- Title: JERUSALEM: Christian evangelicals campaign to raise money for Jews in Israel
- Date: 18th October 2002
- Summary: (L!1) JERUSALEM (OCTOBER 18, 2002) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) RABBI DAVID ROSEN, INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE SAYING: "Within some of that Evangelical support for Israel there is identification, disproportionalitly with settler communities in the West Bank and Gaza and with some of the most militant positions within the Israeli politi
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: JERUSALEM
- City:
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Arts,Economy,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA9GD3EQCYQVKSOF52QZWUN0I5U
- Story Text: Rivalry between Jews and Christians is nothing new. But as the Middle East begins its third year of a violent Palestinian revolt, Jews in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza are receiving increasingly large amounts of money from Christians overseas. Every year, roughly 15 million dollars are raised by evangelical Christians, the vast majority of them from the U.S.
A procession of Christians in support of Israel earlier this year -- one of those events where centuries of rivalry between Judaism and Christianity were put aside as hundreds of people marched chanting through the streets of Jerusalem.
It's a sign of the times. As the Palestinian revolt enters its third year and the body count mounts, the region's Jews have attracted increasing support from hardline evangelical Christians.
Behind the chants, the celebrations and the clapping, the financial underpinning of the support is solid and growing.
Last year $15 million were raised by right-wing Christians overseas for Jews, according to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
The message is simple: look beyond the centuries of competition. Think of the common roots that link the two people.
That the hardline Christians have pulling power is beyond doubt.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon adressed hundreds of Evangilical Christians who arrived in Jerusalem to attend the annual feast of Tabernacles during the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth.
Support from evangelical Christians has drawn some critisicm in Israel among some religious leaders who worry that it is a veiled attempt to convert Jews to Christianity.
Not so, says David Parsons, a spokesman for the Christian Embassy, an organisation that represents evangelical Christians. The help is selfless. Unconditional. And merely destined to help Jewish people in their time of need.
He says that the stalling of the peace process between Jews and Palestinians has left Israel with few friends: it needs all the support it can get irrespective of where it comes from.
Rabbi David Rosen of the International American Jewish committee in Jerusalem explains that some Jews' unwillingness to accept financial aide derives from the Evangelicals' vision of the future of the Jewish people in Israel.
Their missionary agenda calls for a final battle, which according to Rosen may be perceived as the current "battle"
between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Following the "battle", which will take place in Megggido in norhtern Israel, Armageddon, is the second coming of Christ, which will presage the end of the world.
This can happen only if Jews possess the lands given to them by God; hence the support for Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Lacking Christian faith, Jews will either be condemned or destroyed, according to Rabbi Rosen. Thus, "the long term view of what's going to unfold here is not terribly salutary and hopeful for the future of Judaism and the Jewish people as such."
Not everyone accepts this, but most Jewish leaders have chosen to accept the Christians' support and to ignore their Messianic mission.
The Muslim world is perceived as forces appossing the Christian agenda, according to Rabbi Rosen and therefore some contributions are handed directly to "some of the most militant positions within the Israeli political spectrum"
apparently in order to drive the oppossing forces out of the lands of God.
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, head of the International fellowship of Christians and Jews, has launched campaigns to mobilize Evangelical Christians in the U.S. to support Israel.
The fellowship is well-known for their promotional video feature endorsements from Rabbi Eckstein.
Eckstein narrates the fellowship's informercials on Christian media outlets in the U.S., which has raised millions of dollars annualy.
"Christians need to better stand and comprehend the Jewish roots of their own faith and Jews need to stretch out their hands in trust to those Christians who genuinely seek today to bless Israel and the Jewish people", Rabbi Eckstein says in his opening notes on a video viewed on Christian media outlets in the U.S.
After a filmed tour of historical sites throughout Israel, Eckstein provides phone numbers to call for financial contributions.
It's a slick production, littered with moody shots of Israel, its historical sites and its more recent troubles. It concludes with a phne number to which donors are invited to provide money for the needy in Israel. The Fellowship, however, does not specify where it invests the money that is raised.
And Eckstein's campaign to raise money for Israel has gone multimedia. Recently, he announced the launch of Stand For Israel, a campaign calling for support for Israel among Evangelical Christians. The promotional material can be viewed on "www.standforisrael.org", a colourful website announcing events and asking for financial contributions.
But as the fighting continues and body count rises, most Jews are likely to welcome the assistance, leaving questions about the ultimate destination of the money and debates about the donors' agenda to more peaceful times. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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