JEWISH VOICE BLOG

December 14, 2018

Memorial Service December 14, 2018 I want to begin by apologizing to all my friends, co-workers and esteemed leaders for not being there in person for such an important gathering….but due to health reasons, I was not able to make the long journey. I’ve asked our dear brother Ezra to officially represent me as well as our Jewish Voice U.S. leadership and staff. Gerald was my dear friend and I, like all of you, feel a great sense of loss. From the day we first met here in Addis Ababa over...

December 14, 2018

You will come from your place in the far north... You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. - Ezekiel 38:15-16 While the world focused on Hamas’ antics along Israel’s southern border with Gaza for the last few years, Israel has listened and watched as a different enemy has encroached on its northern border. The terror group Hezbollah calls itself the Party of God and claims that its Iranian-trained “resistance” forces – which outnumber the Lebanese mi...

December 10, 2018

It is with great sadness tempered with grace and hope that we share with you this report. At about 5pm Sunday, December 9, Ethiopian time, our beloved brother, Gerald Gotzen went home to be with the Lord. He was in Ethiopia returning to Addis Ababa from a meeting in Hosanna when the car he was riding in collided with a truck. It is our understanding he died on route to the hospital. His body was then transported to Addis Ababa. Just 10 weeks ago, on September 22, his beloved wife, Elly, passe...

December 07, 2018

Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, responded to a newly proposed Palestinian UN resolution this past week. He said, “Israel and the United States will continue to mobilize the countries of the world into a united front against the terrorism that Hamas engages in on behalf of Iran.” And he added, “A terrorist organization going to the UN for assistance is like a serial killer asking the police” for help. The UN Debate Supporting Hamas’ Call to Destroy Israel That pro...

December 06, 2018

Capernaum was home base to Yeshua (Jesus). Much of His ministry took place in this seaside village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. In Capernaum… … Yeshua astounded people in the synagogue as He taught with authority, unlike any Torah scholar they’d ever heard (Mark 1:21‒22). … Four men lowered their paralyzed friend through a roof to present him to Yeshua for healing. Yeshua displayed His authority by both forgiving the man’s sins and healing him (Matthew 9:1‒8). … Levi ...

December 05, 2018

Your support this Chanukah season will make miracles happen! Chanukah – the Jewish Festival of Lights – is almost here. A joyous season for Jewish people everywhere, Chanukah is the time we celebrate God miraculously making one day’s supply of lamp oil last for eight days, so the Temple in Jerusalem could be rededicated. It was indeed a miracle. Of course, few people in today’s world believe in miracles. Everything, they assume, can be explained by science. Certainly, we here at Jewi...

December 03, 2018

Messianic Jews are Jewish people who believe Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah. Some of them celebrate Christmas, but ‒ for a number of reasons ‒ some do not. Most Messianic Jews do not have a cultural connection to Christmas For most Jewish Believers in Yeshua, Christmas was not a part of their family traditions. They grew up in homes that observed the Jewish holidays rather than Christmas and Easter. And, after coming to faith in Yeshua, some Messianic Jews do not feel the need to begin cele...

November 30, 2018

The enemy of my enemy is my friend Israel would “be in big trouble” if not for Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump asserted last week. He made the remark while responding to a question after a Thanksgiving Day phone call with members of the U.S. military. “Saudi Arabia is tremendously helpful in the Middle East,” the president explained. “They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure ...

November 29, 2018

Recently, almost 500 leaders of the Messianic Jewish Movement gathered from around the world for a time of refreshing, connecting and equipping. They came from several nations and more than 30 different states in the U.S., representing many ministries and congregations. Each person had opportunities to network with fellow leaders and hear from the Lord through worship, corporate teaching times and smaller, interactive discussion groups addressing timely topics. At the end of their time togeth...

November 28, 2018

The Maccabees had withstood all they could. Enough was enough. It was time to act in faith. In the second century B.C.E., Antiochus IV’s efforts to assimilate Jewish culture into his own reign developed into full-scale persecution. He forced idol worship with violent consequences for those who refused. Antiochus further taunted the Jewish people by taking over the Temple, forbidding Jewish worship and sacrificing a pig on the altar which resulted in desecration. A small group of faithful J...