It was a scene so disturbing, so unreal, that I still am in shock, as I’m sure many in America and around the world are. There, in the fields of Pennsylvania, speaking to a crowd assembled for a campaign rally, former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassin’s gun.
I can only thank God that the attack on the former President was not more serious. But in its aftermath, we now know that this assassination attempt took a deadly toll. One man – Corey Comperatore, a firefighter, husband, and father of two – was killed, and several more were critically injured in the gunfire that peppered the crowd. They were there as supporters of the former President, exercising their right as Americans to choose the political candidate of their choice.
From here in Israel, I pray for the families of those who were victims in Saturday’s attack on former President Trump, and I pray for President Trump’s family as well. And I pray for all of America, the country of my birth, that is now embroiled in a struggle which transcends politics.
At this time, we still don’t know the motivation behind this assassination attempt. But what is so evident to me is that from America to Europe to the Middle East, there is an evil that is trying to take over. Although the evil might have different ideologies and be called by different names in different places around the world, they are clearly all united in being agents of death.
And we, as people of faith, Christians and Jews, must now stand against that evil and act as agents of light and life and goodness. We must show the world through words and actions that Judeo-Christian values sanctify life. We don't confuse right from wrong; good from bad; life from death.
We must remind ourselves, as Moses reminded the children of Israel thousands of years ago in Deuteronomy 30:19, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
We must choose life. We must choose hope. We must stand united against evil wherever it exists. We must unite in standing up for our values of life and freedom. From Islamic terrorists who are trying to destroy Israel and Europe, to the politically motivated shootings in America, we can never get used to, condone, or even understand the evil which seeks death and destruction.
Because history tells us what will happen when we don’t stand up for our cherished values: we will lose them.
With the rise of antisemitism globally, and the existential war Israel is currently fighting for our very survival, indeed, I feel strongly about what is happening in America right now. America is the land of the free, home of the brave. And it's terrifying for me to see the evil which is starting to penetrate. College students celebrating Osama bin Laden? Young adults spewing vile hatred against democracy? An assassination attempt on a former president? Truly, it should be a wakeup call.
Time and again, Israelis have faced these agents of death. We are familiar with the violent calls for death and destruction…and the vile acts which follow.
Maybe this is why we feel such a sense of solidarity with all those who bravely choose life and freedom.
More than 40 years ago, my father, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, of blessed memory, dreamed of building bridges of fellowship and understanding between Christians and Jews. Today, his vision has become reality. Through The Fellowship, we have stood together over these many years to help millions of people in need – impoverished Jews in the former Soviet Union, Holocaust survivors and orphans in Israel, families displaced by war … and so many more. And we have stood firmly against terrorism and hatred wherever it rears its ugly head.
We must stand together now. Together, Christians and Jews, Israelis and Americans, can model what it means to be a light to the world. We must lead the way in rising above the divisiveness which threatens to pull us all apart.
To my friends in America, we are praying for your country here in Israel. To President Trump, and to all injured in this attack, we are praying for your full recovery. To those mourning their loss, we pray for your comfort. America, you can rise up and recover. And I believe that once again, you will be the light unto the world – which spreads values of brotherhood, freedom, and a sanctity for life - we are all praying for.
God bless America, land that I love.
Yael Eckstein is President and CEO of The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), one of the world's largest religious charitable organizations. The Jerusalem Post's 2023 Humanitarian Award recipient and 3-time honoree on its 50 Most Influential Jews list, Yael is a Chicago-area native based in Israel with her husband and their four children.