My travel from Texas to visit the Nahal Oz Kibbutz

As a proud Christian from Texas, who feels a strong connection to the plight of the Jewish people based on the origins of my faith, I was shaken to the core by Oct. 7.

While I had never been to Israel before, and others warned that “now was not the time to go”, I felt the insatiable need to lend a hand in Israel and perhaps most importantly, take back to America what I’ve learned in order to share the truth upon my return to Texas.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you”
Isaiah 41:10

As Christians and Jews, God’s holy Word is our shared vow. We pray together. We mourn together. We RISE together.

Two weeks ago, I traveled to Israel to see with my own eyes what was happening. I traveled from the border of Egypt to the sea of Galilee. I visited Nova festival survivors, first responders and families of those who lost loved ones. I listened to their stories as they cried, I saw the scars and the bullet wounds that they received from a brutal savage attack from Hamas terrorists, simply for being Jewish.

Also, with the help of some very dear friends, we found a kibbutz near the Gaza border, which for those that do not know, is a small communal village, this village suffered as did many communities near Gaza, a great loss of life and property. Nachal Oz on the morning of October 7, was invaded by dozens of Hamas terrorists and that morning they lost 19 souls which included entire families. There is not enough time in a single video to go into why Hamas chose to murder innocent civilians on that morning, but it changed lives forever, on both sides of the border.

With prior approval, since this is still considered a war zone, we were granted entrance into Nahal Oz Kibbutz.

To show our support for them, we purchased a beautiful tree from a nearby tree farm which will flourish and bloom as a symbol of resilience and strength. We met with the survivors of the massacre at the kibbutz and they were very moved to receive such a gesture.

I was humbled to meet the most incredible, strong, loving, and forgiving people I have ever met, in my entire life. The man you see in this picture,  his name is Yoram Shpirir, and on the morning of October 7, his son was murdered by Hamas terrorists while riding his bike.

Yoram was kind enough to give me a tour of this dairy farm which is a part of the kibbutz which has some of the most impressive cows. It is a miracle that they survived and could still produce milk after what happened on October 7. The feeding and milking operation had to continue and it’s crucial because after two or three days of not milking and feeding those cows could dry up and it’s irreversible.

In the video is a picture of the burned out cabling and controls which operated the milking facility of this dairy farm. The terrorists launched a grenade as you can see which destroyed it all, they worked hard to restore it.

When I asked Yoram how he manages to keep going with this incredible will and spirit without being angry, Yoram’s response is something I will never forget, “We have no time to be angry, we have too much work to do and too many people that need help. Anger will simply drain us of our energy and make us bitter.”

What I have personally learned after visiting Israel about the Jewish people, is that they just keep going, no matter what.

In the video is the picture of the tree at this dairy farm in the specific spot chosen by Yoram.

Obviously it’s impossible to help everyone in need, but it’s not impossible to help some in need. Kibbutz Nahal Oz still needs our help. I am setting up a fundraiser to help these innocent victims rebuild their lives and their community at Nahal Oz Kibbutz.