Through Her Singing, Israeli Youth Continues to Boldly Proclaim the Gospel - Shai Sol

Through Her Singing, Israeli Youth Continues to Boldly Proclaim the Gospel

 5/8/2015 MAOZ ISRAEL STAFF  charisma news

Through her singing talents, 20-year-old Shai Sol continues to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. (Facebook)

Twenty-year-old Shai has a very unusual and wistful sound. And the songs she writes are top of the line! Bottom line, she appeals to youth!

Last December she was a candidate on the popular show Kochav Haba (similar to American Idol), auditioning to be one of the contestants.

Her pre-audition interview on TV was widely watched in this country. She got right to the point when she told her two hosts, "I think I will reveal that I am a Messianic Jew."

The interviewers were confused and asked, "What does that mean?" Shai responded, "Jews who believe in the Tenach (Old Testament) and the New Testament... We believe in Yeshua..."

One of the hosts then encouraged her not to share her faith with the judges until after they judged her song. "Let them judge you according to your music." The male host, openly gay, told her that the culture of Israel has a very accepting side, but as someone who is part of a minority he said he knew that it also has an ugly side ...

However his female co-host interrupted and said, "This is who she is. If people don't receive her that's not her problem."

Israel Today's Ryan Jones wrote, "So intriguing was the revelation by 20-year-old contestant Shai Sol that she believes in Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah that the top-rated Kochav Haba made her pre-audition interview the focus of its promotional commercials earlier in the week."

Messiah's Mandate's Ron Cantor, who watched the show with a team of Congregation Tiferet Yeshua's leaders, remarked, "Shai has a very unique style. The judges were enthralled by her—as were the interviewers backstage as they rooted for their new Messianic friend."

And she advanced over the next few weeks on the show. Facebook lit up with Messianic Jewish teens thrilled that one of their own was so bold on TV. Others came out in the open with their faith saying, "I too am a Messianic Jew!"

Cantor went on to say, "You have to understand the significance of this. If someone on American Idol in a country with millions of believers testifies to their faith, it is a big deal. I remember Colton Dixon singing a worship song on American Idol and it was amazing. Believers felt empowered to see someone take such a bold stand.

"But imagine doing that in a country where people are taught that you are an apostate; where your community of faith makes up less than one quarter of one percent of the population. And let's not forget the hostility, harassment and persecution from the ultra-Orthodox. No, this is a big deal!"

Messianic ministry Maoz Israel is producing a video of her song, At the Train Station, to reach Israel's youth and to encourage Messianic Jewish young people that the sky is the limit in opportunities to reach our people with the Good News of the gospel.

For the original article, visit maozisrael.org.

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Israeli Singer Who Caused National Stir Begins First Album

Monday, February 02, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff

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Shai Sol, the young Israeli Messianic singer who caused something of a national stir in December after boldly declaring her faith while competing in the televised singing contest Hakochav Haba (The Next Star), is now working on her first album.

Israel Today covered Shai’s initial “coming out,” which was shocking enough for Hakochav Haba’s producers to make it the focus of their weekly promotional commercials at the time.

That episode sparked a very positive debate in the Israeli media regarding Jewish believers in Yeshua and their place in Israeli society.

Israel Today’s David Lazarus later spoke to Shai and learned how her television appearances had encouraged many more young Israeli believers to share their faith. (The full interview can be read in the February 2015 issue of Israel Today Magazine)

Since leaving Hakochav Haba, Shai has written yet another song to go with her catalogue of over 300 originals (see below).

She is also asking Israel Today readers to help her out in a crowd-funding campaign to produce her first full album. You can click here to learn more

Listen to Shai’s new song (Hebrew):

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Israeli Youth Shocks National Television Audience With Yeshua Confession

1/13/2015 RON CANTOR/MESSIAH'S MANDATE  charisma news

Shai Sol (Facebook)

The symbolism is powerful. For eight days in December, we take one candle called the servant candle and light eight other candles. In the same way, Yeshua came as a servant and gave us light.

In Israel being a light can be scary. You never know how someone will react to your faith. On Christmas Eve, when 20-year-old Shai Sol testified of her faith in Yeshua before the whole country, every believer in Israel was challenged and encouraged.

My wife Elana and I were hosting the leaders-in-training group from our congregation, Tiferet Yeshua for the last night of Hanukah. After lighting the candles and eating Sufganiot (1,000-calorie fried donuts), we turned on the television at to watch Israel's newest reality show—HaKochav Haba—The Next Star. And we waited to see Shai.

Her audition began around 9:45 p.m. On the show, the hosts first talk to the contestant before he or she sings. Shai got right to the point. "I think I will reveal that I am a Messianic Jew." The interviewers were confused and asked, "What does that mean?" Shai responds, "Jews who believe in the Tenach (Old Testament) and the New Testament."

Her mother then goes on to share that the New Covenant was first given to Israel first (Jer. 31:31-33). Shai proclaims,"We believe in Yeshua ..."

One of the hosts then encourages her not to share her faith with the judges until after they judge her song. "Let them judge you according to the music." The male host told her that the culture of Israel has a very accepting side but also has an ugly side. However, his female co-host interrupted and said, "This is who she is. If people don't receive her that's not her problem."

Israel Today's Ryan Jones wrote, "So intriguing was the revelation by 20-year-old contestant Shai Sol that she believes in Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah that the top-rated Kochav Haba made her pre-audition interview the focus of its promotional commercials earlier in the week."

In the end, she chose not to tell them up front, which I think was the right decision. She had already shared it with all Israel in the interview and if she passes the audition she will have more opportunity to testify.

Shai has a very unique style. The judges were enthralled by her—as were the interviewers back stage as they rooted for their new Messianic friend. One judge said, "I am in love!" However, one judge didn't vote while she was singing and she was left a few percentage points short of entering the competition.

The male host was so shocked that he didn't vote for her that he said if he doesn't put her through "I am going to stop talking to him." The judge who "fell in love" said that until now that was the song of Idan Raichel, a famous Israeli artist, but if he heard it for the first time last night, he would have thought it was hers.

In the end, the lone judge who was withholding his vote relented and Shai is now competing in HaKochav Haba. 

You have to understand the significance of this. If someone on American Idol in a country with millions of believers testifies to their faith, it is a big deal. I remember Colton Dixon singing a worship song on American Idol and it was amazing. Believers felt empowered to see someone take such a bold stand.

But imagine doing that in a country where people are taught that you are an apostate; where your community of faith makes up less than one quarter of one percent of the population. And let's not forget the hostility, harassment and persecution from the ultra-Orthodox. No, this is a big deal!

A young adult from Haifa wrote on Facebook, "For the first time in history a Jewish person declared their belief in Yeshua on prime time television!" Our youth leader Moti said that someone created a Facebook post this morning saying in Hebrew, "Gam ani Yehudi Meshihi" (I am also a Messianic Jew) and young people, who would never have done it without Shai's testimony, are now posting it on their Facebook walls.

And to watch it with close to 20 other Messianic Israelis who just happened to be at our home ... well, it was like she was representing us. It was special.

No, it is not the revival we are still praying for—but when you think of how hard the enemy has worked to keep Jewish people from Yeshua and how he has sought to turn the Messianic faith into something foreign to Jews, it is encouraging to see a 20-year-old girl from Ashdod, Israel, go on TV and tell the country, "I believe in Yeshua!"

Ron Cantor is the director of Messiah's Mandate International in Israel, a Messianic ministry dedicated to taking the message of Jesus from Israel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). He is an author and serves on the pastoral team of Tiferet Yeshua, a Hebrew-speaking congregation in Tel Aviv.

For the original article, visit messiahsmandate.org.

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Israeli Media Takes a Positive Look at Messianic Jews

Sunday, December 28, 2014 |  Ryan Jones   ISRAEL TODAY

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Israel’s leading media group, Keshet, has taken a keen interest in the nation’s Messianic Jewish community after one of its flagship television shows, the popular singing competition Kochav Haba (“The Next Star”), featured a Messianic Jewish contestant.

Keshet’s online news and entertainment portal, Mako, published a weekend story asking readers to take a closer look at Israel’s 15,000 Messianic Jews and to be more welcoming toward those who believe in Yeshua (Jesus).

The article opened by highlighting some of the hostile comments made after openly-Messianic songstress Shai Sol scored a spot in Kochav Haba’s second round following a mesmerizing audition performance.

The negative responses by some to Shai’s appearance were, as the article noted, characteristic of the typical mainstream attitude toward Messianic Jews. But the fact that Mako ran such a sympathetic piece is further evidence that much of Israeli society is not only increasingly tolerant of Messianic Jews, but is also growing more curious about what they believe, and why.

First, it should be noted that the Mako article used the name “Yeshua,” rather than the derogatory “Yeshu,” an acronym used by most Orthodox Jews meaning “may his name and memory be erased.”

Shai was asked by Mako to explain in greater depth what it means to be a Messianic Jew, a subject she briefly touched on in her Kochav Haba pre-audition interview.

“It is a stream of Judaism… We light Shabbat candles and worship God, read the Scriptures and learn the Bible,” replied Shai, noting that the one major difference with mainstream Judaism is that “we believe in both the Tanakh and the New Testament.”

Asked if that means Messianic Jews celebrate Christmas, Shai stated, “Absolutely not. We celebrate only the Jewish festivals. This is not Christianity, this is Messianic Judaism. After all, Yeshua was a Jew.”

The conversation inevitably turned toward “conversion” and “missionary activity.” The interviewer said that for her and many Jews, “when I hear ‘Messianic Jew’ I immediately think of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Shai said there was no connection. “The title ‘Messianic Jew’ always brings up negative connotations of Christians, of a cult, of missionaries. We are not missionaries walking around trying to compel people.”

The young singer explained that if someone like her interviewer was interested, “I would tell you about Yeshua and show you some [supporting] scriptures. I would invite you to a meeting at a [Messianic] congregation.”

Shai further clarified that Messianic faith is first and foremost “humanitarian” in nature, and that one cannot be compelled to accept Yeshua, who “after all [taught us] to spread love. He healed the sick and did many other social works.”

Shai said that many in the Messianic community had expressed support and satisfaction over the fact that a fellow believer had taken the national stage and in so doing had been boldly open about her faith.

“I have received a lot of messages from Messianic youth who are usually afraid to speak about [their faith],” said Shai. “They see in my ‘coming out’ an act of bravery, but I see it as natural.”

The interviewer noted that Shai has a great desire to be “a pioneer for the community, [part of] a Messianic vanguard that builds the bridge between Israeli society and Messianic Judaism.”

Shai will certainly have an opportunity to do that as she has started work on her first CD, and is scheduled to appear again soon on Kochav Haba, where critics rate her among the top contestants.

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