You Are Helping Us Reach Israelis in London!
Some 80,000 Israelis reside in the United Kingdom, and most are not religious. Our London branch leader, Boris Skvortsov, says, “As secular Jews, most Israelis come here wanting to continue to celebrate their culture without feeling forced into a religious mold that doesn’t fit them. They need a warm and welcoming place to meet people who are also asking life’s big questions. Most of all they need to know the hope and love that can only be found in their Messiah, Yeshua.”
Boris and his wife, Gefen, are both Israelis and began connecting with other ex-pats as soon as they moved to London. Everyone who spends time with the Skvortsoves soon discovers how important their faith is to them. And recently, opportunities to share that faith have multiplied.
Boris says, “Thanks to friends like you, we have rented a ministry house that makes it easy for us to invite people to experience Jesus in a Jewish context at Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, community BBQs, Holocaust Memorial Day, moms/dads meetings, and a variety of other events.”
This year, our London Israeli team hosted a Passover Seder for 30 people, including two families who came at the last minute because they were in town visiting friends. This kind of hospitality is hugely important to building community in Israeli culture. Maia, who is also part of our London team, says, “All the guests pitched in to help with the event, and Boris shared our team’s vision for serving the Israeli community as an expression of our faith in Yeshua.”
On Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hosted an event for Israelis to hear a Holocaust survivor tell her story. Twenty-two people came, including Oshrat. Gefen says, “I knew Oshrat previously, but after the event, she asked me more about my life and faith.”
Please keep our London Israeli team in prayer, especially this month, as they conclude their third month of special “Jubilee” outreach, hoping to triple the number of Israelis in their community network.
Meet Our London Branch’s Israeli Team
Boris Skvortsov
Boris was born in Russia and migrated with his parents to Israel as a toddler. He grew up in a home of Jewish believers in Jesus.
“Although I knew from an early age that God had His hand on my life, for years I was sitting on the fence, trying to benefit from God, yet unwilling to trust Him enough to live for His kingdom—not mine. When I was 17, I finally surrendered my heart to Yeshua.” After completing his army service as a combat medic, Boris volunteered at a ministry called the “Shelter” in Eilat, then joined a three-month discipleship program, where he met his future wife, Gefen.
Gefen Skvortsov
Gefen grew up in a believing home in Israel. When she was 14 years old, Gefen received Yeshua as her Messiah, but struggled with her faith during high school and her military service. After finishing the army, her relationship with the Lord became her priority, and this led her to the discipleship program where she met Boris. They both joined the staff of Jews for Jesus in Tel Aviv, where they served for several years before moving to the UK in 2020 to pioneer our outreach to Israelis who live in London. The Skvortsoves have two young children, and much of their community building is family oriented.
Maia Hamilton
Maia Hamilton was born in Jerusalem to an Israeli father and a Norwegian mother. When she was eight, her family moved to Norway. Growing up, she often felt the tension between her Israeli and Norwegian identities, but when she was 18, she realized that she needed a Savior and that God provided that in Yeshua. She came on staff with Jews for Jesus in September 2019, and is not only part of the team focused on reaching Israelis in London, but also serves with our Jewish Gentile Couples ministry team.