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“God has not forgotten the Jewish people, and neither have we.”

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December 2018

CHARLES, WHERE IS YOUR SACRIFICE?

Seventy years ago, a young Jewish evangelist, still in his teens, broadcast his first radio message over
a small 250-watt Alabama radio station. Dubbed the “Christian Jew” by churches where he had given
his testimony, Charles Halff called his radio program The Christian Jew Hour. The timing of this young
man’s birth and the beginning of his ministry couldn’t have been more providential.

Charles Halff at the beginning of his ministry, ca. 1948.

Courtesy CJF archives ©

Charles was born to a prominent San Antonio Jewish family in 1929, only months before the Stock
Market Crash. Anti-Semitism quickly reared its ugly head (again) as the world blamed Jewish
businessmen, bankers, and Wall Street investors for the Great Depression that followed. Not long
after the crash of ’29—about the same time Charles was beginning school—Adolf Hitler was gain-
ing power in Germany and sowing the seeds of the Holocaust with the 1935 Nuremberg Laws and
Kristallnacht (1938). Jewish communities around the world were impacted by the news. Despite
being called “Christ killer” and “dirty Jew” by church-going playmates, Charles kept active in his syna-
gogue, even considering becoming a rabbi. However, as he grew into his teen years, Judaism left him
feeling empty and was unable to answer his deepest questions about life and God.
In 1943, Charles encountered door-to-door Bible distributor, Holman Cox, who gave him a Prophecy
New Testament. Charles was amazed by how many Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus
of Nazareth. His curiosity led to more conversations with Holman. They discussed sin and its pay-
ment, especially since the Temple no longer stood and animal sacrifices had ceased. “Jesus is the
sacrifice for my sin, Charles,” Holman told him one day. “Where is your sacrifice?”
 Eventually, after much thought and seeing the authenticity of Holman’s life (unlike the
coarse, unruly lives and vulgar language of his church-going friends in San Antonio),
Charles received Jesus as his Messiah. More details about Charles Halff’s journey to faith
and his life ministry are available on MessianicSpecialities.com in the book titled, What It
Costs a Jew to Become a Christian.
THE CHRISTIAN JEW HOUR
God not only saved Charles Halff, He called him to preach. Both caused some serious prob-
lems with his family. The Jewish people had suffered centuries of persecution and had just
seen millions more die in the Holocaust at the hands of those who professed to be Chris-
tians. So, when Charles revealed his new faith and calling to his family, it did not go well.
His mother disowned him and said she wished he had never been born; his father beat him,
had him arrested, and tried to have him committed as insane. But during this very difficult
time, God also sent believers into Charles’ life to encourage, mentor, and disciple him. The
best advice he received was from a seasoned Jewish evangelist who urged him constantly to
be a student of the Word.

Charles Halff’s father tried to have him committed as insane

after he announced that God had called him to preach the
Gospel. The doctor’s evaluation form noted the following: “Has
been much friction of patient with father over religion. . . .
[but] no evidence of mental disorder found” (emphasis added).
Ancestry.com ©

David Ben-Gurion (First Prime Minister of Israel) publicly

pronouncing the Declaration of the State of Israel, May 14
1948, Tel Aviv, Israel, beneath a large portrait of Theodor
Herzl, founder of modern political Zionism.
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs ©

Charles took that advice, and in 1948 as a 19-year-old, he began sharing the Word over the
radio airwaves. The establishment of The Christian Jew Hour corresponded with another
momentous happening that year—the miraculous rebirth of the nation of Israel. The
reestablishment of Israel in her ancient homeland sparked renewed worldwide interest in
biblical prophecy and the Messianic Jewish perspective of Scripture. As a result, the number
of stations carrying Charles’ broadcasts grew rapidly; he was also asked to speak in many
churches. Some, however, rejected his teaching, insisting that there could be no such thing
as a “Christian Jew;” there could be only one people of God—Christians, the Church! Charles
quickly realized that his mission would have to be two-fold—preaching the Gospel, and
showing the Church that God was not yet finished with the Jewish people.
The Christian Jew Hour grew exponentially until over 100 radio stations carried the pro-
gram and two major shortwave towers—HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, and Trans World Radio
in Monaco—broadcast our messages across half the world (including into Israel and
behind the Iron Curtain).
The rapid growth of the radio ministry necessitated a more formal organization. Charles
established The Christian Jew Hour ministry and opened an office in San Antonio. By the
mid-1950s, the expanding nature of the work prompted Charles to change the ministry’s
name to The Christian Jew Foundation. In addition to teaching on the radio and speaking at
conferences, Charles and his growing staff began writing and publishing books, pamphlets,
tracts, and a bimonthly newspaper known as The Message of the Christian Jew. The paper
included articles on doctrinal issues, reports from missionary teams (who had now joined
the effort), and current news from Israel and the Middle East.

During the next 30-40 years, many superb Bible teachers shared Dr. Halff’s microphone
and teaching ministry, among them men like Arnold Fruchtenbaum (Ariel Ministries), and
Woodrow Kroll, the third president (now retired) of Back to the Bible. Generous gifts from
supporters also allowed the still-growing ministry to purchase two badly needed office
buildings in San Antonio. Combined, the buildings at 611 and 605 Broadway provided more
than 16,000 square feet of space for offices, administrative staff, a recording studio, a mail-
room, and inventory storage.
CHRISTIAN JEW FOUNDATION BECOMES CJF MINISTRIES
In 1988, Charles Halff invited CJF’s Midwestern representative, Gary Hedrick, to become
president of the ministry. Within the next few years, CJF began hosting tours to Israel and
conducted evangelistic tours to Russia and Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet
Union. During those latter trips, the ministry distributed tens of thousands of Bibles and
evangelistic literature, sharing the Gospel with those spiritually starved people.

After Dr. Halff’s sudden passing in 2000, Dr. Gary Hedrick was asked to assume overall
leadership of the ministry; he also became The Christian Jew Foundation’s primary radio
broadcast voice. A few years later, the organization made one final name change, becom-
ing CJF Ministries in recognition of modern Jewish sensibilities surrounding the use of the
term “Jew.” The broadcasts and bimonthly newspaper also assumed the more modern and
descriptive name of Messianic Perspectives.
In 2003, the ministry added an online bookstore, Messianic Specialties, through which we
provide hundreds of quality books, recordings, pamphlets, tracts, and calendars to equip and
educate those interested in a Messianic Jewish perspective of Scripture and Jewish ministry.
THE MINISTRY TODAY
Today, we are on over 30 radio stations, and our presence on OnePlace.com allows us to be
heard by prospective millions more over the Internet. Many groups have enjoyed our tours
to Israel (with our teachings from a Messianic point of view), and our pastors’ conferences
in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Latvia, have helped us counter anti-
Semitism while educating nearly 2,000 local leaders about God’s ongoing plan for Israel and
the Jewish people. Redemption 2000 allows us to continue meeting humanitarian needs of
Jewish people in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Our missionaries are at work
in South America, England, Israel, and the former Soviet Union, while our North American
representatives speak in churches, evangelize on university campuses, teach Messianic
Bible studies, converse with shoppers and vendors at malls, lead and teach Messianic wor-
ship dance, engage university students through apologetics and debate, and celebrate the
Jewish biblical feasts.
Through our membership in the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE), we
also meet annually with other Jewish ministries, networking and exchanging ideas as we
fellowship together. And, within the last year, we have begun a venture known as Leading
Others. This program aims to develop the next generation of leaders within the Messianic
community. We mentor those interested in Jewish ministry while they are also serving in
Messianic Jewish congregations. After just one year, we have two full-time participants in
the program and one person working part-time. We pray that God will continue to prosper
this program as well as our other ministry endeavors.

Seventy years ago, a young Jewish man counted the cost of following Yeshua, and from his
one humble radio broadcast, began a ministry that became CJF Ministries today. Through-
out the past seventy years, despite the homegoing of our founder and several more of God’s
faithful workers, our mission has remained the same and has continued. Just as our founder
did beginning in 1948, CJF Ministries continues to preach the Gospel, lead the Jewish
people to their Messiah, and strive to correct the erroneous doctrine that says the Church
has replaced Israel in God’s plan. Friend, God is not finished with the Jewish people. And
that means, even seventy years later, our work is not finished either!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your faithful partnership over the years.
Because of you, many, many Jewish (and Gentile) persons have come to saving faith in
Yeshua, the promised Messiah of Israel. By God’s grace, may we continue to labor together
for the salvation of the Jewish people until that day when all Israel is saved!
May God be with you and bless you richly in the year to come.
Yours for the salvation of Israel,

Dr. Gary Hedrick

 December 2018

More Memories

In 2017, our pastors’ conference teaching

team began building bridges with the Jewish
community in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. Taken
atop the famous Menorah Center with Chief
Rabbi, Shmuel Kaminezky. Courtesy Rob Styler ©

This house served as the first headquarters for The

Christian Jew Hour. Courtesy CJF archives ©

We led a special tour of Israel for Belarus pastors in 2007.

R.A. Higbee ©

Refreshment area of “The Well,” a new young adult meet-

ing area at The Way Congregation (Kehilat HaDerech) in
Karmiel, Israel. Designed to be a social gathering spot for
all young Israelis and a place where, hopefully, many will
one day meet the Messiah. Courtesy Pastor Yossi O. ©

In a miraculous 2012 encounter, Dr. Hedrick

met 100-year-old Natale Filippovne, who came
to faith in Russia in the 1960s through our
TWR shortwave broadcasts. R.A. Higbee ©
611 and 605 Broadway, which remain our headquarters still today. Photos courtesy CJF archives. Courtesy CJF archives ©

In addition to 100 radio stations,

CJF broadcasted via HCJB in Quito,
Group photo taken after pastors’ conference at Irpin Biblical Ecuador, and Trans World Radio
Seminary in Ukraine 2014. R.A. Higbee © (TWR) from Monaco. Courtesy CJF archives ©

Redemption 2000 was able to help this badly-burned 12-year-old Ukrainian boy who lost a leg (and nearly his
life) after being struck by lightning. After medical treatment in the US, we were able to help Kostya and his
mother move to a more suitable apartment. We met up with them again in 2013 at our pastors’ conference in
Ukraine. At the time, Kostya was in college, studying accounting. R.A. Higbee © Courtesy Raymond Stewart