A New Life in Israel

Dear Friends,

Your family has felt the lighting swift sword of persecution as long as one can remember. Since childhood you were told the horror stories of murder, rape and the destruction of homes and entire villages just because your forefathers believed in the ONE true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You are a Jew and are reminded of it every day. Your people have been driven from place to place; is there a land that you really could call home? Every year you and every Jewish person in the world end their Passover Seder by saying with great longing..."NEXT YEAR IN YERUSHALAIM!"

Then the word spreads through your village to your street and reaches your ears, "have been released to go to the LAND, to Come Up, to make Aliyah", the spiritual and physical accent up to Jerusalem.

The longing to return to the ancient land of your forefathers wells up inside of you. It would be a difficult journey to undergo with no assurance of success. You reflect on the complexity of relocating your family, learning a new language, making the cultural adjustments and living in a land that is in a constant state of tension and war. Still the hope remains and won't leave you! In your mind you remember the scenes on television of the joy of those stepping off the planes from Russia and kissing the ground of Eretz Israel, the one place in this world that a Jew could call HOME!

In the back of your mind there also remains the issue of your faith. Some have questioned whether you are still a Jew because you have accepted Y'shua as your Messiah. You know that this could be an issue that would prevent your acceptance to make Aliyah. How is it right that they could challenge your lineage when many of your family died in the ovens in Eastern Europe and at the hands of evil men like Hitler and Stalin just because they were Jews!

Still over and over in your heart you hear the words..."NEXT YEAR IN YERUSHALAIM!"

Since the Wall came down in Eastern Europe paving the way for the Word of Yahweh to be proclaimed in Russia, many Jews have become Believers. Many of these Messianic Russian Jews have made Aliyah to Israel only to find persecution from their own people when they arrived. These people are the next group Lisa and I want to introduce to you. A people that have persevered through enormous difficulties, they need our love, prayers and support.

Here is Lisa's report on a ministry in Israel that assists Russian Jews making Aliyah, lifts up and supports Russian Jewish Believers and shares the love of the Lord to those that have not yet met their Messiah.

In Jerusalem, Judith and I met with the leader of a ministry that assists Jews from the former USSR to make Aliyah (returning as Jewish citizen to the Land of Israel) and supports them through the transition time of settling and integrating as new immigrants.

We were greatly touched as we were reminded of the words the Lord spoke through the Prophets; words of great promises in the last days of the return of the exiles of Israel from the lands of the North, South, East and West.

I would like to share with you the work of Operation Tarshish:

Overview and Brief History of the Russian Aliyah to Israel
Since the late nineteenth century, the Jewish people have been knowingly and unknowingly fulfilling the Biblical prophecies regarding the return of the exiles to the ancient Land of Israel. They have literally returned from the four corners of the world and the Lord continues to call them out through many different circumstances and situations.

In the early 1990's, the Jews from the former USSR found themselves caught in a depressed economy. Many were also living in war-torn ethnic regions that were rebelling and trying to pull their provinces away from Russia's control. After much world pressure the Jews were finally given permission from the Russian government to return to the land of their forefathers.

Through the assistance and efforts of the Jewish World Agency and many organizations (most supported by Believers), these Jewish people arrived in Eretz Israel to begin a new life, although with minimal funds and few possessions.

Language and cultural adjustments were made more difficult by on-going war on the Lebanon border and Arab uprisings in the land. When the Israeli government's subsidies ran out, these new immigrants, some of them doctors and engineers, found themselves sweeping floors and working as security guards to provide for their families. Some returned to the known realities in Russia; others moved on to other countries.

There are over one million immigrants from the former USSR now living in Israel. This equals approximately one fifth of the population of Israel.

There are still known Jewish communities throughout the former USSR. Many of these communities and individuals are living in remote regions of Russia where they were scattered during periods of persecution. These Jews, many elderly and ill, will require more assistance then the others to return to the Land.


Ministries Currently Operating Under Operation Tarshish


Wings of Doves:

Assisting Russian Jews in making Aliyah to Israel. Three volunteer teams operating in Ukraine, one volunteer team operating in Eastern Russia Teams provide legal assistance in the application process. This process can be made difficult by poor government record keeping that is needed to proved that at least one grandparent is Jewish.Practical assistance is also given to preparations and packing. Financial assistance is often needed for travel and legal costs needed to finalize the application approval, which can be a long and laborious process.


For Those that Mourn in Zion:

- Partnering with other ministries to assist new immigrants and others in need
-Providing for the needs of the poor and hungry
- Food distribution program
- Terror and war victims

Widows, orphans & single parent families:

- Provide support for families
- Financial assistance when needed
- Financial counseling
- Emotional and physical support

New immigrants:

- Assist in locating housing
- Assist in job locating or training if needed
- Provide Food and other basic needs until they are able to be independent

Elderly and Holocaust survivors:

- Visiting those that are lonely
- Assist with any physical or financial needs
- Housekeeping

Homeless:

- Shelter and food
- Ministering to them in love
- Providing counseling services when needed
- Work with local social services to find long-term housing situations


Assessment of immediate and on-going financial needs
Funds are greatly needed for on-going work
The financial needs are huge in each of the above areas of ministry, if more funds are provided, then more people can be directly helped.
Funds for monthly assistance for food, clothing and housing.

Operation Tarshish oversees a wide variety of ministries. The organization is in a position to identify immediate and long-term needs in the Russian Believing and non-believing communities in Jerusalem. Funding and volunteer assistance is often channeled through Operation Tarshish to meet needs directly on the ground.

The prophecies of the return of the Jewish people back to Israel are numerous; many times it is specified in the Scriptures that the Gentiles will assist with this enormous task. Today, we still have the opportunity to be apart of this effort, and although it may not undo centuries of Jewish persecution on the part of those who called themselves "Christians", it does provide Believers with an opportunity to be a witness by demonstrating Y'shua's great love.

Jerusalem is a city with many poor and needy from extremely diverse backgrounds; it is a difficult place in which to navigate spiritually. We need to constantly be lifting these fellow servants in prayer and assisting them to meet the needs of the poor, broken and hurting."

"Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins." Isaiah 40:1-2


From Eretz Israel,
Lisa


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Your gifts to the "Lydia" project can provide food, clothing and help to these people on their way to building a new life in the land - a life of freedom and hope.

Your prayers and support for Ami have been overwhelming. His story has touched America and, it seems, Israel itself.

I, Judith, have placed calls to my sources in Israel about the Sudanese mother and two daughters that were separated from their father to determine what more is needed by the Lydia project..


Shalom Alechem,
Judith Rood
National Chairperson

Messianic Jews Get Their Day in Court

THE BATTLE ISN'T OVER, IT HAS JUST BEGUN

From: Judith Rood National Chairperson

Yes the Lydia project is not political, but we do support religious freedom for everyone in Israel. While our goal is to help those who are victims of terror, poverty, loss of husband or homeless we understand that much of these problems stem from prejudice and persecution.

Many have asked about the lasted ruling by the High Court in Israel, here is our release from the Lydia representative on the ground in Israel.

Israeli High Court of Justice Rules in Favor of Messianic Jews - April 2008

While a few press releases have emerged this week on Israeli news site, other national news sources have remained conspicuously silent in reporting the most recent court decision regarding the citizenship rights of Messianic Jews.

Fifteen years ago, the same court rejected a petition by Messianic Jews who were demanding to be recognized as Jews and receive full Israeli citizenship according to the Law of Return for children and grandchildren of Jews. In that case, the court ruled that Messianic Jews had converted to Christianity and therefore were no longer Jewish. Since that court case, the state has refused all requests for citizenship according to the Law of Return by known Messianic Jews.

Following a petition that began two years ago, this week the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that Messianic Jews are entitled to Israeli citizenship according to the Law of Return if their father is Jewish.

The twelve petitioners, represented by attorneys Yehuda Raveh and Calev Myers, argued that they were eligible for immigrant status and citizenship due to the fact that they were children of fathers who were Jewish, not because they themselves were Jewish according to the definition of "Who is a Jew" in the Law of Return.

In 1970, Amendment 4A (a) to the Law of Return was passed stating: "The rights of a Jew under this law. . .are also vested in a child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew, except for a person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion."

The current laws define a Jew as "a person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion." This ruling is in accordance to Halacha - Orthodox Jewish law as opposed to the Biblical understanding that Jewishness is passed from father to son.

According to Attorney Calev Myers, the twelve Messianic Jews petitioned the High Court after the Interior Ministry refused to register them as new Immigrants in accordance with the Law of Return. Myers said that they had received letters stating that they would not receive citizenship because they allegedly engaged in missionary activity. This accusation is extremely derogatory and common to use against Messianic Jews when desiring to cause harm to their character.

It still remains unclear how the courts will handle cases petitioned by Messianic Jews whose mother's are considered "Jews" according to the law. However, Calev Myers, who is also the founder and chief counsel of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice has stated, "This is yet another battle won in our war to establish equality in Israel for the Messianic Jewish community just like every other stream of faith within the Jewish world."

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Contact lydiaproject@michaelroodministries.com