THIS ISSUE OF UMJC NEWS JOINS THE CELEBRATION OF 60 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE FOR ISRAEL. The theme of our annual prayer campaign (April 20-June 8), and our conference in Israel (June 26-28), is "Honoring the Past; Embracing the Future." Israel is the place of our biblical past, from the time of Abraham through the resurrection of Messiah. Israel is also the place of the future, where Messiah will return at the end of the age. Israel's 60th year is shaping up as a vital time for us to pray together for God to fulfill all that he has promised in his Word.

The UMJC will be in Israel during this anniversary year with a major tour and conference in June, which will involve hundreds of Israelis, as well as all of us coming from abroad. We also continue our participation in humanitarian efforts in Israel that are coordinated by the Messianic community there. Our offering for Shavuot (June 8-9) at the conclusion of the prayer campaign will go to support such efforts as well.

So, even if you are unable to be in Israel this year, you connect in powerful ways through your involvement with the UMJC. We've tried to capture some of this story in this issue of UMJC News, so read and enjoy!

2008 Shavuot Offering Goes to Israel

Legal Victory in Israel

On April 16, the Israeli Supreme Court heard the case of several believers who had been  denied citizenship by the Ministry of the Interior, including Amy Cowen, daughter of UMJC President Jamie Cowen. Just before the case was heard, Amy wrote, "I do not believe that it is merely coincidental that this case will take place the week leading up to Pesach, a holiday that so clearly embodies themes of salvation, deliverance, freedom, purification, and the blood of the Lamb. As God delivered our people from the bonds of slavery in Egypt, God can certainly deliver once again and grant us our inheritance in this Land."

Here is a summary of the case from the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, one of the Messianic efforts in Israel that the UMJC supports, which arrived just as we were preparing to go to press:

In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court of Israel ratified a settlement between twelve Messianic Jewish believers and the State of Israel, which states that being a Messianic Jew does not prevent one from receiving citizenship in Israel under the Law of Return or the Law of Citizenship, if one is a descendent of Jews on one's father's side (and thus not Jewish according to halacha).

This Supreme Court decision brought an end to a legal battle that has carried on for two and a half years. The applicants were represented by Yuval Grayevsky and Calev Myers from the offices of Yehuda Raveh & Co., and their legal costs were subsidized by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.

All twelve of the applicants were denied citizenship solely based on grounds that they belong to the Messianic Jewish community. Most of them received letters stating that they would not receive citizenship because they "commit missionary activity". One of the applicants was told by a clerk at the Ministry of Interior that because she "committed missionary activity", she is "acting against the interests of the State of Israel and against the Jewish people". These allegations are not only untrue, but they also do not constitute legal grounds to deny one's right to immigrate to Israel.

This important victory paves the way for persons who have Jewish ancestry on their father's side to immigrate to Israel freely, whether or not they belong to the Messianic Jewish community. This is yet another battle won in our war to establish equality in Israel for the Messianic Jewish community just like every other legitimate stream of faith within the Jewish world.   

Chevra USA 

"When God closes a door, he opens a window." Dr. Michael Schiffman, director of Chevra USA, a humanitarian arm of the UMJC, cites this old proverb to describe current developments with his organization.

Recently, Michael flew to Warsaw en route to visiting the small, relatively isolated Jewish community of Kaliningrad, a small enclave of Russia on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania. Michael's party was stopped at the border by customs officials who seemed to have an attitude toward Americans. Customs officials, joined by KGB representatives, were offended that they were bringing medicine-intended for impoverished Jews-into Russia: "You're not licensed to dispense medications; we have our own doctors." Things got worse when the officials saw the Bibles that Michael was bringing in and claimed they were propaganda. The Jewish star printed on the cover of each Bible caused more problems.

All of this added up to a five hour detainment, and the decision that the medicine and Bibles could not be brought in. Michael's group had to drive back to Warsaw, drop off these items, and then re-enter Kaliningrad. They were only able to bring in fleece blankets, which they brought to the city's Jewish community center, which is very friendly and open toward Chevra. The other positive side of the story is that one of the KGB men had asked how much they were asking for the Bibles, because he wanted to buy one. Michael was able to give him a free copy.

Chevra remains involved in Russia and Ukraine, with major soup kitchens and food distribution, but there is a sense that the things are tightening up in general, and feelings toward Americans are growing colder. Operations cost more than ever, because of the dropping value of the dollar. Salaries, food, and fuel costs are all rising dramatically. Chevra USA brought in more money this past year than the year before, but it does not go as far. That's the bad news.

The big opening (where God closes a door he opens a window) is Israel. Chevra efforts there are growing exponentially as its coalition reaches out to impoverished elderly Holocaust survivors. By the beginning of 2008 they were feeding over 15,000 households, more than double the number of a year ago. The aid effort spreads mostly through word of mouth, since there are so many people in need. In addition, a new project is shaping up at a school serving poor immigrant children in Israel. Chevra is raising money for families as well as for the children themselves, to help pay school fees, get hot meals through the school, and meet other needs.

Dr. Schiffman says, "God is opening up a door in Israel-this is where the future of Chevra will be."  

Humanitarian Tour,  Summer 2008

Visiting Israel is always a good deed. A trip to Israel supports the Jewish homeland, and the Messianic community there, in one of the most direct and effective ways possible. When you ask Israelis how to help their country, the most common answer they give-whether Messianic Jews, government officials, or just everyday Israelis-is, "Come to Israel!"

One busload of the UMJC tour in Israel this summer will do an additional good deed. Several of their tour days will be spent in volunteer work, helping various humanitarian efforts in Israel. One tour participant comments, "This will be my third time in the Land. . . .  For a number of years I have been involved in advocacy/social welfare ministry, so your volunteer project itinerary is just what the doctor ordered."

Linda Lieber, coordinator of Achot, the UMJC sisterhood, is helping to organize these volunteer projects. Linda's notes, "I certainly think this is a way we should be connecting with the Land and show that we stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel. We want to be there to live life with them."

Volunteers will spend a couple of days with the Ethiopian Israeli community in the Haifa Bay area. Achot has already been involved with this group through its SMILE project, contributing supplies and grant money for dental care. In 2005 SMILE helped to supply Ethiopian children with dark-skinned dolls, which "seemed to really hit the spot for the kids that received them," according to Linda. "These dolls are normally not available in Israel, and made the children feel loved and cared for." This summer volunteers will help with projects like a soup kitchen, sorting donated clothes, painting after-school clubs, and assembling packages of school supplies or dental care items-some of which volunteers will bring to Israel themselves.

UMJC volunteers will also serve needy older Holocaust survivors in Israel in connection with Chevra, a UMJC-affiliated aid organization. Significant numbers of elderly Holocaust survivors are living below the poverty line and cannot always afford food. Volunteers will package food for them, and help get these essentials items into their hands.

A final partnering organization for UMJC volunteers will be the Tel Aviv Foundation, a significant secular foundation that serves as a right arm for the mayor of Tel Aviv, taking on special projects for needs that the city cannot fulfill for itself. Volunteers will be packaging Shabbat food and supplies for people who cannot afford them.  

Youth Update

by Heather Silverman, UMJC Youth board

Every year I look forward to attending the UMJC conference. You are surrounded by believers your own age and you are building relationships with them along with building your relationship with God. When looking back on last summer's conference, in Chicago, three things stand out to me that made the conference fun and refreshing: the worship, the speakers, and the people.

If you walk into the youth room at the conference during praise and worship, you will see the room packed with not only youth but with 20's and adults as well. Worship is my favorite part of every conference for that is the strongest way to connect with God. In Chicago, the youth board asked speakers, who were closer to our age group, to give us their testimonies and/or to share how they live the "contagious life," which happened to be the youth's conference theme last year. The speakers were very beneficial, since we were able to relate to their stories, and they gave us a new outlook on living the "contagious life." 
The most exciting part about each conference is seeing the people you only get to see once a year. The relationships with those people never diminish because every summer you pick up right where you left off. I met some of my best friends through the UMJC, and I have even flown across the country for a Bat Mitzvah of a dear friend from the conference.

As we approach the summer, the conference runs through my mind constantly, especially since this summer it will be in Israel. This will be my first time traveling to Israel so I am looking forward to seeing the land where all the stories I have read from the Bible have taken place. I am anticipating photographing all these historical sites and meeting Israeli believers and building relationships with them. I am thrilled to share my first trip to Israel with people that are so meaningful to me. And finally, I am looking forward to deepening my relationship with God when traveling through Israel.