Donate or buy a T-shirt to help us during the war
Christ Church Jerusalem relies on the generosity of tourists and pilgrims. Now in time of war, as in the pandemic, most foreign visitors have returned home. We need the help of our friends abroad in this time of war as we continue to minister to our own and those affected by the hostilities.
You can support us — and remind those around you to pray — by buying a shirt or mug with Psalm 122:6 in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Visit our Bonfire store.
We also welcome your donations to the Church General Fund and to the Mercy Fund, which continues to provide aid to Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Jerusalem.
CMJ Israel is converting all three guest houses — in Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Galilee — into refugee housing. To give toward that effort, visit cmj-israel.org.
Thank you! Blessings from the City of the Great King!
Video: Israel at War with David Pileggi
Rev. David Pileggi, rector of Christ Church Jerusalem, offers his analysis of the Israel-Hamas War on Anglican Ink. David has resided in Jerusalem for more than 40 years, has lived through the Second Intifada and the other wars.
Pray for us, Israel, & Gaza
As you know by now, on Shabbat morning October 7, Hamas infiltrated Israel from Gaza and murdered more than 1,400 people and kidnapped more than 200. Israel is now preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza to root out Hamas.
We continue holding services in Jerusalem as the CMJ Israel guesthouses begin to take in those displaced by the fighting in the south.
Key things to pray for right now
- Nearly 30 CMJ Israel staff members or family members have been called up to active service, — military, medical, chaplaincy. There are another two dozen activated from a congregation connected to the Anglican International School. Please pray for their safety, for wisdom, that they would shine the light of Messiah in the fog of war.
- For those who have been kidnapped. Israel notified families of more than 200 persons known to be held by Hamas. Pray that their captors show mercy and release them. Pray for peace and comfort for both the hostages and their families waiting to hear from them.
- For the perseverance, unity, and calm of our staff — Jews, Arabs, internationals — as they prepare the three guest houses to receive Israeli refugees.
- Pray for the people of Gaza. Pray especially for the followers of Jesus in Gaza, some of whom have tried to keep in contact with us through our online Arabic ministry.
- Pray for peace and calm among Israel’s neighbors. Pray that no other nation joins Hamas in the fight and that Hezbollah stops agitating in the north.
Remembering our own lost to war & terror
Israel celebrates Independence Day on Iyar 5 (which falls in April or May). However, the day before the fireworks and street parties, all Israel falls silent on Iyar 4 — Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day — to remember fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks.
The Christ Church Jerusalem community, continuously in the Holy Land since 1849, has lost members due to war and terror. We offer an incomplete list and hope to update it as we rediscover the names and stories of others.
Continue reading “Remembering our own lost to war & terror”Jewish Christians in the Netherlands during the Holocaust
Update on the ongoing Jewish Believer Holocaust Project
Ed. Note: In 2018, Kelvin Crombie was commissioned by the Rev. David Pileggi to research and discover the names and narratives of the Jewish followers of Jesus who died in the Holocaust. The first fruit of that research is Bazyli & Anna Jocz: Jewish Christian victims of the Holocaust. He more recently published a booklet titled “Jewish Christians in the Netherlands during the Holocaust.” This is an excerpt from a lecture Kelvin gave at Gosnells Christian Reformed Church, Western Australia on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2022.
By Kelvin Crombie
Heritage Resources
One of my closest friends in Israel for many years was Reuven Achimeir. Reuven grew up in the Netherlands.
At the age of 18, Reuven became a committed follower of Jesus, whereupon he became interested in his Jewish heritage and even wanted to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel.
He then chatted with his Jewish grandfather, Hartog Sluis, an Auschwitz survivor. During one conversation Reuven discovered that before the war his grandfather had also been a follower of Jesus and had even attended a congregation of Jewish Christians led by a Jewish pastor named Johannes Rottenberg, who was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church and worked with CMJ in Holland.
Continue reading “Jewish Christians in the Netherlands during the Holocaust”The Enduring Legacy of Michael Solomon Alexander
On January 21, 1842, the first Anglican Bishop entered Jerusalem. Michael Solomon Alexander was a German Jew who came to England as a young man to teach Hebrew and was later was ordained a rabbi. He become a follower of Jesus in 1825 after meeting an Anglican clergyman who encouraged him to read the New Testament. Although he was ordained as an Anglican clergyman Alexander retained a strong Jewish identity as a follower of the Jewish Messiah.
Continue reading “The Enduring Legacy of Michael Solomon Alexander”How do you say … ?
We present to you a Hebrew glossary of Christian terms commonly used in English, French, and Arabic. This glossary was completed in 1972 by the United Christian Council in Israel (now known as the Evangelical Alliance Israel). With their permission, we offer you an electronic copy for download.
Continue reading “How do you say … ?”How to pray about Israel-Gaza unrest
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
Dear friends and praying partners,
Many have written recently wanting to know how we see the recent events overtaking Israel and Gaza. If you are praying for us there are some things you should know to inform those prayers. The rocketing of the south and central parts of Israel have been intense, doing real damage and costing many lives in Israel and Gaza.
Continue reading “How to pray about Israel-Gaza unrest”First book on Jewish Christian victims of the Holocaust published
