Building the Rising Generations - Glorifying Jesus Christ through Distinctive Education

On June 3, Nazareth Baptist School held its 69th graduation. The hall was filled with excited staff, students, family, and guests celebrating the students' accomplishments. The ceremony program included speeches from dignitaries, the NBS school board, prayer by a local pastor, and student speeches. The students performed songs, special instrumental music, and shared about their time at NBS. The ceremony ended with the presentation of diplomas and a class video.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS 69! Well done!

We send you off with prayers and blessings as you seek God's will for your life.

Aseel Shomar is the third of four sisters raised in a Catholic family in Nazareth. She began her studies at NBS as a child. Aseel is known for her quiet and friendly character. She is hard-working and excelled in her studies.

In high school, she started asking questions about faith in Jesus and came to know the Lord through Bible classes and Chapel. Aseel even shared her testimony in the video that Mark Cutshall prepared for Friends of Nazareth about the school back in 2006. She completed her studies at NBS, attended the Local Baptist Church in Nazareth, and was baptized with her older sister Shireen.

After high school, Aseel applied to study at the leading technological institute in the country, Technion in Haifa, and studied Biochemical Engineering. While in university, her mother was diagnosed with fierce cancer and died after a seven-year battle. In the midst of the devastation, Aseel shared her faith and the understanding and acceptance of God’s will in a special video, ”The more the anguish, God’s grace increased. The more pain, God was embracing us more. During this difficult time, God was giving us unusual peace.”

Aseel has been very active during her university years in the Fellowship of Christian Students in Israel and served on its board. She specialized in apologetics in her student ministry and served in Beit Eil Evangelical Church which she has been attending in Haifa.

After completing her Bachelor of Science in Biochemical Engineering summa cum laude, she joined the prestigious interdisciplinary Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Program at the Technion to research the human brain. In light of her exceptional achievements, she was privileged to speak at the commencement ceremony at which she was awarded a master's degree.

She has received several prizes and fellowships for her distinguished academic achievements, including the Noam Fellowship, the Technion Alumni Prize, the Goldstein Prize, the Avrahami Prize, and the Sherman Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship.

She was selected to be among the four students from the University who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she visited the Technion in 2021.

Aseel recently completed her Ph.D. after researching cancer, being inspired by her mother’s illness. Aseel explained that she used the findings in her master's degree research on the brain for the Ph.D. research on cancer. Aseel earned both degrees summa cum laude, ranking first in her class.

In an article in the Jerusalem Post, her research was described as follows: "In a revolutionary new discovery, Technion researchers Aseel Shomar, Professor Omri Barak, and Professor Naama Brenner propose that cancer cells can learn and adapt to changing environments to survive. Equipped with this knowledge, researchers are now investigating better ways of treating — and perhaps curing — cancer."

After completing her Ph.D., Aseel is exploring possibilities for post-doctorate work abroad, including the US.

All of Aseel's sisters are believers, as well as being NBS graduates. Razan is a pharmacist who lives in Canada, Shireen is a lawyer in Jerusalem, and Shada is a CPA working in Tel Aviv. We are so proud of these four sisters and thank God for their faith and excellence!

Please pray for our 2023 Summer Camps and the teams who will be traveling from all over the United States to serve. The first teams will arrive next week and continue throughout the summer. Join us as we ask the Lord to grant safety, good health, and energy for the work. May God be glorified as His Gospel is spoken and lived out in Nazareth.



"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ..." Colossians 4:2-3

Friends of Nazareth sincerely thanks each and every one of you who contributed to our Summer Camp Scholarships. Through the generous giving of God's people who believe in the ministry of Nazareth Baptist School, our goal has been met! We couldn't do this without you! To God be the glory for the great things He has done and for the things He continues to do!

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Friends of Nazareth (FON), A Nazareth Educational Ministries Association (NEMA) Corporation, is a non-profit corporation. It is operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the corresponding section of any future Federal tax code. Our tax ID is: 59-3800059.

FON reserves the right to withhold up to 5% of designated donations for administration.