Three years after the October 7 massacre, Jerusalem will become the center of an international gathering bringing together Christian and Jewish leaders, released hostages, bereaved families, wounded Israelis and supporters of Israel from across the world. The main event, scheduled for October 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Wall in Jerusalem’s Davidson Center, is expected to draw some 2,000 participants and will serve as the centerpiece of awill anchor a continuous 24-hour broadcast connecting Friends of Zion communities from Fiji, New Zealand and Austria through Africa, Asia and Europe and on to North, Central and South America.connecting communities across multiple time zones.
While organizers initially announced participation from 117 countries, Friends of Zion founder Dr. Mike Evans told ynet Global that the number has already grown to “more than 120 countries.” For Evans, however, the numbers are secondary to what he wants Israelis to feel when they see those delegations standing together in Jerusalem. “October 7th is the worst day in Israel’s history, and it’s a day of hopelessness,” he said. “We’re trying to give them some hope.”
Among those expected to participate are released hostages Agam Berger, Sagui Dekel Chen, Bar Kupershtein alongside his grandfather, Holocaust survivor Michael Kupershtein, and Evyatar David, as well as bereaved families, wounded soldiers, ambassadors and diplomatic representatives. t message is particularly relevant now. After Israelis watched demonstrations against their country erupt internationally immediately following the attacks, he said, the gathering is designed to offer another picture of the world: “We’re trying to show them that the world is with you… You’re not alone. You have many friends.”
The gathering is being initiated by Evans in partnership with Sylvan Adams, president of World Jewish Congress Israel, and will include a delegation of approximately 550 Christian leaders led by Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and president of Eagles’ Wings.
Among those expected to participate are released hostages Agam Berger, Sagui Dekel Chen, Bar Kupershtein- alongside his grandfather, Holocaust survivor Michael Kupershtein, and Evyatar David, as well as bereaved families, wounded soldiers, ambassadors and diplomatic representatives.
Stearns’ delegation arrived in Israel for a 10-day visit that also included Awake Jerusalem, a gathering at the Tower of David bringing Christian leaders from dozens of nations together through music, prayer and solidarity. The historic setting carried particular symbolism: King David is remembered not only as a warrior and leader but as a musician and poet, and Stearns has emphasized music’s ability to reach people beyond politics and argument. During the gathering, members of the delegation also sounded shofars together in communal prayer. “Our solidarity must be more than words,” Stearns said ahead of the October 7 event. “We are here to stand with them, to listen to their stories and to carry those stories back to our communities around the world.”
Bishop Robert Stearns
(Photo: Dudu Koren)
Evans sees those personal encounters as critical to changing perceptions of Israel abroad. He said Friends of Zion has worked closely with hostage families since October 8, 2023, helping amplify their stories internationally and supporting families financially. But he argues that Israel is fighting something much broader than a military battle, a struggle over how the country and its people are perceived.
“Perception is reality, not truth,” he said, arguing that Israelis are too often portrayed internationally as aggressive and militaristic rather than as people living ordinary lives amid extraordinary circumstances.
Evans said he is repeatedly struck by the contrast between how Israel is perceived overseas and what he experiences when he arrives in the country. On his latest trip, he recalled a driver taking him to the airport in Miami and warning him that he was heading somewhere dangerous. “I said, ‘No, no, no, I’m already at a dangerous place,’” Evans recalled. He told the driver that, in his view, people face greater everyday risks in major American cities than they do in Israel, including deaths from traffic accidents.
His broader point, he said, was that “the perception is wrong about Israel.” What he sees instead is “an amazing country with some of the brightest minds in the world” and people who “have suffered greatly, but they get up in the morning and they continue on with their lives.”
For Evans, the initiative is also rooted in decades of relationships with Israeli leaders across the political spectrum. He recalled that the late president Shimon Peres served as chairman of the international board of the Friends of Zion Museum, and used that relationship to underline his insistence that the October 7 gathering is not intended as a political event. “There are no politicians invited because we’re not wanting to get involved in politics,” he said. “Shimon Peres was my chairman and he was a leftist.” Evans joked that he himself was neither interested in being identified with the political right nor left: “I’m for the bird — all of the bird.”
The point, he said, is that support for Israel should transcend internal political divisions. “I don’t care about people’s opinions. They have every right to their opinions. But our commitment is to be friends of Zion, all of Zion. It takes so much less energy to be friends than enemies.” Friends of Zion describes its mission as combating antisemitism and mobilizing Christians to support Israel and the Jewish people.
Friends of Zion founder Mike Evans with Australian broadcaster Erin Molan, one of the hosts of the 24-hour broadcast from Jerusalem
(Photo: Courtesy)
That effort will extend far beyond Jerusalem on October 7. A special studio in the city will anchor a continuous 24-hour broadcast connecting Friends of Zion communities from Fiji, New Zealand and Austria through Africa, Asia and Europe and on to North, Central and South America. The central Jerusalem gathering, hosted by Nate Buzolic and Erin Molan, is expected to be broadcast internationally and reach tens of millions of viewers.
Music will be central to that effort through “The Whole World Sings Together,” a project produced by Evans and inspired by “We Are the World,” bringing together voices representing 17 countries and cultures.
Evans said he understood the emotional potential of the song through an unexpected encounter in California. Walking into a restaurant, he said, an Israeli woman who was there with her husband and children suddenly jumped up when she recognized him. She told him she had awakened that morning depressed by the pain and events surrounding Israel and had gone online, where she came across the song. “She said, ‘I was crying,’” Evans recalled. “She said, ‘It gave me hope.’” She then asked to hug him. For Evans, her reaction encapsulated the message behind the entire initiative: “They see, ‘Oh, we’re not alone. We always thought we were.’”
That question of whether Israelis feel increasingly alone runs through much of Evans’ thinking about the gathering. He argues that Israel has not adequately communicated the extent of support it receives from Christian Zionists, pointing to an evangelical population he estimates at roughly 750 million worldwide. Even in places where support for Israel might surprise Israelis, he said, Christian communities are organizing solidarity events. He cited a gathering of more than 2,000 people in Pakistan as one example. “Imagine it coming from Pakistan to show their support,” he said. “They’re doing it all over the world.”
Jerusalem was therefore a natural center for the initiative, he added, because the city lies at the spiritual heart of both Jewish history and Christian faith. “What unites the Christians, this is their home,” Evans said. “What we’re basically doing is we’re saying that we love you, we’re with you, you’re not alone.”
Behind Evans’ public advocacy is also a deeply personal story. He told ynet Global that his mother was Jewish and that his childhood was marked by witnessing antisemitic abuse directed at her by his father. He recalled trying to protect her and being violently attacked himself, an experience he says eventually gave him a sense of purpose. “I couldn’t defend one Jew against the Jew hater,” he said. “My life mission is to defend all the Jews.”
Decades later, as Christian leaders from more than 120 countries prepare to stand beside Israelis at the foot of Jerusalem’s Old City walls, Evans sees the gathering as an expression of that lifelong mission. “I’m very happy I’m living my dream,” he said. “This is a cause greater than myself.”