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Christians Struggle to Convince Jews of Their Support for Israel

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated May 09, 2016

Many Christians take the Bible seriously when it says to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6), but evangelicals’ love of Israel isn’t always well-accepted by Jews. 

Evangelical Christians are among Israel’s biggest supporters, according to BreakingIsraelNews.com.

One such event where evangelicals show their support of Israel is “A Night to Honor Israel” which takes place every year at the Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The event raises money for Israel and partners with a local synagogue. Carol Butler, an attendee at the event, says that she often feels her prayers are not welcome by the Jewish people, however.

“I pray that the Jewish people will one day appreciate our love and concern rather than mistake it for hate and anti-Semitism, which was how Christians and Jews used to relate,” she said.

Others are working on efforts to rectify relationships between Christians and Jews.

Kellen Davison, the founder of Reconciliation with Israel and co-founder of the Commonwealth of Yisrael project, has organized a list of hundreds of people from all over the world who are praying for Israel and the Jewish people. 

Davison says his efforts are mostly welcomed, but are sometimes met with suspicion from Jews who think Christians will try to “convince them to embrace a non-Jewish belief.”

Yael Eckstein, the daughter of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, senior vice president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, also shared the struggles regarding Jewish-Christians relations.

“We are finally at the point where Jewish organizations say they are willing to accept donations from the Fellowship, but we really need to do more. We need to reach out in return to the Christian Zionists who stand with us. We need to accept that Christian Zionists are a strategic partner in Israel’s future, if we are to have a future in the Mideast,” she stated.

Publication date: May 9, 2016