Author: yelena

“… It is good to thank Adonai and to sing to Your name Elyon….. For, Adonai, what you do makes me happy, I take joy in what your hands have made… How great are your deeds, Adonai, how deep are your thoughts…”

( Psalm 92:2,5,6).

Shalom and blessings, my dear friends.

Over the past month, it seems that everything in Israel is quiet and the war is behind us, but this is not the case.–

The war continues against the forces of evil, the same terrorists continue to try to harm Israelis.

It is indeed a complex time, when we humans are at a loss, looking and seeing how the Lord of lords navigates and leads his flock, and we are part of this wonderful flock. He helps us and guides us and has chosen us to be a help to those in need.

The Creator finds those people who are prepared to be a part of the action, both in prayers from all around the world also by donations, and encouragement. Each of you is a key part this blessed work and partnership.

Assistance to the security forces:

The soldiers and commanders of the Home Front Forces Unit know how to say thank you to our friends around the world.

This unit has had extensive experience in helping many citizens in need around the world, during similar times of disaster. Earthquake and house collapses, such as in Haiti, Turkey, Russia, the Far East, Mexico and other places around the world and in Israel.

During the war (which has not yet ended), there are many houses along the borders and beyond the borders that have been severely damaged, and there is a tangible danger of staying near and entering these buildings. They inspect and make safe from house to house in those areas.

The soldiers and Sabra volunteers help people found with disabilities in these places.

We gave these soldiers high-quality warm coats as a gift (and at the request of the donors who donated to these causes).

It was indeed an impressive and moving ceremony, the distribution of the coats. In fact a ceremony to express gratitude for all the help they gave during the war, (some of the soldiers and other soldiers engaged in the work will be given the coats by the army forces themselves).

The commanders and soldiers asked us to say thank you from the bottom of their hearts to all our friends around the world for their prayers, donations and encouragement.

Their personal request to each of you is to continue to pray for their work, and the protection of our Father in Heaven for all the people of Israel, Their request comes with a great blessing to all our brothers and sisters around the world.

The soldiers, Holocaust survivors and children in the northern regions of Israel also received warm socks that women who love God and man, had knitted with much love and prayer. Some of the families who remained and others who have begun to return to their area are supported by us with food and medical facilities.

As I was writing these lines, it occurred to me that these seemed routine and even slightly boring stories.

But this is not the case; If only you could see the light and smile return to the faces of the recipients of these love gifts.

May the blessing of the Most High be upon you, your family and your congregation.

From the home of good deeds, and the land of Zion and the city of Jerusalem

Your brother in faith

Mordechai ben Yaakov

“—O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures—”. Psalms 104:24 (ESV)

Shalom and blessings, my dear friends

In recent months, Sabra’s activity has been very successful thanks to you. Your prayers and donations have allowed us to provide aid to those in need.

Helping Holocaust survivors:

Our work with Holocaust survivors, with God’s help, is ongoing. We offer daily activities, home visits, and a listening ear. We convey your love and prayers, and we help them materially using your donations. We are your emissaries, with the help of the Creator of the world, we find the people who love the God of Israel and His people Israel. Those who are praying and want to help with all their hearts, sometimes more than they can handle. And join them to people they can help.

We all have the responsibility to help the Holocaust survivors, who are a symbol of what happened about 80 years ago because of the hatred to the Jewish people. The suffering that Holocaust survivors endured is a living expression of what human evil can achieve. In contrast to this evil, there is a little comfort and light from those believers who say to their Creator, “We are your children, we are different.” We are the salt of the earth, and our mission is to bring comfort and encouragement to those who suffer. Sabra, we and our volunteers, provide essential medications and treatments, celebrate birthdays, and bring food, flowers, and vegetables. 

One such visit was to a Holocaust survivor diagnosed with cancer, who, as per their own account, felt much better recently, thanks to the many prayers and blessings they had received.

Last Hanukkah, Sabra participated in numerous events for Holocaust survivors, including one in Tel Aviv that brought together survivors from different parts of the country.

On that occasion, we blessed you by discussing your prayers, we also distributed a gift to every Holocaust survivor: warm socks that a righteous woman who loves God and man knitted, food tickets, and a greeting card. On the first day of Hanukkah, we celebrated at the Sabra House, lighting the first candle of Hanukkah. The celebration was attended by Holocaust survivors, soldiers, and guests of faith from various countries, including Papua, who were also very excited. The soldiers’ objective was clear: to participate in the party to show their support for the Holocaust survivors and guests from those countries. They wanted to thank them for their unwavering support of the people of Israel.

At this event, a virtuoso artist who plays various instruments, a man of God, and a devoted believer volunteered.

The presence of the Shekinah was undeniable: in the prayers, the singing, and the joy.

Help for children, schools, and boarding schools:

Most of you are familiar from our updates on our help in these schools, which includes serving hot meals five days a week, renovating classrooms, providing high-quality furniture, teaching materials, and textbooks, and various kinds of enrichment for studies. Our goal is to give these children the same conditions and opportunities that children from more affluent families receive.

The cooperation with these schools is amazing. We work closely with the teachers and school principals, who are, of course, aware of the help they receive.

The Sabra team participated in the children’s Hanukkah celebration, including a nine-year-old girl who was fascinated by the atmosphere. One of the teachers invited her to join the children in the class, and she did. We also organized an event with the school children to make the elderly happy at the local nursing home in Afula. Sabra purchased doughnuts, which we distributed to the residents of the nursing home, along with singing and dancing with the elderly.

We are helping the families of evacuees and their children. Many families evacuated from the north live in Afula. Especially those whose homes were destroyed in the heavy bombardments, and who still have no possibility of returning to their homes. We provide various forms of assistance, including learning equipment for children, warm clothing, and food vouchers. Some children learn via Zoom and require computers, for which Sabra has provided several. For instance, we provided a computer to a ten-year-old girl whose mother is divorced and does not work. We also provide clothing and food. We also provide assistance to needy families.

On a regular basis, we provide food products, including meat, vegetables, and fruits, to needy families. We deliver the food with the help of local volunteers.

Helping  NEW Olim ( immigrants).

In cooperation with the Afula Municipality, we help immigrants who come from different countries, including Russia, Ukraine, France, South America, and various countries from Europe.

This is not just a gesture; it’s a divine mandate, a responsibility we proudly uphold (Isaiah 11:12 / Isaiah 49:22). The ongoing increase in Aliyah to the Land of Israel is a clear sign of the End of Days.  We will pray and bless: “Blessed are You who will restore His Shekinah to Zion, quickly in our days, Amen.”

Peace and blessings, my dear friends.

Helping soldiers and their families:

1. Winter has also arrived in our country. Winter in the Galilee, especially along the northern borders and in the Golan Heights, is cold. We provided soldiers with warm coats, and items of warm clothing, in addition to greeting cards and greeting letters from around the world.

2. We help lone soldiers, most of whose parents and families do not live in Israel, with shopping options when they go on vacation, etc.

May the blessing of the Most High be upon you, your family, and your congregation.

From the home of good deeds, and the land of Zion and the city of Jerusalem

Your brother in faith

Mordechai ben Yaakov

I assume that you, lovers of the God of Israel, and the people of Israel, know more or less and worry and pray about what is happening in Israel at this time. All those unrestrained attacks by the terrorist enemy in the north called Hezbollah. The same heavy bombardment of northern settlements, the destruction  of many homes and civilian structures. In some localities, the destruction is over 60% of the settlement, and when most of its residents are evacuated; all those  settlements are located in many different places in the country. The small number of residents who decided to stay; Their  suffering is indescribable (a large proportion of the residents are without electricity, as a result of the bombings). At the same time, the Israeli army is very limited in its defense, since almost all Western countries restrict Israel and even threaten us in all sorts of diplomatic and non-diplomatic ways from “answering” Lebanon, the sovereign state that allows a terrorist organization to operate from its territory.

The many fires in the north, in which most of the agriculture is burned and destroyed, entire cowsheds, chicken coops, fields and orchards are burned and can be said to be destroyed. And those that have not yet been destroyed have the difficulty of picking the fruit from the trees or collecting the eggs from those chicken coops that are not yet destroyed.

We, as members of Sabra, after prayers, decided to take action, and help one farm, a farming family that really needs the help of working hands. Despite the huge work we have at Sabra, we went out to help, and to lend a little hand to help pick the plums.

These days are hot  summer days. The fruit, if not picked very quickly, will be spoiling on the tree itself. The task is to pick and pack in the field  the fruit, and from there to transport to the market.

Our team was there alongside children and youth who also came to help, and  they understand the responsibility placed on their shoulders during this challenging time.

We as the Sabra team and the volunteers began picking and packing and preparing the fruit for transport.

We  saw those owners of this plantation happy for the same help with which we were able to lend a hand and help. Their reaction was moving. They blessed the God of Israel for those Israel-loving friends who came to help, and thanked for the prayers of many friends around the world, for their encouragement and support. “Blessed be you, Israel, that you have such friends who love you.”

Help for boarding schools:

On the evening of 03.0.24 we were invated to a bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah party (for eight boys and five girls)which  was arranged  to the boys and girls of the same boarding school. They had got  a helpful explanation throughout the year. The Bar Mitzvah celebration is a very important event for the child and the family itself (the event is the acceptance of responsibility to G-d for his actions), an event that every Jewish child will remember for the rest of his life. Sometimes the cost of the event is high, even for a poor family, but there are those who cannot even give the little; The child and his family are sometimes frustrated by this.

The management of the boarding school held the party in a very dignified and impressive way and all  the ceremony  was made according   to the  Jewish roots

Together with the volunteers and guests from abroad we arrived there  and we must say; we were very excited.

It was a great experience to see our fellow guests who love Israel excited about the event.

After prayers, we decided to give gifts to those children celebrating (by the way, in Hebrew, the boys and girls are called brides and grooms during the event, as a connection to G-d).

Each  child received two gifts from us: one is a good, durable suitcase;  child can travel home with his belongings in that suitcase in a dignified manner.

The second gift, on the recommendation of the teachers and the principal of the boarding school, will help a child  with his studies, so that he will be like the other children in his class.  We had attached greetings with the gifts  on behalf of all friends around the world.

The director of the boarding school, the heads of an organization that manages all boarding schools in Israel, and others congratulated and thanked Sabra and her friends around the world for their help and support.

At the end of that event, the children’s reactions were indeed very touching. For example, the two children stood with their luggage next to us while we waited by the elevator at the exit from the hall, telling us some jokingly and some as a dream: “We are in a hurry for the flight, we don’t want to be late for check-in”.

Some of the Bar Mitzvah revelers when they opened the “small” surprise and discovered what was in it, a tablet, were so happy, and thanked us very much. And the truth is that we and the guests were even more excited.

On the way back to Sabra  our  hearts were full of experiences from the event, and the mind was full of thoughts about what is happening today in Israel and around the world, when so many are against the Jewish people and against the people of Israel, the God of Israel, our Father in heaven; we are happy to  have those righteous people, who love the God of Israel, and the people of Israel. We will continue to pray for more brothers and sisters to be added.

May the blessings of the Most High be upon you, your family and your congregation.

From the House of Good Deeds, the House of Sabra, and the Land of Zion and the City of Jerusalem

Your brother in faith