With the first anniversary of the bloody October 7thHamas attacks on Israel now upon us, nationally syndicated Salem Radio Network talk host Mike Gallagher is taking a leap of faith that his listeners will stand up for Israel even as forces of darkness are banding together to try and wipe out America’s most important ally.
Gallagher—pictured above in Israel with Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews—is devoting all three hours of The MIKE GALLAGHER Show on Monday to commemorate the atrocities of October 7th, 2023 and to generate donations for IFCJ’s campaign to provide emergency bomb shelter kits that can be delivered immediately to those in most desperate need throughout the Jewish state.
Acknowledging the domestic disaster of Hurricane Helene—and having implored his listeners to open their hearts and wallets to non-profits like The Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse which are working around the clock here in America in the aftermath of Helene’s devastation in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and elsewhere—Gallagher nevertheless felt compelled to act on the occasion of the October 7th anniversary.
“This was Israel’s 9/11, and the I feel it is important to recognize the one-year mark of the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust when 1200 Israelis were brutally murdered and more that 250 were taken hostage,” Gallagher observes. He added that as the anniversary approached, war in Israel still rages on: this past week Iran fired a massive barrage of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at the Holy Land.
“Israel and her people are facing attacks from enemies on all sides seeking her destruction,” Gallagher notes. “The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is on the ground throughout Israel right now —providing food, shelter, and safety to those in need during this crisis – and that’s why I’m partnering with IFCJ today. While praying for the best, IFCJ is preparing for the worst by packing emergency bomb shelter kits, and I hope my generous listeners can insure that enough can be provided throughout Israel.”
That word “hope” is a key to Mike Gallagher’s decision to engage with IFCJ on October 7th and over the coming weeks. Even with the tough economy challenging most Americans to keep food on their tables and gas in their cars, Mike hopes—as they have countless times in the past—his national audience will be moved to help others less fortunate than themselves. Noting that one of his own sons is named Micah, Gallagher shared this Scripture verse from Micah 7:7: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord.”
After last October’s Hamas terrorist attacks, Gallagher led an on-air fundraising effort on behalf of IFCJ which generated $342,000 in only a few weeks. In February of this year, Gallagher originated his SRN broadcasts from Jerusalem and toured parts of Israel including the Gaza envelope in the Southern District; he interviewed IDF military forces, average citizens, and leaders of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. His contacts on the ground and his experiences throughout Israel—plus his faith in the generosity of his nationwide radio listeners—are powering Gallagher’s optimism as he prepares his October 7th broadcast.
Guests will include Yael Eckstein, president of the IFCJ; Iran/Middle East expert Jake Novak, and Shafir Botner, an Israeli ambulance driver currently aiding victims of Iran’s recent missile attacks and a helicopter pilot who helped rescue survivors of Hamas’ October 7th attacks on a music festival in Israel.
Although Gallagher is tapping into the better nature of his listeners, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military leaders of the Israel Defense Forces charged with protecting Israel and her citizens now face deadly dangers on many fronts. Alleged “allies” like France are weaseling out of commitments just as the October 7th anniversary is upon us. French President Emmanuel Macron just called for a halt of weapons shipments to Israel, saying he prefers other ways to end the conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Macron has stopped providing weapons to Israel saying “the priority is we return to a political solution.” One wonders who “we” is? Is Iran raining ballistic missiles down on the brie factories in Paris, mon ami?
Joel C. Rosenberg—founder and publisher of ALL ISRAEL NEWS (www.AllIsrael.com) has a viewpoint a tad more rooted in reality than Macron’s. Rosenberg contends: “Through a series of intelligence and military masterstrokes – and clearly the hand of God helping the Jewish state in recent months – Israel has vanquished Hamas in Gaza and decapitated the leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon… including Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for 32 years. Israel has also wounded or killed 4,000 senior and mid-level Hezbollah terrorists through exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.”
Rosenberg calls Israel’s recent operations “Brilliant. Creative. Cunning. And Miraculous,” adding: “But this is no time to slow down. All Now is the time to finish the job.” Among other priorities he says Israel should vanquish and eradicate Hezbollah’s terror threat and offensive missile capabilities once and for all…destroy of Iran’s oil refineries and oil storage facilities and—in addition—Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Now is the moment,” Rosenberg concludes, “ to safeguard the Jewish state and Jewish people for the next one hundred years. To do what Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Neville Chamberlain should have done as Adolf Hitler was rising to power but utterly failed to do and paid a bitter price for their inaction and lack of courage. Strike hard, strike fast, strike now.”
I know many Israelis who support that hard-line approach, and seeing nations like France turn their backs on Israel likely will drive more people to support the Rosenberg doctrine of “Enough is Enough.”