On Sunday, October 24th, Hagee Ministries held its 41st annual Night to Honor Israel at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. More than 6,000 people were on hand to hear from several speakers, including founder of Hagee Ministries and Christians United for Israel (CUFI) founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee, Cornerstone Church Lead Pastor Matt Hagee, Consul General of Israel to the Southwest Livia Link-Raviv, and former US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.
The evening opened with a moving tribute to Hagee’s dear friend the late Rabbi Aryeh (of blessed memory) who led San Antonio’s Congregation Rodfei Sholom for nearly half a century and was instrumental in Hagee’s lifelong commitment to standing with Israel.
Several of the speakers focused their remarks on combatting antisemitism, an issue made even more poignant by the presence of white supremacist protestors engaging aggressively outside the venue with church staff and security.
“It is our duty to speak out in defense of the Jewish people. We continue to confront antisemitism in all of its forms, wherever it can be found – in the schoolhouse, in the church house, in your house or at the White House, we are fighting the good fight until victory comes,” Hagee said.
“The world must know that our Jewish friends are not alone… Rejecting antisemitism is central to our understanding of who we are as Christians… It's because I am a champion of religious faith that I'm here today to tell you that the United States must stand with the Jewish people and Israel in the fight against this oldest bigotry, antisemitism,” Pompeo said.
In her remarks, Link-Raviv spoke directly about the importance of Christian support for Israel and the Jewish people noting, “What is the secret behind Israel’s widespread support, tonight the answer is very simple—the secret is you.”
During the evening’s event, Hagee Ministries donated $2.9 million to Israeli and Jewish charities, with Pastor Matt Hagee noting, “It’s one thing to say you love Israel; it’s another thing to demonstrate it.”
Gift recipients included Afikim Family Enrichment Association, American Friends of the International Young Israel Movement, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Bikur V’Ezras Cholim, Emunah, Galilee Medical Center, Just One Life, Koby Mandell Foundation, Nefesh B’Nefesh, Ohr Torah Stone, Oscar Ehrenberg Endowment, Save a Child’s Heart, Shurat Hadin, the Houston Holocaust Museum, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, and the Women’s International Zionist Organization.
