Christian Zionism

 The main thing that caught my attention during class this past week was the mention of Christian Zionism.  According to David Krusch of the Jewish Virtual Library, Christian Zionism is defined as the belief that the return of Jews to Israel is necessary for the return of Jesus as king of the Earth. 

    This political idea emerged in the 1880's when a man named William Hechler formed a committee of Christian Zionists who wanted to move Russian Jewish refugees to Palestine to save them from massacre. William Hechler befriended a Theodor Herzi, the visionary behind modern Zionism, and together raised support for modern Zionism. William Hechler even tried to establish a Jewish state in Palestine by arranging a meeting with Theodor Herzi and Kaiser Wilhelm II

    Christian Zionists continued to show support for Jews and Israel through volunteer work, political support, and financial assistance. Christian Zionists also emphasize donating money to poor Jewish people and allowing them to move to Israel. This helpful behavior showcased by Christian Zionists is especially evident when Israel's tourism was at an all time low in 2000-2003 due to the Palestinian War and terrorism, Christian Zionists visited Israel in huge numbers. Although Christian Zionists seem to be a gift sent from God for Jewish people, many Jews do not feel comfortable with the movement for various reasons. Some believe that the main focus of these Christians is to convert them into Christians to speed up the Second Coming of Christ. Pastor John Hagee, a supporter of Israel disagrees and says "The Jews are God’s chosen people. Israel is a special nation that has a special place in God’s heart. He will defend this nation. So Evangelical Christians stand with Israel. That is one of the reasons I am here.” Pastor Hagee also believes that Zionist Christians support Jewish people and Israel because they owe a gratitude to Jewish people, rather than to convert them to Christian.

Krusch, David. “Zionism: Christian Zionism.” Christian Zionism. Accessed April 10, 2022. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/christian-zionism.