By: Staff Writers

Since Hamas ignited a war with Israel on October 7, a major wave of antisemitism has spread worldwide, but there also is a very strong wave of pro-Israel solidarity circling the globe. The International Christian Embassy, through our global network of national branch offices, has been standing with the Jewish state and people in a variety of ways. Here are just some of the recent reports of our branch activities.

ICEJ-South Africa standing tall for Israel
ICEJ-South Africa national director Vivienne Myburgh has been helping lead valiant efforts in her nation to stand with Israel. She helped organise a recent pro-Israel rally at Sea Point Park in Cape Town, where they were expecting about 3,000 Christians to come pray for Israel and the hostages. But police called off the event due to the violent threats of an unapproved counter-protest by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who attacked several people and also clashed with police. More recently, Vivienne joined many Christian and Jewish leaders in signing a public statement opposing the ANC-ruled government’s misguided decision to charge Israel with genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Many Christians in South Africa are praying earnestly for a drastic change in course for their country in the upcoming national elections.

ICEJ-USA joins mass rally for Israel in Washington
In mid-November, ICEJ-USA national director Susan Michael led many of our supporters nationwide in attending the “March For Israel”, a massive rally in Washington, DC to stand with Israel, demand freedom for the hostages, and oppose antisemitism. The gathering on the National Mall facing Capitol Hill far outdrew expectations as some 290,000 Christians and Jews came from across the country for what turned out to be the largest-ever pro-Israel rally in the US. The impressive array of speakers included Israeli President Isaac Herzog, senior leaders of the US Congress, celebrities and relatives of the Israeli hostages, while several musical acts featured prominently at the event. ICEJ-USA also followed up with a well-attended pro-Israel rally in Nashville, Tennessee.

ICEJ-Canada rallies for the Jewish people
In early December, ICEJ supporters were among the 20,000 Canadian Christians and Jews who ascended Parliament Hill in Ottawa to stand in solidarity with Israel and Canada’s Jewish community. Even though the capital had just experienced its first significant snowfall with sub-zero temperatures, Canadians bravely stood with the Jewish state and people during this time of crisis. The rally speakers included parliamentarians, prominent rabbis, well-known journalists, and social influencers, as well as the families of Israeli hostages. ICEJ-Canada played a pivotal role in rallying Christians to the gathering, thanks to our national director Donna Holbrook and our Ottawa area representatives, Michael and Leonor Ward. Dr. Leonor Ward gave a powerful speech of Christian support for Israel on behalf of Evangelical Christians.

Finland stages nationwide rallies to release hostages
In late November, ICEJ-Finland joined with 20 other organisations in the umbrella group Finnish Friends of Israel to stage 24 simultaneous pro-Israel rallies in 24 different cities featuring a special call for the release of the kidnapped Israelis held in Gaza. The nationwide rallies of Finnish Christian supporters of Israel stretched from Lapland in the north to Helsinki and Turku in the south.

Papua New Guinea embraces Israel
The ICEJ branch in Papua New Guinea joined with numerous church leaders to hold a nationwide gathering in Port Moresby in December to bless and support Israel, with more than 50 denominations represented. ICEJ-PNG national director Peter Harut also has plans to invite the Prime Minister for an upcoming major pro-Israel event, and also has been invited to share about Israel at other congregations in the country. PNG recently opened its embassy in Jerusalem and even plans to open a consulate in the Jewish community of Ariel, in Samaria.

A surprise gift from Vietnam
Recently, a group of Vietnamese Christians boldly held a public rally to sing Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah” and declare “Vietnam stands with Israel” while waving Israeli flags. They also were able to raise funds enabling them to ship a container full of raincoats worth $60,000 to Israel. Esther Bach shared that two-thirds of the raincoats were donated by Vietnamese Christians, and the other third came from Vietnamese non-believers.

These raincoats will be extremely useful during Israel’s current winter season, and were sent to Israel via the Israeli Embassy in Vietnam, with Israeli Ambassador Yaron Mayer on hand to receive the gifts.