Lisa Hellermann Interview

Lisa Hellermann grew up in a Jewish family. After completing college,  she worked in Manhattan on her way to a successful future. At this time she started to have questions about God and the meaning of life. Her search for truth offered absolutely nothing. 

One day commuting back from work on the Long Island Railroad, Lisa prayed to God and said, “God if you are real I want to see you,” Then she fell asleep on the train and had a very vivid dream of Jesus. She felt awake in this dream as if she were truly seeing Him and she was scared, yet curious. He drew her to Himself by His power as she saw Him from a distance. He then put His hands on top of hers and said, “don’t be afraid, it is Me and I’ll be with you always.” Lisa woke up changed, but not knowing what happened as she thought why would she see Jesus since she is Jewish and never thought of Him before. Since that visitation in response to her prayer, God placed people in her path to invite her to church, give her the Bible and get her into fellowship. Over time Lisa understood the gospel message of salvation and went on to tell the good news to her family who mostly came to know Yeshua as their Messiah. She is now an ordained minister and published prophetic words at lisahellermann.com

Lynn Jordan

Apostle LYNN JORDAN is the Founder/CEO of I AM FOUNDation. 

She studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York as a NISHMA Fellow, attended Columbia University, N.Y.U., studied at a Bible Institute in NYC, teaches Scripture on various platforms, worked as a reporter on several publications and loves to worship.

Lynn is the author of The Year in Torah (Bible) Portions for Christians, Jews & Everyone Else! 

Rabbi Jim Appel Returns Again!

Rabbi Jim has been a Jewish believer in Yeshua (Jesus) since 1977. He has served Congregation Shema Yisrael as Elder, Home Group Leader, Prayer Leader, Outreach Coordinator, Youth Group Leader, Special Events Coordinator and Head Usher. Rabbi Jim has been the full time Messianic Rabbi of Shema Yisrael since 1996.

Prior to entering full time ministry Rabbi Jim worked for Xerox Corporation in Webster, NY for 24 years as an Optical Engineer and Engineering Manager. He holds more than 45 patents in the areas of copier imaging systems and laser printing. Rabbi Jim received a Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester in 1967 and a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Southern California in 1970. He is ordained by the IAMCS (International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues). Jim and his wife Diane live in Brighton and they have two grown children.

Rabbi Jim's parents were atheists who taught him that God did not exist, and that organized religion deceived and oppressed people. He began his search for spiritual reality when he left his parents' home to go to college in 1963. His search took him into the world of mind-altering drugs and Yoga meditation. It ended with a dramatic encounter with the Messiah who revealed Himself to Jim in the privacy of his bedroom without the assistance of any other person.

Rabbi Jim has published four books on deep spiritual meaning of the Moadim, or Jewish Holidays, which can be purchased online at www.figtreegiftbooks.com. They are Yom Teruah (The Day of Sounding the Shofar), Yom Kippor (The Day of Atonement), Pesakh (Passover) and Firstfruits/Resurrection Day

Rabbi Jim has also been involved in several community efforts. He has served on the Leadership Team for the March for Jesus, the New York State Prayer Summit, the Day of Revolution, the Field of Miracles and as President of GRAE (Greater Rochester Association of Evangelicals).

Pastor Henry Wright

Henry W. Wright was the president and founder of Be in Health Global. He was exposed to the power of spiritual healing at an early age when his mother was miraculously cured of terminal cancer and a fatal tumor that was wrapped around her jugular vein. Wright was committed to the belief that human problems are fundamentally spiritual, with associated physical and psychological manifestations. With his pre-med background and insights into the medical as well as the spiritual aspects of disease, he brought a fresh perspective to the process of ministering to the sick. 

He authored two books, A More Excellent Way and Exposing the Spiritual Roots of Disease. He also has presented seminars worldwide and across broad denominational lines for a number of years and was a frequent guest on many well-known television and radio programs. Wright was also the pastor of Hope of the Generations Church in Thomaston, Georgia.

Beckah Shae is Back!!

Beckah credits her mother, who was raised in a Jewish family, as being a key influence in her spiritual development.  In her early 20's she was at an all time low and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and joined a cover band.  While there she began to feel an empitness creeping in, she was searching for a home.  She searched online for a church then attended the worship service there.  Beckah says, "During the worship service, I was crying out to the Lord, 'Make a way out for me. I'm so sorry."

In 2010 she accumulated two consecutive Top 10 hits at CHR radio for "Here in This Moment" and "Life" and was featured as iTunes "Discovery Download" of the week.  She also was nominated for a Dove Award in 2011 under the category of Urban Recorded Song of the Year for "Life."   Together with her husband, producer, Jack Shocklee, they have produced over a dozen full length albums. They reside in Nashville with their three daughters Joy, Grace and Hope. 

Debbie Gertler Interview

Yeshua was after Debbie for a very long time, but she just didn’t know it. Her brother’s changed behavior and suggestions put her on a path of researching about Yeshua and trying to understand her brother’s decision to become a believer. It took her a year and 1/2 to read and research the truth in the word. It was so loud and clear to her and she knew that she was on the right path based totally on the word of Adonai. 

Becca Chefran Interview

Becca is the granddaughter of Austrian Holocaust survivors. She grew up in Philadelphia, where she attended Congregation Beth Yeshua. It was there, at the end of ninth grade, that she made a defining commitment in her heart to the Lord.

Formerly with the musical group Kol Simcha, Becca traveled the world, ministering in Russia and Ukraine alongside Jewish Voice Ministries and later in Israel. Amidst her travels, she also completed her degree in Communications at Temple University.

Becca lived in Israel for 15 years where she was a vital part of the worship team at Tiferet Yeshua in Tel Aviv.

Now living in Tampa, Florida, with her husband Yosi and their two children, Noa and Eden, Becca has returned to her roots in a new way. She currently serves as the Worship Leader at Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue, a congregation led by her father.

Becca is the granddaughter of Austrian Holocaust survivors. She grew up in Philadelphia, where she attended Congregation Beth Yeshua. It was there, at the end of ninth grade, that she made a defining commitment in her heart to the Lord.

Formerly with the musical group Kol Simcha, Becca traveled the world, ministering in Russia and Ukraine alongside Jewish Voice Ministries and later in Israel. Amidst her travels, she also completed her degree in Communications at Temple University.

Becca lived in Israel for 15 years where she was a vital part of the worship team at Tiferet Yeshua in Tel Aviv.

Now living in Tampa, Florida, with her husband Yosi and their two children, Noa and Eden, Becca has returned to her roots in a new way. She currently serves as the Worship Leader at Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue, a congregation led by her father.  She is currently working on a documentary called Stones of Witness which is a collection of stories about Messianic believers. Stay tuned for much more from this talented young lady!

Dave Wisotski Interview

Here’s the story of a young man who found his Jewish Messiah. 

Dave Wisotsky is a Jewish believer in Jesus who grew up in a Reform Jewish household in New Jersey. After encountering the Lord in 2023, he left a career in finance in NYC to become an evangelist. 

Also enjoy music  from Jonathan Settel, Ted Pearce, Beckah Shae, Paul Wilbur, Marty and Misha Goetz and John Waller.

Chris Katulka Interview

Chris leads Friends of Israel (FOI)’s ministry in the United States and Canada. After graduating from the Institute of Jewish Studies, he received his B.S. in Bible from Cairn University (formerly Philadelphia Biblical University) and a Master’s of Theology in Old Testament studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Chris serves as host and teacher of The Friends of Israel Today radio program, contributes an editorial to their bi-monthly publication, Israel My Glory, and teaches at conferences and churches throughout the United States.

Rachel Schiller Interview

Rachel has worked at several synagogues teaching Hebrew, and interned with the Jerusalem Institute of Justice after college. She founded and currently leads the young professionals group and co leads the drama club at her home congregation, Eitz Chaim Messianic Congregation in Plano, Texas. When she’s not serving at Eitz Chaim she works as a lawyer for the leading travel software and technology company. Rachel also enjoys escaping the city to go hike mountains and explore our National Parks.  

Rabbi Michael Shorb

Rabbi Michael Shorb is a third generation Messianic Jew.  Even though he was raised in a believing home, his own personal faith and commitment to the L-rd didn’t come until much later.  While in the service, he became friends with a believer and while visiting his friend’s farm, he heard the friend’s mother, a devout believer, praying for him and calling out his name before the Lord. God began to place people in Shorb’s life who would pray for him, minister to him, and eventually he surrendered to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

The Lord called him to reach Russian speaking Jews.  He went to Kyiv and he traveled to Ukraine four times a year, where he became a member of the world's largest Messianic congregation in Kyiv.  While in Ukraine, Rabbi Michael went into prisons and to rehab centers.  He experienced the casting out of demons and those who were instantly healed from drug addiction.  But the Lord showed him that his true calling was to be in his own home, near Baltimore, Maryland.

Rabbi Michael had visited Israel and had pondered making Aliyah, but he clearly heard the Lord tell him to go home to his people in Maryland, where there are approximately 250,000 Russian-speaking Jews.  The Lord impressed on him that if all the believing Jews left, who would teach his people?

Rabbi Michael's Congregation, Beit Chesed (House of Mercy), is located in Baltimore County in Reisterstown, Maryland. 

Rabbi Jim Returns!

Rabbi Jim Appel has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Shema Yisrael since 1996 and a Jewish follower of Yeshua since 1977. He is ordained by the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues. Rabbi Jim previously worked for Xerox Corporation in Webster, N.Y., for 24 years as an optical engineer and engineering manager. He holds more than 45 patents in the areas of copier imaging systems and laser printing. Rabbi Jim received a bachelor’s degree in optical engineering from the University of Rochester in 1967 and a master’s degree in physics from the University of Southern California in 1970. Rabbi Jim decided to follow Yeshua after a long spiritual search. He grew up with parents who taught him that G-d did not exist and organized religion deceived and oppressed people. In 1967, after completing college, Jim became disillusioned with life as an atheist.  He rejected his parent’s teachings and began his search for spiritual reality. This search took him into the world of mind-altering drugs and yoga meditation, and ended with a dramatic encounter with Yeshua the Messiah, who revealed himself to Rabbi Jim in the privacy of his bedroom without the assistance of any other person. Rabbi Jim and his wife, Diane, live in Brighton, and they have two grown children.

Candyce Hyslip Interview

Rebbetzin (Rabbi’s wife) Candyce Hyslip is passionate about seeing the revival of our Jewish people manifest through healthy Kingdom relationships. She believes that wholehearted surrender and relational transparency are key to maturing in our identity in the LORD. Through her teaching, worship, written devotionals, community events, and hospitality she intentionally fosters a safe environment that deepens connection with the LORD and each other. It is within this atmosphere that healing, encouragement, and empowerment is appropriated to fulfill the unique calling God has created for each of us.

Gloria Edokpa Interview

Gloria is a Messianic Jew living in Texas, but her story begins in Nigeria where she was born and raised. At the age of 12, a neighbor faithfully stopped by her home after school each day for 3 years, getting her to memorize the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John). Through that simple act of love, she came to faith in the Messiah — a decision that has shaped her life ever since.

Today, Gloria is a wife, a mom of three, and a CPA who runs her own accounting firm in Texas. She loves using both her faith and her professional gifts to encourage and serve others, and she’s passionate about sharing the hope of the Messiah with everyone she meets. She’s been on multiple mission trips to the middle east, and especially carries a burden for the persecuted church in “unreached places” like North Korea and much of the Islamic world.

Kathi Hartog Interview

Kathi’s parents were good moral people, but did not take her to church until she was in high school.  Having no Biblical foundation other than hymns, Kathi strayed from that good moral standard of her parents and became addicted to pornography (men aren’t the only ones) and a critical spirit. Full of guilt and shame, she joined a Bible Study where these precious older ladies loved her into the kingdom. In 1979, Kathi surrendered  to Yeshua and has been following hard after Him ever since. She has been involved in the ministry of prayer in various forms over many years. After a prayer mission to Israel during Sukkot in 2005, Kathi started attending Or Ha Olam in Kansas City, where she serves on the prayer ministry team, facilitator for the women’s Havurah and oneg team. She is also involved in her local county politics and leads a prayer group for her county.  One of HaShem’s great gifts to Kathi is a good sense of humor and joy. She is widowed, but lives minutes away from her only child and his family. God is so Good!

Lynda Sciolino

Lynda was born and raised in Rochester, NY in a Catholic family. Not much was discussed about the religion growing up so she never knew Yeshua. What really impacted her relationship with Yeshua in a bad way was the death of her father that sent her in a downward spiral of unbelief. That all changed in 2021 when she met her now husband, Bill, who gave her her very first Bible and he led her to the lord. She began the journey of being a born again Christian and learning to build a relationship with Yeshua in her early 40's. Still being a "Baby in Christ", Lynda is now a believer and has a new outlook and understanding of forgiveness, Yeshua and life.

Miki Campbell

Miki grew up in a Conservative Jewish family.  As a child, she remembers once looking in a Catholic Church and being terrified when she saw a crucifix. After college Miki worked as a Physician!s Assistant and became friends with a co-worker’s wife. She noticed that they were different than other people she had met. They were very generous and were always taking in exchange students. Also they talked about God and having a relationship with Him. Eventually, Miki met Jewish believers in Yeshua, read the scriptures for herself and learned the truth.   She learned that the world wouldn’t “blow up” if she walked into a church or read the New Testament and then it was a very Jewish thing to believe in a Jewish Messiah!

Back again - Rabbi Joe Bell!

Joseph Bell was born Jewish and raised in Conservative Judaism in his hometown of Newton, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston). At the age of 29, through a friend’s loving encouragement, Joe finally relented to read the New Testament. He then recognized how very Jewish the New Testament is. Through a miraculous work of the Lord, Joe asked Yeshua to come into his life. Joe committed his life to Jesus and immediately dove into serving the Lord. Jews for Jesus invited him to study theology with Dr. Louis Goldberg and train as an evangelist; thus Joe began his formal ministry training in New York City — leading over 100 people to faith in Jesus that summer. In 2007 Joe received full ordination as a Jewish Rabbi by IAMCS[International Association of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues]. Joe currently serves as Executive Director of For Zion’s Sake Ministries and as Rabbi of Ari Yehudah Messianic Congregation in the town of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia.

Shmuel Salway Returns

Shmuel, currently the Director of Lech L'cha Discipleship Ministry, served as the Associate Pastor of Adonai Roi (The Lord is My Shepherd) Congregation before joining the team of Lech L'cha. Shmuel was born in Tel Aviv to Jewish parents who immigrated to Israel from

India. He attended a Messianic Congregation for much of his childhood,and became serious about his own faith when he was 15 and, at a youth camp, decided to give his life to the Lord.

After graduating from high school, he served as a combat medic in the Israeli army on the Golan Heights and in Lebanon. Later, while majoring in Geography at Tel Aviv University, Shmuel was drawn to serving in summer camps with a strong aspiration to reach out to youth - knowing how important it is for this age group to have someone to challenge them in the Lord.  After working for several years in security for El Al (Israeli Airlines) and the Israeli Consulate in New York, Shmuel returned to Israel and began attending Adonai Roi Congregation in the spring of 2003. That same year, he was invited to become the Youth Pastor. Through meetings with other youth leaders from different congregations around Israel, Shmuel met Suzie, who is also a native-born Israeli. In 2006, they married and currently have four children: Together they continued to be involved in leading youth and young believers in the inter-congregational youth group Neged Hazerem (Against the Flow) gathering the youth of multiple congregations together for weekly events. They were also actively involved in Katzir (The Harvest) organizing nationwide youth camps. Shmuel and his family moved to Yad Hashmona, a Messianic village in the Judean hills a few years ago, and they are blessed to have him serve in Lech L'cha. Shmuel's passion is to disciple the next generation of believers in Israel, equipping them to continue in their God-given callings.

David Brickner Returns

David Brickner, currently the Executive Chairman to the Board of Jews for Jesus, became executive director of Jews for Jesus in 1996 and was the first to succeed our founding executive director, Moishe Rosen. Under his leadership, Jews for Jesus advanced internationally with missionaries in 12 countries, the largest number being in Israel.

David comes from five generations of Jewish followers of Messiah Jesus. Though he turned his back on his upbringing in high school, David had a unique encounter with God in college that prompted him to attend a Jews for Jesus Bible study. David says, “I surrendered my life to Jesus in 1976 and haven’t looked back.”

David has authored several books, including the most recent release Does the Jewish Bible Point to Jesus? 12 Key Prophecies that Unfold God’s Plan. He has been interviewed on secular and Christian radio and television shows, including Larry King Live and In the Market with Janet Parshall.

A graduate of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, David also has a bachelor of arts degree in Judaica from Northeastern Illinois University in conjunction with Spertus College of Judaica. He has a master of arts degree in missiology with an emphasis on Jewish studies from the Fuller School of Mission and Theology.

David is an avid reader, hiker, and mountain climber. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Sabra, and is the proud father of Isaac, Ilana, and Sivan, and grandfather of three.