International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
| International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (international name) (ICEJ) |
|
|---|---|
| purpose | Promote Christian solidarity with Israel and the Jews worldwide |
| Establishment date: | 1980 |
| Number of employees: | full-time: 50 |
| Seat : | Jerusalem |
| Website: | int.icej.org (multilingual) |
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (international name International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, ICEJ ) is an organization attributable to Christian Zionism , which was founded in Jerusalem in 1980 and is currently represented in around 60 countries with regional associations or branches. Its main goals are to promote the solidarity of all Christians worldwide with Israel and the Jews, the internationally controversial "return" of the Jews from the Diaspora to Israel and the financial support of projects, mainly for victims of the Holocaust , in Israel and among Jewish immigrants. There are also numerous organized trips to Israel, which are intended to promote the bond between Christians and Israel.
history
The organization sees its historical roots in the 1970s, when the awareness of the "people of Israel and its prophetic role in modern times" moved into the focus of interest among Christians. When, in the summer of 1980, Jerusalem was declared the eternal undivided capital of Israel by the Israeli parliament through the Jerusalem Law , this led to international protests and the closure of 13 embassies in Jerusalem. About 1000 Christians from all over the world showed their solidarity with Israel and took part in the Feast of Tabernacles . International trips were organized a year earlier.
The association was founded by evangelical Christians in Jerusalem in September 1980 to express their support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
During the Gulf War in 1991, the ICEJ organized aid for 280 Gulf War victims in collaboration with the Mayor of Ramat Gan . The public became aware of the activities of the association and the participants in the Feast of Tabernacles from 70 nations via Israeli television. Around 50 employees were working in Jerusalem at the time. The Exobus program then provided financial and logistical support for Jewish emigrants from the successor states of the Soviet Union . Over eight years, around 50 flights were organized for this project and financed by donations. Thanks to the Knesset Award in 1991, the association's work gained reputation within Israel and in the Jewish diaspora.
Some members of the association took part in the Israeli military's Operation Solomon when it took in Ethiopian Jews in May 1991 and helped finance two tukuls (Ethiopian meeting centers) in Bet She'an . In the same year the Transnistrian conflict escalated . 400 Jewish refugees were brought to safety as part of the Exobus campaign. In June 2007, another 37 Sudanese refugees followed and in 2011 further aid for Ethiopian refugees followed.
In 2000, when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon , the ICEJ helped refugees with baby clothing and hygiene products.
In 2003 the Grafted department was founded. It organizes work projects for young adults in Israel, together with participation in the Feast of Tabernacles and study trips in Israel.
Since 2004 the association has been participating in the “European Coalition for Israel”, a lobby group in the European Parliament that was founded in Brussels during a special conference on anti-Semitism together with the European Jewish Congress .
A partnership with Yad Vashem has existed since 2006 with the aim of combating anti-Semitism. In the same year, a partnership was formed with the English-language Jerusalem daily newspaper The Jerusalem Post to publish an international Christian monthly magazine. In the same year, the number of 100,000 Jewish immigrants (around 10 percent of all Jews who immigrated to Israel) has been supported by the ICEJ since 1989 was reached.
In 2008 the association called on its supporters for donations and financed six air raid shelters in the town of Sderot, which is threatened by mortar shells . By September, 55,000 Christians had been mobilized to sign an ICEJ petition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be charged with genocide. With 8,000 Christians from 100 countries, the Feast of Tabernacles organized by the ICEJ achieved a record number of participants.
Since 2010, 80 survivors of the Holocaust have been resettled in Haifa as part of a housing project . In 2012, after many years of preparation, 54 immigrants from India were supported and the development of the housing project in Haifa continued.
Governing body
The managing director of the entire association in Jerusalem and chairman of the German association is Jürgen Bühler, who came to ICEJ in 1999 and is a founding member of the “Christian Forum for Israel” and now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children. The international work is headed by Pastor Juha Ketola, the speaker is Pastor Malcolm Hedding. David Parsons is head of media and public relations.
ICEJ media
The organization comes to the public with various media, all of which can be ordered or accessed on the homepage. The homepage is multilingual and can be accessed at various regional addresses.
- ICEJ-Nachrichten - a free e-mail message service (German, English)
- Front Page Jerusalem - a weekly radio program (English)
- Wort aus Jerusalem - the bimonthly ICEJ magazine (plus special editions; German, English, etc.)
- Grafted newsletter for young adults
International branches
The association is represented in over 60 countries, in some with regional associations. These include:
- International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
- ICEJ - German branch (association) based in Stuttgart , chairman is Gottfried Bühler
- Austrian branch based in Linz
- Swiss branch based in Reitnau
Awards
- April 1991: Knesset's Quality of Life Award
- December 1991: Louis D. Brandeis Award from the Zionist Organization of America for commitment and service to Israel, the Jewish people and their community.
Web links
- Official website (homepage, multilingual)
- Word from Jerusalem - current edition online
Individual evidence
- ↑ From the message - Our headquarters in Jerusalem. de.icej.org, accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ ICEJ worldwide. de.icej.org
- ↑ The section is a summary of the history on the homepage of the association: History - The ICEJ's story and purpose. (int.icej.org, English)
- ↑ Jürgen Bühler - Managing Director. ( Memento of the original from December 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. de.icej.org, accessed December 22, 2013
- ↑ Imprint ( Memento of the original from December 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from de.icej.org, accessed December 22, 2013
- ^ ICEJ Headquarters - Serving Israel & the Church from Jerusalem. int.icej.org, accessed December 22, 2013
- ↑ Selection and information from the magazine Wort aus Jerusalem
- ^ A b Paul Charles Merkley: Christian Attitudes towards the State of Israel. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7735-2188-7 , p. 174 (online at Google Books)
