“This is war, and we can only win if we recognize the enemy and fight back,” Sylvan Adams, president of the World Jewish Congress Israel, warned Wednesday night in Jerusalem, three years after the October 7 Hamas massacre.
Speaking before some 2,000 Christian and Jewish leaders, influencers and diplomats from 117 countries, Adams said that the anti-Israel demonstrations that erupted around the world immediately after October 7 were part of a much larger, organized campaign against Israel, the Jewish people and Western society.
Friends of Zion Ambassadors Summit, organized by Friends of Zion founder Dr. Mike Evans in cooperation with the Foreign Ministr (credit: Roy Yehuda)
He made the remarks at the Friends of Zion Ambassadors Summit, organized by Friends of Zion founder Dr. Mike Evans in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry. The event was also attended by a delegation of 550 Christian leaders from 53 nations organized by Eagles’ Wings and its founder Bishop Robert Stearns, including His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, the 21st Olu of Warri, Delta State of Nigeria, and Her Majesty Olori Atuwatse III, the kingdom’s queen consort. The event was held at the Southern Wall’s Davidson Center in Jerusalem.
Adams recalled how anti-Israel demonstrations began in major cities, including London, Sydney, Toronto and New York, on October 8, while Israelis were still counting their dead.
“The world’s oldest hatred, antisemitism, was back with a vengeance, although the sad reality is that it had never really left,” he said.
He argued that the demonstrations were not spontaneous but part of a coordinated effort funded by Israel’s enemies, particularly Qatar and other countries hostile to the West.
“They are not organic or spontaneous,” Adams said. “Rather, they represent a well funded, highly organized campaign against us, perpetrated by determined enemies.”
He accused those behind the campaign of using universities, religious institutions and social media to spread anti-Israel messages, warning that their ambitions extended far beyond the Jewish state.
“We Jews are only the first in their crosshairs,” Adams said. “If they manage to defeat us, God forbid, they’ll be coming for the rest of you next.”
But Adams also had another message for the Christian leaders gathered in Jerusalem: thank you.
He recalled how evangelical Christians stood with Israel from the first days following the massacre, visiting devastated communities, praying for Israel and speaking out against antisemitism.
“When we were mourning, you mourned with us,” Adams said. “When our country was under attack, you defended us. When antisemitism erupted around the world, you raised your voices.”
He added, “You came here when others stayed away,” he continued. “You visited the devastated communities. You met the families. You showed us what friendship means.”
Adams, whose parents survived the Holocaust, said the October 7 massacre was particularly painful because Israel was created to ensure that Jews would never again be defenseless.
“The creation of the State of Israel changed the destiny of the Jewish People,” he said. “Here, in our own country, we could defend ourselves.”
Despite his warnings, Adams ended with a message of hope for the region, expressing optimism that more Arab countries would join the Abraham Accords and that Iranians might one day be free of their current leadership.
“My prayer is that next year, we will have Iranians joining us here in Jerusalem in this prayer for peace,” he said.
The evening also featured testimony from former Hamas hostages, bereaved families and wounded soldiers. Former hostage Agam Berger performed “Hallelujah” on her violin, while Bishop Robert Stearns brought approximately 550 Christian leaders from 53 countries to the gathering.
Adams closed by reminding his Christian audience that Israel would remember their support long after the war.
“In one of the darkest moments in the history of the State of Israel, you were with us,” he said. “And we will never forget your friendship.”
Written in collaboration with World Jewish Congress