The Desert Blooms Again — A Survivor in Southern Israel

Podcast image of Yael and a field of sunflowers

Being such a small country, in an arid land often inhospitable to agriculture, Israel has truly brought the miraculous, prophetic words of the Bible to life—making the desert bloom. This week, Yael comes to us from the Holy Land with a special conversation with one of the Israelis who has spent his life tilling the soil in a region he calls “The Barn of Israel.”

But, on October 7, the agricultural director of the farming community of Kibbutz Nahal Oz found himself, his community, and his land under attack by Hamas. Just yards from Israel’s border with Gaza, Moran survived that day…

…and now Moran is working to bring back to life this beautiful desert land that so many of God’s people work on, live on, and love, in the wake of the Hamas attacks and the ongoing war. Listen now as Yael discusses with Moran what kibbutz life was like before October 7, what that awful day brought to his community, and how he is working to rebuild this land he calls home.

For more information on today’s episode visit mybiblicalroots.org.

Episode Notes:

Since the horrific terror attacks that Hamas carried out on Israel, the people of the Holy Land have been picking up the pieces of their lives. And since Israel’s war with Hamas is still raging, those whose lives were upended by the attacks are still in danger from constant barrages of terrorist rockets. But, being the heartland of the nation, “The Barn of Israel,” those who have long made the desert bloom have returned to their farms and homes.

This week’s podcast guest is Moran, the agricultural director of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a farming community right across Israel’s border with Gaza.

Moran discusses with Yael why this part of Israel is so special, how the events of that horrific day affected him, his family, his community, and all of Israel, and what is being done to bring about a day when, as the prophet said, “The desert and the parched land will be glad” (Isaiah 35:1).

Read Yael’s daily devotionals.

Read Yael’s latest weekly message.

Sign up for Yael’s daily devotions and weekly messages.

Check out Yael’s book, Generation to Generation: Passing on a Legacy of Faith to Our Children.

Learn more about the lifesaving work of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Stay informed about issues affecting Israel, the Jewish people, Jewish-Christian relations, receive daily devotionals, and more.