Celebrities End their Year in Israel to See Holy Sites

Stars of hit TV shows The Walking Dead, Revolution, Dexter, Lost, and Hawaii Five-0 come to Israel on trip organized by America’s Voices for Israel

America’s Voices in Israel, a project of the Jewish Organization ‘The Conference of Presidents’ is responsible for organizing week-long mission in Israel by prominent personalities such as leading journalists, celebrities and Hollywood stars. Partnered with Israel’s Ministry for Strategic Affairs, the organization took DeVon Franklin, his wife and TV Star Meagan Good along with The Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green and Kenric Green, Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, The Cave) and Mark Pellegrino (Lost, Revolution) on a six day tour of Israel.

Celebrities End their Year in Israel to See Holy Sites[/tweetthis]

The trip included visits to cultural, religious and historical sites in Israel, along with meeting locals and experiencing life in the country that is the birthplace of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Hollywood stars have a combined audience of 50 million followers on various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. While on the tour, DeVon Franklin, a pastor, baptized three people in the Jordan River, the same river where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptists millennia ago.

Speaking about the privilege of baptizing in the Jordan River, DeVon commented on Instagram, “I wasn't anticipating that God had me in mind to be the minister on duty…I baptized 3 beautiful souls in the Jordan River! And the peace that fell on all of us was amazing!” There was no minister on duty. DeVon had to fill in and baptize the people waiting to take part in the Christian tradition of baptism.

Meagan Good is a TV star known for her active roles on TV and film. Sonequa Martin-Green and her husband Kenric Green are actors in the AMC series The Walking Dead. Daniel Dae Kim has had a florid history on ABC’s Lost and is currently working on CBS’s Hawaii Five-0. Mark Pellegrino is famous for working in a host of hit TV series such as Supernatural, Dexter, Lost, Revolution and Being Human. Kim and Pellegrino were joined by their wives on the trip.

Some of the sacred sites that the group paid homage to were Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, the Sea of Galilee where the Messiah walked on water and the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus walked on his way to his crucifixion. On the final day of the trip, Franklin remarked to his huge following on social media, “I think every Christian around the world needs to visit the birthplace of Christianity. When you [experience] the faith on a practical level – instead of just intellectually from the Bible, you get it in a way that you never would have otherwise.”

The Internal Security and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan stated the following concerning the Hollywood stars, “They are a bridge between Israel and the rest of the world," strengthening ties between the US and the Jewish state, bolstering the struggle against the BDS movement.”

By taking prominent personalities and Hollywood stars to Israel, it is the hope of America’s voices in Israel and the Internal Security and Strategic affairs ministry to counter negative images and opinions about Israel that end up in international media. When these celebrities publish their first-person experiences in Israel, then their millions of followers will get to see the positive side of life in Israel. 

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