When President Donald J. Trump arrives in Jerusalem, he’ll find his supporters have preceded him with billboards, banners and front-page advertisements in the Jerusalem Post, all of which aim to welcome him to the State of Israel. The billboards and signs proclaim that “Trump Is a Friend of Zion” and “JerUSAlem Welcomes Trump.” Others ask the president of the United States to “Make Israel Great!”
The initiative was launched by Dr. Michael Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center and a supporter of Donald J. Trump, who served on his campaign’s Evangelical Advisory Board. He was also numbered among a small group of Christian leaders hosted for dinner by the president and vice president at the White House on May 3, 2017, on the eve of the United States’ annual National Day of Prayer commemoration. President Trump received a record amount of evangelical support in the 2016 presidential election, and has continued to make the constituency a priority in his administration’s policies.
“Anytime the president of the United States comes to Israel it is significant, but there’s a special significance to President Trump coming so early in his presidency,” said Dr. Michael Evans. “We wanted to make it abundantly clear how grateful we are for his visit and the anticipation we have for a stronger-than-ever relationship between the United States and Israel.”
Since opening its doors in 2015, the Friends of Zion Museum has become a must-stop for international leaders, ambassadors, foreign delegations, celebrities and tourists. Its visitors have included Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, Hollywood actor Jon Voight, Argentine musician Facundo Arana, NBA players Iman Shumpert, Omri Casspi, James Caron Butler and Nobel laureate Roger Kornberg.
A quarter-page advertisement on the front page of a recent Jerusalem Post notes that Jerusalem’s Friends of Zion Museum tells the “stories of amazing evangelicals who defended the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.”
The museum’s prestigious Friend of Zion Award has been presented to President George W. Bush, Crown Prince of Monaco Albert II, and former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, among others. Dr. Evans and the museum’s founding chairman, the late Shimon Peres, also honored Pope Francis with an artifact from the Friends of Zion Founder’s collection.
With work throughout the world, the Friends of Zion Heritage Center will be throwing a 50th Anniversary celebration of the liberation of Jerusalem in Dallas, Texas on June 10, 2017. The evening will include an address by keynote speaker Governor Mike Huckabee, along with video presentations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat.
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