Two friends stood at the shores of the Galilee, exploring our shared past: that of the early rabbinic movement that laid the groundwork for modern Judaism and an early rabbi who inspired billions globally with his life and teaching.

While we often retrace the steps of history, our relationship does not live in the past. Neither should those between our communities, which are siblings in faith, born of the same tradition and bearers of the living word of God. That word lives on through us – our faith, actions and cooperation. So, too, it lives on in Israel.

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Now more than ever, the Jewish community needs the support of American Evangelicals to fight antisemitism and strengthen our ties in faith. And Evangelicals find authentic relationships with the Jewish community to be spiritually nourishing and filled with opportunities for fraternal connection.

Unfortunately, when we need it the most, the relationship between the Jewish and Evangelical communities has descended into a silent crisis. Support for Israel has “plummeted” among younger Evangelicals, with research from Tel Aviv University related by the Christian Broadcasting Network finding that, “As of 2021, roughly one-third of young evangelicals surveyed support Israel, compared to more than two-thirds in 2018. During that same period, support for Palestinians rose from 5% to 25%. Also, the number of respondents saying they support neither Israel nor Palestine doubled from 25% to 50%” 

We fear that support for Israel has fallen still further among young Evangelicals in light of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Christian colleges have hosted anti-Israel speakers and some Evangelical students have become active participants in anti-Israel advocacy. Israel has gone from being a source of unity among Evangelicals to polarization among their youngest cohorts. This feels like a test of faith – and faith in each other. It is on all of us to respond.

First, the Jewish community needs American Evangelicals to educate young Evangelicals as to the existential threat posed by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran and the false equivalency of acts of terrorism and Israeli military response. Jews cannot do this for themselves. They need Evangelical voices to weigh in on their behalf.

Second, American Jewish communities need to increase outreach to Evangelical churches and organizations. They cannot assume that Evangelical support is a given in the present. Too many Jews have been tempted to write off Evangelical support as messianic or objectifying of their tradition. Most American Evangelicals see the return of the Jews to their land and the birth of the State of Israel as the fulfillment of prophecy and a powerful example that God keeps promises, notably with the Jewish people. It is not a return that portends conversion or destruction; rather their life and return resonate with Evangelical belief in the ultimate manifestation of the rule of God, which includes both Jews and Christians. American Jews need to take Evangelicals seriously and understand that the support that they receive is sincere and not predicated on conversion or end-times prophecies.

Third, American Jews need to find comfortable ways to invite Evangelical allies into their spaces – for Shabbat dinners, interfaith adult education opportunities and advocacy efforts. With deeper relationships between leaders and a clear purpose for each gathering, Jewish communities can and should open their doors in ways that they have been hesitant to do in the past.

Fourth, Evangelicals who see the value of the State of Israel to the modern world, notably as the only democratic state in the Middle East, need to become more vocal in their support. Eagles’ Wings, an American Evangelical organization founded to promote understanding and cooperation between the Christian and Jewish communities, has brought hundreds of leading Evangelical pastors to Israel and is working to raise funds to bring thousands more. The network of alumni from these journeys reach tens of thousands of people every Sunday – and perhaps hundreds of thousands on social media each week – and use their influence on behalf of this cause. They can dispel falsehoods about Israel and encourage younger Evangelicals to understand that their faith comes alive in the Holy Land.

Fifth, Evangelicals can become more effective allies of the Jewish community in America. They cannot stand idly by on college campuses in which Jewish students are harassed or assaulted. They cannot watch as public leaders single out Jews and Israel. Their faith calls them to be their “brother’s keeper,” and American Jews are their siblings in faith. Under the aegis of Eagles’ Wings, key Christian leaders have evoked the memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who courageously opposed the rise of Nazis, to call pastors and Christian leaders to action. While some Jews may have different memories of Bonhoeffer, the message is clear: It’s time for Evangelicals to stand and speak out against anti-Jewish extremists.

The existential threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel, coupled with the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. and Europe, call us to collaborate with renewed intention and urgency. With 80-90 million adherents, American Evangelicals are a formidable spiritual, political and social force. Their faith impacts American elections and their charity transforms the landscape through hospitals, relief organizations, universities and social supports. Now is the time for American Jews and Evangelicals to renew the alliance that they have forged over the past 75 years. Our kinship in faith calls us to stand with each other. 

Bishop Robert Stearns is founder and executive director of Eagles’ Wings. Rabbi Joshua Stanton is the Jewish Federations of North America’s associate vice president for interfaith and intergroup initiatives.