Imagine that early this morning you andsome of your friends left the comfort ofyour homes to begin a long and oftenarduous journey. Underfoot, stones invadeyour sandals; you and your friends mustwatch for larger ones that could threatenyour balance. As you walk, you glance tothe right and to the left—rocks, hills andmountains are everywhere. Your gaze iscontinually drawn to the horizon, to theskies, to the mountains, as you hope for aglimpse of your destination. There are nomaps, no compasses, and no Fodor’sguides. It is a route you’ve traveled before.

The way up to Jerusalem is both marvelousand treacherous for you, the pilgrimtraveler, as you anticipate your arrival at theTemple to worship God. When you finallyreach that point, you and your fellowtravelers will join countless others, allchanting from a group of Psalms (121-134) known as the Songs of Ascents.

These psalms are filled with words such as“go up,” “look up,” “mountains,” “Mt.Zion,” “watchmen” and “dwelling place.”They paint a picture of people who aretraveling to meet their God at a special timein a special place for a special purpose.

Today, these songs are part of the Psalter as weknow it; they are also part of the synagogueservice. They have special meaning formessianic believers both in Israel and aroundthe rest of the world. They speak of God’sincredible provision of safety and security. Asthis edition of Havurah concentrates onupdates from believers who are dwelling orhave dwelt in the land of Israel, these psalmsare powerful reminders of the fact that thoughtimes may be tumultuous, God’s promises ofprotection are sure because of who He is.

Our Creator CaresWe can see this particularly in Psalm 121,which depicts a traveler that apparently

needs help as he journeys to worship theLord. In verses 1 and 2, the psalmist says:

I will lift up my eyes to the hillsFrom whence comes my help?My help comes from the Lord,Who made heaven and earth.

Notice he asks a rhetorical question, andthen provides the answer. The travelerlooks around and says to himself, “The Godof creation is a sure thing. I see His powerdisplayed in the world around me. I knowthat I can trust Him.” This kind of trust isreflected in the articles in this edition and itshould be reflected in our own lives.

When we feel unsure of our path, whenwe’re aware that we need help for thepresent, we need to look up and see whatGod has already done for us. We can lookat God’s Word and behold its surety andeternality. We can admit to ourselves, “The

Keeper of Israel: Reflections on Psalm 121 By Melissa Moskowitz

Continued on page 2

Keeper of Israel: Reflections on Psalm 121

J U N E 2 0 0 4 • S I V A N - T A M M U Z 5 7 6 4

V O L U M E 7 , N U M B E R 2

II wwiillll lliifftt uupp mmyy eeyyeess ttoo tthhee hhiillllssFFrroomm wwhheennccee ccoommeess mmyy hheellpp??

MMyy hheellpp ccoommeess ffrroomm tthhee LLoorrdd,,WWhhoo mmaaddee hheeaavveenn aanndd eeaarrtthh

II wwiillll lliifftt uupp mmyy eeyyeess ttoo tthhee hhiillllssFFrroomm wwhheennccee ccoommeess mmyy hheellpp??

MMyy hheellpp ccoommeess ffrroomm tthhee LLoorrdd,,WWhhoo mmaaddee hheeaavveenn aanndd eeaarrtthh

He will not allow your foot to be moved;He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps IsraelShall neither slumber nor sleep.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps IsraelShall neither slumber nor sleep.

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PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. ©2004

EDITOR: MELISSA DELL MOSKOWITZ

ART, DESIGN, PRODUCTION: DAVID YAPP

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JESUS

Continued from page 1

way is difficult, I need a guide, God is myhelper. He created me and He created allthis. He will help me from going astray.”

He Is Always Awake and AwareThe traveler goes on and recognizes that heis not the only one God is protecting. Inverses 3 and 4 he says:

He will not allow your foot to be moved;He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, He who keeps IsraelShall neither slumber nor sleep.

He notes again with assurance that Godkeeps His people. The traveler must have feltat times that he was about to slip on the path.Like him, we sometimes are in danger oflosing our sure footing. We stumble, yet Godkeeps us. The traveler knows that he won’tlose his footing as long as he depends on theLord. His ability to stay on the path—andours—comes from how well we depend onGod and not on our own agility and balance.

The traveler points out that God is oursleepless Guardian, the Keeper of Israel.He created His people and He never losessight of them. With this confidence, thetraveler pushes on into the noonday sun.

Ever-present ProtectionThe Lord is your keeper;The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,Nor the moon by night.

Those who have been in the Middle Eastknow that the noonday heat can beunrelenting. This must be what the traveleris experiencing. It has become unbearablyhot and any shade is a godsend for itprotects from sunstroke as well asderangement. The day gives way to night,which evokes fear of its own. The brilliantmoonlight casts eerie shadows. As thetraveler and fellow pilgrims press on intothe darkness, they see watchmen in thedistance, but it’s also a struggle to keepone’s footing in the dark. The pilgrimsreassure each other with the belief that Godknows their struggles. He is a shield fromthe trials of the day and the testings of thenight. He will be with us when we lie downand when we rise up; when we go out andwhen we come in. As long as we, thechildren of Israel and those who followHim, keep our hearts focused on Him inworship with our feet walking towards Himon the path He has chosen for us, God willkeep us.

What does it mean, “to keep”? The Hebrewword shomer communicates that God doesnot merely observe us; He undertakes toprotect us. He concerns Himself intimatelywith us. We can have the confidence thatGod knows all and that He protects. No

matter how the trials of life may heat up, nomatter what catastrophes might befall us,God can be our Rock, the One who gives usstrength to keep going out and coming in.No matter what grotesque shadows may fallacross our path, we have a guiding light.Unlike the worldly watchmen who tire andfall asleep and who have no real power tosave, God never stops watching, never stops caring.

Many of us have tried to prepare ourselvesfor every contingency. Yet no matter howhigh the SPF of our sunscreen, no matterhow many protective layers we put on, lifewill sometimes burn us. We need the onewho is the Sun of Righteousness withhealing in His wings to be our shelter andour shield.

Preservation - Past, Present and Future

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;He shall preserve your soul.The Lord shall preserve your going out andyour coming inFrom this time forth, and even forevermore.

As God preserves us from externaldangers, like the sun and the cold, so Hisloving care also keeps us from the evil ofsin that threatens to invade our soul. Weneed to be kept, not only from theobvious sin of immorality, but from the

I will lift up my eyes to the hillsFrom whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,Who made heaven and earth

I will lift up my eyes to the hillsFrom whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,Who made heaven and earth

HHee wwiillll nnoott aallllooww yyoouurr ffoooott ttoo bbee mmoovveedd;;HHee wwhhoo kkeeeeppss yyoouu wwiillll nnoott sslluummbbeerr..

BBeehhoolldd,, HHee wwhhoo kkeeeeppss IIssrraaeellSShhaallll nneeiitthheerr sslluummbbeerr nnoorr sslleeeepp..

HHee wwiillll nnoott aallllooww yyoouurr ffoooott ttoo bbee mmoovveedd;;HHee wwhhoo kkeeeeppss yyoouu wwiillll nnoott sslluummbbeerr..

BBeehhoolldd,, HHee wwhhoo kkeeeeppss IIssrraaeellSShhaallll nneeiitthheerr sslluummbbeerr nnoorr sslleeeepp..

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temptation to sin through things like fear,gossip and doubt—all of which canpoison our souls. God is diligent toconvict us and to show us a better way.

Again, God takes note of our situationwhether we are going or coming. Like amother who watches over her children,both protecting and delighting, so ourGod watches over us as we marchonward. He has near vision and farvision. He doesn’t see some things abovethe lens, and others beneath it. He isabove all circumstances of life and so Hesees it all—all the time, from everyperspective, going and coming,backwards and forwards, in the past andin the future and right now. He preservesand He keeps.

We can trust in God as our Protector forthe unseen, the rocks that cause us tostumble, the obstacles that cause us todoubt and the scorching trials weencounter. We can trust Him because Hiscaring is eternal. It is for now andforevermore. His very Name, “Keeper ofIsrael,” assures us that what we entrust toHim will be kept.

As you read the following articles fromsome of our dear friends in Israel, they, likethe psalm, should remind you that God isour ever-present help wherever we are.

Efraim Goldstein

The State of Evangelism in Israel

TreesForest

from theTrees

Forestfrom the

Here in Israel there are no “experts”on evangelism. There are manybelievers who are doing the work

of evangelism, but most of us are in themiddle of the task and cannot see thetrees from the forest. While there are noexperts, there is no lack of opinions orperspectives.

Our Jews for Jesus staff does evangelismas our vocation and therefore there is anintentionality to our witness. We meetregularly with those who want Bibleinstruction and prayer. We engage inconversations with unsaved Israelis on thestreets. There are also those in all thecongregations who are witnessing on aregular basis. Certainly, I would notexpect an Israeli leader or pastor today tosay “no” or “not now” to evangelism.Most evangelism is done locally andprivately. It is not “friendship evangelism,”but rather witness by opportunity.Believers are standing up when theopportunity arises to share a testimony ora word of witness. Many are taking abold stand for the Lord.

One such story was told to me by anEthiopian believer who served in the IDF.His story demonstrates courage andboldness when it counted. This youngman was brought into the police stationand told that he was being questioned formurdering two acquaintances. They werefriends of his who were mysteriouslymurdered; now he was under suspicionfor their deaths.

While sitting in the interrogation room, hewas filled with shock and horror, andcould hardly speak. However, hegradually felt emboldened to speakdespite his surroundings. He blurted outthat he couldn’t have murdered hisfriends because he is a believer in Y’shuathe Messiah, and followers of Y’shua areforbidden to murder. The policedetectives were taken aback by hisresponse. They asked him questionsabout what it means to be Jewish andbelieve in Y’shua. They said that they hadheard the very same statement fromsomeone else who had been questionedin the murder investigation.

This young man was released without anyfurther questioning! It is not known if theofficials ever found the people responsiblefor the terrible murders. However, thedisplay of faith on the part of this youngman is typical of the many hundreds ofincidents that happen daily in Israel asbelievers stand up for their faith, takingthe chance and sometimes the risk toprivately proclaim Y’shua.

The climate is ripe here for all thewitnessing that can be done. The lastthree years of suicide bombings andterror have created a lot of doubts, fearsand isolation on the part of the people ofIsrael. Certainly the youth of Israel aredisillusioned and looking for hope. MayGod give us more opportunities to witnessand the grace to be prepared and ablewhen the harvest time comes.

ON THE EDGE

HHEERREE,,BBUUTT TTHHEERREE

LIVING

As content as I am learning to be withmy life in the States, much of myheart still longs to return to Israel.

In many ways, it is home to me.

I first went to Israel in 1966. I traveledthere by ship and stayed almost two years; Iwould have stayed longer if my request forpermanent residence had been granted, butGod had other plans for me. I returned tothe United States and became involved inthe First Hebrew Christian Congregation inChicago where I met and married Martinand inherited his three lovely daughters.

As a child in Germany, Martin belonged to aZionist children’s group and desired to go to

“Palestine.” Hitlerinterfered with those plansand Martin and his parentsescaped to the UnitedStates instead. After ourmarriage, we hoped andplanned to make aliyah.However, Martin wasdiagnosed with braincancer and died in 1986.

I still longed to return tothe Land. In 1987 Iaccepted a volunteerposition at the Institute ofHoly Land Studies as an

administrative secretary to the director at thecampus on Mt. Zion. I accepted his offerand worked there for five years. While there,I also worked on the staff of the JerusalemPerspective magazine and assisted infounding the Home for Bible Translators.

My belief in Y’shua made me too “messianic”to some of the Christians I met and my love

for Israel made me too “Jewish” to others.Yet, I made many rewarding and lastingfriendships that I cherish to this day. Inaddition to the Israelis, I also met and livedamong people from Finland, Italy, Spain,England, Switzerland and the Congo. Itraveled from the lowest point on earth nearthe Dead Sea all the way to the snow-coveredMt. Hermon; from the Mediterraneanseacoast to the tropical Jericho; from verdantGalilee to the deserts of Eilat.

Were there problems and struggles? Yes,plenty! For much of the time I felt like Iwas lugging suitcases from one place toanother. But I wanted to go wherever I wasneeded most. I had limited Hebrewlanguage skills and some difficulty inobtaining extended visas. But I felt safer inIsrael than I have in the States! During myvarious sojourns there, I witnessed twowars and two Intifadas and have vividmemories of rushing to bomb shelters andsealed rooms during the wars. I can stillrecall the urgent need I often felt to bevigilant because of terrorists.

Since I’ve returned to the United States, Icontinue to do whatever I can to show mysupport of Israel. I keep in contact withmy precious friends. I give talks on Israelto various groups. I belong to AdathaTikvah Messianic Congregation inChicago. I can’t help sharing my love forthe Land and the people of Israel.

Yet I consider myself richly blessed that theLord has granted me this little part amongHis people in the Land. I am trying to becontent here for now, and though life inIsrael was not easy, I have to say I would go back at the first opportunity!

by Gloria Suess

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by Jeannie GoldsteinOONN TTHHEE EEDDGGEE

HERE,BUT THERE

LLIIVVIINNGG

There are so many adjectives one coulduse to describe living in a place thatchanges daily, if not hour-by-hour. At

the risk of beginning on a negative note,let’s just say that “great” or “awesome” arenot always at the top of the list.

When our family moved to Israel in 1994, Iwas excited and challenged by the prospectof living in a new place with a new languageand culture. I was so sure that I would adaptand would pick up the language immediately.

Things don’t always work out the way youplan. I learned every word and rule ofgrammar at Ulpan, but even after almost 10years, there are times when it is stilldifficult for me to speak Hebrew. I haverelied on my children—who caught onmore quickly—many times over the yearsto talk and translate for me.

Still, five years ago God opened the doorfor me to have a ministry to children herein Israel. I began three weekly Bible Clubsfor children of believers in three differentcities. The first Bible Club was in English.After about two months, I started a club forHebrew-speaking children. I knew that Ididn’t have all the language skills I needed,but I yearned to share the Lord with themand wanted to step out in faith. The firstyear could probably have been categorizedas a comedy show! The children whoattended were so patient with me. It hasbeen such a blessing to see these childrenweekly and encourage them in their walkwith the Lord.

As we have expanded our ministry here toworking with teens, I still feel thefrustration of trying to communicate. But ithas grown easier and I will continueworking and teaching because there is sucha need to encourage this generation ofIsraelis with our faith in Y’shua. As amother, I know this personally.

Raising our two sons, Daniel and Gabi, herein Israel has been a continual challenge.From the start I did not understand theirassignments or school projects. It mademe feel like an ignorant immigrant—leftout of what they were involved in and whatthey were learning. Now that both boys aregrown up and in the army, I feel a deepertension: Where are they stationed? What ishappening in their lives on a daily basis?My husband Efraim and I pray constantlyfor them, knowing that the Lord isprotecting them. Yet, I still feel the lack ofknowledge and control in their lives.

Every bombing and every killing bringssadness to my heart and makes me moreand more conscious of the need to preachthe gospel to others. In my ministry I try toencourage the children that the Lord is ourprotection. We trust God as we travelaround ministering, knowing that nothinghappens outside of His will. We sometimesneed to change our plans or routes, but Iwill continue to make the name of Y’shuaan unavoidable issue to our Jewish peoplehere in Israel.

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ichael Nissim is a 27-year-old Israeli believer in Y’shua whoseparents taught him to love the Lord and to love Israel. He begantaking piano lessons at the age of six and then progressed to

trombone and drums. When he was 14 he fell in love—with the guitar!After a few lessons, he was determined to learn the instrument on hisown and began to plan and arrange songs for his own enjoyment.

Serving in the Israeli army brought Michael a new realization of hisneed for God and an increased desire for holiness. He developed anew appreciation for contemporary messianic worship songs andfor some of the classic hymns of the faith. His friends asked him torecord some of his music so they could enjoy it all the time. “RonuShamayim” is the eventual result.

Nissim’s years of playing and his intense love of the Lord are evidenton this album, which contains his instrumental guitar renditions of13 songs: two are classic hymns, one a praise chorus, one anoriginal composition by Shmulik, Michael’s brother, and nine areworship songs composed by Israeli believers that are regularly sungin Israel’s messianic congregations. To each, Nissim deftly managesto add a unique flair.

Ronu ShamayimInstrumental Guitar Praise from Israel

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ost Israelis are required to serve inthe Israeli Defense Force for atleast two years. After their service

in the IDF, many are weary from facing thereality of death every day, so they decide toget away for awhile. The Far East is apopular destination for these young people.They want to go to a faraway land, have fun,meet new people and see another part ofthe world. Many feel this will be their lastchance to live a carefree existence beforecoming back to Israel, settling down andgrowing up.

While away from the Land many of theseyoung Israelis are presented with newbeliefs. There is a strong desire tobelieve in something, and new religiousexperiences can be attractive alternativesto their upbringing. One example ofthis is the growing popularity of New Age beliefs and practices.

Since1998, New Age festivals havebecome well-attended events.

Today there are four major annual New Agefestivals in Israel, lasting about four dayseach. They attract more than just thosefinishing up with the army. Entire familiestake part in these spiritually orientedfestivals. The atmosphere is sometimes likea carnival, sometimes like a marketplace.But behind the fun and the gaiety, there is adark reality. Many spiritual ideas arepresented in these venues, but in the endthey are all worshiping the creation ratherthan the Creator. And ironically, the Israelisattending these festivals do not see them asthreatening their Jewish identity; it’s justsomething new to experience, something tobelieve in.

Since the spirit of the festival is pluralisticand very open-minded, they provide great

opportunities for believers to go in andpreach the gospel. Our Jews for Jesusworkers rent a booth where we give awaymany different types of books, testimonies,tracts and other apologetic literature. Themost popular book we give out is the NewTestament. We go to the camping groundsand sit around people’s fires and talk tothem about Jesus. We find that manyfestival people are open to the gospelbecause they come looking for some sortof spiritual answers. Some are more openthan others but almost all will listen to themessage of salvation. That is theencouraging side of the New Age festivalsin the Land: “But as for you, you meant evilagainst me; but God meant it for good, inorder to bring it about as it is this day, tosave many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).Please pray that God will continue to useus in the lives of these fun-seekers to bringmany to know Him through these festivals.

New Age in Israel By Dan Sered

M

M

Reviewed by Jeff Millenson

Michael’s style often imparts a classical feel. In “Hodu L’Adonai KiTov” (“Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is Good”), he creates movingcontrapuntal lines that are reminiscent of a Bach chorale. He uses thatsame technique on “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” to highlight movingbass lines, creating interest and adding variety to the multiple stanzas.

“He is Lord” begins as a simple praise chorus. After astraightforward first verse, Michael adds musical zest withcountermelodies and chord substitutions on verse two and a“Spanish guitar” flavor on verse three. He then closes the song assimply as he began it.

“Shalom Rav” (“Great Peace”) by David Loden is a classicmessianic worship song in both Israel and the United States.Michael’s version is simple and uncluttered and highlights both thebeauty of the melody and the subtleties of the chord structure.

In “Yesh li Otcha, Yeshua” (“I Have You, Jesus”) a second guitarpart gives added weight to the melody. Though purely instrumentallike the rest of the record, this song really “sings”—you’ll feel as ifyou can almost hear lyrics.

Singer and composer Elisheva Shomron wrote four of the songs onthe album. “Lo Gavah Libi” (“My Heart Is Not Proud”) has abeautiful and haunting melody, as does “Leman’an Zion” (“For theSake of Zion”). Nissim brings out the beauty of both pieces byvarying his style from verse to verse while remaining true to thespirit of each song.

The album closes, fittingly, with David Loden’s beautiful “RamVeNisa HaMashiach” (“High and Exalted Is the Messiah”). Thisclassic nicely completes this stylish collection of worship and praiseto Y’shua the Messiah.

“Ronu Shamayim” is available directly from Michael Nissim’swebsite: www.michaelnissim.com.

P.S. Singers and musicians, if you like “Ronu Shamayim”, check out www.messianicsheetmusic.50g.com. Sheet music for nine of the eleven Israeli songs on this CD is availablefor downloading and copying for personal worship. Lyrics are included for most of the songs and some have singableEnglish translations.

here were 14 generations from ourancestor Abraham to King David; 14generations from David to the

Babylonian exile and 14 generations fromthe exile to the coming of our MessiahY’shua. For Amitai, an Israeli soldier whorecently became a believer in Y’shua, thenumber 14 is also significant, forAmitai’s family has not left Israel for 14generations. This is very rare.

When the rabbis returned from theDiaspora, they were set on one thing:preserving Jewishness in the Holy Land.They met people like Amitai’s family, whowere quite glad to listen to them. Amitaigrew up on the Talmud and the Gemaraand was attracted to the idea that Godwas real.

As far back as he can remember, Amitaiwondered about the Messiah. At an early

age, he began reading books aboutMessiah. Nothing in the rabbinical booksseemed to satisfy his curiosity. He wasintrigued by the idea that the Messiahwould come out of Israel—but where washe? When would he come? Hadn’t theJewish people suffered long enough?

These questions remained unanswered inAmitai’s mind until a few months ago, whenhe met Dan Sered, a Jews for Jesusmissionary, on the street. Dan and Amitaifound they were the same age and began tomeet together to talk about the Messiah.For the first time Amitai felt in his heart thathe had found the truth about Messiah, butwhy was it tangled up in this man calledY’shua? How could the Messiah have comeand yet his people not have known?

I began to meet with Amitai while Danwas out of town. We pored through the

Scriptures together. Amitai wasimpressed that my family had been inIsrael even more generations than his!After much time together, Amitai prayedwith me to receive Y’shua as his Messiah.

Since receiving Y’shua, Amitai has had arecurring dream. He is wearing dirtyclothes and is in a desert. He seesY’shua’s hands outstretched to him there.Then he is at the Sea of Galilee and there are Y’shua’s hands again,reassuring him to not be afraid. In hisdream, Amitai reaches out to Y’shua and his clothes become unbelievablyclean and white, but when he draws backhis hands, they become dirty again. This dream has encouraged Amitai tokeep his hands outstretched to the Onewho has answered his questions onceand for all.

A Soldier’s Story and a Recurring Dream by Shlomy Abramov

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Bulletin BoardBulletin Board

Our “Survivor Stories”video—with testimoniesand stories of Jewishbelievers who survivedthe Holocaust—is nowavailable on DVD inHebrew, Russian, French,Portuguese and English.Order online at:store.jewsforjesus.org

Bound for the PromisedLand—by Haya andMenahem Benhayim—can be ordered at:store.jewsforjesus.org

Summer ConferencesSummer ConferencesMessianic Jewish Alliance ofAmerica (MJAA):Messiah Conference, July 4-10Grantham, PA See www.mjaa.org

Ariel Ministries’ Camp Shoshanahin the Adirondack Mountains:July 24-August 14 See www.ariel.org

Union of Messianic JewishCongregations (UMJC):June 30-July 3, Boston, MA See www.umjc.org

Bulletin BoardBulletin BoardIt’s not too late to BEHOLD YOUR GOD with us this fall! Why not consider a short-term evangelisticexperience in Denver, Paris, Detroit or even São Paulo? Call or write MAL60@aol.com or (415) 864-2600.

Jews for Jesus does not necessarily endorse these conferences.