Dear friend in the Messiah,
Shalom in His grace. I am delighted to write and bring you up to date on what God is doing through this 130-year-old mission to Jewish people.
Israel is still deeply in turmoil, which keeps me on my knees. Even if Israel agreed to some type of peace accord with Gaza, welcomed all the living hostages back, received the bodies of those who died in captivity, and secured the safe return of the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes near the border, Israel would still have to face all the challenges of a future plan for Gaza! Even if Israel fully dismantles the threat of Hamas (and Hezbollah), how long would peace last?
Possible Partnerships for Israel
There is also the question of potential governing bodies who would partner with Israel in controlling any future terrorism from Gaza. If an alliance of Arab countries with Israel had equal authority in the Gaza Strip, would this partnership endure? I realize these scenarios are hard to imagine, and we cannot predict the future. We can only follow the One who can!
Who could logically believe this alliance could work? The Palestinian Authority, who controls the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), has proven itself to be an undependable partner in peace. The West Bank has been rife with terrorism, and it is possible more Israeli soldiers will die in this territory than in Gaza!
And what about Hezbollah’s frequent rocket attacks into northern Israel, destroying homes and causing fires? Can we really trust Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, to remain within the demilitarized zone already established at the Litani River in 1985? Hezbollah moved into southern Lebanon after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was forced out in 1982. What assurance does Israel have they will not use their Iranian-supplied arms to bring destruction to the north, including to cities like Haifa or in the Galilee? Many believe their rockets and missiles can even reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as well. You can see Israel’s options for partners is getting slimmer as time goes by.
Some of Israel’s History with Lebanon
This is not the first time Israel thought a solution would work in southern Lebanon. An Israeli news source, Ynet News, describes the first Lebanon war:
The 1982 Lebanon War began on June 6, 1982, as what was supposed to be a short-term military operation—Operation Peace for Galilee. The operation was meant to destroy [Palestinian] militant infrastructure on the Lebanese-Israeli border, which had been used by terrorists to attack the Israel Defense Forces, as well as the Israeli communities abject to the border. In 1978 Israel launched Operation Litani, temporarily occupying southern Lebanon up to the Litani River. Once the IDF withdrew its forces later that year, an alliance was formed between the IDF and the South Lebanon Army (SLA), resulting in a buffer zone along Israel’s border.1
However, this plan for northern security did not hold as Ynet further describes,
January of 1985 saw the Israeli government decide to gradually withdraw from Lebanon, and by springtime most of the IDF’s troops—with the exception of those stationed in the south Lebanese buffer zone—were out of Lebanon.
According to the Defense Ministry, Israel suffered 1,217 fatalities in the war itself, which lasted between 1982 and 1985.
The rising number of fatalities among IDF soldier[s] stationed in the buffer zone led to a growing public outcry to pull all troops out of the area and in 1999, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak led his government to vote for the complete withdrawal from Lebanon.
The last Israeli soldiers left Lebanon on May 24, 2000.2
Why would the lack of lasting peace be any different today? Israelis old enough to remember these events ask themselves this question. What has changed other than Iran and Hezbollah drawing closer and becoming more militarily capable?
Israel will do whatever it takes to survive. If viciously attacked, Israel will defend herself once again. Only this time, with the memory of what happened previously, Israel’s response will be fierce and decisive, leading to further and more massive destruction on all sides.
Israel’s Dilemma
As you can see, Israel is still in a very difficult situation. I do not want to leave you feeling hopeless but to help you get a sense of what our staff in Israel is going through as they reach Israelis at this critical time with the message of true hope through the Messiah. Not even one of our workers permanently left Israel during the war—though many of them could have gone elsewhere. I am so proud of their dedication and selfless service.
I could not be more pleased with the way our staff has served the Messiah and shown His love in dozens of ways, touching the lives of thousands of Israelis who feel so vulnerable and hopeless at times.
So, our staff continues to serve faithfully, and they can do this because you care and stand with them in their efforts!
A Wartime Miracle: the New Tel Aviv Center
Now, let me tell you about what I can only call a wartime miracle. Our beautiful new ministry center in Tel Aviv is almost done. Can you believe it? We still need a little more than a half million dollars toward this $6.5-million-dollar project.
But the true miracle is not the funding but rather overcoming the lack of labor over the last year as building projects in Israel so often depend upon Palestinian laboraers—many of whom came in through Gaza each day.
And yet God provided laborers from among Christian Arabs and Israelis to get us very close to the finish line on the building. We cannot tell you how thrilled we are to see God’s provision. It reminds me of the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:13–21). We did not bring much to the table by way of labor, but God maximized what we brought.
The Freedom Tower, A Symbol of Hope
May I explain to you a little bit more how I feel about what the Lord has done?
I lived through the 9/11 tragedy in New York City. My house in Brooklyn is downwind from the World Trade Center towers, meaning smoke was clearly visible from my home. I cannot tell you about the horror of those moments, when more than 2,977 people died. In September 2021, on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, we honored the hundreds of law enforcement, fire department, military, and Christian workers who perished as they worked to save others. We also thanked those who rallied to the challenge to help rebuild New York City.
I am sorry to say both Israel and the United States have a common enemy. Those who perpetrated the awful tragedy of 9/11 and those who are behind the war in Israel have a common ideology. This ideology of evil goes far beyond borders and resides across many nations. These adherents hate the West, hate Jewish people, hate Christians, hate the Lord, and hate Judeo- Christian values. But the Lord overcomes our enemies!
I watched the new Freedom Tower being built for years. Today, it stands grand and proud as a symbol of our freedom and our enemies’ inability to destroy us.
Help Us Finish The New Tel Aviv Messianic Center
I want our new Messianic center in Tel Aviv to stand as a sign of God’s faithfulness to Israel, Jewish people, and in particular to the Messianic Jewish movement within Israel, which is growing by leaps and bounds over the last twenty-five years. Our Romans 11:5 remnant is increasing, and Chosen People Ministries—Your Mission to the Jewish People—is one of the largest ministries in Israel.
In Tel Aviv, we hope to plant a congregation, continue our outreach concerts, and implement other ministries. Our staff across Israel will continue to reach out to children, young adults, elderly Holocaust survivors, and many others.
You can contribute to this beautiful new property in Tel Aviv, which is a symbol of God’s faithfulness to Jewish people and to Chosen People Ministries in our 130th year of service.
Would you participate in completing the new Tel Aviv Messianic Center by helping us close the gap of $600,000 we need to finish the task without debt? I do not often ask for this much money, but I sense God’s peace in asking for you to help because of the value this center will bring to Israel.
Would you pray about it and ask your friends and your church to consider contributing as well? You can watch a video about the building using this QR code. It will be a beautiful facility, which will host a congregation and help expand our work of reaching Israelis with the gospel.
Together we can raise the $600,000 needed to help us put the final touches on this beautiful facility by the end of December 2024 and be debt free.
Thanks so much for caring, and please remember every gift counts.
Your brother,
Dr. Mitch Glaser (Romans 10:1)
P.S. To start, we now have a challenge grant of $150,000, so if we raise an additional $150,000, we will be halfway toward our goal!