The “Lion of Judah” bronze statue, which celebrates Israel and the country’s friendship with Christian communities in America, was dedicated at a ceremony in Jerusalem with major Christian and Jewish guests in attendance.
The dedication was in partnership with the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) and the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. The massive statue was designed by American artist Max Greiner Jr. and is worth over $100,000. According to local news reports, the statue was installed during COVID in the Bloomfield Garden, one of the largest parks in Jerusalem, in May 2020.
"We thank you Lord that you are the Lion. We thank you Lord that no weapon formed against us shall prosper."https://t.co/VQKBPwKpIb
— The 700 Club (@700club) June 12, 2022
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, executive director of CJCUC, was one of the speakers who spoke at the event. The rabbi said God had fulfilled His promise to deliver the state of Israel to the Jews.
He also quoted the fulfillment of God’s promise in Psalm 126, which speaks that of the Lord bringing His people back, they will say, “He has done great things for them.”
“The prayer, support, and friendship of Christians for the Jewish state, the State of Israel, is no less a fulfillment of biblical prophecy than the State of Israel’s existence itself,” Wolicki said. “The growing positive relationship between Christians and Jews is one of the most miraculous developments of recent history.”
'Lion of Judah' statue celebrates Christian-Jewish ties | “The prayer, support, and friendship of Christians for the Jewish state, the State of Israel, is no less a fulfillment of biblical prophecy than the State of Israel’s existence itself!” https://t.co/PjZ3mQtzic
— Jeb Handwerger 🗽🇺🇸⛏ (@goldstocktrades) June 13, 2022
“This Lion of Judah sculpture marks this miracle for posterity," he continued. "For decades and centuries to come, visitors to Jerusalem will come to this place, read the inscription and be reminded that as the State of Israel flourished in our time, American Christians stood with us, shoulder to shoulder in love and friendship.”
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum also spoke at the dedication, and she praised the strong connection between Christians and Jews.
“In Hebrew, when we inaugurate something as special as this that symbolizes the incredible friendship between Jews and Christians and the Evangelical community, we have a prayer,” the deputy mayor said.
“We are so blessed to have gotten to this place, to have the Old City of Jerusalem, where we just celebrated Jerusalem Day, 55 years of the reunification of the city King David built for the Jewish Kingdom of Israel, the city that united all the tribes of the Jewish Kingdom of Israel, the city that in Hebrew symbolizes peace,” she continued.
Nick Vujicic, CEO of Life Without Limbs, a nonprofit committed to sharing the Gospel, led a prayer during his remarks at the dedication. The Christian speaker thanked God for the sculpture and expressed his gratitude to the Lord for being “the lion.”
“We thank you, Lord, that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We thank you, Lord, that we are ambassadors of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and not even the gates of hell shall prevail,” Vujicic said.
“We are so grateful for your generous and meaningful gift to the city of Jerusalem that locals and tourists alike will enjoy,” Hassan-Nahoum wrote to Greiner.
“Let the ‘Lion Of Judah’ arise in Israel! We are honored and humbled that God would use my art and our friends to make this gift possible!”
