Prostitution Is Legal in Israel
Prostitution is legal in Israel. That might come as a shock to you, but it’s true. One of the mandates of our ministry to the Jewish people and to Israel is to clearly communicate the NEED for the gospel to Israel. We do not sweep the sinfulness of the nation of Israel under the rug nor do we hide the national rebellion of the Jewish people from those who care about them. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Paul agonized over the Jewish people’s need for salvation. We MUST do the same.
To some the idea of legalized prostitution in Israel makes no sense. The presupposition underneath the often asked question, “How can prostitution be legal in Israel?” is that Israel is a holy land. Prostitution is unholy. Therefore, it should be illegal. The presupposition is incorrect. Israel is God’s land. It is not a “holy” land. Prostitution has been practiced in Israel for thousands of years. Rahab, in the lineage of Jesus, was one. Tamar. Gomer. Prostitution is forbidden in the Scriptures, yet it was a common practice in ancient Israel...and is a common practice in modern Israel.
The modern law in Israel “protects” the women and disciplines/indicts those who seeks their services. It criminalizes the customer, not the business (woman). This letter is not meant to discuss the current legislation, it’s meant to discuss the tragic problem of drug abuse and prostitution in Israel.
We want to help them and we need you to join us in this effort!
The Statistics
Prostitution and drug addiction are linked in Israel. Most of the prostitutes (estimations vary between 60% and 90%) are also drug addicts, mainly to heroine, which is the most common drug in Israel. Some women become prostitutes only to finance their addiction. Prostitutes in the old central bus station area (the red light district in Tel Aviv) live below the poverty line and suffer from hunger, isolation, and exploitation, battling fear, loneliness and depression on a daily basis.
It is estimated that 70% of the female prostitutes in Tel Aviv come from the former Soviet countries and about 1,000 women are brought into Israel illegally each year. Prostitution in Israel has been dominated by Russians since the mass immigration from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. At the beginning of the 1990s, the number of massage parlors run by Russian immigrants rose from 14 to 111 in just three years. In the present, there are around 300 brothels in Tel Aviv.
These statistic are real. Israel is a nation in need. In need of Jesus. To that end we are partnering with ministries and organizations in Israel who are meeting both needs. Not one need at the expense of another. We give bread AND the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Water AND Living Water (John 7:38). The spiritual need is as great as the physical one. Both must be met.
The Tel Aviv Women’s Shelter: Our Major Israel Initiative for 2022
We are working in partnership with the Jews for Jesus team in Tel Aviv who have identified a need for a residential house for women who want to get off of the street and away from drugs. A home like this for female Hebrew Speakers has not existed in the land of Israel. Our mutual vision is to create an oasis for these women as they embark on a path of restoration. We will be visiting the women’s shelter at the end of this month and reporting back to you.
Many of the female addicts have gotten into prostitution as a way to keep up with their habit. These women need a safe place near Tel Aviv; close enough to get to, but far enough out of the red-light district to be separated from their past. They need a home where they can be separated from their pimps and be given time to readjust their lives, surrounded by those who desire the best for them and their future. A part of the rehabilitation process is attending a weekly Bible study.
Even as believers, it is easy to become desensitized to the plight of those in need, especially in Israel. And yet, our loving heavenly Father reminds us that each life matters to Him. Each person we find on the streets is God’s unique and beloved creation. In partnership with Jews for Jesus, we have the ability, with your help, to make a real impact and help transform their lives. Through a residential house for women we could house and feed up to ten women at a time, lead them away from drugs and prostitution, and help them find employment in a healthy work environment.
A 6-bedroom house has already been rented and renovated in Tel Aviv. Beyond the hard costs of rent and supplies, we need qualified staff to run the house. This will mean hiring two ‘house mothers’ who will coordinate the house activities and care for the women of the house, as well as four ‘shift workers’ who will cover the evenings and weekends.
Following is the story of one woman the Israel Jews for Jesus team already ministers to every day—a women that you can help provide with a home and a hope. She is one example of many...
Sarah is a 40-year-old woman who struggles with addiction to drugs and prostitution. For the past two years, Sarah would come to our soup kitchen and sit and talk for hours with our staff about what she has been through. We would tell her how much God loves her and how change is possible with the Lord. Sarah has gone back and forth, in and out of rehab facilities and different homes. Recently, we have seen her on the streets again, we told her that we are praying for her and hoping that she is doing well. Sarah has said many times that she knows that there is a God who is waiting for her return to him.
The Goals – Physical and Financial
This year our Israel initiatives are focused on Tel Aviv and the Jewish ladies who are suffering through addiction, prostitution, and abuse. The total 2022 budget is $400,000 US dollars based on one year of running costs.
We would like to raise and send $50,000 to help these women in need and encourage the laborers in Tel Aviv. Can you help us? Will you please consider an over-and-above donation this month specifically for our Israel Initiatives in Tel Aviv?
I am asking you to pray about committing to support our work in Israel. Our partnerships in both Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem connect us with two more bases of operation when we are there on the ground. The partnerships we have guarantee that the funds we steward for ministry in Israel are committed to the values our ministry holds to so dearly - most importantly the proclamation of the gospel. Please pray for us and for the team in Israel. Your prayers are so important.
In Romans 15:25-27 we read about Paul’s desire to visit Rome:
“Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.”
The Jewish people have given us so much. Through them came the church, our Bible, communion, baptism, salvation, and Jesus himself. He (salvation) came to us through them. What a debt. The greatest gift we can give back to them is the gift of Jesus. To that end we labor. Thank you for supporting us in our efforts to serve and reach “the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel.”