Former Idols star promises church’s support for Israel

He was the first winner of Idols SA and became a local star, but today Pastor Heinz Winckler is outspoken about his commitment to the state of Israel and the fight against antisemitism. 

Winckler was in Israel from 2 to 6 February representing local voices at the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) Envision Conference. 

The ICEJ Envision Conference is an annual Christian leadership event hosted by the ICEJ, a Jerusalem-based Christian Zionist organisation that supports Israel and connects Christians worldwide with the people and country. 

Winckler told the SA Jewish Report that since the 7 October 2023 massacre, he and his church, the Lovekey Church in Somerset West, have been praying every week for the people of Israel and those who are affected by antisemitism. So, when he was invited to attend this year’s conference in February, he jumped at the chance. 

“I believed it would be an opportunity for me to meet likeminded people, leaders, and scholars who also stand firmly about what the scriptures say about Israel, about the relationship between the Christian church and Israel,” Winckler said. “And it was great to see that the things that I already believed and understood to be true were confirmed. The fact that different scholars, theologians, and church leaders from around the world all stood behind the truth was encouraging and inspiring.” 

The theme of this year’s conference was “Israel and Your Church”, which focused on understanding the relationship between the Christian church and Israel. “To me, this means that it’s important to understand that G-d has a plan for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, and he has a plan for his church, and those plans will, in the end, come together,” Winckler said. 

The conference brought together seasoned Christian pastors from Israel and around the world to offer guidance for churches and communities navigating times of turmoil and crisis, while also providing in-depth briefings from Israeli experts on the country’s security and political landscape. 

Winckler and other participants engaged with senior Israeli officials at the Knesset and Foreign Ministry, toured northern and southern border areas most affected by the war, and met Israelis whose lives have been directly impacted by the conflict. One of the issues they discussed, Winckler said, was antisemitism within the church, and that when members of the church said they stood with Israel, there was an element of what he called “healthy Zionism”. 

“It’s not that we agree with every decision the [Israeli] government makes, it’s not about that. It’s about Israel, which G-d decided was his nation, and the Jewish people around the world, and that G-d made a sovereign decision that these are my people. So, it’s super-problematic for people who call themselves Christians to have an antisemitic attitude, and what makes it worse is that people are indoctrinated from a very young age to believe that.” 

He said he resonated with Ramin Parsa, an Iranian-born Christian pastor and evangelist who previously lived as a Muslim and converted to Christianity after hearing the gospel, who now lives in Israel. 

He was astonished to hear Parsa talk about the extent of the indoctrination that occurs in Iran and many other Muslim nations, where children are taught in school to hate Jews, Israel, and America. “They are taught that if you kill a Jew, you will be rewarded. You are a hero,” Winckler said. 

“This is just scary. But the same extreme spirit exists in some people who hate Jews for being Jewish. And this is a massive problem. I sat there in sad disbelief hearing what was happening in the world and thinking that this shouldn’t be happening in the church.” 

One of the most pivotal parts of the conference was a trip south to Kibbutz Be’eri and the site of the Nova festival. 

“It was tough emotionally to see and try to imagine what it must have been like,” he said. “To see the destruction is overwhelming. It was moving to see the faces of all 364 people who died on that day, and how they have planted trees to represent each life. It’s heart-wrenching. When you hear people’s testimonies and stories about the level of evil perpetuated on that day, on top of the murders, you can’t imagine that human beings can do that to other human beings. The level of evil and hatred that it must take for that to happen is just overwhelming.” 

Though it was difficult to observe the damage done on that day, he believes it was important to do so, so that he could tell people “because I know that part of the narrative globally is to try and downplay it or deny that it happened”. 

Winckler said that back in South Africa, he intends to share what he learnt in support of the importance of Israel. 

“What really had an impact on me was the understanding that the church cannot separate itself from its connection to Israel, and that there’s no place of any kind for antisemitism within us,” said Winckler. 

“On a basic human rights level, antisemitism is racism, it’s hatred and discrimination against a people, and it’s simply wrong. But on a Christian level, it goes even further. We’re taught to love our neighbour and even to love our enemy, so even if someone views Israel as an enemy, they are still called to love. 

“There’s no escaping the responsibility for Christians to have the right attitude towards Israel and the Jewish people. Though we cannot control the brokenness or misinformation outside the church, we can pray for truth to be revealed and for the protection of Israel and the Jewish people, and that’s what we will continue to do.”