NEWS FROM ISRAEL

A LETTER FROM SHOSHANA

August 15, 2002

My name is Shoshy Danielson. I was born in Tel Aviv, Israel 1958, to Jewish parents. Israel was only 10 years old then. Books were always very dear to me. Reading was my favourite hobby. As a child, when my father told me a good night story in the darkness, I insisted that he tell me when he turned the pages. At the age of 18 I went to serve in the army, like all young men and women in Israel. I joined a group that founded a new kibbutz, Mitzpe Shalem, by the Dead Sea. There I stayed three years.

I could see that 'the skies proclaim the work of his hands'. For the first time in my life, I received a copy of the New Testament from a friend who was a tourist guide. I read it, thought it was beautiful, but never read more than the first seven chapters – until I took up the study of Literature and the History of Art in the University of Tel Aviv.

Reading the Gospels, which was required reading for all Art History students, I just knew it was the truth. But I did not know what to do with what I had discovered. At the end of that year, I met Rolf. I knew we would find God together. We went to Sweden – Rolf's home country – for the summer holiday, and remained there for eight years. Frankly, I was happy to get away from Israel because of what I then saw as a hopeless political situation.

Rolf and I were married in Gothenburg in the spring of 1984. All the time, we were searching for God – in the wrong places. Yet, he is full of grace. He found us. We met believers, and prayed with them for salvation. On a very rainly July 1985, by a lake, the sky stopped pouring for a short while, and we were baptized.

A year later, Oriel was born. We moved to the countryside, and grew in our faith. I got to know the Book. I read and studied it eagerly. Reading the Bible, I experienced a deep renewal of my mind. My negative feelings toward my people and my home country were changed. I asked God to transform my heart, and he did. I began to understand that my place is in Israel.

Meanwhile, I told my family about my faith and one after the other, many family members came to believe. In 1992, Rolf, Oriel and I returned to Israel. It was wonderful to come home, to fellowship with family members and to meet many Israeli believers and worship God with them.

My sister in law worked then at HaGefen and she asked Baruch if he had work for a Hebrew lover. After some nagging, Baruch agreed to meet me. I guess he liked me, because I got a job at HaGefen, where I began work just two months after returning to Israel.

Ten years have passed. I first translated Immanuel, a Bible storybook by Kenneth N. Taylor. That was my basic training for the bigger project of translating the entire Bible into modern Hebrew for children.

In 1993, my daughter, Noga, was born, and I began work on the Children's Bible. Seven good years have passed and the first fruit has arrived: in 2000 we produced Volume I of The Testimony, the first five books of Moses. Many are now eagerly awaiting Volume II, the historical books, scheduled for publication at the end of 2002.

I have already translated Joshua to Kings II, half of the Minor Prophets and the book of Psalms. Now we have before us the different stages of editing, in an effort to secure the most reliable and most coherent text possible. I am now about to begin translation of Isaiah, with great reverence. At the same time, I am working on the final editing of Samuel I and II, while other books are in the hands of control groups, for their comment and review.

It is a great pleasure for me to work with the Word of God daily and to work with other believers who love God and want to serve him faithfully. I consider this to be a real privilege.

Thank you for your prayers and support

SHOSHY DANIELSON