Consul General Dr. Hillel Newman and Pastors Discuss Christian Support of Israel

It was not an uncommon scene in the life of Dr. Hillel Newman, consul general of Israel to the Pacific Southwest: With the aid of Dr. David Edery, a founder of Friends of Israel, 50 pastors had been invited to Newman’s Pico-Robertson home to hear why Christian support of Israel is crucial for them and for Jews.

Standing on the steps of his back porch, microphone in hand, Newman explained his work to the pastors.  

“Part of our mission is to reach out to different leaders and communities,” said Newman, a longtime diplomat. “Israelis think we are here for Israelis. The Jewish people think we are here for the Jewish community. But we are here for everybody. That is our mandate.” Alluding to social media “where the attention span sometimes is 150 characters,” the consul general reminded the pastors, “We have to go deeper to explain complex issues.”

Edery, a chief architect of the event, works closely with Newman. He has been associated with the consul general for more than three decades. Edery said Newman visits churches two or three times monthly.

Before he succeeded Sam Grundwerg as consul general in February 2019, Newman said he had been warned that he would encounter strong opposition. 

“But I have not found that at all,” he said.

For one emphatically declared reason, he has declined to meet with virulently antisemitic groups such as BDS supporters. “I don’t go around and waste my time with people who are so deluded and misled,” Newman said. “Radical supporters of BDS and anti-Israel groups form a small faction. Very minor. They don’t have a strong base of support. They have not spread their wings.”

Newman said the mainstreams of the Jewish and Christian communities, both Democrats and Republicans, and U.S. churches are generally supportive of Israel.

“Look at the resolutions in the Congress,” he said. “Those who are pro-Israel get bipartisan support.” However, he cautioned, “You have a minority radical group, in and out of the Congress, which is of concern.”

A number of pastors from various Christian denominations – including those from Black and Hispanic churches – spoke warmly of trips to Israel. One pastor has visited the Jewish state 10 times.

Newman’s hometown diplomatic ventures are having an effect. “My message is one of friendship,” the consul general said. “They should know Israel is the one place in the Middle East where Christian communities flourish. They do not flourish in the Palestinian Authority. Very often they are oppressed in the Muslim world. In Israel, they see freedom of expression, freedom of religion.”

“They should know Israel is the one place in the Middle East where Christian communities flourish.” – Hillel Newman

Whenever he speaks, the South African-born Newman encourages pastors and church members to visit Israel. “When pastors go on missions to Israel, they always come back here feeling favorably,” he said. “This is one way of expanding the base of support — when people see the real Israel, not the misleading information in the news.”

Among other speakers at the consul general’s home were his predecessor,  the Miami-born Grundwerg, actress Noa Tishby, named by Israel’s outgoing government as its special envoy for combatting antisemitism and delegitimization, and Nasimi Aghayev, consul general of Azerbaijan.  

“When pastors go on missions to Israel, they always come back here feeling favorably.“
– Hillel Newman

In introducing Aghayev, Newman shared warm praise on “my dear friend,” and his homeland, which is 97% Muslim. He stressed how safe Azerbaijan is for its 30,000 Jews and spoke glowingly of its favorable relations with Israel. 

Aghayev saluted Newman and organizer Edery, and stressed that he has been a friend of the Jewish state throughout his 10 years in LA. Azerbaijan has had a “tremendous friendship” with Israel for 30 years, “since the beginning of our independence,” he said. He noted Jews have lived there for 2,000 years “without any problems.” After making an extended visit to Israel himself, Aghayev came back believing “it is a truly special place where all ethnicities and all religions are respected. The whole idea there is to bring people together rather than divide them.”

Tishby, a longtime LA resident who was born in Israel into a Zionist family, shared her own compelling case for the Jewish state. Tishby’s immediate relatives were strongly involved in the pre-state and founding days, and her grandmother helped start the first kibbutz.

All of the pastors that Edery recruited unwaveringly support Israel. “They love the Jewish state,” he said.