Praise The Lord & Pass The Pastrami: A Jewish Psychiatrist's Family Finds Their Messiah

By Fran Kraft

Fran Kraft is currently a co-pastor of Ruach Adonai, a messianic congregation in Thousand Palms, Ca. Her husband, Dr. Barry Kraft, a retired psychiatrist shares the pulpit. Together they have counseled families for 30 years and saved hundreds of marriages.

Fran has had articles published in various periodicles and written plays

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fran Kraft
• Release date: Mar 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869265661

Fran Kraft

Fran is married with two grown children and 3 grandchildren and is an ordained minister co-pastoring with her husband, Barry, Ruach Adonai a messianic congregation

Book preview

PRAISE THE LORD

&

PASS THE PASTRAMI

A Jewish Psychiatrist’s Family

Finds Their Messiah

BY FRAN KRAFT

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I have to thank God for pursuing our family so diligently and patiently and for placing the following bold and obedient believers in our lives.

We remain forever grateful to Nick and Joni who opened their hearts and home to us lavishing the love of Jesus on us.

Bernie and Margaret who trusted the Lord enough to move close to these heathens and were bold enough and cared enough for our souls to present Jesus to us.

Humble servant Barbara who brought the light of Jesus into our barren lives and home. Her passion to save Jews is amazing. She is dedicated to this day to bringing the gospel to unsaved Jews.

To my forever friend, Brookie, who brought us back to our Jewish roots. Save a place for us at the banquet table my friend.

To Albie Pierson who believed in us enough to ordain us and download his wisdom into our lives and encouraged us to birth Ruach Adonai, our congregation.

To those who prophesied over Barry and I for eight years, Devi Smith, Tom Grenade & Albie.

To the congregants of Ruach Adonai who keep us motivated from week to week and are the wind that pushes us forward.

A special thanks to dear friends Donzell and Kerstin who patiently taught me how to use the computer to write this book.  A big thank you to Neal and Layla who are my go-to people when my printer and/or computer go rogue on me.I so appreciate Roy Nel and his mother, Eleanor, for helping me put the finishing touches on the book. 

And finally, but certainly not least, my husband, Barry, and our children, Brandy and Max, who fueled the fire for this book, reading chapter after chapter lending their memories when mine were inaccurate. You are my inspiration to do and be better. My beloved, one and only Barry you are the best co-conspirator I could ever have hoped for. You let me know every day in dozens of ways how much you love me. When I married you, I hit the love lottery. I wouldn’t trade one moment we have shared. Thank you for inviting me on this great adventure.

Introduction

I’m writing this account of our journey so that my grandchildren, Eliana, Alex and Ian will know why they are followers of Yeshua. They are now third generation of believers and it’s important that they continue the legacy so that their children and grandchildren hear the story of our journey out of darkness.

I wanted to write this book for years but always used the excuse that I was too busy until January 4, 2020.

I was sitting in Desert Christian Community Church in Thousand Palms, California at a women’s group I helped start called Women of Wisdom. Each January we have pastor and profit, Michael Dalton kick off the new year with an inspiring message. On this day, he ended by walking through the audience and speaking a word over them. This was the word he had for me.

Fran, I saw this for you a couple of days ago. The Lord had His hand on you like this (motions cupped hands as if holding my head) and He was speaking to you in the middle of the night. It was literally like you would go to bed and sleep only to be awakened for no reason. You would lay there wondering why you were up. You were saying ‘I don’t know why I’m up or what’s going on.’ But the Lord said He’s been waking you up to speak hope into your heart. I saw you writing these poems. They were poems for your children and grandchildren. And the Lord said He’s going to speak to you and you’re going to write. Your writings are going to be a message for each of them and they will read your writings and weep. The Lord said I’m going to heal hearts and cause a peace to flow in a way that’s never been seen as they read your words. What you write shall become a book to others someday."

That was a Saturday morning, and I began writing this book the following Monday, January 6, 2020. The words just gushed out from my spirit, and I finished this book in two months.

Again, this was written primarily for my family but also for those believers who have unbelieving Jewish friends or family. This is for them too.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: East Meets Midwest

Chapter 2: Getting to Know You

Chapter 3: Under The Chuppah

Chapter 4: The First Thirteen Years

Chapter 5: Joni and Nick

Chapter 6: Bernie and Margaret

Chapter 7: Our Empire Implodes

Chapter 8: Babs

Chapter 9: Babs - She Cleaned Our Home and Lives

Chapter 10: I’ll Give You Beauty For Ashes

Chapter 11: Coming Out

Chapter 12: The Rocky Road to Reconciliation

Chapter 13: California Here We Come

Chapter 14: Life in the Desert-Enter Brooke

Chapter 15: Albie

Chapter 16: A Sad Goodbye

Epilogue

Chapter 1

East Meets Midwest

I

 have always marveled at the miracle of how two people meet and fall in love in this vast sea of humanity. Humans are like heated missiles launched and looking for love, approval and acceptance. I am a romantic. My favorite pastime is watching couples and imagining what it is that drew them together. What magic elixir did they drink to make them ignore each other’s faults and want to mate for life.  I love collecting their stories.

Mine is no exception. When Harry Met Sally, the movie, came out I thought they had taken the script right out of my life with Barry. I was 18 and a sophomore at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. I had joined the only Jewish sorority on campus, Alpha Epsilon Phi and this was my first year living in the sorority house. My pledge mother, Maureen, had met some guys from nearby Stil College of Osteopathy and delighted all of us over dinner with tales of their escapades.

They were from New York and freshmen at medical school.  Hoping to check out the Jewish girls, they wandered over to the sorority house and met Maureen.

Bob, Barry and Maureen were a trio out to have some fun in farm country. Coming from Chicago and New York you had to make your own fun in the middle of nowhere. She kept telling me I needed to meet them.

One night I had a date to go to a basketball game. As I came down the stairs, Maureen motioned me to come over. Barry was sitting with Maureen on the couch. After a brief conversation Barry took my hand and kissed it. I thought to myself ugh that’s disgusting. It wasn’t long after that initial encounter when I was included in the trio’s fun, making it a foursome.

Barry was funny, exciting and intense. He had the deepest brown eyes that drew me in. I loved his sense of whimsy. We would go down to the quad where the women’s dorms were and watch the grass grow.  He would often take me in his old jalopy with the front seat   permanently tilted back to the nearby Amish colony for a good meal. Barry and Bob lived in a rented house with two other medical students which they had fixed up like a nightclub. There an elite group of us would gather from Friday night till Sunday evening drinking. I honestly don’t know how they managed to graduate medical school. 

Barry was an excellent cook and the four of us spent many evenings at the club house enjoying dinner. 

Barry was a cad to put it mildly. I soon discovered he was engaged to a girl back home. Not only was he entertaining me, but he began to date local girls much to the chagrin of one of their husbands. His shenanigans led to an irate husband firing shots into their house. 

Barry’s behavior was disconcerting to his roommate Bob, who was a quiet studious guy. It was actually Bob that I was interested in romantically. So different from the fun, crazy things I did with Barry, Bob and I would have long serious talks about anything and everything. 

I could fill the whole book with my adventures involving both of these guys, but what transpired was a three-year relationship that involved them visiting me in Chicago on their way back and forth to New York during school breaks. We became great friends.

Graduation was on the horizon. I would be leaving Des Moines shortly with a teaching degree from the liberal arts college.  I remember one conversation with Barry when he said something to the effect that he would like to see me in a wedding dress. I laughed it off, but I believe in view of our future together he was kidding on the square. By this time, he had broken his engagement to the girl back home. On one trip back to New York, his future in-laws had mapped out their life together ringing the death knell to their relationship on Barry’s part.

Over the next 8 years, Bob got married, Barry got engaged again and I had a series of ill-fated relationships. The one constant in my life was staying in touch with Barry.

Chapter 2

Getting to Know You

F

or my graduation, my parents gifted me with a trip to Europe. I was the first female in the family to get a college degree. My parents had high hopes for me continuing my education. My father, a tax attorney, called me Portia hoping someday I’d follow in his footsteps and become an attorney as well. Reinstein and Reinstein Attorneys at Law had a nice ring to it but would not come to fruition.

On my way to and from Europe I stopped off in New York to see Barry. That was when I met my future in-laws.  I soon realized his family had their own