Progressive Jews angered evangelical Pastor John Hagee will address Israel rally

Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Nov. 14. Photo by Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Image

By Arno Rosenfeld November 14, 2023

Organizers’ decision to give a speaking slot to evangelical pastor John Hagee at Tuesday’s pro-Israel rally on the National Mall is riling leaders of participating progressive groups who said they had been assured that he would not be given a platform. 

“His history of hateful comments should disqualify him from decent company, much less from speaking on stage,” said Hadar Susskind, director of Americans for Peace Now. “He is not welcome and should not speak.”

Hagee is the founder and chairman of the 10 million-member Christians United for Israel. But he has also speculated that the anti-Christ will be partly Jewish, and falsely claimed that Hitler was Jewish. John McCain, the Republican nominee for president in 2008, rejected Hagee’s endorsement after his comments about Hitler were surfaced.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, director of the progressive rabbinical group T’ruah, and J Street, the liberal pro-Israel organization, also criticized Hagee’s role in the event. Jacobs, who brought a contingent to the rally, tweeted Tuesday that organizers’ invitation to Hagee confirmed the qualms of many in the Progressive Israel Network that “this rally wouldn’t represent our values.” She wrote that the the pastor’s “so-called support of Israel is based in antisemitism.”

A spokesperson for the federations declined to comment on the outcry over Hagee’s role at the rally, which was publicized in a speakers list published Tuesday morning by Jewish Insider. He is joining a roster of speakers billed as “Voices of Allies.” Organizers have not published a program for the rally, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of Jews and others from around the nation. Its aims are to call for the freeing of hostages kidnapped by Hamas, to decry rising antisemitism and to support Israel amid its war with Hamas.

Progressive groups joining the rally, which was organized by mainstream Jewish groups — The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations — have come in for criticism from some of their allies on the left for participating and for failing to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Those progressive groups say they are part of a “peace bloc” within the rally and have made clear that they are not co-sponsoring the event.

“There will be progressive Jews and conservative Jews. There will be observant Jews and secular Jews,” APN wrote on its website.

It added that it is “nearly certain that some speakers at the rally will say things that we disagree with, and they will certainly not say everything that we believe needs to be said.”

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