Day 431 – Good morning, Sunday 8 December
Start of that day. There are over 100 incoming WhatsApp messages: Did you hear it last night too? What were all those explosions? Damascus has fallen. The Israeli army is on high alert on the Golan Heights and has created a buffer zone to protect the communities on the Golan. Israel promises to help the Druze and Kurds in Syria if necessary. An armed attack takes place on a UN post in Syria. Despite the fact that last week the UN voted that Israel must immediately withdraw from the Golan Heights, the Israeli army helped protect the UN post from attack. The UN expresses NO gratitude: even not, “Thank you, Israel.” Etc. etc. etc.
We long for the day when the hostages will finally be released from their suffering, but in the meantime we are continuing to count the number of days of their captivity. Another hostage has been declared dead, an Israeli man of German descent, and his body is being held in Gaza. That means that there are still 100 people being held hostage in that hell, whether dead or alive. “Oh,” say some, who have long forgotten October 7: “Are there still hostages in Gaza?”
Here in Israel, the hostages are not forgotten for a single day; even if you wanted to, it is not possible, as their photos and accompanying names are posted everywhere. Passengers entering Ben Gurion Airport are confronted immediately with their photographs, including those of the youngest hostages, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.
Just a reminder: If the hostages were released today, the war would be over tomorrow!
More than a year after the catastrophe of 7 October, 2023, we have twice as much work. The requests are doubling and there are many projects, but thanks to your wonderful financial support in donations, actions, and collections, we can tackle so much more. It is touching that so much sympathy and love have come from the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany over the past year. I would have liked to thank each one of you personally, but please accept this letter as heartfelt thanks. So much has happened in the past year. I am grateful and very happy to be able to tell you what we have been able to do with the wonderful donations, small and large. What a blessing it is to be able to share generously!
The elderly
The adoption program for the Holocaust survivors is decreasing in size, but all the adopted grandparents receive the financial support you donate. Mirjam, who was initially supposed to replace Silvia, will now as far as possible remain in the south; unfortunately she is very limited at the moment due to the leukemia diagnosis of her son Samuel who is 13 years old. This has come as a very hard blow. Fortunately, the doctors give a lot of hope, but this is going to be a difficult year for the entire family. That is why I am immediately calling for prayer for Samuel and the entire Reijnen family.
Fortunately, the contacts with social workers in Jerusalem are very good and everything is well organized. The long list of needy elderly people, in addition to the Holocaust survivors, is growing. We are not visiting them but are providing the food vouchers that volunteers at the social work office hand out to the people every month. We know who the elderly people are and receive lists with their names, identity numbers, and signatures for receipt. In this way, we know that all the food vouchers go to the right people.
Aliyah is increasing.
Thankfully, because that speeds up the coming of the Messiah. The devil tries to stop God’s plans, but fortunately our God is greater. He says: “I say to the north: Give up! And to the south: Do not withhold! Bring back My sons and My daughters from the ends of the earth.” — ALIYAH.
The world (unfortunately even people in the churches) call Israel the aggressor, but isn’t that great? God calls Israel, HIS sons and HIS daughters. Events are happening incredibly quickly now. The prophet Isaiah says in chapter 60: “I, the LORD, will accomplish everything quickly.” We see it happening before our eyes, but if we do not know the prophetic word and do not know history, we have little hope. The glory of Zion is approaching!
This era is much more serious than the Second World War.
Antisemitism/anti-Zionism is not only apparent in the Netherlands (to our great shame) and elsewhere in Europe; the Jews are no longer safe anywhere in the world. Therefore, we want to encourage Jews to return to the land given by God, but also help them to settle here. It is difficult financially and, if we can, we help for example with dental costs or sometimes with furniture that immigrants cannot afford. Maxident, a special dental clinic, does the first examinations for free for Holocaust survivors and new immigrants. We assist with further expenses.
How grateful were Zhenya and her daughter:
My daughter and I are so happy! Yesterday I was able to buy a dining table with chairs and a wardrobe for my daughter — our life is so much more comfortable (and cozy) now. All this is thanks to your generous help. Thank you very much!
Ethiopian students
In the past weeks, we have had 4 meetings with Ethiopian students that we will help. They thank you very much:
Reut writes:
I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your meaningful support. Thanks to your scholarship, I was able to fully devote myself to my studies, without financial worries. Your investment is truly inspiring and I am so grateful for the trust you have placed in me.
Lilach writes:
I would like to thank the wonderful team of the Yad L’ Ami Foundation. They have helped me with my studies in education for two years, with a big smile and understanding. This is a foundation that I have never seen anywhere else. The sensitive human relationships, professionalism, and the high subsidy. Thank you very much for everything!
One of these beautiful women is in her final year and will then be a lawyer. The others are studying special or regular education. To be honest, I am super proud of those girls who persevere. Indeed, without your help they would not have made it. In the Ethiopian community, parents often cannot provide for the costs of their children’s education.
Youth and the future in the South
Last week there were fistfights. The stress, fear, and lack of stability suddenly bubbled over. Not just on the street, but in the most beautiful educational institution where the youth like to come and where there is a great team.
For months I wondered what we could do to help and how we could give them something for the future. It became clear: a cyber course. In the past period, Israel has had to deal with 200 cyberattacks, which are acts of war. This is a very important recognized course, much needed at this time. After 6 months, they will be able to put their skills into practice. Together with the youth leader we will work on this.
Furthermore, in addition to the garden that has been renovated, we were also allowed to help the youth with a very special memorial evening on October 7. Together we were able to commemorate the young people from their group who were murdered on 07-10-23 and in this way we are trying to give these terrible events a place in these young lives.
The residents have returned to Kibbutz Zikim.
All the kibbutzim and communities in the south are having to pick up the thread again after a long time apart. That is difficult for many people; everyone is still in survival mode and there is not much time or emotional space left for others. Families are separated. The men have to serve in the army reserves 5 times longer each year than normal. In some places, outside help has been called in to get things back on track and our help has also been requested for all age groups. Is there anything more beautiful than helping to restore relationships and offering projects that ensure recovery?
The program includes: 6 sessions of bicycle therapy in which 1 parent and 1 of their children participate under the supervision of psychologists. It is a wonderful project being active outdoors in nature. We have supported this project before and it has been a great success for the parent/child relationship.
Furthermore, 17 younger children are receiving therapy in the organic garden with Mosje.
I would like to thank the group of children from “De Nieuwe Rank” in The Hague for their Kids for Kids campaign. On your behalf, 17 children are now receiving help from trauma.
For the elderly in Zikim we are going to organize a joint concert with their neighbors from Kibbutz Karmia and Netiv HaAsarah. I love connecting people. Many know each other from the past but currently never have contact. They will have so much to tell each other after such a dramatic year. Several elderly people have not yet returned home following their evacuation, and still need to regain their confidence and sense of safety. This is true especially now as the sirens wail regularly in the Gaza border area.
Kibbutz Niram, located near Sderot, is also back on our list. Years ago, we helped there with the purchase of supplies for the youth and children.
The music room that we helped set up in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai where young and old can take lessons, for a small fee, has been a great success in helping traumatized people. Music heals! Now people from Yad Mordechai are going to help Kibbutz Niram create something similar, but of course they still need our help. This is another way of helping people connect with one another.
Kibbutz Nachal Oz. In the meantime, we have had our first meeting with the youth leader in Nachal Oz. We hope to pick up things there as well. To be continued.
Kibbutz Sa’ad. We are helping the school on various fronts. It is great that we can provide so much help, but it is sad that it is needed. There have always been many traumatized children in the Gaza border area because people have been living under rocket fire from Gaza for 20 years, but in the wake of October 7th all the children need help. Thirty children from the school will receive horse therapy paid for by Yad L’Ami (€38+ per lesson x 10 = €380 per child) and 25 children will receive dog therapy in groups (€100 + per lesson for 5 children).
Thanks to a few great donations for the animal corner at Kibbutz Sa’ad, we can finance the purchase of all the small animals that are needed. Many were killed in the war by rocket fire. The animal corner is a huge help for the traumatized children at the school. If things aren’t going so well in class, they are taken there to relax for a while to take care of the animals and cuddle them. It’s great to know that the animal corner is being renovated and expanded, so that all the children in the region can benefit from it.
In the girls’ home at Sa’ad, the girls are receiving music therapy/lessons. We were also able to support a group of girls there for a recognized cooking course, something they can continue with in the future.
In Kibbutz Karmia, they are asking us to help set up a youth center in an empty building. We are also helping with some trauma workshops for children. The older youth really want a self-defense course.
Kibbutz Yad Mordechai: One of the clubhouses need renovation and is asking for kitchen equipment. They are also working on offering art and recreation therapy to children who are too scared to go outside in certain situations; they would work/play there together with a parent. There will be a Lego corner and areas for ceramics and work with clay.
Kibbutz Sufa
We have been in contact for a long time with Kibbutz Sufa, close to the Egyptian border. It is a nice little place housing about 400 people. This week, 13 of us will be cleaning houses for one day. When the families are allowed to return, they will come to a clean house. A couple of friends will stay there for a few more days to provide further services. On January 10, 2025, 8 men from Holland hope to come under the guidance of Jacco, chairman of the Netherlands board, to complete a beautiful job and help rebuild the community. Arjen, our board member in Israel and a landscape architect, has designed beautiful plans for renovating the grounds of Sufa. If they can return to their homes, they will return to a beautiful and renovated kibbutz and not to the destruction caused during the massacre of October 7th, 2023; that would be too painful. Yes, all these people still live spread out across Israel because of the evacuation, just like several other communities. Prophecies are being fulfilled! In Isaiah 60 we read that foreigners will rebuild your walls.
This past year has been the most trying and challenging year for God’s people since the Holocaust. But one thing is certain: “Israel will not be wiped off the map,” as the nations around Israel and the enemies in Israel and all over the world cry out. God himself says: “At that time I WILL deal with all your oppressors, I WILL save the lame, I WILL gather the scattered. And those who were despised in the whole world I WILL honor and praise” (Zephaniah 3:19). May this happen soon!
On behalf of all of us, we wish you happy holidays, Chanukah, Christmas, and a peaceful 2025!
Ria Doekes
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