Anti-Semitism / Holocaust

Israel’s War for Truth

Since its reemergence as a nation in 1948, Israel has suffered opposition on nearly every level possible. She has been attacked repeatedly in the military arena by hostile neighbors, {image_2}the public relations arena by the world media, the political arena by the United Nations, the religious arena by replacement theologians, and even in the diplomatic arena by countries that claimed to be her allies. In recent years, however, a groundswell of support has arisen, creating for Israel a new and powerful friend in the form of evangelical Christians. From all over the world, many of these believers, perhaps like some of us, are proud to carry the label “Christian Zionist” and are determined to use their political, financial, and spiritual leverage to help Israel withstand whatever attack might come next.

The Ugly Truth about Genocide

{image_1} In recent years, the concept of genocide has found its way into the Palestinian propaganda machine with dozens of such accusations being leveled against Israel from journalists, politicians, and clerics. Israel has been called a Nazi, or genocidal, state that kills children, thrives on the blood of its enemies, and is bent on the destruction of the Palestinian people. The gravity of such charges requires a closer look at the context of the allegations as well as a clear understanding of exactly how the international community has defined genocide.

Amalek

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The dictionary defines war as “a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.” Of the 192 United Nations member states, all have been involved in such a conflict at one time or another. The UN further estimates that there are currently somewhere between 39 and 45 armed confrontations raging worldwide at any given moment. Of all of those conflicts, however, none seems to attract as much attention as those thrust upon the nation of Israel.

The Battle for Israel’s History

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As long as there have been historians, there have been those who would rewrite their stories, and for a myriad of reasons. On the positive side, re-examining history has long been accepted as a means of keeping our understanding of the past current. Developments in science, technology, archaeology, etc, have shed new light on old stories, sometimes adding a new dimension to a particular historical period or event and sometimes even modifying the mainstream view. Allowing for the reinterpretation of longstanding views based on new evidence is, in fact, good scholarship, providing that adherence to accuracy is central to the review.

Is Anti-Zionism the New Anti-Semitism?

“You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely 'anti-Zionist.'  And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the    valleys of God's green earth: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews—this is God's own truth.“

Martin Luther King Jr, “Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend” (August 1967)

“In every generation, they rise up against us to destroy us.”

Read by Jewish people worldwide in their annual Passover Haggadah (see Psalm 83:4)

A History of Hurt

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The front desk clerk at my hotel was helping me print out a draft of the presentation I was about to give on the subject of Christian anti-Semitism. Noticing the subject matter, he wondered aloud, “Christian anti-Semitism? Now, that doesn’t make any sense.” I thought he nailed it. The topic should strike us as the worst of an oxymoron, for we should expect anything Christian to be for the Jews, not against them.

Anti-Semitism on the Rise Worldwide

{image_1}“Living conditions in the city have become intolerable for Jews.” This would cause concern anywhere, and you might expect it in a mostly Muslim country, but, amazingly, this came from Sweden. Marcus Eilenberg, a former resident of the city of Malmo and interviewed by Ynetnews, tells more: “Each year the situation gets worse. Sometimes children need to be accompanied by guards when they go to kindergarten, and there are always guards around the Jewish Center…Stones being thrown at the center and other Jewish institutions has become a routine occurrence. Graffiti is scrawled on the walls, including swastikas next to Stars of David and ‘Hitler.’ My children can’t go to any Jewish activities without security.”

CHOSEN—at a Price

{image_1} On the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa stands a magnificent building, the Mount Nelson Hotel, a testimony to South Africa’s bygone era as a British colony. As a child, I remember my awe as I entered the expansive, gloomy foyer where people spoke in hushed voices and glided about noiselessly on thick pile carpets. The focal point in the foyer was a well-lit display cabinet, advertising South Africa’s finest diamond jewelry. The combination of the gloom, the location of the cabinet, and its valuable contents captured almost everyone’s attention. In a sense, it was the “Israel” of the hotel foyer!

The Source of Anti-Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Zionism

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Heresies, Hurts and the Holocaust

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When a Christian becomes more involved with Israel, the Jewish people, and learning about the Jewish roots of our Christian faith, we discover that a dark evil lives in our Christian closet: a legacy of hatred toward the Jewish people that culminated in discrimination, persecution, exile, and death, and included horrific events such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Pogroms, and the Holocaust.