Week of January 14, 2025

As hostage mediation progresses, over 200 Israeli doctors signed a joint letter saying they “call on the government to rescue all the hostages in a comprehensive deal now . . . each one of them is an urgent humanitarian case.” The doctors sent the letter to the Israel Medical Association requesting the government to reach an agreement to return all the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza. The hostages have been held for over fifteen months in horribly poor conditions with overcrowding and lack of food, water, and basic hygiene.

According to the doctors who signed the letter, the hostages suffer from “severe malnutrition, dehydration, multiple organ failure and serious infections.” The doctors emphasize that the winter months are especially difficult as the low temperatures, lack of heating, and the hostages’ compromised immune systems have made them susceptible to serious illnesses. They also know the hostages are suffering from psychological breakdowns as a result of prolonged isolation, constant threat, anxiety, and sense of helplessness, as well as continued physical and sexual violence.

Please pray all the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza are released as quickly as possible and for their physical and mental rehabilitation.

After observing the immediate benefits of the Iron Dome missile defense system, Gadi Benjamini, a military veteran of fourteen years, was challenged to create a way to prevent wildfires and their spread. In 2024, he and Dr. Adi Naor Pomerantz founded FireDome, a wildfire defense system that connects defense tactics with AI technology. This innovative technology can detect and supress fires. The system can spot, track, and even reach fires under the cover of darkness, which is very difficult for firefighters to do. “What we develop is a system to enhance firefighters’ abilities and capabilities to address more fires simultaneously, like spot fires and embers and to reach places where sometimes they can’t, due to different logistical constraints that they have,” Benjamini said.

The system responds to an alert of a nearby wildfire by activating a launcher that releases capsules that open before impact and release eco-friendly fire retardants, creating a barrier perimeter and stopping the path of creeping wildfires. Next, an AI system using sensors will detect and extinguish spot fires and embers that infiltrate the perimeter. The first FireDome system will be ready in May and will be placed in fire-prone areas like in the Carmel Forest in northern Israel and the Jerusalem area. In 2026, FireDome plans to implement its systems in the United States, especially areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Please pray for the development of this technology and for its strategic use to help many.

Chosen People Ministries—Israel Staff Bring Warmth to the Weary

Over 460 days of constant war from five different fronts against Israel has led to sorrow, mourning, fear, and a weariness in many Israelis who live under this continual stress. Although “daily life” has resumed, one nagging necessity causes Israelis to endlessly scan their surroundings wherever they go: “where is the nearest shelter if a rocket siren sounds now?” And at night, shoes and a bathrobe are ready beside the bed in case a red alert siren goes off and they have mere seconds to make it to shelter.

This has been especially difficult for residents of border towns near Lebanon and Gaza where somewhere between a handful to over a hundred rockets are launched daily. Because death and destruction are very much a part of life right now, people are not only happy to receive our staff’s help but are also open to talk about spiritual matters. Soldiers also gladly receive our staff’s prayers and are willing to hear what we believe about Yeshua (Jesus). One missionary reports,

Serving Israel’s reserve soldier units is a blessing. They are last in line in the army’s priorities, and many are on the front lines in Nike and Adidas shoes. I delivered thirty boots and thirty gloves to a tank unit in the south and in and out of Gaza. To say that they were thankful is an understatement. They all know me now by name and send me thank-you videos and notes.

Another missionary brought four suitcases full of warm clothing and jackets for reserve soldiers sleeping outside in the north in the cold winter. Our staff was able to hand them out personally to the soldiers who pass through the Nahariyya train station, and they had some very touching conversations with soldiers who stopped to talk.

Please pray for divine strength for the people of Israel, both civilians and soldiers. Pray for them to be physically and spiritually clothed and fed, and for our staff as they bring both to them in Yeshua’s name.

Orthodox Optometrist Looks at Yeshua

One of the many people our missionaries in Nahariyya know and care about is Shimon*. He is an optometrist and has a local shop. Over the years of eye exams, eyeglass purchases, and personal conversations, our staff have developed a friendly relationship with him. He a religious Jewish man with whom our staff members have discussed faith in Yeshua several times.

Recently, our congregation gave gift cards to shopkeepers in Nahariyya to encourage them, because the war has been especially hard for small, local businesses. One of the shopkeeper recipients was Shimon. Our missionary tells:

When I walked into Shimon’s shop, he stepped out from the counter to shake my hand. I gave him the gift card, and he thanked me. I told him that the gift cards were donations from well-meaning Christians in the USA who love Israel and want to help.

Since Shimon and I have a long-standing relationship, in the past I have freely spoken about the Tanakh [Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament] and Messiah, although he has held a very traditional and skeptical opinion about Yeshua. The first time we spoke, he asked me, “How could you be Jewish and believe in Yeshua?” After much discussion, he accepts me as Jewish although I believe in Yeshua, but still has a hard time accepting Yeshua as the Messiah. 

However, this time, Shimon’s willingness to discuss the Tanakh and the prophecies concerning the coming of Messiah was a window to his openness.

Please pray for Shimon and other weary Israelis. Pray for them to see God’s financial provision for them during this difficult season of war, and the spiritual provision of Yeshua as their Messiah and hope—not just for this time but for all eternity. Pray for us as we continue to proclaim this message to Shimon and others.

Our Staff in Tel Aviv Bring Hope to Women

With the war, people need others more than ever. Our ministry center in Tel Aviv is a hub of fellowship and outreach. From group Bible studies to one-on-one meetings, Sabbath meals to worship gatherings, every day our staff serves people in Yeshua’s name. We call our place “HaMercaz” (the center) because it is a center with Yeshua at the center.

We minister to children, mothers, students, soldiers, workers, Holocaust survivors, and more. At this moment, we would like to tell about some of the women we connect with in Tel Aviv.

“You are going to study the book of Daniel at the Hebrew ladies’ Bible study?” Hannah* exclaimed excitedly, “I’m coming!” And not only did she come to study Daniel at the center, but she was also very engaged in reading and discussing the text! We prayerfully and gladly plant these seeds, knowing that God’s Word never returns empty.

“I can’t express to you enough how much HaMercaz has meant to me personally,” Liel* told our staff after the devotional at the ladies’ brunch. She has participated in community at the center for years and is very involved in our programs and events. Our hearts rejoice to see her growing in her faith and personal walk with the Lord!

A first-time visitor, Abigail*, came to our recent ladies’ brunch at the center. Before leaving, she caught one of our missionary staff and eagerly told her that although she is a believer and has been in Israel for two years, she has not found a group as open and vulnerable as this. She was so appreciative!

Yehudit* came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) a few years ago through a vision, but since she lives in a very religious Jewish community, she has never been able to attend a local congregation. Thankfully, however, our ministry center is within walking distance from her work. Since her first visit to HaMercaz several weeks ago, she has come to nearly every midweek ladies’ Bible study and brunch!

After setting down her belongings, she always comes straight to our staff and asks to help. She goes around and takes hot beverage orders from the ladies, makes fabulous hot chocolate, and helps with the food setup. It is a great joy to see her building friendships with the other ladies and reading the Bible together! We love her and thank the Lord for allowing our center to be her place for spiritual encouragement as she would otherwise have no fellowship.

Please pray for Hannah, Liel, Abigail, Yehudit, and all the other women to whom our staff minister day by day in Bible studies and other events. Pray for the believers to continue to deepen their faith, the not-yet-believers to be open and receive salvation and new life in Yeshua, and for our staff to be wise and sensitive as they serve these women with Jesus in the center of it all. 

*Names changed for privacy

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