For more than 20 years, "Christians on the Side of Israel" (CSI), the German branch of the international umbrella organization "Christians For Israel" (C4I), has supported Jewish immigration to Israel. CSI works closely with the Israeli immigration authority, the "Jewish Agency for Israel" (JAFI). In a letter, JAFI has now expressed its gratitude, which we are happy to pass on to our supporters.
“It is a great honor for me to write to you during this time of hardship to thank Christians For Israel for their generosity toward Israel and the Jewish people in 2021,” writes Danielle Mor, director of the Christian Friends of the Jewish Agency For Israel. She adds that it is encouraging and a sign of dedication that C4I’s work inspires Christians worldwide to support Israel and the Jewish people directly and generously.
“What an incredible sign of our times to see the destruction that can be wrought by harsh cruelty and a lack of faith, while at the same time seeing how unconditional loving kindness can lift people out of the worst circumstances,” Mor wrote. The letter continued: “Each of your supporters has encouraged the shy, single mother from Ethiopia as she began the electrical installation course, and each of you has cheered her on as she successfully completed it. Each of your supporters has held the hand of a Holocaust survivor at the Amigour nursing home in Israel and wished him Shabbat Shalom as he presented him with a basket of groceries. […] Each of your supporters has wiped away the tears of a mother parting ways with her son or daughter as they left home at the age of 17 to begin a new life in Israel through the SELA program—knowing that in a few months her child will be serving in the Israeli army.”
“We should not be afraid”
On behalf of all these men, women, and children, she shared her gratitude and the hope "that this historic moment of friendship between Israel, the Jewish people, and Christians may lead us and the whole world onto a path of salvation." Mor pointed out that their joint work was marked by challenges and uncertainty, and often encountered fear. "But we must remember that we should not be afraid when we work together to do the work we are destined to do."
When she feels fear, she is encouraged by Isaiah 41:10, Mor writes: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This reassurance from God is so needed right now, as the fiercest war since World War II rages in Europe. “If God himself supports us with his mighty right hand, then surely we can support others in this time,” Mor writes. She concludes her letter with the words: “I hope to meet you all one day, so that each of you has the privilege of looking into the eyes of a hopeful child from Ethiopia, a determined mother from Ukraine, or a frail Holocaust survivor and saying to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for God is with you!’”
