 Official logo of Blessing Bethlehem | |
| Founded | September 2016 |
|---|---|
| Founders | David Nekrutman Pastor Steven Khoury Rabbi Pesach Wolicki |
| Type | Charity |
| Focus | Food giveaway program in an effort to help the persecuted Christians of Bethlehem. |
| Location |
|
Parent organization | Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) |
| Website | blessingbethlehem |
Blessing Bethlehem is a charity fundraising initiative with the purpose of helping the persecuted Christians living in the city of Bethlehem and its surrounding areas.[1] It was launched in September 2016 by the Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), at the LifeLight Festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[2]
History
In September 2012, Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), in partnership with Pastor Steven Khoury of Holy Land Missions, launched a Food Voucher Program to help the local Christian community living in Bethlehem. CJCUC's Executive Director, David Nekrutman, began his dialogue with the local Christian Arab community in 2009 through the organization's Bible Study Program.
Nekrutman learned of the Christian Arab community's struggle between their ethnicity and religion and he wanted to alleviate the number one issue - poverty.[3][4][5][6]
With initial funding from American Jewish donors, the Food Voucher program began by purchasing vouchers from the Rami Levy supermarket chain. In 2013, the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ) joined the program. In 2016, the Food Voucher Program was renamed "Blessing Bethlehem" and officially launched at the LifeLight Music Festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[7][4][2][8][9]
References
- ^ ELI POLLAK, YISRAEL MEDAD (28 September 2018). "MEDIA COMMENT: THE POSITIVE SIDE". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ a b Hult, John (2 September 2016). "Food giveaway inspires outreach to Israel". Argus Leader. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ "CJCUC Food Voucher Program". CJCUC. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ a b Parsons, David (7 December 2013). "A Burden for Bethlehem". Good News Christian News. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "Yeshiva graduate David Nekrutman helping to break new ground in Jewish-Christian dialogue". Jewish Post and News. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Tucker, Andrew (22 June 2019). "Interview: Jews and Arabs Together – Hope for the Future". Christians for Israel International. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Abrams, Sally (2 November 2012). "You Are Not Obligated to Complete the Task But..." TC Jewfolk. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Berkowitz, Adam Eliyahu (17 September 2018). "Rabbi Helping Christian Arabs: "Covenant Land, Covenantal Responsibility"". Breaking Israel News. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ CALVERT, PAUL (10 December 2019). "David Nekrutman: Connecting Christians". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
External links
- Official website
- CJCUC Food Voucher Program on YouTube
- Help the Christians of Bethlehem on YouTube
- Blessing Bethlehem: How Jews are Helping Christians in the Birthplace of Jesus on YouTube
- Bethlehem Voice - Interview with David Nekrutman by Paul Calvert on YouTube
- "HLGU to host Israeli Rabbi to discuss Jewish/Christian relations in the Middle East". KHQA-TV. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- CALVERT, PAUL (10 December 2019). "David Nekrutman: Connecting Christians". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
This page was last edited on 21 January 2024, at 14:33