NRB 2024- Pro-Life Movement Israel

So we're here with Nir Solomon and I can tell from Nir he's wearing a habaka and so tell us Nir. What's your ministry? What are we doing? So I'm an Orthodox Jew and I run a ministry in Israel which is the pro-life movement really in Israel. We've actually in the last 47 years helped over 86 and a half thousand women have the children they so much wanted to have. But unfortunately because of external pressures found themselves considering an abortion and we saved their children's lives. We saved them from you know making that choice and every single woman is raising her own birth child. We don't give them up to adoption and it's just an amazing amazing amazing ministry.

It's called Efrat. You can read about it at efrat.org and we're just we're really really on the forefront of watching miracles. You talked about you know where God is sending us watching miracles every day and trying to make sure that they happen. God is when he makes a woman pregnant that's his miracle and our miracle is to make sure that it comes to becoming a child and grow up. And now we have children that are adults in the Israeli war unfortunately older than that with already next generation children.

It's really a blessing. So in a few seconds you've already talked I must have 40 questions. So Efrat just to begin with I'm hearing Efratha like that's a Bible word so like Rachel and Efratha. Tell us is that the same idea? No it's actually Efrat. The word Efrat is made out of a word called pyrion meaning when you see the phry so that means fruitful. Even though Hebrew and English are not connected right. So Efrat we are told our sages teach us that Miriam Moses' sister was called Efrat because she made sure she was a midwife.

I did not know that. And she made sure that children will be born. How did she make sure so it's a great story again it's not in the Torah it's in the oral Torah or with our traditions Miriam was Moses' sister.

Oh yeah the first from what I understand prophetess prophetess or whatever. That's also correct but Miriam herself faced a terrible challenge when Pharaoh decreed that every male will be killed. So her father was the great rabbi of the time so he made a strategic decision.

Well if the males are going to be killed then maybe we should not have our wives become pregnant because they're going to kill our children. So he decided how do we make sure that they won't become pregnant we'll get divorced and he divorced his wife. And our sages teach us that when they saw the great rabbi divorce his wife they followed suit many of the men and divorced their wives. Miriam turned to her father and said father what a terrible mistake you've done. And she a little bit tricked him I think at least and she said to him listen Pharaoh decreed on the males but what about females what if a woman my mother is pregnant with a girl Pharaoh wouldn't kill that girl but you chose to divorce her and she won't become pregnant. You have to remarry mommy and he did and everybody else remarried and what the message is is that Miriam said stop thinking with your head think with God's head.

We might have an issue with all of this death wish that Pharaoh had but God has a way to combat that so we have to do what we need to do God will do what he needs to do. But she didn't leave it there then she was a midwife and she carried those women through in their time of need and later on she was the one who took care of Moses who ended up being the savior of the Jewish people. So Ephrat does the same we promote family values we help the women when they're pregnant and we care for the child and mother after they are born. Wow that's a mouthful.

In my understanding I've heard several lectures from Orthodox Jews and so I love habad.org it's one of my favorite things to watch and listen to and I enjoy so much the teaching there. Was she like eight years old when she had that discussion with her parents? Yes she was young she was very young that's correct she was very young. And a pretty bold move like hey dad you know we can't have the Redeemer and so what a neat name. She wasn't thinking only about the Redeemer every child if God I say this all the time wherever I speak to become pregnant is difficult. We have so many women who want to become pregnant so many men want their wives to be pregnant and they can't. Pregnancy is God's decree. Having the child is not.

God decides whether that woman will become pregnant and then it's in man's hands to make sure that that child is delivered. We have unfortunately the choice to terminate which is a very very very powerful choice and we have to choose correctly. So I was not aware of that that's the other question that brings up that that was a choice in Israel. It is a choice.

Really? From a legal perspective it is a choice. I think it's always a choice even when it's illegal it's always a choice. And we need to be there for women who are no woman I don't believe that any woman really chooses to have an abortion. But when she's pressured just like Miriam's father he thought okay there's this decree of Pharaoh we need to think logically how do we combat it. So the women when they have pressure from their environment and they're telling her you have to have an abortion you have to have an abortion you don't have money how are you going to raise a child etc etc etc. What that is what's happening around that is we're making sure that the woman does not listen to her inner self. What we do is we tell the woman listen what do you really want to do. If you're pressured financially we're there for you.

We'll hold your hands. We provide material support for at least two years after the baby's born. A brand new crib, a carriage, a baby bath, clothing, bottles, diapers, a wife for two years. And then we tell her okay so all the added expenses put that aside we're taking care of it.

What do you want to do? And the answer almost always is of course I want to have the child. It is a choice legally in Israel but we are definitely changing the tide. Today we're at a rate of almost three and a half thousand women that we help every year bring three and a half thousand babies into this world. And the abortion rate is tremendously down thank God in the state of Israel. Absolutely. That is such a tragedy.

It's unbelievable. So why did you come to the NRB? Great question. So I think one of the places where Christians friends of Israel, people that understand the importance of the Jewish people first of all. But then the state of Israel today being at the forefront of what is good and just and unfortunately we have to bear the brunt of fighting this global war. It's not really just about Israel. It's about good and evil. My son today is in the Golani Brigade fighting in the war. I mean I don't know how even to say this but you know since October 7th we've lost several of our friends and we realize that this is a war on behalf of humanity in its entirety. And therefore Christians who are really connecting to be part of the army of God who want to support the right and just now the war in Israel. But in general are also supportive of Israel and are pro-life. There's no greater connection than connecting with Ephrat. So here I'm here to meet a lot of our Christian friends who really stand by our side and have that privilege.

I just want to share something with you about that. A lot of people are coming to Biden today and asking him you know help release the hostages. And I think that's a terrible move because we don't put our trust in man. We put our trust in God. And Christians have the choice just like we all have the choice.

Do we side with God or do we side with men? So Biden as the President of the United States which I hope sometimes he's also cognizant of the position. If we approach him and we say to him listen President Biden we're not asking you to do the right thing. We're telling you the right thing is to release the hostages. You have the unbelievable opportunity that you and I don't have which is to be able to be the outstretched arm of God on this earth.

Release the hostages. We don't ask him we ask God for his salvation. So when Christians are really siding with God it is to side with Israel it's to side with life. And that's why I'm here to really portray that message and ask Christians go on our website EFRAT.org read about us. If you want to support Israel I see nothing greater than connecting to the mission that we have right now. Right right right. That's absolutely beautiful.

Well thank you so much Niar. That's a beautiful thing and we're glad to help in any way. And so how could they be praying for you right now these Christians out there? What are you faced with that you feel like God can help your ministry? So first of all I think Christians in the United States especially have to stand for Israel. Not only for our ministry but to stand because my father is a Holocaust survivor and my father actually was on a boat to the United States. I don't know how many of you are listeners and all but President Roosevelt he himself signed many many Jews to death because he did not accept any of the Jews. He accepted one boat which actually my wife's grandmother was on. But when my father made it to Ellis Island he was a little kid and he used to say that my grandfather used to tell him we're standing facing the Statue of Liberty behind barbed wire and then we were sent back to Europe to our deaths.

Thank God he actually grew up in the Dominican Republic my father. That's a very very long story but at the end of the day pre-Nazi Germany people just stood on the wayside. They just did not have the guts to stand against which was clearly wrong. So Christians should stand strong today with Israel. But the second thing is we're having a campaign now called the Soldier Fallen a Baby Born. And we know my son's in the Golani Brigade we can't assure that he'll come back safe. We're pleading with God please end this war with the least casualties but end this war in a proper way so that the entire believing world understands and sees the truth of God and the evil disappears.

They should start believing in God as well. So what we're trying to do is we're saying in the home front we'll make sure God we will save every child from being aborted. And in the memory of those that have fallen we've created this campaign a Soldier Fallen a Baby Born. Try to save a child in memory of those that have been killed. On average the cost of saving a child is $1500 that entire package I described to you. Most of our work is done by volunteers and when you save a child it's $125 a month.

When you save that child you actually get this certificate with the name of the child born and the date of his birth because you partnered with God in delivering him into this world. So if your listeners can at least come to our website connect with us read stand for Israel and stand for life. Thank you so much God bless. Thank you and God bless you too.