Dear Friends,
As I write my first newsletter as the Director of the Christian Friends of Yad Vashem (CFYV), our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers affected by the horrific terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and in Poway, California. At this sad time, as we enter spring, a time of rebirth and revival, we hope and pray for recovery and a better peaceful future.
In the recent months, we have hosted numerous visitors here at Yad Vashem. More than 100 Christian leaders from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem for the "Envision 2019" conference hosted by the ICEJ. This annual conference takes place in the week of the International Holocaust Memorial Day. As part of the program, the group came to Yad Vashem and partook in guided tours of the Holocaust History Museum and its exhibits given by Yad Vashem professional guides. The visit concluded with a wreath laying ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance. Other visits have included ICEJ Germany, ICEJ USA, Pastor Selle and Bishop Mulinge of the Africa Israel Initiative with their group of Norwegians and Kenyans. We were also honored to host Cary Summers (Partnership Relations Officer of the Museum of the Bible) and Ken McKenzie (President of the Museum of the Bible) with their guests.
During March 2019, Reverend Mark and Terrie Jenkins, who are the new US representatives of the CFYV hosted me in Virginia. I was invited to Liberty University in which I had the honor to meet Dr. Ed Hindson (Founding Dean of the School of Divinity) and Dr. Randall Price (producer of 5 films in Israel and distinguished research professor) and was privileged to speak in front of a group of students about the Jewish festival of Purim and the Holocaust. From there we continued on to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) where we met many Christian leaders who take an active part in helping to strengthen ties between the United States and Israel.
This year’s NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) Convention took place in Anaheim, California. For the first time, the CFYV had its own booth in the NRB, where we met many important Christian media figures and leaders and discussed possible ways of working together.
My trip to the US concluded at Arizona State University where I was hosted by Norma Owens (a Christian Leadership Seminar graduate, who heads the Histo-News Club in the ASU). There I lectured to students and faculty members on "Yad Vashem's Archives: Remembering the Past Shaping the Future".
After many months of preparation we are now hosting the Christian Leadership Seminar, in which thirty Christian leaders, from 13 different countries, are participating at the Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust Studies. During the weeklong course, these leaders from a variety of denominational backgrounds will study the Holocaust, Antisemitism, Biblical Israel and Israel Today with leading worldwide experts and Holocaust survivors. They will also attend the official state Yom Hashoah (Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day) ceremony in the presence of the President and Prime Minister of the State of Israel as well as other world leaders. We are deeply grateful to our donors ICEJ Germany, an anonymous donor from the US who transferred the donation to the CFYV with the help of ICEJ USA, and to our friend and donor Gottfried Bühler, who together have made this seminar possible.
This is all a part of our work towards facilitating awareness and understanding of the important work of the CFYV. Through our educational endeavors we can combat antisemitism, xenophobia and racism and secure a better world for the generations to come. We welcome you to invite us to engage your community with our message wherever you may be located. If interested, please contact us using the email address below.
Everything we have been able to accomplish is only possible thanks to our donors. Now more than ever, we need your support. We would like to see you partner with our ministry in 2019.
If you would like to be a part of our amazing work, please click now on the donate button below.
Finally, please save the date for Yad Vashem's 2020 Mission – from Berlin to Jerusalem. We will explore the rich German Jewish history before the rise of Hitler and the horrors of the Holocaust, travelling from rebirth out of the ashes to the limitless opportunities of modern-day Israel.
In Berlin and in Israel, the Yad Vashem 2020 International Mission will be guided by top Yad Vashem educators and researchers. Guests will be hosted in luxury hotels, and will be afforded special VIP access to the people, places and collections we visit. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information please feel free to contact us via email christian.friends@yadvashem.org.il
Blessings from Jerusalem,
Sari Granitza