Joel of Jerusalem Dec/Jan 1971/1972
Thank you very much for the parcel and for the financial help.
Many people here were hard hit by the devaluation of the Israeli pound from 3.50 to the dollar to 4.20.
I have purchased a second hand piano for my daughter who is very musical and did not have an instrument to practice, and am paying it off monthly. It gives us great joy to see our children play at the assembly meeting and tal in the worship services.
The Rabbi Fell Into Temptation
Recently there was in one of our leading newspapers “Yediot Ahronoth” item concerning an orthodox rabbi who went “to save a widow’s children from the mission” and ended up in court accused of trying to attack the woman.
When I was called up to the army for a brief period of service, I took the clipping with me because they always attack me about the missionaries and missions. It was no different this time. “The missionaries,” they said, “are our misfortune. They separate and divide the people and you are one of them.” I said, “The only thing I am seeking is to help people find a way to their God and to the Messiah.”
One of them said, “How come that you Christians believe in all kind statues and pray to them? Isn’t that paganism?” I told him that Christians do not worship statues. It may be a Roman Catholic custom, but we pray to God the Father through the Messiah Jesus. Not everyone who calls himself a Christian is really a Christian, just like not everybody who calls himself a Jew even a rabbi acts like one.
After witnessing to them for a while, I showed them the clipping from paper where the rabbi was accused of trying to attack this woman and he defended himself that she was beautiful and he was tempted. “Does this rabbi represent the Jewish faith? I wonder what his followers would say to that!”
They felt embarrassed, especially when I could prove it to them from one of their leading newspapers. Finally they said to me, “Well, we feel ashamed and you are right. You’re a good man and we have nothing against you. If all Christians were like you everything would be all right.”
Some of them have served with me in the army for many years and several of them were saved by me from Arab fire at the risk of my own life. This helps me in witnessing to them. Praise the Lord!
