Across Israel, Sukkot—the Feast of Tabernacles—is beginning to change the landscape of everyday life. Temporary booths appear on balconies, in gardens, and outside apartment buildings. Children help decorate them, families prepare to gather, and for one week an ancient biblical Feast becomes something you can see almost everywhere you go.
But there is another reason this Feast carries such significance for us.
Nearly two thousand years ago, during Sukkot, Jesus stood in Jerusalem on the final and greatest day of the Feast and cried out,
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink”
John 7:37
Surrounded by His own people and speaking in the middle of a deeply Jewish celebration, Jesus gave an invitation that still speaks today.
Yet many Israelis who will celebrate Sukkot this year have never had the opportunity to seriously consider Jesus within the story of their own Scriptures and people. That is why, through Voice of Judah Israel and our partnership with Beit Hallel Congregation, hundreds of Israelis will be invited into the Galilee this Sukkot for a day centered on relationships, Scripture, and the Good News of Jesus.
These outreach days are intentionally personal. Guests know they are joining a day organized by Beit Hallel that will include biblical places, fellowship, time in Scripture, and an opportunity to hear why the team believes in Jesus. But much of what makes the day meaningful happens naturally along the way. There is time on the buses, around the table, and beside the Sea of Galilee for relationships to form and honest conversations to begin.
Someone may ask a question about Jesus they have carried for years. Someone else may have grown up hearing that Jesus belongs to another religion or another people and, perhaps for the first time, begin looking at what the Hebrew Scriptures actually say about the Messiah. A testimony can lead to a question, a question can lead to Scripture, and a familiar passage can suddenly be considered from a completely different perspective.
No one can force faith, and that is not the purpose.
The team is there to listen, answer questions, share what God has done in their own lives, and give people space to consider the message for themselves. But there is also a moment during the day when the purpose becomes especially clear.
After traveling through the Galilee, visiting biblical places, sharing a meal, and spending time together, hundreds of Israelis will gather for a special evangelistic meeting.
Pastor Israel Pochtar will open the Scriptures and share the Gospel plainly. He will speak about Jesus not as someone foreign to Israel’s story, but as the Messiah promised through the Scriptures of Israel. He will speak about our need for forgiveness, what Jesus has done for us, and the new life God offers through Him. Then Pastor Israel will give those listening an opportunity to respond.
Some may be ready to pray and begin putting their faith in Jesus. Others may leave with questions they want to explore further. For some, this may simply be the beginning of a journey. Whatever their response, the decision belongs to them. The purpose is not to manufacture an emotional moment, but to make sure people have the opportunity to hear the Gospel clearly and respond freely. And when the day ends, the ministry does not.
The team at Beit Hallel continues building relationships with those who want to know more. Through personal conversations, follow-up meetings, Bible studies, prayer, and the life of the congregation, people have opportunities to keep asking questions and discovering what it means to follow Jesus.
This is one reason these large outreach days matter so much. A bus journey through the Galilee may last only a day, but a conversation that begins there can continue long afterward.
And this is where friends of Voice of Judah Israel can become part of what is happening.
It costs approximately $100 to bring one Israeli for the complete day—including transportation to and throughout the Galilee, a shared meal, visits to biblical places, a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee, and the evangelistic gathering where Pastor Israel will share the Gospel.
$25 — Help toward one Israeli’s day
$50 — Cover half the cost for one Israeli
$100 — Sponsor one Israeli
$500 — Sponsor five Israelis
You may be thousands of miles from the Sea of Galilee, but your partnership can help someone in Israel get on one of those buses.
Perhaps you can sponsor five people. Perhaps you can sponsor one. Perhaps $25 is what you are able to give. Every gift helps make room for another Israeli to spend the day with the team, open the Scriptures, ask honest questions, hear the Gospel clearly, and have the opportunity to respond.
There is something especially meaningful about doing this during Sukkot. Thousands of years after God established the Feast of Tabernacles, Jewish families throughout Israel are still celebrating it. And nearly two thousand years after Jesus stood during this very Feast and said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink,” His invitation has not changed.
The invitation still stands.
This Sukkot, hundreds of Israelis will gather in the Galilee and hear that invitation for themselves. Through your prayers and generosity, you can stand with the team in Israel and help make that opportunity possible.
Will you help bring one more Israeli to the Galilee?