Israeli believers help rebuild northern border Kibbutz Manara devastated by Hezbollah rockets
Christians around the world donated millions of dollars to support restoration efforts
Kayla Sprague, a correspondent for ALL ISRAEL NEWS, traveled to Israel’s far north to see a war-ravaged community being transformed through the help and generosity of believers in Israel and around the world.
After two years of war, the northern border town of Manara has been battered and burned, with Hezbollah rockets leaving 75% of the buildings damaged, many of which are completely destroyed. Those who lived in the border communities were evacuated long ago, leaving an empty shell of what it once was. However, in preparation for the residents’ return over 100 believers from all over Israel, representing more than 10 organizations and congregations, went to Manara to help rebuild and restore it to become a thriving community once again.
Kibbutz Manara was founded in 1943 in the very north of Israel, mere meters (yards) from the border with Lebanon. Situated high up on the Ramim Ridge of the Naftali mountains, the kibbutz has a spectacular view of Mount Hermon above and the Hula Valley below. The name “Manara” refers to a beacon, and is the Arabic word for lighthouse. While the emergency services could often do little but watch as Hezbollah rained down missiles on the community, now with help from believers the kibbutz is slowly becoming a beacon of hope.
Working in cooperation with Mayor Asaf Langleben who has responsibility for the upper Galilee region and the Kiryat Shmona Messianic congregation, Michael and Vanessa Mistretta, CEO and CPO of FIRM raised millions of dollars to help restore three northern border communities: Manara, Malkiya, and Yaron, renovating and commissioning 25 homes, 12 of which were in Manara.
They coordinated the effort to bring volunteers from all over the country to come and serve for a day, making Kibbutz Manara a welcoming place once again by helping to rebuild and refurnish houses, even doing the gardens, ready to receive the residents back home.
One of the volunteers, Debby Nalbandian, brought gifts from the children's ministry Medallion Israel and had driven five hours to get there, but told ALL ISRAEL NEWS it was worth every minute. “We wanted to come and bless the children of Manara today. They have had such a tough time in the last two and a half years, having to leave their home and being displaced and going and living in, oh, who knows where, and now they get to come home again. We wanted to bless them and give them a joyous gift, that they can come home and have a big smile on their face as they return,” she said.
Yochai Wolfin, CEO of Kibbutz Manara, explained that the children and their teachers have had to repeatedly move from one place to another, and told ALL ISRAEL NEWS, “I can't explain how emotional, how meaningful it is,” adding, “It’s like when a person goes in the desert a few days and he doesn't have water, and all of a sudden, someone comes to him with a cold glass of water. This is exactly the cold glass of water. This is so meaningful and I want to thank you very much.”
The new homes were made possible by the generous gifts of Christians from all over the world and were designed with safety and resilience in mind. They will provide dignified, temporary housing while permanent homes are rebuilt over the next several years. After they return to their permanent homes, these houses will serve low-income families in the future.
“I remember when I first came here in the middle of the war with Lebanon, I walked through these houses, seeing the devastation. I just thought, 'We have to be able to do something.'" Michael Mistretta recalled, explaining to ALL ISRAEL NEWS how the project began. “Really, it's a miracle that this has come together. There's so much collaboration with local municipalities, and the government working with us as believers to say, Let's build homes for families to come back. It just unites and rallies us together around this message,” he said.
Langleben, who gives leadership to 29 communities all along the Israeli border with Lebanon, told ALL ISRAEL NEWS that to be able to bring the people to Manana was a “story of winning after the war.”
“We're lucky that we have friends that help us,” he said, thanking those who came.
“A lot of people are talking about the north, but not everyone is putting their money where their mouth is and doing something,” he said, explaining that he had been asking people to come and invest without much response. “The fact that you said yes and invested with us, we think this is something we're doing together, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts for really believing in the people of this community.”
“One of the things that I heard today, which is so special from one of the guys [who said], “There's something shiny about you guys!” And that was really neat," Vanessa Mistretta added.
“They see the love that overflows in us into the community here,” she said, adding that many had never had the opportunity to meet anyone who believes in Jesus before.
“That's a special thing about us coming together. We know the Bible talks about how you can shine your good works before men that they may see, and they give glory to your Father,” Mistretta said. “That's what it's all about for us.”
Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
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