Loving God's Kids
Not all missions are birthed out of Beth Yeshua International (BYI), but God calls us to come alongside our brothers and sisters to support in any way that we can. Such is the case with the very special place that is Neve Michael Children's Village.
Neve Michael’s mission is to provide each child with the love, care and professional treatment to overcome the abuse they have endured and to offer them a chance at a better future, they so deserve.
Established in 1943 and located in Pardes Hanna, Israel, Neve Michael Children’s Village is a 7-acre campus which is a safe haven for children 5 to 18 years of age who have been removed from their homes by Israel’s Welfare Department due to extreme traumatic circumstances such as family dysfunction or neglect, violence in the home or mental, physical and/or sexual abuse.
It is the only multi-disciplinary children’s home in Israel to offer a wide range of professional services on one site, such as psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, conventional and para-medical therapies and education.
Aside from providing a home with clean beds, love and care, The Neve Michael Children’s Village is also home to many
on-site facilities…
The Campus is a safe haven for so many children who cross the threshold and who have gone on to succeed in life. The Therapy Enrichment Center provides tailored programs to meet the individual needs of the children.
The doors to the 24-Hour Children’s Emergency Crisis Center opened in August 2000 with the assistance of the JDC, and recent much needed improvements through private donors including Beth Yeshua International.
Children from all over Israel, who need to be removed immediately from their home and surroundings, are referred to Neve Michael through the Welfare Department and arrive at the Emergency Crisis Center, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Despite major government budget cuts, Hava Levene, and the devoted Neve Michael team, works continuously to treat the children. These children are in constant need of professional therapy and diagnostic testing.
The objective is to help these children break the vicious cycle of distress. Each child responds differently to the various treatments available. Therefore, the support team members try to find the best way to reach into the children's souls.
Most children who arrive at the Emergency Crisis Center cannot return home. They are there through holidays and summer vacations. The Team at Neve Michael strives to make an immense difference in the lives of these children. They cannot change the hurtful past for these children. But, together, we can promise to give them a better future.
In April 1943 the first public religious institute for children from the age of 3-6 was founded at Bet Hayeled (A Child’s Home) in Pardes Hanna, Israel. The Children's home which later came to be known as Neve Michael Children's Home was founded by the Mizrachi Women’s Histadrut Federation of America and the local Hapoel Hamizrachi Operators Council.
Initially, the Home absorbed 25 children, among them: 10 children of Hagana recruits, 10 children from Teheran and 5 children who were separated from their families. The institute’s management group did not spare any efforts to create a safe haven for those first children who were brought through the gates.
Shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel, the Home was visited by Jakob Michael, a prominent Jewish industrialist and philanthropist. He and his wife Erna were enchanted with Beit Hayeled, its pastoral surroundings and mostly by the children who were growing up in a warm, loving and safe environment. They wouldn’t leave the premises without leaving a most generous gift, for which the Home was later named: the Neve Michael Children’s Home.
Now, many years later, the name is still appropriate, both in recognition of our kind benefactor, and with regard to the meanings of the Hebrew term “neve” – oasis, haven, and abode.
The first Director of Neve Michael was a Holocaust survivor named David Friedman who served the children's home for 36 years until he retired due to ill health. He was replaced in the role of Director by another gentleman who served Neve Michael for 32 years - also named David Friedman.
You can hear more of the touching story of Neve Michael's early years straight from Hava's own lips by watching the video below (from the 0:08 mark to the 7:38 mark).
Bill Forster, of The Forster Foundation, delights us with a candid retelling of how he and Rabbi Greg came to know each other and to work tirelessly for the children in a number of projects including Wheelchairs for Israel and iPads for Wheelchairs. Bill is also the President and National Director of Neve Michael Children's Village USA. You can listen to Bill retell the story on the video below from the 8:19 minute mark.
It was Chanukah 2003 when a much younger Rabbi Greg Hershberg received an answer to one of his deepest heart's longings. It came via an unusual meeting and involved a small bottle of homemade vinegar - and a whole lot of prayer.
Hear Rabbi Greg tell of this most unusual encounter in his own words in the video below (from the 22:22 minute mark). This is one story you won't want to miss!
You too can be part of the miracle that is Neve Michael. You may donate online to Neve Michael here. If you have any questions regarding their donation page, you need to contact them directly with your questions.
If you prefer, you may mail a check to:
Friends of Neve Michael Children’s Village, USA
P.O. Box 260067
Pembroke Pines, FL 33026
A Love Story
In April of 2018, when Rabbi Greg Hershberg led a Beth Yeshua International Pilgrimage to Israel, Neve Michael Children's Village honored him for his 15+ years of support. This is a video of that tribute of thanks.
And, we extend that warm and heart-felt Thank You to all of you who have supported Neve Michael over the years.
"Toda Raba"
Yokine, WA
Beth Yeshua Australia is shepherded by Steve "Arnie" Arnold and his wife Cindy Arnold. This fledgling fellowship was originally founded in 2011 on the Gold Coast of Queensland, but God had other plans. It wasn't long before God called them back to Perth to start a Messianic fellowship. For several years they led a small home-based group of Believers, but God had other plans.
In late November of 2017, just before Chanukah, Beth Yeshua Australia was blessed with a new home for its weekly Shabbat services - in the Jewish Community Centre in Yokine, Western Australia. This small but dedicated group is committed to touching hearts, and changing lives.
"Arnie" and Cindy Arnold (Congregational Leaders) are based in Butler - a small coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Beth Yeshua Australia comes together each Shabbat at 10am in the Main Hall of the Jewish Community Centre.
The Jewish Community Centre
61 Woodrow Avenue
Yokine, WA 6060
There is ample parking. Everyone is welcome and there are light refreshments and fellowship following the meeting.
In May/Jun 2017, Beth Yeshua International (BYI) in Macon, Georgia, was blessed to welcome three of its four congregational leaders. This video is a compilation of past visits, and their recent joint visit.
To paraphrase Arnie from the I am the Nations video (at about the 17:54 minute mark)
",,, That's all I wanted to do. We're small in Australia, but we're trying and we're sharing. Like Greg said, there's a need there for a legitimate Messianic congregation, and that's what I want to take back and build; to just take a little piece of this [of Beth Yeshua- Macon] and to build on it. It is such a privilege and an honour. And, it's so needed!"
(Please note: Mobile connections and slower internet connections may experience a delay in the video loading. Please be patient - it is worth the wait!)
CBY Australia is involved in reaching out to others with the love of Yeshua. Whether it's giving into the Jewish community through Menorah Charities, feeding the homeless through street ministry, or saving precious lives through the Pregnancy Problem House; getting involved is easy.
Donations can be sent directly to CBY Australia at their website. You can also learn more about this vibrant, exciting work down under!
Pulaski State Prison, Hawkinsville, GA
In 2009, God called me (Suzy Varner), to minister at Pulaski State Prison. I began as part of the ministry team to Disciplemakers, a large, well-established women’s Bible study. In less than a year, God called out two Messianic inmates, Rachel and TIP.
The three of us prayed fervently for six weeks that The Father would raise up a Messianic congregation at Pulaski, despite thinking that the chances were slim since our group was so small. Miraculously, without anyone saying a word to the Chaplain, she announced to me that we were going to begin a Messianic congregation at Pulaski. Our joy overflowed as we realized that God was birthing something amazing.
Rachel, TIP and I began meeting weekly in September 2010, and we spent about nine months in deep discipleship. I sensed that God wanted to strongly equip Rachel and TIP to minister and reach out to the inmates and staff at Pulaski. These two ladies began taking Rabbi’s messages to everyone who will listen in the prison, and continue to do so today.
As a result of the Ruach’s wooing, and Rachel and TIP’s efforts, 14 inmates joined us. Over the years of meeting every week, news of Rabbi Greg’s powerful teaching of God’s Word has spread and we are maxed out with women on the waiting list, waiting sometimes for years before they can get in. I see letters frequently from women begging to be included. There is an air of joyful expectancy when we meet, and these women are so grateful to be learning Truth and putting it into practice.
We currently have a team of 6 women who visit them and bring them God’s love and encouragement every week. It is so heartwarming to us to see the transformation God is making in their lives, raising them up to be God’s ambassadors to carry his Light into the darkness of the prison. They are God’s special treasures who are hungry and thirsty for a face-to-face relationship with their ABBA, and we would go to the ends of the earth to help them discover that their Father God adores them.
Shalom and blessings!
Suzy Varner, Coordinator
Pulaski State Prison Ministry
email: cby-pulaski@bethyeshua.com
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Id nostro insolens mei. Te soleat feugiat equidem vix, ea vel quaeque nusquam, maiorum complectitur eos ne! Populo mediocrem explicari no vel, eu has mundi doctus. Luptatum mandamus expetenda mel ad, cum dignissim gloriatur et. Vel an delicata aliquando liberavisse, et quot unum maluisset ius? Erat utinam ubique ius no, libris convenire no est. Vero summo pro ne, zril consulatu at sit, cu malorum epicurei salutatus mei.
Offendit invenire eam cu, ea iusto recusabo adipiscing pro. Corpora senserit vis an. Ad ancillae inimicus mediocritatem eam. Sed odio assum te, an vim alienum ocurreret, ut similique mediocritatem eam! Has no oratio debitis detracto. Dolorum democritum usu in, his ei omnes volutpat incorrupte, oblique eripuit per no.