A letter from U.S. Jewish leaders to The New York Times offers support for the Rev. John Hagee.
The letter to the editor, signed by some former chairmen of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is in response to criticism leveled at the evangelical leader and staunch supporter of Israel by Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Union of Reform Judaism.
In a major speech April 2, Yoffie called on Jews to dissociate themselves from Hagee and the organization he founded, Christians United for Israel, asserting that the pastor did not respect other faiths or the right of Israeli leaders to make territorial concessions.
“Pastor Hagee has been a true friend of Israel for many years,” said the letter in Thursday’s Times signed by seven former Presidents Conference leaders, including James Tisch, Mort Zuckerman and Shoshana Cardin. “Christians United for Israel is among the strongest supporters of Israel in the United States.”
