Good for the Jews? Inside Christian Zionism: The rise of antisemitism

On the third episode of "Good for the Jews?" Yael Eckstein and Zvika Klein interview Ambassador David Friedman and Dean Michele Bachmann on the continued Christian support for Israel.

 US ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks at the Jewish federation's annual General Assembly in Tel Aviv, on October 24, 2018 (photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
US ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks at the Jewish federation's annual General Assembly in Tel Aviv, on October 24, 2018
(photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)

On the third episode of the Good for the Jews podcast, hosts Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, are joined by former ambassador David Friedman and Michele Bachmann, Dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. They discuss the rise of antisemitism and how Christian support for Israel continues to be strong.

In discussing the rise of antisemitism today, the former ambassador stated, "I don't believe it's because of the war in Israel, but I do believe that the war in Israel was the spark that facilitated the antisemitism." He expanded on this by saying, "This, to me, is a uniquely bad period of time for the Jewish people in terms of the hatred against them around the world. "

Bachmann explained that, "Government and academia are facilitators. They can be facilitators for antisemitism. They can be facilitators against antisemitism […] and we're seeing that in academia here in the United States."

The continued relationship between Jews and Christians today

Both Freidman and Bachmann emphasized the importance of understanding the Bible and the historical connection between Jews and Christians.

Freidman explained, "We have different pathways to the same place, but they all begin with the idea that that God's will is fulfilled by the restoration of the Jewish people in the land of Israel."

Bachmann added that the mainstream view among Christians is, "We're more excited than ever about standing with Israel […] And our role, again, is to bless, because that's what God calls us to do, to bless."

The Good for the Jews podcast is a joint project between The Jerusalem Post and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.