The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2024
Interns Serve Chicago’s Jewish Community
In November, as one of the final phases of our Friends of Israel (FOI) Equip internship program, five FOI interns traveled to Chicago for a special ministry opportunity. There, under the expert tutelage of FOI field representative Jonathan Craft and North American Ministries volunteer coordinator Linda Craft, they enjoyed fellowship with believers who love Israel and the Jewish people. It was an encouragement to many of them, who often feel alone while ministering back home.
The Israel-Hamas war altered their agenda in Chicago because of the threat of terrorism against the Jewish community. But even though their itinerary changed nearly every day, God answered their prayers and led them exactly where they needed to go.
The Crafts’ wealth of wisdom and stories from decades of ministry greatly encouraged the interns, who distributed more than 150 Hanukkah baskets and boxes full of Israeli goodies to people in Chicago’s Jewish community. Each basket gave the recipients a tangible taste of the Messiah’s love through these young adults who love and support them.
The interns also served at Chicago Loop Synagogue, where they helped update its library, spoke with staff members, and distributed Hanukkah boxes. A few days later, they attended the synagogue’s Shabbat service.
They had a memorable learning experience when they visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and asked questions to a hologram of a Holocaust survivor, which answered in real time.
The group also attended “Israel & the Middle East: A Night of Prayer, Education, and Worship” at Chicago’s historic Moody Church. Christians from all backgrounds gathered to pray. But the interns noticed they were by far the youngest in the room, a fact that clearly revealed a concerning lack of support for Israel among young people today. Understanding the rise of antisemitism in their generation, our interns realized they need to model and teach the importance of supporting Israel and the Jewish people.
Throughout the trip, the interns enjoyed lots of delicious Jewish foods, wrestled with tough theological questions, and brainstormed new ministry ideas to implement when they returned home.
Intern Claire Sanderson shared, “I’m reminded of Romans 11 and the gift it is to be ‘grafted in’ to God’s blessing of salvation through Jesus and the beautiful responsibility I have towards the branches—the Jewish people. I pray that, one day, we will meet many Jewish people in heaven who came to know the love of Yeshua because of the seeds that were planted from this Chicago trip.”
You can support FOI Equip and programs like it in North American Ministries. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
In Canada, please give here.
United We Stand Against Antisemitism
support Israel at a rally in Adelaide.
The whole world is witnessing the dramatic rise in antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League reports record numbers of antisemitic incidents and attacks on Jewish people, and we see these terrible events assaulting our Jewish friends around the world.
However, since the start of the war in Gaza in October, the problem has become increasingly perceptible. It’s visible on our TVs and streets and in places of worship.
FOI’s International Ministry teams around the world are pushing back against this vicious evil and standing with our Jewish friends and neighbors in a variety of ways.
In Poland, our teams participated in events demanding the return of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas. Each year, our Polish team also takes part in the International March of the Living, an educational program held at the former Nazi extermination camp of Auschwitz, designed predominantly to teach Jewish high school students the brutal history of the Holocaust. Additionally, our workers provide food, medicine, building materials, and many other vital items to synagogues and Jewish communities throughout Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and elsewhere. In the process, they invite local churches to join them in blessing the Jewish people and fighting antisemitism.
In England, our representatives build bridges with the Jewish community of London, offering support, friendship, and a consistent reminder that Christians love the Jewish people. FOI United Kingdom provides educational guided tours through historic Jewish sites in the old quarter of London.
an Israeli FOI field representative and IDF soldier.
And in Israel, our teams stand strong to show as many Jewish people as possible that Bible-believing Christians around the world love them; support them; and care deeply about their lives, country, and spiritual condition.
Elsewhere, including in Australia, France, Germany, and New Zealand, our teams care for Holocaust survivors; stand in solidarity with Jewish communities; and teach the biblical truth of God’s love and plans for His beloved people, Israel.
The Friends of Israel is deeply committed to fighting antisemitism and the ugly violence it brings against God’s Chosen People. FOI’s International Ministries are on the front lines of this spiritual battle as we share the gospel of Jesus the Messiah and seek to bless the Jewish people wherever they live.
You can support our International Ministries around the world. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
In Canada, please give here.
Photos: The Friends of Israel Archives
