Pastor Plummer proposed measures to begin repairing relations between African-American communities and the State of Israel. “The African-American and Jewish communities should be natural allies," he said. "In a recent poll, 62 percent of African-Americans said they had read from their Bibles within the previous seven days. They certainly know the difference between Isaac and Ishmael. We get it.”
The Christian Allies Caucus (CAC) presented Pastor Plummer with a letter calling for cooperation between Israel and African-American communities in America. A CAC representative said, “Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, created the Christian Allies Caucus for the express purpose of bringing the people of Israel and Christians around the world closer together. We have no greater priority than restoring the alliance between African-Americans and the Jewish people. We are reminded of the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes, 'To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,' and there is no doubt that the time for this reconciliation is now.”
Plummer urged Jews to remind black Americans of the past alliances with the Jewish community during the Civil Rights era. He also said that two other issues elicit a strong pro-Israeli sentiment among American blacks. "One is the common experience of slavery in countries that still exists today... The other is the rescue and resettlement of thousands of black Jews from Ethiopia."
The Pastor said he was unaware of the existence of black Jews until his trip to Israel last summer. “There has never been a people of color brought out of a country of oppression to freedom - you did that,” he said. “That story needs to be told.”
Richard Shakarian, International President of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, also spoke at the Caucus meeting. Mr. Shakarian is in Israel leading a tour of 100 business professionals, and spoke to the Caucus on the state of Christian-Jewish relations in commerce.
The Christian Allies Caucus (CAC) presented Pastor Plummer with a letter calling for cooperation between Israel and African-American communities in America. A CAC representative said, “Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, created the Christian Allies Caucus for the express purpose of bringing the people of Israel and Christians around the world closer together. We have no greater priority than restoring the alliance between African-Americans and the Jewish people. We are reminded of the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes, 'To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,' and there is no doubt that the time for this reconciliation is now.”
Plummer urged Jews to remind black Americans of the past alliances with the Jewish community during the Civil Rights era. He also said that two other issues elicit a strong pro-Israeli sentiment among American blacks. "One is the common experience of slavery in countries that still exists today... The other is the rescue and resettlement of thousands of black Jews from Ethiopia."
The Pastor said he was unaware of the existence of black Jews until his trip to Israel last summer. “There has never been a people of color brought out of a country of oppression to freedom - you did that,” he said. “That story needs to be told.”
Richard Shakarian, International President of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, also spoke at the Caucus meeting. Mr. Shakarian is in Israel leading a tour of 100 business professionals, and spoke to the Caucus on the state of Christian-Jewish relations in commerce.