Open Line

Rich Freeman

Dr. Richard Freeman was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. in a traditional Jewish, though not religious, family. He did, however, receive religious training for five years in a conservative synagogue and received his Bar Mitzvah at age thirteen. Following that experience, though staunchly Jewish nationalistically, he drifted away from the synagogue and attended only on the special Jewish holidays.

In 1973 Rich married Julia DeBellis who was from an Italian Catholic background. It was primarily through Julia’s spiritual pilgrimage that God reached Rich. In January 1983, through the ministry of Chosen People Ministries, Rich heard and responded to the gospel message and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. In the summer of 1987, Rich and Julia moved to Dallas, Texas, where he attended Dallas Theological Seminary. While in Dallas, Rich worked as a missionary with Chosen People Ministries. Before finishing the degree program at Dallas, he was called to pastor the congregation where he was saved, Light of Israel Messianic Congregation. He became pastor of that congregation in December 1989. In 1994, Rich also became pastor of Dunwoodie Baptist Church in Yonkers, New York, which is where Light of Israel’s services were held. For five years of his ten-year pastorate he enjoyed the unique challenge of pastoring two congregations.

Rich finished his studies, begun in Dallas, at Conservative Baptist Seminary of the East, where he received his M.Div., in September 1994. On July 1, 1999, he assumed his position as Vice-President and Director of Church Ministries and Conferences for Chosen People Ministries. Rich received his D.Min. at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in 2004.

• Chosen People Ministries

Mitch Glaser

Dr. Mitch Glaser is an alumnus of Northeastern Bible College and holds a Master of Divinity degree in Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology as well as a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Intercultural Studies. He is the co-author of The Fall Feasts of Israel with his wife, Zhava, and co-editor of To The Jew First, The Gospel According to Isaiah 53 and The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel, published by Kregel Publications. Dr. Glaser’s evangelistic book, Isaiah 53 Explained, is now in eleven languages with over 100,000 copies in print. He has written many articles for Christian periodicals and has taught at leading evangelical schools such as Talbot School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, and Columbia International University.

• Chosen People Ministries

Robin

Robin is a Jewish believer in Jesus. She grew up in Brooklyn in a somewhat traditional Jewish home and first heard about Jesus during a visit home from college. Upset and not interested at first, these continued conversations eventually led her to accept Jesus as her Messiah. Robin served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Israel for several years doing university student ministry and coordinating outreaches. Robin worked with World Vision in the US and leading vision trips to Rwanda and Kenya. She sensed a call back to full-time Jewish ministry and serves with Chosen People Ministries (CPM) for the last 15 years, based in New York then Israel, leading short term ministry trips to reach Israeli backpackers in places like New Zealand, India, and South America. Robin has lived in Israel for the last seven years, serving as the CPM branch leader in the greater Tel Aviv region.

• Chosen People Ministries

Rachel D

Rachel D. grew up in a Messianic home and watched her parents faithfully serve the Lord among the Jewish community. This instilled a passion for praying for and reaching out to her Jewish people and she felt called to commit her life to full-time outreach. Rachel received her undergraduate degree from Moody Bible Institute in 2002 in Jewish Studies and Bible, as well as her Masters of Arts in Old Testament Studies in 2006. She joined the staff of Chosen People Ministries in 2002 and served for five years in the Chosen People Ministries’ New York City headquarters, among NYC’s vast population of Jewish people. In 2007, Rachel moved to Israel and received her citizenship. Once in Israel, she met Steve, a British Jewish believer who also felt the call from the Lord. They have been married since June 2010 and have three children. Her new main area of ministry is found in our Ministry Center in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, where she is involved in helping to start community-wide programs for believers and not-yet-believers through creative ideas.

• Chosen People Ministries