Joni Lamb, the co-founder and president of the Texas-based Christian Daystar Television Network, who was an ardent supporter of the State of Israel, has died, the network announced on Thursday. She was 65.
Lamb passed away after privately battling unspecified “serious health issues,” which were worsened by a recent back injury, according to a statement by the ministry.
Along with her late husband, Marcus Lamb, she established Daystar in 1993, which became one of the largest and most prominent Christian television networks in the world, broadcasting in over 200 countries and reaching hundreds of millions of viewers.
She used her platform to promote Christian Zionism, providing humanitarian aid through the Daystar House of Hope Israel, funding bomb shelters and supporting IDF soldiers.
The evangelical channel, which reaches 100-plus million homes in the United States alone, donated millions of dollars to Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre, to help rebuild Israeli communities near Gaza and provide bulletproof vests and helmets to IDF soldiers.
She received the Israel Allies Award from the Washington, D.C.-based Israel Allies Foundation at a gala event in Texas in 2024 for her unflinching support of the Jewish state.
“Any true evangelical Christian who reads the Bible understands that the Land of Israel was given to the Israeli people and understands why it is so important that we stand with Israel,” Lamb told JNS at the event.
“Israel mourns the passing of a true hero,” Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation, said on Friday. “She was a courageous defender of Israel, a passionate prayer warrior, a role model for many Christian Zionists, and a friend.”
