Our 50th Year: Israel My Glory
A Glorious Past With A God-Honoring Future
In December 1942 The Friends of Israel gave birth to a quarterly periodical, affectionately named Israel My Glory. The name was taken from Isaiah 46:13: “I will place salvation in Zion for ISRAEL, MY GLORY.”
The first issue that rolled off the press had 15 pages. But each page, as now, was chock-full of information that whetted the reader’s appetite for more. There was a glimpse into the future development of the Mission. There were testimonies of Jewish people who had been given relief and refuge from Nazism. There was up-to-date news of what was happening to the European Jews as they faced the greatest Holocaust in their history. The issue closed with “Something to Remember” from the editor, a seven-point request concerning the plight of European Jews along with prayer needs from the Mission. The subscription rate was only 50 cents per year—my, how times have changed!
As the magazine developed, it took on many new characteristics. It went from a quarterly to a bimonthly periodical, from black and white to full color, and changed size three times. In its 50-year history, the magazine has not deviated from the fourfold purpose for which it was created.
For 50 years, Israel My Glory has declared that God’s irrevocable promises to Israel will be fulfilled. Although the modern nation of Israel did not exist at the birth of the magazine, the editor foresaw the day when the Jewish people would be forged into a nation, endowed with spiritual power, and once again bring glory to God as a channel for future blessing to the world.
Dr. Joseph Taylor Briton wrote in the first issue, “We are naming the periodical Israel My Glory to call attention to the fact that God is not through with the Jewish people … We desire to remind ourselves of God’s irrevocable promises to Israel and of His benevolent purpose in choosing them to be the human channel … of future blessing to the world.”
For 50 years, Israel My Glory has sought to inform its readers on a number of subjects. First and foremost were Jewish concerns—whether it be their history, culture, suffering throughout history, or subsequent deliverance and reestablishment in the 20th century. Israel My Glory was there to objectively report on the birth of Israel and her subsequent 44-year struggle to retain sovereign rights as a nation against insurmountable odds from those bent on her annihilation. Over the years, Israel My Glory has continually informed its readers of the Mission’s efforts to bring relief and refuge to many disenfranchised Jews around the world.
A second concern was to inform our readers of the multifaceted ministry carried on by Mission personnel in eight countries. We have sought to provide eyewitness reports from our workers that not only inform our readers but encourage them and enable them to pray intelligently for the work at hand.
For 50 years, Israel My Glory has sought to instruct its readers in the Word of God and theology. The magazine is unique among many Christian periodicals in that its articles are written mostly by in-house scholars. The writers are committed to a literal interpretation of Scripture, which means taking into consideration the historical, cultural, literary, and grammatical contexts in which the Word of God was written. The magazine endeavors not only to instruct its readers on the history and culture of our Jewish friends, but to provide insight on how to present to them the claims of Jesus’ Messiahship in a scriptural, sensitive, straightforward way.
For 50 years, Israel My Glory has inspired its readers to manifest a deeper commitment in their walk and service before the Lord. Articles have provided not only meaty content but scriptural solutions to many modern-day problems faced by both Christians and Jewish people in our society. Through the years, thousands of readers have written expressing appreciation for how Israel My Glory has inspired them to a deeper study of God’s Word. Letters have poured in to the editor telling how the testimonies of Jewish believers printed in the magazine have inspired them to take the gospel to a Jewish friend or even inspired other Jewish people to respond in like commitment to the Lord.
Israel My Glory has “turned 50.” Its growth over the years has been God’s doing. Nearly 300,000 people now subscribe to the magazine, of which 46,000 are pastors and 25,000 are Jewish. The total readership is approximately 900,000 people per issue in 128 countries throughout the world. Yes, Israel My Glory has had a glorious past and, with the Lord’s help, promises to have a God-honoring future.
