As another year draws to a close, Israel is still carrying the weight of everything that began on October 7 two years ago. Families are still recovering from deep trauma. Entire communities were uprooted in the aftermath of the attack and the fighting that followed. Estimates show that around 200,000 Israelis were forced from their homes in the north and the south during that period. More than 1,200 people were murdered on October 7, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Thousands of rockets fell on neighborhoods where children should have been playing and where daily life should have continued without fear.
Life changed for the entire country. Yet Israel refuses to break.
If you open the Bible, this resilience feels familiar. The story of Israel has always been a story of hardship and courage, fear and faith, darkness and renewal.
When Jacob prepared to leave the land he loved, frightened of what Egypt would bring, God spoke the words in Genesis 46:3: “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.” Jacob walked into uncertainty, but he walked with God.
When Joshua stepped into leadership after Moses, unsure of how to guide the people into a land filled with enemies, he heard God’s promise in Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
When David hid in the Judean hills, surrounded by danger, he refused to let fear consume him. He wrote in Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear.” His courage did not come from safety, but from faith.
When the exiles returned to Jerusalem and saw only ruins, Nehemiah gathered them and said in Nehemiah 8:10, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” That joy carried them through the work of rebuilding stone by stone.
These stories are not distant memories. They are the rhythm of Israel’s life today.
We see the same spirit in the seniors of Sderot who still gather each morning for meals and community, even when sirens interrupt their conversations.
We see it in the lone soldiers who serve without family in Israel, yet stand guard with devotion and return from their bases to Shabbat meals and a warm welcome.
We see it in the pioneering families in Judea who plant trees, build homes, and raise children in the same hills where Jacob, David, and the prophets once walked.
These quiet acts of strength do not make global headlines, but they sustain the nation just as surely as the courage of Joshua and Nehemiah sustained ancient Israel.
As the holiday season begins, many of us feel the instinct to do something meaningful. The holidays invite us to look inward and outward at the same time. They remind us that light matters most when the world feels dark. They call us to stand with those who are rebuilding their lives, their homes, and their sense of safety.
Israel still needs support. Rebuilding takes time. Healing takes time. And even though the news cycle moves quickly, the daily work of restoring hope continues every single day.
Ending the year with generosity is not only an act of giving. It is a choice to carry forward the biblical call to strengthen, comfort, and stand with the people of Israel. It is a way of saying that we will not turn away. It is a way of choosing life.
In Hebrew, the number 18 spells chai, which means life. A monthly gift of eighteen dollars may seem small, but in this moment it becomes part of the steady foundation that helps Israel stand.
If your heart is open to it, consider closing out the year with a simple act that brings life where it is needed most.
Eighteen dollars a month. A small commitment. A steady blessing. Life for Israel as we enter the holidays and begin a new year.
If you feel moved to join, click here.
