Our President and Global CEO, Yael Eckstein, joined Sean Hannity on his show on October 7 to talk about the three years since the attacks, rising anti-Semitism, and about this year’s Flags of Fellowship:
Well, first of all, Sean, thank you so much for having me and being such a voice of moral clarity for America, for the world. It’s been three years, but today definitely still feels sad and the attacks of October 7 are still very raw. I was walking around Israel today; everyone has red and puffy eyes. Everyone is mourning somebody because in this country of 7.5 million Jews, when there’s 1,200 people killed, those are all of our children –parents, grandparents, friends. And when we see the rise of anti-Semitism, the truth is that’s not new.
You look at what happened throughout history: Nazism and communism. You can go all the way back to the Scriptures, to the wicked Haman and Amalek. Anti-Semitism, unfortunately, is nothing new. As Barry Weiss said, “What we realized after October 7 is that the Jewish people’s vacation from history has ended.” But we, at The Fellowship, look for something different –within the dark, we look for light. So, we started the program Flags of Fellowship and called on churches around the world, the silenced majority of Christians who love Israel, to plant 1,200 Israeli flags to show their solidarity in a spiritual way, not in a political way, with Israel around this time of mourning.
And the results and feedback was unprecedented. We have over 4,500 churches in 14 countries around the world including the UAE, including South Africa, every state in America has planted 1,200 Israeli flags and that equals over 5 million Israeli flags that are waving on church grounds this week. So, within the darkness, we are seeing light. And that, I think, is new on the backdrop of anti-Semitism that’s rising around the world.
You have it exactly right when you talk about your visits to Sderot that’s on the border of Gaza and how that’s just one of many towns that was under constant rocket attack for over 15 years. In that city, Sderot for example, The Fellowship had to donate six bomb shelters to one children’s park because they can’t have a park unless there’s bomb shelters that are within running distance within 15 second from each other. So, in every area of the park, we had to put a bomb shelter. This was the reality that Israel was living with for so long and hoping for peace and praying for peace.
And October 7 showed us that, unfortunately, with the tunnels, with the education that’s teaching the children to hate and to kill, we don’t have a partner right now. And so, what Israel has always done is cherished life, cherished peace, cherished hope. But we’re in a war. Not just Israel, America as well. It’s a war of good versus evil and light versus darkness. And what so many Americans have realized is that it’s time to listen to the terrorists themselves. When they say first, they are going after the Saturday people then the Sunday people –that means Christians are being targeted as well. They say first, they are going after the little Satan which is Israel and then the big Satan of America.
People are waking up. In fact, The Fellowship not only helps Jews in need and who are being persecuted. But in Syria, in Lebanon, we have projects that help persecuted Christians where deliver thousands of food packages, set up medical clinics for the persecuted Christians who are being targeted by the same enemies of Israel. And so, every single person today needs to choose what side do you stand on, and what reality are we going to build for our children and grandchildren? What does that look like?
Because it’s in our hands and time is running out. I think what we need right now is prayer and bold action. And The Fellowship will continue to give a voice to those silenced majority –the 300 million Chrisitans around the world who pray for the peace of Jerusalem, who love Israel, who stand spiritually with Israel, who sees God’s prophecies coming to fruition in this land. And even if they’re not given a platform on mainstream media and even if the evil has a louder voice, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews will always stand with the silenced majority to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to shelter the poor, and to make sure that one spark of light in this very dark world spread and hopefully we’ll take over the darkness.