Inspirational
Zvi Jun/Jul 1999
I recently received a telephone call informing me that a dear friend of our family was sick in the hospital, so my wife and I immediately went to see her. Visiting a sick person in the hospital is not like going to a wedding. There are no…
Zvi Apr/May 1999
Here in Israel we are facing new elections, and there is great competition among the political parties. Every party and every politician wants to be the greatest, and there is no love or consideration among the candidates. Everyone wants…
Zvi Feb/Mar 1999
In Israel, many of the ultra Orthodox people follow the age-old tradition of merrymaking at the graves of famous rabbis. They do this every year—it is a big part of their religious life. When they go to these graves for their annual time of…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1998/1999
This year, as every year, the people of Israel are facing with fear and misunderstanding the time when Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Some acquaintances approached me the other day and said…
Zvi Oct/Nov 1998
This year we are celebrating 50 years since our Declaration of Independence in 1948, which created the modern State of Israel. It seems like only yesterday. But, with the Declaration of Independence came a declaration of…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1998
Once every two months, I must take my wife to the hospital for a checkup on her eye following her cornea transplant surgery. Every time we go, there is a long line of people, and we must wait patiently for her turn. People are always looking at…
Zvi Jun/Jul 1998
I am sure that many people who experienced World War II remember well the great “peace agreement” between Hitler and Britain’s Neville Chamberlain, reached in Munich in 1938. This was nothing more than a theatrical performance and…
Zvi Apr/May 1998
In Israel there is a very large Ultra-Orthodox population, and many of them belong to a group known as Habad. Their high rabbi was Menachem Schneerson from New York. This group is very active all around the world, and they are especially powerful…
Zvi Feb/Mar 1998
Near many synagogues in Israel you can see people standing around like merchants outside a market shouting to sell their merchandise. Newcomers to the country do not know what they want, but I have been here for 50 years and I know exactly what…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1997/1998
For a long time, the debate in Israel about “Who is a proper Jew?” was quiet. Now, in recent months, it has begun to rage again. Every religious group is trying to make proselytes to their form of Judaism and have people follow their…
Zvi Oct/Nov 1997
I have some of my best conversations with people at the bus stop or on the bus. One recent day I was waiting for the bus to go into Jerusalem…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1997
In Psalm 105:3 it is written, “Glory ye in his holy name; let the heart of them rejoice who seek the Lᴏʀᴅ.” The trouble is, many people in Israel have nothing in which to glory.
Zvi Jun/Jul 1997
It is obvious from observing the international scene that most of the world is against the Chosen People of God, Israel. This nation occupies a very small piece of real estate…
Zvi Apr/May 1997
The Bible teaches that God wants us to have joy and happiness, but if you take a good look around the little country of Israel you will discover that most of the people…
Zvi Feb/Mar 1997
There is a saying here in Israel, “What for me is allowed, for you is forbidden.” It can apply to anyone, but it particularly applies to the rabbis, who may do things that the rest…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1996/1997
It is now the time of year when we Christians celebrate the Lord’s birth and gladly sing, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” In Israel, the people are also celebrating a holiday.
Zvi Oct/Nov 1996
Over the years, the Lord has taught my wife and me to have an open-door policy in our home. People are coming and going all of the time, and some even sleep here…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1996
In Isaiah 2:5 it is clearly written, “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lᴏʀᴅ.” The problem is that people with their eyes wide open are walking…
Zvi Jun/Jul 1996
Many times I go to the Ultra-Orthodox yeshivas and engage the people in long discussions, trying to bring them back to their roots, back to the Bible.
Life After Death
A few years ago, I read an account in the newspaper of a lady who was celebrating her one hundredth birthday. From her picture and the interview, she seemed to be a nice person.
Zvi Feb/Mar 1996
I was recently waiting at the bus stop to go into town, and a very old man was standing in line with me. When the bus came along…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1995/1996
In these days, we are seeing more and more Jews coming home to Israel, and there is much talk of the Jewish people being united in their land again. But, in this country…
Zvi Oct/Nov 1995
Often I go out among people in public places. You can usually tell a little something about them by looking at their faces, but only the people themselves know what is in their hearts and minds.
Zvi Aug/Sep 1995
In these times of great uncertainty in Israel, the leaders of the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) rabbis have taken it upon themselves to compose a new prayer—a nice poem that will comfort the people.
Zvi Jun/Jul 1995
Many new immigrants from Russia live in my neighborhood. Most of them know me because I have made repairs in their homes, which gives me opportunities to speak with them about many things…
Surviving the Holocaust
Ten-year-old Henryk stood in the window looking out for a long time. In the courtyard below he could see small children playing games. The gate through which his mother had left the orphanage seemed disproportionately…
Zvi Feb/Mar 1995
I often go to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and invariably I meet people who think that just by going there they will be saved, because the Halacha (the body of Jewish law supplementing…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1994/1995
While waiting at a bus station recently, I met some people who were more traditional than religious in their beliefs. Because they have known me for some time, they immediately began to attack me.
Zvi Oct/Nov 1994
In Jeremiah 13:16 it is written, “Give glory to the Lᴏʀᴅ, your God, before he cause darkness.” This is so true. Many people go into the sea but want to come out dry…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1994
I recently was in Eilat, in the south of Israel, visiting my daughter and her family. Because it is located on the Dead Sea, Eilat is a popular resort area, and many people from Europe…
Zvi Jun/Jul 1994
My wife and I recently visited her mother in the hospital. Now past 90 years old, she is like most of the other people in that particular hospital.
Zvi Apr/May 1994
I often go to Mea Shearim, the ultra-Orthodox section of Jerusalem, because I know how deeply into sin these people have fallen, and the Word of God has charged me to warn them to come to God before it is too late.
Zvi Feb/Mar 1994
It goes without saying that, as is true in America and many other countries, many people here in Israel are far away from God. In spite of this, there seems to be something inside…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1993/1994
My watch stopped running recently and had to be repaired. I took it to a watchmaker in the Ultra-Orthodox section of Jerusalem because they are very good at this trade.
Zvi Oct/Nov 1993
Many times I am called by people who are having difficulties and I do what I can to help them. Recently a man who was in a state of deep depression called and asked me…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1993
In Isaiah 2:3 it is written, “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ from Jerusalem.” Most people in Israel know this passage of Scripture…
Zvi Jun/Jul 1993
As it is written in Proverbs 19:21, “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lᴏʀᴅ, that shall stand.” I recently took my wife to the hospital for treatment…
Zvi Apr/May 1993
Recently I answered a knock at my door, and before me stood several young Hasidic boys who were students at a nearby yeshiva (ultra-Orthodox religious school). They looked rather ashamed of themselves, and I asked…
Zvi Feb/Mar 1993
For many years, the people of Israel have been singing about the time of the Messiah’s coming. Of course, we who believe in Christ according to the Scriptures know that He has already come…
Charles Orde Wingate
Israel is a nation in need of friends. But, understandably, after centuries of rejection, abandonment, and betrayal, the Jews are somewhat hesitant about whom they call a friend. For Charles Orde Wingate…
Zvi Dec/Jan 1992
The Lord has taught us in His Holy Word how to pray, but sometimes we repeat those words without paying attention to them. If we consider the words carefully, we can see the great meaning…
Zvi Oct/Nov 1992
During the recent election campaign here in Israel, the various candidates and parties were engaged in a battle of prestige. Of course, everyone wanted to be prime minister, but, as we say, two kings cannot…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1992
The Orthodox have many sayings, and by using them they can turn black into white and white into black. Of course, all of this is done in a nice way so that no one is…
Zvi Jun/Jul 1992
In Isaiah 11:6 it is written, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” One day recently I prayed before leaving my home to go out…
After a Half Century
On May 2, 1922—half a century ago—an 18-year old Jewish lad made his confession of faith in Jesus as Messiah and Savior in a small chapel in Warsaw, Poland, in the presence of an assembly…
Zvi Apr/May 1992
We recently experienced something we have not seen in Israel for many years—a storm that produced 16 inches of snow! The children were delighted that they had a few days off from school and could…
Zvi Feb/Mar 1992
Since suffering a heart attack several years ago, I must go to the doctor every four months for a checkup. There are usually many people waiting in the doctor’s office, and it often takes several…
Burying a Swastika
We have written in this space a number of times about neo-Nazis and their fellow travelers who dispense hatred for the Jewish people with a passion reminiscent of their mustachioed champion, Adolf Hitler.
Zvi Dec/Jan 1991/1992
My wife suffers from rheumatism, and recently her doctor prescribed a visit to the Dead Sea. Many people from the Middle East, Europe, and other parts of the world come to the Dead Sea…
Zvi Oct/Nov 1991
I recently noticed several posters in my neighborhood announcing that a famous rabbi would be speaking at our community center. I remembered this rabbi from many years ago when he was a popular television entertainer…
Zvi Aug/Sep 1991
We are approaching the two greatest holy days on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur, which is the most solemn day of the year.
Zvi (Joel Of Jerusalem) Jun/Jul 1991
In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, there is no longer a gloomy spirit here in Israel. Many people are walking along the streets of Jerusalem singing Israeli folk songs…
Zvi (Joel Of Jerusalem)
In Deuteronomy 20:1 it is written, “be not afraid … for the Lᴏʀᴅ thy God is with thee.” Here in Israel, we are living in the light of this promise day by day…
Joel of Jerusalem
I recently visited the ultra-orthodox section of Jerusalem, and whenever I go there I always begin the conversation by talking about anything and everything because this is the way to gain their attention and friendship.
Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1990/1991
We are quickly approaching the Feast of Hanukkah, or, as we call it, the Festival of Lights. The celebration is always the same, year in and year out. People recite the same words…
Joel of Jerusalem Oct/Nov 1990
I don’t have to tell you that the situation between Jews and Arabs is very bad, and that is especially true here in Israel. Many Arabs live in my neighborhood, and because I speak Arabic…
The Mercy Ship Sails for Poland
The Friends of Israel recently had the privilege of joining thousands of others in an unprecedented relief effort to Poland. On Tuesday, April 24, 1990, four of our workers drove to New London, Connecticut…
Joel of Jerusalem Aug/Sep 1990
As you know, we are experiencing a large immigration of people to Israel from Eastern European countries, especially from Russia. Because Israel is a small country, every area is receiving its share of these immigrants…
Joel of Jerusalem Jun/Jul 1990
The Lord Jesus said, “when they bring you unto the synagogues, … be not anxious how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say; For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in…
Joel of Jerusalem Apr/May 1990
I recently met an old friend and learned that he had been very ill and in the hospital for quite a while. I could tell just by looking at him that he was not…
Joel of Jerusalem Feb/Mar 1990
It is no secret that people have a fear of death. It is an unknown commodity, and people are naturally afraid of the unknown. But death cannot be avoided.