July 2025

How can we defeat the deception behind such irrational hatred? How can Israel defeat her enemies and survive? The answer is one and the same: the God of Israel! We look forward to the day when He will eradicate all evil in our world. We also know He will never forsake the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:8). In fact, He always watches over Israel (Ps. 121:4). As evil unfolds, God calls us to step up in righteousness to carry His light into dark places (1 Pet. 2:9). Light is unmistakable. It is noticed. Wherever light shines, the darkness must flee.

As Christians, our reaction against evil and distortion should be a voice of truth, comfort and action that demonstrates love and shalom (wholeness). We must comfort Zion (Isa. 40:1) and pray for Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6–7). Bridges for Peace is committed to this in our heart, soul and mind. This is what we do! We demonstrate and live out the love of God in this hurting nation that often feels alone, misunderstood, hated and despised. The irrational hatred against Israel and the Jewish people is ultimately against the God of Israel, who has chosen the Jewish people (Deut. 7:6) and who alone sits on the throne. Therefore, it is crucial for Christians to know where the epicenter of the battle rages.In addition to the physical battle on the ground, there’s another conflict raging: the battle for truth. Millions of haters gather with alarming frequency in cities across the world to chant “Death to the Jews!” Others spray paint swastikas on the walls of synagogues or Jewish community centers. Again, Christians are mobilizing as a bulwark against this antisemitic hatred.

Every day, the Bridges for Peace volunteers exercise love and compassion to tens of thousands of Jewish people in Israel. We comfort Holocaust survivors, bless entire towns with bomb shelters, feed thousands, repair homes and touch the lives of hundreds of children from impoverished families through our Feed a Child program. We comfort the first responders of Magen David Adom (Israel’s emergency medical service) and stand with IDF soldiers. Everything we do reflects Christian love. Our actions proclaim an unmistakable message throughout the length and breadth of Israel: “You are not alone!”

Recently, the participants of the BFP Institute of Israel Studies visited Yad Vashem (Israel’s National Holocaust Museum). There, we met 93-year-old survivor Ruth Berlinger, a precious woman who survived the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Ruth spoke of the great fear she felt countless times. She shared one instance when she came within an inch of death when a leading Nazi SS officer, known to delight in murdering Jewish children, pointed his pistol at her. Instead of pulling the trigger, he told her to go home. She was ten years old.

In the Warsaw ghetto, she witnessed thousands dying of starvation and disease. Finally came the liquidation of over 300,000 Jews, who were sent to be murdered at the Treblinka death camp. Miraculously, Ruth and her parents managed to flee and hide until the end of the war.

There was hardly a dry eye in the room as Ruth shared these heartbreaking memories. In answer to a specific question, Ruth acknowledged that her faith in God had initially been shattered, a common reaction among many survivors. Yet despite carrying such deep scars of trauma, Ruth chose a life of hope.

The events of October 7 and the international Jew-hatred rising like a tidal wave shattered Ruth’s heart anew. The hatred is all too familiar for her, she shared, similar to what she experienced in the days leading up to the Holocaust.

However, Ruth felt the love in the room as Christians listened to her testimony with tear-filled eyes and open hearts. Finally, as our session ended, I crossed the room, knelt beside her and held her frail hand in mine. I told her she was loved and that Christians around the world are standing with the Jewish people because the God of Israel lives! I told her about the Israelis we feed, the survivors we bless, the ambulances we purchase and the nations we represent. As I squeezed her hand gently, I shared that this love is born from our faith. It is what drives us to stand for truth and comfort the nation of Israel. I vowed that the world would learn of her story and the miracle of her survival. In that moment, Ruth and I might as well have been the only ones in the room as her eyes began to fill with hope again. She gave me a warm smile and then continued to speak a blessing over me.

Let us stand with the people of Israel in this grave hour! Let us be a light and push back darkness! Let us demonstrate this love so that people like Ruth Berlinger—and millions of other Israelis—will know Christian love and support! Let us show this love in tangible acts of blessing. 

Ruth survived starvation in the Warsaw ghetto. Many others didn’t. And today, there are many Israelis who still face food insecurity in the land of their ancestors. We cannot change Ruth’s past, but we can shape someone else’s future. We can put food on their table. We can remind them that they are seen, loved and not alone.

Will you join us in blessing the people of Israel by donating to our Food program today? Your gift is more than a meal; it is Christian love made visible.

Shalom,

Rev. Peter J. Fast

International CEO