49:22TRUST

The Trust’s mode of communication is TV and web based media, not print media. To see these, click on the Teaching Downloads section. However, we provide a printed annual review once a year to donors who have made a donation of £49:22 or more in the past 12 months.

What is Aliyah?

Biblically, Aliyah literally means ‘to ascend’ or ‘to go up’ and is the modern Hebrew word used to expresses the act of a Jewish person’s return to their historic homeland: Israel.

When Jews return to live in the land covenanted to them by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob it is their personal ascent, their Aliyah. There is the understanding of both a physical and a spiritual reality in Aliyah – the physical return to the land being a precursor of, or a concurrent event with, their return to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. See the website section ‘Aliyah: Towards The Big Picture’ for more information.

What is an 'ole' and 'olim'?

Why does the 49:22trust do this?

As Bible believing Gentiles, it is our privilege in response to God's call to us in Isaiah 49:22 and many other prophetic biblical passages. It is our place and our joy to respond to God’s call.

The Heritage and development of 49:22trust

What is the relationship between 49:22trust and Good News Travels - Exobus Project?

49:22trust grew out of and is built upon the foundation of Good News Travels - Exobus Project.

Between 1990 and 2008 Exobus Project physically assisted over 82,000 Jewish People to make Aliyah. This work took place mainly in the former Soviet Union and assistance included:

Exobus Project also helped encourage Jewish people in the Diaspora to make Aliyah and see God’s faithfulness to them. This was done through what were termed as ‘fishing events’, which involved:

Exobus Project also located Jewish orphans in the former Soviet Union to aid them in their plight; provided comfort and acceptance; built them up in their Jewish identity and heritage, and enabled them to make Aliyah through seeking the State of Israel who could claim them as Jewish orphans (in a guardianship arrangement with the Ukrainian state). From among the almost 500 such Jewish Orphans found, almost 100 of these are in Israel (in 2008).

Why don’t you call the organisation Exobus Project anymore?

Exobus Project was the nickname used for Good News Travels which transferred the use of its fleet of buses from commercial operations to the work of assisting the Jews of the former Soviet Union in their own personal Exodus. Such transportation was initially requested by, and actually contracted to, the Jewish Agency for Israel and was essential at a time when the infrastructure of the Soviet Union, and later the former Soviet Union, did not have reliable transport for the Jews making Aliyah.

At the change over from Exobus Project to 49:22trust in 2008, 18 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the gradual proliferation of alternate means of transport enabling greater freedom of movement renders the need for Western owned, operated and managed transport unnecessary. Outsourcing of such resources is now possible and 49:22trust associated organisations do just that - thus saving time, money and energy whilst still serving the Jewish People with respect to Aliyah.

However, the change is deeper than that. Over time the nature of the organisation has changed not only in the vehicles used, but also in the way it operates so that now there are many good home-grown organisations that can help enable Aliyah. Thus 49:22trust’s focus is the education of the non-Jewish, primarily Christian world in their responsibility to help assist Aliyah (Isaiah 49:22), to educate against antisemitism, and to support people and organisations who carry out these tasks.

Thus 49:22trust no longer directly manages organisations in the former Soviet Union, but works closely with independent organisations that carry out the Trust’s aims. This is a subtle but important difference that has been enabled by the maturing over time of the former Soviet Union and makes for more efficient and generally more effective carrying out of the organisation’s aims.

Exobus Project’s example and name has been laid down, and upon it 49:22trust is built to educate and support others for the multiplication of its work many fold.

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. John 12:24.

Why don’t you use Western workers to carry out the work anymore?

As with the buses question above, practicality drove the need to bring in resources from the West to the former Soviet Union in the 1990s, and this included Western Staff. However, society grew from the socialistic mode of non-responsibility and lack of initiative to being able to operate without direct Western management. Thus the original Exobus Project team were 90% Westerns, and moved over time to being 10% Westerners, mostly in managerial positions.

Good News Travels - Exobus Project set up independent organisations in the former Soviet Union to carry out its work, and to work with organisations that sprang up that carried out the local work effectively. This decentralised way of operating was chosen as it is more efficient and suitable in a more mature world.

Do you sponsor airplane flights back to Israel for people making Aliyah?

The State of Israel, primarily through Karen Hayesod, is committed to Aliyah. It provides for flights and for the initial settlement of those who make Aliyah. Their main operating arm in the Diaspora which organises the flights is the Jewish Agency for Israel. It is this latter organisation that Exobus Project has been committed to compliment in its assistance rather than to duplicate. 49:22trust does not therefore sponsor the actual flight.

Just as Exobus Project sought to help ’plug the gaps’, 49:22trust continues to support works that compliment the State of Israel and the Jewish Agency.

Missioning

Do you proselytise the Jews?

Why should Christians be concerned about getting Jews to Israel, rather than telling them about Jesus?

In the Tenach (what the Christian world refers to as the Old Testament) God says much about His people and His desire for them to be in the Land which He promised to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. Hundreds of prophecies speak of the return after a period of being scattered through the nations of the world. Concerning the return of the Jews God also speaks of the day when the gentiles will help bring the Jews home. (Isaiah. 11:12; Isaiah 14:1,2; Isaiah. 49:22) Gentiles, have a mandate from our God to help His people return to their Promised Land where He is going to restore them to Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ezekiel 24:28).

Organisation

Who founded Good News Travels, Exobus Project and 49:22trust?

Good News Travels commenced operations as a Christian Coach Company back in 1973. Phil Hunter together with his wife Norma spent many years in Christian related transport both in the UK and Western Europe before their specialisation on Eastern Europe. God Spoke to Phil and then to Norma in 1984 and the seeds of what was eventually nicknamed Exobus Project were formed. Practically Exobus moved its first buses into the Soviet Union in 1991 and by 1998 every resource of Good News Travels, including some 30 vehicles and around 85 staff, was totally devoted to the work of Exobus.

When was 49:22trust founded?

Who is the board of 49:22trust?

Giving

Is 49:22trust a registered charity?

In the UK, charities cannot have any political aspect to their objectives or actions. As the core objectives of 49:22trust are to promote and enable the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, as well as stand against anti-Semitism which is often expressed in anti-Zionism, the organisation is not recognised by the UK Charity Commission as being eligible. The organisation did apply for charitable status on account of our educational, humanitarian and spiritual objectives, but as we were fully transparent on our clear intention to also carry out or finance the act of Aliyah, we were refused charitable status. The Charities Commission stated that they judge Aliyah charitable only if it is limited to teaching/believing (i.e. spiritual), but any action to accomplish Aliyah is judged to be political.

In the Netherlands, 49:22trust is a registered charity, Stiching 49:22, as this is permissible within Dutch charity law.

How do I donate?

How are gifts used by 49:22trust?

Why give to 49:22trust?

Many people find it a blessing to identify with the scripture Isaiah 49:22 by giving this exact amount, (i.e. £49.22 or multiples thereof). Whilst there is no specific direct spiritual blessing in giving this amount, the fact is that for many people it is a personal statement or prophetic action to identify with Isaiah’s prophetic insight in giving this amount.

At 49:22trust we consider gifts of this number or multiples thereof akin to joining with us to actively engage as Gentiles, to help bring the Jewish people home. That said, every gift of any amount gives expression to this verse and is greatly appreciated.

Will Aliyah Certificates still be provided as they were from Exobus Project?

One of the operational objectives of 49:22trust is to reduce the administrative load in order to have more finance available for education and execution of the organisation’s objectives. Thus certificates, which are very time consuming in tying in donor’s gifts with individuals making Aliyah will no longer be provided. However, for the sake of accountability and for research purposes, Jewish people who are helped home will still be added to the list of peopled aided.

Are there any tax benefits I can claim on a donation?

In the UK, 49:22trust is not a charity, and therefore no claim for tax relief can be made. In the Netherlands, 49:22trust is a charity, Stiching 49:22, and the normal tax benefits apply.

This is because in the UK the Trust’s activities are deemed as being political because of its promoting and enabling of the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and its stand against anti-Semitism which is often expressed in anti-Zionism. For a full explanation of this please see the above question “Is 49:22trust a registered charity?”

Applying for Funding

Who can apply for funding?

If your organisation carries out projects that express the aims of 49:22trust you can apply for funding.

How can we apply?

By writing to admin@4922trust.org and asking for an application form. If 49:22trust is not currently aware of your organisation and activities, extensive evidence of your activities will be required as well as references from reputable sources.

Frequently asked questions

Objectives and Activities

What is the aim of 49:22trust?

How do you communicate/educate?