Broadcasting Jesus on Israeli National News

This past September, Jews for Jesus had our widest-reaching gospel opportunity in Israel yet.

Over the course of a few weeks, my interviews were broadcast 12 times by Israeli media, including some of the highest-rated news channels in the country. We estimate that around half a million people were exposed to Jewish faith in Jesus and the message of the gospel.

But for me, one of the most amazing things in all this was simply hearing the name Yeshua (Jesus) spoken on mainstream Israeli news. That might sound like a small thing, but it isn’t.

In Israel, the name usually used for Jesus is not his biblical Hebrew name “Yeshua” (ישוע). Instead, most unbelievers call him “Yeshu” (ישו), a Hebrew acronym that most people know means “May his name and memory be blotted out.” But throughout all of my interviews on Israeli news channels, the journalists correctly called him Yeshua.

Suddenly, people across Israel were hearing the name of Yeshua on national television.

I have never seen that happen before in Israeli media. Suddenly, people across Israel were hearing the name of Yeshua on national television.

And what’s just as remarkable is that all of this came from something that initially seemed very challenging.

Earlier this year, we opened Café BaSimta as part of our new ministry center in Jerusalem. Our goal was simple: bless the community by creating a welcoming place where people could enjoy good coffee, spend time together, build relationships, and connect with our staff. And since our ministry focus for the café was primarily on secular Israelis, we decided to try to bless that community by staying open on Saturday (Shabbat).

That decision, however, soon faced intense opposition from a small group of ultra-Orthodox protesters. They beat on our windows, turned over our tables, and shouted threats. Much to our surprise, we received incredible support from secular Israelis who disagreed with what was happening outside the café. Very quickly, the story attracted media attention.

Israel is often deeply divided between two sides: religious and secular. The controversy surrounding the café struck a nerve with an issue that keeps these sides deeply divided. When we explained why we decided to be open on Shabbat, many became interested in our faith and the message behind our response. Meanwhile, the protests and counterprotests outside the café became more heated.

Even though we were getting a lot of media coverage, our team was conflicted. Was staying open on Shabbat still accomplishing the mission we had when we first opened, which was to create a place of peace in the neighborhood?

Yeshua called us, even when people bully and come against us, to show love and turn the other cheek.

After much prayer and careful deliberation, we came to the difficult decision to close the café on Shabbat. This led to another wave of media attention. Subsequently, I was invited to explain our reason for closing on live national television—on the news broadcast with the highest ratings in the country.

I told the viewers, “Yeshua called us, even in the face of people bullying us and coming against us, to show love and turn the other cheek. That is the way of Yeshua, and that’s the way we want to promote.”

I’m convinced that the greatest apologetic we will ever have is how we show love

Through all of this, we weren’t just telling Israelis what followers of Jesus believe. We were able to show what it looks like to follow Jesus. I’m convinced that the greatest apologetic we will ever have is how we show love.

We can use words to try to convince people, but people are also watching how we respond when we are criticized or opposed. Do we fight back? Do we just try to prove we are right? Or can we love people who disagree with us and show them there is another way? Our role as gospel ambassadors in Israel is to help our people understand that this is something beyond the divide between religious and secular Israelis. Jesus himself is that other way.

Something that began as hostility became an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Israelis to hear about Yeshua. We never could have planned that. And you were part of making it possible.

Because of your prayers and faithful support, our missionaries are serving our neighbors, building relationships, and looking for opportunities to share the gospel. And when an opportunity like this suddenly opens doors we could never have imagined, we are ready to step through them. Thank you for standing with us in prayer and helping us proclaim the gospel boldly in Israel and around the world.

Please pray for the many Israelis who heard the name of Yeshua through this recent news coverage. Pray that they will remember what they heard about his way of love and want to discover for themselves who he truly is. And please pray for our Jerusalem team and their ongoing ministry through Café BaSimta, that it will continue to be a welcoming place where the way of Yeshua is made known.