CJF Ministries February 2013 Newsletter

7/28/2019 CJF Ministries February 2013 Newsletter

1/6

CJF MinistriesPO Box 345

San Antonio, Texas 78292-0345 God has not forgotten the Jewish people, and neither have we.

Telephone

(210) 226-0421

Fax

(210) 226- 2140

[email protected]

OrderLine

(800) 926-5397

Website

www.cjfm.org

February 2013

Dear Friends,

Many of our Jewish friends celebrate Purim in February. As you may recall, the festival marks

the Jewish peoples deliverance from annihilation in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran).

According to the Book of Esther, Purim was to be celebrated with rejoicing, feasting, and

joymarked by the giving of presents to one another and the poor (Esther 9:20-24).

Today, the celebration of this relatively minor holidayoften viewed as a Jewish version of

Mardi Grasincludes a complete reading of the Book of Esther. Like audiences at an old-

fashioned melodrama, Purim partygoers are encouraged to stomp, hiss, and boo the villain

the evil anti-Semite, Haman.

Despite the party atmosphere, however, Purim is always a reminder that God defends and

protects the Jewish people; anyone who seeks to destroy them does so at his own peril. Gods

sovereign plan will not be thwartedeither by individuals or nations. The story of Queen

Esther also reminds us that one individual can make a difference. In this newsletter, we share

the little-known story of Chiune Sugiharaa Japanese diplomat, who, like Queen Esther,

found himself in a unique position to save Jewish lives. When faced with a dificult dilemma,

Sugihara obeyed God rather than men, putting his life and career at risk in the process.

You and I may never be called upon to save Jewish lives as Sugihara was, but each of us

is called to stand for truth and righteousness in our own day. We can rebuke growing

anti-Semitism, have compassion upon Gods people who are in need, and battle injustice.

Although Sugiharas later life was not an easy one, his life in total is a testimony that Goddoes indeed bless those who bless the Jewish people.

May God continue to protect and defend the Jewish people so that His perfect will may be

done. We are grateful for your partnership in this ministry, and for your prayers on behalf of

Gods chosen people. When we stand before the Lord, may we all be able to say, We did all

that we could. May we then hear those welcome words from the Master, Well done, good

and faithful servant.

In His love,

Dr. Gary Hedrick

(We wish to thank CJFM supporter Kiyoko Takata for bringing Sugiharas story to our attention.)

THE RIGHT THING TO DO


2/6

Chiune Sugihara displayed his independent spiritearly in life, choosing to become a diplomat ratherthan the doctor his father wanted. He earned ascholarship to study Russian, and rose through the

Japanese Foreign Service ranks to the position ofvice chief of the foreign ministry in Manchuria.Sugihara later resigned that post in protest after theJapanese military brutalized thousands of Chinese.He should have been disciplined, but the Japanesegovernment needed his language skills.

In early 1939, Sugihara was ordered to open a one-man consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania, to keep an eye onthe escalating German/Soviet conflict. After Germany

invaded Poland in September, Jewish refugees pouredinto Lithuania. By June 1940, the Soviet Unionhad pushed the Nazis back and annexed Lithuania,ordering all foreign diplomatic missions to close.Jewish refugees hopes of escape faded. To leaveLithuania, they needed three documents: a passport,an entry visa for an approved destination, and transitvisas for traveling through countries en route.

The refugees biggest hurdle was finding a countryto accept them. The United States, Great Britain, andmore than 30 other countries had effectively closedtheir doors.

Among those trapped in Soviet-held Lithuaniawere two Jewish Dutch citizens. They learned theDutch West Indies island of Curacao allowed entrywithout a visaas long as the islands governor gave

permission. The Dutch refugees made a bold request:Would the Dutch ambassador to Latvia and the Dutchrepresentative in Lithuania stamp their paperworkfor Curacao no visa required, but leave off anymention of needing the governors permission?Amazingly, the Dutch diplomats agreed. And further,they agreed to do the same for Jewish refugees whowere not Dutch citizens.

The only way to get a transit visa to Curacao wasthrough Japan. Refugees flocked to the Japaneseconsulate to obtain transit visasthe final docu-mentation required.

Sugihara was sympathetic and wanted to issuethe visas, but there were so many. He cabled thehome ofce for guidance. Three times he requested

permission to write the visas; each time he was denied.In her book, Visas for Life, Yukiko Sugihara wrotethat both she and her husband were Christians, andcould not ignore the desperate faces of the women,children, and elderly outside the consulate gates.With his wifes encouragement, Sugihara finallydecided to ignore his countrys orders. He knew hewould face disgrace at home, and perhaps even puthis family at risk, but he could not ignore what Godwas prompting him to do. Sugihara began writingvisas, and working more than 16 hours a daynot

even stopping to eat. His wife fed him sandwiches,and then helped register the visas he had written. Atthe end of the day, she massaged his hands so thathe would be able to write more visas the next day.The refugee crowd grew from hundreds to more than2,000. Sugihara promised to help them all.

JAPANESE DIPLOMAT CHIUNE SUGIHARAA 20th-Century Purim Story

Public Domain

Transit visa, issued by Chiune Sugiharato Susan Bluman in approximately 1939-1940.

Photo by Chiune Sugihara.


3/6

He asked for Soviet permission to keep the consulateopen 20 more days, and used the time to write morevisas. When his German-born assistant complainedthat he couldnt keep up with the workload, Sugihara

brought in a Jewish refugee to help him. For days,those two men worked side-by-side to save Jewishlives. When Sugihara discovered that some refugeeshad no passporthaving fled the Nazis without their

papershe issued them visas anyway. Sugihara evenaccepted blank pieces of paper with nothing more thana Curacao entry notation as documentation.

When the Soviets finally forced Sugihara to closethe consulate in August 1940, the diplomat was soexhausted that he had to rest in a hotel before leavingthe country. Desperate refugees found him there, andSugihara wrote more visas. Refugees even followedhim to the train station where he wrote visas untilthe train pulled away from the platform. In the end,few refugees actually went to Curacao. After passingthrough Japan, most found their way to Israel, orsettled in Shanghai, China.

Later, when his government requested an officialaccounting of visas issued in Lithuania, Sugiharasdocumentation showed 2,139 names. The actualnumber rescued, however, was much higher sincean entire household could travel under one visa. Thedescendants of those who escaped now number inthe tens of thousands.

What motivated Sugihara to defy his government andwrite the visas is not entirely clear. Some say it washis Christian faith; others say it was the Samurai codehe had learned as a child; others credit his wife forencouraging him. Sugihara himself said that he did itsimply because it was the right thing to do.

In 1944, while serving in Romania, Sugihara and hisfamily were arrested and spent 18 months in a SovietPOW camp. They were eventually allowed to returnto Japan, but only after bribing their Soviet guard withMrs. Sugiharas kimono.

After the war, Sugihara was asked to resign. TheJapanese government insisted the move was part of

post-war downsizing, but Sugihara firmly believed itwas punishment for his actions in Lithuania. Publiclydisgraced, this gifted linguist took other (oftenmenial) work to support his family. Eventually, heleft his family in Japan to take an international tradingcompany job in Russia, living there for 16 years. The

man, who had known the prestige and comfort ofdiplomatic assignments, now lived alone in a Russianhotel room, fixing simple meals on a hotplatehiswartime humanitarianism virtually unnoticed. WhenSugihara retired, he returned to Japan to live out hisfinal years with his family.

In 1968, after a long search, visa recipient Joshua Nisrifinally located his rescuer. Sugihara was immenselygratified to learn that his efforts had not been in vain,and that many Jewish people had survived and rebuilt

their lives. He also learned that a number of his visarecipients had settled in the newly re-establishedJewish homeland. Despite the many offers of honorand reward, Sugihara accepted nothing for hisactions except a college scholarship for his son atHebrew University in Israel. He and his descendantswere also given Israeli citizenship. And in 1985, aftermore visa recipients had shared their stories, thisquiet, unassuming man became the only Japanese to

be honored as a Righteous Among the Nations atIsraels Yad Vashem. Sugihara was too ill to attendthe ceremony, and passed away the next year at theage of 86.

In addition to the honors accorded Sugihara and hisfamily by Israel, Lithuania named a street after him,and Israel, Japan, and the United States built parksand erected memorials in his honor. Sugihara was also

posthumously awarded the Anti-Defamation LeaguesBnai Briths Courage to Care award (1989), theCommanders Cross with Star of the Order of PolonioRestituta (2007), The Immortal Chaplains Prize forHumanity (2000), the Life Saving Cross of Lithuania(1993), and the Commanders Cross Order of Meritof the Republic of Poland (1996). His memory is alsohighly revered by Eastern Orthodox Christians, whosefaith he and his wife shared.

Sugiharas widow, Yukiko, with Lithuania President Valdas Adamkusat a tree planting ceremony in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2001.

Photo by Rimantas Lazdynas.


4/6

2013 LCJE-NA CONFERENCE

2013 MESSIAH IN THE PASSOVER PRESENTATIONS

GOLDSTEIN INSTALLED AS NEW PASTOR

The 30th-annual LCJE North America conference

takes place this year in Boca Raton, Fla., March 4-6.

The subject for this years gathering is Messianic

Apologetics: Responding to the Tough Questions.

Those in Florida on March 3 are invited to attend an

informal evening reception, hosted by Mitch Glaserand Chosen People Ministries. The Wednesday closing

banquets keynote speaker will be Messianic Jewish

attorney Jay Sekulow, American Center for Law and

Justices chief counsel and a syndicated broadcaster.

Further details about the conference, accommodations,

and deadlines can be found at lcje-na.org.

The Jewish festival of Passover (beginning on March

25) occupies such a prominent place in Jewish culture

that even secular Jewish people attend Seders. The

season also offers a unique opportunity to share Gods

redemptive plan through Messiah in the Passover

Seder presentations. Its not too late to contact CJFM

to schedule a presentation for your church or small

group. Simply call (800) 926-5397 or email us at info@

cjfm.org. You can also checkcjfm.org/passover to

find scheduled events; invite your Jewish friends and

neighbors to attend with you.

Or HaGalil (Light of the Galilee) congregation in Nahariya, Israel, recently installed CJFM representative Efraim

Goldstein as its new pastor. Local Messianic leaders were invited to join the festivities, which included a time of

testimony, preaching, and worship. Gideon Levytam, CJFMs director of international ministries, concluded the service

with remarks on behalf of CJF Ministries. A potluck supper followed.

R. A. Higbee

R. A. Higbee

Messianic pastors and church leaders pray for Efraim Goldstein and hiswife, Jeannie, as Efraim is ofcially installed as Or HaGalils pastor.

Pastor Efraim with Ruth Nessim, our longtime worker in Nahariya. Ruth and herhusband, Albert, founded the congregation in their home more than 30 years a

esy of Gideon Levytam courtesy of Gide


5/6

FUTURE ISRAEL: Why Christian

Anti-Judaism Must Be Challengedby Barry E. Horner

This is the third volume of the New AmericanCommentary Studies in Bible and Theology(NACSBT) series for pastors, advanced Biblestudents, and other deeply committed laypersons.

Author Barry E. Horner writes to persuade readersabout the divine validity of Jewish people today(based on Romans 11:28), as well as the nationof Israel, and the land of Palestine in the midstof this often debated issue within Christendom.He examines the Bibles consistent pro-Judaicdirectionnamely a Judeo-centric eschatology thatis a unifying feature throughout Scripture.

Not sensationalist like many other writings on this constantly debated topic,Future Israelis instead notably exegetical and theological in its argumentation.Users will find this an excellent extension of the long-respected New AmericanCommentary.

Book (BB-168) 394 pages $20

THE BOOK OF DANIEL:The Coming Judgment of the Nationsby Paul Benware

The world is moving rapidly toward the events

described in the final days in the Book of Daniel.While no one wishes to be a date setter, few candoubt that we are coming into conflicts in theMiddle East, and even internationally, that will givebirth to terrible consequences for the entire world.

Dr. Paul Benware gives a fresh look at propheticevents laid out in this Daniel commentary, offeringspecific details on the prophecies and their meaning.Students of Scripture would find their libraryincomplete without this stellar volume explainingDaniels deep message.

Paperback (BB-155) 291 pages $12

HAS THE CHURCHREPLACED ISRAEL?by Michael J. Vlach

The relationship between Israel and the Churchcontinues to be a controversial topic led by thisquestion: Does the Church replace, supersede, orfulfill the nation of Israel in Gods plan, or willIsrael be saved and restored with a unique identityand role?

Author Michael J. Vlach evaluates thedoctrine of replacement theology (also knownas supersessionism) down through history,ultimately arguing for the non-supersessionist

position. Thoroughly vetting the most importanthermeneutical and theological issues related to the Israel-Church relationship,Vlach explains why, there are compelling scriptural reasons in both testamentsto believe in a future salvation and restoration of the nation Israel.

Book (BB-157) 224 pages $18

What God Says About Nothing(February 15 - March 3)by Dr. Gary Hedrick

Most of the time in our Bible studies, weretalking about what God says about something.

But we need to realize that God also has a lot to

say about nothing.

CD (GT-100 CD) $6

The Spring Feasts of The Lord(March 4 - April 9)

by Dr. Gary HedrickGary explains that the feasts mentioned

in Leviticus 23 are not only significant by

themselves, but collectively form an exciting

outline of Gods plan leading up to His Second

Coming. The messages cover Pesach (Passover)

Shabbat (the Sabbath), Hag haMatzot (Feast of

the Unleavened Bread), Yom haBikkurim (Day

of First Fruits), and Hag Shavuot (Feast of

Weeks).

CD (GT-91 CD) $18

The Shepherds Song(April 10 - 24)by Dr. Gary Hedrick

Do you think you have learned everything

there is to know about Psalm 23? You might be

surprised!

CD (GT-36 CD) $6

BROADCASTS

FEBRUARY 2013

Resources


6/6

JERUSAlEm InSTITUTE OF JUSTICE FIghTS BACk

BOOk OF REvElATIOn PROPhECY TOUR

Do you ever wonder how events will unfold in the latter days? Are youconfused about the end times, or have you been taught that the Bookof Revelation is merely allegorical and does not speak to real places orcoming events? Let us help clarify the fog, and show you what Scripturesays! Join CJF Ministries for our Book of Revelation Prophecy Tour ofGreece, Turkey, and Israel on October 15-31, 2013. See the ruins of the

churches at Philadelphia, Laodicea, and the five others mentioned inRevelation.

The Apostle Pauls letters and missionary journeys will come to life asyou explore the incredible remnants of the great city of Ephesus. We takeyou also to the beautiful Greek island of Patmos, where the Apostle Johnactually penned the Book of Revelation.

Since 2005, a growing number of colleges anduniversities worldwide have hosted an Israel ApartheidWeek, (IAW) during which lectures and rallies spewhatred and demonize Israel as an apartheid society whose

aim it is to frustrate the aspirations of the Palestinianpeople. Calev Myers, a Messianic Jewish Israeli whofounded the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ), has hadenough. He believes its time for Israel to aggressivelycounter this vile propaganda.

Hes initiating an annual Palestinian Human RightsWeek, to be held at the same time as IAW. Myershopes to challenge the world to examine the grievoushuman rights violations perpetrated by the PalestinianAuthority. Why are so many Palestinians in Gaza and theWest Bank still living in abject poverty when they have

been given more than $25 billion by the international

community since the 1993 Oslo Accords?

The Palestinian Authority must be held accountablefor its own human rights violations before it points anyaccusing fingers at Israel. Myers hopes his PalestinianHuman Rights Week conferences and lectures will be astep in that direction.

JIJ also represented 15-year-old Messianic Jewish believerAmi Ortiz pro bono throughout his costly five-year court

battle and medical treatments. The boy miraculouslysurvived a Purim basket bomb that had been intended forhis father, David, a Messianic pastor in Ariel, Israel. AnIsraeli court finally convicted Jack Teitel of attemptedmurder in the bombing that nearly took Ortizs life. Teitelwas also convicted of two counts of murder and one countof attempted murder in unrelated cases. Although stillundergoing painful skin grafts to treat his burn scars, Aminow enjoys a relatively normal life as a college studentin the United States. An unrepentant Teitel, however,continues to insist that God is proud of what he did. Teitelwill spend the rest of his life behind bars. We can only

pray that God will soften this murderers heart and remove

the scales from his eyes.

Nearly half of our tour time will be spent in Israel, where Godsplan for the ages will come to fruition. Stand on the Mount ofOlives where the Messiah himself will stand when He returns.Look over the plains of Megiddo, the staging area for theworlds massive armies, gathering for the great battle describedin Revelation 16:12-16. Experience the Land of Israel, and

walk the streets of Jerusalem that contain thousands of yearsof historyand from which the Messiah himself will rule andreign. There is so much more to see, experience, and learn!

Join us to hear what Scripture says about the end times; seewith your own eyes where events will take place, and havea great time doing it! Youll also have an opportunity to seeexamples of magnificent Byzantine architecture like HagiaSophia in Istanbul, and dont forget shopping at TurkeysGrand Bazaar. So get your walking shoes ready, and plan nowto join us in the fall!

Visit our website at cjfm.org/tours to see the tour itinerary,photographs from past tours, and more information.R. A. Higbee

R. A. Higbee

CJF Ministries February 2013 Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of CJF Ministries February 2013 Newsletter