Skip to main content

Jerusalem's Newly Dedicated Lion of Judah Statue Celebrates Jewish-Christian Ties

Share This article

Dubbed the Lion of Judah, a bronze lion statue was dedicated in Jerusalem this week, in the presence of prominent Christian and Jewish guests, against the backdrop of Jerusalem’s Old City Walls.

“We thank you for this sculpture representing the Lion of Judah. We thank you Lord that you are the Lion. We thank you Lord that no weapon formed against us shall prosper,” prayed 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,” prayed Nick Vujicic, Chief Executive Officer of Life Without Limbs.

The Lion of Judah sculpture was created by American Christian artist Max Greiner and was given to Israel as a gesture of friendship and U.S. Christian support of the Jewish people of Israel several years ago.  The 1,134-pound, 11-foot-long bronze lion

was installed in one of Jerusalem’s largest parks.

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, who spoke at the dedication, recounted how God has fulfilled His promises to both scatter the Jewish people as well as to regather them and give them the State of Israel.

And equally as important, he said, is God’s fulfillment of His words in Psalm 126, which states that when He brings His people back, people will say, “He has done great things for them”. There’s never been a time when people all over the world have praised the God of Israel for His goodness to the Jewish people.

“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,” said. “The growing positive relationship between Christians and Jews is one of the most miraculous developments of recent history,” Wolicki said.

“This Lion of Judah sculpture marks this miracle for posterity. 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,” he said.

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum also praised the close relations 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,” Hassan-Nahoum said.

The Hebrew blessing, often employed to celebrate special occasions and give God thanks for unique experiences or acquiring special possessions, says: “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life and sustained us, and allowed us to arrive at this time.”

“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 added.

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Share This article

About The Author

Julie Stahl
Julie
Stahl

Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East. A Hebrew speaker, she has been covering news in Israel fulltime for more than 20 years. Julie’s life as a journalist has been intertwined with CBN – first as a graduate student in Journalism; then as a journalist with Middle East Television (METV) when it was owned by CBN from 1989-91; and now with the Middle East Bureau of CBN News in Jerusalem since 2009. As a correspondent for CBN News, Julie has covered Israel’s wars with Gaza, rocket attacks on Israeli communities, stories on the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and