The Unbreakable Bond Between U.S. and Israel

The Fellowship  |  July 21, 2023

Israeli President Isaac Herzog this week visited the U.S. Congress, giving a speech that highlighted the bond between these nations that are each other’s greatest friend and ally. Writing at The Washington Times, Yael says this relationship transcends our shared political and strategic interests, and is one of shared values, beliefs, dreams, desires, and mutual respect for each other:

Israel and the United States will inevitably disagree on many matters. But we will always remain family. Our evolutionary societies have so much to give to the world, and so much to learn from each other. Our bond may be challenged at times, but it is absolutely unbreakable,” said President Herzog.

I’ve known President Herzog for many years. The organization I head, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), worked with him for years when he was Israel’s Minister of Welfare. We worked together when he headed the Jewish agency to help bring Jewish people home to Israel. I remember very clearly when he came to visit me when I was sitting Shiva after the death of my father, The Fellowship’s founder, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (of blessed memory). In all those situations what has stood out is his authenticity, his warmth, his genuine love for Israel, for America, for Western culture, for freedom, and for helping the poor.

President Herzog’s speech didn’t deal with partisan politics or specific policy recommendations. Instead, it embodied the president’s authenticity, warmth, and love for the friendship between my two countries (I was born in America but have now lived in Israel for nearly two decades). And it embodied the spirit of The Fellowship, where Jews and Christians, bound by shared values, are inspired to change the world, together. We, too, don’t get into politics or policy; we work day and night, and have for the past 40 years, furthering the foundation of Jewish-Christian relations by focusing on what we have in common, our shared values, and partnership to bring light to the darkest places…

Read the rest of Yael’s message on the U.S.-Israel friendship at The Washington Times.