Our International Executive Director Tristan Hall and his family were invited to a special ceremony at Kibbutz Be’eri where the foundation stone of a new neighbourhood was laid. Hamas sought to destroy this community on Oct 7th and committed countless unspeakable atrocities but this community chooses life…their spirits are strong and they will rebuild and grow. The ceremony was moving and uplifting but nothing had more impact than looking into the eyes of some of the residents of Be’eri and sensing their desire to live and love life in the same place that was filled with a murderous evil that I still cannot comprehend. It was a reminder as to why, with God’s help, this nation will flourish. They will heal, they will survive, they will rebuild, their kibbutz will blossom again and be a place of love and hope once more ... because this nation and this people love life and choose life, every single time.
On a personal note I was able to spend some time with a friend of mine and her husband who live at Be’eri and who, miraculously, survived the massacre on Oct 7th. She was one of the first to move back after being displaced for several months at a Dead Sea hotel. Her husband was born on the kibbutz and they are both playing an integral role in the rebuilding process. We are honoured to support them and the whole community and to assist them on this journey.
Tristan participated in a meeting with residents of Be’eri who are leading the design and build of the damaged areas of the Kibbutz. They are preparing the plans for new houses and communal areas, including educational facilities, a medical centre and a dental practice. Large areas of Kibbutz Be’eri were completely decimated and destroyed by Hamas on Oct 7th and need to be rebuilt and restored. We were privileged to be involved in these discussions and will support all of these endeavours.
Further, we were able to give a significant donation to Kibbutz Be’eri that allowed for the purchase of large electrical appliances – washing machines, ovens and fridge freezers. These appliances will go into the temporary accommodations being set up on the Kibbutz. Families who are still displaced in hotels will now be able to return home to Be’eri and live in these accommodations until their new homes are finished being built. CFI purchased enough appliances to support 50 families in this endeavour.
Through another organisation that we have partnered with on various projects we were made aware of a Kibbutz school near Gaza that has been having a very challenging time. Since the war started the school had to be split into two groups with lessons and learning taking place in different locations. For some of the children it is just too traumatic to return to the original site of the school and it has been a very unsettling time for the children. CFI joined a trip down south to meet with some of the teachers and children. It was a sweet time of encouraging them and sharing with them about the love and prayers of Christians all over the world. We had the opportunity to talk to the teachers in order to understand what we can do to assist them as they navigate these difficult times. It is evident that they have practical needs of items such as tablets and iPads for educational purposes and we are working on providing them with these resources.
The 23rd June was International Widows Day and CFI was invited to be the special guest of Joelle Eckstein whose organisation hosted a moving and uplifting event in Tel Aviv for hundreds of widows and widowers. Sadly, since Oct 7th the numbers of widows and widowers in Israel has increased dramatically. We feel honoured to have been a part of the very special event and look forward to partnering more with Joelle in the future.
CFI Staff have participated in organised trips down south to the Gaza Envelope and have taken the opportunity to serve the people in the south and be a source of encouragement to them. They spent time helping farmers with harvesting and also visiting different kibbutzim who were devastated by the Hamas attacks. During these visits they met with people who had lost loved ones on that dark October day … they quietly listened as these grieving souls shared their stories and when appropriate, offered gentle words of love and hope.
More than 8 months have passed since the Oct 7th attacks and the war on Hamas began and even though many communities have returned home there remain large numbers of internally displaced Israeli civilians (from both the south and the north) living in hotels across the country. Life for these people is incredibly challenging and they feel as if they are living in limbo, unsure what the future holds.
During June we went to a hotel in Tiberias to visit evacuated citizens from the north of Israel. The significant increase in rocket attacks from Hezbollah on towns and cities in the north has left these people displaced and with no idea if or when they will be able to return to their homes. We took them toys and games for the children and freshly baked challah for Shabbat. They were so grateful and couldn’t believe that we cared enough to go to them, bring gifts and encourage them. Love is a powerful thing!
We pray that as we visit these different communities and reach out to those who are hurting, God will use us and work through us to bring them His healing and restoration… in ways that only He can. Thank you for partnering with us and being on this journey with us. We are all His vessels and we are all playing our part.
Galya Hall, Project Supervisor