iHeart Radio host and friend to The Fellowship, Ben Ferguson, joined our President and CEO, Yael Eckstein, in Jerusalem two weeks ago for the International Christian Media Summit. During his visit, Ben stopped by significant sites of the October 7 massacre, which included the Nova Music Festival Site and Kibbutz Nir Oz as well as Hostages Square. He met with survivors and heard stories of the victims who were taken and murdered that day.
“We are here today in Israel at the site of the Nova Festival. I think of this– you see all these beautiful pictures of people who were massacred here– as a moment of caution that if we don’t’ stand up to anti-Semitism that is growing, especially growing in the U.S.,” said Ben, “This is exactly what could happen. This is a warning that we should stand up and make sure we stop anti-Semitism –to stand strong so people know where we are.”
Ben met with Itay Hammer at the festival site grounds, who had escaped the terrorists by hiding in a police van and then in a bush for four hours. This was until terrorists noticed and fired an RPG towards him. Itay ran until he encountered IDF forces, who brought him to safety. Ben also met Shachar Butler at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where one in three residents were either taken or killed by terrorists. As Hamas approached his home, Shachar armed himself and shot at them, driving them away and saving his family.
“As a Christian, it is my obligation to tell their stories. I hope that you’ll find a story from Nova. I hope that you’ll humanize the people whose lives were taken, and they won’t just be a memorial where you can come see and walk through, and that’s it. You actually tell their stories. The pictures of the people around me are so young and had so much life to live. To be killed for one reason –because they were Jewish –is unconscionable.”
