The international Christian organization Bridges for Peace has raised and donated more than $500,000 for Israeli organizations working on the frontlines to care for and rescue Jewish refugees, the organization said.
In addition, Bridges helped finance the “Shining Star” field hospital, which left this week for Ukraine to serve people with medical emergencies on the ground in Western Ukraine.
“We’ve come alongside Magen David Adom as they send bulletproof ambulances to Ukraine,” said Bridges CEO Rev. Rebecca J. Brimmer. “We purchased a van to help transport new olim in Moldova. We’ve worked closely with Israeli organizations, including Keren HaYesod, to bring Jewish refugees to Israel—and then provide them with necessities as they embark on their new life in their new homeland.”
She said that “we watched the invasion and the suffering with horror. We also watched as Israel mounted numerous rescue and relief efforts, applauding the impact. As Christians, it is our honor to help ensure that these Israeli efforts have the resources they need to accomplish the crucial work.”
Bridges has an active, ongoing program of Christian workers on the ground in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe that has helped more than 86,000 people move to Israel in the past, including more than 14,000 from Ukraine.
“The network in Ukraine and its neighboring countries is extensive, which means that through our strategic partners we already had boots on the ground when the invasion started,” Brimmer explained. “The team members have stayed put, rescuing, feeding and transporting Jewish refugees on many fronts, with the team in Moldova helping hundreds on their way to Israel.”
Bridges has been operating in Israel for more than 50 years, helping Holocaust survivors, new immigrants, widows and orphans through its various programming.
“Now, it is our privilege to stand beside the countless Israelis who are going above and beyond—once again serving as a testimony of the Jewish state’s calling as a light to the nations—to rescue, bring home and comfort,” Brimmer concluded.