As Voight tells the story, “When Steven
Paul said to me, ‘What do you think we should do?’ I said, ‘Why don’t you tell the story of the land of Israel?’” For an accomplished actor with Voight’s
passion for defending traditional values and the land in which they were born, it was a natural choice. “You know,” Voight remarks, “every
stone in Israel is part of the history of that country and part of this story. So I said, ‘Let’s go visit it and talk about it and share that with the people in the audience of our channel.’” And his partner
Paul agreed, declaring simply, “OK, I’m in.” Documenting the
VERSATAILE Dustin Hoffman’s character gives Voight a haircut in a scene from the 1969 classic Midnight Cowboy. Ten years later he played a boxer KO’d by booze and gambling in The Champ.
origin of the cherished values shared by Jews and evangelicals alike might seem just what you’d expect from a Hollywood conser- vative perhaps best known today for his unswerving support for former President Donald J. Trump and
his agenda for restoring American greatness. But flash back to
earlier in his life and career, and Voight was something entirely dif- ferent. It may seem
hard for his conservative followers to be- lieve now, but earlier in his career Voight was a classic Hollywood liberal.
V
oight was raised a Catholic in Yonkers, New York, where he was the grandson of an immi- grant from the former Czecho-
slovakia. His father taught golf at a local Jewish golf club. He first took an interest in acting at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York. His father managed to send him to the Catholic University of America in Washing-
Continued on page 68 66 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2022
Jon Voight: Recl N
ewsmax sat down with Jon Voight to talk about his up-
coming TV series The Land of Israel: God’s Story hosted by Voight, which is co- produced by Newsmax and Jewish Living Television. Voight reveals how
he became enthralled by Israel’s historic narrative of the Promised Land and God’s chosen people. An impassioned sup-
porter of President Donald Trump, the actor also talked about “woke” liberal politics and the Marxist un- derpinnings of America’s bitter domestic critics.
NEWSMAX: How did you develop your cultural and spiritual connection with the Jewish faith? JON VOIGHT: My dad was a golf professional at a Jewish club. His father was from Czechoslovakia. Dad was a Christian man, but he was influenced by the Jewish group at this club. He was a wonderful teacher. He became very, very influential to his com- munity. I realized the Jewish
people in the club loved him and loved his enthu- siasm for golf. They made him an assistant pro when he was 16 years old, and then made him the head pro when he was 18. He stayed there for the rest of his life until he passed away. I realized that this Jew-
ish link was mine and they were really terrific people.
My dad told me the story. “They came to this coun- try,” he said, “they weren’t allowed to be in any of the clubs. So they bought some land and they made their own golf club. And that’s where I work.” So I knew the insanity of anti-Semi- tism very early on.
• What inspired you to make this documentary? • I was raised Catholic. Lat- er I became quite focused on the spiritual things in life. And that led me to the Bible. I felt that my educa- tion was lacking in that area, and I started reading both the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Bible. I started seeing the his- tory of the land of Israel as the most remarkable story of God’s intervention in human life, and his guid- ance toward a righteous time. For those of us of the
Judeo-Christian heritage, it all starts with Abraham. So I looked at this and I see these words: “I want you to leave your home, the land of your father, and go to the place I’ll show you. And I will make you a great nation and you will be a blessing. And I will make your name great. And I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you. And in you, all the families of the Earth will be blessed. . . “And He said, ‘One day
I will return. I will gather you from all the nations I’ve sent you into. And you will come back to this land.
MIDNIGHT COWBOY/ OHN SPRINGER COLLECTION/CORBIS/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES / THE CHAMP/SUNSET BOULEVARD/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES
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