Christian Embassy blanketing Israel with prayer, relief aid
Published on: 20.10.2023
By: ICEJ Staff Writers
This week, the global network of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has been covering Israel with prevailing prayer amid a very difficult war, while holding pro-Israel rallies and reaching out to numerous national leaders on Israel’s behalf. Meanwhile, our Jerusalem staff has crisscrossed the country to deliver relief aid and express love and comfort to a people still in shock from a ruthless Hamas assault that touched the raw nerve of the Holocaust.
With the grave atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists in the opening hours of this conflict still coming to light, the IDF is poised to fight both Hamas in the South and the even greater threat of Hizbullah in the North. To aid in this multi-front battle, Israeli leaders have taken the unusual step of evacuating all the communities along the Gaza and Lebanese borders, including large cities like Sderot and Kiryat Shmona.
This unprecedented move means that tens of thousands of Israeli civilians have now been displaced from their homes and are being sheltered at guest houses, hotels, hostels and other facilities throughout the center of the country. Most of these uprooted civilians had to flee with the bare necessities. Among them are many shattered Jewish families that have lost loved ones, while other close relatives and neighbors are either missing or being held hostage in Gaza.
Staff packing
This week, teams of ICEJ staff headed in numerous directions to pack and deliver food parcels and hand out store vouchers and relief items to evacuees, while giving toys and games to disoriented children.
At a major food distribution center in Rishon LeZion, and ICEJ team showed up every day to help pack thousands of boxes of food supplies, clothing, and toiletries. While there, the staff had wonderful encounters with other Israeli volunteers, providing words of encouragement as they stood side-by-side packing these items.
Staff by ICEJ sponsored truck
The packed food boxes are being transported in a refrigerated truck that the ICEJ has leased for this charitable partner since 2020. The Hebrew signage on the truck states: “Israel, you are not alone.” The ICEJ also is leasing a second refrigerated truck needed by law to deliver perishable foods to the needy.
Elsewhere, we provided a BBQ cookout for 200 Israelis now based in the Jordan Valley.
An ICEJ leadership team also visited a kibbutz along the central coast where 135 families who survived the Kfar Aza massacre are being housed and cared for. The families were all given vouchers that can be used at grocery stores and Israeli chains to buy food, clothing and household items. Over the coming days, we will be delivering these voucher coupons to all 305 families left from Kfar Aza, who are being housed in other respite centers across Israel.
David Parsons with Shay Hermesh
We also spoke with Kfar Aza community leader Shay Hermesh, a former MK and close friend of the ICEJ, and he was deeply moved by the message of comfort in Hebrew on the gift cards to each family.
The ICEJ team in Haifa also was busy this week caring for the shaken residents of our Home for Holocaust survivors, while also volunteering to pack food parcels for hundreds of needy families in the area. We also purchased a large generator to supply power to the Haifa Home in case the electricity goes out.
In addition, the ICEJ has raised almost enough funds already to help donate two ambulances and a medi-cycle, including one ambulance earmarked for Kibbutz Be’eri, which also suffered heavy losses like nearby Kfar Aza. Some ICEJ branch offices have set a goal to donate several more ambulances.
The ICEJ also is rushing to order eight more portable bomb shelters to be placed in other vulnerable areas, and we are currently renovating an additional 20 underground shelters in Shlomi, bringing our total in that northern border town alone to 73 refurbished underground shelters and 12 mobile ones above ground.
In a sign of just how difficult the situation is right now for the nation of Israel, previously donated ICEJ portable bomb shelters have been temporarily moved this week from evacuated communities to other locations where they are urgently needed, such as a cemetery to allow for the burial of just some of the hundreds of slain residents of the Gaza border farming villages.
The ICEJ also gave dozens of protective vests and helmets this week to volunteer first responders in the western Negev.
Not to be overlooked, regional officials in the Gaza periphery also assured us this week that our previous donations of over 140 mobile bomb shelters, plus special communication devices, ATVs and other emergency equipment truly saved many lives over the opening two weeks of this war.
Your continuing donations to our Israel in Crisis Fund will enable us to meet many more urgent needs in the embattled nation of Israel. You will be:
Assisting evacuated Israeli families with housing, food, clothing and emergency aid, plus toys and activities for the children.
Joining urgent food distribution efforts to the elderly, new immigrants and needy families nationwide.
Supplying more vital emergency equipment for first responders.
Funding trauma counselling for Israeli families severely shaken by this conflict.
Placing more bomb shelters and renovating existing shelters in vulnerable Israeli communities.
Delivering more ambulances and other emergency medical equipment.
Providing clothes, tents, sleeping bags and other outdoor equipment for those defending the country.
At this critical time, Israelis need to know that millions of Christians worldwide are standing with them in their hour of need. Please give your best gift today.
Donate at: give.icej.org/crisis
基督徒大使館為以色列提供祈禱和救援援助
發佈於：2023年10月20日
作者：ICEJ 特約撰稿人
本週，耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館的全球網絡一直在一場非常艱難的戰爭中為以色列提供普遍的祈禱，同時舉行親以色列集會並代表以色列與眾多國家領導人接觸。 同時，我們的耶路撒冷工作人員在全國各地提供救援物資，並向仍因哈馬斯殘酷襲擊而震驚的人民表達愛意和安慰，這場襲擊觸動了大屠殺的痛處。
由於哈馬斯恐怖分子在這場衝突開始時犯下的嚴重暴行仍在曝光，以色列國防軍已準備好與南部的哈馬斯以及北部真主黨的更大威脅作戰。 為了協助這場多線戰鬥，以色列領導人採取了不同尋常的步驟，撤離加薩和黎巴嫩邊境沿線的所有社區，包括斯德洛特和什莫納等大城市。
這項史無前例的舉動意味著數以萬計的以色列平民現在已經流離失所，並在該國中部的賓館、酒店、旅館和其他設施中避難。 大多數背井離鄉的平民不得不帶著最基本的生活必需品逃離。 其中有許多破碎的猶太家庭失去了親人，而其他近親和鄰居則在加薩失蹤或被扣為人質。
員工包裹
本週，ICEJ 工作人員前往多個方向包裏和運送食品包裹，向撤離者分發商店優惠券和救援物品，同時向迷失方向的兒童提供玩具和遊戲。
在裡雄萊錫安的一個主要食品配送中心，ICEJ 團隊每天都會出現，幫忙包裝數千箱食品、衣物和盥洗用品。 在那裡，工作人員與其他以色列志工進行了精彩的邂逅，當他們並肩打包這些物品時，他們互相給予鼓勵。
ICEJ 贊助卡車的工作人員
包裝好的食品盒正在使用 ICEJ 自 2020 年以來為該慈善合作夥伴租賃的冷藏卡車運輸。卡車上的希伯來語標誌寫著：“以色列，你並不孤單。” ICEJ 還租賃了法律所需的第二輛冷藏車，用於向有需要的人運送易腐爛的食品。
在其他地方，我們為現在居住在約旦河谷的 200 名以色列人提供了燒烤野餐。
ICEJ 領導小組還參觀了中部海岸的一個基布茲，在那裡安置和照顧了卡法阿扎大屠殺中倖存者的 135 個家庭。 這些家庭都獲得了代金券，可以在雜貨店和以色列連鎖店購買食品、衣服和家居用品。 在接下來的幾天裡，我們將向離開 Kfar Aza 的所有 305 個家庭發放這些代金券，他們被安置在以色列各地的其他暫託中心。
大衛·帕森斯和謝伊·赫爾梅什
我們也與 Kfar Aza 社區領袖 Shay Hermesh 進行了交談，他是前 MK 和 ICEJ 的密友，他對每個家庭的禮品卡上用希伯來語表達的安慰信息深受感動。
海法的 ICEJ 團隊本周也忙於照顧我們大屠殺生還者之家中受驚的居民，同時也志願為該地區數百個貧困家庭打包食品包裹。 我們也購買了一台大型發電機，為海法之家提供電力，以防停電。
此外，ICEJ 已經籌集了幾乎足夠的資金來幫助捐贈兩輛救護車和一輛醫療自行車，其中包括一輛專門用於貝埃里基布茲的救護車，貝埃里基布茲也像附近的卡法阿扎一樣遭受了嚴重損失。 ICEJ 的一些分店已設定目標，再捐贈幾輛救護車。
ICEJ 也急於訂購另外8 個便攜式防空洞，安置在其他脆弱地區，我們目前正在什洛米翻修另外20 個地下避難所，使僅在這個北部邊境城鎮的地下避難所總數就達到73 個翻新的地下避難所和12 個移動避難所高於地面的。
以色列國家目前的處境有多困難，先前捐贈的 ICEJ 便攜式防空洞本週已從疏散社區暫時轉移到其他急需的地方，例如墓地，以便為以色列人提供庇護。埋葬了加沙邊境農村數百名被殺居民中的部分人。
ICEJ 本週也向內蓋夫西部的志願急救人員提供了數十件防護背心和頭盔。
不容忽視的是，加薩週邊地區官員本周也向我們保證，我們之前捐贈的140 多個移動防空洞以及特殊通信設備、全地形車和其他應急設備確實在這場戰爭開始的兩週內挽救了許多生命。
您對以色列危機基金的持續捐款將使我們能夠見到人類陷入困境的以色列國家有更迫切的需求。 你會：
為撤離的以色列家庭提供住房、食物、衣服和緊急援助，以及兒童玩具和活動。
加入向全國老人、新移民和貧困家庭緊急分發食物的行動。
為急救人員提供更重要的緊急設備。
為受到這場衝突嚴重影響的以色列家庭提供創傷諮商資金。
在脆弱的以色列社區安置更多的防空洞並翻新現有的避難所。
提供更多救護車和其他緊急醫療設備。
為保衛國家的人們提供衣服、帳篷、睡袋和其他戶外裝備。
在這個關鍵時刻，以色列人需要知道全世界數以百萬計的基督徒在他們需要的時候與他們站在一起。 今天請送出您最好的禮物。
捐款地址：give.icej.org/crisis