Joseph Azriel is the working name of one of CJF Ministries' most fascinating missionaries. Joseph was born in Casablanca, nearly six decades ago, into the family of a prominent Orthodox rabbi in the predominantly Muslim country of Morocco—or Al-Maghrib, as it is called in Arabic.

Fleeing to Israel as a teenager in 1956—shortly after Morocco gained independence from France—Joseph, settled with the rest of his immediate family already in the Holy Land, and resumed the yeshiva (Talmudic) studies he had begun back in Morocco. Like his father and an older brother before him, Joseph became a respected Orthodox rabbi, achieving the reputation as a particularly good cantor (chazzan). In time, he met and married Esther (also from Morocco), with whom he has six children. Simultaneously, he served for years as a reserve lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Forces. Thrust into combat during several conflicts, Joseph was severely wounded while fighting with a tank unit on the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

After coming to faith in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus) in his mid-40s—after resisting the Gospel for years—Joseph, along with his wife and children, came under severe harassment from his former associates (including serious physical injury to two family members). Much like the Apostle Paul centuries earlier, this rabbi found it necessary to live outside Israel—so he moved to the United States, where he is now based as a member of CJFM missionary staff.

A Heart for His Native Land
Joseph exhibits a genuine passion for giving the Gospel to anyone willing to listen—including strangers who cross his path. In particular, Brother Azriel has never lost his love for the land of his birth, and he has a burden to bring the Gospel to his countrymen.

One year, with the help of Christian-Arab friends, as well as CJFM, Joseph embarked on a missionary trip to Morocco. Before setting out, he secured a box of Hebrew and Arabic New Testaments for distribution to Moroccans willing to receive them. Shortly after deplaning from his Moroccan Royal Airlines flight in Casablanca, Joseph suddenly found himself on the wrong side of the law—actually being arrested, and jailed for a time.

A Country That Doesn't "Work"
One strong impression that Joseph received on this missionary journey is that Morocco might as well be called "the country that doesn't work." Its corruption, mismanagement, poverty, and pollution is so great—yet, sadly, in these respects, Al-Maghrib is not alone among third-world countries. Nonetheless, poverty is found everywhere in Morocco. In one Muslim home where he was invited to speak, for instance, Joseph says that 12 people—including two babies—shared one room for their living quarters!

As Joseph says, "Nothing works." Government officials are often not paid, so this forces them to use their authority to collect bribes in order to survive—often using highly abusive or deceitful methods. People are even afraid to go out, particularly on open roads, because the crime rate is so high. (They fear being robbed and killed.) Moreover, the Moroccan people are concerned that the widespread civil unrest and carnage currently taking place in neighboring Algeria may soon spread to their own land.

A Country Hostile to the Gospel
A quick look into an encyclopedia or an almanac will reveal that the nearly 30 million Arab-Berber inhabitants of Morocco are 99 percent of Sunni Muslim. There is also a small Jewish community, which, although harassed by the Muslim majority, is regarded as an established entity. The religious leaders of neither of these groups look favorably upon losing their members to evangelical Christianity.

Joseph experienced such rejection firsthand. When the Jewish leaders of Casablanca rescued Joseph from prison and learned, to their astonishment, that he was a believer in Yeshua HaMashiach, they let him know that they did not appreciate his staying in Casablanca—now a city of some 2.6 million.

Although he managed to minister in his hometown for five weeks, Joseph finally felt obliged to leave, and ministered for three weeks in two other sizable cities south of Casablanca on the Atlantic Coast-Safi and Essaouir.

When either a Muslim or a Jew comes to faith in the Lord Jesus in Morocco, "They should be afraid," as Joseph puts it. There is no question that such a commitment, if found out, will be unfavorably received by family, friends, or religious leaders. Believers are forced to meet in small groups. The largest number of people that Joseph addressed at any one time was 16.

A People Surprisingly Open to the Gospel
Despite all the hardships and obstacles faced by the Moroccan people—or perhaps because of them—Brother Joseph was very surprised at how open a number of Moroccan Jews and Muslims were to the Good News. On this last trip, Joseph was able to lead 24 souls to the Lord—16 Jews and eight Muslims.

Joseph found among Muslims a weariness with, and a revulsion to, the violence perpetrated in the name of Allah by some of their own (such as the Hizbollah), who continually wage a terror campaign against Israel. Also, many inhabitants are disillusioned by the unhappy turn in Morocco's fortunes since she gained her independence from France more than 50 years ago.

Souls Won—Disciples Willing to Study Abroad
Of the Moroccans he has led to the Lord, Brother Joseph says that there are six (four young men and two young women) who are interested in further Bible training. There are no Bible schools in Morocco, of course; but, Joseph is determined to find a way to send these young people to Bible college abroad.

Shortly after departing Morocco, Joseph returned to the Middle East to check out Arabic-language Bible school opportunities for his young countrymen. He is happy to report that they may soon be able to attend Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary located in Amman, Jordan.

A Yearning to Return
Not content with his successful visit to Morocco, and burdened to bring the Gospel to Jewish and Muslim Moroccans alike, Joseph is already planning to return. Well acquainted with both the Arabic language and the Moroccan culture, Brother Joseph is uniquely qualified for this hazardous work. He hopes next time, though, to travel with an American passport, as this may give him a bit more freedom of movement.

When asked if he fears returning to an officially Muslim land—which not only forbids missionary activity, but where even the Scriptures are not welcome—Joseph replies without hesitation: "They cannot kill my spirit. I cannot be afraid [of] anybody. I cannot stay home and say I love God." Reflecting on how he gave up a successful and respected career as a rabbi when he chose to serve Yeshua, he remarks: "I sacrificed everything in Israel."

Rabbi Joseph yearns to return to Morocco—and also to visit other North African countries—to undertake even more extensive work for the Lord, adding that people "have to pray to the Lord that He will open the door financially so that I can go."