Thomas Getman: When and How Did Evangelicals Become Zionists?

Thomas Getman: When and How Did Evangelicals Become Zionists?
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
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"Israel Lobby & American Policy" conference on March 2nd, 2018 at the National Press Club.

Thomas Getman is partner in a private consulting group that specializes in international, United Nations and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) affairs and university seminars, on U.N. Reform and humanitarian interagency partnership building. He was World Vision’s executive director for international relations until March 1, 2009. He managed World Vision’s liaison activities with the U.N. and the World Council of Churches and was responsible for diplomatic relations with U.N. member missions in Geneva and with countries on sensitive tax, staff and protocol negotiations. He served until 2009 on the board of principals for the U.N. Deputy Secretary General for Emergency Relief in the U.N. Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as chair of a premier NGO consortium, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA).

From 1996 to 2001, Getman was director of World Vision’s programs in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, where he was responsible for a staff of 30 for relief and development projects in Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and advocacy for peace. Previously, Getman served for 12 years as director of government relations for World Vision United States, at which time he founded WV’s office in DC. He interpreted U.S. government policy, pressed for needed foreign assistance, and advanced human rights, relief and development concerns with Congress and the White House. From 1976 to 1985, as a congressional legislative assistant and then director for Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR) his primary assignments were African and Mideast foreign policy and social justice - human rights. His most notable legislative contribution was to participate in the drafting of the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985 (Law of ’86) after participating in the legal sanctions against Rhodesia and Uganda. Getman helped negotiate protocols with the presidents of Uganda and Zambia and encouraged warring African factions in their peace negotiations.

Getman holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College (Illinois) and a master’s in theology (equivalency certificate) from Fuller Seminary.