Dr. Finestone speaking at a church about 1945
The Chosen People | MAY 2019 3
As a Messianic Jew, I wondered if my relatives who lost their
lives in the midst of Nazi terror ever heard of God’s grace
through Jesus the Messiah—either before or during the days
of the Shoah (Holocaust).
Knowing the answer to this
question became somewhat of an
obsession for me over the years.
I began to wonder if there were
instances of God’s presence
during the Holocaust. As the
president of Chosen People
Ministries, with access to our
archives stretching back to 1894,
I knew that our Mission had a
significant ministry during those
desperate days.
I began looking through these
documents to try and discover
what transpired through our
ministries in Europe at that time.
I was astounded by what I found. I want to share these amazing
accounts of grace and mercy with you. There are so many stories
of how our ministry served Jewish people during the Holocaust.
The following pages contain some of the more poignant vignettes
we compiled for you to read and reflect upon.
But, there are more stories, so we compiled an entire booklet
that goes into more detail. You can order a copy of Never Again
by completing the enclosed card.
Chosen People Publications
The publications reflect the writings of Joseph Hoffman Cohn,
the son of our founder, Rabbi Leopold Cohn. Joseph became
the director of the Mission after the death of his father. The
reports are from before, during, and after the Holocaust
and are drawn from The Chosen People newsletter and The
Shepherd of Israel, an evangelistic publication.
If there was one outstanding lesson I gleaned from these
stories, it was simply this—the Lord uses tragedy to draw us to
Himself. The story of the Jewish people during the Holocaust
can be compared to the Book of Job. God created and chose
the Jewish people to be His light in a dark and broken
world. He made promises to our forefathers that He would
never allow His people to be destroyed (Jeremiah 31:31–37,
Romans 11:28–29). God confirmed His Word again through
the prophet Jeremiah: “‘If this fixed order departs from before
Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘then the offspring of Israel also will cease
from being a nation before Me forever’” (Jeremiah 31:36).
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob assured us that He
will be faithful to His promises.
Hitler murdered at least six million Jewish people, but never
completed the job he started, as God would not…and could
not…allow it!
God’s grace is sometimes hidden in the midst of life’s greatest
difficulties. Tragedy opens our eyes to His presence in ways that
good times never will. It is during the difficult times that we recognize
He is always present
and powerful, and that even
death and destruction cannot
keep us from Him. This
is why the Apostle Paul
writes so powerfully,
“For I am convinced
that neither death,
nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor
things present, nor
things to come, nor
powers, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other
created thing, will be
able to separate us from
the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Remembering the Holocaust
It is good to remember the Holocaust and evil intent Satan has
in mind for God’s ancient people. The Devil still wants to destroy
the Jewish people to prevent God’s promises from unfolding.
This should motivate us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to
remember His grace in the midst of life’s difficulties.
We must never lose hope as He is still Lord and in control,
even though humans and Satan himself are guiding humankind
on a path to total destruction.
In reading these stories, you might very well be brought to
tears. I was! I also hope you discover the Lord of all comfort
who will point your heart and soul to His goodness and the
salvation He brings through the death and resurrection of His
only begotten Son. If we learn one thing from the cross, it is
that great suffering leads to even greater glory.
God’s best for Israel and for the Jewish people is still ahead, as
Paul promised,
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of
this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own
estimation—that a partial hardening has happened
to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come
in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written.
(Romans 11:25–26)
I pray you will find the reports meaningful and that you will
oppose antisemitism whenever and wherever you see it!
Thanks again for your faithful prayers and generosity!
In His grace,
Mitch