Jerusalem, Israel, December 7, 2023…
An international outpouring of prayer for Israel as Chanukah begins has overwhelmed even the organizer. Building on the common foundations shared by Jews and Christians, Genesis 123 Foundation president Jonathan Feldstein called upon Christians to “flood God’s inbox” with prayers for Israel this week. The response has become a global tsunami.
As the first night of Chanukah, December 7, coincides with two months since the brutal attack and slaughter by Hamas on Israel, Feldstein sent an appeal asking for Christians worldwide to join in prayer and share these publicly according to the Jewish tradition. Chanukah is the eight-day festival celebrating the miracle of the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem some 2200 years ago with enough pure oil meant for one day’s use in the Temple service supernaturally lasting for eight days.
Chanukah also celebrates the miraculous military victory of Judah Macabee and his sons over enemies who wanted to destroy Israel physically and spiritually. Sadly, there are still enemies who want to destroy Israel and the Jewish people, making this Chanukah and this prayer initiative all the more meaningful and urgent.
The response to the Genesis 123 Foundation appeal has been overwhelming. Countless emails, social media posts, media interviews, endorsements, and sharing widely all over the world.
Dr. Juergen Buehler, President of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, wrote that the prayer initiative “is absolutely critical at this moment as the State of Israel and Israel’s soldiers need every prayer possible from around the world. They are not fighting only for the survival and safety of Israel, but they are on the frontlines for Judeo-Christian values for the entire Western world. (We need to support this) timely initiative with every single prayer at these critical times.”
Answering the call to share prayers in public, Christine Darg of the Jerusalem Channel broadcast and shared a powerful message throughout all her ministry’s media, calling on all Christians around the world to join in solidarity with the Jewish people.
Because of the miracles that God performed at Chanukah, Jewish tradition is that one celebrates these publicly. This includes lighting the Chanukah menorah in one’s window or outside for all to see and be reminded of God’s greatness and faithfulness.
Feldstein asked that “Christians around the world can join the Jewish people in these public celebrations by lighting a candle in a place that’s visible to the public, recognizing that God alone deserves recognition for these miracles, and that just as He has protected Israel in the past, He will do so today and in the future. And of course, we must continually flood His inbox with our prayers, not because He can’t or won’t do what’s needed, but because we must show Him that we care, and we put our faith and trust in Him.”
The Genesis 123 Foundation shared eight prayer points coinciding with the eight days of the festival, asking everyone to share their prayers publicly, like Christine Darg did, throughout all media, inspiring others to join. It also called upon everyone to put action behind their prayers by signing the petition to free all the hostages, making it go viral using #bringthemhomenow and #Genesis123Foundation.
It's especially noteworthy that Chanukah is mentioned in the Christian bible, in John 10:22, where Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem. Feldstein hopes that awareness of this “will help Christians understand that as a Jew, Jesus celebrated Chanukah, and his doing so will make it all the more meaningful to do so today in solidarity with his people.”
In addition to the many leaders joining this initiative, Feldstein was asked to do several media interviews on multiple continents to discuss the plans. In the UK, Revelation TV host Tim Vince thought it was so important they spent most of a program discussing it.
Eight Prayer Points
- Pray for ALL the hostages to be released and come home to their loved ones safely and right away.
- Pray for the families of the hostages that they continue to remain strong physically, emotionally, and in their faith.
- Pray for the families and loved ones of more than 1200 people who were massacred by Hamas terrorists on October 7th that they should find strength despite their loss and derive comfort from the love and support of Christians and Jews around the world.
- Pray for the full and speedy physical and emotional recovery of thousands of Israelis who have been injured physically and scarred emotionally since October 7th.
- Pray for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have been uprooted from their communities that have been destroyed and must be rebuilt and those who have been evacuated from border areas because of the threat of war and terror literally in their back yard.
- Pray for the safety and success of the IDF, that collectively and individually, they will have divine protection to defend Israel with the morals and courage that are needed.
- Pray that millions of Christians around the world will lend their voices by signing the petition to free ALL the hostages and encourage Israel to resist international pressure at this time in any way that will put Israel at greater risk.
- Pray that God will change the hearts of evil Islamic terrorists of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad on Israel’s borders, and the source of the evil from the Islamic regime in Iran, and pray for Palestinian Arabs that they will have a change of heart, that they will no longer support terrorism, and that they a new generation of leaders will be raised up who will put the well-being of the Palestinian people above hatred of Israel.
For additional information, to lend your name, or for an interview opportunity, please contact the Genesis 123 Foundation at Gen123Fdn@gmail.com, by phone at +1-201-203-0983, or WhatsApp at +972-53-761-4220.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Olegda88, Getty Images/Photoman, SWN design
The beliefs reflected in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Christian Headlines.
Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has been blessed by the calling to fellowship with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes regularly for a variety of prominent Christian and conservative websites and is the host of Inspiration from Zion, a popular webinar series and podcast. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com