H eadlines
Rabbi to Speak at Africa Night to Honor Israel
L OCA L
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
ON NOV. 29, 1947, Liberia
was one of 33 countries in the
United Nations to vote in favor
of Israel’s statehood. The West
African country’s relationship
with Israel endures 70 years later.

In June 2017, Former Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu became the first
non-African speaker invited to
the Economic Community of
West African States conference in
Liberia, hoping to bolster Israeli
and Jewish ties to the region.

Efforts to cement these ties
are taking place locally, too.

African Christians United
for Israel will host its second
annual Africa Night to Honor
Israel in Philadelphia on
Oct. 17 at 5 p.m., standing
in solidarity with Israel and
the Jewish community. Rabbi
Aaron Gaber of Congregation
Brothers of Israel in Newtown
will speak at the event.

“It’s quite profound and very
significant to see a group, to
see people, who are incredibly
supportive of Israel because
they think it has the right and
ability to exist in this world,”
Gaber said.

Gaber attended the first
Africa Night in Philadelphia
three years ago. This year’s
event, albeit with COVID
protocols in place, will mirror
its predecessor, consisting of
a series of speakers from the
Philadelphia chapter of ACUFI,
as well as performances and
dancing and both Jewish and
African foods.

Though celebratory in its tone,
the event will tackle the topics
of the day: increased antisemi-
tism, anti-Zionism and interfaith
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10 OCTOBER 14, 2021
Rev. Dumisani Washington
speaking at Minnesota’s eighth
annual Africa Night to Honor Israel
Jewish and African Christian attentees at Minnesota’s eighth annual Africa
Night to Honor Israel
Courtesy of Aaron Gaber
community connections.

“So often, the media portrays
Israel in a negative light, and
this is a way of showing folks
another side of Israel,” Gaber
said. “It helps people get past
the headlines.”
By building bridges between
the Jewish and African
Christian communities in
Philadelphia, Gaber said he
hopes these budding relation-
ships will foster community
interconnectedness. “Once people get to know
each other, maybe have meals
together, teach together, learn
together — it breaks down
barriers between one another,
which generally leads to good
things.” Gaber’s hope is not
one-sided. Rev. Dumisani
Washington, founder and
CEO of the Institute for Black
Solidarity with Israel and the
event’s keynote speaker, shares
Gaber’s wish.

According to Washington,
a Christian interpretation
of Psalm 68 calls on African
nations to stand in solidarity
with Israel.

“A f r i c a m u s t l e a d , ”
Washington said.

This message will be the
crux of Washington’s keynote
address. Because of Africa’s growing
Christian population, the
number of Christians on the
continent and in Latin America
will exceed the number of
Christians in the Western
world. There is, therefore, an
increased responsibility for
Christians to support Israel.

“It is paramount that we, as
pastors, preach biblical Zionism,
which we define as Israel’s right
to live in peace with its neigh-
bors, that the land of Israel
belongs to the Jewish people,”
Washington said. “Historically,
they are indigenous.”
Beyond biblically, West
Africa’s loyalty to Israel has
stemmed from Israel’s interest
in what Netanyahu called
“Israel’s return to Africa,”
an effort to break the United
Nations’ majority opposi-
tion to Israel through Israeli
investment in Africa through
agricultural, homeland security
and cybersecurity efforts.

Israel’s independence created
a domino effect of Ghana
and other African countries
gaining independence from
the common colonial power of
Great Britain. One of Ghana’s
first diplomatic relationships
was with Israel.

“Israeli technology — partic-
ularly science and agriculture
and irrigation — helped
strengthen African nations to
the point where several, partic-
ularly Nigeria, had a stronger
JEWISH EXPONENT
currency than the United States
by the mid-1970s,” Washington
said. Gaber will use his platform
as an opportunity to commend
Washington’s, ACUFI’s and
IBSI’s efforts to support Israel,
as well as lay the groundwork
for future collaborations.

Though only its second itera-
tion in Philadelphia, ACUFI’s
Africa Night to Honor Israel has
been a hallmark of the organi-
zation’s national programming
for the past nine years, with
the eighth annual Minnesota
Africa Night taking place on
Oct. 3.

Pastor Steve Kelly of
Victory Harvest Fellowship
International, who is one of
the event’s organizers, said
ACUFI partners with Jewish
Federations in some cities,
who help liaise the relationship
between ACUFI and Jewish and
Israeli organizations in Israel
they hope to support.

“We know the land of Israel
is blessed,” Kelly said. “Who
wouldn’t want to be a partner
with someone who is blessed?”
The Philadelphia Africa
night will take place at 2536 S.

59th St. Speakers and church
staff are vaccinated, and masks
are required. l
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM