Chris Katulka: Welcome to the Friends of Israel Today. I'm your host and teacher, Chris Katulka. I want to encourage you to visit our website, foiradio.org, like Friends of Israel; foiradio.org to keep up on all things related to the Friends of Israel Today radio program. There you can listen to all of our broadcast, 10 years worth of content with links to our featured products highlighted in the show. You can also support our ministry by clicking on the donate button to help continue teaching biblical truth about Israel and the Jewish people. Get to foiradio.org as soon as you can. Hey, listen. On today's program, we're looking at one of the ministries of the Friends of Israel. Remember, the Friends of Israel isn't just a radio program, it's not just the Israel My Glory Magazine. In fact, we have representatives that are serving all around the world, ministering the truth of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, and supporting Israel and the Jewish people.

And today on our program, we have one of our international representatives. His name is Timothy Rabinek. Timothy's been serving in Poland for many, many years. He's going to share about not only the ministry that God's given to him in the team that serve in Eastern Europe, but also his very successful YouTube page, Israel MyChannel that teaches biblical content about Israel, Jerusalem, other areas of the Bible and current events as well. Something that you can like and subscribe. That's Israel MyChannel. He's going to talk all about that. But before we get to Timothy, I want to share an opportunity for you if you're in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area listening to the Friends of Israel Today. Thank you for listening. I want to encourage you on October 10th and 11th, 2025 at the Good Shepherd Chapel at Lancaster Bible College, we'll be hosting our PROCLAIM conference: Living in the Last Days where we're going to study the last days of the church, the last days of Israel, the last days of the nations.

We're going to be studying what it means not only to see the events that will take place in the last days, but also how we should be living in light of what the Bible teaches about biblical prophecy. Again, you can go to foiradio.org to register for this free conference, our PROCLAIM conference living in the last days. Now let's go to Timothy's interview. 

Chris Katulka: Well, everybody, I am very excited to have Timothy Rabinek who serves with the Friends of Israel in Poland and is a part of a broader ministry, not just in Poland, but in Eastern Europe. And I'm glad that he's able to join us to talk about his ministry. Again, remember, this is an opportunity for you through our FOI in Action to see that Friends of Israel is not just a radio program. Friends of Israel is not just the magazine, Israel My Glory. It's much more than that. It's actually people serving the Lord all around the world to make known the truth about Israel and the Jewish people and to share the good news of Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Timothy, it's great to have you with us from Poland.

Timothy Rabinek: Thank you, Chris. It's a pleasure to be with you today.

Chris Katulka: Timothy, we had you on several years ago to kind of talk about Poland, and I thought it's been a while since our audience has heard from you and that's why I want to ask the first question. I want you to lay a foundation for what's going on in Poland with your ministry, how God's at work in the Jewish community in Poland, especially over the last year or so. And what fruit have you seen that's most encouraged you?

Timothy Rabinek: Well, if you follow the news, you know that a lot is happening in Eastern Europe and Poland is also very close to the whole conflict in Ukraine. So this of course impacts the ministry we do here. And what is happening is that the ministry, because of the changes that are happening all around the world, is speeding up a little bit for years now. It is that way that the ministry to the Jewish people takes a lot of patience. And I like this verse from Galatians actually, which really summarizes what we do in Poland. It's Galatians 6:9 where we read, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.” And this is a good summary of what is happening because as I said, the ministry to the Jewish people requires a lot, a lot of patience. And sometimes it takes years to see the fruit. But because of the situation that is happening now, the uncertainty, we do see a much often reaction from the Jewish people.

And I would like to share, for example, a personal example of a Jewish friend that I've been friends with for many years now. We moved to Warsaw 11 years ago with my family and we met this Jewish person. He's about my age, so 40 years old, and we've been friends for all that time and we've been inviting him to our home. We've been inviting him for Shabbat sometimes on Fridays. He's not religious, he says he does not believe in God. But throughout those years we have been working with him. We have been friends with him, and sometimes it has been challenging, but he has seen the things we do. We were able to share with him the ministry we're doing, especially when the war in Ukraine happened.

He saw that we were helping a lot of Jewish people make aliyah to Israel. He saw that we started visiting Jewish communities in Ukraine during wartime, and that made a huge impression on him. He told me that. But then it still didn't move anywhere until suddenly a few weeks ago I was getting ready to go to church and I was about to get ready to leave and I receive a call from him. So he calls me, he says that, “well, I have this delivery. A guy came, he brought this bookshelf, but he just left there and I live on the second floor. Can you come and help me?” And I had a little bit of time to come and help him out. So we came, I helped him to get that shelf to the second floor, and I said to him, “well, it's about time for me to leave. I'm going to church.” And then out of nowhere, he says, “well, my family left. They went to see their family, so I'll go with you.” I was shocked. I felt really happy, but then I felt really nervous because I didn't know what this sermon will be about. But anyways, we went with faith. He went to church with me, spent the whole service with me afterwards, we had some coffee with friends, we talked, and when we get out of the church, he says to me, “this church isn't that bad. It's not that scary, actually.” And that's not the end of the story, obviously. It's a first step. But for him to go to church, for a Jewish person to go to church, a person that never has been to church before, it was a huge, huge step. So this is just an example of many, many other examples we see in our ministry where for years we have been ministering to Jewish people and only after a certain time we see the fruits. When God acts, he opens a heart, and finally we can share more about our faith. So the first steps are very, very simple, going to church, opening a Bible, praying together, and eventually there are some cases where Jewish people want to know God personally, know the real God of Israel, so God is doing amazing things in those very uncertain times.

Chris Katulka: Praise the Lord. That is an amazing story. I love hearing that. And for some people they might not think that's a big deal, but in Jewish ministry, that is a huge deal that a Jewish friend would take. It's a step of faith for them to go into a place unknown like a church and to be a part and to fellowship with you in that way as well, and to see church. That's fantastic. There's another gathering that you all have as well, which I think is very important. It's really a legacy of the Poland Ministry, which is your Bible camps. It's a vital part of the ministry in Poland. I'd love to know maybe what are some of the meaningful stories or breakthroughs that you've had that you've kind of seen with these young children and families that are coming to the camps in Poland and maybe catch people up on what the Bible camps are as well.

Timothy Rabinek: Sure, Chris. Well, the breakthroughs are the camps themselves that Jewish families from Ukraine, from Romania, from Moldova send their kids to Poland to a Bible camp that is run by believers. This is in itself a miracle, I believe a miracle. And this year we had 10 camps that are organized for children from, as I said, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania. So I was not present at all of those camps, but the times that I am at the camps, I can see a huge transformation in children. This is the time where the children who are usually not from religious families, they are from secular families. For the first time, open the Torah, each child receives a Bible to take home, and lives are transformed. The children then go back to their parents and sometimes they share with their parents what they have learned, and the parents are inspired by the children to also discover the heritage of the Jewish people, which is the Bible.

Recently we changed the camps a little bit because we not only started inviting the children, but also mothers with children. The mothers come. It's been a difficult time for people in Ukraine especially where there is a constant threat of danger, and it's a good time just to come to a safe place in Poland to have some time of rest, and the mothers come with their children. The fathers cannot come because they cannot leave Ukraine, but the mothers can. So the mothers often join our Bible lessons, and what ends up happening is that the mothers are more active than the children. We have lessons prepared for the children, but then the mothers start to answer the questions, and it's a good thing because they start to explore the Bible together. And it often happens that the mothers are so inspired that they want to continue this after the camp ends because they see the good fruit of it. They see that the children after reading the Bible are different. They change and they change positively. So this is certainly something special. What I would also like to share, which is sometimes a very, very simple thing, but very, very important. People often that attend our camps say that for them it was a week to 10 days where they could just sleep, just have a normal night of sleep. Another thing is just where they can go to a wood, to woods, to a forest, to have a hike in the mountains, simple things that we can have on a daily basis. For many of them, it is impossible and they're so grateful that they can do such simple things, but so important just to have a peace of mind.

Chris Katulka: We're speaking with Timothy Rabinek, who is a representative of the Friends of Israel in Poland. Now maybe you're driving your car right now or you're listening to the podcast and you're thinking to yourself, boy, I feel like I've heard this guy's voice before somewhere. Well, you know what, actually Timothy has a very, very successful YouTube page called Israel MyChannel. And when we come back from our break, we're going to hear about the development of this amazing Israel MyChannel YouTube page, the impact it's had and really where it all came from so that Timothy can, maybe you can see the face or hear the voice that's connected to the voice on YouTube as well. I'm looking at his face right now. So anyway, I want you to come back and hear more about Israel MyChannel. Stick around.

Steve Conover: Are you a new listener to our program? If you are, welcome. We're glad you're here. The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry exists to fuel your passion for the Word which should overflow to a compassion for God's Chosen People, the Jewish people.

Chris Katulka: Whether you're new to our program or have listened for years, we want to encourage you with our resources to help you see why God called us to support the Jewish people in Israel and worldwide. We have a free download, a digital version of our booklet, Whose Land is it Anyway? that we'd like to send you free today. Whose Land is it Anyway? takes the Jewish and Arab claims to the land and helps make sense of the common arguments surrounding the struggle. Whose Land is it Anyway? is an easy-to-read apologetic that will give you a clear answer as you think about Israel's right to the land.

Steve Conover: To get your free digital copy of Whose Land is it Anyway?, visit foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everybody. We've got Timothy Rabinek on from Poland. Timothy, you have been blessed by the Lord with a very successful YouTube channel that's garnered millions and millions of views with several hundred thousand subscribers. It's called the Israel MyChannel. It's on the YouTube platform, and like I said, it's become wildly successful. I want to know something. First of all, explain to our listeners what content are you putting on that YouTube page, and then why do you think it's so successful? What is resonating with the people on YouTube that are watching your channel subscribing and continue to come back?

Timothy Rabinek: Thank you, Chris. Well, the channel is really, I think something that happened during the Coronavirus lockdowns. I was stuck at my apartment. I couldn't go anywhere, and I started thinking, what can I do to have an impact on the ministry? And that's really how it started. I started creating 3D models. I started learning about video editing and it kind of started like that, and then it exploded one day as one of the videos got really, really big attention. What I create on the channel is that I try to show biblical stories using visual enhancements. I am a visual learner, so for me it is best to see things to learn. And I try to understand how would I learn best about a biblical story about the times when David lived, about the geography of Israel. How can I show that so that I understand?

And it seems that many people like that approach. So I'm very blessed that so many people are receptive to this, but this is really how it's started. And apart from the content that I create about biblical stories, I try to create 3D models of Jerusalem from different time periods. And recently even, I started doing a little bit of a commentary on the current events in Israel. And that really was something that hit off with the viewers. Some of the videos in one day, they got over a million views, which for me was just something that I would never expect. But people are looking for an alternative to the media, which is showing so much negative information about Israel. So when they can find a source, which in an attractive way shows the story, shows the truth, they really, really appreciate it. And I hope that not only believers watch my channel, it's a worldwide channel. Every month on average, 2 million people look at it, look through the videos, and this is from around the world. So I even have viewers from Israel which write me letters and say to me, thank you, thank you for sharing this positive information about Israel because we are so surrounded by fake news, news that are against Israel and people are really appreciative of having an alternative.

Chris Katulka: You just kind of touched on where I want to go next, and it's the fact that Israelis are watching your videos and I was just looking at one of your videos that you put out recently. You had mentioned you were kind of talking about issues, current issues going on in Israel, especially with Gaza and the war against Hamas, and that received a million views in no time, but people are writing to you. Israelis are saying, we feel alone, which means that there's pushback against Israel and Jewish people and the rise of antisemitism. Can you highlight, Poland has a history with the Jewish people, a dark history with the Jewish people during World War II, the Holocaust. What's antisemitism—the hatred or targeted hatred of the Jewish people look like where you are right now and how's that affecting the community that you serve and really kind of shaping the way that you do ministry as well?

Timothy Rabinek: Yeah, Poland is, as you said, unique on the map of the world. There is no other country like Poland. Before World War II, 3 million Jews lived in Poland. Now there is a few thousand that live in Poland. So the dark history of the Holocaust is always present in Poland. And we as people who serve the Jewish people need to be aware of that. It's not just about history, it is really about Jewish memory. Jewish people have a memory which is very important to them, and we need to be sensitive about it. How do we do it? Well, we want to share the hope of the Messiah, but you need to start somewhere. So it is very important that you stand with the Jewish people commemorating this history, remembering this memory and being with them when they remember those dark moments that happened in Poland. As you said, antisemitism is growing in Europe and we also see it in Poland. Unfortunately, the head of the hydra of antisemitism is growing again, and we see it is rising. But we are here to be with the Jewish people and we want them to know that we are with them for the good and for the bad. And when times are difficult, they appreciate it a lot.

Chris Katulka: Well, hence the reason why your friend probably said, “I'm free, let's go to church together.”

Timothy Rabinek: Oh, yeah.

Chris Katulka: That sense of feeling comfortable, especially during a very difficult time with the Ukraine-Russia war, with the rise of antisemitism, you've shown yourself to be a faithful friend to him through the ups and downs.

Timothy Rabinek: That's right. And this really took a lot of time. So it's not going to happen overnight. It's not going to happen with a magic formula. Every person is different. Everybody has a story, a very complex story sometimes. So you need to be sensitive to it and you need to be patient. And only then God opens the heart at a moment which is appropriate.

Chris Katulka: Timothy, we have about two minutes left and I want our listeners to hear what your vision is for Poland, for ministry, and especially Eastern Europe. What hopes and goals do you have as you serve the Lord out of Warsaw? I'll give you the final moments here.

Timothy Rabinek: Thank you, Chris. So Friends of Israel was established in 1938 just before World War II, and we see a similar climate now in Europe. So our most important desire is to be faithful, to be there in these difficult times with the Jewish people. We want to be obedient to God's will. We want to be an encouragement for the Jewish people as he gathers all of his nation in the Promised Land. So we are living in uncertain times, but it is also times of great opportunity. And as Friends of Israel began in difficult times, we believe it will continue until God is complete with his work in this part of the world and we want to be there with the Jewish people.

Chris Katulka: Well, if you're listening now and you're saying, I want to be a part of what Timothy is doing in Poland and Eastern Europe, we're going to have a website, we'll have a website for you to go to at foiradio.org. Also, don't forget to check out Timothy's YouTube page. You can like and subscribe to that as well by just searching up Israel MyChannel, and you'll begin to see numerous resources for you to catch up on all of the amazing stuff that Timothy's been putting out for the last couple of years and to be a part of the community that's growing, that he's impacting. So Timothy, thank you so much for sharing your heart to serve the Lord, to minister to the Jewish people, to speak truth about Israel and really to just be a blessing to us here at Friends of Israel. Thank you so much.

Timothy Rabinek: Thank you, Chris. It was a pleasure.

Chris Katulka: I want to thank Timothy Rabinek for being on the program with us. Be sure to support and pray for Timothy and his team in Poland and Eastern Europe. Also, don't forget to like and subscribe to his YouTube page, Israel MyChannel. Now listen, next week we're going to start a two-part series on Jesus's words in Matthew chapter 25 when he talks about ‘who are the least of these?’ We often hear this when it comes to doing ministry, when it comes to ministering to those who are less fortunate. It's very important, but what was the context of what Jesus was saying as he spoke these words? So join us next week for Matthew chapter 25 as we look at ‘Who are the least of these?’

As mentioned, our website is foiradio.org. Our mailing address is FOI Radio PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. You can also call our listener line. That number is 888-343-6940. Also, don’t forget to go to foiradio.org to get your free Whose Land is it Anyway? Pamphlet to know all about whose land is Israel’s anyway? Be sure to get to foiradio.org. Today's program was engineered by Bob Beebe. Edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Lisa Small is our executive producer. Sarah Fern is our associate producer. Steve Conover is the executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, and I am your host and teacher, Chris Katulka. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.