Mark J Pelavin
Final Statement

I write these final words in what I have found to be a most interesting exchange at a time when, literally, leaders from the Middle East are convening just down the road from my house, in Annapolis, Maryland (on King George Street, no less!).

Clearly, the state of the peace process and what appears to be a differing reading of the urgency of this moment have exposed some disagreements between Rabbi Leder and me.  I wonder to what extent the timing of our exchange has shaped its content.  A good deal, I believe; although I think that our disagreement goes deeper than a disagreement over any specific policy or any one moment.

For example, Rabbi Leder wrote that, “We do not have to agree with Evangelical Christians about abortion, capital punishment, Armageddon, the coming of the Messiah, gay rights or even the specifics of their Israel policy in order to work with them on Israel’s behalf.”  I suppose I agree with that in theory, but in practice, in the real world, it is, as I have argued, far from clear to me that most Evangelical Christian leaders share my view of what it means to work “on Israel’s behalf.” 

He also argued, “We will never agree with all or even most of their political views but we do agree with their most basic, fundamental views regarding Israel.”  I disagree.  Among my most “basic, fundamental views regarding Israel” is that she cannot survive a continuation of the status quo, that violence, uncertainty, and demography will combine to undermine her viability as a Jewish state.

I assume readers will not be surprised to learn that I believe that events in the last 48 hours underscore my thesis – that Evangelical C hristian “support” for Israel is not the type of support she needs, and that it is in fact counterproductive.  Let me share a quick example.

Even as Israel Prime Minister Olmert stated that the Jerusalem issue had "been determined long ago" and that "the government of Israel has a sovereign right to negotiate anything on behalf of Israel,” there was a fascinating meeting taking place at the White House with National Security Advisor Steven Hadley.  Representatives from some Orthodox Jewish organizations, joined by David Brogg (Executive Director of Christians United for Israel) and Gary Bauer, came to argue that Jerusalem must be off the table.  Surely they have every right to make that argument, and I even believe that they have a right to do so notwithstanding the views of the Israeli government.  But that does not make their view right, nor is it supportive of Israel.

A final thought.  I hope that I have done justice in these pages to my own views: We cannot and should not ignore the American Evangelical Christian community, nor should we spurn cooperative work that brings Israel closer to real peace with her neighbors.  I wish that I believed that most of the leadership of the American Evangelical Christian community shared that goal.  Although there is certainly a diversity of voices among America’s 70 million Evangelical Christians, their most vocal leaders have too often staked out positions that advance their theology at the expensive of Israel’s security.

Rabbi Steven Z Leder
Final Statement

It has been said, “When all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like nails.”  After the Holocaust, American Jews are forever worrying about somehow being duped by America; that the unprecedented freedom for Jews here will cease at a moment’s notice. I for one do not feel duped by America or its Christians. I am willing to put down my hammer of suspicion and to stop treating Evangelical Christian Zionists like nails.  

We all need to put down our hammers. American Evangelical Christians of today are not the Christians who burned our ancestors at the stake. They are not the Christians of Europe who looked the other way or worse as a third of our people were decimated.  Albeit their actions are not nearly as risky, American Evangelical Zionists’ motivation is as deeply felt as those righteous gentiles who risked their lives to shelter Jews in WW II because it was the Christian thing to do.

Everyone ought to read David Brog’s book Standing With Israel. I will share with you his concluding few paragraphs because he states the case far better than I am able. 

“It is true that Christians and Jews differ in their religious doctrine and ritual.  These religious differences have bred a host of derivative disagreements on issues of domestic and international policy. These policy differences are deep and heartfelt, and they will likely persist for decades to come.

“Yet circumstances have changes in ways that should render such differences less significant. World events have flipped the telescope around. What was once so menacing now appears very small and distant. During WW II people united in fighting the Nazis likely disregarded as irrelevant one another’s position on abortion….None of the differences between Jewish and Christian Zionists impact upon the larger questions at the core of what it means to be a moral actor in the world today. Christians and Jews share bedrock beliefs in basic morality and the values of human life that make them natural allies in the face of attacks from enemies who share neither.

“As the Jewish community faces the new dangers of a new century, it must break free from its fixation on past traumas. American Jews must look forward, assess the circumstances on the ground today, and make objective judgments. The anti-Semitic Christians of past generations have been eclipsed in America by Christians who enthusiastically embrace the Jewish people and the Jewish State. As the Jews confront the latest threats to their existence, they will find standing alongside them Christian soldiers that passionately share their concerns, not despite their Christian faith, but because of it. While the Jewish embrace of these new allies may not be imminent, it is certainly overdue.”