Knesset caucus to honor Christian allies

An award given together with the WJC will go to Karel Van Oordt, founder of Christians For Israel, an int'l organization based in Holland.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Karel Van Oordt 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Karel Van Oordt 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus will honor two Christian pro-Israel pioneers at its fifth annual “Night to Honor Our Christian Allies” in conjunction with the World Jewish Congress and the Tourism Ministry Tuesday night at Jerusalem’s Inbal Hotel.
An award given by the caucus together with the World Jewish Congress will go to Karel Van Oordt, founder of Christians For Israel, an international organization based in Holland. Van Oordt was chosen for the award, because he was one of the first Christian leaders to reach out to Israel before it became a trend.
In conjunction with the Tourism Ministry, the caucus will give another award to Marisa Albert, executive director of the East Gate Foundation, who brought 1300 Asian Christians to Israel in 2010 and has been at the forefront of the Asian tourism market for many years.
Caucus chairman MK David Rotem (Israel Beiteinu) will address attendees on the importance of the burgeoning relations between the State of Israel and Christians from around the world. Attendees will include MKs from across the political spectrum, WJC leaders, Tourism Ministry officials and global Christian leaders.
The caucus is comprised of eighteen Knesset members from various political parties. Established in 2004 by the late MK Yuri Shtern, it aims to forge direct lines of communication between Knesset members and Christian leaders, organizations and politicians around the world.
“Faith-based diplomacy, a catchphrase we helped start, is succeeding where traditional methods of diplomacy have failed,” said Knesset Christian Allies Caucus director Josh Reinstein.
In its seven years, the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus has built up partnerships with caucuses in 19 countries. The International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation inaugurated a new headquarters called the Shalom Jerusalem building in September.
Purposely located in the eastern half of the city, the building is used to educate parliament members from around the world about the importance of keeping Jerusalem united. The caucuses also advocate against the nuclearization of Iran.
“Jerusalem is a united issue for people of faith,” Reinstein said. “It’s dear to their hearts. It’s in the news more and more, so people need to be educated about Jerusalem now more than ever.”