Joshua Aaron, SOLU, Nizar Francis and FIRM kick off Hanukkah with evening of worship and prayer

Popular Messianic Jewish musician Joshua Aaron brought the Gather the Nations event to Israel for the first time last Thursday evening for a special evening with music and a Hanukkah celebration. 

The event, which began on the first night of Hanukkah, included the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah, praise and worship music in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, and a time of prayer for the Israeli hostages in Gaza and the IDF soldiers fighting against the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip.

The event was the second Gather the Nations event hosted by Aaron, with the first being in Dallas, Texas just weeks before the Oct. 7 attack. 

Due to the invasion, Aaron and the Gather the Nations, along with Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries, the NGO FIRM, decided to host an event on Hanukkah to highlight the situation. 

At the entrance to the gathering, hosted at The Pavilion of King of Kings Community in Jerusalem, there were 138 candles to remember each one of the 138 captives still remaining Gaza. 

Later in the evening, children handed out 138 glow sticks to attendees during a time of dedicated prayer for the release of the hostages and their return home. 

An international delegation of 75 Christians from 10 different countries also attended the evening of worship and prayer with their tour group, led by FIRM. The group came to Israel to serve and support Israelis during this difficult time following the invasion and attack.

“When you’re hurting, it’s the people that are closest to you that show up in your time of need,” FIRM Director Michael Mistretta said about the group of Evangelical Christians that came to serve. 

While in Israel, the volunteers visited the southern communities affected by the invasion and helped by replanting trees, repainting and refurbishing homes affected by the attacks, and visiting with survivors of the brutal attack by Hamas terrorists and their accomplices.

While tourism has evaporated during the war, FIRM brought together this team people who wanted to come to Israel to bless the people of Israel during the difficult time. 

FIRM is planning another "Hope & Healing" service trip at the end of January. 

The popular Messianic worship group SOLU and Arab Christian artist Nizar Francis led a mix of worship songs during the event, many related to the theme of light. A highlight of the evening was a moving version of “O Come, O Come Immanuel” in three languages: English, Arabic, and Hebrew. 

At the close of the event, a couple of Messianic Jewish IDF soldiers, Joshua Aaron's daughter Emma, and Chaim Malespin, addressed the gathering, speaking about their experiences during the war and requesting prayer for the hostages, the IDF soldiers and the citizens of Gaza who have also been affected by the war. 

The entire event can be viewed at the following link.