Jews For Jesus Timeline
If you view the timeline of the Jews for Jesus ministry, you'll notice that in the 1970s, Jews for Jesus opened several branches in the United States. We also began our first secular media outreach with a full-page ad in the New York Times in 1976, started publishing ISSUES as an evangelistic publication for Jewish people, and conducted exploratory witnessing expeditions to Israel and Northern Ireland.
In the 1980s, we grew with the establishment of international branches in cities such as Toronto and Johannesburg. In this decade we also instituted a Masters in Jewish Missions Program in conjunction with an evangelical seminary. Placing a value on missionary education, we required any of our missionary staff without a higher degree to go through this program.
The 1990s saw the founding of our work in the former Soviet Union, which within the space of seven years became fully indigenized, headed and staffed by Russian and Ukrainian Jewish believers in Jesus. Additional international branches established included London, Paris, Sydney, and Tel Aviv. In May of 1996, David Brickner (a fifth-generation Jewish believer in Jesus) was appointed executive director, having served in various leadership positions throughout his first 17 years with the ministry.
Now as a new millennium has begun, our Israel branch has received "amutah," or official status. We have developed a video department to produce new materials, opened branches in Rio de Janeiro and Essen, Germany, and completed our "Behold Your God" outreach to the 55 cities worldwide that have 25,000 or more Jewish people.
1960s |
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| Late 1960s | The Jesus Movement in full swing and many Jewish young people are coming to believe in Jesus. |
| 1969 | Moishe Rosen, veteran missionary, develops broadside-style gospel tracts in New York City. |
1970s |
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| Summer, 1970 | Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews has Jewish executive, Sid Lawrence, speak. He tells the mission leaders they are ineffective. Moishe Rosen moves to San Francisco to be part of the Jesus movement to minister to young Jewish believers in Jesus. |
| 1971 | Jews for Jesus Presentation Group is formed (later named the Liberated Wailing Wall). |
| 1972 | New Jerusalem Players drama team is formed. |
| June, 1972 | The slogan, "Jews for Jesus" is picked up by the national media. Jews for Jesus film with Les Crane airs on network TV. |
| August, 1972 | Moishe speaks at Jesus Joy Rally at Madison Square Garden. |
| January, 1973 | Volunteers at Jews for Jesus covenant to stay together for 18 months. |
| Summer, 1973 | Liberated Wailing Wall goes on first tour. |
| September, 1973 | Jews for Jesus is incorporated as Hineni Ministries. The staff consists of a mobile singing group, the executive director and his secretary. |
| Autumn, 1973 | First Liberated Wailing Wall album, Hineni, is produced. |
| 1974 | Jews for Jesus book by Moishe Rosen & Bill Proctor is published. |
| June, 1974 | Jews for Jesus attends LCWE meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. |
| Summer, 1974 | First annual summer witnessing campaign in New York City. |
| Autumn, 1974 | Los Angeles branch established. |
| Autumn, 1974 | Approved student program instituted. |
| January, 1975 | New Jerusalem Players go on first tour. |
| January, 1975 | Move headquarters from Corte Madera to San Rafael, California. |
| January, 1975 | First weekly staff report. |
| Spring, 1975 | First Israel Witnessing Expedition. |
| June, 1975 | Jews for Jesus Council formed. |
| August, 1975 | New York branch established. |
| Autumn, 1975 | Israelight singing group formed. |
| Autumn, 1975 | First Jews for Jesus Ingathering. |
| 1976 | ISSUES publication begun. |
| Early 1976 | Chicago branch established. Boston branch established. |
| April, 1976 | First Northern Ireland Witnessing Campaign. |
| June, 1976 | First full-page evangelistic ad in secular paper (New York Times). |
| Summer, 1977 | Miami branch established. |
| February, 1978 | Jews for Jesus Headquarters moves to San Francisco. |
| September, 1978 | Washington, D.C. outpost established. |
| September, 1979 - June, 1980 | Avodah Retraining Year for the missionary staff. Temporarily shut down all branches. |
1980s |
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| Summer, 1980 | First Liberated Wailing Wall traveling bus purchased. |
| August, 1980 | Re-opened branches in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. |
| August, 1981 | Toronto branch established. First world tour of the Liberated Wailing Wall. |
| December, 1981 | San Francisco branch re-established. |
| Spring, 1982 | Co-Laborer in Messiah program instituted. |
| Summer, 1982 | Probe Witnessing Campaign in England. |
| December, 1982 | Y'shua Secular Media Ad Campaign initiated on a broad scale. |
| Summer, 1983 | Joint London witnessing campaign with other Jewish missions. |
| September, 1983 | Boston branch re-opened. |
| Early 1984 | Purchased New York building. Joint World Tour—New Jerusalem Players and Liberated Wailing Wall. |
| Summer, 1984 | Jews for Jesus Summer Olympics Campaign in Los Angeles. |
| 1985 | Still Not Ashamed documentary film released. |
| Spring, 1985 | Mishpochah Message started (now Havurah). |
| May, 1985 | First academic study program abroad (Israel '85). |
| Summer, 1985 | Project Nehemiah initiated. |
| 1986 | Shalom Hospitality House opened. |
| Summer, 1986 | Jesus for Jews book published (now called, Testimonies). |
| September, 1987 | Jews for Jesus wins U.S. Supreme Court decision re: broadsiding at Los Angeles International Airport. |
| Summer, 1988 | Institution of Masters in Jewish Missions program at Fuller Seminary. |
| Winter, 1988 | Washington D.C. branch established. |
| April, 1989 | Willowbank Declaration on the Christian Gospel & the Jewish People adopted. |
| August, 1989 | Merge with Hope of Israel of South Africa. |
| November, 1989 | Johannesburg, South Africa branch established. |
| December, 1989 | First Project Joshua, Jewish believing college student trip to Israel. |
1990s |
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| March, 1990 | Argentina work established. |
| October, 1990 | Israel Witnessing Campaign. |
| November, 1990 | Re-opened South Florida branch. |
| Winter, 1990 | Dallas chapter established. |
| Summer, 1991 | First Camp Gilgal on East & West Coast of U.S. |
| August, 1991 | Retraining Week of Missionary Staff Worldwide at Asilomar. |
| September, 1991 | Odessa, Ukraine branch established. |
| January, 1992 | London branch established. |
| January, 1992 | Establishment of Purple Pomegranate Productions. |
| April, 1992 | Paris branch established. |
| August, 1992 | Thousand Tongues Witnessing Campaign - London and Amsterdam. |
| September, 1992 | School of the Prophets - Odessa, Ukraine. |
| January, 1993 | Moscow branch opened. |
| March, 1993 | Theological Consultation on Theology & Law. |
| August, 1993 | conducted our first street witnessing campaign in Moscow |
| December, 1993 | Second Asilomar Missionary Retraining. |
| December, 1993 | Liberated Wailing Wall at Urbana. |
| May, 1994 | Israel Worker established. |
| Summer, 1994 | Paris, Toronto, New York & Moscow witnessing campaigns. |
| September, 1994 | Moved into our own facility in Westwood, California. |
| December, 1994 | First Project Caleb - Israel Teen Program. |
| March, 1995 | Jews for Jesus Website launched. |
| April, 1995 - June, 1995 | Liberated Wailing Wall World Tour. |
| Summer, 1995 | Paris, Moscow, New York campaigns. |
| May, 1996 | David Brickner elected Executive Director. |
| Summer, 1996 | New York, Toronto, London Campaigns. |
| Spring, 1997 | Jewish Doctors Meet the Great Physician book published. |
| Summer, 1997 | Paris, New York, Moscow Campaigns. |
| January, 1998 | Argentina branch closed. |
| February, 1998 | Witnessing to Jews book published. |
| Spring, 1998 | Kharkov branch established. |
| Spring, 1998 | Kiev branch established. |
| April, 1998 | Multi-Media/Video department of Jews for Jesus established. |
| April, 1998 | Juden für Jesus/Deutschland established. |
| June - October 1998 | Decapolis -- ten plus 1 campaigns conducted throughout Ukraine and Russian. |
| Autumn, 1998 | Sydney branch established. |
| Autumn, 1998 | Dnepropetrovsk branch established. |
| Autumn, 1998 | Messiah's Shofar music team (Ukraine) evangelizes in Germany. |
| December, 1998 | Purchase of residence buildings in New York. |
| December, 1998 | Walk With Y'shua, first children's book, published. |
| Spring, 1999 | Jewish Evangelism Seminar video produced. |
| Spring, 1999 | Skokie, Illinois property purchased. |
| May, 1999 | First Israeli-born staff trained and deployed to Israel. |
| July, 1999 | Future Hope book published. |
2000s |
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| January, 2000 | David Brickner on Larry King Live. |
| March, 2000 | Following Y'shua discipleship manual published. |
| May, 2000 | French testimonies booklet. |
| June, 2000 | First Ethiopian staff trained. |
| July, 2000 | Not Ashamed book by Ruth Tucker published. |
| July, 2000 | Amutah granted to Jews for Jesus in Israel. |
| September, 2000 | Essen, Germany branch established. |
| September, 2000 | Sam Rotman evangelistic video produced. |
| November, 2000 | Street Evangelism Techniques CD-ROM produced. |
| December, 2000 | Millennial Convocation held to kick off Behold Your God five-year effort. |
| April, 2001 | Survivor Stories video produced. |
| April, 2001 | First Behold Your God Campaign in San Francisco. |
| July, 2001 | Last Jew of Rotterdam book published. |
| April, 2002 | Evangelistic CD-ROM "CD-ROM-A-RAMA" produced. |
| April, 2002 | Rio de Janeiro branch established. |
| July, 2002 | Between Two Fathers book published. |
| September, 2002 | Boston branch re-opened. |
| September, 2002 | First Spanish campaign, Mexico City. |
| March, 2003 | "For Jews for Jesus" web site launched. |
| July, 2003 | Behold Your God CD released |
| July, 2003 | Jews for Jesus RealTime (monthly e-letter) launched |
| January, 2004 | Behold Your God five-year outreach reaches the halfway point. |
| May, 2004 | CIP video/dvd released |
| June, 2004 | Forbidden Peace DVD/video is released. |
| August, 2005 | The Messianic Movement: A Field Guide for Evangelical Christians published |
| August, 2005 | Montreal outpost opens |
| May, 2006 | Thirty new broadsides written for summer campaign |
| May, 2006 | Mass mailing of Yiddish versions of the Jesus film sent to 20,000 Hasidim in New York |
| May, 2006 | "Days of Moshiach" website launched in Hebrew, English and Yiddish |
| May, 2006 | A Rose from the Ashes book published |
| June, 2006 | The Gospel in the Feast of Tabernacles book published |
| July, 2006 | Behold Your God concluded with grand finale in New York/New Jersey: 9 simultaneous campaigns for each significant Jewish community including Russian speaking Jews, Israelis and Hasidim. |
| August, 2006 | Miami outpost opens |
| August, 2006 | Phoenix outpost opens |
| September, 2006 | Leadership of Israel work transferred to an Israeli-born Jew for Jesus |
| September, 2006 | Launched JFJ YouTube page |
| December, 2006 | First ever phoning campaign conducted in the Greater Tel Aviv area |
| January, 2007 | Brooklyn Branch opens |
| January, 2007 | Indigenous leadership put into place in Essen, Germany |
| February, 2007 | Jews for Jesus Family Haggadah published |
| April, 2007 | One week probe street campaign conducted in Tel Aviv |
| May–August, 2007 | first Massah (short term outreach to Israelis in Israel, India and other trekker locales for Israelis) |
| November, 2007 | Launched JFJ Facebook page |
| May, 2008 | Gush Dan campaign—first Behold Your God (BYG) Israel evangelistic campaign |
| August, 2008 | Launched MessianicRX website |
| September-October, 2008 | Upper Galilee BYG Israel campaign |
| October, 2008 | Launched Jewish-Gentiles couples website |
| November, 2008 | The 23rd Psalm for the 21st Century book published |
| November, 2008 | Jazzed for Jesus: Two Jews Meet Their Messiah booklet published |
| 2008-2009 | Produced 26 new broadsides |
| April-May, 2009 | Shephelah and Lower Galilee BYG Israel campaign |
| August-December, 2009 | Massah mobile outreach (extended time in various countries) |
| September, 2009 | God, Torah, Messiah: The Messianic Jewish Theology of Dr. Louis Goldberg book published |
| September-October, 2009 | Jezreel Valley BYG Israel campaign |
| October, 2009 | Launched Kosher Joe website |
| November, 2009 | Praise and Glory: The Songs of Jews for Jesus CD released |
| December, 2009 | Jews and the Gospel at the End of History: A Tribute to Moishe Rosen book published |
2010s |
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| 2010-2011 | Produced 30 new broadsides |
| January, 2010 | Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 5 book published |
| January, 2010 | Comfortably Jewish book published |
| March, 2010 | You are Home CD released |
| April, 2010 | Boston branch closed |
| April, 2010 | The Liberated Wailing Wall finished its final tour |
| May-June, 2010 | Sharon BYG Israel campaign |
| May, 2010 | Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus, dies at age 78 |
| May, 2010 | Established Moishe Rosen tribute page on the including streaming video of memorial service |
| June, 2010 | Stories of Jews for Jesus book published |
| June, 2010 | Blue Mosaic, new mobile evangelistic team, launched |
| June-July, 2010 | Jews for Jesus Light to the Nations Campaign in Essen, Dusseldorf and Bochum, Germany |
| July, 2010 | Jews for Jesus World Cup Campaign in South Africa |
| August, 2010 | Geneva, Switzerland, outpost established |
| August, 2010 | Web Department releases "Witnessing to Jews" mobile app |
| August-September, 2010 | North Shore BYG Israel Campaign |
| September, 2010 | Stories of Jews for Jesus book published |
| February, 2011 | Flowers of the Son DVD released |
| March, 2011 | U.S. Board of Directors dedicates Moishe Rosen Center in Israel |
| June, 2011 | South Florida branch reopens |
| July, 2011 | Jews for Jesus Light of the World Campaigns in Berlin and Frankfurt |
| July, 2011 | Minsk, Belarus, branch opens |
| August, 2011 | Long Island, New York, satellite office launched |
| September, 2011 | Budapest, Hungary, branch opens |
| September, 2011 | CADET, discipleship program for young Jewish believing artists, is launched |
| December, 2011 | Revive the Heart CD released |
| January, 2012 | CADET changes its name to Echad |
| January, 2012 | Matched by Messiah and Tackling Tradition booklets published |
| February, 2012 | Called to Controversy book published |
| February, 2012 | ISSUES and Havurah publications start their own Facebook pages |
| April, 2012 | Awakening DVD released |
| April-May, 2012 | Lower Galilee BYG Israel Campaign |
| June, 2012 | Haifa, Israel, branch opens |
| June, 2012 | Jews for Jesus Warsaw, Poland, evangelistic campaign |
| July-August, 2012 | Jews for Jesus Summer Olympics Campaign in London |
| August-September, 2012 | Jews for Jesus Budapest, Hungary, evangelistic campaign |
| August-October 2012 | South America Massah |
