An Israeli Feast for Gentiles

Christians from 35 lands mark Tabernacles in Jerusalem

As the end of the world nears, according to the biblical prophet Zechariah, visitors from many nations will gather each year in Jerusalem "to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles." The words took life last week as 3,000 people from 35 countries celebrated Tabernacles, or Sukkoth, with parades, cookouts and musical services in one of the Holy City's most spectacular religious events of the year. Significantly, the celebrants were Christians.

In a welcoming speech, Prime Minister Menachem Begin declared: "I would like to tell all the prophets of doom and gloom to come to Jerusalem and see all the shining eyes. Then they would know that Israel is not alone." Among those applauding were Christians from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and India, none of which even has diplomatic relations with Israel. However, a few religious Israelis, foes of Christian missionaries in the Holy Land, were less than delighted.

It was missionary-minded Evangelicals who organized the International Christian Celebration During the Feast of Tabernacles, planned as an annual opportunity "to rejoice before the Lord and to stand and support the Jewish people and comfort Zion." So said the Rev. Johann Lukoff, 42, a Dutch Reformed South African who directs the festival and the related International Christian Embassy.

Lukoffs "embassy," founded only last year, has set up permanent shop in the former Chilean embassy (all foreign embassies have moved out of Jerusalem). At a time of dwindling religious and secular support for Israel, it acts as a center for visiting Christians and seeks to rally friendship for the Jewish state among the tens of millions of Evangelicals around the world. Most of the 30 full-time volunteer staffers, and many contributors to the monthly budget of $15,000, are Charismatics. Virtually all are millenarians, who believe that Zionism is part of God's design for the days preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Sukkoth, the planners decided, is the ideal festival for promoting Jewish-Christian reconciliation. It is the only one of three obligatory Jewish pilgrim festivals in the Bible that was not supplanted in Christianity (Passover became Easter, and the Feast of Weeks became Pentecost Sunday). The seven-day festival stressed repentance for Christendom's past sins against Jews. Explained the program: "Though we may not be accountable personally for the historic victimization of the Jews or the resultant dilemma in the Jewish perception of Christianity, we must still bear the guilt for atrocities committed against God's Chosen People." The high point occurred at Yad Vashem, the memorial for victims of the Nazi Holocaust. There, British Baptist Minister David Pawson preached fervently on Christian identification with Jews.

Young zealots aside, most Jews seemed enthusiastic. As the new embassy headquarters opened its doors, a 74-year-old woman who is a sixth-generation Jerusalemite spoke with one of the young women pilgrims from West Germany. "I'm touched, I tell you," she said. "I'm Jewish and you're Christian, but Jesus was a good Jew." The two women embraced. -

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