Dear Prayer Partners,

School’s out and summer is on! It’s getting hot in Israel, but the weather is really perfect for families and friends to spend some time enjoying any of Israel’s many springs, seas, or lakes during the kids’ summer break while the weather is still moderate in Israel. This month marks the first month since February that we don’t have any holidays in Israel, although the first day of August will be Tish’ah B’av (a day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple), so we can be praying for a revelation throughout the world of God’s unique plans for Jerusalem and for dwelling in our midst!

Please join us in interceding on behalf of Israel for:

UNESCO World Heritage Committee
Join us in praying for God’s protection over Hebron and Jerusalem as further anti-Israel propaganda affecting these cities has made its way into UNESCO as of late. A critical vote affecting Jerusalem and Hebron is taking place during the World Heritage Committee meeting this month, July 2nd to July 12th. In the vote, a resolution is being pushed that presents the Old City of Hebron (containing the Cave of the Patriarchs, one of the holiest sites to Judaism) as an endangered Muslim holy site with no reference to its connection to Judaism. Along with the focus on Hebron, this resolution also includes wording that would reject Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.

Summer Vacations
As the young people of Israel begin their summer vacations, please pray for God’s safety and protection during any travels or summer activities. Pray for grace for the parents as they deal with the changes to their daily routine and with the increased child care expenses or costs of summer activities as their children begin summer break. Pray also for God to reveal Himself to the young people of Israel during their time off school this summer!

Medical Reform
Since 2015, the doctors, nurses and Israeli patients of Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem have found themselves at odds with Israel’s Minister of Health, Ya’acov Litzman, and with Hadassah’s director-general, Prof. Zeev Rotstein. This conflict has primarily been the result of a medical reform aimed at increasing medical tourism in Israel thanks to Israel’s advanced healthcare, but the increased medical tourism has inadvertently led to overworked doctors and reduced attention from the doctors per patient. Most recently, doctors at Hadassah, responsible for treating children with cancer, have resigned due to the excessive workload. Please pray for the patients of these doctors as they look for alternatives in the absence of their doctors. Please also pray for the doctors and for Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and others involved in pursuing a quick and lasting resolution to this situation.

Persecuted Believers
Summer time in Israel is an excellent time for conferences, but with the publicity received at conferences comes negative attention from those opposed to faith in Yeshua. In Israel, faith in Yeshua is very misunderstood. For many, faith in Yeshua is equated with idol worship. For most Israelis, their only exposure to Yeshua has been through the many monasteries and heavily decorated churches full of statues and golden and/or silver images of saints. Along with the claims by the Nazi party to being Christian, the history of the crusades, the association of Christianity with the Romans, and the fact that the Romans are the ones who destroyed the 2nd Temple, faith in Yeshua—especially coming to faith in Yeshua—attracts a lot of negative attention in Israel. Pray for believers in Israel to receive supernatural boldness and comfort as they endure both physical and verbal threats because of their faith, especially during this time of the year when they are attending any of a number of conferences. Pray also that those who are persecuting believers in Israel will come to a knowledge of the truth.

Fig Trees
Figs can be seen growing on the fig trees throughout Israel this time of the year—a most beautiful sight to behold as the fruit turns a captivating blend of green and purple as it ripens. Pretty soon, the fig harvest will be in full swing. Israel is among the leading exporters of figs in the world (not to mention consuming quite a bit also within Israel), so the fig harvest is important, not only in Israel, but also to those abroad who rely on Israel’s figs. Please pray that this year’s harvest will be especially fruitful and that those whose income hinges on the fig harvest will enjoy good prices for their fruit and come out ahead financially as they prepare for other upcoming harvests!

The Anti-Israel Agenda
This past month, the High Commissioner of the UNHRC, Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad of Jordan, compared the situation of Palestinian refugees in Israel today to that of Jews living in concentration camps in WWII. Along with this gross misrepresentation of Israel, Amnesty International launched a campaign this past month to promote banning goods produced in Israeli settlements. Amnesty International has never singled out another nation accused of “occupation” as being worthy of boycotting, but they’re okay with launching an expensive campaign aimed at furthering the anti-Israel agenda, and within weeks of the 50-year anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification. Please pray that God will continue to bless Israel and those who are standing with Israel during this time in history when the nations single out the Jewish state to penalize Israel based on lies and deceptive accusations. Pray especially that God will break the lies that are being promoted in the media and in anti-Israel organizations.

Following are some ministry requests for Hope for Israel:

Moran
Moran will be visiting a number of congregations in Texas, California, and Ohio July 9th through August 13th. He’d appreciate prayer for his travels and for open ears and hearts for those with whom he will share during his time abroad. Please also pray that during Moran’s time outside of Israel, he will be able to communicate effectively with the staff here at Hope for Israel. Please also pray for opportunities to really connect with his family during their time in the U.S. Pray for strength and safety for Moran’s family as they take on an especially busy schedule during Moran’s Teachings from Zion tour.

HFI Board
Please continue to pray for God’s guidance concerning the decisions facing the HFI Board. Pray with us that God would continue to provide for each and every need. Pray that God will protect the Board and its members from all attacks of the Enemy against their health, their families or the work they are doing for the kingdom of God.

HFI Staff
We are still in need of new full time coordinators for NerYah as one of our coordinators will no longer be able to assist in this as she begins full-time studies as a medical student. Pray for an effective transition both for our current coordinator as she enters medical school and for our selection process as we look for NerYah activity coordinators. The staff involved in our Believing Soldiers Outreach would especially appreciate prayer for fresh vision and strategy, as they plan future gatherings and projects aimed at encouraging and strengthening the soldiers in their faith.

Website
We are currently working on improving our website through significant changes to its design. Please pray for effective communication between all members of our media team as they collaborate on ways in which the website might most effectively be updated and improved. Please pray that the entire process of changing the website will be protected and for a smooth transition.

NerYah Youth Group
With the end of the school year, we’re kicking off our summer program for NerYah. Pray for creativity and fresh ideas as we work with the youth this summer. Pray for effective planning as we build next year’s agenda. Pray for spiritual and physical protection over the youth as they begin their summer break. While the youth enjoy a number of exciting conferences during the summer break, they still have a lot of down time in which they find themselves looking for something to do. Pray that the youth will take advantage of this free time to draw closer to God in a way that will impact the rest of their life.

Believing Soldiers’ Outreach
We’ve been meeting with a number of youth in the course of this past year to prepare them spiritually for the challenges they’ll face as they graduate high school and begin their military service.  Please pray for those who are transitioning in the coming months into military life. Pray also for those believers who are already serving in the military. Pray especially for God’s love & peace to surround them and for them to be aware of just how present He is, even at the hardest times.

Post-Military Outreach
Pray for the college students in this outreach as they are entering a time of exams and papers. A few of those participating in this outreach will be getting married this next year or have recently gotten married. Please pray for this time in their lives to be a time of strengthening in their faith and truly growing in commitment and love that will sustain them in their marriage throughout their life. Pray also for our regular gatherings with those in the post-military outreach that each and every one of them will experience breakthrough, as well as being an encouragement to one another.

Tours
Please pray that God will bring people for our upcoming tours to receive a revelation of His heart in this land. Please pray that every tour will make an impact on the body of Messiah throughout the world to connect believers with a right understanding of this land and the people who call Israel home. Pray that as we welcome people to Israel we’ll continue to effectively show believers the realities of life in Israel today that are often misconstrued in the media. We’d especially appreciate prayer for this year’s Israel-Greece tour, as well as next year’s Experience Israel tour, and Pastors’ Solidarity tour.

Foundations of the Faith Book
Please pray for the preparation of the English translation of the book, which is well underway. Please pray for His covering over the entire process of translating, editing, publishing, and distribution. Please also continue to pray that the Hebrew and Russian translations will reach many for the kingdom of God.

In His Service,

The Hope for Israel Prayer Team