All language subtitles for FOT22 - Nicole Yoder- Building A Stronger Israel.en

Israel is an exciting and
dynamic country with a colourful

social and cultural landscape,
made so by the return of the

Jewish people from some 150
nations worldwide. That mosaic

is made even more vibrant by
those in the Arab, Druze and

Bedouin communities whose
ancestors also settled this land

over the centuries. As the Vice
President for Aid and Aliyah at

the ICEJ, I have the privilege of
addressing social challenges and

providing a helping hand to
Israelis in every sector of the

society, as an expression of
love and the generosity of our

Christian friends around the
world. This giving comes as a

practical expression of our love
for the God of Israel, as well

as our love for our neighbour,
both Jewish and non-Jewish.

The ICEJ was founded with a calling
and biblical mandate to bless

and comfort Israel, especially
in light of a long and tragic

history of Christian anti-semitism
which brought untold

suffering over the centuries to
the Jewish people.

In light of this calling, we are sometimes
asked why we engage in

social aid projects directed towards
the Arab community in Israel.

Well, there are actually many
reasons why it is important to do so.

First of all, we believe
God loves all people created in

His image. Though God chose to
enter into a special covenant

relationship with the people of
Israel, His clearly stated

purpose in doing so was to bless
all the families of the earth,

and bring them into a good life in
relationship with Himself (Genesis 12v3).

Thus, God's love and mercy are extended to

Arabs just as they are to all of us.

Second, the Israelites were commanded

in the Law of Moses to be kind
to the stranger in the land

because they were once
strangers in the land of Egypt.

They could not mistreat or oppress
them (Exodus 22 v 21 and 23 v 9),

but rather had to love
them (Leviticus 19 v 33-34).

Having known the difficulties
and powerlessness of life as a

minority themselves, these
biblical standards are important

guidelines for many Jewish
people today on how they should

treat the Arab minority in their
country.

Together with them, we look
for ways to encourage

reconciliation between Jews and Arabs

in ways that will help
both communities thrive.

In doing this, we follow the
teaching of Messiah who taught

in the parable of the Good
Samaritan, the value of being

good to the stranger, and not
just to the stranger, but to

those who might even be
considered enemies as the

Samaritans were considered at
that time. (Luke 10 v 25-37).

The man who looked after his
neighbour without considering the

surrounding social factors, was
commended. Therefore, our

social aid projects seek to promote
joint Jewish-Arab peaceful

co-existence and mutual respect
in a shared society. Though we

may not see this now as much as
we would like, the Hebrew

prophets, notably in Isaiah 19,
also inspire us with a vision

that one day there will be
reconciliation between a

restored Israel and the
surrounding Arab nations.

Today, we already see the first fruits
of that vision through such

positive developments as the
Abraham Accords, and the growing

fellowship between Messianic
Jews and Arab believers here in

Israel. In practical terms,
Israeli Arab citizens, including

Muslims, Christians, Bedouins
and Druze, make up some 20% of

the Israeli population, and they
enjoy the same democratic rights

and freedoms as the Jewish
citizens. We seek to mirror this

reality in our giving as well.
We do this to promote societal

cohesion, knowing that it helps
strengthen Israel if the nation

does not have to spend valuable
time, energy and resources,

putting out ethnic clashes
inside the country, such as

occurred in May 2021.

Much of our social aid promotes
economic opportunity for the poor.

And unfortunately, Israeli
Arab families are among those

who have disproportionately high
rates of poverty, reaching to

about 48%. If families are
unable to provide for their

needs, or offer their children
opportunities for education and

suitable employment, despair can
spiral into negative social

choices, leading to crime,
violence, drugs and civil unrest.

The Israeli government
has set goals to strengthen this

community through improved
employment opportunities, and

particularly seeks to encourage
the women to join the workforce.

All help in giving Arab citizens a
better chance of success is welcome.

Though Israel is known
as a high-tech nation,

unfortunately there are sectors
of Israeli society that even

today do not have access to the
world of technology and all its

benefits. Amazingly, a full 25%
of Israeli society are

technologically illiterate due
to cultural and financial

factors. According to the
Globe's financial newspaper of

April 2020, 50% of the poorest
Jewish families and nearly

60% of all Arab families do not have
computers at home. We learned

that while Israel's high-tech
industry is booming, there are

thousands of jobs that can't be
filled due to a lack of

qualified professionals. To meet
this demand, we need all the

people we can get to enter the
field, and especially from those

communities such as the ultra-
orthodox and Arab communities

that have traditionally not
worked at all or who have not

worked in those areas.
Underlying the need to include

this community, we learn that
Arabs make up only 3% of the

high-tech workforce and Arab women
comprise just 0.1%, as of 2018.

Thus, a joint team of
Jews and Arabs seeking to

address this shortage asked us
to help fund a programme which

teaches computer programming to
Arab students. We have happily

done so, knowing that it
will meet a need in the country.

It will pull families out of
poverty and it will level the

huge gaps between the rich and
poor, among the highest in the

Western world. Beyond this, we
know that utilizing the diverse

talents of her workforce, will
strengthen Israel and enable her

to continue to be fruitful and
improve her standing in the

world on many fronts:
Diplomatically - because she'll be

able to keep her high-tech edge
and have what to offer other

nations who need her
innovation and expertise;

On the security front - because she will
be able to develop her security

equipment that she needs and
defend herself against attacks

and export were relevant;

And in general - make friends
with those who want

to benefit from her knowledge
and technological advances.

Again, think of the
Abraham accords.

It will also benefit them socially.

Less families on welfare and more
paying taxes

will contribute towards other
improvements to

benefit all, such as better
roads, education, and so forth.

We also must remember that in
recent years, Israel is

constantly being defamed as an
apartheid state, while we as

Christian supporters of Israel
are accused of racism for

perceived indifference to Arab
concerns. We know the positive

contribution of Arab citizens
who appreciate their country.

And despite the unique
challenges they face, many serve

faithfully in a variety of
roles, including in the police,

the army, the judicial and the
medical systems, and so much more.

Though not perfect, Israel
does seek to treat its Arab

minority fairly and extends to
them equal democratic rights.

Our efforts to reach out to the
Israeli Arab community began

right from the beginning of the
ICEJ and have included support

for such things as: educational
enrichment programmes for

Jewish and Arab deaf children,
vocational training and mentoring

for Arab women joining
the workforce for the first time,

equipment upgrades for
Druze schools in the low income

periphery of the country,
scholarships for study programmes,

mentoring that bridges cultural
barriers and helps Arabs find

employment and work together
effectively with Jewish colleagues

towards a shared goal,
and so much more.

We at the Christian Embassy want to see

Israel preserved and strengthened.

While our primary mandate
is to minister in love and comfort

to the Jewish people, the local
Arab community are also

an integral part of the mosaic
of Israeli society.

For all the above reasons,

and simply because it's the
right thing to do,

we are proactively reaching out
to the Arab community

with a true witness of
Christian love as well.