Our Solidarity group visited Nova, the site of the massacre on October 7 th by Hamas, not knowing what we would see or experience. There were photographs of the young women and men who were slaughtered at each spot where they died. As I slowly walked through the site it was hard to comprehend the horror of so many innocent young people being slaughtered. I had not felt such a piercing feeling of Satan’s drive to kill the Jewish people and ultimately all mankind since I had visited Auschwitz and several of the other Holocaust sites. These young people had come to enjoy an important holiday with music, and to celebrate the joy of the holiday together. The terrorists came upon them suddenly not just killing human beings but taking pictures and laughing while they murdered each individual.
The second thing that touched me deeply that day was talking with the Jewish people who live by the Gaza border. They suffered through October 7 th , and yet continue to raise their families, run their farms and businesses. Their response to the horror of what they lived through was to create life with their families right next to Gaza. I was touched by their faith in God, their drive to walk in the scriptures, and to create Israelas a vibrant flourishing country. This drive to create life in the land of Israel reminded me of something that I understand Golda Meir said: “we have no other land”. After the Holocaust and after the Jewish people were expelled from almost all countries in the world they have nowhere else to live besides Israel. Every day it seems they are living and fighting to protect and create life in Israel the land of the Bible. Maybe this is why we have had so many Israelis express a heartfelt thankfulness that we came to Israel and are here supporting them. The Jewish people in Israel can feel very isolated by the world governments and media. They expressed surprise that we would travel to Israel to simply say we love and stand with you.
During this trip to Israel we stayed at the AMI Jerusalem Center, located in the heart of Jerusalem. I am very thankful for the vision of the AMI Center to bridge the understanding between Christians and the Jewish people. One key way they accomplish this mission is to bring Christians to Israel so they can see how much the Jewish people love the land of Israel and love the scriptures. These sons of Abraham are giving their lives to fulfill the word of God in the land of the Bible. This very deep connection between the Jewish people, the scriptures, and the land of the Bible is something that I believe God created in order to fulfill His word over Israel. This is also why I feel privileged to be able to support the AMI Center with my donations.
By Bruce Larson
The Nova massacre site.
The Nova massacre site.
Sederot viewpoint. We could see bombing in Gaza the day the hostages were freed.
At Sederot where the police station used to stand.
Packing lunches to distribute the morning of Shavuot.
Sanduiches that were distributed.
IDF soldiers in Hebron.
We delivered pizza to the IDF soldiers in Hebron and encouraged them with our support.