There has been growing Jewish recognition of evangelical support of Israel and now that acknowledgment is becoming more official and may take new shape in a working coalition between the two groups.
The Baltimore Sun (Feb. 26) reports on a recent national meeting of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs where a call was made for Jewish communities to work with evangelicals on issues of mutual interest. The council’s resolution calls for American Jews to harness the pro-Israel sentiments and activities of evangelicals, such as the October Day of Prayer for Israel, which is a project of the evangelical International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ).
Other issues of mutual concern on which evangelicals and Jews might work include religious accommodation in the workplace, social services and legislation protecting the rights of religious organizations. The endorsement is a sign of American Jews’ concern about increased threats to Israel’s security and tensions over international isolation on the issue, says Hanah Rosenthal.
George Mamo of the IFCJ adds, “I think [the resolution’s] biggest effect is that the communities that just weren’t sure about working with evangelicals now will have a comfort level to reach out to a community that has been reaching out to Israel for a long time.” But the conference also acknowledged that evangelism targeting Jews could damage such a coalition and called “clear and consistent” opposition to the practice.