Ilya Butolin from Beit Hallel Congregation says people lost hope in the army, the government, and even in their idea of God as a protector. “We had a big collapse of hope, and people had no hope to live,” he recalls.

The war deeply affected Butolin himself — a regular churchgoer with an active ministry who now serves in military uniform. “The first 5 months of the war, I wasn’t able to share the Gospel because I, myself, needed the Gospel,” he admits.

Israeli soldier in Jerusalem, Israel (photo courtesy of Levi Meir Clancy via Unsplash)

Butolin, his brother, and friends served in the army, often facing the horrors of war and the uncertainty of survival. The death of his friend David Ratner added to the grief.

“It wasn’t easy to see how your friend died, like my personal friend, and then many others,” he says.

After several months, Butolin’s faith in God was restored. He realized that as much as he needed hope, others around him needed it even more.

“We know what the only hope is — Jesus Christ — and He’s the only one who can bring us hope for a future and for a life, for eternal life,” he adds.

He shared that conversations with his unit and friends often centered on hope — how to restore it, show it, and bring it back to their families. As a church, they focused on practical ways to express that hope by organizing donations such as helmets, bulletproof vests, food, and even pizza nights for soldiers. Butolin would explain:

“It’s people from all around the world who are donating, praying, standing with you, and fighting with you, even though you don’t see them. And those are the Christian people who love you!”

Through this, they saw a growing bond between Jewish and Christian communities, and he believes that sharing hope has become the most powerful way to share the Gospel in these times.

Pray for the ministry of Beit Hallel Congregation and their efforts to share the Gospel with wounded hearts.

Photo courtesy of Joel Mott via Unsplash.

It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s capital in years.

(Photo courtesy of Mike Labrum/Unsplash)

Against the backdrop of war, the nation has seen an increase in attacks targeting civilians. Pastor Israel Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation says that amid tragedy, Israeli Christians are offering the comfort of Christ.

“The Gospel is the only hope for Israel,” he says.

Beit Hallel Congregation is committed to advancing the Gospel in tangible ways — and with a sense of urgency.

In a few months, the church will open its new Evangelism and Discipleship Center in Ashdod, about an hour from Jerusalem.

“We have more and more people getting saved, coming to the Lord, and discovering Jesus,” says Pochtar. “But the building we use is built in a way that, besides a weekend service, we cannot do different activities.

“This new Evangelism and Discipleship facility allows us to reach out to people and, when they come to us, share the Gospel…and also discipleship. We needed a venue for Bible school, for trainings — for leadership training, for pastors’ training, for youth.”

Beit Hallel Congregation’s new Evangelism and Discipleship Center in Ashdod. (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Pochtar asks, “Pray for our team, to encourage and build us up. Pray for more leaders and evangelists.”

As Beit Hallel Congregation commissions the new Evangelism and Discipleship Center, pray that God will use it to grow His Kingdom.

Pray for Israel to know the peace and hope of Christ.

Header photo: Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Dariusz Kanclerz/Unsplash)

Now imagine sending your child to school for the first time in a brand-new country — in the middle of a war.

Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

That’s the reality for thousands of Jewish immigrant families in Israel this fall.

Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod recently ran its annual Back to School Project, which helps immigrants and low-income families who are struggling to afford the basics.

Pastor Israel Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation says, “For those who are new in Israel and not well established…they struggle financially to send their kids to school. The needs are bigger than in a normal year when there’s peace.”

The church distributed backpacks and school supplies, turning the project into a celebration. Pochtar says, “We had an opportunity to tell every family and every kid that the help comes from Christians. You’re not alone in this world, but you have Christian friends. You have people who pray for you, stand with you, [and] give.

“This practical help, it’s such an expression of the love of God, and love of Christians who help you in the name of God and the name of Jesus.”

Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Nearly all the families who benefit are Jewish immigrants from countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Ethiopia.

“They are not Christians; they’re Jewish. But they hear about us, they hear about our organization and our congregation. They know we are helping people unconditionally, and they come to receive help, and they’re grateful to learn more about that.”

Beyond physical needs, Beit Hallel Congregation seeks to calm fears and encourage children.

“We see kids are nervous. Kids are under stress. So we’re talking to them, encouraging them, telling them stories of others who’ve been in the same situation. It really encourages them and makes it easier for them,” says Pochtar.

Although the main distribution is complete, the project continues in smaller ways as new immigrant families arrive daily. Neighboring cities like Ashkelon and Beersheba have even asked for help after seeing Beit Hallel Congregation’s efforts online.

Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

“If there are friends who want to help, they are welcome to join,” Pochtar says. “There’s still opportunity!”

Donate to Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project.

Above all, he asks for prayer. “Pray for us. Pray for Israel. Pray for Jewish people and our team in Israel who are working hard to be a blessing and a light.”

Header photo: Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Already, Palestinians are anticipating a new civil administration after the dust settles. The Center for Peace Communications and the We Want to Live movement report that Gazans — including teachers, lawyers, and activists — are leading a grassroots resistance to Hamas influence.

But for now, Pastor Israel Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod says there are significant challenges.

“It’s Israel getting into guerrilla war. When we study history, the guerrilla war is the most challenging one. Even big countries struggle with the guerrilla war and the fighters — in our case, terrorists — hiding among civilians. You never know who is the soldier and who is just a peaceful person. It’s very complicated.”

(Photo courtesy of Pastor Konstantin Tsivin/Beit Hallel Congregation)

Beit Hallel Congregation sees the toll this war has taken, particularly on soldiers and their families.

“There is a lot of PTSD for soldiers,” says Pochtar. “When they go out of Gaza, they come to just normal life. The coffee places are open, the restaurants are open. Israel learned how to live peacefully even in the midst of the war, when war is just around the corner. But for soldiers who come out and see that, see kids and family — and then go back to fire, to danger and friends dying and waiting for hostages to be released, it is very difficult.”

In moments like this, Scripture brings encouragement. “So the words of the Bible, when it says, ‘Comfort, comfort, my people says the Lord,’ it really makes sense now even more, because the nation really needs comfort.”

Pochtar urges believers worldwide to pray for both sides of the conflict. “I want to ask all the friends to pray for Gaza — not only for peace, but also for freedom for the Gospel…. And praise the Lord, we have many friends who are waiting for this day and ready to go, ready to bless, help, but also preach the Gospel.”

Ultimately, the conflict is pushing people in Israel and Gaza to search for hope beyond politics.

“Now it’s the time to comfort and to preach Jesus because He’s the only solution for Israel. He’s the only solution for Gaza. It’s the only hope. There are no political solutions. At least, I believe there’s no political solutions during this situation. Only God can change and do miracles.”

Header photo: The fighters of the Multi-Dimensional Unit maneuver on the ground in the Gaza Strip in the Iron Swords War.
(IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/Wikimedia Commons)

The negotiations are set against a backdrop of heightened tensions. Israel recently stopped supplying electricity to Gaza in an effort to put pressure on Hamas. The Israeli delegation hopes to secure the release of the 59 hostages still left in Gaza.

Hamas parade (Photo by Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134754919)

Pastor Tes Kahasi with Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod says Israelis have differing views on where to go from here.

“There are some groups, especially on the left wing, they say that we have to release the hostages with any price. And there is the other group, the right wing especially, they say no, we can’t pay the whole price. Because with this terrorist group, if we pay them the whole price, if we give them everything that they want, we are just pushing them to do the same thing next time. That means kidnapping other people, kidnapping other kids.”

It’s a stark risk, underscored by the still-fresh memory of the returned bodies of the two youngest October 7th hostages, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Forensic evidence revealed they were brutally murdered “in cold blood” by their terrorist kidnappers.

Amidst these challenges and fears, believers in Israel are pointing people to a greater hope.

“People are hearing the national TV, the news, and everything — and they are frustrated,” says Kahasi. “They are full of fear…. When we are trying to solve the problem of this country, laying on politicians and different kinds of secular personalities, we couldn’t find hope. We couldn’t find peace.

“But we are preaching the Gospel of Christ, and we are preaching this Gospel in our church. So we say to the congregation every time that the hope of this nation is Yeshua.”

Please pray for godly wisdom, peace, and trust in Christ.

Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation here!

Header photo of Doha, Qatar. (Photo courtesy of Radoslaw Prekurat/Unsplash)

The ICC’s move underscores international scrutiny on Israel’s military, which faces the complexities of fighting a terrorist organization that embeds itself among civilians.

Sasson Pochtar, left (Photo courtesy of Sasson Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation)

As the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) navigate the challenges of war, the stories of individual soldiers offer a unique perspective.

Sasson Pochtar is a youth pastor at Beit Hallel Congregation and serves in Israel’s military. As a Messianic Jew in the IDF, Pochtar says, “We’re fighting against terror, and we’re fighting spiritual warfare as well.”

Pochtar describes how his faith has opened surprising opportunities for the Gospel even amidst the conflict. He wears an Icthus patch — the Christian symbol of a fish — on his IDF uniform.

“From day one, people were asking many questions. They see that I’m kind of different than others, especially on social media. My social media is so open about my life, and they were like, ‘Are you a pastor? You’re a Jewish guy. How does that work? How can you be a pastor?’

“So, I said, ‘Yeah, well, I’m a Jew [and] I believe in Jesus, that He’s the Messiah, He’s the Christ, and He’s the Savior of the world.’ And from that, it just developed many, many different talks.”

Pochtar asks fellow believers to pray for the Israeli people. Your prayers have an impact and are an encouragement to Israeli believers representing Christ. “I’m always saying to my friends, ‘By the way, I just had a talk with friends in the States or in Europe, and they are praying for you.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, what do you mean?'”

(Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Please also pray for Gospel opportunities across Israel.

“We just need more prayers for wisdom and for love — love, love and love. This is the biggest thing that I think we need to pray is to love,” says Pochtar. “I came to a point that I had many questions about that, but I really realized that I don’t hate my enemy. I’m actually blessing my enemy.”

Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation’s ministry in Israel.

Header photo of Israel flag. (Photo courtesy of Stanislav Vdovin/Unsplash)

The strike also sends a message about the escalating conflict that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th last year.

Sasson Pochtar, a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces and the Youth Pastor at Beit Hallel Congregation, says, “At the beginning, they were saying that Iran probably will not respond. But now, after they realized how big of an attack it was, [Iran] is trying to hide everything that happened. But Israel was attacking in really specific places that kind of shows them if it continues that way, we definitely will escalate that.”

Sasson Pochtar, left (Photo courtesy of Sasson Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation)

The war with Iran and its terror proxies is Israel’s longest war since the end of the 1949 conflict.

“We’re not used to having such a long war, so for us, it’s a new challenge,” says Pochtar.

“It’s a really hard situation. We feel that we’re getting really tired of being so long in the field. But we understand the cause, and we understand that what we do is necessary because, if not us, who will do it?”

In war and conflict, especially when it’s drawn out, civilians and military members alike ask spiritual questions and search for hope.

Please pray for the people of Israel to know the sustaining promises of Jesus Christ. Ask God to encourage Israeli Christians in their Gospel witness.

Pochtar says, “We really feel the prayers. We know that our brothers and sisters around the world [are] praying for us. We feel that a lot of miracles [are] happening. I had many miracles that I really felt the prayers of people.”

Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation’s ministry!

Header photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo courtesy of IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/Wikimedia Commons: https://tinyurl.com/2s4hb6aw)

Today, 97 hostages are still in Hamas captivity, their fates unknown. This attack spurred a war with Israel that still rages today.

For those who lived through it, October 7th will forever be a day that changed everything.

Pastor Tesfalidet Kahasi with Beit Hallel Congregation says, “We are well experienced with sirens because we live here in Israel and hear such awful sounds. But that morning was something different. We said, ‘What’s going on?’

“We just turned on the TV and we started watching the media and we saw something terrible — something that we hadn’t seen before, something that is very hard to understand and to believe.”

A home in Kibbutz Nir Oz after the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. In the October 7, 2023 surprise attack on the Gaza border communities, Hamas either killed, injured or abducted about one quarter of the 400 residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Before October 7th last year, Israeli society was facing deep social and political unrest, with protests taking over city streets. “In Israel, there was a lot of division,” Kahasi remembers. “I was afraid for a civil war.”

After the Hamas attack, many of those divides melted away as the nation of Israel came together to mourn and support its defense. Yet, the divide between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East remains stark and has grown in some ways.

Kahasi says, “When we go outside, the Palestinians are hateful. The Palestinians hate Israel. And we, the Israelis, also [do] the same thing. When you say ‘Palestinian,’ there is some hatred that you can see on the face of the people.”

To the world, a genuine friendship between Arabs and Jews would be unusual, at best. In the wake of October 7th, such a friendship is perhaps even unbelievable.

“But listen,” Kahasi says, “I have an Arab pastor brother from Nazareth, Pastor Salim. He’s an Arab Christian brother. When he’s coming to our church, I love him, I hug him like a brother. Not only like a brother. He is my brother!”

The Church Can Show the Way Forward

Brotherhood in Christ may not smooth over every nuance of conflict in the Middle East. There is still much even fellow Christians disagree on.

Yet, to a world so bent on tribalism and discord, Kahasi says the Church must stand as the model of biblical forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity in love.

Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Dariusz Kanclerz/Unsplash)

“We need to get together, especially the born-again Christians that drank the same Spirit. We need to hold hands together. We need to stir together. We need to combine our faith. We need to pray together. It doesn’t matter — Arabs, Jews, Gentiles, Greeks. It doesn’t matter where they are from or where we are from. We drank the same Spirit.”

Kahasi recently witnessed this profound truth after he virtually attended a conference with Christian leaders from around the world.

“There were a lot of leaders from different countries — from Iran, from Iraq, from Syria, from Lebanon, from a lot of countries,” Kahasi says. “I told them, ‘We are brothers. We drank the same Spirit…. We have to join hands. We have to pray together because we have a powerful name, and that is the name of the Prince of Peace, Yeshua.’

“I was on my way home on the same day of that conference, and then they stopped me. They called me by WhatsApp and they told me, ‘We need you here. We need to see you, and we need your prayers.’ So I stopped somewhere and I joined them by Zoom, and then I started praying. The Holy Spirit gave me some words for them.

“And then, guess what? There was an Iranian brother there. Iranian brother! He starts to prophesy over me, and then he starts bringing some great words.

“There was a sister there with hijab because she came from a very rooted Islamic family. So she wore a hijab, and then she starts to prophesy over me. You know, I’m Israeli. I’m a Jew. And then this lady from Iran, she starts prophesying over me.

“Can you believe that this thing happened because of the Holy Spirit? Because of the Spirit that we drank? Because of the Prince of Peace, Yeshua? Hallelujah!”

Pray for Israel

Steeple in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Jonny Gios/Unsplash)

The first anniversary of October 7th is marked with grim remembrance and grief. For those who lost loved ones or are still waiting to learn the fate of those taken hostage, it’s a devastating milestone.

Jesus is close to the broken-hearted and weeps with those who weep.

Kahasi says the people of Israel need to know the comfort, hope, and salvation of Christ the Messiah. He asks, “Pray for this nation, especially for the congregation of this land…. There is a lot to do in Israel. There is a lot of harvest in Israel. So pray for us. Pray for us to encourage ourselves in the God of Israel and then to stand together and to win souls for the Kingdom.”

Header photo courtesy of Cole Keister/Unsplash.

This marks the latest phase in the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land — a war that is taking a toll on both Israeli soldiers and civilians, who are feeling the strain of the economic impact.

(Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Pastor Israel Pochtar of Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod says, “The needs are great because the military expenses are very high and it’s affecting the Israeli economy. The prices are growing, the economy is suffering, and we’re going to see consequences more and more because this war is very costly.”

Despite the challenges, the light of Christ is breaking through. Beit Hallel Congregation actively supports Israeli Christians in the military. Pochtar estimates there are at least 1,000 Christian Israeli soldiers, including 35 from his church. He also has two sons in Israel’s military.

“We’ve never had such a big number of Christians who are in the army, who are sharing their faith and becoming a living letter of Jesus, of God for all people,” says Pochtar. “We have lots and lots of powerful testimonies and saved lives!”

As the Church continues to encourage believers in Israel’s military, Pochtar emphasizes, “We want to create a platform for our guys. I mean, we have the way they need help, but also we help them to be a message, to be a voice. Also, we tell them when we come, ‘I want to let you know Christians are praying for you.'”

You can get invested spiritually with Beit Hallel Congregation’s informative prayer resources.

“We do send prayer guides on how to pray for Israel, specifically, once a week,” says Pochtar. “So if people who want to pray, not only generic prayers, but specific prayers, they can sign up for our email…and take it into their prayer lives.

“When people pray, we do feel it. Israel needs prayer, and we believe in the power of prayer.”

Header photo courtesy of Pastor Konstantin Tsivin/Beit Hallel Congregation.

Meanwhile, Israelis are preparing their bomb shelters for potentially longer stays if Iran or one of its proxies attacks.

Pastor Israel Pochtar of Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod says, “We’re buying food and preparing for the Iran attack because, from previous times, we know many families won’t be already anyway — especially the really poor, needy people because sometimes they just don’t have more money to buy ahead of time.”

Many Israelis have bomb shelters in their homes. But many more who live in older homes have to stay in shared community bomb shelters.

(Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Pochtar and his ministry team bring aid and biblical encouragement to people struggling in bomb shelters, especially near the conflict borders.

“Visiting those bomb shelters, I can tell you it was a very difficult scene,” says Pochtar. “You see sick people, very old people, [and] women with young children or even with infants.” Yet, he adds, “We came to distribute food, and we’re ready to do it again.”

Please pray for Israelis, that they would not be trapped in a spirit of fear but would know the confidence and hope of the Gospel.

Pochtar says, “We pray that they really will be seeking God because that’s promised that if they will seek God – not just religion, but God – they will find Jesus.”

You can support Beit Hallel Congregation’s humanitarian work in Israel here!

“It’s a great time for the Church to be a voice of comfort,” Pochtar encourages. “As Isaiah 40 says, ‘Comfort, comfort my people, says the Lord. Speak tenderly to the heart of Jerusalem.’ That’s our focus in ministry right now.”

Header photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation.