Israel, We Stand With You – A Project Against Antisemitism
(since 2014)
When our church came into being around thirty years ago, we already knew that Israel holds a special place in God’s plan of salvation. Yet at that time, much theological understanding, teaching, and practical orientation was still missing. We knew that Israel is God’s chosen people, but this knowledge had little impact on our everyday lives.
In the years that followed, we repeatedly met people who were further along this path than we were. One particularly formative season was a period of about ten years during which a Jewish brother from Israel visited us regularly and taught us—about Israel, about worship, and about community. This time shaped us deeply and awakened a growing longing for a deeper understanding of our Jewish roots.
Later, young people from our church began to spend extended periods in Israel. Questions grew louder: What does it mean for our daily lives to believe in the Jewish Messiah? How did the first Christians live? What role did the biblical feasts play—feasts they continued to celebrate? And how did the historic distancing from the Jewish heritage come about? It became increasingly clear: our faith is deeply intertwined with the history and calling of Israel—rooted in Jesus, who was born a Jew, foretold by Jewish prophets, and proclaimed to the nations by Jewish disciples.
A decisive and lasting practical expression of this development began in 2014—during a visit by Marcus and Karolina at the Western Wall. In prayer, a deep desire arose to visibly stand with Jewish people and Israelis, to take a public stand against antisemitism, and to help people encounter the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Out of this moment, the project “Israel, We Stand With You” was born.
Because music has long been a central part of our spiritual life, and because we have continually experienced how God touches people through music—even on the streets of our own town, as confirmed by passers-by with no religious background—it naturally became the primary expression of this calling.
“From that inner impulse at the Western Wall came the concrete step of taking this very music to Israel—meeting people on the streets with humility and love. Just a few weeks later, we stood with battery-powered amplifiers on the streets of Jerusalem... ”
From that inner impulse at the Western Wall came the concrete step of taking this very music to Israel—meeting people on the streets with humility and love. Just a few weeks later, we stood with battery-powered amplifiers on the streets of Jerusalem, singing, handing out postcards with blessings from Germany, speaking with people, and experiencing deeply moving moments even in the very first year.
The Following Years & October 7, 2023
From those early outreaches grew a journey that has taken us to the streets of Israel at least once a year ever since. Many friendships have formed and continue to this day. People from our church and friends from Germany as well as various European nations—England, Poland, Ukraine, the Netherlands—have traveled with us to Israel for the first time and returned changed: with a new perspective on Israel, on themselves, and on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Over the years, our understanding has continued to grow—through conversations, lived relationships, and the realization of how essential genuine human connection is. Media can often provide only an accentuated, limited perspective.
We seek to bridge these gaps through personal encounters, friendships, and shared experiences—or at least to enrich what people know. “Education through encounter” has become a guiding principle for us: understanding arises where people truly see one another, listen, and walk together.
Most of our encounters take place on the streets—with people we have never met before, right in the midst of their daily lives. These moments are often marked by deep conversations, tears, laughter, and embraces. Again and again, we are invited into Israeli homes, where we hear life stories, share our own, and watch relationships deepen year after year. These invitations have brought us into contact with people from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds—ultra-Orthodox, national-religious, traditional, and secular. Again and again, mistrust and prejudice could be overcome, while trust, understanding, and friendship grew.
Being in Israel on October 7, 2023, and in the days immediately afterward, gave this project an entirely new depth. We witnessed the pain, the shock, and at the same time the unshakable resilience of the people. This experience strengthened our friendships, deepened our sense of responsibility, and clarified our calling in an unmistakable way.
Over the years, tens of thousands of handwritten postcards have been distributed, many Hebrew songs have been written, and countless conversations on the streets have taken place.
Training, Teaching, and Remembrance Culture
As the years went on, the area of teaching and education gained increasing importance—through schools, workshops, Christian congregations, and various events both in Israel and in Germany, among Jews, Christians, and secular audiences. Again and again, we are able to help dismantle prejudices and remove stones of historical separation. Where uncertainty or distance once existed, new hope can emerge.
We understand this project as lived friendship—a bridge of encounter connecting Christians of different traditions with the Jewish people, and also with their God. Our desire is to educate, to remember, and to help dismantle walls of separation—historical, cultural, and spiritual. Our heart is to create spaces where people can meet, listen to one another, and rediscover the value of the other. In these spaces, a clearer understanding arises of our own story, the reality of antisemitism, and the shared roots of our faith.
Our contribution may be small—like a single piece of a puzzle. Yet it is precisely this piece that we want to fill faithfully and with love.