SPECIAL EDITION

Abortion In Israel: Friends of Efrat

The "Friends of Efrat" (Hebrew: אפרח), is a group of volunteers who identify strongly with Efrat's goal that no Jewish child should be lost to the Jewish People due to the economic concerns of the parents. A corollary of that goal is that no Jewish woman should have to go through an abortion due to financial concerns. According to Efrat there are close to 50,000 abortions in Israel every year. Last year in an average week in Israel over nine hundred (900) babies were lost to abortion, mainly due to economic concerns. Many of these abortions could be prevented, if only the woman was provided some basic social and financial support. ¹

Abortion In Israel: Be'ad Chaim

Be'ad Chaim (Pro Life) (Hebrew: בעד חײם) is an Israeli Non-Profit organization dedicated to the protection of mothers and unborn children. This ministry is a national organization with offices and hotlines throughout Israel. Be'ad Chaim believes all women are eligible for our assistance, regardless of nationality or religious beliefs. Their clients include native Israelis both Arab and Jew, and immigrants from Russia, Ethiopia, Europe, the United States, and elsewhere in the world. Be'ad Chaim's goal is to show women, and men, an alternative to abortion, so that they will choose life. Seven (7) days a week, on the ground and in the public square, Be'ad Chaim provides alternatives to abortion, post-abortion counseling, conferences, workshops, and practical help to new mothers. The ultimate goal of Be'ad Chaim is to End Abortion-On-Demand in Israel. Sandy Shoshani, the Director of Be'ad Chaim, wants us all to realize God's promise to His people, Israel, as he says in Deuteronomy 30:19 — "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." ²

Abortion In Israel: International Messianic Jewish Alliance

According to Messianic Rabbi Joel Liberman, Executive Director of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA), "in Israel today, 50,000 children are aborted each year. While this figure indicates a small decline in abortions, the number is still appalling. Israel approves 98% of all abortion requests and 40% of those abortions are granted to married women. The number of unwed mothers continues to grow. It is one matter to consider what G-d thinks of all this. He certainly makes His concern clear in Deuteronomy 30:19 — 'This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.'" ³

My brother in Christ, Joel Liberman, continues to bring clarity, coherence, challenge and vision to the debate surrounding abortion in Israel when he shares: "From A Practical Aspect, Israel is overwhelmed by its Arab neighbors. She is outnumbered by her surrounding neighbors fifty (50) to one (1). Her population totals only two percent (2%) of those nations. Also, her Arab citizens are having larger families than most Israelis. It is quite conceivable that between Israel's Arab citizens and the 'Palestinians' in Gaza and the West Bank, she could find herself a minority within her own borders. This could challenge the Jewish nature of Israel in the future. Can we overlook the fact that Israel needs every single person? From A Spiritual Aspect, every aborted child is one less person who will have the opportunity to grow up and contribute to the miracle that is modern Israel. Also, that unborn child will never have the opportunity to hear the Good News and contribute to the biblical and spiritual fabric of the nation." ⁴

Abortion In Israel: Issues4Life Foundation

The Issues4Life Foundation is dedicated to protecting human life from the moment of our biological beginning, regardless of the means by which we were procreated, method of reproduction, age, race, sex, gender, physical well-being, function, or condition of physical or mental dependency and/or disability and fully supports the mission and ministries of the Friends of Efrat, the Be'ad Chaim and the International Messianic Jewish Alliance. We believe persons are not property. We believe all life is precious, but human life has been uniquely "created in the image and likeness of God" and should be respected and protected by love and by law. Brothers, I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour (2nd Corinthians 10:1a),⁵ that we join forces with the Friends of Efrat, the Be'ad Chaim and the International Messianic Jewish Alliance in an effort to End Abortion by meeting the needs of women and children and that we believe in our hearts and embrace in our public policies Genesis 12:3 which says: "And I will bless them that bless thee [Israel], and curse him that curseth thee [Israel]: and in thee [Israel] shall all families of the earth be blessed." ⁶

Brothers, we really need to talk.

Reference(s):
1. Friends of Efrat is a small group of "mini-philanthropists" who have taken upon themselves of saving a minimum of one Jewish child a year. For $100 a month for a year on your credit card (which is less than $4 a day for a year!) you can save the life of a Jewish child in Israel. $300 a month, for example, would save the lives of three Jewish children every year (http://bit.ly/mftEfs).
2. To financially support Be'ad Chaim in the United States, please support Mekor Chaim, a United States non-profit organization registered with the IRS. Contributions to the Mekor Chaim Foundation are tax deductible in the United States of America. Please write, "for Be'ad Chaim" in the bottom left corner of your check (http://bit.ly/j0NULr).
3. The International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA) is the world wide fellowship of Jewish people who have accepted Yeshua (Hebrew: יֵשׁוּﬠֲ) (Jesus) as their Messiah (http://bit.ly/muoLPC).
4. May 2011 International Messianic Jewish Alliance Appeal Letter (http://bit.ly/k3hQeg).
5. 2nd Corinthians 10:1 (KJV) "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence [am] base among you, but being absent am bold toward you."
6. Genesis 12:3 (KJV) "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."