“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

In the midst of the difficulties we’ve experienced in the U.S. already this year, I wish you peace – the peace of God that transcends all understanding.

I want to start right off by encouraging you to pray for peace. Peace in your own heart and peace in our nation.

As Believers we know that no matter what is going on in our country and our world, when we seek the Lord, He guards our hearts and our minds. He gives us His peace.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll read about in this week’s email:

Israel’s president is seeing last week’s attack at the U.S. Capitol as a wake-up call for his country and is calling for citizens to not only adhere to the latest lockdown regulations, but to come together despite their differences and protect their democracy.

Israel is still on a record-setting pace with its coronavirus vaccination campaign. And thanks to a new agreement with Pfizer to supply more vaccines more quickly, the prime minister has made a promise to have everyone vaccinated by Passover in late March.

You’ll also read encouraging updates regarding Abraham Accord countries. Thank you for caring about and praying for Israel and her people.

After Situation at U.S. Capitol, Israeli President Urges Citizens to Protect Their Democracy

In response to last week’s violence and arrests at the U.S. Capitol, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin called on Israelis to not fall victim to internal divisions.

“Over recent years, with all of the election campaigns that we have had, and the painful questions that have been on the Israeli public agenda, the distance between us has grown perhaps greater than ever. But we must ensure that even if the gaps are deep, our democracy will protect us as a people, as a society and as a state,” he said.

“The pictures of the disturbances from Capitol Hill are shocking. They remind us all that democracy, even when it is strong and deeply rooted, is not to be taken for granted,” Rivlin said.

“I call on all public leaders — in all towns, from all segments of society, political leaders and spiritual leaders, mayors, heads of civil society organizations — please do your duty and stop the threat of anarchy. The lockdown, with all its restrictions as decided by the government, applies to us all,” he said.

The lockdown began again last Friday with existing restrictions tightened and enforced and schools and nonessential businesses closed for two weeks, in accordance with a vote by cabinet ministers on Tuesday night, according to The Times of Israel.

In a video released to the public, Rivlin explained the reason for the new restrictions: “We are going into lockdown because the coronavirus wards and the hospital ICUs are close to overload. We are going into lockdown to protect our children. We, all of us and without exceptions, must follow its rules. All segments of society: Jews and Arabs, secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox.”

Rivlin hailed the success of the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in Israel as a way for the country to get back to more normal times.

“There will be better days. We have gone through bad times in the past and overcome them. The effect of the vaccine is close at hand, and we will return to normality. Until then, we must be patient and disciplined, and do everything we can to minimize infection. God bless you all, my dear ones,” Rivlin said.

Netanyahu Promises Israel Will Have Enough Vaccines to Beat COVID-19 by End of March

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that Israel will be the first country in the world to vaccinate all of its citizens over the age of 16. He also said it will be done by the end of March, reported The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu said Pfizer has agreed to send millions of additional doses to Israel. The Health Ministry announced it had signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company to advance vaccine shipments that were not slated to arrive for another month.

Israel will serve as a “model country” for Pfizer, offering statistical data on the vaccine’s effectiveness, Netanyahu said. By sharing its data on the vaccine’s effectiveness, Israel would assist in the formulation of a “global strategy” to beat the pandemic.

The prime minister said this “model country” status was possible because of the success of Israel’s vaccination drive to date, enabled by the country’s superb healthcare service.

As of early this week, Israel had vaccinated nearly 1,900,000 people as reported by Israel’s Health Ministry, according to The Jerusalem Post. A recent Our World Data report said the country is leading the world in vaccinations.

“On the next Passover Eve, if there are no surprises, Israelis will be able to celebrate with their extended families,” Netanyahu said. Passover eve is on March 27 this year.

Abraham Accords Signed by Sudan With U.s., Paving the Way to Normalize Ties With Israel

Last week, Sudan’s Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari signed the Abraham Accords with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The agreement indicates Sudan’s intention to move forward with normalization. It did not officially establish diplomatic ties between Sudan and Israel, but that is expected to happen in the near future.

The deals are called the Abraham Accords after the biblical patriarch who is revered by both Jews and Muslims.

Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, The Times of Israel reported. The county is now ruled by a joint military and civilian government that desire improved ties with Washington and the West.

In December, the Trump administration finalized the removal of Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. This move was a key incentive for the Sudanese government to normalize relations with Israel.

Israel Appoints Former Ambassador to Reopen Liaison Office in Morocco

Earlier this month, in a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI said the opening of embassies would be the “natural next step” of the peace process, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel were re-established in December within the framework of the Abraham Accords.

So far, Israel and Morocco have only committed to reopening the liaison offices. On Monday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced that former ambassador to Egypt, David Govrin, will head to Morocco in the coming weeks to reopen Israel’s liaison office in Rabat, the capital city. Govrin will serve as Israel’s temporary charge d’affaires in Morocco.

Diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco were first forged in 1994. The two countries had unofficial relations decades before that. Morocco broke ties with Israel for political reasons. Now the countries plan to move toward full diplomatic relations.

Let Us Pray Together

Please pray with me for:

• Wisdom for the leaders and people of the U.S. during this time of transition and also for the leaders and people of Israel during this latest pandemic lockdown and as the country moves toward another election
• Continued progress between Israel and the countries that have signed the Abraham Accords to normalize diplomatic ties
• Continued success in rolling out the coronavirus vaccine across Israel and its effectiveness in combatting the virus
• Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah – the only true source of peace in our world

The new year is upon us! After all we have experienced in 2020, I imagine you might feel like me – thankful for a fresh start.

I believe because of everything that took place this past year – from the coronavirus pandemic to political turmoil to numerous natural disasters and more – 2021 will be a crucial year of ministry. God is using all of these challenges to open the hearts and minds of many, including Jewish people in Israel and around the world.

That’s why we need you now more than ever!

God has put a massive vision for 2021 and beyond onto our hearts and as we lean into His will we need the consistent prayers and support of friends exactly like you. God will meet our every need in the year ahead. I have no doubt.

I’m asking you to stand with us again as we launch a new year of ministry.

Your partnership tells me you care deeply about the Jewish people. You share our vision “to transform lives and see all Israel saved.” You give and pray to make this a reality and I’m so thankful for you.

Please consider starting out 2021 with a generous gift today.

When you do, your gift will be put to work immediately to support, provide care and transform the lives of Jewish people through six key ministry initiatives:

Sharing the Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah

The heart of Jewish Voice Ministries is to introduce people – especially Jewish people – to a saving knowledge of Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah and Savior because it’s the “power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16 NIV).

We do this in many ways – including our Outreaches in Africa and supporting Holocaust survivors and other vulnerable populations in Israel. But we also share the Gospel through television and other media and as a key part of all Jewish Voice Outreach programs.

Your support helps make it all possible!

Ministering to the “Lost Tribes of Israel”

Communities of Jewish descendants are living in remote areas of the world – including in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. That’s why we have been conducting Medical Outreaches to this part of the world for the past 21 years.

These Lost Tribes suffer terrible isolation and poverty and in some areas are relentlessly persecuted by their neighbors. We’re committed to providing physical and spiritual care to these groups of Jewish people – including bringing clean water, plus medical, dental and eye care – as practical expressions of God’s love. At each Outreach we also have a prayer and counseling area and over the years have seen God perform miraculous healings of both body and spirit, including thousands of Jewish people coming to faith in their Messiah, Jesus!

In addition, during our more than 20 years of ministry in Africa, we have helped plant 167 Messianic congregations that are locally led and making a significant difference in their communities. We also provide training and discipleship for the local leaders.

Despite the need to adapt because of the pandemic, life-changing ministry still happened throughout 2020 and will continue in 2021. With your support, we are able to come alongside the Messianic congregations to meet physical and spiritual needs of Jewish people and their neighbors.

Your support fuels all of these life-saving, life-changing efforts!

Caring for Holocaust survivors in Israel

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent nationwide lockdowns in Israel mean Holocaust survivors face even greater needs.

Many have no family living or close by to assist them. They often live alone, trying to survive on very little money. And they are dealing with critical physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

Your support allows us to partner with local Messianic ministries to provide much-needed dental and vision care for Holocaust survivors and establish relationships with them. We want to let them know how much we care and share the Good News about their Messiah, Jesus.

We support more than 80 ministries and congregations in Israel that are run by local Jewish Believers. That means, with your help, we’re not only ministering to Holocaust survivors, but we’re also able to assist other vulnerable populations in Israel who are struggling with even basic necessities – including widows, orphans, recent immigrants and single mothers.

Standing in support of Israel

For 2,700 years, Jewish people have suffered the most enduring persecution in history. Anti-Semitism is still widespread – we’ve seen recent incidents in the news in the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. Not to mention ongoing threats and hostility against the Nation of Israel.

Your support enables Jewish Voice to speak against the evil of anti-Semitism wherever it occurs. And whenever possible, we offer encouragement and practical help to Jewish people suffering isolation and persecution.

Please stand with us in support of the Nation of Israel and encourage others to pray for Israel and for Jerusalem. We believe the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and an important landmark leading to the return of Jesus and the establishment of God’s eternal Kingdom.

But it simply isn’t possible without your partnership!

Teaching the Jewish roots of Christianity

God called Abraham and promised that his descendants would be God’s Chosen People and a blessing to all the nations of the world. He kept His promise by sending His Son, Jesus, to be born and live as a Jewish man.

But many Christians today don’t recognize the extent to which their Christian faith is built on a Jewish biblical worldview.

Through your support, you’ll serve Christians through teaching about the Jewish roots of their faith, the Church’s responsibility to Israel and the Jewish people and how to share the Good News of the Messiah with Jewish people.

Reaching people with our media and ministry resources

Millions of people are reached each year by Jewish Voice media and ministry resources. Our flagship television program – Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis – and other television specials reach hundreds of thousands with inspirational messages.

Your support also helps Jewish Voice produce a range of quality products to inform and inspire, including books, CDs, DVDs and online media resources.

Our new online magazine teaches the Jewish roots of Christianity. It also keeps readers informed on our activities and issues such as current events in Israel and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

And just a few months ago, we launched our new podcast A Jew & A Gentile Discuss, bringing a biblical viewpoint to life, faith and current events from different perspectives.

With your gift today, you’ll help support all six of these key ministry initiatives to care for the needs of Jewish people worldwide.

I believe, after what we’ve all experienced in 2020, this new year has the potential to be our greatest year yet for reaching Jewish people with the hope of Jesus, their Messiah!

In particular, the challenges brought on by the coronavirus have created an openness to the Gospel unlike anything we’ve seen in decades. That’s why it’s so important to hear from you soon – for the sake of the Jewish people, who I know you care deeply about.

Thank you for your partnership. And God bless you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

As we leave behind a tremendously difficult year, we look to 2021 with expectation and hope. While 2021 hasn't gotten off to the best start in the U.S., we know that as we move into this new year, we take God’s promises with us – He has a hope and a future for each one of us!

I am encouraged that coronavirus vaccines are being rolled out around the world, and that Israel is vaccinating people in record-breaking numbers. More than 10% of the population have already received the first dose! In addition, earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened with government leaders to discuss new lockdown steps in conjunction with the vaccination campaign to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

In other news, Israel’s leaders failed to pass a state budget and that means another election this March. New political parties are rising up in response.

And, in an unexpected turn, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is collaborating with Israel to eliminate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The UAE had previously funded the UNRWA.

Read more about these news stories right here. And, as always, we treasure your support of Israel and prayers for her people.

Israel Faces Fourth Election in Two Years After Government Is Dissolved

On December 21, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White party, failed to pass the state budget. This means the Israeli Knesset (their Parliament) was automatically dissolved on December 23, the Middle East Monitor reported.

The deadline for budget approval was August 25, 2020 – 100 days after the government was formed. But it was postponed four months.

Netanyahu wanted a budget for year 2020, while Gantz wanted a two-year budget covering both 2020 and 2021 – which was agreed upon during negotiations between the two when they formed a coalition government in May 2020.

The May agreement came after three elections within a year produced a stalemate – Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most votes, but not enough parliamentary seats to form a coalition. Polls are currently projecting a similar deadlock, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The result of the dissolution is Israel will face a fourth election in less than two years. It is set to be held on March 23, 2021.

New Center-Left Party “the Israelis” Launches

Last week, Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, announced a new center-left political party, The Israelis, to run in the election in March. He has recruited Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn as his second-in-command.

Huldai said he can’t “stand idly by” as Israel is led by a government that he said has eroded the country’s core values and threatens its democracy, according to The Times of Israel.

“We have grown accustomed to a crazy government. I will no longer stand idly by, I am here to announce a new party,” he said. Huldai also recounted his history as an Israel Defense Forces fighter pilot and an educator. He has been the mayor of Tel Aviv for the past 22 years.

“We can stop with the despair. I’m doing this for my children, and mainly for my grandchildren. Israel can and must be run differently,” Huldai said, declaring himself as the true alternative to Netanyahu.

Huldai’s party joins a crowded field of parties seeking the center-left vote.

Israel Passes One Million Vaccinations Mark in Effort to Vanquish Pandemic

Last Friday, Israel vaccinated the one millionth citizen against the coronavirus. That means more than a tenth of the country’s population have received the first of two doses, reported The Times of Israel.

“We are breaking all of the records. We brought millions of vaccines to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. We are ahead of the entire world…”

Israel has far outpaced other countries with 11.55% of the population inoculated. The UK is at 1.39%, the U.S. at .84% and the world average is .13%, according to statistics from the Our World in Data website operated by Oxford University.

The Jewish State is currently in its third nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus.

Israel began vaccinations on December 20, focusing on healthcare workers and then the over 60 and at-risk populations.

Israel and the UAE Working Together to Eliminate UNRWA

Israel and the UAE are collaborating to get rid of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), reported the French newspaper Le Monde.

Emirati officials are considering a plan to gradually eliminate UNRWA without making this development conditional on a resolution of the refugee problem, according to the report.

“In doing so, Abu Dhabi would be rallying to a long-standing demand from Israel, which insists that the agency is obstructing peace by nurturing refugees in the dream of returning to the lands from which their parents were driven in 1948,” a tweet of a portion of the report said.

UNRWA was established 70 years ago to supply aid to Palestinian refugees and its mandate is renewed every three years.

In 2018 and 2019 the UAE, along with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were a major source of funding to UNRWA to offset the halting of funds by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Let Us Pray Together

Please pray with me for:

• Wisdom for the leaders and people of Israel as the country faces another election this spring

• Continued cooperation between Israel and the UAE

• Protection for the people of Israel – another pandemic lockdown is being considered

• Continued success in rolling out the coronavirus vaccine across Israel

• Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah

“She’s not my daughter; she’s an orphan. Will you take her?” Clara’s mother lied to the Catholic priest overseeing an orphanage. She also pretended she and the three-year-old girl weren’t Jewish. The priest, already looking after 12 Jewish children, had compassion and took Clara in. Her mother continued the pretense of being Catholic to work at the orphanage and be near her.

Sometime later, the Gestapo came looking for Jewish children. They killed the priest, and Clara ran into the restroom and locked the door. But the men had dogs who sniffed her out. They pounded on the door, shouting at the small girl behind it, “Get out! We know you are Jewish!” When they seized her, they pulled her by the hair to a car where she saw the other Jewish children.

When Clara’s mother learned the children were taken, she confessed to being Jewish so they would take her too. Only her persistence convinced them, and she joined her daughter at the Sered labor camp. What came next, however, was the most traumatic for little Clara.

The Transportation

At Sered, soldiers herded Clara and her mother into a railway car for cattle. They jammed so many people in ­that not a single person could sit down. Old, young, sick, they all stood – for a journey lasting four to five days. Clara recalls the unbearable smell. People died standing up. When the train arrived at Theresienstadt, the doors opened, and people, both alive and dead, fell out together.

Theresienstadt was a ghetto-labor camp and a way-station for Jewish people being deported to other camps and killing centers. It also served as a grand Nazi deception, a propaganda weapon. It was described as a lovely community where elderly Jewish people could retire safely. Due to outside pressure, the Germans allowed the Red Cross to visit a carefully staged Theresienstadt.

Nazi Deception

In preparation for the tour, Nazis reduced the camp’s population to a more comfortable size by stepping up deportations. They renovated barracks, planted gardens and then put on social and cultural events for the visiting officials. Afterward, life in the camp returned to its horrible normal. Food was scarce, and many children were among those who died of respiratory and other illnesses.

Haunting Memories

Clara remembers the gunshots she heard day and night at Theresienstadt. Executions, sickness and deportations thinned the camp population. Then new trainloads of Jewish people arrived, and the cycle repeated. Clara remembers another sound, too – SS troops laughing and enjoying themselves as they watched entertainment shows in the evenings.

How could such callous cruelty come to be?

Anti-Semitism, simply put, is racism or religious discrimination toward Jewish people, and it has been around for centuries. It has spurred forced religious conversions, expulsions from countries, violence, cruelty and murder. The same prejudice that escalated into the Holocaust still exists today. Each year, people unleash it on Jewish synagogues, cemeteries, businesses and people through vandalism and violent attacks. Anti-Semitism is a hatred that has gone on entirely too long.

Never Forget

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s a day to honor the six million Jewish people who died in the Holocaust and those who survived it. It’s a day to remember how far anti-Semitism can go and an opportunity to speak out against it.

Clara was in her eighties when she told her story to one of Jewish Voice’s partner ministries in Israel. She vividly remembered the fears she felt during the Holocaust: fear of the Gestapo, separation from her mom and being alone. Her capture led to a lifelong fear of dogs. And she still doesn’t like being alone – because that’s when fears threaten to overtake her.

Clara volunteers at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial center. She also receives visits from a JVMI partner ministry and attends their weekly Bible study. She doesn’t know Jesus yet, but she enjoys the atmosphere there and likes learning the Bible.

Remember Clara

This January 27, remember Clara and others who survived the Shoah, the Hebrew word meaning “the catastrophe,” and pray for them. So many of them continue to endure consequences of the trauma they experienced as children.

Many Holocaust survivors often must choose between groceries and medications or heat in the winter. 25 percent of the survivors in Israel live below the poverty line, suffering still. Jewish Voice’s Israel partners provide relief to elderly Holocaust survivors facing financial hardship, dental needs and loneliness. They show the love of Jesus to them and let them know that God has not forgotten them.

We’ve come to our last “Prayer Points” for 2020, and we are ending the year with some wonderful praises. After having to cancel or postpone several Outreaches and congregational trips in 2020, we were finally able to visit both Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in the last months of the year. What a blessing it was to minister in person!

Please join us in these celebrations and ongoing prayer requests:

Medical Clinic in Dawro, Ethiopia

• This small Medical Clinic was like a family reunion as our U.S. Global Outreach staff members joined our Addis Ababa staff and Ethiopian medical professionals to spend some quality time in fellowship
• We held corporate worship each morning, and it was the first time since 2016 that we were able to pray together on Medical Clinic grounds
• Local officials and residents greeted our arriving team with a parade and sent us off with one as well, giving us a hearty welcome and a grateful farewell
• The team served 8,232 patients, including some local prisoners, and some received eternal freedom in Yeshua (Jesus)
• There is more work to be done in Dawro, but we know the Lord made a lasting impact through this Outreach
• PLEASE PRAY that the fruit of our time there will remain and grow and for the Lord’s direction regarding possible future ministry in Dawro

Ministry Trip in Zimbabwe

• A team of two JVMI staff along with several congregational and local leaders visited five different regions in Zimbabwe
• At each stop, they brought blessing ministry and practical aid
• We saw the Lord work everywhere we went as we ministered to individuals, small groups, and even larger groups gathered safely outdoors
• 75 Jewish people came to faith in Jesus as Messiah
• PLEASE PRAY for these new Believers and also that we would have favor with governmental authorities and direction for next steps

Congregation and Leadership Development Trip

• We had a significant time of preaching in both Ethiopia and Zimbabwe to a great and grateful response
• We shared an emotional but redemptive time with those who are walking through a season of loss
• In Zimbabwe, the pastor of our host church led a powerful time of blessing, praying for and recognizing Lemba Senior Leaders in front of his congregation
• All the leadership meetings we held with the various congregations and groups in both countries were some of the best we have had in recent years
• We were encouraged by the ways these congregational leaders have met the numerous challenges of 2020
• PLEASE PRAY for each group we partner with in both nations as they seek to grow amid ongoing COVID restrictions and the uncertainty of 2021. PRAY ALSO regarding an economic decline in Zimbabwe and civil unrest and war in Ethiopia
• PRAY ALSO for the strengthening of the Messianic leaders there, some of whom are in new roles

Let’s pray:

Lord, may we each enter 2021 with thanksgiving and praise and renewed dependence and expectation. You have enlarged our faith and stretched our capacity to trust. May You continue to lead and grow us to follow You wherever Your Spirit leads, saying “not my will, but Yours be done.” In Jesus’ name, AMEN!