From the outside, there was no mistaking where I was.
asserted
I → be → outside
I was walking into Cypress Baptist Church in Louisiana, led by Pastor John Fream.
asserted
I → walk → Fream
The moment I stepped inside, something felt unexpectedly familiar.
asserted
something → step → ?
Israeli and American flags stood side by side on every table.
asserted
flags → stand → table
The room carried the same unmistakable love for Israel that I had experienced inside Jewish institutions.
asserted
I → carry → institutions
For a moment, I felt as though I had been transported into a synagogue.
asserted
I → feel → synagogue
Then people began walking toward me.
asserted
people → begin → me
They introduced themselves, thanked me for being there, and asked about my work.
asserted
They → introduce → work
They wanted to know what more they could learn about Israel and the Jewish people.
uncertain
they → want → Israel
I did not have to explain why Israel mattered to me or determine whether my Jewish identity would be understood.
asserted
identity → have → me
I felt recognized before I had said a word
asserted
I → recognize → word
The moment was especially moving because I am more accustomed to experiencing it from the other side. I often attend Jewish conferences and summits where allies are in the minority, and I make a point of thanking them for being there.
asserted
I → experience → them
This time, I was the Jewish guest in a room filled largely with Christians, and they were the ones walking toward me.
asserted
they → fill → me
The church had not tried to become a synagogue, nor should it.
asserted
it → try → ?
What felt familiar was something deeper: the visible pride in Israel, the warmth extended toward a Jewish stranger, and the sense that faith could create a bridge rather than a boundary.
uncertain
faith → feel → bridge
I had been invited by Fream to join his Traits of a Champion podcast, and I brought Traci Coston with me.
asserted
I → invite → me
Our friendship began because of Israel.
asserted
friendship → begin → Israel
We first connected after Traci began using her enormous online platform to challenge misinformation about Israel.
asserted
Traci → connect → Israel
During one of our early conversations, I asked whether she had ever been there.
asserted
she → ask → conversations
She had not.
asserted
She → have → ?
This past June, Traci traveled with me to Israel as part of a journalist delegation I hosted through my nonprofit group, ShieldGiving.
asserted
I → travel → group
I bring journalists and media professionals from a growing waitlist, representing different backgrounds and viewpoints, to experience Israel firsthand and form their own conclusions.
asserted
I → bring → conclusions
Participants are not handed a script or told what to report.
asserted
Participants → hand → what
They are given access, encouraged to ask difficult questions, and invited to meet the people behind the headlines.
asserted
They → give → headlines
For Traci, the journey offered an opportunity to move beyond the arguments she had encountered online.
asserted
she → offer → arguments
We stood in the same places, met the same people, and discussed what we witnessed through both a Jewish and Christian lens.
asserted
we → stand → lens
Bringing Traci to Cypress Baptist Church felt like a continuation of that journey.
asserted
Bringing → bring → journey
Before recording, Traci and I joined a gathering of roughly 50 people who heard directly from Ambassador Dr. Yechiel Leiter.
asserted
who → record → Leiter
That was followed by an intimate lunch with Fream, Traci, the ambassador, members of his staff, several other guests, and me.
asserted
That → follow → staff
We discussed the difference between how Israel is portrayed in the media and what is happening on the ground.
asserted
what → discuss → ground
We spoke about Jewish and Christian customs, where our traditions intersect, and the questions people are sometimes hesitant to ask publicly.
asserted
people → speak → customs
Several Christians expressed frustration over how difficult it has become to describe themselves as proud Zionists.
asserted
it → express → Zionists
The word has been turned into an accusation, even though many of those condemning it could not explain what Zionism means.
uncertain
Zionism → turn → what
For the Christians around that table, supporting the right of the Jewish people to live securely in their ancestral homeland was not an empty political slogan.
asserted
supporting → support → homeland
The conversation continued in a larger summit arranged in a square, so no one felt relegated to the sidelines.
asserted
one → continue → sidelines
More than 70 pastors, legislative leaders, congressional representatives, and other participants gathered in a setting designed for engagement.
asserted
pastors → gather → engagement
Everyone could see one another, and everyone was invited into the discussion.
uncertain
everyone → see → discussion
That evening, more than 2,000 people attended an event featuring Fream and Leiter.
asserted
people → attend → Fream
What began as an intimate conversation around a lunch table became a public expression of support for Israel and a willingness to learn more about the Jewish people.
asserted
began → begin → people
This was Louisiana, far from the Jewish communal spaces in which I usually have these conversations.
asserted
I → have → conversations
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
