On November 27th, a delegation of 8 religious leaders arrived in Israel from Kenya visiting the scenes of the October 7th Massacre and holding group prayers for the families affected as well as praying for the protection of soldiers on the front lines. They visited one of the Kibbutzim- Be’eri among the worst affected in the attacks.
ShareLovv International spoke with our partners on ground Kenya Friends of Israel (KEFI) who were key in carrying out this mission.
“It was important for us as Kenyans to show our solidarity with Israel at such a time, we were told from the MFA that we were the very first African delegation to arrive on scene of Massacre”
Francis of KEFI
Indeed, this is partly due to the fact that there are still no direct flights to Israel from much of Africa but not only, across the continent there have been challenges in amassing show of public support for the Nation of Israel especially in African nations that hold a significant Muslim population. Hence a visit like this was crucial and just may inspire other religious leaders across Africa to carry out a similar visit.
This visits also comes during the week where an African Global day of Prayer was held across the continent, praying for the Nation of Israel.
Earlier this year, ShareLovv International President Tobi Lovv spoke at KEFI’s weekly meetings on the topic of Aligning African Businesses with Israel about the history and opportunities between Kenya and Israel. KEFI has been one of the instrumental organizations in Kenyan-Israel relations in the last 10 years, bringing annual delegations to Israel for pilgrimage
So why is it important for African religious leaders to come to Israel at such a time?
The answer is quite simple
To witness for themselves the atrocities of Hamas. But more importantly not to remain apathetic to the situation, to realize that these barbaric acts are not just a problem for Israel but for the whole world at large.
Members of this delegation expressed how they hoped their visit will inspire others.
This encouraged access to scene and footage of what transpired on October 7th has widely been the approach of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, who was instrumental in initiating the arrival of this delegation.
