San Francisco Viktor Moiseyenko reports, "I have been asking God to give me more Russian-speaking Jewish people to minister to. Recently, I visited a woman named Fruma. After we finished our discussion, I 'happened' to run into a lady who had also come to visit Fruma. I introduced myself and told her the reason for my visit. It turned out that she was from Kiev (like myself), had lived within two blocks of where I lived and her father taught at the same University where I taught for 29 years before immigrating to the United States. God has a way of putting pleasant little surprises along our way. We exchanged phone numbers and I will visit her family in San Jose. Her name is Irina. Please pray for my ministry to this family. "Then, while distributing broadsides (i.e., gospel tracts) at De Anza College in a suburb of San Jose, I noticed a man observing me from a distance. Finally he came over and asked, "Are you working on behalf of Jews for Jesus?" I could tell that he was Russian....

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Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

San Francisco Viktor Moiseyenko reports, "I have been asking God to give me more Russian-speaking Jewish people to minister to. Recently, I visited a woman named Fruma. After we finished our discussion, I 'happened' to run into a lady who had also come to visit Fruma. I introduced myself and told her the reason for my visit. It turned out that she was from Kiev (like myself), had lived within two blocks of where I lived and her father taught at the same University where I taught for 29 years before immigrating to the United States. God has a way of putting pleasant little surprises along our way. We exchanged phone numbers and I will visit her family in San Jose. Her name is Irina. Please pray for my ministry to this family. "Then, while distributing broadsides (i.e., gospel tracts) at De Anza College in a suburb of San Jose, I noticed a man observing me from a distance. Finally he came over and asked, "Are you working on behalf of Jews for Jesus?" I could tell that he was Russian....

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Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It's easy to take our liberty for granted. Recently, I was reminded how very precious my freedom is to me.

A few months ago I presented "Christ in the Passover" at one of the most famous prisons in the United States: San Quentin. I have to confess that I felt uncomfortable when I was first approached with the opportunity. To me, San Quentin was a place where, at best, criminals are kept away from society and at worst, some are executed for their crimes....

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Author: Rob Wertheim
Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It's easy to take our liberty for granted. Recently, I was reminded how very precious my freedom is to me.

A few months ago I presented "Christ in the Passover" at one of the most famous prisons in the United States: San Quentin. I have to confess that I felt uncomfortable when I was first approached with the opportunity. To me, San Quentin was a place where, at best, criminals are kept away from society and at worst, some are executed for their crimes....

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Author: Rob Wertheim
Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

New York City is home to our Jews for Jesus training center and we have year-round missionaries in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens (though no official branch in the latter). Our regular staff go about doing regular missionary work in New York City all year round: handing out our gospel broadsides on a weekly basis, calling on Jewish people, meeting for one-on-one Bible studies as well as hosting group Bible studies and other events. So how come when summertime rolls around, the media suddenly informs Manhattanites that Jews for Jesus are "back"? It's not like we ever left! Once a year we make an all-out effort to saturate the city. Staff and volunteers go to the street corners and parks several times a day with gospel tracts and a desire to talk to anyone who is interested in hearing about Jesus. At night they witness in places like Times Square or the theatre district. It's not that there are so many of us, but our Jews for Jesus T-shirts are hard to miss. Two dozen campaigners can...

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Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

New York City is home to our Jews for Jesus training center and we have year-round missionaries in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens (though no official branch in the latter). Our regular staff go about doing regular missionary work in New York City all year round: handing out our gospel broadsides on a weekly basis, calling on Jewish people, meeting for one-on-one Bible studies as well as hosting group Bible studies and other events. So how come when summertime rolls around, the media suddenly informs Manhattanites that Jews for Jesus are "back"? It's not like we ever left! Once a year we make an all-out effort to saturate the city. Staff and volunteers go to the street corners and parks several times a day with gospel tracts and a desire to talk to anyone who is interested in hearing about Jesus. At night they witness in places like Times Square or the theatre district. It's not that there are so many of us, but our Jews for Jesus T-shirts are hard to miss. Two dozen campaigners can...

[ Comments ]

Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Get a real job!" I've heard this countless times while handing out tracts on the streets.

The "suggestion" to get a real job is intended to denigrate the proclamation of the gospel as lacking authenticity or importance. Many Jews for Jesus staff and volunteers will hear similar remarks as they labor on our summer witnessing campaign in New York City. After spending hours passing out tracts in the hot sun or an even hotter, muggy subway station, the idea of doing something else somewhere else is certainly appealing. But in my heart I know that nothing is more real than Jesus, or more important than letting people know about Him.

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Author: David Brickner
Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Get a real job!" I've heard this countless times while handing out tracts on the streets.

The "suggestion" to get a real job is intended to denigrate the proclamation of the gospel as lacking authenticity or importance. Many Jews for Jesus staff and volunteers will hear similar remarks as they labor on our summer witnessing campaign in New York City. After spending hours passing out tracts in the hot sun or an even hotter, muggy subway station, the idea of doing something else somewhere else is certainly appealing. But in my heart I know that nothing is more real than Jesus, or more important than letting people know about Him.

[ Comments ]

Author: David Brickner
Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It happened more than once; I found myself telling people the thrill of being on a witnessing campaign: how it's like an athletic event -- it stretches a person's spiritual muscles. I described how, just when you're feeling defeated by unkind words, hot weather, the tedium of performing the same function over and over, that's when the Almighty reaches down to encourage you in ways that not only lift you, but skyrocket you upward. Sometimes, it's a person who says, "I've been looking for this kind of answer all my life!" or "I didn't know there was anybody else like me -- a Jew who believes in Jesus," or "How soon could you come and tell me more?" Now, admittedly those responses are few and far between. But God always seems to send them when you need them most. I've seen many of these people, mostly young people, respond with enthusiasm and choose to undergo the hardship of a campaign in order to experience it for themselves. Other times, I have seen these red-hot, capable,...

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Author: Moishe Rosen
Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It happened more than once; I found myself telling people the thrill of being on a witnessing campaign: how it's like an athletic event -- it stretches a person's spiritual muscles. I described how, just when you're feeling defeated by unkind words, hot weather, the tedium of performing the same function over and over, that's when the Almighty reaches down to encourage you in ways that not only lift you, but skyrocket you upward. Sometimes, it's a person who says, "I've been looking for this kind of answer all my life!" or "I didn't know there was anybody else like me -- a Jew who believes in Jesus," or "How soon could you come and tell me more?" Now, admittedly those responses are few and far between. But God always seems to send them when you need them most. I've seen many of these people, mostly young people, respond with enthusiasm and choose to undergo the hardship of a campaign in order to experience it for themselves. Other times, I have seen these red-hot, capable,...

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Author: Moishe Rosen
Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

There are many ways to share our faith. Most of us, if we have a choice, prefer discussing Jesus with friends who have shown an interest in Him. But the world is full of people who may or may not have Christian friends with whom to discuss these things. Can God use you in some of their lives, just because they happen to see that you are a Christian by your T-shirt? He can! And if you want Him to, He will! Being on vacation . . . in a warm climate . . . among people you don't know . . . it's the perfect time to be a "walking billboard" for Jesus. If you choose to "wear your witness" you may find that people will approach you with a question or comment. Nothing could be easier. Or, if a person is staring at your gospel T-shirt for a few seconds, you might have to draw them out a little. You can smile and say "Hi." The person will either look away, or return your greeting. They might take the opportunity to make a comment or ask a question. Or they might wait for you to take the next...

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Added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Camp Gilgal, the Jews for Jesus summer camp, was started in 1991 to provide a way for Jewish children, (most of whom are from believing families), to grow together in their own faith and identities as Jewish believers in the Messiah.  There are three Camp Gilgal locations in the U.S., (East, West and Midwest) and another in Germany.  I grew up going to our East Coast camp, where I began as a camper in 1992. Even though most of our campers come from believing families, none of us are born as believer in Jesus; each of us must reach a point when we believe and receive Him for ourselves.  For me, that happened at camp when I was 15 years old.  For the last seven years I've been part of the Camp Gilgal staff, wanting to share with other kids what I'd received. I was excited when my wife and I moved from New York to California -- in part because I was able to serve with Camp Gilgal West for the first time.  This is where Jews for Jesus camp ministry really got up and...

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Author: Matt Friedman
Added: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Do you have a burden for the Jewish people to know their Messiah? How about an opportunity to help Jews for Jesus reach areas where we do not have a regular branch or outpost? If that catches your attention, we'd like you to prayerfully consider joining our special band of friends known as Co-Laborers in Messiah. Co-Laborers in Messiah are specially trained Jewish and Gentile volunteers who represent Jews for Jesus in their communities. Some help fill the ranks in our witnessing campaigns. Others assist our missionaries who are out on tours. They also represent us at missions conferences, host Bible studies, and some speak at churches on behalf of our ministry. These extraordinary people are our eyes and ears in areas where we do not have a branch or outpost, and so they become an extension of who we are in their communities. Here are a few instances of how our many CLIMs help and inspire us. Elly Sherr, a co-laborer in Santa Fe, New Mexico reports, "A few...

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Author: Carolyne Rohrig
Added: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Montreal Karl deSouza reports, "'Sam' is a Jewish man who found our website, looked up my itinerary and came with his wife to hear me speak at a local church.  For the past two years, we've been studying Messianic prophecy, looking at Jesus' claims, and talking about differences between rabbinical Judaism, world religions, and what the Bible says about salvation by grace through faith. I challenged Saul to ask God about Jesus:  'God won't lie to you; He'll show you who Jesus is.  He wants you to take Him at His Word.'  "Yet I must confess that after two years, I did not approach my recent meeting with Sam with a great deal of optimism.  In fact, I had begun to doubt that he would ever believe.  So I was nearly as amazed as he was when he recounted to me what had happened to him during the past week.  He had suddenly found himself in tight financial situation, which would impact his future plans. "As a man who plans and thinks about the future, Sam felt helpless, out of...

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Added: Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Editor's Note:  I was getting the Newsletter ready after a two-week speaking tour and realized I had not given Moishe any lead time to write a "Musing" for this month.  So I thought as a Pentecost reflection, I would "muse" over a couple of things I've often heard him say. Two of my favorite Moishe Rosen quotes have to do with the Holy Spirit and His role in evangelism.  You may have seen them previously in our publications, but I don't recall them presented as two sides of the same coin. They are as follows: "Salesmanship is no substitute for a Spirit-led ministry" and "You can't turn off what the Holy Spirit is turning on." These two aphorisms are self-explanatory, but taken together they provide a much needed reminder that hearts are not won to the Messiah through our techniques any more than they are hindered by our inadequacies.  They also speak to two of the saddest situations that we see in the field of Jewish evangelism: 1. Those who believe that they know "the...

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Author: Ruth Rosen
Added: Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

This month, the Festival of Pentecost will slip past most Jews and Christians unnoticed; yet it is one of the three most important Festivals in the Old Testament and it marks a pivotal point in the history of Christianity....

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Author: David Brickner
Added: Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The inspiration for the tract our Israeli staff wrote for Israel's Independence Day is the International Bible Quiz. The quiz is held annually and takes place the morning after the big Independence Day celebrations. It includes winners of national Bible quiz contests from Jewish youth around the world as well as Israeli contestants. While the majority of Israeli's see through somewhat secular eyes, this annual quiz focuses worldwide attention on the connection between Israel and the Bible. The following are excerpts from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's speech at the International Bible Quiz in 2004. To see the entire speech, you can go to: http://www.jewsforjesus.org/sharon-speech "Every year I get inspired anew at the Bible Quiz: dozens of young men and women from around the Jewish world gather in Jerusalem on the State of Israel's Independence Day, in order to return and connect on this day of all days to the Bible, the birth certificate and identity card...

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Added: Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

YOM HASHOAH (Holocaust Remembrance Day) falls on Friday, May 2 this year. The horrors of the Holocaust are so severe and deeply disturbing that with each passing year it becomes more difficult for those who were not directly affected to believe that such things could possibly have occurred. It is important that future generations understand the depths of evil which can exist in human hearts, that they might never underestimate the inhumanity that is possible if not held in check. Those involved in Jewish evangelism are also particularly aware of the role the Holocaust has played in causing some Christians to draw back from witnessing to Jewish people. The Nazis did use the name of Jesus Christ and charges of deicide against the Jewish people as they carried out their crimes in His name. This has increased fear of, and resistance to, the gospel among Jewish people. We have always maintained that those who reason that they cannot approach Jewish people with the gospel...

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Added: Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Sydney Mark Landrum reports, "It was the second week in January; Sydney's summer was 'full on' with many tourists as well as Aussies on holiday. I was particularly happy to meet Celia, a lady who had, from a young age, been attracted to Jesus. However, her father's traditional Jewish belief had led her to think that Jesus was not an option for her. Seeing my shirt clearly identifying me as a Jew who does believe in Jesus seemed to give her hope that maybe she could have Jesus after all. She was very interested in Israel and had thought about living there. After sharing with Celia about Jesus, I mentioned that Rahel was just across the intersection, and that she is an Israeli. After giving me her contact information so that I could send her a letter of witness, Celia went to meet Rahel, who also witnessed to her about the Jewishness of believing in Jesus. This was a great way for us to begin the new year. I quickly sent a letter out to Celia with some additional literature. It was ...

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Added: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

This month, Israel celebrates her 60th birthday; some of you are old enough to remember the 1948 declaration as a truly stunning turn of history. A hope was realized as, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, the independent Jewish state was reconstituted in the land of her ancestors. Over the past 60 years, that hope -- that reality -- has been challenged and tested. Wars and horrible acts of terrorism have been perpetrated against the people of Israel. Violence and uncertainty remain, as Israel's very existence continues to be rejected, denied and threatened by many of her neighbors. Many Christians have enthusiastically celebrated Israel's rebirth as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Some go far beyond that belief and have even used 1948 as a marker for a countdown to Armageddon. Such preoccupation with end times prophesies and conjectures concerning exactly how those events will burst upon us has fueled an entire industry of conferences, books, tapes and...

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Author: David Brickner
Added: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700