Investing in Israel’s Future

October 26, 2017

Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

I’ve told the story many times, but it always bears repeating. I once asked the late Ariel Sharon, Israel’s 11^th Prime Minister, about the three most important things we at The Fellowship could do for Israel. His response was simple – “Aliyah, aliyah, aliyah."

My dear friend Ariel Sharon recognized a fundamental truth: aliyah (immigration to Israel) is an investment in the country’s future. He knew that aliyah not only saves the lives of Jews around the globe living under poverty and oppression, but strengthens Israel as a whole.

Last year, Israel publicly recognized this fact by instituting a new holiday Aliyah Day, which begins this year on Thursday, October 26, at sundown. Aliyah Day is a tribute to the immigrants who have helped make the Jewish state the thriving nation that it is today.

When immigrants make aliyah, they bring with them their talents and their wish to be part of the miraculous enterprise that is Israel. They bring their dedication to their Jewish faith, and their wish to practice that faith in a country that protects them, and respects and nourishes their deepest-held beliefs.

Israel provides immigrants with a safe haven, and they give back in turn. Prime Minister Netanyahu, too, recognized this in his speech in Jerusalem on the first Aliyah Day: "The democratic values of the Jewish state, our military might, our economic strength, our adherence to progress, our scientific and technological innovations, draw hundreds of new immigrants, each one of whom contributes to the bolstering of those values and strengths.”

This Aliyah Day, please pray both for the peace of Jerusalem, and for all the Jewish immigrants – who are still arriving in Israel today, thanks to 25 years of your support of The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles ministry.

And prayerfully consider giving a gift to support this return of Jews to Israel, in fulfillment of the biblical prophecy that promises the return of Jewish exiles to the Holy Land “from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). When you do, I hope you will know that none of these efforts could have been successful without you. Thank you, my friends.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President and Founder, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews^® of Canada

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