Passages donated $500,000 to two communities in southern Israel destroyed in the Hamas massacre on October 7.
The Christian organization that offers free birthright trips to Christian students delivered it to Netiv HaAsara and Kfar Aza this week during a solidarity mission in the South.
They also brought each community a plaque to express their love and solidarity during these difficult times.
According to Paul Weber, Passages’ director of advancement, the funds will be used to provide immediate psychological counseling to some of the communities’ youngest members to help them cope with the horrors of that day. In addition, part of the funds will be reserved for future memorial projects.
“These are two locations where we have hosted more than 11,000 students on Passages trips over the past eight years,” said Passages CEO Scott Phillips. “In these communities live our friends, the people we know, the people we work with, the people our students and alumni have interacted with. »
The organization also paid for more than two dozen alumni and other supporters to travel to Israel to make donations. They arrived on Friday.
A connection as Christians
Phillips told the Jerusalem Post that as Christians, “many of us understand that the roots of who we are as Christians exist in Judaism, within the Jewish people and in Jewish history…I believes there is a natural bond between Christians and Jews. »
Additionally, he said, “God commanded us to stand with Israel, so I think it’s an intrinsic motivation to come here, even if there is a war.” »
The funds were raised from U.S. donors, Weber said — primarily through microdonations that eventually added up. When Passages embarked on the campaign to help communities, he pledged that no dollars would remain in the organization but would go directly to Israelis in need. Additionally, with these gifts, he said, “We are committed to bringing our future students to these communities year after year, to always remember what happened here and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
In Netiv HaAsara, the Passages delegation visited the cemetery, where they were briefed by Raz Shmilovich, who is not only a resident of the destroyed community but also served as a Passages tour guide before the attack. He told the visitors the stories of all those who were murdered that day, then took them into the moshav, where they were shown how Hamas terrorists infiltrated and attacked.
“The terrorists went door to door and house to house, looked people in the eye and shot them,” Chmilovich recalls. “We did not choose this war. We woke up one morning to Hamas terrorists trying to eliminate us.
He said he was among the first responders to the moshav and saw “horror images” – pieces of his friend’s bodies, destroyed relics.
“But I can live with that,” he said. “I cannot live with the image of fully armed terrorists coming into our community and shooting at us. »
A trip to Kfar Aza
The group also traveled to Kfar Aza and visited some of the hardest hit areas, as well as the memorial dedicated to the victims of the disaster. Nova Festival.
“After October 7, the Jewish community looked for friends and allies. The Christian community has shown up, and it continues to show up, not only in words, but in deeds,” said Passages co-founder and board member Rivka Kidron. “These are communities that Passages students visit on every trip. They lifted and supported our students; now we must support them. Our students will continue to come here to bear witness to this tragedy and to stand with the State of Israel and the Jewish people, especially in the most difficult times. »
Former student David Peters expressed similar sentiments. He and his wife traveled from Nashville to Israel “to support our Jewish brothers and sisters.”
He said their goal was to return home and speak the truth against the anti-Israeli mainstream media.
“There are so many lies and deceptions, and it’s different when you’re on the ground,” he said. “I believe that the lies and deception will ultimately fail and the truth will be revealed. And so if you stay steady, stay the course, keep telling the truth and pray, eyes will be opened.
“We live in a world where we call bad good and good evil, especially in my generation, the younger generation,” Peters continued. “We just want to tell the truth and call bad bad and good good. »
