As an Israeli and a member of Planet Earth, the events of October 7 and those that followed war between Israel and Hamas I divided my heart and my soul in two.
In my role as CEO of Experience in Israel, a division of the Jewish Agency which organizes trips for young people to rediscover their ancient heritage and as a high profile tour operator, I cannot shake this feeling of helplessness and distress in the face of the current projections of recovery of the tourism. Additionally, resuming the mission of inspiring the next generation to support Israel has become all the more difficult. Not to mention the important military task that our soldiers, my friends and my family face as reservists and Israeli citizens living under constant threats.
In these dark times, my goal is to provide tangible support to the people of Israel. Therefore, our company and our team dedicate our resources to carrying out solidarity missions for Israel. As we launch new routes intended to unite supporters of Israel with victims of massacre, rocket fire and trauma, we recognize the need to provide a channel for Christian supporters of Israel who stand with us and wish to bring their help.
During our preparations, I was vividly reminded of the events of the Holocaust, a time when Jews had very few friends to rely on in their calamity. However, among the nations there were righteous individuals who risked their lives to protect and support the Jewish people when all else had abandoned them. These stories give me hope and faith in humanity as we see college campuses and cities overflowing with messages of hatred toward Jews and Israel.
Christian dedication to the land of Israel
Today, it is difficult to find a charity or cause in Israel without community of Christians save it or a chapter of Christian Friends Abroad. As Israelis, we have experienced Christians’ dedication to the land of Israel and their support abroad, which has helped shape policies towards Israel and its people .
I know now that Christians will answer the call for Israel and stand with us against the agents of evil throughout the world who seek our destruction. I consider it imperative that we develop a mission trip package designed for those strong supporters of Israel seeking to comfort and stand with Israel to provide a bridge to these supporters.
Our goal at Israel Experience is to literally fulfill Bible prophecies every day by bringing together the exiles and lost sheep of Israel through organized trips for tens of thousands of young Jews. We take our mission statement directly from Deuteronomy 30:3-5:
“He will gather you once again from all the nations…Though your exiles be in the ends of the heavens, the LORD your God will gather you from there, and he will take you out from there. And the Lord your God will bring you…”
However, God’s covenant does not end with the gathering of the exiles. In the same verse from the prophet Joel 3:1, speaking of the restoration of Zion, God guarantees that we will not have to do it alone:
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment with them in the name of my people and my inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations…”
Israel Experience expands its mission goals
It is time to expand our mission goals at Israel Experience and facilitate the arrival of those “nations” that God promised would come when He raised the banner. As one of Israel’s leading travel agencies, we are equipped to focus our efforts on making this ancient prophecy a modern reality.
Over the past month, many people have traveled to Israel to understand the current situation. They participated in volunteer programs to support communities, met victims of violence, displaced people, families of kidnapped people, Israeli Christians, Muslims, Bedouins and Jews. They discussed civil solutions with Israelis and gained a better understanding of the great mosaic that is the Israeli people.
My goal now is to provide for the needs of the global community, enabling Christians will come to Israel to support our spiritual homeland and provide comfort and support during our darkest times. My goal is to facilitate your journey as Christians so that it is smooth, meaningful and safe.
I hope you will join Israel Experience in fulfilling Bible prophecies together. Come to the land of Israel, show the people of Israel that we are not alone in this fight against evil and darkness.
The writer is CEO of Israel Experience, the educational arm of the Jewish Agency.
