Blessing Bethlehem

Blessing Bethlehem is a charity fundraising initiative with the purpose of helping the persecuted Christians living in the city of Bethlehem and its surrounding areas.[1] It was launched in September 2016 by the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), at the LifeLight Festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[2]

Blessing Bethlehem
Official logo of Blessing Bethlehem
FoundedSeptember 2016 (2016-09)
FoundersDavid Nekrutman
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
TypeCharity
FocusFood giveaway program in an effort to help the persecuted Christians of Bethlehem.
Location
  • Ohr Torah Stone
    49 West 45th Street, Suite 701
    New York, New York 10036
    U.S.A.
Parent organization
Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC)
Websiteblessingbethlehem.com

Background
"Blessing Bethlehem" Founder & Director David Nekrutman with volunteers, 2019
COGIC Bishop of Israel, Glenn Plummer, and First Lady Pauline Plummer handing out Blessing Bethlehem Food Care Packages in Bethlehem, 24 July 2019
From left to right: Former Associate Director of the Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, David Nehring, Pastor Steven Khoury, CJCUC U.S. Coordinator, Janet Cain launching "Blessing Bethlehem" at the LifeLight Music Festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 5 September 2016

In September of 2012, Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), in partnership with Pastor Steven Khoury of Holy Land Missions, launched a Food Voucher Program to help the local Christian community living in Bethlehem. CJCUC's Executive Director, David Nekrutman, began his dialogue with the local Christian Arab community in 2009 through the organization's Bible Study Program. Nekrutman and Khoury became friends and traveled the world together to tell Christians and Jews about how God is bringing both faith communities together, in a bond of love. Convicted by Judaism's ethos of Covenant Land comes with Covenant Responsibility, Nekrutman learned of the Christian Arab community's struggle between their ethnicity and religion and he wanted to alleviate the number one issue affecting Bethlehem Christians - poverty.[3][4][5][6]

With initial funding from American Jewish donors, the Food Voucher program began by purchasing vouchers from the Rami Levy supermarket chain. In 2013, the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ) sowed into the program. In 2016, the Food Voucher Program was renamed to "Blessing Bethlehem" and was officially launched at the LifeLight Music Festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[7][4][2][8][9]

Further reading



References
  1. ELI POLLAK, YISRAEL MEDAD (28 September 2018). "MEDIA COMMENT: THE POSITIVE SIDE". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  2. Hult, John (2 September 2016). "Food giveaway inspires outreach to Israel". Argus Leader. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  3. "CJCUC Food Voucher Program". CJCUC. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  4. Parsons, David (7 December 2013). "A Burden for Bethlehem". Good News Christian News. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  5. "Yeshiva graduate David Nekrutman helping to break new ground in Jewish-Christian dialogue". Jewish Post and News. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  6. Tucker, Andrew (22 June 2019). "Interview: Jews and Arabs Together – Hope for the Future". Christians for Israel International. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  7. Abrams, Sally (2 November 2012). "You Are Not Obligated to Complete the Task But..." TC Jewfolk. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  8. Berkowitz, Adam Eliyahu (17 September 2018). "Rabbi Helping Christian Arabs: "Covenant Land, Covenantal Responsibility"". Breaking Israel News. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  9. CALVERT, PAUL (10 December 2019). "David Nekrutman: Connecting Christians". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
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