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Ministry Report For April – 45,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel live in poverty

Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. (Lam 5:1)

45,000 Holocaust survivors live in poverty in Israel

About 45,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel live in poverty, a new study reveals Tuesday – just days before Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel study further revealed that 190,000 survivors live in Israel in 2016; 2/3 are women.

About 13,000 survivors die every year, according to the report; the average age of a Holocaust survivor is now 80. 13% of survivors are over 90 and very few live to their hundreds. The youngest survivor is 72, and was in the womb while his mother was in a concentration camp.

Most of the survivors choose to live in central cities, much like Israel’s general population; most survivors live in Tel Aviv, Petach Tikva, Netanya, Ramat Gan, and Bnei Brak. 36% of survivors live alone; of those, most are 86 or older.

50% of survivors feel lonely; 60% are concerned over their financial situation; and 43% are concerned that the Holocaust will happen again.

“This Holocaust Remembrance Day, we expect the government to design a comprehensive plan for the welfare of the survivors, to include references to the needs which will arise in the coming years, particularly with regard to health – which they need more than anything else,” former Labor MK Colette Avital, who chairs the Center, stated to Walla! News.

Avital also demanded an increase in allowances for survivors, stating that the Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute/NII) benefits do not cover the cost of living. Moreover, a Haaretz report last month revealed that thousands of survivors have never received those benefits at all.

“It’s time for the Social Affairs, Finance and Health ministers to work together to draw up a master plan which includes health care, dental care, home care, and steps to alleviate [survivors’] loneliness,” Avital added, “instead of addressing specifics every time from scratch.” (Arutz 7):

Remember, this is the last generation of living witnesses of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII. We at FZS take these statistics very seriously and thus, we are doing all we can to visit, comfort and aid these ailing survivors so they can spend their last days in Israel both in dignity and with all of their basic needs taken care of.

We will also be hosting another group of Survivors at Haus Schonegg for 1 week from June 19-26, 2016. Please pray that the Lord would begin to prepare their hearts for His love and that our time together will be spiritually blessed…

Here is the list of survivors who are coming. We will have more details to follow…

1. David Maltzer
2. Sima Pesin
3. Lydia Zaslavskaya
4. Solomon Chtainer
5. Galina Barklyanskaya
6. Boris Arengauz

Greece warns that tens of thousands of migrants cannot be bottled up on its territory…

View of the ever-growing refugee camp at the buffer zone on the Greek border

FZS has been invited to minister to refugees in a camp city near the Greek-Macedonian border in order to bring humanitarian aid, encouragement and most of all the Gospel with another aid organization, GaiN in Holland. Our good friend, Gerrit van Wijngaarden the director has asked if we would partner him on this mission outreach to bring compassion to these unwanted refugees…
As a Zionist, I personally struggle with the goal of these people who are mostly undocumented Muslims trying to flood Europe as “refugees” in search of a better life and to spread Islam. My conscience also bears witness that these are people created in God’s image, many of whom are in real trouble and desperately in need of material help, especially the women and children!

Should we really bless our enemies?

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you; (Matt. 5:44)

Refugees look on as aid workers unload supplies at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border

Would you join with us in prayer for the Lord’s fruitful blessing on this outreach? If you also feel lead to join us in Greece please contact us at: [email protected]

More than 125,000 migrants have arrived in Greece so far this year – 12 times more than during the same period in 2015.
A new build-up of refugees is taking place on Greece’s northern frontier with Macedonia where some 30,000 people are waiting to cross. The backlog has arisen because of Macedonia’s decision to close its border.

GAiN – FZS Mission Trip to Greece May 23-30, 2016

– Helping means giving something from yourself: time, effort, money, emotion, – love, hope and attention

– Helping is letting them know: you are not forgotten, you are precious. And to realize that you can mean something for the other person.

– For helping you get in return: love, satisfaction, another view on problems, get in touch with locals, special people, pushing your boundaries, experience God, experience miracles, your thoughts and your view on the world will change.

Project description:

GAiN Netherlands is involved in helping the refugees since November 2015. We came to help the refugees that were coming from through Greece to Europe. We chose to not let us stop by political opinions and feelings about the refugee crisis, but to act according to our mission statement: “GAiN is a worldwide organization that demonstrates the love of God through (emergency) relief”.

This means that we will give unconditional help and love to those who are in need. GAiN Europe has been working since 2014 in the refugee camps in northern Iraq with the DART emergency team. Regularly Germany sends transports with relief goods to that area.

From December 2015 till March 2016 GAiN organized 4 mission trips to the Serbian-Croatian border. In a transit camp near a town called Šid the teams helped with food distribution and children’s ministry, together with the local Red Cross and other aid organizations. Because of the closing of the Macedonian border for the refugees last March, there are no new refugees coming through the Balkan anymore, so GAiN decided to aim on help in Greece.

At the end of March there was an assessment trip to Greece and now the second official mission trip is going to happen.

The first connection we had in Greece was formed through our logistics department. Through several contacts a pastor from Thessaloniki asked for our help by sending relief goods for the refugees. GAiN responded on their request and in the assessment trip the plan of sending volunteers was being worked out.

We cooperate with Pastor Paul Demetriades of the Apostolic Church from Thessaloniki. This is an evangelical congregation with a big heart for their neighborhood. They have a big storing place from where they distribute relief goods to for example the refugee camps. They also started a clothing bank and twice a week the church organizes outreaches to Idomeni to help there. On Wednesday evening – after the service – there is an outreach to the homeless people in the town to supply food.

Besides cooperation with the church, we will also cooperate with our partner organization Agapè. Together with the Evangelical Alliance Greece Agapè is actively working in the refugee camps by distributing food, clothes, shoes and hygienic materials into the hotspots.
The goal of this trip is cooperating with the church and Agapè in Idomeni and the so called hotspot(s). Hotspots are refugee camps organized by the government. We will help with distributing food, clothes, shoes and hygienic materials, we will do children’s ministry and we will talk with the people and we will try to encourage them in their often desperate situations. Our focus with the food will be on mothers and children.

Let the love of Jesus shine to the people and you will see what God will do through you!
We will arrive on Wednesday and in the evening there is an opportunity to join the outreach of the church to the homeless people in the town to help distributing food packages.

The other days we will mainly join the church or Agapè to the camps. On Sunday we will join the morning service and in the afternoon we will do an ‘Apostle-Paul-Tour’ in Thessaloniki.

Accommodation:

We stay at the Apostolic Church in Thessaloniki.
Address: 551 34, Chaldaiopoulou Georgiou 11, Kalamaria 551 32, Telephone:+30 231 023 9837

Daily program

On the arrival day we will first meet Pastor Paul Demetriades and his team. At Wednesday In the evening there is a church service that we can join. After the service we will bring food packages to the homeless people in Thessaloniki together with the church.

On Thursday we will prepare ourselves for the distribution of all the materials and food/baby-packages for the refugees. After that we will take some time to get to know each other and to prepare for the next days.

Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday Saturday and Monday we will visit the refugee camps. After breakfast we will take some time for devotion and after that, about 9am/9.30 we will leave for Idomeni. This will be about one hour driving.

On Sunday we will join the church service and after lunch we will do an ‘Apostle Paul Tour’. In the evening we will have supper in Thessaloniki.

Please note: that all of a sudden working in the camps can change. The officials are for example trying to evacuate the camp in Idomeni. From our experience with working with refugees we’ve learned that every day can be really different. We ask you therefore to be flexible in this. If we cannot work in the camp in Idomeni suddenly, our local partner will look for an alternative, for example helping in the hotspots.
We also want to respect the safety instructions of our local partners.

Food:

We will have breakfast and dinner at the Apostolic Church. A member of the church will be cooking for us. At lunch time, we will use a lunch that we will bring with us to our work in Idomeni. There will be bottled water available. What you buy for snacks or drinks or other things during our stay will be for your own account.

We will sleep in 2 rooms at the church

Insurance:

Take good care for a good travel insurance which also covers travel assistance. Check this in advance!!
GAiN can offer an international health insurance, please ask GAiN for more information.

Bring with you:

– Sturdy shoes (tip: pull the shoes on the plane because of weight).

– Summer clothes, but also a sweater or jacket for the evenings

– GAiN T-shirt(will be provided)

– Bible

– Sunglasses and sun protection

– Notebook, pen

– Small things to give away to children, such as balloons, small balls, bubble blower (not in the handluggage!)

– Passport/ID card / possibly extra medicine / immodium / paracetamol

– Hand Cleaning Gel/ wet (baby) wipes

– Towel

– trail mix and snacks

Project Money:

The food packages and babycare materials will be paid from funds of GAiN, but it would be great if every participant could take some extra funds, so we can do more on location.
If you have people around who want to send a gift or if you want to arrange a collection or action in your own community or church that would be great! After the trip, you can show pictures so people can see how the money is spent!

Travel costs:

The costs of this trip is 300 euros plus the price of your flight and the price of your travel insurance, if desired. You will get the information about your payment by e-mail.

Working together as a team:
We would like to use the personal gifts and talents of the participants during this trip. This is why we want encourage you to take charge of one of these categories:
Logistics & distribution, Team-care, Communication (photos and travel report), Children’s ministry and Devotion.

Think ahead what you would like to do so we could form a good team. We will discuss the tasks when we are on location.
Note: If circumstances are changing this program might be changed too, please be flexible.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support!