Meet the Missionaries
Tuvya and Ellen Zeretzky are members of University Bible Church in Westwood, CA. Tuvya was born and raised in San Jose, CA, under the institutions of American Judaism. Christ began to plant a seed in him at his bar mitzvah when he was 13. Declaring with the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-8, Tuvya said, “Hineni-Here I am, send me!” Those words would prove to be the sovereign hand of God in his life. Later as a young man, after seeking out answers for his sin and life’s dilemmas, but not finding any answers, God reached out to Him and provided the answers in Jesus. He has earned a B.A. and M.A. in speech pathology from The University of Redlands, a M.A. in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Missiology from Western Seminary in Portland, OR. Ellen was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, until she was in high school. She became a Christian at the age of 23 after her college roommate came to faith. She saw the transformation in her roommate and was impressed, but dismissed it because she was always told that Jesus wasn’t for Jewish people. Eventually she asked God to show her the truth, and He did in the person and work of Jesus. Ellen has earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Georgia, and an M.A. in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Tuvya and Ellen met in 1977 while they were both working for Jews for Jesus. They were married in 1980. They have three adult children: Jesse age 31, Abbie age 29, and Kaile age 26.
The Journey
In 1974 Tuvya became one of the founders of the Jews for Jesus ministry. He was their first field missionary, beginning his service in February 1974, a mere four years after coming to Christ. In April 1989, Tuvya was present at the Willowbank Consultation on the Christian gospel and the Jewish people that produced the watershed Willowbank Declaration. It affirms God’s plan for the Jewish nation, the Church and the responsibility of the Church to reach Jews for Christ’s sake. Tuvya continues to serve the Lord, now as the Director of Staff Development internationally, based out of the Los Angeles office. He also chairs the Board for the Jews for Jesus branch in Tel Aviv, Israel.