Two iconic figures representing the
polar opposite worldviews of Israel:
Religious politician Aryeh Deri
& Secular atheist Amos Oz
polar opposite worldviews of Israel:
Religious politician Aryeh Deri
& Secular atheist Amos Oz
The Haredim and Hilonim in Israel
& the Next Stage of Jewish Evangelism
A Guest Essay by Jim Melnick
info@frji.org
& the Next Stage of Jewish Evangelism
A Guest Essay by Jim Melnick
info@frji.org
Israeli author Amos Oz’s passing at the end of December has served
to highlight the importance of understanding the two worldview ‘poles’ or
extremes of Jewish life today in Israel. These are between the haredim
(the ultra-Orthodox) on the one hand and the hilonim (secular) on
the other. Indeed, the daily struggle in Israel between these two polar
opposites largely defines the tempo of political life in Israel today.
Many secular Israelis have come to hate the haredim even while acknowledging that the latter comprise what they suppose is ‘true’ Judaism. Likewise, many of the haredim hate or despise secular Jews, whom they barely even consider to be Jews even though it was mostly secular Jews who founded the modern-day State of Israel. Secular Jews were the most ardent Zionists and even now put their lives on the line every day to protect the ultra-Orthodox and to preserve their way of life in a Jewish state. Talk about ingratitude! Or at least, that’s how many secular Israelis look at it.
Haredi Jews for the most part see secular Israelis as usurpers who jump-started creating a Jewish state that they think should only have been established by the Messiah. This is the tension of daily life in Israel and that tension is at the heart of the ongoing political struggle for the soul of Israel.
Read or share online at Fruit of the Fig Tree
Many secular Israelis have come to hate the haredim even while acknowledging that the latter comprise what they suppose is ‘true’ Judaism. Likewise, many of the haredim hate or despise secular Jews, whom they barely even consider to be Jews even though it was mostly secular Jews who founded the modern-day State of Israel. Secular Jews were the most ardent Zionists and even now put their lives on the line every day to protect the ultra-Orthodox and to preserve their way of life in a Jewish state. Talk about ingratitude! Or at least, that’s how many secular Israelis look at it.
Haredi Jews for the most part see secular Israelis as usurpers who jump-started creating a Jewish state that they think should only have been established by the Messiah. This is the tension of daily life in Israel and that tension is at the heart of the ongoing political struggle for the soul of Israel.
Read or share online at Fruit of the Fig Tree
Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
I purposely held back the January 4th
ministry letter from Rachael and Gilad
Netanel last
week knowing that the focal point this week was going to be the extreme
opposites of the Israeli ultra-religious and secular atheists. That is because
I have been impressed over the last several years with Rachel's anointing to
reach both groups of Israelis in such a natural way. She and Gilad open their
home to hundreds, serving up Moroccan-Jewish hospitality and sharing their
faith with whoever comes. Many do come and many receive; this is the sure sign
of anointing to reach Israelis. Israelis are responding to the testimonies of
Israeli followers of Yeshua. Read the
Netanel's full report in the Weekly Summary, or here on the Revive
Israel Facebook post featuring Rachel and Gilad.
In
Israel, ours is a support role, although reaching the Jewish people were we
live is wide open. There is a special anointing to reach Israelis and I hope my
subscribers are realizing that. Also,
while Christians get most excited about evangelism among the religious, seeing
them as people who are already closer to the righteousness of God, Jesus had
something else to say. He told the Israeli religious leaders the parable of two
sons, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." (Mt 21:28-32) Do not be surprised when it is the religious segment of
Israel who are the last to enter the kingdom through Yeshua - and remember that
all Jewish souls matter, not just the religious ones.
Shani and Kobi Ferguson of Yeshua Israel
Ministries in Jerusalem share The Rise of the Sabra Believers. You
know what a "sabra" is right? A person born in Israel. At this point,
we have Israeli Messianic believers in Israel who were born there, and believe
me, this is higher impact testimony to Israelis because a sabra
believer has a built-in greater credibility to other sabra Israelis. You can
understand this, right? It is the same in evangelizing peoples everywhere in
the world, why would it be any different in Israel? Many have taken the idea
that gentile Christians are the ones who will win Israelis to Jesus based on
the Romans 11:11 verse that says "salvation has come to the Gentiles, to
make them [Israel] jealous," but is that really what that verse means.
Obviously not, since sabra Israelis are responding to fellow Israelis in much
greater numbers than to visiting Christians. Let's do this right: our support
role in helping the Israeli ministries reach their countrymen is a privilege,
not second class.
Stefen and Keren Silver are part of the young
ministry families in the Mt Carmel congregrational family. Stefen is a pastor
and elder at the Kerem-El congregation, and Keren is also deeply involved in
that ministry. They are raising three small children and are deeply involved in
the ministry in the Haifa area. They write about the recent outreaches, like
the one in Oct and also the December Holiday of Holidays: "Israelis from
all backgrounds are much more open to listen and talk about Yeshua than they
were five or ten years ago. We are slowly seeing a change in the way Jewish
people view Yeshua and know that many seeds were planted in peoples' hearts
over the two evangelism weekends. We pray that God will keep working in their
lives and that we'll see a great harvest from this cooperative work (of Haifa
congregations)!" Read more
by connecting directly with the ministry, or by subscribing to the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from
Israeli Ministries
From Ron Cantor of Messiah's Mandate is encouraging prayer for the sick: Don’t Keep Your Hands to Yourself—How to Heal the Sick. He also shares this surprise encounter he and wife Elana had on a recent birthday outing, watch: Beautiful herd of sheep in Judean Foothills
From Ron Cantor of Messiah's Mandate is encouraging prayer for the sick: Don’t Keep Your Hands to Yourself—How to Heal the Sick. He also shares this surprise encounter he and wife Elana had on a recent birthday outing, watch: Beautiful herd of sheep in Judean Foothills
From KehilaNews.com Here are a couple of articles that will interest you
from the last issue: Amazing
news from Israel to start the New Year from One For Israel Staff | Plus Terri
Morey, wife of the founding elder of Poriya Congregation, writes, How
can you not be Jewish if you're born to a Jewish father?
Shira Sorko-Ram is out with her Maoz Israel
Report for January including Something
Good is Coming From Nazareth, Christian Arab brothers who are worshippers,
The Sakhnini's. Also Jerusalem's
Orthodox Jews vs. Eliezer Ben Yehuda (Part 4) and Brazil:
The Sleeping Giant has Finally Awakened!.
Prayer requests from Maoz touch on the much
needed rain that has begun to pour out in Israel, as well as a great primer on
what is happening in the current elections to vote on Prime Minister. This
explains how things work in their system and also provides prayer requests over
the matters at hand.
From the Tikkun Global Israel's Restoration email, a couple of articles by Dan Juster that
will be well worth digesting: Disdain
for heritage Some Israeli believers have a strong disdain for traditional
Judaism. This is often part of that orientation of secularism that speaks of
the new Jew, rooted in the Land, speaking Hebrew, fighting in the Israeli army
but not at all tied to Judaism. For some Jewish believers in Israel, Judaism is
something to reject. This is a common attitude among secular Israelis, and the
disdain in some seems to intensify when they receive the Gospel! Then such
people add to their reasons for disdain that Judaism is the product of a people
who have rejected Yeshua. | Also Honoring the Son when desire for
acceptance influences Messianic congregations to deny the deity of Yeshua . |
Also from Eitan Shishkoff God’s Heart in the Last
Days | Guy Cohen Drawing
Forth Water With Joy | Joel Jelski's report on the Katzir camp Cold Weather
Brings Youth Together
Revive Israel continues in Asher's article Intercessory
Prayer (Part 2) and this encouraging interview video with Asher Intrater
and Cody Archer Video
2018 Highlights & Challenges
From Avi and Chaya Mizrachi's Dugit Ministry a
note from Devorah Mizrachi about the recent bar mitzvah of her nephew and how
three generations of their family came together for this realization of Psalms
145:4 "One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall
declare your mighty acts". Mazal tov to the Mizrachi Family! Also the upcoming Daughters of Zion
Conference which is being put on by Chaya Mizrachi and Norma Sarvis for the believer
women of Israel. They are subsidizing the costs for all these women to be able
to receive meals, lodging and transportation to the conference - otherwise
many, many would not be able to participate in an event that many of us have
come to take for granted - time away with other female believers for ministry
and fellowship. You can help them reach their $50,000 conference expense Donations
Howard Bass writes about the regional
"Tribe of Judah" joint service for believers from the southern
Israeli Land. There were about 400 gathered - obviously not all the believers
from the region but a nice turnout for "a time of encouragement, and for
looking ahead to the breakthroughs that the Lord will yet do in our cities and
region towards the salvation of many more souls through repentance and faith in
the gospel now, and towards the salvation of 'all Israel' at the end of the
age. Please pray with us for spiritual
breakthroughs, including the State of Israel allowing more Jewish believers to
immigrate to Israel, and for Jews from Spain who may be descendants of Jews who
were forced to convert to Christianity during the time of the Inquisition, and
find it difficult to immigrate now that they discover that they are also
Jewish."
Howard also shared Joel Rosenberg's video Joel's testimony on YouTube.
Bass writes, "He now lives in Israel, and has done much through the Joshua
Fund to be a gracious blessing here in the Body of Messiah at large. "
Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is in the power of the
tongue
Please keep in prayer these Israeli ministry
leaders and believers with urgent health needs
CONTINUED
URGENT PRAYER for EDDIE SANTORO - a healing miracle is
what we are asking God for in both Eddie's and Jacob Damkani's lives | Ronit Bender has a couple of blocked
heart arteries (less than 50% but enough to put her in the hospital. Also since
being hospitalized her right hand showing weakness which also concerns doctors.
Awaiting a new update from Ronit - but please pray! |
Martin Sarvis has suffered an injury to his shoulder & is/was scheduled
to see doctors, asks prayer for recovery & wholeness |Ruth Nessim has several
health issues, one of the most critical is her EYES which has sent her to the
hospital many times. Please pray for Ruth in Nahariya| Olga Bikas’s health condition that seems to have become chronic,
with no hope from the doctors for any improvement in the future. This, no
doubt, puts an additional emotional and physical burden on our family. Please
pray for her acute back pain. | Albert a
Messianic leader from southern Israel, has had a successful surgery and an amazing
recovery but keep praying for total restoration | Rania Sayegh asks for prayer of
restoration of strength, energy, and complete healing. In the Acco
congregation: Prayer for 5 year old Leon is still very much needed. The head
wound is not yet healed and the effects of trauma are increasing. Pray for his
mother and siblings as the past months are taking their toll.
Elisheva Damkani has shared an update about Jacob on her Facebook page on January 13th. Read it there or in the Weekly Summary. The gist of the update is that she has brought Jacob home from the facility he was in. He is still not fully conscious, but "Jacob has become much more quiet, content, happy, the struggles became less, and he is much more part of the life around him since the day we came home." He may have suffered some trauma in rehab and is now scared when someone comes close to touch him. Elisheva requests prayers on these things, plus the removal of is breathing tube, since he is no longer in need of oxygen but doctors reluctant to take it out just yet, and for physiotherapy being done at home...and for the family and all involved. This is not easy on anyone.
Elisheva Damkani has shared an update about Jacob on her Facebook page on January 13th. Read it there or in the Weekly Summary. The gist of the update is that she has brought Jacob home from the facility he was in. He is still not fully conscious, but "Jacob has become much more quiet, content, happy, the struggles became less, and he is much more part of the life around him since the day we came home." He may have suffered some trauma in rehab and is now scared when someone comes close to touch him. Elisheva requests prayers on these things, plus the removal of is breathing tube, since he is no longer in need of oxygen but doctors reluctant to take it out just yet, and for physiotherapy being done at home...and for the family and all involved. This is not easy on anyone.
Teaching Articles
Guy Cohen The
Harvest of Asher congregation in Akko, Israel.
Maintain, Persevere
and Achieve | by Guy Cohen | When Paul spoke about running a
race in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, he referred to those who run and only one is
victorious. However, he encourages each of us to set our focus on attaining the
heavenly crown. This involves not only the physical race but the attributes of
our character. Running a race in order to achieve the heavenly crown demands
that we have a spirit of p...See More online at my
Facebook page or in the Weekly Summary
Donna Diorio
donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
Please note change in PayPal donations:
paypal.me/DonnaDiorio
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P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006
I do not have tax exempt status.
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