"You Are Ours"

Two of her sons were pulled from the rubble with light injuries. A third was found unharmed. Those boys—our boys—are now without their mother.

Of Course We Went

We attended the funeral. Of course we did. The streets were filled with people, each one sharing how deeply loved Ronit and her family were. Sirens wailed again as mourners stood by the graveside, a stark reminder that the onslaught did not pause even for grief.

At the funeral, our team met with the mayor of Beit Shemesh, the principal of the school where Ronit’s sons study and the family members stepping in to care for them. To each one, we made the same pledge: we are not going anywhere. Regardless of where these boys end up, with whichever family member takes them in, we’ll continue to care for Ronit’s sons. They are our children. And that is what family does

Can you imagine what it means to a devastated family—to a shattered community—to hear those words? To know that Christians on the other side of the world care enough to show up, to stay and to promise to care for these grieving boys? This is not merely practical support. This is the love of God made tangible. It is the kind of unconditional love that has the power to reach into broken hearts and begin, slowly, tenderly, to rebuild what has been shattered.

More Than a Meal—a Future

Ronit’s sons are not the only children who need us right now. In Israel, nearly 1.2 million children—almost 40% of all Israeli kids—live below the poverty line. Over 325,000 families face severe nutritional insecurity. The war has only deepened this crisis. Fathers who once provided for their families are now on the frontlines or laid to rest. Mothers are stretched impossibly thin. And children arrive at school hungry, ill-equipped, already behind and already ashamed.

Through Feed a Child, we provide more than a hot, nutritious meal every school day. We fill backpacks with supplies so children no longer feel different. We cover the cost of school outings and after-school activities. We ensure they have what they need to thrive in an increasingly digital classroom. But beyond every tangible provision is a message we deliver just as deliberately: You are seen. You are loved. You are not forgotten.

We have walked alongside many of these children from their primary school years all the way through to their high school graduation. We have celebrated birthdays and milestones. We have received wedding invitations. We have rejoiced at the news of a university scholarship, academic honors or a new baby. The relationship does not end when the school year does. These children have become ours, because that is what happens when love is unconditional and consistent. It builds something that lasts.

That is the legacy of Feed a Child. The participants are not just a generation of Israeli children who were fed and equipped, but a generation who grew up knowing that Christians across the world claimed them, championed them and loved them without condition. The ripple effects of that truth will shape the nation of Israel for decades to come.

Stand with Israel’s Children

Israel’s children have endured more than two years of relentless war. Sirens. Missiles. Hours pressed into bomb shelters. The invisible scars of trauma that no child should carry. And yet they return to school. They sit in classrooms. They try to learn and grow and become.

We must meet them there.

The prophet Isaiah wrote of a day when God would comfort Zion, when He would “make her wilderness like Eden” (51:3). We are called to be instruments of that comfort, to bring joy and hope into places of mourning and despair. For Israel’s children, you can be that comfort today.

Your gift to Feed a Child will ensure that the boys Ronit left behind are cared for. It will put food on the table for a hungry child whose father is at the front. It will fill a backpack, fund a school trip, send a birthday gift and deliver the most powerful message a child can receive: You matter. You are loved. You are ours.

Will you stand with Israel’s children today? Will you come alongside them in the chaos and heartbreak of war and tell them—with your generous gift—that Christians around the world see them, cherish them and claim them as their own?

Please give to our Feed a Child program today.

With love and shalom,

Rev. Peter J. Fast

International President & CEO