I can well remember the first thuds of the Katyushas on July 16, 2006. This was the first day that Haifa and the surrounding area came under sustained rocket attack. I had the door open and was ready to leave for the Tents of Mercy building when I heard an unfamiliar sound – Katyusha rockets… Read more »

Fourteen years ago Harvest of Asher Congregation was officially launched in Napoleon’s Park under the shadow of the old tel covering ancient Akko.  I was there that day, a brand new immigrant taking in the wonder of seeing a new congregation born in the land of promise. I assumed the location was selected for its… Read more »

Twelve years ago I went on a three week ministry trip with Eitan Shishkoff. While he was in the USA, I went to New Zealand. A week later we met up in Korea and then on to Japan to complete the journey. We received many wonderful blessings on our excursion but God used this trip… Read more »

Juji Nakada first preached about Israel’s restoration at a 1931 camp meeting held on Japan’s northern coast at Matsushima. For three days he preached on God’s promises to Israel and implored Japanese believers to pray for the restoration of Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people. In 1932 Juji Nakada published his book, “Japan… Read more »

It was a late afternoon in April and the good folks of Ohalei Rachamim were making final preparations for the community Passover Seder to be held that evening. I  gathered with a crew of volunteers as our event organizer runs through last minute serving instructions. I am responsible for serving the guests at table six… Read more »

I grew up in a traditional Jewish home in Montreal. We were not observant, but Jewish identity was central to who we were. We were Jews and we stuck together. We were God’s chosen people, but that status meant little to me except as a barrier that separated us from those who were not. As a… Read more »

The Book of Esther is a curious addition to our Bibles; it poses a number of theological and historical problems and has been the subject of great controversy. The Talmud records that Esther had to convince the Sages to include her story in the Scriptures and the rabbis debated whether the text was inspired by… Read more »

The View from Mt. Gilboa Standing on slopes of Mt. Gilboa, directly above the Harod Spring, my thoughts turned to the great victory God wrought through Gideon and his companions. I could look out towards the Hill of Moreh and imagine the camp of Midian spread out “numerous as locusts…as the sand by the seashore… Read more »

Traditionally, Christian commentators have observed an “all nations” emphasis in the Gospel of Luke. For example, Luke is famous for including the angels declaration: “on earth peace, goodwill toward [all] men” (Luke 2:14). Only Luke records the stories of God’s favor to the Gentile widow in Zarepath and Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:25-27). In contrast to Matthew (The… Read more »

In the early eighties, at the height of the cold war, many people feared that the end of the world was imminent. Concerned believers studied the Scriptures to see how unfolding events corresponded to the ancient foretelling of the Prophets. The great debate at many a Bible study concerned the relative merits of Pre, Mid… Read more »