Mina Fenton, a former Jerusalem city councilwoman, said Monday that she is against American broadcaster Glenn Beck’s planned show of support for Israel this coming Wednesday.
Fenton is known for her outspoken criticism of Evangelical Christian aid to Israel, claiming that missionary motives are behind their donations to institutions and families.
Beck, a staunch supporter of Israel who has visited the country several times, will hold a ‘Restoring Courage’ rally near the southern wall of Jerusalem’s old city on August 24. The event will also be attended by Christian supporters of Israel.
“The exclusivity for the source of holiness of the Temple Mount, the site of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem belongs to the Jews, and was so for about 1,700 years before anyone even heard of the idea of Christianity,” Fenton told Arutz Sheva.
“Holding a Christian event near the southern wall will help in strengthening the Christian ‘Returning to Zion’ project that any Christian organization that respects itself initiates. They actually say that this area belongs to them,” she added.
Fenton said that she enlisted rabbis from all sectors of the Jewish population to voice their opposition over Jews participating in Beck’s event. She said that among the rabbis who joined her cause were Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, Rabbi Kook, Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner and Rabbi Elchanan Bin Nun.
Fenton told Arutz Sheva that the intervention by the rabbis resulted in Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who previously expressed his support for the rally, canceling his participation as well as that of a choir of cantors from Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue.
“Inflaming the thousands of Christian listeners who listen to Glenn Beck, who is a Mormon, is done by bringing in Christian elements and highlighting their importance,” she said. “It’s important to Beck that Christians feel, as he does, the spiritual exaltation and sense of belonging, but we must not forget that we have sovereignty in the city of Jerusalem and that the holy places are ours and not theirs. It is just a matter of time before the Christians expect some sort of reward in return for their support. There are no free gifts and no free gestures.”
Fenton added, “The Christians in Israel feel as though they are saviors, or consolers without whom we cannot survive. Look at the event which was held in Caesarea this week. It was meant for Christians only. Glenn promised them a special spiritual experience. He mentioned Jesus, Paul, Pontis Pilate and the historic relationship to Caesarea during Roman rule. What connection does this kind of event have to Jews?”
Fenton’s comments are similar to ones recently made by Moshe Feiglin, head of the Jewish Leadership faction inside the Likud party.
Feiglin recently related that he had decided to turn down an invitation to a reception for Beck in eastern Jerusalem.
“I must admit that when a friendly non-Jew starts to quote the Bible, I get a bit nervous,” he wrote. “It is not just the long history of anti-Semitism that has developed a genetic mutation in the noses of Jews, giving them great sensitivity to anything that smells of Christianity - but also my own personal experience with avowed lovers of Israel and the settlers who took great pains to mask their Christian motives.”