On November 14, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry had a very succesfui "Stand with Israel" event at the Asper Campus attended by some 100 people, during which cheques of $25,000 each were presented to Magen David Adom, Jewish National Fund Canada, Leket, Cdn Friends of Haifa University and Operation Lifeshield.
The event, which was held in the multi-purpose room courtesy of the Rady JCC was emceed by John Plantz, a devout Christian and a strong supporter of Israel, who learned later in life that his grandfather was Jewish. Both members of our Jewish community and Christian supporters of Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry attended the event, where Myron Schultz and his Klezmer Trio performed to open the evening.
Plantz noted that he has “a lot of Israeli friends” who are “stressed out” by the conflict and that we “are praying for Israel” and “also redoubling our efforts to help.”
Robert Gottselig, FOI’s Canadian director, who hails from Regina, pointed out that Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry was founded in 1938 on Kristallnacht, to raise funds to help and save Jews during the Holocaust. This was a ten years before the establishment of the Jewish State. “At the outset,” Gottselig indicated, “Friends of Israel formed a relief committee to raise funds for food, clothing and shelter for Europe’s Jews, including to provide passports for Jews who wanted to escape.” He said that FOI believed that the future of Israel was “bright.”
“Unlike some other Christian groups whose religious philosophy is based on replacement theology (that Christianity supersedes Judaism), we stand in solidarity with our Jewish brethren. After all, the Jews gave Christians both our bible and Jesus,” Gottselig stated.
Gottselig said the “defending Israel” and “lifting up Israel” is his calling and mission. He also spoke about how his organization was involved in recent successful efforts, along with Regina’s Jewish community and other national Jewish organizations, to persuade Regina City Council not to raise the Palestinian flag at City Hall.
He said that to the Jewish People, “I apologize for all the Christians that persecute Jewish people in Jesus’s name,” noting “Jesus has “given me a love for you,” and God encourages us to comfort his chosen people.”
Following a break for refreshments, a cheque of $25,000 was presented to Sharon Fraimon, the Calgary-based Israeli-born director for western Canada of Canadian Magen David Adom (CMDA). Magen David Adom is Israel’s mostly volunteer, national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. She noted that a generous donor from Winnipeg had contributed $175,000 for a special ambulance for northern Israel. “Every dollar CMDA raises counts,” she stated, adding that CMDA raises money in Canada to purchasey ambulances, medical equipment, supplies and blood testing kits to support the life saving efforts of MDA in Israel.
The second recipient of $25,000 was the Jewish National Fund Canada. Speaking on behalf of JNF Canada, Nola Lazar, former president of JNF MB and Sask region gave a short and sweet speech thanking the FOI indicating she appreciated being in a room full of allies and supporters of Israel. She noted that JNF Canada is planning to build a Nazareth slopes trail, that will encourage Jewish and Arab co-existence and benefit the area.
The third recipient was Christian Friends of Leket Israel, which raises funds in support of Leket Israel – which has been feeding the hungry in Israel since 2023. In a video appearance, Ray MacDonald, the director of Christian Friends of Leket Israel, “We provide about 255,000 Israelis weekly with nutritious food and meals,” he stated. “We supply 330 non-profit partners that deal with poverty,” saying that that 20% of Israelis are below the poverty line, and there “are more children who go to bed hungry than elsewhere in the Western world.” Since the outbreak of war, Israel is facing its worst food crisis and there is much “damaged farmland’ which has meant a decrease in food production and food shortages.” “Seniors and others face malnutrition,” he added.
According to the Leket website, “millions of tons of healthy, fresh food are wasted or destroyed because of excess quantity, minor imperfections, or financial cost. Leket’s fleet of 27 refrigerated trucks and vans,productively transports surplus food instead of destroying it.
Canadian Friends of Haifa University was the next organization to receive $25,000, and its Executive Director Ariel Karabelnicoff, former Winnipegger was in town from Toronto to accept the cheque. He noted the University will “serve as a catalyst for economic expansion of the North of Israel” and that “our resource is our people and we need to invest in higher education.” He pointed out that there is a severe shortage of doctors in northern Israel and as a result Haifa University had opened a new school for medicine which now has 50 medical students, which will in the future train 200 medical students. “Israel needs more doctors as many Russian Jewish doctors are retiring,” he said. “The University of Haifa is proud to lead in the efforts to train medical doctors and to be able to serve and take care of the population in the North of Israel.”
Haifa University also has the Tony and Elizabeth Comper Centre to Combat Antisemitism as well as the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences that offers the only graduate program in Israel in that field.
Karabelnicoff also noted that Haifa University has an enrolment of about 18,000 students –with about 40% of the students coming from the Druze, Circassian and Arab communities and, and there are many Jewish students whose families are from Ethiopia.
The final recipient of $25,000 from Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is Operation Lifeshield, whose mission is to provide bomb shelters “to save lives in Israel,” according to Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, Operation Lifeshield’s executive director from Israel, who is related to the Lazar family in Winnipeg.
Bowman, who lives in Efrat, explained that the organization was formed 18 years ago by a small group of American olim and Israelis who were visiting the Galilee during the second Lebanon war in 2006. They were under rocket attack, with no shelter, and realized there was a need for many bomb shelters.
Bowman noted that the organization has “close knit” relationships with security chiefs” who help his organization “decide where to place the shelters based on local needs.”
Bowman added, “Our shelter construction design and manufacturing process conform with the strictest guidelines and approval of the Israel Defense Force Home Front command.”
Bowman indicated that there are “several types of shelters are available in order to best protect schools, kindergartens, synagogues, parks, sidewalks, bus shelters and senior centres.” He also pointed out that the organizations works with four manufacturers of shelters and “we get shelters more cheaply than others.” Over 1,000 shelters have been donated by individuals and organizations – both Jewish and Christian – from around the world.
Bowman closed his remarks with a “Dvar Torah” based on God’s admonishing King David “do not fear terror that comes by night or the arrow that flies by day”. Bowman explained that when King David is commanding us “Do not Fear”, he’s saying to create a situation so there will not be fear.” This admonition applies to Israel and Operation Lifeshield’s bomb shelters.
John Plantz closed out the evening with the hope that we can all gather again next year to celebrate other organizations who do great work in Israel, who will receive funds raised by Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.
