By Charles Gardner — 
Amid the despicable scenes of Jew-hatred being spewed out on the streets of the world’s major cities, it was so heart-warming to receive a glowing report of the massive pro-Israel rally in Washington DC from my dear friend Theresa Newell.
Pictured here with Brian Flewelling, associate pastor of Petra Church in New Holland, Pennsylvania, 82-year-old Theresa and friends hired a bus to join 300,000 people making a stand for Israel in the famous Washington Mall.
Theresa is a USA board member of the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people, formerly serving as director, after starting out as a young journalist in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Civil Rights marches.
Speaking of this week’s rally, Theresa said: “Most touching were the conversations we had with Jewish people who noticed our signs identifying us as Christians.
“A young man from Long Island stopped with his friends to tell me that they were experiencing fear where they lived because of hostility. He said they were not wearing kippahs on the street but added that he was so grateful to see we were there.
“I told him that they would always have a home in Lancaster County (in Pennsylvania) if they needed a place to be safe. I handed him my card with my phone number and email.
‘You are not alone,’ I told him. And all of his friends said, ‘Thank you. We need to hear this.’
“Many others waved to us and said, ‘We are so glad you came’. In fact, so many young and older Jewish people thanked us profusely for standing with them.
“Tears came to the eyes of an older Jewish woman as we hugged. I thought of the centuries of Jew-hatred that had been perpetrated by people who called themselves ‘Christians’.
“I knew I could not wipe away the fear of the ‘goyim’ (a derogatory term sometimes used for Gentiles) that had made its way into their Jewish souls and even their DNA. But how I longed for the miracle that in that one hug the ugly sin would be eradicated forever in at least one heart.”
Theresa added that though security was visible, there were no disturbances.
