In the last few weeks, two Israeli Embassy staffers were gunned down in Washington, DC; Molotov cocktails burned 12 people in Boulder, Colorado, during a peaceful demonstration in support of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza; and a major pro-Israel event in Texas, slated for June 9-11, was canceled amid credible threats from jihadists operating in the US.
More than 1,000 tickets were pre-sold for the 2025 Israel Summit, which was to feature a high-profile lineup of speakers, including David Friedman, the former US ambassador to Israel.
The event had already been relocated from its original Dallas venue after American, pro-Hamas, jihadist groups issued threats to “target” the Israel Summit and the private venue where the event was to be held.
The Israel Summit, which held its inaugural event in 2024, is sponsored by HaYovel and The Israel Guys, HaYovel’s media arm. HaYovel brings pro-Israel Christians to assist farmers in Judea and Samaria. HaYovel’s notoriety spread throughout Israel when it brought a group of American cowboys to Israel to help in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 mega-atrocity in Israel.
Joshua Waller, HaYovel’s executive director, believes that the Israel Summit attracted a tsunami of antisemitic attention “because we are the most unapologetic Christian Zionists in America. We stand with Israel boldly, biblically, and publicly. That terrifies radical jihadi groups who are trying to silence support for Israel through intimidation.
“This wasn’t a Christian event about Israel. It was a platform for Jewish voices from Israel. The majority of our speakers were Jewish pioneers from Judea and Samaria, Knesset members, rabbis, survivors, and IDF veterans. As Christian Zionists, our goal is to elevate truth, amplify Israel’s story, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish people in this war that we are now facing together,” he elaborated.
Regarding the question of what concrete steps they are taking to reschedule the event, Waller said, “We’re looking into a venue that’s willing to take this on and couldn’t care less about the threats. It’s hard to find, but we’re not backing down! This is going to happen. It’s just a matter of finding the right venue.”
Waller added a sharply worded warning to the US. “This is a critical moment for America. History shows that nations that turned against the Jewish people – Babylon, Greece, Rome, the Ottomans, even Britain – faced decline. If America makes that same choice, the consequences will be just as severe: morally, politically, and spiritually.”
Podcast host, pro-Israel advocate, political adviser, and Israel Summit speaker Yishai Fleisher spoke forcefully about the “Jihadi bullies who are on the march against biblical civilization. By silencing Israel, they seek to undermine the very roots of America. Therefore, standing up to them is a matter of self-preservation. Apathy is just not an option.”
Judean activist Ari Abramowitz, who was born and raised in Texas and now lives on the Arugot Farm on the Judean frontier, was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the Israel Summit. He believes that the necessity to cancel the summit due to security concerns comes with a dire warning. “The Israel Summit was canceled because of ‘credible’ threats on our lives. Not in Iran. Not in Syria. In Texas.
“If you can’t have a pro-Israel event in Texas, you can’t have it anywhere. If this is not the writing on the wall for American Jews, then I don’t know what is,” Abramowitz asserted.
'Antisemitic threats and anti-Israel extremism have become normalized'
IN A statement from the American Jewish Conservatives, its president Benji Gershon wrote, “American Jewish Conservatives was proud to be a strategic partner in this endeavor. We worked tirelessly with the organizers to bring in new attendees, elected officials, security personnel, and other pertinent event resources and needs. Unfortunately, all of our efforts came to a screeching halt… after the tough decision was made to ‘indefinitely postpone’ the event.”
Gershon said that after threats were made, organizers were told that it would cost them $556,000 to secure the original venue. A second venue was booked, but it also pulled out under pressure.
“Antisemitic threats and anti-Israel extremism have become normalized. The intimidation and silencing of voices who support Israel has become accepted, or dare I say mainstream, and much of the so-called news media is complicit in its coverage and does not seem to be outraged when Jews are threatened, intimidated, harassed, or attacked.
“If this were a ‘Palestinian Summit’ and radical Jews were targeting, threatening, and aiming to cancel it, you would see outrage at epic proportions, task forces, wall-to-wall news coverage, a litany of hashtags, and overwhelming backlash and pressure!
“How much longer before the church decides it’s no longer feasible, safe, or politically correct to be aligned or involved with the Jewish people or the State of Israel for fear of being ‘canceled’, threatened, or much worse by radical Islamists in America?
Will Jews in America have to fend off this blatant hate, antisemitism, and violence alone moving forward?” he asked pleadingly.
Gershon is adamant in his call to keep fighting. “We keep pushing forward. We keep spreading the truth. We keep using our voices. We do not cower, bend, or break. We stand shoulder to shoulder, and we fight! And to further that point, it’s time that we start supporting organizations that are fighting for us, with us, and who only have our best interests in mind.
“Furthermore, all Jews need to come together now! We are seeing antisemitism at an all-time high, and we are witnessing vitriol, hate, threats, and violence against our people at levels not seen since the Holocaust.
“The radical jihadists and Islamists in America may have landed a few punches, and they may have won this round, but they will absolutely not win the fight, and they will absolutely not win the war!
“Make no mistake about it; we are already at war in America against evil forces and an ideology that wants to destroy all that we love and believe in. It is up to us to look after one another and protect what matters most. We cannot afford to lose this war if we don’t want to lose America,” Gershon declared.
Organizers admit they were caught off guard this year, but they reaffirmed their commitment. “We are not backing down. We are actively preparing to go bigger and better than ever. The American people are waking up, not just to external threats but to the internal radicalism that has crept into the country. That is good news, and we are ready to move forward,” Waller concluded.
The writer is a freelance journalist and expert on the non-Jewish awakening to Torah happening in our day. She is the editor of Ten From The Nations, Lighting Up the Nations, and Adrift among the Nations.