In Touch - 1st Quarter 2022

1 st Quarter 2022 • No 210
Christian Friends of Israel
United Kingdom
You Bethlehem in the land of Judah
Matthew 2:6
INSIDE: EDITORIAL Line and Land • Olive Grove Project • All Israel will be saved • Hopes and Expectations for 2022 • Leica and the Jews
The Fiddle • Echoes of Sorrow • HEBREW WORD FOCUS - Shalom • Christians in Israel • News Report • RESOURCES

Christian Friends of Israel
United Kingdom
Editorial
Jacob Vince
The Bible-story
continues –
Line and Land
About us
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 heritage of
our faith.
CFI UK also produces a monthly
Prayer Letter, a weekly audio Middle
East Report and distributes the
Haverim teaching CDs.
Please contact us for full details
of projects in Israel and also the
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.
IN TOUCH Magazine
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Front cover photo:
Bethlehem from the north
Two themes concurrently
permeate the Bible from
its earliest pages. A
hereditary line and a future
land are covenant promises
made to Abraham, confirmed to
Isaac and to Jacob.
They progress through the pages
of the first three parts of the Bible,
the Law, the Prophets and the
Psalms, which end with the books
of Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah,
and the summary book Chronicles.
These feature the theme of the
hereditary line in recounting the
genealogies and the theme of the
land, in the edict of Cyrus and its
implementation. The question is
whether these two themes continue
in the final, fourth part of the Bible,
the Apostles’ teaching.
In God’s providence, Matthew
is tasked with writing the
continuing story at the beginning
of the Apostles’ teaching. Perhaps
illustrative of this position, his
book is structured in five sections,
similar to the Law of Moses
comprising five books, Joshua the
first book of the Prophets, also in
five parts, and the Psalms in five
books.
Matthew commences his
continuing story, ‘A record of the
genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of
David, the son of Abraham’ (Matthew
1:1) immediately connecting with
the genealogies of Chronicles. The
family tree is divided into three
and summarised at the end, ‘There
were fourteen generations in all from
Abraham to David, fourteen from
David to the exile in Babylon, and
fourteen from the exile to the Christ’
(Matthew 1:17). Within both the
genealogy itself and the summary,
the exile from the land or key
family-line patriarchs are used
as the dividers. So straightaway
we see the line and land theme
continuing.
The story moves on to ‘how the
birth of Jesus Christ came about’
(Matthew 1:18), the family line. But
after this account we come to the
town and region of Jesus’ birth,
confirming the prophet’s promise
of location ‘Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah’ (Matthew 2:6; Micah 5:2) or
Judea. The quotation ends with the
phrase, ‘who will be the shepherd
of my people Israel’ (Matthew
2:6; Micah 5:2), the first mention,
in this instance, of Israel as the
hereditary people, the line. So,
early in the record, the Apostles’
teaching follows in sequence with
Chronicles at the close of the third
section of the Bible.
But you, Bethlehem, in
the land of Judah, are by
no means least among the
rulers of Judah; for out of
you will come a ruler who
will be the shepherd of
my people Israel
The second time the word Israel
is mentioned by Matthew is in
relation to the land. Following
the escape to Egypt, Joseph is
instructed by an angel of the Lord
to “Go to the land of Israel” (Matthew
2:20) – this time the theme is the
land promise. The term ‘land of
Israel’ is repeated as Joseph takes
his family to the land in obedience
to the angel’s instruction (see
Matthew 2:21) and we learn that
the land of Israel includes Judea,
where Joseph goes first, then the
region of Galilee, where he is later
redirected. Both are viewed as
regions encompassed within the
description of the land of Israel.
It is worth noting at this point
that the biblical name of the land
2 IN TOUCH • 1 st Quarter 2022

is Israel. This is both the name
used by the angel of the Lord for
a first century listener, Joseph,
and as written down by Matthew
circa 60ad for readers who would
know the land referred to, but
perhaps more importantly for the
generations to come, including
Gentiles who would later believe,
(see Mary’s song Luke 1:46-55
especially verses 48-50).
Christians in general are familiar
with the ‘line’ promise, but few
have regard to the ‘land’ promise.
It features here at the start of
Matthew, the first book of the
Apostle’s teaching, but is also
prevalent in later summaries of
Israel’s history, including Luke’s
writing where he closes the first
volume (see Luke 24:21) and starts
the second (see Acts 1:6). Then it
appears in Stephen’s summary
(see Acts 7:1-53), the apostle Paul’s
summary (see Acts 13:15-43), and
in the letter written to the Hebrews
(see Hebrews 11:1-40). In the
latter, the term ‘promised land’ is
used, clearly in the context of the
promise made to Abraham, where
it describes his faithful response
as righteous. How interesting
that Abraham’s obedient exercise
of faith is described twice, firstly
regarding the land,
‘By faith Abraham, when called to go
to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even
though he did not know where he was
going. By faith he made his home in
the promised land like a stranger in
a foreign country; he lived in tents
as did Isaac and Jacob who were
heirs with him of the same promise’
(Hebrews 11:8-9),
and secondly regarding the line,
‘By faith Abraham, even though he
was past age – and Sarah herself was
barren, was enabled to become a father
because he considered him faithful
who had made the promise’
(Hebrews 11:11).
Appreciating there are many
other potentially more significant
elements of these summaries, they
do nonetheless include the dual
promise of the line and land in
continuity with the biblical story
that unfolds from the earliest parts
of the Bible.
Update
Project Olive Grove closes...
Olive Grove Projects (known to its
friends as POG) was set up around 30
years ago by Eileen Alvis and Mary Pinkess.
Its purpose was to supply clothes to the
Distribution Centre (DC) in Israel, run by CFI
Jerusalem (above). In those days, thousands
of immigrants (Olim) were arriving in Israel
every month, especially from the former
Soviet Union. They came with practically
nothing, so the DC gave them clothes as
Rob & Margaret Hearing POG Co-ordinators
well as the scriptures showing how they
were fulfilling biblical prophecy (e.g. ‘… I will bring you back ...’ Ezekiel 36:24). Over
the years, tens of thousands of boxes of clothes have been sent to the DC from
supporters all over the UK. Your support will have helped many in Israel and given
them a glimpse of their Messiah through the love of followers of Yeshua.
In recent years, new immigrants’ need of clothing has reduced and, during the early
days of the Covid pandemic, CFI Jerusalem sought God about the best way to help
Olim nowadays. The conclusion was that clothes are no longer essential, as most Olim
now arrive with plenty, and equipment for setting up home in Israel is the current
priority. So, the DC is being restructured along those lines and shipments of clothes
are no longer needed – you can read more on this in the 3rd Quarter 2021 edition
of ‘For Zion’s Sake’ magazine produced by CFI Jerusalem. Consequently, we will no
longer be collecting clothes to send to the DC.
The POG trustees and ourselves have asked God about the way forward for POG.
We unanimously believe that the original purpose of POG to supply clothes to the DC
has been fulfilled. Since financial and prayer support for CFI Jerusalem can be directed
through CFI UK, Olive Grove Projects will now be closed. We are grateful for the
support of CFI UK, who called POG their ‘sister charity’ and gave us a display space
at CFI Annual Conferences. You might have met us there. If you have any questions
about the above, you can contact us at: olivegrove@ntlworld.com or 01582 520787
before the end of July 2022.
...Distribution Centre upgrades
The CFI Distribution Centre, Jerusalem,
has touched many Jewish lives through
providing the highest quality garments
from around the world and now provides
all kinds of domestic appliances to
support those in need.
Despite the difficulties of a global
pandemic, and along with the operating
restrictions, CFI Jerusalem continues to
be a blessing to new immigrants and
needy people.
The new Resource Centre also gives
computer training and advice.
1 st Quarter 2022 • IN TOUCH 3

Feature
All Israel will be saved
Jared Compton is an assistant
professor of Greek and New Testament
theology at Bethlehem College &
Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“There are some things in [Paul’s] letters that are hard to
understand” (2 Peter 3:16). That’s a relief to read, isn’t
it? If the apostle Peter had trouble understanding
Paul, is it any wonder we do too? I sometimes wonder
if “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) was on
Peter’s mind.
It’s a riddle of a verse, wrapped in a mystery of
an argument, inside a densely reasoned letter. It’s
also one of the best clues we have about how Paul
understood Scripture as a whole.
Let me see if I can shed light on this statement by
answering four questions, one on each part of the
verse. This won’t give all the answers, but it will point
us in the right direction.
1. What Does He Mean by ‘Saved’?
Let’s start with the easiest part. By “saved” Paul
means rescued or delivered from God’s judgment
on sin. Paul confirms this in the next verses when he
writes, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish
ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with
them when I take away their sins” (Romans. 11:26–27).
The “Deliverer” is Jesus, and the rescued are those
who believe in him (see Romans 11:23 in light of
Romans 9:30–10:4).
2. What Does He Mean by ‘Israel’?
By “Israel” Paul means ethnic Israelites (Jews). For
Paul the world was divided into two types of people:
Israel and everybody else (Gentiles). And according
to Paul, Israel comprises the people God set apart
for himself, made promises to, established covenants
The Sea of Galilee and the heights of Safed (1870)
with, and entrusted with his law (see Romans. 9:1–5).
They are Abraham’s descendants – not every last one,
but those freely chosen by God’s mercy, like Isaac and
Jacob and Paul (see Romans 9:6–13 and 11:1).
They are a people whose response to Paul’s gospel
should not have surprised anyone. After all, on more
than one occasion, God had anticipated their unbelief
(see Romans 10:19–21; 11:2). What’s more, they were
the people Paul kept an eye on as he carried out his
mission to Gentiles, hoping and praying that “somehow
[he] might make [his] fellow Jews jealous, and thus save
some of them” (Romans 11:13–14).
Gentiles are the outsiders. Unlike the Jews, they
were not God’s people, at least not at first and never
in precisely the same way. True, God was always
free to reverse the “not his people” status of Gentiles.
In fact, hints that he would were given to Abraham
right from the beginning (see Romans 4:16–18) and
subtly affirmed along the way (see Romans 9:25–26;
cf. Romans 10:19; 15:9–11). But there’s still a sense in
which Israel and the Gentiles are distinct. That’s what
Paul is getting at with his olive-tree metaphor (see
Romans 11:17–24). Believing Gentiles are connected to
Abraham’s family tree, but in a slightly different way
than believing Israel is. They’re connected in a way
that is “contrary to nature,” which is something that
can’t be said for believing Jews (see Romans 11:24).
3. What Does He Mean by ‘All’?
“All” refers to the sum of the Jewish remnant and the
hardened majority. Here’s the formula:
Jewish remnant + hardened majority = all Israel
“All Israel,” then, is nothing less than the sum of the
two groups that have always existed within Israel
(see Romans 9:27–29; 11:1–9). This is what God’s
preservation of a remnant had always anticipated and
implied (see Romans 11:16), even when the implication
4 IN TOUCH • 1 st Quarter 2022

seemed so far out of reach (see Romans 9:1–6; 10:1;
11:1). Eventually all Israel – both Jewish remnant and
hardened majority – will be saved (though see Paul’s
clarifying remarks in Romans 9:6, when he basically
says, “Yes, yes ... You’ve got the maths right. Just
remember, it won’t include ‘every’ member of that
hardened majority.”)
Paul explains how this will happen. God promised
that Abraham’s family tree would be full of natural
branches (Israelites). This guaranteed
that the long-standing
asymmetry of Abraham’s family
tree – caused by so many of his kin
being cut off – would one day be
addressed. And in a breath-taking
stroke, God reveals that he is going
to use wild branches (Gentiles) to
do it – to restore Israel’s symmetry.
And he will do this not by grafting in a bunch of wild
branches in the place of the natural branches, but by
using grafted-in wild branches to gain the attention of
the natural branches. This was a “mystery” (Romans
11:25) long hidden and only lately revealed. God had
promised to save Gentiles and provoke his stubborn
people (see Romans 10:19). But nobody saw this
coming: God fulfils the promise latent in the remnant’s
preservation through Gentile inclusion. Nobody
foresaw that it would be “in this way” (Romans 11:26)
that all Israel will be saved.
4. When Does He Mean by ‘Will Be’?
All Israel will be saved after “the full number of Gentiles
has come in”, which will occur just before Jesus
returns and, therefore, just before the ‘resurrection’
Jewish remnant
+ hardened majority
= all Israel
Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23. The two
Old Testament passages Paul cites may point in this
direction too (see Romans 11:26–27).
However, the big question is whether Israel’s full
salvation happens all at once or gradually. Does the
lifting of Israel’s partial hardening await the final
Gentile convert, or has it begun already? To ask it
another way, did Paul regard Jews converted in his
day (and ours) as gradually swelling the ranks of the
remnant or as gradually reversing
the hardening of the majority?
I’m inclined to the latter option,
which would mean that the reversal
of Israel’s hardening has already
begun. After all, when Paul talks
about Jewish conversion from
Romans 11:11 onward, he talks about ‘re-grafting’ and
‘reversal’, not adding to the remnant. This lines up
with what Paul says in Romans 11:31: God’s mercy
is not something the hardened majority must wait to
receive.
That said, this reading doesn’t rule out a long process
ending with a climactic revival. To learn whether it
will, we must simply wait and see.
Oh the Depth!
Peter was right. Some passages in Paul are difficult.
But that doesn’t mean we should avoid them. On the
contrary, passages that require digging are those that
often yield diamonds.
Romans 11 is one such passage. It’s a story full of
twists and turns, marvel and mystery. But what else
would we expect from a God like ours?
Hopes and expectations for 2022
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By Jacob Vince, CEO CFI UK
As I ponder our hopes and expectations
for 2022, I am reminded of similar
words given to the prophet Jeremiah:
“I know the plans that I have for you …
plans to give you hope and a future”
(Jeremiah 29:11).
Often quoted out of context, they
were pronounced during a time of
considerable upheaval and danger,
particularly concerning impending
deportation.
Even so, Jeremiah was instructed to
buy some land, recorded in Jeremiah
32:1-15, indicative of the promise of
land given, and repeated so often as a
covenant promise that one could even
deem it a bond.
An aspect sometimes missed in the
story is how Jeremiah was helped by
a gentile friend, Ebed-Melek. Certain
officials did not favour Jeremiah’s words
and he was thrown into a cistern with
sinking mud at the bottom. This is
where Jeremiah would have remained
were it not for the intervention of Ebed-
Melek, a Cushite. You can read the story
in Jeremiah 38:7-13.
It was the right thing to do
Ebed-Melek might easily have been
forgotten, but he had done the right
thing because it was the right thing
to do. In the postscript, when the
deportation took place, Ebed-Melek was
remembered and rescued, as recorded in
Jeremiah 39:15-18.
After Jeremiah’s day, there was a
return from the deportation. It took
place seventy years later – something
that Daniel, the visionary, realised and
recorded in his writings. But eventually
a much longer period of dispersion
happened, until a promise given by the
UK government through Lord Balfour
in 1917 led to the establishment of
the State of Israel in 1948. There
were Gentiles who assisted then, and
as Christian Friends of Israel in the
UK today, one way we can follow in
this honourable tradition is through
promoting Israel bonds.
The amazing story of Israel is predicated
on two promises – or bonds – given to
Abraham, of a land and a family line;
the promised land of Israel and Israel’s
promised Messiah. These promises
are threads found throughout the
unfolding words of the Bible from the
Law, through the Prophets and into
the Psalms. And as Christians, we see
these two promises continue into the
teaching of the Apostles.
Today, we too face a period of upheaval
as the Covid 19 virus, vaccines and
variants, vie with each other. May we
draw comfort and strength from the
words given to Jeremiah so long ago, of
plans to give “a hope and a future,” and
all that this means for Israel and for us.
First Published in Israel Bonds Magazine
‘KOL’ (the Hebrew word for ‘voice’).
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1 st Quarter 2022 • IN TOUCH 5

Memorial Stories
The Leica and the Jews
The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera.
It is a German product - precise, minimalist, and
utterly efficient. Behind its worldwide acceptance
as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially
oriented firm that acted with uncommon grace,
generosity and modesty during the Nazi era.
Ernst Leitz II (1871-1956)
Ernst Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of
Germany’s most famous photographic product,
saved its Jews. And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed
Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held
firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted
in such a way as to earn the title, “the photography
industry’s Schindler.”
As soon as Adolf Hitler was named
chancellor of Germany in 1933,
Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic
calls from Jewish associates, asking
for his help in getting them and
their families out of the country.
As Christians, Leitz and his family
were immune to Nazi Germany’s
Nuremberg laws, which restricted
the movement of Jews and limited
their professional activities. To help
his Jewish workers and colleagues,
Leitz quietly established what has
become known among Holocaust
historians as ‘the Leica Freedom Train,’ a covert means of allowing
Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being
assigned overseas. Employees, retailers, family members, even
friends of family members were ‘assigned’ to Leitz sales offices in
France, Britain, Hong Kong and the United States.
Leitz’s activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November
1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned
across Germany. Before long, German ‘employees’ were
disembarking from the ocean liner Bremen in New York and making
their way to the Manhattan office of Leitz Inc., where executives
quickly found them jobs in the photographic industry. Each new
arrival had around his or her neck the symbol of freedom – a new
Leica camera. The refugees were paid a stipend until they could
find work. Out of this migration came designers, repair technicians,
salespeople, marketeers, and writers for the photographic press.
Keeping the story quiet ‘the Leica Freedom Train’ was at its height
in 1938 and early 1939, delivering groups of refugees to New
York every few weeks. Then, with the invasion of Poland on 1 st
September 1939, Germany closed its borders. By that time,
hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America, thanks to
the Leitzes’ efforts.
HOW DID ERNST LEITZ II AND HIS
STAFF GET AWAY WITH IT?
Leitz Inc. was an internationally recognised brand that reflected
credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced
cameras, rangefinders and other optical systems for the German
military. Also, the Nazi government had a desperate need for hard
currency from abroad, and Leitz’s single biggest market for optical
goods was the United States.
Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their
good works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working
to help Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe.
Leitz’s daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo
after she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross
into Switzerland. She was eventually freed but endured rough
treatment during questioning. She also fell under suspicion when
she attempted to improve the living conditions of 700 to 800
Ukrainian slave labourers, all of them women, who
had been assigned to work in the plant during
the 1940s. After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received
numerous honours for her humanitarian
efforts, among them the Officier d’honneur
des Palms Academic from France in 1965 and
the Aristide Briand Medal from the European
Academy in the 1970s.
WHY HAS NO ONE TOLD THIS
STORY UNTIL RECENTLY?
According to the late Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor,
the Leitz family wanted no publicity for its heroic efforts. Only
after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did ‘the Leica
Freedom Train’ finally come to light. It is now the subject of a book,
‘The Greatest Invention of the Leitz Family: The Leica Freedom
Train,’ by Frank Dabba Smith, a California-born Rabbi currently
living in England.
6 IN TOUCH • 1 st Quarter 2022

The Fiddle
A true story tracing a precious violin across
landscapes devastated by war and terror, to
safety and restoration in 21 st century Britain.
PART ONE ABRAHAM’S STORY
Abraham is Music Tutor to Tsar Nicholas II’s children when the
Russian Revolution in 1917 causes him to flee St Petersburg with
his family, his wife Anna, their 5 children, including Israel and
Rosa, and Abraham’s brother with his family.
He knows they are in great danger from the Bolsheviks,
not only because he works for the Tsar, but because they
are Jewish. Taking his precious violin with him, they leave
St Petersburg with only the belongings they can carry and
a small hand cart, which the men pull. A dangerous journey
begins in which they endure many hardships, dangers and
sickness. It takes them nearly a year to cross Russia on foot. They
suffer the extremes of winter and summer weather and are grateful for
the generosity of strangers and their hospitality, whom Abraham delights
by playing beautiful music on his violin. Finally, on reaching Odessa,
they manage to get places on a boat bound for England. The final
destination for Abraham and his family is the City of Leeds in Yorkshire,
where he believes they can begin a new life in safety.
Book available from
our shop. For more
information please see
Resources on back page.
PART TWO ROSA’S STORY
Rosa is a superb violinist. When her father Abraham dies she is given his violin, which
he took on their long trek across Russia. Rosa is invited to join the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra and, knowing what an honour this is to play with one of the best orchestras
in the world, she travels eagerly to Berlin. It is 1936 and there are several other Jewish
members in the Orchestra. When the persecution of the Jews begins under Hitler’s
regime, they believe they are safe from internment under the protection of the
Orchestra. However, Rosa is taken by the Nazis on 9 th November 1938 (Kristellnacht)
and imprisoned in Mauthausen for one year.
She is then moved to Auschwitz in 1939 and finally to Belsen Concentration camp in the
spring of 1945, until the end of the war. She remains alive because of her music and her
violin stays with her throughout. She survives only because she is a superb violinist and
is forced to form one of the notorious women’s orchestras, whose task is to “welcome”
arriving Jews and other prisoners to the camps. She suffers repeated rapes by the
Commanding Officer. She is operated on as a guinea pig by the infamous Dr Mengele.
Her will to live to tell the world what has been endured, by her and many thousands of
others in the camps, keeps her alive until their liberation in 1945. She gives evidence at the Nuremburg War Trials, helping to convict
some of the worst perpetrators of crimes against humanity that the world has ever seen. Once the effort of contributing her evidence
is over, she dies in 1947 of the tuberculosis she contracted in the death camps.
PART THREE ISRAEL’S STORY
As a young man, Israel (Abraham’s son) is awarded a scholarship at the Royal Academy
of Music in London. He studies the violin until he is offered a position with the Halle
Orchestra. When war is declared in 1939, he is deemed unfit for active service because
of his flat and damaged feet. Instead of going to battle he joins ENSA and entertains the
troops for the duration of the war. After 1945 he joins the Secret Service and interrogates
German soldiers posing as Poles or Russians. He is fluent in both languages and therefore
able to detect whether they are genuine Russians or Poles, or German officers, spies or
deserters, trying to escape imprisonment.
After returning to civilian life he forms his own orchestra, playing on the radio and
appearing at top West End hotels and night clubs in London as well as Monte Carlo. When
his sister Rosa dies of Tuberculosis, he is given the violin which has travelled with his family
from St Petersburg, through Auschwitz and Belsen, and into his hands. It has since been
dedicated to the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and continues to be played.
1 st Quarter 2022 • IN TOUCH 7

In Memory
“Never Forget”
Echoes of Sorrow
As 2021 ended we were
concerned that Covid would
disrupt many plans around
the UK to re-establish
annual commemorations for
Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 th January
2022. This day, amongst others, marks the
liberation of Auschwitz concentration
camp by the Soviet Union in 1945.
Last year, due to the pandemic, CFI UK
launched our first online memorial event
via YouTube. It was called ‘Light in the
Darkness’, was viewed live by hundreds
onscreen and now has almost 4,500 views.
Although uncertainty caused some CFI
events to be cancelled as early as December
2021, because of government restrictions
and concerns over smaller venues, some
went ahead or were adapted. We thank
the Lord for those who are committed and
were able to work resolutely, praying and
preparing fitting, dignified, educational
events that will continue the remembrance
of those lost and those affected by the
Shoah and Nazi persecution.
Strategic Provision
Before the Lockdown, a CFI supporter from
the Midlands named Rhona gave Julia
and David Soakell custodianship of some
excellent photographs taken in Auschwitz.
She knew a professional photographer
called John Guy, who over the years had
taken dozens of contemporary photos of
the Auschwitz Camp during several trips
to Poland. After some media coverage
and opportunities to share the photos,
Rhona lost touch with him, but felt the
work was too important to leave unseen.
After passing this unique collection of
photographs to Julia and David, she tried
tirelessly to find John, originally from
Liverpool, but without success. Even so,
an exhibition was compiled that gives
full credit to him. It is called ‘Echoes of
Sorrow’, after the title John used for this
work. From more than 80 photos, 13 have
been placed alongside a chronological
narrative which sets the reader in the camp,
showing its development and providing
historical insights through the mid-1940s.
This helps to portray the preciousness of
life, the resilience of the Jewish prisoners,
the heartlessness of the Nazi guards, the
retention of tradition whilst still in the
camp and the wholescale killing of every
generation of Jewish people.
We called one of the most poignant
photos ‘Mountains of Shoes’ – a staggering
portrayal of the lives wrenched from their
homes and security, cunningly taken to
new places for what many thought was a
temporary move, with suitcases and hope
– all dashed and discarded. Most of those
boots, shoes and sandals – of children,
mothers and fathers - represent a life
snuffed out in that very camp.
John Guy’s handwriting appeared on
another image – he had named it ‘Between
Life and Death’. It showed a snowy
scene between the barbed wire fence
beside one of the barracks and the outer
perimeter of the camp, overshadowed by
Library exhibit in the borders of Scotland, overseen by Philip Aitchison
the eerie spotlights used by the guards for
surveillance.
Julia was able to produce three identical
exhibitions with narrative of what took
place in the camp from its construction
to its liberation. In January 2022 the
exhibition was displayed in the Scottish
Borders, overseen by Philip Aitchison, as
well as in Middlesbrough, in Eastbourne,
East Sussex and in Brentwood, Essex, at
an event hosted by Moira Dare-Edwards.
Other memorial events were arranged by
CFI Links in the West Midlands, Stoke on
Trent and Rockwell Green Somerset.
Standing alongside
It is important for us as a ministry to stand
alongside the Jewish communities in our
nation – to show solidarity and the need to
remember the Shoah. We must never forget
but press on each year with educating
wider society to recognize the debt we
owe to the Jewish people and showing the
Church the need to repent for 2,000 years
of Christian antisemitism heaped upon
the Jewish people. We have a long way to
go, but we trust each of these events and
commemorations goes some way to repay
our debt and repair our relationship with
God’s chosen people.
8 IN TOUCH • 1 st Quarter 2022
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Hebrew Word Focus
Melissa Briggs MA
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Melissa is an experienced Hebrew
teacher with a desire to make the
rich language of the Scriptures
accessible to Christians.
Visit: www.explorehebrew.co.uk
Restoring to
wholeness
שָ‏ לֹום
SHALOM
“For Jesus himself is our peace…” (Ephesians 2:14)
This world is not as it should be. The
brokenness caused by sin surrounds
us, even invading our homes and
hearts. Betrayal, disappointment, death, decay,
deception and disease abound. But that is not
the end of the story.
Despair and destruction are not our fate as children
of God. The Messiah has come to set right all the
wrongs, to repay debts, to repair, rebuild, restore,
release, renew and heal. This is Jesus’ heart and
mission. His rightful title in this role is ‘The Prince of
Shalom’ (see Isaiah 9:6).
The Biblical concept of shalom involves much more
than our typical use of the English word ‘peace’.
Shalom is not just the absence of conflict, like a
ceasefire or a truce between enemies. Rather, it
encapsulates wholeness, wellness, peace, security,
welfare, wellbeing, completeness, prosperity and
more! Shalom is a restoration to wholeness. It is a
return to the way things ought to be,
and a deep trusting in the Lord that he is
accomplishing just that (see Ezekiel 34:16,
Joel 2:25-26, Acts 3:19-21 and Psalm 147:3).
As a fruit of the Spirit, shalom is available
as a gift from God. It is a state of the heart which is
secured in Christ.
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my
covenant of shalom be removed,” says the Lord, who has
compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10).
Imagine your life as a complex, partially complete,
work of art, with pieces missing or broken and in need
of repair. We can let Jesus be both the Rock and Chief
Cornerstone – that firm foundation for our life – and the
Master Craftsman. As ‘clay’ in his capable and good
hands, we can trust the wise ‘Potter’ to add, remove
and shape as he sees fit (see Isaiah 64:8 and Ephesians
2:10). “Lord, you establish shalom for us; all that we have
accomplished you have done for us” (Isaiah 26:12).
The verb associated with shalom is shalam לַ‏ ם whichשָ‏
means to ‘be complete’ or whole, to pay / repay, to
finish, to ‘make amends’ or ‘make good’. When a debt
is owed and then repaid, shalom is made. For example,
in Leviticus the law required: “He that kills an animal shall
restore it [make shalam] to the owner” (Leviticus 24:21).
Other words in the same family of words, sharing the
same root letters, include:
• Jerusalem (Yerushalayim in Hebrew) יְרּושָ‏ לַ‏ ם which
means the ‘city’ or ‘foundation’ of ‘shalom’.
Seek Shalom
Jerusalem is where the Messiah made shalom
(restored relationship) with God through his death,
burial, resurrection and ascension.
• Solomon (Shlomo in Hebrew) ‏ֹל מ ֹ ה meansשְ‏ ‘man of
shalom.’ He was the one to ‘complete’ the Temple,
in other words, to bring it ‘shalom’ (completeness).
During King Solomon’s reign, peace and prosperity
prevailed for the Israelites (see 1 Chronicles 22:9).
In all the places where there is lack in our lives, Jesus
himself steps in as our Sar Shalom, “The Lord is my
Shepherd; I shall not lack” (Psalm 23:1).
In different ways and seasons of life we all experience
degrees of brokenness. The Sar Shalom desires to
make everything whole again. He paid the price
for us, that he might restore us after the disastrous
effects of the Fall (see Luke 4:14-21 and Colossians 1:13-
14). The chasm between God and ourselves caused
by sin is the most fundamental way in which we
all experience a lack – desperately needing shalom.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have shalom with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Ideally, fractured relationships with
other people can be repaired through
repentance and forgiveness. As much as it depends
on us, we should do our part to seek to live ‘in shalom’
(wholeness of relationship) with all men (see Romans
12:18). Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the Shalom-makers’
(see Matthew 5:9). However, even where that is not
possible, Christ himself steps in to make up the lack –
to be our ‘enough’. He offers himself as our comfort,
leader, shepherd, heavenly Bridegroom, and friend
in every season. He generously provides himself in
relationship with us; and often, in due course, other
people for us to be in relationship with too (see Psalm
68:5-6). Jesus said: “I have told you these things, so that
in me you may have shalom. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
(John 16:33).
The Lord is shalom (see Judges 6:24), and he blesses
his people with shalom (see Psalm 29:11). His sweet
shalom is meant to permeate our entire lives – if we
would only invite him in to do so! “Seek shalom and
pursue it” (Psalm 34:14).
“Now may the Lord of Shalom himself give you shalom at
all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you”
(2 Thessalonians 3:16).
If you are interested in learning the Hebrew language through online tuition please contact
Melissa for more details at: hebrew.explore@gmail.com or at: www.explorehebrew.co.uk
1 st Quarter 2022 • IN TOUCH 9

Special Report
Christians in Israel and the
surrounding regions
“Many Christian families living in Iraq and Syria are in poverty, and cannot afford proper
celebrations,” said Shadi Khalloul, head of the Israeli Christian Aramaic NGO.
Most Israeli Christians are
‘thriving’ while Middle Eastern
brethren face persecution!
While Christians throughout the Middle
East are facing persecution and shrinking
numbers, Israeli Christians are growing in
numbers and enjoying a high quality of life.
The number of Christians in Israel grew
by 1.4 percent in 2020 reaching 182,000
people with 84 percent saying they are
satisfied with life in Israel, according to the
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Israeli Christians make up about 1.9% of
the state’s population, 76.7% of them are
Arab, representing 7% of Israeli Arabs.
The majority of Christians live in Nazareth
(21,400), Haifa (16,500), Jerusalem
(12,900) and Shefar’am (10,400), according
to the CBS.
Recent troubles that swept through
the region, such as the Syrian war, Iraq
upheaval and the spread of Islamist terror,
have left the Christian community in Israel
unscathed.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the Christian communities in Israel
can be broken into four main categories:
Chalcedonian-Orthodox (Eastern
Orthodox such as the Greek and Russian
denominations); Non-Chalcedonian
Orthodox (Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian and
Syrian); Roman Catholic and Protestant.
As their holiday season approached,
Christians in Israel were in a festive mood,
according to Shadi Khalloul, head of
the Israeli Christian Aramaic NGO. He
notes that the Jewish-run municipality of
Haifa allowed a large Christmas tree and
decorations on the main roads.
“This proves the beautiful co-existence,
safety, prosperity and freedom people
enjoy in the Jewish democratic State
of Israel,”
10 IN TOUCH • 1 st Quarter 2022
Khalloul, who made news back in 2015
when he successfully led a campaign to
have his child’s state registry changed from
Arab to Christian Aramean by the Interior
Ministry.
“Under the Palestinian Authority and
other Arab countries, Christians fear to
show their holiday symbols in public
and are not protected by the state,”
said Khalloul, who is also a former
candidate for the Knesset.
“For example, many Christian families
living in Iraq and Syria are in poverty,
and cannot afford proper celebrations,”
he continued.
He says the Maronite Christian community
has shrunk and become a weak minority
even in Lebanon. And many have suffered
as the economic crisis in the country has
grown, especially in the course of the last
year following the massive explosion at the
Beirut Port in August 2020 and the onset
of the coronavirus.
Most Maronites live in Lebanon. Their
numbers decreased from around 29%
of the population in 1932 to around
22% in 2008. According to a journal
article by Eyal Zisser, an Israeli expert
on Syria and Lebanon, Maronite ties to
the Jewish community in Israel began as
early as the 1930s and continued through
independence in 1948. The alliance was
built on the belief that Israel was to serve
as the national home for Jews and Lebanon
for Maronites.
ISRAEL DEFENDS CHRISTIANS
Before Christmas, Israel announced that
it would allow 500 Christian community
members from the Gaza Strip to enter
Israel and the West Bank to celebrate the
holidays.
Gaza’s community maintains around 1,000
Christians, while in the West Bank numbers
are dwindling as many have emigrated.
According to the CIA Facebook, Christians
and other small non-Muslim and non-
Jewish religions make up 8 percent of the
West Bank population.
According to a 2018 NBC news report,
the Christian population of Bethlehem
had dropped from 80 percent in 1950 to
around 12 percent; and Christian leaders
sought to blame Israel for the decline in
Shadi Khalloul, head of the Israeli Christian
Aramaic NGO
Christians in the disputed territories.
An article in the Sunday Times on
19 th December, written jointly by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby,
and the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam
Naoum, warned about a crisis of Christian
survival “in the Holy Land.” The church
leaders blamed the shrinking numbers in
the disputed territories on the “growth
of settler communities” and “travel
restrictions brought about by the West
Bank separation wall.”
But Bishara Shlayan, an Israeli Christian
Arab from Nazareth, told JNS that Israel
defends Christians and provides security.
The Palestinian Authority is very weak
and cannot provide adequate security to
Christians living in the West Bank, he said.
“The difference between Christians in
Israel and the Arab world is obvious.
We are citizens and have equal
political rights, while the situation
in Arab countries is not good,” he
continued.
Shlayan, who led a political party that
failed to pass the electoral threshold in
past elections, points out that “at least
we have the right to run.” His political
movement seeks to promote co-existence
and local issues instead of fomenting
conflict. He criticised the Arab parties in
the Knesset which focus on identifying
with Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza, saying: “Israeli Arab politicians should
represent us and not serve as Palestinian
representatives.”
Adapted with permission from an article by Ariel
Ben Solomon (December 24, 2021 / JNS).

News Report
Lapid seeks to establish
coalition of nations to oppose
Iran’s nuclear ambitions
Against the backdrop of the revived nuclear talks in Vienna,
Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid engaged in a
round of high-profile meetings with British officials on
Monday 29 th November 2021, followed by a meeting in
Paris on Tuesday 30 th with French President Emmanuel
Macron. Israel is concerned that in their eagerness to revive
the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed
between Iran and world powers in 2015, negotiators will
yield to Iranian demands.
David Menashri, founding director of the Alliance Centre
for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, says: “The issue
is to establish a coalition of countries who understand the
threat to the free world, to the Middle East, to Israel and to
the Iranian people, of Iran turning nuclear.”
“When the foreign minister goes and visits countries and
publicises it, that’s good. I think it’s very important to
explain the Israeli point of view, to explain the Iranian
threat to the world – above all, the nuclear threat,” he
continued. “But, you know, the world doesn’t want to
listen. You have to speak with them again and again, and
to open their minds.”
During his visit, Lapid signed a 10-year Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) on strategic co-operation with his
UK counterpart, Elizabeth Truss. The two also wrote an
op-ed in The Telegraph, stating:
“We will work night and day to prevent the Iranian
regime from ever becoming a nuclear power.”
Lapid stressed the Iran threat in two speeches. He told
Britain’s Foreign Office:
“A nuclear Iran will thrust the entire Middle East into
a nuclear arms race. We will find ourselves in a new
Cold War, but this time the bomb will be in the hands of
religious fanatics.”
Later, at lunch with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson,
he said:
“Our friendship will be reflected in the coming months in
our shared determination to prevent Iran from acquiring
a nuclear weapon, at all costs.”
Similarly, following what was reported as a ‘long and
warm meeting with the president of France’, Lapid said
that “after many years, Israel’s position is being heard and
Israel’s position is firm. Sanctions on Iran must not be lifted.
Sanctions need to be tightened; there needs to be a credible
military threat on Iran because only this will prevent it from
continuing its race towards a nuclear weapon.”
Nobody talks strategically about the state itself
Mordechai Kedar, senior research associate at the Begin-
Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, is more critical of Israel’s
diplomatic efforts, describing the nuclear issue as a “byproduct”
of the real issue.
Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid with his UK counterpart, Elizabeth Truss
He says, “Everybody is talking about tactics – how to stop
the nuclear program. Nobody talks strategically about the
state itself. From here, the problem starts. What I’m talking
about is the structure of Iran. I’m not talking about the
nuclear issue.”
He argued that Iran isn’t made up of a single “Iranian
people” but a collection of ethnicities that are oppressed
by the country’s largest ethnic group, the Persians. Those
separate groups, among them the Azeris, Kurds, Baluchs
and Arabs, don’t share a common Iranian identity and
resent Persian control.
So far, it appears that Iran has taken a maximalist approach
to negotiations in Vienna, suggesting that everything that
had been discussed in previous rounds would be subject to
renegotiation.
Iran has also accused Israel of “hindering the Vienna talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
posted on Twitter the claim that the “Israeli regime whose
existence relies on tension is at it again, trumpeting lies to
poison Vienna talks.”
He didn’t specify which Israeli comments he had in mind
but added:
“All parties in the room now face a test of their
independence and political will to carry out the job
– irrespective of the fake news designed to destroy
prospects for success.”
Late in November Axios reported that Israel had shared
intelligence with the US and European allies suggesting that
Iran was taking technical steps to prepare to enrich uranium
to 90% purity, the amount needed for a nuclear weapon.
David Menashri says Israel needs support because as a
small country it can’t do it alone. “Israel will not be able to
do anything against the nuclear program without the prior
knowledge of and, probably, also the blessing of the United
States.”
Adapted with permission from an article by David Isaac (Dec 2, 2021 / JNS)
1 st Quarter 2022 • IN TOUCH 11

Resources www.cfi.org.uk/shop.php
For resources call: 01323 410 810
Postal savings on multiple items
THE FIDDLE – Natalie Cumming
A true story tracing a precious violin across landscapes devastated by war and terror, to safety and restoration in
21 st century Britain. From Abraham and his family fleeing the Bolsheviks, whose skill on the violin earns them food
and lodgings, to Rosa his daughter, arrested by the Nazis on Kristellnacht 1938. The violin then passes to Rosa’s
brother Israel, a celebrated musician, who joins ENSA during the war, entertaining the troops. Finally, the violin
comes to his daughter Natalie, who has written her family’s extraordinary story, lest the world should ever forget
global events against which the journey of this beautiful instrument is told.
B527 // 259 pages // £12.00 (incl. UK p&p)
FROM YELLOW STAR TO POP STAR – Dorit Oliver-Wolff
An Inspirational Story of Survival and Success.
“It is not that I want to remember, it is simply that I cannot forget.”
The Holocaust is only part of Dorit’s amazing story. After the war, stateless and without papers, she joins a
touring dance troupe in order to be permitted to travel. She studies by day, then sings and dances in seedy clubs
by night until a talent scout spots her, which is when her story really begins.
Tense, moving and inspirational, Dorit’s remarkable story takes the reader through fear and horror, to freedom and
joy and shows how the bravery and fortitude of one little Jewish girl helped her survive and become a star.
B526 // 287 pages // £12.00 (incl. UK p&p)
FROM MATRON TO MARTYR – Lynley Smith
After finding a tenuous family connection to the mysterious and captivating Jane Haining, Lynley Smith crafted
Jane’s fictionalised diary, a biography of a faithful servant and Scottish missionary who died at the hands of Nazi
butchers in Auschwitz. Discover how Jane’s death has become a beacon of hope to the countless Jews of this
generation who seek an answer to the big questions: If God allowed his people to experience such horrific events
as the Holocaust, could God still love us? Is he a God we even want to know anymore?
B463 // 208 pages // £13.00 (incl. UK p&p)
RAHAB COVENANTS & PROMISES – Mo Tizzard
Mo has uncovered hidden depths by examining many of the original Hebrew words, as well as the culture of that
time and place. To keep Rahab’s experience in context, she has looked into the covenants that were made to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which are linked to the Land that the Lord God promised to give to their descendants.
She shows how the prophetic patterns of the past project forward into Rahab’s story and then on into the
salvation story that is so very relevant for us today.
B525 // 174 pages // £9.50 (incl. UK p&p)
UK Events 2022
CFI UK plan to attend the following live events
CRE South West 23-24 Feb 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
BIG CHURCH DAY OUT
2022
3-4 June 2022
Wiston Estate, West Sussex
Contact: CFI Communications, PO Box 2687, Eastbourne, BN22 7LZ
Tel: 01323 410810 Email: info@cfi.org.uk YouTube: www.youtube.com/CFIUK Web: www.cfi.org.uk
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