Just two months ago, I wrote about elections that took place in the US and in Israel — national elections in the US and municipal elections in Israel. And now Israel has entered its own national elections season. But in Israel, there is always drama surrounding elections.
In a remote grove in the hills of Gush Etzion there is a little cafe built by the students and teachers of the Sadna program for special-needs children and young adults in the community of Gvaot.
Dit keer een schrijven vanuit Israël ober projekten die ons bekend voorkomen (HP). Lees maar wat Kim schrijft: Vrolijk December. Het is de mooiste tijd van het jaar….tenzij het jammergenoeg niet zo is. Deze maand ben ik met mijn gedachten bij Tieners in Israël die in de problemen zitten. Er zijn er te veel en ze hebben uw hulp nodig. Er zijn volwassenen die hen graag en met liefde helpen, maar ze hebben wel de nodige fondsen daarvoor nodig.
I know for many who love Israel and follow the Hebraic roots of our faith, whether or not to celebrate Christmas can be a real struggle. And I usually get some chastising notes and emails from well-meaning folks who are aghast that I allow a pagan Christmas tree in my home, when I should know better! So I will apologize in advance if talking about Christmas or saying “Merry Christmas” is offensive to you.
During the past six months, ever since I started working at CFOIC Heartland, I have met extraordinary people and visited amazing communities. It has been a true pleasure and an eye- opening experience for me to play a part in the wonderful relationship that has been created between our Christian friends and the people of Judea and Samaria. As a resident of Samaria for the past four years, I feel blessed to be able to live my life, build a home and raise my children in this very special area of our beautiful country.
Der Dezember ist die schönste Zeit des Jahres … es sei denn, er ist es nicht. In diesem Monat bin ich besonders besorgt über gefährdete Jugendliche in Israel. Es gibt zu viele und sie brauchen Ihre Hilfe. Es gibt liebevolle Erwachsene, die sich sorgen und ihnen helfen wollen, aber sie brauchen die nötigen Mittel dazu.
As I write this newsletter, we have just learned that the IDF has launched a military campaign to identify and destroy a series of tunnels along Israel’s northern border that have been dug by Hezbollah to enable them to invade Israel and wreak terror and destruction. We must constantly be vigilant against ongoing threats to our lives and our very existence as a nation.
Wow! I can’t believe we are already in the middle of November. Where does the time go? In America, November is a holiday month because of Thanksgiving — a national holiday that is dedicated to celebrating the blessings in our lives. It is a day characterized by a large turkey dinner, too much food, family gatherings and football.
Forty-years years ago a baby was abandoned by her biological parents after they discovered she was blind. She was left at the hospital and had no one in the world to care for her. One day an amazing couple came to the hospital and heard this child’s story.
As Republicans battle Democrats for control of the Legislative Branch, Israel is looking at these elections as well. It is no secret that Trump has been unusually supportive of Israel in these past two years and that his natural tendency is pro-Israel. Republican representatives and senators have also usually been pro-Israel although there have also been some outstanding pro-Israel Democratic legislators as well. We cannot begin to comment nor understand the ins and outs of domestic issues in these American elections, but I can turn to you, our American friends, and ask that you consider Israel when casting your vote today.