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Ethiopia: Much More to Do Matches Made in Heaven The Messianic Jews of Ethiopia find The history of Israel is one of miracles and God’s themselves in a tragic situation. Not faithful provision. And the story of The Joseph Project permitted to make aliyah unless they is no less wondrous. What else could bring together denounce their faith in Yeshua, the Beta Jewish and Gentile believers from around the world, Israel have become trapped in a cycle of and Israelis of all stripes—from the Orthodox to the poverty, awaiting processing for eight secular? Born out of obedience to a prophetic vision, years without being checked for eligibility this mighty work has grown from a small seed to the to enter under the Right of Return. largest humanitarian aid organization in Israel. See story, page 9 See story, page 8 Exploring Names in the Bible page 20 MessianicTHE Times Serving the International Messianic Jewish Community Volume 27 Number 4 July/August 2017—Tamuz/Av 5777 messianictimes.com Canada/US $5 Looking Toward the Future Through the Chronicles of the Past he MessianicMessianic TimesTim is almost three decades S by Marc Vidito Tolold.d AAlthough our ministry is not large, we Yarden Nasser, with the have been blessed to play a significant role within Jews for Jesus branch in the Messianic movement through the years. Tel Aviv, offers a Gospel Our movement didn’t just start just a few broadside to a curious decades ago. It is a biblical phenomenon which Israeli on the street continues to grow in intensity as we approach the Lord’s return. During this time of great excitement and revival, The Messianic Times has been there to capture and chronicle the news Jews For Jesus Spreads the Gospel in Gush Dan and testimonies that deserve to be read again By Chad Elliott and again. Many of you are old enough to remember or over 40 years, the ministry of Jews for Jesus has been known for its bold methods of street evangelism. In places like New the stories featured in this issue. Younger readers FYork City, it’s common to see these evangelists at work, clad in bright T-shirts with the ministry name on front and back, may remember hearing about these events. For handing out colorful broadsides (gospel tracts), and engaging anyone who wants to talk on the subject of Yeshua. some, it will all be new. In May 2008, JFJ applied their long-established methods in Israel, holding an evangelistic campaign in the Gush Dan area Reflecting back on the unfolding of Jewish near Tel Aviv. Twenty staff members and volunteers were on the streets to share the Gospel with Israelis. The staff was a mixture of destiny is humbling and inspiring. Looking Israelis and workers from JFJ offices around the world, while volunteers came from the United States, Singapore, and Finland. forward, we’re encouraged, because where we go The campaign represented the first step of Behold Your God (BYG) Israel; phase II of a worldwide program of outreach which is always informed by where we have been. JFJ first launched in 2001. The Gush Dan outreach was the first of twelve such campaigns which JFJ will hold in Israel over the next So travel back in time with us and enjoy a six years, according to Dan Sered, who heads the Tel Aviv branch office of the organization. Sered, a sabra, says Jews for Jesus has sampling of articles we have been privileged to had a presence in Israel since 1994. In 2000, JFJ was granted an amuta, an official license to operate as a non-profit organization and bring to readers in the Messianic and Christian the work there has continued to grow since then. communities over the past 27 years. “The best times for evangelism in Israel are in the spring and in the fall,” Sered explained, “so we planned this campaign to We hope you enjoy these reflections and be flowing out of Passover and taking advantage of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day.” appreciate where God has brought us, both as a Prior to arriving in Israel for the campaign, both volunteers and international staff members had two weeks of intensive training in movement and a newspaper. As we prepare to preparation for the outreach. The training included Bible lessons on Messianic prophecy, leadership instruction, Bible memory verses, launch our new publication in the coming months, and specialized lectures on how to deal with local authorities, situations and people. Aspects of the training resembled a mini ulpan, as it is exciting to see how far we have come! MT the campaigners learned about Israeli life and culture, and received some basic Hebrew lessons. Continued on page 7 PALM DESERT,CA PALM PERMIT #149 PERMIT PAID US POSTAGE US NON-PROFIT ORG. NON-PROFIT Ci d 18 BelieversInTheLand Bread From Heaven by Mike Decker Directly on Rechov HaTzionut, Ashdod’s noisy and active main thoroughfare lined with shops, cafés, and public institutions, sits Pnina Pie—a small café and bakery owned and run by Pnina Comporti, a Yemenite Israeli, who is also Messianic. Recently, it came to the attention of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice that Mrs. Comporti’s small enterprise was beset by legal troubles caused by various fundamentalist Orthodox groups in Ashdod. On a sunny Friday morning in mid-July, members of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice set out to Ashdod to investigate the situation. The humid, warm sea air hit them like a rock as they stepped out of the car and walked to Pnina Pie. What they found was a modern, picturesque café with wooden chairs and tables neatly arranged on an outdoor patio. They were greeted by a smiling Pnina Comporti and her two daughters, and treated to a selection of delicious cakes and croissants. The shop was crowded with Friday morning customers, hustling to order and return home before the beginning of the Sabbath. According to Jonathan Schutz, a young man savoring a freshly-baked croissant, “The food and coffee here is great. But that isn’t the only reason I come here; Pnina treats all her customers as if they are her children.” Beneath the surface, however, all is not well at Pnina Pie. In 2006, Pnina opened the Ashdod café after establishing a nearly identical bakery in her hometown of Gan Yavne, a suburb located ten minutes away by car, where Pnina had received a kashrut certificate from the chief Rabbinate of Ashdod. A kashrut license is required for every Israeli food business, since many Jewish people will not dine at a restaurant unapproved as kosher by the Rabbinate. But shortly after receiving the license for Pnina Pie, she was perplexed to receive a notice that By law, the the chief Rabbinate of Ashdod had revoked her license. Chief Rabbinate The reason: Mrs. Comporti belongs to the Messianic movement. has no right to “It happened just like that,” she says. Her husband, take away her Israel, adds, “Since then, they have not stopped harassing depicted in the Anti-discrimination Act in Public Services license based my wife. They make signs smearing Pnina’s reputation, and Products, and in the Entrance to Entertainment and on her personal and children spit on her and shout curses. Once they Public Places. religious even tried to burn down the bakery. Somebody stuffed “I think that what the Rabbinate is doing is just terrible,” convictions flammable rags under the door and lit them. The only says Shiri Savola, another loyal customer. “They can’t take reason it didn’t burn down was that a worker came in away someone’s license just because they don’t like something long the sandy, flat Mediterranean coast, on land Joshua late that night to set the dough to rise for the next day, about the person.” Atells us was once occupied by the ancient Philistines, lies and saw the flames.” The case has slowly made its way through the Israeli the Israeli port city of Ashdod. The town sits directly between After being stripped of her kashrut license, Pnina court system, and now stands at the mercy of the High the Tel Aviv metropolis and the Gaza Strip—vacated by sought legal consultation. By law, the Chief Rabbinate Court of Justice. Her attorneys have argued that according Israel in 2005. Over 200,000 Israelis—many of them first- has no right to take away her license based on her to precedent, Pnina’s personal religious beliefs should have generation immigrants from the former Soviet Union—call personal religious convictions, since it is an arm of the no bearing whatsoever on her ability to retain a kashrut Ashdod home. Besides the sunny Mediterranean weather, government of Israel. It is therefore obligated to uphold license. Moreover, they have argued that she was illegally bustling harbor, and booming construction projects, Ashdod the concept of freedom of religion, as implied in the 1992 discriminated against, because of her religious convictions. is also home to several hundred members of the Messianic Human Dignity and Liberty Law—one of the famous Precedent does indeed favor her plight. In 1989, a case movement. Two Messianic congregations are based here. “Basic Laws of Israel,” and the concept of equality, as is similar to hers entitled Raskin vs. the Jerusalem Religious Council, the High Court of Justice ruled that the Rabbinate may only consider the actual, objective kashrut of the food in question when granting such a license. In the words of the court: “The Rabbinate will not take outside consideration into context (when granting a kashrut license), such as considerations related to the behavior and beliefs of the operator of the food institution in question.” According to documents that Pnina received from the Rabbinate, however, they have another side to the story.

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