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A Light in the Darkness in 2023

November 30, 2023

I believe 2023 will go down in history as an extraordinary year for Bridges for Peace. It will be a year set apart from previous years due to the depth of our work which was made possible by Christians who love, pray and stand with Israel and the Jewish people. It has been a year of pain, division, strength and unity for Israel, and through it all, Bridges for Peace continues our calling from God to provide for Israel’s needy and build relationships between Christians and Jews in Israel and around the world. It is a holy calling into which God has drawn hundreds of thousands of Christians worldwide to love what He loves and stand on His promises, both to Israel and the nations.

From January until October, Bridges for Peace remained committed to the 23 Israeli towns and organizations (55 Jewish and 6 Arab) we support by distributing 335,117 kilograms (737,258 lbs.) of food to 24,240 people. Since 20% of Israelis live below the poverty line, this is a practical expression of unconditional love which we provide on a monthly basis.

We continue to have a lasting impact on the children in our Feed a Child program. Through 11 schools located in 5 cities across Israel, our work transforms the lives of 340 children who come from impoverished families. We provide hot lunches on a daily basis and school supplies so that these children will not stand out as pariahs among their peers and thrive in their education.

Through Project Rescue, we are reminded that God is faithful in restoring His people back to His Land, a promise echoed 63 times in the biblical books of the prophets alone (for example Ezekiel 36:22-24). We are witnesses to the fulfilment of the prophecies in our day! Bridges for Peace is honored to report that we have helped 107,705 Jewish people from the nations come home to Israel since the inception of this program.

And then October 7 happened…

On the morning of what Israelis now refer to as ‘Black Shabbat,’ the terrorist organization Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, launched a massive, planned attack on Israel. Hamas’s invasion resulted in 1,432 murdered Israelis (from babies to the elderly), 242 kidnapped hostages taken back into Gaza, over 6,000 wounded and over 10,000 rockets fired at Israel’s cities and towns. This was the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the end of the Holocaust in 1945.

This nation is broken and shattered, but united and determined to confront evil. Israel’s intent is clear: liberate the kidnapped hostages and destroy Hamas once and for all. This will secure Israel’s safety and also free the people of Gaza from Hamas’s tyrannical rule.

In times of war, everything changes. Mere hours after the attack, Bridges for Peace took action to counter this nightmare turned reality to meet the tsunami of needs that poured in. We could never have met such vast needs if it had not been for faithful Christian donors like you from around the world who gave of their finances and prayers to push back the darkness and be a light (Gen. 12:3).

I want to give you a snapshot of our activity during the first 30 days of war. We purchased six bomb shelters for two communities in Hamas’s crosshairs. The new shelters will without a doubt save numerous lives in Kiryat Ekron and Maskeryat Batya during ongoing rocket barrages. We also pledged an intensive care ambulance for Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross). We have provided tons of medical aid and food supplies, including 500 kilograms (660 lbs.) of fish and 3,000 kilograms (6,612 lbs.) of chicken, 3,658 hot soup packets, 400 kilograms (880 lbs.) of hotdogs and hundreds of food packages to help thousands of displaced families and emergency responders.

In the first days of the war, we delivered 1,050 bags of food and clothing to some of the hardest hit communities like Sderot and Ofakim. We have sponsored 200 displaced families in partnership with organizations we have built a relationship with over the years. We supplied school kits to children from displaced families who lost everything in the attack so that they could return to class in the towns of refuge where they’ve taken shelter. Our team has sat down with survivors to hear their stories, provided Shabbat (the Sabbath) meals for Jewish refugees in hotels, visited families in mourning, arranged for 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs.) of emergency medical supplies to be airlifted into Israel from the UK, purchased computers and printers for municipal centers dedicated to digitally tracking murdered victims and printing off death certificates. The list goes on and on.

Bridges for Peace stands in the gap. We don’t just quote Scriptures like “For such a time as this” (Est. 4:14b); we live them! Our nations are mobilized to living out this clarion call and standing with the Jewish community.

I urge you to pray and join us in this time to bless the people of Israel. Let us not be silent, like so many Christians were during the Holocaust. Instead, let us raise our voices to stand with Israel in this dark time. I pray you will be filled with courage (Josh. 1:9) from the Lord to take action. Also, please consider giving a financial blessing to Crisis Assistance Fund so that we can continue to operate and fulfill the calling of God on our lives to be your hands and feet, to counter the evil and show the Jewish community in Israel and around the world that they are not alone! As the last days of 2023 draw to a close, will you give to help push back the darkness with light?

With utmost urgency,
Rev. Peter Fast

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