Live tonight: Israel hosts annual summit for Christian media to deepen ties to Evangelicals

Link to live stream on ALL ISRAEL NEWS' Facebook page.

Through wars with its neighbors, terror attacks and rising anti-Semitism in the world, Israel has come to understand that Evangelical Christians are some of the best friends and ambassadors that the Jewish state has.

Since 2017, Israel’s Government Press Office has organized what has become an annual gathering of Christian media and influencers from around the world as an investment in that relationship. The government has been inviting Christian media to come and learn more about Israel and to discuss key topics related to Israel and Christianity.

The fourth annual Christian Media Summit will take place next week and, like nearly every other event around the globe since March 2020, will be broadcast and not hosted, as it usually is, in Jerusalem.

That, however, comes with an opportunity to reach exponentially more people affiliated with the Christian media.

“We are receiving a lot more interest this year than in previous years, and the reason is that we are able to connect with community leaders and other influencers that do not necessarily fall under the title of mainstream media,” Nitzan Chen, director of the GPO, told All Israel News.

From the first summit when 130 media representatives came to Israel, the event has grown. Chen told us that this year some 250 representatives from 30 countries have registered.

Since the summit will be broadcast on major Christian channels and shared on the social media channels of participants, including on the Facebook page of All Israel, Chen said this makes for potentially millions of viewers. Anyone can see the summit this way, but registration is still required to take an active part including ask questions and interact with other members including through virtual roundtables.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are some of the keynote speakers. All Israel News Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg will also be speaking at the summit.

All Israel: Why did Israel initially reach out to the Christian community?

Chen: Israel and the Christian world have a deep connection that goes beyond just shared interest. In a world with so much division, a strong faith-based connection is one that can not be taken for granted. That is why the State of Israel, through the Government Press Office, invests a lot in order to strengthen this connection and enrich it.

All Israel: What can Christians and specifically the Christian media do for Israel especially during this time of pandemic and the very lengthy lockdowns here?

Chen: The Christian media is a vital and professional channel of information to Christian viewers, readers and internet users across the globe. During this pandemic and lockdown, people consume a lot more news and information. At times like these, when there is so much bias against Israel, so many lies spread out there, we need the Christian media to be a beacon of truth and represent the facts as they are. Learn more about Israel, and write more about this beautiful country.

Keep up your connection with the Holy Land, come visit and represent us against hostile anti-Israel factors, BDS and anti-Semitism.

What is on the CMS agenda

A gala event with Netanyahu will take place on Oct. 18 and several workshops on Oct. 19 including:

Faith-based diplomacy and Israel Advocacy
Panel: Israel in the Midst of COVID, Media Bias & Peace Deals
What Israel has to offer a world fighting a pandemic
Terrorism and Money: the ugly reality of human rights groups
Virtual round tables, discussions, mingling
Love/hate relationship: how to motivate the next generation to recognize and love the Holy Land
An international trend? The peace deals and their ramifications
South and north, back and forth: Israel’s ongoing security challenges