On Wednesday night, Makor hosted a panel titled “Jewish Encounters with the Christian Right” that consisted of Jewish authors with recent books on the topic (pictured above, left to right): Zev Chafets (A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man’s Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance), Lauren Sandler (Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement), Michelle Goldberg (Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism) and Eyal Press (Absolute Convictions: My Father, a City, and the Conflict That Divided America).

Each panelist came to the discussion with personal histories worn on their sleeves: Zev, born and raised in Michigan, spent 20+ years living in Israel, was once director of the government press office for Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin; Lauren used to produce a series for NPR’s All Things Considered on youth and religion in America; and Michelle and Eyal both experienced the Buffalo Abortion Wars firsthand. Zev is an “unapologetic Zionist” and made clear that his concerns for the Israel state come before anything else. He embraces the views and positions of evangelical Christians who support Israel, for whatever reasons, and he questioned the possible “bigotry” of Jewish Americans who mock the Religious Right. This provided a few fireworks as the other panel members responded to his accusations of being anti-Israel. Michelle Goldberg noted that while she fully believes in and supports the state of Israel, she does not put it above the rest of humanity and cautions that such singular views run opposed to Jewish philosophy and only serve to increase tensions in the world. Overall it was a healthy discussion and all viewpoints were considered and respected.

The conversation continued afterwards with a special wine and cheese reception for panelists and bloggers in attendance. Guests included: Rebecca Honig Friedman (Jewess), Lilit Marcus (Beliefnet and Save The Assistants), Eli Valley (Jewcy and Jewschool contributor), Michael Idov (NY mag’s Daily Intelligencer), Rina Raphael (Court TV’s Informer), Sarah Chandler (Radical Torah) and others.

Previously: Michelle Goldberg Q&A
Related: Makor Talks and Lectures of Jewish Interest