How Christians are Changing the Lives of Israel's Holocaust Survivors

Ya'akov Edelstein never got the chance to have  a bar mitzvah as a child. 

When he turned thirteen he was not dreaming about this traditional "coming-of-age" ceremony, he was worried about surviving the holocaust. 

Now 86-years-old and living in Israel, Edelstein finally got the chance to have his bar mitvzah 73 years late. However, it never would have happened without the help of some unlikely friends -- Christians.

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, a Christian evangelical organization, partnered with an Orthodox Jewish philanthropist to create the "Home for Holocaust Survivors.

The home provides housing, meals, and medical services to 75 elderly holocaust survivors just like Edelstein and his wife. 

This vital partnership between Christian and Jews means life or death for many victims of the holocaust. One third of Israel's holocaust survivors are are poor and weighed down from illnesses caused by the inhumane treatment they experienced as children in concentration camps. 

These challenges "have given us an even greater sense of urgency," said David Parsons, ICEJ's senior spokesman.

Shimon Sabag, the Israeli philanthropist who partnered with ICEJ, says all their work would be impossible without Christians because the organization does not get any money from the government. 

"They are giving the truest form of charity because they ask for nothing in return," Sabag said. "We are proud to be their partners."

The generosity of evangelical Christians is doing more than meeting needs, it is building bridges too. 

"They want to bless the Jewish people and they want to pay the moral debt we Christians owe to the Jewish people because of the atrocities committed against them in the name of Jesus," Parsons said.

CBN's Operation Blessing is also on the forefront of many holocaust survivor's battle against poverty. The organization provides food, medicine, and relief to Jews living in and outside of Israel. 

These organizations are giving more than the gift of food and medicine, but the unconditional love of Christ.