At a Colorado interfaith observance in Greenwood Village in advance of the third anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 invasion of Israel, the chanting of “Hatikva” was in full force.
“Eretz Tzion Vi-Rushalayim,” rang loudly.
The chorus was not at a Jewish house of worship, but at a church.
“We gather here tonight in love and grief and prayer,” Father Phil Eberhart said of Resurrection Anglican Fellowship. “We come to pray for the souls lost due to the heinous acts on October 7th, 2023, on defenseless civilians.
“We are all part of the struggle.”
Eberhart has been at the forefront in advocating for Israel. On the flagpole outside his church, less than a block away from Aish of the Rockies on E. Belleview Ave., an Israeli flag is flown, every day.
“Whether you’re a Christian, or Jewish or Muslim,” said Eberhart of Oct. 7, “you have an obligation to recognize the fact, to condemn those who perpetrate these acts and who were complicit, or those who do not acknowledge that it even took place.
“We also need to condemn the acts of Jew hate in this state and this country.”
The interfaith ceremony, highlighted by a candle lighting ceremony, was to the point.
“We’re here tonight to mourn and to remember,” said Rabbi Rick Rheins of Temple Sinai. “We’re here to learn and be inspired. And we’re here to strengthen our bonds of faith and friendship in order to build a stronger and safer world, regardless of faith and ethnicity.
“It was during the worst of this onslaught when Jews were feeling most vulnerable that many in the Christian community reached out and they said to us, ‘You are not alone.’
“Together, Jews and Christians will bless one another. Together we will stand strong against terrorism. Together we will be the foundation of faith and hope and prosperity for this United States of America, for Israel and for the world.
“And together, we will reach out to our Muslim neighbors and implore them to turn away from terrorist groups and to bring curses upon those who promote terrorism.”
“It is through programs like this one tonight that we connect with our neighbors and see not just neighbors, but we see brothers and sisters.”
HEA Rabbi Sarah Shulman offered a prayer for peace.
“I’m going to recite the blessing that we say when we bring in Shabbat, but instead of the word Shabbat, I’m going to say the word ‘Shalom,’ which means peace.
“Blessed are You, Ad-nai our G-d, source of all life who kindles these lights and brings us together tonight in solidarity, in light, in life, in memory, in safety and in shalom and in peace.”
The service also featured a viewing of the film “Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin.”
“We want to thank you for being such a champion for us,” the film’s producer, Rob Schwartz, said to Father Eberhart. David-Jacques Farahi prefaced the viewing:
“Look at your neighbors. This is what gives me hope. Menachem Begin understood what I believe each of you understands, that the antidote to hatred is not silence and it is not despair. It is covenant. It is people of different faiths and different backgrounds standing together and saying, ‘Not here, not now, not on our watch.’”
One of the attendees was Ilana Spiegel, a CU regent whose Greenwood Village home was the flashpoint of anti-Israeli protesters on June 16, 2024.
“I think it’s so important that places like this church, like all of the congregations here and all over the community, are what’s the best of Colorado,” Spiegel told the IJN.
“It’s courageous, it’s inclusive, very committed to doing what’s right.
“This is like a warm hug to know that there are so many people in this community who really care about each other and want to stand up for each other.”
“When we first came to this spot about eight-and-a-half years ago,” Eberhart told the IJN, “being friends to Jewish people was a mystery.
“We asked the L-rd to make us a fragrance of peace of the neighborhood. And about a year after that, one of our guys said, ‘Let’s put up a flagpole.’ And so we put up a flagpole with an American flag. About six months after that he came to me and said, don’t we put up an Israeli flag too?’ So we started flying that Israeli flag in 2022, a full year before the attacks. It meant friendship, but October 7th changed everything.
“Now, it’s an absolute necessity for the Christian church to stand with Israel and with Jewish people because nobody else seems to.
“There’s just so much hate out there in the world right now that we just have to be something else, a fragrance of peace.”
When the interfaith event concluded, attendees were invited to plant small Israeli flags along E. Belleview Ave.
“I’m so moved by this,” said Noreen Davis, a member of Temple Emanuel, who was planting a flag in the darkness of night.
“I was delighted when I read about us coming together. It was a loving, heartfelt, beautiful statement about our community.”
The next morning, motorists on Belleview, no doubt, noticed the long row of flags bordering the street, a reminder of the powerful message sent by Resurrection Anglican church, simply striving to be, of all things, a good neighbor.
© IJN 2026
