A Holocaust survivor's dramatic journey to the Messiah

By Stuart Spani

Messianic believer Zvi Kalisher (in white shirt) debates spiritual matters with devout Jews in Jerusalem.

ON MY recent trip to Israel, I met a remarkable and inspiring man named Zvi Kalisher. His life story is told in a book, simply named Zvi, which has been Friends of Israel's best-selling book for more than 50 years. Zvi has gone through a number of publications, each adding another chapter of Kalisher's life as he has lived it.

Zvi's parents were rich Jews in Warsaw. When Hitler's final solution became clear, and the Polish Jews were being rounded up and taken to death camps, Zvi's parents put their pre-teen son into an orphanage -- hiding his identity, and the fact he was Jewish.

The orphanage was used to recruit Polish children into the Hitler Youth. At first, Zvi was intrigued and wanted nothing more that to serve his new 'Fatherland.' He was thrilled to be given the opportunity to go with a large group to Germany. When they arrived, the bigger and stronger children were sent to forced labour camps. The smaller ones, like Zvi, were sent back to Poland; rumours quickly circulated that they were being sent to death camps -- and the moment Zvi saw the opportunity, he escaped.

He survived the next several years by his daring and wits. Much of his time was spent smuggling food and weapons into the Warsaw ghetto, through the sewers. In some cases, these supplies were given to him through the Polish underground, but often, the brash, undersized lad stole them directly from the Germans -- who never suspected this tiny waif.

'Zvi Kalisher (7th from left) with several generations of his Messianic Jewish family.'

Once the war was over, and he confirmed that his family had been killed in the Holocaust, Zvi managed to get to a kibbutz in Northern Israel. He felt that he had nothing to live for -- and volunteered for the most dangerous job in the army. He became an expert in dismantling bombs, land mines and booby traps. This became his occupation for the next 40 years, as Israel faced numerous wars and waves of terrorism. As Zvi wryly puts it, his job was one where you couldn't make the same mistake once.

During the 1948 war, a tiny, ill-equipped Israeli army faced the combined force of highly trained, modern armies from many Arab countries -- and the Israelis won. Zvi believed this was a miracle from God, and he wanted to know this God. Through a Christian witness, he met God -- in the form of Jesus Christ. Zvi became a follower of the true Jewish Messiah -- known in Hebrew as Yeshua.

And what a follower he became! Today, all of his children are in the Messianic movement -- and have all risen to high ranks in the Israeli army. His son Menno leads the largest Messianic fellowship in Jerusalem; now his grandchildren are following his footsteps.

Zvi now spends his time encouraging Messianic Jews; building links with Christian Arabs; and continually witnessing to Orthodox Jews, secular Jews and to Muslim Arabs. It would be safe to say that literally thousands have been challenged by the gospel of Jesus Christ, through this one remarkable servant of Christ.

It was a miracle that Zvi survived World War Two, and that he survived 40 years in the most dangerous job in the world; but the greatest miracle of all are the many, many souls who have been won to Christ -- and are still being won -- through this one faithful believer.