Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Prayer shawl used at a bar mitzvah ceremony in Bat Yam with the writing "Blessed are you o Lord our God, who has fulfilled all the Torah in Yeshua the Messiah and covered us all in his righteousness" (Photo: WhatsApp group)
Everyone at a bar mitzvah ceremony in a Bat Yam synagogue was singing siman tov u’mazal tov (a good time and good luck), until the rabbi noticed something “strange” about the tallit (prayer shawl) of the bar mitzvah boy. The inscription in Hebrew caused panic.
“Blessed are You O Lord our God, who has fulfilled all the Torah in Yeshua the Messiah and covered us all in his righteousness,” it read.
I received the image through the WhatsApp group of the secular Israeli radio station where I have a weekly program in Hebrew, about Brazil. The person who sent it, an Orthodox Jew himself, attended the event. His message to the group, along with the picture, read: “Oy vey!”
What I found interesting were the many and varied comments among broadcasters, some secular, some religious, as well as those in the “scoops” Hebrew website rotter.net.
Comments ranged from “Oh My!” to “Yuck” to curious and genuine questioning. There were even some who wrote: “What’s is the big deal? After all, Yeshua was a Jew.” One of the broadcasters noted that it was “Yeshua,” not Yeshu (a rabbinic term and a curse for the name Jesus). Surely everyone wondered where the boy’s father bought the “impure” tallit.
“It is likely that it was purchased in a store owned by Messianic Jews,” wrote someone on rotter.net.
But this tiny story, published as an unimportant piece of news, included two images, the headline, “You must really check when purchasing a tallit,” and the caption, “A synagogue in Bat Yam.” And yet, it sparked a deeper debate. Those commenting in the scoops’ website, discussed the issue of Messianic Judaism, as well as the question, “Who is a Christian after all?”
“Dilbert” wrote in the forum: “Messianic Jews define themselves as Jews in every aspect, as Jews who believe in Yeshu as the Messiah. They never converted to Christianity, not in a church, not before the [Israeli] Interior Ministry. Just as the Chabad Chassidim are Jews who believe that Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the messiah. Incidentally, the Chabad Chasidim tend to weave ‘Long live our rebbe, our king, King Messiah’ on their sacred objects.”
Another Israeli Jew asked rhetorically, “Why is it so hard to say ‘Christian’? Even the first Christian was originally a Jew … (probably).”
One of the authors was accused of protecting the mission, and of being a fan of Christianity just because he warned against the hatred of becoming transparent in that particular forum: “The bitter hatred here against Yeshu and his disciples is irrational.”
What is clear is that the name Yeshua and his title Messiah is known among the people of Israel, even if they still insist on calling him “Yeshu.” But what is even more clear is that if we won’t share more about the Messiah, objects may do so, such as stones, prayer shawls and more.
When it comes to the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish movement's financial resources, it might seem that they have it all: expensive media campaigns to boycott Israel products; bullying of artists who announce their tours to Israel; purchasing Israeli products in supermarkets abroad in order to destroy them as well as other means of aggression.
And when it comes to pro-Israeli and pro-Jewish activism, sometimes it looks pale comparing to Israel's enemies. For the many thousands of millions in U.S. dollars, euros and British pounds invested by BDS, it seems that pro-Israel activism is still many steps behind.
But an Israeli company is changing that, radiantly.
Radiant Group, a young and thriving company based in the Galilee region, is bringing tour groups to Israel, connecting them directly to Israeli ministries and thus investing and sowing in the land of the promise. Radiant Group created also a new movement in order to fight boycotts against Israel: UBIS, which stands for Unite, Bless, Invest and Support.
"Radiant Group was founded in January 2016 in response to the pressing need for real and intimate relationships between the body of Messiah in the nations and the body here in the land of Israel," says Gilad Rosinger, founder and CEO of Radiant. "On the macro level, Radiant Group was founded to counter the growing BDS movement and the rise of anti-Semitism worldwide. Specifically to the insane statistic of NGO's spending a total of over 100 million euros per year to delegitimize the state of Israel."
Here is a question-and-answer with Rosinger about Radiant's mission and efforts:
RS: Tell us about the vision for the tour groups. How is that different from other tour companies?
GR: Radiant Tours has launched "Bless Israel Tours." This vision has come to life to help supporters of Israel connect with the Land and the people in a way that has never been offered before. Our focus is on relationships. We understand that supporters of Israel around the World are tired of the "cookie cutter" tours that operate like a factory and are somewhat mechanic in their nature. The typical tour lands at the airport and is then rushed from hotel to hotel and site to site without truly connecting with the land or the people. "Bless Israel Tours" are custom designed, focused on connecting with believers and ministries in Israel. We organize prayer meetings, worship gatherings, volunteer opportunities, meetings in the Knesset, Shabbat dinners in a believing Jewish home and many other activities that are designed to truly impact all people involved. The main goal is to establish lifelong relationships and introduce the kingdom family from the nations to Israel.
RS: Do you work only with local believers, such as tour guides, bus drivers, guest houses and hotels? Or do you work also with unbelievers you reach out to?
GR: We are open to blessing Israel in any way that the Holy Spirit leads us. Our focus, however, is the believers in Israel, and helping them grow in stability so that they can walk into their true calling. Our vision for Radiant Group is not only to bless the tourists, but to bless many ministries, believers and businesses here in the land. We work with guest houses and hotels that are run by believers and also nice hotels that are part of the economy of Israel. We specifically get to know the hearts desires of the group and then we match them up with their wishes.
RS: How does this is going to change the actual picture of tourism to Israel?
GR: This completely changes the game as far as tourism in Israel. Because of our unique connections here, and over 30 years of developing friendships and relationships, we have been blessed with some of the best connections and insight into the real needs in the promised land. We are able to make connections for tour groups that they have been longing for a very long time, but were unable to make. The reason they were unable to do so, is that the conventional tour companies don't deal with relationship connections. The response has been incredible, and we believe that this is the time for action. We live in a time where there is a pressing need to go deeper in our understanding of God's Word and the true spiritual principle of blessing Israel. Radiant Group provides just that.
RS: That is encouraging! Please tell us about UBIS.
GR: UBIS is the global movement we are launching to counter the BDS movement. BDS stands for Boycott, Divest and Sanction. UBIS stands for Unite, Bless, Invest and Support. We have a large network of ministries, businesses and organizations that are doing big things in Israel to bless the Land and the people. Through UBIS we are providing a trustworthy and transparent platform for people to bless Israel and stand with Israel in this critical time.
RS: How can pro-Israel Christians join the UBIS movement?
GR: Pro-Israel Christians and supporters of Israel can take a few actions to support the UBIS movement.
They can book a "Bless Israel Tour" through Radiant Tours.
They can use a Radiant Group business expert to handle their business needs (website development, video production, project management, marketing services and so forth). They can visit our website radiantisrael.com and click on the UBIS tab and make a donation toward the UBIS movement. This will help us create social media campaigns, bless various ministries and organizations in the land and much more.
RS: How can Israel-based ministries be a part of what Radiant Group is doing?
GR: We are here to serve. Israeli ministries can simply contact us for any other needs or ideas on how you would like to bless Israel. We can add them to our network and, depending on a group's wishes, we can make the connection between them.
RS: Here is a tough question, but it needs to be asked: Do you direct the groups toward certain ministries more than others?
GR: That's a great question. Yes we do. We take our mission seriously and want to make sure that only organizations and ministries which are trustworthy and righteous are being blessed. Currently, we have many partners and we know them personally. This is why people can count on with Radiant Group, that the seeds they sow here, will be sown in fertile soil. We are also open to working with any ministry or organization that is walking in truth and blessing people.
RS: What would you like the Israeli believers both Jews and Arabs would know about Pro Israel Christians around the world?
GR: Israel and the people of Israel are not alone! First of all, the Holy One of Israel has their back! And He is raising awareness—about the local believers and their struggles to minister in Israel—through Christians who truly and wholeheartedly love the God of Israel, His Word, His people and His Land, and they wish to be connected to them—directly. The words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah 60:1-5 are very much a part of these pro-Israel Christians' lives:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. The nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather themselves together; they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried at your side. Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and rejoice because the abundance of the sea shall be converted to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you."
So it is time for the body of Messiah in the nations and in Israel to unite and be radiant.
Rachel Scapa studied journalism at the Open University TLV under Yedioth Aharonoth's journalist Dudi Goldman. She served as news correspondent for various radio stations abroad, including BBC 3 Counties and Voice of America, both in English and Portuguese, giving the best reports from Israel. Currently she has two radio shows--one in Portuguese, which she has had for more than 13 years, presenting News from Israel and the ME. In the other, in Hebrew, she presents Brazilian music, on an Israeli secular radio station. Rachel is also a columnist for a Christian newspaper in Brazil, distributed over the triple border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Presently she writes for the Israeli Messianic Jewish magazine Kehila News, published in Englsih, Hebrew and Spanish.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.
Hillary Clinton’s pick for running mate, Virginia senator Tim Kaine, could hurt her support with pro-Israel voters as the senator’s record on Israel comes under fire.
Kaine, the Democrat vice presidential candidate, strongly supported the US deal with Iran, boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress, was endorsed by the J-Street lobby, and was one of only 17 senators who refused to sign a letter urging the US president to increase the US military aid package to Israel.
Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, issued a harsh critique of Clinton’s pick.
“Whether it’s his vote for the Iran deal, which paves the way to a nuclear-armed Iran, or his proud support of the progressive anti-Israel J Street agenda which earned him their enthusiastic endorsement, Senator Kaine has shown how out of touch he is on the dangers facing our country,” Brooks said in a statement. “A Clinton-Kaine White House would continue the same failed policies that have made the U.S. and our allies around the world less safe.”
The official PAC of J Street, a lobbying group with a reputation for hostility against Israel, donated $133,382 to Kaine’s previous campaigns, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Brietbart News also reported that Kaine appointed to his state’s immigration commission Esam Omeish, president of the Muslim American Society, an organization later described by federal prosecutors in 2008 “as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.”
The American Islamic Forum For Democracy, an anti-terror Muslim organization, criticized Kaine’s lack of vetting.
“Omeish has repeatedly represented an Islamist agenda (political Islam) in his activism. The ideology of Islamism runs against the interests of a strong national immigration policy and American security,” AIFD said in a 2007 statement.
“Whether this will overcome the strong predisposition of the Jewish community to vote for the Democratic ticket, no matter who is on it, remains to be seen,” Abraham Miller, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, wrote. “Nonetheless, the choice of Tim Kaine gives ammunition to those who stand firmly on the non-traditional side of the political divide in the Jewish community.”
Approximately 70 percent of American Jews vote Democrat in US elections.
Hillary Clinton’s Jewish outreach director meanwhile attacked Trump’s record, telling The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Trump’s willingness to accept a one-state solution in Israel “contravenes longstanding US foreign policy, it’s contravening the GOP platform, it contravenes Israeli policy.”
“There has been a tremendous amount of reaction, both independent as well as from the Republican side, who have actually really called out their position and said that it’s been a problem,” said Sarah Bard, a top Clinton staffer.
Clinton favors a two-state solution. The Democrats are expected to ratify a broader than usual platform at their convention this week that will recognize Palestinian rights to sovereignty and “dignity.”
Some of the Messianic Jewish soldiers who attended a conference for Messianic military personnel.
Even though they have limited free time from their units, over 100 believing soldiers were in attendance.
(Kehila News Israel) All Israelis, men aged 18 to 21 and women aged 18 to 20, are required to do some form of military or community service. This means that thousands of Messianic Israelis - Jewish and non-Jewish, men and women - have shared in the Israeli army experience at one time or another. We are especially proud of our soldiers facing the challenges of today, which are more complex than ever before.
From survey results, it is clear that openness about Yeshua (Jesus) in the Israeli army is indeed the new “norm.” Of those Messianic soldiers polled by KNI, a remarkable 96% say fellow soldiers know of their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah.
Possibly even more remarkable is that 78% of their commanders and/or officers know of their belief in Yeshua. This is certainly a generation that is bolder than ever in sharing and living out their faith!
Equally encouraging feedback from the survey results is a largely supportive and pluralistic reaction from their fellow soldiers and officers, with 64% of them having a positive response, 22% having an indifferent response and only 14% expressing a negative response upon hearing about their faith in Yeshua.
Contrary to what older Israeli believers remember of their army experience, very few Messianic soldiers today face significant discrimination or persecution. Furthermore, a relatively high percentage (30%) responded that they have a fellow believer in their unit. As recently as fifteen to twenty years ago, it was a rarity for any two Messianic soldiers to be found serving together.
A statistic that has not changed over the years is the high percentage of Messianic IDF soldiers serving in combat. A vast majority of 57% responded that they are serving in combat units, with many serving in volatile areas, such as the Gaza border, Lebanon border, and Judea and Samaria. The believing community in Israel, both young and old, is known to be very Zionist, nationalist and law abiding, with a high motivation to serve God and Israel.
There is a long history, albeit unknown to many, of Messianic believers serving in combat units and elite special forces including Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) and Shayetet 13 (Navy Seals). Today’s Messianic IDF soldiers are no exception.
In reading this encouraging information about Messianic soldiers, it is important to remember that over the past six months Israel has been facing a new type of terror in which lone attackers suddenly try to stab, shoot or run over unsuspecting Israeli citizens going about their everyday lives. However, their preferred targets are IDF soldiers.
In the midst of these terror attacks are hundreds of Messianic IDF soldiers, serving the State of Israel, defending its citizens, and most of all, being a tremendous blessing and testimony to their fellow soldiers.
Another aspect of understanding the significance of the boldness and openness of Messianic soldiers today is the effect they have on the way Israeli society views believers in general, but particularly relating to immigration or aliyah.
Those who are already Israeli citizens are not questioned about their faith by the IDF. Like all other Israeli recruits they are drafted and evaluated for their potential skill.
However, Messianic Jews wanting to immigrate to Israel can face difficulties because of their faith. It is noteworthy that even during the years when Messianic soldiers were still fighting for equal opportunities, a 1988 poll published in the Jerusalem Post found that 78% of Israelis were in favor of Messianic Jews immigrating to Israel under the Law of Return, as long as they could prove Jewish lineage - and were willing to serve in the IDF.
For three decades and more, Messianic Israelis have demonstrated that they can and do serve their country, not in spite of but because of their faith in Yeshua. This has resulted not only in more openness to accepting our service, but also more willingness to hear our testimony about Israel’s Messiah.
Kehila News Israel (KNI) brings you the first published survey online of Messianic Jews serving in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). KNI conducted the survey in cooperation with several local ministries that organize conferences and Bible studies on weekends for hundreds of Messianic soldiers currently serving in the IDF. There were 69 respondents to this survey by active duty IDF soldiers from a total population of several hundred Messianic soldiers. For more stories from Israel, check out (www.kehilanews.com).
Many people have asked me about the current wave of violence between Jews and Muslims in Israel. Why is it taking place? Is it the beginning of a new intifada (uprising)? Could it have been avoided? Does it create a risk for tourists visiting Israel?
First of all, it certainly could have been avoided. These attacks are not random, spontaneous acts of frustrated people. They are the result of many years of systematic Palestinian education in UNRWA schools, funded by the US and the EU, through which a whole generation of Palestinians have been taught that the very existence of the state of Israel in Dar al Islam (house of Islam) is illegitimate, and the only way to destroy it is by concerted violent jihad (holy war).
There is a constant explosive mixture of radical Islamic indoctrination fermenting under the surface and held back only by the security squads of Mahmoud Abbas. All that it takes for the explosion to be ignited is a green light, a “head-nod”, from President Abbas and his dictatorial regime.
The West should take this into account, stop funding incitement to violence and start pre-conditioning its massive funding on serious Palestinian education system reforms.
Each intifada always has more to do with inner Palestinian politics than the Israeli-Arab conflict. When Hamas is losing popularity in the streets, it starts firing missiles at Israel. When the PLO loses popularity, it unleashes an intifada in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Unfortunately, killing Jews is an easy way to gain political capital in the Palestinian street; it may be easy but it comes with a terrible price. Before the first intifada, a Palestinian from Gaza could easily travel to work at a bank or hospital in Beer Sheva and an Arab from the West Bank could freely drive with his family to a beach in Tel-Aviv on any weekend. With each wave of Palestinian violence, the movement, the commerce and the livelihood of Palestinians has been decreased significantly. Intifada always backfires.
Over the past few months, Mahmoud Abbas has been portrayed in the regional media as old, ineffective and illegitimate. The most widespread dialogue has been conjecture as to “who will replace Abbas?” As a very timely, carefully contemplated response, Abbas traveled to the UN a few weeks ago, stood before the world, and declared that the Palestinians “cannot continue to be bound” by their political and security agreements with Israel. Most of the world did not understand what was novel about this declaration. The Palestinian street, however, understood quite well: the limitations have been lifted. You are free to release your fomenting rage without fear of retribution from the PLO security forces.
Following the Abbas UN declaration, attacks on Israeli citizens ensued, mutual acts of violence followed, and Abbas has yet to publicly condemn any of it. His silence is deafening. Several of Abbas’s government leaders have actually vocally supported the civil unrest. PLO Executive Committee Member, Mahmoud Ismail, declared that killing Israelis is a “national duty” and PLO Central Committee Member, Jamal Muhasim, stated that killing Israel settlers is “legitimate and legal”.
In light of this, we should applaud Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s explicit condemnation of recent Jewish retributive attacks on Muslims and his call for the Israeli Police to crack down on all acts of violence from both communities.
This recent escalation could come and go quickly like rain clouds which blow over the horizon, but it could also develop into a longer term drawn-out intifada. It is too early to say. What we know is: when it is all over, many will try to ascertain which side “won” in this conflict. Such calculations are asinine. When human life is lost, nobody wins. The destruction of any life, Israeli or Palestinian, is the destruction of a whole world. In order to support Israel, we should not harm Palestinians and in order to support Palestinians, we should not harm Israel. We should advocate for the improvement and protection of life and livelihood for both peoples on both sides of the conflict. As mentioned above, I believe this starts with education reform.
For those who may be planning to travel to Israel in the near future, I would not change my travel plans. These are very targeted criminal acts being carried out against specific Israeli Jews and Muslim Arabs, in specific geographic locations. None of the attacks have been directed against tourists. Tourism is equally important to the economies of the Jews and the Muslims. Furthermore, the international media tends to exaggerate the tensions. Regardless of current events, Israel continues to be safer and have a lower crime rate on average than the safest major city in the United States.
I look forward to seeing you in our beautiful city.
