Monthly Archives: July 2024

I am writing to you on behalf of some special Jewish people we love so dearly. They are the last remnant of Jewish people who suffered more than any others during their lifetime. They are elderly, lonely, in need of our love and help, and do not have many more years on this earth before they pass into eternity.

I am, of course, speaking about the worldwide community of Holocaust survivors!

There are fewer than a quarter million Holocaust survivors remaining, with an average age of eighty-six.¹ About half of them live in Israel, where Your Mission to the Jewish People has been serving hundreds of these precious souls since 2003.

MINISTERING TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN ISRAEL

Approximately 130,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel today, 99 percent of whom are Russian speakers from the former Soviet Union.² Most were children at the time of the Holocaust. Many of them underwent horrific experimentation by Nazi doctors and, as a result, could not have children of their own. This outcome led to greater loneliness because they do not have children or grandchildren to care for them in their old age.

Chosen People Ministries—Israel has been faithfully ministering to Holocaust survivors in many ways. First, our staff in Israel care for some of their physical needs. In March, for example, our staff bought a washing machine for one of our survivor friends. Our staff helps by buying groceries, making home visits, and trying to ensure each survivor gets what they need.

In addition, Your Mission to the Jewish People is helping address their health concerns. The psychological trauma many Holocaust survivors endured when they were so young often led to sickness. The current conflict in Israel is also taking a toll on them physically. Our staff visits them when they are in the hospital, takes them to doctor’s appointments, and purchases medical equipment like walkers, hearing aids, and glasses. Our staff also takes them to buy their medications.

Most importantly, our ministry is caring for the spiritual and emotional needs of these precious survivors. Before the current war, our staff held community events, like art classes, to provide Holocaust survivors with companionship. But since October 7, survivors—who were already experiencing severe trauma—now need more intensive spiritual and psychological help. For many of them, the horrific events of October 7 reminded them of the Holocaust. One woman fled Israel because she did not want to go through “one more Holocaust.” After seventy-five years, October 7 brought all those memories back to the surface.

PROGRAMS AND TRIPS FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

Through it all, our ministry is reaching Holocaust survivors with the love of Jesus the Messiah. At our three-day retreats for survivors from the south of Israel, our staff spend time with them, pray with them, and answer their difficult questions like, “Why is this happening?” and “What will happen in the future?”

Our staff also visit the more than one hundred post-October 7 survivors who are now evacuees living in hotels. We pray with them, read Scripture with any who want us to, and even bring them homemade food, which they love!

We occasionally bring them to our Jerusalem Messianic Center to provide a much-appreciated break from the noise and lack of privacy at the hotels. Some of our staff also take survivors on tours to biblical sites in Israel, like the Sea of Galilee for a brief walk and a boat ride, complete with worship and teaching!

One of the most significant ways Your Mission to the Jewish People serves Holocaust survivors is by celebrating the Jewish and Israeli national holidays with them.

WE ARE THEIR FAMILY!

One staff member said, “We always pray so they understand we are not trying to change their religion but hoping to help them find a personal relationship with God. By doing this, everyone knows who we are and what we believe.” This emphasis makes Chosen People Ministries different from other humanitarian organizations because we focus on God, express our love for the Messiah, and minister one-on-one, all while serving physical needs. Taking care of physical needs is crucial, and adding spiritual care brings great fruit with eternal impact. Through caring for the soul, especially at this time of their lives, we are giving the survivors the gift we know will endure forever!

WHAT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, AMONG THE SURVIVORS?

Sderot, a small city bordering Gaza, was greatly affected by the storm of rockets fired by Hamas just prior to the attacks of October 7. Many Holocaust survivors watched in horror from their windows as terrorists killed others outside their homes. Some survivors called our staff trying to explain what they were seeing through their windows. Many of them spent up to seventy-two hours sitting in bomb shelters with not enough water or food to carry them through. It was, as one staff member put it, “A huge, tragic mess.”

The inhabitants of Sderot, including the survivors, were evacuated after ten days.

Ashkelon, a larger city near the border, also suffered major devastation as Hamas launched uncountable rockets toward the city. Thankfully, most were shot down by the Israeli air defense systems, and the Iron Dome in particular.

The city of Ofakim is home to many Holocaust survivors and was also the target of Hamas terrorism. When the terrorists violently entered Ofakim on October 7, they cornered the Holocaust survivors and killed six of them. When our staff visited the town on November 1, there was no one on the street. “Until today,” said one staff member, “people are afraid to open their doors there.” Unfortunately, some of the survivors know exactly what happened to their fellow survivors and will be scarred for the remainder of their lives.

TESTIMONIALS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS SERVED BY CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES

Caleb* and Gavriela:* Caleb was the first person on a trip to Poland to accept Jesus as his Savior. During the trip, the Word of God touched him, and he could not stop asking questions. He saw the Light! Upon returning to Israel, he attended a local congregation and was baptized. His wife supported him in everything but was a bit uncertain herself about Messiah until she heard from the Holy Spirit. She then was baptized, and now the couple shines when they talk about their walk with God.

Levi* and Eliora:* Our staff have known Levi and Eliora’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for a long time. Seeing how our staff assist people, this couple also wanted to get involved. Their grandson repeatedly contacted our staff to offer his help, and he bought various medical supplies for Holocaust survivors. We are seeing the hand of God in this couple’s life and how He has carefully turned their hearts toward His own.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE SURVIVORS?

Our staff in Israel knows the days of this heartfelt ministry to survivors are numbered. They are aging quickly, and in the near future, they will pass into eternity—either with the Lord or without Him. We are sobered by this thought and sense a holy urgency to reach these precious Jewish people before it is too late. The time to act is NOW.

Our efforts in loving survivors and spreading the gospel have been a joy, but we need to do more. It is critical to help the survivors TODAY! Each opportunity to introduce them to Messiah is invaluable—with eternal consequences.

As we look toward the future, we are focusing on the next couple of generations of the survivors’ descendants. Some of them were able to marry, and we have ongoing relationships with their children and grandchildren, in part because they have seen how we love their families. We hold a children’s camp each Passover for the grandchildren of survivors.

On behalf of our staff in Israel and those they serve,
Mitch

P.S. According to Israeli law, you cannot talk about the gospel and provide material help at the same time unless those you are helping initiate the conversation. We do all we can to follow this policy, and more often than not, survivors pepper us with questions about why we love and help them. We are then free to respond and talk to them about our faith.

Endnotes

1 Kirsten Grieshaber, “Almost 80 Years after the Holocaust, 245,000 Jewish Survivors Are still Alive,” AP News, January 23, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/holocaust-survivors-numbers-reportclaims-conference-890c9ad6aa7bc1cf99e1cbe40e61c013.

2 Ibid.