Update on Ami
Dear Friends and Partners,
We would like to thank you for your tremendous response to our alert on behalf of Ami Ortiz, dated March 9, 2009. Rev. El Shafie traveled to Israel last month where he had meetings with several senior officials in the Israeli Foreign Ministry about Ami’s case and presented them with the petition you signed. He also met with Ami and his family, who are very grateful for your support, and arranged for them to participate in one of the meetings as well. The Israeli officials promised to pursue this matter and to put pressure on the Interior Ministry and police to resolve the case and we have been advised that a meeting took place between them and Interior officials after we left.
Ami, as you recall, is a Messianic Jewish teenager who was critically injured last year by a bomb disguised as a Purim gift. Ami has made a miraculous recovery, but he will continue to live with the scars and other physical and psychological effects of this horrific crime for the rest of his life. Yet even while most Israelis readily condemn the attack as a hate-crime, authorities have been slow to follow up on strong evidence pointing to the responsibility of radical ultra-Orthodox groups.
Israeli law guarantees freedom of religion and Israelis in general are content to treat their neighbours’ religious beliefs as a private matter. Nevertheless, Messianic Jews have expressed concern recently over increasing pressure and harassment from a small segment of radical, ultra-Orthodox Jews who see them as a threat and are responding with hatred born out of fear. Because we love Israel and the Jewish people, we must continue to speak the truth about this matter to those in positions of authority. If Israeli authorities turn a blind eye in Ami’s case, those responsible will feel they can continue to harass Messianic Jews freely and the impact will be felt by all Jews who do not choose to follow the doctrines of the radical ultra-Orthodox.
Rev. El Shafie will be returning to Israel in June to follow up on this case and keep pushing for a positive resolution. We will keep the petition online until next Purim or until appropriate action is taken by Israeli authorities before then to bring those responsible for the attack on Ami to justice so please continue to share it with your friends, churches, prayer and bible study groups, and synagogues.
Please continue to pray:
• that Ami would maintain his miraculous recovery, that he would be filled with love and forgiveness for those who have hurt him, and that what the enemy has meant for evil, God would turn around for good and use it to reveal His glory;
• that those responsible for this attack would recognize the evil of their actions and experience the love and forgiveness of God and His peace which passes understanding; and,
• that the Israeli government would move without further delay to bring those responsible to justice and ensure that the right of all Israeli Jews to believe and worship in accordance with their conscience is respected.
ACTION:
The Bible teaches that faith without action is dead, so if you haven’t already done so, please take action and write (contact details are included below):
• a note of encouragement to Ami, c/o One Free World International at info@onefreeworldinternational.org or by mail at 20 Bloor Street East, Box 75129, Toronto, ON, M4W 3T3;
• sign our petition online at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JusticeforAmi/ and make sure to forward the petition to your friends, churches, prayer-groups, synagogues, and co-workers so that we can get as many signatures as possible and show our support for Ami and the Messianic community in Israel; and,
• write to the Israeli ambassador to your country, assuring them of your love and support for Israel and urging the government to take appropriate and effective action in Ami’s case immediately.
Please remember to send us a copy of your correspondence at: info@onefreeworldinternational.org
Remember, that the persecuted Christians are dying every day, but they are still smiling. They are in a very deep dark night, but they have the candle of the Lord. The enemy can have a very strong weapon and a very strong army, but we have the Lord Almighty.
"They can kill the dreamer, but they cannot kill the dream" in the Lord’s name.
Be with God and may God be with you.
One Free World International El Shafie Ministries