EDITOR’S NOTE: Ten years ago, we dedicated the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem. My dear friend Shimon Peres, the ninth president of Israel spoke at the event. I’m sharing his words with you now because what he said then highlights the vital need for this great lighthouse of Christian love.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Mike, Dear friends, I want to thank you for joining this beautiful ceremony. Many of you have come to inaugurate a very special place. The Friends of Zion Museum is more than an exhibit. It is a monument.
In 1942, a Jewish volunteer in the British army was sent to Greece along with his brigade. Their mission was to sabotage the Nazi air force and push back the German occupation. Having fallen captive over the Nazi forces he fled for his life and found a safe haven in a Greek monastery. There he was fed and hidden from the German authorities. The monks saved his life well knowing they were risking their own by hiding a Jew.
After having stayed at the monastery for a year he decided to escape with a group of others. They fell hostage to the Luftwaffe and the Germans discovered that he was Jewish. He was sentenced to be shot in front of other prisoners. Among the prisoners, was an Australian priest. Just a moment before the Nazis were ordered to fire, the priest jumped out between the man and the firing squad. The priest said that this was a crime against the Geneva Conventions—that it would never be erased and that its executioners would have to live with it forever. He cried out in the name of humanity and saved the life of the Jewish man standing at a stake.
That man was my father, Yitzhak Perski. Under the general amnesty in Germany, the Australian priest was freed and my father never learned his identity. But back home my father told me, my wife and our children his incredible story. He told us of the courage of the monks when danger entered their lives. He told us about the courage of the Australian priest. The Talmud teaches us he who saves a life, saves a world.
The courageous men and women commemorated in this museum are heroes. The righteous among the nations are not a legend of the past, they are relevant to each and every one of us today. Not only do many of us owe them our existence but all of us owe them humanity’s claim to righteousness. They embody human dignity, respect for human life, human courage, hope of humanity. The Friends of Zion, the Christian friends of Zion, exemplify morality which keeps us human. Be human.
My friends, I have spent my whole life building this country. Zionism was not only a dream, it was a battle. Throughout history our people have enjoyed the support of many from all around the world. The longer journey of Zionism is the dreamers of hope. Our friends, throughout the centuries who stood with us and are not here, made this remarkable nation possible. Among those friends is Mike Evans. The Christian friends I mentioned are chronicled to Mike’s remarkable book but he has omitted his own name—which stands as a reproach to his editor.
Mike has shown the most outstanding commitment to the strengthening of the state of Israel. He, his family, his friends, have stood in the gap for the Jewish people for which I am so grateful in the name of our people. Mike, your vision has come true today and your name is engraved in the house of the Friends of Zion both in stones and in our hearts. Thank you, Mike!
Ladies and gentlemen, what you and your friends have done here today is unprecedented and unmatched. It is reminding us that each of us, all of us, were created in the image of the Lord. I would like to end by sharing King David’s beautiful words: “The righteous will never be shaken. They will be remembered forever.” Thank you very much.
The Friends of Zion Museum is an interactive, cutting edge, immersive experience. Using the latest in tech-nology we bring to life the stories of the men and women who have stood through the centuries as Christian friends of God’s Chosen People, often at great personal cost. These are stories that most Jewish people have never heard. That is why so many of them leave saying things like, “We are not alone!” “We have hope!” This lighthouse of Christian love shines brightly because friends like you made it possible for us to purchase the building, create the museum, and operate it on a daily basis.