opinion
Why Christian Zionism Is More
Important Than We Think
By Irit Tratt
I n the days preceding his election victory, Israel’s
incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
was interviewed by Christians United for Israel
founder and chairman, Pastor John Hagee. The
comfortable rapport between the two men was
evident throughout their talk. Hagee heaped
“God’s prayers” on the Israeli leader “for all the
rest of his life.”
This display of mutual admiration reflects the
years Netanyahu has spent cultivating connec-
tions between Israel and the U.S. evangelical
community. For example, Netanyahu spoke at
CUFI’s 2017 annual conference and told the
Christian crowd that they are “Israel’s best friends
in the world.” Netanyahu’s address to attendees
at the Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem this
week indicates that a Likud-led government will
remain wedded to safeguarding Israel’s relations
with evangelicals.

That Netanyahu would take time away from
a hectic campaign to speak to Hagee suggests
an awareness of the fractious response Israel’s
new coalition would soon receive from American
Jewish groups.

For example, following the electoral success
of the Religious Zionist Party, led by Bezalel
Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the American
Jewish Committee released a statement express-
ing “serious concerns” over previous declara-
tions by RZP members, which conflict with the
AJC’s prioritization of “pluralism” and “inclusion.”
Indeed, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s incendiary com-
ments targeting the LGBTQ and non-Orthodox
communities understandably disconcerted the
American Jewish establishment.

Both lawmakers have since tempered their rhet-
oric, with Ben-Gvir disavowing his former associ-
ation with the far-right Kahanist movement. Still,
the Democratic Majority for Israel maintained
that it was “deeply troubled” by an “extrem-
ist party” gaining a “foothold in the Knesset.”
Unsurprisingly, the Union for Reform Judaism’s
chosen language touched on how Likud partner-
ing with the RZP would potentially “jeopardize”
Israel’s democracy.

Yet it was the former head of the Anti-
Defamation League, Abe Foxman, who issued
the most direct condemnation. Speaking to The
Jerusalem Post last month, Foxman said that he
would cease supporting Israel if the incoming
16 DECEMBER 22, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
government alters the definition of who qualifies
as a Jew under the country’s Law of Return.

Such reactions from American Jewish leaders
underscore the growing dissonance between U.S.

Jewry and Israel’s political class. As a result of this,
the Jewish state must reframe its relationship
with the U.S. to one that emphasizes boosting
ties with reliable evangelical allies as it carefully
navigates its struggles with Diaspora Jews.

In his book “The Arc of a Covenant,” Walter
Russell Mead notes that American Jews have
often refrained from pushing the U.S. government
to adopt favorable policies toward Israel. Instead,
they have tended to encourage the U.S. to mod-
erate its pro-Israel positions. Historically, writes
Mead, it was not leading Jewish families like the
Rothschilds and the Warburgs who strongly advo-
stances on issues critical to Israel’s security,
notably Iran’s quest to acquire nuclear weapons.

Instead, their legislative agenda is dominated by
noble yet consensus-driven topics such as the war
in Ukraine and combating antisemitism.

For their part, organizations like CUFI and the
Christian Coalition of America have made lobbying
against the revival of the flawed 2015 Iran nuclear
deal a cornerstone of their political efforts.

While in office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly pointed
to the inextricable link between their Christian
faith and their affinity for the Jewish people.

Lawmakers like Kevin McCarthy are even experi-
encing pushback from several Jewish institutions
after vowing to remove far-left “Squad” member
Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs
Evangelicals remain the most ardent custodians of
the U.S.-Israel bond. By contrast, American Jewish
organizations’ public disapproval of Israel’s
unwillingness to placate their pluralistic demands
is indicative of an establishment more concerned
with defending progressive ideologies.

cated the creation of a Jewish state but influential
Christians like J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller.

To date, U.S. Jewry and evangelicals have
retained robust differences in their approaches to
the U.S.-Israel relationship. While more than half
of U.S. Christians backed former President Donald
Trump’s 2017 relocation of the U.S. embassy to
Jerusalem, only 16% of American Jews did so,
according to an AJC poll.

Given that Christians comprise more than 60%
of the U.S. population, it makes both demographic
and political sense for Israel to nurture its alliance
with evangelicals. Israeli tourism figures released
before the pandemic show that Christians consti-
tute more than half of Israel’s foreign visitors. And
with Israel’s Ministry of Tourism introducing initia-
tives to lure Christians to the Holy Land — even
as Jewish missions like Birthright face financial
setbacks — this figure will likely increase.

Politically, Jewish groups have softened their
Committee should he become majority leader.

Despite some troubling trends among their
youth, evangelicals remain the most ardent
custodians of the U.S.-Israel bond. By contrast,
American Jewish organizations’ public disapproval
of Israel’s unwillingness to placate their pluralistic
demands is indicative of an establishment more
concerned with defending progressive ideologies
than protecting Jewish interests.

Israel must not get bogged down in nourishing
such liberal orthodoxies. Moments devoted to
fending off such criticism is time spent away from
focusing on domestic and international threats.

The divisive comments made by American
Jewish leaders portend a reality that requires
Israel to reorient its connection toward evangel-
icals as it seeks to convince Jewish organizations
of its centrality and value to the Jewish people. JE
Irit Tratt is a writer who resides in New York.




nation / world
Jewish Exponent
PHILADELPHIA Survey: Democrats Much Likelier Than Republicans to See
Antisemitism as Problematic
A national survey found that Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to
agree that prejudice against Jews is a serious problem and that antisemitism poses
a growing threat to Jews, JTA.org reported.

Th e divide between Republicans and Democrats in the Quinnipiac University
survey released on Dec. 14 tracks with previous polling — but it also comes aft er
weeks of antisemitic invective from the rapper and designer Kanye West, who
now identifi es as a Christian conservative and who has courted Republicans.

It also comes aft er former President Donald Trump, a Republican, dined with West,
who is now known as Ye, and Nick Fuentes, a prominent Holocaust denier, and aft er
multiple government and nonprofi t groups mentioned spikes in reported attacks on Jews.

Th e survey showed that 83% of Democrats identifi ed prejudice against Jews as
a very serious or somewhat serious problem. Just 44% of Republicans agreed with
those assessments. Overall, a substantive majority, 60%, agreed that prejudice
against Jews is a serious problem.

A similar divide characterized a question about whether antisemitism “rep-
resents a growing threat to Jewish Americans,” with 73% of Democrats saying
that it does, as opposed to 34% of Republicans. Overall, 51% of respondents said
it represented a growing threat.

Turkey Arrests 44, Claims They Are Tied to Mossad
Turkey arrested 44 people on Dec. 14 for what offi cials claimed was their involvement
with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, JTA.org reported, citing Turkish media.

Th ose arrested appear to be largely Turkish citizens, and the group includes several
private detectives, as well as the director of a private detective fi rm named Ismail
Yetimoglu. No Israelis were arrested.

According to Turkish media, those arrested are accused of shadowing Palestinians and
pro-Palestinian organizations in Turkey. Israel has not publicly addressed the arrests.

Th e arrests come at a warm point in Turkish-Israeli relations, as the two countries
recently exchanged ambassadors for the fi rst time in years. Th is past spring, Mossad’s
collaboration with MIT, the Turkish intelligence service, was touted as essential in
ending a plot by an Iranian-backed terror cell targeting Israeli tourists in Istanbul.

To Save a Species, a Persian Leopard Moves to Israel
Aft er arriving from France, 2-year-old Mademoiselle is acclimating to her new home
before meeting her planned mate, Coresh, JNS.org reported.

Staff at the Ramat Gan Safari, near Tel Aviv, had asked the public for suggestions
for a name for the Persian leopard. She was previously in the Beauval Zoo in France’s
Loire Valley, Ynet reported.

Th e leopards will be placed in the same den to familiarize themselves with each
other’s scent. Once the safari crew determines that the couple is interested in the
encounter, they will be permanently placed in a den together.

“Th e couple was not chosen as mates randomly,” said safari zoologist Keren Or, accord-
ing to the report. “She has been intended for Coresh from birth based on specifi c informa-
tion and family ties and has been trained in both French and English ahead of her arrival.”
Th e two felines will participate in a project to reproduce the species, which
intends to populate European zoos with 200 leopards and release some of them
into the wild.

UAE Jewish Community Opens First Kosher Supermarket in Gulf
More than 100 people gathered in Dubai on Dec. 12 as the United Arab Emirates’ Jewish
community opened the fi rst-ever kosher supermarket in the Gulf, JNS.org reported.

Th e supermarket, named “Rimon,” will meet growing demand for kosher prod-
ucts due to the signifi cant increase in the number of Jews traveling and relocating
to the UAE in the wake of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

“Our wonderful community, which keeps growing and prospering here in the
UAE, most gratefully continues to benefi t from the extraordinary embrace we have
received from the Emirates government and local authorities, for over a decade now,”
UAE-based Rabbi Levi Duchman said. JE
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
Print | Digital |
Reach an affluent audience of
50,000 engaged readers with our
print & digital magazine.

Upcoming Special Sections
Senior Lifestyle
January 5
From home health aides to
financial planners to nursing
homes, this is the perfect venue
to show how your business can
help our readers find the
resources they need.

Dining & Food
January 13
Help readers find the most
flavorful deals in the area for
fine dining, casual cuisine,
carryout, groceries and spirits.

Camps January 19
Parents are making decisions
for summer 2023! Advertise
in the go-to resource for
Jewish families with
camp age children.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Contact your sales consultant to schedule
your advertising at 215-832-0700 ext. 2,
advertising@jewishexponent.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
17