Shalom Israel Asia-Pacific held its annual event in Israel for the benefit of Holocaust survivors.
This year, the group also supported Leket Israel, an Israeli charity that distributes food to needy people. Members of the group actually went out into the field for this purpose.
“This is something that we do year after year: To try to bring cheer and joy to people who have suffered a lot in life,” Pastor George Annadorai, the founder and chair of Shalom Israel Asia-Pacific, told Arutz Sheva.
“It's a joy to be here with them and honor them, recognizing that they are the founding fathers and mothers of Israel,” he added.
The language barrier between the members of the group and the Holocaust survivors is not a problem, noted Annadorai, because “the heart has a language of its own and love is universal.”
The cooperation with Leket Israel was “something that was in our heart for a long time. We wanted to do something more than once a year,” he explained.
“We wanted to do something that would touch the people here in the land of Israel not just once a year, but day after day after day...so the idea came up to provide [the needy] with nutritious food, and so we partnered with Leket by buying a piece of land and giving it away free to them, so that they can grow vegetables to feed the needy.”
Annadorai, who hails from Singapore, said his country “is a great supporter of Israel. The day we were born as a nation, Israel stood with us and supports us to this day. This is our turn to be grateful for all that Israel has done for us. It's always been a privilege and an honor and a joy to be able to stand, serve and support for Israel.”
He acknowledged that when he leaves Singapore and goes to countries such as neighboring Malaysia “it's a different story...Malaysia is a nation that is not too friendly with Israel...but I tell them what I tell everyone else: That God has given the land to them, and we need to respect that and allow them the right to exist and to live happily in the land that God has given them.”