Jonathan Bernis Interview (from 1998)

I was digging in the "archives" and found this fun interview with Jonathan Bernis!   This was when he was with "Hear O Israel Ministries," long before becoming the head of Jewish Voice Ministries.

Jewish Believer in Yeshua (Jesus), Jonathan Bernis is President & CEO of Jewish Voice Ministries International (JVMI). Jonathan has worked on the forefront of world evangelism since 1984, taking the Good News of Israel’s Messiah to the far reaches of the earth, to the Jewish People, and also to the Nations.

Today, as President & CEO of Jewish Voice Ministries International (JVMI), and our associated organizations in Canada and the United Kingdom, Jonathan directs all aspects of the ministry, including the weekly television program Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis, which airs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

JVMI’s mission is two-fold: Proclaiming the Gospel to the Jew first, and also to the Nations (Romans 1:16), and equipping the Church—providing education about the Hebraic roots of Christianity, the Church’s responsibility to Israel and the Jewish People, and how to share Messiah with the Jewish People. The Good News is proclaimed through television, print media, humanitarian/medical outreaches, and large-scale international festivals.

More than 560,000 people have attended our vibrant Hear O’ Israel! Festivals of Jewish Music & Dance throughout Eastern Europe, India, and South America. Millions more have participated via television broadcasts. Thousands have responded to altar calls, and about one third of those who have responded have been Jewish. More than a dozen new Messianic Jewish congregations have been birthed in the former Soviet Union through these outreaches. JVMI also partners with several other Messianic ministries to establish and operate Messianic Jewish Bible Institutes around the world to train leaders for Jewish ministry.

The lost and scattered tribes of Israel are of particular interest to Jonathan and Jewish Voice. A prophetic sign of redemption, as God is revealing these enigmatic peoples from Ethiopia to Eastern India, Jewish Voice has mobilized to reach out with essential humanitarian and medical provision, as God’s arm extended in the love of their Messiah. This is a very exciting and rewarding area of ministry, particularly close to Jonathan’s heart as these are the poorest Jewish communities on the earth.

A sought-after speaker, Jonathan also teaches at seminars and in conferences worldwide. He is a prominent leader in the Messianic movement and is a passionate supporter of Israel. He is the author of A Rabbi Looks at Jesus of Nazareth.

Jonathan is the founding Rabbi of Congregation Shema Yisrael in Rochester, New York, where he served as Senior Messianic Rabbi from 1984 to 1993. He also founded and pastored the Messianic Center of St. Petersburg, Russia, where he lived and ministered from 1993 to 1997.
Jonathan and his wife, Elisangela, are the parents of two daughters, Liel and Hannah, and reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

Corry Bell Interview (first aired 2012)

What a joy to re-air this wonderful chat with Corry Bell.  Corry  is the lead singer of Messianic band Lev Shelo.

When Corry Bell was a little girl, her parents would have her sing for relatives and friends, which lead to her involvement in school musicals and choir events. After high school, she met Yeshua and quickly began a lifetime of ministry in the arts, using her experience in music as a backdrop. In 1987, she hosted a cable TV music video program in Southern California called "Rock Of Ages" where she conducted artist interviews and introduced videos for the show. She has made numerous appearances on stage and in local television programs and even worked for a Christian radio station for the season.

To her great surprise, Corry found out she had an extensive Jewish family history, not known to her before 2002. After 22 years in the church, it became apparent she had to find a way to reconcile her belief in Yeshua with her Jewishness. In the spring of 2003, she began to attend Beth Emunah Messianic Synagogue, connected with her Jewish identity, joined the worship team there and accepted the position of Music Director in the fall of 2004.

In 2005, the Lord gave Corry a vision, a recurring "thought" if you will, for this band, this ministry. After 20 years of laying down her own ambitions in music to serve the Lord, He was now reviving that which she had thought was dead. Now, she had to move forward in that calling. After making some decisions about the direction to take, she approached Mark Keller about forming a band and doing a CD.  Lev Shelo was "born."

Corry's first experiences with the band she helped create included leading worship at the MJAA Southwest Regional conference and for the next 4 years, she and Mark and others lead praise and worship there, and also at Messiah Conference in Pennsylvania in 2007 and 2008, opening for such artists as Paul Wilbur, Marty Goetz, Ted Pearce and Joel Chernoff. The band's debut CD, "Or HaOlam," released in August of 2010, is the result of these experiences and the many requests from congregations all over the world to make their music available.

Natasha Kraus-Reynolds & Tamrah Alexander Interview

Today I was surprised to have not one but two wonderful musicians on the phone with me!   I had the pleasure of speaking with Natasha Kraus-Reynolds and Tamrah Alexander.   Here is some background on Natasha:

Natasha was born and raised in the small Latin American country of Panama, to upper middle class parents of Jewish ancestry. Faith and music were always a big focus in her home. As a young adult, Natasha rediscovered her faith as a Messianic Jewish believer in Yeshua.
As her faith journey continued, she began to trust God as she was able to better understand how the Creator of the Universe loves us so greatly that he keeps all of His words and all of His promises from old. It was amazing for her to see that He knew from the beginning how His plan of redemption to the world would be carried out by means of our Jewish Messiah, as it is written in the Tanakh, the book of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 59 verse 20 and expounded in Romans 11.
Her background has influenced the sound and languages of the songs you will hear, mixing together alternative rock, classical, Middle Eastern, Sephardic and Latin music and the English, Spanish and Hebrew languages. Through this music, she hopes that lives would be moved, people would turn to the one true God, the God of Israel, and that many would be changed by the liberating power of the Most High to live as "B'nei HaOr" or "children of the light," as written in Ephesians 5:8-10."
Even though having a degree in industrial engineering set the tone for her professional career path, music for Adonai has always been a subject of great importance in her life. For more information, visit www.NatashaKraus-Reynolds.com.

Today's show features songs written by Natasha and produced by Tamrah Alexander.   Enjoy!

Diane Beaudoin Interview

Today my best friend was in the studio with me!   Diane Beaudoin grew up in Syracuse, NY and has lived in the Rochester, NY area for many years.   So what would you do if you or a loved one was diagnosed with Cancer?   Diane is a cancer survivor and she shares her experience on today's program.   When her baby granddaughter was also diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, it was a challenge for the entire family.   But they held onto their faith and watched the healing.

You'll be encouraged by this story of faith and healing, as well as enjoy some wonderful music.

It was great having Diane back in the studio -- we are truly Jew and Gentile - one in Messiah!