The Fenchels

Rabbi Steve Fenchel:

The Prodigal Son has come home… in more ways than one!

Steve Fenchel was born into a Jewish home in Brooklyn; Steve learned the traditions of Orthodox Judaism from his earliest days. Steve’s father was a cantor (worship leader) at synagogues in the New York City area. Steve’s mother, although not religious, respected his wishes, so along with his younger brother; Steve was raised in a kosher, observant Jewish home.

Family Tragedy

When Steve was eight years old, his father became seriously ill. He underwent extended hospital stays and was away from home for long stretches of time. Steve himself became ill with mononucleosis and there were several weeks when father and son were home sick together. It was an important time to them— all the more so because a year later, his father died. Steve remembers

him:” He was a gentle, nurturing man and I became very attached to him.”  The family entered a dark, difficult time as Steve was inconsolable in his grief, and the family tried to adjust.

Distance from God

Steve’s religious responsibility was to offer prayers at the synagogue in memory of his father. He attempted to do so, but found that he was angry and afraid of God, asking “Why had God taken his beloved father away from him?” After a short time, Steve stopped attending synagogue and stopped praying. He walked away from Judaism and went so far as to hide his Jewish identity. As far as God was concerned, Steve had had enough. So began a time of restless rebellion. Steve did poorly in school and started to take drugs. His life was filled with anxiety and even periods of deep depression. Things went from bad to worse. By 1971, Steve was still on drugs and living on the street much of the time.

Then, one day in the streets of Manhattan, Steve was given a Gospel tract that quickened his spiritual interest and he began to recognize the authority of Yeshua. Later that year, old friends called him with marvelous news—they had become believers in Messiah! Steve’s friends shared the Gospel with him and he recognized that they were speaking the truth, but there was one last, major hurdle. After all that he had done, Steve asked - how could God ever love or forgive him? Steve’s friends took him to meet other believers in Vermont, and through their fellowship and the power of God’s Word, Steve put his faith in the Lord.

New Life in Messiah

Steve reflects, “When I prayed to receive Messiah, I left all my anger and fear behind. I found my Heavenly Father, and finally felt at peace.” Shortly after this, Steve met his future wife, Carol, who also became a believer.

Rebbetzin Carol Fenchel:

Carol was raised in an Italian Catholic home where she felt alone and misunderstood. At a very early age, Carol, like many of her generation, sought peace, love and freedom in the hippie movement of the late 60s. By the age of seventeen she was steeped in this culture and was heavily involved in the music, drugs and commune culture of that time.

While living in a rural community right outside of Woodstock - New York, Carol met Steve who in just three weeks before had encounter with Messiah that changed his life. Through Steve's influence and the witnessing of some people in the "Yeshua Movement" Carol too had an encounter with Yeshua that led her to have a personal relationship with Him.

Their lives radically changed; together they embarked on their life journey of serving Yeshua. They were married in 1972 and now have three grown daughters. Steve and Carol work with Chosen People Ministry and together they have leaded Messianic congregation and Messianic worship for 17 years. Today, Steve is an ordained Rabbi and Carol a Rebbetzin, together they lead a Messianic Congregation among the hundreds of thousands of Jewish people on the West Side of Manhattan know as Congregation Sha’ar Adonai.