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What’s Happening in Israel and How We Can Help
Sent to Win Team
October 11, 2023
“We had no warning of any kind, and it was a total surprise that the war broke out this morning.”
At 6:30 am on Saturday, 5,000 rockets were fired from the Palestine-controlled Gaza Strip into Israel, from Tel-Aviv to Ashkelon. A thousand Israeli civilians died, and thousands more were injured. The border between Israel and Palestinian territory was breached in nearly 100 places, and terrorists streamed into Israel, firing into random vehicles, pulling women and children from their homes and doing unspeakable acts and violence to them. Hamas militants paraglided into the Nova Festival, where they landed and opened fire at random on innocent concert-goers. 260 bodies have been recovered from the festival grounds so far.
“We started an all-out battle. We expect fighting to continue and the fighting to expand.”
Israel, caught completely off-guard by the unprovoked, coordinated series of attacks, scrambled to call up their reserve force to the Gaza border. The northern border with Lebanon continues to have a heavy military presence, as Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel and declared themselves “not neutral” in this war, although they have not attacked nearly as extensively as Hamas has.
The geography and history of this conflict can get confusing, so here are the most recent and pertinent facts:
In 2005, Israel, in an attempt to broker peace, withdrew from the Gaza Strip in order to allow Palestinian rule of the disputed territory. Almost immediately, Hamas, the terrorist organization explicitly dedicated to destroying Israel, was democratically elected. They have instigated numerous, nearly continuous attacks on Israel since.
Gaza is governed very poorly, and its people suffer. Israel sends humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite regularly being attacked by its government.
Iran has expressed support for Hamas’ recent largescale attacks on Israel, and according to the Wall Street Journal, Iran assisted, planned, and gave the green light to the weekend’s assault.
Israel, in response to the attacks, declared a state of war for the first time since 1973. As of Monday morning, 300,000 reservists have been activated, and Israel has carried out ground and air operations against Hamas.
“I have ordered an extensive mobilization of reserves and that we return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.”
This is the greatest attack on the Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust. The loss of life and the physical devastation is horrific, and for those who have survived, everything has changed.
Economically, it is too early to say what the results of this war will be, depending on escalation, and whether or not other states or terrorist organizations get involved in the conflict. The New York Times says that the war could hamper global efforts at tamping down inflation. Reuters reports that oil and equity markets may see an immediate impact. In the US, it could mean higher interest rates for a longer period than previously expected. In any case, for a variety of reasons, people of good conscience around the world are hoping that the violence will not morph into a larger conflict.
Sent to Win generally deals in business news. We are a Christian, Kingdom-minded organization that seeks to equip individuals and organizations with the tools, encouragement, and news they need to win in life and at work, using that success to build the kingdom of heaven on earth.
But today, there has arisen a crisis, and a real need for God’s people. We consider it our duty to make you aware of some ways you can help.
The first way is to know the truth about a situation that is often obscured by lies, half-truths, and propaganda. Hillel Fuld, a tech columnist in Israel, puts it this way: “The best way to help is to amplify the truth of what’s happening to innocent women and children. Let the world know.”
The following is a list of citizen journalists, many of whom report from sources on both sides of the conflict and provide good information as the conflict continues to unfold:
@MarioNawfal @Ostrov_A @YosephHaddad @emilykschrader @rudy_rochman @skjask | @Israellycool @adielofisrael @HananyaNaftali @FleurHassanN @HenMazzig |
Some of these accounts show unedited videos that contain graphic violence, so use discretion.
The second way to help is to give to reputable humanitarian organizations on the ground. IsraAid is one organization to consider, as it is already in place in Israel, already working with displaced and traumatized individuals, and it has a charity score of 95%. On his podcast, Ben Shapiro recommended the organizations AFMDA.org, which is sort of like an Israeli Red Cross. IsraelRescue.org is an emergency medical response service that will need assistance. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is doing good work in the area as well, and you can find them at IFCJ.org. Lastly, AriFuld.org is an organization that provides resources to Israeli soldiers. Whenever you choose to give, make sure you do a quick search of their charity score, but these suggestions should be safe places to give.
Finally, pray. Pray for Israel. Pray for all of the innocent people affected by this sudden, unjustified attack and the subsequent war. Pray for Jews and Arabs, pray for mothers and children, pray for leaders, pray for justice, pray for a lasting solution, and pray for peace.
We cannot carry on with business as usual today without acknowledging this crisis. Know the truth, give wisely where you can, and pray.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Artificial Intelligence, Capital-Raising, and Baking Cakes
See below for “Guess the Prompt“ contest
As artificial intelligence tools become more available, industries are slowly beginning to put them to use. Retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have invested heavily into predictive logistics software for nearly a decade, and now other companies, and even industries, have begun to follow suit. Using predictive customer experience outcomes via AI, companies such as Volvo can detect defective parts, Sprint can customize user experiences to lower the churn rate, and we already know about personalized recommendations from companies such as Netflix. Even in industries such as agriculture, AI is starting to revolutionize the way products are brought to market…
The sense that banks are making it harder to obtain traditional loans is more than just a feeling – 51% of banks reported tightening lending standards for large and medium-sized businesses in the last quarter. 50% reported cinching up standards for loans to small businesses. This is an intended consequence of the Federal Reserve’s years-long campaign to remove cash from circulation, in an attempt to keep inflation under control. Business News Daily predicts that credit scarcity will drive businesses to seek private funding for capital needs in the near future. As lending remains tight, grants, angel investors, crowd-funding, p2p loans, and venture capital will likely play a bigger role in the liquidity infrastructure of American business.
Free speech for artists and business-owners is in court once again, as Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cake Shop heads to the Colorado Supreme Court to fight his latest legal challenge, a case which Phillips hopes will be the end of an 11 year legal saga. It began with a 2012 lawsuit that alleged Phillips could not refuse to design and create a cake for a same-sex wedding, regardless of his Christian faith. The federal Supreme Court sided with Phillips in 2018, and then, almost immediately, a transvestite lawyer marched into Masterpiece Cake shop and demanded a cake for a gender transition, knowing Phillips would decline. He was then sued by the same individual. Recent SCOTUS decisions give Jack Phillips reason to be optimistic about the case, which potentially could provide further precedent for the free speech of businesspeople in the USA.
Sunday School
Your weekly chance to test your Bible knowledge! The answer to today’s question may surprise you:
Q: True or False: The Bible is the best-selling book of all time.
Answer at the bottom
TIPS & TRICKS
3 Time-Tested Tips for Revitalizing Your Business
Have you ever wondered why they call it “business coaching” and not “business teaching?”
Teaching implies new knowledge being imparted, while coaching, on the other hand, often has nothing to do with new information at all. A good coach develops his protégé. He may even be less skilled than the person he is training. Do we really think that Michael Phelps’ coach, even in his prime, could have outswam Michael? Of course not. But Phelps still gives a great deal of credit to his coach for helping to make him the greatest swimmer of all time. His coach didn’t need to teach him – not past a certain point, anyway. His coach helped him focus, he pointed his attention to weaknesses, he encouraged, challenged, pushed, and reminded him of what he already knew…
Anyone can run a business. Sure, some industries are more complex than others, but the fundamentals of business are not overly difficult to learn. The difficulty lies in staying above the fray, not getting lost in the details. The key is to continually come back to the basics and the bottom line. Ironically, coming back to core principles is often what leads to real innovation.
So for today, here is your reminder of three time-tested principles to challenge you, remind you, and push you to reconsider.
Define Your Market
How many times have you talked with an entrepreneur whose product was for “everybody?” Writers say their target audience is “everyone will love this book,” salesmen say “everyone could use this product,” and all of us listeners know that it’s a copout.
Products or services with truly universal appeal are exceedingly rare. People have different needs, fears, motivations, desires, and ambitions. Men don’t buy a lot of loofahs. 19-year-olds aren’t thinking about life insurance. Grandma doesn’t want to go to the Avenged Sevenfold concert (probably)…
If you don’t have a lock on who the kind of person your product or service most appeals to, then you are certainly wasting time and money. Take the time to look at your sales data. Look for patterns among your best customers. Ask questions, dig, and never stop asking, “What makes a perfect prospect for my product or service?”
For some, this exercise is tiresome, because we are typically trained to think of a target market in terms of raw demographic data. Eg. “Our target market is 29-34 years old, female, Hispanic, and straight.” For many businesses, this kind of people-sorting is irrelevant. Feel free to select your own metrics that will help you identify the ideal customer. Consider lifestyle, stage of life, interests, and worldview when you are putting together a consumer profile. Age, sex, and home address may or may not be relevant to your enterprise. But “Quirky young moms in a one-income household who exercise regularly” may be perfectly relevant.
It’s business school 101, but it never stops being crucial to your success.
Know Your Numbers
As Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth, famously wrote: “If you aren’t selling your business, then you’re buying it.” And if you were buying a business, wouldn’t you want every last statistic about its financial health? Of course you would. How could you make a good decision otherwise?
For some, keeping a hard eye on the numbers comes naturally. For others, it’s a slow-growth area. But this basic principle can’t be overlooked. If you don’t know how you’re doing, you don’t know how to improve. Where are you spending unnecessary funds? Are you spending too much time and attention on one low-paying client? Which products are most successful and warrant further marketing efforts? Does your business have enough momentum to grow on its own, or will you need to seek out investment?…
Small businesses and start-ups struggle to find their rhythm with financials, in many cases. Here are a few ways to keep focused on the dollars and cents:
Prepare your basic three financial statements semi-annually or quarterly, even if you are not in an industry or a circumstance that requires you to do so. This would be your balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows.
Have regular financial meetings. If you work with a team, perhaps get together once a month to go over the financial health of your company. If you are a sole proprietorship, set up a few appointments a year with your accountant.
Occasionally take the time to examine publicly available financial statements for other players in your industry.
Delegate as Much as You Can
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Learning to delegate is hard for some, but the rewards are just too good to pass up. No matter how talented you are, or how much coffee you’ve had today, no individual can compete with a well-structured team. Review all of your activities, and determine what contributes most to the bottom line, as well as what activities allow you to multiply your efforts or scale the business. Then, delegate everything else…
Matt Hullander, a businessman in Tennessee, tells a relevant story in his book The Daily Climb. Matt made a point of cutting his lawn every week, in order to save money with his personal finances. One day, he assessed his average hourly earning power as an executive. He came up with $300 for every hour he spent working on his business. He quickly realized that no one charges $300 an hour for lawn care, and getting off early to run home and cut the grass before sunset was actually costing him money.
It was costing him a lot of money.
It seems obvious in hindsight, but we don’t see our time traps until we take a step back and look for them. Assess how you’re spending your time. Find specialists who can do parts of your job better or more efficiently than you – or even just for the sake of freeing yourself up to do what matters most.
TL;DR
Narrow your focus to your best opportunities, and use a data-driven approach to determine who your ideal customers are. Prepare financial statements regularly, hold financial review meetings, and get to know your accountant. Review your own job description, identify which of your tasks add the most value to the company, and farm out the rest. Get back to the basics, and breathe some life back into your business today.
Quick Hits ⏱️
10,000 + individuals volunteered to legally change their name to “Subway” after the sandwich company offered free lifetime subs for doing so.
Robert Kennedy Jr. has dropped his affiliation with the Democratic Party in order to run as an Independent. Will his third-party run swing the election?
Southern Baptist Convention leaders report that multiple parts of its organization are under DOJ investigation, in the continuing fallout of the sexual abuse report released earlier this year.
Hunter Beaumont of TGC critiques Andy Stanley's recent controversies in an even-handed and insightful way, concluding that "He's stuck between his ministry philosophy, which calls for less, and the Scriptures, which call for more.
The average 30 year fixed-rate mortgage continues to hover around 7.5%.
Sunday School Answer
A: True – and it’s not even close. An estimated 5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold and distributed. Other religious texts, such as the Qur’an, run at near a billion copies, and it goes quickly downhill from there.