Shalom in His peace.
I recently received a letter from Adam,* one of our long-standing Israeli staff members, and I was so moved that I wanted to share parts of it with you directly. His words offer a vivid picture of what God is doing day in and day out in the Holy Land through the faithful labor of our team there.
Adam is originally from Ukraine. He immigrated to Israel in his late teen years and came to faith in Jesus while living there. Please read his report and join us in praying for Israel’s remaining Holocaust survivors.
Adam writes:
After a very difficult and intense month, a ceasefire has come. We do not know how long it will last, but we are deeply grateful for these days of quiet. . . . We truly thank the Lord for His protection, mercy, and faithfulness during this time.
Even amid war, God has been moving powerfully.
During this time, the Lord opened many opportunities for us to share our faith. Because of your prayers and faithful support, we were able to reach and help hundreds of people, both physically and spiritually. Many experienced the love of Jesus in a real and tangible way. Dozens prayed for the first time in their lives, and some received salvation and accepted the Lord.
Despite all the challenges and safety restrictions, we continued to gather, study the Word, pray, and support people with the Lord’s help. Once again, we have seen that even in the darkest moments, His light continues to shine.
Ministry Among Holocaust Survivors
We have also remained committed to one of the most important parts of our calling—serving Holocaust survivors.
For more than twenty years, we have been helping these precious people by supporting them, and striving to allow them to live out their lives with dignity. Most of them are from Eastern Europe, with a large number from the former Soviet Union. Many live very modestly, often in need, having to save on even the most basic necessities.
But beyond their physical needs, many carry deep spiritual wounds. Because of the Holocaust, many lost their faith in God. Today, we are doing everything we can to bring them back to the God of Israel and to their Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus).
By God’s grace, over the years, many Holocaust survivors have accepted the Lord. Quite a few, of course, are no longer with us, and we look forward to meeting them again in heaven. Yet, there are precious survivors who have not yet heard the good news or come to know the Savior. We continue to do everything possible to bring the gospel to them.
For example, we recently helped Jacob,* a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, receive a hearing aid. At the clinic, I was asked why we help Holocaust survivors. It became an opportunity to share my testimony—how the Lord saved me and helped me—and to explain that we serve others by showing His love.
I shared that Christians around the world are helping a Jewish Holocaust survivor they have never met, simply because they love his people, his God, and his Messiah, Yeshua.
Israel marked Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, in April, when we honor the memory of the millions of Jewish people who perished. But we also continue to remember the living.
According to official data, about 111,000 Holocaust survivors are currently living in Israel. All of them are over the age of 80, and about 63 percent are women. Around 28 percent are already over the age of 90. Nearly half—49.3 percent—are widowed, and about 9,300 married couples consist of two survivors.
This group includes not only former inmates of camps and ghettos of Europe but also Jewish people from Iraq who survived intense persecution during the Farhud of 1941, and Jewish people from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia who suffered under the Vichy regime. About 70 percent of survivors in Israel were born in Europe, with the largest group—around 46 percent—coming from the former Soviet Union. Approximately 27 percent were born in Asia and Africa. Today, 40,136 Holocaust survivors who immigrated since 1989 live throughout Israel.
These are not just numbers. These are lives—precious souls, many of whom have not yet heard the message of hope and salvation. Please pray with us that Holocaust survivors would find hope and faith in their Messiah.
Ministry Among Children and Families
While we care deeply for aging Holocaust survivors, we also have a great heart for reaching the next generations of Israelis. We maintain a robust schedule of ministries among young families, including children’s camps and family retreats. These programs always include worship and teaching from the Bible. Parents are fully aware that we are Jewish believers in Jesus and that our schedule includes teaching from the New Testament; still, not-yet-believing families regularly participate. We find parents genuinely willing to involve their children in programs that are producing such positive results in their lives.
Adam writes:
Ilona* came to our camp quite recently—and almost by accident.
Her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, has been attending our Holocaust survivors’ club at the Messianic Center in Jerusalem for many years. She has come to faith in the Lord, loves our ministry deeply, and has always been enthusiastic about our programs.
For years, she asked us to invite her granddaughter to camp. However, we could not do so without parental permission. Ilona’s father is Orthodox Jewish and her mother is more secular, but neither was willing to send her.
Last year, perhaps due to the difficult situation in Israel, they finally agreed.
Ilona loved camp. When she returned home, she shared everything she experienced with great joy. She began singing worship songs at home, and her parents noticed a significant change in her.
Soon after, her mother called us. She said that Ilona was so impacted by the biblical lessons and spoke about them so passionately that she herself wanted to learn more about our faith.
We met together, had a meaningful conversation, and invited the whole family to a family camp. To my great joy, they came—and they loved it.
Today, this is one of the families we meet with regularly. They are very close to coming to faith. Ilona and her parents now frequently attend our events, and we continue to pray that the Lord will draw them fully to Himself.
Camps for children and families have proved especially important in recent years. In the weeks following Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7, 2023, our staff stepped up once again, organizing day activities and overnight retreats to help traumatized children play, laugh, and simply be kids again. These programs proved a lifeline for families facing profound uncertainty.
This need—to give children who have been through so much a taste of what childhood should be—has only grown. The war with Iran has sent Israelis into bomb shelters day and night. This is especially difficult for young children who, from an early age, have had to learn to live with danger and trauma, and for the elderly who often cannot reach a shelter in time. Even in the bomb shelters, our staff is reaching out to others with hope.
We are always clear about our faith, and we never minister to children without parental knowledge and permission. Many of our programs are family camps, which bring adults and children together for fellowship, fun, and hearing the Word of God. We also make sure Israelis know that we could not do any of this without the loving support and prayers of Christians in the United States—and they are deeply moved to hear it.
What you are reading is just a sample of the faithful work our missionaries do each day. Thank you for your support, which allows us to be the hands and feet of our Messiah in the very land where He taught, died, and rose again.
Dr. Mitch Glaser 