This past week, a proclamation was made—a clarion call for Christians to unite and publicly declare their love for Israel and the Jewish people. It was a voice the Jewish people had only heard in faint whispers in the past.

​That faint whisper has been replaced, as Christians from around the world gathered for the first Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress. Together, they declared that we will stand united with Israel and her God, recognizing the Jewish people, their sovereignty, and their inheritance in the Land of Israel, working together with them to defend and uphold our common Judeo-Christian values.

​Organized by Christians and Jews from Israel and many others from around the world, a new movement was born. This event will go down in history as one of the greatest transformative moments in Jewish-Christian relations in 2,000 years. In February 2026, the first Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress met in Nashville, Tennessee, publicly proclaiming that what Theodor Herzl started over 100 years ago would be fully realized when the “Friends of Israel”—Christians from around the world—joined with them to see the Jewish people receive the blessing and inheritance He has promised to them. We recognize that as Christians, we have inherited eternal life through the sacrifices made by our Messiah and His people, the Jewish people, whom He has now brought back to their ancestral land and their eternal inheritance.

​Theodor Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897. He gathered over 200 prominent Jewish rabbis, businessmen, and political leaders, as well as Christian clergymen who believed God was about to call His people back to the land of their inheritance and re-establish the nation of Israel. Herzl proclaimed that the foundation for the State of Israel had been laid that day, predicting it would be established in their ancient homeland within 50 years. Exactly 51 years later, this vision was realized. The State of Israel was reborn, and the “ingathering” began as Jews from every nation started to make their way home.

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, the head of Israel365, attended the event.

“When Theodor Herzl organized the first Zionist Congress in Basle, there were 200 Jews and 10 Christians there,” Rabbi Weisz said. “One of the greatest miracles of Zionism wasn’t only the creation of the State of Israel, but the fact that today those numbers have been reversed. With the establishment of the Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress in Nashville comes the recognition that today’s Zionist movement is largely non-Jewish, and that is miraculous. Israel365 Action had a strong presence last week in Nashville with Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, Tila Falic, Irma Fralic, and me, and we are thrilled to serve as the bridge between the World Zionist Congress and the Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress, building the new movement of Jews and Christians working shoulder to shoulder on behalf of Israel.

Steve Wearp emphasized that the initiative was an opportunity for Christians to heal wounds still open from the Holocaust.

“​The battle for that land has been raging since Herzl and the Congress made that proclamation. During that time, hatred and Antisemitism reached a crescendo unlike anything the world has ever seen. The nations stood by as over six million men, women, and children were sent to their deaths in Nazi-occupied Europe. But out of the ashes arose a spark—a light—the clarion call for God’s people to return and take possession.

“​Still, the nations raged and “plotted vain things.” They could accept a Jewish people under their heel, but they would never accept an independent nation that took hold of the promises of God. Since 1948, the nations have seen God proclaim His sovereignty and His love for His people. A gauntlet has been thrown down: will the nations serve the powers of this world, or will they serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

“​It is our faith and our yearning for the Messiah—the Son of David and King of Israel—to take His place on His throne in Jerusalem that drives us. We are indebted to the Jewish people for their sacrifice and their wandering through the nations for almost two millennia. We take an oath that never again will we be silent in the face of evil, whether it comes from politicians, governments, the media, or even from within the halls of Christianity. We declare that anyone who opposes the restoration of God’s people to their land does not stand with the God of Israel.

​”To my Christian friends, brothers, and sisters: I pray your hearts are moved with zeal for God’s Kingdom while standing firm on the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We choose to stand with our Lord, our Messiah Yeshua, and His people, Israel. We will do all in our power to see them take possession of their inheritance until Jerusalem is completely restored and the Temple becomes a place of prayer for all nations.

​”For Zion’s sake, we will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake, we will not rest—until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns (Isaiah 62:1).

​”May the Kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah be established soon and in our day.”