HFI Delegation Sets Foot in S'derot

We met Mordecai the week before Purim.

Of course, this was not the Mordecai who raised his cousin Esther and instructed her to appeal to King Ahasuerus for the salvation of her people.

The Mordecai we met was a man hundreds of miles and thousands of years removed from that life-changing sequence of events, but whose circumstances gave us a poignant reminder of the millions of people today who are forced to face some of the worst demonstrations of hatred and inhumanity.

On a recent tour through Israel, our delegation from the Hope for Israel Relief Fund spent half a day in S’derot to observe firsthand the work of one of HFI’s humanitarian-aid partners. As we dialogued with the local director, listening intently nearby sat a man wearing a striped polo shirt and a faded baseball cap.

The director introduced him to us as one of the mission’s aid recipients—Mordecai, whose personality seemed to illustrate great resilience and a secret hope, characteristics steeled in him in spite of – or perhaps because of – the continual devastation that rains upon Israel.

The rockets do keep coming, even though they don’t often make the news anymore. At least one per week hits S’derot.

That is the reason every S’derot resident knows the 15-second rule. When the sirens sound, there are exactly 15 seconds to reach a place of protection from the skies—usually inside one of the town’s communal bomb shelters.

That is also the reason Israel’s government has ruled that every house and apartment in S’derot must now have its own bomb shelter.

The shelter at Mordecai’s had been built not long before we arrived, and after our briefing with the mission director, Mordecai invited us to visit. When we arrived at his house, we noticed a circular pothole three feet in diameter a little more than three yards from the front steps of the house.

“That is where the rocket hit,” he said and began to paint a scene from a year and a half ago.

The siren had sounded. 15 seconds. Mordecai and all his neighbors pounded the pavement, trying to reach shelter before the sky exploded.

How many times could a heart beat in 15 seconds?

In one of those moments, Mordecai’s wrenched for a young neighbor: a little girl, confused and crying in the street. If any life was to be saved, it was going to be hers first. Mordecai found the girl a nook of shelter and then turned toward his house, touching the steps before that fateful rocket landed, riddling him with shrapnel.

Mordecai’s detour cost him his job and almost his life. Numerous surgeries in subsequent months allowed him more time on Earth, but he spent 15 months of that valuable time in rehabilitation, and his disabilities – accompanied by the terrible wartime economy – prevent him from finding work.

When we entered Mordecai’s house, we discovered his electricity had been cut off just that morning. After coming to understand Mordecai did not have the money to pay the electricity bill, we conferred with the local mission and assured that he would receive financial support for that purpose.

During our last couple hours in S’derot with Mordecai, we met some of the local children—a very friendly bunch who asked to take pictures with us. An 8-year-old among them still had rocket shrapnel in his left shoulder.

Mordecai also showed us where a girl, about 9 years old, had taken her last steps while running for a bomb shelter. And we saw the mangled shell of a car that had suffered a direct hit from a rocket. In fact, I brought a piece of the car home.

Witnessing all these things brought us – grown men – almost to tears. Simply seeing the consequences of the rain of Gaza’s rockets battered us emotionally; so what must living through such things do to people like Mordecai or the children of S’derot?

In light of everything, Mordecai tries to give back where he can—though his disabilities prevent him from working in anything but a light-duty capacity. He has volunteered at the mission, sorting donated clothing and helping with a rain-water-reserves project for use in the dry season.

The day we visited S’derot not only falls two days before the Fast of Queen Esther for her people Israel but also lies on a week the Jewish calendar designates for reading a Torah portion titled “Terumah”—or “Offering.”

Online resources give the impression that “terumah” most closely implies an offering designated specifically “for a higher purpose.”

You might say Mordecai manifested that concept, using much of his ability (however little) to fight even still for the protection and betterment of the lives of his neighbors. Even as the Mordecai of old, he seems to identify that he did come into his position “for such a time as this.”

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As The Hope for Israel Relief Fund’s partners, you also embody the spirit of terumah, allocating some of your heart and financial resources to the poorest and most vulnerable of Israel.

By joining with The Hope for Israel Relief Fund, it is people like Mordecai you impact every day.

We thank you and encourage you to continue in the heart of terumah, for “who knows whether you didn’t come into your position for such a time as this.”

Arsonists attack synagogue in Crete

Anti-semitism is alive today and we need to take note. The world is mounting against the Jewish people and as believers in Jesus we need to stand with the Jewish people. The Lord says in Genesis 12:3 - "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." We must take the Lord at this word. The Jewish people are our spiritual brethren and even in the most dire of times, even if the world is to rise up against them, we must stand firm and intercede for their protection. Will you join the Hope For Israel Relief Fund in praying against the anti-semitic spirit that exists in the world today?

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This article was originally written for the Jerusalem Post's online publications. It was written Haviv Rettig Gur.
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The Etz-Hayyim Synagogue in the Greek city of Hania on the island of Crete nearly burned to the ground overnight Tuesday after unknown arsonists set fire to a wooden staircase in the building.

The fire was set at around 1 a.m. early Wednesday, but a neighbor who was awake at the time noticed the smoke and called authorities and the synagogue's director Dr. Nicholas Stavroulakis.

The staircase led to the second-story women's section of the main sanctuary in the small seaside complex.

The Etz-Hayyim Synagogue was restored in the late 1990s after years of neglect in the wake of the Second World War. The nearly 300 members of the Hania Jewish community were shipped out by the Nazi invaders in 1944, and died when their ship was sunk in transit by an Allied torpedo.

It serves as a place for prayer, a museum and memorial, and a library recording the long and troubled history of Crete's Jews.

The walls of the synagogue's main hall were covered in soot, but the fire did not reach the Torah scrolls or the library, according to a congregant reached by phone who asked not to be identified.

Rain IS a blessing:

The following story can be found here. During this season at the Hope For Israel Relief Fund we hope that you will find it in your heart to be a blessing to all of those who are around you, strangers and friends alike. The LORD has given us so much, please consider giving back to his people and blessing the people of Israel today!

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Typical day: woke up around 7am when the sun finally warmed my room, thanked Hashem in that split second between being fully awake and still floating softly in my world of dreams, put my toes into yummy slippers, headed to the bathroom, wandered groggily into the kitchen, made delicious turkish coffee from the arab shuk.. then sat, surrounded by books and mountains, just breathing and reflecting. The day always hits once the coffee is mostly gone..

I made my way to Jerusalem sometime in the afternoon, driving along winding roads that were empty.. Clouds had gathered, turning the sky to a heavy grey. There is something about clouds in the desert.. something about the sky feeling so much closer and present. Tangible.. By the time I had entered Jerusalem, the clouds had simply melded together above darkened buildings and trees that looked helpless in the wind. I kept looking at people’s faces as i drove by.. No one was smiling. I thought to myself, why is it so hard for them to remember that rain is a blessing? Where was the joy?

Time passed and by chance, my appointment was canceled. I sat in my car slightly annoyed and wondered where to go.. feeling somehow part of the storm and yet oddly detached. I felt safe from my life, from the world, enclosed in my little bubble of metal, leather and padding.. listening to Dezarie while blasting heat in my face. Deeply wishing I had something to do.

As I stared listlessly out of the car window lacking all motivation, my eye caught site of an old woman making her way slowly up the street. She was using a walker, stumbling along as if she were fighting the wind and her own body at the same time.. My heart froze. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided to watch and wait. She leaned heavily against the parked cars as she tried walking up the hill. Her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses that hid her face, and again I hesitated, simply not knowing how to act.

A moment later she was beside my car and I saw the deep, fine lines in her face, the struggle to stay composed in spite of her weakness, the fierce pride in her posture, and the desire to live. My heart overcame my anxiety and I hopped out of the car rushing over to her with a smile, praying that I would not embarrass her! She stood still in shock, struggling to hear me over the wind.

“Hi!” I said in the most casual, friendly voice I could muster while shivering in the cold. “Can I help you? Where do you need to go, I will give you a ride.”

“WHAT?!” she replied, taken aback.. I flushed with embarrassment and somehow managed to repeat my offer, this time gesturing to my car and the heat emanating from the open door. Finally she looked at me and said while shaking her head in frustration, “I have to go to the pharmacy today but my leg is not doing well in this cold.”

“Please let me take you” I said to her with a warm smile. “I will take you there and bring you home when you are done.”

“You will wait for me?” she said in disbelief. “GOD BLESS YOU! You are my angel today!” She started to hobble over to my car, mumbling about how it was a miracle from Hashem that I had come. “This is my lucky day!” she said again and again. I helped her in, then drove to the pharmacy while trying to make amicable conversation. Her English was perfect.. I found out that her husband had died, that she had been living in Israel for 24 years, that now there was no one left.. that she was alone.

She told me she had lived all over the world, from europe to the U.S.. and in one quick breath, she told me that she had survived the holocaust. My knuckles tightened on the wheel. We pulled up to the pharmacy before we could speak any further and I helped her in. She could barely move her leg.. I don’t know how she had planned on making it to the pharmacy by walking. With a toughness borne from years of survivial, she said “I don’t like missing a day taking my medicine, so I had to go.” I wondered in my heart how the elderly of Jerusalem managed to get their medicine..

After she bought the medication, I helped her back into the car and drove her to her home, offering to carry her bag for her. Embarrassment crept into her face and I quickly added that I would only walk her to the door. My heart dropped yet again as I saw that she lived on the second floor and had to walk up 20 stairs. I couldn’t understand.. my mind wouldn’t let me understand or how else could I go on living knowing that this was reality?

It took us five minutes to climb the stairs, yet we made it and stood facing each other in front of her door. She reached out steadily and took my hand in a firm handshake.

“My name is Sarah” she said with a deep strength that was heartbreaking.

“My name is Talya” I replied, looking into her dark sunglasses.

She thanked me and blessed me, that all the good things in my heart should come to fruition. Then I thanked her, from the bottom of my heart, for having had the honor of meeting and helping her. I walked away with the hairs of my arm standing on end, feeling so helpless and yet so blessed that I had tears in my eyes. I pondered what to do next.. pondered all the elderly who struggle daily with both their emotional and physical pain.. I pondered how many elderly in the streets I could have helped if I had looked outside of myself and paid attention.

Perhaps this friday I will bring her flowers and leave them outside her door with a note. Maybe I will get lucky and take her to the pharmacy again.

And to think, all this because I had asked for something to do. Jerusalem is a powerful city if we open ourselves to it.

I hope Sarah is doing well…

Anti-Israel is the new anti-Semitism

The following article appeared in the Jerusalem Post's online publication's on December 16, 2009. It was written by the Jerusalem Post Staff Writers and reprinted below in its entirety.

Anti-Semitism is a very real threat faced by Jews all over the world. Earlier this week a group of radical Christians tore town a Hanukah display in Moldova at the bequest of an Orthodox Priest declaring "We are an Orthodox country. Stephan the Great defended our country from all kinds of kikes, and now they come and put their menorah here. This is anarchy," as the demonstrators tore down the display. All over the world there is unspeakable hatred, indeed even in Israel there is a level of anti-Semitism to be found.

The Hope For Israel Relief Fund stands with Israel always. Helping the poor and disenfranchised in a multitude of ways. Wherever there are those whom the world rallies against, be they poor, be they Jewish, be they fatherless, motherless, and without hope, we stand with them. The Hope For Israel Relief Fund seeks to show the people of Israel that the world does care about them, and that they are worth defending, not just from the anti-Semitism of the world, but also from those that would turn their backs and put the poor and the hurt out of mind and out of sight. If you want to see the most vulnerable of Israel taken care of please consider contributing to our efforts today, you can make a difference. You can provide Hope.

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Anti-Semitism is being used to delegitimize the State of Israel, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday.

Speaking at the Foreign Ministry's third annual Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, Lieberman said "classic anti-Semitism, along with Iranian funding and Islamic anti-Semitism, is being used to incite hatred against Jews, and to delegitimize theState of Israel."

He said that global anti-Semitism had "crossed the line," and that those behind the effort were "seeking to destroy the Jewish state piece by piece... using academic boycotts and economic sanctions." He also noted "human rights groups' effort to deny Israel legitimacy by pushing the United Nations Security Council to adopt the Goldstone Report," which accused Israel of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

"Modern anti-Semitism," the foreign minister asserted, "has taken on the form of being anti-Israel... Instead of saying 'throw the Jews into the sea,' they talk of a world without Zionism, and without Israel."

Referring to the matter of Iran, Lieberman said, "It's scary that 60 years after the horrors of the Holocaust, we see examples of anti-Semitism being funded by Iran." He added that the Islamic republic "denies the Holocaust, calls for the destruction of Israel, and is trying to achieve nuclear capability. These efforts remind us of [the Nazis' rise to power] 70 years ago."

According to the registration list, over 500 participants plan to attend the two-day conference at Jerusalem's Crowne Plaza Hotel. Delegations comprising diplomats, academics, and policy makers from the United States, Germany, France, Hungary, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Venezuela and Argentina were listed on the GFCA roster.

Also speaking at the conference on Wednesday was Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein, who cited anti-Semitic attacks around the world in the past year, noting that they took place "in 2009, not 1937."

He too spoke of a change in the nature of anti-Semitism: "No longer permissible to openly proclaim hatred of the Jews? So the anti-Semite must seek new forms and forums to release his poison."

"No longer politically correct to openly hate Jews? So he has repackaged his hate, and in doing so has been able to gain endorsement from academics, media outlets, and even political parties."

Edelstein went on to tell delegates that Israel had become the focus of global anti-Semitism, saying, "There are no more Jews. Instead there are Israelis. Israeli soldiers kill babies. Israeli soldiers attack pregnant mothers. Israelis started wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

During his travels abroad, the minister said, he often heard people expressing support for the creation of a Palestinian state, as well as the removal of theJewish state, which they called "inherently racist." In response to such sentiments, Edelstein said, "I do not know if a more contradictory, irrational, and illogical argument have ever been made in the same sentence. The Palestinians are a people and therefore deserve a state. The Jews are a people, and therefore should not be allowed to have a state."

He concluded his address by stressing the need for education on tolerance, saying, "It is our moral duty to educate our children about anti-Semitism and the evils of senseless hatred."

Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report

Israel must do right by its Sudanese refugees..

The following article is reprinted in full from the Jerusalem Post on December 7, 2009. It was written by SIMON DENG. For more information about the author of this article please see the last paragraph of the JPost article. Thank you.

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There are 2,500 people in Israel just like me - Christians from Southern Sudan who were persecuted brutally by the Khartoum government and who have always loved and admired the Jewish state. The Christians of Southern Sudan and the people of Israel share a great deal in common - religious heritage, a long memory of oppression, and the enmity of the worst regimes in the Middle East and Africa.

Sudanese refugees in Israel. ...

Sudanese refugees in Israel. "Egypt owes as much to them as we do."
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

As a former child slave in Southern Sudan who now fights for two interrelated causes - the State of Israel and the abolition of slavery in the Muslim world - I want to tell the people of this country about my countrymen who are seeking refuge here.

They are not a threat to you; on the contrary, they are lovers of Zion and natural allies of the Jewish state. What's more, they are ready to be a bridge between this country and the independent nation of Southern Sudan that is waiting to be born a little over a year from now.

Thus, there are two reasons why Israel needs to do right by the refugees from Southern Sudan - for their sake and for the sake of Israel itself.

Currently some 6,000 Sudanese refugees reside in this country. About 3,500 of them are Muslims - the majority from Darfur. A significant percentage of the Darfur refugees have been given temporary political asylum. If Israel does not grant the 2,500 Southern Sudanese Christians similar protection, or special dispensation, and they are forced to return to Sudan anytime in the near future, they will face execution or long imprisonment. According to Sudanese law, the fact that they have set foot in Israel - loathed byKhartoum as the ultimate enemy - makes their "offense" extremely grave.

Yet after almost three years in this country, they remain in limbo - without asylum, without knowing if and when they may be sent out of the country, without knowing what the future holds. For now they possess three-month "conditional visas," which keeps them in a state of uncertainty; to give a minimal measure of stability to their lives, it is essential to extend these visas for six to 12 months.

THESE CHRISTIANS fled to Israel through Egypt in order to escape forced Islamization and possible enslavement. Crimes against humanity have a long history in Sudan; a little-known fact is that the number of Christian Sudanese victims of these enormities far exceeds that of the victims in Darfur. Between 1955 and 1972, the Muslim regime inKhartoum slaughtered nearly 1.5 million Southern Sudanese Christians. Between 1983 and 2005, 2 million more met the same fate. Another 100,000 (a conservative estimate) were enslaved in the north, and seven million were made refugees.

The government of Khartoum has long singled out Southern Sudanese Christians and accused them of being traitors, even agents of Israel. The regime regards this as the worst possible crime. However, this accusation is a source of stubborn pride to the Southern Sudanese who love Israel, who identify with Israel - and there are many who dream of visiting the Holy Land as pilgrims and tourists.

But again, protecting the Christian Southern Sudanese refugees is also in the enlightened self-interest of the State of Israel. In 2011 the Southern Sudanese will vote whether or not to remain as "one Sudan" united with the north or to secede and become a separate country. If the Christian Southern Sudanese vote for secession - a virtual certainty - they will have their own nation as a free people for the first time in history.

I know these people well. I know their leaders. I feel confident that a free Southern Sudan will be a strong ally of the State of Israel.

This alliance would reflect a regional catharsis. The 2,500 Christians from Southern Sudan now residing in Israel could be the link between Israel and this new Christian nation - a pillar of a new, friendly, mutually beneficial relationship, a beacon for the future.

Thus, I urge the people of Israel and their leaders to help resolve the Southern Sudanese refugees' situation, end their legal limbo and give them the tools they need to be productive - either in their adopted home or in their new state that will be born very soon.

The writer, who escaped child slavery in Southern Sudan and now lives in New York, speaks on behalf of Southern Sudanese victims at synagogues, yeshivot and evangelical churches across the US. In 2006 he was honored for his anti-slavery activism at the Anti-Defamation League's annual Concert Against Hate in Washington's Kennedy Center.

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The Hope For Israel Relief Fund is committed to working for the improvement of immigrants throughout all of Israel. Some of the country's poorest population are immigrants from Africa. Join with us at The Hope For Israel Relief Fund to see how you can help out today! Your donations go to Messianic Jewish Ministries that support various relief works throughout the land. Donate to end poverty. Donate to see the Truth of God's character proclaimed in the land.

Blessings and Peace,

The Hope For Israel Relief Fund

Battered women's hot line may close..

The following article was published in the Jerusalem Post on November 24, 2009. It was written by RUTH EGLASH and is published in its entirety below.

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As the world prepares to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Wednesday, the future of Israel's National Hot Line for Battered Women and Children at Risk is in doubt, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

According to representatives of the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO), which currently runs the hot line together with the Welfare and Social Services Ministry, the emergency telephone service that provides private counseling and practical advice to battered women and children will soon be combined into a general national hot line for all matters connected to social welfare.

"A woman who has finally found the courage, after years of suffering, to call someone for help does not really want to be held in a telephone line until their call is answered by an operator," wrote Yochi Feller, director of WIZO Israel, in a letter to Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog last week.

"Victims of domestic violence, including children and teens at risk, are a particularly weak population, and they need personal and immediate assistance," she stressed.

However, a spokesman for the ministry told the Post Monday that the idea was to bring together all the currently available help lines under one number (118), similar to what is provided by the police or medical services.

"We have nothing against WIZO, and we work with them on many different projects. We just believe that it will be easier for the public to deal with one main number," he said, explaining that the ministry had already put out tenders for operating the service and that it would provide professional training to those manning the phones.

"There will be staff, including social workers, who will be able to help the callers on most subjects, and there will be no waiting time for calls," he added, noting that the ministry was looking to utilize state-of-the-art technology for the service.

However, Nurit Kaufman, who is director of the Violence against Women department at WIZO and has been working in the field for some 25 years, said she felt strongly that victims of domestic violence needed to be treated separately.

"If these women do not feel they will get the full attention and a sympathetic ear, then they will simply not call," she said, reiterating Feller's remarks.

Kaufman noted that WIZO had been the first women's organization to set up a hot line for battered women in 1987 and had been running the line (1-800-220-000) together with the ministry since 2005.

"We do hope to continue with our hot line, but it really depends on whether we find funding for it or not," she said.

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The Hope For Israel Relief Fund is committed to standing with victimized women and helping them overcome any and all circumstances. We support several ministries that seek to empower and raise up women by providing for their physical and spiritual needs. If you feel that God is putting Israeli women on your heart please contact us at http://www.thehopeforisrael.org today to see how you can join with us in helping women. We look forward to hearing from you!

The Sweetness of Giving

This article first appeared in TOGETHER: Jewish Giving Today, published by The Jewish Federations of North America. Below it is reprinted.

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The Sweetness of Giving
by Ruth Andrew Ellenson

When I was little, my father would begin every Shabbat by having each person in my family donate money to the bright blue and white tzedakah box we kept in our dining room. We would collect coins and deposit them into the little metal slot one by one, listening to each one drop with a satisfying metal clink.

I wish I could say that I was pious enough as a child to have truly enjoyed this act of charity – this small bit of tikkun olam foisted upon me in a valiant attempt to form my good character. But I did not. Instead, with each dropping coin, I lamented in my heart the money that was going to strangers instead of my candy supply. With each quarter that vanished into the void, visions of chocolate, sugar and other tasty treats filled my head with longing and despair.

It’s tough to want things and have to give away what you have. As a kid, sugar was my idea of perfect happiness (and really, has that changed?) and it was being forced out of my hands to help people I didn’t even know.

Our whole society is geared towards acquisition. The idea of owning that one thing that will bring us perfect happiness – be it candy when you’re six, or a car when you’re 60 – is something we are programmed for from birth. The idea that material things can bring satisfaction is a fantasy that’s hard to let go.

And yet sooner or later (hopefully sooner) we learn the lesson that getting everything you want, and keeping everything you have, doesn’t really make you happy. You realize that wealth really has no meaning unless you go out into the world and share it with others.

As an adult, I’m grateful for the lesson my dad taught us at the Shabbat table. Now when I give tzedakah, I get so much more satisfaction than I ever did from my candy supply – even chocolate doesn’t compare with the sweetness of giving.

Ruth Andrew Ellenson won the National Jewish Book Award for her anthology “The Modern Jewish Girl’s Guide to Guilt” and lectures regularly on Jewish women’s identity issues. Learn more at www.guiltguide.com.

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When we give with joy in our hearts the Lord honors our offerings. In this season, if you are looking for ministries to joyfully support, please consider The Hope For Israel Relief Fund. Working with the Messianic Jewish community in Israel we are able to provide for several worthy ministries. For more information please visit our website: http://www.thehopeforisrael.org.