Written by Vicky Ball
On July 30, a remarkable event took place in Columbus, Ohio. CharismaLife Ministries in Columbus dedicated a Holocaust wall of remembrance at their Gesher Center.
The Gesher Center, which is a part of the ministry, is devoted to supporting Israel and the Jewish people.
The dedication of the wall establishes a bridge between the Jewish and Christian communities in the area, as well as a link between the past and present.
In addition to the wall of remembrance, the Gesher Center has a simulated Western Wall made of Jerusalem stone, a wall dedicated to the Jewish calendar and the 12 tribes, as well as an area depicting Aliyah.
The entirety of the room speaks volumes regarding the commitment of this church to the Nation of Israel.
The dedication event was arranged by Pastor David Swaggerty of CharismaLife Ministries and Rabbi Tuly Weisz of Israel365. Both expressed their respective commitments to Israel, Aliyah and the Jewish community.
CharismaLife, in working with Operation Exodus USA, an international ministry dedicated to assisting Jews making Aliyah, has supported many Jews to return home and is dedicated to helping many more.
Debra Minotti, President of Operation Exodus USA, shared her experiences in the Ukraine and Russia, where her organization helped some 142,000 Russian Jews move to Israel. She also pointed to many other miraculous ingatherings from many other countries.
Minotti noted that Operation Exodus and CharismaLife are motivated both by a love for Israel and the Jewish people and Divine Direction as indicated by Isaiah 49:22.
“This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I will beckon to the (nations) gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders'”.
She also alluded to the role of the church being like that of the gentile Ruth bringing Naomi home.
While Debra, and later, Pastor Swaggerty clarified the Christian position regarding the Jewish people and therefore a desire to establish a bridge, Rabbi Weisz explained the need to have a bridge between the past and the present.
Even though the focus was on the Holocaust, Rabbi Weisz cautioned us that anti-Semitism is still very prevalent and growing and he warned us not to let it happen again.
Rabbi Weisz stressed that the support Christians would have made could have had a tremendous difference. Regarding the present anti-Semitism and anti-Israel propaganda in the general media, he urged us to clarify and present the truth whenever the discussions arise, stating that Israel has the best and most moral armed forces in the world. No country does more to protect civilians.
