The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) 2026 Convention convened its annual Breakfast to Honor Israel a few weeks ago under the shadow of a rapidly shifting Middle East.
The morning began with a performance by Omer Netzer, an Israeli country music artist Omer Netzer, an Israeli-born artist. Following the American and Israeli national anthems, he sang some original music born directly from the region’s recent trauma, having recorded his songs during brief reprieves between military missions and attending funerals.
Omer Netzer
Chris Mitchell, who hosted the event, addressed attendees: “We celebrate that for the first time in ten years, there are no more hostages in Gaza, living or deceased.” Yet, “Israel still fights the war that began in earnest on October eighth. The battle for truth.”
Chris Mitchell, CBN News
For the Christian media leaders, pastors, and diplomats in attendance, support for Israel has palpably transitioned from a strictly theological mandate into a strategic, civilizational defense pact.
This forward-looking mission was the focal point of the keynote address delivered by Gilad Erdan, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and the United States. Erdan characterized the current geopolitical landscape as a historic crossroads, focusing heavily on the looming specter of Iran. The NRB breakfast took place just nine days before the U.S. and Israel launched the beginnings of their joint strike against Iran.
“The Ayatollah regime is not just Israel’s problem, it’s the free world’s problem,” Erdan stated, cautioning that Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles are ultimately intended for Western capitals like London, Paris, and Washington. He urged the Trump administration to decisively confront the Iranian government rather than pursue diplomatic compromises. “We stand at a decisive moment. Negotiate or act. Talk or strike. Make a deal or deal a blow,” he said.
Gilad Erdan, Global President of Magen David Adom (MDA)
Erdan also championed an emerging foreign policy approach that insists on stripping American funding from international institutions that elevate rogue regimes. He leveled sharp criticism at the UN, which he described as “a weapon in the hands of tyrants and terrorists.”
Beyond statecraft, Erdan emphasized an existential interdependency between Jewish and Christian communities. He noted that while Christian populations have plummeted in places like Iraq and Nigeria, Israel remains the “only firewall protecting Christianity” in the Middle East.
“There’s a saying in Arabic. … ‘Today we come for the Saturday people. Tomorrow we come for the Sunday people,'” Erdan told the audience. “We Jews are the people of Saturday. You, my dear Christian friends, are the people of Sunday. And make no mistake, when they come for us, they will come for you next.”
The practical application of this alliance was highlighted through the work of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, where Erdan now serves as global president. The human element of this medical frontline was illustrated by Yasmeen Mazzawi, an Israeli Christian Arab volunteer paramedic from Nazareth.
Mazzawi painted a picture of everyday cooperation that defies the region’s broader conflicts. “Inside our ambulances, Jews, Muslims, Christians and [Druze] work side by side, united by compassion and focused…on one shared mission of saving lives,” Mazzawi noted, calling it “coexistence in its purest and most powerful form.”
Yasmeen Mazzawi, MDA
Yet, speakers warned that the physical wars in the Middle East are being mirrored by an equally dangerous battle over public perception and safety in the West. E.J. Kimball, director of Christian engagement for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), detailed a sharp rise in globalized anti-Semitic violence.
“Jew haters are not moderating their message. They are disguising it,” Kimball warned. Challenging the broadcasters to leverage their platforms, he added, “Words without action are just words.”
EJ Kimball, CAM
The NRB Breakfast signaled an organized effort to combat this shifting narrative. Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, the interim board chair of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFC), challenged the media professionals in the room to view their networks as defensive infrastructure.
“Every generation has a test, ladies and gentlemen, and this is our test,” Lanier said. “Will we be the Iron Dome for truth?”
Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, IFCJ
Susan Michael, president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem–USA and director of American Christian Leaders for Israel, closed the breakfast in prayer.
Acknowledging the geopolitical and cultural threats discussed throughout the morning, Michael prayed for divine intervention against “two very dark clouds” on the horizon—the regime in Iran and the global explosion of antisemitism.
Directing her final words to the responsibility of the media leaders in the room, Michael prayed, “Use us as beacons of light against the darkness in the world and the darkness of Jew hatred.”
Susan Michael, ICEJ USA branch
The breakfast was made possible through the generous support of Magen David Adom, Combat Antisemitism Movement, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
