New Beginnings
Living and working in the bustling cosmopolitan city of Jerusalem is almost always an exciting experience. Jerusalem combines the old and the new, the sacred and the profane, Israel and the nations in an often exotic, stimulating mix.

At this writing, Israel and Jerusalem are celebrating the Festival of Purim. It is a time of light-heartedness as the remembrance of God's great victory is foremost in the minds of the people. In the streets, children are dressed in fanciful costumes carrying noisemakers and the atmosphere is one of festivity. Orthodox Jewish families send portions of food to the poor in their communities for this is a time to share the goodness and the blessing. The other face of the coin is the awareness of continual threat as in every generation the enemies of Israel are also remembered on Purim. The enemy Haman still lives in the consciousness of Israel.

Israel is also expecting a famous guest- Pope John Paul II. For some he is an enemy and for others a friend. One thing is certain: everyone is talking about the visit, and no one is neutral! Israeli society is highly opinionated on almost every subject. The papal visit is serving to draw the attention of the public to the presence and influence of Christianity.

It is in this atmosphere that the work at Caspari continues through the seasons. The staff shares in the life cycle of Israel and is affected by the many shifts and changes. We at Caspari feel privileged to have a part in the continuing story of God's love and salvation for the people of Israel.



A Word From the Director
We have 10,000 volunteers!

Caspari Center has been blessed with people who have worked with us on a volunteer basis: scholars, computer experts, lecturers, authors and cleaners just to mention a few. They are among the about ten thousand people who support the center through our various support organizations. They include all kinds of people. Some of them are simple people, not wealthy, but they are rightly convinced that God can make use of their resources. Encounters with some of these people, seeing their commitment in prayer and tithing has had an everlasting impact on me. Among all the supporters and volunteers there is a wealth of energy, competence, connections and experience - all waiting to be challenged into action for a good cause. It is a part of the strategy of the Caspari Center to have a newsletter that could include these thousands of people in the extended group of co-workers at the center. We want to give them necessary information and feed back so they, together with us, can find ways to meet our challenges.

There is only one way to do that: more frequent readable news about both our challenges and our programs to meet them, and also communication of the context in which we work: tension, strikes, bombs, celebration, fellowship. We want you to both understand and feel the work we are doing here in Israel and Jerusalem.

The Caspari Center is a place where Messianic Jews and Christians, Israelis and foreigners work in cooperation. The newsletter is meant for you who want to be a part of this. You want to be reminded to pray for us when you read the newsletter. You want your contribution to help the Caspari vision come true. And you would, if possible, want to invest your own time and energy to spread the Caspari vision: a Church that sees its Jewish roots and actively supports the Messianic Jews in Israel through investment in theological training in a local indigenous movement.

The newsletter you are reading was designed by a graphic artist who e-mailed us from Finland asking if we needed a volunteer who could do graphic design for one month. We answered that we had work but no budget. This is how we received a professional worker helping us on a volunteer basis. This Newsletter is for her and the ten thousand other co-workers who work with us in so many various ways.

Torkild Masvie, Caspari Center



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