Building Bridges Across Nations and Faiths
Stand for Israel | June 27, 2025
On Monday, June 23, 2025, amid horrific attacks from Iran, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, with the help of the Jewish Federation of Chicago, put into action a plan it had been working on for months in partnership with the IDF to get aid to Druze and Christian communities in Syria.
In an area near the Israeli border on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, about 13 Druze villages with nearly 45,000 residents, both Druze and Christians, live under poor conditions in terms of water, electricity, food, and medical infrastructure. These two groups of people have been persecuted in Syria throughout history, but in recent months, it’s escalated.
The Fellowship delivered medical equipment to establish a new regional emergency medical field clinic in one of the Druze-Christian villages located in the buffer zone currently under IDF control.
With a donation of $100,000 from the Jewish Federation of Chicago, and $150,000 from The Fellowship, medical equipment valued at $250,000 was delivered, including supplies for routine care and emergency treatment, and medical devices such as X-ray and ultrasound machines.
The new clinic will provide medical assistance to the residents and refugees of the villages in the area. Christian and Druze professional medical staff will operate the clinic, serving up to 100 patients daily. The project is in full coordination with the IDF.
Just two months ago, The Fellowship transferred $120,000 worth of food and medical supplies into the region to support these two groups.
From The Fellowship’s extensive knowledge and passion for providing humanitarian aid, to the deep spiritual importance of two organizations coming together to help Christians and Druze in need, this work is personal to all of those involved.
Safwan Marich, The Fellowship’s Manager of Emergency in Israel, led the team in making this plan come to life. Here’s his story about this experience:
On Monday, after several months of work and coordination, we delivered medical equipment to establish a regional clinic in a Druze-Christian village located in the buffer zone currently under IDF control.
We arrived at the military unit on the Israeli side of Mount Hermon, received a briefing, loaded the medical equipment onto an army truck, and began the journey (escorted by IDF forces) toward Syria.
The scenery along the way was breathtaking. When we reached the summit of the “Syrian” Hermon at 2,810 meters above sea level, we had a panoramic view: Lebanon to the west, Syria and Damascus to the east.
The military convoy included several vehicles. I rode in a jeep with the IDF coordination officer responsible for liaising with the population currently under Israeli control in Syria. Many of the soldiers were my friends from military service and from the Druze community. After about 40 minutes, we reached a U.N. checkpoint and passed through the gate. Representatives from the village were waiting for us—mostly Druze religious leaders, along with a few Christian residents.
The meeting was emotional. It turns out the villagers are already well acquainted with the IDF representatives (many of whom are Druze), and they embraced warmly. At that point, we transferred the equipment from the IDF truck to local vehicles, as the truck couldn’t enter the village due to narrow roads.
We continued in a convoy of local and military vehicles until we reached the village center, where many residents were waiting. Children surrounded us, handed out sweets, and asked to take pictures with the soldiers—a surreal moment. At the entrance to the building where the clinic will be established, village elders greeted us and repeatedly thanked us for the assistance. Inside, we were treated to local produce—fruits, honey, sweets, and flatbread.
Poverty is evident in every aspect of life there. Electricity is not consistently available, and the water supply is sometimes unreliable, not to mention the lack of medical services. Their current clinic consists of a single bed and a small cart with a few medications and ointments—barely more than a basic first aid kit in an average Israeli home.
From there, we walked through the village alleys to the church. Along the way, residents greeted us, children curiously approached to speak with us, and women stood at their windows watching this historic moment—IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians visiting their village and offering help. We reached a modest church in the heart of the village, symbolizing the situation of Christians in Syria: fearful and persecuted as a religious minority. They are few in number and lack strength, unlike the Druze, who are armed, numerous, and known as fighters.
It was clear that Druze and Christians live in excellent harmony in this village and throughout the region.
From there, we returned to the Israeli border in the military convoy.
Personally, this was a historic experience for me.
As a former soldier, I remember all the operational plans we made. I recognize parts of the area from military maps and plans. Now, I return not as a soldier, but as a representative of a global Jewish-Christian organization, coming to help people.
In every encounter with members of my community—whether in Jordan when we helped Druze refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war, or now in Syria—I return to Israel and thank God for the privilege of having our own country. Seeing how people live in Syria, especially the fear and persecution they face from their own regime, puts things in perspective.
From a community perspective, I can say: Israel is not forsaken. That’s how I felt. It’s a great privilege to have given those we met the sense of being part of something bigger – and to have reminded them that they are not alone in their crisis.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Safwan
