L'association | Association Keren

Who are we?

For more than forty years there has been Keren Israel. This non-profit association aims to help evangelical French-speaking Christians discover the roots of their faith.

Many Christians ignore the importance of Israel, with regard to current events and history, but also to the future.

Our association is the fruit of the work of one man: Jean-Marc Thobois.

The founder, Jean-Marc Thobois

Jean-Marc Thobois comes from a long line of Huguenot pastors from Poitou, France.

He studied the Bible in London, then the history of Israel and biblical archeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1965-1967).

A specialist in Hebrew, he participated in the translation of the "Bible with the Dove".

Jean-Marc Thobois was pastor from 1967 to 2004, mainly in Brittany. Since 2004, he exercised an itinerant ministry in France and abroad, giving lectures, seminars and teachings on the Bible, on Israel and on prophecy. Its purpose was to bring Christians closer to their Jewish roots. He is also the author of several books on these same themes.

In 1989, he edited the first issue of Keren Israël, of which he remained the editor until his death.

Married, he was the father of three children and grandfather of twelve grandchildren. Pastor Thobois joined the Lord on March 14, 2020, at the age of 75.

How Keren Israel developed

In 1976, Pastors Clément Le Cossec and Zeev Kofsmann had been publishing the modest Shalom newsletter for 20 years, when Pastor Kofsmann died. The executive committee of the review then asks Pastors Le Cossec and Thobois to resume work, analyzing the news in the light of the Scriptures, under the name of Hashomer Israel , "the one who keeps Israel".

A large part was devoted to inquiries carried out in the country, such as Sadat's visits to Israel in 1977-1978 and the peace agreements with Egypt, interviews with personalities competent to deal with the questions that arose ... politicians were met such as Rehavam Zeevi, Major Hadad leader of Free Lebanon, academics such as Professor D. Flusser, Ms. Eilat Mazar (archaeologist), Professors Ygal Shilo and Ygal Yadin ... Finally, a biblical reflection attempted to identify the meaning and scope of this information and to define the attitude to adopt in the face of these often complex problems.

Eleven years later, after Pastor Le Cossec left the management, the first issue of Keren Israel appeared . It was a matter of continuity with a renewed committee which made it possible to follow the events in Lebanon with Operation Litani in 1978, the drama of the withdrawal from Sinai in 1982, the first war in Lebanon the same year, the tragedy of the agreements. Oslo, the second intifada ... but also more pleasant moments such as the arrival of Ethiopian Jews during Operation Solomon in 1991, the discovery of the Marranos of Portugal, the Chuetas of the Balearic Islands etc.

In 2004, following a serious internal crisis, publication ceased and was relaunched 9 months later only thanks to the abundance of letters from readers deploring the disappearance of the newspaper. Pierre-David Thobois then took charge of the layout, as well as an increasingly important part of the writing, from the moment he went to settle there in Israel, from where he was able to provide information. firsthand !

The review Keren Israel , although modest and imperfect in its form, had the merit of existing, thanks to the interest and loyalty of its readers for more than 30 years!

The detailed story of Keren Israel's work can be found in Keren n ° 100 " From Hashomer to Keren: 36 years of reporting in Israel ".

Most numbers Keren , old and new, are available to order. For more information, contact us.

The association today

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Since the death of Jean-Marc Thobois, many people wonder what will happen to the review and the association. Our decision is to stop publishing in print. Keren , it was Jean-Marc Thobois, who fully reflected his personality, made of an immense erudition, at the same time a great humility, of an immense love of Israel and of his God, and of an astonishing perception of the "mystery" of this people !

In addition, we grandchildren wish to continue the work, in the same line as our grandfather, but in a different form. Also, we suggest that you publish articles on this site as regularly as possible, touching on different themes, in order to keep our readers informed of current events occurring in Israel and around the world.

We will also put online most of what our grandfather produced, this rich and immense heritage that he left behind (audio teachings, Hashomer and Keren reviews, sermons ...)

The association continues to exist and it is still possible to order back issues of Keren at the usual address, while stocks last, as well as books and teachings by Jean-Marc Thobois.

Help our brothers in need

The Keren Israel association has been involved in supporting several works for several decades. and other associations in Eretz Israel, thanks in particular to the many donor readers. Thank you for your support and loyalty for the benefit of our brothers and sisters in need.

Today, this assistance continues with :

- Netzer Israel: help for the most disadvantaged in the country, as well as the last survivors of the Holocaust.

- Ebenezer: favor the Alyah Jews from all over the world.

- Keren Hayesod: help for underprivileged children, participation in the construction of shelters in the south of the country, etc.

- Shiloh Israel Children's Fund: help for children traumatized by terrorist attacks (development of specialized schools, etc.).

- Nitzana: participation in the development of a biblical park and emergency reception of families threatened by war.

- other associations can be helped from time to time according to needs and circumstances.

If you want to support one of these associations, you can make a donation directly on our site by making a transfer via Paypal. Don't forget to mention the work that you have at heart support. In addition, it is always possible to send a check to the usual address.

We also thank all those who send donations to our association which, after stopping the publication of the journal, will not benefit no more money ... May the Lord reward you a hundredfold and water you with late season rains!