‘If You Bless Israel, It Will Be Reciprocal’
With approximately 175 Messianic congregations now present, the Good News of Jesus Christ is being preached in Israel with a fervor never seen before. The stark reality, however is that only 15,000 Messianic Jews, or a miniscule 0.19 percent, make up the population of the Holy Land.
But Daniel and D’vorah Calic say that doesn’t mean the impact of Messianic Jews in Israel is insignificant. Quite the contrary.
Messianic believers residing in Israel, the Calics say they have been called by God to raise up a television network devoted to Jewish-believing congregations in the Holy Land. Their vision—the Bless Israel Network—is to broadcast programming that will inform believers worldwide about the diligent kingdom work Messianics are doing in Israel. In turn, they hope the programming will touch hearts and bring support for those congregations.
As little as 5 to 10 years ago, D’vorach Calic said, Messianic Jews in Israel were frowned upon by the majority of Israeli society. Slowly, however, they are beginning to gain acceptance there.
“Since 1967 (the Six-Day War when Jerusalem was reunited), I believe the most important thing that has happened in Israel is the establishment of 175 or so Messianic congregations,” she said. “The Lord is doing great work.
“We believe the number of Messianic Jews in Israel could be higher, but there are some who have come out of traditional Orthodox Judaism that may be keeping it a secret because they fear ex-communication or getting kicked out of their communities. The secular Israeli population, however, is changing its views and they are realizing the great humanitarian work these Messianic Jews are doing.”
The Bless Israel Network, an idea birthed by the Calics and Messianic Media co-founder Ron Arnow in 2013, is groundbreaking in that it will provide a dedicated TV platform for Jewish believers in Israel to share what God has put on their hearts about building the kingdom inside Israel.
The ideal for the network is based on Genesis 12:3, which says, “I will bless those who bless you … .” While some Messianic congregations are blessed with strong financial resources, Daniel Calic said most are not and community outreach is difficult for those with limitations.
“Like the Word says, if you bless Israel, there will be a reciprocal blessing that will come back to you,” Calic said. “It will help you do something that hasn’t been done. Only a handful of Messianic congregations in Israel have enough resources where their leadership is able to travel outside of Israel and develop relationships with Christians. About 90 percent do not have the wherewithal. We want to help bridge the gap across the oceans and miles to bring the Jew and Gentile together.
Calic said many Christian supporters of Israel focus their attention on Orthodox Jewish organizations, which he says is a fine thing. But if they knew of the work being done by Messianic congregations in Israel, they might spread their resources among those in the faith community as well.
“Right now, Messianics don’t have a voice like this,” Daniel Calic said. “One issue is that when the overwhelming majority of Christian leaders come to Israel, they scoot right by the Messianic body to the pre-believing traditional Jewish organizations. Notice I said pre-believing; I didn’t say lost or unsaved. That’s because they are going to believe, and with our prayers, that will happen quicker. When they come, Christian pastors are not going to their bretheren in faith and breaking bread and blessing them, and we think that’s wrong. Bless Israel Network is designed to give Jewish believers in Israel a venue so that their voice can be heard.”
What will make Bless Israel Network unique is that the programming for their first TV program, Revelation to the Nations, will be filmed entirely in Israel. The post-production work will be done in the United States.
The Calics are traveling around the U.S. and to other countries to speak to Messianic and Christian congregations and organizations about the potential impact of the Bless Israel Network, and the costs involved both financially and personally. They are fully aware that this type of ministry is expensive and that many roadblocks and challenges lie ahead.
“We put our pathway in the hands of God,” Daniel Calic says. “This is a huge undertaking, and television is a crazy business. We don’t want to do things the world’s way; we want to do it the way God wants us to do it. That’s why we need prayers and support.”
The Calics already have secured commitments from two outlets—one the most unlikely of sources—to broadcast Revelation to the Nations and the Bless Israel Network to a great mass of people. A representative of Almavision (Soul Vision) Hispanic Network, based in Los Angeles and Miami that broadcasts Christian programming in markets throughout the U.S., Central and South America via the Dish Network on satellite TV, met with the Calics and enthusiastically agreed to carry their programming.
The Gospel Channel, which broadcasts Christian programming from ministers like Billy Graham, Ron Phillips, Creflo Dollar, Joni Eareckson Tada, Dr. Morris Cerrullo, Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn throughout mainly pro-Palestinian Scandinavia and select parts of Europe, has also agreed to air the Bless Israel Network when it is launched.
“We have a few others who have voiced interest, including from a gentleman we met at a conference of Messianic leaders in Phoenix who owns a satellite network in the U.K and Africa,” Daniel Calic said. “He told us that as soon as Bless Israel is available, he wants it The real motivation behind what we’re doing is that we want to show people about the exciting things happening in Israel—the current events that are coincide with prophecy. We want to share Messianic teaching and highlight Jewish believers in Israel. We believe this is our calling.”
Eventually, the Calics hope to launch a full-fledged Messianic Jewish network, with more and more focus put on the teaching of our Jewish roots. They also plan to include children’s programming and some Christian shows as well.
