It is a great pleasure to be able to introduce two new and valuable members of the Caspari ministry team. For some time we have been praying for the right candidates for Israel Director and North America Director for the Caspari Center. On February 1st both positions were filled with competent staff workers who will, no doubt, bring a very significant contribution to the ministry in both Israel and the U.S.

Alexander Goldberg is our new Israel Director. An Israeli Jewish believer who immigrated with his family from Russia five years ago, Alec has university training in both physics and theology, and experience in ministry work in a Jewish context. Working at Caspari Center in Jerusalem, he will be responsible for our local ministry programs in Israel, including teaching programs, research, and publishing. He will also continue to strengthen our local involvement in Israel in order to identify new needs and opportunities for education and ministry in the land.

Mike Chiapperino is our new North American Director. He takes over for Kathi Graham, who has served faithfully as Director for the past five years. We are very grateful for Kathi's dedicated and valuable service, and very pleased that she will continue to represent Caspari, although in a reduced position.

Mike has broad experience in Christian education, global literature ministry, communications, and fundraising. He will be responsible for running our U.S. branch and for reaching out to new groups of believers, helping them to understand the importance of the Jewish roots of our faith and the importance of supporting the emerging body of Jewish believers in Israel.

We are very excited about the future of the ministry with these two key persons in place. Even in these difficult times, the need for good ministry among the believers in Israel is ever growing, and we look forward to seeing how God will use the Caspari Center in the time ahead. We thank you for you prayers for our staffing situation over the last few months, and we ask that you continue to keep our ministry - and especially our two new directors - in your prayers.

Blessings,
Knut Høyland
International Director / CEO
Caspari Center, Jerusalem

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The Media Review is an exclusive Caspari Center resource that records the history of Israel's Jewish believers in Jesus today. During the week covered by the February 16, 2009 review, we received 34 articles on the subjects of Messianic Jews, anti-missionary activity, Christian Zionism, Christian-Jewish relations, and the Pope and the Vatican. Of these:

1 dealt with Messianic Jews

2 dealt with anti-missionary activity

3 dealt with Christian Zionism

26 dealt with Jewish-Christian relations

2 dealt with the Pope and the Vatican

This week's Review focused on the tension in Jewish-Catholic relations following the reinstatement of Bishop Richard Williamson.

Read current and archived articles of the Media Review online. Subscriptions to the Media Review are free. Complete archives of the original articles are available in the Caspari Center library in Jerusalem.

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In the past few weeks Israel has again taken center stage in the media because of the conflict in Gaza and the recent elections to the Knesset. We have all been exposed to the tragic images from the war zone in and around Gaza, and we still cannot see what the consequences of this war and the results of the Israeli elections will be.

As believers, we have a calling to support the suffering and needy and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We also know that we can proclaim the peace that only God can give through Jesus.

In light of the situation the Caspari Center - together with Musalaha (a Israeli/Palestinian reconciliation organization), the Palestinian Bible Society, the Norwegian Church Ministry to Israel, and the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway - have initiated a new project called "Bridgebuilders."

The goal of this project is to bring Palestinian Christian, Norwegian, and Messianic Jewish young adults to two reconciliation conferences where they can meet young believers from other backgrounds, learn about different cultures and the importance of understanding and reconciliation, and focus on our unity in Christ and our calling to be peacemakers.

We believe that these young people can have a strong impact on their communities and be an important witness, also for non-believers, of unity and fellowship in Christ in the midst of the difficult situation in the Middle East.

We will share more details about this important project in our upcoming print newsletter.

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• We give thanks for God's provision of new and competent staff for the Caspari ministry!
• Our new directors, Mike and Alexander, as they start their service in the ministry.
• The ongoing leadership training course.
• The political situation in Israel after the election, and for those who suffer and have lost their loved ones in the recent war in and around Gaza.
• The planning of the Bridgebuilders project.

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