Jacob Cohen Interview

Jacob Cohen was born in Israel, immigrated to the United States when he was five years old and was raised in Brooklyn, NY in a traditional Jewish home. When he was ten, he attended Hebrew school at a conservative synagogue and certain passages in the Old Testamentstartled Jacob: “What’s Jesus doing in my Hebrew Bible?” Jacob assumed he was mistaken, after all, Jewish scholars would notice something this important. But is it possible. . .? 

When Jacob was in his mid-twenties, he reexamined the Tenach(Older Testament) and concluded that yes, Jesus is the true Jewish Messiah! Jacob sensed God’s calling on his life and worked in Jewish ministry before graduating Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon in 1990. 

Jacob served as a law enforcement chaplain for 14 years while he continued teaching the Jewish origins of Christianity in churches. Jacob and his wife Stephanie were visiting NYC during the 9-11-01 terrorist attacks and he volunteered as a police chaplain at ground zero and St. Paul’s Chapel, ministering in NYC for one month in the aftermath of the attack. Having retired from the police chaplaincy, Jacob and Stephanie began an outreach called Israel’s Remnant teaching believers the Jewish origins of Christianity.

Joshua Brumbach Returns

Rabbi Joshua Brumbach is the Senior Rabbi of Simchat Yisrael in West Haven, CT and serves as adjunct faculty at Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI) and The King's University. 

He is an accredited Jewish Educator, studied in an Orthodox yeshiva in Europe, and is ordained by the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and the MJRC. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in early rabbinic literature at Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning and Leadership, holds an MA in rabbinic writings from MJTI, and a BA in Biblical and Jewish Studies from UCLA.  

Rabbi Joshua is an avid mountain biker, loves the outdoors, and he and his wife have two sons. 

Catherine Wriston Interview

Catherine Wriston is the Praise & Worship Leader at Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue in Pensacola, FL. She was raised Southern Baptist and found Messianic Judaism when God led her to it as a college student. She's a writer, an artist, and now a blessed wife and mother. Catherine and her husband, Jonathan (the Assistant Rabbi at Brit Ahm), live with their wonderful little boy, Eliezer, in Pace, FL. 

Dr. Ivan Paul Mehosky

Dr Mehosky is the author of “The Story of a Soldier” about his dad as a paratrooper during WW II. He is an ordained priest in the Anglican Church and holds a Th.D. from Chesapeake Bible College & Seminary,  and is the Dean and Professor of Messianic Jewish Studies at CBCS.  Dr. Mehosky and his wife Charlotte live in North East, Maryland. They raised two wonderful children who are both married.  They are blessed with 8 grandchildren. 

Lydia Jacobs Interview

I enjoyed my interview with Lydia Jacobs. She is another person I saw at the Messiah conference in July.

Lydia Jacobs is a Jewish believer in Jesus. Both her parents are also Jewish believers and she was raised in a Messianic Jewish home in Upstate New York. Growing up, she attended Shema Yisrael in Rochester and Brith Hadoshah in Buffalo. For four years she traveled with the Liberated Wailing Wall, a traveling music missionary team through Jews for Jesus. 

Lydia is currently a special education teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas where she lives with her two cats, Tiger and Shannon. Although she does not presently attend a Messianic synagogue regularly, she still celebrates all the Jewish holidays and enjoys teaching about them to others.

Amy Stewart Interview

Amy has been a lover of Israel and the Jewish people all her life and longs to see them come to know their true Messiah. She now serves as the worship director of Or HaOlam Messianic Synagogue in Overland Park Kansas.

The Whittens

I had a great interview with Baht Rivka and George Whitten. 

George Whitten is Founder and Director of leading pro-Israel Christian news website, worthynews.com and the “Worthy

Brief”, a devotional/news brief with a daily readership of over 35,000. Focusing on Israel, persecution, prophecy, outreach, and

discipleship, Worthy News has reached millions in over 120 countries since 1999. George is a visionary, journalist, astute observer and advocate for Israel. He brings a fresh, insightful

perspective on current events in the Middle East, giving balanced viewpoints on both the political and spiritual atmosphere in the Land and world-wide.

Native Israeli Baht Rivka Whitten was born in Tel Aviv on the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Her Great-Grandparents founded one of the first settlements of its kind in central Israel in the early 1900s. As a young adult, she began to read the Bible and came to faith; she later led her parents to

the Lord. Baht is an accomplished musician, recording artist and worship leader. Her unique sound is comprised of original songs and traditional Israeli melodies, fused with

powerful vocals, Hebrew/English lyrics and rhythms from around the world. Her compelling music has impacted the nations through television, radio and the distribution of her three CDs, along with performances at international conferences and outreaches across the globe. Songs from her latest CD have played on secular Israeli radio.

Married just over twenty years, George and Baht Rivka, along with their two children, (fifth generation Israelis), pioneered a Shabbat Dinner and Music Outreach Ministry from their prayer house in Southern Israel. It still remains fruitful, bringing many seeking Israelis weekly. Together, the Whitten Family has also ministered at hundreds of conferences, congregations and outreach events. They give a powerful presentation of Worship and Word as well as a beautiful display of cds and gifts.