In 2010, Pastor Juan Rivera went on a transformational trip to Israel with his church. He returned inspired to build relationships with Jewish clergy and communities. Rivera came to see the importance of following God’s commitment in Genesis to Bless Abraham’s descendants. His community began donating regularly to local synagogues, and he began meeting with and forging deep friendships with local rabbis.

Pastor Rivera continued is journey, becoming Lead Pastor of Victory Church in Youngston, Ohio. As spiritual leader of one of the largest churches in the region, as well as one of the most diverse, he redoubled his efforts to befriend Jewish leaders and participate in its communal gatherings. 

Seeing his kindness and good will, leaders from the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation reached back, notable among them was Bonnie Burdman, Executive Director of Community Relations and Government Affairs. She saw the genuine nature of Pastor Rivera’s solidarity with the Jewish community and realized the potential for him to become a leader among leaders and foster Jewish-Christian solidarity across the region.

After a series of conversations, Rivera and Burdman enlisted the involvement of another prominent pastor, Lewis Mackin, Pastor at Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church and one of the leading African American spiritual leaders for more than 25 years in Youngstown. Macklin, Rivera, and Burdman began planning a journey to Israel for pastors across the region. Between Macklin and Burdman, they would be able to engage a variety of denominations, cultural communities, and expressions of Christian faith. This would not be an interfaith trip per se, so much as a deeply ecumenical one, inspiring pastors from different churches, ethnicities, genders, and spiritual approaches to understand and appreciate the Land of Israel as the birthplace of their faith. 

They departed on this journey in 2018, and their collaborations have not stopped since.

Burdman recounts with a smile that she was the only Jewish person on this trip for 15 pastors to Israel. Yet its enduring impact has reached the entire Jewish community in Youngstown — and well beyond. Pastors Macklin and Rivera and their 15 colleagues learned deeply about the nature of Jewish Peoplehood and the sense that all Jews are part of a large family, connected both in Homeland and Diaspora. They saw firsthand the miraculous nature of Israel today and connected soulfully with Christian Holy sites around the Galilee and Jerusalem. They returned inspired to work with and care for the local Jewish community.

This has proven significant not only at moments of easy dialogue and shared programs, but also moments of crisis. The massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in nearby Pittsburgh hit home for Jewish leaders, and their sense of grief and fear ran deep. But the presence of Christian friends at communal gatherings reduced their sense of isolation and reaffirmed that the safety of the Jewish community mattered far beyond it. 

Likewise, since October 7th, local pastors from denominations that have been critical of Israel instead sought to reach out to and comfort Jewish communities and reaffirm their dedication to nuance and an underlying appreciation of Israel. Leaders from more pro-Israel churches affirmed their solidarity more openly, and Pastor Rivera has returned to Israel twice in the last 18 months.

Ms. Burdman and Pastor Rivera emphasize the importance of recognizing their theological differences from the start. Their shared sense of purpose does not derive from overlooking genuinely disparate approaches to faith but in engaging with empathy and candor in full acknowledgement of them. 

Yet they both look back in awe at how one transformational journey to Israel solidified their friendship — and that of so many leaders in their area.