Keeping the Spirit of Passover Alive

Dear Friend,

Shalom from your Friends of Zion Center in Jerusalem.

Israel is under attack like never before. 

I’ve been in Israel for every major war in the last 50 years, and the destruction and devastation now are the worst I’ve seen. 

In just 24 hours, there were more than 200 missile and rocket strikes…and that is happening day after day. 

God is calling us to do something about it, and I want to share this amazing news with you.

What do Jewish people who have lost everything they own, the Passover, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, and a Christian ministry in the Holy City have in common?

YOU!

While I’ve been here in Israel we have seen some truly remarkable things, but the Passover celebration we just held is something I’ll never forget, and I want to take a moment to tell you about it…because you made it happen.

As I was reading the Bible the other morning, I came to Luke 14 and the parable Jesus told about a man who was going to host a great banquet. 

After he realized the room wasn’t full, he told his people, “Go out into the street and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame so that my house will be full.”

When I read that story, I immediately thought about so many Jewish people who are suffering so greatly. 

I’m talking about people who have lost their homes and all their possessions. 

I’m talking about people who lost family members and loved ones. 

I’m talking about widows and orphans trying to cope with unimaginable loss.

And so we decided we were going to have a great banquet like the one Jesus talked about during Passover at your Friends of Zion Center.

We’ve had some very special events at your home in the Holy City over the past decade, but I don’t think any of them can compare to what we saw at the banquet. It was amazing!

The Chief Rabbi of Israel was so moved when he heard what we were doing, he asked if he could come and be part of it. Of course we said yes. 

As I watched people streaming through the doors, I caught a glimpse of Pnina Cohen, the precious lady who buried her husband and so many other members of her family and lost her home and all her possessions.

As you may remember, I met with her at the hospital and prayed over her injured children. I went to the funeral and wept over the coffins lined up in a row. We provided a significant financial gift to make sure she didn’t have to worry about hospital bills or trying to find the money for clothing and so much more that her family needs.

The men and women, boys and girls who came to your Friends of Zion Center with hurting hearts saw an unmistakable demonstration of true Christian love in action.

There is no Christian ministry in the world accomplishing what you’re accomplishing in the nation of Israel right now.

Together we are fulfilling the instruction that was given for the very first Passover the night God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. God instructed Moses to tell the people to share what they had with their neighbors:

“If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat” (Exodus 12:4, NLT).

I know that Passover will be over before you get this letter, but I want you to know that the spirit of Passover is still alive. 

It is shown seen every time we reach out in love to help the needy. 

The spirit of Passover is seen every time we provide food, medicine, warm clothing, and even housing for poor Holocaust survivors. 

The spirit of Passover is seen each time we touch the lives of the survivors and the families of victims of those who have been killed.

Through the support of our friends and partners like you, Friends of Zion is showing the spirit of Passover day after day — not only in Israel but around the world.

But I urgently need your help.

At the banquet, I sat next to the Chief Rabbi of Israel and looked at the hostages who suffered unspeakably in the tunnels of Gaza, being brutally beaten and raped. 

I looked at all the families who had lost everything…their homes, their cars, their clothes, and even their loved ones. 

I saw the Holocaust survivors and the soldiers with post-traumatic stress.

As I sat there, I began weeping with compassion. 

My heart was broken because even though they were smiling, I could feel their pain. I believe if you could see their faces, you would do everything humanly possible to help. 

I pray the Spirit of God will speak to you now like He spoke to me as I cried, and that you will heed His voice.

The banquet was wonderful, but that was only food for one day. There are still thousands who are hungry. There are still thousands who are homeless. There are still thousands who are recovering from injuries.

And the ugly reality is that even an end to the war doesn’t change a single thing for them. 

The needs are there whether bombs are falling or not.

And someone has to do something about them.

So I’m asking to send your special Spirit of Passover Sharing Offering to bless “the least of these.” 

I’m asking you to make it possible for us to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, roofs over their heads, and so much more. 

We can’t do it without you. 

We’re getting calls day after day from desperate people…but we can’t say “yes” to them unless you say “yes” with your generous gift. 

P.S. So many people have come up to say “thank you” during my time here in Israel, but they aren’t thanking me…they’re thanking you. Please stop right now and ask God what He wants you to do and then send your gift as quickly as possible. The needs are great, and we want to help as many people as we possibly can.