Sorrow and Hope

Food Project

Be Part of the Miracle of Light

November 19, 2024

“When He [Jesus] saw the crowds, He was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36 ISV). Back in Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) time, Israel was overrun by the Roman occupation, and just like today, in political turmoil and drawn into a war she never wanted. Today, the Jewish state is

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Hope in Difficult Times

June 17, 2024

For the past nine months, Israel has fought a war on multiple fronts: Hamas in the south, Hezbollah in the north, Islamic Jihad militants in Judea and Samaria and the ever-present threat from the mullahs [Muslim clergy] of Iran, who no doubt are planning their next attack. It is evident that Israel is facing one

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A Ray of Hope

May 31, 2024

Anatoly wiped the tears away as he huddled in the dark among the shapes of people in the air raid shelter. The relentless pounding of rockets slamming into Kyiv shook the structure. A few panicked gasps and sobs resounded every time a Russian rocket found its target, but the majority of people packed into the

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Firm through the Trials

September 7, 2023

I want to invite you to step inside the Bridges for Peace boardroom for our weekly Senior Leaders’ meeting, where our team recently had to make some difficult decisions. First up was the news that due to the incredible spike in food prices in Israel, we simply do not have the funds available to give

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Food: The Life-Saving Resource

June 21, 2023

Years ago, while volunteering with Bridges for Peace’s Home Repair team, I found myself in the home of a Jewish man named Mordechai. His apartment was dilapidated, with black mold covering the walls and a few pieces of old, rickety furniture. Mordechai and his family had fled to Israel from Iran after the violent takeover

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Israel—75 Years of Blessing

April 24, 2023

Seventy-five years ago on May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation after the Jewish people were in exile for nearly 2,000 years. Music, dancing and jubilation filled the streets as the 650,000 Jewish residents rejoiced in the miracle of Zion reborn. That year, Israel absorbed another 650,000 Jewish refugees as the Arab nations rejected their

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Caring for the Community

January 23, 2023

In the early days of the Church, the believers—most of them Jewish—were community minded. They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer. They shared what they had with all who had needs, even selling their possessions to provide for one another (Acts 2). They lived life as a community, looking after and taking

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Food Needs Dramatically Increase

October 24, 2022

In the past months, we have seen requests for food increase dramatically as food prices have increased by 18%. We have continually dug deep into our reserves to help meet the needs, but now our reserves are getting low. Unless we see an increase in food giving, we will not be able to continue at

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Reaching Out In Love To Widows And Orphans

September 19, 2022

Each month, Bridges for Peace provides food to more than 24,000 people. Among them are 1,034 widows and 266 orphans. Many of the Holocaust victims we assist are widows. Some of the widows we help lost their husbands to terrorism or war. There are thousands of widows in Israel, many of them widowed young as

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Deliverance

February 22, 2021

Passover is the most important holiday of the year to most Jewish people. It commemorates the deliverance of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The eight-day holiday begins with a wonderful ritual meal called a seder. During the meal, the story of the Exodus is relived. It is an event that God mandates

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Thank You

November 2, 2020

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works!” (Psalm 105:1–2) This month millions of people in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Last month our Canadian brothers and sisters did as well.

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The Time of God’s Favor for Zion

September 21, 2020

“You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time has come…For the LORD shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer” (Ps. 102:13,16–17). We live in a day when God

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In the Midst of Trouble

August 24, 2020

2020 will go down in history as a year of trouble, difficulty, need and disease. Each month we thought: “In a couple of months, things will be better.” Today, nearly one million people in Israel are out of work. The hospitals are stretched beyond capacity as the number of afflicted continues to rise. The travel,

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Delivering Food in the Midst of Lockdown

May 25, 2020

I have a deep appreciation for you for continuing to stand with Bridges for Peace and the people of Israel during this time of extreme crisis. Although Israel is starting to open back up after almost two months of lockdown, the economy has not even started to recover. A total of 26% of the workforce

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Living By Faith

April 27, 2020

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him…” (Heb. 11:6). In Hebrew thought, faith is a combination of belief and action. James makes this clear when he says, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). This is exactly where Bridges for Peace is living at the moment. We are trusting in God to help us

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Ask the Lord for Rain!

October 23, 2019

Zechariah 10:1 starts with these words: “Ask the Lord for rain.” Rain is an absolutely essential ingredient for life! Without it, everything dies. Without rain there will be no crops, no food and no sustenance. Today I am asking the Lord for rain. I am asking the Lord for His provision. Jesus (Yeshua) in teaching

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Open Wide Your Hands

March 26, 2019

The Israelis on our Food Project have become like family to us. Our family recently celebrated a huge milestone with a very special lady—Dora, who turned 100 years old. Our delivery team meets with Dora every month to deliver food parcels and spend time with her. Dora is a Holocaust survivor, and each birthday is

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Blessing Brings Blessing

October 22, 2018

Jesus (Yeshua) taught us an important principle in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” The gospels also tell the story of

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Raising the Poor Out of the Dust

April 30, 2018

We are celebrating the 70th year since Israel became a nation. Around the world Christians and Jews are praising God for Israel. The Hallel (praise) Psalms (113–118) are read as part of this praise to God. In Psalm 113 God is praised in part for how He cares for the needy. “Who is like the

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Do Not Cast Me Off

September 28, 2017

A knock on the door brings an excitement to her step. Fixing her thinning hair and dressing gown, Rose rushes to open the front door. “You remembered me,” she cries as the gift basket is presented to her, “You remembered my birthday!” Rose completely captured our hearts. Walking into her one-room apartment, you would be

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Does Israel Really Need Our Help?

March 1, 2017

Occasionally we get letters from our friends asking if Israel really needs our help. Since Israel is a first-world country, producing so much high-tech and technological breakthroughs, how can they possibly have a poverty problem—they question. They are absolutely right; Israel is blessed as a nation. The high level of ingenuity is amazing. We are

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Thankful!

November 1, 2016

I am so thankful for the multitude of blessings God has given. Every breath I breathe is a gift from the Almighty. Every drop of water, every bite of food—everything good comes from Him. I open my refrigerator, and I thank God for giving us food to eat. “Every good gift and every perfect gift

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Feed My Sheep

June 1, 2016

The Gospel of John records a significant conversation Yeshua (Jesus) had with His disciple, Peter. Three times Yeshua asked Peter if he loved Him. Each time Peter responded affirmatively, Yeshua gave him a job to do: “Feed My lambs…Tend My sheep…Feed My sheep” (John 21:15–18). Since 1990 Bridges for Peace has been feeding the lambs

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Give Them Something to Eat

April 1, 2016

Thousands had gathered to hear from Yeshua (Jesus). All day they had soaked in His teaching. It was now evening and they had nothing to eat. The disciples brought the issue to Yeshua and His response was, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat” (Matt. 14:16). Of course what

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Righteous Action Blesses the Lord

March 1, 2015

Yeshua (Jesus) frequently stressed the importance of righteous action. When He talked about the judgment of the nations, He didn’t say that they would be judged by what they believed (although that is important), or what battles they fought, or if they stood for democratic principles. He said they would be judged by how they

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Israel’s Friend in Time of Need

April 1, 2014

 “I just came from a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu!” Josh Reinstein told our assembled board members. “He asked me to emphasize to all leaders that I meet the three most urgent issues Israel is facing today.” My ears perked up. As a supporter of Israel and one who wants to show true friendship, it

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Christian Support for Israel—Vital for our Times

February 1, 2014

I have frequently been involved in conversations with Christians (in many countries) who are concerned about the decisions that are being made by their leaders—decisions that are often not in Israel’s best interests. Recently the P5 +1 (USA, China, Russia, United Kingdom, France plus Germany) were meeting with Iran and making decisions that could have

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Helping Israelis Celebrate Passover—God’s Appointed Feast

January 1, 2014

God’s connection to the Land of Israel makes it unique among countries and people groups. As a matter of fact, it has been said that all other nations were created by acts of man, while Israel was created by an act of God Himself. In the Bible, He repeatedly promises Israel that they will be

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Hunger

March 1, 2013

One day an immigrant from the former Soviet Union said to me, “In Russia we had money to buy bread but there was no bread. In Israel, bread is everywhere but we have no money.” Elie Wiesel, the well-known author and Holocaust survivor, described hunger in his book Night, saying, “Bread, soup—these were my whole

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Giving Thanks

November 1, 2012

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!” (1 Chron. 16:8–10). Growing up in the United States, my favorite

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Fulfilling God’s Chosen Fast

March 1, 2012

According to Isaiah 58, God’s chosen fast is not about eliminating food from our diet but “to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free,…and break every yoke…to share your bread with the hungry…” (vv. 6–7). Bridges for Peace helps break the yoke of poverty and hunger

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More than Enough?

November 1, 2011

When I am hungry, I walk into the kitchen and open my refrigerator or cupboard, and they are never bare. I have more than enough for my daily needs. In the westernized world, most of us are blessed with a surplus of food. We do not know the pangs of hunger unless we are fasting

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Blessed Is He Who Considers the Poor

July 1, 2011

“My dream is not to go to bed hungry, to stop hearing my mother cry, and to stop being destroyed daily by pain.” The little girl was picking up food supplied by Bridges for Peace when she spoke these words. She lives in Dimona, a southern Israeli desert town where many are economically depressed. I

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BFP in Action: Why Feed Israel’s Needy?

March 1, 2011

You might ask, “Why should I send money to Israel to feed the needy, when there are so many problems all around me?” Many of our faithful supporters are from countries facing disasters. In Japan, a 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami and nuclear threat have devastated the country. (We have yet to hear from many

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BFP in ACTION: God’s Economy

November 1, 2010

I have traveled extensively in Canada, the US and the UK in the past couple of months, sharing the message of God’s love for Israel with Christians and sharing the message of Christian support for Israel with the Jewish community… …It is truly a joy to be part of this ministry that God has brought

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Lend to the Lord: Feed the Poor

September 1, 2010

Modern-day Israel is one of the most compelling proofs that God is still active in human history today. His actions in bringing the Jewish people home to Israel in fulfillment of many prophetic Scriptures are a powerful testimony to His character. He is proving over and over again that He is a faithful, covenant-keeping God,

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BFP in ACTION: Delivering the Distressed

May 1, 2010

EVERY DAY, we see many people who are in distress. They are new immigrants without work, children who have lost a parent, mayors who feel the pain of their community, Holocaust survivors in their waning years. Old and young, they come to us for assistance. The fear, emotional pain, physical infirmity, financial instability, and hunger

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Nothing to Eat

March 1, 2010

As I read the words “nothing to eat,” my mind immediately leaped to an article I had just read in The Jerusalem Post entitled, “The dire plight of Israel’s most poor.” In the article, researchers from Bar Ilan University and the University of Bristol compared the plight of Israel’s poor as compared to the needy

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They Come for Food and Experience Love

November 1, 2009

Bat-el (“daughter of God”) and her five children receive food from us. She writes: I did not sleep last night trying to think of what I wanted to say to you when I come in. I want you to know that I don’t have any family at home, no mom, dad, uncle, grandma, grandpa…it’s just

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Receiving God’s Blessings

September 1, 2009

Interestingly, there are many cases where His blessing is promised to those who care for the poor, the weak, and the hungry. “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth;

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The Right Thing To Do

June 1, 2009

Our Jewish speaker spent over an hour explaining the efforts of his team to bridge the gaps between disparate groups living in Israel: Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, and Ashkenazi and Sephardi (Jews from European background or from Middle Eastern background). I found his talk fascinating because just like him, Bridges for Peace is

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Giving Food in Due Season

March 1, 2009

As true believers whose faith is in the Almighty God, we can trust Him to be with us no matter how difficult the times become. In Matthew 24, Yeshua foretold many dire events, but He also gave us instruction as to how we should live in the midst of them. We must watch (Matthew 24:42),

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Bridges for Peace: A Matthew 25 Ministry

December 1, 2008

As many alarming events occur around the world, in a time of great financial uncertainty, war and rumors of war, disturbances in the natural earth, and persecution of believers in various places, many Christians are reflecting on Yeshua’s (Jesus’s) words in Matthew 24, when He talked with His disciples about the signs of the times

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Giving in Difficult Times

November 1, 2008

In Israel, 25% of the population already live under the poverty line, and increased food prices have threatened their fragile existence for some time. Many families, who immigrated in fulfillment of Bible prophecy over the past 20 years, are in this category. They were brought to Israel by God for an appointed time with Him

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The Set-Apart Time

September 1, 2008

As I was praying about all these things and seeking the Lord for His strategy for the future, the image of a canoe came into my mind. No doubt many, like me, have gone canoeing when the water was calm, the sun was shining, and the current so lazy that you could lie back and

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Bringing Hope to the Desperate

January 1, 2008

Karmiel, a busy thriving small city of 50,000 souls was our destination. We arrived with two trucks full of food, paper goods, and kitchen gifts for 50 families. Families were waiting for our arrival, having been told to come and receive food and gifts from Bridges for Peace. I immediately walked over to greet a

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Food Prices Increase 20%

December 1, 2007

Nargia is elderly and blind. She cannot afford to take the bus to our food bank, so she walks a long distance to receive a bag of food. Guy is a street minstrel; donations he receives on the street are not enough to cover his basic nutrition needs. The food he receives from Bridges for

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Feeding Israel and the Church

November 1, 2007

Recently, the worldwide senior team of Bridges for Peace, including board members, national directors, and international senior team members, spent an extended time in prayer together seeking God for His direction and priorities for the ministry. It was a powerful time of prayer and submission to the Almighty. The Lord confirmed to us that our

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Blessed Are The Merciful

August 1, 2007

August is vacation time in Israel. Normally, heavy traffic becomes light. Families flood the Galilee region of Israel or travel abroad if they can afford to do so. Many businesses close for the month, and a general attitude of lazy days pervades. The Knesset (Parliament) is in recess, and government offices operate with a skeleton

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Food

March 1, 2007

I am 44, and I am married with four children. I have been sick with diabetes since 1998, and as a consequence, my veins got clogged, and there is no flow of blood. I have not been working for half a year because of the complications with my right leg. I underwent a heart bypass,

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In Times of Trouble

February 1, 2007

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I

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Fragile Cease-Fire – Fragile Hope

November 1, 2006

The New Normal This new normal includes mourning for lost family members (159 killed) and caring for the wounded. It includes living in apartments damaged by rocket fire. Many apartments remain un-repaired with blown out windows and varying degrees of shrapnel damage. These families can’t afford to fix their apartments, and the government agencies––chronically overstretched

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BFP in ACTION: Blessed Are The Merciful

June 1, 2006

God is often described as a God of love and mercy. In fact, the concept of mercy is found 261 times in the Bible. The Hebrew word for mercy is chesed (chet, samach, dalet) and means kindness, loving-kindness, goodness, kindly, merciful, favor, and good. Truly that is the character of our God. In Genesis, it

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Desperate Times Require God

March 1, 2006

Even in nature, we see great turmoil with earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes on a seemingly unprecedented scale. Wars and rumors of wars fill our nightly news. Those who believe in God increasingly come under attack as their attempts to live a godly lifestyle impinge on secular dominated societies. As we read the words of Yeshua

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Love Speaks Louder Than Words

February 1, 2006

As if the sorrow of losing her beloved husband wasn’t enough, her financial situation worsened drastically. With no family to support her in Israel, Miri turned to her friends at Bridges for Peace. We had been helping the couple with food for some time. Now we had the blessing of reaching out to a lonely,

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