What Israel Means to Me: Scott Allen
Here’s what the executive director of Israel365, a Georgia network of Christians for Israel, has to say as we celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday.
There is a new breed of Christian out there, and I am one of them. Israel means everything to me because I can trace every blessing I have back to Israel and the Jewish people — my Bible, my faith and my freedom. I didn’t feel that way until my wife, Karen, and I went to Israel in 1999. We went as tourists and came back Zionists.
Our eyes were opened to see the Jews really are G-d’s chosen people, the land of Israel belongs to them, and the miracle of Israel today is proof of it. G-d awakened us to our sins against the Jews: the persecutions, pogroms, Crusades and most recently the Holocaust. We have now been to Israel nine times.
When the 2006 Lebanon war broke out, we flew to Israel with Christians from eight states, standing with Israel at the Kotel, bomb shelters and front lines on the Lebanese border. There we walked up to a column of Israeli tanks ready to invade, handed each soldier a flag and said: “We are Christians from America. We stand with you during this time of trouble and are praying for you.” They were obviously shocked and appreciative.
When friends are in trouble, you run to them, not from them. Millions like me are now standing with you declaring, “Israel, you are not alone!”
See all the reflections on Israel’s meaning on this special anniversary.
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