News and Reflections
The Miracle of Christian Zionists
As I reflect on these various conversations, with Jews who are trying to understand new developments in Christianity and with Christians who are trying to understand their connection to Judaism and to Jews, I realize that while the main goal of CFOIC Heartland has always been to connect Christians to Israel and specifically to Judea and Samaria, so much of what I am doing is far broader than that.
Happy Special Birthday Israel! – Israel Celebrates its 70th Independence Day
Since joining CFOIC Heartland in 2013, I have made the most wonderful friends, both Jewish and Christian, in Israel and all over the world. I have learned so much about a whole group of people, you our Christian friends, that I had not really known much about. I have come to value and appreciate the vital support we have from our Christian Zionist friends around the world, support that often comes with a love and passion that we rarely find anywhere else.
Lynch Survivor Speaks Out!
Rivi Lev Ohayon, a young woman who survived a lynching attempt on the Sde Bar-Jerusalem road. She was the first car in a line of traffic when she saw a violent Arab mob on the side of the road. “I saw that one of the men had a very large stone in hand" she recounts. "I did not know if my windshield was protected against rock throwing, so I debated in those seconds whether to continue driving ahead or to turn back. But Sde Bar is more than just a vulnerable community located in a hostile region. Sde Bar is a magical place. Not far from the ancient fortress of Herodian, where King Herod’s palace looked over the mountains of Moab, Sde Bar overlooks the majestic Judean Desert. The community started twenty years ago as a youth village for homeless and abandoned children,
People of Faith in the Promised Land
As Christians, you share the Bible with us, but you have not shared our experiences as a nation. But it is so moving to me to meet Christians who want to understand those experiences better, who are eager to meet Jews, face to face, and hear the telling of the Exodus directly from us. For the modern –day Exodus from Exile to the Land of Israel is truly the story of Modern-Day Israel. It is the story that can be told by Jews of faith, on the basis of faith and it is this story that never fails to grab Christians, for you too are people of faith.
The children of Maale Levonah need you!
Maale Levonah Gymboree has seen better days; it is dilapidated, run down from all of the good fun use over the years. It desperately needs a face lift. The building must be renovated and new Gymboree games and equipment must be purchased.
Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu Under Investigation
Netanyahu has served as Israeli’s prime minister longer than any other person in our short history. He has been at the center of enormous power and has done great things for Israel. But 2 years ago, during the last election campaign, as hatred against him grew, I felt that it was time for him to step down.
You Can Help a Family in Need!
By: Avital Stern-Buchnick This month, we have focused on helping the neediest families in Samaria with their greatest need during the harsh winter – heat! For years, through the Samaria Family Assistance Program, we have provided food parcels for these families,...
What Do You Say To A Child Whose Father Was Murdered?
We cannot change the past nor bring back the dead. But we can encourage and strengthen the living. We can reach out to the brave men, women and children of Judea and Samaria and give them what they need, when they need it. I hope you will help us help them. I hope you will continue to partner with us as we strengthen the Jewish presence in the Biblical Heartland.
From Saint Petersburg to Kedumim
Aliyah’s story begins five years before she was born. Her parents, Avital and Michael Ezer were a young newly married couple in Soviet Russia. They were respected researchers in their fields and had big plans for the future when in 1980; they submitted a request to immigrate to Israel. Their request was denied, and as was the case for all families who requested to move to Israel at that time, their application triggered government persecution. They were targeted, interrogated and then watched by the KGB, and they lost their jobs.
Change is not Always a Good Thing
We cannot know what 2018 will have in store for us. Will we lose a loved one? Will we suffer illness or tragedy? I certainly hope not. But we are not in control. We can do our best; we can do what we believe G-d is expecting of us, but we know that G-d is in control.