Chaim Dov Urbach: February 16, 1951 – March 10, 2023

Chaim Urbach passed away on March 10 after a long struggle with declining health. He was born and raised in Israel, where he came to know Yeshua early in life under the influence of his father, Eliezer, a Holocaust survivor, and mother, Sara. The family immigrated to North America in 1964, settling in Denver after a few years. Chaim earned an MA in Zoology in 1979, and worked in clinical research, including three years at the National Jewish Hospital AIDS lab. Later, he met his beloved Joy and the two were married in 1986.

During these years, Chaim became deeply involved in ministry, helping found Congregation Roeh Israel in 1980, where he went on to serve as an elder and assistant leader. In 1987, he was ordained at Roeh Israel into Messianic Jewish ministry. In 1988, he coordinated the UMJC national conference in Denver, and in 1990 he founded Congregation Yeshuat Tsion. The following year he received an MA in Biblical Studies from Denver Seminary, where he later served as an adjunct professor, teaching in the Messianic Judaism Studies program.

Chaim expressed his learning and ministry with warmth and compassion, as a beloved leader, shepherd, and influencer to many. He was loved and cherished by his family, including his wife, Joy, daughter Hope, grandson Isaiah, and granddaughter Skylah; his sister, Nechama, and her husband Chanan (Allen) Wiseman, and their sons Mordechai and Nathaniel; as well as members of Yeshuat Tsion, Roeh Israel, and the Messianic Jewish community in the USA, Canada, Israel, and beyond.