Last week’s Ambassador Summit brought together 1,200 Christian pastors and leaders from 123 countries to counter antisemitism and “the big lie” that the Jewish people are isolated, Friends of Zion founder Mike Evans told JNS on Friday.
“We brought every nationality, and they all came out to say, ‘We’re with you. You’re not alone,’” said Evans, speaking to JNS at ancient Shiloh in Samaria.
His organization has mobilized to fight ideological battles and counter anti-Israel narratives in the media, he continued. He described the participants as “special forces teams” with enormous followings on social media.
He called antisemitism a “mutating demon” that “poisons the mind,” but said his organization is making progress in combating it around the world, including in Brazil.
Evans pointed to the influence of Brazil’s evangelical community during the Global Prayer Day, a 24-hour international broadcast held on Oct. 7 as the Summit’s central event. The prayer session brought together believers from around the world for a global prayer gathering broadcast live from Jerusalem’s Western Wall this past Wednesday, on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
Flávio Bolsonaro, who is seeking Brazil’s presidency, was supportive of the initiative and urged his followers to watch the broadcast, according to Evans. The Brazil segment alone drew 8.5 million viewers, he added. Bolsonaro is also preparing to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he said.
Bolsonaro finished first in the opening round of Brazil’s presidential election on Oct. 4 and is advancing to the runoff scheduled for Oct. 25.
When asked about the significance of the event in Shiloh, Evans said Shiloh was chosen because of its central place in biblical history and its significance to Christian faith. He estimated that 80% of the Bible’s stories originated in Judea and Samaria, pointing to the region’s connections to the Ark of the Covenant, the 12 tribes of Israel and the biblical figures Hannah and Samuel.
He also highlighted the region’s significance in the Christian Bible, noting that Jesus was Jewish and commissioned his followers to bear witness to him in that area.
“He put Judea and Samaria on the same plane as Jerusalem,” Evans said. “It’s Bible land.”
The biblical connection to the land was a unifying force for the 750 million evangelicals worldwide, he told JNS, adding that they believe nations should not curse what God has blessed.
Binyamin Regional Council chairman and Yesha Council head Yisrael Ganz, who also addressed the crowd, told JNS that claims of a deep divide between Israeli Jews and Christians in the United States are misleading.
“In reality, we share common values, and the fact that 1,200 pastors are here shows the very strong connection between Israel and the United States of America,” Ganz said.
From the stage, Ganz urged the Christian leaders to advocate directly for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
“I call on these leaders to bring what they witnessed here to their communities and to Washington, and to urge President Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” he said.
He asked the pastors to address sovereignty from their pulpits on Sunday and send their sermons to Washington, accompanied by the names of all 1,200 summit participants.
Ganz also urged the pastors to take four additional steps in support of Israel: pray for the country, its soldiers and their families; use the biblical names “Judea and Samaria” rather than “the West Bank” when referring to the region, return with members of their congregations to visit the area firsthand, and turn their expressions of solidarity into concrete commitments, which he said would carry more weight than a general statement of support.
Pastor David Speicher and his daughter, Abby Martin, were among the Christian leaders visiting ancient Shiloh as part of the summit. Speicher is a pastor at South Bay Church in Tampa, Fla., where Martin is also a church leader.
Speicher, who first visited Shiloh with his wife in 2004, said he remained impressed by the care taken to preserve the site’s biblical history, particularly the location where the Tabernacle stood.
“The Bible comes to life in 3D,” Speicher told JNS.
But on this, his third visit, Speicher said it was the people of the region who left the strongest impression on him.
“The sights are great, but really seeing into the lives and the heart of the people makes me understand why God loves them so much and why he made them the way he did,” he said.
Martin, who was also returning to Shiloh, said she was delighted to see the site on the trip’s itinerary, citing both its views and the warmth of its residents.
She described coming back to Shiloh with another group of pastors and leaders as a privilege, adding that “the new friendships and connections fostered a remarkable sense of unity among the participants.”
During the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit, participants visited key sites across Israel and met with senior officials, bereaved families, released hostages, wounded Israelis and Holocaust survivors. The delegation expressed its support for Israel and the Jewish people while strengthening the ties between Christian communities around the world and the State of Israel. According to Evans, the summit’s events reached some 120 million people through social media.
