South African Christians are donating two emergency rapid response vehicles to Israeli communities near the Gaza border. This gesture comes as South Africa has positioned itself as one of Israel's most vocal critics on the global stage.
The vehicles are valued at $80,000 each (and when you take into account the Rand-Dollar exchange, you quickly realize the extent of this donation), will be donated to Magen David Adom next month. The vehicles will serve communities attacked during the October 7, 2023 Hamas invasion.
Chris Edens, head of the South African office of Bridges for Peace, the evangelical organization behind the initiative, told JNS, "The name of South Africa has been tarnished by the ANC government over a protracted period, particularly after the October 7 attacks, but there is a lot of support for and admiration of Israel in South Africa based on Judeo-Christian values."
These are additional support initiatives to help Israel:
- Distribution of over 4,000 "Bless Israel Boxes" to South African churches, inspired by the Jewish National Fund's iconic blue boxes.
- Collaboration with WIZO to send thousands of handwritten "letters of love" from Christian supporters to Israeli soldiers and displaced families.
Liz Campbell Robertson, chair of the Christian branch of WIZO in Cape Town, emphasized, "You don't hear this on the media, but there are thousands upon thousands of believers in South Africa that are standing with Israel."
This moving and uber-useful gesture comes at a time when relations between Israel and South Africa are at an all-time low, with no operational embassies and recalled ambassadors. This results from South Africa's decision to ally itself with Iran and its proxies, even going so far as to host a Hamas delegation last December.
This Christian support mirrors a similar gesture from Japanese Christians earlier this year, who donated ambulances to replace those destroyed in the October 7 attack.
The JNS contributed to this article.
