In an exclusive interview with the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, Avi M., a Jewish follower of Jesus who moved to Israel from Georgia and served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), tells us what life is like as a believer living in Israel and serving in the Israeli military. Avi served from 2022–2025 as a welder and metal worker stationed in Judea and Samaria, or the West Bank.
1. How long have you lived in Israel, and why did you make aliyah1?
I have been living in Israel since the summer of 2021. It all started with the COVID-19 pandemic, when my life was turned upside down in every way. The things I prioritized above God were taken away during that time; it showed me that I needed to put my identity in something eternal instead of temporal.
After this reframing of my identity, with my faith at the forefront, I began to feel a pull to Israel. I had never been there before, yet I felt a deep connection to the land as a Jewish believer. I had felt a desire to live in Israel since I was young. I felt the calling in conversations I had with others, in my prayer time, and I saw it in the Scriptures. So, I began saving my money and preparing myself spiritually and physically to make aliyah.
2. How long have you followed Yeshua (Jesus), and why?
I grew up in a Messianic Jewish family and attended a Messianic Jewish Congregation. I began to pursue God when I started Bar Mitzvah class at eleven years old. Through this class, I began to study the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and understand faith, Jewish and Gentile identity, and the history of Jewish people and the church.
The first time I felt the Holy Spirit was during my Bar Mitzvah. After I said the blessing of the tallit2 and brought it over my shoulders at the beginning of the service, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. Yeshua said he wished to gather His people under His wings as a mother hen does with her chicks (Matthew 23:37). On that day, I felt His wings.
3. What is your experience as a Messianic Jew living in Israel?
As a Messianic Jew in Israel, I do not experience any persecution. I have lived in the Old City of Jerusalem and in towns right outside Jerusalem. I attend congregations in Jerusalem and have never personally seen anything remotely close to persecution.
During my army service, I never had a negative experience sharing my faith. Of course, I had many disagreements, but they were never negative. One of my closest friends in the army was an Orthodox Jew. We had many discussions about Yeshua, and he only ever treated me as a brother. I also have had many interesting interactions with other believers in Israel.
The body of believers in Israel is very diverse; I have met Jewish believers in Jesus, Arab Orthodox Christians, Arabs in the Messianic community, Ethiopian Christians, and Christian tourists and volunteers. With that in mind, there are also many different types of churches and congregations. I have had the privilege of visiting many of them.
4. What are some positive examples of gospel conversations you were able to have with your fellow Jewish Israelis? Are Jewish Israelis open to the gospel?
I have shared my faith many times with Israelis, both secular and religious. They often vary in their responses, but all have been respectful. Some simply don’t care, some will argue against it, and some are truly interested and will ask many questions. I have met some who even say that they believe in Yeshua, but not as the Son of God.
I would say that most Israelis are interested in at least hearing the gospel because they have never actually heard it before. Of course, there are some who will be disrespectful and maybe even hateful. I personally have not yet met them, but I know they exist. I also know there are atheists in the United States who are averse to the gospel. In fact, I have had more negative experiences sharing the gospel in America than in Israel.
5. Do the laws in Israel protect freedom of religion and protect Christians?
Yes. There is freedom of religion in Israel; I can believe in whatever I want. There are some extreme right-wing religious Jewish parties in the government who would like to ban missionary efforts, but they have never succeeded.3 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said on X, “We will not advance any law against the Christian community.”4 Outside the Jewish community, the Christian community has been the number one supporter of the State of Israel. The Jewish community has no motive to repay that good with evil.
6. There are some popular podcasters in the United States who claim Israeli soldiers and settlers mistreat Arab Christians in the West Bank. What do you know about this situation, and what are your thoughts on it?
I have not heard or seen anything about IDF soldiers mistreating Arab Christians.5 I knew an Israeli man who was a combat soldier in the tank division. One of his jobs in the tank division was to ensure peace between the settlers and the Arabs in the West Bank— because there is small-scale fighting between the two groups.
As an IDF soldier, he actively protected Arabs as well as Jews. I also know IDF soldiers who were in Gaza and escorted Arab civilians to safe zones and protected them from Hamas who was attacking and trying to keep the Arab civilians in dangerous areas.
Another important misconception that needs to be addressed is the belief that the IDF is a monolith of Zionist Jews oppressing the minority groups of Israel. In reality, the ranks of the IDF are a very diverse composition of Jews (including Messianic Jews), Armenians, Circassians, Arab Christians, Arab Muslims, Druze, Filipino immigrants, Bedouins, and even non-Jewish foreign Christian volunteers. Some of my own commanders were Druze, and I had many friends from among these different backgrounds serving with me.
Regarding Christian YouTubers and podcasters that cite the decline of Arab Christian populations in Israel as a sign of Israeli persecution, let’s take a moment and consider. If “the Jews” are persecuting Arab Christians, then we should see areas that were historically Christian become more Jewish. But what we really see is Arab populations that were once majority Christian becoming majority Muslim.6
For example, Bethlehem in the 1950s was around 85 percent Christian, and now Bethlehem is 85 percent Muslim. Nazareth was also once majority Christian and is now majority Muslim. This hasn’t happened in isolation. Christians around the Middle East are consistently oppressed by Muslims. Even Lebanon was roughly 54 percent Christian in the 1950s and is now around 36 percent Christian. If a Christian truly cares for his or her brothers and sisters in Christ, then he should be spreading awareness about Muslim oppression against Christians.
7. Can you share a little bit about your service in the IDF and the ethics in which soldiers are trained? What are the disciplinary measures that are taken if an officer is found to have mistreated someone?
In my own service, I was a welder and metal worker stationed in the West Bank. My unit collaborated with many other units in the West Bank. After I completed my standard service of two years, I continued to serve actively in the reserves during the Swords of Iron War7 as a sergeant first class.
In the IDF, we are trained to preserve life as much as we can. For example, if during guard duty an unknown figure approaches, we are taught to give verbal warnings in both Hebrew and Arabic. Then we are to give a warning shot, and only if our lives are in direct threat may we engage with lethal force. If a soldier is suspected of committing a crime or mistreating someone, he or she faces disciplinary court where he or she will face legal prosecution if found guilty.
8. Many people have seen the videos of some ultra-Orthodox Jewish people in Jerusalem spitting upon Christians. What are your thoughts on this?
I have personally never witnessed a Jewish person spitting on a Christian. I have only seen videos. I was very disgusted and ashamed when I saw them. I can only say that this is very rare, and the vast majority of Jewish people would never do such a thing. The handful of people guilty of this would be condemned by virtually every Jewish person.
9. Do you have any other thoughts you want to share with our audience?
If there is anyone reading who is suspicious of how Christians are treated in Israel, then please come visit! Experience Israel as a Christian yourself!
Jennifer Miles is the director of communications for the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem and a staff apologist for Chosen People Ministries. She earned her master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stockton University. She is passionate about sharing biblical truth about Israel and the Jewish people and reaching God’s chosen people with the good news of their Messiah.
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1 Aliyah is the Hebrew word for “ascent” or “going up.” It refers to when Jewish people immigrate to Israel.
2 A Jewish prayer shawl
3 There is a “Missionary Law” in Israel that outlines two restrictions on proselytization: (1) One cannot proselytize for material benefit, and (2) one cannot proselytize minors. See here.
4 See his post on X from March 22, 2023, here.
5 Arab Christians constitute about one percent of the West Bank. “Why the Christian Population in the West Bank is Dwindling,” The Philos Project, January 21, 2025, https://philosproject.org/why-the-christian-population-in-the-west-bank-is-dwindling/.
6 “Why the Christian Population in the West Bank is Dwindling,” The Philos Project, January 21, 2025, https://philosproject.org/why-the-christian-population-in-the-west-bank-is-dwindling/.
7 The Israel-Hamas War following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
