American Christians Take Up Our Cause

You probably never heard of Dave McGarrah.  But on Tuesday of this week Dave McGarrah left his home in Idaho and flew to Washington along with 265 other members of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) at the behest of CUFI”s founder, Pastor John Hagee of San Antonio.  I had the pleasure of speaking about Israel at Pastor McGarrah’s Deer Flat Church in Caldwell, Idaho last September and can attest to his love and respect for everything we do here in Israel.

The purpose of the CUFI visit to the nations’ capitol was to lobby US senators and representatives on behalf of Israel.  Why this week?  Simply because they, our Christian friends, have internalized the fact that the recently passed UN Resolution 2334 presents a danger to Israel and that the President of the United States serves until 11:59 AM on January 20^th and can still cause further damage to Israel.

They understand, seemingly more than most American Jews that at the Paris Peace Conference which convenes early next week a resolution could be adopted by the 70 nations represented there that will be detrimental to the future survival of Israel.  They also understand that it is entirely possible, the remonstrations of US Secretary of State Kerry notwithstanding, that such a resolution could be brought to the United Nations for consideration before noon on January 20^th and be passed by that body.  The United States will, in that case, once again, state that they had nothing to do with its fast forward passage and that is was done by other countries.  Hopefully, the world will not fall for that canard yet again.

So our Christian friends in the United States, seriously concerned about the continued survival of Israel, went to the seat of power in the United States to lobby on our behalf.  But where were the Jews?  Why aren’t a half million American Jews in Washington protesting the US’ action at the UN?  What has happened to our brethren there?  Have they been struck dumb when it comes to Israel?

A few weeks ago I commented on this topic in an earlier dispatch to which I received two types of responses.  The first, from my Jewish readers abroad, was basically an admonition not to worry, everything will turn out ok.  The second, from more than one Christian reader questioned why the American Jewish community was not up in arms about the dangerous possibility of some negative action against Israel in the last hours of the Obama administration?  One correspondent noted how amazed he was that the American Jewish community, which was so energized about the Soviet Jewry issue some years ago, seems so complacent about the potential damage which could yet be wrought before the month is out.  And he ended that remark with the statement that “if the Jewish community here does not stand up for Israel why should anyone else do so?”

One thing we should have learned over the centuries and that is not to remain silent in the face of threats to us or to others.  History has taught us that silence in the face of danger encourages danger.  Elie Wiesel said it best when he opined:  “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

We need to be grateful for the love and support of people like Dave McGarrah and his associates in his church and across America.  But we dare not let them fight our battle alone and without our support.  Faith in God’s benevolence is laudatory, but faith without action is meaningless. Let’s hope it is not too late.