Passover and Easter: A Divine Connection

 

The Christian Broadcast Network Israel asked me to write a booklet which they published last year on March 9, 2020. “Passover & Easter: A Divine Connection: Enriching your Easter Celebrations with Passover Parallels.” The text is below and I also created a Power Point. Easter and Passover Divine Connection 2019 Power Point .pptx I welcome you to share it in your celebrations and social media with attribution to Arlene Bridges Samuels, CBN ISRAEL Weekly Columnist and THE BLOGS, Times of Israel. www.ArleneBridgesSamuels.com And here's a song the Lord imparted to me in 1999, “Under Your Tallit.” https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvqwSKMJT7QcsQVt1N1yvo4npUV0  

Passover is celebrated March 27-April 4 and Easter celebrations on April 4, 2021.

 Judaism rocked the ancient cradle of Christianity two thousand years ago when God sent His beloved Son into our world as The Living Torah, The Living Word. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic announcements of the Older Testament, then Jewish scribes regaled His magnificent earthly life throughout the New Testament. Jesus fastened the Older and New Testaments into one story in the history of humankind. Passover is one of three primary Jewish festivals, the festival of freedom celebrating God’s deliverance of the Jewish slaves from Egypt. Passover is intimately connected with Holy Week, Jesus’ last days on earth. 

Born into a Jewish family and culture, Jesus lived His 33-year journey on earth fully engaged in the Jewish customs and religious observances of His day.  Today, many Christians are fascinated by the Jewish roots of Christianity and want to learn more. This discovery adds a rich dimension to our Christian faith. Passover’s freedom celebration vividly informs Easter’s solemn observance of Jesus’ sacrificial death. Then in His resurrection, His victory over death liberated us- not from a Pharaoh’s cruelty - but from sin’s dark enslavement opening the door to eternal life.

Before sharing an easy-to-use guide highlighting several significant connections between our ancient faiths, here are a few contextual facts. Passover and Easter appear on two different calendars. Israel’s calendar is lunar using the moon’s cycle and Christians use the Gregorian calendar based on the sun. These towering festivals annually occur near each other. In both faiths worldwide, the cultures, customs, and denominations vary in countless details, yet each faith retains its quintessential themes.  Like Christians, the Jewish community also has varying branches. Recognizing the variegated tapestry of multiple Jewish and Christian offshoots, I've curated a guide based on basics. I pray that your Holy Week will grow richer by adding Passover’s ancient meaning into your modern Easter observances.

The Day of Lambs and Palm Sunday  Jewish and Christian communities commemorate Passover and Easter for a week. Our Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, Jesus’ last week on earth. By the time of His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus’ reputation for teaching and miracles drew a swelling crowd to welcome Him. They threw down their coats and waved palm branches thinking He was their hoped-for King to liberate them from their Roman oppressors. In Jewish custom, the day we call Palm Sunday is the Day of Lambs.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem five days before the Jewish Passover. Estimates are hard to come by, but the historian Josephus estimates a million or more Passover pilgrims were already flowing into the capitol. Look in history’s rearview mirror for a moment. At the very first Passover in Egypt, God instructed each Israelite to choose an unblemished, perfect lamb to kill not only for food, but to apply its blood to the doorposts of each home. God promised that when the Angel of Death swept over Egypt and saw the blood, death would not come to the Israelites’ first-born. This was God’s final plague on the Egyptians to un-harden the Pharaoh’s heart to free His people. The blood of lambs saved lives.  

When Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem on our Palm Sunday, it occurred on the same day when shepherds annually herded huge flocks of Passover lambs into Jerusalem, the Day of Lambs! Divine context at its finest!

The Sadducees owned these lambs and required them to be born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem …Jesus birthplace! Only these lambs could be sacrificed during Passover in The Temple in Jerusalem. The Sadducees’ custom was like a “lamb beauty contest.” The priests stood outside the Lamb’s Gate and inspected each one making sure none were blemished. Perfection was the rule. When Jesus rode by on the donkey, the priests saw The Perfect Lamb yet felt threatened among the adoring crowd since their bureaucratic system had grown into out-of-control corruption. The Sadducees controlled every step of the sacrificial process including selling the lambs to the Passover pilgrims.  You can now understand why later, on the Day of Lambs, Jesus walked up the Temple’s southern steps in a display of righteous anger. Using a whip to drive them out, He overthrew the money changers’ tables and coins saying in Matthew 21:12-13, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

Just three years earlier at the Jordan River John the Baptist proclaimed in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." John was speaking from the context of the ancient Jewish sacrificial system which was such a significant part of their Passover freedom narrative. The bible mentions lambs and sheep 500 times! 1 Peter 1:18-19 says it this way, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Allow this realization to sink deeply into your soul:  That Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God rode into Jerusalem on the Day of Lambs. The picture is exquisite. The Perfect Lamb with thousands of bleating, scampering perfect lambs parading into the holy city on Holy Week herded by shepherds from Bethlehem, Jesus birthplace, for the Temple sacrifices.   

The Passover Seder & The Last Supper     Jewish custom tells us that that Jesus celebrated Passover every year of His earthly life. It’s still the zenith of the Jewish year.  Imagine Jesus’ thoughts when He instructed Peter and John in Luke 22:8 to “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” He knew what was ahead. He knew it was His last Passover on earth. And later in Luke 22:12 Jesus expresses His heart and intense emotion in the Upper Room while reclining at the table with His disciples, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

The Day of Lambs-Palm Sunday-had already taken place. The dramatic events of Jesus’ last Passover, the Last Supper, swiftly moved forward culminating in The Perfect Lamb of God hung on the cross beams of the tree splattered with His blood.

Ancient Passover meals are described in historical, yet limited texts but Passover at least consisted of lamb, unleavened bread, and wine. The modern Jewish Passover meal is called a Seder, meaning “order.” It lasts for hours with prayers, the feast, and recounting the Exodus stories of freedom. Jewish families use the Passover Haggadah, a teaching tool, a script developed over hundreds of years.

From generation to generation, the Passover Seder recounts the theme of freedom from slavery. In the Christian community we celebrate the redemptive freedom Jesus won for us on the cross and in His resurrection 2,000 years ago. When we partake of The Last Supper, we are reenacting Jesus’ instructive words at His last Passover. We eat the bread to honor Him, the Bread of Life which sustains us. We drink the juice/wine in thankfulness for the shed blood of our Perfect Lamb. 

The ancient Passover in Egypt 3,000 years ago is the setting for the Christian Last Supper a thousand years later through Jesus at His last Passover. When we invite our Lord Jesus into our lives, His sacrificial shed blood covers the doorposts of our life. Now when our holy God the Father looks at us, He sees the Perfect Lamb’s blood saving us from the death Angel and giving us the gift of eternal life. The Seder is an opportunity to once again recall the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt. And in the same way, the Christian community rejoices in Jesus’ liberation of our lives from sin!

Seder plate symbolism Remember, Jewish custom has its Passover differences just as we do in Christian denominations for Easter. First, how wonderful to know that the Jewish apostle Paul included Christians in the Feast of Unleavened Bread and by association, the Passover which he himself annually celebrated as a Jew! In 1 Corinthians 5:7 Paul says, “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

Shankbone- Zeroa A lamb bone representing the first Passover lambs in Egypt. For Christians, the shankbone represents our Paschal Lamb, Jesus.

Egg- Bei’ah, A roasted hard-boiled egg symbolizing either the spring season or grieving Jerusalem's destruction and The Temple. For Christians we celebrate the newness of life.

Bitter herbs (Maror) A reminder of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. Horseradish is often used. For Christians, it reminds us of sin's bitterness.

Charoset A sweet mixture of apples, pears, nuts and wine. This fruit paste is likened to the mortar and bricks made by the Jews in Egypt.

Karpas is a vegetable such as parsley or celery. It is dipped into salt water and eaten to represent the tears shed by the enslaved Israelites. 

Matzo -three pieces of Unleavened bread in a pouch or napkin. For Christians it may symbolize the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Matzo holds more secrets for Christian community.

The Secrets Hidden in the Matzo-Unleavened Bread In their escape from Egypt, the Israelites left in a hurry, taking their bread dough with them; with no time to rise, thus Unleavened Bread. Try to imagine Moses, more than 80 years old, waving his staff rushing possibly 600,000 thousand or more Israelites to flee for their lives. They shouldered their children, their bread dough, and valuable objects thrown at them by the Egyptians. Complete chaos reigned amidst the loud wailing and weeping of Egyptians crying over their dead first-born sons in the Tenth Plague.  Thus, at Passover the matzo, a flat cracker bread, is prominent in its meaning. 

One of the secrets of the Matzo appears when looking closely at a piece of matzo. You will quickly notice that the cracker is pierced and striped. For Christians, the Matzo is a visual representation of nails piercing Jesus’ body on the cross and the stripes inflicted by Roman whips in the hours before arriving at Golgotha.

Matzo, also called the Afikomen, holds another inspiring meaning during the Seder.  The definition of Matzo is "that which comes after," "dessert," or “the coming one.”  Early in the Seder the head of the household reaches for the middle matzo in a stack of three.  The middle matzo is broken in two. The larger half is hidden in a napkin or pouch for a “dessert” shared by all after the meal. (After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in AD70 Jews as a custom, eat a piece of matzo- afikomen- at the end of the meal in remembrance.)  

At the end of the meal, children go on a treasure hunt to find the hidden Afikomen. When the children find it, they run to the head of household for a reward, looking for a redemption where they receive candy or a coin. The Matzo is then broken and passed around. Communion! Eucharist! In the Christian culture the Afikomen represents Christ wrapped in a burial cloth and hidden in the tomb and then His third day resurrection. Once again, a Passover pattern is found in the Seder celebrating Easter, and our Paschal-Passover-Lamb named 29 times in the bible.  

I’m touching only on the use of four cups of wine, or grape juice- at the Seder each with prayers and symbols.  Of note though, when Jesus handed the disciples the third cup, “the Cup of Redemption” He said in Luke 22:20 …” after the supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.’”

When we take Communion/Eucharist, we honor His redemptive blood!

After Jesus shared the Passover meal and His extraordinary last teaching, He and His-now eleven disciples-left the Upper Room. (If you wish, read John 17 for Jesus’ intercessory prayer at His last Passover) In the darkness the group walked about a mile to the Mount of Olives, familiar to all Jerusalemites since it was an important manufacturing area which produced olive oil. Jesus and His disciples frequently visited Gethsemane for prayer at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The English word “Gethsemane” is the combination of two Hebrew words, Gat and Shmanim defined as “the place where olive oil is pressed.” The Garden of the Olive Press was a popular, well-known gathering place.  

Crushed in Gethsemane Among the Olive Presses The geographical location of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives is rich with physical and spiritual symbolism. In Isaiah 53:5 we read this compelling verse, “He was crushed for our iniquities.” Like the wooden beams holding the stones, our Savior Jesus bore the wooden beams of the crucifixion tree crushed under the weight of our sins. Knowing some of the mechanics of olive presses it’s easier to visualize the crushing emotions Jesus experienced. 

During Roman rule, olive presses numbered in the thousands in olive groves scattered all over Israel and the Roman Empire. Large and small olive presses made of stone crushed the harvested olives. The larger presses included stones suspended with ropes from wooden beams which weighed up to a ton for the crushing. The pulp eventually underwent enough crushing so that the precious commodity emptied into clay jars. The refined oil was used in cooking, anointing oil, and Temple lights.

In the Garden of the Olive Press, Jesus cried out in Mark 14:36 “Abba, (Aramaic for Father) everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”  The Christian community is well-versed knowing Jesus’ anguished prayers laced with tears of blood before His arrest. Hematidrosis is the medical name for Jesus’ tears, a rare occurrence where blood is mixed in sweat. Crushing is the method of preserving and getting what’s most valuable, the oil, out of the olive. 

Jesus’ crushing in the garden of olive presses produced the precious oil and blood of our redemption. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Eventually, a mob of Roman soldiers and civilians carrying torches and swords showed up. Judas Iscariot led the way where he placed the kiss of death on Jesus’ face. As we follow Jesus from the Olive Garden through the traumatic night, it’s essential to recall what He said to the Pharisees in John 10: 17-18 “No man takes my life from me; I am laying it down of my own will. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” Jesus was willing to be crushed and to pour out the pure oil of His life on the cross. It was God’s redemptive plan & no man could prevent it!

The Crucifixion and the Killing of Lambs The ancient Romans executed tens of thousands by crucifixion in their vast empire. By all accounts, crucifixion was a torturous means of death intended to cause its victims maximum suffering and humiliation. While soldiers hammered nails into Jesus body and gambled at the foot of His cross, families and Temple priests were slaughtering the Bethlehem lambs by the thousands. Priests threw lamb’s blood all over the temple court. Expertly wielding their knives, the priests chanted the Hallel, Psalm 113-118. Maybe Jesus could hear snippets of the chants where He hung outside Jerusalem’s walls. Psalm 115:16 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.” Psalm 116:3 “The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.” Or Psalm 118:2 “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.”

When the skinning, then roasting of lambs for food began, the lambs hung on hooks by their front legs stretched out in the shape of a cross. Like a conveyor belt of killing and cooking, many Temple lambs also died at the ninth hour as Jesus took His last breath. God’s Perfect Lamb perfected John 3:16:  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

In this era of rising anti-Semitism, we cannot underestimate the importance of crucifixion truth. Over the centuries, Jews have suffered the blame for “killing Jesus.” Yes, many accomplices were involved, including religious leaders, Judas, a Jewish mob, Roman soldiers, Pilate, and others.  Yet, this was a redemption plan from the heart of God. 

No one could stop God’s plan. Recall once again, Jesus’ words in John 10:18, “No one takes my life. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." And that’s exactly what Jesus did. Walking through Holy Week with its glorious Resurrection conclusion, God’s redemptive plan though His Perfect Lamb bequeathed eternal life and salvation to all who believe! Thanks be to God!  

Jesus Sacrificial Death and the Torn Veil  In a physical feat only the mighty Hands of God could achieve, He tore the purple, scarlet, and blue veil/curtain in The Temple in two when the Perfect Passover Lamb breathed His last breath on the tree.  Matthew 27:51 verifies it. “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.”  Luke 23:44 wrote it this way, “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”

Keep in mind, the curtain was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide and four inches thick. The curtain hid the Holy of Holies, God’s Court, containing the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The Jewish community viewed the Holy of Holies as the place of God’s Shekinah glory. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year at the Feast of Atonement-Yom Kippur. Throughout the centuries from the movable Tabernacle in the desert, 369 years in Shiloh, and the First and Second Temples, the Jewish people revered the Holy of Holies with a profound sense of awe, respect, and yes, fear. It is easy to imagine the Priests’ stark fright and screams when they saw the curtain rent in two. It was incomprehensible. 

Yet when God tore the veil in two, He welcomed us into the Holy of Holies through the blood of His Perfect Lamb so that we could step inside, both Gentile and Jew!  Hebrews 10:20 states, “Just as the veil was torn in two so Jesus’ body was torn to give us access to the Holy of Holies.”

While the physical rending of the curtain was spectacular, Jesus, our sacrificial Substitute bridged the cavernous, impassable gap between Holy God the Father and us.  Jesus is now our great High Priest making a forever path to a living, relationship with Him guaranteeing our eternal destination. The Lamb took His place as the Shepherd of our souls.

 

 

Googling God

I’m a writer and spend many hours researching source material and quotes to broaden my perspective and get the facts right on a topic. As a Christian who is also searching for inspiration from God, “googling God” is a necessity when I’m facing writer’s block or any kind of personal  challenge or problem. That’s why I appreciate this poetic quote! 

“The world looks to Google for an answer. When I need an answer,
I google God.”   Poet Paul  Samuels

Yet, in the process of looking for answers, I often find myself first worrying. Waves of anxiety crash into my thoughts. Fighting the undertow, I’m gasping for air when the light finally turns on; push back the waves and “google God!”  It’s another way of reminding myself to pray. I don’t always need to go on the world wide web. The bible is the best source for my daily life. Its pages, filled with ancient information and inspiration have stood the test of time; information about knowing a loving, redemptive God and following Him as I navigate life. 

It’s a fact that God Himself created wireless communication since the days He set the world and the planets into place and His ultimate creations, humankind. Angels as His Messenger service, Fire and Cloud to communicate directions in the Exodus, Torah scrolls preserved in jars of clay.  

As we lift our words to the Lord, He hears them; just like our emails collectively go to their trillions of destinations all over the world, our prayers have a destination too.  One destination is enough; the Alpha and Omega, the God of the Universe.

In the Lord’s friendship with us and His direction to fellowship with others, He’s also the Master of Social Media. In the family of God, He’s given us many guidelines in the bible to develop strong bonds of interpersonal relationships. 

And what about Twitter?  He created the authentic Twitter when He created the birds!  

Isaiah 59:1-2 assures us, “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. “

When You Need Answers Google God

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varna International’s ‘Songs of Life:’ Bulgaria rescues Jews from Holocaust

During the cavernous darkness of evil, Bulgaria’s people rose up in an astonishing undertaking in 1943. Their national heroism was mostly hidden for decades. After World War II, Soviets had taken over Bulgaria. When the Iron Curtain collapsed in 1989, a remarkable but not well-known story began to emerge. The world would discover that Bulgaria’s 49,000 Jews were engraved in a book of life.

In World War II though, Bulgaria’s King Boris III had joined the Axis on March 1, 1941 to align with Nazi Germany. On February 22, 1943 an agreement then took place between Nazi representative Theodore Dannecker in Sofia and the Bulgarian Commissar for Jewish Questions, Alexander Belev. Their signatures set into motion a secret plan to deport 20,000 Jews to Poland; the Jews of Thrace and Macedonia, who didn’t have Bulgarian citizenship and 8,000 Jews from her own territory, who were full-fledged Bulgarian citizens.

Germany had already split Macedonia from Yugoslavia and Thrace from Greece and put them under Bulgarian government administration. These were the first horrific salvos in a stage set to deport and murder Bulgaria’s 49,000 Jews. Arrested quickly in the middle of the night with no warning, Bulgarian police took 11, 343 Thracian and Macedonian Jews to the border turning them over to the Germans for the horrific journey to the death camps. All 11,343 Jews were the first victims, and perished in Treblinka.

Parliament had passed laws against its Jewish minority, similar to the oppressive Nuremberg laws. Bulgaria’s King Boris III allowed the law as a way to circumvent the Nazis as best he could. Highly placed religious leaders in the Bulgarian Church fought hard against the laws. They protested, they petitioned against the passage of dangerous laws directed toward harming the Jewish population.

Events were moving fast after the first deportations. As word of the arrests spread, a fire of determined resistance lit Bulgarian hearts at all levels of society. They went into overdrive. Four Bulgarian activists from the small town of Kyustendil showed up in Sofia at the capital, determined to prevent the next deportation of their Jewish citizens. They managed to convince Dimiter Peshev, Deputy President of the National Assembly, to join them to stop the impending carnage. Several in Parliament rushed to King Boris’ palace to plead with him. More trains and more arrests were scheduled only three days away.

Dimitar Peshev and the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox church’s Archbishop Stefan of Sofia had propelled the population to act. Earlier, Peshev had voted for the Law for the Protection of the Nations and later changed his mind realizing the horror of 11,343 deported and perishing in Treblinka. Although he lost his political career, Peshev successfully mobilized one-third of Parliament to stop further deportations.

Afterwards, Hitler ordered King Boris to his “Eagle’s Nest.” There, Foreign Minister Ribbentrop demanded that the King at once deport the Jews. In the confrontation, the king refused saying he “needed the Jews to build Bulgaria’s roads and railroads.” He left and died in mysterious circumstances. Yet, King Boris III never signed deportation papers since he decided not to oppose the massive outcry from his citizens. On March 9, just a few hours before the trains were scheduled to leave for a destiny of death, the government canceled the deportation.

Bulgaria had risen up to their motto, “Unity Makes Strength” symbolizing their history of diversity, harmony, and resilience. In Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, four religious institutions stand together, just one block from each other; Europe’s largest Sephardi synagogue, an historic Eastern Orthodox Christian church, a stately Catholic cathedral, and an elaborate, domed mosque. Bulgaria’s religious heritage would bear the fruit of freedom for its Jewish population along with Bulgarian politicians, educators, and ordinary citizens.

The citizenry decided to prevent it even if it cost their lives. The several dramatic days to fight more deportations showed that Bulgarian bravery abounded. Vera Kocheva, a teacher, wore a yellow star in public standing up for her Jewish friends. When the government shut down a Jewish school, another educator, Principal Penka Kassabova admitted Jewish students to her school. A baker, Rubin Dimitrov, hid Jews in his bakery oven.

Bishop Kiril and three hundred of his church members defied Nazis by standing in front of one of the trains in Plovdiv, their hometown. The Bishop, who later became the Bulgarian Patriarch, pledged that he would “stay with them no matter what would happen in the future.” Before the sun came up, kind but unnamed Bulgarians washed away hateful antiSemitic slogans painted on buildings by Nazis in the night.

Three deportation attempts were made. All three failed. The trains left empty. Bulgaria saved its 49,000 Jewish citizens in the largest rescue in occupied Europe.

Bulgaria’s brave citizens of 1943 remind us to set aside apathy and denial to express our commitment to the Jewish state and Jews worldwide. For Jewish and Christian communities, who want to actively prevent antisemitism from growing, a kaleidoscope of choices are available. Among them, cultural and artistic renditions of Holocaust-era stories that inspire us to act today.

I first learned about Bulgaria’s heroic history in 2019 when South Carolina’s Liaison for Violins of Hope, Ellen Benik Thompson, invited me to join her board for events taking place in South Carolina in Spring of 2022. The state’s Christian and Jewish leaders will work together to host two renowned international organizations, Varna International and Violins of Hope, performing together-for the first time-in South Carolina. Ellen introduced me to Sharon and Kalin Tchonev the founders Varna International’s “Songs of Life.” In a future blog I will highlight the founders of Violins of Hope, luthiers Amnon and Avishai Weinstein in Tel Aviv.

“Songs of Life, A Melancholy Beauty” features the story of Bulgaria’s heroic rescue of its Jewish citizens. I was deeply moved by Sharon and Kalin’s personal stories, two wonderful, unusually gifted people now my close friends. The 1943 Bulgarian story shines a light not only on their native countries, Israel and Bulgaria but on the meeting and marriage of Sharon Paz and Kalin Tchonev, a blend of two remarkable legacies.

Kalin and Sharon Tchonev
Photo Credit: Varna International

Kalin grew up in Varna, Bulgaria on the Black Sea. He was a young prodigy beginning piano at age five and influenced by his famous father, a conductor, professor, and musician. His professional career is replete with conducting, choral singing, and piano performance. Kalin’s resume demonstrates his rich musical background where he comments, “Let us create beauty in excellence. Let us move cities together. Let us speak music to the world.”      Sharon, born in Israel, growing up near Tel Aviv, served in the IDF, moved with her family to South Africa where she earned her law degree at the University of the Orange Free State and the University of South Africa. With a strong background in public relations, speaking, and logistics she is an expert as Communications and Operations Director for Varna International. Of special note, she is a descendant of Bulgarian grandparents who were miraculously saved.

Kalin and Sharon met in the United States after both moved and settled in Columbia, South Carolina. Their own exceptionally personal stories are a backdrop for their passion which has created unforgettable international concerts and festivals.

“Through a grassroots movement organized by Kalin and Sharon Tchonev of Columbia, South Carolina, the American-Bulgarian partnership continues to strengthen…I wish to commend Kalin and Sharon Tchonev for their hard work in strengthening the partnership between the United States and Bulgaria.” Rep. Joe Wilson, U.S. House of Representatives

Kalin explains with inspiring words how Songs of Life blossomed into one of Varna International’s most powerful events: “The burden for the Songs of Life event comes out of the realization that had it not been for the miraculous rescues in 1943, I would not have my wife and son today. Sharon’s maternal grandparents are among the 49,000 Bulgarian Jews that were rescued during the Holocaust. In 2008 when we decided to debut the Songs of Life in four Bulgarian cities and Israel commemorating the rescue, we viewed it as a heavenly mission.”

The concerts feature “Sacred Service,” by Ernest Bloch, drawing audiences of thousands. The 2008 concerts premiered in Sofia for the 65th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgaria’s Jews. During the festival, they handed out 49,000 carnations to people in the streets of Bulgaria. It was a token of thanks to the ordinary citizens who demanded in words and actions that Bulgaria’s Jews be saved from Nazi extermination.

The premier was emotional and joyful for both Sharon and Kalin when they saw their concept come to life. The musical notes of Bulgaria’s profound story have now sounded throughout the world.

While Kalin and Sharon were dating, he visited his parents in Varna, Bulgaria. When he shared that he was dating a Bulgarian Israeli Jewish girl, the first question his mom asked was, “Have you told her the Bulgarians rescued our Jewish people?” When he returned, Kalin wrote a new chapter in Sharon’s life telling her the amazing part of her family history. Sharon knew that her ancestors escaped the Spanish inquisition and settled in Bulgaria, and lived through the Ottoman Empire, World War I, and then the Nazi era. Like many Jewish families though, they didn’t retell their frightening experiences during World War II. Kalin’s revelation created wonderful conversations and gratitude within her Israeli family.

One family story involved great bravery. Sharon’s grandfather, Dr. David Varsano and her great grandfather Calderon were both forced into a Bulgarian labor camp. Her grandmother, Lydia shared a story about Sharon’s great grandfather Calderon. “An officer threatened to kill them saying they didn’t work hard enough. He shouted, “The Russians may be coming but you will not see them.” Her great grandfather stepped forward saying, “Young man, you can kill us all now, but you will not get away. There will be trials and you will be judged. But if you let us go, someone will stand up and speak for you.” The soldier laid down his gun and all the lives were saved. After the war, he went on trial, was imprisoned, but a Jewish prisoner who saw the incident stood up for him.”

Rina, Sharon’s Mom, filled in more stories about her parents. Dr. David and Lydia [Calderon] Versano made Aliyah from Bulgaria to Israel in 1950. Rina was only two years old. They traveled by land to Milan, Italy and boarded a ship for Israel. Sharon relates a story about their family’s Schindler Original piano. “My grandfather took apart some wooden cabinets and built a crate so they could bring it from Sofia to load on the ship. When my two-year old Mom became restless, my grandmother allowed her to play with her wedding ring on the deck of the ship, but the ring fell into the sea. When they arrived in Israel my grandfather went to a jeweler. He asked him to slice his wedding band in two and gave half to my grandmother.” The wood from the piano crate also served as a help for the family in their first dwelling in Israel!

When they founded Varna International 21 years ago the Tchonevs had no idea their company would bloom into the globally recognized festival organization that it is today. Varna International specializes in large-scale, artistically rich, and customized choral-orchestral concerts, performance tours, and music training academies for conductors, choral singers, vocalists, and instrumentalists.

“Varna International’s production, ‘Songs of Life, A Melancholy Beauty,’ combine elements of classical choral style and folk music to tell the story of almost 50,000 Bulgarian Jews during World War II.” The New York Times, June 23, 2011

Their exquisite concerts, to date now numbering in the hundreds, have taken them throughout Europe, Israel, and the United States at venues such as Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Musikverein, Vienna, Austria, Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria, Smetana Hall and the Rodulfinum Theater, Prague, Czech Republic, Gerard Bechar Performing Arts Center, Jerusalem, Bath Abbey, United Kingdom, Lincoln Center, New York City, and Wang Center in Boston.

About Songs of Life and its many international appearances Kalin remarks, “This performance is more than a commemoration of the past. It’s a call of action for the future. The purpose of Songs of Life is to unite people in thanksgiving through a message of compassion and hope. It’s the story of ordinary people who rejected complacency and arose to defy evil. It’s a ray of light sharing how ordinary people did something extraordinary during one of the darkest hours of human history-the Holocaust. This is our personal story and we truly from the bottom of our hearts celebrate the beautiful gift of life. Each one of us has the power to do something extraordinary and make a difference in someone’s life through acts of kindness.”

“Musically the composer has masterfully combined folk song with full symphonic music into a dramatic oratorio. Elements of gypsy music and Hebrew dance bend blend seamlessly with popular song and large full symphonic forces of almost 300 in the finale. It is hair raising at times, poignant at others, dance-like in a folk manner in places.” The Jewish Daily Forward June 29, 2011

Photo Credit: Varna International
“Songs of Life, A Melancholy Beauty”
Koger Center, South Carolina

Another dark chapter of antisemitism has taken hold against Jewish individuals, institutions, and the singular Jewish state. Varna International is a counterpoint, a call to action, expressed in a valiant, exquisite elevation of memories, hope, and honor. Its inspiration inspires audiences with valor to resist today’s re-invented yet painfully familiar anti-Semitism.

Indeed, it is said that when Bulgarian Jews were saved so was the soul of Bulgaria. In an era of hypocrisy, hatred, and hysteria, those words are a profound reminder for all of us.

Former Bulgarian President Plevneliev put it this way: “We Bulgarians made it clear that it is within the power of the civil society and ordinary people to change history; that through unwavering determination and resolute resistance even the worst of evils may be averted…the Bulgarian society saved not just its Jewish population, it also saved itself.” 2013 ADL Gala, Washington, D.C.

Death, Practically Speaking, Filled with Love written by Author Paul Samuels

It happened quite by accident, not my death, but some concerning information about what my wife might have to go through if I precede her in death. I was talking to my stockbroker, Katlyn, to double check that my account was a joint stock account. I happened to mention that because of the possibility of getting Covid-19, I was in the process of setting up notes for my wife since I was the one who handled the family finances.

Katlyn was elated! She said, “I’m so glad to hear this! You have no idea how many widows call here crying because they don’t know how to deal with their husbands’, stock account or for that matter any of the other family bills. I also get calls from widowers whose wife handled the family finances.”

I took what Katlyn said to heart. I know none of us like to even think about this. But in this time of the uncertainty of Covid-19, the likelihood of an early demise is possible. I gave some serious consideration to what my passing would be like for my bride. Sure, I had life insurance to replace my income. I even had a policy on her left over from the days when our children were young which enabled me to hire someone to help her while I was at work. My wife is a smart, professional woman, but she didn’t know about the day-to-day bill handling. That was always my role. 

I had nightmares about Arlene having to deal with the computer program I used for accounting or filing for taxes.  I became quite creative to ensure that she would not have to deal with any of our finances until she wanted to take them on. I got to work on a loose-leaf binder which we call the Red Book. I listed all our credit cards, bank, gas, electric, water, mortgage payment, and any monthly on-line billing. I set these up to go directly to our checking account, then connected the checking account to our savings account as an overflow.  Each folder is clearly marked and contains all the information step by step about the bills, life insurance policies, and stock accounts. I slept soundly thinking about the loose-leaf binder safely on the shelf within her reach.

I felt so relieved. I was also happy that I could express my love to her this practical way.  Decades ago, when we were on the mission field, we had at least set up wills, and power of attorney for health care.  I know many couples and parents who have not set up their wills. Even older people like us. Please, as an act of love, at least create your will so that confusion or arguments will not be part of a family grieving process. And consider creating your own Red Book. 

And lastly, we faced the hardest part. After our parents died, we had, of course, talked from time to time about what each of us would want in terms of our funerals. And we also talked about how frustrating it was trying to guess what our parents would truly have wanted. 

We discussed our funeral preferences and burial including pastor, music, slides, songs, memories, and sharing from friends and family. Since I am a Navy veteran it was simple for me to get all the papers together for a memorial, or service at the National Cemetery and put that information in the binder. 

We talked with our adult children and told them about the binder in case we pass on together. They really appreciated it. None of us know our final circumstances so we wanted to cover any scenario and make things as easy as possible for them.  We also decided to help each other write our obituaries.  That was quite an experience!  It was sad to think about but also filled us with so many wonderful memories as we re-lived our life together.

These conversations and plans were not a fun process by any stretch of the imagination but both of us are so glad we did it. And so glad it is behind us! I’m sharing this with you in hopes that Katlyn, and others who deal with the public and their finances will have less widows and widowers to rescue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Role of Emotions in Crises

Clearly, the breach at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 has intensified our nation’s multiple crises amid an already traumatized population. We have faced the effects of an uncertain and erratic virus which has turned our way of life upside down. In my viewpoint, many of our citizens were already experiencing some degree of post-traumatic stress due to Covid-19 and its destructive effects. That’s reflected in  Covid-19 deaths, and the rise of  heartbreaking suicides, addictions, and poor mental health.

Since the election, and now the events of this week, many of our citizens were already fragile. So I want to address how emotions affect crises and point our Christian community to scriptures that will guide us. And help us to help others as best we can with the Lord’s guidance. Believe me, I am talking to myself too.

The current chaos of anger, accusations, violence, name-calling, unfriending, and slander is worsened by hysteria. It’s the engineer right now on a speeding locomotive of emotion on steroids. Hysteria is a dangerous engineer when it comes to gathering facts, making decisions, and keeping our country on secure tracks that will end with a destination of good, positive results.

When I was on staff for nine years with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, (AIPAC) I often reminded our wonderful activists, “Remember, our passions must be governed by wisdom.” (Our passion then, and now, for millions of us evangelicals is to advocate for the safety and security of Israel.)  

Governing our passions with wisdom does not mean erasing our values which we hold dear with passionate commitment. It does mean choosing God’s wisdom to operate the locomotive and putting our emotions in the caboose. 

Hysteria itself is an expression of emotions running wild. Back in Victorian days, more than a hundred years ago, it was a medical diagnosis. Over the years, hysteria was demoted as a medical diagnosis, but hysteria is still ever-present. It can also manifest as selective amnesia and over-dramatized behavior.  Hysteria is making quite a debut in our public rhetoric.

Hopefully, our Christian community will operate within scriptures and take up the mantle of God’s wisdom. That way, we can make a difference in the spiritual atmosphere of our nation which is now in the grips of the enemy of our personal and national souls.

Guard your minds against conspiracy theories since they will sound plausible. Resist the urge to post what you have not checked out.  Let’s ask for the Lord’s mercy and His Holy Spirit to enable us to stand on the Rock of our faith.  I find some stress relief by taking deep prayerful breaths when newscasts report more shocking news. And for that matter, I don’t listen to news all day and night. It’s debilitating.

I hope and pray that what I have written here will be useful and encouraging. Our solutions are in the Bible.  And here are a few verses where we can discover the wisdom we all desperately need.   

Proverbs 20:15 Wise speech is rarer and more valuable than gold and rubies.

Psalm 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

James 3:3-6 The tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rear View Mirror- A Blessing List for 2021

I'm taking a deep breath and thanking God that 2020 is making its exit into history.  I'm sure I have lots of company! At the precipice of another new year, many Americans make resolutions and set goals.  This year instead of New Year's resolutions, I'm glancing into my rear-view mirror of the year I just lived. I'm making a Blessing List to carry into 2021. I invite you to join me. 

When creating my list, I also found great blessings in what DID NOT happen! And in small blessings too. I’m tucking my list in my bible and when I feel overwhelmed in 2021, I’m pulling out my Blessing List.

A few verses have held special meaning for me this year. Even in the agony of sorrows, Jesus understands. He Himself experienced loss and grief. So many in this world are grieving; the passing or illness of loved ones, loss of jobs, businesses, homes, friends-Find comfort in Isaiah 53:3 "He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief." 

I read Psalm 103:1-5 out loud as a praise to chase away doubt, depression, or anxiety:  Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 The political dramas of 2020 have created chaos. Here’s a verse I have often read to remind me of God’s sovereignty:  Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the GOVERNMENT shall be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Here's a blessing on my list that DID NOT happen. I'll begin with profusely thanking the Lord for delivering my husband and me from Covid-19 without going to the hospital. We are 74 and 76! We specifically prayed-and thank those who prayed with us and sent food and other gifts-that a hospital decision would not even have to be made. We were miserable with moments of fear, depression, and anxiety. But we did not face that hospital decision. We call that a miracle. Honestly, I have no idea why some recover and some don’t. All I can do is thank God, pray for others, and help where I can.

 I’m thankful for the fellowship, support, and love from my husband. I'm thankful that our adult children have navigated 2020 and have come out better on this side of it. Thankful for new friends and old friends. I’m thankful for the USA.  I’m thankful for my calico cat. And my list goes on. With each challenge Paul and I faced this year-and that list is pretty big-the Lord intervened. We don’t deserve it.

I also like to read about Joseph, Job, and Jeremiah, and other biblical figures to reflect on how the Lord redeemed each situation in their life stories; how God re-fashioned each challenge or heartache for valuable purposes that they-and we-could never have imagined. You may not be far down the road yet trying to make sense of a hardship or disappointment. But let’s walk together in 2021.

Keep your Blessing List handy and let’s rely on Philippians 4:8. “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things. And as Hebrews 12:2 teaches us, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Jesus, THE LIGHT, in a World Looking to the Heavens

On December 21, 2020, the longest day each year, Saturn and Jupiter converged in the skies in a celestial phenomenon not observed with the naked eye since 1226.

My husband Paul and I drove over to our church’s baseball field to look at Saturn and Jupiter which presented the earth with their socially distanced hundreds-of-millions-miles apart meeting yet seeming like one planet to the naked eye.  

We saw it with and without our binoculars.  Our binoculars are not fancy ones but when we looked at the planets through them, they looked like an intricately woven, round planetary snowflake.  

We stood in the cold early-night air looking up in “awesome wonder” part of the lyrics in the hymn “How Great Thou Art.” We lifted a short worshipful prayer to the Creator of the Universe.  Tears surprisingly sprang to my eyes which became unexpected emotional moments.  I felt awestruck, not only with the skies but with the realization that we stood in the same wonderment of gazers eight hundred years ago.

The year 1226 was the last time this planetary convergence could be seen with the naked eye because it too happened as the skies sank into night.

In 1226, the telescope had not been invented.  Nor the Gutenberg printing press.  Galileo discovered these planets around four hundred years later.

 The ancient scrolls though were already penned by Jewish scribes whom God chose as His vessels to transcribe world history and His love to the world He created.

Mongolian warring ruler Genghis Kahn was alive in 1226.  The beloved Saint Frances of Assisi died October 3, 1226 after the convergence of Jupiter and Saturn on March 4, 1226.  European nations already existed and since the United States of America did not, we are the first Americans to view this awesome celestial event with the naked eye.  I find this astonishing.

The land of Israel and God’s chosen people, the Jews living in the Holy Land must have seen a convergence too. The three wise men from the east following their astronomical abilities looked into the skies for the bright Bethlehem star. 

We know from Jewish sages, writings, and prophetic bible passages that Jesus' Bethlehem birth took place in the “Tower of the Flock” (Micah 4:8). 

Shepherds were familiar with The Tower of the Lambs which could be considered  an ancient animal hospital. In Hebrew, it's called Migdal Eder.  The religious leaders chose them since they were experts in animal husbandry.  They appointed them as Shepherd Priests.  The thousands of lambs they tended on the birthing floor of Migdal Eder each year were special too.  At birth, the shepherds wrapped them in swaddling cloths and put them in mangers.   

When the lambs reached a year old, the shepherds herded thousands of them to Jerusalem on what the ancient Jews called The Day of Lambs to present them to The Temple Priests. They were the chosen Passover sacrificial lambs without spot or blemish; a description of our Savior also sacrificed at Passover for us.  Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God, born in Bethlehem’s Tower of the Flock with the lambs, entered Jerusalem for the last time, again with the lambs.  In John 1:29, John the Baptist described Jesus perfectly, exclaiming at the Jordan River, "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.”

In our modern world we are experiencing another kind of convergence, a convergence of despair and darkness.  Yet, the hope, light, and strength that God the Father imparts to us shines the way to peace in the middle of chaos. 

With deep and inadequate thankfulness, I’m also awestruck that God gifted us with an adoption process into His royal family through His Son Jesus, the Perfect Lamb, and our King of Kings!

May a “Thankful Christmas” be our theme in 2020 because Jesus endures as the everlasting Light of the World!