Christians/Jews foster relations

(JNS) — The U.S. should halt federal funding to universities that back antisemitism and incitement against Jewish students, and professors who voice such hate in their classrooms should be ousted from campus, the lieutenant governor of Texas said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke as the academic year opened in the United States after months of often violent and antisemitic anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses the previous year that stunned the American Jewish community in ways not seen World War II.

“There is no room for terrorizing Jewish students on our campuses and professors that preach hate should be gone,” Patrick told JNS on Sept. 12. “If you behave like that you will not be in class anymore.”

He said that he was both “shocked and disgusted” at the antisemitic protests that erupted across the U.S. since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, which, although originating from a minority of people, were being amplified by American professors in the classroom.

‘God is on your side’

“We are the Lone Star State and you are the Lone Star Country,” Patrick said in an address at the Israel Allies Foundation annual U.S. gala in. “You will win this fight because God is on your side and Texas is on your side.”

Patrick was baptized in the Jordan River, near the Sea of Galilee, during a trip to Israel in 2016.

The gathering of philo-Semites honoring the evangelical community for their support for Israel also comes at a time when the Jewish state is facing international opprobrium over the 11-month-old war against the Hamas terrorist organization.

“We are so used to being on the short end of history,״ said former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, recounting the Jewish people’s centuries of persecution since the time of Babylon. “We have been running and running and we were looking for salvation. Now we have this incredible bond with this wonderful Christian community that we never had before.”

Friedman, who served under President Donald Trump, is eyeing a second term as U.S. emissary to Israel if Trump is re-elected in November.

“It’s us plus God against the whole world,” he told the gala attendees to enthusiastic applause.

Israeli Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel said, “Christian support for Israel is not merely a political stance; it is a moral and biblical commitment.

“This evening has been a testament to the often-unspoken truth that indeed Israel has strong support, determined allies and righteous voices standing up for Israel in a swamp of opposition and slander.”

‘Read the Bible’

Joni Lamb, the co-founder of the Daystar Television Network who was honored at this year’s event, told JNS, “Any true evangelical Christian that reads the Bible understands that the Land of Israel was given to the Israeli people and understands why it is so important that we stand with Israel.” 

The evangelical channel, which reaches more than 100 million homes in the U.S. alone, has donated $16 million to Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, to help rebuild Israeli communities near Gaza and provide bulletproof vests and helmets to IDF soldiers.

“As a Christian, we always pray for Israel, and you can’t create a better combination than Christians and Jews fostering the best of relations,” said Bill Holmes, a Texas entrepreneur who was one of the sponsors of the event.

“It’s been a blessing to serve Israel in Texas where Israel has true friends,” the Israeli Consul General to the Southwest Livia Link-Raviv told JNS. This friendship is not taken for granted at this time.”

“It’s so vital that we stand on the right side of history and the right side of God,” Paula White, an American televangelist and former faith adviser to former Trump, told JNS. “This pact between Jews and Christians is more necessary than ever before.”

The Washington-based Israel Allies Foundation has emerged as a powerhouse of faith-based diplomacy since its inception nearly two decades ago and boasts a network of 1,500 legislators in more than 50 parliaments around the world.

“Following October 7 and the ongoing war Israel is facing, coupled with the surge in antisemitism globally, it is more crucial than ever that we unite in support of the one and only Jewish state,” said Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation.