Thousands of Christians set to arrive in Jerusalem for Sukkot celebrations

The conference will be held amid “deeply troubling sanctions” against Jews in the West Bank, according to International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s president.

Around 3,000 Christians from more than 70 countries are arriving in Israel for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s (ICEJ) annual Sukkot conference set to begin Friday evening.

The conference will call for “strong support for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, against the backdrop of a growing wave of economic sanctions imposed by European countries,” according to a statement released by the embassy.

“We are excited to once again celebrate the biblical Feast of Sukkot together with Christians from around the world,” said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler.

Bühler said that Sukkot celebrations are taking place as a series of “deeply troubling sanctions imposed by European countries on Jews living in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, and even Jerusalem” take place. 

International measures ‘suffocate existence of Jewish communities,’ Bühler says

“These discriminatory measures are intended to suffocate the existence of Jewish communities that, in an extraordinary return to history, have come back to life in the heart of the ancient Land of Israel after centuries of Jewish exile among hostile nations,” he said. “These acts of economic warfare, targeting hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews, are racist and bear far too much resemblance to boycotts imposed on Jews in the past.”

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, established in 1980 in Jerusalem, represents Christian Zionists from around the world. 

The organization intends to invite community leaders from Judea and Samaria to address the event’s participants, as well as display products from Judea and Samaria for sale in the exhibition hall, and organize tours for Christians from Europe and elsewhere to stores, wineries, and biblical sites throughout Judea and Samaria, according to its statement.

In addition, the organization invited US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to be the guest of honor at the event, and he is expected to make an appearance on Monday.

This year’s celebrations are also set to “highlight the extensive efforts undertaken by the Christian Embassy in recent years to assist Israeli communities along the Gaza border in recovering and rebuilding their homes and communities following the October 7 terror attack,” the organization added.

Embassy expanding rehabilitation projects

The embassy has been working on nine major rehabilitation projects in the Gaza envelope area, and plans to unveil a tenth during the celebrations.

Its new project aims to help rebuild the central community facility in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit kibbutzim during the October 7 massacre. 

The conference will be held at the International Convention Center (Binyanei HaUma) in Jerusalem until September 30.