Gimme SheIter
Vision for Israel
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 household items, blankets, towels, linens and toys from the ministry.
“We have helped serve about 350,000 individuals in Israel, both Jewish and Arab, with humanitarian aid assistance in some form,” Barry Segal says. “Most people don’t know about the poverty. Israel doesn’t pride itself in letting people know. The country is perceived as a mighty nation and wants to present its best face.”
Segal says the primary aim of VFI is to distribute what it brings in, not to be a storehouse only. By touching people’s “hearts and physical lives” at the same time, their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being all are improved, he says.
The ministry also gives to children through its Operation Pack to School, in which school kids once a year are provided a backpack containing pens, pencils, paper, ruler and eraser. Since 1999 the ministry has equipped 140,000 children with the packs.
VFI’s other ministries include Lonely Soldiers—for men and women who have no family or come from a high-risk home or environment; Family Welfare; Emergency and Medical Relief; and weekly food deliveries.
“Some of the recipients have tears in their eyes when we provide their goods,” Segal says, adding that about 90 percent of VFI donations come from Christians—a gesture that usually touches the hearts of needy Jews. “They often say they didn’t realize Christians love Israel.”
Dugit
As a trailblazer among born-again sabras, or native-born Israelis, Avi Mizrachi opened Dugit as an evangelistic outreach in Tel Aviv, Israel’s most cosmopolitan and worldly city.
“The youth in Tel Aviv are so lost,” Mizrachi says. “They are into New Age, free sex, drugs and sexual violence. Tel Aviv is very secular, very dark. Like many major U.S. cities, Tel Aviv never sleeps.”
Dugit, which means “small fishing boat,” has many avenues with which to reach out, including running a coffee house in the heart of Tel Aviv, acting as a base for visiting groups to evangelize the city, providing Messianic literature in a variety of languages and being a hub for local believers to gather for fellowship, discipling and encouragement.
“Our heart is to preach, reach out in any way we can,” says Mizrachi, 49, who went to the U.S. in 1984 to make money but found his Messiah instead and later was led by the Lord to return to Israel and found Dugit.
One of the ways Dugit reaches out to the poor and needy is through the ministry of its Agape Distribution Centre, which provides food and clothing to the elderly, poor families and new immigrants.
Many of those who come seeking assistance are Russian immigrants and Tel Aviv’s homeless. The center offers basic foods such as oil, rice, sugar, flour and more, as well as clothes for all, toys for orphans, household items and toiletries.
The distribution center complements Dugit’s Messianic Outreach Center, a base for street outreaches and a safe place where Israelis can hear the gospel over a cup of coffee. Both are points of connection with the wider Tel Aviv community.
Mizrachi is also the senior pastor of Adonai Roi Congregation in Tel Aviv. He and his wife, Chaya, are graduates of Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas.
Tents of Mercy
Providing goods to Russian and Ethiopian Jews living in the Galilee region is the focus of Tents of Mercy, a registered charity in Israel and network of five Messianic congregations located across Galilee.
Eitan Shishkoff founded Tents of Mercy in 1989 after having a vision in which he saw an oasis with tents full of provisions of every kind. He says God told him this represented his call to set up a place of refuge and healing for Jews immigrating to Israel.
Many of the immigrants would arrive with few economic resources. Shishkoff says God promised to “restore the tents of Jacob and have mercy on his dwelling places,” referencing Jeremiah 30:18.
Six years later, Tents of Mercy was a reality. Today the organization derives its support from its congregational network, which comprises Tents of Mercy in Kiryat Yam, Shavei Tsion in Haifa, Netzer HaGalil in Nazareth Illit, Katzir Asher in Akko and Poriya Congregation in Poriya Illit. All are committed to helping the poor.
Primarily Tents of Mercy helps people in their 50s and 60s who live on state welfare. For the nearly 300 Israelis assisted by the charity each month, any goods are a help and a blessing—whether pasta, sugar, flour, clothing or furniture.
“We have embraced the prophetic mandate to share our food with the hungry, house the homeless and clothe the naked,” says Shishkoff, who leads the Tents of Mercy congregation. “We provide food, clothing, household goods and counseling to anyone in need, no strings attached.”
Larry J. Leech II is a ghostwriter, freelance writer and editor based in Longwood, Fla.
5 ways to sow into Israel’s future
1) Pray. “We’re under tremendous stress and pressure,” says Avi Mizrachi of Dugit. “There is a lot of spiritual warfare here.” Barry Segal of Vision for Israel suggests subscribing to the online newsletter Jerusalem on the Line (doveministries.org.uk/temple.htm) as a source for prayer needs.
2) Engage. Last year 3 million Christians visited Israel through various programs. Yet 99 percent never took the time to visit and spend time with a Jewish believer.
3) Donate. For Leket Israel, every $1 donated generates $5 worth of food. A gift of $20 provides one child with a school backpack, including the necessary school items.
4) Volunteer. Nearly every organization depends on volunteers to help the full-time workers accomplish the mission and vision of the charity.
5) Participate. Help create jobs for Israelis by participating in programs such as My Olive Tree (myolivetree.com).
To Help these organizations …
Give your “Aid for Israel” donation securely online at christianlifemissions.com. Or send your donation to: Christian Life Missions, P.O. Box 952248, Lake Mary, FL 32795. All donations are tax-deductible, and 100 percent of every donation received will go directly to the five organizations.
Watch how these organizations are changing Israel at changingisrael.charismamag.com
