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Before the war with Hamas, more than 20 percent of Israelis lived below the poverty line. But since then, more than twice as many people have been driven to the brink of poverty. 

In fact, an estimated 200,000 citizens have been displaced throughout Israel—with many losing jobs or having to close their businesses. Some are living in temporary shelters, and unable to cook a hot meal, while others living in poverty are barely surviving with Israel’s rising prices. And local charities report a 58 percent increase in families asking for assistance since October 7.

So, what can be done for these hurting people in their time of crisis? Thankfully, friends like you have been there. Donors have enabled CBN Israel to partner with several food banks and distribution centers—and ramp up efforts to ensure these vulnerable people won’t go hungry.

One powerful partner is Latet—Israel’s largest food bank. This umbrella organization networks with 210 municipalities and local charities. In just four months, Latet distributed an additional 104,000 food packages. They have also provided food to soldiers and first responders on the frontlines, plus serving current beneficiaries—95,000 families and 1,450 Holocaust survivors.

Latet works with grocery stores and food manufacturers to salvage fresh and canned food and makes sure it goes to people in need. It also helps provide other essentials such as back-to-school equipment, hygiene boxes, and winter equipment.

And caring donors are helping to make this happen. Tal Avnet, head of resources development at Latet, is extremely grateful, saying, “Truly, we as the Latet team, would like to thank you all. You made us feel we are not alone in a very lonely and scary time.”

Your gifts to CBN Israel can give hope and aid to so many in need who feel alone. You can offer them hot meals, safe lodging, financial help, and more.

Please consider a gift to bless others!

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By Nicole Jansezian

Tucked into a back alley in the industrial area of a desert city in southern Israel, Coffee Studio unintentionally found itself a popular destination after October 7.

Just days after the Hamas invasion, Anna Lane’s artistic Bohemian cafe flooded with Israeli soldiers heading to nearby military bases after being called up to fight the war in Gaza.

“There was just a huge call up of soldiers who weren’t on active duty,” Anna said. “And so, I saw this and I was like, ‘This is such a great way to support our soldiers because it happened so fast.’”

Anna joined the many Israeli businesses which began donating to soldiers and internally displaced residents. Anyone in uniform got a free meal when they showed up at Coffee Studio.

But it was more than just coffee and a meal she offered. Anna had long been cultivating an atmosphere of tranquility and refuge in her off-the-beaten path cafe.

“Living here in Israel can be very intense,” she noted. “We don’t realize it until we come into a different environment. People are always saying just how wonderful and joyful it is here (at the cafe) and I know that it’s an environment that everyone can feel comfortable in.”

“That is really been the heartbeat of this coffee shop is to give a place where people can feel like they’ve been heard or seen and just have their day elevated just a little bit,” Anna said.

When Anna decided to open her business, she learned from a Korean coffee maker who taught her to sort through the beans by hand and pick out the moldy and rotten ones. This method keeps the coffee fresher longer, she said.

She was the first and perhaps still the only coffee provider in the country that sorts beans by hand.

“I’m very proud of that. That’s what I wanted to bring to Israel,” she said.

She also learned the art of roasting.

Anna met CBN Israel during COVID when government-mandated lockdowns were bleeding her business dry. Though she pivoted and started selling her coffee and baked goods to supermarkets since she couldn’t open the cafe, she was still not making enough.

“Everything still had to be paid, all the taxes had to be paid, all the property taxes, the rent,” she said.

CBN Israel’s business development department helped Anna with a grant and some much-needed encouragement.

“To have an organization come alongside and just to be supportive and just to hear me and where I’m at in this process of running a business in Israel was so supportive and so I could just trust in it and trust in the people and the organization,” she said.

CBN Israel has also helped Anna acquire much needed equipment to run her business better including a larger coffee roaster which has enabled her to expand her business. During the war, CBN Israel also pitched in to pay for soldiers’ meals.

Yigal Miller, head of CBN Israel’s business development department, said support like this is crucial.

“Supporting businesses in times of war and crisis is necessary and existential for Anna’s establishment and, with her help, we were able to feed soldiers and give the space and time to relax, disconnect and, for a moment, enjoy delicious food, coffee and love directed towards them,” Yigal said.

Anna said that during the first weeks after the war people were dazed, somber and some would randomly start to cry. She shared with the soldiers that organizations such as CBN Israel and Christians around the world were supporting them.

“They didn’t have any words to express just how much that meant to them. Some of them would cry… some of them would just be completely dumbfounded. Some would pay it forward and pay for the next soldiers that would come,” Anna said.

Ravit Stav was on her way to drop off her son at his army base just before he was heading into Gaza. They happened upon Studio Coffee having no idea they were about to be treated to a cup of coffee.

“It’s very touching that someone cares. I will leave here feeling strengthened,” she said. “Until now I didn’t shed a tear. And today I was very emotional. It touched me deeply.”

One soldier who couldn’t be named because of his position in the army said that soldiers have always felt supported there.

“They really try to help and lend a hand to all the soldiers here. It’s a wonderful gesture,” he said. “It’s nice to see that people from abroad are also trying to contribute to us, trying to help us. Soldiers come here to be distracted and they get some quiet here and financial support.”

Nicole Jansezian is the media coordinator for CBN Israel. A long-time journalist, Nicole was previously the news editor of All Israel News and All Arab News and a journalist at The Associated Press. On her YouTube channel, Nicole gives a platform to the minority communities in Jerusalem and highlights stories of fascinating people in this intense city. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., she lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Tony, and their three children.

As Israelis continue to process the Hamas atrocities of October 7, which left 1,200 dead, tens of thousands displaced, and 240 as hostages in Gaza, CBN Israel has been providing trauma counseling to victims of war and terror while also preparing to deal with an expected “tsunami” of desperately needed psychological and emotional counseling in the weeks and months ahead.

“It wasn’t just those injured, and people directly affected that were impacted by this war—it affected the whole nation,” said Arik Pelled, director of CBN Israel’s Family Department.

Experts told CBN Israel that more people are experiencing increased anxiety, fear, and insecurity. And, in addition to those personally affected by the horrific attacks, an estimated 120,000 displaced residents are living in hotels or temporary shelters. Many still endure the threat of rocket fire, and every resident is bombarded with tragic news of the war regularly.

So how can a nation in trauma find healing? Friends like you are meeting that need, through CBN Israel’s partnership with the Israel Trauma Coalition—by training more therapists, introducing emergency early-intervention treatments, and building mobile therapy units. Thanks to caring donors, more people will receive trauma care, for emergency and long-term situations.

And with so many residents scattered or displaced, donors are supporting this team in creating a national call center, which can connect people to the nearest therapist in their new location.

Plus, CBN Israel has hosted workshops for Israeli therapists, to teach them an innovative method for treating and even preventing PTSD. Leading the workshops was Dr. Gary Quinn, a psychiatrist who pioneered ISP, Immediate Stabilization Procedure—a treatment that has already proved successful in Ukraine.

CBN Israel has also been building a similar program for leaders of congregations around the country and equipping them to deal with these unprecedented traumas.

This is just one way your gift to CBN Israel can share God’s love—while also offering food, housing, and more to those in need.

Please join us in blessing Israel’s people at this time!

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By Nicole Jansezian

Israelis desperate to return to routine since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October encountered many obstacles not the least of which was whether buildings were equipped with bomb shelters.

Ilanit Gindi, who runs a private nursery school serving more than 100 children in central Israel, discovered this when she wanted to reopen a few weeks after the war began. Israel’s Homefront Command prohibited her and many others from operating their schools because they didn’t have protected spaces.

Daycare in Israel is not government subsidized for kids up to 3 years old, and so most of these private establishments do not have the advantage of public benefits such as bomb shelters.

“In order to install two bomb shelters in each nursery it would cost me hundreds of thousands of shekels,” Ilanit said. “And if I had to do it on my own, I would not be able to open the day care.”

Near the coast in central Israel, Rishon LeZion was one of the heaviest bombed cities absorbing the third highest number of rockets in the weeks after October 7.

“Rishon LeZion was under fire and it was extremely dangerous,” said the manager of Gan Anglit (English Daycare). “There were many missiles that impacted the city, and we were even hit here. We found a large piece of shrapnel on one of the climbing toys.”

With the weight of the situation and her son being called up to reserve duty to the war in Gaza, Ilanit realized she was sinking into depression and determined she needed to get back to work.

“I started to think of ways I could reopen for the kids, their parents, and my staff,” she said.

Ilanit found a less-than-ideal temporary solution, renting rooms in a community center. But with cramped space she had to limit the number of staff and hence the number of children that could come back. That also meant less income despite higher expenses.

Alice, head of CBN Israel’s Victims of Terror department, empathized with these parents’ concerns—especially since she herself is a mother of two young children.

Alice has long been part of CBN Israel’s efforts to provide bomb shelters in public spaces throughout Israel. But building five bomb shelters for private daycares presented some new and interesting challenges.

She learned an important lesson: Not all bomb shelters are created equal.

“The rockets that are being fired into central Israel from Gaza—60 to 80 kilometers away—are much heavier and stronger than the ones being fired into the Gaza envelope, which is only 7 to 10 kilometers away.”

Because Rishon LeZion is much further from the Gaza border, the construction of these bomb shelters did not fit the typical formula.

“We had to have the shelters custom made in order to achieve a certain thickness of the walls. The shelters had to have air filters, AC, and electricity. All of the bomb shelters have to be built to a certain standard to meet the requirements of the Homefront Command,” she said.

In fact, these new bomb shelters were so much heavier than usual the installation also required cranes to lift them over buildings and into place.

But the installation was a game changer for dozens of families and an entire neighborhood.

“From the moment that Alice said this is possible, I felt for the first time in a long time that I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and smile and be happy again,” Ilanit said.

CBN Israel enabled many families to return to work with renewed peace of mind, Alice noted.

“Parents want to feel safe and want to know their kids are safe,” she said. “The emotional burden of sirens and war and the fear is overwhelming. I praise God and thank every CBN Israel partner for thinking of the kids here and the families here.”

Ilanit said the shelters will also provide protection for the neighbors who live nearby in unprotected homes.

“I feel so safe now and I’m not worried,” she said. “If something happens, my staff are protected, and the parents will not be worried. This gives me enormous confidence to open the daycare every morning and to be able to ensure the protection of everyone—the children and my staff.”

Despite coming under frequent rounds of rocket fire in the south and the north, some 60% of Israeli apartments do not have a shelter, according to a real estate database in Israel.

Nicole Jansezian is the media coordinator for CBN Israel. A long-time journalist, Nicole was previously the news editor of All Israel News and All Arab News and a journalist at The Associated Press. On her YouTube channel, Nicole gives a platform to the minority communities in Jerusalem and highlights stories of fascinating people in this intense city. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., she lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Tony, and their three children.

By Nicole Jansezian

It has been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine and while that war still rages, refugees and immigrants attempting to rebuild their lives in Israel are facing several battlefronts here. 

Natalia Esther, who was living in Mariupol when the Russians attacked, is now reliving war with her son serving in the Israeli military.

“My son started the army right before the war and is stationed in the south” close to the Gaza border, she said. “It is very difficult for me.”

But Natalia said she feels safer in Israel where at least there are bomb shelters.

“Back in Mariupol we had to hide in a well, which is not much of a shelter. We felt like no one cared,” she said. “Everyone had to fend for themselves.”

Another war isn’t the only challenge these new immigrants are facing. Finding work, assimilating into a Middle Eastern culture, and leaving loved ones behind, Ukrainians who made their way to Israel are still struggling on many levels. 

Julia Morskoy had to start her life over from scratch. She fled the bombings in Ukraine with two kids, a few suitcases and a cat. Her husband, however, had to stay due to Ukraine’s emergency laws preventing military age men from leaving the country. 

“It was scary in the beginning. I did not know the language and had no idea what to do next,” Julia said. “Money was a problem, and things were tight. The kids always needed something, and they faced difficult challenges at school. There were all kinds of adaptation problems.” 

“It’s hard for me to find work because my Hebrew isn’t good,” she said. “It’ll take some time to learn, and you need Hebrew to get a good job.”

Some of the refugees faced another problem: They already had Israeli citizenship and were not eligible for the benefits that come with immigration. 

“Their economic situation became much, much worse,” said Dmitry Schneidmann, Project Manager at CBN Israel. “With no income and no government support because they are already (former) immigrants, many of them, in their current situation, are even worse off.”

The war began on February 24, 2022 sparking massive emigration from both Ukraine and Russia. Many of these refugees sought shelter in Israel. More than 43,000 Russians and 15,000 Ukrainians made Aliyah in 2022 accounting for almost 80% of Israel’s total immigration that year. In fact, emigration from Russia is trending so high that half of the Jewish population of Russia will be gone in seven years, according to a report released this week by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.

For Natalia, the war started back in 2014 traumatizing her daughter and causing a cascade of health issues. Natalia and her children came to Israel, but her mother didn’t make it out of Mariupol when this recent war brought out. 

Julia is praying that her husband will be released and able to join the family soon, but in the meantime, her children are adjusting and support from compassionate friends like you through CBN Israel is helping her make ends meet. 

“When someone helps you it’s a great feeling. Your help was a great support,” she said. “You gave us a refrigerator, you gave us a washing machine, and you brought us food. It would have been hard without this help. The support is moral as much as financial. You’re not alone, you feel there’s someone there for you.”

“Everything will be fine, it will get better,” she said. “My kids are with me, we are safe.”

Natalia was so encouraged by the support she received, she wanted to help others herself. 

“When I received your help, I started telling others,” she said. “I would see people in need, and I would tell them they can get help.”

CBN Israel supports new immigrants and refugees through a number of different programs in Israel both financially and in promoting absorption efforts. 

“Our support is very important, critically important,” said Schneidmann. “It is also encouragement.”

Nicole Jansezian is the media coordinator for CBN Israel. A long-time journalist, Nicole was previously the news editor of All Israel News and All Arab News and a journalist at The Associated Press. On her YouTube channel, Nicole gives a platform to the minority communities in Jerusalem and highlights stories of fascinating people in this intense city. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., she lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Tony, and their three children.

On October 7, 27-year-old Oshri woke up early in Sderot to go fishing with his father, Eliyahu. But his dad was too tired, so he went to Zikim Beach alone. As he arrived, suddenly sirens blared, rockets flew overhead, and Hamas terrorists in boats were firing machine guns.

Panicked, Oshri and others fled to a bomb shelter. Terrorists lobbed grenades inside and gunned down everyone. A bullet went through Oshri’s arm, eye socket, esophagus, and stomach. Miraculously, he survived, but barely. Buried under dead bodies, he cried for help. No one came.

So, he forced himself to stand, and somehow began the long drive to a medical center in Ashkelon. When the police stopped him, they saw his condition, and sped him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, his family hadn’t heard from him, and feared the worst. Dodging gunfire, Eliyahu was thrilled to find his son alive at the hospital, though gravely wounded. To the staff’s amazement, Oshri quickly recovered from multiple surgeries. Yet he still has a long road ahead.

But friends like you were there for Oshri. Thanks to caring donors, CBN Israel partnered with the Jewish Agency after October 7 in a special outreach, to assist terror victims and families of hostages. They supplied financial aid for Oshri and his family, along with trauma counseling.

Your gifts to CBN Israel can evacuate war victims, and give them safe lodging, meals, trauma therapy, and more—while delivering food and essentials to those still in harm’s way.

Plus, you can provide assistance across the Holy Land to single moms, Holocaust survivors, and refugees who need our help.

You can make a difference in Israel—please join with us today!

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By Nicole Jansezian

Perhaps one of the most marginalized groups in Israel is the Domari, an ethnic minority living in the Jerusalem area for approximately eight centuries.

Considered neither Israeli nor Palestinian, the members of this gypsy group are at the bottom of the socio-economic scale and are discriminated against even though they speak Arabic and live among the Arabs in East Jerusalem.

This generations-long prejudice has contributed to a drop-out rate from school of 40 percent and an illiteracy rate among the Dom women of 80 percent. That usually leads to low-paying jobs or, worse, unemployment.

Amoun Sleem knows this from personal experience. A Dom herself, Amoun was raised in poverty and dropped out of school after being severely discriminated against by one of her teachers. After pulling herself back up, returning to school, attaining higher education degrees and even becoming the first Jerusalem Dom to travel by plane, Amoun dedicated her life to improving the lot of other Jerusalem gypsies.

She founded the Domari Society for Gypsies in Jerusalem which offers all sorts of programs to help other Dom people succeed in today’s society.

One such program is a series of courses on cosmetics and hair that is intended to propel young people into a career that will help them support themselves and their families. CBN Israel has partnered with the Domari Society to fund several of these courses including the barber program, nails and eyebrow and eyelash design for women.

The women in the program will get their own kit that allows them to start working right away.

The knowledge and skillset are meant to equip these young people with the tools that will help them find work and maybe even open their own businesses in a trending market overcoming the obstacle of a low literacy level.

“Most of the women don’t read or write so we find something to fit the situation, what the market is looking for,” Amoun said.

The course results in practical knowledge, but Amoun said the ones for women are also focused on empowerment since women hold an inferior status in the Domari community.

“Not only will they do this job with respect, but they will build self-esteem, build confidence and at the same time, it’s a career they have,” Amoun said. “It’s something they can continue to work with afterwards and, if they love  it, that’s very important.”

Because most of the older generation is illiterate, the Domari center also offers tutoring to young gypsies who choose to stay in school.

“God gave me this work for a reason,” Amoun said. “Life is difficult as a gypsy.”

Nicole Jansezian is the media coordinator for CBN Israel. A long-time journalist, Nicole was previously the news editor of All Israel News and All Arab News and a journalist at The Associated Press. On her YouTube channel, Nicole gives a platform to the minority communities in Jerusalem and highlights stories of fascinating people in this intense city. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., she lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Tony, and their three children.