When Shawn Landis, an evangelical Christian from Pennsylvania, heard about the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, he knew he would come to Israel to volunteer as soon as security was assured.
Five months later, he was cutting vegetables in a Tel Aviv kitchen, preparing meals for Israeli soldiers.
Evangelicals have for years been among Israel’s strongest foreign supporters, particularly in the United States, where their significant political influence has helped shape the Israel policies of recent Republican administrations.
They believe that Israel is the key to an end-times prophecy that will bring about the return of the Christian Messiah. Many of these Christians support Israel because of the Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland.
“In scripture we are asked to support Israel, and sometimes the best time to support someone is when they are grieving,” said Landis, who has already made four religious trips to Israel. “Friendship isn’t just about being there for the good times, it’s also for the tough times.”
Landis is part of a wave of religious “voluntourism” in Israel, organized trips that include a kind of volunteering aspect linked to the war in Gaza.
Elisabeth Odegaard poses for a portrait with necklaces as she prepares food for Israeli soldiers during a brief respite from combat operations in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo )
Israel’s Tourism Ministry estimates that about a third to half of the roughly 3,000 daily visitors expected in March are on faith-based volunteer trips. Before the fighting, about 15,000 visitors arrived in Israel each day, about half of whom were Christians, according to Tourism Ministry statistics.
In 2019, according to the latest available tourism statistics which were not impacted by COVID-19, around 25% of visitors arrived as part of organized trips, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
A study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that nearly half of Israelis volunteered in one capacity or another during the first weeks of the war. But many Israeli volunteers have returned to work and school, and now international visitors are filling the gaps.
In the United States, support for Israel has become a top priority for evangelical Christians in a presidential election year. They are among the strongest supporters of Israel’s handling of the conflict, and Republicans have come under pressure to attack not only traditional Republican support for Israel but also beliefs rooted in the Bible.
The war began with the Hamas terrorist group’s devastating attack on October 7 in southern Israel, in which the terrorists killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 253 hostages. Israel responded with an invasion of the Gaza Strip aimed at overthrowing the Hamas regime in Gaza and freeing the hostages.
On October 11, dozens of prominent evangelicals signed a statement of support for Israel organized by the public policy wing of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical religious group in the United States.
Christian volunteers Elisabeth Odegaard, rear right, Claudio Rafael, left, and Jannie Slim, center, clean up after preparing food for Israeli soldiers during a brief respite from combat operations in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
One of the leading pro-Israel groups in the United States is Christians United for Israel, founded and led by evangelical pastor John Hagee. CUFI says it has raised and distributed more than $3 million to support Israeli first responders, healthcare workers and survivors of the October 7 attack.
Landis was part of a two-week volunteer trip organized by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. The evangelical group has organized five volunteer trips since January and hopes to bring half a dozen more in the coming month. Normally, the ICEJ brings about 6,000 Christian visitors to Israel each year.
Like Landis, Claudio Pichardo, a 37-year-old Colombian studying business in the Netherlands, was inspired by Scripture to participate in the ICEJ trip. “This is the best way for me to help, because posting on Facebook doesn’t help,” he said.
When the war broke out, many international airlines suspended flights and tourism stopped, except for a handful of Jewish and Christian solidarity missions. Some major airlines have resumed flights to Israel in recent weeks, and others plan to do so soon.
Peleg Lewi, foreign affairs adviser to the Ministry of Tourism, said faith-based solidarity missions boost morale. They can also revive tourism in Israel after a cycle of war or violence, he said.
As the war enters its sixth month, Israel is under growing international pressure to do more to end the suffering of civilians in Gaza, including by allowing more aid. Humanitarian groups say the fighting has displaced most of the territory’s population and pushed a quarter of the population to the brink of famine. Hospitals reported that some children had died of starvation.
Christian volunteer Connie Grace from Canada picks lemons on a farm in southern Israel, as part of a post-October 7 solidarity tour, March 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
Many Israelis fear that the world will forget October 7.
Elizabeth Ødegaard, a Norwegian participant on the trip, said she was surprised by Israelis’ emotion when they meet international visitors who came to support them.
“A lot of people tell us, ‘The whole world hates us.’ Everyone is against us,’ so I want to tell them, ‘You’re not alone,'” she said. “I know that the people of Israel are important in the eyes of God. They are my brothers and sisters, and when they attack Israel, they attack me too.
ICEJ trip participants visited hard-hit communities in southern Israel, including the site where the shells of hundreds of burned cars are stored, many from the Supernova music festival, where 364 people were killed .
“It was humbling and reflective to be there, to know what happened a few months ago and to see Israeli resilience,” Landis said.
During these trips, visitors join volunteer initiatives that have sprung up in Israel over the past five months, providing an extra helping hand to farmers struggling to harvest their crops, preparing meals for families including a parent serving on the reservations, or sorting donations for evacuees still living on the reservations. hotels.
Food prepared by evangelical Christian volunteers for Israeli soldiers during a brief respite from combat operations in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
One initiative is Citrus & Salt, which previously organized cooking classes and tours of Tel Aviv markets for tourists. When the war broke out, activity focused on making more than 35,000 donated meals.
“It really helps to boost the morale of people from abroad who come to Israel during times of conflict, to physically say, ‘I’m here to help.’ What do you need ?’ said Aliya Fastman, a native of Berkeley, California, who has lived in Israel for more than a decade and runs Citrus & Salt with her sister. “Chopping onions is no easy feat when you travel around the world to do it.”
