In the rare moments we are quite honest with ourselves we, followers of Jesus, sometimes admit that many of our Master’s statements don’t actually make any sense. I am referring to sayings like “man’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15), “everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23), […]
Alexander Goldberg, Israel Director at the Caspari Center, is the new Dean of Beit HaYeshua’s Bible school. Last year, Beit HaYeshua congregation in Jerusalem established a Bible school for ex-drug addicts, where Goldberg taught. This year, he will play a much more significant role at the school. – I’m responsible for the curriculum and I […]
Entering a new year is always special. In a way, it gives us a new start, a feeling that it’s possible to leave something behind. According to the Jewish calendar, in the month of September we will enter the year תשע”ו, or 5776. Almost every date noted in Israel will have two entries, one beside […]
This summer Hamas published some videos from their youth camps in the Middle East. Only 100 kilometers from Jerusalem, they literally trained kids for battle. It was a very different kind of summer camp than people expect in the Western world. The boys were taught to jump through a burning wheel and to reload their […]
Living in Israel isn’t always easy, as those who have tried it can attest. For new-comers, moving to Israel requires an adjustment to the Middle-Eastern mindset, temperament, and ways of doing things. As in any new country, it requires adaptability, flexibility, and patience. You need to learn everything anew and it’s a very humbling experience. There […]
When I first moved to Israel, I learned very quickly to distinguish between two groups: “Notsrim” (Christians) and “Yehudim Meshichim” (Messianic Jews). Messianic Jews are Jews who believe in Yeshua/Jesus as the Messiah, but they avoid using the term “Notsrim” because the word has a negative connotation for them as Jews. In spite of sharing […]
Ages ago, when man lived mainly off agriculture and cattle-breeding, and slavery was legitimate, a religious teacher told his followers: “Suppose one of you has a slave plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the slave when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t […]
Someone told me recently that if you don’t know what to do next in life, find somewhere to serve. We are always called to serve God, to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” and to love our neighbor. And inevitably, we will be blessed in extraordinary abundance by he who called us to […]
In cooperation with MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, in March 2015 the Caspari Center in Jerusalem organized an academically accredited theological course for eighteen master’s of theology students and three professors from MF. With approximately 1,150 students, MF is the largest theological education institution in Norway and one of the largest in the […]
I had the privilege of taking part in the fourth BridgeBuilders reconciliation conference this last Passover. The conference took place in the Wadi-Rum desert in Jordan. Twenty-seven young adults from Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Norway participated in the conference. This was part two of the conference; the first part was held in Norway, in […]