Last week, we held our 14th annual CUFI Summit in Washington DC, where thousands of Christians acted on their moral and Biblical imperative to stand with Israel and the Jewish people. Over 5,000 of us gathered in our nation’s capital to play our part in personally shaping and strengthening the US-Israel relationship making it stronger than ever. As Vice President Mike Pence said when he spoke at Summit, CUFI "is a movement across this nation and it is a movement for such a time as this." Without the support of our committed members, we could not accomplish so much for Zion’s sake, and for that we thank the Lord and you with deepest gratitude.
CUFI GROWS TO SEVEN MILLION I was both humbled and honored to announce at our opening plenary that CUFI has grown to seven million members, just three months after reaching 6 million, and we continue to grow! As I have stated before, fourteen years ago, I invited 400 of America’s leading evangelical influencers to join me in giving birth to CUFI. Today, by the grace of God, we are over seven million standing united in defense of Israel and the Jewish people. This miracle is the result of God’s blessings and the hard work and sacrifices of thousands!
SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS
At this year's Summit, an unprecedented lineup of America’s top leaders addressed our event to include, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton, Ambassador David Friedman, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Paul Teller, Senators Roy Blunt, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tim Scott, Representatives Michael McCaul and Dan Crenshaw and Major League Baseball legend Pastor Mariano Rivera. In addition we were privileged to hear from IDF soldiers, Dennis Prager and an assortment of Middle East experts.
CUFI’s Washington Summit this year did not go unnoticed in the media, as all eyes were on CUFI’s top speakers, legislation pushed at Capitol Hill, and faithful turnout of committed members. FOX News, The Washington Examiner, and The Federalist are just a sampling of the wide and diverse press coverage that CUFI has received as a result of the Summit.
The more we grow, the farther our reach extends as we shine the light on anti-Semitism and support the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
CUFI on Campus, our unparalleled program for training the next generation of pro-Israel leaders, brought over 650 students to the Summit, a record number. Students heard from Holocaust survivor Irving Roth, CUFI Co-Executive Director Shari Dollinger, military analyst Major Elliot Chodoff (IDF res,), and other top pro-Israel leaders. One student said after the Summit, "I’ve learned not only about the political side of Israel but also the historical background. I knew a good amount about Israel, but coming here was very informative, and it encouraged my faith to go back to Lakeland and encourage other students, in Florida" In the upcoming weeks, a group of 70 specially trained and dedicated student leaders will embark on an advocacy tour to Israel named after a man who put his faith to action and protected the Jewish people during the Holocaust: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. These Bonhoeffer Fellows have committed to spending an intensive year ramping up their advocacy for Israel and supporting the Jewish people through campus programs, informational meetings, and hosting dynamic speakers. A special thank you to our CUFI partners that made this trip possible.
CONGRESSIONAL LIAISONS
Our CL Program, launched just two years ago, now represents over 250 districts—up from 41 at our last Summit. These dedicated CUFI members play an important role in contributing to our effectiveness with our Congressional Representatives ensuring that we build strong relationships all year around in every state with our elected officials to increase support of the US-Israel relationship.
LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS
At Summit this year, we celebrated the State of Israel, but we did so, in part, with heavy hearts. At a time when anti-Semitism is emerging from the shadows hiding behind the thin veil of anti-Zionism and Replacement Theology within our churches, college campuses, and even America's Congress—we had to address it head on by shining the light on this evil darkness. Incidents of anti-Semitic hate crimes are rising at alarmingly high rates, doubling in the US since last year. Because of this dire situation, CUFI chose the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act as our top legislative agenda item for this year's Summit.
ANTI-SEMITISM AWARENESS ACT
This legislation priority directs the U.S. Department of Education to use the leading definition of anti-Semitism when investigating allegations of unlawful harassment against Jewish students. This act is crucially important in combatting this vile Jew hatred because you cannot defeat what you will not define! We must call anti-Semitism what it is—it is sin—and as sin, it damns the soul! To effectively combat it—we must unite as one and stand up for the Jewish people—simply because it is the right thing to do. As our friend Vice President Mike Pence stated in his address to the CUFI Summit, "Anti-Semitism is bigger than ever before and CUFI is more effective than ever before."
AN UNBREAKABLE BOND
One thing was clear—the bond between America and Israel has never been stronger—and CUFI plays a vital role in this truth. Your support of CUFI makes it possible for us to be a powerful voice on Capitol Hill as we speak with our elected officials about standing with Israel and the Jewish people. We have accomplished much but we have only begun! Our work in more crucial than ever as we do all we can to educate, motivate and activate our members, enabling us to continue to shape and strengthen the US-Israel relationship. Please remember, CUFI could not be as effective as we are without your sacrifIcial and steadfast support for which we are most grateful. I pray the Almighty surround you with His blessings of good health, abundant joy and supernatural favor.
With Gratitude,
Pastor John Hagee
Founder and Chairman
Christians United for Israel
CUFI GROWS TO SEVEN MILLION I was both humbled and honored to announce at our opening plenary that CUFI has grown to seven million members, just three months after reaching 6 million, and we continue to grow! As I have stated before, fourteen years ago, I invited 400 of America’s leading evangelical influencers to join me in giving birth to CUFI. Today, by the grace of God, we are over seven million standing united in defense of Israel and the Jewish people. This miracle is the result of God’s blessings and the hard work and sacrifices of thousands!
SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS
At this year's Summit, an unprecedented lineup of America’s top leaders addressed our event to include, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton, Ambassador David Friedman, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Paul Teller, Senators Roy Blunt, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tim Scott, Representatives Michael McCaul and Dan Crenshaw and Major League Baseball legend Pastor Mariano Rivera. In addition we were privileged to hear from IDF soldiers, Dennis Prager and an assortment of Middle East experts.
CUFI’s Washington Summit this year did not go unnoticed in the media, as all eyes were on CUFI’s top speakers, legislation pushed at Capitol Hill, and faithful turnout of committed members. FOX News, The Washington Examiner, and The Federalist are just a sampling of the wide and diverse press coverage that CUFI has received as a result of the Summit.
The more we grow, the farther our reach extends as we shine the light on anti-Semitism and support the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
CUFI on Campus, our unparalleled program for training the next generation of pro-Israel leaders, brought over 650 students to the Summit, a record number. Students heard from Holocaust survivor Irving Roth, CUFI Co-Executive Director Shari Dollinger, military analyst Major Elliot Chodoff (IDF res,), and other top pro-Israel leaders. One student said after the Summit, "I’ve learned not only about the political side of Israel but also the historical background. I knew a good amount about Israel, but coming here was very informative, and it encouraged my faith to go back to Lakeland and encourage other students, in Florida" In the upcoming weeks, a group of 70 specially trained and dedicated student leaders will embark on an advocacy tour to Israel named after a man who put his faith to action and protected the Jewish people during the Holocaust: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. These Bonhoeffer Fellows have committed to spending an intensive year ramping up their advocacy for Israel and supporting the Jewish people through campus programs, informational meetings, and hosting dynamic speakers. A special thank you to our CUFI partners that made this trip possible.
CONGRESSIONAL LIAISONS
Our CL Program, launched just two years ago, now represents over 250 districts—up from 41 at our last Summit. These dedicated CUFI members play an important role in contributing to our effectiveness with our Congressional Representatives ensuring that we build strong relationships all year around in every state with our elected officials to increase support of the US-Israel relationship.
LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS
At Summit this year, we celebrated the State of Israel, but we did so, in part, with heavy hearts. At a time when anti-Semitism is emerging from the shadows hiding behind the thin veil of anti-Zionism and Replacement Theology within our churches, college campuses, and even America's Congress—we had to address it head on by shining the light on this evil darkness. Incidents of anti-Semitic hate crimes are rising at alarmingly high rates, doubling in the US since last year. Because of this dire situation, CUFI chose the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act as our top legislative agenda item for this year's Summit.
ANTI-SEMITISM AWARENESS ACT
This legislation priority directs the U.S. Department of Education to use the leading definition of anti-Semitism when investigating allegations of unlawful harassment against Jewish students. This act is crucially important in combatting this vile Jew hatred because you cannot defeat what you will not define! We must call anti-Semitism what it is—it is sin—and as sin, it damns the soul! To effectively combat it—we must unite as one and stand up for the Jewish people—simply because it is the right thing to do. As our friend Vice President Mike Pence stated in his address to the CUFI Summit, "Anti-Semitism is bigger than ever before and CUFI is more effective than ever before."
AN UNBREAKABLE BOND
One thing was clear—the bond between America and Israel has never been stronger—and CUFI plays a vital role in this truth. Your support of CUFI makes it possible for us to be a powerful voice on Capitol Hill as we speak with our elected officials about standing with Israel and the Jewish people. We have accomplished much but we have only begun! Our work in more crucial than ever as we do all we can to educate, motivate and activate our members, enabling us to continue to shape and strengthen the US-Israel relationship. Please remember, CUFI could not be as effective as we are without your sacrifIcial and steadfast support for which we are most grateful. I pray the Almighty surround you with His blessings of good health, abundant joy and supernatural favor.
With Gratitude,
Pastor John Hagee
Founder and Chairman
Christians United for Israel