Defying chief rabbinate, Riskin joins Christian J'lem rally
NU/NRP's Benny Elon also speaks in support of Zionist-Christian event banned by chief rabbinate.
By MEGAN JACOBSShlomo Riskin 224.88(photo credit: Megan Jacobs)
Despite the recent ruling by the Chief Rabbinate that Jews may not participate in any Christian events, Rabbis Shlomo Riskin and Benny Elon spoke in support of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem (DPPJ) on Sunday night at the Haas Promenade.
Organized by Rev. Robert Stearns of the group Eagles' Wings and Dr. Jack Hayford of The Church on the Way, DPPJ united over 150 nations and more than 150,000 churches worldwide in prayer. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the event in Jerusalem, coinciding with the end of Succot.
"Our best friends in the United States are Christians, offering love, friendship, and partnership. We would be foolish not to take advantage of it, especially during these troubled times," said Riskin.
Both Riskin and Elon credited the Christian community with not only helping Israel survive, but also vanquishing the threat of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and of radical Islam.
MK Elhanan Glazer, representing the Christian Allies Caucus, also praised the mutual effort against external threats to Israel, saying that "Christians support Israel because we have the same Book, the same God, and we both love that God more than all the oil in the world."
This message of intertwining faith and politics underscored the event. Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon stressed the extreme importance of reaching out to the Christian community, saying that they "strengthen our faith."
Amell Saffouri, an Arab Christian from Israel called out to all religious groups to "participate, not just speculate" in finding common ground for peace, rather than war.
