6 January 1989 Lili Simon reaches her final destination #otdimjh

Lili Simon was the daughter of the timber merchant Fritz Simon. She was born in Königsberg in 1908 as the oldest of four siblings.  In 1920 the family moved to Bremen.  Her father had three grandparents of Jewish origin and was considered a “full Jew” according to the “race laws”, and Lili as “half-Jewish” developed an interest in theology in her childhood.  The relationship between Jews and…

1 January 1897 “To the Jew first” – Hudson Taylor sends donation to John Wilkinson #otdmijh

Happy New Year to all our readers! “On this day in Messianic Jewish history” enters its 8th year – bringing you significant events in the life of Jewish believers in Yeshua. What are the events in the history of the Church and the Jewish people that have shaped Jewish expressions of faith in Yeshua? How have they impacted Jewish Christianity in the past and its contemporary expression in…

10 December 1933 Karl Barth preaches on the Jewishness of Jesus

This Advent sermon by Karl Barth, with its clarion call to challenge the growing power of Hitler, the Nazi party and the German Christian group, displays at the theological level the complex issues of faith, justice, protest and resistance that Barth, Bonhoeffer and others would demonstrate in the days to come. But it is all done in the language of preaching and exegesis of Scripture, and the…

July 10 1903/1983 Birth and Death of H L Ellison, Hebrew Christian Scholar and Gentleman #otdimjh

I am reblogging this with the addition of a copy of the last IHCA Theological Bulletin which Harry Ellison edited, from November 1979. He edited and largely wrote this bulletin three times per year, and it is full of his wit, wisdom and sharp observations on the biblical, theological and Hebrew Christian studies of his day – see…

22 November 1963 Death of C S Lewis: Author, Apologist, Advocate for the Jewish people #otdimjh

“In a sense the converted Jew is the only normal human being in the world. To him, in the first instance, the promises were made, and he has availed himself of them. He calls Abraham his father by hereditary right as well as by divine courtesy. He has taken the whole syllabus in order, as it was set; eaten the dinner according to the menu. Everyone else is, from one point of view, a special case,…

Whilst Gillian Rose’s death occurred on the 9 December, I am re-blogging this now to alert readers of a special offer on a new book introducing Rose’s social philosophy, available on from Wipf and Stock for just $2.99 until 30 November 2021 (you may need to register to receive their email offer) – what a great way to enjoy her work and celebrate this extraordinarily gifted philosopher and Jewish…

28 October 2021 Rochester Cathedral Dean Consecrates Messianic Jew #otdimjh

Historic Event at Rochester Cathedral – Jewish Disciples of Jesus Are Welcome! On Thursday 21st October Paul Stevens, a Jewish disciple of Jesus, leader of the Havdalah Messianic Fellowship in Chislehurst, South London, and a member of the Anglican Church, was prayed for and consecrated as “A Messianic Jew with the Church”. The service was led by the Dean of Rochester Cathedral, the Very Revd Dr…

10 November 1483 Happy Birthday, Martin Luther! #otdimjh

How can Messianic Jews given thanks for the birth of Martin Luther, when his life, literature and legacy are so filled with anti-Judaism and led to terrible acts of antisemitism? I have tried to answer this question in my book “Luther and the Jews: Putting Right the Lies” where I look forward to dancing a hora (Jewish circle dance) in Heaven with him. He will have repented of his views and I…

7 November 1982 Death of Peter Schneider, Jewish Refugee, Anglican Priest, Rainbow Group Founder #otdimjh

Canon Herman Peter Schneider (1928-1982) was born of Jewish parents in Czechoslovakia. He came to England at the age of 10 as a refugee from Nazi persecution. He was subsequently brought up as a Christian and ordained in the Church of England in 1954. Following a London curacy, he became chaplain at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. In 1960, he went to Israel as chaplain to St Luke’s, Haifa. In…

3 November 2021 Funeral of Father Gregor Pawlowski (Jacob Zvi Hersz Griner) in Israel and Poland #otdimjh

https://www.ynet.co.il/judaism/article/sybelslvf#autoplay Father Gregor in Israel Childhood with familyFather Gregor Pawlowski was born in Poland as a Jew on August 23,1931 to his parents, Mendel son of Zeev and Miriam daughter of Isaac Griner. His name was Jacob (Jakub) Zvi “Hersch” (Hersz) Griner. His family lived in the town of Zamosc which was in the region of Lublin. The family had four…

17 October 2021 Passing of Ron Lewis, Executive Secretary of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance #otdimjh

Ronald Hugh Lewis was born in London on 13 June 1930 and died on 17th October, 2021 at the age of 91. He was brought up in the Swansea Hebrew Congregation (Orthodox) where he had his barmitzvah, and studied Semitic Languages and Philosophy at Cardiff University with the intention of becoming a rabbi. He joined the Liberal Synagogue in London, taking services and speaking in synagogues, but became…

20 September 1937 Birth of David Beijersbergen, Dutch Holocaust Survivor

See you in Jerusalem!                                                                        Diny Beijersbergen-Groot David and his twin sister Elisabeth were born in The Hague on September 20, 1937. His father Jacob Beijersbergen was a greengrocer and his mother Roosje van Gelder a bookbinder. Later two more daughters were born: Margaretha (1939) and Anna (1941). The Beijersbergens were among…

15 August 1983 Passing of Jacob Jocz – Hebrew Christian Scholar, Theologian and Evangelist #otdimjh

Jacob Jocz (pronounced “Yotch” and rhyming with “Scotch”) was a third-generation Jewish disciple of Jesus, a refugee, evangelist, pastor and theologian. Whilst his father perished in the Holocaust, Jocz’s escape from Poland led to his work as a Anglican minister in London, mission leader and theology professor in Toronto, and as President of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance. His legacy…

15 July 1930, Birth of Jacques Derrida and the Theological Genealogies of Modernity #otdimjh

For those who attended online the recent conference on Theological Genealogies of Modernity an important reminder today of the birth of Jacques Derrida on this day in Messianic Jewish history. I have come more and more to appreciate that his engagement in the philosophical project of the deconstruction of metanarratives such as those of Christianity and Judaism, is not to be avoided but rather…

17 June 1922 Birth of Eric Cohen – Secret Theology Student, Secret Jewish disciple of Yeshua

Erich Cohen was the son of sales representative Paul Cohen and was baptised as a child alongside his father in 1928 at the age of 6, probably to avoid persecution under the National Socialists. This had little effect, and with the boycott of Jewish merchants in 1933, Cohen’s father lost all his income and was on the edge of suicide. In 1934, his father suffered a stroke requiring long-term care. …

7 June 1913 Shabbetai Benjamin Rohold Opens “Christian Synagogue” in Toronto #otdimjh

Shabbetai Benjamin Rohold’s life was eventful. The first President of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America, he was born in Palestine in 1876 where his father was a Rabbi in Jerusalem. He became a disciple of Yeshua, moved to the United Kingdom and served with the Andrew Bonar Memorial Mission in Edinburgh. From there he relocated to Toronto, Canada, where he led the Presbyterian Missions to…

5 June 1886 – Birth of Kurt Hahn, Refugee, Educationalist, Prince Philip’s mentor, Jewish disciple of Jesus #otdimjh

I regard it as the foremost task of education to insure survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all, compassion ( http://www.KurtHahn.org) Kurt Hahn: The man who taught Philip to thinkhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35603975 Kurt Matthias Robert Martin Hahn CBE was born 5 June 1886 in…