(Dallas, Texas) โ This was supposed to be a very big week for me and for the pro-Israel movement in the United States. On Wednesday, June 11th, I was set to speak at the Israel Summit, a large pro-Israel gathering put together by my good friends from the Israel guys.
As well as myself, speakers were to include former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and members of the Israeli Knesset.
This great pro-Israel event in Dallas, Texas, was to gather Jews and Christians together “for such a time as this” as Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts and antisemitism is rearing its violent head right here in the United States.
The event has been canceled. Why? Because the Israel Guys couldn’t find a venue willing to host it due to physical terroristic threats. Islamic jihadistsโand likely left-wing radicals as wellโthreatened to harm people participating in or attending this event. This is where we are at right now in 2025 America.
The threat level is through the roof right now in the United States. We saw what happened last week when an Islamic jihadist firebombed a group of Jews, including a Holocaust survivor, in Boulder, Colorado. Last month, we had two Christian Israeli embassy staffers gunned down, murdered in cold blood, in the streets of Washington, DC. The list goes on. That is where we are at in terms of the threat levelโeven in Texas.
It is worth noting that the Israel summit also had problems last year in Tennessee, but they were ultimately able to host the event in Nashville.
This is a very dangerous moment in America.
All of this comes against the backdrop of two significant anniversaries that took place last week. June 6th was the 81st anniversary of the storming of the beaches of Normandy, where our brave soldiers fought for our freedoms, the kind of freedoms that were trampled on this week when this summit was canceled by anti-American agitators and terrorists. The previous day was the 58th anniversary of the Six-Day War, Israel’s great fight for freedom, a momentous victory against its enemies. Talk about a reminder!
I sat down with one of the co-founders of the Israel Guys, Luke Hilton, and Rabbi Ari Abramowitz, who traveled all the way from Israel to participate in the summit. The two broke down what led to the cancelation of the summit and how we should respond.
“It does, like you said, feel like this is a turning point in America,” Hilton said. “My question right now is, can Jews and pro-Israel Christians safely gather in public in support of Israel todayโeven in Dallas, Texas, of all places? It honestly feels like that’s no longer possible.”
“Because of what happened in Washington, DC, and then in Boulder, Colorado, the threat level and the threat analysis for anything Israel-related has just skyrocketed,” he explained. “Long story short, the security operations that had to be involved with law enforcement and private security and the cost involved made it impossible to hold the Israel Summit at the original venue.”
“We then moved to a second venue, a private facility outside of Dallas. Then, the threats started,” Hilton explained. “Pro-Hamas activists and pro-Palestinian activists got on social media; they had a banner-making party preparing to come and protest at our event that was supposed to start this week. We received word from our security connections that there were threats on the dark webโwe’re talking about direct and indirect threatsโagainst our organization, against the host venue, against the conference itself.”
“They used the terminology ‘we are going to target the Israel Summit,'” The Israel Guys COO detailed. “After Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, DC, I don’t understand that any other way except that means ‘we’re going to commit violence against Jews’ and possibly anybody who wants to stand with the Jewish people and Israel. It’s very unfortunate that we are no longer able to hold a public event in Dallas, Texas, in support of Israel.”
Rabbi Ari Abramowitz, who is a Texas native living in the Jewish State, explained what he sees happening from an Israeli perspective.
“The Texas ethos is ‘don’t mess with Texas,'” he noted. “Texas has a strength, and a courage, and a faith, and a conviction. I was shocked when I heard that in Texasโmaybe Oregon, but to cancel it in Texas shocks me.”
“I can’t believe that America doesn’t see with clarity that the war is not against Israel and the Jewish people… the war is against all those who are resisting the caliphate,” Abramowitz asserted. “All women who don’t want to wear a burka, this war is against you. We are in Judea. We are the tip of the spear, on the front lines fighting for the entire free world.”
Abramowitz described his astonishment at how Texas responded to the threats, adding, “If they sense fear from us, it’s a win.”
Again, the speakers at the event would have been myself, a former ambassador, a former congress member, and Israeli Knesset members. This wasn’t some fringe radical gathering, needless to say. Given the threat climate, with the increase of antisemitic attacksโas well as Christian supporters of Israel with a bullseye on their backsโI asked the two men what could be done.
“We can’t take this lying down,” Hilton responded. “This can’t be a defeat. We’re looking at rescheduling the Israel Summit, maybe even this year; we just have to find a venue that is bold and courageous enough to stand up against intimidation and threats.”
“The Jewish people have been a target of antisemitism, which is just a fancy word for Jew-hatred, for thousands of years, and nothing is changing. In America, unfortunately, since October 7th, antisemitism has grown when you would think it would be the opposite,” he described. “I think right now, we’re seeing a turning point. If you’re a pro-Israel Christian, if you are a believer in the Bible and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you are also becoming a target. So whether you’re a Jew, whether you’re a Christian, or, honestly, a freedom-loving American, then this is a warning. This is a wake-up call: it’s time to take action. We can’t sit idly by. We can’t just talk. We have to get out there and stand up against this hatred, against these jihadist threats that seem to be overwhelming America.”
Well said. It always starts with the Jews, but it never ends with the Jews.
“It starts in Auschwitz for the Jews, but it ends in Pearl Harbor for America,” Abramowitz agreed. “The war against Israel, the war against the Jews of Judea, the war against the Jews of the land of Israel, is a war against the love of liberty and freedomโespecially those that believe in the Bible and the God of Israel.”
“The war is against you,” he underscored. “This is the time to show we are not afraid. We will tripleโwe will have thousands of events throughout America standing with Israel and the Jewish people. If you want to attack them, we invite you because we’re ready.”
“That is the understanding of Islam and the way they see the world; when they sense fear, they will attack,” Abramowitz added. “There needs to be a biblical faith and a courage that is sparked in the hearts of all those that really fear God.”
