Yom HaAliyah (Hebrew: יום העליה) is a national, modern-day holiday celebrated in Israel for many years; it was officially made into law in 2016. This year it begins at sundown on Saturday, October 24, 2020, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 25, 2020. The Yom HaAliyah holiday was specifically chosen to be celebrated on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the biblical date on which Joshua led the Jewish people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Deut 27:2-3 NIV

Aliyah is honored in the modern state of Israel for the vast contributions of the millions of Olim (immigrants) who have returned from the nations to make Israel their home. The Israeli Declaration of Independence document makes a profound opening statement, which reads in part:

The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and national identity was formed. Here they achieved independence and created a culture of national and universal significance. Here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world. After being forcibly exiled from their Land, the People kept faith with it throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their national freedom. Impelled by this historic association, Jews strove throughout the centuries to go back to the land of their fathers and regain statehood. In recent decades, they returned in their masses. They reclaimed a wilderness, revived their language, built cities and villages, and established a vigorous and ever-growing community, with its own economic and cultural life. They sought peace, yet were ever prepared to defend themselves. They brought blessings of progress to all inhabitants of the country.

Aliyah is a prayer in the heart of Jewish people. The profound prayer below is prayed on Shabbat, on Jewish holidays, in Israel and throughout synagogues all over the world.

…Remember our brethren, the whole house of Israel, in all the lands of their dispersion. Speedily bring them to Zion your city, to Jerusalem, dwelling of your name, as it is written in the Torah of your servant Moses: ‘Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you too will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers.

Let us join our Jewish brothers and sisters as they honor and celebrate the Olim (immigrants) who have showed such courage and commitment to return to Israel. Let us also continue to pray for the many millions who still need to make that crossing into the Promised Land, the Land God gave to their forefathers. 

This year, I’m sure this celebration will look very different, compared to what it has been in years past, but celebrate they will. The Land and the people of Israel demonstrate the love and faithfulness of the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Aliyah is a modern-day miracle happening now as God continues to gather His people home to Israel. Nothing can stop the miracle of the greater Aliyah that is coming.

Pictured below is one of the hundreds of people that we have had the honor to assist make Aliyah this year. They are now part of the fabric of Jewish life in the land of milk and honey.

Mathew and family:  “Israel is our history, both familial and as a people. Our roots are planted there, and our future will blossom there.”

Israel is not a land you escape to; it’s a homecoming! Let’s rejoice with millions who are now living in the Land. We have hundreds of people going through the Aliyah process who need our prayers and our support. Please help us to continue to bless our Jewish brothers and sisters; it’s your prayers and your giving that enable us to continue to provide much-needed assistance for the task at hand. Will you pray about making a special contribution for the Aliyah that is continuing to build?

During these unprecedented and critical days, we stand together in prayer for our nation and for the peace of Jerusalem.

John Prosser
President & CEO

Aliyah to Israel Becomes the Journey to Safety in the Midst of COVID-19

A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I Jehovah, will hasten it in its time. Isaiah 60:22 (ASV)

Listen, … the alarm clock of Aliyah is ringing. It is announcing that a wave of Aliyah is coming, and it is coming soon. God says that there is an appointed time for when the alarm clock has been set, and at that certain time it will go off. When the alarm goes off, it is time to go—time for our Jewish friends to go from Hope to Home. Now is the time for them to hear the ringing of the alarm clock. It is also time for us to hear it. Jews and Gentiles need to be ready to arise at the sound of the alarm clock going off.

The whole chapter of Isaiah 60 is a message of great hope for Israel. What especially gets my attention is verse 22, which says that God is going to take Israel, which is a small nation, and increase it to become a strong nation. One way I believe this will happen is by a big wave of Aliyah. The timing for that wave is now. Suddenly, the one thing the world is focused on is COVID-19. The virus has brought a pause to the nations. COVID-19 has become the reason why many Jewish people understand that Israel is their safe haven. Suddenly they no longer feel safe outside of Israel.

For years, we have all prayed and wondered what the green light will be for the Jewish people to know that they know that now is the time to go home to Eretz (Land) Israel, where their safety will be guaranteed. During these challenging days of COVID-19, our Jewish friends understand that the anchors that were keeping them out of Israel are no longer strong enough to keep them grounded in the diaspora. A shaking has taken place. The roots that have kept them in the diaspora are no longer strong enough to keep them there. They are hearing the alarm clock go off, and they are getting up and going home to Eretz Israel.

“And there is hope for your future —declares Hashem: Your children shall return to their country.” Jeremiah 31:16 (The Israel Bible)

Shirley Lawrenson
Aliyah Director

During COVID-19, anti-Semitism has spread like wildfire in the social media. Iran’s leaders and media have accused Israel of spreading the virus. In social media across Europe and the USA, the virus is sometimes drawn with a Jewish face. In the USA, various writers instructed anti-Jewish activists who have tested positive to enter synagogues—this to spread the virus into Jewish communities. Israeli deaths are being celebrated online. Finally, as researchers around the world are struggling to find a COVID-19 cure, one thing is evident: if Israeli scientists are the first to succeed, this will be seen as a Jewish effort to benefit from the crisis.

Thus, anti-Semitism is very much alive and part of current societal discourse. In the anti-Semitic worldview, Jews and Israel are to be hated. Nothing they can do or say can change this.

What are we to do? We must stand against hatred. My advice is to pray and act. I am thankful that ministries such as Operation Exodus USA have taken a strong stand against anti-Semitism, and they support and stand with Israel while encouraging and materially supporting those who wish to make Aliyah.

ALIYAH IS UP!

GOING UP – ASCENDING UNTO ZION – THE MOST HOLY PLACE

Things are looking up despite the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Christians, we have a perspective that is unlike that of the world around us. We see things differently than the world does; we recognize the signs of the days we are living in. We look up to our God, and we testify of the abundance of His grace and mercy in our own lives, and His faithfulness to the covenant He made with the Israelites. In these days of extreme uncertainty, we stand confident that our God does not change, He Is the Great I AM! He Is all that we need to make it through the shakings that our nation and the nations of the world are experiencing. Jesus said “…So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up! For your salvation is near.” Luke 21:28 (TLB)

Operation Exodus USA has such a unique call, and we are honored, especially in these days, to serve God, and to be a blessing to His chosen people. Jewish communities all around us have been hit extremely hard with high numbers of loved ones who have lost their lives. What an opportunity we have to encourage them with God’s Word, to speak to them tenderly, comfort them, and be carriers of His love to them.

Aliyah is holy; it’s the Father’s heart’s desire to reunite His family unto Zion, His holy place. Our King Jesus is soon coming. This is not a time to be a bystander and just watch; this is a time to obey God, to pray, stand, and take action. Now is the time to partner with God, and to be that instrument in His Hands—to bring and carry His sons and daughters home.

Aliyah is up! Jewish people are now looking up toward Israel as their permanent home. Despite the pandemic, planes are flying from all over the world, bringing God’s people to Israel. Our team at OEUSA is filled with joy at the increase and the acceleration of applications we are now receiving.

Your obedience to the LORD in prayer and giving is the fuel that carries the assistance we provide to those making Aliyah. Now, more than ever, we need your participation. We encourage you to communicate with us about how the LORD is speaking to you to be directly involved with the work of Aliyah. These are the days preceding the 2nd Exodus, and we are fully confident the LORD will make all provision. He is faithful!

We value and appreciate all our partners and friends. We thank God for you, and we keep you and your families in our prayers. Stand strong, look up, and walk in divine health!

ADONAI is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will glorify Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. …Your right hand, ADONAI, is glorious in power. Your right hand, ADONAI, dashes the enemy to pieces. Exodus 15:2, 6 TLV

John Prosser
President/CEO

“…I will save my people from lands east and west; I will bring them back, and they will live in Yerushalayim. They will be my people; and I will be their God,…” Zechariah 8:7-8 CJB

We are currently witnessing the greatest in-gathering of Jewish people to the Land of Israel since the time of the Exodus under Moses. This historic phenomenon is recent—occurring primarily in the past 25 years.

Why isn’t this headline news? Perhaps it is because of ignorance or denial, but possibly spiritual blindness. Every “earth is flat” mindset traps people in a distorted view of reality.

I could easily be among those oblivious to this massive global re-gathering. As I was growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, anti-Semitic jabs and slurs were common. I unwittingly adopted some myself. My bias was reinforced as a student at MIT, where Jewish classmates would incessantly lobby professors for higher grades—somehow feeling they were being mistreated. It was annoying, and I allowed my annoyance to fester.

Then, in the late ’50s, I was invited to a campus lecture. I don’t remember a word of the speech, but I will never forget the images—unvarnished footage of the extermination of Jewish people in German concentration camps. General Dwight Eisenhower had insisted that this human tragedy be captured on film, fearing the world would one day deny and forget this monstrous evil.

My attitude toward Jewish people was permanently altered. Of course they deserved a homeland – not just any land, but the land promised them for millennia! How could I imagine that, in my lifetime, we would witness millions pouring into Israel in this modern-day exodus?

Those of you who read this vital newsletter don’t need convincing. You are already making a huge difference. You’ve had your own kind of “revelation” that Aliyah is fully on the heart and in the purposes of God. And you are acting on this revelation in ways that are appropriate for your circumstances and capacity. For my wife Wendy and me, this has meant prayer, influence and decades of financial support.

Many close observers are convinced that the recent outpouring is but prologue—that we are on the cusp of a still greater Aliyah.

This is a call, underscoring a unique opportunity to engage this miracle in whichever way the Lord directs. Think long-term, considering how strategic the next decade will be. Think sacrificially, deeming yours an investment with eternal consequences. We have a calling before us worthy of the journey.

John Beckett – Chairman, The Beckett Companies

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days (“achariyt he ‘yamim” in Hebrew.)

This term is found several times in the Bible and is connected to the Aliyah.  It means “in the last days, or end days.”  One place is Micah 4:1-2.  The time will come when every living Jewish person will make their Aliyah and return to Israel (Ezekiel 39:27-28), even from North America.  In the 46 years I have been involved with the Aliyah, prayer has been the basis of all the Lord has shown me and allowed me to witness.  To Him be the glory, all I have done is obey Him. 

When I first met Gustav Scheller in 1982 and we began Operation Exodus, prayer was always the central theme out of which we received our direction of what to do, and by God’s grace today, more than 200,000 Jewish people have been assisted to make Aliyah.  Today, there are about 7,000,000 Jewish people in North America and I know God has the plan that will make the way for them to go to Israel. 

The question is How?  That’s where the prayer comes in.  Yeshua said without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5) and He only did what He saw His Father do (Jn 5:19), and He only spoke the words His Father taught Him (Jn 8:28).  We must follow His example, pray, hear and obey His voice and He will reveal His plan to help, finance (if it is His will, it is His bill) and be the instruments to see His eternal purposes and plans fulfilled. 

Gustav and I started with $1 each in our kitty, so with a capitalization of $2 we began, trusting we were hearing from the Lord and being guided by Him, the rest is history.  In God’s mathematics 1 + 1 does not equal 2, one fights off a 1,000, two fights off 10,000 (Deut 32:30).  When Gustav and I had the charter contract in front of us for the first ship with a $1,000,000 bill attached to it, and we only had $2 in the kitty, but God… we were given the ship with a crew of 91 seamen on our signatures. 

With the contract on the table, the Lord opened my spiritual eyes and I saw we were surrounded by angels, I signed and after sharing with Gustav, he signed.  We never missed a payment.  It’s the end of days, will you pray and help?

Steve Lightle
International Speaker & Author