A delegation of 120 senior Christian women leaders from the US and other countries arrived in Israel on Thursday for what organizers described as the largest Christian women’s leadership mission ever to visit the country, with meetings planned with President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog, and visits focused on the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack.
The visit comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions surrounding Iran, as US officials and Iranian representatives met in Geneva on Thursday for nuclear talks and several countries issued travel advisories amid concerns about escalation.
The group was brought by Eagles’ Wings, a Christian organization that says it has spent nearly three decades building ties between Christian communities and Israel through advocacy, relationship-building, and visits to the country.
Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and president of Eagles’ Wings, said the delegation chose to come during a sensitive period to “stand with, support, and strengthen the Jewish people,” adding that the organization is working with Christian ministries and denominations “to establish a spiritual Iron Dome of prayer surrounding the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
According to the organizers, participants include evangelical women pastors and faith leaders, public figures, media personalities, academics, and business leaders, as well as a social influencer from the Arab world. The delegation’s itinerary includes meetings with women in government, including ministers and members of Knesset (Israel’s parliament) from coalition and opposition parties.
Women's group set to visit Nova festival site
The group is also set to visit the Nova music festival memorial site, where it will meet an October 7 survivor who will share her story, organizers said. The women will also meet with Arab-Christian women to discuss shared challenges and opportunities to expand cooperation.
A central meeting with Herzog and the First Lady is planned around Purim, the holiday that begins at sundown on March 2 and continues on March 3, with Jerusalem observing Shushan Purim on March 4. The President’s Residence identifies Michal Herzog as Israel’s First Lady.
Sue Ten Eyck, an Eagles’ Wings leader who oversees prayer initiatives and has led Israel pilgrimages, said the timing around Purim carried special meaning for the delegation. “As in Esther’s time, there are dark forces bent on the destruction of Israel,” she said, adding that the group came “to pray and stand in solidarity,” according to the statement.
Eagles’ Wings has been active in organizing pro-Israel missions since October 7, including delegations that have met with Israeli officials and religious leaders, according to previous reporting.