The Jewish Fall Feasts have begun, and we are a few days into the new Jewish New Year with hopes of a good year ahead. Whether you are a Jewish or non-Jewish Believer in Yeshua (Jesus), the themes of these Jewish holidays offer valuable opportunities to engage with the Lord and connect to the Jewish roots of your faith in Jesus.

To help make this season even more meaningful for you, we’ve put together a brief review of each holiday, along with links to additional resources to enrich your time with the Lord. We’ve also included prompts to encourage prayer for yourself, your family, the State of Israel, and Jewish people everywhere. May God bless you as you draw close to Him over these holy appointed days and other Jewish holidays.

High Holy Days

Today, we are between the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). The Hebrew calendar counts years from what Jewish sages have determined to be the date of Creation, and the evening of October 2, 2024, ushered in the new Jewish year of 5785. Jewish tradition teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, God declares our fates for the coming year and on Yom Kippur, He seals them.

Rosh Hashanah

Began at nightfall on October 2, 2024, and ended at nightfall on October 4

Rosh Hashanah greetings include wishing someone a “sweet and good year. The last 12 months have been rough, haven’t they? One year ago, Hamas invaded Israel and committed the worst massacre of Jewish lives since the Holocaust. The year has been filled with heartbreak, suffering, turmoil, war, and an explosion of worldwide antisemitism. This year especially, we could use the hope that the next 12 months will be better and sweeter than the last. To help you uncover some extra sweetness in your new year, check out our blog post “Searching for Sweetness.”

Praying for You and Your Family: Pray for the Lord to lead you into the fullness of His purposes for you in the coming year and that your life will grow sweeter and sweeter with the aroma of Messiah in you.

Praying for Israel: Pray that the past year’s tragedies and heartbreaks, along with the ongoing dangers from war and terrorism, will turn hearts to seek God and open up to the Good News of Messiah Jesus. Pray for Jewish Voice Partner Ministries in Israel who are meeting needs, building relationships and sharing the love of Jesus to hurting Israelis every day.

Praying for Jewish People Everywhere:  Pray for protection against antisemitism and that God would use the heightened antisemitic climate to turn Jewish hearts to Him.

The Days of Awe

Began at nightfall on October 2, 2024, and ends at nightfall on October 12

Jewish tradition teaches that the Days of Awe between the two High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur) provide our last opportunity to implore God to grant us a favorable sealing for the year ahead. During this time, Jewish hearts and minds focus intently on self-examination, repentance, making amends with others and pursuing a right standing with God. You can participate in a spiritual inventory exercise by joining us on Facebook or Instagram for daily reflection questions to deepen your walk with the Lord during the Days of Awe.

Praying for You and Your Family: Pray for an open and willing heart to hear the Lord during this time of letting Him speak into your life.

Praying for Israel: Pray that Israelis will press in toward the Lord, seeking His voice and His will for their lives. Pray that He speaks to them, drawing their hearts toward faith in Yeshua.

Praying for Jewish People Everywhere:  Pray for Jewish people throughout the world to hear the Lord calling them to repentance and rest, quietness and trust in Him (Isaiah 30:15).

Yom Kippur

Begins at nightfall on October 11, 2024, and ends at nightfall on October 12

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is the Day of Atonement when, in ancient times, the High Priest would take the blood of a sacrifice into the Temple’s Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of himself and Israel. Apart from this, today's emphasis is the same: repentance and seeking God’s forgiveness as we move forward into the following year. It is a day of solemn rest and “afflicting our souls” with fasting to focus on God, His holiness and lordship. To learn more about Yom Kippur, watch this episode of the “Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis” TV show. And for some powerful Yom Kippur Bible reading, head over to Hebrews chapters 7–10, which describes Yeshua as our High Priest.

Praying for You and Your Family: Pray for a fresh understanding of God’s holiness and the astounding gift of complete, once-and-for-all atonement of our sins through the sacrificed blood of Jesus the Messiah.

Praying for Israel: Pray that the longing in Israeli hearts for a good sealing for the coming year, especially after such a devastating year, will send them seeking the Lord with fresh hunger and perseverance.

Praying for Jewish People Everywhere:  As Jewish people worldwide fast and pray this day, uncertain of how the Lord receives them, pray that they will come to know the surest hope of all – the hope of eternal life in the Messiah.

Sukkot

Begins at nightfall on October 16, 2024, and ends at nightfall on October 23

Sukkot means “booths” or “tents,” and the seven-day festival in which God instructs that we build temporary structures and live in them during the week. Observance includes dining and entertaining in our sukkah (the singular of sukkot) and remembering God’s provision for and presence with our ancestors in the wilderness for 40 years, between leaving Egypt and finally entering the Promise Land. It is a pleasant time of enjoying the company of family, friends and, most of all, the Lord’s presence. To help you focus on Sukkot’s themes, download our daily Sukkot devotionals.

Praying for You and Your Family: Pray for the Lord to make you keenly aware of His presence and help you delight in His love for you. Thank Him for His indwelling Holy Spirit, who is with you always.

Praying for Israel: Pray that the significance of the sukkah will deeply touch Israelis with God’s presence and that they will press in nearer and nearer to meet with Him there as each day of the festival passes. Pray, as always, that those who do not know the Messiah will come to believe in Him.

Praying for Jewish People Everywhere:  Pray for Jewish people throughout the world to have the same powerful experience of God’s presence as they spend time in their sukkot. Pray that He would impress it on their hearts to take a bold new look at Yeshua regarding the Messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

Shemini Atzeret begins at nightfall on October 23, 2024, and ends at nightfall on October 24

Simchat Torah begins at nightfall on October 24, 2024, and ends at nightfall on October 25

Shemini Atzeret means “eighth gathering” and refers to the holy assembly the Lord commanded for the eighth day, immediately following Sukkot’s seven-day holiday. It is seen as an invitation to linger one more day in the Lord's presence after a joyous week. Psalm 16:11 tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy.

Simchat Torah is not one of the appointed times outlined in the Scriptures, but even so, it is a vivid and important Jewish holiday. Simchat Torah means “joy of the Torah.” It marks the end of the annual weekly Torah-reading cycle and is a day of utmost rejoicing in the gift of the Scriptures. For a deeper look at the gift of God’s Word, see Read, Reflect, Repeat.  

Last year, this day of great joy fell on a Shabbat – the Sabbath. As Jewish people anticipated a day of both rejuvenating rest and celebratory joy, Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack that turned it into a day of grief like none other since the Holocaust.

Praying for Israel: Pray that God will speak to Israelis, drawing them to Himself and their Messiah as they walk the line that now imprints Simchat Torah as a day of both greatest joy and greatest sorrow.

Praying for You and Your Family: Pray for the Lord to increase your awareness of His presence with you always and grow your hunger for His Word. May He give you increasing joy as you linger in His presence and press on to know Him more every day.

Praying for Jewish People Everywhere:  Pray for Jewish people the world over, in your country and your hometown. Pray that they will long for the fellowship of God like never before and will be drawn into His Word, particularly to Isaiah chapter 53, which foretells the Messiah in such a way that many Jewish people recognize sounds like Jesus.

May the year ahead be sweet for you and your family.

When the calendar rolls around to fall, we know that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is near. Our minds turn to taking a spiritual inventory before the Lord, pursuing repentance, seeking forgiveness and making amends. With Rosh Hashanah approaching next month, we want to draw attention to another of its traditional highlights: sweetness.

Apples and honey are iconic symbols of Rosh Hashanah, and the customary holiday greeting is “May you have a sweet new year.” Amid Israel’s war with Hamas and the approaching first anniversary of the October 7 massacre Israel endured, focusing on sweetness may feel almost inappropriate. However, amid so much instability, mourning and bitterness in the world, maybe you’re craving sweetness more than ever. The Lord is ready to give it.

Trying times can make it harder to identify sweet things. However, Philippians 4:8 invites us to set our minds on the good, pure and lovely. The darker the days, the more important this practice becomes to our spiritual health. We must intentionally search out the sweetness the Lord presents us each day. As we train our eyes to scout for His sweet offerings, we heighten our appreciation for His everyday gifts of health, relationships, beauty, His presence, and more.

Aside from these, the Bible tells us about some other sweet things. As we wish each other a sweet New Year this Rosh Hashanah, let’s plan to add these to our regular search for sweetness in the coming year.

1. The Knowledge of God is Sweet

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in [Messiah], and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

— 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB1995)

Have you ever walked into a home where someone was baking a sweet treat? As you breathe in the delicious fragrance, you think, “Mmm, what smells so good?” Our greatest gift is salvation in Yeshua (Jesus) and, through Him, the ability to know and be in fellowship with the God of Israel. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:14 that this knowledge of the Messiah has a sweet aroma.

If the sweetness of our knowing Messiah is evident to others, how much does it add to our own lives? Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8 that the value of knowing Yeshua surpassed everything else in his whole life.

The knowledge of God is sweet. Let’s press on to know Him more and more in the coming year, and may this sweetness fill our lives and be manifest to everyone around us.

2. God’s Word is Sweet

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

— Psalm 119:103

What’s the longest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 119 has 179 verses and, depending on the translation, just shy of 2,500 words. Its theme is the wonder, glory and benefit of God’s Word. Its author says the words of the Lord are sweeter than honey.

According to the psalmist, dipping our minds into God’s Word is like dipping a hand into a jar of honey and removing it with fingers dripping with sweetness to satisfy our hunger. Let’s commit to spending more time in the Scriptures in the coming year and discovering the sweetness of God’s words there.

3. Wisdom is Sweet

Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

— Proverbs 24:13–14

Israel’s King Solomon compared something else to the sweetness of honey: wisdom.

Wisdom is more than knowledge or understanding. Wisdom results when knowledge and experience combine to produce good judgment. The sweetness of wisdom lies in its ability to give us deeper insights than mere information might suggest. Wisdom divides the frivolous from the meaningful. It cuts through confusion and points forward to growth and wholeness.

If we lack wisdom, James 1:5 urges us to ask God for it because He will give it generously. In the months ahead, let’s rejoice in the wisdom God has given us and ask Him to grant us even more so that wisdom’s sweetness will abound in our lives.

4. The Decrees of the Lord are Sweet

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

— Psalm 19:9–11

We were each born with a sinful nature, and that makes us prone to resisting rules. So how is it that David was able to say in Psalm 19 that God’s decrees — His laws — are sweet?

God’s laws reveal His holiness, purity and goodness. Beholding the goodness of the Lord is sweet indeed. The Lord’s decrees serve as guardrails to keep our lives centered and on track. His will for our lives is conveyed in various “dos and don’ts” recorded throughout both Old and New Testaments. These help us keep our fellowship with Him clear and clean — where abundant sweetness in life lies.

Throughout this next year, let’s search for the sweetness of the Lord’s decrees. Let’s look for His character, holiness and goodness in the things He tells us in His Word to do and not do.

5. Gracious Words are Sweet

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

— Proverbs 16:24

The words we speak carry the power of life and death. So says Proverbs 18:21. They can lift up or tear down. With our tongue, Scripture says, we can help the weak stand and strengthen feeble hearts. Our speech can soothe and heal, turn away wrath, make a heart glad, praise the Lord, deliver knowledge, teach kindness, and proclaim God’s righteousness.* Scripture also reveals that the same tongue that produces sweet words can also attack, lie, curse, poison, plot destruction, work ruin, and crush the spirit.**

Gracious words — kind and pleasant words — are sweet to receive and sweet to give. We can’t control the words others speak to us. However, we can manage what we say.

Don’t we want to edify with our words?  With our speech, we can be soothers and healers, examples of kindness, ones who persuade with gentleness and point people to the praiseworthiness of God. What a privilege it is to possess the power to spread such sweetness in others’ lives.

In the year ahead, let’s commit to becoming speakers of sweet words and being more diligent in stewarding the quality of content we allow into our lives. Life will be sweeter all around if we will.

*See Job 4:4, Proverbs 15:4, Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 12:25, Psalm 66:17, Proverbs 15:2, Proverbs 31:26, and Psalm 51:14.

**See Jeremiah 18:18, Psalm 78:36, James 3:9, James 3:8, Psalm 52:2, and Proverbs 26:28.

6. Sweet Meditations

May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.

— Psalm 104:34 (NKJV)

God has shown us so much sweetness; how can we return some to Him? What is sweet to the Lord? Our meditations can be.

The word meditation in the Bible encompasses what fills our minds. That includes our thoughts, contemplations, ponderings, reflections, preoccupations and where our mind goes when we let it wander off.

We are the stewards of our thoughts. What we focus on will gain strength, and what we neglect will weaken. 2 Corinthians 10:15 says we have the power and responsibility to bring every thought captive into obedience to Messiah.

God sees our hearts and our thoughts. What kinds of meditations are we presenting to Him? Do sweet offerings flow from us to Him?

Let’s make intentional efforts to steward our thought life well in the next year, focusing on the good and lovely, holy and pure. That way, our minds and meditations will be sweet gifts to the Lord.

Preparing for a Sweet New Year

So, as you’re spending this month preparing your heart with the Lord for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, may you also ready yourself to receive a sweet New Year from Him through His bountiful gifts. May the coming year find your life dripping with the sweetness of wisdom, God’s Word, His decrees and the incredible aroma of knowing Him. May your meditations be sweet to Him in return, and may you receive and give an abundance of gracious words.

Gokwe, Zimbabwe, Medical Outreach

• 9,371 Patients Received Care
• 1,181 People Received Dental Care
• 2,676 Eyeglasses Distributed
• 200 Families Received LifeStraw® Water Filters
• 4,625 People Heard the Gospel
• 308 People Received Yeshua
• 231 People Requested Congregational Follow-up

It was an Outreach that almost didn’t happen — at least not in Gokwe, Zimbabwe. To tell the story, we have to look back to last year’s Gokwe Outreach, where, just after the Outreach began, permissions for out-of-country participants were revoked, and we had to leave everything in the hands of the Zimbabwean team. The Lord blessed the work conducted by our Zimbabwean team, and we were happy to receive permission to return to Gokwe this July.  Plans moved forward, but a week before the Outreach, it looked like the Gokwe trip wasn’t possible.

The Lord used a local person of influence to advocate for us, and the necessary final approvals came through at the very last moment.  While partners and staff traveled across the globe, our Africa logistics team completed a week’s worth of site set-up in three days. The Outreach went extremely well and served about 2,000 patients on just the first day — an unusually high first-day count for Zimbabwe.

Israeli Young Adults Minister in Gokwe

One highlight was the participation of dozens of young adults from Israel, many of whom had recently served in the Israel Defense Forces. It truly blessed us to watch these young Israeli Believers live their faith by ministering to thousands of Zimbabweans needing physical and spiritual care.

A Young Girl’s Healing

A young girl came to us with significant vision impairment, unable to see well enough to read anything. We were sad that we couldn’t help her. After her examination, she and her family went to the Spiritual Care Ministry. Team members prayed, and God healed her! We use the Scriptures on our vision tests in the field. When asked to read aloud from a card of Scriptures in successively smaller fonts, she read every last verse, including the tiniest one that some of the team had trouble reading, even with their glasses. Praise the Lord for His mighty works, making Himself known through signs and wonders!

You played a big part in this girl’s healing. Without you, we couldn’t have taken God’s love and Good News to Gokwe. Your gifts profoundly changed her life. Thank you!

Here’s a glimpse of other ways you changed lives in Gokwe, Zimbabwe, this summer. Thank you again for making such a mighty difference in so many lives.

Praying for Those Who Weep

Scripture says to mourn with those who mourn. On this anniversary of 9/11, we mourn with all those who lost someone or who were injured or highly impacted on that tragic day in 2001. When we pause to remember, the horror is still fresh. And despite all that has transpired since, terrorism continues to take lives, leaving broken bodies and families.

Today’s anniversary brings to mind the fresh tragedy and great losses that Israel is experiencing at this time at the hands of terrorists and terror organizations. As we approach the first anniversary of the October 7 kidnappings, tortures and killings in Israel by Hamas, we mourn with Israel. We mourn with those whose loved ones were victims that day and since.  We mourn with those who were injured and scarred in their bodies, minds or spirits. This includes first responders, recovery teams, and the IDF, who continue fighting this evil, many of whom have borne the loss of life and limb and undergone great trauma while courageously serving with valor. We grieve with the hostages still held by terrorists and for their families who wait, grieve and cling to hope.

Amid such heavy tragedy, it can be hard to know how to pray for the victims. Here are some ways we’re praying. Will you join us?

• Pray that the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Lord will be very real to all who mourn in Zion — the people of Israel, wherever they are
• Pray for safe, healing relationships and groups where mourners can remember their loved ones, be honest about their grief, and receive support and hope to move forward over time
• Pray for help for families dealing with the loss of a specific and beloved person and the hole their absence has left
• Pray for those who not only grieve deeply but who have also had their daily lives disrupted, which could include where they live, how they are making their livelihood and meeting their needs and those of their families — Lord, provide for them and surround them with resources and support
• As can be expected, the need for trauma care and grief recovery is immense in Israel. Pray for excellent, qualified counselors and trauma care specialists who will effectively point hurting people toward healing and toward God
• It has been said that the whole nation of Israel is in a state of mourning in one way or another, experiencing various forms of trauma right now. Please lift them up to the Lord
• However Jewish people choose to observe the Fall High Holidays this year, may the Lord meet them in powerful and personal ways. May these holy days be a catalyst for personal and corporate healing for Jewish people everywhere as they draw near to God

Let’s Pray

Lord, help us to truly mourn with those who mourn. Help us not forget to pray for Your people and for all of Israel. The well of grief is so deep and its waters so bitter, only You and You alone can meet with and minister to Your people at this time. Oh, Lord, comfort and heal Your people, and protect and vindicate them as they mourn. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

Reaching New Locations in Zambia

Would you pray with us? Your prayers matter.

The Lord has opened a door for us in Zambia, and we’re about to go through it for the third time. We are headed to Chiwena, which is a new location for us in that country. Our Medical Outreach trip will be August 29–September 8. We’re excited to minister to the many Lemba Jewish people there and their neighbor

Your prayers really do matter. We know the Lord alone can make this Outreach effective. Please pave the way for us through prayer. Here's how:

• Follow along day by day using these detailed Prayer Points to pray for this upcoming Medical Outreach

• You can commit to a specific time slot to pray for us from home during the Outreach. SIGN UP HERE on our Prayer Schedule, referring to the dates below.

Please pray for us on this Jewish Voice Ministries Chiwena, Zambia, Medical Outreach.

Preparing for the Outreach

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

— Isaiah 40:3 NKJV

Wednesday, August 21 – Wednesday, August 28

• All preparations – such as visas, medical supplies, site readiness, team unity and community relationships – to come together and be fully in place in good time
• All our improvements to the local rural clinic to be ready to receive patients during our Medical Outreach  
• Protection, health, safety and favor as our team and partners prepare and travel
• The Lord to prepare people’s hearts and the spiritual atmosphere in Chiwena, causing spiritual forces of darkness to flee and making way for the King of Glory to come with salvation, healing and deliverance

Travel and Team Readiness

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

— Psalm 121:8

Thursday, August 29

• Safe travels and arrivals in the air and on land for people — and their luggage
• Fellowship and unity among staff and volunteers to begin right away and last all week
• Physical health and spiritual preparation for all participants

Friday, August 30

• A wonderful Erev Shabbat meal and service at the local Messianic congregation
• Easy adaptation to new food, new environments, and a new time zone
• Stamina, health and strength for our small team of medical personnel and partners, as well as for our JVMI staff members

Saturday, August 31

• Efficient Clinic set-up and a strategic plan for patient flow through the Outreach Clinic area
• Effective orientation for medical and dental professionals and all Outreach partners
• Training for specialty areas, including Zehra Kids, the water training program and the Spiritual Care Ministry

During the Outreach

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”

— Luke 4:18

Sunday, September 1

• God’s help in hiring trustworthy local workers and that they would receive Yeshua (Jesus)
• An excellent start to the Zehra Kids Program and for it to continue strong throughout the week
• A timely and wonderful opening to the Clinic, with many coming right from the beginning to receive care

Monday, September 2

• The Lord to bring our team wisdom, favor, discernment and protection regarding any local or unique factors regarding this location, conditions or timeframe
• Our Spiritual Care Manager and the local Believers to partner beautifully in providing prayer, ministry and words of life through the power of the Holy Spirit
• Spiritual freedom for anyone under the influence of witchcraft or false religion

Tuesday, September 3

• The water training program as it brings clean water as well as the Good News of Living Water in Jesus
• Encouragement and fresh energy for everyone serving, renewed by intimacy with the Lord, the daily prayer times and the mid-week worship service
• Miracles, signs and wonders that will confirm the Word of God
• Healing through effective medical and dental care and also through God’s supernatural intervention as a testimony of His power and love

Wednesday, September 4

• The Lord to work in the hearts of the Lemba Jewish people, helping them know both their identity and Yeshua’s
• Our presence in Chiwena to confirm to the Lemba that the Lord loves and desires to bless them
• The local Christian community to gain an appreciation and greater understanding of God’s love and purposes for the Jewish people, especially the Lemba in their region

Thursday, September 5

• The Lord to move powerfully through the Gospel and the ministry of the Holy Spirit
• The ability to see as many patients as possible on the last day of the Clinic
• A safe tear-down and peaceful payment of local workers once the Clinic closes

After the Outreach

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of [Messiah] Jesus.

— Philippians 1:4–6

Friday, September 6

• An evening of praises and testimonies during Shabbat dinner together
• Each person to sense the Lord saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
• The ability to truly rest and be restored after a week of ministry and service

Saturday, September 7 – Sunday, September 8 and beyond

• Safe travels home and a special outpouring of grace on everyone who served by honoring the Lord and loving the Chiwena community through this Outreach  
• Effective and timely follow-up to all who want to hear more about Jesus
• The Lord to continue establishing His Kingdom in Zimbabwe and developing healthy congregations
• The Lord to continue working in the Mumbwa region, bringing a great movement of His Holy Spirit among these dear people

Let’s Pray

Lord, our hearts’ desire is to reach even more Lemba Jewish people during the Chiwena Medical Clinic than we reached in the past two Clinics. Please prepare the region and the people’s hearts for Your Good News to have maximum impact. May You use us to facilitate not only the healing of bodies but also the healing of hearts and minds through salvation and deliverance. May everything we do be done in love and by the power of Your Spirit. We trust in You and thank You for this opportunity. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

Because we want every Jewish person to know that God’s plan for them includes Jesus the Messiah, we have developed a long-term ministry journey toward reaching the Lost Tribes of Israel with this Good News.

Showing Jesus’ love by meeting physical needs is a significant part of Jewish Voice’s work, but it’s only a portion of an eight-step ministry model to reach the Lost Tribes of Israel with the Gospel. Jewish Voice is committed to long-term ministry in the areas we serve. Coming alongside indigenous Messianic congregations, we help establish lasting fruit and foster thriving locally-led congregations of Messianic Jewish Believers.

The first step is learning about communities claiming Jewish origins.

1. Learn of a Community

Jewish people live all over the world, and we want to reach them all. Members of the Lost Tribes of Israel live in remote, sometimes isolated villages in surprising places, and more and more are becoming known. We learn about them through our own research, or communities may contact us directly. Some communities reach out to a Messianic Jewish congregation we partner with in their country, or another ministry may contact us with a discovery they’ve made. In these ways, we have learned about potential Jewish communities in South Africa, India, Central Asia, the remote Pacific Islands and beyond.

2. Explore and Validate

Second, we research, inquire, and meet with community leaders to establish relationships with leaders and learn their oral history, traditions, religious practices and other factors. These help us verify the validity of their claim to be from the Lost Tribes of Israel. Once we validate their claim, we engage with the community in the next step.

3. Discover a Critical Need

It’s often difficult for someone to focus on their spiritual needs if they live with desperate physical needs. Once we’ve confirmed an unreached people group’s Jewish heritage, we continue conversations with village elders and other indigenous Messianic Jewish congregational leaders to discover the most pressing needs. From there, we create a plan to meet that need.

4. Meet the Need

The most critical need could be anything from clean water to medical care and more. We serve all who come to us, Jewish or non-Jewish, but what brings us there is the Jewish community.

We conduct week-long Medical Outreaches, provide clean drinking water through portable family and community-sized water filters, dig wells and more. The greatest, most compassionate gift we can give is the Good News.  Jewish Voice Outreaches meet vital physical needs, people see God’s love for them and their hearts open to hear about Jesus the Messiah. Alongside the practical aid, we bring a Spiritual Care Ministry that enables people to receive prayer and hear the Gospel. Many people have prayed to accept Jesus as the Messiah through these Outreaches.

5. Plant a Local Faith Community

Each Outreach produces the fruit of new Believers who need a place where their faith can grow. For this, we rely on the invaluable help of existing Messianic congregations in the country. These leaders follow up with new Believers and those who told us they wanted to learn more. They sometimes travel far from their own cities to make home visits and lead small Bible study groups toward forming a congregation. We work closely with the leaders of these congregations through every phase of our ministry in their countries.

6. Equip Indigenous Leaders

Together with indigenous congregational leaders, we identify local Believers within these new communities who have leadership potential. We then provide them with training in the Bible, discipleship and leadership so they, in turn, can reach their own Jewish communities and plant additional healthy congregations.

7. Release Indigenous Messianic Jewish Ministry

As leaders mature and congregations grow, they reach out to their communities with a much more significant impact than we, as outsiders, can. Releasing indigenous ministry is always the end goal of cross-cultural congregation planting. Indigenous leaders are best equipped to minister in a nation because they know the people, culture and environment. We continue providing training and financial support to assist them in pursuing national congregational networks and self-sufficiency.

8. Connect

Lastly, as an indigenous ministry is released into independence, our role is to connect them with the larger worldwide Messianic Jewish and Gentile believing body, helping them take their place as essential members of the unified body of Messiah.

You can see that Jewish Voice has a long-term vision for ministry to the Lost Tribes of Israel. We are so grateful to provide humanitarian relief for communities in need, but we can’t stop there. We recognize that the most vital matter is making Yeshua (Jesus) known and giving Jewish people the opportunity to accept Him. And we will go to the ends of the Earth to find the unreached Jewish communities with this life-giving news that the Messiah they’ve waited for has come.

God Used You to Change the Conversation in Northern Ethiopia

• 8,747 Patients Received Care
• 761 People Received Dental Care
• 1,925 Eyeglasses Distributed
• 107 Eye Surgeries Performed
• 84 Minor Surgeries Performed
• 9 Babies Delivered at the Clinic
• 200 Families Received LifeStraw® Water Filters
• 14 People Received Yeshua
• 120 People Requested Congregational Follow-up

The people in northern Ethiopia have endured much trauma in recent years. At the beginning of our Clinic week, all anyone could talk about was how hard the last few years have been, what it was like and what they endured. However, by the end of the week, the conversation had changed. The region recently went through years of civil war where hardship, violence and fear dominated daily life.

Hope was returning to their voices. They marveled that people would come from across the world to help them. They were amazed at how we transformed a humble, ill-equipped clinic building into an enormous Clinic event. They were thrilled to receive the medical, dental and eye care they needed and that thousands received such care.

This Outreach shifted the focus of an entire community. You sent us there, and God used you to change the conversation from difficulty and despair to healing and hope. Thank you!

Our Spiritual Care Ministry for this Outreach was located across the street from the Clinic entrance, where Messianic Jewish leaders from Ethiopian congregations met with people seeking guidance and prayer. One day, they ministered to four busloads of particular groups we brought to the clinic. These busses transported members of the local Jewish village, men and women from area prisons, and women from a safe house for survivors of sexual abuse. Much more ministry took place with these groups than perhaps could have happened if the prayer room had been onsite.

Because of this different setup, we couldn’t collect some of the statistics you may be familiar with. But we know you’ll be praying nonetheless for the people touched by the Gospel and God’s love for them through this Outreach in northern Ethiopia.

Again, you made this entire Outreach possible through your gifts to Jewish Voice. Because of you, lives have changed. Take a look at the numbers below, remembering that each one is a life you touched. (And note the nine babies brought into the world. One was born just minutes after the mother arrived and got situated in an examination room.)

Thank you again for making such a difference.

Cultivating Seeds

One of the most wonderful things we partner with you in doing is having fun with kids while simultaneously affirming their Jewish identity and sharing with them the Good News of Yeshua (Jesus).

We do this through the Zehra Kid’s Program. If you have been a partner with Jewish Voice Ministries for some time, you’ve seen the photos: happy children playing with hula hoops and soccer balls on a playground, singing, learning, and coloring under the Zehra sign and brightly decorated canopies.

This is such a significant aspect of our Outreaches. The children have meaningful experiences onsite at our Medical Clinics. We also reach out to them during special school visits, interacting with hundreds of children in a short time.

The name Zehra comes from the Hebrew word for “seed.” This program, along with the newly developed Nehemiah Teen program, Shabbat school materials and other resources and initiatives, truly plant seeds of love, joy, truth, and identity.

Will you help cultivate these seeds in the lives of these beautiful children and teens — through your prayers? Here are some points our Zehra Program Manager asks us to please pray for:

• The Zehra children’s program during our Medical Outreaches to be well situated and staffed, and to impact not only the kids who visit, but their families and friends as they go home and share the songs, lessons, and coloring pages
• School visits, where our Zehra Program leader and others can impact hundreds of children in one short visit
• The new and very well-received Nehemiah Program, specifically designed for Jewish teens and their friends in our Outreach communities
• Anointing and excellence in developing and facilitating Zehra Leadership Trainings for indigenous leaders
• Life-impacting times of service for the young adults who minister by helping facilitate the programs
• The Lord’s help and favor for some significant resource projects designed to speak straight to the heart and identity of children from some of our key communities

Some more areas for prayer include:

• Community Impact: Pray that Zehra may have a positive and lasting impact on the communities we reach out to, bringing hope, joy, and transformation to children, teens, and families
• Spiritual Growth: Pray for the spiritual growth of the children and teens, that they may come to know and love God deeply, understand His Word, and grow in their faith & godly identity
• Volunteers and Leaders: Pray for wisdom, strength, and guidance for all volunteers and leaders involved in the ministry so that they may serve with love, patience, and humility
• Outreach and Impact: Pray that the ministry will effectively reach out to even more in the community and that the love of Messiah will be evident through the ministry's activities and interactions
• Open Hearts and Minds: Pray that the children and teens will be opened to receive God's love and truth and receptive to the messages shared

Let’s Pray

Lord, we know that, because of You, there is hope for the seed. May You use the Zehra Program in all its aspects to deeply impact the lives of many, many children and teens, as well as their families, friends and communities. May the kids learn life lessons that will help them know and love You, understand Your love and blessings for them, and step into the identity and calling You have for each one. Thank You for all You have done and will do as we water the Zehra program “seeds” with our prayers! In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.