We Must Not Let the Tragedy of History Repeat

Dear Friend,

Just a couple of weeks ago, International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed…at a time when Jewish people are being targeted, attacked, and killed around the world.

This event is held each year on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. Many of my relatives perished there.

A few years ago, I was the first Christian minister to be invited to walk at the head of the March of the Living there; it was a moving experience I will never forget. I walked next to the president of Poland and the Chief Rabbi of Israel through the gates into that solemn place.

I flew to Auschwitz from Ukraine, where a quarter of the six million Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust lived. Many people don’t know it, but there are more than 2,000 mass graves where bodies were dumped in trenches and covered up with construction equipment. 

We must never forget what happened so that the tragedy of history is not repeated.

And the sad truth is that while politicians and leaders are saying “Never Again,” never again is happening right in front of our eyes.

Nearly every day we see reports of a terrorist missile fired from Gaza, or a car driven into a crowd, or a synagogue being vandalized, or another innocent Jewish person murdered — not because of anything they have done, but simply because they are Jewish.

These constant threats and attacks are taking a horrible toll on Jewish people — not just in Israel but across the globe. Millions of them are living with what doctors and psychologists diagnose as post-traumatic stress. 

But that diagnosis really isn’t accurate because there is no “post” in this stress. It’s present, still happening every day.

The mental and physical and emotional toll of these constant attacks is staggering. And the group perhaps hit the hardest is the precious Holocaust survivors.

These elderly people lived through mass murder, arrest, expulsion from their homes, confiscation of their belongings, and the death of their loved ones. I met with so many of them in their tiny apartments to hear their stories. I’ve prayed and wept with those who have no living relatives…they are the only survivors in their families. 

I’ll never forget Sheila, the precious Holocaust survivor I personally rescued from Ukraine almost four years ago, not long after the Russian invasion began. When I went to her door, she said, “I was born in war. I thought I would die in war. But I put my trust in God, and you came.” Today, she is living in safety in Israel thanks to our Friends of Zion partners.

But her story could be repeated again and again. 

There are still many Holocaust survivors who have never personally experienced love and kindness from a Believer. And time is running out.

Just a couple of years ago, there were almost 200,000 Holocaust survivors still alive in Israel. Today there are less than 75,000. 

If they are ever going to see true Christian love in action, we must act now. There are so many urgent needs in Israel after more than two years of war with Hamas and a global campaign to cripple Israel’s economy.

The government’s resources have been stretched to the breaking point as the cost to defend Israel and keep the Jewish state alive are staggering. Tens of thousands of families had their homes damaged or destroyed. The activation of thousands of reservists hit businesses hard, and left families without the primary breadwinner for months at a time.

And with all that is going on, it is easy for elderly Holocaust survivors to fall through the cracks. We MUST NOT let that happen.

This is very personal to me. I grew up hearing my mother say, “Christians hate Jews. Christians kill Jews.” Her grandfather for whom I was named, Rabbi Mikel Katz-Nelson, was burned to death inside his synagogue along with 2,000 other Jews while the crowd outside celebrated as they perished in agony.

We are doing all we can to help these precious people.

We bring Holocaust survivors, who never had their bar or bat mitzvah as children because of the war, to Jerusalem at no cost to them for a grand celebration. 

We deliver food to more than 3,000 Holocaust survivors each week. 

We have renovated apartments, purchased medicine, and even remodeled a huge bomb shelter in Jerusalem into a beautiful community center for Holocaust survivors.

But there is so much more that needs to be done, and we can’t do it without your help. 

There are many ways in which Friends of Zion is defending and blessing God’s Chosen People, but I don’t think any of them are closer to the heart of God than our work to help Holocaust survivors.

This is an urgent need. I’m asking you if you will be the hands of Jesus and reach out to them with compassion today, like Jesus described when He told the story of the Good Samaritan. 

Would you adopt one of them with a gift of $75 or two with a gift of $150? Maybe God has blessed you in such a way that you can adopt 10 of them with a gift of $750. Wouldn’t it be something if someone could even adopt 100 of them with a gift of $7,500?

I know their names, and I know their needs. Many of them have come to Friends of Zion who are Ukrainian or Russian Holocaust survivors, and we have the only community center in Jerusalem for them, providing all of their needs.

Will you be part of this amazing testimony today, showing God’s love in action to “the least of these” who so desperately need help right now? I am praying and believing that your answer will be yes.

There is no time to waste. We must act now before it is too late. 

Please rush your generous gift to help meet the urgent needs of poor Holocaust survivors and suffering Jewish people.  

Thank you in advance for being part of this great outreach of Christian love. God bless you.

P.S. James tells us that the religion God finds acceptable is a religion that takes care of widows. When you reach out to precious Holocaust survivors in Christian love, you are doing exactly what God wants, and you can be sure that He will bless you in accordance with His promises. Please let us hear from you today so that we can continue to do more to help Holocaust survivors while there is still time.

P.P.S. The nation of Israel is suffering. God can hear their cries. I can hear their cries. I pray that you can hear their cries as well and will respond.