In a recent article (“Birthright for Evangelicals,” January 30), Dov Maimon cited data in his report, co-authored with Dr. Shlomo Fischer for the Jewish People Policy Institute, about a recent drop in young Evangelical support for Israel.
“Some younger Evangelicals, shaped by cultural and academic environments, are increasingly critical of Israel, the JPPI study warns,” he wrote. “This shift is a wake-up call. Israel risks losing a vital ally in its battle for legitimacy and support in the global arena and must respond with resolute creativity.”
Maimon said that as Israel has a “targeted outreach” in the form of Birthright – a program that connects Jews in the Diaspora to Israel – it should do so with Christians.
Maimon is right to call for a Christian Birthright.
However, what he may not know is that there are multiple organizations already at work building one – Christians United for Israel, Passages, and Eagles’ Wings.
I recently returned from a journey with Eagles’ Wings, co-led by its founder and executive director, Bishop Robert Stearns. It brought 38 leading pastors from the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) to sites in Israel of sacred importance to their Christian tradition. Even so, most of the pastors found the Western Wall to be the place of greatest inspiration. They felt in their hearts a sense of personal connection to Judaism as a living tradition – and a sibling tradition to their own.
For every pastor who came, thousands of congregants and tens of thousands of social media followers opened themselves up to more positive approaches to Israel and Judaism. They heard a narrative from a trusted source that they might not otherwise encounter in the American press and saw images of them at places they had only read or heard about in the Bible.
Along with their pastors, they dove into the heart and soul of Israel and the Jewish roots of their faith – and will continue doing so long after their pastors’ return through adult education courses, sermons, and congregational trips back to Israel.
The 38 leaders with whom I traveled now join the ranks of nearly 700 other Christian leaders whom Eagles’ Wings has brought to Israel. These trips transform them from passive supporters of Israel to active advocates, and even activists. Nearly 70% of these pastors return to Israel with their church within a year and a half of their own journey with Eagles’ Wings.
Co-leading this trip was NHCLC President Samuel Rodriguez, who was just appointed to the White House Faith Office by US President Donald Trump.
Fighting against antisemitism
Rodriguez told Israel’s Kan Channel 11 that he hopes Hispanic Evangelicals can become a “firewall” in America against antisemitism.
“You have the faith community in America saying, ‘No, never again. What took place in the 1940s and 30s cannot happen again,” he said.
“The church can’t be silent. Today’s complacency is tomorrow’s captivity. What if today’s complacency is tomorrow’s Holocaust?”
While The Jerusalem Post even dubbed Eagles’ Wings’ 2006 trip “Christian Birthright” – and then reiterated this label in August 2008, August 2011, June 2013, and June 2016 – it exceeds this designation in scope and impact. If we want to ensure continued Christian support for Israel, starting with leaders may be the most effective strategy.
The writer, a rabbi, is associate vice president of interfaith and intergroup initiatives for Jewish Federations of North America.