As long as we are living, we can all do something to help someone else.
In 1938, a teenager named George Weidenfeld, was rescued from Vienna, Austria, right before the start of World War II. He and many other Jewish children were saved by English Quakers. They were taken to safety in England. At the time, most of the Western World was looking the other way as the Jews were being rounded up and massacred for their faith.
Young George was blessed in his new country. He became a publisher and eventually a millionaire. He was knighted in 1969 and became Lord George Weidenfeld. He is now 95 years old. The years have been good to him and he’s still in very good health. He could easily retire and enjoy his wealth.
I mean, he’s 95. He’s worked hard. He’s survived tragedy. What can he do at this point? What indeed?
Sir Weidenfeld has taken it upon himself to set up the Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund to rescue persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq. His goal is to rescue 2,000 families. He says he feels he has a debt to repay to the Christians who rescued him and so many others from the Nazis.
He’s particularly inspired by the English stockbroker, Sir Nicholas Winston who helped to organize the Kindertransport Program which rescued nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland prior to World War II. He recently died at the age of 105.
It’s now 2015 and another war rages on. It’s been 70 years since World War II ended and another massacre is in play. This time Christians are being killed for their faith all over the Middle East, and the Western World has once again, looked the other way.
In mid-July, Weidenfeld’s group provided transport for 150 Syrian Christians to safety in Poland where they will continue to provide support for up to eighteen months, to get them resettled somewhere safe.
It doesn’t seem like much when we consider that 230,000 have already been killed in the ongoing civil war in Syria. But, it’s something. The Jewish faith, like the Christian faith, teaches that every life matters to God. Every soul matters to God.
Weidenfeld knows that he can’t save the world, but he can do something. Most Western governments, including the United States, have refused to help him in his efforts because he is only rescuing Christians and not Muslims who are under fire.
His response is that the Muslim countries in the region are not without resources. They have the ability to help their fellow Muslims. The Christians, however, are completely without protection. He feels he is answering a calling.
Was Weidenfeld saved all those years ago for just this moment to help these Christians escape to safety? It’s impossible to say.
But, we can say that God does have a plan and that there is always hope when we put our trust in Him and maybe it’s equally as important to remember, that as long as we are breathing, there is work to do. If you are reading this, you are not done yet.
What can you do today to make a difference?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂