Fr. Alexander Men (1935-1990) was a Russian Orthodox priest, theologian, biblical scholar, pastor, evangelist, and martyr. He was also a Jew with a great love for the Jewish people, who helped many other Jews in Soviet Russia to encounter the risen Messiah.

In this session Fr. Michael Meerson, a close friend of Fr. Alexander, shares about Fr. Alexander's heroic life and witness.

Fr. Michael Meerson is the rector of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in New York City, and among the founding members of Yachad BeYeshua. Born in Moscow, he was a close co-worker with Fr. Alexander Men. While still in Russia he wrote two books on Jewish issues: “The Russian Religious Writers against Antisemitism” (1969), and “The Two Testaments: Toward a Jewish-Christian Dialogue in Russia” (1972). Fr. Michael left the Soviet Union in 1972, eventually settling in the United States. He is the husband of Olga Meerson, a professor of Russian literature and language at Georgetown University, and also a member of Yachad BeYeshua.

Deborah Pardo-Kaplan hails from the heimishe Jewish community of Montreal where she was raised as a mostly secular Jew and came to believe in Yeshua as Messiah as a young adult. She pursued a variety of educational tracks, including library studies, Jewish studies and journalism. She currently works as a freelance journalist writing articles about anything connected to religion for publications such as Christianity Today, Sojourners, and Religion News Service.