A memorial in Jerusalem for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday became a statement of purpose as hundreds of Israelis and American visitors pledged to continue the work he started, a report said.
The Israeli Press Service (TPS-IL) reported that about 300 people, including Israeli officials, clergy and American Christians, gathered Sunday to honor the founder of Turning Point USA, who was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in September. Many said the event felt less like a commemoration and more like a mandate.
Pastor Rob McCoy, one of Kirk’s closest confidants, described him in comments reported by TPS-IL as “faithful, humble, a wonderful husband and father,” and revealed a personal discipline: a weekly Sabbath rest.
“He found incredible freedom in turning everything off. From Friday night to Saturday night, no one could reach him,” McCoy said. “That rhythm grounded him.”
AT CHARLIE KIRK’S MEMORIAL: WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THOSE WHO KNEW HIM BEST
Pastor Rob McCoy, a close confidante of Charlie Kirk, speaks during a memorial service in Jerusalem on November 16, 2025. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL, November 16, 2025)
McCoy also said that Kirk saw politics as a way to strengthen society, and not as a route to power.
“He saw politics as a stepping stone to greater humanity,” McCoy said. “If he could get young people rowing in the streams of freedom, he believed they would eventually reach its source.”
Several attendees told TPS-IL that Kirk’s reach extended far beyond his audience.
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR ASSAULTED TOP US FOUNDER CHARLIE KIRK PULLS TRUMP, KEY GOP FIGURES
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism Amichai Chikli speaks at a memorial in Jerusalem honoring Charlie Kirk on November 16, 2025. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL, November 16, 2025)
Tammy Martin from California said, “I never met Charlie in person, but when he was murdered I felt like I lost someone I knew.”
She credited him with helping Christians understand the importance of supporting Israel. “Some people you only see through a screen, but the truth they speak goes right through it,” she said. “Charlie was one of those people.”
Robert Whitley, also from California, told the publication that Kirk was unparalleled in his ability to connect with young conservatives.
TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM CHARLIE KIRK’S MEMORIAL SERVICE IN ARIZONA
Israeli and American visitors gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the legacy of Charlie Kirk, November 16, 2025. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL, November 16, 2025)
“He knew how to talk to young people in a way that no one else could,” Whitley said. “He helped them push back on the indoctrination and see Israel and America with real clarity.”
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli praised Kirk’s discipline and determination in his comments to TPS-IL.
“Charlie embodied the deeper meaning of freedom: responsibility, clarity, discipline,” Chikli said. “His death is a tremendous loss not only for his family, but also for the conservative movement worldwide and for all who saw him as a defender of the truth.”
RABBI HONORS CHARLIE KIRK’S LASTING LEGACY OF DEFENDING ISRAEL ‘WITH CLARITY AND COURAGE’
Participants will gather in Jerusalem on November 16, 2025 to honor the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL, November 16, 2025)
According to TPS-IL, American-born musician Nissim Black called Kirk “a giant — a true giant — and his legacy is one you can’t shake.”
He noted that Kirk’s moral convictions left a void. “He was unapologetic when it came to morality and unapologetic when it came to defending what was right,” Black said. “Even in his absence you feel it: he kept so many people together.”
Speakers throughout the evening returned to one of Kirk’s last recorded statements: “For want of courage, the truth is an orphan.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
At the end of the evening, attendees said the meeting made them determined to continue his mission.
“Charlie is gone, but the truth he fought for is not,” one participant said. “And it’s up to us now.”
