Regarding “Rev. Hagee’s Group Revisited” (Editorial, July 23), I attended the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Washington Summit together with over 4,000 Christians who came from every state to demonstrate their commitment to Israel. Rev. Hagee gave a stirring address that I believe represents the centrist position of the pro-Israel community. He told the audience that today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is “Ani Yisraeli — I am an Israeli.” He went on to say that when the UN condemns Israel for defending itself, Ani Yisraeli …When rockets land in Sderot, Ani Yisraeli … The crowd chanted “Ani Yisraeli” along with him. Rather than debating the motivations of CUFI, we should be asking whether American Jews truly feel “Ani Yisraeli” with the same intensity.
I spoke to a rabbi from Israel at the summit whose organization raises money to build bomb shelters in places like Sderot and the Galilee. He told me that he receives more than half of his funding from Christian American Zionists. How can American Jews even think of refusing the political and economic support of CUFI when the lives of our Israeli brethren are literally being protected by CUFI’s more than 450,000 members?
May CUFI’s motto, “for Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,” (Isaiah 62) be our motto, too, now more than ever.
Scarsdale, N.Y.
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