Why were Evangelical leaders so impressed with Israeli President Herzog during our meeting on Monday? Here’s what they told me

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald J. Trump at the White House in Washington on Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog was welcoming nearly 50 American pastors, ministry leaders, and our spouses to his Official Residence at nearly the same time. 

The hour-long meeting was off-the-record. 

Thus, I’m not at liberty to share direct quotes of what Herzog told us.

However, I can share that the leaders were deeply impressed with Herzog’s humility and sincerity.

They were also surprised and grateful for Herzog’s eagerness to hear directly from both the pastors and their wives on what they had seen and heard during their visit to war-torn Israel. 

The pastors explained that they had come on this ‘solidarity mission’ organized by two non-profit Evangelical ministries – The Joshua Fund and Faith Wins – to pray for the release of all the hostages and pray for Israel’s total victory over its enemies.

They also came to offer humanitarian aid to Holocaust survivors, meet survivors of the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, and visit communities invaded and devastated during the attack.

Their journey included studying the Bible in the land where it was written, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, and gaining a deeper understanding of how to truly bless Israel and its neighbors while combating antisemitism in the face of this brutal and tragic war.

While Lynn and I and our Joshua Fund colleagues took the group all over the country – including to meet and hear directly from Israeli pastors, both Jewish and Arab – and to pray with compassion both for Israelis and  Palestinians suffering terribly through this war – our meeting on Monday evening with President Herzog was certainly one of the most special moments of the trip. 

I interviewed several participants the following day. Here are some of their responses.

CHAD CONNELLY, FOUNDER/CEO OF FAITH WINS (South Carolina) 

“Joel, how many times do you get to spend in your life with the president of a country, much less Israel? I was amazed at how relatable President Herzog was. His life is full of demands. He could have done anything with that time and he spent it with a bunch of pastors and faith leaders from America, and with you and Lynn and your team. That's amazing to me…..We got to share with him the feelings of emotion that we felt by seeing the Nova Music Festival site and also the destruction of Kibbutz Be’eri. It was interesting to go to those horror sites the day before and then be with the President next day. It was perfect timing. It was God-ordained timing. I couldn't have designed it any better. You know, every time you come to Israel it's fascinating – awesome, memorable – but yesterday, our time with the President was like icing on the cake. And for him to spend that time with us to get our impressions of our experiences here and why we support Israel so strongly, well, I was impressed by him.”

PASTOR TONY CRUZ (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania)

“It was just a fascinating time. The President and his team hosted us excellently – and we're just so grateful to have had the opportunity to sit with a man of that stature and be able to let him know we're praying for him. It was an absolute honor.”

MRS. ALICIA CRUZ (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania)

“My impression of the President of Israel was that he appeared to be very humble and concerned for his country, and rightfully so. I understand his concern for his country and even his righteous indignation towards the enemy that is attacking his people and the unfairness that the media has displayed towards him and the people of Israel. It’s sad. It's really sad to me that any country would have to endure this…. I appreciated his humble heart. I appreciated his straightforwardness and how strongly he defends what he believes for his people.”

PASTOR DONALD EASON (Sterling Heights, Michigan) 

“It was a very awesome experience to meet the president of Israel, President Herzog. And I had a chance to ask him the question – ‘What message would you like me to take back to the congregation and to the pastors that I know?’ And he said it's simply that this is Israel's land, and Israel has a right to this land, and God gave it to us way, way back with Abraham.’  He was clear that Israel is going to fight to defend this land. The Jews aren’t occupiers. They’re the owners of the land that God gave to them thousands of years ago. And so it was just an awesome experience to be here and to have the President to give us his attention and take time out of his schedule to be with us….It was very heart wrenching when we went down to the site where the Nova concert was and see all the memorials for the young people that were murdered there. And going to the kibbutz where Hamas did the horrific massacre – that experience was very, very emotional. I can't imagine what the people went through on that day, which is one of the reasons we're here now in the land of Israel, to support the Jewish people. We want to pray for the return of all the hostages, both those that are alive and deceased, and we will support the Jewish people….This my second time to visit Israel. But I've experienced a lot of new things that I didn't experience on the first trip. And so it just brings the Word of God more and more to life and I plan to teach this to our people. And I'll say it here. There is no Christianity without Jesus Christ and without the Jewish people. As it says in the book of Galatians, if we are people of faith we are also Abraham's seed. So we are here as part of our spiritual family – our heritage – and it's just an awesome experience….I thank God for Faith Wins and The Joshua Fund and to Joel and Lynn Rosenberg for hosting us.”

PASTOR TATE THRONDSON (Castle Rock, Colorado)

“It was just an amazing experience to meet Israel’s President. My impression was that he really appreciated the pastors coming in and for us taking the time to pray for him. That was my biggest takeaway. I certainly felt like he wanted to send us back with some messages, but I definitely felt impressed that as he looked at us and talked with us, he really appreciated the pastors for the heart that they all have for Israel….The other big takeaway for me is that I really appreciate The Joshua Fund. I appreciate the information you've given us this week – showing us so many Biblical sites, and the October 7th sites, introducing us to Israeli pastors, and even taking us to meet with the President.…I will leave with a very different impression and have an even greater heart for Israel when I get back.…I appreciate it very much.”

THE JOSHUA FUND: HELPING EDUCATE PASTORS ABOUT GOD’S LOVE FOR ISRAEL AND HER NEIGHBORS

Lynn, and I and our team have been deeply honored to be hosting and leading this solidarity mission on behalf of The Joshua Fund. 

We’re especially touched that the group came even after we warned them that it was increasingly likely that the ceasefire would unravel and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would have to go back to war in Gaza.

That’s exactly what happened, yet not a single member of the group canceled. 

Lynn and I founded the non-profit Evangelical Christian organization in the summer of 2006 “to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, according to Genesis 12:1-3,” widely known among Jews and Christians as the “Abrahamic Covenant.”

Over nearly two decades, The Joshua Fund has been able to invest more than $100 million in strengthening the Church in the Epicenter, helping local congregations care for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian aid, and educating the global Church to better understand from the Bible God’s love and prophetic plan for Israel and those in the Arab/Muslim world. 

Over the past two decades, we’ve brought thousands of Christians to tour Israel and organized “Epicenter Conferences” all over the world.

The war has made the education of the Church far more urgent.

FAITH WINS: ENCOURAGING PASTORS TO COME TO ISRAEL, MANY FOR THEIR FIRST TIME

The Joshua Fund is working hand-in-hand with Chad Connelly, a former political strategist and grassroots operator, who is the founder and CEO of Faith Wins, a non-profit ministry “dedicated to educating, activating and mobilizing faith leaders, helping them leverage their influence and impact within the governmental and political arena.”

Since 2013, as his website notes, Connelly has “traveled to 43 states and spoken to more than 82,000 pastors and faith leaders about the importance of pastoral leadership in the public arena.”

Helping pastors understand the importance of standing with Israel and combating antisemitism are core biblical values that Connelly, his wife, Dana, and their colleagues hold dear. 

Faith Wins initially allied with The Joshua Fund to organize and lead a pastors' tour of Israel in August 2023.