Hosting 25 Brazilian Pastors in a War Zone

Shabbat shalom. It’s a beautiful day in the Holy Land. We had the joy of hosting 25 Brazilian pastors at the congregation today. Moti, who recently took over the responsibilities of being the senior leader from Gil, spoke to them first and then I did.

Tomorrow, we will be taking them to Southern Israel to see the areas that were affected by October 7. With the renewed fighting in Gaza since the collapse of the ceasefire, no doubt they will hear the sounds of war. I know that sounds scary to most people… and I guess it should be. But after a year and a half we are used to it. Even for Israelis who live in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, they don’t know what it’s like to live in the South. 

First, we’re going to go to the area where the Nova Festival massacre took place. There are several memorials. They tell the stories of the young people who were murdered, as well as those taken captive.

At the end of the day, we will go to a kibbutz just north of Gaza called Zikim. This was the area where seven Zodiac boats filled with Hamas terrorists tried to make it to shore to carry out another massacre. Most of the boats were taken out by the Israeli Navy, but the ones that did make it went on a murder spree that left 17 people dead. They then went to a training base in the Zikim area. Ninety new IDF recruits were there, young people who had never even considered being in a war. The few trained soldiers at the base put them in a safe place and went to fight. Roughly 50 terrorists were killed, as well as seven Israelis, including one new recruit.

There’s a kibbutz called Zikim there as well. They just reopened a restaurant on a hill that overlooks the Mediterranean as well as Gaza. That’s where we’re going to end the day having lunch there. When I got the list of the 25 pastors, several of them had “Pago” after their name. I couldn’t believe they were all related… but apparently it means “paid.” They paid for lunch in advance.😀

A soldier who led a team of first responders against invading Hamas terrorists will speak to our group. I met Elior about a year ago when I went to Zikim and interviewed him. He showed me the place where their battle ensued. I believe nine terrorists were killed and none of the first responders died.

It is a strange thing as I get ready to eat dinner in Tel Aviv with our children, that not far from my home a war is raging. My prayer is that this war will be over soon, our hostages will be safe, and Hamas will be destroyed. I pray also for the people of Gaza that they will have self-determination and choose leaders who care about them, not fanatical terrorists who do not care if they live or die.

Two worlds right next to each other. One living in the 21st century, albeit with many problems, and the other living in ancient times where women are property and those who don’t believe “enough” can be killed.

Thank you for your prayers. A great awakening is the answer.