I recently picked up a copy of J Street chief Jeremy Ben-Ami’s new book “A New Voice for Israel.” I flipped directly to the index in order to see what Ben-Ami had to say about my clients, Pastor John Hagee and Christians United for Israel (CUFI). I was shocked.
Ben-Ami: “What’s troubling… is not so much the substance of Hagee, [Gary] Bauer, or [Gov. Mike] Huckabee’s positions on the issues as the comfortable alliance that has emerged between leading representatives of the Jewish community and their counterparts on the Christian Right.”
Citing environmental issues and child education advocacy, Ben-Ami goes on to explain that while he recognizes that at times groups that do not agree on other issues should unite (even with Evangelical Christians) in common cause, working with Evangelical leaders on Israel is out of bounds. Why? Because such a prominent alliance, Ben-Ami claims, “turns-off less engaged [Jewish] community members.”
So, in sum, Ben-Ami is not bothered by what Christian Zionists say or do. Rather, he just does not like who they are. Further, while working with conservative Christians on other issues is acceptable, working with the national leaders of America’s millions of Evangelical supporters of Israel may make some young apathetic American Jews more apathetic towards Israel.
This position is illogical and offensive. First and foremost, one does not judge the legitimacy of a group’s political action based upon that group’s faith. I may not view the divine as they do, but I would never shun a Buddhists/Hindus/Muslims United for Israel group. Second, Orthodox Jews and Catholics often hold very similar positions to Evangelical Christians on social issues. Does Ben-Ami suggest that they too be kept out of the pro-Israel tent? Finally, I have heard better and worse explanations for young American Jewish apathy towards Israel, but ‘in part it’s because of Jewish outreach to Evangelicals‘ is ridiculous.
In lieu of working with America’s conservative Christian Zionists, Ben-Ami proposes that the Jewish community work with Christian churches that hold more left-wing positions on American social and economic issues. I do not believe that working with the two differing Christian camps is mutually exclusive. Further, I wish Ben-Ami the best in his efforts to reach out to those groups. His proposal though is not novel; the American Jewish Community has been developing relationships with left-leaning Christian churches for years.
Either way, if Ben-Ami can work with the Presbyterians and other Mainline Protestant Churches I wholeheartedly support those efforts – provided of course they result in support for Israel, rather than serve as a fig leaf for anti-Israel rhetoric.
The pro-Israel community must be diverse, bipartisan and open-minded. Groups with natural constituencies should cultivate support for Israel amongst those communities. CUFI is doing this with Christian college students, as well as with Hispanic and African-American churches. Likewise, we must have the courage to criticize those in our own camps that hold a position not in Israel’s interest. Again, CUFIand the Republican Jewish Coalition are doing this, most recently when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called for an end to foreign aid to Israel.
But J Street seems to be more focused on tearing down the pro-Israel establishment – one that has helped build and maintain the U.S.-Israel relationship for decades – than bringing the new left into the pro-Israel community.
When advocating for J Street’s acceptance, Ben-Ami regularly cites the need for a big pro-Israel tent, but simultaneously works to shrink the pro-Israel community by shutting out Evangelical Christian Zionists. This is a mistake. As Ben-Ami himself recently wrote “we want a tent big enough to accommodate all those committed to securing Israel’s future,” and “seeking to shrink the [pro-Israel] tent seems counterproductive at best at a time when increasing numbers of Jews and others are growing more estranged from Israel.” I could not agree more.
Ari Morgenstern is the spokesman for Christians United for Israel