President of Chosen People Ministries
Mitch Glaser is the President of Chosen People Ministries in New York. He has been extensively involved in Jewish evangelism in several countries and was instrumental in helping to establish a congregation among Russian Jewish immigrants in New York. He is the corecipient of Christianity Today’s Award of Merit in the Apologetics/Evangelism category for 2009, for the book To the Jew First: The Case for Jewish Evangelism in Scripture and History, coedited with Darrell L. Bock. He is also the coauthor of The Fall Feasts of Israel and has written many articles for Christian periodicals and has taught at leading evangelical schools such as Fuller Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. Mitch earned a Master of Divinity degree in Old Testament Studies at the Talbot School of Theology and a Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Mitch and his wife have two daughters.
Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
Darrell L. Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary. He has earned recognition as a Humboldt Scholar (Tübingen University in Germany) and as author of over forty books, including well regarded commentaries on Luke and Acts, studies of the historical Jesus, and work in cultural engagement as host of the Seminary’s Table Podcasts (www.dts.edu/thetable). He was president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) for 2000–2001, is a consulting editor for Christianity Today, and serves on the boards of Wheaton College and Chosen People Ministries. His articles appear in leading publications, and he often is an expert for the media on New Testament issues. He has been a New York Times best-selling author in nonfiction and is elder emeritus at Trinity Fellowship Church in Dallas. When traveling overseas, he will tune into the current game involving his favorite teams from Houston—live—even in the wee hours of the morning. He is a proud father of two daughters and a son and is also a grandfather.
Chosen People Ministries Staff
Michael Cohen was raised in a conservative Jewish home from San Fernando Valley, California. He attended Hebrew School as a boy and after his Bar Mitzvah, he excelled as a student of history. During his late teens and early twenties, Michael veered away from Judaism, while occasionally returning to Jewish traditions, but could find no comfort or guidance. Upon graduating from college, Michael met Lisa, a young Jewish believer in Jesus. After reading a copy of the New Testament she gave him, which also included many important Messianic prophecies, Michael accepted Jesus as his Messiah. He later married Lisa and completed a Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies with a Jewish emphasis from Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. Michael has served as deacon, elder, and teacher in a Messianic congregation for over twenty years. Currently, Michael and Lisa serve with Chosen People Ministries in Southern California and have five sons.
Chosen People Ministries Staff
Brian Crawford received a call to share the Gospel with Jewish people after visiting Israel in 2005, and has served with Chosen People Ministries in Brooklyn, New York, since 2011. Brian’s focus in ministry is Messianic Contributors13
apologetics—the defense of the faith toward a Jewish audience. He is the Project Director for Chosen People Answers, a soon-to-be-released online community focused on making a case for Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel. Brian received a Master of Divinity from the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies—a partnership between Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology and Chosen People Ministries. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry in apologetics at Biola University. Brian has been married to Liz for nine years, and they have two young children.
Congregational leader of Shuvah Yisrael
Larry Feldman has been working with Chosen People Ministries since 1974. He currently is the South West Area Director for both Chosen People Ministries and the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA). He has also been serving as the president of the MJAA since 2015. He has planted or helped in establishing seven Messianic congregations from New York to California. Larry earned an Advanced Jewish Studies Degree from Moody Bible Institute as well as a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary with highest honors in Old Testament and Semitic Languages. Larry has been a Messianic Jew since 1972 and has been married to Fran for forty-two years. He is currently leading the Messianic congregation he started in 1997 called Shuvah Yisrael (Return O Israel).
Chaplain, Director of Field Education, and Professor at the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies
Richard H. Flashman is a seasoned pastoral leader and currently serves as the Chaplain, Director of Field Education, and a professor at the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies—a partnership between Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology and Chosen People Ministries. Rich was raised in a Jewish family in Newton, Massachusetts, and came to faith while in college. Rich was searching for answers and one of his peers shared the Gospel with him and challenged him to read the Hebrew prophets. After reading Isaiah 53, Rich could not deny that Jesus was the Messiah and accepted Him as his Lord and Savior. Soon after, God called Rich to full-time ministry. After earning a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Rich, with his wife, Michelle, and their three boys, went on to pastor two EFCA churches in Connecticut for twenty-seven years. Rich currently leads the only English-speaking Messianic congregation in Brooklyn along with two other missionaries. Additionally, Rich leads the southern Connecticut branch of Chosen People Ministries.
Vice President of U.S. Ministries for Chosen People Ministries
Mitch Forman was raised in a traditional Reform Jewish home near Boston. He attended the University of Massachusetts before pursuing a culinary career. Mitch went on to work in some of the finest hotels in Boston and San Francisco, achieving his goal of cooking alongside the best chefs in the world. In 1987, Mitch came to faith in Jesus after talking with a Christian coworker about the Bible. Mitch then became involved with Jewish missions over the next twelve years, from San Francisco to New York City. In 2002, Mitch and his family returned to Boston. While in Boston, he began teaching classes focused on the Jewish background of the Scriptures. He was also involved in the founding and leadership of Beth Yeshua Messianic Congregation in Newton, which is the heart of Boston’s Jewish community. Mitch currently serves as the Vice President of U.S. Ministries for Chosen People Ministries, overseeing all recruitment, training, mentoring, and leadership of the entire U.S.-based missionary staff. Mitch is married to Kina, and they have two daughters and a son.
Vice President of Church Ministries and Conferences for Chosen People Ministries
Richard E. Freeman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, in a very traditionally Jewish but nonreligious family. In 1973 Rich married his wife, Julia, who was from an Italian Catholic background. God reached Rich through Julia’s spiritual pilgrimage, but not before Rich’s Christian supervisor at work shared the Gospel with him. Rich accepted Yeshua as his Messiah in January of 1983. In September 1994, Rich earned a Master of Divinity from Conservative Baptist Seminary of the East. He went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Rich teaches on various topics such as Jewish evangelism, Messianic prophecy, end time prophecy, the Church and Israel, the feasts of Israel, and more. He currently serves as the Vice President of Church Ministries and Conferences as well as the South East Regional Director for Chosen People Ministries. Rich and Julia have three children and five grandchildren and live in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Professor, Charles L. Feinberg Center
Zhava Glaser serves with Chosen People Ministries and is a professor at the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies—a partnership between Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology and Chosen People Ministries. Dr. Glaser teaches entry level Biblical Hebrew as a living, spoken language, as well as advanced Hebrew exegesis courses in Old Testament (Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim). She also teaches Jewish History and Jewish Ethics, and is an editor and the coauthor of The Fall Feasts of Israel published by Moody Press. Born in Argentina to Jewish parents, Zhava has traveled widely throughout the world. She speaks fluent Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Hebrew, Contributors15
and has a reading knowledge of French, Catalan, and Ladino. She earned a Master of Arts from the Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission, a Master of Arts and a Master of Philosophy from Hunter College, and completed a Doctor of Philosophy from the City University of New York. Dr. Glaser is a member in good standing of the Association of Jewish Studies, the National Association of Professors of Hebrew, and the Evangelical Theological Society. Zhava and her husband, Mitch, have two daughters.
Professor, Talbot School of Theology | Program Director, Charles L. Feinberg Center
Gregory Hagg is a Professor of Bible Exposition at Talbot School of Theology, and serves as Program Director and a professor in the Charles L. Feinberg Center, which offers an accredited Master of Divinity in Messianic Jewish Studies through Biola University. This program, which is designed to provide excellent biblical and theological training for those who are reaching out to the Jewish people, is a partnership between Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology and Chosen People Ministries. Gregory earned an Master of Arts from New York University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and then a Doctor of Philosophy from New York University. He also serves as a Vice President of Chosen People Ministries.
Chosen People Ministries Staff
Gordon Law has been connected with Chosen People Ministries since 1999. He earned a Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology from Trinity International University, and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Gordon has served in various ministry positions such as pastor in a Chinese church, missions mobilizer, seminary lecturer, and Holy Land tour guide. He loves to bring groups to Israel to learn about the Land and the people there. He resides in New York with his wife and two children. His family always has a heart of sharing the love of Yeshua with Israelis as well as other Jewish people.
Olivier Melnick is a proficient writer and a bold evangelist. Born into a secular Jewish family in France and the son of a Holocaust survivor, Olivier is passionate about sharing his faith with his Jewish people and warning the public about rising tide of antisemitism in Europe and the West. Olivier has authored the book They Have Conspired Against You, which teaches readers to recognize and fight worldwide antisemitism. Olivier has also written The Rabbi’s Triad, an evangelistic thriller. Olivier is a guest commentator on WorldNetDaily and is the Northwest Regional Director of Chosen People Ministries. He also serves as a board member of both Chosen People Ministries U.S. and France. Olivier is married to Ellen, and they have two children.
Congregational Leader of “Kehila”
Scott P. Nassau leads a congregational plant in Los Angeles called “Kehila,” derived from the Hebrew term meaning “community.” He is passionate about shaping community where both Jews and Gentiles share Messiah’s beautiful narrative of renewal through their unique stories. He has worked with Chosen People Ministries since 2001, is a Los Angeles native, and the grandson of Holocaust survivors. He earned a degree from Moody Bible Institute in Jewish Studies and a Master of Theology in Hebrew Bible from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has studied at University of Haifa in Israel and worked on coursework for a Doctor of Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary. In addition, he has published in academic journals. Scott is the husband to Dana and the father to three energetic kids.
Chosen People Ministries Staff
Daniel Nessim has served with Chosen People Ministries since 1998. He is among the third generation of his family to believe in Jesus as Messiah and is a skilled communicator and leader, having established Chosen People Ministries’ branch in the United Kingdom as well as a thriving Messianic Jewish congregation in Golders Green, the heart of London’s Jewish community. Daniel has a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Regent College. He now serves in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada where he leads a Messianic congregation. Daniel speaks extensively in the United States, Canada, and abroad and is a member of the Society for Biblical Literature and the Evangelical Theological Society. Daniel has also written books on witnessing to Jewish people, the Gospel through Jewish eyes, and a prayer book for Jewish believers in Jesus.
Vice President, Chosen People Ministries
Olivier Melnick is a proficient writer and a bold evangelist. Born into a secular Jewish family in France and the son of a Holocaust survivor, Olivier is passionate about sharing his faith with his Jewish people and warning the public about rising tide of antisemitism in Europe and the West. Olivier has authored the book They Have Conspired Against You, which teaches readers to recognize and fight worldwide antisemitism. Olivier has also written The Rabbi’s Triad, an evangelistic thriller. Olivier is a guest commentator on WorldNetDaily and is the Northwest Regional Director of Chosen People Ministries. He also serves as a board member of both Chosen People Ministries U.S. and France. Olivier is married to Ellen, and they have two children.
Brooklyn Branch Director, Chosen People Ministries
Robert Walter serves as the Brooklyn Branch Director of Chosen People Ministries in Brooklyn, New York. He also coleads Beth Sar Shalom Brooklyn Messianic Congregation with two other missionaries, and serves as an Adjunct Instructor of New Testament Greek at the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies—a partnership between Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology and Chosen People Ministries. He earned a degree in Ministry from Palm Beach Atlantic University and a Master of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology through the Feinberg Center. Although neither Robert nor his wife, Joanna, is Jewish, God laid a heavy burden on their hearts to share Jesus with the Jewish people. They reside in Brooklyn with their two young children.
Chosen People Ministries Staff
Cathy Wilson continues to draw Jewish and Gentile people to the Lord through performing comedic and dramatic sketches in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Although Cathy portrays Jewish characters, she grew up in a non-Jewish home in the Bronx. While her home was “religious,” she came to truly know the Lord during her senior year of high school. Cathy immediately applied to Northeastern Bible College in Essex Fells, New Jersey, and graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Literature. Cathy and her husband, Bob, lead a Jewish ministry team at Scottsdale Bible Church in Arizona. She trains the team to educate the Church about the Jewish roots of Christianity and to share the Gospel with Jewish people in the Phoenix area. Cathy has initiated a partnership between Scottsdale Bible Church and Chosen People Ministries to create Beth Sar Shalom, a monthly Messianic fellowship that invites Jews and Gentiles to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob together, through Jesus the Messiah.