Israeli Ambassador champions Judeo-Christian values, addresses ongoing conflict in Middle East during Center for Israel summit

Liberty University hosted its inaugural Center for Israel Annual Gala and Summit last week, highlighting the university’s strong historical connection with Israel and emphasizing the center’s support for Israel in ongoing conflict.

Liberty launched the Center for Israel in October with a purpose to encourage a biblical understanding of Israel’s role within God’s redemptive purposes and to promote thoughtful reflection on the relationship between the church, the Jewish people, and the nations. Inspired by the vision of Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell, the center seeks to cultivate a new generation of leaders who are grounded in faith and equipped to engage the world with compassion and conviction.

The events opened with a gala on March 10, where faculty, staff, students, and special guests heard a keynote address from Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Yechiel Leiter and messages from other distinguished speakers.

“I am deeply, deeply grateful to be here at Liberty, with a community that speaks openly about faith, service, and responsibility — the responsibilities of moral leadership,” Leiter said. “Let me say with humility that those of you in this room are not standing on the sidelines of history. Each of you is playing a role in offering it. Each of you is helping the next generation find their pen so they can write its next pages. With courage, clarity, and blessing, let it be written on our hearts.”

Ambassador Leiter shared about the current struggles Israel faces with aggression from other nations and emphasized that his country will not compromise on its values and will actively confront any threats that it faces. He said Christians and Jews can find common ground in the belief that all humans are “God-breathed life” and as a result are worthy of dignity and self-defense from oppression.

Rather than happening organically, he argued these values must be constantly championed through perseverance and sacrifice. He said his son, Israel Defense Forces Maj. Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, demonstrated that sacrifice when he tragically lost his life in Gaza following the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Leiter said he is encouraged by the increasing acceptance of “religious vibrancy” across the United States and among America’s youth but also expressed worry that some of those embracing revival have also embraced a hatred for Israel. With the rise of religious expression has come an increase of violence against Jewish individuals, he said, reflecting in many ways the same persecution Jews have faced in the Middle East for millennia.

He closed by stressing that Israel’s hope is for eventual peace in the Middle East, where individuals of all faiths and backgrounds can gather in harmony.

“The real battle in the Middle East is not Muslim vs. Jew vs. Christian. Nor is it about East vs. West,” he said. “The defining fight is a tug-of-war between two futures within Islam. One future is extremist, fundamentalist, and anti-accommodationist. The other is moderate and accommodating. The latter is being built by forward-looking nations that have decided they are done being held hostage by radicalism. Instead of perpetual war, the moderates are laying the bricks for prosperity. Those bricks can build a bridge for a future of accommodation and of what we all hope and pray for — shalom, peace.”

Following Leiter’s message, John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Dean Dr. Troy Temple, who serves as the director of the Center for Israel, moderated a panel discussion with former Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan George Deek (who joined virtually from his home in Israel); EJ Kimball, who serves as director of Christian outreach and engagement for the Combat Antisemitism Movement; and Luke Moon, deputy director the Philos Project.

“Instead of having more people attacking Israel, we want to have them join us in carrying this banner and bringing those freedoms to the rest of the Christians in the region and others who have lived under the harsh reality of the Middle East,” Deek said. “We have to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, to fight Christianophobia with the same passion we fight Judeophobia, Islamophobia, or other hatred towards any group. That is our task, and I think Israel is a fantastic partner to any country or any faithful person in bringing a better life to Christians and all minorities in the region.”

The summit continued March 11 with participants attending Liberty’s Convocation, where Leiter spoke briefly to the student body before the star of the TV series “House of David” Michael Iskander, who plays Israel’s famous King David, shared about the making of the show ahead of its Season 2 premiere on Prime Video later this month.

Later that afternoon, the School of Divinity held a breakout session for students addressing the current role of Israel and the Jewish people as God’s chosen people. The Helms School of Government held a concurrent breakout session detailing the importance of continued friendship between Israel and the U.S.

“The gala and summit represent a new chapter in Liberty’s longstanding commitment to God’s promises to Israel and support for the Israeli people,” Temple said after the event. “The timely and compelling remarks shared during the gala by Ambassador Leiter, along with the strategic breakout panels that followed, provided meaningful insight and direction as we set out on this journey as a center.”

Center for Israel Senior Founding Fellow Dr. Johnnie Moore, a Liberty alumnus and former Liberty administrator, said true Christianity should align itself with the plight of the Jewish people.

“One of the most important things Liberty formed in me was a love for Israel and for the Jewish people,” Moore said as he welcomed guests at the start of the summit. “It is one of the great honors of my life to serve as a founding fellow of this new Center for Israel. There are many reasons Christians stand with Israel but let me start with the most fundamental — gratitude. Every blessing in our lives we somehow owe to the Jewish people. Jesus was Jewish. Our Bible was written by Jews. The Old Testament is the Hebrew Bible. Jewish heroes are our heroes. Jewish values are our values. Their book is our book. Any Christianity that forgets this has forgotten itself.”

Moore recalled the strong connection Dr. Jerry Falwell had with the nation of Israel, even sending Liberty’s first class to the Holy Land for free in 1972.

“LU’s founder didn’t just build the most consequential system of Christian education in history, this year educating 160,000 students,” he said. “He also built the engine of global Christian support for Israel. I believe one of the reasons this university has been so profoundly blessed in history is because of that.”

Chancellor Jonathan Falwell echoed Moore’s sentiment. He said the university will continue the path set forth by his father to respect the covenant God made with Abraham, recognizing the crucial importance of the Old Testament in God’s ultimate story of redemption.

“All 66 books are the Word of God and breathed out from God’s heart to our heart,” he said. “Absolutely, we stand with Israel. And we will bless Israel. And we will be with them until the day we stand before God in Heaven. That is our passion. That is our heart. That is our mission.”

For more information on Center for Israel initiatives, visit the website or email cfi@liberty.edu.