“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 91:1
Dear Friends,
Not long ago, Barry stood in the heart of a kibbutz in northern Israel, in the foothills of Mount Hermon. It is a beautiful and growing place: a fish farm, organic fields, a river winding behind the museum, and a stream running right through the middle of the community. Nearly 400 adults live there, alongside students and workers who come and go throughout the day. One resident told Barry he had never dreamed it could be so beautiful, and that he intends to stay for the rest of his life.
But standing beside the grocery store, where children and parents gather at every hour, Barry saw what was missing. There was no shelter. None at all in that busy, central part of the kibbutz. If a siren were to sound, the people there would have nowhere to run.
In Israel, that is not a distant worry. It is daily life. When the alarm comes, families have only seconds to reach cover. A shelter is not a luxury here. For a mother, a child, or an elderly neighbour caught in the open, it is quite simply the difference between life and death.
Safety shelters are one of the projects closest to Barry’s heart, and one of the most important things we do. Over the years, with faithful friends like you standing beside us, Vision for Israel has installed 528 safety shelters across the land. Each one is a promise kept to a family who can now run toward protection instead of standing exposed beneath an open sky. These are not abstract structures. They are the reason a grandmother reaches safety in time, and the reason a playground full of children is spared.
Each shelter costs £12,400 ($16,400) to build and put in place. It is a significant sum, but consider what it represents: a fortified refuge that will guard precious lives for decades to come, in a community that has waited and prayed for exactly this kind of protection.
This July carries a special meaning for us. On the 15th, Barry celebrates his birthday. If you ask him what he wishes for, his answer would be simple and entirely like him. He would ask for more shelters. Not a gift for himself, but safety for the people he loves so dearly in the land of Israel.
So in honour of Barry’s birthday, we warmly invite you to give. Your gift, whatever its size, brings us closer to placing the next shelter where children play and families gather. Together, we can answer that quiet, constant danger with a sure and lasting place of refuge.
Would you help us place the next one? Please give today. Every gift is a life protected, and a birthday honoured in the most meaningful way we know. From all of us here in Jerusalem, we say with full hearts: Shalom al Yisrael, peace upon Israel.
Thank you for standing with Israel, and with us.
With love and gratitude,
Barry & Batya
