Shalom Dear Friends and Partners,
In a few minutes I will leave our home, just outside Jerusalem to pick up Meridel at the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. She is returning from three weeks in Nepal via Finland.
Daniel, our youngest son and myself were there with her filming our latest documentary called, “You CAN Make a Difference.” This is the “working title” of a TV program exposing “Human Trafficking and Sexual Abuse of Minors” in Asia and the Middle East. It is a $150 billion dollar a year criminal business. You may remember that our eldest son David and is brother Chris started filming this story with Meridel last year.
Over the last 40 years we have been fortunate to be able to give a “voice to the voiceless” in the media by writing, directing an producing over 130 documentaries, mainly about Israel, the Jewish people and their struggle to return to and to restore their ancient “Land of Promise” according to the Word of God. It has been a great privilege.
Of course we would not have been able to do any of this without YOU our faithful partners and supporters. Thank You for listening to His precious “Still Small Voice” that has prompted you to stand along side of us in prayer and finances. It has been a 47 year walk of faith and Praise God, He has never failed. Some of you have been with us since the beginning in 1969.
You may ask, Why did you not return home together with Meridel? The simple answer is that after we booked our tickets, I was informed by the World Jewish Congress and the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus that this year they decided to give me their annual “Lifetime Achievement Award” for our work in the Media educating a global audience about Israel’s historic and biblical cause. The award ceremony was on January 28th and previously we were scheduled to return on January 29th. So I changed my ticket to get me back to Israel by January 27th/2016. Thankfully our sons David and Josh and granddaughter Maya accompanied me to the gala reception and dinner in the posh new Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The event was attended by many dignitaries, including the Chairman and the CEO of the World Jewish Congress – Israel, which represents all Jewish organizations in the world. Also in attendance were several Members of Knesset, and the former Israeli Ambassador to the USA, Mr Michael Oren, and many Christian Zionist leaders.
As I mentioned in my remarks following the award ceremony, “any award like this is not the product of one person’s life but is a team effort, or should I say a family effort.”
You, our faithful partners of many years, are the behind the scenes driving force that makes such achievements possible. I publicly thanked you in my speech. Also, I had to thank all the Israeli’s we have interviewed over the last 4 decades, for their invaluable contribution to Israel’s story. In fact we have been granted access to some of the most amazing and heroic people simply because of the camera. What a joy it is to report to you that we have, by God’s grace, documented people, places and events during more than half of the years of Israel existence as a newborn State.
Together please join us in giving thanks to the Holy One of Israel. Can you say “Amen”?
May the Lord bless and strengthen you wherever you are around the world.
Sincerely in Him,
and with our love,
Jay and Meridel and sons and team.