why is this happening?” and “What will happen in the future?”

Our staff also visit the more than one hundred post-October 7 survivors who are now evacuees living in hotels. We pray with them, read Scripture with any who want us to, and even bring them homemade food, which they love!

We occasionally bring them to our Jerusalem Messianic Center to provide a much-appreciated break from the noise and lack of privacy at the hotels. Some of our staff also take survivors on tours to biblical sites in Israel, like the Sea of Galilee for a brief walk and a boat ride, complete with worship and teaching!

One of the most significant ways Your Mission to the Jewish People serves Holocaust survivors is by celebrating the Jewish and Israeli national holidays with them.

WE ARE THEIR FAMILY!

One staff member said, “We always pray so they understand we are not trying to change their religion but hoping to help them find a personal relationship with God. By doing this, everyone knows who we are and what we believe.” This emphasis makes Chosen People Ministries different from other humanitarian organizations because we focus on God, express our love for the Messiah, and minister one-on-one, all while serving physical needs. Taking care of physical needs is crucial, and adding spiritual care brings great fruit with eternal impact. Through caring for the soul, especially at this time of their lives, we are giving the survivors the gift we know will endure forever!

WHAT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, AMONG THE SURVIVORS?

Sderot, a small city bordering Gaza, was greatly affected by the storm of rockets fired by Hamas just prior to the attacks of October 7. Many Holocaust survivors watched in horror from their windows as terrorists killed others outside their homes. Some survivors called our staff trying to explain what they were seeing through their windows. Many of them spent up to seventy-two hours sitting in bomb shelters with not enough water or food to carry them through. It was, as one staff member put it, “A huge, tragic mess.”

The inhabitants of Sderot, including the survivors, were evacuated after ten days.

Ashkelon, a larger city near the border, also suffered major devastation as Hamas launched uncountable rockets toward the city. Thankfully, most were shot down by the Israeli air defense systems, and the Iron Dome in particular.

The city of Ofakim is home to many Holocaust survivors and was also the target of Hamas terrorism. When the terrorists violently entered Ofakim on October 7, they cornered the Holocaust survivors and killed six of them. When our staff visited the town on November 1, there was no one on the street. “Until today,” said one staff member, “people are afraid to open their doors there.” Unfortunately, some of the survivors know exactly what happened to their fellow survivors and will be scarred for the remainder of their lives.

TESTIMONIALS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS SERVED BY CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES

Caleb* and Gavriela:* Caleb was the first person on a trip to Poland to accept Jesus as his Savior. During the trip, the Word of God touched him, and he could not stop asking questions. He saw the Light! Upon returning to Israel, he attended a local congregation and was baptized. His wife supported him in everything but was a bit uncertain herself about Messiah until she heard from the Holy Spirit. She then was baptized, and now the couple shines when they talk about their walk with God.

Levi* and Eliora:* Our staff have known Levi and Eliora’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for a long time. Seeing how our staff assist people, this couple also wanted to get involved. Their grandson repeatedly contacted our staff to offer his help, and he bought various medical supplies for Holocaust survivors. We are seeing the hand of God in this couple’s life and how He has carefully turned their hearts toward His own.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE SURVIVORS?

Our staff in Israel knows the days of this heartfelt ministry to survivors are numbered. They are aging quickly, and in the near future, they will pass into eternity—either with the Lord or without Him. We are sobered by this thought and sense a holy urgency to reach these precious Jewish people before it is too late. The time to act is NOW.

Our efforts in loving survivors and spreading the gospel have been a joy, but we need to do more. It is critical to help the survivors TODAY! Each opportunity to introduce them to Messiah is invaluable—with eternal consequences.

As we look toward the future, we are focusing on the next couple of generations of the survivors’ descendants. Some of them were able to marry, and we have ongoing relationships with their children and grandchildren, in part because they have seen how we love their families. We hold a children’s camp each Passover for the grandchildren of survivors.

On behalf of our staff in Israel and those they serve,
Mitch

P.S. According to Israeli law, you cannot talk about the gospel and provide material help at the same time unless those you are helping initiate the conversation. We do all we can to follow this policy, and more often than not, survivors pepper us with questions about why we love and help them. We are then free to respond and talk to them about our faith.


Endnotes

1 Kirsten Grieshaber, “Almost 80 Years after the Holocaust, 245,000 Jewish Survivors Are still Alive,” AP News, January 23, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/holocaust-survivors-numbers-reportclaims-conference-890c9ad6aa7bc1cf99e1cbe40e61c013.

2 Ibid.

Leave a comment

Filed under evangelism, Holocaust Survivors, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

June 15, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Christians against Antisemitism

I have been pondering the touching story in the New Testament about the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Luke 7:1–10). As the story progresses, we discover this centurion was noteworthy for his surprising love for Jewish people, which led him to build a synagogue for the Jewish community of Capernaum (Luke 7:5).

Perhaps the centurion saw the dimming spark of God’s presence in the Galilean city, which Jesus Himself chided for its lack of spirituality (Matthew 11:23). Conversely, Jesus commended the words and actions of this centurion who had come to love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I find the Roman centurion to be an inspiration! He loved the God of Israel, the Messiah of Israel, and the people of Israel.

While Jewish people today do not usually require Christian help to build synagogues, we do need help fighting the increasingly virulent antisemitism not seen since the Holocaust. Additionally, our not-yet-believing Jewish people need to hear the gospel message so they, too, can powerfully encounter Jesus the Messiah, the Prince of Peace.

A PROMISE

We live in a world overwhelmed by spiritual, moral, and political confusion, which is why it is so important to see life through the lens of Scripture. For example, though more than 60 percent of Christians above the age of fifty believe the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, our younger generation of future leaders in the church are not as certain. The number of those believers under forty who support Israel drops down to below 50 percent! However, when we read about God’s assurances to Abraham and his descendants and the Abrahamic promise to create a people destined to live in the Promised Land, we are clear on this fundamental truth: God gave the land of Israel to His chosen people.

In Genesis 12:1–3, we learn this promise is without conditions and free of time parameters. The fulfillment of the promise depends upon the power of God rather than the capabilities of humankind. Jewish people were created for a holy purpose and mission to bless the world. God said directly to Abram, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, emphasis added). God created Jewish people for the sake of the Gentiles!

A PEOPLE

The very creation of the people was a miracle. Abraham and Sarah were beyond childbearing age, yet God supernaturally intervened to create Isaac, who was the first fruits of God’s promise to Abraham.

God promised no one would ever destroy this people. Numerous nations tried to destroy the people of Israel, but God would not allow it and kept His mighty hand upon them (Jeremiah 31:35–37).

A PLACE

The boundaries of the land given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are outlined in Genesis 15:18: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.’”

The answer to those who question if Jewish people have a right to the land is to believe this passage and take it literally—as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

The cry of anti-Israel protesters, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” opposes what God promised in His word. As faithful followers of Jesus and those who believe the Bible, we reject the slogan entirely as it displaces Jewish people from the very land God Himself promised!

The tension in the Middle East will never subside until those involved in the conflict recognize the biblical promises of God to Jewish people and take them to heart. God pledged ownership of the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Any efforts toward reconciliation apart from this promise will ultimately fail.

We do not wish to debate whether 1948 was a human act or accomplished by the power of God. We understand the current conflict is complex, yet at the heart of the issue is the question of whether the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel by virtue of God’s covenant with Israel. If we read the Bible literally and come to the conclusion that He gave this land—with the Genesis 15 boundaries—to Jewish people, then we must support the right of Jewish people to live in the land God established for His chosen people.

A PURPOSE

God promised Jewish people would live in the Holy Land and be a blessing to the nations. Isaiah predicted shalom (peace) would come to the Middle East: “In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth” (Isa 19:24).

Jewish people will enjoy an enduring peace when the Prince of Peace reigns on His rightful throne. This hope reminds me of the temporary nature of all earthly conflicts, which the Messiah Himself will one day resolve.

A PRAYER WITH A PROMISE

The prayer we should pray throughout the Israel-Hamas conflict is the one for peace the psalmist penned in Psalm 122:6–7: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.’”

This prayer includes a promise: Those who love Jerusalem will prosper. The Hebrew word shalah, which is translated as “prosper,” refers to a sense of inner peace, as those who pray for peace will experience peace in their lives as well.

The peace we enjoy in our relationship with God is a foretaste of the global peace God will bring to the world when His Son returns to reign on His rightful throne. He is the Prince of Peace and will remove the curse of sin at the heart of the current conflict. He will bring humanity back to the peace Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden. The prophet Ezekiel mentioned a future day when the nation of Israel will turn to the Lord, and the land will be “like the garden of Eden” (Ezekiel 36:35).

A PLEA: FOR CHRISTIANS TO OPPOSE ANTISEMITISM

I am hoping both local churches and individual Christians will boldly pray against and actively oppose the rising global antisemitism. Our 130-year-old ministry is here to inspire you to pray for, support, and act on behalf of Jewish people by opposing antisemitism.

Jewish people need our help today!

SEE SOMETHING . . . SAY SOMETHING: A CALL TO ACTION

How can we stand by and watch Jewish people suffer at the hands of modern-day Hamans and Hitlers? Antisemitism is anti-gospel and anti-God. It is antithetical to God’s promises found in Scripture. The problems in the Middle East cannot be solved by removing Jewish people “from the river to the sea.” The beginning of any diplomatic solution must be to allow Jewish people to live safely and peacefully in the land God promised to His chosen people.

Let me be clear: We believe the gospel is the only ultimate hope for Jewish people, Arabs, and all who seek authentic and enduring peace.

So, how can we be part of the solution to this seemingly insoluble problem?

The first step is to turn to the Lord in prayer and intercession and then view the conflict through the lens of Scripture. Our actions must begin with prayer because this battle is a spiritual one, and prayer puts us in the right relationship with the One who made these promises. The Scriptures provide the understanding we need to propose workable solutions because they are in sync with God’s eternal purposes.

Then, like the centurion, we ought to find ways to bless Jewish people, as blessing the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will lead to blessings for the world. If we support those working toward the destruction of Jewish people and their removal from the land of Israel, then we are working against the eternal purposes of God (Acts 5:39)!

Let us join the Holy One in blessing Israel, Jewish people, and all men and women who are created in the image of God and for whom Jesus died.

Thank you for caring, praying, and supporting the 130-year-old work of Your Mission to the Jewish People.

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Semitism, Boycotts against Israel, evangelism, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, Middle East, New York City

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 15, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Say “No” to Antisemitism!

As the war in Israel continues, our hearts go out to those suffering due to the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah! The impact of the conflict now stretches across the globe. It has caused the rise of new challenges for the worldwide Jewish community and for Your Mission to the Jewish People, as you can see from the following reports about the growing number of antisemitic incidents in the United States. Sadly, I am certain further events will have transpired by the time my letter crosses your desk or kitchen table. Yet, the pro-Hamas protestors act as if October 7 never happened!

THE CHILLING TRENDS

The Anti-Defamation League, the world’s leading organization tracking and opposing antisemitism, reported in early January, 

In the three months since the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, U.S. antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed, reaching a total of 3,291* incidents between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7, according to ADL’s (the Anti-Defamation League) preliminary data. This represents a 361-percent increase compared to the same period one year prior, which saw 712 incidents.

The preliminary three-month tally is higher than the total number of antisemitic incidents tracked in any year in the last decade, except for calendar year 2022, when the total number of incidents reached a historic high of 3,697. Since Oct. 7, there was an average of nearly 34 antisemitic incidents per day, putting 2023 on track to be the highest year for antisemitic acts against Jews since ADL started tracking this data in the late 1970s.1

Although these statistics are from the United States, this dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents is global, especially affecting Western countries where you might not expect this dramatic rise in Jewish hatred.

I am especially astounded by the antisemitism currently raging in England. According to the Community Security Trust, which gathers information on antisemitism in the United Kingdom, there were 3,328 incidents of abusive behavior, 266 assaults, 305 threats, and 182 acts of damage and desecration throughout 2023. The charity said there was a total of 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom in 2023, up from the previous annual record of 2,261 in 2021.2

Similar occurrences of antisemitic hatred were recorded in Canada and Australia, home to hundreds of thousands of Jewish people.

MY FAMILY’S STORY

My maternal grandparents emigrated from Belarus to the United States to escape the everyday horrors of antisemitism. Little did they know the most extreme, diabolical, and destructive expression of antisemitism would soon come from Germany, one of the most sophisticated and Christianized countries in Western Europe.

My grandparents left their homes and families behind because of the attacks against Jewish people (called pogroms), which motivated them to make the dramatic move to an unknown country! Like so many Jewish people, they were desperate to get away from those who sought their destruction and build a better life for their children. They willingly left the land, language, and life they knew to live in a land built upon freedom of religion.

The United States still had some restrictions prohibiting or limiting Jewish people at colleges and fraternal organizations and in certain professions. But my grandparents could still own property, get a better education, and enjoy opportunities in their new homeland they could not get in Europe.

COUNTERING THE CURRENT WAVE OF ANTISEMITISM

So much of the current wave of antisemitism is rooted in the belief in Israel and Jewish people in general as aggressors. We would not suggest every criticism of the policies and actions of the State of Israel, valid or not, springs from the poison of antisemitism. Yet, from what we have seen taking place across the United States, anti-Zionism and the belief Israel is an illegitimate state is often fueled by antisemitism.

I am sorry to say Jewish students on our university campuses are feeling the brunt of a growing, unreasonable anger and hatred. They are often targeted by Hamas sympathizers, who are abetted by administrations at various—and not just “elite”—schools, which seem to look the other way and tolerate targeted protests.

One of the groups countering the growing antisemitism on campuses across our country is the Brandeis Center in Boston—part of the enduring legacy of the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, the late Louis Brandeis. He was a staunch supporter of Jewish rights and the State of Israel. The Brandeis Center plays a vital role in opposing antisemitism on campus.

Let me give you a couple of examples of what they are doing:

The Brandeis Center and Jewish on Campus (JOC) filed a joint complaint with the U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on behalf of numerous Jewish students at American University (AU) who have been assaulted, threatened, harassed and intimidated in dormitories, classrooms and campus spaces. According to the complaint, AU was fully aware of the pervasive and hostile environment for Jewish students, and not only ignored it, in some cases, it chose to subject Jewish whistleblowers to harassment and disciplinary proceedings.3

And further,

In another story, on the downfall of Harvard’s and UPenn’s presidents and the double standard applied to Jewish students by campus Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, Marcus [president of the Center] stated: “DEI offices have often acted as if Jewish Americans were outside their scope of responsibility.” When Jewish students go to DEI offices seeking support, “they will receive a cold shoulder from administrators who are quicker to support members of other groups such as African American, Hispanics, or gay or lesbian students.”4

Whereas we hope all those who feel the pain of discrimination and prejudice will find help, the overt dismissal of Jewish student concerns is intolerable and unfair. I believe followers of Jesus need to spring into action on behalf of Jewish people.

SHOULD CHRISTIANS OPPOSE ANTISEMITISM?

We must ask ourselves the question: “Is opposing antisemitism a spiritual duty for all believers in Jesus?”

Today’s antisemitism, seen in synagogue shootings, attacks on a kosher market in France, the taking of hostages at a synagogue in Dallas, and through the growing presence of antisemitism on social media, is no longer merely latent. To a large degree, tensions in the Middle East have exacerbated this growing antisemitism.

However, we would be mistaken in thinking this “oldest hatred” did not exist prior to October 7 or before Israel became a modern state.

After October 7, it did not take long for antisemites to begin targeting Jewish people in the United States, Germany, England, and across the globe. It is apparent their hatred of Jewish people was not new, and the events of October 7 simply sparked what was already there, causing it to rise to the surface. Really, the opposite should have been the case. It is also remarkable how quickly Hamas sympathizers swept the atrocities committed by the terrorist organization on October 7 under the rug.

Jewish people worldwide are now the objects of anger and contempt by these same sympathizers. It seems as if any Jewish event on campus and in various communities is subject to the wrath of radical and violent advocates who believe their mission is to remove Israel “from the river to the sea.”

This terrible surge of global antisemitism needs to be stopped. First, by our prayers, followed by our actions.

THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF ANTISEMITISM

The roots of antisemitism remain deeply woven into our culture and those of many Western countries, as well as those nations part of the Arab world. Yet, the problem goes deeper than this!

As I have mentioned in the past, the root of antisemitism is profoundly spiritual.

We affirm God chose Jewish people to be His people and to accomplish His purposes (Genesis 12:1–3). At the exact moment God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the devil chose Jewish people as his target throughout the ages. The devil hates God, our Messiah, the Bible, and Jewish people.

As believers in Jesus, we must support Jewish people globally, even if we have political disagreements with the modern State of Israel. Affirming God’s chosen people is a personal duty for all Christians and requires our standing against antisemitism.

In light of God’s far-reaching purposes for the global Jewish community, we have no option other than to find ways in this hateful environment to defend and protect Jewish people and to oppose antisemitism wherever we see it today.

Thanks for your love, prayers, and support for Israel and Jewish people—and all who are oppressed by Hamas—especially for the hostages held in Gaza since October 7. The next section of the newsletter will offer some practical suggestions for ways Christians can support Jewish people and oppose antisemitism.

Endnotes

*Note: This is preliminary data. An earlier version of this press release was updated on January 17, 2024 to reflect the latest findings.

1 “U.S. Antisemitic Incidents Skyrocketed 360% in Aftermath of Attack in Israel, According to Latest ADL Data,” ADL, January 17, 2024, https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/us-antisemitic-incidents-skyrocketed-360-aftermath-attack-israel-according.

2 Yoni Gordon-Teller, “Antisemitic Incidents 2023,” Community Security Trust, 2024, https://cst.org.uk/data/file/9/f/Antisemitic_Incidents_Report_2023.1707834969.pdf.

3 “February 2024 Brandeis Brief,” Brandeis Center (blog), February 8, 2024, https://brandeiscenter.com/february-2024-brandeis-brief/.

4 “February 2024 Brandeis Brief.”

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Semitism, evangelism, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, Middle East, New York City, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 1, 2024 · 4:22 PM

Campus Antisemitism on the Rise

On May 14, 1948, Israel declared itself a modern nation. This joyful event is celebrated by the Jewish community every year on May 14. It is called Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut), but this does not mean Israel had never been an independent nation throughout history, including the biblical story.

As Mark Twain wrote so many years ago,

The Egyptians, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.

The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was. . . . All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he [the Jew] remains. What is the secret of his immortality? 1

The secret to Jewish people’s survival, of course, is God’s faithfulness to His glorious promises for Israel as a land and a people. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote,

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35–36)

I view 1948 as the year when Israel “reasserted” her independence as a nation. As students of the Bible, and especially those who cherish prophecy, we believe the events of 1948 were not merely the fruition of the combined human effort of great men like Theodor Herzl and other early Zionist leaders but rather an act of God. We celebrate this holiday and honor its momentous occasion with Israel and Jewish people around the world, especially in light of the hardships Israelis are facing today. 

As we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut in solidarity with Israel, we recognize and pray for lasting peace, which has been so elusive since the first attacks in 1948 by the Arab coalition seeking to destroy Israel even before the ink was dry on their declaration of independence. So, following the words of the psalmist, we continue to pray for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem, knowing our prayers for Israel come with a promise, as the psalmist adds, “May they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6). 

ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS

Sadly, it has not been a peaceful time for Israel or Jewish people lately, especially at universities around the globe. I never thought I would come to this stage of my life to witness the growing antisemitism taking place today. It is deeply disappointing for me and many Jewish people. The number of antisemitic attacks on Jewish people rose 700 percent after October 7 compared to the same period the year prior. The social media climate has become an intolerable hotbed of antisemitic tropes and attacks.

Let me give you some facts to consider and, hopefully, this will encourage you to pray and even to take action.

The following reports are from the Jerusalem Post, a reputable Israeli-based newspaper, from February 20, 2024.

The number of antisemitic incidents on college campuses in the United States since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 passed 1,000 on Monday. Adam Lehman, President and CEO of the Hillel International, revealed during a joint session of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs on Tuesday morning. According to Lehman, the number of antisemitic incidents marked a 700% rise since the parallel period a year earlier. Some 44 of these incidents were physical attacks—more than the past 10 years combined; and 56% of Jewish students [said] they feel unwelcome on college campuses, he added.2

The rise of antisemitism on campuses throughout the United States is causing some Jewish high school students to consider this as a factor in where they apply to college!

According to the Jerusalem Post,

A new survey of nearly 2,000 BBYO participants across North America, taken in recent weeks, found that 64% said antisemitism on campus was an important factor in their decision regarding where to attend college.3 More than 60% said they had experienced antisemitism in person. “It made me not apply to some colleges,” Bianca De Almeida, a senior from Miami, told JTA regarding the December congressional hearing, where the presidents of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology also declined to say outright whether campus policy prohibited calls for the genocide of Jews.4

It is a mistake to consider only the “elite” universities problematic. Antisemitism is now everywhere and on almost every campus, including high schools. Earlier this year, a Texas school district reviewed a request to remove a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl from school libraries. The episode received significant attention. According to a report from the “Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission Study on Antisemitism in Texas,” this is the timeline of events:

  • A parent in the Keller Independent School District near Dallas challenged the appropriateness of offering the graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary in the school library, saying it should be viewed only in the presence of an adult. 
  • On August 15, Keller school officials temporarily removed all books that had been challenged during the year during their review process, as part of a policy they had just approved. 
  • On August 19, the book was returned to circulation. . . .
  • The school superintendent wrote to parents “Keller ISD is not banning the Bible or The Diary of Anne Frank, as has been suggested in some headlines and shared on social media.”5

My dear friend, antisemitism is a tool in the hands of the devil, and, as believers, we need to OPPOSE ANTISEMITISM wherever we see it. Antisemitism is an attack on God Himself, as Jewish people are still the “apple of His eye:”

For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8).

We need to be united, love what our Savior loves, and hate what He hates!

Your Mission to the Jewish People is sponsoring several conferences as we continue to provide resources and opportunities for Christians to stand together against antisemitism. 

THE MOODY CONFERENCE AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

Join us at the Moody Conference against Antisemitism, scheduled at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, November 8–9, 2024. Michael Rydelnik, vice president of the undergraduate school; Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute; myself; and many others will explore the spiritual roots of antisemitism.

We will suggest ways believers can support Jewish people and take a united stand against this oldest hatred! 

THE COURAGE CONFERENCE

We scheduled a conference at Moody this summer for younger adults serving the Lord on campuses nationwide. We are expecting up to one hundred students who serve the Lord and support Israel and Jewish people on their campuses.

Jewish students on college campuses are being persecuted, and we want them to know they are not alone. We plan to train these young people how to stand with Jewish people and handle persecution because of their identity and faith. We will also have experts join us to teach these students how to find legal protection if needed and how to work with faculty and university administrators to protect their freedoms on campus.

We hope to build a national fellowship of students standing for the Lord and for Jewish people, and your prayers and support are critical to our success.

Thanks for caring.

Your brother,

Mitch

P.S. Please continue to pray for the hostages held in Gaza!

Endnotes

1 Mark Twain, “Concerning the Jews,” Harper’s Magazine, March 1898, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1898twain-jews.asp.

2 Eliav Breuer, “College Campuses See Disturbing Rise of Antisemitism since October 7,” The Jerusalem Post, February 20, 2024, sec. Diaspora: Antisemitism, https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-787895.

3 BBYO (B’nai Brith Youth Organization) is a youth movement for Jewish teenagers. 

4 Jacob Gurvis and JTA, “Jewish Teens Looking at a New Factor in College Search: Antisemitism,” The Jerusalem Post, February 17, 2024, sec. Diaspora: Antisemitism, https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-787385.

5 Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, “Study on Antisemitism in Texas,” November 1, 2022, https://thgaac.texas.gov/assets/uploads/docs/THGAAC-Study-on-Antisemitism-12-2022.pdf. Emphasis added. 

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Semitism, Boycotts against Israel, evangelism, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, New York City, Palestinian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

April 15, 2024 · 8:30 AM

Passover Points to a God Who Keeps His Promises

I would like to wish you a Happy Passover and Easter.

Since the exodus, Jewish people have celebrated Passover as a memorial to God’s love, power, and plan for His chosen people. It is a reminder of how the Lord of the universe, against all odds, promised to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and bring them back to the land of Israel (Genesis 15:13–14). Passover reminds us God has not forgotten His promises to His people.

If God keeps His promises to Jewish people, then we have further confidence He will keep His promises to all those who have trusted in Jesus!

Each year, on the fourteenth day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, God asks the people of Israel to stop whatever they are doing and observe the Passover—regardless of circumstances. The Jewish community observed the festival amid the darkest moments of Jewish history—the Crusades, pogroms in Eastern Europe, the Holocaust, and the wars following the formation of the modern State of Israel in 1948. 

Despite the terrible loss of life on October 7, 2023, and the ongoing war we currently face in Israel, Jewish people will again remember God’s miraculous redemption and faithfulness revealed in the Passover! The observance of Passover is a higher priority than all other events or challenges we face as families and as Jewish individuals. Our busy schedules must bow to the Lord’s commands and plans—this is true not only for Jewish people but for every follower of Jesus as well! 

The prioritizing of God’s will we learn from observing the Passover and other holidays is a critical lesson for those who want to follow the Lord. We need to be ready to drop what we are doing in order to obey the Lord and follow Him. This practice is an important lesson Christians can learn from Jewish people. 

PASSOVER: HOPE FOR SHATTERED TRUST

On October 7, most Israelis lost trust in the army and government, whose preparation for and response to the flagrant violation of Israel’s borders was insufficient at best. I cannot blame my fellow Jewish people living in Israel for feeling this way, as they were profoundly disappointed by those entrusted to protect them. When we draw back the curtains of history and look at the story of Passover, we see there is only One who merits our complete trust—God Himself. 

Egypt trusted in their numerous gods, but the God of Israel proved Himself stronger than them all. The Lord delivered His people “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 26:8). Passover teaches us God shows up at the right time, even when it seems all odds are stacked against Jewish people. We trust in God alone for Israel’s ultimate deliverance from her enemies at the end of days.

The Bible teaches all humankind is damaged by sin, which clouds our judgment and often causes us to place the concerns of this world above God’s concerns. Even the people we love sometimes disappoint us because of sin. Sin also taints all human institutions, which ultimately disappoint us.

God warned Israel not to trust in man but rather in God:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord! (Isaiah 31:1)

I understand this passage very personally, as I trusted in the world until the day I met the Jewish Messiah, who delivered me from my false reliance and enabled me to stand upon the rock of His faithfulness. Though it may take some time, and we may struggle with trusting in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding—or the understanding of others—the Lord will always prove Himself trustworthy. My prayer for my people today is for this disenchantment with institutions and people to lead to a deeper trust in the God of Israel and His promises.

IN GOD WE SHOULD TRUST

When I think about the future of Jewish people, I think of passages in the prophets like Isaiah 62, Amos 9, and Jeremiah 31. Perhaps we can take a quick look at this last passage and remember God’s promises of Israel’s deliverance: 

Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:37)

God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham will not allow Him to stand by and watch the destruction of His chosen people. The Lord Himself will make sure Israel fulfills the purposes for which He created and chose them. Passover is an excellent example. For the Israelites to fulfill their divine calling, they had to dwell in the land of promise. Egypt’s power could not stand in the way, and God rescued His people with great signs. Passover is a reminder of God’s faithful track record. Because He has saved and sustained His people thus far, we can be confident He will continue.

We already see signs of Jesus’ soon return when all Israel will recognize Him as the Savior. Many Jewish people have returned to the land of Israel in unbelief and will one day experience the fullness of the Spirit of God. The dry bones of Ezekiel 37 will come alive! Yet, this fulfillment is only the beginning. Jewish people simply living in the land does not satisfy the totality of the Abrahamic promise, as Israel must inherit the land and dwell in peace with her neighbors:

In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:24–25) 

As we well know, this has yet to happen! However, it will come to pass when Jewish people turn to Jesus, and He returns to reign as King. Jerusalem, Israel, and the world will then be transformed.

Too often, we end Israel’s story at the cross and see Jewish people replaced by those who follow Jesus—including Jewish people and Gentile nations—without understanding the day will come when Jewish people return to the Lord and Messiah. Only then will the world be blessed as the Holy One promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:3).

Darrell Bock, a New Testament scholar, often says the inclusion of the Gentiles does not demand the exclusion of the Jewish people from the purposes of God (Romans 11:17–18).

Another incredible blessing we look forward to when Jesus returns is God Himself will once again rule over His creation without the limitations the fall caused. As Jeremiah wrote:

They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

For those who follow Jesus, part of this verse has already come to pass, as God has forgiven all our sins because of our faith in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. However, this prophecy has obviously yet to be fulfilled entirely. Nevertheless, I believe the universal reign of the one true King is one of the glorious results of the second coming of Jesus!

Passover not only reminds Jewish people of God’s plan of redemption but also reminds those who love the Jewish Messiah today He will come again to deliver our beautiful-but-broken world from the darkness and frailty of sin once and for all. 

Passover makes me cry out: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Happy Easter and Passover from your Chosen People Ministries family,
Mitch

P.S. My heart still breaks for the hostages. We must not forget about them but continue to pray for their release from captivity, especially during Passover!

Leave a comment

Filed under evangelism, Holidays & Festivals, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jewish Holidays, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, Passover, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

April 11, 2024 · 4:03 PM

Reflections on the Eclipse

My wife and I had the joy of traveling to South Carolina in 2022 to watch the last eclipse. It was quite remarkable. It was at that time that we began planning to go see the next eclipse, which took place a few days ago. The next one will be in 2044, and chances are I might see that eclipse from a true heavenly place—but, you never know!

There has been a lot of discussion, especially in various social media channels, about the spiritual implications of the eclipse. The fundamental questions are “is the eclipse in some way tied to end-time events?” and “is God trying to tell us something through the eclipse?” These questions involve discussions that imply, in one way or another, the eclipse is connected to some type of prophetic event involving Israel and the Jewish people. So, of course, these discussions always have my ear!

I have heard a variety of theories about the linkage of this eclipse to the end times, and I thought that maybe I could add a bit to the discussion by writing something biblically sound. I prayed and asked the Lord for some insight and then it hit me . . . there is a major lesson from God’s Word to learn from the eclipse that involves Israel, the Jewish people, and the end of time! May I share this with you?

The End-Time Vision of the Prophet Jeremiah

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lorf, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’” (Jeremiah 31:31).

This passage continues through verse 34 and shows that the original audience for the new covenant message was the Jewish people. Yet, the application of the prophecy expands beyond the children of Israel and is, in part, fulfilled among both Jewish and Gentile Christians today (Hebrews 8:7–13). Christians are now enjoying a foretaste of what the Jewish people will experience when that great day comes when all of Israel will be saved and turn to Jesus as Savior (Romans 11:25ff).

So how are believers in Yeshua experiencing the new covenant today? First, both Jews and Gentiles who enter the new covenant through faith in Jesus the Messiah have the law of God written on their hearts, which causes those who are born again by the Spirit of God to obey God rather than disobey Him. Secondly, they receive the forgiveness of their sins through the shed blood of the Messiah Jesus on Calvary. 

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

What will one day happen to the nation of Israel has now already taken place among both Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. And one day this will happen to the Jewish people at the time of national repentance, also predicted by the prophet Zechariah:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son (Zech 12:10).

On the other hand, there is more to come! And this “more to come” is related to the second coming of Jesus as, when He comes to establish His earthly kingdom, the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters fill seas. Also, there will be peace among nations and all peoples, as even the torn Middle East will no longer be in conflict. According to Isaiah 19:23–24, Israel, Egypt, and Assyria will walk arm in arm in the kingdom.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

So, What Does the Eclipse Have to Do with This Glorious Future Day?

It is necessary to continue reading and move past Jeremiah 31:34 to verses 35–37 where, according to my dear friend Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (with tongue firmly in cheek), the prophet instructs his readers on how to destroy the Jews!

Jeremiah prophesies,

Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the Lord (Jer 31:35–37).

So, what does this have to do with an eclipse?

Let me offer my simple definition of an eclipse: an eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun (fully or partially). But thankfully, an eclipse is not permanent, it is a temporary phenomenon. Otherwise, it would mean that somehow the order of creation had changed, and this is impossible for neither people nor nature can alter the order of God’s creation.

According to Jeremiah—the weeping prophet—not only is it impossible to change the course of the sun, moon, and stars but it is also unrealistic to think we can change the tides of the seas. Have you ever noticed that the oceans stay within their divinely ordained boundaries?

Indeed, as we read in the first chapter in the book of Genesis, God created the heavenlies according to His sovereign pattern. And if the planets were to align in a way that was contrary to creation, then this would be a temporary, heavenly anomaly. Certainly, the seas sometimes cross their divine boundaries as we saw with Hurricane Sandy and the Thai Tsunami of 2004 but, thank God, the seas always return to their God-ordained limits. In other words, the order of creation is miraculous and established by God himself. Momentary changes do occur, but creation usually snaps back to its original design as ordained by the heavenly designer.

According to Jeremiah’s words, the only way to destroy the Jewish people is to do what is impossible and that is to permanently alter the course of God’s creation. If you can destroy the sun, the moon, and the stars and instruct the oceans to overflow on a regular basis, then you can force the hand of God to revoke His covenant of faithfulness to the Jewish people.

As much as God is committed to the order of His creation—the heavens and the earth—He is similarly committed to the unshakeable nature of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Neither Hamas, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban, Isis, Iran, Syria nor any other country or group will be able to destroy the Jewish people any more than we might alter the very order of God’s Creation.

According to Zechariah 12:9–10, the day is coming when we will see the nations perched on the doorstep of Israel, seething with hostility, and prepared to destroy the Jewish people. Yet, in that day the Jewish people will cry out to Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only begotten Son. Then, in Zechariah 14 we read that His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which will be split in half and the enemies of Israel will be conquered. The Lord Jesus will return in power and glory and sit on His rightful Davidic throne throughout the kingdom period.

Thus, we see that God will not allow the nations supposed to be blessed by Israel to turn on Israel and destroy His chosen people. He made sure and certain promises to the Jewish people that are irrevocable. Hallelujah!

Next time you look at an eclipse, wearing the proper glasses of course, and see the light of the sun blocked by the moon, you will remember that it is a passing phenomenon, as God set a heavenly order in place that cannot be destroyed. And the same goes for the Jewish people who are bound by an unconditional covenant and destined to fulfill His plan for the nations. We cannot destroy what God has created, and we cannot annihilate the people He created and called for His holy purposes to be a blessing and light to the nations. The Jewish people cannot be permanently eclipsed any more than His creation. And you don’t need to wear special glasses to see it.

1 Comment

Filed under evangelism, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

April 1, 2024 · 9:00 AM

Reflections of a Jewish “Jesus Freak”

I hope this letter finds you rejoicing in the Lord. This year, April is a joyful month for me as my birthday falls one day before Passover! Most years, my birthday falls during Passover, and I have to endure eating unleavened birthday cakes. The only tolerable ones were those made with chocolate fudge. This year, I can eat a normal birthday cake (strawberry shortcake is my favorite!).

Now, to get down to the more serious part of why I am rejoicing in the Lord this Passover.

This year is my fifty-third as a believer in Messiah. Next month, I will celebrate the twenty-seventh anniversary of leading our historic Mission to the Jewish People. I began serving as the president of Chosen People Ministries on May 1, 1997. So, I have many blessings to enjoy this April, including celebrating Passover—my favorite Jewish holiday—and reflecting on continuing to lead this incredible work among Jewish people. 

I would like to tell you how I came to believe in Jesus and ultimately become a missionary among my Jewish people! 

GROWING UP IN NEW YORK AND HEADING WEST

I was born in Brooklyn, grew up in Queens, and lived in a very traditional Jewish home. I had my bar mitzvah (a Jewish rite of passage) when I was thirteen and then, like so many of my Jewish friends, stopped attending synagogue regularly. Each year, my parents sent me to Orthodox Jewish summer camp when we were not going to the Borscht Belt—the Catskill Mountains—where many Jewish people went to spend cooler summers outside the heat of New York City.

Eventually, my parents moved our family to central New Jersey, where I graduated high school at seventeen. My high school career had gone rapidly downhill when I started doing drugs. I still went to college, but only briefly before dropping out a few months later.

While at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, I made some new friends, Fred and Joan. Fred and I decided to move to Sausalito, California, to build a houseboat with his brother Bruce and best friend Jhan. In early spring 1970, we hitchhiked to San Francisco and eventually landed in Sausalito. 

At the time, I knew nothing about the Jesus movement going on in San Francisco. I did not read Christian literature and gave no thought to Jesus. After a while, I was tired of doing drugs. We also had to move out of our houseboat because the building inspector condemned it. We left thousands of dollars of wood and supplies—as well as our dreams—floating on Sausalito Bay. We moved into a hippie commune called the Freaky Dude Ranch, which, though not a proper dude ranch, was quite freaky! I was there with about seventeen other people and lived in a closet with someone who eventually turned out to be a Satan worshiper!

I started doing transcendental meditation but was not very successful at it! I slowly moved away from drugs and got a job through the Marin County Board of Education, teaching in their outdoor education program at a campground near Pescadero, California. 

THE REVOLUTION BEGINS

I loved the 2023 film Jesus Revolution. Seeing our lives reflected in a movie made me laugh and cry. I lived through it, and I can tell you the film is accurate. In the 1960s and 70s, the Lord moved powerfully among young adults, and many of us were Jewish. I believe He can do it again, in any place and at any time, regardless of social conditions and even above and beyond our evangelistic efforts. I believe this outpouring of the Spirit upon my generation was perhaps due more to prayer than evangelism. As the movie portrays, there were hundreds, even thousands, of young seekers who were simply hungry for God! What a time!

One weekend, I went back to Sausalito to visit the spot where we used to keep the houseboat docked and ran into my friend Joan. She had also dropped out of college, stayed with us for a few weeks, and then left for Oregon to try to find some answers to life. She was picked up hitchhiking and brought to a commune in Coos Bay, Oregon, where she accepted the Lord. Finally, after some months, she came south from Coos Bay to San Francisco to tell Fred and me about Jesus.

Of course, she began witnessing to me by telling me the world was ending and other comments I perceived as foolishness. I tried to talk some sense into her as I felt she had either been drugged or hypnotized. Yet, she seemed happier, and after some convincing, she and Fred left for Coos Bay, and I was “left behind!” I was still working at the kid’s camp and enjoying the job quite a bit. 

Eventually, I visited Fred and Joan and met the Christians at their commune, or “ranch.” It was one of the unnamed small Christian cooperatives started by a couple who believed God had told them to love and feed all their visitors. The first night I came to the ranch, I was picked up by rowboat. I was anything but a believer in Jesus then, and the whole experience was quite exotic and spooky but also intriguing!

I met wonderful people, and every time I had a question, they pointed me to a Bible, which I began reading. I had read the Old Testament before, but it was mainly in Hebrew, which I did not understand very well. Now, I was reading it in English and enjoying it very much. I think I was probably beginning to search for God and was tired of my ragged lifestyle. 

I was already thinking about going back to the New York area to return to college as I was frustrated with the selfishness and drugs. 

HOW I MET JESUS

So, I was open to God but not very open to Jesus. I grew up in a strong Jewish community, was raised in a loving Jewish home, and could not possibly imagine how a Jewish person could believe in Jesus the Messiah and remain Jewish!

When I returned to the campground, all I could think about was God and Jesus. I kept reading the Old Testament, and finally, one day, I called out to God and said, “If You are real, show me.” A few hours later, I found a copy of Good News for Modern Man glowing in the moonlight, sitting where there should have been a phone book on the ledge of the only phone booth in the camp. Of course, I stole the book, which turned out to be a copy of the New Testament in modern English! 

I could not stop reading the New Testament. I fell in love with Jesus. I thought He was great. I finally realized He was God in the flesh and felt much more comfortable with Jesus than I did with Eastern religions.

So, I told the Lord if He could possibly forgive and use someone who had almost destroyed his mind and soul, then I would do anything He wanted. I knew there was only one decision to make—whether I would dedicate myself to Jesus. Frankly, it was not a very hard choice. I knew He was the true Messiah of Jewish people and the Lord of my life, and all I wanted to do was follow Him. 

I am happy to identify as a Jesus-movement baby or even a Jesus freak! I wear it as a badge of honor, but the true honor goes to the God of grace, who saved me and has given me an abundant life. There is so much more to say! Just imagine the testimony book we will all write together when we have eternity to sing of His greatness!

JOINING WITH CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES

After I came to faith, missionaries from Chosen People Ministries discipled me, and the Mission paid my way through Bible college! I am personally grateful for our Mission, and I hope my story inspires you to pray for Chosen People Ministries as we have entered our 130th year of ministry. 

Leave a comment

Filed under evangelism, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, New York City

Tagged as , , , , , ,

March 15, 2024 · 10:54 AM

Israel’s Enemies Will Fail

This month, we celebrate one of our most joyous Jewish holidays—Purim, the Festival of Lots. Every Jewish holiday has its unique traditions, and Purim is no different! One of the central customs of Purim is dressing up in costumes, which the children especially love! We also read the book of Esther and put on plays retelling the story. Purim is a family holiday viewed as a grand celebration of God’s goodness toward Jewish people.

The origin of Purim is found in the book of Esther, which recounts the story of how God worked behind the scenes to deliver His people from annihilation. This story focuses on Haman, a powerful Persian government official who convinced the Persian King Ahasuerus (possibly also called King Xerxes I, 486–465 BCE ) to exterminate all Jewish people. But God intervened through Esther and Mordecai. They turned the tables on Haman, and in the end, he and his co-conspirators were put to death while the Jewish community survived and prospered.

Haman was one of the most influential people in the empire. The king placed him “over all the princes who were with him” (Esth 3:1). His evil plot garnered support from the king himself. From a human standpoint, going against Haman was foolish and risky. Yet his position did not shield him from God’s justice. His plan fell back on his own head, and the king ordered Haman hanged on the very same gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esth 7:9–10).

Most importantly, Purim reminds us of God’s faithful love for Jewish people based upon His everlasting covenant with Abraham. The story of Esther is the perfect object lesson for understanding the Abrahamic Covenant. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” God pledged blessing for those who bless His people—the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob—and curses upon those, like Haman, who seek the destruction of His chosen people.

There are many lessons we learn from the book of Esther. Allow me to discuss three of them: God’s faithfulness to His promises, His power to orchestrate life’s events, and His love for Jewish people.

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO HIS PROMISES

One of God’s most important—and encouraging—attributes depicted in the Bible is His faithfulness. People, even those closest to us, can sometimes let us down. God, however, is always true to His Word. The promises God made to Abraham were without conditions and founded upon His faithfulness, not Abraham’s obedience or ability.

The book of Esther tells the story of the survival of Jewish people—a story told repeatedly in Scripture. However, God pledged the nation of Israel would never be destroyed (Jeremiah 31:36). Haman’s plan was not only wicked but—even without his knowing—a threat to God’s plan for all humanity. Think about it. Suppose Haman had succeeded and destroyed all Jewish people. How could Jesus fulfill the promise of a Savior born to a Jewish virgin (Isaiah 7:14)? Thankfully, as the story of Esther teaches us, no human plot can jeopardize the plan of God. Though this book does not mention God by name, we can easily see His holy handprint in every detail of this grand story of Israel’s redemption. The evidence of His powerful presence seen in the lives of Esther and Mordecai brings us to the next major lesson found in the book of Esther.

HIS POWER TO ORCHESTRATE LIFE’S EVENTS

God’s choice of Esther is the first piece of the puzzle—of all the women, why her? The Lord often puts people in the right place to accomplish His plan at the right moment. Mordecai saved the king’s life by being in a timely place to hear the plot of the two guards (Esth 2:21–23). Of course, Esther was appropriately positioned to receive the information from Mordecai to save the king’s life. Even King Ahasuerus was the right leader for the right moment—another Persian monarch might not have listened to the impassioned pleas of his wife! This incredible story reveals a powerful and comforting spiritual principle: God positions the right people in the right place at the right time to ensure the fulfillment of His plans.

Many of us have stories about how the Lord put us in the right time and place for His service. Understanding and accepting His sovereignty in every detail of our lives helps us accept our circumstances! When we are tempted to say, “Lord, why am I here . . . why this place, why this job . . . why this challenge, opportunity, or hardship?” we can say with a full heart: He has situated us for “such a time as this” (Esth 4:14).

The story of Purim is an excellent example of the apostle Paul’s message centuries later: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In this case, the plan is the deliverance of Jewish people. Haman had no idea, when he touched the children of Israel, he was, in reality, poking the apple of God’s eye (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8)!

HIS LOVE FOR JEWISH PEOPLE

In Esther’s day, Jewish people were in exile. God allowed Assyria and Babylon to take His people captive for a time because of Israel’s disobedience to the Mosaic Law. Sin stirred God to discipline—but never to reject—His people. Even in this time of exile, God was watching over His chosen people. He rescued Jewish people from Haman’s intended genocide. As a result, the community also prospered, rising from near destruction to a position of honor in Persia, as shown in the elevation of Mordecai to Persian greatness in the book of Esther:

For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. (Esth 10:3)

God’s faithful love for Jewish people endures, even when some are unfaithful (Romans 3:3). This truth is good news for us all, as no person can earn His love. This theme from Esther is so important today when most of the Jewish community has not yet trusted in Yeshua (Jesus). God remains as committed to His people as ever. Those who hate Israel, including Hamas and all who seek the destruction of Jewish people, will fail—just like their predecessors.

The following statistics tell us we are facing a new Haman in the form of Hamas, Hezbollah, and those in both Europe and North America who are perpetrating or supporting hate crimes toward Jewish people:

In the United States, 2,031 antisemitic incidents were reported between October 7 and December 7, 2023. This figure is the highest number ever reported (by far) in a two-month period since the Anti-Defamation League began measuring in 1979!1

In Canada, antisemitic crimes have increased 52 percent since 2020. Jewish Canadians make up about 1 percent of the country’s population but are the target of 67 percent of religiously motivated hate.2

In the United Kingdom, London police reported a 1,353 percent increase in antisemitic offenses from October 7 through October 20 compared to the same period the previous year.3

WHAT CAN WE DO TO BLESS JEWISH PEOPLE?

It is obvious October 7, 2023, was the beginning of a new wave of growing antisemitism. As followers of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, we need to pray and do what we can to bless and protect His people, as this pleases the heart of God, who promised to bless those who bless the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. I hope and pray this will be your commitment in these difficult and dark days for Israel.

Remember to pray for the safety and salvation of the Jewish community. What could be more important today than doing all we can to tell God’s chosen people about the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Messiah? Chosen People Ministries is actively reaching Jewish people for Messiah throughout North America and in twenty countries around the globe. Pray especially for our dozens of staff in Israel, who are faithfully serving the Lord among the largest Jewish population in the world.

Happy Purim, and remember, if God keeps His promises to Jewish people, then He will, of course, keep His promises to you!

1 “ADL Reports Unprecedented Rise in Antisemitic Incidents Post-Oct. 7,” Anti-Defamation League, December 11, 2023, https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adlreports-unprecedented-rise-antisemitic-incidents-post-oct-7.

2 “Jews Remain Most Targeted Religious Group for Hate Crime in Canada, Second Overall,” CIJA, August 2, 2023, https://www.cija.ca/jews_remain_most_targeted_religious_group_for_hate_crime_in_canada_second_overall.

3 “Antisemitic, Islamophobic Offenses Soar in London after Israel Attacks,” Reuters, October 20, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/antisemitic-islamophobicoffences-soar-london-after-israel-attacks-2023-10-20/.

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Semitism, evangelism, Holidays & Festivals, Holocaust Survivors, Israel, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Jewish Holidays, Jews and Christians, Judaism, Messianic Jewish

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,