Speaking with Don Horwitz

The Executive Director of Christians Care International, Don Horwitz, speaks with PneumaReview.com about anti-Semitism, the relationship between the Church and Judaism, and his own journey to help the vulnerable and abused in the former Soviet Union.

 

PneumaReview.com: Please tell us a little about yourself, your religious background, family, and your involvement with Christians Care International.

Don Horwitz: As the grandson of Russian Jewish immigrants who fled for their lives from Ukraine in 1917, I have always maintained a strong connection with my family’s heritage. Many of my family members were lost, or survived the concentration camps of the Holocaust. During repeated visits to Russia and Ukraine, I witnessed the horrific humanitarian crisis that was taking place in the former Soviet Union. People of all ages, including orphans and the elderly, were suffering from neglect and abuse, with no hope for a healthy future.

After much thought and prayer, I decided to act by adopting my three daughters from an orphanage in Irkutsk, Russia in 1997. All three of my girls suffered from deep psychological scars resulting from years of severe abuse and maltreatment.

Here in the U.S., I was able to get help for my daughters, but I was deeply troubled about the thousands of children left behind, trapped in cold, heartless orphanages in the former Soviet Union.

I decided to create a charity in Moscow to help children aging out of orphanages acquire therapeutic services, independent living skills and job training so that could move forward with their lives. With a professional background in film, I also began producing a series of films and TV programs for Phil Hunter, the founder of Christians Care International, formerly known as 49:22TRUST, about the suffering of Jews in the former Soviet Union. This was my first exposure to the work of Christians Care International.

 

PneumaReview.com: How did you, as a Jewish man, come to lead a Christian ministry, Christians Care International?

Don Horwitz: A Christian man, Phil Hunter taught me more about Judaism than I had learned from my own family. Phil became a father figure in my life and I worked with him for several years making films before he became terminally ill. After Phil passed away, his family asked me to take his place in leading Christians Care International.

Before saying “yes,” my first reaction was, “How can a Jew run a Christian ministry?” After many hours of prayer, I realized that it would be a unique opportunity to strengthen the relationship between Christians and Jews, and that as a Jew, I would be able to open new doors for the ministry within Israel and the Jewish communities the organization serves.

Today, Christians Care International has greatly expanded its operations to assist the impoverished Jews of the former Soviet Union. We are the only Christian organization operating in Ukraine that provides direct support services to Jewish children and adults. We have more than 1,700 Jewish orphans and underprivileged children in our care and have helped more than 87,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union make aliyah to Israel. Our senior programs provide daily meals, health care and stimulating activities to hundreds of elderly Jews and Holocaust survivors and our humanitarian aid program moves into action to provide life-saving food, medicine and assistance when lives are a stake.

I believe there are no coincidences in life. God led me to Christians Care International. Why else would a Jew be leading a Christian ministry?

PneumaReview.com: Describe for us what you see as the relationship between the Church and Judaism.

Don Horwitz: I see Christians and Jews as brothers and sisters – we are both part of God’s family. The Church, and Christians, are part of the house of Israel. This is something you see throughout Paul’s letters, that through believing in Jesus, the church has been “grafted in” (Romans 11:17) to the Jewish people, binding our destinies in the future and as co-heirs in God’s Kingdom.

While we should never diminish the very distinctive beliefs held by Christians and Jews, we must also remember that these beliefs are rooted in the same scriptures. We are both accountable to one another and share countless ethical concerns for others around the world.

So the relationship between the Jewish people and the Church should be characterized by mutual respect, mutual concern, dialogue and partnership when it comes to reflecting God’s presence to our world.

PneumaReview.com: What do you see as overt anti-Semitism? Is this on the rise around the world?

Don Horwitz: Anti-Semitism is rising around the world. Today in the U.S., we are seeing daily threats and vandalism against Jewish cemeteries, synagogues and community centers. In Europe, Jews are targeting and killed. In the former Soviet Union, anti-Semitism is engrained in the culture, and Jews remain prime scapegoats for the region’s troubles.

When I visit Christians Care International’s programs in the former Soviet Union, I see first-hand how anti-Semitism forces many Jews to hide their identity and heritage for fear of their lives. However, Jews are not alone in facing persecution; Christians are also being targeted and killed for their religious beliefs.

Christians and Jews must join hands now in support of each other. We must say, “No More!” to anti-Semitism and persecution.

By participating in the raising up of the Jewish people and the restoration of Israel, we are becoming the hands and feet of God. Israel is the very epicenter of God’s light and it is that light that will spread out to bring peace to all of humanity.

PneumaReview.com: How should Christian leaders respond to the ongoing problem of anti-Semitism?

Don Horwitz: Christian leaders have a very important responsibility because of the leadership role and example they set among their congregations. While unprecedented progress has been made over the past few decades in improving Jewish-Christian relations, there is no room for complacency. Anti-Semitism can grow out of negative portrayals of Jews, which at times can be very subtle, but dangerous nevertheless.

Church leaders must communicate that Christians must be advocates of justice around the world and support Israel’s right to exist as the Jewish homeland. They must remind the world of Israel’s sacred place among nations and defeat anti-Semitism wherever it exists.

I am personally grateful for the love, prayers and support that Christians around the world send to Israel and the Jewish people every day.