Twenty or thirty years ago, a dinner like this would have been nearly impossible to imagine.
A rabbi, an evangelical pastor, a Catholic theologian, and a 12-year-old boy walk into a kosher restaurant in Washington, D.C. It almost sounds like the beginning of a joke. But on the evening of Israel Advocacy Day, it felt more like a glimpse of what can happen when people of faith gather around truth, covenant, and friendship.
After a full day walking the halls of Congress, advocating for Israel, and speaking with leaders about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, we found ourselves gathered around a table at Char Bar, a kosher restaurant just blocks from the center of American power. Outside, the city was busy and loud. Inside, over warm food and rich conversation, something deeply meaningful was taking place.
Seated at the table was Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, whose friendship has become one of the great gifts of my life. Beside him was Dr. Andre Villeneuve, a Catholic theologian whose love for Scripture and deep reverence for the Jewish roots of the Christian faith have helped build bridges many once thought impossible. Across from them sat my son, Graham, taking it all in with wide-eyed curiosity and quiet attentiveness.
And then there was me, an Assemblies of God pastor from western New York, sitting in a kosher restaurant, listening to a rabbi and a Catholic scholar discuss covenant, Scripture, and the future of Jewish-Christian relations, while my son munched on chicken fingers.
At one point during the meal, I leaned back and simply observed the moment: the laughter, the stories, the mutual respect, the shared burden for truth, and the love for Israel. It struck me deeply how improbable this scene would have been a generation ago.
Not because people of faith did not care about God, but because for so long, walls stood where bridges are now being built.
Historically, relationships between Jews and Christians have often been marked by suspicion, misunderstanding, and pain. Even within Christianity itself, deep divisions have separated traditions and denominations from one another. Yet here we were, not erasing our differences, not pretending theology no longer matters, but choosing friendship, honor, and a shared conviction that the God of Abraham keeps His promises.
That matters.
In a cultural moment when truth is often treated as relative and covenant is treated casually, there is something powerful about Jews and Christians standing together around the conviction that Scripture still matters. There are still men and women who believe covenant means something. There are still people who believe that when God says He will preserve Israel, bless the nations through Abraham, and remain faithful to His promises, He actually means it.
And perhaps what moved me most was watching my son experience it firsthand.
Graham was not merely hearing sermons or reading books about Jewish-Christian friendship. He was sitting at the table. He was watching it unfold in real time. He was seeing honor, humility, disagreement, faith, and friendship coexist around a kosher meal in the nation’s capital.
Moments like this remind us why the Israel Christian Nexus exists: to strengthen understanding, friendship, and advocacy between Christians and the Jewish people.
Long after I forget the policy meetings or congressional office visits from that day, I suspect I will remember that dinner.
Because sometimes the most important moments in advocacy are not found in speeches, stages, or official meetings.
Sometimes they happen over delicious food, shared stories, and the quiet realization that God is awakening something ancient and timely in our generation.
