Damage To Our New Tel Aviv Center: 
My Reflection On Israel

Dear friend,

On the morning of June 19, a powerful Iranian ballistic missile hit our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center. I think the best way to describe my sentiments about the bombing of our new center is by reflecting on my deep connection to Israel and the Jewish people.

My Personal Connection to Israel

I was raised in a traditional Jewish home and brought up to love the nation of Israel. Even though I was a New Yorker, every Jewish person I knew was a Zionist. Our heroes growing up were people like David Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, or Mickey Marcus (my grandfather’s favorite), Israel’s first general.

As kids, we often talked about Israel, and I had always wanted to go there. Israel was just part of who we were, and I knew it was our true homeland. Israel grew out of the ashes of the greatest tragedy in Jewish history, the Holocaust. If we, as Jewish kids, took pride in anything, it was in Israel, with its Jewish army, its Jewish language (modern Hebrew), and so much more. Just knowing that Israel existed strengthened my Jewish identity and reminded me that if we were again persecuted, we could fight back because we had our own country.

Some critics of the Jewish people believe that what I have just described makes me guilty of dual loyalty, a typical antisemitic trope. This is unfounded. I am a proud Jewish person and a proud American; it has never been an either-or for me. I believe that God connected me to two nations I love and to whom I am loyal. When I became a believer in Jesus at nineteen years old, my feelings about Israel intensified because of my developing belief in God and the Bible. I felt more connected to the God of my fathers through the Jewish Messiah.

As I grew in the faith, my understanding of who I was as a Jewish person grew and matured as well. While Israel has always been part of my heart and soul, I became spiritually connected to Israel through Jesus and more in love with the land than ever before. My Messiah grew up in Israel, and that is where His ministry and earthly life were centered. This only caused me to love the Lord and the land promised to my forefathers even more.

As the leader of a 131-year-old Mission to the Jewish people, I recognize that Israel now encompasses about half of the world’s Jewish population. I could not be more passionate about finding ways for the message of the Jewish Messiah to be proclaimed in the land of His birth. This commitment has caused me to be intensely involved with the work of Chosen People Ministries—Israel, which I consider to be the privilege of a lifetime. One of the greatest joys I have is caring for our Israeli staff, whom I believe are true heroes for the gospel.

History of Chosen People Ministries—Israel

Let me back up a little bit and tell you about the history of our Mission to the Jewish people in Israel. The Mission began before Israel became a modern state in 1948, with British missionaries under the British Mandate. Our workers served among the few hundred thousand Jewish people in the land, and they were intensively engaged in helping Jewish refugees from the Holocaust settle in Israel. 

The influx of Russian-speaking Jewish people to the land in the late 1980s and beyond transformed Chosen People Ministries, as many Russian-speaking Jewish people came to faith in Jesus and committed their lives to Him. Fifty percent of our work in Israel is now conducted by Russian-speaking Jewish people (or their children) who immigrated to Israel, found the Lord, and gave their lives to serving Him in the land.

Several years ago, we decided to begin a work among the 4.7 million Israelis in the greater Tel Aviv area. We rented a space in an urban suburb called Ramat Gan, which is immediately adjacent to Tel Aviv, and began holding concerts, Sabbath dinners, Bible studies, moms’ groups, and so much more. The community and the work began to grow. A few years later, we decided that we needed a new center and began looking, but we could not find an appropriate fit for our needs. We then entered the time of the pandemic and paused our search.

Finally, by God’s grace, we found a new facility two-and-a-half times the size of the current one! This was a miracle because properties in the area were mostly larger apartment buildings and commercial retail properties. They were also very expensive—prices similar to Manhattan. But we knew we needed the space. Young Israelis were showing overwhelming interest in our programs. So, we trusted God and purchased this beautiful spot, which is near the light rail, a major form of transportation for young Israelis. We began to build out the space, as it was 4,000 square feet of unfinished concrete on two floors when we purchased it.

Then, tragically, October 7 occurred, transforming the entire landscape of life and work in Israel.

I cannot tell you how much I still grieve for the remaining hostages and their families, as well as for all the lives lost. This was a devastating experience for Israel, yet, unfortunately, Israel is being regularly condemned for their response to the tragedy.

We completed the build-out project within two years, which is a major miracle.

In June, we took more than sixty people on our “Dedication Tour” of Israel, as our major goal of the trip was to dedicate the new facility. There was quite a bit of tension in the air because of the ongoing conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. We all knew that the fountain of this hatred of Israel and distorted vision of life was coming from Iran. We were amazed that we had so many people coming with us to Israel and that none canceled. The tour was emotionally and spiritually moving, especially our visit to the Nova Music Festival memorial grounds and the city of Sderot, the scene of considerable violence on October 7. 

During our first few days in Israel, we began hearing rumblings of concern about the possibility that Iran could soon manufacture nuclear weapons. The Israeli leadership believed the threat of Iran attacking Israel was growing. So, after four days of our tour, Israel attacked Iran and, as you would expect, Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones.

In previous trips to Israel, I heard the sirens, fled to bomb shelters, and heard the booms of missiles from Gaza and Yemen, but the Iranian missiles were far fiercer and caused more severe damage. The experience of running to bomb shelters several times caused our friends and supporters on the trip to grow closer to the Jewish people and Israel in particular.

Damage to Our 
New Tel Aviv Center

On the day we left to return to the United States from Amman, Jordan, where we had evacuated, my wife and I had just arrived at the airport when we heard air raid sirens screaming as missiles flew overhead toward Israel. We had no idea at that time that these were the missiles that would hit our brand-new, recently finished, and dedicated center on the morning of June 19. Thankfully, no one died in that attack, which is an incredible miracle.

I believe most of the damage within the new center can be fixed for a few hundred thousand dollars. However, our center is located on the first two floors of a large condominium building. Structural damage to the building itself is far more problematic, and we are waiting for the city engineers to inform us of the building’s status. We will keep our lease on our prior rented facility, which lost all its windows from the missile blast. I believe this facility can be repaired quickly, and we will be able to continue our ministry. I will try to keep you further informed about what it will take for us to get into and repair the new center once the structural integrity is determined.

We know that the Lord Jesus will soon return, conquer His enemies, and sit on His rightful throne. We look forward to that glorious day, but until then, He has called us to make disciples of all nations—and that includes Israel. The apostle Paul said that the gospel is for all, but “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16), so we will continue our work until He comes.

We need your prayers, support, and love more than ever before!

Thank you for taking the time to understand my heart for my own people and for the Jewish state. 
I deeply appreciate your love for the Lord, the Jewish Messiah.

In Yeshua,

Mitch Glaser