JNS
Speaking at the CUFI summit in Washington, Malcolm Hoenlein said common enemies “go after Jews today, Christians tomorrow, others after that.”
Attention must be paid to the Christians United for Israel annual summit in Washington, according to Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice president emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
“This is the single most exciting meeting anywhere and everywhere,” he said from the stage on Monday, at the 20th annual summit, held at National Harbor in Maryland.
“There is no place that has the electricity, the commitment to devotion, the sincerity of those of you who are here, and believe me, I go to a lot of meetings each year,” the Jewish leader said.
Hoenlein told JNS on the sidelines of the event that it is a “critical time” when “we have to stand together, build coalitions again and tell all those who are willing to stand with us that we will stand with them in fighting antisemitism, in fighting the forces that seek to deny all of us our rights.”
A few weeks ago at Auschwitz, Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of CUFI, delivered a speech in a downpour, even after some elderly survivors had to depart for health reasons, Hoenlein told the summit audience. That, Hoenlein said, was a sign of CUFI’s unwavering support for Jews and Israel.
“I don’t want a world building memorials to dead Jews. I want them to stand up for living Jews and a living Jewish state,” he told the audience. “No more crocodile tears. If you’re serious, show it.”
Jews and Christians have shared enemies, according to Hoenlein.
“They go after Jews today, Christians tomorrow, others after that,” he told JNS. “I think it’s very important that this group, who are proven friends, who have demonstrated it in many ways over many years, knows that we appreciate it, we appreciate them, and we work with them for our common interests.”
Hoenlein was among the headliners on Monday, drawing raucous applause from attendees at several points during his lengthy speech, for which he told JNS he used basic notes, not a script.
“They turned me into a Baptist minister,” he told JNS. “It’s so magnetic. If you would stand up there and feel how they draw it out of you, because they’re so sincere. They hang on every word, and they feel it. They mean it.”
“Jewish audiences applaud politely, but these people wear their emotions on their sleeves,” he added.
Hoenlein described to JNS what CUFI has done since Oct. 7. “Millions and millions of dollars in aid, trips to Israel, showing solidarity in every way, lobbying the members of Congress on behalf of Israel in forceful ways that often we might not, in terms we wouldn’t speak in,” he said.
CUFI has also endured criticism for its steadfast support of the Jewish state, he said.
‘Reflection of this relationship’
Hundreds of Jews were in attendance at the summit. Hoenlein told JNS that many of them have benefited in their local communities from churches and Christian organizations standing up for them against Jew-hatred and in support of Israel.
“I think that’s also an important reflection of this relationship,” he told JNS.
CUFI provides support without ulterior motives, and “they don’t seek to impose their will on us, and we don’t impose our views on them,” Hoenlein said. “What we find is that on the majority of issues, we can work together.”
Hoenlein said he particularly appreciates the day that CUFI reserves for lobbying on the Hill.
“When they go in, the members of Congress listen,” Hoenlein said.
“They expect it from us,” American Jews, he continued. “But when these people from Texas and Oklahoma and North Dakota and everywhere come in there, they take no prisoners, they say, ‘This is what we believe, and this is what we expect.’”
“The message is exactly the same. It’s on Iran. It’s on support for getting Israel armaments,” he said. “It’s all the things that we would say, and they don’t take religious messages, per se, to it.”
“If you look at their talking points, there would be things that we could subscribe to, as well,” Hoenlein told JNS.
He described CUFI’s support as “pure and sincere.”
“There were bumps on the road and there were times when we had different views, because sometimes, the words don’t mean the same thing to each of us,” he told JNS. “That comes only through communication.”
