Israel’s consul general in Los Angeles, Israel Bachar, has launched what he calls the flagship project of his term, a traveling exhibit called The Israel Experience. It is designed to bring Israel to Christian communities in America’s rural and suburban areas, especially evangelicals who already see Israel through biblical texts but may know little about it firsthand. Bachar said the effort is meant to connect Israel’s story to church audiences outside major cities, warning that if Israel does not preserve its Christian coalition, “the base of moral support” could collapse.
The exhibit opened at Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, north of Los Angeles, one of the largest conservative churches in Southern California. About 2,500 people attended the launch at the church, which is led by Pastor Paul Chappell and has a Spanish-language congregation as well. The event mixed pro-Israel prayer with overtly conservative Christian messaging, including criticism of Pride Month and a parade in Los Angeles. Pastor Matt Davis, who produced the project through Hear from Us, said the goal was to counter what he called false claims about Israel, including allegations of genocide, and to reach people who are shaped more by social media than television.
The exhibit uses immersive displays, including a 180-degree film of flights over Israel and a virtual reality station focused on the events of October 7, 2023. Visitors also encounter footage from the Sea of Galilee, the Western Wall, the Dead Sea, the Galilee, Bethlehem, Hebron, the Golan Heights, City of David and Nazareth, plus prayer and educational stations. The Israeli Foreign Ministry invested about 6 million shekels in the project, which has an accompanying website and educational syllabus for pastors. It is set to continue to Arizona and Nevada, and later to roughly 80 more venues, including UCLA.
The article notes that the partnership between Israel and Christian supporters is deeply supportive but theologically complicated, since some believers also expect Jews eventually to accept Jesus as the messiah. Still, attendees said the project helped them understand Israel better after October 7. One 68-year-old attendee, Tony Sandley, said many people do not believe October 7 happened and that younger generations are fed distorted information online. A 38-year-old church worker, Isai Gonzalez, said the event was important for his children and for combating antisemitism early.
