An American rabbi living in Israel is soliciting humanitarian aid from Christians especially from members of evangelical groups -- to help the poor and deprived of Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of Chicago has been appointed by
Jerusalem's mayor to head a commission aimed at
"strengthening worldwide Christian ties" with the city,
which is suffering financially from the recent conflict with
the Palestinians.
Mr. Eckstein explained, "There's been a tremendous drop in
tourism, and with funds going to security, there are fewer
resources for the poor."
Although Christian-Jewish relations have improved in recent
decades and there are many examples of rapprochement, "This
is the first time in the history of Jerusalem that there has
been a commission" to reach Christians around the globe, Mr.
Eckstein said.
The rabbi, who 18 years ago founded the U.S.-based
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, said the
new project will expand on the fellowship's efforts to
stimulate moral support for Jerusalem and to attract
donations.
In that connection, he met Monday in Israel with a religious
broadcaster, the Rev. Pat Robertson, who is interested in
discussing Jerusalem and its plight as part of the Christian
Broadcasting Network's TV programming. Mr. Eckstein will
contribute reports for Mr. Robertson's popular "700 Club"
program, and he is producing a weekly, half-hour
magazine-format television show for the Trinity Broadcasting
Network's 70 million U.S. viewers. The show will air in
November.
The appeals for Jerusalem and its people are expected to
resonate with members of evangelical communities, who,
unlike mainline Protestants, tend to sympathize with Israel
and in the past have provided what Mr. Eckstein calls
"humanitarian, moral and biblical" support. Mainline
Protestant leaders have tended to side with the concerns of
Arab Christians, most of them Palestinians.
A month ago, a large delegation of mainline church leaders,
led by Presiding Bishop Frank P. Griswold, the top Episcopal
bishop, visited Secretary of State Colin L. Powell in his
Washington office to defend the Palestinian side.
In the name of Mideast "sister churches," the delegation
gave Mr. Powell a statement urging "the United States to do
what it must to bring Israel's settlement activity to an
end" in the occupied territories.
"While we condemn the violent words and actions of
Palestinians, we understand the rage that comes from decades
of occupation," the statement said.
Mr. Eckstein, who began his work 25 years ago as head of
Christian-Jewish relations for the Anti-Defamation League,
said it has become difficult to work with mainline
Protestants on Mideast issues because they refuse to
criticize the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
"My work has focused more and more on evangelicals broadly,
and specifically charismatic and Pentecostal Christians,"
he said. Those sectors of Christianity are the fastest
growing in the world, according to scholars.
Mr. Eckstein's reports over the religious television
networks will appeal to what he calls "a growing Christian
interest in the Jewish roots of their faith."
The rabbi has had years of experience producing
"infomercials," or long TV advertisements, seeking Christian
humanitarian support. And he says his fellowship has raised
$100,000 for 75 families who suffered losses in May when a
banquet hall collapsed, killing two dozen persons and
injuring more than 300 at a wedding reception.
HOME |
Other | Devotions | Essays | Archeology | Book Reviews | Top Stories | Opinion | Features | Israel | Persian Gulf | North Africa | Lebanon | Syria | Egypt | Jordan | Palestine
© 2011 COME and SEE | RSS | Contact Us | Who Are We | Local MinistriesDeveloped By: Yafita | Design By: Tony Bathich