By: ICEJ Staff

When the Coronavirus threat grew into a global pandemic, the ICEJ’s worldwide network of national branches responded by stepping up their efforts to help Israel, while also joining the battle against this health menace in their own nations.

For example, in Russia, our St. Petersburg office purchased 1,000 face masks and 2,000 pairs of medical gloves for use by volunteers delivering daily meals to thousands of Holocaust survivors and other elderly Jews confined to their homes by the virus threat.

In the United States, ICEJ-USA national director Susan Michael co-hosted a special Zoom webinar meeting attended by more than 35,000 Christians and Jews from around the world to learn about Israel’s response to the coronavirus and rising concerns within the Jewish community of a new wave of antisemitism, as many are falsely blaming them for the pandemic. The online event was organized by ICEJ-USA and the grassroots group Combat AntiSemitism Movement (CAM) and featured keynote speakers from Israel, inspirational stories of Christian leaders, and a musical concert.

In Liberia, ICEJ national director J. Aaron Wright, Sr. and his nationwide network of pro-Israel Christian volunteers were tasked by the Monrovian government to lead the national effort to educate the public about the Coronavirus threat.

Working from Taiwan, ICEJ Chinese language coordinator Haifa Lu was able to encourage Christians in mainland China to support Israel through the ICEJ as never before, and donations even came in from Wuhan where the virus originated.

In Germany, the ICEJ team in Stuttgart was able to mobilize Christians nationwide for weekly Zoom prayer meetings for Israel through the Isaiah 62 Prayer Initiative, expanding its reach to more than 150 churches. ICEJ-Germany also produced a video which aired repeatedly on national Christian television concerning our extra assistance and cares for Holocaust survivors in Haifa during the health crisis and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warm remarks lauding those efforts.

And in Italy, ICEJ national director Tony Rozzini – who lives in the heart of the hardest-hit region of Lombardy – had a chance to go on national radio to call for repentance, especially for the country’s mistreatment of Jews during the Fascist period.

These are but a few examples of the special efforts made by many ICEJ branches worldwide over the past few months to meet the unique challenges of this difficult moment, and we in Jerusalem are very grateful for the backing and support of our offices and representatives around the world.