This lawsuit is meant to silence Christian faith

With your help, Liberty Counsel will not let that happen

Today, Liberty Counsel will present oral arguments defending our client, Jews for Jesus, from a lawsuit intended to stop the spread of the gospel.

This isn’t the first time we’ve had to defend Jews for Jesus against people who wanted to silence their message and mission.

With your help, we are standing beside this Christian ministry. The consequences of losing this case would be enormous.

Defend the Gospel! Support our legal fund today and a special Challenge Grant will DOUBLE your gift.

Jews for Jesus, with its international headquarters in San Francisco, is under legal attack — not for wrongdoing, but for sharing the gospel. This is better known as “lawfare”!

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, Jews for Jesus distributed New Testaments to Israeli soldiers and civilians seeking hope in the midst of war. One grateful soldier shared his thanks.

To illustrate the story, Jews for Jesus posted on its Facebook page a royalty-free stock photo of an anonymous IDF soldier with his face blurred. The soldier was not identified because his identity was not known.

That simple act of religious expression has now triggered a lawsuit in San Francisco claiming “defamation.” The plaintiff alleges — without evidence — that he is the man in the blurred photo, even though his name was never used, the face of the person in the photo is unrecognizable, and the image was legally obtained for free public use worldwide.

This lawsuit isn’t about protecting someone’s reputation.

It’s about silencing a Christian ministry and chilling religious freedom.

This lawsuit is an attempt to intimidate and bankrupt Jews for Jesus, simply because an individual does not like their mission of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to Jewish people.

Liberty Counsel is defending Jews for Jesus because the First Amendment protects the right to share faith without fear of having to pay millions of dollars. No reasonable person could look at that post and believe it identified or defamed the plaintiff. This case is legally baseless — and dangerously motivated.

We have filed an anti-SLAPP petition with the court, as well as a motion to dismiss, because the plaintiff’s actions are a clear attempt to silence Jews for Jesus’ free speech rights. We are asking the court to award attorney fees against the plaintiff for this frivolous lawsuit.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time Jews for Jesus has faced hostile litigation. In the past, similar lawsuits were dismissed, and courts even sanctioned opposing attorneys for abusing the legal system to try to bankrupt and silence the ministry.

But a clear pattern of abuse remains: the use of lawsuits to punish people of faith for speaking openly.

Today, our attorneys will appear in a San Francisco courtroom to defend our client and First Amendment religious freedom. We’re confident that truth and the Constitution are on our side — but legal battles require resources.

That’s where you come in.

• Will you give a generous gift today to help defend Jews for Jesus and protect religious liberty? Your support helps fund experienced attorneys who stand between Christian ministries and those who want to silence them.
• Can you go further by becoming a monthly partner?Recurring gifts ensure we can respond immediately when the next attack on faith arises. Schedule YOUR recurring monthly gift today!

Every dollar you give today will be DOUBLED by a special Challenge Grant — making your stand for free speech and religious freedom even stronger.

America’s courts must not become weapons against faith. Together, we can ensure they remain places where religious freedom prevails.

Please pray for our attorneys as they argue in court today. Please also pray that Jews for Jesus is able to fulfill their godly mission to spread the Good News of Jesus!

Defend religious freedom.

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel