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Second Earthquake Hits Nepal

May 1, 2015

Wednesday, 13 May 2015 | Less than two weeks after the deadly earthquake in Nepal that killed more than 8,000 and injured 16,000, a 7.3 magnitude quake occurred yesterday near Mt. Everest. Although Israel’s field hospital had been packed up and its IDF delegation had just arrived home, Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately offered assistance to the stricken country.

Even as Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed the IDF delegation home from their lifesaving work in Nepal, he said, “I know and I am certain that you are already prepared for the next mission wherever you are needed; according to the news, such a mission is already at hand. A few minutes ago I told the Nepalese ambassador that we are prepared to the best of our abilities to help them even now. Would that you are not needed, but should it be necessary, you know—and the world is learning—that you can be counted on.”

Israel was one of the first to respond after the first earthquake. During their stay, 85 operations were performed, 1,600 patients treated for injuries and eight babies were delivered. The IDF Home Front checked 300 buildings to ascertain whether or not they were structurally sound. Although the IDF delegation has returned, Israel still has aid teams working in Nepal including medical and psychosocial teams from the IsraAid organization.

As we wrote earlier, this remains a wonderful opportunity for Christians to join with the Jewish people through prayer and financial support to show the love of God to the people of Nepal. Will you consider making a donation toward this effort today?

Blessings from Israel,
Rebecca J Brimmer
International President and CEO
Bridges for Peace

Monday, 27 April 2015 | We just received a call asking for our help as Israel is rushing to the aid of the stricken people of Nepal. They have sent a long list of needed medical equipment and supplies totaling nearly $300,000 dollars. This is a wonderful opportunity for Christians and Jews to join together to show God’s love to the people of Nepal in their time of great need.

On Saturday morning, April 25th, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake cut a swatch of death and destruction through Nepal. The worst to hit the country in more than 80 years, the death toll quickly skyrocketed to more than 2,500, with tens of thousands wounded or left homeless. Many more remain unaccounted for, sparking fears that survivors might be caught under ruins of collapsed buildings.

The devastation that the earthquake has wrought on the poverty-stricken Himalayan nation has stunned the world. Yet Israel has already responded with the compassion, aid and hands-on assistance that the Jewish nation is known for. Less than two days after disaster struck, multiple Israeli delegations have left for Nepal to launch search and rescue efforts, provide medical treatment and offer support to Israeli victims of the quake.

Last night, some 240 soldiers and officers from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) departed for the South Asia nation. “Because we will be arriving in a relatively short time, we are hoping to find survivors underneath the rubble,” explained Col. Yoram Loredo, commander of the Search and Rescue Corps and the head of the delegation. “For this stage, the main mission is to save lives.”

Apart from various aid workers, the delegation also includes medical personnel, who will set up a field hospital in the Nepalese capital.

The Israeli team goes equipped with over 95 tons of aid, search and rescue equipment, as well as medical supplies and equipment, including the various components of the field hospital. Once set up, the field hospital will boast “pediatric, surgical, internal medicine, neonatal, and radiology departments as well as a maternity ward and emergency and operating room,” said an IDF statement. The hospital is expected to be fully operational within 12 hours of landing and will have the capacity to treat some 200 patients daily.

The Jewish state has a long tradition of rushing to the aid of those in need. Regardless of where disaster strikes, Israel is often one of the first to respond with aid and humanitarian relief. Moreover, its relief efforts have won international accolades for its unequaled effectiveness and skill. Following Israel’s medical and search and rescue assistance in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, a widely distributed CNN report praised the tiny nation that “came from the other side of the world” to accomplish what no other did.

The list of natural disasters in which Israel played an aid and humanitarian role is an extensive one. There was typhoon-struck Philippines in 2013, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Myanmar in 2011, Haiti in 2010, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Indonesia and Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, to name but a few.

It is these sentiments that Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu echoed to the Israeli delegations as they set out for Nepal, “You are being sent on an important mission. This is the real face of Israel—a country that offers help at any distance in moments such as these.”

It has been our honor to participate in funding delegations to many of these places. It is our belief that the God of Israel wants the world to see Him as His people act on behalf of those in need. Let’s join our hands and link our arms with our Israeli brothers. They are going physically; we can join them in prayer and through financial assistance. Please send a generous contribution today to help Israel save lives in Nepal.

Yeshua (Jesus) said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). It is our prayer that as the people of Israel do their part to repair the world (tikkun olam), and Christians join with prayer and financial support, that the God of Israel will be exalted in Nepal and all over the world.

Blessings from Israel,
Rebecca J Brimmer
International President and CEO
Bridges for Peace