• Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
    • Prayer Request
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Bulgarian-Translation
    • Chinese-Translation
    • Dutch-Translation
    • French-Translation
    • German-Translation
    • Hebrew-Translation
    • Italian-Translation
    • Portuguese-Translation
    • Russian-Translation
    • Spanish-Translation
    • Turkish-Translation
  • Are You Ready?
    • READY OR NOT...
    • The Rapture
    • The Good News!
    • For Our Muslim Friends
    • 22 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled From the Tanakh
    • Take the Quiz: Tanakh or Brit Hachadasha
    • Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
    • Jesus Is Not The Messiah
  • Interviews
    • MONSTER MIRROR Book
    • My Life Story Video - "In His Own Words"
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
  • Journal
    • 2025 >
      • January 2025
      • February 2025
      • March 2025
      • April 2025
      • *May 2025
    • 2024 >
      • January 2024
      • February 2024
      • March 2024
      • April 2024
      • May 2024
      • June 2024
      • July 2024
      • August 2024
      • September 2024
      • October 2024
      • November 2024
      • December 2024
    • 2023 >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
      • April 2023
      • May 2023
      • June 2023
      • July 2023
      • August 2023
      • September 2023
      • October 2023
      • November 2023
      • December 2023
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017-2005
    • 2004-2003
  • Updates
  • Where is David Berkowitz Now?
  • David Berkowitz's Life in Prison
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • For Parents, Teens, and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • Stopping Teen Violence
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • Psychics, Mediums, & Yoga
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Satan's Bible
    • Famous Atheists' Last Words
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • A Satanist Has a Vision
    • Co-founder of Satanic Church...
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • Just Released Ministries
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Inspirational Testimonies
  • Son of Hope Gospel Tracts
  • Ministry Tools
  • Friends
  • Contact
  • Welcome
    • Purpose
    • Statement of Faith
    • Prayer Request
  • My Apology
  • TESTIMONY
    • English
    • Bulgarian-Translation
    • Chinese-Translation
    • Dutch-Translation
    • French-Translation
    • German-Translation
    • Hebrew-Translation
    • Italian-Translation
    • Portuguese-Translation
    • Russian-Translation
    • Spanish-Translation
    • Turkish-Translation
  • Are You Ready?
    • READY OR NOT...
    • The Rapture
    • The Good News!
    • For Our Muslim Friends
    • 22 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled From the Tanakh
    • Take the Quiz: Tanakh or Brit Hachadasha
    • Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
    • Jesus Is Not The Messiah
  • Interviews
    • MONSTER MIRROR Book
    • My Life Story Video - "In His Own Words"
    • Video Interviews
    • Written Interviews
  • Journal
    • 2025 >
      • January 2025
      • February 2025
      • March 2025
      • April 2025
      • *May 2025
    • 2024 >
      • January 2024
      • February 2024
      • March 2024
      • April 2024
      • May 2024
      • June 2024
      • July 2024
      • August 2024
      • September 2024
      • October 2024
      • November 2024
      • December 2024
    • 2023 >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
      • April 2023
      • May 2023
      • June 2023
      • July 2023
      • August 2023
      • September 2023
      • October 2023
      • November 2023
      • December 2023
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017-2005
    • 2004-2003
  • Updates
  • Where is David Berkowitz Now?
  • David Berkowitz's Life in Prison
  • Parole Hearing Transcript 2016
  • For Parents, Teens, and Students
    • General Advice for Parents
    • Advice For Troubled Teens
    • Stopping Teen Violence
    • School Projects
    • Jailhouse Interview
    • A Letter to David from Youth Minister Dan Bailey
    • Suicide is Everyone's Business
    • What is Prison All About?
  • Psychics, Mediums, & Yoga
  • For Satanists
    • A Letter to a Satanist
    • Satan's Bible
    • Famous Atheists' Last Words
    • Carl Sartor's Story
    • A Satanist Has a Vision
    • Co-founder of Satanic Church...
    • Jailhouse Interview
  • Just Released Ministries
  • A Letter to a Soldier
  • Insights and Miscellaneous
    • A Letter to North Shore Baptist Church
    • Jesus Christ, the True Treasure and Pearl of Great Price!
    • He Knows Your Name
  • Inspirational Testimonies
  • Son of Hope Gospel Tracts
  • Ministry Tools
  • Friends
  • Contact
AriseandShine.org

August 2003

A Devout Jew

8/12/2003

 
This morning, I had a very spiritually productive time of dialog and for sharing my faith...
I spent about forty minutes talking with Eleazar, a very religious orthodox Jewish man who's in his 50s. Eleazar asked me many questions about my belief in Jesus. He showed no hostility at all, but only an honest curiosity instead. 

I explained to him that, even though I believe in Jesus as the Messiah, I still consider myself to be Jewish. I told him that I have not changed my religion at all. I told Eleazar that Jesus was Jewish and that most of his early followers were Jews. Almost all the writers of the New Testament were Jews, too.
 
We talked about our backgrounds. He told me that he is from Columbia, a nation in South America. He and I are both the only children of our parents, although I have a half sister who I did not grow up with, but I did meet when I was in my early 20s.
 
After his parents died, Eleazar decided to come to the United States and start a new life. There were also no family members left with whom he was close, he said. But having left a small Jewish community in the capital city of Bogotá, he ended up getting into trouble with the law when he teamed up with some other Colombians who were selling drugs.
 
Eleazar has now been in prison for eight years. He recently attended a parole hearing, and he was granted parole provided that he accepts deportation back to Columbia. He knows, however, that because he no longer has any close relative in his home country, and because he is being deported, the authorities will be waiting for him. Eleazar opted to accept deportation, as it is basically his only chance to get released.
 
I believe, too, that had the parole board not had the option to kick Eleazar out of the country by granting him parole and thus paving the way for the Department of Immigration and Naturalization (INS) to get custody of him, Eleazar would have received the standard "two year hit" that almost all New York state prison inmates get at their first parole board appearance.
 
Eleazar, however, has something else that may be good for him. He has made friends with some influential rabbis within the large Jewish community that's in Sullivan County. And one of these rabbis, who comes to visit him about once per month, has begun the process of trying to get Eleazar deported to Israel, instead. Eleazar and I were talking about this at length. I concurred with him that this would be a good thing. As a Jew he can, with some outside help, make his pilgrimage to Israel and eventually become an Israeli citizen.
 
He was excited about this, and I told him that I will pray that this happens. For if Eleazar was made to return to Columbia, it could be disastrous. Since he has no family there and no job awaiting him in his country, and because the INS is sending him back for committing crimes while in the United States, in all frankness, the Columbian police could cause Eleazar to "disappear."
 
There is no longer any place for him in Columbian society. But if Eleazar goes to Israel, he can start a new life and get back on his feet again. For him, this would be a blessing from God.
 
D.B.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Author

    David Berkowitz
    Copyright © AriseandShine.org