Thousands of Evangelical Christians Gather in Jerusalem for Pro-Israel Conference
Thousands of evangelical Christians from dozens of countries gathered in Jerusalem for a pro-Israel conference.
Participants in the six-day Feast of Tabernacles conference will parade through Jerusalem’s streets on Thursday, a day before the conference ends. The attendees are from 80 countries — including some historically hostile to Israel, such as Egypt — and several continents, according to the The Associated Press.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a videotaped address to the conference.
There are an estimated 700 million evangelical Christians worldwide.
“We feel that their support is genuine and not deriving from any ulterior motive,” Akiva Tor, head of the Bureau for World Jewish Affairs and World Religions in the Foreign Ministry, told AP. “When there are large numbers of Christians who are interested in visiting Israel and understanding Israel — that of course is very, very helpful toward improving our international standing.”
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
