Over the last 20 years, I have probably spent as much time with Evangelical Christians as with fellow Jews — in private settings, speaking at churches, on listener cruises, in my home and in their homes.
Even in the face of recent international criticism of Israel\’s war tactics, American Christians, especially Evangelicals, have remained steadfast in support of Jews and the Jewish state. Whereas vicious anti-Zionist attacks in much of Europe and the Arab world have lately bled into rank anti-Semitism, even those American Christians critical of Israel\’s recent actions have gone to great lengths to stress their support for the nation\’s right to exist.
CUFI\’s purpose, according to its official brochure, is \”to provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to biblical issues.\”
AIPAC will be tasked with keeping its members focused on the important issues facing Israel and maintaining support in Congress if the Gaza pullout, planned for this summer, goes awry. The effort to keep attention focused on Iran\’s presumed drive for nuclear weapons is also high on its agenda.
Rabbi David Rue, the head of an Orthodox beit din, admits that of the 1,500 people who contacted the beit din last year because they were interested in becoming Jewish, he or the beit din managed to discourage more than 95 percent.
In Israel this week, televangelist Pat Robertson inveighed against giving territory to the Palestinians, claiming that the goal of Islam is to \”destroy Israel and take the land from the Jews and give East Jerusalem to Yasser Arafat.
\”Evangelical Christians support Israel because according to prophecy, Jews have to be in Israel in order for the apocalypse to happen, and the messiah and all that stuff,\” Al Franken said.
\”And when that happens, of course, Jews will all burn in hell,\” he said. \”And so I think at that point the coalition will break up.\”
The lesson to be learned from recent differences between many American Jews and conservative Christians — on Mel Gibson\’s film, \”The Passion of the Christ,\” and on equal rights for gays — is not to walk away from relationships with evangelicals.
A few years ago, a few moderate American Jewish leaders tried to allay Jewish fears that the Christian right was a threat.
The idea is supposed to make me tingle warmly: While I sit in my home here in Jerusalem enjoying the Friday evening calm, thousands of Christian Coalition supporters will be gathering at the Ellipse in Washington to proclaim solidarity with Israel.
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