This is a week of REMEMBERING in Israel:
For REMEMBERING its establishment in 1948 as a modern nation and Holocaust day. The following letter by Eddie and Jackie Santori well sums up the importance of these events well, and places them in context for Christians who are standing alongside Israel in these challenging days.
Dear Faithful Friend, This is the week that Israel stops and remembers. It started Monday with the observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day and will continue next week with Memorial Day and Independence Day. Over this incredible week, the emotions and intensity of this nation's life are experienced by all who live here. The remembrance of the murder of six million, the mourning for the fallen defenders of this nation and the incredible joy of the rebirth of Israel after two thousand years of exile are unimaginable. But of all these joys and sorrows, it is the Holocaust that is the defining event for this people. It has been seventy years since those very dark days and the number of survivors who personally suffered its horror is ever smaller. And for most of the world, the memory of that time is growing dimmer each year. The unimaginable is becoming just another historic fact. But Israel still remembers! Tragically, in the hearts and minds of most of the people in this land, the mass murder of Europe's Jews was carried out by those who professed to be Christians. They were people who went to church on Sunday, they celebrated Christmas and they wore crosses around their necks. These people were obviously not true believers, but Israelis don't know that! This misconception that somehow Jesus was responsible for the Holocaust is probably one of the greatest stumbling blocks that keeps Jews from opening their hearts to Yeshua. But today, in these last days, there are a people on the face of the earth who are true believers. They are those whose hearts are one with the Father's heart and who will not rest until he establishes Jerusalem as the praise of the earth. And we believe that you are among those who will stand with Israel until the end and who will obey God's command to comfort his people. You care about Israel. You love the Jewish people and you long for their salvation. We often tell Israelis about you. They are amazed to hear that today there are Gentiles who truly love Israel. It is even more incredible to them that Yeshua, the one they thought was the enemy of Israel caused you to love them. We want to encourage you today that the voice of love that you raise for this nation is being heard by its citizens. They may receive it at first with suspicion and mistrust but we know that love is a weapon which can not miss its mark. Love can not fail. And we are confident that your love will persevere until the end. That perseverance will be tested in the coming days. The world is turning against this nation and Israel and her people are becoming increasingly isolated. In the coming days, it will not be fashionable or pleasant to support Israel. There will be a price to pay for those who resist this growing wave of darkness and who take a stand for God's truth and love for his people. This week, as Israel stops to remember the the pain, struggle and joy of its history, we want to take a moment to thank you. It is a blessing and encouragement to us to know that you are there and that your voice will ring out with truth and your presence will shine out as a light over this nation in the coming difficult times. We thank you for your faithfulness. We send you our love from Zion,
The pain of the wound that ripped this nation's heart as they suffered the murder of six million of their brothers and sisters will never disappear. Even as Yeshua will forever be "the lamb, looking as if he had been slain", so Israel will forever be the people who suffered the Holocaust. The pain and grief, the families that are no more, the survivors and children of the survivors will forever color the reality of Israel.
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