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Beauty For Ashes

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To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isa 61:3)

Greetings and Shalom from For Zion Sake!

The Lord is Good and His mercy endures forever! And His goodness and mercy continues to follow us as we wholeheartedly desire to bless His people in Israel with the true Love of Yeshua in both Word and Deeds! It’s been a busy time with our clothing distribution however the rewards of happy faces and opportunities to share His Love keep our motivations strong…

We are now expecting our next container of Humanitarian aid from Sweden to arrive any day at the port in Ashdod full of new clothing for those who come to us for assistance. We continue to hear time and time again how happy the Olim are to receive such outstanding quality of items, which they could never afford in Israel!

Thank you Lord for providing us such good things to give because it is your name we want to glorify!

We are also continuing our outreach amongst the Holocaust Survivors and we will be hosting another group at Haus Schonegg from Dec. 13-21st. Below is the list of names of those who will be with us so you can PLEASE pray for each of them, that His light and love would shine through us and penetrate their wounded hearts… “Beauty for Ashes”

Michael Shteinman was born on January 1, 1938 in Vinnitsa, Ukraine. He was placed in the ghetto as a child with his family and miraculously survived. Michael is now Deputy Chairman of the Association of Holocaust Survivors, and also the leader of immigrant scientists in Jerusalem . Michael says, “I love everything to do with Yiddish.”

Antonina Shteinman was born on May 1, 1940. She remembers that her father died on the front lines fighting the Germans. Later, her house was burned down by the Nazi’s and she fled with her mother and two sisters to the forest and lived in the ground with other partisans. Antonia says, “I read everything I can that is connected with the roots of Judaism and Christianity.”

Lev Muchnik was born in 1932 in Ukraine near Breslov. In August 1941 the Germans captured the area. In December 1941, all Jews of the city, including his father, mother, sister and brother were sent to concentration camp “loop” in the village of Pechora in Vinnitsa. Surviving by fate, Lev and his mother escaped. The rest of his family were shot. In 1958 he graduated from the Mining Institute and worked in various positions. Lev now lives in Israel with his family since 1994.

Alexander Vishnevetsky was born On May 17, 1938 in Vinnitsa, Ukraine. During WWII his family was sent to the ghetto in a Romanian town called Chechelni until their liberation by Soviet troops. Today Alexander is a journalist for a Russian speaking newspaper and lives live in Jerusalem with his wife, son and daughter. Alex says, “on my website http://alvishnev8391.narod.ru/ you’ll find articles about the Holocaust, the fate of Jewish settlements and towns during the Second World War in the former Soviet Union”

Lilia Glazer was a prisoner in the Zhabokrich Ghetto in Ukraine with her father, mother and brother. She survived with only her mother and later in life she moved to Israel and began to practice medicine as a gynecologist. She now has grown grandchildren in Israel.

We will have more information to share with you about these special people after our time together with them at Schonegg…

Now, here are some of those happy faces who visit our FZS warehouse in Jerusalem…

Tanya

Tanya came from Ukraine and is just one year in Israel, serving in the Israeli army. Actually, she was born in Israel but after three years her parents decided to go back to Ukraine. When Tonya was 3 years old, her mother past away and now, not so long ago her father died also. Tonya is a very brave girl and does not easily give up. She believes in the Lord and this faith makes her lonely and difficult time brighter and it brings hope for her future.

Katharina and Maria

Maria is from Russia – Samara and she is 4 months in the Land. She studies Hebrew language at the Ulpan and in the future would like to achieve the Master of Management. Maria loves to read and study Torah and is not afraid to ask any question she has to the Rabbis. For Maria it was very interesting to hear about the first sacrifice ever made by the Lord Himself when He had to cloth Adam and Eve, for SIN the cost was DEATH and BLOOD… Yes, we can study many interesting things but the one Truth is believing in the sacrifice of the Son of God who takes away our sins… This is a choice between LIFE and DEATH. Maria took with her some nice cloths and also some Gospel tracts, she was very thankful for all help.

Sasha

Sasha came from Ukraine and is one year in Israel. After when she complete her Hebrew studies she would like to study economics and work in an Insurance Company. Sasha’s mother and father are Orthodox Christians and Sasha is agnostic, she doesn’t know yet what to believe in… It was an excellent opportunity to explain to Sasha the entire Gospel message that she may know and choose between Life and Death. May the Lord bless her in that decision.

I also read a very interesting article by David Ben Ariel and I wanted to share it with you. Please feel free to post any feedback to [email protected]

“Church Father” Polycarp Kept the Passover not Easter!

I side with Polycarp and Polycrates for Passover and against Easter. They both dared to reject the subversion of the Romanizers who thought to add and subtract from the commands of the Lord, and attempted to reason with Rome who was increasingly wayward (rife with apostasy) and threatening but not yet reprobate:

“Acceptance of Easter over Passover did not come without resistance. Two religious leaders of the mid-second century—Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna; and Anicetus, bishop of Rome—debated this very point.

Anicetus argued for Easter while Polycarp, stated Encyclopaedia Britannica, defended observing “the Christian Passover, on the 14th of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical calendar, regardless of the day of the week” (15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. VIII, p. 94, “Polycarp”).

Polycarp taught observance of the Passover as the early Church had observed it. Eusebius said Polycarp did so because this was the way “he had always observed it with John the disciple of our Lord, and the rest of the apostles, with whom he associated” (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, 1995, pp. 210-211). These Christians of the second century were still following the example of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6) in observing the Passover.

Several decades later another leader, Polycrates, argued with Victor, bishop of Rome, over the same issue. Eusebius wrote of the continuing debate:

“There was a considerable discussion raised about this time, in consequence of a difference of opinion respecting the observance of the paschal [Passover] season. The churches of all Asia, guided by a remoter tradition [biblical truth preceded Roman confusion], supposed that they ought to keep the fourteenth day of the moon for the festival of the Saviour’s Passover, in which day the Jews were commanded to kill the paschal lamb …

“The bishops … of Asia, persevering in observing the custom handed down to them from their fathers, were headed by Polycrates. He, indeed, had also set forth the tradition handed down to them, in a letter which he addressed to Victor and the church of Rome. ‘We,’ said he, ‘therefore, observe the genuine day; neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom. For in Asia great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again the day of the Lord’s appearing, in which he will come with glory from heaven, and will raise up all the saints …

“Moreover, John, who rested upon the bosom of our Lord; … also Polycarp of Smyrna, both bishop and martyr. Thraseas, … Sagaris, … Papirius; and Melito … All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. Moreover, I, Polycrates, who am the least of all of you, according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have followed. For there were seven, my relatives [who were] bishops, and I am the eighth; and my relatives always observed the day when the people (i.e., the Jews) threw away the leaven.

“I, therefore, brethren, am now sixty-five years in the Lord, who having conferred with the brethren throughout the world, and having studied the whole of the sacred Scriptures, am not at all alarmed at those things with which I am threatened, to intimidate me. For they who are greater than I, have said, ‘we ought to obey God rather than men’” (Eusebius, pp. 207-209).”

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support,

Bradley Antolovich and FZS staff

FOR ZION’S SAKE MINISTRIES