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Controversial television and radio personality Glenn Beck, whose conservative stance and strong opinions typically elicit a wide range of emotions from both fans and critics, received a strong showing of support on Sunday night in Westhampton Beach.
Mr. Beck, who left his self-titled television show on Fox News in June but still hosts the “Glenn Beck Program” radio show, was greeted by more than 300 people inside the Hampton Synagogue on Sunset Avenue, where he discussed a variety of topics, including those related to Israel and his upcoming visit there. He was joined by David Brog, the executive director of Christians United for Israel, a national organization.
While introducing Mr. Beck, Rabbi Marc Schneier, the leader of the Westhampton Beach synagogue, told attendees that noble achievement is born in the heart of an individual who refuses to accept the status quo. “Glenn Beck refuses to accept things as they are, particularly when it comes to the state of Israel,” Mr. Schneier said. The rabbi credited Mr. Brog, the author of the book “In Defense of Faith,” with possessing those same qualities.
Mr. Beck, who recently embarked on a new venture called GBTV.com, an internet channel for audio and video programming, will be heading to Israel later this month. His stated mission: to ask people of all faiths to stand together for change.
Christians United for Israel, Mr. Schneier noted, is the largest organization in the United States that supports Israel and its people, boasting a membership of more than 700,000. Mr. Brog began Sunday night’s discussion, which focused on embracing faith, by admitting that he wasn’t always a fan of Mr. Beck’s. “I never liked the guy,” Mr. Brog said, bluntly. “Shame on me for never listening to his program. I relied on mainstream media to form my opinion of Glenn Beck.”
But following a meeting in May, Mr. Brog, whose book examines whether mankind can transcend inherent selfishness, said, “I have grown to love and care for him like a brother.”
Mr. Beck will head to Israel later this month to spread his own message about “Restoring Courage,” an initiative that asks those of all faiths to stand together for what is right. As part of his global broadcasting events, Mr. Beck will also make stops in Africa and South America.
“Everyone says I am crazy to do it,” Mr. Beck said, explaining that he received death threats after attending a rally in Washington, D.C., last August with Sarah Palin. But Mr. Beck, who travels with security guards, said he won’t be deterred because he said the world must work together and focus on basic principles. “There’s trouble coming,” he warned. “We must link arms.”
Mr. Beck, who is a Mormon, noted that his religious beliefs are constantly being challenged. “If I have one more Christian question my faith, I’m going to blow a gasket,” he said. He added that religious groups should not try to baptize Jews; instead, Mr. Beck said, people of all faiths should “have the courage just to love people.”
He also told parents in the audience that they must teach their children and obey God. Becoming visibly emotional—as he often did during his television show—Mr. Beck cried while recalling a recent tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with his family.
“Those who say the Holocaust was an elaborate hoax, or deny the Holocaust, should not be listened to,” he said. “They don’t have a place at the table of mankind.”
That comment was met with thunderous applause.
Mr. Beck also said that people today are too focused on their cellphones, iPads and other materialistic things. “We’re losing sight of everything that’s important,” he said. “What’s important is each other. It’s God. It’s love.”
Mr. Beck, who has taken a lot of heat for his comments about President Barack Obama—Mr. Beck has reportedly called the president a “racist” and has stated that Mr. Obama has sympathy for terrorists’ causes—said he recently had dinner with an Obama supporter. “When did we become a people or a nation where we have nothing in common if we disagree on politics?” Mr. Beck asked the audience. “This is a movement. We need to stand up for good versus evil. It’s very clear.”
During a question-and-answer session, Ron Carner, the president of the Maccabi USA Sports For Israel based in Philadelphia, asked Mr. Beck to comment on recent descriptions of Anders Behring Breivik. Mr. Breivik, the Norwegian right-wing extremist charged with last month’s bombing in Oslo that killed eight people, and the mass shooting at a children’s camp on the island of Utøya that killed 69 people—mostly the teenage children of the country’s Labour Party—has been labeled by some as a “Christian terrorist,” according to Mr. Carner.
Mr. Beck, who has taken some heat recently for comments he made on his radio show—in which he compared the youth attending the camp in Norway to those who attended the Hitler Youth camps—said his comments were taken out of context. “I don’t care if they were all wearing Hitler mustaches,” he said. “You don’t kill children.”
Still, Mr. Beck pointed out that a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rally was held at the camp the day before last month’s deadly attacks.
“Evil exists,” he said. “Evil has a great tool in political correctness. But if you have courage, evil scampers. All you have to do is stand up.”
After Sunday’s event, Brooklyn resident Ariel Brenner said: “Considering the rumors [about Mr. Beck], I walked out with a clearer perspective than when I walked in.”
Quogue resident Barbara Braffman was visibly moved by Mr. Beck’s comments. “It was inspirational,” she said. “We are at a crossroads. These are very perilous times.”
“He had a very important message,” added Stanley Pine of Westhampton, referring to Mr. Beck. “To believe in ourselves and not listen to talking heads.”
