Keeping It Israel

In this episode of Keeping it Israel, Jeff Futers interviews Dr. Dan Bahat, former Jerusalem District Archaeologist about growing up with the State of Israel, his passion for archaeology, his personal visit with the Pope and being knighted by the President of Italy. His life is an inspiration to all of us at First Century Foundations and we feel so honoured to call him our friend. First Century Fo...

In this episode of Keeping it Israel Jeff Futers, Executive Director of First Century Foundations interviews Historian Rabbi Ken Spiro about the world's oldest, irrational hatred: antisemitism. First Century Foundations is a Charity that supports ministries in Jerusalem and many other parts of the country of Israel. Our mission is to turn hearts around the world toward the land, people and Go...

In this 1st episode of our 3rd season of Keeping it Israel, Jeff talks to Melissa Briggs of explorehebrew.co.uk about 5 Hebrew words found in the Bible that have changed her life and her understanding of God's relationship to her. Melissa completed her Masters at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is passionate about making the language of the Bible accessible and faith-enhancing for Chri...

In the episode of Keeping it Israel, Jeff Futers, Executive Director of First Century Foundations, talks to Stephen Briggs, a Christian Filmmaker who has an astounding comprehension of God's Word and God's faithfulness to Israel. Learn about Stephen's new film, AMERICA AND THE ISRAEL EFFECT: BLESSING, CURSE OR COINCIDENCE - the newest film in a powerful series about God's promi...

How could Christianity – which was initially, completely Jewish – suddenly turn against the Jewish people and claim to have replaced them in God’s plan for the world? When did the first non-Jew convert to Christianity? Did he have a good relationship with the Jewish people? In this episode Jeff talks to Bob O’Dell, Author of the book, FIVE YEARS WITH ORTHODOX JEWS: HOW CONNECTING WITH GOD’S PEOPLE...

How could Christianity – which initially was completely Jewish – suddenly turn against the Jewish people and claim to have replaced them in God’s plan for the world? When did the first non-Jew convert to Christianity? Did he have a good relationship with the Jewish people? In this episode Jeff talks to Bob O’Dell, Author of the book, FIVE YEARS WITH ORTHODOX JEWS: HOW CONNECTING WITH GOD’S PEOPLE...

In this episode of Keeping It Israel, Jeff talks to Todd Morehead, Co-creator and Producer of a powerful documentary just released this year called HOPE IN THE HOLY LAND; a film that follows Todd on his journey to the Holy Land where he delves deep into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. First Century Foundations is a Charity that supports ministries in Jerusalem and many other parts of the country...

In this episode of Keeping It Israel, Jeff talks to Nosson Shulman, a distinguished tour guide and leading blogger on Israel. Nosson talks about why he moved to Israel from Canada, his journey becoming a licensed Israeli Tour Guide, and some of the most special locations in the Land of Israel. Nosson specializes in VIP tours of Israel and is the founder of Israel’s first Virtual Tour video company...

In this episode of Keeping It Israel, Pastor Jeff Futers, an Evangelical Christian (Executive Director of First Century Foundations) connects heart-to heart with Sondra Baras, an Orthodox Jew (Director of CFOIC Heartland) about the tragic event called Kristallnacht (German for "Night of Broken Glass"). And although Jeff and Sondra come from different theological standpoints, they can cer...

If someone asked you, "What was Jesus' favourite book?" How would you respond? In this episode of Keeping It Israel Jeff talks to Gidon Ariel, an Israeli Orthodox Jew and founder of Root Source about the Bible Jesus loved and often quoted. What books were contained in the "Cannon" at the time of Jesus? How was scripture studied and read? What book of the Hebrew Bible did J...

In this episode of Keeping it Israel Jeff talks to Justin Kron, a writer, speaker, film producer and Holy Land tour leader about the importance of connecting to the Jewish roots of Christianity and the story behind his new film, Hope in the Holy Land. First Century Foundations is a Charity that supports ministries in Jerusalem and many other parts of the country of Israel. Our mission is to turn h...

A surprisingly hilarious discussion about the recent discovery of a mansion that overlooked the Temple Mount in Jerusalem 2700 years ago;  with owners so rich, they were able to afford their own toilet. What Ya’akov really discovered is another fragment of the magnificent city Jerusalem once was… as far back as the 9th century BCE. The beautiful Proto-Aeolic capitals he found pre-date any similar...

In this episode of "Keeping it Israel" Jeff interviews Pastor Jim Woodard a second time about how Paleo (Ancient) Hebrew can help the Bible come alive.  In this podcast, they discuss the meaning of JEHOVAH, ISRAEL, BLESS and SHALOM. First Century Foundations is a Charity that supports ministries in Jerusalem and many other parts of the country of Israel. Our mission is to turn hearts aro...

In this episode of Keeping it Israel , Jeff Futers talks to Samuel Wearp about the antisemitic history of Christianity, which contributed to the Holocaust; and the Church’s silence as over 6 million Jews were systematically murdered in modern Europe. They talk about the recent rise of antisemitism and the spiritual battle that rages today as the media and other anti-Israel groups (such as the BDS...

In this episode of “Keeping it Israel” Jeff talks to Scott Stripling, Provost and Professor of Biblical Archaeology and Church History at the Bible Seminary in Houston Texas and Director of Excavations for the Associates for Biblical Research at ancient Ai and Shiloh. In this exciting conversation, Scott talks about the incredible archaeological discoveries that have been unearthed in both Shiloh...

In this episode of Keeping it Israel, Jeff Futers, Executive Director of First Century Foundations talks to Mike Fegelman, Executive Director of HonestReporting Canada about the last 19 years of his career, working to thwart media bias against Israel in Canada. First Century Foundations is a Charity that supports ministries in Jerusalem and many other parts of the country of Israel. Our mission is...

In this heart-felt episode of "Keeping it Israel" Jeff Futers, Executive Director of First Century Foundations interviews Donna Holbrook, the National Director of The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) Canada. Donna talks about how a tragedy in her life led to a deep compassion and love for Israel and the Jewish people. The 2 fellow-Canadians connect over their shared pa...

In this fascinating interview, Jeff talks to Baruch Sterman, co-founder of the Ptil Tekhelet Association about the significance of the colour blue mentioned nearly 50 times in Bible - a colour that was lost for roughly 1400 years and then suddenly rediscovered in modern times. First Century Foundations is a Charity that supports ministries in Jerusalem and many other parts of the country of Israel...

In this episode Jeff talks to Israeli Tour Guide, Isaac Karasenti about how the pandemic has been impacting tourism in Israel. As First Century Foundations' Tour Guide for our December 2021 tour to Israel - one of the few tours you can join this year - Isaac encourages participants to stay hopeful: by December, Israel may very well be welcoming tourists once again. To learn more about our upc...

In this episode of Keeping it Israel , Jeff talks to Dr. Bill Morrow, former General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada about the tour to Israel they are hosting December 5-14, 2021. Bill opens up about his many meaningful experiences in Israel and the prophetic miracle that Israel represents. He talks about how every time he goes to Israel, he learns something new and profound...

In this episode, Jeff talks to Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, Head of the Institute of Archaeology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem about the inscription unearthed in 2019 while he and his team were excavating ancient Ziklag. Scholars agree that the inscription reads "Jerubbaal", the nickname the Bible gives Gideon in the book of Judges: 'So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they...

In this episode of "Keeping it Israel" Jeff talks to Sondra Oster Baras, an Orthodox Jew living in what the world too often refers to as the "Occupied Territories" or "West Bank" of Israel.  What compelled her to leave her home in America to live there? Her passion for the Bible and its clear message regarding this meaningful territory. Sondra's truth-filled mess...

In this episode, Jeff Futers interviews Samuel Smadja, Regional Director of TBN in Israel and President of Sar-El Tours and Conferences about his journey becoming an incredibly successful entrepreneur and Pastor of a vibrant Messianic congregation in Israel. Samuel explains, he is not a supporter of Jews becoming "Christians", but rather, one who helps Jewish people understand Jesus (&qu...

Have you been longing to travel to Israel throughout the pandemic as much as we have? In this episode, Avie Esakov ("Mr. Israel") talks about current protocols for entering Israel (having just travelled there himself) and announces First Century Foundations' long-awaited tour to Israel in December 2021! To learn more about our 2021 Tour to Israel, CLICK HERE First Century Foundation...

In this interview, Jeff talks to Dean Bye, Founder and International Director of Return Ministries about why he - a non-Jewish Christian - feels it is his role to help the Jewish people return home to Israel from all over the world. According to Dean, the Bible contains many prophecies about the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel; and non-Jewish Christians have a role non-Jews to pl...