Joseph Zalman found his Saviour (1860-1924)

Joseph Zalman fled to the west and waited in Amsterdam for a ship to America. He ended up in a meeting where the name of Jesus was mentioned. He was outraged, but also fascinated. In time he discovered, in a miraculous way, that Jesus was also his personal Saviour.

Pogrom

Joseph Zalman was born in 1860 in Turkey into a strict Chassidic family. Shortly after his birth his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother. When he was twelve, his father remarried and they moved to Odessa in Russia. While they were there, ‘Christian’ Cossacks killed his younger brother in a pogrom and from then on he hated the Christians intensely. After some time, his family overcame this horrible blow and even prospered a little. His Father made a name as a builder and architect. Joseph followed in his footsteps and worked with him.

To America

Joseph married in 1883, but as a newlywed hard times had befallen him. There were building orders, but anti-Semitism was increasing. In addition, the government charged extra taxes on Jews, so many Jewish traders were forced to leave. Joseph planned to immigrate with his wife to America, so with the little money they had, they took leave of their parents and family.

The New Testament

They took a train for the long journey west. In their carriage sat a young man who was completely fascinated by a book he was reading. He acted very mysteriously until Joseph could no longer suppress his curiosity and said “Show it to me.” To his surprise it was a New Testament,. The man was travelling to London to be baptised and become a preacher. When the man had to change trains, he gave the New Testament to Joseph, who started reading it immediately. Some time later his wife noticed what kind of book it was, “What? Do you want to become an apostate now too?” she said angrily. She snatched it out of his hand and threw it out of the window.

In Amsterdam

They travelled to the Netherlands and ended up in Amsterdam. One Sunday morning Joseph walked into town and heard music. He thought it came from a teashop, as there were many in Russia. He opened the door and noticed immediately his mistake. He saw someone in the pulpit that looked a bit like a Jew. However, it was not a synagogue because the women and men were mixed up. There was no orchestra but an organ. It was also no church, because he didn’t see icons or images of saints. When he wanted to leave, a man showed him a seat. Bewildered he looked around and listened to the foreign sounds of the preacher. Suddenly he heard the name of Jesus. Outraged and filled with hate he spat on the ground as he now understood that he found himself in a Christian meeting. Nevertheless it fascinated him enormously and after the service he was brought to Rev. Adler, a missionary preacher from London. The evangelist spoke with him as a friend and won his sympathy. His compassion made Joseph tell him all his concerns.

Study of the Word

The boat to America left without Joseph and his wife, because they became interested in the Scriptures. Rev. Adler provided for their cost of living and later he found a steady job for Joseph. This enabled them to continue the study of the Scriptures that finally led to a total surrender to their Messiah and a baptism of the couple on Ascension Day. The Jewish community was outraged. Zalman survived a barrage of questions from the Jewish council and didn’t give in to the temptation of a large sum of money. Subsequently he was attacked physically and battered. Finally, they convinced his wife that his religious conviction was wrong and, under pressure, she left him.

His own Saviour

Joseph then left on a ship to Java in the hope to find work there. The daily struggle to earn a living burdened him, but when a cholera-epidemic broke out on board, fear grasped him. Was he prepared to face God? Never before was he so deeply aware of his sins and then came the most decisive moment in his life. The Spirit of God revealed to him that the Messiah is not only the One promised to the fathers, but also his own Saviour. In the lower part of the boat, between the coals, he was filled with joy and cried out, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

Preacher of the Jewish Messiah

He returned to Holland and Rev. Adler asked him to become his assistant in the growing mission work and on the first day of December Joseph Zalman started work at the London Society. Every day he cycled through the cities and villages in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1901, he opened the Elim House in Rotterdam where many Jews who immigrated to Holland found shelter. They received food, clothes and medical care and Joseph opened factories to provide work. Above all that, he gave them spiritual food and a place to study of the Scriptures. Joseph worked in the full conviction that God did not cast off his people, whom he foreknew (Romans 11:2).