Lif In Israel

Dear Friend,



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.



THEY WILL NEED HELP ONCE THEY HAVE MADE ALIYAH!









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


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

From Leah Ortiz

We thank so many of you who have written and asked to be updated on Ami's condition as you want to continue to lift him up before the throne of God. We can't tell you how grateful we are that the momentum is continuing, as we are facing new challenges every day. However, we are greatly encouraged by the outpouring of love from all over the world, and Ami is daily encouraged as well. We thank Yeshua for moving your hearts to convey His encouragement to our family.

We moved into the Tel HaShomer Children's hospital two weeks ago. It is a rehabilitation facility and one of the best in the country. Ami has a strenuous schedule which includes Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, School studies, Computer lessons, and training in an exercise center. All of this has really strengthened him. Along with renewed appetite, he's looking more and more like "Ami".

However, there are many struggles as well. Interspersed between all of his activities have been visits to specialists. The first specialists to see him were the ENT doctors (Ear, Nose and Throat). We found out that Ami's right ear drum is almost completely blown out and the left ear drum has significant damage. The first doctor told us that he will need skin grafts in both ears which includes a recovery period of 3 to 6 weeks on each ear. However, yesterday we visited a second specialist who specializes in ear injuries from terror attacks. She had better news - she said there was a 90% chance that the ear drums would close up themselves - heal by themselves. She said that Ami is young, and she's seen it happen many times. Even after the first doctor's assessment, I had faith that the Lord would close up those ear drums!! His next appointment will be in 3 months. The doctor said it might take a year for them to heal naturally, but if there is no improvement in 3 months, they will schedule the operations.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE EAR DRUMS TO BE HEALED. Ami's hearing has been significantly affected as a result of this injury.

Ami was sent to an eye specialist as well. He said that there are still many pieces of metal in Ami's eyes, but it is better if they stay in as it could cause problems if they come out. He also said that the eyes were not seeing 20/20 and he might need glasses. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE LORD TO DISSOLVE THE METAL IN HIS EYES, AND FOR THE HEALING OF HIS EYES TO CONTINUE UNTIL 20/20 VISION.

Ami has also had significant burn wounds and subsequent scarring all over his body - also scars where large pieces of shrapnel were removed. His body also has the tendency to scar quickly and for the scars to build up rapidly. Therefore, pressure bandages have been made for him. They are like thick support stockings. The upper body "suit" covers his whole upper body including his neck. It is very difficult to get used to and he's been told that he has to wear them 23 hours a day for one to two years!! The lower body suit is being prepared now. All of this is emotionally and mentally hard for Ami to adjust to as well as being physically rigorous. PLEASE PRAY THAT THE SCARS WOULD HEAL QUICKLY, AND THAT AMI WOULD BE ABLE TO ADJUST TO THESE BANDAGES.

Ami was also seen by a plastic surgeon, who has ordered x-rays to be done on his hands and feet, as he has extreme sensitivity especially in his left palm, and in the toes that were amputated. He thinks there is shrapnel embedded that might be painful to him, in which case they will surgically remove it. Ami has over 100 pieces of shrapnel in his body. Many of them will be expelled by his body naturally. One day, two groups of believers came to visit us and I asked them to pray for the shrapnel to be expelled quickly. That night Ami said, "I feel all the pieces of metal moving!" He was in pain and we had to give him Tylenol!! We need to be careful what we ask for from the Lord!!

I am praying for Ami's healing to happen quicker than anyone can imagine. I believe that with prayer and Yeshua's healing power, everything is possible.

Tomorrow, Friday March 23rd, will be a special prayer meeting in our congregation in Ariel. Messianic leaders from all over Israel will be gathering for a time of fasting and prayer for Ami and the situations surrounding the attack, from 10am to 2PM Israel time.

Even this week, in a town called Or Yehuda, the deputy mayor along with local rabbis stirred up the religious youth to go door to door and gather New Testaments that had been distributed by believers a few weeks before. They then burned the New Testaments.

This is a very serious development because in Nazi Germany, Jewish prayer books were burned in the early years before the Holocaust began. We would urge you to denounce this act to the Israeli Embassy in your area, and also to ask why the perpetrators of the Purim Package bombing have not yet been apprehended.

The article about the burning of the New Testaments can be found at:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1211288128832

Thank you again for your prayer, love and support.

In the Messiah,

Leah Ortiz


Judith Rood again,

I, Judith Rood, want to express to you that Michael and I love Israel and her people but there always seem to be those in every country that thrive on hate and violence. This was the plight of the African American here in America until the voice of the people cause the Government to finally do what was right.

Michael Rood, my husband, is airing a 30 minute Lydia World Outreach Special starting next Saturday May 30 through Sunday June 8. This special documentary will show how we are extending the Love the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to our Christian brothers and sisters - to those who are victims of violence, prejudice and hatred in the Land of Israel.

We are commanded by Him who died for us to show His love through our compassionate actions. Michael has never been timid about challenging the status quo. While we both dearly love the Land of Israel and it's people, we do not condone those who would do acts of violence. No one can say they are following Torah while condoning or encouraging any act of violence against the innocent.

A Land that has for centuries seen it's children murdered, maimed and left homeless, should understand that it cannot allow prejudice and hatred to go unpunished no matter who is responsible or what their reason is for such actions.

I am Jewish. My mother, my father, my grandparents were Jewish. Our family blood was spilled in Russia and in Germany. As many of my ancestors as anyone's were murdered for their Jewish faith. The Jewish blood in their veins poured out to water the soil of many countries. How can any person tell me I am not Jewish because I believe the Messiah has come or because I am married to a Godly man.that is not afraid to challenge man's traditions or ignorance.

The mandate of Yahweh is to aid the helpless, to support and comfort the widows, the orphans and the poor. James 1:27 makes it clear that the commandment of the Torah is still in effect in these cases.

We will show our love by our prayers, by our actions, through the generous giving of our tithes and offerings to help the victims of these acts, and by being there for as many widows, orphans and poor as we have means to help.

While in Israel this next week, I will be your and Elohim's Ambassador of hope to these victims. We hope to visit several orphanages that have received Jewish children from countries where their parents and grandparents were also victims of similar acts of prejudice and violence.

Thank you for your loving prayers and financial support. If you can't see this special, just call us and we will do all we can to send you a copy to view in your home, your congregation, your church or with your friends and family.

I know you will join me in saying, "We are not ashamed of the Gospel of the Messiah and of showing His love to a hurting world."

Call my staff at 800-550-9028 and request a copy. We will send them out free until there aren't any more to send.

Shalom Aleichem

Judith Rood
National Chairperson, The Lydia World Outreach Project

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


- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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