The Joshua Fund Supports Aliyah
“Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders”. – Isaiah 49:22
During the past several years The Joshua Fund has been blessed to help Jewish people who have returned to the land of their forefathers from different parts of the world. They come with very few possessions. Through the support of our faithful donors, we have been able to supply household goods, food and backpacks filled with school supplies to help them as they settle into their new homes.
We are very excited to now be able to provide financial assistance to those who need help to fulfill their dream of making aliyah. The needs go beyond just getting the flight to Israel. Many need help in locating the proper documentation to verify their “right of return” to Israel. Many documents were destroyed or lost during World War II. Many changed their names in an effort to conceal that they were Jewish. As you can imagine this process is very arduous. Once they have the proper documentation, they need assistance in getting to the Israeli Consulate (many of them do not live near a big city where they have access). They need to be transported to the airport and often need accommodations the night before they fly to Israel. The details that have to be cared for and the funds needed in preparation for the journey to their homeland can seem overwhelming. We are so thankful that the Lord has provided the means through our generous donors for The Joshua Fund to help.
We want to share just a few of their stories:
-
Tatiana and her son lived in very dire circumstances. Within a short period of time, she lost her husband and her eldest daughter. Both died of incurable diseases. Her salary was so meager that she could not afford to pay the electricity bills and had to use candles to try to stay warm. Tatiana knew that her father was Jewish but was having difficulty finding all the necessary documents proving her Jewish origin. When she was finally able to obtain the proper documents, the Israeli Consul gave her and her son the permission for aliyah. We were able to pay for their passports as well as transportation to the airport on the day of their flight. They took off for their homeland on December 16.
-
Those we work with had been carrying the M. family in prayer for a long time. Some of the family members moved to Israel leaving behind their elderly parents who did not feel like leaving their “secure” places and starting a new life. However, praise God, after a year they made the decision to make aliyah. They are very grateful that they were helped so much in everything, including covering their traveling expenses (train tickets), as they had to make three trips to Consular appointments. They were met at the station and assisted to the Israeli Consulate. They were transported to the airport on the day of their flight and provided accommodations at the airport. They were so thankful for the care, attention and faithful prayers. And they could see and feel God’s love through all of this.
-
Nina had been taking care of her grandson after his parents died in a car accident. In November, 2010, her beloved grandson made his way to Israel. Nina is a widow, so you can imagine the loneliness she felt as he left and she had to stay behind. She was so thankful for the kind support she received enabling her to join him in January.
- What a joy to be able to give assistance to Raisa, a Holocaust survivor, whose son and daughter-in-law had already made aliyah earlier in the year. Praise the Lord that the family has now been reunited in the Land!
We look forward to helping many more of God’s chosen people to return to their homeland.
