First Person Story – Two Days with Christians United for Israel

By Sherwin Pomerantz

58 days to go to the opening of the UN General Assembly and the vote on Palestinian statehood but we are making progress. Jordan announced this week that they would vote “no” and some senior Palestinian officials are now seriously questioning the advisability of going in this direction at this time, so the pressure needs to be kept up. But let me share something different with you today.

“For 2,000 years Christians united Jews as they battled anti-Semitism, but for the first time in 2,000 years Jews are uniting Christians in support of Israel.”

The words are those of Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the six year old, 750,000 strong Christian Evangelical grassroots organization dedicated to the support of Israel, and which is now the largest pro-Israel organization in the US. The event was a Night to Honor Israel on July 19th at the Washington Convention Center as part of CUFI’s now annual Washington Summit and I was proud to be there.

For someone like me who grew up in the New York of the 1940s and 1950s when my mother’s words, which still ring in my ears, were always “Don’t get them angry” referring to the Irish Catholics with whom we shared our Bronx neighbourhood, the evening was a revelation. To be in a hall having dinner with 5,000 Israel and US flag-waving, shofar blowing Christians whose single purpose for being there was to show support for Israel, their love for Israel, their solidarity with the Jewish people and who rose as one to sing Hatikvah and Jerusalem of Gold, the only word one can use is “inspiring.” I dare say that every other Israeli in the room, and there were quite a few of us, felt the same.

To be there on the 17th of Tammuz, the day when the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans was significant as well. Of course, respecting the tradition of our people, those of us who requested it were served a kosher meal but not until 9:01 PM when the fast day officially ended. Some of our “Jewish” organizations could learn a lesson or two from CUFI regarding sensitivity to our traditions as well.

There are those who criticize the Evangelicals for having another agenda. The concern is that at the end of days they would like to see all Jews gathered in Israel so that Jesus can arrive on the second coming. But clearly the parade of respected Jewish dignitaries who participated in the two day session was not concerned about this. They included Malcolm Hoenlein, US Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Rabbi Aryeh Shainberg of San Antonio, Elliott Chodoff, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Dennis Prager, John Podhoretz, IDF Res. Col. Ben Tzion Gruber, Amb. Michael Oren, and, via satellite, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

No doubt the position of CUFI vis-à-vis Israel is one not only of support, but also of what would normally be termed “right wing” support. Pastor Hagee in his comments minced no words on this subject when he said:

"America should never pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem. The day our government (i.e. the US) forces Israel to divide Jerusalem, that is the day that God will turn his back on America. The truth is that President Obama is not pro-Israel and he should never pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem. Obama has no authority to tell the Jewish people where they can or cannot build homes. The Jewish people are not occupiers of any part of Israel, it is their land given to them by God Almighty."

Clearly there is little room in this approach for a two-state solution or other frameworks currently under diplomatic consideration. But one does not have to agree with the overall political policy of the group to be grateful for the support of not only the 750,000 members of CUFI but, as well, the 50 million Evangelical Christians who live in the US and reflect similar feelings.

Make no mistake about it. The 5,000 members of CUFI who on July 20th had one-on-one appointments with a total of 432 of the combined 435 members of the US House of Representatives and 100 members of the US Senate for the sole purpose of letting these elected officials know about their constituent’s support for Israel is something for which Israel needs to be eternally grateful. The physical presence of constituents in the Washington offices of Representatives and Senators is, in the American political system, the strongest show of local concern possible. The fact that these are Christians doing the lobbying rather than Jews makes the case that support for Israel is not a Jewish issue but an American issue.

None of us know what will be at the end of days. As Pastor Hagee likes to say, some day he and his rabbi friends will be walking down the streets of Jerusalem and the Messiah will be coming the other way. At that point in time one of them will need to change his theology. Until then it is incumbent on his flock to support Israel.

He and his people believe in the words of the Torah which say “I will bless those that bless you and curse the one that curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3). In these difficult days for Israel when we are becoming more and more isolated by the world community, the support of this population is a welcome respite from the barbs of those that seek our destruction. For that, we owe them thanks and appreciation for their new found commitment to our long term success in this land.