With a little help from our friends

Pictured at the event are (left to right) Pastor Dave Marquard, Irving Schild, Bracha Stuart, Major Eldar Bar-Or and Pastor Allan Pangburn. /Photo | Regina Schild

CRANSTON – You don’t need to be Jewish to love Israel.

On May 31, more than 200 Jews and Christians from Rhode Island enjoyed an educational night of friendship, where the love of Israel was shared by all. Hosted by StandWithUs Rhode Island and Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the event was held the building that formerly housed Temple Torat Yisrael and is now the base of CUFI’s Rhode Island chapter.

Rabbi Jonathan Hausman opened the event with a rousing call to promote awareness and speak out on Israel’s behalf.

Pastor Allen Pangburn shared his experiences in Israel last summer, his admiration for those he met and his fervent wish that all pray for peace in Jerusalem.

Professor Irving Schild, a Holocaust survivor and distinguished member of the Providence community, spoke of his experience during the war. He fled Belgium in 1940 with his family before there was a state of Israel to seek refuge in. They ran from country to country to escape the Nazis. Schild expressed his profound gratitude to the Christians who hid him at risk to their own lives. He spoke of his experience being among fewer than 1,000 refugees selected by the United States to be brought to a refugee camp in Oswego, N.Y.

Major Eldar Bar-Or, who serves in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Squadron of the IDF Special Forces was in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge and spoke of his experience. He told of the care the IDF takes in preventing civilian casualties, leading them to abort 90 percent of their combat missions. He gave a moving account of the complexities involved in urban warfare.

StandWithUs is a leading pro-Israel advocacy group, with chapters throughout the U.S. and internationally. CUFI is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States with more than 2 million members. Both groups seek to educate and support Israel in the current atmosphere of misinformation and delegitimization.

Members of CUFI believe that the Jewish people have a right to live in the ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right. They maintain that there is no excuse for acts of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the same right as every other nation to defend her citizens from such violent attacks. They have pledged to stand with Israel and to speak out wherever necessary until the attacks stop and there is peace and security with her neighbors.

The Jewish people have long known persecution, and as we see today, Christians are now facing persecution and genocide in many parts of the world. “We have an obligation to stand by our friends who have stood with us,” said Bracha Stuart, president of StandWithUs Rhode Island.