Strangers in the Land

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Hebrew Word of the Day zchut(privilege) Hear Translation » February 27, 2012 "‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.’ When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another." — Psalm 105:11–13 For thousands of years, since the Jews were expelled from their land by the Romans in 70 C.E., the people of God have, indeed, wandered from one nation to another. As they tried to settle, raise their families, and live according to God’s word and law, they remained strangers, often facing persecution, opposition, and hardships. Even after two thousand years of exile from their homeland, the Jews were not accepted into the fabric of society. By the mid-1800s, Jewish thinkers came to the stark conclusion: “The Jews have lived and labored among the nations for almost two thousand years, but nonetheless they cannot become rooted organically within them … We shall always remain strangers among nations.” With the birth of the State of Israel, the long-held dream of the Jewish people returning to their homeland – the land given to them by God – became a reality. And since that time, more than three million Jews have returned to Israel. But for many Jews today, the dream of returning to the Holy Land has remained just that – a dream. That is why The Fellowship and our partner organizations, like the Jewish Agency for Israel, have worked tirelessly over the years to bring persecuted Jews home from the four corners of the world. For the next two years, our focus will be on helping the final group of Ethiopian Jews make aliyah, or immigration to Israel. Despite centuries of anti-Semitism, physical destruction, land confiscation, and enslavement, these Jews have maintained their Jewish heritage and prayed for their return to Jerusalem. The Ethiopian Jews have never lost hope that they will return home. They have tirelessly and continually held to God’s promise of the portion of land that they will inherit. Miraculously, The Fellowship and our ministry partners have been given the privilege of helping fulfill this dream of coming home for thousands of Ethiopian Jews. Join us today in praying for the Ethiopian Jews and for the completion of this prophetic work which has been ongoing for the past twenty years. With your prayers and support, these Jews will no longer be strangers, but will be home at last. With prayers for shalom, peace, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein President