YOU ARE STANDING WITH ISRAEL AND BLESSING HER PEOPLE IN NEED ISRAEL
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR | NATALIA’S STORY
When she was just 13, Natalia had to flee her home in Ukraine to escape the Nazis. As World War II raged, this young Jewish girl survived by working in a factory that supported the war effort until she was finally able to return home.
But years later, as an elderly woman, she relived the same nightmare when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
She recalled, “A rocket hit our neighborhood in the middle of the night. The explosion killed over 30 people in my community.” Terrified, she sought refuge in Israel, making aliyah (immigration to Israel) to become an Israeli citizen.
Yet as a frail senior who arrived with nothing, Natalia has had other battles to fight. At the age of 95, she now must use a wheelchair to go outside—so she had to find a different apartment in a building with an elevator. She also lacked basic furniture and even enough food to eat.
Then you came to her rescue through CBN Israel. You provided her with a special bed and essential furniture to make her apartment feel like home. You are also delivering nutritious food—and she says these visits from our team mean as much as the aid itself.
Natalia exclaimed, “Thank you so much for your generous help. I have been overjoyed to receive the regular provisions of food and groceries, and I am so grateful for the furniture. ... Your kindness means more than you know!”
Your gifts to CBN Israel are a blessing to Holocaust survivors like Natalia, along with refugees, single mothers, terror victims, and others in the Holy Land who are struggling to make ends meet.
You are making a tremendous difference by providing hot meals, safe housing, necessities, and financial assistance. Thank you so much
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE DIFFERENCE!
ISRAEL RELIEF
Your support provides food, clothing, housing, education, and hope to Israel’s most vulnerable people. You are blessing victims of war and terror, Holocaust survivors, widows, orphans, single moms, refugees, and others who desperately need our help.
ISRAEL NEWS
Your gifts make it possible to produce unbiased, independent journalism through broadcasts, podcasts, and online media dedicated to informing the world about what is happening in Israel and the Middle East through our news bureau in Jerusalem.
ISRAEL FILMS
Your funding helps produce groundbreaking films that tell the true story of Israel, its right to exist in the face of growing antisemitism, its extensive biblical history, its innovative and entrepreneurial culture, and its commitment to helping others—even its enemies.
ISRAEL INSTITUTE
Your partnership enables us to shape the future of Israel advocacy by training, educating, and equipping the next generation of Christian leaders to stand with the Jewish nation and counter anti-Israel propaganda, disinformation, and antisemitism.
SOWING AND REAPING: FEEDING THE HUNGRY IN ISRAEL
Thanks to you, the staff of CBN Israel has been rolling up their sleeves, digging into the soil, and planting produce that will eventually make it to the tables of Israel’s most needy.
CBN Israel went into the fields to get a taste of what our longtime partner organization, Leket Israel, does on a regular basis. Leket is Israel’s largest food bank, which collects surplus nutritious food and redistributes it to at-risk populations.
Because of you, CBN Israel can link arms with strategic partners like Leket, ensuring that perfectly edible food does not go to waste, but instead becomes a blessing to those in need.
problem by bridging the gap between available food and the nation’s poor.
Your ongoing support makes it possible to gather surplus produce from farmers—plus hot meals from hotels, company cafeterias, and army bases—to redistribute to vulnerable populations around the country.
According to the Israeli government, about 2.2 billion pounds of nutritious food are discarded each year. Leket founder Joseph Gitler realized this after emigrating from America to Israel. He sought to remedy the
When Israelis were evacuated from southern Israel after October 7, friends like you also helped deliver 1.6 million pounds of rescued fresh fruit and vegetables along with 30,000 hot meals to people suffering from food insecurity during this time of war.
In these challenging times, you are letting so many in desperate situations know they are not forgotten by offering them food, clothing, housing, financial aid, and encouragement. Thank you so much for your compassion!
FROM FEAR TO HOME: FRENCH JEWS MAKE ALIYAH TO ISRAEL
By Chris Mitchell
Nearly 50 Jewish immigrants from France recently made aliyah to Israel—an emotional journey that marked not just a relocation, but what many called a return to a biblical promise thousands of years in the making. With tears and hugs, families and individuals arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, stepping off the plane with hope in their hearts and Israel in their eyes.
One of them was Debbie Szasir, who first dreamed of making aliyah at the age of 17. But life, family, and work kept delaying her journey. “You get married, you work. So, it was difficult,” she shared. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for 45 years.” As she began to break down in tears, she said, “Finally, I’ve made it.”
Others came out of growing fear in France—particularly after the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel.
Noa Shlomo, just 22 years old, left everything behind—her home, her siblings, and her
past—for the unknown future of Israel. “To live in France is very, very hard for us. Everyone’s antisemitic. You have [writings] on your walls saying ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Boycott Israel.’ ... I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Still, she admits the move is bittersweet. “Honestly, I’m anxious. I came alone ... but I’m excited for what’s to come.”
At the airport, new immigrants were processed and given Israeli identity cards—a powerful symbol of rebirth. They arrived during a time of increased antisemitism, especially in France, which has the second-largest Jewish population outside the U.S.
Sam Grundwerg, world chairman of Keren Hayesod (also known as United Israel Appeal), said the situation in France has become alarming. “A rabbi walking with his 9-year-old son from a synagogue was beaten up. What was especially upsetting? The attacker didn’t even run away.”
Pastor Larry Huch, an evangelical
For many Jews, making aliyah feels like coming home.
Christian from the U.S., helped make the flight possible but believes this is more than charity—it’s a covenant. “It feels like it’s my family,” he said. “I saw them in France … and hugged them when they got off the plane. It moved me more than I thought it would.”
For Pastor Huch and others, this moment is prophetic. “The Bible says we as Gentiles will not only welcome them back—but bring them in our arms and on our shoulders to fulfill Bible prophecy,” he explained. “It’s a double prophecy. Jews returning to the land God gave to Abraham … and Christians bringing them back instead of pushing them out.”
That prophecy, he says, now has a boarding pass, a luggage tag, and an Israeli ID card.
Others echoed the spiritual pull of the moment. Aurelia, another new immigrant, described aliyah as “a calling ... like the sound of the shofar,” and said she wants to raise her children in Israel “to live as free Jews.”
Her husband, Shalom, said: “It’s a call inside us ... a desire to return to our land. We will help bring about wholeness so that Mashiach —the Messiah—comes and there’s only good in the world.”
Grundwerg offered thanks to the Christian community for supporting Israel during these difficult times. “We don’t take for granted our evangelical brothers and sisters who stand with us. These have been difficult days, and true friends are tested during those times.”
The journey ended in tears—again—as Debbie Szasir was reunited with her sons, who had made aliyah years earlier.
“Amazing,” said her son Raphael. “We waited for this for years, and now it’s happening. Mazel tov! We’re really happy to see her.”
It was a homecoming not just for one woman, but for a people returning to their ancient homeland—one flight, one prayer, one family at a time.
Top (left to right): The arrival hall at Ben Gurion Airport is typically filled with tired but joyous Jews. French immigrants are delighted to arrive in Israel. Debbie Szasir fulfills a dream many years in the making. Middle (left to right): Happily displaying her new identity card, Debbie looks forward to a new life in Israel. It’s a joyful reunion for Debbie and her son, who made aliyah many years before. Pastor Larry Huch and Sam Grundwerg are on hand to greet the new arrivals. Noa Shlomo and her friend are all smiles as they wait to be processed. Bottom (left to right): One of nearly 50 new immigrants awaiting the process of becoming an Israeli citizen. New immigrants eagerly wait to be processed. Each applicant completes paperwork to receive a new identity card.
THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).
Pentecost—also called the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot —was one of the three pilgrimage festivals when every able-bodied male was to appear before the Lord. Acts 2:9-11 describes the throngs of pilgrims from all over the known world who traveled to Jerusalem for Pentecost. In addition to celebrating the wheat harvest, Pentecost was identified by Jewish tradition as the time when God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave Israel the Torah.
Exodus 19:18 tells us, Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. And on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:3 records, Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. It’s interesting to consider the connection between how God gave the Torah when He founded Israel as a nation and how He gave the Holy Spirit at the founding of the Church.
On Pentecost, as the crowds heard the disciples uttering the wonders of God in their various languages, Peter stood up and declared this was fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Joel 2:28, 32: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.
… Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, saying, “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). And that day, about 3,000 people became believers in Jesus.
The coming of the Spirit fulfilled God’s promise through Joel, which Jesus referred to just before ascending to heaven: He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). That’s when Jesus told His followers, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
The Holy Spirit provides divine evidence that Jesus is truly the Messiah, whom God raised from the dead, empowering us to share the Good News with others.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for sending us Your Spirit to testify of the truth of Your Son. Amen. Scripture is quoted from the NKJV.
PRAYER POINTS
Pray for more Jews from France to make aliyah.
Pray for the protection of Jews in France.
Pray for these immigrants as they adjust to a new life in Israel.
Pray for more Jews from the U.S. to make aliyah.
Pray for wisdom for Israeli leaders as they fight wars on multiple fronts.
Pray for CBN News as it changes the global conversation about Israel.
Pray for CBN Israel as it blesses and provides for the people of Israel in times of need.
DO YOU HAVE A PRAYER NEED?
Based on the New York Times bestseller by Dan Senor and Saul Singer, The Genius of Israel reveals why the Jewish state is largely immune to the social problems that plague many Western societies.
Filmed on location in Israel and hosted by Gordon Robertson, this CBN Films documentary explores the unique religious and cultural traditions that make Israel one of the most innovative and resilient democracies on earth.
ROOTED A SOLIDARITY JOURNEY
OCTOBER 17–26, 2025
MEET YOUR HOSTS:
Chris Mitchell Middle East Bureau Chief, CBN News
JOIN US FOR A LIFE-CHANGING TOUR OF THE HOLY LAND AS WE ENCOUNTER OUR FAITH WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
You’ll have the opportunity to experience Israel both past and present. You’ll get to watch the Bible come alive as you journey in the footsteps of Jesus and the early church—as well as Israel’s patriarchs, kings, and prophets.
You’ll also follow the remarkable story of the rebirth of Israel, discover how the modern Jewish nation has been a light to the nations, and witness the resilience of Israel and her people in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, massacre.
To reserve your spot, please visit CBN.com/Rooted
Stephen Faircloth President, CBN Israel
Dr. Marc Turnage Expert Tour Guide and Bible Teacher
