Grateful and Blessed
Yael Eckstein | November 23, 2022
Thanksgiving isn’t observed in Israel, but it is still one of my favorite holidays, and I have many fond memories of it from growing up in the U.S. So this year on Thanksgiving, when there is so much chaos and turmoil around the world, I will thank God for every single moment of calm that we have here in Israel. I will express my gratitude for every night that my kids can sleep peacefully knowing that they are safe, and every day that they can be carefree, living their lives in the Jewish homeland. I am grateful that, after 2,000 years, God’s people have a Jewish homeland.
I am thankful for our brave army, for the wisdom God gives our leaders, and for God’s miraculous protection. Even in times of uncertainty and fear, I am grateful to God for making it possible for me and my family to live in Israel. I don’t take it for granted for even a moment.
Finally, I am beyond thankful for you, our Christian friends, who stand firmly with Israel and the Jewish people. With your support, we are able to help Jews in Israel and around the world by providing life-saving aid. We are able to bring biblical prophecy to fruition as we bring Jews home to Israel from all four corners of the earth.
Your message of love and solidarity is one that Jewish people are not used to hearing. But we hear your message now, and it does so much to boost our morale when it seems like the entire world is against us.
As we move forward from Thanksgiving, let’s remember that we belong to a larger family, God’s family. Let us praise the Lord for the blessing of fellowship that exists between Christians and Jews in our times. Let us give thanks for the opportunity to play a significant role in God’s plan for Israel and the Jewish people. And may we continue to be grateful for one another, so that together we can make God’s world a better place.
“Hodu laHashem ki tov, ki lolam chasdo,” “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1).
With blessings from the Holy Land,
