For generations, Jews and Christians who cared deeply about Israel often stood in parallel, advocating separately, worshiping separately, and too often misunderstanding one another.
At this year’s Israel Advocacy Day in Washington, organized by Eagles’ Wings, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA, and Israel Allies Foundation, we witnessed something profoundly different: pastors and rabbis standing together, shoulder to shoulder, in the halls of Congress and in shared conviction.
And that mattered.
What struck both of us immediately was the scale of the gathering. What began as a modest initiative has become something much larger. This year, more than 500 pastors and rabbis came together in Washington to advocate for the US-Israel relationship.
The growth reflects something deeper than organizational success.
It reflects a growing realization that in this moment of rising antisemitism, intensifying anti-Zionism, and deepening social fragmentation, faith communities cannot afford to stand alone.
For many pastors, supporting Israel can feel isolating. A pastor who speaks openly about Israel from the pulpit may find himself misunderstood, criticized, or dismissed as “political.”
Yet for many Christians, supporting Israel does not begin with politics at all. It begins with Scripture, with the conviction that the God of Israel is a covenant-keeping God and that the Bible’s promises still matter.
Likewise, many rabbis arrive with their own hesitations and preconceptions.
Some wonder whether deep partnership with evangelical Christians is possible because of political or theological differences. Others simply have had little meaningful interaction with Christian communities at all.
But something extraordinary happens when people actually sit together, pray together, walk the halls of Congress together, and build real friendships.
Walls come down.
One of the most powerful aspects of Israel Advocacy Day was not only the lobbying itself – though that remains critically important – but the relationships that formed in the process.
There is something deeply human and profoundly persuasive about physically showing up on Capitol Hill together. Letters and emails matter, but presence matters more.
When senators and representatives see pastors and rabbis entering their offices side by side, they understand that support for Israel is not confined to one community or political tribe.
They see a broad interfaith coalition of Americans who believe the US-Israel alliance is morally, strategically, and spiritually important.
That witness has enormous impact.
More than a lobbying effort
But perhaps the greatest impact happens within us. Repeatedly during the gathering, participants expressed the same feeling: “I thought I was alone.”
Pastors from small towns and cities with few Jewish neighbors discovered they were part of a much larger community of Christian leaders who share their convictions.
Rabbis who came cautiously found themselves deeply moved by the warmth, sincerity, and steadfastness of Christian supporters of Israel. Friendships formed quickly because, in many ways, this gathering felt less like strangers meeting and more like a family reunion long overdue.
That phrase matters.
A century ago, this kind of gathering would have been unimaginable. Fifty years ago, many would have considered it unrealistic.
Yet here we are: rabbis and pastors embracing one another, praying together, advocating together, and recognizing in one another shared values and a shared concern for the moral future of our societies.
This is history happening in real time.
And the work cannot stop in Washington.
The relationships built at Israel Advocacy Day must continue in our hometowns and neighborhoods. National gatherings are essential, but local relationships are transformative.
Across the country, pastors and rabbis are beginning to build those bridges, hosting community events, studying together, breaking bread together, and learning to trust one another in ways that previous generations rarely experienced.
That trust takes time. It requires humility, patience, and a willingness to put aside assumptions. But it is worth the effort.
At a time when extremists seek to divide Americans, when antisemitism is rising openly, and when support for Israel is increasingly politicized, genuine Jewish-Christian friendship is not merely symbolic. It is necessary.
The future will demand courage from both communities. Jews cannot take friendship for granted. Christians who support Israel must continue speaking with moral clarity even when doing so is unpopular. And both communities must recognize that we are stronger together than apart.
Israel Advocacy Day reminded us that we are not alone.
Not pastors.
Not rabbis.
Not Jews.
Not Christians.
And in a difficult moment for both America and Israel, that may be one of the most important truths we can remember.
Chaim Steinmetz is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan. Mark Jenkins is the lead pastor at Berea Baptist Church in Rockville, Virginia.