Jews for Jesus

Avigail Avnery was born in Haifa, Israel.  Her father is an Iraqi Jew who spent most of his life in Israel.  Her mother is Finnish and had converted to Judaism as a young woman.  When Avigail was six years old, her family left Israel and moved to Finland.

Beginning Her Journey

Avigail’s family was relatively secular; they celebrated some of the Jewish holidays, but not all of them.  Sadly, Avigail’s parents divorced when she was a teenager.  Her father moved back to Israel, but Avigail remained in Finland with her mother, spending the summers with her father in Tel Aviv.  Avigail says:

“My parents’ divorce set me on a spiritual journey between the ages 15 -21 as I searched for love, peace and comfort.  I tried many things, from drugs to different philosophies in the New Age movement.”

From Desperation to A Decision

Avigail’s grandmother, with whom Avigail  went to live at age 17, was a Christian.  She often shared the Gospel with her granddaughter, but Avigail wasn’t ready to receive it yet.  Then, one day, that changed.

“I found an advertisement in newspaper about a prayer ministry. I was desperate and just looking for God, so I called.  The lady on the phone asked if she could pray over me and whether I wanted to commit my life to Jesus.  In that moment, when I prayed to receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and I knew that Jesus is real and true.  I wasn’t alone anymore.”

Spreading the News

After that, Avigail wasted no time sharing the good news of Y’shua (Jesus) with others.  In addition to completing her education in practical nursing, Avigail also found time to participate in many missions trips.

“In Finland, I was doing outreach trips to many different countries.  I began to feel that it was my calling to share the good news, and that it was what I wanted to do with my life. I also started to feel that God was calling me to come back to Israel.

I had always had a dream of living in Israel, but now I didn’t just want to live in Israel.  Now the Lord put a burden in my heart to go and evangelize my people.   After one mission trip to Israel, I decided to make “Aliyah” (immigrate to Israel).

Returning to the Land

Avigail left her nursing career in Finland, and moved back to the Land of her birth.  She started to do volunteer work with Jews for Jesus there.  As she began reaching out to the Jewish people all around her, Avigail says, “It became even clearer to me that the Lord was calling me to a full-time evangelistic ministry to my people.”

After participating in three evangelistic campaigns—two in Israel and one in New York, Avigail applied and was accepted as a missionary with Jews for Jesus. 

Coming Full Circle

Of her ministry in Israel, Avigail says:

“I visit with many people who are open to know about Y`shua.  I have met many Jewish- Finish couples  and Jewish- Gentiles couples, and have had the opportunity to tell them about Jesus.

When she’s not doing outreach or meeting with seekers and new believers, Avigail enjoys spending time outdoors, taking in all that Israel has to offer.  She swims, cycles, and does aerobics.  She also enjoys skiing and she is a learning to play guitar.

Avigal reflects on the journey that brought her full circle back to her homeland:

“I find it is a blessing that the Lord brought me back to the country where I was born to serve Him here. I want to share the truth with everyone here that Jesus is the Messiah—He saved my life!”

Avigail Avnery was born in Israel. Her father is Israeli and her mother is Finnish (converted to Judaism). Her parents divorced when she was young, and Avigail has lived most of her life in Finland. Avigail became a believer in Jesus in 2004.

Soon Avigail was sharing her faith with others and a few years ago, she felt God calling her to reach her Jewish people. She left Finland (where she was trained as a registered nurse) and moved to Israel. Avigail participated on two Behold Your God Israel campaigns and a New York City summer witnessing campaign before joining our staff. She nows serves as part of our Haifa branch. She is in the process of completing her missionary training with us in Israel.