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Ministry Update From Jerusalem

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 106:1)

Shalom dear friends of FZS,

The time to “give thanks” is upon us and we also would like to acknowledge with sincere thankfulness all of the Lord’s blessing He has so graciously provided for us this year. We also wanted to express our appreciation to you, our friends and supporters for your love and faithfulness in helping us fulfill our calling to share the good news with the Jewish people through Humanitarian Outreach…

Even though we are in the midst of war and rockets continue to rain down upon Israel daily, our labor of lover continues amongst the poor and needy in the Land. Our heart and calling is directed towards helping all the people of Israel whether Arab or Jew, believers or secular- it just doesn’t matter to us (or the Lord), however we do hold a special place of priority amongst Concentration Camps and Ghetto Survivors of the Holocaust. Those few selected souls who still remain alive and whom God has chosen to survived the brutal atrocities of the Holocaust. The sad reality is that every 30 minutes another Holocaust Survivor dies, and so we truly feel an urgency to reach this last generation of living witnesses while we still have time.

Haus Schonegg was given to us by the Lord as a haven of rest for the Holocaust Survivors located in a secluded village in the Swiss Alps. And it is here that we have the privilege of hosting groups of Survivors for a time of rest and rehabilitation, while sharing the Love of Yeshua as we serve them. We have just finished hosting our third group in September this year and the next group will be arriving on Nov 28-Dec. 4.

The survivors are also given opportunities to share their testimonies in schools, and churches while they visit. We believe this is so important for the truth to be told of the atrocities that happened during WWII from eye witnesses to our generation especially as Anti-Semitism is again rising in Europe. We ask for your prayers and support for these special outreaches

Here are the names of the next group who will be joining us… Would you please pray for much fruit amongst the survivors during this next outreach.

Asya Braynes
Ana Krochmalnik
Galina Riedrman
Isaac Tunik

Report From last group of survivors in their own words…

From Sept 24- Oct 30 our group had the good fortune to go to Switzerland. Five people who till that time were unfamiliar with each other (except for one couple): Luba and Isaac, Bella, Ida and I, Lena. What was common between us was the terror we all experienced in our childhood as Jews during WWII

Isaac, Luba, Ida Bella and Lena at Haus Schonegg

We were told from other groups who had already visited Haus Schonegg how much goodness we could expect from the family of Marianna and Bradley Antolovich with whom we were going to stay at their invitation. The reality was beyond all expectations. From the moment we left the airport in Tel Aviv to the city of Basel, Switzerland, till the last second when we had to go back, we were surrounded by kindness, care, love, attention, from all of the members of this wonderful family!

Every day in this beautiful, cozy house, felt, in its own way like being home. We rested, walked, they showed us the country, the beautiful city of Thun, Spiez, Interlaken, Bern, took us to the mountains through the steepest road in Europe, and we met good people. We sailed on a boat on the lake. Then we went back to a wonderful evening in the house, to tasty dinner. Marianna and the girls played the piano and sang. Our Luba was also happy to sing in Yiddish and Russian. Their youngest son Isaac read poetry, and he quickly became our favorite. During this time we forgot about our problems, made friends, forgot about our age and our problems. When we told strangers about the horrors that we experienced in early childhood, and had to do it the first time it was much easier than expected – all the time we were met with a kind and knowing look of Bradley.

We met many Christians who love and strongly support Israel and we were able to share our testimonies in different churches, meetings and in homes of people we met.

Every day at the table Bradley, Marianna or one of the children thanked God that he brought five of us into their home, and wished us health. And we are thankful to God for having met with this family, and in our hearts asked for their health, prosperity and success in all their intentions. Lena Dolgov 2012

FZS NEWS:

– We just received another 20 ft. container of Humanitarian Aid from Sweden that arrived yesterday, Sept. 19 ready for distribution.

– We are coordinating with other relief organizations in Sderot, Ashqelon, Ashdod and Beer Sheva in order directly assist those who have suffered as a result of the ongoing rocket attacks.

– We continue to make home visits and deliver aid packets of food to Holocaust Survivors who are “shut ins” because they are too old to go out to even shop for food.

– Our food and furniture coupon programs continue to expand as the economic situation in Israel continues to falter, partly because of the huge defense budget needed to protect us from our neighbors such as the Iron Dome defense system. Each Iron Dome battery, including radar systems and the missiles themselves, costs $60 million to $80 million. Israel has 13 to date. Each interception missile the system uses costs between $35,000 to $50,000.

– We will be hosting our next group of Holocaust Survivors at Haus Schonegg from Nov. 28-Dec 4.

– One of the many blessings we experience during our Clothing Distribution outreaches is meeting many young Israelis who are part of the “Chayal Boded” or lonely Soldier program. These are young men and women who are serving in the IDF without their parents in Israel. We have found that they love to visit us not just because they receive new clothing but also because of the loving atmosphere at the FZS warehouse. Often the soldiers stay longer for coffee and fellowship with us. In turn, we are happy to share love and encouragement with them as they often serve in very stressful situation without the comfort of mom and dad…

Please pray that their hearts will be open to Yeshua’s Love and for their protection as they serve in the IDF in these difficult times.

FZS Blessings Lonely Soldiers

Thank you very much for your support which makes outreaches like these possible!

WE WILL REMEMBER.

This story was aired on CBS on “60 MINUTES” about a long-secret German archive that houses a treasure trove of information on 17.5 million victims of the Holocaust. The archive, located in the German town of Bad Arolsen , is massive (there are 16 miles of shelving containing 50 million pages of documents) and until recently, was off-limits to the public. But after the German government agreed earlier this year to open the archives, CBS News’ Scott Pelley traveled there with three Jewish survivors who were able to see their own Holocaust records. It’s an incredibly moving piece, all the more poignant in the wake of the meeting of Holocaust deniers in Iran and the denial speeches in the UN.

We’re trying to get word out about the story to people who have a special interest in this subject. It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This story is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russia peoples looking the other way!
With love and gratitude from all of us working together with you, For Zion’s Sake,

Bradley, Marianna and FZS staff