A widespread increase in anti-Semitism in recent days is stirring organizations around the world, such as Jewish Voice Ministries International, to speak out once more condemning dehumanizing hate speech towards Jewish communities worldwide.  

Last week should have been a sacred time of remembrance of the October 27th, 2018, deadly assault on Jewish people in Pittsburgh, PA. On that fateful morning, a man stormed a Jewish synagogue during their Shabbat service, gunning down 11 worshippers and wounding many other innocent victims. 

However, the still-fresh wounds of Jewish Americans at this somber time for survivors were filled anew with salt by the hate-filled headlines dominating the news last week.  

This past year alone the Anti-Defamation League reports in their annual audit that Jewish Americans have endured a staggering 167% increase in violent assaults nationwide. (adl.org) 

Many are now calling on world leaders to aid in the immediate condemnation of hate-fueled rhetoric, vandalism, and violence toward Jewish people in our communities across the U.S. and worldwide.   

Jewish Voice urges all people to stand in support of the Jewish people in the USA, Israel, and worldwide, and speak out against anti-Semitism in all its forms. 

Jewish Voice Ministries works to bring humanitarian aid and the Gospel to Jewish communities living in remote places around the world. This work includes meeting the essential needs of Jewish people coping with poverty, persecution and crisis in Israel, Ukraine, Africa and elsewhere in the world. Jewish Voice also engages the Christian community with the call to support Israel and the Jewish people as God’s Chosen People whom He has not rejected or forsaken. 

Show Your Support for Israel

Please pledge your support to the Jewish communities around the world, and reject emboldened extremist groups, hate and Anti-Semitic hate speech in all its form by signing here.

Delivering Jesus’ Love in Dilla, Ethiopia

We recently returned from providing a Medical Outreach to Dilla, Ethiopia, and wanted to give you a brief report. We’re so grateful for your support, and it’s because of you that the people of Dilla received the practical and spiritual care they did during the Outreach.

The Dilla community welcomed us with enthusiasm and displayed an eagerness for learning.

One boy especially touched our hearts. His name is Iosu, and a skin condition covered his face and body. Because of it, his parents had abandoned him. Except for a few street kids he knew, he was alone in the world.

Iosu was all too familiar with being teased and bullied for his obvious difference, but his friends cared enough about him to bring him to our Dilla Medical Outreach.

The treatment he needed would take more time and attention than was possible during regular Clinic hours. So two of our medical professionals, one a dermatologist, stayed late to care for him while the bustling Clinic wound down for the day. They gave Iosu a new set of clothes and cared for him every day for the remainder of the Clinic week. They also encouraged him to attend the Zehra Kids Program.

At Zehra Kids, Iosu stayed on the fringes at first, watching during playtime. Eventually, he joined in the games, and the burdened expression on his face gave way to smiles. He’d found a respite in that atmosphere of Yeshua’s love.

Each day, Isou hung around inside the Clinic, waiting for his treatment time. He could have come later in the day, but he came early and spent hours in our company. The Clinic became a haven from a life of fending for himself and daily rejection and ridicule.

Iosu’s story is on its way to a happy ending as we were able to secure housing and treatment for his skin condition in Addis Ababa. Thank you for making such a difference in Iosu’s life and the lives of so many others in Dilla, Ethiopia.

Dilla, Ethiopia, Medical Outreach

• 12,343 Patients Received Care
• 1,023 Children Ministered To
• 199 Family LifeStraw Water Filters Given
• 1,101 People Received Dental Care
• 3,441 Eyeglasses Distributed
• 146 Minor Surgeries
• 2,118 People Heard the Gospel
• 125 People Received Yeshua
• 551 People Requested a Visit to Learn More about Jesus

We have been so excited to see our Zehra Kid’s Program in full swing during several Outreaches this year! Although we don’t have a Zehra component to our Zambia Outreach (going on now) because it’s a new nation for us, we are particularly excited about all the Lord did through Zehra during our Dilla, Ethiopia, Outreach in September.

This Outreach coincided with our Jewish Voice staff Fall 2022 Week of Prayer and Fasting.  During that week of daily worship and prayer times, we missed our Global Outreach team members who were in Dilla and unable to participate with us at our U.S. headquarters.

On the other hand, we had excellent times of prayer for the Dilla Outreach, including the Zehra program. The Lord heard and answered those prayers — and we know He answered your prayers as well.

Here are some of the highlights in the form of praise to our God:

• Even though one key, experienced Zehra team member was unable to attend the Outreach, the Lord put together an amazing team to facilitate the Zehra program
• We were excited to see the Lord develop a team of indigenous Jewish leaders who are anointed to minister to children
• There was great unity among the team members
• Among themselves and with the children, they championed the fullness of Jewish identity in the Messiah and the importance of Israel

• The children were very open and highly engaged with the program

• Once again, the Shema curriculum, coloring pages and other activities were a huge success and readily enjoyed and embraced by the children
• The Shema song, written by two of our team members to go with the Zehra Shema curriculum, was sung loud and clear many times throughout the week. The children loved learning it and, no doubt, are still singing it

There were over 1,000 ministry opportunities with children during the Dilla, Ethiopia, Outreach week, thanks to the Zehra Kids Program and your faithful prayers.

Let’s thank the Lord and pray the Zehra Kids Program forward into 2023

Lord, we praise and thank You for the wonderful encounters that the children of Dilla had with our team and, most of all, with You. You answered all our prayers, even beyond our hopes. There was such great joy that we know it was a direct expression of your presence in the middle of all the fun and activity. Thank You for each child – and adult – who heard the Shema for the first time and received an understanding of its meaning. Thank You for each one who learned that, because of Yeshua (Jesus), they can now enter into a relationship with You and pray to You and hear You.

Thank You for the growing development of an indigenous leadership team for the Zehra program in Ethiopia. We praise You and ask for favor regarding 2023 Outreach ministry in schools and other divine opportunities for children to be blessed by getting to know You better through Zehra. Continue to water every seed* planted in these precious young hearts and minds, for their salvation and blessing and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

*Zehra means seed in Hebrew – see Zechariah 8:12

THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL UPDATE

A Note from Jonathan Bernis

Shalom, my friend!

As I write to you today, my attention is turned towards the words of the Psalmist, who acknowledges the reality of God strengthening His people – and blessing them with peace:

“The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace.”

— Psalm 29:11 (NIV)

So often, we face painful circumstances that feel almost impossible to endure or overcome without a supernatural measure of strength. But in the midst of it all, according to the Scriptures, God promises His blessing of peace.

I pray over you now that God would give you strength and peace, no matter what you’re facing today.

And as Israel and the Jewish people continue to face the threats and rising unrest in parts of the Holy Land – and the ongoing war in Ukraine – I also ask that you join with me and everyone at Jewish Voice as we pray for God’s strength over His people and for His blessing of peace.

Please continue to pray for the work and ministry of Jewish Voice. And pray for God to open more doors to share the Good News of Yeshua (Jesus) with the Jewish people.

Thank you for standing with us through your partnership.

To the Jew first and also to the Nations,

Jonathan Bernis

President & CEO

Jewish Voice Ministries International

Headline News

Israel Giving Intel on Russia’s Iranian Drones to Ukraine

The Jerusalem Post reports that Israel has been providing Ukraine with "basic intelligence" on the Iranian drones used by Russia in its invasion.

According to The Jerusalem Post, a senior Israeli official told the New York Times about the intelligence sharing and that a private Israeli firm was also giving satellite imagery of Russian troop positions to Ukraine.

In addition to the unconfirmed intelligence aid, Israel has been providing Ukraine with non-combat aid.

This aid includes 25,000 meal rations, 1,500 helmets, 1,500 protective vests, hundreds of mine protection suits, 1,000 gas masks and dozens of hazmat filtration systems. Israel has also sent 2,000 helmets and 500 flak jackets for emergency and civilian use.

Israel has been reluctant to provide Ukraine with combat arms due to its concerns over how Russia could respond in Syria.

Jerusalem has been conducting an air campaign against Iranian military resources in Syria, and Russia has been conducting joint air patrols with Syrian forces. Analysts have expressed concerns about Russia's hardening of Syrian skies against Israeli incursions because of implicit support for Ukraine.[1] 

Updates from the Middle East

Police Deploy 4 Reserve Companies Amid Growing Unrest in East Jerusalem

Israel’s Public Security Minister, Omer Barlev, ordered an immediate call-up of four police reserve companies late last week amid rising unrest in East Jerusalem. This followed a number of clashes in Palestinian neighborhoods throughout the city that occurred the previous night, where protesters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails, launched fireworks and set tires and garbage dumpsters on fire in several neighborhoods – sparking some of the heaviest fighting seen there in over a year.

Palestinians Shoot Up Hotel Displaying Jewish Symbols in Bethlehem

Gunmen fired shots at a hotel in the West Bank city of Bethlehem for displaying Jewish symbols in one of its meeting halls. Palestinian social media users claimed that the Bethlehem Hotel was preparing to host a group of Jewish people for the Sukkot holiday, exhibiting the Jewish Star of David and a menorah, a symbol of the Jewish people and Judaism. They further accused the hotel and the West Bank’s governing Palestinian Authority (PA) of “promoting normalization” with Israel. No one was injured in the shooting.

Pray with Us This Week

Please pray with me for:

• God to continue to protect innocent lives from the fighting in Ukraine and to bring a peaceful end to the invasion by Russia
• God to bring peace and stability into eastern Jerusalem and the surrounding areas where violent riots have been erupting and to help prevent any escalating violence
• God to surround His people in Israel, who are constantly facing threats and violence from surrounding enemies
• Peace in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel and their enemies
• The Jewish people to recognize "Yeshua" as their Messiah

See, I am doing a new thing! — Isaiah 43:19a

We are so excited about our Outreach in the Mumbwa district of Zambia – starting almost as we speak! This is our first time doing a Medical Outreach in a new country in 10 years. Although we have done many Outreaches and established many congregations in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, Zambia is entirely new to us – from currency to customs. And we do believe the Lord is doing a new thing there.

There are so many critical elements to this Outreach, which is about to begin.

Zambia is considered a nation of born-again Believers, but how many of the Lemba Jewish people there truly know Yeshua (Jesus)as their Messiah and Savior? We can sense the warring in the spirit realm, both because of breaking ground in a new nation and because of the potential for Jewish people and their neighbors to be saved, healed and delivered.

SIGN UP HERE NOW to cover this Outreach in prayer! We have not walked this way before and are so grateful to have you joining us side by side through prayer.

Here are the day-by-day Prayer Points. Please pray for the following:

Wednesday, October 19 – Matthew 24:44a

• All last-minute preparations to fall quickly and smoothly into place
• Much favor in the community and from all levels of leadership and governmental authority
• Special anointing from the Lord throughout the Outreach as we break spiritual ground in a new country

Thursday, October 20 – Galatians 5:22–23

• Protection over every aspect of the Outreach, including physical, mental, emotional, relational and spiritual
• Outreach volunteers and other staff members (and their luggage) as they travel
• The Lord to speak to them, preparing them to minister out of the fulness of His Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit

Friday, October 21 – John 17:20-21

• This Outreach to be characterized by incredible Kingdom unity among every team member as an answer to Yeshua’s prayer in John 17
• Everything to be done in love
• A shalom-filled Shabbat fellowship time to set the tone and spiritual atmosphere for the Outreach
• Mild weather this week, which is during Zambia’s hot season, so many will come and be served

Saturday, October 22 – Psalm 90:17

• All departmental training and Clinic set-up to go smoothly
• Foresight regarding setting up the Clinic and patient flow pattern to best accommodate the purposes and people during this week of ministry
• Each team member and volunteer to be prepared before the Lord to serve Him wholeheartedly with humility and flexibility

Sunday, October 23 – Mark 16:20

• All medical and dental professionals to be ready for the Lord to use them to minister to each person they encounter
• The Lord to manifest His power and compassion through healing, deliverance, miracles, signs and wonders
• Many people in the community to hear of the Clinic and come to receive medical care and salvation through Yeshua

Monday, October 24 – Romans 15:5-7

• The Zambian Messianic Congregation hosting us and working alongside us to see this Clinic take place
• The Lemba congregational leaders from Zimbabwe who will be leading the Spiritual Care Ministry
• The Ethiopian dental professionals and pharmacist serving at the Clinic and partners and team members from the U.S. and elsewhere

Tuesday, October 25 – 2 Corinthians 3:17

• The spiritual care tent to be a place of the Lord’s presence where signs and miracles accompany the truth of His Word, drawing each person to Himself
• All language and cultural differences to be overcome through love and unity, bearing witness to salvation in the Messiah
• The Living Waters team to be fully welcomed in the community as they distribute LifeStraws® and share the Good News of Jesus, the Living Water

Wednesday, October 26 – Psalm 55:17-18

• Morning prayer times to be energized by the Holy Spirit and produce insight, stamina and encouragement for each day of ministry
• The Lord to be glorified and the forces of darkness to flee through lively times of worship with the Zambia worship team
• Each person to sustain their closeness to and full reliance on God throughout the busyness of the Outreach week

Thursday, October 27 – 2 Peter 3:9

• Medical personnel to see as many people as possible on this last half-day of the Clinic and for the Lord’s salvation and healing touch to be on all who came for care
• Safety and ease in taking down and packing up the Clinic
• Shalom as local workers complete their assignments and receive their pay. Pray also that they may come to know Yeshua for themselves

Friday, October 28 – Matthew 25:23

• A wonderful and joyous Shabbat as the wonders of all the Lord has done are remembered and praised!
• Each participant to know that the Lord is well-pleased with their service and delights in them
• The fellowship and unity everyone has experienced during the week to be enjoyed to the fullest

Saturday, October 29 – Psalm 121:8

• Safety and health for all participants as they head home and resume daily life – may Yeshua’s praise be on their lips!
• An efficient and effective follow-up to the Clinic by reaching out to all who were interested in knowing more
• The Lord’s guidance and timing to eventually lead to a healthy indigenous-led Lemba Messianic Jewish congregation

We are so grateful for your prayers. They are reaching the throne room and having an impact across the globe in Zambia, accomplishing more than we can ask or think in Yeshua’s name.

Let’s pray:

Lord, thank You for the many, many born-again Believers in Zambia. But even beyond those who already believe in You, we are so grateful for the opportunity to make You known among the Lemba Jewish community. May they know You as Messiah and Savior and Lord. May their lives and families and communities be radically impacted by the Good News and by medical care and healing in the wonderful name of Yeshua. AMEN.

This is an amazing time of year as we progress through the Fall High Holidays. We have drawn near to God during the Hebrew month of Elul and the season of teshuvah (repentance). We have experienced the sweetness of Yeshua (Jesus) while entering the Hebrew year 5783 on Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. As Believers, we were reminded on Yom Kippur that Jesus, the Righteous One, is the atoning sacrifice for our sin.

And most recently, we turned our attention to Sukkot, the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), which we are in the midst of right now. We gather to thank God for His loving-kindness in leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land, and we look forward to when the Lord will dwell among His people forever!

At Jewish Voice, we carry the Jewish people in our hearts and in prayer in a special way during this season, which also prefigures the return of the Lord to His people. We pray for Jewish people in Israel and around the globe to come to know Yeshua as Messiah, Savior and returning King.

Here are some ways you can pray:

• That the sober and holy holiday of Yom Kippur will have sharpened Jewish people’s awareness of their needs and shortcomings and softened their hearts regarding their own spiritual condition
• For Jewish people to realize who Jesus truly is and that He came for them and has made perfect sacrifice once and for all for their atonement
• For believing family members and friends to share about Yeshua as they gather during Sukkot
• As Jewish people look up at the stars through the leafy branches covering their sukkot during the Feast of Booths, they would marvel and feel drawn to the God of creation
• That Jewish people would long for and come into relationship with the God of their Fathers through Yeshua

Let's Pray 

Lord, the fall holy days are Your appointed times when You call us to meet with You. May Your Jewish people be drawn to You by Your Holy Spirit. Whether they are aware of and observing these holy days or not, they are still under the influence of these times that You have designated for Your people. May they draw closer to You and come into a full and personal understanding of the significance of these times in Yeshua. In His name, we pray, AMEN.

THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL UPDATE

A Note from Jonathan Bernis

Shalom, my friend!

In whatever you’re facing today, I pray God’s strength and peace for you. 

There’s no greater promise we have from God . . . which was ultimately realized in the coming of His Son, Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah.

And I’m reminded, that no matter what we face – no matter what God’s people face – He’s close at hand to bring strength and peace. 

That’s why I’m hoping you’ll join with me and everyone at Jewish Voice as we pray for strength and peace in Israel. Based on the headlines below, we know there’s unsettling animosity against the Jewish people – both in Russia and in Israel.

We must stand together, remain watchful and vigilant . . . and ask God to strengthen His people, give them peace and change the hearts of their enemies.

And as you pray today, please continue to pray for the work and ministry we share at Jewish Voice. And pray for God to open more doors to share the Good News of Yeshua with the Jewish people.

Thank you for standing with us through your partnership.

To the Jew first and also to the Nations,

Jonathan Bernis

President & CEO

Jewish Voice Ministries International

Headline News

As Putin’s war sputters, anti-Semitism seeps into the Russian media

The Jerusalem Post reports that as Russia’s war in Ukraine begins to flounder, openly anti-Jewish rhetoric is entering the country’s mainstream media.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin has, throughout his 22-year term, cracked down on the open anti-Semitism that nearly all of his predecessors had either encouraged, tolerated or ignored.

But now, openly anti-Jewish rhetoric is entering the country’s mainstream media, with a popular talk show host naming Jews on air as being insufficiently patriotic and a think tank accusing a prominent Jewish philosopher of siding with Ukraine out of greed.

The uptick in anti-Semitism adds to the forces that have caused tens of thousands of Russian Jews to leave their country since Putin invaded Ukraine. According to The Jerusalem Post, about 20,000 people, or 15% of Russia’s estimated Jewish population, emigrated from Russia to Israel this year alone. And authorities in Israel are preparing for many more now that Putin has begun drafting civilians for miliary service in Ukraine.

Updates from the Middle East

Hamas funneled terrorism funds through Gazans with Israeli entry permits

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) and Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) thwarted a Hamas terrorism financing scheme used to funnel money from Hamas in Gaza to fund terrorism in the West Bank and Turkey. Gazans entering Israel for humanitarian reasons or with work permits would deposit money in Israel. Then a group of student activists at Birzeit University in the West Bank would withdraw the money and send it to Hamas officials in Turkey. The activists were arrested in possession of credit cards with the illegal funds.

Two shootings carried out against Israelis in West Bank

Palestinian terrorism is on the rise around Israel’s Hebron area. Two weeks ago, Palestinians fired at a yeshiva (an Orthodox Jewish school) at the entryway to the Carmel settlement in the South Hebron Hills, injuring one of the students. And just last week, Palestinians shot twice at Israelis in the West Bank within a 24-hour period, as local leaders called on the IDF to do more to crack down on rising Palestinian terror.

Pray with Us This Week

Please pray with me for:

• God to continue to protect the innocent lives from the fighting in Ukraine and to bring a peaceful end to the invasion by Russia
• God to continue to uncover the plots and schemes of Israel’s enemies to prevent violence and save the lives of the Jewish people who are being targeted
• God to bring protection and safety to innocent people who are caught in the crossfire in a resurgence of violence by Palestinian terrorists
• Peace in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel and their enemies
• The Jewish people to recognize "Yeshua" as their Messiah

Join in RETURNing to the Lord in prayer and fasting . . .

Last week, here at Jewish Voice Ministries, we held our twice-a-year Week of Prayer and Fasting. I am inviting you into our focused theme of “Return.” It is a fitting focus as we just emerged from the Hebrew month of Elul and celebrated Rosh Hashanah. Elul is a season of teshuvah (repentance), which carries the invitation to return and draw near to God, to reflect personally on the state of our own souls and relationships with Him. It is a time of spiritual accounting in preparation for the fall Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (also known as Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

We wanted to share with you the Scriptures and themes we meditated on and prayed into during our staff’s Week of Prayer and Fasting so that, in this season of the Fall Feasts, you can join in worship and personal reflection before the Lord, praying along the theme of “Return.”

Returning to the Lord Myself

 “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:40).

Lord, show me, show us, any ways that we have gotten off track in our love for You, our thinking, our relationships with others, or in our focus or affections. We want to be whole-heartedly Yours.

Calling Israel and the Jewish People to Return to the Lord

“Therefore tell the people: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Return to Me,” declares the Lord Almighty, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty’” (Zechariah 1:3).

Adonai Tzevaot, Lord of Hosts, give us opportunities and boldness to call Your people back to You, and Lord, prepare their hearts to hear You calling and respond.

Calling the Church to Return to God’s Heart for Israel and the Jewish People

“But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always” (Hosea 12:6).

Lord, our hearts are grieved at the many ways Your body has turned against and even persecuted Your Jewish people over the centuries. May the Church repent and receive Your heart for Your people, extending kindness, seeking justice where wrong has been done, and sharing Yeshua (Jesus) with humility and love.

Calling the Nations and the Jewish People in Them to Turn to the Lord

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him” (Psalm 22:27).

Lord, may every Jewish person, every person on Earth, and every tribe, tongue and nation, have the opportunity to hear of You and turn to You. The day will come when all the families of the nations will worship You together. Until then, we pray.

Calling the Lord to Return and Dwell with Us Forever

“He who testifies to these things says, “’Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Lord, we are committed to occupying until You come, loving one another and taking the Good News of salvation to the Jewish people and their neighbors. But oh, Lord, how our hearts long for Your return! We join in with the cry of our brothers and sisters over the centuries and throughout the world today, saying, “Yes, come, Lord Jesus! Come!” In His name, we pray, AMEN.

Thank you for joining us in these prayers. It is very meaningful and sacred for us to be connected with you in this way.