Why Do You Love Israel?

Six German Bible students share why they love and support Israel.
Picture this: A Jewish man who has embraced Jesus as his Messiah waves the flag of Israel and sings Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah,” with 200 other Jews and Christians while standing in the courtyard of a synagogue in Germany. They are protected by German police in a town the Allies bombed during World War II that is now 60% Muslim.

There I was, showing solidarity with Israel only days after Hamas brazenly infiltrated the Jewish state and raped, kidnapped, and slaughtered innocent men, women, children, babies, senior citizens, and Holocaust survivors.

As I stood among the crowd at the rally, gazing at the Star of David displayed on the synagogue entryway, my mind flashed to my late father. A member of the Greatest Generation, he was a World War II veteran who fought the Nazis and antisemitism. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to stand in that German courtyard during those Nazi years.

I Stand With Israel
Attending the rally was an unexpected honor. I traveled to Germany because the Bibel-Center Breckerfeld had invited me to speak at two conferences and teach a course. Founded in 1956 with the motto Winning souls for the Lamb, the Bible-centered, Israel-loving school holds conferences throughout Germany. Following Hamas’s October 2023 attacks on Israel, the two conferences we attended were advertised this way:

In the midst of the circumstances and events in and around Israel we have consciously focused on the biblical perspective of God’s land and people. Because to stand up for Israel is not a current trend but a biblical commandment with eternal validity. . . . We as the Bibel-Center Breckerfeld stand firmly at the side of Israel and would like to encourage you to pray intensively for everyone involved. Genesis 12:3.

To begin each conference, attendees sang “Hatikvah” while holding a card that read “Ich Stehe Zu Israel,” meaning, “I Stand With Israel.” On the back of the card were five Bible passages that teach love and support for Israel and the Jewish people: Genesis 12:3; Psalm 122:6–8; Isaiah 49:16; Zechariah 2:12; and Romans 11:1–2.

At the Bibel-Center, I taught four sessions on the city of Jerusalem. I was thrilled to interact with these German students of the Word. My father would have been amazed to hear and see what I heard and saw. His generation did not fight in vain.

These students know their country’s dark history—several have fathers or grandfathers who were in the Nazi party. But today, they are making a difference as believers who love Jesus, Israel, and the Jewish people. I asked six of them why they chose the Bibel-Center and why they love Israel.

Simon
Simon seeks to impact other young people with the truth. While healing from injuries sustained in a car accident, he contemplated whether life’s purpose was only to gain money and fame or to serve God. Evidently, he came to the right conclusion. He learned there is no other country like Israel and its existence proves God’s promises are coming to fruition.

Sarah
Sarah serves on the Bibel-Center’s staff. She grew up in a Christian home and pursued a business career after high school. Along the way, she asked God to strengthen her relationship with Him; and He directed her to the Bibel-Center. She said it “blew [her] mind” to see how little she initially knew of the Bible and was excited to discover so much.

“I learned about Israel and saw how God invested His Word in the Jewish people and His plan for them,” she said. “It seemed God had more to say to Israel than the church; and at first, this annoyed me. I could not understand. The Bible showed me the significance of Israel in the past, present, and future.”

She was apprehensive about traveling to Israel as per the school’s curriculum; but God placed her with a roommate who had already been to Israel and longed to go back, and she relieved Sarah’s fears.

Her trip was a game-changer. The Bible went from black and white to color. “I now pray for Israel regularly and give to Christian groups that support Israel,” she said. “Since you have come to Germany, I began listening to The Jew and Gentile Podcast [a Friends of Israel podcast Steve hosts with Chris Katulka, host of The Friends of Israel Today radio].”

Tatiana
Tatiana was an au pair for a Christian family in London but didn’t know what to do with the rest of her life. Her father suggested she attend the Bible school. She agreed to go for one semester but loved it so much she stayed three years. She loves Israel and the Jewish people because she knows they were chosen by God. “It is His land, given to them,” she said. She speaks German, English, and Spanish and wants to use these languages in the field of international relations.

Claudia
Claudia’s parents were saved in their 30s and realized Israel’s significance through reading the Bible. She was raised to love Israel and the Jewish people. After high school, she moved to Israel to work as an au pair in Kiryat Shmona. “I don’t know any Jewish people in Germany; but I know of them from the Bible, and I know what God thinks of them and how important they are,” she said. “I love the Bible-based teaching at the school. It is a privilege to read the whole Bible and see how the Old Testament and the New Testament are one book.”

Lucas
Lucas is married with three children. When his best friend attended the Bibel-Center, Lucas visited many times. He said,

Every time I came, I learned so much about the Bible. It was not on my mind to be here; but inside, I was being directed. I prayed and talked to my wife; and we prayed together for half a year that if God wants us to come, we will come. It was difficult to leave my church family and my mother, who is a widow. Balancing my family, my budget, and school is very hard. Multitasking is not easy. Free weekends are few now; but we are receiving support from churches, friends, and family. I am learning more about Israel and how it affects my own faith. My home church does not emphasize Israel, and now I see how important it is. When the war broke out, my wife and I began to pray every day for Israel.

Lea
Attending the Bibel-Center was not part of Lea’s plan, but God drew her there. She said,

My pastor’s wife had many talks with me about the foundations of the Christian faith. Her husband went to the school, but they never told me to go. But I knew how much they know about God and the Bible, so I began to think about it.

I am in my last year, and I am praying about my future. I went to Madagascar for my internship and helped missionaries with practical things to help them focus on their ministry. My family would rather me do a normal job first but are not upset that I came.

I am excited to go to Israel. It is a dream, and I hope the war will not prevent it from happening. I have made long-lasting friends at the school, and I want to do social work; so my next step will be university.

The students I encountered at the Bibel-Center Breckerfeld want to be influencers for God’s Word. They are believers who love and support Israel and the Jewish people in Germany, of all places, where a madman once made it his goal to annihilate God’s Chosen People. All glory goes to the Lord, who brought these things about, “not by might nor by power, but by [His] Spirit ” (Zech. 4:6).

Photo: The Friends of Israel Archives