Archives for September 2014

September 25, 2014 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

Modern French Anti-Semitism Didn’t Happen in a Vacuum! Part III

Part III: From the Holocaust to the Global Jihad

by Olivier J. Melnick

Anti-Semitism didn’t come to a halt in the interwar period between 1918 and 1939. As a matter of fact, it continued to display its ugly head with almost all of the original characteristics it had garnered over the centuries. Who could have thought that within less than two decades, the worst was about to take place, and about one third of world Jewry would be eradicated?

Hitler came “legally” into power in 1933 and started his campaign against the Jews that would result in the Holocaust and the killing of 6,000,000 Jews all over Europe, not to mention other groups as well like the Gypsies and various religious minorities. While Nazi Germany was the originator of the “Final Solution” implemented in 1942, they were greatly aided by various governments. One of them was of course the Vichy-France government under the leadership of Maréchal Pétain. About 80,000 of all the murdered Jewish people were from France. (Le Mémorial de la Déportation des Juifs de France by Serge Klarsfeld).

Hatred of the Jewish people appeared to have become a taboo subject all over the world in the aftermath of World War Two. They had suffered enough and the new born motto of “NEVER AGAIN” was appropriately adopted. The 1948 birth of the modern State of Israel if not a direct result of the horrors of the Holocaust is at the very least tightly linked to its ashes. There was hope for the survivors of the Holocaust and their families. Eretz Yisrael would be the haven of peace they had only hoped for in their dreams. But history would prove otherwise with the rising of a few Middle East political figures that would forever change the face of the region… and not for the better!

Yassir Arafat’s was one of them. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Arafat (1929-2004) spent much of his life fighting Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish people. In 1959, he founded Fatah, the left wing faction of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) with one goal in mind: the complete eradication of Israel. He was the father and a proponent of “Palestinian self-determination” for which he fought his whole life, literally forcing Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese and Egyptians into becoming overnight “Palestinian refugees” in need of getting back their own land: Palestine! (Myths and Facts about the Middle East Conlict by Mitchell Bard)

Prior to the coming of Arafat on the scene, Palestinian people didn’t exist, they simply claimed to be “Arabs” and they did not view themselves as having a separate identity or needing to return to a then “fictitious” land of their own.

Palestinian nationalism did not become a significant political movement until Arafat popularized it and kept pushing for it after the Six-Day War of 1967. From that point on, the anti-Zionist propaganda started to grow exponentially. Anti-Semitism was no longer driving the judeophobic agenda of the Middle-East, but anti-Zionism or anti-Israelism were, or so it appeared. In reality, a new form of anti-Semitism had found a fertile soil in which to grow in the Middle East. It would eventually expand to the French continent and beyond.

Many wars were fought between Israel and her neighboring enemies (1948, 1967, 1973, 1982) and of course we can add the two Intifadas of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005 as well as more recent “Operation Cast Lead” and the Gaza War of 2014 known as “Operation Protective Edge”. Without getting into details about all these conflicts, suffice it to say that for the last two decades at least, there seems to be a direct correlation between Israel’s involvement in the Middle East conflicts and Jewish global guilt (as seen by the enemies of Israel). When something takes place in Israel that ruffles Palestinian feathers, worldwide Jews are insulted, harassed, attacked and even killed like in Toulouse, France in 2012.

In 2014, French anti-Semitism is at its highest in decades. Anti-Semitic incidents have multiplied exponentially as French Jews continue to bear the guilt of Israel’s crimes in the Holy Land (not that I imply that Israel is guilty of war crimes in any way). Guilt by association is enough to give anti-Semites in France the justification to hurt the Jews. mobs of angry Frenchmen mostly of the Muslim persuasion are again shouting “Death to the Jews” on the streets of Paris. They nearly avoided a pogrom in Paris last June during a pro-Palestinian rally. While much of this “new anti-Semitism” is brought on by Muslims of North African origins, there is also a growing contingency of neo-Nazis (a breed that was beyond uncouth and nearly extinct after WWII). The liberal left, claiming multiculturalism and tolerance–for all but the Jews of course–is also helping radical Islam and extreme Right bigots under the leadership of increasingly popular Marine LePen.

It would appear that the French Jews have absolutely nowhere to go but Israel. Many feel that France is no longer safe and they are making plans to make “aliyah” in the near future if not sooner. Anti-Semitism in France has almost doubled in the first 7 months of 2014 (91% increase). Almost 3,300 French Jews left for Israel in 2013 (60% more than 2012). It is estimated that over 8,000 Jewish people will be leavingFrance in 2014, which makes France the leading country in the world for Jewish aliyah. Amazingly, the fact that French Jews are leaving an unsafe France for a war-ridden Israel doesn’t affect their decision to move.

French Anti-Semitism didn’t happen in a vacuum. It is the result of a progressive hatred of God’s people, “the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). It is currently a hybrid of classical anti-Semitism and the new anti-Semitism. A newer kind of Jew hatred has emerged that I will label Eschatological Anti-Semitism, as it seems to be clearly linked to the last days.

British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, a Jewish believer in Yeshua said it very succinctly:” Christianity is biblical Judaism fulfilled”. It is true that Christianity and Judaism are connected. One doesn’t supersede the other but compliments it. Jews and Christians are biblically connected; sadly, it is seldom evident if we go by the track record of Judeo/Christian relations over the last 2,000 years.

Jews and Christians have a lot in common and need each other especially at this time in human history, but more than anything, they need the One that they also have in common: Yeshua of Nazareth, the Jewish Mashiach and Savior of the world.

September 17, 2014 By Olivier Melnick 1 Comment

Modern French Anti-Semitism Didn’t Happen in a Vacuum! Part II

From Host Desecration to the Dreyfus Affair

by Olivier Melnick

After the 1215 Catholic introduction of the doctrine of transubstantiation, it was believed that the chalice of wine contained the very blood of Messiah and that the wafer or “Host” would become the very body of Messiah. While not justifiable by Scripture, the doctrine still stands today.

Within a few decades, as early as 1243 in Germany and Poland followed by France, Jewish people became accused of “Host Desecration” which consisted of the piercing of Christian communion bread (Host) to “re-enact the Crucifixion” of which most Christians claimed they [the Jews] were guilty.

Then around 1320, came the legend of the Jews poisoning the wells of Europe. It was accepted as fact without any proofs of its veracity. Unfortunately for the Jews of Europe, came the “Black Death” or “Black Plague”, and that legend while still not connected to the plague was “vindicated”.
It was the most devastating pandemic in the history of mankind, responsible for the death of about 75 million people worldwide (25 million in Europe alone) in just a few years. To be sure, Jewish people also died during the “Black Death “, but generally in lesser numbers. The regulated kosher laws that religious Jews were bound to follow, forced them to maintain a stricter diet and hygiene, and thus resulted in less death in the Jewish communities. While the reduced number of Jewish casualties could partially be attributed to Jewish customs and kosher laws, it didn’t stop the masses from slaughtering and destroying over 200 Jewish communities, accusing them of poisoning the wells of Europe.

Anti-Semitism moved south for a while and decided to rear its ugly head in Spain during the Inquisition. Torture, forced conversions and deaths were running rampant. For the first time in Jewish history, JUDAISM WAS NO LONGER A THEOLOGICAL PROBLEM BUT NOW HAD ALSO BECOME AN ETHNIC ONE.Even though the Inquisition mostly affected the Jews of Spain, the atmosphere of terror and death crossed over to France and continued to affect Jewish communities all over.

Additionally, the Italian concept of the Ghetto started in 1516 in Venice and Luther’s German Reformation, even though not technically of French origins, would also affect Jewish people across France.

Even though it would be a while before French Jews would suffer another terrible anti-Semitic blow, Jewish history continued to be punctuated by hatred and persecution throughout the years.

At the close of the 18^th century, the Jews found themselves at the dawn of a new era. The feudal system had crumbled to make room for a developing capitalist and industrial revolution. Financial knowledge and shrewdness was becoming more of an asset, especially for leaders of countries in development. As a result, Jewish people were somewhat less stigmatized by their involvement in the financial world, and they even became more appreciated by some.

Along with the advent of the “Age of Emancipation”, as a by-product of the French Revolution of 1789, the concept of citizenship was becoming more of a reality all throughout Europe. Inhabitants of a given country were starting to receive citizenship in that very country. Napoléon Bonaparte would take that concept to the next level.

The Jewish Age of Emancipation was known as The Haskalah, or “Age of Enlightment” and reached all segments of Judaism culturally, theologically and geographically.

It can also be understood as the “Age of Assimilation”, as many Jews benefiting from the emancipation also looked into the claims of Christianity. The split between the more traditional religious communities and the more liberal emancipated ones was widening.

The French Revolution of 1789 was instrumental in the birth of the concept of Freedom of Religion, provided it didn’t interfere with public order. This happened at a time when most European countries were restricting the rights of religious minority groups like the Jewish people. The assimilation of Jews was starting to happen.

Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) became France’s Emperor in 1804. The same year, he introduced “Le Code Napoléon” which was the first modern legal code to be adopted across Europe. It was a major step in replacing the antiquated laws and codes of the now defunct feudal system of the Middle Ages.

From the beginning, Napoléon had one goal in mind: Make the Jews of France into French citizen. He had no intention of stopping them from practicing Judaism in the privacy of their homes, but he just expected them to give their allegiance to the Empire, as all French citizens should.

But in 1808, caving under the pressure of many very upset leaders and statesmen including Chateaubriand, Cardinal Fesh, Maréchal Kellermann and especially Russian Tzar Alexander[1], Napoléon felt obligated to introduce a “Restrictive Decree.” The Jewish community was in shock and lost much of its wealth and influence almost to the point of a total bankruptcy. Eventually, after much damage to the Jews, the Decree was eliminated and the status of “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” was re-established for the Jews, at least until the fateful defeat at Waterloo, Belgium (1815). Then, at the discretion of each European leader, the fate of the Jews became again one of hardship, restriction, stigmatization and ghettoization.
As the last quarter of the 19^thcentury was approaching, Jews were about to experience another major shift in anti-Semitism. Racial anti-Semitism was about to emerge on the scene. From ancient theological anti-Semitism to modern ethnic and cultural anti-Semitism, the hatred of the Jews was soon to pick-up more momentum. In 1894 France, at a time when Jewish people thought that their emancipation had prevailed, Captain Alfred Dreyfus (an Alsacian Jew) was accused of treason against the French Government. The French Revolution of 1789, and Napoléon, had brought a hope of equality and integration into French society for French Jews, but anti-Semitism, as a temporarily inactive volcano of hatred, had just spewed its lava again. As the Dreyfus trial went on, mobs of angry Frenchmen were shouting “Death to the Jews” on the streets of Paris.

The Vienna newspaper Neue Freie Press sent their Paris correspondent, Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), to follow the Dreyfus Affair and, by association, the Jews of France. It quickly prompted Theodor Herzl to compile his work of several years into the historic pamphlet Der Judenstaat or “The Jewish State”, published in Vienna in 1896, and leading to the official birth of Zionism.

But the French Jews had not seen the worst yet. Even though many Frenchmen of Jewish origins fought in the great war of 1914-1918, what awaited them around the corner was unprecedented and unfathomable. Emancipation had totally failed for the Jews of France.
(to be continued)

[1]The Holy Synod of Moscow proclaimed: “In order to destroy the foundations of the Churches of Christendom, the Emperor of the French has invited into his capital all the Judaic synagogues and he furthermore intends to found a new Hebrew Sanhedrin. Which is the same tribunal that dared long ago to condemn the Yeshua to be executed.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_and_the_Jews

September 12, 2014 By Olivier Melnick 1 Comment

Modern French Anti-Semitism Didn’t Happen in a Vacuum! Part I

From the Church Fathers to Talmud Burnings

by Olivier Melnick

France seems to have a love-hate relationship with the Jewish people going back at least 1,500 years. The first 5 centuries following the closing of the biblical canon saw the succession of a myriad of theologians who greatly helped to codify and structure Christianity. They were known as the Church Fathers, and were also instrumental in fighting heresy. Unfortunately, many of them such as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Chrysostom and Augustine adopted a very allegorical view of the Bible. It led them to see passages about Israel and the Jewish people as pertaining to Christians and no longer to ethnic Israel. In a sense, they were the originators of replacement theology before it was know as such.

St. Hilary of Poitiers (300-368) referred to Jews as “a perverse people whom God has cursed forever”.

Their erroneous theological premise led them to teach that God was finished with Israel since the Jewish people had apparently rejected and crucified Yeshua (Jesus). Christianity having merged with the state under Constantine, many people joined its ranks and the result was a mix of less than ethical and very loosely biblical “Christians”. The uneducated masses bought the Fathers fallacies and were often very willing to hit on the Jews who were rapidly becoming the “scapegoats of humanity”.

Ideological and intellectual opposition had turned to pure hatred and stereotype. The Jews were no longer just wrong; they had become evil and cursed by God to remain a “witness-people” for all eternity. Later, an ethnic component would be added to anti-Judaism and help its morphing into anti-Semitism. Being Jewish in a Christian world went from bad to worse, but unfortunately for the Jewish people, anti-Semitism was still growing and hadn’t reached its apex yet. The world was entering into the “Dark Ages” and they would turn out to be quite a bit darker for the Jewish people in general and the French Jews in particular.

Much of the Christian/Jewish relations were based on both the Theodisian Code (312) and the Justinian Code (529-534). Laws and/or restrictions set the stage for centuries to come in Europe. After a relatively trouble-free period at the beginning of the Middle Ages, French Jews started to experience trouble such as forced baptisms and forced conversions. One of the worst cases of forced conversion took place under the leadership of French King, Dagobert (629-639), who ordered all Jews of the Frankish kingdom to be baptized or leave France.

Under the Carolingian dynasty (descendants of Charles Martel), Jewish people experienced some respite. Pepin le Bref (714-768), Charlemagne (742-814) and Louis the Pious (814-840), were all somewhat favorable to Jews and Judaism. Many leaders even chose Jewish doctors; yet, there was a certain risk for a Jewish person to be a doctor. When a patient would lose his life, the Jewish doctor would still be accused of sorcery and/or poisoning as was the case under Charles the Bald (823-877) or Hugh Capet (939-996).

It was not long before the First Crusade of 1096, led by French knight Godefroy de Bouillon (1060-1100) took place. Both Christian knights and peasants joined forces, under the Christian banner and with the new motto: “God wills it”. They departed from France and Germany, on their way to the Holy Land to fight the Muslims. Soon, the Crusaders realized that they could start by fighting the “infidels” in their own backyards. As the Crusaders marched through France and Germany on their way to Jerusalem, a motto was born: “Kill a Jew, save your soul!” Some Crusaders in Rouen, Normandy, were quoted saying:

“We desire to combat the enemies of God in the East; but we have under our eyes the Jews, a race more inimical to God than all the others. We are doing this all thing backwards.”

In 1099, the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem, packed the synagogue with about 1,000 Jews, set it on fire and marched around it on their horses singing Christian hymns. Seven additional Crusades would follow until the last one in 1270.

The First Crusade had opened many routes to the Orient, and money was quickly becoming the primary commodity for trading. By now the Jewish community has become deeply involved in money lending – a practice forbidden to Christians by the Church.

Christians were allowed to borrow money ONLY from Jews, who in turn would collect the money back with interest. Kings of France and other European kingdoms started taxing the Jewish moneylenders on their profit. Taxes kept increasing, so the Jewish moneylenders had no choice but to increase their interest rates. The process went on for a while and gave birth to the myth of the “greedy Jew”, still alive in modern anti-Semitic circles.

As money lending increased, anti-Semitism amongst the masses became more of a reality. Poor peasants, being always in need of money and borrowing often from Jewish moneylenders, ended up building resentment that almost always led to physical abuse and killings.

Then came the “Blood Libel” or “Ritual Murder Libel”. It originated in Norwich, England but quickly moved across the Channel to France and Germany. A broad definition of the Blood Libel is: The murder of a Christian child during Holy Week for the purpose of using their blood in making unleavened bread. More than 150 cases of blood libel were recorded throughout history, resulting in the death of Jewish people (mostly during the Middle Ages). But more was still coming!

The Fourth Lateran Council, convoked in 1215 by Pope Innocent III, introduced a new measure that would change the status and the safety of Jews for the next 700 years. Jewish people of Europe were now required to wear a badge on their garments (and later a pointed hat known as the jundenhut) to facilitate their identification on the by-ways of Europe. The badge known as “the badge of shame” was first introduced in France as la rouelle, a yellow sphere to be sown on the chest and the back of all garments worn by Jews. It was of course taken to a whole new level during World War Two.

It was not long after that the first occurrence of Talmud burning took place, in France in 1240. A French Jewish convert to Christianity, Nicolas Donin, went to Rome to prove to the current pope (Gregory IX) that the Talmud was virulently anti-Christian and the main reason why Jews hated Christianity. The pope was convinced of the veracity of Donin’s statement and ordered all Talmud confiscated and then burned. In 1242, in Paris, fire was set accordingly to twenty-four carriage loads (ten to twelve thousand volumes) of written works.

(to be continued)

September 4, 2014 By Olivier Melnick 3 Comments

Will the Real Islam Please Stand-Up?

I have been researching, studying, teaching and writing about anti-semitism, Islam, sharia, Israel and the Jewish people for about 15 years. What I am about to say could easily get me pegged as a right-wing-bigoted-racist but I certainly hope that my readers would not give-up until they have read my entire article.

Lately, the planet has been plagued by numerous attacks by Muslims from different factions. The damages have gone from verbal abuse on the streets of London to broken storefront in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles to the crucifying of Middle Eastern Christians and the beheading of two American reporters and everything in between. Of course, the perpetrators come from different countries as well as ideological persuasions, yet the common denominator is that THEY WERE ALL MUSLIMS. This is a fact and would only qualify as Islamophobia (a phobia is an irrational fear) if the story were fabricated to ostracize and/or demonize the Muslims. If, like some choose to do, I would state that “all Arabs are Muslims and I hate Islam, thus I hate the Arabs”, that would undoubtedly make me an Islamophobe, but that statement is erroneous, so perish the thought. It would be the same as saying that all Germans were Nazis and I hate the Nazis, thus I hate all Germans!” Absolutely ludicrous right? Or it would be the same as saying that all Jews all over the world are responsible for what happens in Israel and the territories…Oh, wait a minute…Somehow that is actually how the world is treating Israel and the Jews, but I digress!

Back to trying to identify real Islam. I understand that many within Islam will disagree with me, strongly or not so strongly. But I would like to posit that the only “Real Islam” is the Islam that the western world is faced with today, and has been quietly observing for the last several decades. It is currently represented by the likes of Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas and of course the now globally infamous Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS or ISIL). But what about 90% of the 1.5 billion Muslims who call themselves moderate, they couldn’t possibly be categorized using the same criteria? That is absolutely correct, and that is because I don’t believe for a minute that they are moderate. I would much rather describe them as “nominal” or “cultural” Muslims instead of moderate ones.

Many people call themselves “Christians” but are not be followers of Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth who believe in His death and resurrection for their sins (Isaiah 52:13-53-12). They identify with a more cultural brand of Christianity that is quite removed from the first Century Jewish sect that it used to be. This does not make them to be bad people, but they simply are “Christian” in title or practice only, and certainly not by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

By the same token, many people today would tell you that they are Muslims, yet they would be hard pressed to identify some of the key passages of the Qur’an or the Hadith (teachings of Mohammed not found in the Qur’an). Sure they might keep a Halal diet, pray five times a day and even fast for Ramadan, but they would be the first ones to admit that they do not adhere to the entire Qur’an, especially the verses and passages that advocate hatred, lying and killing of infidels.
Those verses are real and they mean exactly what they say. Let us also consider the fact that most of the verses in question are normative and not historical. In other words, they are more open-ended than historically linked, and thus still very much apply to the “infidels” to this very day. Consider just a few of those verses below:

Sura 4.95 – “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward,-“

Sura 8.12 – “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them”

Sura 9.29 – “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”

Sura 47.4 – “When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads and, when you have latid then low, bind your captives firmly. Then grant them their freedom or take a ransom for them, until the war shall lay down her burdens.”

Of course, many will come to the rescue of the Qur’an and quote verses such as: “Let there be no compulsion in religion; truth stands out clear from error” (Sura 2.256), claiming that Islam is indeed a religion of peace. This is wishful thinking from a politically correct mind and it is also completely ignoring the basic Qur’anic law known as “the Law of Abrogation”. The Qur’an contains many mansukh (abrogated or “cancelled out” verses) and nasikh (abrogating or “canceling” verses). The later render the former obsolete and yet they remain part of the Qur’an as a whole. Most if not all of the “peaceful verses” were penned during Mohammed’s early years in Medina when he was struggling to gain exposure and be vindicated. The rest of the “not so peaceful verses” like the ones quoted above, came out of the Mecca years after Mohammed had established himself. So to put it plainly, even though it is thrown at us ignorant Westerners all the time, a verse like “Let there be no compulsion in religion; truth stands out clear from error” is no longer in effect by “True Qur’an believing Muslims”.

This leaves us with a reality that almost no one is willing to face (including our own president); true-to-the-Qur’an Islam IS NOT A RELIGION OF PEACE and only true-to-the-Qur’an Muslims are real Muslims. So NO, I do not believe that radical Islam is the exception, I believe that radical Islam is the real Islam and that the rest of the world’s Muslims are not moderate but either nominal or cultural. I know that many will want to call me an Islamophobe or a racist Zionist, but I am just stating the facts.

I condemn violence, hatred, lies and killings and for that reason, I hate real Islam. This being said, I ache for the 1.5 billion Muslims who are prisoners of Islam. God loves all people and I love God and want to be in His will, thus I will strive to show His love to all, and as a result I CANNOT HATE MUSLIMS, as difficult as it might be, especially being Jewish!

But you see, I am a Jew who has a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I believe that my Messiah has come in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth and that His death and resurrection was not just for me but for all who believe Him (Genesis 49:10, Psalm 22, Daniel 9:1-27), including all the Muslims, Qur’an following or not! I know that one day, all hatred, violence and death will all be gone when Mashiach returns and brings His Messianic kingdom on earth. Until then I will press on with God’s truth, a truth that I cannot find in the Qur’an!

Archives for September 2014

Subscribe to our Daily Devotions

Archived Articles

Tags