In Touch Quarter 2 - 2013

Christian Friends of Israel
IN TOUCH No.175 2nd Quarter 2013
“Comfort,
comfort
my people,
says your
God.” Isaiah 40:1
CFI-UK
commemorates the
Holocaust p.3-5
A Muslim supporter of the
Jewish state asks ‘Why
does the world target
Israel?’ p.8-9

ISRAEL &
THE CHURCH
In Touch
is the quarterly magazine of
Christian Friends
of Israel UK
CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by
means of practical and moral
support, and to serve the Church in
teaching about God’s purposes for
Israel and the Hebraic roots
of our faith.
CFI also produces a monthly News
Report, a monthly Prayer Letter and
a Middle East Update CD/MP3.
Please send for full details of the
practical projects and also of the
many teaching resources available.
As an educational charity,
we carry a variety of
resources relevant to our
purpose. We do not
necessarily endorse every
view expressed by our
guest writers or authors
of these resources.
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Front Cover Image:
Warsaw Ghetto Square Memorial
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
Jacob Vince writes on understanding our primary
source - the complete Bible.
Ma n y
Christians
struggle to
see how Israel fits
into the picture of
the Church.
It is helpful at the
outset to identify
Israel as a land, a nation and a
people. In this editorial I am
going to focus briefly on Israel
as a land as seen in the Apostles’
record.
For all understanding, our
primary source is the written
record of the complete Bible
arranged, biblically, into four
sections: Law (Torah), Prophets,
Psalms (Luke 24:44-45) and
Apostles (Acts 2:42).
It is also correct that in these last
days, the last two thousand years
or so, (Acts 2:16 quoting Joel 2:28-
32) God has spoken through His
Son (Hebrews 1:1-3). That which
God spoke through His Son was
entrusted to the Apostles to write
down for us.
So what did the Apostles record
about Jesus’ life and what He said
concerning the land of Israel?
First, even though under
Roman occupation, the land, as a
whole, is called Israel (Matthew
2:19-21) and in particular by Jesus
(Matthew 8:10, Matthew 10:23,
Luke 4:25-27, Luke 7:9).
Second, there are two clear
instances where Jesus specifically
responds to the disciples’
understanding concerning the
restoration of the kingdom
to Israel. Both come after
Jesus’ resurrection. The first,
immediately following, on the
road to Emmaus, ‘We had hoped
that He was the one who was
going to redeem Israel.’ (Luke
24: 19-21) and the second, the
last recorded conversation of the
Apostles with Jesus before He
ascended, ‘Lord, are you at this
time going to restore the kingdom
to Israel?’ (Acts 1:6)
The first occurs before Jesus
revealed His risen self and
the second occurs after Jesus’
explanation on the road to
Emmaus as to what was said in
the Scriptures concerning Himself
(Luke 24:27), a later meeting with
a larger number of His disciples,
where He opens their minds so they
could understand the scriptures
(Luke 24:45), and finally after Jesus
appearing to His disciples over a
period of forty days, speaking to
them about the kingdom of God
(Acts 1:3).
So how does Jesus respond to
these respective understandings
of the disciples? Both responses
repay careful examination, thereby
enabling us to accurately handle the
word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), as
we are exhorted.
In the first conversation Jesus
responds with the words, ‘How
foolish you are, and how slow to
believe all that the prophets have
spoken!’ (Luke 24:25).
Whilst it is correct that Jesus
refers to them as foolish and slow
of heart to believe, He does not
entirely dismiss their hope in
the redemption of Israel. Jesus’
comment is in relation to their
believing all that the prophets had
written. The implication is that they
believed ‘some’ though not ‘all’.

In other words they had arguably
got it right about the redemption
of Israel, if not the timing as we
shall see next, but had missed the
entirety of what the prophets’ told,
in particular, about Jesus in the
Scriptures. Such a suggestion is
supported by the words Jesus uses,
referring to what the Scriptures say,
specifically, concerning Himself.
(Luke 24:27)
In the second conversation the
disciples ask a question about
timing, ‘Are you at this time going
to restore the kingdom to Israel?’
(Acts 1:6), ‘when’ not ‘whether’.
Jesus in response does not question
the assumption as to whether the
kingdom would be restored to Israel
but rather answers with regard to
the matter of timing, by saying, ‘It
is not for you to know the times or
dates God has set.’ (Acts 1:7).
So on both occasions the
implication is that Israel as a land
remained important, but in addition
to, not instead of, the wider purpose
of God sending His Son.
Clearly it is only possible in an
editorial to provide a cameo on
the subject, but Christian Friends
of Israel UK have a whole range of
resources on this and many other
relevant subjects available through
our website shop, including our
own booklet series ‘Israel in
Context’ looking at Israel in the
wider picture through the Bible,
history and current affairs.
YOM HASHOAH
David Soakell reports on how CFI-UK reps are helping their local communities remember the Holocaust
LEFT: School children visit their local
library to view a HMD display organised
by CFI. ABOVE: Wreaths are laid at
Llandudno War Memorial in Wales.
Holocaust and Heroism
Remembrance Day
(HMD), otherwise known
as Yom HaShoah, is observed as
Israel’s day of commemoration for
the six million Jews who perished
in the Shoah (Holocaust) as a
result of the actions carried out by
Nazi Germany, and for the Jewish
resistance in that period.
In Israel, it is a national memorial
day, and this year it took place on
Sunday, 7th April 2013 at sunset
(28th of Nisan, 5773).
Through the work of Christian
Friends of Israel Jerusalem, we
minister to hundreds of Holocaust
Survivors in Israel. When any of
these survivors come to CFI’s office
or Distribution Centre in Jerusalem,
the staff take the time to visit
them, record their stories and help
financially.
In the UK, this commemoration
happens in January as hundreds
of events for Holocaust Memorial
Day (HMD) take place in libraries,
schools, cinemas, museums,
galleries etc.
The creation of a National
Holocaust Memorial Day in the
UK - a Government initiative -
was brought into being in the year
2000 and aims to recognise that the
Holocaust was a tragically defining
episode of the 20th Century and a
universal catastrophe for humanity.
CFI-UK raise awareness in schools,
churches and other venues and
these events offer a mark of respect
for all victims of Nazi persecution
and demonstrates understanding
with all those who still suffer its
consequences.
Many of CFI’s Area Representatives
took on the initiative to promote,
host and speak at HMD events this
year.
Our former Area Rep for Belfast
Ivor McClinton writes, “When I
attended an HMD Workshop in
Belfast some months ago, I met
Donna Mackey, the Cohesion
Officer for the Building Positive
Relations project...When she learnt
that in 2010 I had attended the first
week long seminar at Yad Vashem
[Jerusalem’s Holocaust Memorial
Museum] for Christian leaders, she
invited me to give a one-hour talk
on the Shoah.”
Ivor writes, “I was able to relate the
story of Otto Goldberger, probably
CFI.ORG.UK // 3

one of the last Jews to escape from
Vienna, who eventually made his
way to Belfast where he attended
the synagogue there. Then I
showed some slides of the exhibits
at Yad Vashem so we had a better
understanding of that time.
“Seeing the destruction of shops,
cemeteries, synagogues and other
properties made a clear impact on
those attending. Several said to
me afterwards that they had not
previously been aware of these
horrific atrocities. The apathy of
the “civilized world” in response to
Nazi brutality against the Jews only
emboldened the Nazis. That many
in the Christian community were
at best bystanders while all this
happened should cause us to bow
our heads in shame.”
Following the talk Ivor gave, a
coach was laid on to take the people
to the synagogue in Belfast for a
guided tour by the Chairman of the
Jewish community.
Ivor also had
the opportunity
to speak to
the Mayor, Mr
Wesley Irvine,
who had attended the talk and Ivor
explained about CFI and described
the course he had attended at Yad
Vashem.
In Edinburgh, Scotland, Paul
Hayes wrote of how their HMD
service included Joan and Neil
Cape’s description of the term
‘Genocide’. This term was attributed
to Raphael Lemkin a Polish Jew,
who spent his life campaigning
for the world to stand up against
these horrible atrocities. As a young
lawyer Lemkin drafted a proposal
4 // IN TOUCH
for international laws to be created
against the crime he described as
‘the targeted destruction of ethnic,
national and religious groups.’
He submitted the proposal to
an international law conference in
Madrid in 1933. Although turned
down he persevered, being later
inspired by Churchill’s statement
during the Second World War
stating “we are in the presence of a
crime without a name.”
Finally, in 1948, the United Nations
adopted a human rights treaty for
the first time, the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide.
Our Inverness Area Rep – David
Masson writes on his visit to Yad
Vashem: “There the full story of the
attempt by the Nazis to exterminate
the whole Jewish population in
Europe is powerfully displayed.”
“The early missionaries of
Christianity had said in effect: ‘You
may not live among us as Jews.’
“I am persuaded that the Jewish people remind the
peoples of this world of the existence of God.”
David Soakell meets Holocaust survivors in Jerusalem, Israel
Secular rulers from the late Middle
Ages then decided: ‘You may not
live among us.’ The Nazis finally
decreed: ‘You may not live.’”
David poignantly writes, “If this
persecution of the Jewish people
was simply a matter of history, the
matter might be at an end. Why is
it important to remember Holocaust
Memorial Day year after year?
“From my studies of the Bible
and having read widely on the
subject I am persuaded that the
Jewish people remind the peoples
of this world of
the existence of
God. Personally
I am indebted
to the Jewish
people who
through the
centuries have
brought me
the Bible, the
Church – for the
first fifteen years
the Church was
entirely Jewish
– and of course
my personal Saviour Jesus, who
was and is a Jewish man. Dare I
forget the suffering of these people
who have contributed so much to
the history of this World?”
David had an article published in
the Inverness Courier newspaper
and put a HMD display in the CLC
shop window in Inverness.
In Llandudno, former CFI-UK
Director Roy Thurley and Sharn
Asbridge organised what was
possibly the largest HMD event in
Wales.
Roy writes: “We held a civic
commemoration at Emmanuel
Christian Centre, Llandudno, with
guest speaker Dr. Peter Kurer.
Around 210 people were present
for the evening meeting, including
the local Westminster MP, Welsh
Assembly Member, Chairman of
the County Council and five town
Mayors.
“An exhibition of art by school
students was held at the same time,
as a result of
a competition
launched in
c o n j u n c t i o n
with Holocaust
Memorial Day last year.”
On the Sunday afternoon
wreaths were laid at Llandudno
War Memorial on behalf of the
Town Council and the local Jewish
community.
In Stoke-on-Trent on 24th January
at Longton Elim Church, CFI’s
Sue Mountford was involved in a
HMD service showing a DVD from
Yad Vashem of the Children of the
Holocaust along with a Service of
Repentance. Sue was thrilled to
have Mr Martin Frisher from the
Synagogue as their guest speaker.
He had never spoken in a church
before. Mr Frisher spoke on how his
Mum was “saved” by a Christian
family in Lithuania, during WW2.
Moira Dare-Edwards once
again did a great job of organising
HMD in Brentwood in Essex.
A joint initiative of Christian
Friends of Israel (Essex) and
Shenfield, Brentwood and Districts
Synagogue put on an Exhibition
commemorating the Holocaust
including artefacts, information
and selected films.

A display of paintings by the
Holocaust Survivor and artist,
Eugen Spiro was shown, as well
as films on a variety of aspects of
the Holocaust, including a recent
interview with the Director of
Christian Friends of Yad Vashem,
Jerusalem. This Exhibition was open
to the public at Brentwood Town
Hall for two days, after which it was
transferred to a local High School.
Moira writes that there were 150
people present at the Holocaust
Commemoration including a local
Holocaust survivor, Edgar Guest,
a Hungarian Jew who “spoke
movingly of his first 12 years of
childhood during the Holocaust
and how it moulded his subsequent
life.”
“These events together, with a
memorial candle lighting ceremony,
deeply touched the hearts of our
Jewish friends present from both
our local Synagogue and others in
the County, drawing the Christians
and Jews closer together.”
Not far from the events in
Brentwood, former London Rep,
Oliver Manyemba, attended West
London Synagogue with other
guests for the Holocaust memorial
service with invites coming from
the Rabbis.
The memorial service based on the
Torah was led by the Rabbis, who
along with Synagogue members
were aware that the Christian
Believers invited had a genuine
love for Israel and the Jewish
community.
Wiltshire’s Matt Elwick was
involved with an established event
in Swindon centre at the Cenotaph
as well as having a CFI event in the
evening. The content of the meeting
was broken into three parts being
liturgy, a sermon admiring those
that were righteous among the
nations, as well as highlighting the
presence of modern anti-Semitism
and the ‘Fountain of Tears’. Matt was
also invited into a local Christian
school during February and March
to show an HMD exhibition.
In the West Midlands, David
and Chris Walker received great
encouragement after their HMD
service, as they were requested to
make it an annual event for Bethel
Chapel. This
church has
also offered
themselves for
other CFI events.
In Dewsbury,
West Yorkshire,
Brian Taylor
was involved
in a Holocaust
commemorative
service with
a difference.
Along with
having a
Commemorative service in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
commemorative service at the about this? There wasn’t enough of
Cenotaph visitors were given them [Jews] killed”.
‘passports’ and invited to embark We were blessed by several sets
upon a journey from room to of unique photographs funded by
room in Dewsbury Town Hall, several Jewish Trusts. The series of
experiencing what it would be like photos are an insight of the journey
to be ‘selected’ and split up from of Holocaust Survivors - from
family members.
liberation to rehabilitation. The
Both school children and adults quality of the photos is exceptional,
were involved in the district-wide and the clarity and connection is
commemoration.
incredible. We feel blessed that
The day ended with an event at we could use them this year to
Dewsbury Town Hall at 7.15pm highlight HMD in a new and more
where people were able to find out open environment.
more about the project and light During one section of the tour, I
candles of remembrance.
was on hand to talk to the students
Brixham had an HMD service that of a local Catholic school, and they
our Devon Area Reps, Martin and were brilliant. I allowed them time
Julia West said was a successful to view the exhibition, then spoke on
evening which over one hundred some of the significant photos, the
folk attended.
work of CFI, and Project ‘Forsake
In Selby, North Yorkshire, Roy and Them Not’. They read some of the
Christine Sherrard were involved books and then engaged in a good
with a joint ecumenical service (the ‘Question & Answer’ session.
Churches Together organisation). Following this, I spent five onehour
sessions teaching them on the
They took six memorial candles
(representing the six million Jews Holocaust and modern day Israel –
who perished in the Holocaust) and basing the teaching around Ezekiel
the vicar conducting the service 37 and Psalm 102.
read the liturgy from the CFI HMD We also shared in a full day at
book while Roy and Christine lit Teesside University for Holocaust
the candles. After the service the Memorial Day.
candles were taken into Selby Finally, I would like to say a
Abbey and placed on display there. massive ‘Thank You’ to all our
In the Middlesbrough area, Reps who took the time to organise
my wife Julia and I put on a HMD events throughout England,
six-week Holocaust Memorial Scotland, Wales and Northern
Exhibition tour of local Libraries. Ireland. Should our supporters
One Librarian commented on want to hear the full story of what
how well the exhibition had happened in your area, do get in
been received; however she was touch with your local Area Rep,
shocked at one particular comment and I am sure they would be happy
from a gentleman who clearly to share with you their time of
disapproved. Allegedly the man commemoration.
stated, “Are they still going on
CFI.ORG.UK // 5

Thinking and Living
Hebraically
Keren Hannah Pryor explains why Christians shouldn’t always ‘fit in’.
Terry and
his wife
are good
friends and
long standing
t a l m i d i m
(students) of the
Word of God.
With origins
in the United
States, they have
lived and worked in different
parts of the world, including nine
years in the beautiful mountains
of Lesotho in Africa. As with many
Christians who enthusiastically
progress in Hebraic oriented
studies, with the desire to grow
more closely in likeness to Jesus
the Jewish Messiah, they began
to find themselves feeling less
and less “at home” in family and
Church circles and relationships. A
longing arose to find a community
of believers who also shared their
desire to live a more Hebraic
lifestyle.
Drawing a comparison with their
experience of immersion in a third
culture lifestyle, Terry explains:
“Believing all the core doctrines
of the Christian faith but choosing
an alternate way to live them out
makes one ‘different’. You don’t
quite fit into the box anymore.
You do not consider converting
to Judaism and you don’t want to
be seen as negatively ‘Judaising’
anyone else; but Christians in the
main stream seemingly view you
with suspicion. While these feelings
can be disconcerting, they are
really a good sign; you are making
progress. Your values and ways of
thinking are changing. You are,
in effect, becoming a third culture
person.
Third Culture Person: Someone
who is living or has lived outside of
their country of birth/nationality.
These unique and wonderful people
often feel comfortable in either
environment, but at the same time
feel like they don’t really belong in
either one. Only someone who has
experienced this will completely
understand the feeling.
A simple poem written by Third
Culture Kid (aka TCK) Ruth Goring
expresses it well:
One life is navy blue
one life is sunshine yellow
I am green
Is there any place
where I can be green?
Living overseas in a totally
different culture made me and
my wife keenly aware of our own
cultural biases. I will never become
fully African and yet enough in me
has changed that I no longer feel at
home or comfortable in my native
culture.
Since I was not socialised within
the African context it initially
required a lot of hard work to
learn to think like someone from
another culture. When anyone lives
in another culture for an extended
time they take on certain aspects
of that host culture and necessarily
give up some parts of their “home”
culture. Your knowledge and
values change and you inevitably
become a third culture person.
So too, learning to live Hebraically
is a lifelong adventure. “In order to
understand the life and teachings
of Jesus, we must take a journey,
not only in time but also in culture,
custom, and language.” Clearly,
developing a Hebraic worldview
and lifestyle is a process, a quest.
“Unlike a trip designed to get us
somewhere as efficiently as possible,
a quest requires us to leave familiar
dwelling places for strange lands
we cannot yet envision, without
knowing when we will return.
This journey requires a willingness
to say goodbye to life as we know
it because our heart is longing
for something more.” “When
we embark on such a journey, we
understand there will be challenges
along the way, unexpected
encounters that stretch us to our
limits and change the shape of who
we are. We know we will emerge
changed, bearing the marks of the
journey on our soul and body. Our
friends may not recognise us when
we return; we may not recognise
ourselves!”
6 // IN TOUCH

As we faithfully study the
Scriptures from a Biblical/Hebraic
point of view and allow God to
lead us in our lifestyle choices we
will develop a new worldview.
Learning anew and experiencing
a whole new paradigm shift in
one’s thinking takes time. In this
regard, we have learned much
from Dwight Pryor regarding the
differences between the Hellenistic
(Greco-Roman) worldview that
most of the church is steeped in and
the Hebraic worldview.
Those of us coming from a
Hellenistic background will need to
first understand our own cultural
bias or inherent worldview before
we can begin to truly integrate a
Hebraic-based lifestyle. We need to
be aware of the myriad ways that
our Hellenistic/Modern worldview
colours our understanding of and
approach to everything we do,
including our study of God’s Word.
A truly biblical, Hebraic lifestyle is
trans-cultural, bridging all cultures.
L e a r n i n g
“Learning to think and live Hebraically is to develop
a new worldview, a biblical/Torah perspective.”
to think
and live
Hebraically
is to develop
a new worldview, a biblical/
Torah perspective. As Tim Hegg
explains, “When a non-Jew comes
to faith in Yeshua and wishes to
prove his love for God by keeping
His commandments, he begins to
live a Torah-based life….which
in many cases looks Jewish. He
does not espouse Judaism, per se,
but he espouses faith in God, i.e.,
he lives faithfully before God. As
such, he takes on Torah living. He
is included in the “us” who stood at
Mt. Sinai.” (Isaiah 56:3-8; Ephesians
2:11-22)
However, simply beginning to
practice outwardly Jewish ways
will not transform your worldview
as this cultural iceberg diagram
portrays (see top right).
You may not have lived overseas
like a typical third culture person.
But as your worldview becomes
more and more Hebraic you will
often experience many of the same
emotions and you will at times feel
like a stranger who doesn’t quite
fit in anymore. Be assured that,
whether others
understand or
not, there is no
better place to
be.”
Terry is
right; and, by
extension, this
concept also
can be applied
to the secular,
materialistic,
worldly culture.
Once a person
has entered the
Kingdom of
God, and has
wholeheartedly
accepted His
Kingship in
Yeshua our Messiah, he or she
is set free from the Pharaohs of
this world. In the embrace of our
Father in Heaven, no other power
may legitimately lay claim to
our lives. In a very real sense we
become “strangers” in this world.
We can no longer identify with
the ideals and rules of any society
that are in conflict with the ways
and commandments of God, our
new Master. In fact, as stated by
Lawrence S. Kushner:
“The measure by which one feels
oneself distant, alien, a stranger in
this world of lies, by that measure
For further study
see ‘Jewish
Roots’ - a Judeo-
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does one feel close to Heaven. And
the opposite is also true.”
The mastery of the world is
an illusion. Reality is measured
in relation to one’s proximity to
Heaven – to God. The goal of
teshuvah – of
repentance – is to
turn away from
the bondages of
this world, from
the slave-drivers who “lord it
over” their subjects, and to enter
the freedom and peace of serving
one’s true Master, the Father and
Creator of all, and to walk in His
will and ways as lived and taught
by His Son, Yeshua – God’s Torah
enfleshed.
CFI.ORG.UK // 7

WHY DOES THE WORLD
TARGET ISRAEL?
By singling out Israel, human rights activists abandon those
who really suffer from apartheid, argues Kasim Hafeez.
Ge n o c i d e ,
e t h n i c
c l e a n s i n g ,
apartheid; if
you’ve ever had
the pleasure of
speaking with some
of the more zealous
haters of Israel
you’ll hear these
phrases at some
point, normally yelled at you by a
delightful middle class keffiyehwearing
student.
I guess to some extent, sadly, we
have become slightly accustomed
to these libels. The hypocrisy of
those claiming to be pro-Palestinian
and champions of human rights,
and their obsessive
hatred of Israel
has led to the
abandonment of
those who suffer true
apartheid, genocide
and ethnic cleansing.
Detractors will undoubtedly be
quick to ask why supporters of
Israel point to other regimes to
exonerate Israel. But this is not
really what I’m doing. Israel needs
no exoneration as, fortunately,
Israelis are able to protest, challenge
and choose their governments.
That’s democracy folks. But, just for
the sake of argument, let us say all
the malicious lies have some truth
to them. Still the question remains:
Why is Israel singled out for protests
and global marches lauded by the
‘enlightened’ regimes in Tehran and
Damascus, yet some of the world’s
human rights catastrophes carry on
daily, completely ignored, by the
same holier than thou activists?
For me, a particular source of
pain and anger is the situation of
minorities and women in
my parents’ homeland.
In Pakistan, not a week
goes by without a
story of rape, murder,
humiliation and torture.
In this Islamic country,
terms such as Jesus
Christ are banned in text
messages and a young
girl is shot for demanding
basic education. Yet apart from
the attempted murder of Malala
Yusufzai, these stories rarely make it
to the press. The brutally oppressed
Christian minority suffers at the
hands of an archaic blasphemy law,
yet, apart from small-scale protests
held by Pakistani Christian groups,
there were no calls to boycott
Pakistan and no flotillas were
planned. I guess murdered Pakistani
Christians may not be a trendy
enough cause. I wonder if a British
newspaper would publish a cartoon
of a Pakistani mullah murdering
minorities to pave the way for a
Sharia state. Our journalists love
freedom and liberty, but they love
their lives a little bit more.
The House of Saud promotes
religious apartheid, destroys history
and spreads Wahhabism, yet the
world remains silent. Maybe the
cause isn’t cool enough. Or maybe
we should just allow people to
suffer and dismiss it as a cultural
phenomenon; maybe we should say
this is how things are in that part of
the world and focus on the need to
stop ‘apartheid Israel,’ which just
elected another Knesset member of
Ethiopian descent.
Remember when a handful of
Darfur nationals and real human
rights activists protested outside
the UN Human Rights Commission
against the atrocities in the region?
Well, the instigator of the ethnic
cleansing, Sudan, sat on the United
Nations Human Rights Commission.
Once again, so many of our activists
remained silent because Israel was
not involved. It is interesting to note
that some of Israel’s fiercest enemies
like Syria, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
dismissed the UN report on Darfur,
penned by Nobel laureate Jody
Wolfe, and acted to protect Sudan at
“Real apartheid, genocide and ethnic cleansing
are occurring on our watch, yet these people have
become so obsessed with the end of Zionism that
the suffering of others had become a side show.”
the UN.
Why are the
self-appointed
defenders of
P a l e s t i n i a n
r i g h t s
silent while
Palestinians are being massacred
in Syria by Assad’s regime? And
why do they remain silent when
a Palestinian girl is murdered in
the name of honour? Where were
they when Hamas fired rockets
from inside a school in Gaza? Oh, I
forgot, they were outside the nearest
Israeli embassy chanting slogans in
support of Hamas.
I know there are many people who
genuinely care about Palestinians
and want to see them live in peace
with their neighbours, but there
are too many modern-day Jean-
Paul Marats who are full of fiery
rhetoric and demand blood. People
have become obsessed with the
destruction of Israel. These people
should be ashamed of themselves,
emulating the Nazis by urging
8 // IN TOUCH

oycotts of Jewish businesses while
murder, rape and humiliation
are rampant in so many nations.
Real apartheid, genocide and
ethnic cleansing are occurring on
our watch, yet these people have
become so obsessed with the end of
Zionism that the suffering of others
has become a side show.
Protest the oppression of women
in Saudi Arabia and you’ll have my
respect. Protesting against an Israeli
theater group is pathetic.
Numerous Middle East countries
consistently violate human rights,
yet the UN vilifies Israel. Is it just me
or is something deeply wrong with
our moral compass?
This article originally appeared in ynetnews.com and is used with
permission. For more information please visit theisraelcampaign.org
YOUNG ADULTS UPDATE
Christian Friends of Israel’s
two youngest employees
(pictured right) recently
spoke at Chichester University’s
Christian Union (CU).
Richard Briggs shared his
testimony of how he became a
Christian while in Israel working
with Lance Lambert before Sam
Hailes spoke for 30 minutes on the
topic of “Israel and the Bible”.
Pulling together Scriptures from
both the Old and New Testament,
Sam explained the ongoing
relevence of the nation and people
of Israel to around 40 students.
For the vast majority of those
gathered, it was the first time they
had encountered such teaching.
Encouraged by the positive
feedback, Sam and Richard
are hoping to persue similar
opportunities in other CUs. If you
or someone you know would like to
invite Sam and Richard to a CU to
share their hearts on Israel and the
work of CFI-UK, please email sam@
cfi.org.uk
In related news, around 30 young
Christians gathered at an event held
by the Israeli Embassy in central
London. Many were grateful for
the opportunity to both network
with other like minded Christians
and hear seminars on how best to
advocate for Israel in the public
square.
If you or someone you know
would like to receive email updates
on CFI’s work among young adults
(18-30s) please email info@cfi.org.uk
Sam Hailes & Richard Briggs
Thatcher was a true
friend of Israel
We were deeply saddened to
learn of Baroness Thatcher’s
death. The ZF and CFI-UK offers
their sincere condolences to her
family.
Margaret Thatcher, the
Conservative MP for Finchley and
Golders Green from 1959-1992 and
Prime Minister from 1979-1990 was
a true friend to the Jewish people and to the State of
Israel.
She was the first Prime Minister to make an official
trip to Israel and energetically opposed the Arab
boycott.
Thatcher claimed her greatest accomplishment
was her work as a child to help save a Jewish
teenager in Austria from the Holocaust.
During her time as Prime Minister, Margaret
Thatcher frequently condemned Soviet Union
officials for their treatment of Refuseniks (Soviet
Jews, who were denied permission to emigrate
abroad).
Karel van Oordt
With sadness, we wish to inform
you that Karel van Oordt, the
founder of Christians for Israel (based
in The Netherlands), passed away on
Tuesday 9th April 2013, in his hometown
Amersfoort. He was 84 years old.
To the very end he tirelessly encouraged
Christians to discover the Biblical message
about Israel. “Our task is to comfort Israel” he often said.
During his many (500+) visits to Israel, he spoke with
his Jewish friends about his faith in the Lord Jesus and
his fervent expectation of the imminent coming of the
Messiah of Israel and the Kingdom of God.
One of his well-known sayings was: “The promises
that were given to Israel are being fulfilled for Israel. The
promises that were given to the Church will be fulfilled
for the Church”.
Karel van Oordt wished to be remembered as someone
who made many mistakes, but always was prepared to
confess his sins before the Face of the Almighty.
Karel’s beloved wife, Annie, passed away in 2008.
Together they have eight children, 47 grandchildren and
9 great-grand children.
We write to advise that Oliver Manyemba is no longer serving as our London Area representative.
We thank him for his efforts over the last year and wish him well in his future work and ministry.
CFI.ORG.UK // 9

#pex'
10 // IN TOUCH
chafets
(part one)
Hebrew Word
Study with
John C. P. Smith
Of the various terms covered
in this series of Hebrew
Word Studies, #pex' chafets
is perhaps one of the less familiar
to most readers. Yet many will
have unwittingly encountered
this Hebrew root in the phrase Hb'-
ycip.x, cheftsi-vah, “my delight is in
her” (2 Kings 21:1 and Isaiah 62:4),
commonly written ‘Hephzibah’.
The verb #pex' chafets, “to delight in, take pleasure in,
favour, desire; be pleased, willing”, is found 86 times in
the Hebrew Bible, including a dozen instances where
it behaves as an adjective, i.e. “delighting, desiring;
willing, eager”. The noun #p,xe chefets (plural chafatsim)
derived from the verb, means “delight, desire, pleasure,
joy; will, purpose”, and occurs 38 times.
Everybody has desires or dreams; everyone takes
pleasure in something or finds joy in someone’s
presence. “For everything there is a season, and a time
for every chefets [purpose/desire] under the heavens”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1). The important question is, who or
what is the focus of our devotion or ambition?
For instance, these days, in preference to a sincere quest
for truth, many people devote themselves obsessively
to social chatter and gossip: “A fool does not chafets
[delight] in understanding, but in expressing his own
heart” (Proverbs 18:2). This is also sadly often evidenced
in reactions to events in Israel: rather than seeking to
know the truth behind a story, the media and public
seem content with endless opinions and speculations.
Certainly the Lord is “not a God who chafets [takes
pleasure] in wickedness” (Psalm 5:4). Neither even does
He “chafets [delight] in sacrifice” or “burnt offering”
(Psalm 51:16); He does “not chafets [delight] in the
blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats” (Isaiah 1:11). Rather,
He “chafets [desires] mercy/lovingkindness and not
sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Furthermore, He chafets [desires]
“faithfulness/truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6
[Heb, v.8]). In other words, He desires integrity.
These are the kind of qualities in which He delights:
“I, Yahweh, exercise chesed [mercy/lovingkindness],
judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I
chafets” (Jeremiah 9:24 [Heb, v.23]). Michah (Micah) asks
rhetorically, “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity
and passing over the transgression of the remnant of
His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever,
because He chafets in chesed [mercy/lovingkindness]”
(Micah 7:18).
Our desire should be to get to know God through
His word, to seek Him through spending time in His
presence, and to serve Him wholeheartedly. The first
Psalm declares: “Blessed is the man… [whose] chefets
[delight] is in the torah [teaching/law] of Yahweh, and
in His torah he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-
2). And David gave this advice: “As for you, my son
Shelomoh, know the God of your father, and serve Him
with a loyal heart and with a soul/mind that is chafets
[eager/willing]; for Yahweh searches all hearts and
understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek
Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He
will cast you off forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9). Similarly, in
the New Testament Sha’ul makes the simple plea, “find
out [or ‘learn’] what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10).
Shabat is a great opportunity to draw close to God.
“If you keep your feet from breaking Shabat and from
doing your chafatsim [pleasures] on My holy day, if
you call the Shabat a delight and Yahweh’s holy day
honourable, and if you honour it by not going your
own way and not finding your chefets [pleasure] or
speaking idle words, then you shall delight yourself in
Yahweh…” (Isaiah 58:13-14).
In seeking the Lord in this kind of way we will learn
to delight in the things that please Him, and we will
also be richly blessed! “Blessed is the man who fears
Yahweh, who chafets greatly in His commandments”
(Psalm 112:1).
Transliteration Challenges
Most Hebrew words have just three root
consonantal letters, so you may wonder how
#pex' comes to be transliterated by the 7 English
letters “chafets”, comprising 5 consonants plus 2 vowels.
The reason is that #pex' contains letters that do not have a
single equivalent in English.
The letter chet (x) is equivalent to a “ch” sound (as
in ‘Bach’ or ‘loch’); though chet is also sometimes
transliterated with an “h” or “H”. The letter peh (P) occurs
in #pex' chafets in its ‘soft’ (fricative) form, sounding like
“f”; in this form it can also be represented by “ph” or
“p”. Finally, the letter tsadeh/tsadiy (c), occurring in #pex'
chafets in its final form (#), is equivalent to “ts” (as in
“lots”); but some prefer to use “tz” or “c”. So while I have
written #pex' as chafets, it could equally be represented as
haphetz or Hapec, etc.
It is important to be aware that there is no universally
accepted system of transliteration (Romanisation) of
Hebrew letters (though some academics use the Society
of Biblical Literature’s system in its Handbook of Style,
available via their website at www.sbl-site.org). You will
encounter a variety of approaches. So if, for example,
you see an ‘h’ you may want to check if it represents
a he (h) or chet (x). The best solution, if you have the
time and means, is to learn the Hebrew alphabet so
that you don’t need to rely on transliterations. CFI has
resources for learning Hebrew and there are lots online
(see hebrew4christians.com).
“I chafets [delight] to do Your will, O my God, and Your torah [teaching/law] is within
my heart” (Psalm 40:8 [Heb, v.9])

ISRAEL TRIP:
‘ABSOLUTELY
AMAZING’
CFI-UK recently took 11 clergy on a
tour of Israel. Here is some of the
feedback we received:
“...After my visit, I
feel that things have
been clarified for me
as never before...It was
so important for me to
see the landscape, in
particular the pressure of
space and the proximity
of the major conflict
and danger zones to
Jerusalem...”
“...Seeing the
sites helped us
engage with
Jewish history
and our Bible
in a way
that brought
things I knew
to life...”
“Visiting the Biblical sites has brough the Bible alive in a fresh way...I can well understand now why Israel
feels as she does......Meeting with the people has given fresh insight to the problems that face the Middle
East, it will affect how I listen to the news in future.”
“...more and more I see how transformative
this experience is for me personally and
professionally...I shall never forget the thrill
of being in Jerusalem over the Sabbath, the
joy of praying at the Western Wall alongside
the Jewish men and women making their
devotions there, and the sheer exuberance
and delight of that weekly celebration...
This was the first time I have heard Israeli
perspectives on the territorial situation in an
atmopshere free of animosity or distrust...I
return more committed to supporting
initiatives on the ground which will build
mutual understanding...”
“...The whole trip was absolutely
amazing...I have come back so much more
enlightened and motivated for ministry.
I have also completely changed my mind
regarding the conflict. Where I had been
influenced in the past by the British
media to perhaps sympathise with the
Palestinians...now I feel for all the people
of that troubled land...I have now come
to understand just how vulnerable Israel
as a nation is, both from the Palestinians
within and the nations on, or near to its
borders...”
CFI.ORG.UK // 11

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Save the date
These two new magazines
focus on restoring the
Biblical Foundations of the
Christian Faith (M21) and building
up family through Faith, Home,
Children and Education (M22)
Restore! Magazine is published
in the USA by John Garr of
Restoration Foundation. Rather
than a dated periodical, each
issue focuses on a specific theme
and includes a variety of articles
by noted scholars in the Hebraic
Roots movement.
m21 & m22 / 34 pages
magazine / £6.00 each
Between the years 1939-1948
thousands of Jews fleeing
the Holocaust to Mandate
Palestine were captured and
imprisoned by the British at a
detention camp in Atlit as “illegal”
immigrants. This collection of
contributions and testimonies tells
their story.
The book is written by Dr.
Mordechai Naor who was born
in Tel Aviv, Aug 19, 1934. He is a
scholar of the life and history of
Israel and the Jewish people, an
author and editor of many books,
and has been a writer/researcher of
dozens of radio and TV programs
on the subject matter.
B450/ 80 pages paperback / £10.50
All prices are inclusive of UK P&P
Author and historian KELVIN CROMBIE will be our
speaker at the 2013 annual CFI-UK conference on 11-12th
October. He will also be touring the UK with CFI, speaking
in many towns and cities during the month. More details will
follow in the next In Touch.
Israeli Embassy Thanks CFI-UK
Supporters
Israel’s first Bedouin
diplomat Ishmael
Khaldi recently visited
the CFI-UK office to
address a packed room
and express his thanks
and gratitude to all
who support Israel
through the work of
CFI.