Nation ‘passed through valley of shadow of death’ says aid worker as families return to abandoned homes in war zone
SPRINGFIELD, Pa. — Thousands of families who fled Hezbollah’s deadly rocket attacks in war-torn northern Israel are considering returning home this month as a fragile ceasefire with Hamas collapsed in Gaza on Tuesday.
More than 60,000 Israelis were forced to abandon their homes in the north and relocate, leaving behind virtual ghost towns. Now some are looking to return, but the Gaza ceasefire collapse creates more uncertainty about stability on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
“On one hand, my soul is really longing for a home, for a place that is mine,” said Moriel Arnon, who just returned to her home in the northern settlement of Kibbutz Eilon after living in temporary housing for more than a year. “On the other hand, there is a lot of fear of the unknown.”
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Her teenage daughter, Bat-El, said it felt surreal to walk back into their home — like entering a time capsule with items exactly where they were left when the family suddenly had to flee for their lives at night.
“It’s supposed to be yours, it’s supposed to be like something you know,” she said. “But it didn’t feel like this. It felt like something apart from (me).”
The Arnon family is one of thousands receiving support from Joseph Project International (JPI, https://josephproject.news/), a U.S.-headquartered nonprofit organization that is Israel’s largest importer of humanitarian aid. It has distributed more than $26 million of critical supplies — including food, clothing, medical and hygiene items — to Israelis since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack that ignited the war, drawing in Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists based in Lebanon.
The 25-year-old aid organization, which runs a giant warehouse near Jerusalem, is providing furniture items and helping the Arnon family refit their kitchen.
“For many of us here in Israel, the whole nation passed through the valley of the shadow of death,” said Reuven Doron, a representative of Joseph Project International in Israel.
Moriel said she keeps looking for “the light to shine” as Israelis face their darkest days since the Holocaust. “At Hanukkah, we came to light the candles,” she said. “We thought we’d be lighting the darkness. But it didn’t feel like that.”
As thousands more families weigh whether to return to their homes in the north, the Israeli government has pledged to make the region safe. “The key to returning home is security, and we are not going to compromise on this matter,” said Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, quoted in The Times of Israel.
The Israeli government has launched a compensation plan to help families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by missiles, or whose homes need repairs after sitting empty for more than a year.
Aid organizations also play a vital role.
Joel Chernoff, founder and executive board chairman of Joseph Project International, said: “We’re focused on helping all Israelis who continue to suffer hardships because of the war and its impact on Israel’s economy. Moreover, we serve everyone regardless of faith or ethnic background, showing them the love of the God of Israel and the Messiah of Israel.”
Its established humanitarian network has carried out more than 1,400 aid deliveries across Israel since the war began.
Meanwhile, Moriel assesses the damage to her war-torn neighborhood and her home, which stood empty and neglected for more than a year.
“It’s still okay… somehow,” she said. “I’m thankful that God protected us.”
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Operating across Israel, Joseph Project International is the number one importer of humanitarian aid in Israel, annually serving hundreds of thousands of needy Israelis — Jews, Christians, and Arabs.
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