Not My Standard Newsletter: The Israel-Hamas War Edition

As some of you reading these words may be aware, my husband and I were scheduled to return to Israel with some friends on October 8^th, but the horror of the events that began unfolding early the morning of October 7^th changed those plans. A friend who lives outside Jerusalem reached out to me via Facebook Messenger while air raid sirens were sounding around her during those early hours to say, “Don’t come! This is different!”

She was right. On Monday night, we attended a local rally in our Gulf Coast Florida town put together by our local Jewish Federation. One of the speakers said, "Right now, the world's sympathy is with Israel. But within days, as Israel responds to Hamas, there will be a shift." It didn’t take long for his words to prove true.

The one thing on which everyone can agree: If there was an easy answer to this ancient conflict, it would have been tried already.

I’m a Jewish follower of Jesus. I’ve spent the last five decades of my life navigating this complex identity – an identity, I might add, that describes the Jewish Savior’s first disciples and the majority of his followers throughout the first decades following the resurrection. My faith does not erase nor in any way contradict my 100% Ashkenazi Jewish DNA, a reality that tends to confound some in both the Jewish and Christian communities. I wrote about what it like to live between both worlds in this piece last year.

Precisely because I do live between both worlds, I posted on social media earlier this week a list of some things I hoped would be helpful for my Gentile Christian siblings in faith to consider as they seek to care for their neighbors who have been affected by this week’s events. I’ve modifed it a bit (see below) to include some additional resources and thoughts. If this list is of help, please feel free to share with others in your circles.

(1)  Check in on your Jewish friends. Though the Jewish people comprise only 0.2% of the world's population, we have been on the receiving end of the oldest form of racism there is for most of our history. Check in on your Muslim friends, because there is suffering happening in their community right now as well.

(2)  Avoid "both sides" talk. You may not agree with the military and political decisions the modern, sovereign State of Israel has made in the past to try to create a secure life for the people who live there. But there is no room for trying to form an equivalency between Israel and the millions in other Middle Eastern countries in the region who despise Israel's existence and want to see her people driven into the sea. Dr. Russell Moore wrote a helpful, measured reflection on this topic here.

(3)  Please avoid mapping your end-times prognostication onto these events. To do so is presumptuous, probably wrong, and profoundly unhelpful.

(4)   Check your sources. Be mindful of the fact when you post online that many people besides the people you know are watching and listening to what you share.

(5)   Remain prayerful. Intercede for decision-makers as well as the millions caught in the crosshairs of this conflict. To be honest, I am just now being able to string together coherent thought about what has unfolded this week as I pray the paradox of both imprecatory words from the psalms as I cry out for justice while simultaneously pleading for God’s mercy for all who are suffering. If you don't know what to pray, remember that silence, groaning, and weeping are all forms of prayer, too. At the bottom of this email, you’ll find the text of a prayer from the Hebrew evening liturgy that you may find helpful to guide your own intercession right now.

(6)   Consider donating to a ministry or humanitarian organization that that is already on the ground in the region. The humanitarian needs for both Israelis and the people of Gaza (and the rest of the region including Lebanon and the West Bank) are massive. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service posted a helpful list of organizations at work in Israel, and Time magazine offered their own list, some of which overlaps the JTA list. The Fellowship of Israel-Related Ministries has a listing of affiliated Protestant/Evangelical organizations and congregations that are in need of financial support. The Catholic and Orthodox Church both have a long-time presence in the Land, as well, so if you’re a member of either of those branches of the Christian Church, check with your local congregation to see what they’re doing to provide care for those affected by war.

If your church’s small group, Bible study, or book club is interested in having me join you via Zoom (or in person) to talk about how to be a helpful, prayerful ally to the Jewish people in your community, use this link to message me.

I’ve written books that speak to aspects of this subject matter covering topics including family history and generational trauma, spiritual growth in the second half of life, pilgrimage and exile, and more. And I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads. I’m technically still on Twitter/X (or as I like to call it, Twix), but as the unchecked antisemitism has increased on the site, I’ve become much less active there.

I am grateful for the kindness of many caring allies and friends who have reached out this week, and who have reminded me that they are praying for the shalom of Jerusalem. I thank God for every one of you.

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Hashkiveinu

Hear it sung in Hebrew here

Cause us to lie down in peace, Eternal God, and raise us up to renewed life. Spread over us the shelter of peace. Guide us toward wisdom. Shield us from hatred and plague, keep us from war and famine and anguish, and subdue our inclinations toward evil. Gracious and merciful God, let us find refuge in the shadow of your wings. Guard our coming and our going, that now and always we may have life and peace. Blessed are You, O God, whose shelter of peace is spread over us, over all Israel, and over Jerusalem.