“Pastor, can you help me?”
Those were the last words that Pastor Umar Mulinde, a thirty-eight-year-old former Muslim turned pastor and evangelist, heard before he felt the excruciating sting of flesh-eating acid meant to kill him, striking his face. Then, another bucket on his back. He screamed and ran back towards his church for help as his assailants cried out, “Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!"...

It has been a very interesting ten days here in Israel, to say the least! First, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied media reports that he was considering advancing national Knesset elections from late next year to sometime this year.

This is a new parable, set in New Testament times. The story, divided into 12 short chapters, takes you into the world of the first-century Samaritans and Jews. Honesty and deception, compassion and cruelty, courage and silence collide as our hero tries to untangle the mystery of why he keeps finding beaten Jews left for dead on the Jericho Road. 

As my Forward explains, the story was hatched in my own imagination five years ago. But it's not really fiction. There was a real-life saga that inspired this creative tale. I hope it will provoke healthy discussion in the Kehila of Messiah.

Several years ago, Asher Intrater came to the conclusion that unity between Arab Christians and Messianic Jews in Israel was a key to revival for both the Arab and the Jewish communities in the land. That insight - from over 20 years ago - is still important to us, but it has been hard to bring to fruition. I have participated in several dialogues between Messianic Jewish leaders and key Palestinian Christian leaders. We have financially supported Arab Christian leaders, and have had intensive prayer for them. With some exceptions, and there are some exceptions, there is one large barrier between us, and that is how we view the modern State of Israel.

Passover, also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorates the Exodus, a time when God delivered the Jewish people from their enslavement in Egypt before bringing them to the Promised Land. As Messianic Jews, we are also reminded that it was during Passover that Yeshua ate his last supper, bore our sins, died, was buried, and resurrected. He is the Lamb of God whose blood has redeemed all mankind from our sin and iniquity and has brought us salvation and freedom. Praise the Lord!

Tonight Israel celebrates her 64th year of ‘independence’. These 64 years certainly give reason for people everywhere to pay heed to her miraculous revival as a nation:whether if from God according to Biblical prophecy; or of man apart from any direct intervention of God; or merely a quirk of history allowed for in the sovereignty of God ruling through history, without any specific purpose.

Michael Cohen, one of our school board members, suddenly and very unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord on April 2^nd. Michael was a devoted friend and faithful supporter of our school for many years.  In addition to attending our board meetings, he could frequently be found volunteering his time around the school, whether it was photocopying extra school brochures, giving advice and support or editing our monthly newsletter.  His presence, sound wisdom and many contributions will be greatly missed by us all, but we rejoice for the time we had with him and for the assurance that he is in his well-earned eternal rest, in the presence of his beloved Father who undoubtedly said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Kids really love to help others less fortunate, and they had that opportunity recently when our school was invited to be part of the grand opening of a community center/bomb shelter, financially undertaken by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice and Jerusalem Prayer Team, built especially for Holocaust survivors.

The conflict between Israel and Iran continued to dominate the headlines in the Jewish State during April. The main focus was on the meeting mid-month in Turkey between top diplomats from the P-5 nuclear powers and Germany, who met with several of Iran's defiant Shiite Muslim leaders.

The Christ at the Checkpoint Conference took place during Purim week (March 5-9). In a courageous move that proved highly controversial, a small contingent from Israel's Messianic community attended, supporting the Conference goal of "an open forum for ongoing dialogue between all positions within the Evangelical theological spectrum."  Here in Israel and abroad, a vigorous debate erupted. Was the Conference was selling wisdom, wishful thinking, or worse? In the end, I arrived at a new conclusion that I didn't expect. It's one that most of you might not expect.  Read on, and find out if what I saw makes the same impact on you that it made on me.

Customary of Jewish tradition, holidays in Israel are often accompanied by what is known as tzedakah, a central component of Jewish life and the Hebrew word for "charity." During the Passover season, food, matzah, and other holiday items are traditionally given to the poor and needy.