Prominent evangelical leaders have signed a letter urging key political leaders to take a stand against anti-Semitism, support Israel and respond to a massacre by Hamas on October 7, which they described as the most “significant since the Holocaust”.

The letter, released Monday, urges Congress “to take the following specific steps without delay to combat anti-Semitism and ensure that the Jewish state survives this horrific attack.”

“We represent many faith traditions and have come together, in a unified voice, to defend our common humanity against barbarism and terror,†says the letter.

The Christian leaders are demanding concrete steps from Congress, such as funding Israel’s defenses, passing actions against anti-Semitism and overseeing measures to prevent and punish hate crimes in the United States.

The letter also urges maintaining sanctions against Iran and supporting Israel’s defense against Hamas and other Islamic terrorist organizations. The signatories affirm their solidarity with the Jewish people and Israel and encourage all Americans to join them.

According to the Israeli prime minister’s office, more than 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, with 6,900 others injured since Hamas terrorists launched unprecedented surprise attacks on Israel on October 7.

In their letter, the evangelical leaders describe the killings as the “most significant massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

After that terrible terror, anti-Semitic protests broke out in the United States and all over the world. We will not remain silent in response. Like the signatories of this letter, the majority of Americans continue to stand with their Jewish brothers and sisters in the United States and in the Jewish homeland of Israel. As Jews remain the target of more than half of religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States and as Israel faces a battle for its survival, Americans of all faiths and origins must take action now,” they wrote.

With this letter, we issue a unified condemnation of anti-Semitism and proclaim our support for Israel’s right to self-defense. The American government, and the people’s representatives in Congress, cannot waver in both fighting anti-Semitism and supporting the State of Israel.”

Signatories of the letter include: Ralph E. Reed, president of the Faith & Freedom Coalition; Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition; James Dobson, founder and president of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute; Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas; Jonathan Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University; Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor of Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia; Jack Graham, senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas; John Hagee, CEO and pastor of Cornerstone Church; Richard Land, managing editor of The Christian Post and president emeritus of Southern Evangelical Seminary; David Olson, senior pastor of Heartland Church; Gordon Robertson, CEO and president of The Christian Broadcasting Network; James Robison, founder and president of LIFE Outreach International; Jordan Sekulow, president and CEO of ACLJ Action and Rabbi Tuly Weisz, president of Israel365 and editor of The Israel Bible.

—As faith leaders representing many traditions, we affirm our support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. We call on Americans of all religious backgrounds to join us in pledging our unwavering commitment to support our Jewish brothers and sisters,” the letter concludes.

In October, Southern Baptist Convention leaders took the lead by releasing a statement supported by dozens of evangelical leaders condemning attacks by Hamas and expressing their support for Israel’s “right and duty to defend itself against further attack.”

At the time, Land, who also signed the letter, expressed his solidarity with the Jewish community, which he said was distressed by the lack of global outrage.

“I’ve been contacted by several of my Jewish friends. And they’re upset,” Land said. “They are very concerned that there hasn’t been more outrage and there hasn’t been more condemnation of these horrific acts.”

“Hamas is a terrorist organization,” he continued. “They don’t want to negotiate with the Israelis. Hamas wants to drive the Jews into the sea and exterminate them. They promote genocide. They are even worse than the Nazis because at least the Nazis tried to cover up what they did. . . . Hamas promotes that , which they are doing. Israel has every right to defend itself against the savagery.

“We heard people talking about the clash of civilizations between Islam and Christianity. This is not a clash of civilizations. This is a clash between civilization and barbarism,” he said.

Land, who is also president emeritus of Southern Seminary in North Carolina, criticized attempts by some to draw moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas, pointing out that such equivalences are misplaced and indicate a “demagnetized” moral compass.

He called on American policymakers to provide Israel with the necessary means to defend itself.

“They are not asking us for any troops,” he said. “They’re just asking us for the means to defend themselves against these horrific types of attacks.”

“It is important that we stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends,” he added. “This is barbarism as low as it gets. Civilization simply must not tolerate it.”