JPPI hosts “American Evangelicals, Jews, and Israel” conference on how to better engage Evangelical community

The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), a Jerusalem-based think tank established by the Jewish Agency, hosted a conference on Tuesday called “American Evangelicals, Jews, and Israel.”

The gathering brought together several leading researchers, policy strategists, the vice president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), as well as a few Knesset members, including MK Matan Kahana and MK Tatiana Mazarsky, to discuss how Israel should relate to the global Evangelical Christian community. 

In his introductory remarks, Prof. Yedidiah Stern, president of JPPI, recounted a conversation he had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu asked Stern who Israel’s strongest supporter was. When Stern answered that it was the United States, Netanyahu responded, “No, the Evangelical community is Israel’s strongest supporter.”

This perspective was echoed by former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and current Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer, who remarked in a May 2021 interview, “People have to understand that the backbone of Israel’s support in the United States is the evangelical Christians. It’s true because of their numbers and their passionate, unequivocal support for Israel.”

However, Stern also issued a warning, which served as part of the motivation for the conference.

“The stable Evangelical support for Israel is much less stable than what is commonly thought,” he said. 

Stern also shared some of the surprising results of JPPI research.

Evangelical support for Israel is widely considered to be rooted primarily in theological beliefs; however, researchers in the JPPI study also found that it is influenced by individual, national, and cultural factors.

In particular, the belief held by many Christians who came to the Americas seeking religious freedom – that their faith communities represented a "new Israel" and the American continent a "new Promised Land" – led to a cultural affinity with the story of the Jewish people.

One of the speakers at the conference, Dr. Shlomo Fischer, referred to this concept as “Our American Israel.” 

The Protestant communities that came to America early in its history saw themselves as a metaphorical Israel, and took many of their values from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).  

Dr. Fischer noted that Evangelicals love Israel and the Jewish people not only for theological and eschatological reasons but also because they are drawn to the story of Israel and the Jewish people and want to be part of it.

ICEJ Vice President David Parsons highlighted the global Evangelical community's support for Israel during the ongoing war. He mentioned the recent Feast of Tabernacles celebration, noting that over 500 delegates from 55 countries came to show their support for Israel, despite the regional conflict. 

Parsons added that Evangelicals have contributed to essential needs like bomb shelters, ambulances, and medical equipment since the war began. “This has been our best year for raising donations to support all our charitable work in Israel,” he shared.

While various ideas were expressed about how to strengthen connections with the global Evangelical community, most panelists agreed with the statement made by Knesset Member Matan Kahana.

“As an Israeli politician, I think we have to preserve this relationship. The relationship with the Evangelicals is a critical connection, and it needs to be preserved,” Kahana said.