Israel’s Ambassador to the Un ited States, Meir Rosenne, was guest of honor at the the Third National Prayer Breakfast in Honor of Israel here today. He was presented with a proclamation on behalf of the “five miIlion-plus Bible-believing Christians” in America, affirming the strong bonds between the U.S. and Israel.
The event, at the Shoreham Hotel, was sponsored by the Religious Roundtable, headed by E.E. McAfeer of Memphis, Tenn. The 4,000 persons attending included many delegates to the annual convention of the National Religious Broadcasters, members of Congress, White House officia Is, rabbis and Christian clergymen and representatives of major Jewish organizations with headquarters in Washington. The sponsoring “group, which has honored Israe I at two previous Prayer Breakfasts,; claims to be the largest assembly of Christian leaders in the U.S.
Addressing the gathering in a hall decorated with blue and white bunting, Israel’s national colors, and Stars of David, Rosenne declared: “If we stand together, it is not because there are strategic interests that are common to the U.S. and Israel. It is because we fight for the same ideals.”
He paid tribute to American soldiers who fell in Europe during World War II “who fought exactly the same fight as the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. If the world is free today, it’s thanks to America and those who didn’t give up. Whoever thinks you can break our spirit or divide America and Israel doesn’t understand anything in modern history.”
The proclamation presented to Rosenne re-affirmed America’s commitment to Israel’s security and urged both the Executive branch and Congress to,pursue strategic cooperation with Israel in the interests of peace. It also deplored anti-Semitism as incompatible with the Christian Gospel and urged Middle Eastern nations to renounce terrorism and to embrace the legitimacy of Israel.
Led by four clergymen, the gathering rose to pray for the West German government to revoke its decision to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and for the Congress to vote to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
