Charisma Magazine

We are on the brink of a spiritual breakthrough in the nation of Israel. Today, the number of Israeli Messianic Jewish believers is estimated at 12,000, with about 140 different congregations and home fellowships. God is birthing a new end-time movement of Jewish lovers in Yeshua that is becoming a prophetic voice to Israel as well as to other nations. This is truly a time to rejoice.

Nevertheless, many Jewish believers in Israel regularly experience not only rejection by the traditional Jewish religious establishment but also growing antagonism and hostility from extremist ultra-orthodox elements. What is happening to the Messianic Jews is to be expected considering we are in the end times. Similar persecution is being experienced by believers all over the world.

Founded in 1994 by Barry and Batya Segal, the nonprofit Vision for Israel (VFI) is an international humanitarian-aid center operating in the Judean hills outside Jerusalem, primarily through its distribution outlet, The Joseph Storehouse. Each week, orphans and widows, homeless and handicapped, elderly and geriatric, new immigrants and victims of terrorism all receive food, clothing, toiletries, kitchen and house-hold items, blankets, towels, linens and toys from the ministry.

The Joseph Storehouse is a humanitarian aid center in the hills of Jerusalem and is the central focus of an ever-expanding ministry, Vision for Israel.

The goal of this organization if to be a source of emergency assistance to the entire community of Israel, whether Jewish, Arab or Christian. Their desire is to be a channel of mercy through the distribution of a full range of items such as emergency medical equipment, food, toiletries, clothing and other necessities. The Joseph Storehouse also warehouses supplies for times of emergency in the land of Israel.

A New York-based ministry that co-organizes the annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem is coupling its intercession with action by raising funds to help the poor in Israel.

Eagles' Wings ministry hopes to feed at least 1,000 impoverished families in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities this year as part of its ongoing mission to bless the people of Israel through prayer.

The ministry provided some meals this summer through a partnership with an Israel-based aid organization. But it hopes to raise more funding for the outreach through donations made at its website and during services held on the global prayer day Oct. 3. Each meal costs $18, according to the Eagles' Wings website, with a week's worth of food provided for $189.

"I feel like it's time for us to really pray prayers that we are willing to become the answer to," said Eagles' Wings founder Robert Stearns, who launched the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem eight years ago in partnership with Foursquare Church leader Jack Hayford. "... Yes prayer is vital, yes prayer is urgent, but [we want to do something] from a social justice aspect that also brings a sense of relief and a sense of genuine comfort to the people living there."

It's easy for a Hollywood celebrity to stand next to a starving child, stare into a video camera and remind us that children are our future. It's much more difficult to nourish that child—on a regular basis—with enough food, clothing and education to help him grow up and truly shape the future.

The same principle applies to caring for widows, immigrants, the impoverished and other people groups who, for various reasons, need assistance for a better life. In Israel, dozens of organizations have been birthed specifically to reach this swelling segment of the Jewish population. Amid the politics of the most contested land in human history, the following five humanitarian aid organizations have dedicated themselves to being a consistent presence in the Holy Land to shape a brighter tomorrow for the next generation of Jews.