Things usually slow down during the summer months in Israel, but the Bram Center for Messianic Jewish Learning has been keeping the pace up.
The Bram Center is named for Abram (Bram) Poljak, one of the founders of Messianic Judaism in the land of Israel. It’s a place in Jerusalem where people can gather to study, learn together, and share a sense of community under the name of Yeshua.
The Bram Center is at the heart of the First Fruits of Zion mission. We bring Messianic Jewish teaching to Christians and Jews. The Bram Center provides us with a place where Jews can learn about Yeshua and Gentile Christians can learn about Messianic Judaism.
This past month at the Bram Center we have hosted many tourist groups who have come to Israel. We have welcomed them to our center to hear about our work and the prophetic move of God through Messianic Judaism, both in Israel and around the world. The Bram Center gives them a chance to engage with the land and people of Israel. There were groups from China, the Netherlands, Peru, and the United States. We have connected with newcomers to Israel—Jewish individuals who arrive in the land to make aliyah—and have developed meaningful friendships.
Programming at the Bram Center includes lectures and classes on Messianic Judaism and Bible literacy. A few weeks ago we were proud to host Rebekah Haigh, a doctoral student on the subject of the Dead Sea Scrolls, who gave two lectures on ancient Jewish liturgy evaluating the types of prayers with which Yeshua and the apostles might have been familiar. You can read the paper Rebekah presented in the new issue of Messiah Journal (Issue 131).
Last month we hosted an excellent three-part series entitled “Halachah and the Sermon on the Mount” given by Messianic Jewish teacher Elazar Brandt. The series dealt with legal rulings, semi-cryptic scriptural allusions, and liturgical constructions within Yeshua’s most famous sermon.
In addition to classes and lectures, we also host community events. Last month we hosted a banquet for thirty Holocaust survivors from the former Soviet Union. It’s a blessing to partner with another Israeli ministry here that provides food, medications, and other needs to these people who have suffered so much.
The Bram Center also functions as a little synagogue. We have an ark, a bimah, and a Torah scroll. Once a month we host a Rosh Chodesh service. Messianic Israelis come together from different communities to participate. We enjoy welcoming the new month, praying, and singing the Hallel together. This month we will have the honor of hosting our first community bar mitzvah.
Thank you for supporting the ministry of First Fruits of Zion and making the work of the Bram Center in Jerusalem possible. If you are ever in Jerusalem, drop by and say hello.
Source: First Fruits of Zion
