Home page  |  About us  |  Lead Stories  |  Current Affairs Libarary  |  Documentaries  |  TV series  |  Contact
    




"End of Days" promo "End of Days" 8:55 minute movie
 


Donna Holbrook possesses unflinching faith in the Second Coming of the Messiah - the return of Jesus Christ. A devout Evangelical Christian, she believes that Biblical prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, and that Christ will return at the impending "End of Days", a time when God's righteousness will reign supreme. She also believes that the Jews, and their return to Israel - the Holy Land - have a pivotal role to play in these events. She is a Christian Zionist.

For Donna Holbrook, the road to End of Days is not easy. Adhering strictly to the words of the Old and New Testaments, she believes the path is one of both inspiration and calamity, of struggle between Good and Evil, and of humankind's free choice between embracing Right or Wrong, God or Satan.

   

Her beliefs are shared by the more than 60 million Evangelicals in Canada and the U.S. - an increasingly powerful social and political force with influence that extends all the way to the White House.

Evangelicals who share this vision are among Israel's fiercest supporters. And many Jews welcome such expressions of solidarity at a time when they have come to feel increasingly isolated. Still, some question the motives of these so-called "Christian Zionists."

Such suspicions run especially deep where Christian Zionists are concerned. After all, in the end of days scenario envisioned by Evangelicals, Jews will ultimately embrace Christ - and many will perish in the Battle of Armageddon. "They don't see any conflict between loving the Jews and wishing for the end of Judaism," says Israeli author Gershon Gorenberg.

So do Christian Zionists have ulterior motives for their pro-Israel stance? For now, anyway, there are plenty of Jews who simply appreciate having activists such as Donna Holbrook and the politically powerful Evangelical movement as staunch allies.

"When the Messiah comes, we'll see what happens," says Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. "We'll worry about it then... For now, they are the best of friends."

         

End of Days was produced, written and directed by Martin Himel for Elsash Productions Ltd. in association with VisionTV. The executive producers were Alberta Nokes (for VisionTV) and Gordon Henderson.



End of Days, a documentary by award-winning Canadian filmmaker Martin Himel (Confrontation at Concordia, Jenin: Massacring Truth) examines the complex and potentially combustible relationship between Christian and Jewish Zionists.


End of Days tells its story through the eyes of two women: Holbrook, a Torontonian who is Canadian Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and Ellen Horowitz, a renowned Israeli painter and writer living in the Golan Heights. It takes a thought-provoking look at the similarities - and striking differences - in the spiritual visions that sustain them. And it draws added insight from a variety of other Christian and Jewish experts.

   

Christian Zionism is a growing force within the North American Evangelical movement. Many Evangelicals believe that once God's chosen people have reclaimed the Holy Land, Christ will make his long-awaited return. Accordingly, Christian Zionist groups raise money to help Jews from other countries immigrate to Israel, and oppose any land-for-peace settlement with the Palestinians.

Judaism, too, has its own vision of a messianic age to come. However, the Jewish messiah, or Moshiach, will be a mortal human being, not the reborn Christ. The differences in these End of Days beliefs lend added complexity to the relationship between Christian and Jewish Zionists.

As a representative for one of the world's leading Christian Zionist organizations, Donna Holbrook is among those working tirelessly to foster Christian support for Israel and to prepare for the end of days. "There is an unfolding of the prophetic right now," she says.

With anti-Semitism on the rise worldwide, Jews in Israel and North American are understandably grateful for the friendship of Christian Zionists. But there's a measure of skepticism, too. Says Ellen Horowitz: "We've learned through our history that our very best friends have abandoned us, and sometimes betrayed us."

The documentary will rerun periodically on the Vision TV network throughout Canada.


End of Days

The Filmmaker

Martin Himel - Producer/Director/Writer


Award-winning journalist and filmmaker Martin Himel has been producing and directing news reports and documentaries for major international broadcasters through his company Elsash Productions Ltd. since 1995. As a Middle East correspondent, he has provided news services to the likes of Global Television, PBS, FOX News, CNN International and CBC Newsworld International.

Himel's previous documentaries include Angels with Broken Wings (2001) and North Korea: Desperate or Deceptive? (2004). His film Jenin: Massacring Truth (2004) won a top Documentary Award at the Houston Worldfest Film Festival 2005, while the earlier work Confrontation at Concordia (2003) earned the award for Best International Documentary at the New York International Film Festival in 2003.

Himel has been reporting on developments in the Middle East since 1983, first as bureau chief and correspondent for CTV News, and later for Baton Broadcasting, FOX News and Global Television.

 
ELSASH PRODUCTIONS LTD.     45 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 1400 Toronto, Ontario M4V 1L3, Canada     Tel: (416) 800 9224