The event was billed as Christians United for Israel’s annual summit in Washington, but looking around, it was notably Jewish. There were numerous kippah-clad attendees, and Monday’s most frequent religious reference was “modeh ani,” the Jewish prayer of thanksgiving upon waking.
The summit was a tapestry of incredible zeniths, true nadirs, committed faith, and inspiring resilience. As in Naomi Shemer’s classic song Al Kol Eleh, honey and bee-stings recurred across presentations.
America’s largest pro-Israel organisation now boasts 11 million members. There were repeated grateful and awed references to Israeli – and American – military wins since last summer, including the recent 12 day war against the Iranian regime.
Malcolm Hoenlein, vice-chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, posited that if he’d publicly predicted “that this time in 2025, Israel will have neutralised Hamas, incapacitated Hezbollah . . . helped break the yoke of Iran” and turned “the vaunted ring of fire . . . into a hula hoop,” it might have sounded far-fetched. Yet, that’s now happened. Or, as Jewish podcast host Gabe Groisman told the audience, “We’re living in a time of revealed miracles.”
Gabe Groisman, Attorney, government affairs consultant, and host of the acclaimed podcast, Standpoint. (Photo: CUFI)[Missing Credit]
Sandra Parker, CUFI action fund chairwoman, described “what happened in Iran” as “miraculous.” However, Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran programme senior director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, calibrated expectations, saying, “This was never a one shot deal.” The Iranian regime is “down but not out. They’re still lethal and can do damage with the weapons they have.”
Speakers radiated sincere interfaith warmth. Physician and philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson addressed attendees not only as “dear friends,” but also as “allies, soul mates, and full partners in the Zionist vision.” Bruce Pearl, the Jewish head coach of Auburn University Tigers Men’s Basketball, called Christians “mishpacha”, or family.
The crowd listens intently to a spearker at the CUFI summit (Photo: CUFI)[Missing Credit]
Some of the reciprocated warmth manifested as zero tolerance for Jew-hatred. After denouncing “the spirit of Amalek,” CUFI founder and chairman Pastor John Hagee said, “We are going to have total victory in this battle against the Jewish people. We love the Jewish people. If a line has to be drawn, draw it around Christians and Jews. Together, we are one.” Parker told me, “As a Christian, it infuriates me when somebody tries to usurp my faith to perpetrate a
fraud. . . . We must not allow our faith to be used as a weapon to harm Jews or to justify antisemitic behavior.”
Texas Wesleyan University undergraduate Arianna-Rosie Bourgoin told me she does campus Israel advocacy to support Jewish students: “I know what they’re going through is not easy, and they cannot do it alone. They need their allies, and me as a Christian, I’m their ally. And I want to show them we’re not the same people . . . from the Holocaust, from the Crusades. We’re different. . . . and together we’re stronger more than ever.”
Pearl described using his collegiate sports platform to support Israel’s hostages. After Auburn won a crucial game, Pearl recalled American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. “God put this on my heart,” he shared. Pearl asked his players about opening the press conference by mentioning Alexander and calling for the hostages’ release. “They said, ‘Coach, do it. Do it. We’re behind you 100 per cent.’ And we did.”
Bruce Pearl- Head Coach of Auburn Tigers Men's Basketball team (Photo: CUFI)[Missing Credit]
The hostage presentations hit hardest. Yair Horn recounted his 498 days in captivity. He “was treated like an animal and stripped of all basic human rights.” However, freedom offered a mixed blessing; it meant leaving his little brother, Eitan, who has a life-threatening skin disease. Cruelly, Hamas made the brothers’ goodbye hug into a propaganda video. It was “one of the most painful moments of my life. I hope it’s not the last hug.”
Former hostage Yair Horn speaks at the CUFI summit (photo: CUFI)[Missing Credit]
Meanwhile, Rachel Goldberg-Polin offered a spellbinding, heartbreaking reflection. ”I will always be the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Hersh will always be my first-born child. Hersh will always be my only son, and Hersh will always be 23-years-old.” Goldberg-Polin detailed Hersh’s love of geography, travel, music festivals, and listening intently to others. “We, like all of the hostage families, live on another planet.” Still, “I can’t help but feel blessed. Yes, me, blessed and lucky. . . . we suffer, but I’m so privileged to have had him for 23 years and three days.”
Jewish history will undoubtedly record this as a momentous period. It’s been a bumpy ride since October 7, but CUFI’s members stand alongside global Jewry, opposing Jew-hatred, mourning our losses, and cheering our blessings.
