Jewish Population
350,000
Robert Walter
New York Regional Director
Chosen People MinistriesManhattan
The Manhattan branch hosts the headquarters of Chosen People Ministries in the heart of New York City. It serves as a ministry hub for a variety of activities: Sha’ar Adonai (“Gate of the Lord”) Messianic Congregation, Shalom New York (a summer outreach program), Halloween outreach, Bible studies, street evangelism, House of Living Waters college campus outreach, concerts, debates, national and international staff strategy meetings, and more.
Staff Serving
4
STAFF
Carol Fenchel
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Jeff Kramer
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Michael Moore
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
- Perry Wooten (Mount Kisco, NY)
History of Jewish Work:
The Manhattan branch began in 1945 with the purchase of a building on West 72nd Street, which became the headquarters of Chosen People Ministries roughly fifty years after the ministry’s humble beginnings in Brooklyn. Joseph Hoffman Cohn, then president of the ministry, spearheaded this purchase with the goal of helping the Mission reach the growing Jewish community in Manhattan more effectively and also aid in reaching Jewish people across America. This way, our mission could reach all sectors of the Jewish community, not just the immigrant populations in Brooklyn. The building quickly became a hub of activity, both administrative and missional. In 1973, as many of the administrative functions were moved outside New York City, the building on West 72nd Street was sold to another mission, but the Manhattan Branch continued its missionary work as the sale of the building allowed for continued use of some of the rooms on the fifth and sixth floors. In the 1990s, the ministry’s new president, Mitch Glaser, relocated the headquarters of the mission from Charlotte, North Carolina back to New York City. Chosen People Ministries bought a building on East 51st Street, where it remains today. This building serves as the home of our administrative and executive leadership both nationally and internationally, as well as a center for ministry activities.
Brooklyn
The Brooklyn branch of Chosen People Ministries has a variety of ministries active in both the Feinberg Messianic Center and throughout the borough. We have planted Beth Sar Shalom (“House of the Prince of Peace”) Brooklyn Messianic Congregation, where we have regular Sabbath services, holiday events, Bible studies, small groups, discipleship, evangelism teams, children’s programs, and service at a local Orthodox-run soup kitchen. We also offer English classes, primarily for the Russian-speaking Jewish community, and a support group for family members of those with substance abuse.
The Brooklyn branch also hosts interns throughout the year, short-term mission trips such as Shalom New York and Kesher NYC for the youth, conferences including On the Derekh (on reaching ultra-Orthodox Jewish people with the gospel), and other special outreach events including concerts, special classes, and seminars, as well as lecture series. We are also home to the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies seminary program, a partnership between Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and Chosen People Ministries. The Feinberg Center contains housing to accommodate students and interns, though post-pandemic, visiting professors, missionaries, and other staff have been hosted at the center. In addition to their studies, our seminary students participate in the various ministries available in Brooklyn.
Jewish Population
800,000
Staff Serving
5
STAFF
Bobby Walter
Branch Leader
Chosen People Ministries
Juan Corrales
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Gordon and Christy Law
Missionaries
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
- Liz Fernandez (New York, NY)
- Diane Greenblatt (Islip, NY)
History of Jewish Work:
Brooklyn has been a strategic location for Chosen People Ministries since the founding of the ministry in this borough. For more than 125 years, we have proclaimed the gospel to the Jewish people in Brooklyn. A renewed focus on Brooklyn began in 2011 with the purchase of the Charles L. Feinberg Messianic Center. This building is in a neighborhood with large Orthodox and Russian-speaking Jewish communities.
Russian Branch
Brooklyn remains the center of our Russian-speaking Jewish activities. Much of our ministry is based out of the Beth Sar Shalom monthly fellowship. Because many of the second-generation Russian-speaking Jewish people have moved out of Brooklyn, we also work among this group in Staten Island, Queens, and New Jersey. Our staff host weekly meetings, including a Russian Bible study and a support/prayer group.
Jewish Population
250,000
Staff Serving
2
STAFF
Klaudia Zhelezny
Branch Leader
Chosen People MinistriesHistory of Jewish Work:
Chosen People Ministries was founded to reach the thousands of Jewish people coming to the United States from eastern Europe during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Almost all those people spoke Yiddish. The ministry was active in this community up to World War II. We began our current ministry to Russian-speaking Jewish people in 1993 in Brooklyn. Massive outreaches conducted in February 1993 resulted in many home visits and connections in the community. The Hope of Israel Russian-speaking Messianic congregation was born. Also, through the work with the Feinberg Messianic Center, congregation Gesher HaShamayim (“Bridge of the Heavens”) was founded in 2006 with branches in both Brooklyn and Central New Jersey. This work continues now after we moved to the Feinberg Center.
New Jersey
New Jersey has always been connected to our Jewish work in New York City since so many people living in New Jersey work in Manhattan. Over the years, Chosen People Ministries has participated in personal Bible studies, established Messianic congregations, and took part in personal evangelism. Our current work in New Jersey focuses on connecting with Jewish students at Rutgers University through regular campus outreach. In 2023, we began work with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in this area as well.
Jewish Population
545,000
Staff Serving
3
STAFF
Darlene Line
Branch Leader
Chosen People Ministries
Gregg Hagg
Vice President and Feinberg Program Director
Chosen People Ministries
Frank Li
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
- Mike Cerrato (East Hanover, NJ)
- Jessica Thornton (Haddon Heights, NJ)
Philadelphia
Chosen People Ministries’ work in the greater Philadelphia area includes university campus outreaches and student ministry, Bible studies, discipleship, and holiday celebrations. Our missionaries preach in and partner with local churches to provide much-needed training in Jewish evangelism.
Jewish Population
300,000
Staff Serving
5
STAFF
Israel Cohen
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Paul Cruz
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Jennifer Miles
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Ari Hauben
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
- Mike Viselli (Mount Joy, PA)
- Logan Narvaez (Lebanon, PA)
- Daisy Hobson (Breinigsville, PA)
History of Jewish Work:
In 1931, a group of Philadelphia pastors came together to evangelize the immigrant Jewish population in the Girard/northern Philadelphia area. This group came to be known as the Christian Approach to the Jews (CATJ). In the 1960s and early 1970s, many Jewish people came to faith through the Jesus People movement. One couple, Joe and Deb Finkelstein, opened their home in Overbrook (West Philadelphia) to young Jewish people. There, they hosted many discussions, Bible studies, discipleship meetings, and small concerts at “Fink’s Zoo.” Two additional Messianic congregations began at this time. In 2011, Messiah Now Ministries integrated into Chosen People Ministries.
