Responding to an invitation from the Israeli Parliament's "Christian Allies Caucus," 12 leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, including general vice presidents Armando Miranda and Michael L. Ryan and Trans-European regional church president Bertil Wiklander, visited the Israeli Parliament, known as the Knesset. Pastor Richard Elofer, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel, was also part of the group.

"We are here to look for a better future and how we can work together to improve the safety and quality of life of people in Israel," says Gila Gamliel, a Likud member of the Knesset, who was the speaker in the meeting. "We face the same problems, and we need to come closer together to succeed in ... understanding each other better, in spite of cultural and religious [differences]. We should not forget the past, but we must not dwell on it, [instead, we should] move forward," she concluded.

Joshua S. Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus (KCAC), which is a group of parliamentarians and various church leaders, who chaired the meeting, explained to the Adventist leaders the main purpose of the KCAC: "Our dream is to bring basic Judeo-Christian principles to those who are living in different societies, including Israel. Jews and Christians have many points in common, in particular Seventh-day Adventists. We can improve the way of living the fairness, justice and the rights of minorities in many societies," says Josh Reinstein.

On behalf of Knesset CAC, Reinstein invited Pastor Elofer to be a regular invitee. This will give the Seventh-day Adventist Church a seat at the table in the process of shaping and modelling a strategy of promoting Juedo-Christian values in Israel and elsewhere.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel has 1,500 members worshipping in 29 congregations across the country. World church leaders are in Jerusalem this week for a Jewish-Adventist Friendship Conference, a first for this Protestant mainstream world communion. [Editor: Miroslav Pujic for ANN/APD]