By Shelley Neese I know that 2021 is technically only a number change on the Gregorian calendar. Perhaps it is naïve of me, but I can’t help feeling hopeful that this new year will bring with its new blessings and revelations. With the start of the pandemic, I asked our friends and supporters to…
The Advent season is upon us. In my family, we celebrate advent with a regular lighting of candles, carols, and family devotions. Like all family worship with young kids, sometimes it is a really sweet moment that our family separates the sacred from the profane. Other times, it is chaotic and dissolves quickly. And in…
By Shelley Neese Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Friday, September 18. So I want to give you a quick summary about this important Jewish holiday. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. In the Hebrew calendar, the holiday falls on the first and second days of the month Tishrei. Rosh Hashanah represents the…
Josh Reinstein is the Director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and President of the Israel Allies Foundation, a nongovernmental, not for profit organization formed in January 2004 by Yuri Stern to encourage faith-based support for Israel among elected members of legislatures and parliaments worldwide, with an emphasis on faith-based, Christian support of Israel. Josh…
I have a special announcement! Most of you are already familiar with Amy Zewe, host of our weekly Red Alert reports since 2012. Amy has been a vital part of our ministry for these last eight years and we are so thankful for how she has shared her heart for Israel and the Jewish people.…
By Shelley Neese The coronavirus has been unkind. Many have experienced loss – whether a death of a loved one, a business going bankrupt, harsh quarantines, or a high school senior who will miss graduation. Here is one more hurting sector you can add to the list: biblical archaeology. Archaeologists in Israel are still processing…
By Shelley Neese In the last two weeks, Israel has observed three national holidays that had to be observed individually rather than communally. First, it was on April 20th that Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah. Normally, there would have been a very large state ceremony held at Yad Vashem. Six beacons are…
By Shelley Neese— When I lived in Arizona I had a Messianic pastor who led an otherwise evangelical congregation. He was raised in a religious Jewish home and found Jesus, his Messiah, right before his Bar Mitzvah. He was kicked out of his home when he told his parents about his newfound faith and actually…
Passover 2020 will not be the kind of Passover we know. Starting on April 8th and lasting till April 16th, normally this is a time for extended families and friends of the family to all gather together for the most festive (and lengthy) meal on the holy calendar. Throughout the meal of matzah, wine, bitter…
On Thursday night, February 27th, I drove three hours to Liberty University to attend the opening of an art exhibit that is very special to all of us here at Jerusalem Connection, especially Jim Hutchens. As many of you know, Jim’s wife, Pat Mercer Hutchens, went home to be with her Savior on March 31,…