 NOVEMBER 12 • 2020 | 29

to Mevaseret because of its large population 
of Ethiopian immigrants to Israel. 
The Plummers “are very interested in 
converting the Black Jews here in Israel,
” 
Singer told the JN. The pastor “has said 
explicitly, ‘
I am of African descent and the 
Ethiopian Jews are of African descent. We 
both share the same skin color, so it will be 
easier to cultivate relations with them, to 
bring them to the church.
’
”
Singer also claimed COGIC “has part-
nered” with Messianic Jewish (also called 
“Jews for Jesus”) congregations in Israel. 

PLUMMER RESPONDS
Plummer denied every accusation.
“I am stunned at the aggressive, hateful 
comments we’
re getting,
” he said. “What 
Rabbi Singer did was so immoral and so 
wrong. He takes clips from Sunday school 
lessons for Christians from one to two years 
ago and combined it with another video.
” 
Plummer acknowledged that he and 
COGIC have ambitious plans in Israel, but 
says none include proselytizing. 
“We are establishing an educational 
institution targeted to millennial-aged 
Black Americans who will study media and 
broadcasting arts while being exposed to 
Israel for 90 days,
” he said. “They will get a 
real experience of living here: The geopol-
itics, the religious world and life that hap-
pens here.
” 
Plummer, who has led many short-term 
pilgrimages to Israel over the years, also 
hopes to vastly increase tourism to Israel 
among African Americans. 
Despite sometimes strained relations with 
some Jewish Americans over Black Lives 
Matter and other issues, African Americans 
“have a love for Israel because of the Bible,
” 
Plummer said. “They name their churches 
after locations in Israel. We have a history 
with American Jews as a people. Jews were 
marching with us, singing with us. Some 
gave their life and blood for us.
” 
But few African Americans know much 
about modern-day Israel, said Plummer, 
who is considered a top ally to Israel by the 
Israel Allies Foundation. 
“That’
s why part of my role is to not only 
familiarize our people with Israel, but to 
build a bridge in a relationship that will be 
longstanding and sustained between Black 
America and Israel,
” he said. 
Plummer said Israel and the Black 
American community can help each other, 

and that both will be better for it. At the 
same time, Plummer said, Black Americans 
can support Israel economically. 
“We spend $1.3 trillion a year. We are a 
significant market. Israeli businesses need 
new markets, especially coming out of 
[COVID-19]. Black America has money; it 
has spending power. And on top of that we 
have smart, capable people who can help.
” 

DETROIT REACTIONS
Detroit-area Jewish clergy who know the 
Plummers speak highly of them.
“Glenn and Pauline have been forthright 
from the very beginning that [prosely-
tizing] is not their mission,
” said Rabbi 
Marla Hornsten of Temple Israel in West 
Bloomfield. Hornsten worked with Glenn 
Plummer as co-chairs of the Coalition 
for Black and Jewish Unity, a Detroit-area 
group promoting solidarity between the 
Jewish and African American communities, 
and she’
s also friends with Pauline. 
In addition to being one of the founding 
members of the Coalition, Plummer has 
also spoken at Temple Israel in the past.
“He’
s saying his role is to build bridges 
with the Black community here in the 
United States and Israel. I trust that is what 
he’
s doing. He’
s never given me any reason 
to think otherwise,
” Hornsten said. “I see his 
position of ‘
Bishop of Israel’
 as an ambassa-
dor to Israel from his church.
” 
Hornsten acknowledged that, “in gen-
eral, the Jewish community is skeptical of 
Christian support for Israel and what their 
motivations are.
” But she said the Plummers 
had “proved themselves” with their decades 
of work in Detroit faith communities, 
including the Jewish community. 
In fact, Hornsten said, the Plummers’
 

move was “a loss for our Jewish commu-
nity here because we had a real partner 
in Glenn.
” She added that discussion of 
Christian support for Israel never came up 
in their Coalition work, which focused on 
addressing racism and antisemitism.
The Coalition shared a Rosh Hashanah 
greeting from the Plummers on Facebook 
shortly after their move.
“I am smiling because I’
m exactly where 
I’
m supposed to be,
” Glenn Plummer wrote. 

‘WE ARE FRIENDS AND ALLIES’
Singer said that American evangelical 
groups have a strong presence in Israel, 
and that although the official staff “don’
t go 
around missionizing,
” they have created a 
“thoroughfare of evangelicals” who see it as 
their mission to convert Jews to bring about 
Jesus’
 second coming.
Jonathan Feldstein, president of the 
Genesis 123 Foundation, which builds 
bridges between Jews and Christians, noted 
that Plummer is the first evangelical pastor 
to take up a religious position in Israel on 
behalf of a major ministry. 
“You have this major evangelical church 
that happens to be predominantly Black say-
ing Israel is significant enough to Christians 
and theology that we want to have a pres-
ence here,
” Feldstein said. 
Plummer said COGIC’
s presence is “a 
blessing” for Israel. “We are friends and 
allies.
” 
“But if you’
re going to treat me this way, 
what will happen when my people decide, 
OK, you’
ve convinced us. Let’
s create some 
lasting relationship with Israel? What will 
happen then?” 

Editor Andrew Lapin contributed to this story.

YOUTUBE

The Plummers and their church 

announced they were moving to 

Israel in a YouTube video.

