Sara Lehmann reports on the “massive gathering [of 3,000 people] at the Washington Convention Center on the night of July 22,” held by Christians United for Israel:
I was among friends at the annual Night to Honor Israel hosted by Christians United for Israel (CUFI) with speakers Pastor John Hagee (founder and national chairman of CUFI), Senator Joseph Lieberman and Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman.
I had never before attended a function sponsored by a Christian group, pro-Israel or otherwise, and though I interrupted my summer plans to attend, I was hesitant to tell people where I was going. Was I uncomfortable at the thought of dining on a plastic-covered kosher meal alongside supporters of Israel from the Bible Belt? I was. But when asked to attend, I decided to go for reasons of hakarat hatov (gratitude).
CUFI, an organization established by Pastor Hagee to support Israel and the Jewish people, does not bill itself as religious or theological; rather, it promotes aid to Israel and combats anti-Semitism. Over the years it has raised more than $30 million for Nefesh B’Nefesh, Migdal Ohr, United Jewish Communities (to benefit new immigrants to Israel), Ariel Development Fund, Kiryat Yam (Ethiopian Absorption Center), and many other Jewish organizations and causes. . . .
I am still marveling at the enthusiasm and downright affection I saw and felt that night toward Israel and the Jewish people. . . Enormous banners hanging in the convention center and banquet hall proclaimed “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet” (Isaiah 62:1).
I will never forget the sight of thousands of people — Christians — waving Israeli flags while thunderously applauding statements most Jews are afraid of voicing.
You need to go read the article to read the remarkable statements she recounts. Her article then recounts what happened when Senator Joseph Lieberman spoke:
When Sen. Lieberman spoke he earned bellowing applause not only for his words but his mere presence.
Lieberman told the audience he had come under intense pressure to cancel his speech following the attack on Hagee in the media. But the senator refused to abandon the pastor and opened his address with the remark, “I am your brother Joseph.”
Lieberman documented Israel’s existence from the time God told Abraham to journey to the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1), highlighted the threat of radical Islam to Israel and America, and thanked Pastor Hagee and CUFI for their support. He even threw in a d’var Torah based on the words of Rav Joseph Soloveitchik and another based on a medrash in Parshas Shemos.
The article should be read in its entirety. But here is the conclusion:
While it was gratifying and comforting to know we have friends we can rely on, the sheer numbers of the crowd and the defiance of their tone made for a depressing comparison: Rarely do events in support of Israel draw Jewish attendees in anywhere near the numbers I saw at the Night to Honor Israel. And rarely do speakers at those events display the bold honesty I heard at this Christian event. . . .
The Christians of CUFI fervently believe God will bless them because of their support of the Jewish people. . . . I stand in awe of their activism on behalf of a historically beleaguered people for nothing more tangible than a blessing.
There have been more than 75 CUFI “Nights to Honor Israel” across the nation in the last two years: the reports are here.
The JCI report on Pastor Hagee’s appearance earlier this year at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles sheds further light on the origin and purposes of CUFI. Also worth re-reading: “Christian Support for Israel” with several important links on a remarkable phenomenon that deserves more understanding, respect and appreciation from the Jewish community than it has received.