KIEV, UKRAINE (ANS) -- The Congress Hall at the President Hotel went deathly quiet when Daniel Rozen, a Messianic pastor from Jerusalem, told the group that his family were from Galiziah, which borders on the Poland and Ukraine and many had perished in the holocaust.

Ukrainian Jews about to be shipped off to camps where most would die

“I was aware at an early age of the recent history of my people, the Jewish people,” he said. “Memories that were still fresh in the mind of my parents and relatives, were related to me on many occasions.

“These memories consisting of stories of fear, personal shame, and murder. Each time was a moment relived when told by my parents or grandparents. I saw the pain in their faces, as they recounted family members who were given up by Russian government into the hands of Nazi Germany to be killed.

“Both my mother and father's family were killed in the holocaust,” Rozen went on to say. “My grandfather was a Rabbi whom I never saw, and was taken by the Nazis never to be seen again. In my heart I hated both the Russian and German people alike because of what they did. It was difficult for me to work with any one who was Russian or German because even the language itself would displease me. In my eyes it was just as bad.

“Living in Jerusalem at young age one of my earlier jobs was a physiotherapist, working in a hospital. Here I would meet many people who came from different parts of the world to help the nation of Israel as volunteers. On one occasion I was approached by a man who introduced himself to me, explained he was from Holland and was volunteering in Israel. He invited me to a believer’s fellowship he was attending in Jerusalem. This man’s kindness and invitation made me curious to visit this place.

“What really touched my heart was not the messages of the preacher that moved me or the songs so much, but the love and kindness that emanated from this people towards me and to each other, and this is what I needed. The people made me feel valued and gave me a sense of belonging.

“Although I was a regular visitor to the congregation, I still did not understand or believe what they spoke about, this Yeshua (Jesus) being the Messiah of the Jewish people and the whole world, by taking upon Himself the sins of the world. This was very hard for me to understand considering the recent history of my people. My heart was hard like a stone. Being a typical Israeli I was proud, because we as a people know much about God and the prophets, but to understand the mission of Yeshua and His purpose was very hard.

“Time passed by, a year later I realized that I could no longer live a daily lukewarm living without the truth as I recognized that the truth of Elohim (God) is at hand only needed my decision. I believed that it was the conviction of the Ruah Hakodesh (Holy Spirit ) in me to have a new walk in life which lead me to the acceptance of my Messiah Yeshua and thus I decided to follow His footsteps.

Daniel Rozen plays shofar at the Western Wall in Jerusalem

“What a privilege our God had given me. To come to realization that He is not pushing us to obey Him BUT rather He is waiting for our personal decision to accept Him as our Lord and Savior and be changed. This means a change from the worldly influence into His Ruah Kodesh (Holy Spirit) filled influence with the true love of GOD.

“It was at a fellowship gathering one evening that as we were worshiping, a member of the congregation, an Austrian man came and fell at my feet crying and asking me to forgive him and his people for what they did to the Jewish people during the Holocaust. There are no words for me to describe to you what I felt as the compassion and love of Adonai (Lord) that flowed through me towards this brother.

“Immediately Yeshua began to heal and set me free from the hate I carried for so long. My heart melted before this man and we embraced each other.”

He added, “I have to admit that I knew I had to forgive those responsible for the deaths of my family members. When you hold anger, you are the one who suffers the most.”

Daniel Rozen with his wife Vered Chen Rozen (from the Philippines)

Rozen had alluded to the terrible events that took place in Ukraine during the Second World War, when many were shipped off to concentration camps where most died and a total of 600,000 Ukrainian Jews perished in the country, mainly shot by firing squads.

As soon as he had finished speaking, a Ukrainian doctor came on stage and told the assembled doctors from Ukraine that “we all need to repent for what our country did to the Jews.”

Soon, more than 100 of the Ukrainian delegates were crying out to God for forgive their land for the terrible deeds done to the Jews of the country.

When they had finished, a Ugandan doctor stood up and said, “Idi Amin did terrible things to the Jewish people in my country and we Christians also had to later apologize to them for the way they were treated,” he said. “God will hear your prayer at this time.”

This extraordinary event was a fitting climax to the 6th Annual International Christian Medical Conference which attracted some 400 doctors and medical professionals to Kiev from 30 different countries and was held on October 30-31, 2009, to explore whether miracles still happen today and, if they do, to provide medical data to prove them.

Organized by the World Christian Doctors Network, this “Spirituality and Medicine” conference attracted doctors and medical professional from countries as diverse as Nigeria, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo to all over the former Soviet Union and even the tiny Faroe Islands, who all believe in praying for their sick patients – with their permission of course.

Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 46 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 43 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, also recently released “God’s Ambassadors in Japan” which is available at amazon.com.