A Path Left Open

“The sense of helplessness was overwhelming,” Ron wrote. “And then you came into our lives. The support we received, given with such compassion and dedication, was nothing short of a lifeline. Your help reached us not only in a material sense, but in a deeply emotional one. In moments when my own heart struggled, you strengthened the heart of my entire family.”

Then followed something that has stayed with me since the moment I read it: “They say the heart is the source of life. In my case, some arteries became blocked, but you opened a new path for us.”

Ron asked us to pass his family’s gratitude on to you, to the Christians whose generosity, he wrote, comes “quietly, respectfully and with such dignity.”

I am doing that now.

A Thriving Economy, a Struggling People

Here is a paradox that might surprise you. Israel’s economy is expected to outperform most developed markets in 2026. Capital markets are up. The Tel Aviv stock market is surging. The shekel is rising. And yet, many families like the Cohens are running out of the essentials many of us take for granted.

How is this possible? The answer lies in a single, staggering number. Israel’s defense budget for 2026 is estimated at between US$34 billion and US$48 billion, a figure that has ballooned to more than 8% of GDP since October 7, 2023. Every shekel of that is going toward one thing: keeping the nation alive.

Consider what survival costs for this tiny nation. A single Iron Dome battery runs between US$50 million and US$95 million. Each interceptor missile costs up to US$150,000 to replace under wartime demand. In June 2025, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 suicide drones at Israeli cities in just 12 days. Then came the 40-day conflict in 2026, with another 650 missiles, 77 of which broke through defenses, killing 24 Israelis and wounding over 7,000.

 Israel should have been flattened. It was not. The hand of God was evident. But the cost of that protection is immense. It is being paid not only in defense contracts and depleted missile stocks, but in every social program, every safety net, every government service that quietly receives less funding because survival has to come first.

Meanwhile, the cost of simply living in Israel has become crushing. A Reichman University study found Israel is now the fourth most expensive country in the developed world, 21% more expensive than the wealthiest nations in Europe, and 68% more expensive than countries like Greece, Italy and Spain.

Soaring housing costs and steep food prices are the main culprits. Before the war, this was already a crisis. After almost three years of conflict, it has become an emergency.

Israel is so focused on keeping its people alive that things like social support can fall through the cracks. This is not a failure of compassion but rather the brutal arithmetic of survival. And it is exactly here that we, as the Christian community, are called to step in.

Where We Come In

Bridges for Peace volunteers live in Israel. They are not observers of this reality but rather neighbors to it. When Ron’s health collapsed and his family’s income disappeared, it was our team who showed up, not with pity, but with dignity. We didn’t bring a form to fill out. Instead, we showed up with what the Cohens needed most: food, presence and the quiet message that someone on the other side of the world cared enough to send help. 

The Cohen family’s letter closes with a blessing for you: “Your kindness does more than fill an empty refrigerator or help pay a bill. It restores a family’s strength. It gives children a sense of stability. It brings dignity back into a home that has been shaken. Your compassion reaches far beyond the material. It touches the soul.”

We cannot reduce the defense budget. We cannot bring down the price of essentials. We cannot end the war. But we can put food in the refrigerators of families like Ron’s. We can be the artery that stays open when everything else closes in.

Israel is carrying an enormous burden right now. Its government is doing what it must to keep its people safe. We are called to come alongside them as brothers and sisters in faith, and make sure the most vulnerable do not slip through the cracks of a nation at war.

Will you answer that call today? Please give generously to our Lifeline for Israel’s Needy fund. Your gift will reach families like Ron’s, quietly, respectfully and with the dignity they deserve.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

With shalom and gratitude,

Rev. Peter J. Fast

International President and CEO