There’s encouraging news out of the Middle East this week. As a friend of Jewish Voice Ministries, you’ll want to know what’s going on, I’m sure.
Here’s the latest…
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has invited Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah, and other Muslim leaders to join his meeting with President Trump in Riyadh this weekend. Abbas has reportedly agreed to attend.
The meeting is now shaping up to be a sort of Middle East summit that will kick off the President’s first foreign tour since taking office. He’ll also visit Israel and the Vatican.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the Saudi-hosted “Arab, Islamic, and American Summit” is expected to address key problems in the Middle East and open a dialogue about forging new security partnerships.
Observers had earlier been quoted in The Times of Israel as saying the meeting suggests three goals: building partnerships in the Muslim world against terrorism, laying groundwork for renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and constructing an anti-Iranian coalition.
Meanwhile, Abbas is reportedly preparing to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump in Jerusalem next week, following the Saudi gathering.
At a press conference in Ramallah, Abbas said, “We affirmed to [President Trump] that we are ready to cooperate with him and meet the Israeli prime minister under his auspices in order to make peace.”
That’s encouraging. But will it actually lead to a meaningful peace discussion? Though I so want to be optimistic, there’s good reason to be skeptical. The PA has said it wants peace. But the terror group continues to use each cease-fire, each peace summit, each opportunity as a “time-out,” during which it replenishes its arms stockpile, reloads its rocket launchers, and digs more attack tunnels into Israel.
For the past eight years, Abbas has stubbornly held to two key preconditions that have stalled meaningful peace talks: the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and a freeze on West Bank settlement activity and Jewish building in East Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu has consistently said he is willing to meet with Abbas, but only if the preconditions are dropped.
Direct talks between Abbas and Netanyahu were rare during the Obama administration. In fact, their last substantive meeting was in 2010.
Still, the White House said late last week that the President will use his trip to work for a “just and lasting peace” between Israel and the Palestinians, including the Palestinian goal of “self-determination.”
U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said the President’s meetings with Israeli leaders are aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations. “He [President Trump] will reaffirm America’s unshakable bond to the Jewish state,” he said.
While Middle East peace prospects have alternated between somewhat possible and absolutely zero dating back to Israel’s birth in 1948, we may have reason to hope that, this time, progress can be made. For the sake of our allies in Israel, the Jewish people we care about so much, and the Muslims we’re called to love in Yeshua’s name, I hope you’ll join me in praying that genuine peace advances across the region. Nothing less than precious lives are at stake.
Through your generosity, you share healing and hope with Jewish people in need worldwide. Without you, we can’t deliver humanitarian aid (medical, dental, and eye care), the Gospel, discipleship, leadership development at Messianic congregations in Africa, or clean water.
You provide the encouragement, the prayers, and the financial support that make it happen. And I thank you sincerely.
To show our appreciation for your gift of $40 or more today, we’ll send you a set of books that will inform and inspire you. You’ll receive the book 10 Amazing Muslims Touched by God, containing stories of Muslims coming to faith in Yeshua (Jesus). You’ll also get the history-packed booklet Is Peace Possible? to help you sort out the facts about the Middle East conflict. Each book will serve to help you share with others about how God is moving in history and revealing Himself as Savior.
Thank you again for your support and prayers — and God bless you.
Shalom! As you likely know, the word shalom means “peace.” Did you know that the word also means “completeness” or “prosperity”? That’s why it is a wonderful greeting! Although we haven’t met, I wish you shalom, and would like to introduce myself and the ministry I serve.
My name is Jonathan Bernis; I am CEO and President of Jewish Voice Ministries International. I am also a Jewish man who has recognized the truth that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the hope and salvation of all mankind. I have been called by Yeshua (Jesus) to share the truth of His love and mercy by serving at Jewish Voice Ministries, a ministry founded in 1967, and celebrating 50 years of ministry very soon. It is amazing what miraculous works God has done in and through Jewish Voice so far and we are really looking forward to what He has in store for us!
Our mission at Jewish Voice Ministries International is from Romans 1:16 where the apostle Paul states, “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
We are living in very exciting times, watching God miraculously open the eyes of the Jewish People to their Messiah (Jesus) in fulfillment of a prophecy written by the apostle Paul in Romans 11 verses 25 and 26, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved...”
This passage clearly tells us that the Lord has ordained a set time in history for the blindness to come off the eyes of the Jewish People in anticipation of the day when all Israel is saved. I believe we are living in those days. Now is the time God has ordained for the restoration of the Jewish People in preparation for the return of the Messiah. Jewish Voice is so grateful to be included in God’s plan to proclaim the Good News to the Jew first and also to the Nations.
We have a tremendous sense of urgency surrounding our calling and believe that ministries like ours that are focused on reaching God’s Chosen People are destined to move into central focus as the Church understands the role Israel and the Jewish People play in the Last Days preceding the return of the Messiah.
It is because of this urgent call that we have developed a global mission and multi-faceted approach to outreach using television, print, and online media, as well as on-the-ground medical and humanitarian outreaches in remote parts of the world reaching the “Lost Tribes of Israel” that God is gathering back to Himself. I invite you to connect with us in the ways showing in the sidebar to the right. Through them, you will discover the miraculous ways God is at work around the globe using Jewish Voice Ministries to be His hands and feet. I hope you are encouraged by the amazing ways God is working in the world.
Dr. Chuck Pierce, known for his accurate prophetic gifting, discusses his new book A Time to Triumph which details the importance of Israel in the End Times.
When God called Abraham to become the father of the Jewish people, He made them a promise:
My heart’s desire is to make you into a great nation, to bless you, to make your name great so that you may be a blessing. My desire is to bless those who bless you, but whoever curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3).
And yet, throughout all of history, no other group has been more persecuted than the Jewish people.
The book of Esther tells of a concerted effort to annihilate the Jewish people in the Persian Empire in the 5th century B.C.
In the Middle Ages, European church authorities blamed Jewish people for killing Jesus and even for spreading the plague, leading to widespread Jewish persecution and murder
Jewish people repeatedly have been forcibly expelled from European countries — from France in the 12th-14th centuries, from England in the 13th century, and from Spain and Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries
Russian anti-Semitism denied even basic human rights to Jewish people for centuries, leading to genocide in the 1800s and the forced mass migration of Jewish people out of Russia and into Western Europe and America
The Nazi Holocaust forced Jewish families into ghettos and extermination camps. There they were starved, tortured, worked to death, or executed. In all, the Nazis murdered about 6 million Jews — 63 percent of the Jews in Europe
And the persecution of Jewish people is still widespread. In fact, since 2000, anti-Semitism has been getting progressively worse worldwide.
A 2012 report by the U.S. State Department confirmed the dramatic global increase in anti-Semitism. It found that Holocaust denial and opposition to Israel were often used to promote blatant anti-Semitism.
As just one example, in the past year the United Nations (UN) adopted 20 one-sided resolutions against Israel — compared to only six resolutions addressed to the whole rest of the world combined!
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed a bizarre resolution listing all of Judaism’s holiest sites as being solely Islamic and denying any Jewish connection to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, Western Wall, and other historically Jewish sites
UN Commission on the Status of Women condemned Israel as the world’s only violator of women’s rights, ignoring real abusers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan
UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) astonishingly singled out Israel as the only violator in the world of “mental, physical, and environmental health”
UN’s International Labor Organization (ILO) effectively called Israel the world’s only violator of labor rights
And such undeniable bias is not just coming from the United Nations. Independent studies confirm the rapidly growing connection between anti-Semitism and the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement — especially on American college campuses.
In fact, there is clear evidence that many BDS and anti-Israel protests — which nearly tripled from 2015 to 2016 — encourage violence against Jewish students.
As one professor who has closely researched this issue has said, “Instead of just boycotting Israel, the anti-Zionists are now boycotting Jewish students. Sadly, all too often it is not debate but hate. The lines between political discussions on Israeli policy and discrimination toward Jewish students are being blurred.”
And in an inevitable parallel, attacks against Jewish synagogues and Jewish people in both Europe and the United States have been on a dramatic increase for several years.
Clearly, something must be done. Such open hatred and prejudice cannot go unchallenged — especially by Christians who take seriously Jesus’ admonitions that we “love one another,” and even that we love our enemies.
That’s what Jewish Voice Ministries is all about.
Now in our 50th year, Jewish Voice is committed to providing physical and spiritual help to Jewish people, transforming lives and seeing all Israel saved.
To accomplish these goals, Jewish Voice quietly but effectively works to:
Strategically use television, print, and digital media to counter lies and misinformation about Israel and the Jewish people
Educate Christians about the Jewish roots of our faith, and about the need to support and pray for Israel and Jerusalem. This is based on our belief that the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland fulfills God’s millennia-old prophesies, and is an important milestone in God’s plan for the return of Yeshua the Messiah and the establishment of God’s eternal Kingdom
Support vulnerable Holocaust survivors and members of scattered and impoverished Jewish communities
Share the Gospel of Yeshua (Jesus) with Jewish people everywhere we are called to go
This last goal is the ultimate heart of our ministry. As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:1, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation.”
The work of Jewish Voice is critically important. But we can’t do it without help from those who already know the truth — that Yeshua is the Messiah. That’s why I’m asking you to send a gift to support the work of Jewish Voice.
Every gift goes to speak out against anti-Semitism, to help needy Holocaust survivors, and to meet the needs of impoverished Jewish people around the world.
As my way of saying thank you for a gift of any size right now, I’ll send you my booklet Why Satan Hates the Jews, which explores the spiritual roots of anti-Semitism.
Please fight the evil of anti-Semitism and bring comfort and care to Jewish people in need by sending your most generous gift today. Thank you, and God bless you!
National Day of Prayer: Praying for US – and Israel too!
May 04, 2017
Most of us have prayed for our nation. We would no doubt be hard pressed to find those of us who didn’t pray on or around the tragedy of 9/11, even if it was to simply utter a heart-wrenching, “Oh, God!” as we watched the sobering scenes unfold before us. We have prayed in wartime, during elections, when our cities were riddled with crime waves or terrorism, and when our communities and states were impacted by natural disasters.
We confess we have turned to God again and again as our last resort, and hopefully, at times as our first. The weight of issues facing our nation really warrants daily prayer, and yet there has been one day in particular set aside in the United States as truly being a day to pray for our Nation itself.
This year the National Day of Prayer falls on Thursday, May 4, 2017. Imagine the many thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, around the country who will be praying for the United States on that day. We encourage you join them as we will!
Praying for U.S. and Israel
We at Jewish Voice Ministries will also take the United States’ National Day of Prayer as an opportunity to pray for Israel. There is not just a political alliance between our two nations, but an alliance in the Spirit as well. Scripture says that those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3), and that those who pray for Jerusalem will prosper (Psalm 122:6). When we pray for our nation, whether it be the United States or elsewhere, we know the Lord will bless in return. But when we pray for Israel, we know that not only will Israel benefit, but our own nation as well, as we reap the blessing Scripture promises for those who favor Zion. Praying for Israel reaps a double blessing – for Israel, AND for our nation.
So, what are some common areas and issues we can cover in prayer for Israel and for the United States? 1 Timothy 2:1-2 gives us direction.
Prayers for individuals
First of all, this passage encourages us to pray for all people. Let’s pray for all the citizens of our two nations. A nation is made up of many individuals, each of whom makes decisions every day that impact many lives around them. As you think of Israel and the United States, pray for people who are in your own line of work, stage of life, or your own personal frame of mind or circumstance. Pray for the Lord to bless those who are like you―and those who are not.
Prayers for national authorities
Then, we are exhorted to pray specifically for those who are in authority, not just those at the very top, but anyone who holds authority. We can pray for their salvation, protection, and wisdom. In the U.S., this would include President Trump, our Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, and Military Leaders. As we pray for Israel we can lift up Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Knesset, their Supreme Court, and leaders of the Israeli Defense Forces. We can also pray for the Lord’s help for our leaders in maintaining a healthy working relationship between our two nations.
Prayers for local authorities
Prayers for the National Day of Prayer could also include those in similar positions in our states, cities, and local governing bodies, such as university and school boards, authorities over first responders, and key leaders and influencers in religion, business and media. Pray especially for those who lead the Body of Messiah in the U.S. and Israel nations, that they would be protected and by God’s grace make a lasting impact in their regions for His Kingdom.
Prayers for household authorities
May our prayers for those in authority extend all the way into the home, as we pray for husbands and wives, and married and single moms and dads seeking to navigate families well in trying times. Each home and family is a building block in the structure of our nations as a whole.
Prayers for enemy authorities
Both Israel and the United States share some common enemies. So here’s a unique angle on praying for those in authority: have you ever thought about praying for leaders of gangs, terror cells, and cults? We certainly know they exist, both in the United States, in Israel, and no doubt every nation of the world. What might change in those organizations if the leaders became radically saved like Paul did when he experienced an encounter with Yeshua that changed not only the course of his life but propelled the Good News into the nations? What kind of influence might these leaders wield if they were rescued from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light?
Why pray?
That begins to touch on our motivation as we intercede. Paul in 1 Timothy doesn’t just tell us what to pray – he also tells us why to pray for all people and for those in authority. God desires that we be able to live “a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and respectfulness” (1 Timothy 2:2b), and we know that leaders of all kinds and at all levels impact the quality of life for citizens. The desired scriptural outcome of living under good government is not just to bless people’s everyday lives, but to create an atmosphere where the Good News of Yeshua is able to go forth freely, available to all, so they can be saved by knowing the truth. That is our heart’s desire for the citizens in our nation, the people of Israel, the Jewish people, and all others in the nations of the earth.
Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 2:7 that he sees himself as called to teach and live out this Good News for the benefit of others. We are called as well―called to pray. And our prayers can impact not only our own lives and interests but the life and well-being of nations, impacting millions.
On this year’s National Day of Prayer, let’s pray―really pray―for Israel and America, and let’s make a commitment to do so not just one day a year, but every day. Perhaps this next year holds abundant blessings; perhaps it holds grave challenges beyond our knowledge at this time; and possibly both. Regardless, because of God’s grace, a daily investment of prayer for the welfare of Israel, the United States, and other nations the Lord has placed on your heart will bear fruit, fruit beyond what we can imagine in this moment. Let’s pray!
Therefore, first of all I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all people— for kings and all who are in authority—so we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and respectfulness. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior. He desires all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth.
―1 Timothy 2:1-4 TLV
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
―Genesis 12:3 NIV
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that if the Palestinians truly desire peace with Israel, they must first “come clean” and stop “rewarding terrorism.”
In an interview on Fox News Channel, Netanyahu claimed the Palestinian Authority has spent much of the financial aid it receives from the United States paying terrorists and their families at the expense of the American taxpayer.
“I think the first test of peace is to say to them, ‘Hey, you want peace? Prove it. Confront terrorism, stop rewarding terrorism, stop paying terrorists,’” Netanyahu said via video link from his office in Jerusalem.
Many people don’t know this, but the families of Palestinians jailed for terrorist acts are compensated based on the jail term. The families of those killed during the commission of a terrorist act receive an annual stipend greater than the average Palestinian earns.
According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, the United States has given more than $5 billion in “bilateral economic and non-lethal security assistance” to the Palestinians. More than $327 million of that aid came in the last year, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, a public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress.
It’s not clear how much of that aid has been used for payments to terrorists. But according to the official daily newspaper of the Palestinian National Authority, Al-Hayat al-Jadida, since 2011 more than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners receive a monthly salary between $652 and $3,260.
The online Israeli news source Honest Reporting said this week that the Palestinian terrorist accused of killing British student Hannah Bladon last week will be paid about $1,000 per month by the Palestinian government. Putting this into perspective, as a reward, Bladon’s murderer will receive more than double the typical Palestinian full-time salary, every month for the rest of his life. Or until the world finally puts a stop to this terrible practice.
Honest Reporting further noted that the Palestinian Authority, despite international pressure, is planning to increase its budget for terrorist salaries. In 2016, it was as much as $180 million.
Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli research institute that monitors the Palestinian Authority, reports that the Authority cynically calls these terrorists “martyrs.”
Amazingly, the U.S. State Department has been hesitant to cut off aid to the Palestinians, regardless of its clear involvement in terrorism. Both the U.S. and Israeli governments fear such a move could lead to a collapse of the Authority, creating a security crisis in the West Bank.
After years of international condemnation of these payments, a new law before the U.S. Congress called the Taylor Force Act, would cut off all financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. Taylor Force was the U.S. Army officer murdered last year in Tel Aviv by a Palestinian attacker. Some legislators were outraged to learn that relatives of the dead terrorist will be rewarded with lifetime payments. Congress knows that terrorist families are benefitting directly or indirectly from American financial aid and hopes to stop it.
Similar legislation was proposed in the Israeli parliament last month. If passed, it would subtract from the tax revenues that Israel collects for the Palestinian Authority an amount equivalent to what the Authority pays terrorists and their families.
These developments are particularly relevant right now because a Palestinian delegation is scheduled to be in Washington next week to prepare for upcoming meetings between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and President Donald Trump. Let’s pray that a very frank discussion of salaries for Palestinian terrorists is on the agenda.
Let’s also pray that our Congress passes the Taylor Force Act and cancels financial aid to Palestinian terrorists. Even more importantly, please pray for Palestinian hearts and minds to change about terrorist acts. Without this, legislative efforts will amount to little and mean nothing as far as real effectiveness. Pray with us for ultimate transformation through Palestinians coming to faith in Yeshua (Jesus).
And, as you pray, I hope you’ll consider making a gift to Jewish Voice. When you support Jewish Voice, you are helping us continue the many facets of ministry God has called us to. These include taking the Gospel and humanitarian aid to Jewish people around the world; strengthening the faith of Messianic and Gentile Believers through our media channels; engaging the Church concerning the value of the Jewish roots of New Testament faith; and encouraging support for Israel and Jewish people.
For your gift of $35 or more today, we’d like to thank you by sending you a special gift set. The Love for Israel notecards reproduced from an original oil painting depicting many iconic symbols of Messianic Judaism. You’ll also receive the book Seed of Turmoil by Bryant Wright, to help you understand the origins and history of the Middle East conflict and the importance of the Land of Israel today.
Thank you so much for your prayers for the nation of Israel and the ministries of Jewish Voice among the people there and worldwide.
JVMI 50th Anniversary: Meeting, Partnering, and Merging
May 02, 2017
In the mid-1990s, Jonathan Bernis conducted multiple festivals each year throughout Eastern Europe. Louis and Chira Kaplan were encouraged by the fruit his ministry, Hear O’ Israel Ministries (HOIM), was bearing for the Lord. Soon, Jonathan became a repeat guest on Jewish Voice Broadcasts’ television and radio programs.
Chira Kaplan interviews Jonathan Bernis on the Jewish Voice Broadcasts' television program, LeChayim.
In August of 1996, Chira traveled to HOIM’s festival in Kishinev, Moldova to interview Messianic Believers, and she discussed with Jonathan the like-mindedness of the two ministries. In September, Louis asked a close friend to pray about Jonathan succeeding him as leader of Jewish Voice Broadcasts.
Soon, the beginnings of a strategic partnership came into view between the two effective ministries. Each was passionate about opening the eyes of Jewish people to their Messiah and awakening a love for Israel and Jewish people in the Christian Church. The Kaplans and Bernis thought that by partnering to broadcast and bring festivals to the same regions, they could maximize the influence of each ministry and reach more Jewish people with the Good News.
In January of 1997, Jewish Voice Broadcasts celebrated 30 years on the air and in ministry. An anniversary issue of the Jewish Voice Prophetic Magazine looked back on three decades of ministry, and a special evening of celebration, memories, and thanksgiving marked the milestone.
In August 1997, Louis and Chira spent a well-deserved vacation in Chira’s home-country of Finland before planning to participate in HOIM’s festival in Riga, Latvia later that month. But on August 7th, Brother Kaplan suffered a devastating stroke. After three weeks in a Finnish hospital, he returned to Arizona where he spent five months in skilled nursing facilities undergoing challenging rehabilitation. Upon his release, Louis returned home to Chira’s supportive care. His recovery was slow and his abilities greatly diminished.
Dennis Phillips, who had been with Louis from day one of the ministry, stepped up to lead the organization from August 1997 through May 1998. At that time, the Board of Directors elected Jonathan Bernis executive director and Chira Kaplan vice president of the corporation. Jonathan, having moved back to the States from Russia in 1997, remained Director of HOIM, leading it from Jacksonville, Florida. He flew to Phoenix for monthly staff meetings with the Jewish Voice team. JVB continued with a full lineup of television and radio guests, providing teaching and testimonies of Jewish Believers in Yeshua. Hear O’ Israel Ministries conducted a festival in Budapest, Hungary and discipled new Messianic Believers who had come to faith as a result.
After his stroke, Louis Kaplan would sometimes visit the offices of Jewish Voice Broadcasts, the ministry he founded and loved. Here, circa June 1997, Chira, Maddy Lindvall (friend, staff, and JVB board member), and Jonathan Bernis join staff gathered in the breakroom to pray for Louis.
After over 21 months of suffering debilitating effects of his stroke, Louis Kaplan passed away on May 19, 1999. Now he was home, face to face with Jesus whom he loved so dearly. Summer issues of the Jewish Voice magazine included loving tributes to Louis from staff, board members, family, and friends. On June 18, 1999, family and friends of Louis Kaplan gathered to remember and honor the man they loved and respected so much. Jonathan Bernis opened the service that included worship, song, and reflections.
There weren’t very many Jewish people receiving Messiah in 1935. At least, not enough to notice. Among this small remnant was one Louis Kaplan. Louis Kaplan wasn’t the type of person who, upon meeting him, you’d consider a “world changer.” A survivor, and a successful one at that, but a world changer? You wouldn’t think so, and quite frankly, neither would he. But he was.
You see, there was one thing about Louis Kaplan that set him apart. Louis Kaplan had a fire in his heart for Yeshua, one that wasn’t content only to have a relationship with God himself, but which yearned to bring others into relationship with their Messiah as well.
Today, millions of people worldwide are reached daily with the Good News through Jewish Voice Broadcasts, both on radio and television, over regular networks and via satellite, because one man with no media experience whatsoever decided to trust and obey the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Yes, Louis Kaplan was a pioneer. He was a trailblazer in many ways for many of us, and I hold him in the highest esteem.
Because of a serious fall that shattered her knee shortly after Louis passed away, Chira was unable to attend her beloved husband’s memorial service. After months of therapy, she was finally able to return to her editorial desk with the Jewish Voice Prophetic Magazine on a full-time basis in November 1999.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Bernis was a busy man directing two nearly bi-coastal ministries, one in Florida and one in Arizona. Soon, Hear O’ Israel Ministries’ newsletter announced they’d moved their offices to Phoenix. Though housed in the same building, the two ministries continued to operate separately.
Filling Louis Kaplan’s shoes
Jewish Voice was still very much grieving the loss of Brother Kaplan. After Jonathan had assumed leadership of JVB, everything went really well. “The people loved me, I loved them, and I seemed to be a great fit,” he recounts in his book A Hope and A Future. As time went on, signs that “the honeymoon was over” began to weigh on him. Jonathan was highly respected and entrusted by the board, Chira, and Louis himself before he passed, but he felt the pressure of measuring up to the ministry’s dearly loved founder. As he heard “that’s not how Brother Kaplan did it” more frequently, he grew discouraged and questioned whether he could continue in his role as director.
Then, Chira invited him to dinner. “I told her I was ready to quit,” Jonathan recalls. Chira listened attentively as he continued, “I can’t do this anymore. I’ll never be able to fill Brother Kaplan’s shoes.”
With that, Chira got up from the table saying, “I have something for you. I meant to give it to you before, but I forgot.” She disappeared into her bedroom, and when she returned, she held three shoeboxes. Each box contained a brand new pair of shoes that Louis had purchased but never worn.
The gesture was kind, but Jonathan was sure he couldn’t wear the shoes. He had a very unusual shoe size: 8 ½ EEE. But as he admired them, he was astonished to see they were Size 8 ½ EEE.
God confirmed His plan for Jonathan and assured him that he was in the right place. “God has such a sense of humor,” Jonathan writes. “Under my own power, my own ability, and my own strength, I was inadequate. But through the Lord’s power, because of His calling on my life, I could fill Brother Kaplan’s shoes.”
Of those literal shoes, Jonathan said, “To this day, they remain the most comfortable pair of shoes I own!” He even wore one pair so long that the heels wore down with holes.
Jonathan Bernis holds a pair of shoes belonging to the late Louis Kaplan. When Jonathan questioned whether he could fill Louis’ ministry shoes, Chira Kaplan presented him with three pairs of new shoes Louis had bought but never worn before he passed away. They were Jonathan’s exact, and unusual, shoe size.
A new millennium
The turning of the millennium saw Jewish Voice continuing its ministry while Hear O’ Israel continued theirs. Jonathan was working in and through each ministry, hosting the television and radio programs, traveling, speaking, and putting on festivals.
With the vision and future of JVB in good hands, 69-year-old Chira saw it a fitting time to retire.
As the year 2001 approached, it became evident that the two ministries were so in sync with one another that it seemed poor stewardship to maintain two separate organizations. Each had the identical vision as the other. Each was committed to sharing the Gospel of Messiah Yeshua “to the Jew first” as Romans 1:16 declares. Each aimed to inspire the Christian Church to embrace the Jewish roots of their New Testament faith, reach out to Jewish people with the Gospel, and support Israel. It was clear they were ready to formally merge. And in January of 2001, Jewish Voice Ministries International was born.
Find out how the newly birthed Jewish Voice Ministries International took shape and answered God’s call into new avenues of ministry – next month in June’s JVMI 50th Anniversary blog post.
Don’t’ miss Flashback Fridays on our Facebook page where you’ll see glimpses of our 50-year journey.
Discover the whole inspiring JVMI story with our beautiful, full-color coffee table book, Jewish Voice: A Look at 50 Years. Along with a fascinating narrative chronicling 50 years of ministry, this special edition includes biographies, stories, and reflections from television guests, partners, and staff as well as over 200 photographs.
Join us on the Jewish Voice Blog each month in 2017 as we unfold the Jewish Voice story and piece together for you how two ministries with the same heart merged to become the Jewish Voice Ministries International you know today.
