By: David Parsons, ICEJ VP & Senior Spokesman

Over recent weeks, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has helped to fund Christmas and Hanukkah distribution projects which provided holiday gifts and food packages to dozens of Arab Christian and Jewish families in the Nazareth area through local evangelical Arab churches.

It has become an honoured tradition every Christmas and Hanukkah season for the ICEJ to help needy Israeli families to celebrate these cherished holidays.

At Christmas time, we normally work with local Arab churches – usually in Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem – to provide holiday gifts and food baskets or vouchers to Arab Christian families. This year, we focused our efforts on Nazareth, working with two local Arab congregations to deliver gifts and food supplies to dozens of needy families.

One of the congregations, the ‘Home of Jesus the King Church’ pastored by Rev. Saleem Shalash, distributed not only Christmas holiday baskets and food vouchers to Arab Christians in Nazareth, but they also gave Hanukkah food baskets to dozens of needy Jewish families in nearby Nof HaGalil. Many families also received blankets and heaters for the winter.

Pastor Saleem says that in recent years, God has put it on the hearts of his church members to reach out to both Arab and Jewish families. This year, with the Coronavirus still impacting our lives, he had a special message for the Arab and Jewish families he assisted, telling them “not to lose hope. God still loves you, and He will open the doors soon to better times.”

Overall, the ICEJ assisted some 220 Arab and Jewish families in the Galilee this holiday season.

You can be a part of our outreach to needy families in Israel.

Donate to the ICEJ’s aid work today!