It’s the mark of a good question that it can start a discussion by inspiring two responses as different as Rabbi Leder’s and my own,  Although we do have some serious disagreements, I am struck, first, by how much we agree.  Specifically, I am struck by the wisdom of Rabbi Leder’s distinction between “partnerships” and “alliances,” and by his argument that we ignore the evangelical community at our peril. 

I certainly agree that sometimes it makes good sense to work with people on one issue, although we disagree on other issues.  In fact, I’m quite proud of the work that the Reform Movement has done in coalition with Evangelical Christians on a wide array of issues, including international religious freedom, prison reform and increasingly, environmental issues.  It never failed to inspire me that the coalition working to focus attention on international human rights issues – made up largely of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Family Research Council and other organizations that most would categorize as the Religious Right – held its meetings at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism! 

Also, I could not agree more that we need to engage with the evangelical community (or more accurately, communities).  It is a large and growing, population, one with great influence.  American Jews make up approximately 2 percent of the American population.  We simply cannot afford to write off such a significant community, and even where we disagree – perhaps especially where we disagree – engagement will always be more effective than turning our backs. 

I think I can pinpoint where Rabbi Leder and I diverge. He writes: “For an alliance with Evangelical Christians, we need only agree upon the simple fact that Israel is in peril and we ought to support American politicians who support Israel, visit Israel, raise money for Israel and love Israel.”  We diverge over the word “simple.” 

There was a time in my career when I thought Israel issues were simple.  When I first came to Washington 25 years ago, I knew what it meant to be “pro-Israel.”  It meant to vote for foreign aid to Israel and to oppose arms sales to Arab countries.  Today the calculus is much more complex.  Israel’s security is so closely bound up with the fate of the Palestinians that being pro-Israel requires feeling if not compassion for the Palestinians (I think our values require that; as I’m confident Rabbi Leder agrees), at least an acknowledgment that the lives of Israelis cannot improve until the lives of Palestinians improve.

This is an understanding that many in the American Jewish community have reached slowly – and painfully; it is, unfortunately, not an understanding common in the American evangelical community. The fact that American Jews have spent more time wrestling with policy questions related to Israel than have most of our evangelical counterparts is a crucial difference. Too many evangelicals – and their leaders – continue to believe that supporting Israel is a simple matter.

The American Jewish community knows better, and we know that Israel vitally needs deep, thoughtful, careful support. This is why – as I argued in my previous post – when it comes to forging alliances to support Israel, we should be most concerned not about what evangelicals think about us, our religion, the end of days, or domestic American policy; rather, we should be concerned that their attitudes to Israel, while fully intending to be supportive in the best way they know how, are not always in Israel’s best interests. As such, an "alliance" to support Israel with Christian Zionists who hold a much more narrow understanding of what it means to be "pro-Israel", is not an alliance on anything other than a few "simple" slogans and is potentially detrimental to the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace

Finally, I want to say a word about the Jewish “embrace” of Evangelical Christians. As I noted above, I agree with Rabbi Leder that there is an important distinction between a partnership and an alliance. In a partnership, you share everything; in an alliance, you share one common concern. I agree that we should find ways to work with Evangelical Christians where and when we can.  But it’s hard for me to reconcile such an alliance with the enthusiastic support many Jewish communities have given, for example, to Pastor John Hagee’s roadshow “A Night to Honor Israel,” which goes from community to community celebrating evangelical “support” for Israel. Yes, work with Hagee and others when we agree, but do not lionize those who are obstructionists, who care more about ancient prophecy than about today’s Israelis.

I am glad to know that Mark Pelavin is not concerned with premilliennialism,
proselytization or politics. He need not be for all of the reasons he himself articulated.

Let us then address the one often stated objection to Christian Zionists that is of real concern to him, namely, that Evangelical support of Israel “does not really help Israel in the long term.”  Does Mark Pelavin honestly believe Israel will make foolish decisions regarding her future because of pressure from Evangelical Christians?

Let’s give Israel a little credit. Her leaders are quite capable of accepting the best that good Christians of all sorts have to offer, while rejecting those ideas that are not in her own best interest. For us to assume that we know better than Israelis themselves, “what helps them in the long term” is arrogant at best.

Furthermore, Christians United for Israel and other Evangelical Zionist organizations are a mighty force and they do not need our permission or friendship to maintain power or disseminate their views to tens of millions of Americans every week. If I thought isolating and ignoring them would soften or nuance to their perspective I would consider it a reasonable strategy to do so, but it won’t.

We have only two choices—complain about Christian Evangelicals from the outside or work with them from the inside on matters regarding Israel upon which we do agree—tourism, economic growth, philanthropy to alleviate poverty, disease and trauma caused by terrorism, electing pro-Israel candidates and unseating anti-Israel office holders.  These efforts allow us to strengthen Israel together while agreeing to disagree over politics.