We want to thank all of you who have written letters to the government on our behalf. Thank you for standing with us on every level of the battles we've faced these two and a half years since Purim Eve, 2008. Your prayers and friendship have truly held us up, have enabled strength to be granted so we can keep on keeping on, and to believe that the God we serve is able to do above and beyond all we ask or think!
Eph. 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the Body by Messiah Yeshua to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
TRIAL UPDATE
On Dec. 2nd, a hearing will be held to determine whether Jack Teitel is mentally fit to stand trial. If it is determined that he is not mentally fit then he will be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and the trial will not take place. Details about who he worked with and his involvement with Yad L'Achim (an anti-missionary organization) will not be revealed. This will set a very dangerous precedent for the Messianic Community in Israel, as there are many like him who will be emboldened and willing to give up a few years of their lives in a psychiatric facility in order to do harm to and even attempt to murder those that believe in Yeshua as the promised Messiah.
As you recall we were told by legal counsel that we have three problems with our case - religious, political and criminal. Below is a letter from May 2008 written to the Irish Friends of Israel in response to their inquiry to the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. They were asking what is being done to arrest the perpetrator who sent the bomb to our house which wounded Ami so critically. Below is the response that the Israeli police sent back to the Irish Friends of Israel. In this document, the police actually blame us and the Messianic community for the attack because we share our faith (in a democratic country that claims freedom of religion), therefore accusing the victim of provoking the attack.
Mr. Paddy Monaghan
Irish Christian Friends of Israel
PO Box 9234
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin 23 May 2008
Dear Paddy,
Following your letter with regarding to the Ami Ortiz incident in Ariel, we submitted your comments to the relevant Israeli Authorities. Please find below information that the Embassy received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
A. The police are investigating this case and due to the fact that there main force is intelligence the details are classified and they can't reveal any details on this issue. The officer that is in charge of this area could only give information related to the background that led to the incident.
B. There are approximately 20 people in the Jewish Messianic community of Ariel. The head of this group act in a provocative way among the Jewish and Muslim in this area and try to convince them to convert their religion. Both communities are unsatisfied from his behaviour even though Ortiz's family lives in a good relationship with the Jewish neighbors.
C. The investigation of this matter is very complex and this is why it takes a long time to reach to a conclusion.
D. However, the police maintain a preventive activity that this case wouldn't repeat itself. The officer emphasized in general that the Messianic Jews need to change their approach towards other communities to prevent extreme actions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will inform the Embassy once the investigation is completed. Yours sincerely,
Nadav Cohen
Counsellor
Carrisbrook House, 122 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Tel: 01 230 9400 Fax: 01 230 9446 E-mail: info@dublin.mfa.gov.il
Website: www.israel.ie
So you can see that we have been fighting an uphill battle in our case since the beginning. As you may recall, even when Israel's Channel One did a documentary on Ami and our family, the police went to a lower and then a higher court to stop the broadcast. This documentary can be seen on www.amiortiz.com. It includes their report on their legal battle to broadcast the report on Israel TV. Additionally we also had to go to court against the police to get back the hard disc of our security cameras which is our private property. The judge who presided declared that a copy of the hard disc had to be given to us that had the video footage of Teitel bringing the bomb to our house.
As we gear up for our hearing on Dec. 2nd, in the light of the above, we lay these facts before the Lord God almighty that He would intervene for us and the Messianic community in Israel. (Isaiah 37:14)
TOURS AND JOURNALISTS
In the meantime, just this past month we have been blessed by visits from tour groups whose organizers, leaders, and many in the groups have been faithfully praying for us for the past 2 and a half years- from Norway, Sri Lanka, and Germany. There are those who have been here before, and those who are fist time visitors to Israel. When we tell the story of our tragedy and the presence and the grace of God which has been with us every step of the way, the people are touched, encouraged and amazed. Sometimes Ami even shows up, when he happens to have a minute in the midst of his busy schedule. We don't want Ami to hear the story over and over again, and so he doesn't sit in on the meetings, but often before and after he'll be coming home from school, or on his way to basketball practice, and everyone gets a chance to get acquainted and take a picture with him! He is a walking miracle, and his story of pain and triumph encourages all who heart it. We were also visited by several journalists this past month who continue to follow up on our ongoing story and the ongoing persecution of the Messianic Body in Israel by ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups. We were interviewed recently by Russia Today, which is a Russian station that broadcasts also in English, Spanish and Arabic.
We were interviewed for two leading Christian Norwegian newspapers, and also for a Dutch Christian newspaper. Genesis 50:20, which so many of you quoted in your postcards and letters to Ami, is indeed coming to pass - 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
AMI NEWS
Ami left yesterday for Poland with a group from his high school. Every year Israeli high school students visit the concentration camps in Poland, and then participate in a march called, "The March of the Living". Towards the end of WWII in 1944 when the Nazi's realized they were trapped in the middle of the advancing armies of the allied troops and the Soviet Union, they decided to try to move or destroy evidence of their atrocities. Thousands of prisoners were killed in the camps, but thousands more were forced to march in the freezing snow for miles on end to train stations. Already starved, weak and ill, those who faltered and fell were killed on the spot, and many simply died from the exertion and elements.They were herded onto cattle cars, transported to different locations and then forced to march again for tens of miles to different camps. The youth march on the same routes as these death marches, wrapped in and waving Israeli flags, making the statement over and again, "Israel has risen from the ashes. Never again!" Since his ordeal, Ami feels a deep connection with those who have in the past and are now suffering. One day on our way to an appointment, we witnessed a car accident. Thank God it wasn't serious, but Ami, who was driving, immediately pulled over to the side, and jumped out of the car saying, "someone might be hurt". He then ran quickly to the scene of the accident; it was an instant reaction. Our family has all noticed that our reaction to other's suffering and illness has changed. We have a deeper place of compassion, and an ability to comfort others, by the comfort which we have been comforted by. (2Cor. 1:3-4) People will listen to us because of what we have been through, and they also believe what we say and receive hope from what we can share. Many of Ami's teachers tell me that they are impacted by his character, especially his lack of bitterness and hate. They say that they can see the light within him, and it inspires them. It gives us an opportunity to share what the Lord has done, the answers to prayer and the power of forgiveness.
PRAYER REQUEST
Please pray for the Mayor of Ariel Ron Nachman, as he is battling prostate cancer. His was one of the founding families of our city in 1978, and he has been the Mayor of Ariel almost continuously since. He has had excellent relations with numerous Christian Zionist groups who generously fund many programs and projects in Ariel. We have a sports center which was built by John Hagee Ministries, and is called the John Hagee Building. Virginia Hearst has been a large contributor to Ariel, as well as Faith Bible Chapel in Colorado, to name just a few. Please pray for healing of body soul and spirit for Ron Nachman.
Yours in the Love of the Messiah,
Leah
Eph. 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the Body by Messiah Yeshua to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
TRIAL UPDATE
On Dec. 2nd, a hearing will be held to determine whether Jack Teitel is mentally fit to stand trial. If it is determined that he is not mentally fit then he will be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and the trial will not take place. Details about who he worked with and his involvement with Yad L'Achim (an anti-missionary organization) will not be revealed. This will set a very dangerous precedent for the Messianic Community in Israel, as there are many like him who will be emboldened and willing to give up a few years of their lives in a psychiatric facility in order to do harm to and even attempt to murder those that believe in Yeshua as the promised Messiah.
As you recall we were told by legal counsel that we have three problems with our case - religious, political and criminal. Below is a letter from May 2008 written to the Irish Friends of Israel in response to their inquiry to the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. They were asking what is being done to arrest the perpetrator who sent the bomb to our house which wounded Ami so critically. Below is the response that the Israeli police sent back to the Irish Friends of Israel. In this document, the police actually blame us and the Messianic community for the attack because we share our faith (in a democratic country that claims freedom of religion), therefore accusing the victim of provoking the attack.
Mr. Paddy Monaghan
Irish Christian Friends of Israel
PO Box 9234
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin 23 May 2008
Dear Paddy,
Following your letter with regarding to the Ami Ortiz incident in Ariel, we submitted your comments to the relevant Israeli Authorities. Please find below information that the Embassy received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
A. The police are investigating this case and due to the fact that there main force is intelligence the details are classified and they can't reveal any details on this issue. The officer that is in charge of this area could only give information related to the background that led to the incident.
B. There are approximately 20 people in the Jewish Messianic community of Ariel. The head of this group act in a provocative way among the Jewish and Muslim in this area and try to convince them to convert their religion. Both communities are unsatisfied from his behaviour even though Ortiz's family lives in a good relationship with the Jewish neighbors.
C. The investigation of this matter is very complex and this is why it takes a long time to reach to a conclusion.
D. However, the police maintain a preventive activity that this case wouldn't repeat itself. The officer emphasized in general that the Messianic Jews need to change their approach towards other communities to prevent extreme actions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will inform the Embassy once the investigation is completed. Yours sincerely,
Nadav Cohen
Counsellor
Carrisbrook House, 122 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Tel: 01 230 9400 Fax: 01 230 9446 E-mail: info@dublin.mfa.gov.il
Website: www.israel.ie
So you can see that we have been fighting an uphill battle in our case since the beginning. As you may recall, even when Israel's Channel One did a documentary on Ami and our family, the police went to a lower and then a higher court to stop the broadcast. This documentary can be seen on www.amiortiz.com. It includes their report on their legal battle to broadcast the report on Israel TV. Additionally we also had to go to court against the police to get back the hard disc of our security cameras which is our private property. The judge who presided declared that a copy of the hard disc had to be given to us that had the video footage of Teitel bringing the bomb to our house.
As we gear up for our hearing on Dec. 2nd, in the light of the above, we lay these facts before the Lord God almighty that He would intervene for us and the Messianic community in Israel. (Isaiah 37:14)
TOURS AND JOURNALISTS
In the meantime, just this past month we have been blessed by visits from tour groups whose organizers, leaders, and many in the groups have been faithfully praying for us for the past 2 and a half years- from Norway, Sri Lanka, and Germany. There are those who have been here before, and those who are fist time visitors to Israel. When we tell the story of our tragedy and the presence and the grace of God which has been with us every step of the way, the people are touched, encouraged and amazed. Sometimes Ami even shows up, when he happens to have a minute in the midst of his busy schedule. We don't want Ami to hear the story over and over again, and so he doesn't sit in on the meetings, but often before and after he'll be coming home from school, or on his way to basketball practice, and everyone gets a chance to get acquainted and take a picture with him! He is a walking miracle, and his story of pain and triumph encourages all who heart it. We were also visited by several journalists this past month who continue to follow up on our ongoing story and the ongoing persecution of the Messianic Body in Israel by ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups. We were interviewed recently by Russia Today, which is a Russian station that broadcasts also in English, Spanish and Arabic.
We were interviewed for two leading Christian Norwegian newspapers, and also for a Dutch Christian newspaper. Genesis 50:20, which so many of you quoted in your postcards and letters to Ami, is indeed coming to pass - 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
AMI NEWS
Ami left yesterday for Poland with a group from his high school. Every year Israeli high school students visit the concentration camps in Poland, and then participate in a march called, "The March of the Living". Towards the end of WWII in 1944 when the Nazi's realized they were trapped in the middle of the advancing armies of the allied troops and the Soviet Union, they decided to try to move or destroy evidence of their atrocities. Thousands of prisoners were killed in the camps, but thousands more were forced to march in the freezing snow for miles on end to train stations. Already starved, weak and ill, those who faltered and fell were killed on the spot, and many simply died from the exertion and elements.They were herded onto cattle cars, transported to different locations and then forced to march again for tens of miles to different camps. The youth march on the same routes as these death marches, wrapped in and waving Israeli flags, making the statement over and again, "Israel has risen from the ashes. Never again!" Since his ordeal, Ami feels a deep connection with those who have in the past and are now suffering. One day on our way to an appointment, we witnessed a car accident. Thank God it wasn't serious, but Ami, who was driving, immediately pulled over to the side, and jumped out of the car saying, "someone might be hurt". He then ran quickly to the scene of the accident; it was an instant reaction. Our family has all noticed that our reaction to other's suffering and illness has changed. We have a deeper place of compassion, and an ability to comfort others, by the comfort which we have been comforted by. (2Cor. 1:3-4) People will listen to us because of what we have been through, and they also believe what we say and receive hope from what we can share. Many of Ami's teachers tell me that they are impacted by his character, especially his lack of bitterness and hate. They say that they can see the light within him, and it inspires them. It gives us an opportunity to share what the Lord has done, the answers to prayer and the power of forgiveness.
PRAYER REQUEST
Please pray for the Mayor of Ariel Ron Nachman, as he is battling prostate cancer. His was one of the founding families of our city in 1978, and he has been the Mayor of Ariel almost continuously since. He has had excellent relations with numerous Christian Zionist groups who generously fund many programs and projects in Ariel. We have a sports center which was built by John Hagee Ministries, and is called the John Hagee Building. Virginia Hearst has been a large contributor to Ariel, as well as Faith Bible Chapel in Colorado, to name just a few. Please pray for healing of body soul and spirit for Ron Nachman.
Yours in the Love of the Messiah,
Leah