Arnold Fruchtenbaum Rescued from Communism, Converted to Christ

His name may not be a “household word” in many Christian circles, but Arnold J. Fruchtenbaum, holder of a doctorate from New York University, is a Jewish believer in Jesus whose influence spans continents and decades. What’s more, it was his family’s rescue from communism—twice, in fact—that began his journey to faith in the Messiah.

Falsely accused of being a Nazi spy, Fruchtenbaum’s father, a photographer, had been imprisoned in Siberia. Arnold was born in the easternmost part of Russia in 1943; after World War II, the family returned to Poland, which was not a hospitable place for his family.

In 1947, the Fruchtenbaums escaped to Czechoslovakia, only to have that nation seized by communists the next year. Posing as Greeks, the family escaped to West Germany and were befriended by a Lutheran pastor who directed the America-bound family to a Jewish- Christian mission in Brooklyn. Arnold and his mother were helped there.

In meetings at the mission, Arnold found faith in Jesus. This did not please his father, a descendant of Orthodox Jewish teachers who was still committed to Judaism. The young man was ordered not to contact Jewish believers or read Christian Scriptures while in the family’s home. Arnold surreptitiously maintained contact, however, and never abandoned his faith.

After high school, Arnold was sent packing by his father, who didn’t want a Jewish believer in Jesus in his home. Arnold graduated from Cedarville College, a Christian school, with a degree in Hebrew and Greek. He continued his studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and earned his NYU doctorate writing “Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology.”

Having spoken around the world about Jewish belief in Jesus, Fruchtenbaum continues his work through Ariel Ministries, which has outreaches in eight nations, including Israel.

Reflect: Looking at a changed life can change the direction of your own life. Has someone’s personal testimony deeply impacted you?

Key Bible Texts

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16 KJV)