This High Holiday Season, Love Your Neighbour in Israel

Dear Friends,

As the days of summer draw on, our hearts turn toward the holiest season on the Jewish calendar. Soon the shofar will sound, ushering in Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the joyful days of Sukkot. It is a season of reflection and repentance, of new beginnings and renewed hope. And, as it has always been, it is a time to gather around the table with family, to break bread, to give thanks, and to remember the faithfulness of God.

But for far too many families across Israel, that table now sits nearly empty.

This month, our team at Vision for Israel has begun one of the most meaningful efforts of our year: distributing high holiday gift cards to families in need throughout the land. Our goal is to reach between 1,200 and 1,400 families, placing into the hands of each one a £100 ($130) gift card to purchase groceries for the holidays. To a struggling family it is the difference between scarcity and celebration. It means a mother can fill her cart without fear. It means children can sit down to a proper holiday meal. It means dignity, provision, and the quiet assurance that they have not been forgotten.

One of those we recently welcomed was a man named Moshe.

Moshe came to the Millennium Centre to collect a holiday donation, and he left with a gift card and household items to help carry his family through the season. But behind his gentle presence is a story of extraordinary sacrifice.

Years ago, Moshe was seriously wounded in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem. He was stabbed fourteen times, the wounds coming within a single centimeter of his heart. He survived, but the cost was staggering: today he is recognised as one hundred percent disabled. He had already given much for his country, having been wounded in the leg during the Second Lebanon War. And yet, remarkably, Moshe still volunteers for reserve duty whenever he is able. His willingness to serve has never dimmed, even as his body carries the marks of all he has endured.

Life has not been easy for his family. Moshe is unable to work and lives only on disability benefits. His wife was unemployed for two years and has only recently begun working part-time. For a long season, Vision for Israel has walked closely with them, helping to celebrate their son’s Bar Mitzvah and their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, furnishing the children’s rooms with new closets, and providing household items, food, dishes, and so much more.

When Moshe spoke with us, his gratitude poured out. “We always remember that you, Batya, really helped us a lot, a lot,” he said. “I have no words to thank you for all your help and giving from the bottom of my heart.”

Moshe is one man. But he stands for thousands like him across Israel: the wounded, the weary, and the faithful who gave everything and now quietly need a hand extended in return. This high holiday season, your generosity can reach families exactly like his.

Would you consider helping us fill a table this year? A gift of £100 ($130) sponsors one family, and every gift brings hope to a household preparing to welcome the new year. You can be part of this beautiful work today. We also invite you to watch a short video that shows this ministry in action.

As we enter this sacred season, we are reminded that redemption is always near and that no act of kindness is ever forgotten. Thank you for standing with the people of Israel, for loving your neighbour, and for helping us turn empty tables into places of blessing.


With love and gratitude,
Barry & Batya