God has given us amazing favor with media outlets all around the world. In recent days, the work we are doing has been reported on in glowing terms in both secular and religious media. We wanted to share some of these with you so that you can rejoice with us at the many ways God is helping us spread the word of our work for Him.
Charisma
In the special Israel issue of Charisma magazine (October 2015), the Friends of Zion Museum was featured on the cover and in a lengthy article by Dr. Mark Rutland, written after his visit to the museum earlier this year. We encourage you to take time to read the entire article at charismamag.org, but we wanted to share with you this brief excerpt from what Dr. Rutland wrote:
As a former Christian university president, I am deeply concerned about the warped historical view being taught on many campuses. Too many young people have bought into an anti-Israel worldview politically. Others have fallen into the trap of “replacement theology.” I have been disappointed to see some of my evangelical colleagues and leaders embrace this theology.
The Friends of Zion Museum seeks to address this serious issue. The museum’s educational experience combats antiSemitism and inspires Christians to learn of their biblical history and heroes and their biblical relation to Israel and the Jewish people. The museum is an exciting high-tech vehicle to combat anti-Semitism. This museum is especially needed as the world turns its back on Israel and supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.
I have enjoyed a life-long love affair with Israel and led more tours than I can count. Each time I visited Israel, I found myself wishing to take my groups somewhere that celebrated Christian Zionism. Today, dozens of places exist where one can learn of the evil that people falsely professing to be Christians visited upon the Jewish people. The Crusades, pogroms, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust are and should be well-documented. I also wanted to visit someplace where Christian heroes were celebrated. With the opening of the Friends of Zion Museum, there is such a place. Christians who love the Jewish people unconditionally can be inspired, and Jewish people who have never known about Christian heroes such as the ten Booms can find friends they did not know they had.
The World Post
This joint partnership between the Huffington Post and the Berggruen Institute covers global events. Following the grand opening of the museum, writer Natasha Srdoc (cofounder of the International Leaders Summit) met with President Peres and Dr. Evans. She conducted an extensive interview with Dr. Evans, which allowed him to present the purpose of the Friends of Zion Museum and the vision for the Friends of Zion Heritage Center to a global audience. Ms. Srdoc wrote:
The new state-of-the-art museum in Jerusalem captivates the interest of visitors with its cutting-edge technology, using custom-designed interactive audio-visual displays, 3-D exhibits, stunning video mapping displays, and unique lighting. A new world opens up from the moment a visitor enters the modern facility in the Jerusalem World Center—just a brief walking distance from the Old City Jerusalem.
Through Dr. Mike Evans’ initiative, the Friends of Zion Heritage Center was built as a testimony to the thousands of nonJewish people who assisted the Jewish nation during the last few generations, during the British Mandate, the Holocaust, and in the days of the establishment of the State of Israel.
FOZ’s opening ceremony. He is a true statesman who played a vital role in affirming our common civilization based on the rule of law for the last several decades. How did you recruit Shimon Peres, former president, prime minister, and Nobel Prize Winner to join your Board?
Dr. Evans: Shimon Peres came and supported us because he wanted to make friends. And he said, “It takes so much more energy to make enemies and sustain them, than friends. I want to make friends.”
You addressed an ideological war against Israel and expressed concerns about BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) campaign. You firmly pledged, “For every BDS activist who boycotts Israel, we shall rally for Israel 10 friends and supporters.”
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Dr. Mike Evans, with Natasha Srdoc, Co-Founder of the International Leaders Summit during the interview at FOZ.[/caption]Dr. Evans: Absolutely! The old wars—that America fought against the British when they would put their uniforms on, and they would stand, pound the drums, and organize—are gone. The wars of the 20th century are gone. We are now in the 21st century. Now, you have different wars. You have ideological wars. You have economic wars, where you have companies that have more money than countries. You have cyber wars with no cyberspace passport. So now you are living in a different world where different kind of wars are fought.
You can read the entire interview with Dr. Evans, as well as see a number of wonderful pictures from the grand opening at: huffingtonpost.com/natasha-srdoc/post_10144_b_8267036.html
Atmosfera (Atmosphere) Magazine
Atmosfera, the in-flight magazine of Israel’s national airline, El Al, ran a feature on the Friends of Zion Heritage Center that is on every plane in the fleet for a month! The article also includes our address and website, and we are rejoicing that the news of what we are doing to tell the stories of Christian love is spreading rapidly.
Times Square
One of the most famous locations in the world, Times Square in New York City, is a truly international crossroad. After the grand opening of the Friends of Zion Museum in September, a picture of Dr. Evans with President Shimon Peres from the dedication was featured on a giant video news screen in this bustling location!
