WATCH VIDEO: Iranian-American Marziyeh Amirizadeh: Her journey from Iran to partnering with an Orthodox Jew to bless Israel

Marziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian-American with an amazing testimony of the goodness and faithfulness of God. She came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) while living in Iran after rejecting the notion of a god with whom she could not have a relationship and who only focused on punishing wrongdoings. Convinced there was more to God, she sought to learn more about Him.

After dreaming about a white horse, which God used to show His great love for her, Marziyeh began her journey to Jesus and shares the story in her book, "A Love Journey with God." 

Marziyeh's love for God inspired her to share the Gospel and distribute Bibles in Iran. Alongside her friend Maryam Rostampour, who partnered with her in this mission, she was eventually arrested by the Iranian government and charged with apostasy.

Although apostasy typically carries a death sentence in Iran, Marziyeh and Maryam endured months of mental and physical hardships, including intense interrogation. However, with the involvement of the international Christian community, as well as the activism of churches and Christian leaders, they were ultimately released and permitted to flee Iran.

After leaving Iran, Marziyeh traveled to the United States, where she encountered a dramatically different cultural and political situation. As she continued to read her Bible, she was struck by Israel's centrality to the story of the scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments. 

Even before leaving Iran, Marziyeh had longed to visit Israel, the land of her Savior, but trusted that God would bring her at the right time. Iranian citizens are not permitted to travel to Israel at all. An Iranian passport even has a warning written inside, which reads, “The holder of this passport is not entitled to travel to the occupied Palestine.” 

However, the dream of visiting Israel persisted. After arriving in the United States and eventually receiving U.S. citizenship, Marziyeh knew she could finally visit the Holy Land. After having a dream about Israel in 2022, which held prophetic significance for the horrible events of Oct. 7, 2023, Marziyeh felt that the time to visit Israel had come. 

Shortly before her first visit, a friend put her in contact with Jonathan Feldstein, founder and president of the Genesis 123 Foundation. Feldstein is an Orthodox Jew, born and raised in the U.S., but immigrated to Israel in 2004. His organization aims to bring Jews and Christians together through their support for Israel. 

While visiting Israel for the first time, Marziyeh visited Feldstein's home, experiencing her first Erev Shabbat dinner (Friday night meal) in Israel, and visiting several of the sites revered by Jews and Christians alike.

She also visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Center in Jerusalem, where she was quickly reminded of the brutality of the Iranian regime against its own people.

Through her own trauma, she instantly felt a connection to the troubled history of the Jewish people and their enduring struggle against the persistent threats posed by radical Islamic forces.

She visited Israel a second time, following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack last year.

During the visit, Marziyeh had a vision of an olive tree. Recognizing the olive tree's symbolism for both Jews and Christians, she and Feldstein decided to launch a joint initiative. The project, Root and Branch, brings Christians to Israel to participate in olive harvesting as a tangible way to bless the people of Israel.

Many workers involved in the olive harvest are foreigners, and most left Israel at the start of the Gaza War in October 2023.

Combining the imagery of Paul’s discussion of the olive tree in Romans 11, and the significance of olive oil as a symbol of light and holiness through its use in the Temple, Feldstein and Marziyeh started Root and Branch, a project to bring Christian “branches” to Israel in acts of service to bless the “root.”

“We need, as Christians, to show our Jewish brothers and sisters, in action, that ‘We stand with you, we support you,’” Marziyeh stated,

While the pilot group visit to Israel for Root and Branch just finished, Feldstein and Marziyeh are planning to bring more groups beginning in 2025.