Posted by Mike Dorning at 10:20 am CDT.
An advertising campaign that has been airing on Fox News for several weeks offers an intriguing glimpse of the bond between American evangelicals and Israel and an example of how some supporters of Israel have been using public attention to the conflict in Lebanon as a way to strengthen backing from evangelicals.
The ad campaign, described in greater detail in the story below, relies on Biblical passages as well as vivid imagery to solicit donations in support of Israel.
Ad pitch for Israel aimed at Christians
Evangelicals provide deep well of support
By Mike Dorning
Washington Bureau
Published August 16, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The portraits of suffering on the television commercials follow the familiar imagery of fundraising appeals after major disasters: video of collapsed buildings, the injured being carried away on stretchers and women wailing for the dead.
But this isn't a plea for some earthquake-ravaged nation. It's an appeal on behalf of Israel, a highly industrialized nation emerging from war.
And the pitch goes beyond mere sympathy. The scenes are interspersed with biblical passages that suggest a divine calling to help the cause.
"Israel is under attack, her civilians living their lives in bomb shelters," intones the narrator, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, leader of a group that seeks to rally support for Israel among Christians, particularly conservative evangelicals. "Stand with Israel in its time of need."
And as circumstances changed, the organization quickly adapted. By Tuesday, a day after the cease-fire in Lebanon, the ads were rotating with a modified commercial geared toward funding reconstruction: "As the world chooses sides against Israel, will you stand on the sidelines?" Eckstein asks.
The advertising campaign, which began airing July 26 on the Fox News Channel and a few religious television networks, is an unusual convergence of faith, politics, money and media that illustrates the rising importance of the bond between many American evangelicals and Israel.
Conservative evangelicals now form a crucial component of the governing Republican coalition and count among those sympathetic to their beliefs President Bush, who embraced evangelical faith when he stopped drinking two decades ago. Unlike the administration of his father, who sought to play the role of a broker in the Middle East, President Bush has unabashedly supported the Israeli government.
Fox News, with its strong following among conservative evangelicals, has proved to be an especially powerful forum for Eckstein's campaign to stir greater support for Israel.
As of Monday, Eckstein's Chicago-based International Fellowship of Christians and Jews had raised more than $1.4 million directly attributable to the commercials on Fox. On average, the group receives 1,500 phone calls each time a spot airs on the channel, and last week it increased its buy to six to eight showings a day, Eckstein said.
Read the full story
View a web version of the ad by pressing the red "View Video Update" button at the organization's web site.
• 
• 
• 
• 
Comments
Let's see. Christians believe in Jesus, who rejected violence even when his own life was on the line. The Jewish religion rejected Jesus as the Christ and preferred to have him crucified rather than set free. So the relationship is what exactly? Save the Jewish people so that they can live to see the light?
Okay. That I understand. But what does this have to do with supporting mass destruction/murder? Is that something Jesus would do?
I don't get it.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | August 16, 2006 4:33 PM
It's on FOX. That should be a clue.
Posted by: OHCD | August 16, 2006 6:19 PM
Bud M.
This is what I refer to as 'Rapture Ready' politics.
More of this is coming from our WWJD conservative politicians re. the November elections.
Face it; The people now in charge of us are End Timers.
You wonder why they don't care about the environment, or global warming? Who cares if Social Security is good to go?
Why do they bother to mow the lawn?
If you want a scare, check out the Christian Rapture web sites. They are all in ecstasy.
Posted by: C.Morris | August 16, 2006 7:02 PM
C. Morris,
You're absolutly right about the rapture belief thing.The GOP plays on this to these people. I have relatives in the south,and my grandfather is a Nazerene minister.Every year I go down to visit them,and I try to explain how they are being used etc.,to no avail.These are dear people with a ferverd belief.I have to hand it to Karl Rove in a way.He managed to get a stupid fool from Texas elected...twice.
Posted by: John E. | August 17, 2006 12:57 AM
"Israel is under attack, her civilians living their lives in bomb shelters," intones the narrator, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein" - quote
Aren't they lucky to have bomb shelters. The hundreds of innocent women and children across lebanon killed by bombs supplied to Israel by Bush and his Christian Conservative Evangelicals would have given their right arm for a bomb shelter.
This is a blatant attempt to influence the up-coming November primaries by brain-washing the more feeble-minded among the voting population to cast a vote for Bush and his cronies.
After all, the ranks of the more feeble-minded is where the republican "administration" will find the majority of its support
Posted by: Robert Carey | August 17, 2006 6:49 AM
John E.
My in-laws are Nazerene also, ready to see the end. It's as if they are hoping for an easy out to our terrible problems.
Of course by following this line, the terrible problems will just get worse.
They also seem to be looking forward to the part where everyone they disagree with gets pitched into Hell.
Posted by: C.Morris | August 17, 2006 9:29 AM
Israel has a per capita GDP of $24,600 (2005 est.)and receives $3B in US aid annually. I think theyr're doing well enough to take care of themselves.
Posted by: Paul | August 17, 2006 10:39 AM