By Hanoch Young.
Originally published on United 2 Restore 03/14/2016.
.
We all get to read history, and we all get to study the Prophets. But, how many people actually get to participate in making history? And, how many not only get to witness prophecy being fulfilled, but get to participate in it? Now, THAT is what occurred in Florida, at the B’ney Yosef North America Summit. For all intents and purposes, it was an earthquake of dramatic proportions. One, I believe will help lead to changing history.
Now, this isn’t the first time in history that people have thought about the reunification of Judah & Ephraim (which is THE predominant theme across all of the prophecy in the Tanach – the Hebrew Bible). It’s not even the first time that people have prayed fervently for it to happen, either. But, it IS the first time, that Ephraim/Yosef (Joseph), being awakened in the exile, has stood up for the unity of descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel…
B’ney Yosef North America is the outgrowth, in the Western Hemisphere, of the groundbreaking B’ney Yosef Congress that was held in May of 2015, right after Shavuot in Ariel, Israel. That event was a remarkable gathering of 135 representatives of from 12 different nations around the world. In less than a year since that initial Congress meeting, B’ney Yosef North America has formed and developed organically. From a handful of like-minded men and women, focused on the realization that they too, are part of Israel, it has It has been a grassroots movement from its inception.
And what they have been doing has very few precedents. Their focus has been on ‘rising up’ to address the challenge of recreating and restoring the national identity of the masses of scattered Israel, around the world. Avoiding the doctrinal issues that plagued those who have been awakened to who they truly are; they shifted the efforts from building new ‘denominations,’ to rather focusing on the restoration of the Nation of Israel.
For me, personally, this has been nothing less then the absolute beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Yehezkel (Ezekiel) 37 of the two sticks, becoming organized (which precedes both sticks becoming one in His hand). It was first in 1994, that I began meeting people who had been awakened to the realization that they were part of the people of Israel. But, the struggle has been to have people stop thinking of themselves as individuals on this particular path, or walk, or just being part of some new religious denomination.
This is the first, real effort, for Ephraim/Yosef (Joseph) to begin organizing themselves in such a manner. The B’ney Yosef National Shabbat initiative has already brought together many people from various congregations in the states of Georgia and South Carolina with many more planned in other states, as well. But, it’s not just coming together in mutual respect that is happening – even though, that – in and of itself, would be a major accomplishment.
It is the coming together to discuss what it means to reconstitute the national presence and identity that disappeared from the world stage more then 2,700 years ago, that is amazing. The various discussions which deal with not only what the implications of that are, but, how to actually begin the preparation for it and its implementation. The plans to create an Ephramite National Fund to deal with the financial aspects, the plans to learn Hebrew and to train and prepare the younger generation. Those are only a few of the topics that have come up for consideration; and so much more…
As the only traditionally believing Jewish person in attendance, it generated emotions in me that are hard to capture in mere words. It was truly being able to witness what had been words of prophecy for thousands of years becoming real, right in front of my eyes. For many years I have prayed, three times a day for the ingathering of the exiles – but, to actually SEE it begin to happen? Well, that is more then I ever could have dreamed of… I just kept asking what I had ever done to deserve to have been able to be a witness to all of this…
And, of course – this is merely what is happening in North America. The European B’ney Yosef has already had their meeting, and other affiliated groups are in formation around the world. This is NOT an “American movement,” but, rather – just the branch of it, on this continent. People are being ‘called’ to it, and are being called out of the national identities that they were raised within.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:6 tells us of the promise: “…I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, give up and to the south, keep not back.” Well, all who attended the B’ney Yosef Summit saw that begin to be fulfilled. Now is the time to get involved; now is the time to stand up and return to your heritage. This is a call to action, not just a nice statement. It is the time to get involved. Today, not tomorrow…
