In Touch - 4th Quarter 2022

4 th Quarter 2022 • No 213 

Christian Friends of Israel 

United Kingdom 

The root and descendant of David 

Revelation 22:16 

INSIDE: EDITORIAL – Line and Land is consistent • A Royal Legacy • HEBREW WORD FOCUS – Our Shield • New Wine 2022 Report 

CFI UK Annual Conference 2022 Report • Regional Link Breakthrough • Positive Political Leaders • Possible Deadlock • RESOURCES

Editorial 

Christian Friends of Israel 

United Kingdom 

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 

Published by: 

CFI Charitable Trust 

PO Box 2687 

Eastbourne 

BN22 7LZ 

Tel: 01323 410 810 

Email: info@cfi.org.uk 

www.cfi.org.uk 

Registered Charity 

No. 1101899 

Registered Office c/o 

Caladine, Chantry House 

22 Upperton Road 

Eastbourne, BN21 1BF 

Company No: 04984515 

VAT Registration No: GB678780275 

facebook.com/cfiuk 

twitter.com/cfi_uk 

youtube.com/cfiuk 

Front cover photo: 

Earth from space artwork by Muratart 

Line and Land 

is consistent 

Jacob Vince 

The Bible is nothing if not 

consistent. 

In an endeavour to take account of 

‘all scripture’ (2 Timothy 3:16) on a 

given matter, we previously viewed 

the line and the land in the Law, 

specifically the covenant promise 

made to Abraham in Genesis of a 

child and a country. 

We then projected forward to 

look at the line and the land in the 

Apostles’ teaching, specifically 

Matthew’s account (In Touch Q1 

2022) and more recently the line 

and the land in the Psalms or 

writings (In Touch Q3 2022). We 

now step back to consider the line 

and the land in the Prophets. 

The part of the Bible known 

as ‘Prophets’ begins with the 

historical then moves to the 

oracle, ending with the twelve. 

Starting with the Book of Joshua 

we find the character of Rahab 

recognising God’s giving of the 

land and wanting her family to 

come under the governance of 

Israel. The line becomes clearer as 

we move through Judges, Samuel 

and Kings, where God confirms 

the line of Judah – David’s family 

line from whom will come the 

Messiah. Even as the kingdom is 

divided, many from the other tribes 

of Israel join with Judah, which 

absorbed Simeon and, retaining 

its distinction, Benjamin – the tribe 

of Saul, the first king. David’s 

kingdom also included the Levites 

en masse, as they moved south. 

Also worth noting is that while the 

historical books are titled after a 

leading character or characteristics, 

(Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings), 

they contain some most significant 

prophets (Elijah, Elisha, Samuel 

and Nahum). Kings widely 

represents oracle prophets, Isaiah 

alongside Hezekiah and Jeremiah 

alongside Josiah, as the historical 

prophetic books are paralleled by 

the oracle prophetic books. The 

oracle prophets sought to correct 

corruption, but it eventually led to 

the first exile, itself connected to the 

land promise, if adversely so. 

To illustrate, we see Jeremiah 

speaking of a new covenant 

in respect of the line, but also 

speaking of the land, even given 

the pending exile, 

Once more fields will be bought in 

this land ... Fields will be bought 

for silver, and deeds will be signed, 

sealed and witnessed.” 

(Jeremiah 32:43-44). 

Jeremiah foresees a 70-year exile, 

something picked up by Daniel 

toward the end of his personal 

exile, an historical book located 

at the end of the third part in 

the Jewish biblical order. The 

return duly took place in the final 

historical book(s) of the Writings, 

Ezra and Nehemiah, before the 

summary book of Chronicles. 

However, if this prophecy was 

specific and physically took 

place after 70 years of exile, then 

Jeremiah’s foresight of a larger 

return should surely be understood 

in similar manner. Indeed, 

Jeremiah foretold exactly this, 

‘However, the days are coming,’ 

declares the Lord, ‘when men 

will no longer say, ‘As surely as 

the Lord lives, who brought the 

Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but they 

will say, ‘As surely as the Lord 

lives, who brought the Israelites 

up out of the land of the north and 

out of all the countries where he 

had banished them.’ For I will 

restore them to the land I gave their 

forefathers. (Jeremiah 16:14-15) 

This refers to the land as that to 

which they be brought back – 

clearly indicating the land they left 

– not heaven, as they have never 

been there before and so cannot be 

brought back to it. It also considers 

the gift to the forefathers as still the 

inheritance of their descendants. 

The passage refers to a migration 

2 IN TOUCH • 4 th Quarter 2022

Tribute 

A Royal Legacy 

The death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 

was a time of national sorrow but also saw a 

wave of gratitude for a Christian monarch who was 

respected around the world for serving with dignity 

and integrity. An increasing love of the Lord and the 

Scriptures was the most important thing in her long 

and blessed life. 

Holocaust awareness was amongst the many legacies we 

have from the late Queen. During WWII she spent time 

out and about helping ordinary British people, appreciating 

the actions of others, spurring resilience against the enemy, 

and had a heartfelt respect for all affected by the terror of 

war. She recognised the need to call the nation to prayer 

seen by her father, King George VI, and saw miracles in many 

aspects of Britain’s victory alongside our allies in the defeat 

of Nazism and liberation of the camps in Europe. 

Despite the Foreign Office never arranging a visit to Israel in 

her long reign, she showed ceaseless and constant support 

of Holocaust remembrance and education over decades. 

In 2005 she hosted a remarkable reception of Holocaust 

survivors and veterans in St James Palace. She also visited 

Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince Phillip visiting the former Nazi 

concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in 2015 (Jewish News) 

Her Majesty the Queen lying-in-state 

Bergen Belsen to mark the 70th anniversary of its liberation 

by British Troops. 

As Head of State, the late Queen also championed British 

Jews and celebrated their contribution to the United 

Kingdom. They prayed for her each week. 

Prince Philip and Prince Charles did visit Israel and were 

keen to fully grasp the impact of Princess Alice, Philip’s 

mother, who sheltered Jews at her home in Athens during 

the Holocaust. She was later designated ‘Righteous in the 

Nations’ and Prince Philip was able to attend the ceremony. 

Prince William and his wife Katherine have made high profile 

visits to key sites and established good friendships with 

some of the elderly Holocaust survivors, particularly in the 

UK. They have also used social media to heighten awareness 

and honour those affected even today by the atrocities of 

Nazi persecution and the horrors of the Holocaust. 

Let’s pray for the legacy of our Queen in the lives of the 

Royal family, in faith, in working towards greater awareness 

in society, and for support of the Jewish community to 

increase year upon year, so antisemitism is called out 

and significantly reduced in the streets, universities, 

establishments and attitude of our nation. 

of greater proportion and 

significance, surpassing even the 

amazing story of the people’s 

exodus from Egypt, which by 

any measure was one of the 

most incredible events of history. 

Clearly, the return from Babylon 

did not surpass this, it was only 

partial, and small when compared 

to the modern return of the Jews 

to the land. A return after nearly 

2000 years is almost unbelievable, 

or inconceivable, had it not 

happened. Jeremiah describes a 

return both from the north and 

‘from all the countries where God 

had driven them’. So, if God was 

behind their exile, it logically 

follows that God is equally behind 

their return in the modern era, as 

the Lord says, 

‘I will restore them to the land’. 

Many other passages are found 

amongst the Prophets, but 

hopefully this is sufficient to 

illustrate the enduring land 

promise, through return to the 

promised land and establishment 

of the modern State of Israel, and 

the line, which Christians see 

coming promise fruition in Jesus 

the Son of David. 

4 th Quarter 2022 • IN TOUCH 3

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 

גֵ‏ ן Our Shield and 

Strong Defence Magen 

Defence 

A 

family friend of ours is a criminal 

defence attorney. It is his role to speak 

in a courtroom on behalf of the accused 

– to represent them, to give them counsel, 

guidance, help and legal protection. He stands 

with them and for them as their defender. He 

strives to establish a complete, accurate and 

compelling defence for the accused. 

Paying for a skilled, wise, experienced defence 

attorney can be an expensive venture. How amazing 

that the King of the Universe – the all-wise, allknowing, 

all-powerful, gracious God – offers 

himself freely to stand in that role for us. 

There are many passages where the 

Lord offers to be a defence to his own: 

“As for God, his way is perfect: The 

Lord’s word is flawless; he is a shield/ 

defence to all who take refuge in him” 

(Psalm 18:30). 

The Hebrew word for “defence” 

מָ‏ גֵ‏ ן 

“After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. 

I am a shield (magen) to you, your exceedingly great reward.” (Genesis 15:1) 

magen, can mean “a literal or 

figurative shield”. It is from the 

root verb נַ‏ ן ‏,‏gananגָ‏ which means 

“to cover/surround/defend/protect”. 

מְ‏ גִ‏ נָ‏ ה Another closely related noun is 

meginnah, meaning “a covering”. 

The way the Hebrew language is organised 

according to topics with shared root letters means 

there is often a helpful visual image within the family 

of words for an ‘abstract’ word: ‘How does the Lord 

defend us?’ It is as if he is the covering of a sturdy 

shield over us, surrounding us – a place of safety, 

protection and defence from the enemy’s attacks. 

“He is a magen to those whose walk is blameless, for he 

guards the course of the just and protects the way of his 

faithful ones” (Proverbs 2:7-8). 

A privilege of following in Jesus’ footsteps is the 

calling to mirror his heart and work by defending 

others – especially the weak, the orphan, the widow 

and those who have no voice. “Defend the weak and the 

fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” 

(Psalm 82:3). In this way we allow the love and life of 

Jesus to flow through us. 

Who is your defence? 

It’s widely considered unwise for the accused to opt 

not to engage legal counsel, and instead to represent 

themselves in a court of law. In many countries it is 

the right of an accused person to have ‘representation’. 

Yet, so often in life I foolishly choose to be my own 

defender. I get defensive. I put up my own flimsy 

walls of self-protection and make justifications for 

my own behaviour. I can wrongly feel that I have 

to defend myself or no one else will. But, here is 

the Good News – if I submit to God, asking him to 

represent me – then God Almighty is my powerful, 

reliable defence. Do we trust him to do that? 

“Indeed, our shield/defence (magen) belongs to the 

Lord…” (Psalm 89:18). 

Perhaps in some particularly complicated seasons 

of life you have felt misunderstood, 

misrepresented, and even falsely accused. 

Obviously, there is a place for effective 

communication, according to the 

power and leading of the Holy Spirit, 

but the truth is that Jesus was the 

most misunderstood person in 

all of history. Following him and 

sharing in his suffering does mean 

that similar challenges will come 

our way. Jesus’ motives, words and 

actions were questioned, misquoted 

and his reputation maligned beyond 

belief: “To this you were called, because 

Messiah suffered for you, leaving you an 

example, that you should follow in his steps. “He 

committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; 

when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted 

himself to him who judges justly. ‘He himself bore our 

sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins 

and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been 

healed’” (1 Peter 2:21-24). 

There are several passages and word pictures in the 

Scriptures that illustrate a heavenly courtroom scene. 

We are the ‘accused’ and often the ‘guilty party’. God 

Almighty is the righteous and just Judge, but also 

our powerful Defence, and willing to send his Son to 

take the punishment in our place. Hiding ourselves 

by faith under the protection of his magen, is the 

extraordinary and undeserved privilege of all those 

who surrender to him. 

“The Lord is my strength and my magen; my heart trusts 

in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with 

my song I praise him” (Psalm 28:7). 

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 


Exhibition Report 

New Wine Report 

23 – 28 July & 29 July – 3 August 2022 

Week One 

In changeable weather 

conditions and after a long 

hot summer the first week’s 

CFI UK team of Jacob, Robin, 

Philip and Steve arrived on site 

at East of England Showground 

Peterborough. 

We found our way to the far side of 

the site unloaded and prepared to 

set-up the CFI Resources stall. This 

event had been delayed for 2 years 

and all the exhibitors and attendees 

were excited to once again gather 

as the body of Christ. The weather 

was beginning to turn and 

sometimes the wind really picked 

up. Some camping attendees had a 

rough time the previous night. We 

were grateful at that point that we 

had hired a small house locally for 

our two-week stay. 

The Resource Hub soon filled up with visitors 

That evening the event began and 

after the brief opening meeting 

crowds of eager enquiring 

families descended on the aptly 

named Resources Hub. In the 

following days we engaged quite 

a few visitors in conversation and 

recommended books or DVDs as 

seemed appropriate. We saw some 

familiar friendly faces who were 

encouraged that we had a presence 

at the event and surprisingly few 

visitors seemed in opposition. 

Jacob was able to take on a Radio 

Interview as well as his session 

at the Showcase Seminar to an 

audience of around 40 attendees. 

Philip and Steve ready to help enquirers, Week 1 

A CFI supporter friend said that 

the first week talk on Covenant 

Steps was good and Jacob handled 

everything well including an 

awkward question towards the end. 

Week Two 

The CFI team switched to David 

and Julia with Philip staying on 

and Jacob coming in only to give a 

second talk on the Covenant Steps. 

Again a number of good enquiries 

came along in the week. An older 

lady had a real heart to pray for 

Israel, and had done so with others 

over time, but her husband had 

some huge concerns about other 

related issues. Her church, once 

supportive of Israel, now had 

someone promoting replacement 

teaching, and the spiritual 

atmosphere was changing. She was 

concerned for her husband, who 

is Jewish and who struggles with 

the whole Christian concept as well 

as the State of Israel. Dave felt led 

to gift her the Kesher Course. He 

asked her if she thought he would 

watch this and suggested that it 

could also be passed on to the 

church afterwards. She was very 

emotional but appreciative. 

Whilst there are many who 

wish to learn more, we see other 

individuals completely dismissive 

of our resources. We have to accept 

that some in the church don’t, 

and possibly won’t, consider our 

perspective about Israel, the Jewish 

land and nation or their place in 

God’s heart. 

Jacob sharing Covenant Steps in the Showcase 

Robin Lane on the resources stall inside the Hub 

Jacob discusses Israel with some young students 

David and Julia Soakell during Week 2 

We are grateful for all the prayers 

that opened doors and enabled our 

faith enhancing resources to get out 

to those who came to New Wine 

with open hearts and expectation. 


Event Report 

CFI UK Annual Conference 2022 

Relationship of 

It was a real joy gathering with supporters 

and visitors at this year’s CFI UK annual 

conference at Suncoast Church in Eastbourne. 

There was a real buzz of anticipation in the air for 

what the Lord would teach us this year. To prepare 

our thoughts Andrew and Liz Day, supporters from 

the Isle of Wight, led the worship and praise. The event 

was again streamed by the tech team via YouTube and 

videoed for DVD and audio products (see Resources). 

CFI Chief Executive Officer Jacob Vince opened the 

conference introducing Jared Compton and his wife 

Charisse from the United States to share with us on 

our main subject, Israel’s relationship with the Church 

and how Israel fits into the Bible’s story. Jared’s three 

detailed talks were divided into: The problem of Israel’s 

unbelief; Paul’s response to Israel’s unbelief in Romans 

9; and Paul’s response to Israel’s unbelief in Romans 11. 

Through a series of clues in each talk Jared eloquently 

and clearly unpacked what Paul was revealing. Jared’s 

aim was to establish anchors and firm conclusions 

about the topic for us to stand upon. He compared 

God’s story to a mystery novel. His advice was to 

look at the end of the story and how God resolves 

the mystery, hence how the Apostles understood the 

story. He noted that there are seven or eight places in 

Andrew & Liz Day accompanying sung worship 

the New Testament where apostles step back and look 

at the bigger picture to summarise Israel’s story. Paul 

does this in Romans 9 through 11 to explain how Israel 

fits into God’s story. He posed the puzzling question, 

How do we square Israel’s New Testament experience 

with Israel’s Old Testament expectations? 

The majority had rejected their Messiah, so did this 

mean that Israel’s experience was out of step with 

the Old Testament promises and that God’s word had 

failed? Does Israel’s experience of unbelief contradict 

God’s word to them? Jared stated that God’s story 

never promised to save every single Israelite, a 

fundamental key in understanding the story. So in 

this respect God’s word has not failed, but rather been 

fulfilled. It was never about saving every member 

of Abraham’s family, but only those of the Promise, 

showing his glory through salvation and judgement. 

Paul states that Israel’s reversal, the relieving of their 

hardening will take place after the fullness of the 

Gentiles, there’s a sequence and this will be as life from 

the dead. This acceptance is closely linked with the 

final resurrection at Christ’s return and the liberation 

of creation itself. So the story is summarised as, Jewish 

disobedience - Gentile inclusion - Jewish acceptance - 

Resurrection - new creation! 


Israel with the Church 

Your Conference Feedback 

“Congratulations on another excellent conference! Jared gave an 

enthusiastic and biblically sound exposition of Romans 9-11 and we 

greatly enjoyed Chris’ talk on biblical archaeology – well researched 

and fascinating presentation with his first-hand experience” 

Mansfield, Nottinghamshire 

“So good to be able to join you and listen to Jared so powerfully on 

Romans 9-11. We found Chris’s archeology very interesting. The day 

was most excellently ordered particularly around the tea and coffee 

tables and break” 

Coulsden, Surrey 

“It’s a particular blessing to meet with ‘like-minded’ people, especially 

when the focus is on Israel and God’s heart and purposes concerning it. 

Jared Compton opened up a unique view of that, eventually arrowing it 

onto God’s glory. The whole event being God-honouring, and therefore 

‘good and pleasant’!” 

Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk 

On location in ancient Geshur 

“I enjoyed the Saturday afternoon sessions I attended, especially the 

one on Israel’s Archaeology, very informative. Both were stimulating 

and helpful towards understanding God’s plans for his people and for 

praying for them” 

Eastbourne, Sussex 

“Thank you so much for getting us hooked in for Jared’s teaching … give 

that man a pat on the back! We felt privileged to have heard him” 

Uxbridge, Middlesex 

Tech crew: Ben, Robin and John 

On day two we also had the pleasure to 

hear from the enthusiatic Chris Sinkinson 

of Moorlands College who shared amazing 

archeological discoveries that confirm the 

historical validity of the Bible. He also 

showed excavations in Israel that he had 

been involved with in the Golan Heights. 

He explained the significance with David 

in Geshur. He highlighted an 8 th century 

BC city, the capital of Geshur. In 734 BC 

the Assyrian King, Pul, carried out the 

destruction of the Geshurites, as mentioned 

in the Bible. The gateways and standing stones revealed how 

Baal, the bull god, was indeed worshipped at the time and 

after. David had stayed at Geshur and one of the gates was 

found that he and his sons would have seen at that time. 

Our two amazing speakers had truly served up a feast of 

wisdom, knowledge and encouragement! See you next year! 

David Greer, Trustee 

Julia Soakell and the resources stall team were kept busy in the breaks 



youtube.com/cfiuk 


Special Report 

A breakthrough in fulfilling the 

CFI mandate 

David Soakell 

I 

met a CFI supporter 

called Dave Walker 

and his late wife 

Chris in 2010. Over the 

past 12 years Dave has 

become a loyal friend 

and faithful in his 

calling to CFI. 

He is from a Jewish 

background – albeit a 

secular one – has always 

been proud of his Jewish heritage and defensive of 

Israel. Dave was very active in a local Methodist 

Church for 30 years and was on the Methodist 

preaching rota for 25 years. In 2010 I heard that 

Dave had run a CFI Kesher Course, and knew he was 

passionate about the Church’s Jewish heritage, the 

Jewish Jesus, and the fact that the Bible is a Jewish 

book. So it was natural that I should ask him to 

become a CFI Regional Link (or ‘Area Representative’ 

as it was known). Since then, Dave has been to Israel 

with me twice, and has been a huge blessing to the 

ministry of Christian Friends of Israel. However, 

recently he has struggled with the ‘politics’ of 

the Methodist Council. When the UK Methodist 

Church voted to allow same-sex marriage, and 

agreed to oppose Israel by standing with the Boycott, 

Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement, he was 

asked to sign in agreement. However, those policies 

opposed his faith, and he stood his ground, thus 

resigning from the Methodist Church. Since then he 

has been amazed at how the Lord has opened new 

doors and continued to bless him, and help him to be 

a blessing to Israel in line with Genesis 12:3. 

As Dave spoke with the Methodist Superintendent 

Minister, wrote his letter of resignation, and read out 

his letter to the local circuit to explain why he was 

resigning, a thought struck him as he looked at their 

faces. Dave wondered, “How many of them know or 

understand about anti-Semitism in the Church and 

how anti-Semitism impacts someone’s life; or even 

how Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) could 

actually have an adverse effect on the UK?” 

Apart from fulfilling many speaking engagements 

at various churches since his resignation, Dave was 

also asked to organise a trip to a synagogue. And 

so, in the last week of July 2022, he had the pleasure 

of taking a large party of Christians from various 

denominations to visit the Central Synagogue in 

Birmingham. Dave writes, “After talking to folk in 

Churches about what they understood about Israel 

or Judaism, most of what they knew and understood 

came from the media, and I felt I had to find a way 

to help them understand. After praying and seeking 

the Lord, I felt I had to talk to my friend Ruth Jacobs 

at the Central Synagogue about a possible visit by 

‘Stourbridge Churches Together’ group. Ruth readily 

agreed and we decided that not only was it to be just 

a guided tour of the Synagogue, but for Ruth to share 

the history of the Synagogue, and their history of the 

Jewish Community in Birmingham, along with her 

own personal faith of what it means to be Jewish.” 

That trip to the Birmingham Central Synagogue was 

a huge success. The 40 visitors included seventeen 

church leaders, many of whom are Methodist 

Superintendents, Church of England ministers, and 

local preachers. We provided information gift bags 

A large coach party from Stourbridge Churches Together on route 

for each person which included CFI free literature and 

sign-up sheets. Dave Walker stated, 

“From a personal point of view, the visit was a 

tremendous success, and folks came away with changed 

perceptions, and much of the usual misinformation 

was debunked. The coach was buzzing with many 

conversations and a really joyful atmosphere. I have 

heard a lot of very positive comments since. Things 

are beginning to change, and I feel that there has been 

a breakthrough. I have had requests for an invite for 

Ruth Jacobs to come and lead a meeting in a Methodist 

Church, and a suggestion for me to organise a Kesher 

Course! I know members from the ‘Bishops Certificate’ – 


The discreet and modern Central Synagogue building 

a group of Anglicans, were really interested and enjoyed 

the visit, and I pray that this is the beginning of more 

meetings with the Jewish Community.” 

One of the people on the 

visit was a local Methodist 

preacher, Martyn Filsak. 

Martyn was surprised by 

the fact that the modern 

Synagogue lacked clear 

identifying signs but 

discovered from the talk 

by their host that this was 

deliberate, to reduce the risk 

of being targeted by those 

hostile to Jews. Martyn 

writes, 

“We were welcomed by Ruth, 

our host for the evening from 

the Jewish community, and 

she escorted us to the main 

worship area. The talk that she 

gave, with opportunities to ask 

questions, was in three parts: 

the history of Birmingham 

Central Synagogue and its 

The Scroll Ark 

community, antisemitism, 

and the State of Israel. Ruth 

described how the membership of the synagogue had 

been decreasing over the years and that there was an 

ageing congregation with few children. This sounded 

surprisingly similar to the state of many local churches 

that I know. One factor specific to the Jewish community, 

which exacerbates the numerical decline in Birmingham 

synagogues and elsewhere in the UK, is migration 

[Aliyah] to Israel.” 

Martyn went on to describe what the group saw, 

“At the front of the meeting area is the Ark, in which the 

Torah scrolls are kept. This is the focus of the room. The 

bimah from which the lesson is read faces the Ark and 

not the congregation! The Torah scrolls are all written 

by hand on parchment and are worth tens of thousands 

of pounds. One of the scrolls was brought over from 

Germany after Kristallnacht. In worship, men and 

women are seated in different areas and are separated 

by a decorated glass screen.” 

As the congregation in the Birmingham Central 

Synagogue are Orthodox Jews, Shabbat is observed 

strictly from Friday evening to Saturday evening. 

Regarding this, Martyn writes, 

“Because travel is restricted to a short walk, it is 

necessary that worshippers live close to the synagogue, 

hence the formation of a Jewish community residing 

in its vicinity. Shabbat is strictly a day of rest and 

refreshment, and I’m sure that we could all learn from 

this. In the days following the visit I heard various 

comments from people who attended, and they were 

all positive about how enjoyable and educational it had 

been. There is interest in going back there to attend one 

or more specific events taking place later in the year, that 

are open to visitors.” 

Christian Friends of Israel is called to bless Israel and 

serve the Church. Our aims are to express friendship 

with Israel and the Jewish people throughout the 

world; to impart to Christians a fuller understanding 

of both their Jewish heritage and of modern Israel; to 

challenge anti-Semitism among Christians in its past 

and present forms; to stimulate Christians to pray 

for Israel, to encourage reconciliation of Jews and 

Arabs; and to provide practical assistance in areas 

of need within the land of Israel. We can only say a 

huge “thank you” to Dave Walker and all those who 

travelled to this event, in fulfilling many aspects of our 

ministry and calling. 

The Bimah reading desk 


Feature 

Robin Lane 

Positive 

Political 

Leaders 

The United Kingdom 

appears to be in a 

somewhat unusual 

situation in which the leaders 

of both main political parties 

are very positive towards the 

Jewish people. 

Much has been written about Liz 

Truss’s attitude towards them 

during the recent leadership 

contest. Writing for the Jewish 

Chronicle, Stephen Pollard 

summarised her views across a 

variety of issues, some of which 

are worth repeating here. Ranging 

from having ‘lots of Jewish 

friends at school’, through being 

impressed by the lifestyle of 

her Jewish boss when working 

for Shell, realising that there 

is a natural affinity between 

Conservative values and many 

‘Jewish values’, and wanting to 

eradicate antisemitism, Liz Truss is 

more than a little positive towards 

the Jewish people. 

That positivity extends to her 

attitude towards Israel. During 

her time as Foreign Secretary she 

Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Yair Lapid 

led the UK to vote with Israel in 

meetings of the UN Human Rights 

Council, even having to overrule 

Foreign Office officials who 

expressed concerns that it would 

lead to the UK becoming isolated 

within that international forum. 

Her concern about the United 

Nations is that “Bodies like the 

Human Rights Council have 

been used to peddle a particular 

agenda which frankly has strong 

elements of antisemitism.” It was 

no surprise, therefore, that she met 

with Israel’s prime minister Yair 

Lapid on Thursday 22 nd September 

during a gathering of international 

leaders for the UN General 

Assembly. 

The two prime ministers discussed 

“huge” opportunities to boost 

cooperation between the UK 

and Israel on strategic priorities 

including defence, cyber security, 

trade and green technology. They 

also agreed on the need for a longterm 

strategy to contain the threat 

from Iran. Liz Truss welcomed the 

progress being made on a new Free 

Trade Agreement with Israel and 

promised to review the possibility 

of moving the British Embassy 

from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 

Moving the embassy would clearly 

prove unpopular with the nations 

in the Middle East that want to 

see the formation of a Palestinian 

State with East Jerusalem as its 

capital. So, given the controversy 

surrounding the Conservative 

Party’s latest financial policies, 

such a move might not happen 

soon. However, the Prime Minister 

took the opportunity on Sunday 

2 nd October, when speaking to a 

meeting of Conservative Friends 

of Israel, to confirm that she is a 

“huge Zionist and huge supporter 

of Israel” who wants to “take 

the UK-Israel relationship from 

strength to strength.” 

And for once there is agreement 

between the leaders of both the 

Conservative Party and the Labour 

Party on at least one relevant 

issue. Like Liz Truss, Sir Keir 

Starmer is determined to eradicate 

antisemitism in the Labour Party, 

and he recognised that it was one 

of the main tasks that confronted 

him when he became leader in 

2020. The party had been mired 

Sir Keir Starmer and wife Victoria 

in accusations of antisemitism 

for years under the leadership of 

Jeremy Corbyn. Three separate 

enquiries were conducted into the 

problem in 2016 alone. 

So, Sir Keir made a pledge to tackle 

anti-Jewish racism in the party and 

has acted with resolve towards that 

end. At his recent party conference 

speech he said: “I knew when I 

became leader of this party we had 

a big task before us. We had to 

change our party and prepare for 

power all in one go. Not change 

for change’s sake. Change with a 

purpose, to make our party fit to 

serve our country. That’s why we 

had to rip out antisemitism by its 

roots.” 

Let us pray that these two leaders 

continue this positive approach 

towards the Jewish people and the 

State of Israel. 


Elections 

Heading towards 

political deadlock? 

Israel’s system of proportional representation 

continues to be a major challenge for its 

politicians, especially when so many of them have 

different ideas. 

Israelis vote for political parties rather than individual members of 

the Knesset. Each party needs to gain at least 3.25 percent of the 

total vote to win any seats. A vote that size would give a party four 

seats – any less, no seats. 

This puts pressure on small parties to merge to be sure of winning 

some seats. However, the merger agreements can be complex, with 

major difficulties around approving the list of candidates and who 

will get which jobs if elected. 

In the build-up to this year’s election, Benjamin Netanyahu 

managed to influence several right-wing mergers. Two ultra- 

Orthodox factions were persuaded to merge into United Torah 

Judaism, and three other parties similarly merged to form Religious 

Zionism. 

Opponents of Netanyahu were more divided. Two parties merged 

to form National Unity. But Labour and Meretz did not agree 

to merge. Nor did three Arab parties. Given a prediction of low 

turnout among Arab voters, there is a significant risk that one or 

more Arab parties may fail to win any seats. Left-leaning parties 

are thus fragmented and vulnerable. 

The main surprise in this was the breakdown of the Arab Joint List. 

A significant factor in that is the ideological differences over the 

extent to which they should engage with Israeli politics. Some 

simply want to oppose Zionist policies, others want to engage with 

the Jewish parties so as to influence policies. 

No-one is sure whether this division among the Arab parties 

improves Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances of success. Arab Israelis 

are usually happier to vote when Arab politicians are united. If their 

turnout is as low as in the last election, how will the arithmetic 

assign ‘lost’ seats to the other ‘reshuffled’ parties? 

Another factor this time will be the impact of the United Arab List 

joining the governing coalition last time. By seeking to influence 

decisions from within the government they won 30 billion shekels 

(£7.67 billion) of funding for the Arab sector in Israel. That result 

might win them more votes despite the general reluctance to 

participate in government. 

At the time of writing (late September) opinion polls were once 

again predicting that no obvious coalition will gain the necessary 61 

seats to have even a tiny majority. 

The crucial results of the 1 st November vote will be known soon 

afterwards, but the time taken to form a new government will 

depend on the balance of votes and resulting negotiations between 

potential coalition partners. 

BOOKING 

NOW OPEN 

CFI UK PRAYER 

CONFERENCE 

Tuesday 21 st – Thursday 23 rd March 

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. 

From everlasting to everlasting. 

Let all the people say “Amen”, 

Praise the Lord. (Psalm 106:48) 

Book today to guarantee your place 

Registration closes on Friday 24 th February 2023 

Contact Beverley on: 01323 410810 or email: info@cfi.org.uk 

Join us for our 2023 

Prayer Conference, hosted by 

David and Julia Soakell 

The residential conference programme will 

be sent nearer the time. Reception opens 

from 3pm on the first afternoon Tuesday 21 st 

and the conference continues through to a 

concluding lunchtime meal following the last 

session on Thursday 23 rd . 


Resources www.cfi.org.uk/shop.php 

THREE VIEWS ON ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH – JARED COMPTON & ANDREW NASELLI 

The relationship between Israel and the Church is a long-standing debate, and Romans 9 -11 are important chapters 

for understanding it. Four leading scholars on this issue present three viewpoints, followed by a response from the 

others. Michael Vlach argues for a future mass conversion and a role for ethnic Israel in the Church. Fred Zaspel and 

Jim Hamilton present a case for a future mass conversion that does not include a role for ethnic Israel. And Benjamin 

Merkle contends that Romans 9 -11 promises neither a future mass conversion nor a role for ethnic Israel. General 

editor Andrew David Naselli sets the debate in its larger biblical-theological context in the introduction, while Jared 

Compton provides a summary of the views and interactions at the end of the volume. 

B532 // 266 Pages // £17 (incl. UK p&p) 

BIBLICAL THEOLOGY ACCORDING TO THE APOSTLES – 

How the earliest Christians told the story of the Old Testament 

How did the Apostles understand the Old Testament? Although relatively few in number, the New Testament’s explicit 

summaries of the Old Testament story of Israel give readers direct access into the way the earliest Christians told this 

story - that is to say, to the way they did biblical theology. 

The authors demonstrate how valuable a lens these summaries provide for a clearer vision of the earliest Christian 

practice of theology. They also show how contemporary readers can and should follow the Apostles’ example. 

B531 // 230 Pages // £17 (incl. UK p&p) 

BACKGROUND TO THE BIBLE – CHRIS SINKINSON 

Archaeology is never a static science. Every year and throughout the year, towns, items and artefacts are unearthed 

that throw important light on the background and context of the Bible. Background to the Bible is a companion 

to the popular Evidence for the Bible that was published in 2014. In Background to the Bible we have added new 

information to encourage an informed journey through the pages of the Bible. This book will prove invaluable to all 

who have an interest in understanding what lies behind and around the events recorded in the Bible. 

B533 // Hardback 222 Pages // £27 (incl. UK p&p) 

For resources call: 01323 410 810 

Postal savings on multiple items 

JARED COMPTON, CHRIS BRUNO 

& KEVIN McFADDEN 

CFI UK 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE – JARED COMPTON & CHRIS SINKINSON 

Recorded live at CFI UK 2022 Annual Conference. 

Session 1. The Problem of Israel’s Unbelief in Romans 9 to 11 (Jared Compton) 55 mins. 

Session 2. Paul’s Response to Israel’s Unbelief in Romans 9 (Jared Compton) 53 mins. 

Session 3. Israel’s Archaeology (Chris Sinkinson) 56 mins. 

Session 4. Paul’s Response to Israel’s Unbelief in Romans 11 (Jared Compton) 53 mins. 

CDS139 // 4 CDs // £13.50 (incl. UK p&p) 

D159 // 4 DVDs // £13.50 (incl. UK p&p) 

FD003 // USB MP4’s // £9.50 (incl. UK p&p) 

UK Events CFI UK plan to exhibit at the following live events in 2023 

Minehead April 10 –14, 2023 

CRE North 3 – 4 May, 2023 

Exhibition Centre, Liverpool 

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 



youtube.com/cfiuk

In Touch - 4th Quarter 2022

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