By MATAN DANSKERThe author, Matan Dansker (center), with fellow Israel activist Naftali Gross, being interviewed by Simon Berrett in his television studio in London(photo credit: COURTESY MATAN DANSKER)IT WAS a misty morning as we drove through the green hills of the old English countryside. Fresh from spending the night at our “adoptive parents” Jill and Ed’s house, we made our way to the Lake District, not far from the border with Scotland. Feeling myself breathing the chapters of Jane Austen, and hearing Sir William Wallace, I looked out at the low hills, surrounded by ponds and dotted with sheep. I turned to my friend Naftali and said, “My God, I believe them. They really do love us.” Naftali looked at me. “I believe them too.”A few months prior, Naftali, an Israeli medical student, asked me to join him on a trip to the United Kingdom. The purpose was to meet with various Jewish communities and debate BDS activists on campuses. However, our hosts turned out to be pro-Israel Christians whom Naftali had met in Jerusalem.I began the trip with skepticism. “Who are these people?” I wondered as Naftali and I drove from Liverpool, where we had spent Shabbat with the Jewish community. We arrived at Father’s House in northern Wales, a congregation led by Father Mike. It was a shock when we entered the church. Everywhere we looked there were pictures of the land of Israel. Flags of Jerusalem and the Jewish state waved in every corner. Men and women wore necklaces with Shema Yisrael or Am Yisrael Chai. When I spoke to them about the Jewish state, about the fact that many of the best biblical stories, from Jeremiah’s prophesy to Paul’s gospel, took place in the Holy Land, I realized they were not missionaries. They are true lovers of the State of Israel.Words can be false, but something in the eyes of the men and women who were listening to Naftali and myself convinced me. Whenever I said the word Israel, their eyes widened and tears were shed, not because I am a great speaker but rather because they are great believers. Their theology is complicated. They view themselves as Sabbath Christians. They avoid what they perceive to be the wrong interpretation of Christianity throughout history towards the Jews. They see themselves as followers of the Old Testament too, not only the New Testament. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but the center of their theology is to address the fact that Jesus spoke and wrote in a Jewish environment, from a Jewish point of view. These congregations realize that the roots of the Jewish people and of Christianity come from the same tree.Over a cup of coffee, we and Father Mike discussed theology. Naftali and I quoted verses from Genesis. He quoted from Paul and Matthew. And when we began discussing sensitive topics such as the crucifixion of Jesus and the atrocities that were done to the Jews by Christians in his name, Father Mike did not avoid the question. On the contrary, he and his congregants stand strong in the fight against antisemitic acts in the UK. He is ashamed and apologetic for the way some Christians interpreted the Bible and treated the Jews throughout history. Congregations like his believe that the creation of Israel is unavoidable proof that God did not abandon the Jewish people. In a sense, they echo religious Zionism in Israel, viewing the State of Israel as holy and the presence of God as an inseparable part of its creation.I have had doubts of faith in the past few years, but I have remained a believer in my people and my country. For the first time in almost three years, I was able to pray. I prayed with Father Mike and his congregation as they raised the flag of Israel, danced to hora songs, cried and yearned, reminding me of the descriptions of Jews by the rivers of Babylon. They don’t represent all Christian supporters of Israel in the world. Some have had both religious and political opinions that are foreign to me. But Jews around the world should know of the theological and cultural support that the Christian congregations we met in the UK offer. I left Tel Aviv a cynic, but returned believing in them.My 92-year-old grandfather’s face reflected the dramatic and cultural change this represents. He is an Orthodox rabbi who lives in Jerusalem. Most of his life was spent in the United States, where he was called a “Christ killer” and experienced many antisemitic incidents throughout his life. He found himself traveling alone to a country of his own, Israel. My grandfather’s face was all disbelief and wonder as I recounted my experiences in the UK. I told him of the Liverpool Football Club, many of whose fans were Christian. The words of the club’s anthem describe my feeling: “You shall never walk alone.”The writer is a student at Shalem College and cofounder of Speakup, a public speaking and political consulting firm.
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