Yes I realize others have been discussing this phenomenon straight from Texas, hopefully it will be clean help w/o strings attached!
Fifteen American Christian cowboys with their wide-brimmed hats, denim shirts, tight Wrangler jeans, leather belts with large buckles, and well-worn boots have come to Israel to protect the Jewish residents of the biblical heartland – Judea and Samaria.
"We want to live for Israel; that is our goal," said 24-year-old Yosef Strain from Montanna, his voice carrying a subtle twang.
The young men, mostly in their early 20s, hail from across the South: Tenessee, Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, and Montana. They join other faith-driven volunteers in Israel through Hayovel. For 20 years, this organization has been bringing several hundred Christians to Israel each year to help harvest the grapes of the biblical heartland. These Evangelical Christians are usually focused on restoring Christian-Jewish relations and confirming Israel's right to their ancestral homeland.
However, after the October 7 Hamas massacre, "we understood the morbid reality that we are facing a serious enemy and the world does not recognize it," explained Hayovel Director of Operations Joshua Waller. "If we did not say yes [to helping Judea and Samaria], no one was."
Hayovel launched Operation Itai to raise $29 million for security supplies for the West Bank. So far, more than $2 million has been raised from American Christian Zionists for bullet-proof vests, helmets, night vision binoculars, drones, flashlights and more.
Itai was the non-Jewish commander of King David's 600-men army, mentioned in II Samuel, chapter 15.
"We did not set a budget," said Waller. "We asked the communities what they needed, and Operation Itai responded."
In addition, Hayovel decided to bring a group of "hardcore guys" to help install security roads, build warehouses for supplies, deliver supplies, and do 24/7 guard duty, Waller said.
These 15 cowboys were selected.
15 hand picked cowboys
"Because of their farming-can-do attitudes, we knew these would be the right guys," Waller said.
"Everyone is talking about a proportionate response," he added. "A proportionate Christian response would be to bring the supplies needed to stop another Jewish massacre from happening."
He said Gaza is only one front. Syria and Lebanon are two other fronts, and the West Bank is the fourth front.
"This is one of the most severe fronts. You have around 500,000 Jewish people scattered among 200 different communities living next to two- to three-million Palestinians, and there are no security fences between them and us," Waller added. "No one wants to say it, but these Palestinians, many of them are also involved with Hamas or another terrorist organization, and if they believe they are strong enough and Israel is weak enough, they will strike."
The cowboys stay on Har Bracha with Hayovel but work throughout the West Bank, including in the southern Hebron Hills. They participate in what they call "farm watch" – staying up all night to catch cattle and sheep thieves and terrorists.
These boys are the real deal.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-772559
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Remember Hopalong Cassidy, John Wayne, OK Corral, from an earlier lifetime representing the “good guys” against the “bad guys”?
Here they are helping the “good guys”!
4 comments:
I know people are nervous about these cowboys, but I say let's bring in a small army of them, and give them long guns (ie rifles) too. And let them shoot to kill. Cowboys in the US know what to do about thieves and murderers. Let's see what the Beeden admin has to say then about "settler violence."
B”H you got it right!
I was leaning in that direction but bc of the outpouring of the op, I held off.
Instead linked them to “Normandy” as in the good guys landing to kill the bad guys!!
I liked that analogy too! I feel strongly that we should spend more time investing in building resilience among our young people and less time focusing on what the Christians are doing. Are some missionizing? Yes. But last week I saw a video from a young soldier (he looked like a hippy from the 60s. He said they have so much food they can hardly get out of bed! He asked for spiritual hugs, more Torah, more learning, more help with connecting to our mesora. I don't know where he is. My husband was ready to go with his friends, but there was no location (of course). Our people, young and old, have been deprived of the basics of Torah and Judaism. I think we've abandoned the secular youth believing that they don't want to know, but they do, and especially now. If we don't provide these "spiritual hugs" the Christian missionaries will. So let's focus on that and not waste our energy on kvetching about what the Christians are doing.
Josh, I’m sorry but I’d rather not post any ut links here.
Please comment other than that.
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