Shalom,

Friends, it is a time of trouble for Israel.

Over the last 48 hours, an unprecedented 400 rockets have been lobbed into Israel from Gaza. Sirens have been wailing throughout the country while thousands of people old and young spent the night in bomb shelters. Although most rockets targeted southern Israel and areas near Gaza, this time rockets fell as far away as Hebron and the Dead Sea, a sign that enemies are using missiles with greater range than in the past.

For those who don’t understand how such violence could break out with no notice, I’ll share a brief recap of events that have lead us to this point we are currently on the brink of war.

For months now, extremists in Gaza have been holding violent protests on the border with Israel. They have tried to infiltrate Israel with the intention of murdering innocent Israelis, they have torched our lands by sending incendiary devices on balloons into Israel. There have been flare ups with rockets raining down on the south, but nothing like we are seeing now.

Many rockets directly hit homes, schools, and cars. At least one Israeli was killed and many are injured, some of them critically. As I write these words, it is hard for me to believe that this is happening. Again. My heart is breaking for my people.

Israel needs us now, and we won’t let them down.

Global Fellowship staff and volunteers sprang into action immediately. Fellowship centres were opened to help those in need in various cities in the south of Israel. Fellowship representatives called each and every one of our new immigrants in the south, Jews we brought to Israel on our On Wings of Eagles program, and made sure that they were ok, that they understood what to do and where to go stay safe, and how to call for help if they needed it.

Thanks to your support, The Fellowship is able to help millions of Jews in Israel during this difficult time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Just last night when two families had their homes destroyed by rockets, they were brought to a Fellowship centre in Sderot. One family was a single mother with six children. The other was a single father with two children. Neither family could afford a place to sleep for the night.

Our project coordinator in Sderot moved the families from the Fellowship centre to a hotel where they could stay until a long-term solution was found by government organizations. “Christians love you,” she told them. “They won’t let you be forgotten.”

Now is a time for Christians and Jews to come together like never before. Pray with us pray for Israel, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for the wounded, pray for our soldiers, and pray that God protects us all. Jews in Israel and around the world are praying too. In Psalm 50:15, God directs us to “call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honour me.” Israel is in times of trouble right now. May we see God’s deliverance very soon.

With blessings from the Holy Land,
Yael