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Myles & Katharine Weiss

Dear Friends,

Between the ministries of Yeshua Himself and late-20th-century leaders, many luminaries devoted their lives to the Gospel. At the turn of the 20th century, Rabbi Leopold Cohn was such a soldier in the Messiah’s army. His story touched me recently, and he is a true hero of the faith.

Cohn immigrated to the U.S. in 1892, landing in New York City like so many Jews before. He had letters of introduction and receptive contacts awaiting him, but the Messiah had a much different path for Cohn. Instead of traditional rabbinic fellowship and an easy life tending Jewish sheep, God steered Cohn to a meeting where Jews and Christians were worshipping together. He steadily overcame his prejudices as God drew him into a living relationship with Him. In a stunning passage of his auto-biography To An Ancient People, Cohn recounts the way that the very genealogies in Matthew became part of that convincing. He describes how his growing awareness of the Jewishness of the Gospels and the heavenly nature of Scripture turned his life upside down and right side up!

Cohn was inextricably drawn into study of the B’rit Hadashah, the New Testament. He joyfully studied, and the Lord faithfully revealed Himself through Cohn’s commitment to the Word. After much trial and resistance, Cohn’s beloved wife, Rose Hoffman Cohn, also came to faith. With the help of Believers in Scotland and the U.S., Cohn and his family continued to study, grow, and draw others of Jewish background to faith in Yeshua. He documents the many miracles of financial support and community connections that helped him and his family become seasoned preachers and teachers.

In the midst of many blessings, trials surfaced that might have caused a lesser one to draw back from serving Yeshua. Cohn’s beloved wife, after undergoing many difficulties receiving faith to believe, had become his most trusted partner in the ministry. How many of us can relate to that? Daily, I thank the Lord for my wife Katharine, who labors beside me as my greatest cheerleader and most accurate critic. The Jews of New York regarded Cohn’s wife as the “helpmate” from Genesis. She charmed, served, and discipled the women who came to Jesus. Against persecution for their faith, Mrs. Cohn labored on, a bright light among the “tribes” of New York City. Then she was stricken with a terminal illness. She carried on, concealing her pain. Her husband writes that the testimony of her life to the very end showed her “tact, wisdom, and godliness as she grew stronger and stronger in the faith.”


Myles & Katharine outside Jerusalem’s eastern wall

This growth continued in the face of trials that befell their children. Mocking and cursing from unrepentant Jewish acquaintances was hard enough. Cohn described the shocking treatment their kids received at the hands of “Christian” schoolchildren. As Jews, they were not readily welcomed into the fold of the faithful, to understate it. The Cohn children were ostracized and marginalized by the local church kids. In one touching episode, when they were still very young, they came home crying. Cohn writes that his wife, “…with true motherly love, took them in her lap and comforted them, telling how the Lord Jesus suffered and how Elisha, the prophet, was called names by a lot of children.”

These scenes of childish drama foreshadowed later events. A gang of “Christian” kids cornered one of the younger sons and held him down while one of their number “stepped on his legs below his knees and fractured them. In spite of the agonizing screams of the boy, they laughed.” After a long hospitalization, the boy returned to his loving family. Not long after, another of the Cohn boys was confronted by a similar gang, “…and while several children held him by force, another came with a knife and cut his lower lip through and through.” In both instances, the attackers used derogatory names for Jews.

During these trials, Rabbi Cohn questioned the faith of his family and whether it would survive these attacks. Repeatedly, the Lord triumphed and they continued to serve Him and love His way despite the dreadful treatment they received because of their Jewish heritage.

What a lesson for those of us who come after. We need to keep going, even when times are tough. During a financial drought like the world is experiencing, we need faithful supporters to continue keeping the vision, true to the calling that is upon us. Katharine and I began updating two of Zola’s classic television series during a recent trip to Dallas. The first, The Stones Cry Out, comprises 12 programs in an archaeological tour de force. It will strengthen your faith and become an unparalleled tool for witnessing to friends and family. The second, Light of the World, addresses the relationship between Hanukkah and Christmas. It ties the two holidays together and illustrates the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith. Katharine and I have been teaching this relationship for years and are thrilled to teach it anew with ZLM.

During our fall tour to Greece and Israel, we will film segments for an eight-part series on Isaac and Jacob with the working title The Sons of Promise. I like that title because continuing the teaching that began with Abraham (the new series on television this month and described below) firmly establishes the historicity of Jewish presence in the Land of Israel.

Beyond that, our ministry will illustrate the monumental blessing that our small ethnic group of Jews has been to the entire world. Doing so offers another opportunity to fight against the demonization and disinformation faced by the Jewish people on the world stage.


Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

Your offerings enable this ministry not only to reach strangers to God’s Word but also to embolden those who become dispirited with life’s tribulations. Giving sacrificially is a way that you can demonstrate to yourself as well as to God that you put His Kingdom before earthly pleasures. By and large, we have not “resisted unto blood” (Hebrews 12:4) for the sake of the Gospel.

This ministerial outreach remains steadfastly frugal in maximizing the impact of your contributions to benefit as many TV viewers, newsletter readers, and Web surfers as possible.

Will you kindly lend an extra measure of support as our television crew finishes our segment on Isaac and begins the next one on Jacob? We cannot produce these first-rate programs without your gifts of funds.

Rabbi Cohn’s life is a shining example of a Messianic forerunner in our era. With his wife and family, he paved the way for Moishe Rosen, Zola Levitt, you, and me. Standing on the shoulders of giants, we can see the horizon. On that horizon is the coming of the Messiah. Let us work while it is yet day (John 9:4). Thank you for your participation with us in the work of the Lord.

Please watch Zola Levitt Presents in October for the following segments from our new series on the “original” giant of faith, Abraham:

ABRAHAM: FATHER OF FAITH
This eight-part series tells the story of the patriarch through drama at the actual locations in the Bible. Interviews with contemporary personalities illustrate the Jews’ seamless connection with the land promised to the descendants of Abraham and Isaac.

The Calling
God chooses Abram from the idol-worshipping world to walk with Him and proclaim His name through the Ages.
A Man of Altars
Abram walks the land, building altars in significant places. We interview the spokesman for Samaria, one of the modern disputed lands that God promised to the seed of Abram.
God-initiated Covenant
God makes a covenant with Abram. Myles interviews Itamar Marcus whose Palestinian Media Watch translates and analyzes the message in Arab-language media and schoolbooks.
A Domestic Conflict for the Ages
Sarai and Hagar fall out, but God makes a provision for Hagar and the sons of Ishmael.
The Promised Son
Isaac is prophesied; conflict separates Abraham and Lot. Katharine interviews Rachel Lipkin, an Egyptian-born Jewish interpreter of Arabic-language media.

As the coming of Messiah approaches, please consider joining us for the trip of a lifetime—come to Israel! We offer wonderful, on-location teaching that brings the Bible to life. Our guides, drivers, tour manager, and Katharine and I are completely dedicated to making your pilgrimage the most significant journey you’ll ever experience. If you have dreamed about seeing the lands of the Word, come with us.

Our next tour travels March 3–15, including an optional extension to Petra. We would be honored to guide your visit. You can request a brochure from our travel manager Tracie at 214-696-9760 during business hours or call 800-966-3377 (800-WONDERS) anytime.

Until then, l’hitraot (I’ll see you again). And please remember, Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim… Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

Your brother,
Myles

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