Tag:

war in Israel

The Word Christian Does Not Communicate To Jewish People What It Does To Others

by Ron Cantor November 15, 2023

Yesterday, we ended our day at the Moshav you have been supporting. Every night, they feed soldiers dinner. They started this without any support as the IDF commandeered part of their neighborhood to house soldiers. You have given these beautiful folks $5000 so far.

They wanted to say thank you to our donors, so they arranged for several soldiers to be available to make a short video. At the end of the video, they told me to interview a young man named Shimon. “He has been here since the very beginning,” they told me. I spent about 3 minutes interviewing him, and then I told him that there are believers all over the world who are praying for the idea of soldiers. I told them, “They love you—they love Israel.”

He then asked me, “So you are a Christian?” Those of you who know me know that I don’t use that word to describe me. Primarily because of 2000 years of Christian anti-Semitism. The word Christian does not communicate to Jewish people what it does to others. I told him, “I am a Messianic Jew” (I had no idea if he even understood what that term meant). I wanted him to understand that I am a Jewish believer in Jesus. His response was not what I expected.

“I am a Messianic Jew too!”

I was overjoyed. What are the chances? Out of roughly 400,000 soldiers, we estimate that 1000 of them are Messianic. They are the holy remnant that is bringing blessing on the IDF. For me to be interviewing one without even knowing it blew me away. I was speechless (a rare event for me!). I tried to pray for him, but I was too stunned. He’s from Jerusalem, and his pastor is one of my dear friends.

Wait, there is more!

As I walked away another soldier came up to me and asked me in Hebrew in a whisper, “Atah Maamin?” (Are you a believer?) I told him that I was. With a big smile, he told me that he was too. He’s from Petah Tikvah, near Tel Aviv.

It was the perfect ending to an amazing day of serving and ministering to soldiers. I’m going to keep telling you, these young men and women are not who the media is making them out to be. They are some of the most sweetest, humble people I have ever met. They have no desire to be in a war, and yet they’re completely committed to destroying Hamas and protecting Israel. They are quick to tell me that they have nothing against the Palestinian people—just Hamas.

With you, Elana and I are committed to serving them and loving them. We have only been able to do this because of your generosity. And we’re not asking you to do what we aren’t doing personally. Amid this great tragedy, I believe the Lord is so pleased with how believers are reacting.

Liberty University

I don’t know if I mentioned, but I am getting my doctorate from Liberty University. The other day they brought two Israeli students on the stage at their Chapel. They had been affected by October 7th. After each one of them shared, the President of the school asked the student body to let those Jewish students know how they felt. The place went crazy with applause. What a witness!

When I chose Liberty, I had no sense of loyalty or camaraderie. It was just the best program for me. But seeing how they have stepped up when so many universities have turned against the Jewish people lets me know I made the right decision. They bussed in hundreds of students yesterday to DC to be part of the 300,000-strong rally in support of Israel.

Elana and I are off to Tel Aviv to pick up the computer that we bought for Oded. We can’t wait to give it to him tomorrow. His family does not know what to make of us, why do we care? We just keep telling them that everything we do is on behalf of the generosity of Christians around the world.

May the Lord bless you greatly!

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Helping Our Soldiers Prepare For War

by Ron Cantor October 16, 2023

written by Ron Cantor

Yesterday, I went with Cecilia to the grocery store. Cecilia is the mother of a soldier. Their unit was preparing to leave her Moshav (farming neighborhood) where they had been staying to move closer to Gaza. We bought coffee, disposable cups, plates, silverware, tuna (lots of tuna!), toilet paper, paper towels, large bags of rice, and so much more, including 96 2-liter bottles of water. It took 30 minutes just to check out.

When we arrived at the place where the army group was staying, grateful soldiers unloaded the car.

Last night, that group left and 500 more soldiers arrived at 10 PM. Elana was there with others to greet them. One young man’s mother came to surprise him for his birthday. Everyone was dancing and singing “Happy Birthday.” Sadly, for some, it could be their last. I am amazed at the level of morale.

Tonight, the mayor of our city, Ashkelon, is coming to Moshav Nehora, where the 500 soldiers are in for a treat with another Al Ha’Ash (remember yesterday). We have worked with the mayor in the past, providing bomb shelters. Elana and I will go and serve any way we can.

Reality

I was doing a Facebook Live yesterday when my phone began to warn of incoming Hamas rockets. We live in the main target area, Ashkelon, but we are staying with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. They live closer to Gaza but in a small town that has not been targeted.

I could see the Iron Dome missile shooting up looking for a target. Then, several booms, indicating success. It was a surreal moment standing in a beautiful field, just before sundown. You can skip to 10:10 if you want to see.

Latest News

The IDF has identified 199 hostages. There could be more that are unidentified.
The IDF is evacuating Israelis from 21 towns at our northern border because of attacks from Hezbollah.
US citizens are taking ships from Haifa Bay to escape Israel. We were offered a private jet ride out, but we feel grace to be with our people. We can’t fight, but we can support!
The Israeli Army killed the terrorist who planned the October 7th massacre.
Israel is preparing for a deadly ground invasion, but is being tight-lipped about the exact timing.
This is not for the fainthearted. CNN has reenacted the events of October 7th. It is hard to watch, but it must be documented.

Yesterday, we also sent $10,000 to believers who brought in hundreds of Casio G-shock watches for soldiers. In the video below, they are thanking you!

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Get updates from GOD TV on the Israel Crisis here

Pray For Israel: We are in shock. We are in tears.

by Ron Cantor October 7, 2023

written by Ron Cantor

We are in shock. We are in tears.

Forty Israelis are dead so far.
More than 700 have been injured.
We are getting reports of as many as Israeli 35 hostages in Gaza. Some of those may already be dead bodies.
A baby was been found with no parents in a Kibbutz. The parents are presumed to have been either kidnapped or killed.
Netanyahu declares war

How could we not see this coming? How could our intelligence be so bad. Times of Israel’s David Horowitz writes, “‘A colossal failure’ as Gaza’s Hamas terrorists infiltrate, catch Israel unprepared.” Whatever reports we are getting, people are saying the truth is far worse!

Israelis, camping in the fields for Sukkot (Tabernacles), came under attack by dozens of terrorists who broke through the border in white pickup trucks. There is video of 100s of people running for their lives. The facts are changing so quickly that I cannot keep up with them. Netanyahu has rightly declared war.

I am getting reports from friends that some people are hiding in their safe rooms as terrorists roam the streets. There are reports that they have taken over five towns. (We can’t verify this.) My daughter Danielle just told me that they are saying this is the worst thing to ever happen in Israel.

Rockets have been fired from Gaza to as far as Tel Aviv. Danielle is in Tel Aviv sending us updates. It is killing us not to be home, as are ministering in Europe. Our hearts are breaking. “It’s bad,” a friend texted me. “They have kidnapped at least 35 Israelis.” I have seen pictures of terrorists rejoicing over the kidnapped bodies of dead Israelis.

All this in just the past few hours.

My friend Avner Boskey writes:

At least ten white pickup trucks driven by Hamas suicide squad jihadis crossed into Israel (as well as some on ultra-light single-place powered parachutists) and attacked approximately 21 sites, including kibbutzim and moshavim (farms), small towns (including police stations). They have been slaughtering civilians, including mothers and children, breaking into houses, and indiscriminately killing the inhabitants. We have friends who have terrorists in their house as I write.

Israelis have posted to social media from their windows and balconies of terrorists in the streets. We have a friend who works in the emergency room in Ashkelon; all the nurses have been called back in (it is a holiday in Israel and Shabbat). “Anachnu corsim, corsim, corsim…” (We are collapsing, collapsing, collapsing…”

There is no doubt that this attack came during October, as it is the 50th anniversary of the surprise attack on Israel, which started the Yom Kippur War in 1973. And surely there is deep concern in the more fanatic parts of the Islamic world that Israel is on the verge of peace with Saudi Arabia.

But we can talk about all the geopolitical aspects later—right now Israel needs prayer. We are at war. We needs God’s mercy.

Let me be clear, this is the worst thing to happen in Israel since I made Aliyah in 2003. Others are saying it is the worst ever!

At our Tikkun Global conference a few weeks ago and at Open Door Church the next day, I shared that the Israel-loving church must get beyond the romantic love for Israel to understand that we (Israel) are not in a good place. Let me say it again: Israel is not in a good place! It was the most uncomfortable thing I think I have ever shared…and I even felt a bit like a traitor, but I had been feeling dread over Israel day and night for weeks. We don’t need platitudes of affection but deep intercession that we would repent! It pains me to write this even as bombs are falling and Israelis are in Hamas hands, but that is what we need.

1. Believers stand in the gap and pray.

2. Israelis to repent of the hatred and division, and of course, to find Yeshua.

We need both now. Please share this on all your platforms and social media.

We will keep you posted!

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Watch for LIVE updates here

October 7, 2023 0 comment

fire from explosion over apartments in Israel

Articles Israel Israel Insider News

Israel on the Verge of War

by Ron Cantor May 13, 2021

written by Ron Cantor

Since Monday night at 6 PM, just as I was landing in Tel Aviv after being in the US for several months, Hamas terrorists have launched roughly 1,400 deadly rockets from Gaza toward south and central Israel, some almost reaching Jerusalem. So far, seven Israelis, including one child and a soldier, are dead. If not for the 90% accuracy rate of the Iron Dome, there is no telling how many Israelis would be dead. More than 70 Palestinians, including ten children, have been killed, and the violence shows no signs of slowing.

Israelis in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other towns in the south and central area of the nation spent the night in bomb shelters as sirens, and cell phone warnings continually sounded. Video on Twitter shows the night sky over Tel Aviv lit up as a barrage of missiles from Gaza are intercepted by the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) Iron Dome shield. It was the most powerful visual of how quick and accurate the Iron Dome is, as Hamas sent 130 missiles at the same time towards Tel Aviv.

The blitz, perhaps the largest ever launched against the Tel Aviv area, forced Israeli authorities to temporarily re-route domestic air traffic from Ben Gurion International Airport to nearby Cyprus. Twenty-four hours earlier, I had the surreal experience of reading online from the airplane that flights might be rerouted, as Hamas had set a deadline of 6 PM for Israel to remove its troops from the Jewish Temple Mount. My plane would land one hour later—without incident, thankfully—at 6 PM!

Schools are shuttered south of Herzliya (a city just north of Tel Aviv), and the IDF has ordered residents in the south and central portion of the nation to remain in their shelters until further notice.

So far, Israel has been restrained in its countermeasures. The IDF has focused on Hamas terrorist strongholds, strategically taking out six terrorist leaders and a high-rise building that was a headquarters for Hamas. They have also demolished more than 500 terror targets within the Gaza Strip.

It has been almost seven years since a major conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Unlike the various skirmishes that have erupted since the 2014 ceasefire, the violence this time continues to escalate. Chants of “Allah is great,” “victory of Islam,” and “resistance” can be heard blaring from the speakers at mosques across Gaza as the terrorists continue to fire missile after missile into Israel.

Sadly, there have been chants of death to Arabs from small groups of religious Zionists. These religious zealots do not represent Israel at all. They have a cult-like loyalty to their ideology and hate people like me, Messianic Jews. They are the fringe of Israel. Nearly every politician from Bibi to Lapid has condemned these lunatics in the strongest terms.

Before the conflict that erupted Monday night, it appeared that Israel was on the verge of getting a new prime minister and government, one with five Arab Knesset members having a role. All that was put on hold when Hamas fired the first shot. Benjamin Netanyahu, who is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, remains at the helm, and he is well-versed in war and in defending Israel against its enemies.

Since Monday, at least 5,000 IDF reservists have been called to active duty as part of Operation Guardian of the Walls. Netanyahu has vowed to expand the offensive even further until the attacks cease. While a ground offensive appears to be imminent, we are praying that it does not come to that.

“We will not tolerate attacks on our territory, on our capital, on our citizens, and on our soldiers,” Netanyahu said. “This campaign will take time, but we will restore security to the people of Israel.”

Defense Minister Benny Gantz vowed, “Towers will continue to crumble. There are lots of targets in line. This is just the beginning.”

Attacks are not only coming from Gaza. Overnight Tuesday, Arab Israelis took to the streets in Lod (where both Jews and Arabs live together) rioting and looting, even as missiles were flying overhead. Arab Israeli rioters set dozens of cars ablaze and torched stores and synagogues. Jewish residents were seen throwing stones at vehicles driven by Arabs.

Yair Revivo, mayor of Lod, called for backup at the state level, citing “civil war” was breaking out on the streets of his city. He compared the chaos in Lod to Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass), the 1938 watershed event leading up to the Holocaust. Lod had been held up as a model of peaceful relations between Arabs and Jews for decades. Israel has declared a state of emergency in Lod and has imposed an 8 PM curfew.

Mansour Abbas, leader of Israel’s Islamist party, Ra’am, called on the local Arabs to stop the violence. “I ask you all to assume responsibility, act with wisdom, abide by public order and the law.” Abbas is the politician who was on the verge of being the first Arab to join a Knesset governing coalition, bringing his five seats with him. All that is on hold.

Tensions have been increasing between Israelis and Palestinians and sympathizers for the last month. A couple of factors have been stoking the fires—the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the accompanying calls for religious zeal, which often translate into violent actions, and a heated land dispute in east Jerusalem between dozens of Arab and Jewish families.

Protestors in the Old City clashed nightly with police during Ramadan. At least 300 people were injured over the weekend after tensions flared between as many as 100,000 worshippers and Israeli police on the Temple Mount at the Al-Aqsa mosque. Violent conflicts have also spilled over into various cities in the West Bank—Biblical Judea and Samaria. And finally, a dispute dating back to 1948 over land rights for dozens of families in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah is coming to a head. It is fueling nationalistic fervor in both Arabs and Jews.

May 13, 2021 0 comment