Olivier Melnick

June 24, 2019 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

Why Do We Have to Explain Concentration Camps in 2019?

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) recently made a statement on Twitter that has garnered a lot of attention from both the Right and the Left. She said” The United States is running concentration camps on our southern borders, and that is exactly what they are…If that doesn’t concern you…I want to talk to the people that are concerned enough with humanity to say that we should not…that NEVER AGAIN means something and that the fact that concentration camps are now an institutionalized practice in the home of the free is extraordinarily disturbing.”

She has received a lot of criticism almost immediately after her tweet and continues to experience the “aftershocks” or her seismic faux pas. People have accused her of undermining the horrors of the Holocaust, comparing the incomparable, being ignorant of the facts of history and of course, being anti-semitic. In my eyes, all these accusations have some validity, yet, I cannot help but wonder why in 2019 we have to explain what a Nazi concentration camp was and why nothing, at least in America, even comes close to them?

Only 80 years after the building and filling of Nazi concentration camps, and the horrors that they entailed, we should not have to explain what they were to anyone. That is of course if the Holocaust had continually and properly been taught in schools and universities. We are always going to run into the occasional nutcase denier of major historical events or conspiracy theorist, but with the proper world history education, they should be easy to spot and debunk. Today, sadly…Not so much! So, to defend the memory of Holocaust victims and their surviving families, we have to explain, compare and defend the meaning of “Concentration Camps.” Sad, but necessary!

One possible reason for ignorance is that people simply don’t care. The 21st century has catapulted people into a world of virtual self-gratification with very little needs for factual and historical truth. Between artificial intelligence, social networks and a postmodern approach to everyday life, people don’t see the need to live within reality anymore. To a degree, we all are invited to make our own reality, and it doesn’t have to fit a grand narrative such as the biblical worldview. It simply has to satisfy our desires, not even our needs. We rename things, we ignore the original meaning of things or worse, we ignore that events ever happened. But as much as people try to erase history, history is here to stay. History can be ignored or re-interpreted, but it cannot be erased.

Some will say that AOC didn’t really compare what takes place on our southern borders to the camps of the Holocaust because she never mentioned the words “German” or “Nazi” in her tweet. Unfortunately for her, she chose to politicize two words that put together, represent the timeless somber motto of the surviving global Jewish community; NEVER AGAIN! Once the word was out the connection was made, and since she has not recanted or apologized, it is hard to believe that she didn’t mean to draw some kind of parallel. Of course, comparing our current administration to a Fascist government added insult to injury. Furthermore, after using “Concentration Camps” and “Never Again!” in a political context, she received an invitation to visit Auschwitz with Edward Mossberg who survived the camps and offered to be her private guide. She declined. What a missed opportunity to rectify her faux pas. There are only two reasons for that, she is either too proud to learn and be corrected or too antisemitic to care. Maybe a bit of both. Interestingly enough, her reason for declining was a bizarre statement about the Far-Right trying to politicize the incident. She said’ “The last time you went on this trip it was reported that you also met w/ fringe Austrian neo-Nazi groups to talk shop, So I’m going to have to decline your invite. But thank you for revealing to all how transparently the far-right manipulates these moments for political gain.”

AOC and those who back her up like Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, fail to understand the many differences between Nazi concentration camps and ICE internment facilities. While I do not expect AOC to read my commentary and honestly compare the two, I hope that some people, not so keen on the differences, would take the time to compare. Here are just a few things that you will not find on our southern borders:

• Forced labor
• Starvation
• Electrified fences
• Beatings
• Tattooed identification number
• No bathrooms
• Firing squads
• No doctors

And that is only a few of the elements you would find in Nazi concentration camps. These camps were designed to corral Jews in large numbers and create a war forced labor contingency. The work conditions and lack of food and hygiene were such that they quickly became death camps, and that is even before the full implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” with the running of places like Auschwitz-Birkenau. When the death camps were implemented, you could add these to the list:

• Gas chambers
• Crematoria
• Gruesome experiments on inmates including babies
• Long death marches in the snow

Yet, one of the most obvious differences between the Nazi Death Camps and ICE’s detention centers is how people got inside them. During the Holocaust years, the Nazi war machine was systematically rounding-up Jews, outside of Germany, all over Europe through the railway system. They [the Nazis] went out of their way to gather Jews, put them on trains and send them to the camps. Let me repeat myself…the people were hunted down to be put in forced labor camps and later in death camps…THEY WERE HUNTED DOWN!

The migrants of today, coming to America, for whatever reason they might have–and many do have valid reasons to come– are coming to our country knowing that they are going to have to come through the ICE system (as understaffed, overworked and beyond capacity as it is). They are coming through knowing that if they want to have a chance to stay in the USA legally, they have to go through the system. And when I say “They”, I mean anybody who wants to come to the USA, not just an ethnic group or religious group, anybody. They want to come to the USA for asylum and for a better life, and THEY ARE NOT HUNTED DOWN!

Could the “accommodations” be better on our borders? YES! But, please, do not compare ICE detention centers to Nazi concentration camps. By doing so, you are insulting the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, you are diminishing a world event that is already running the risk of sliding into oblivion, and you are politicizing a situation without any foundation to do so.

It is fascinating to me how the same group of people can from one side of their mouth state that maybe the Holocaust never happened or was grossly exaggerated, and from the other side of their mouth, use its terminology and history to validate their own agenda. Well, it’s not really fascinating, it’s more disturbing and despicable!

June 20, 2019 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

The US Senate Antisemitism Resolution: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

On June 13, 2019, a joint resolution was introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, and on June 14, it passed unanimously! The resolution is a short document that unequivocally denounces antisemitism. It comes less than three months after the House brought another resolution of the sort, but changed the wording at the last minute to speak of “bigotry of all kinds” instead of clearly denouncing antisemitism. This is a bold and necessary move in the right direction at a time in our history when global antisemitism is increasing exponentially on a daily basis.

That resolution is definitely a move in the right direction. It uses words that cannot be misconstrued. The opening statement says ” Antisemitism is a unique form of prejudice stretching back millennia that attacks the equal humanity of the Jewish people.” It is indeed very unique and history’s longest lasting hatred against one specific group of people. We need to take a close look at that bi-partisan resolution that was just passed unanimously. Indeed, we need to look at the good, the bad and the ugly! Let’s start with the ugly.

What I think is very ugly, is the fact that we even have to pen such a resolution in 2019. How long will the Jewish people have to suffer unmerited persecution before the world wakes up to the reality of antisemitism? It is so despicable to have to come up with a resolution condemning antisemitism in all its forms, just a few months after a similar attempt was made, but watered down in its verbiage. It is pathetic that Senator Cruz would even have to list some of the myths that have been believed about the Jewish people. To be sure, I do not criticize Senator Cruz’ initiative, but rather the fact that he would even have to delineate what antisemitism has done over the last two millennia.

One of the reasons why such a resolution is needed, as Mr. Cruz so clearly stated is that “Unfortunately, we’re living in an era where the need for a strong and clear condemnation of antisemitism has become acute.” The world has become desensitized to the hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. Antisemitism is undergoing a transformation, a normalization that is making it more acceptable by the masses. How long before those who fight antisemitism become the very victims of the Jew haters? Not too long I am afraid. So now, let ‘s talk about the bad.

My goal is certainly not to denigrate the effort made by senators Cruz and Kaine, they are certainly very commendable. Yet, when I read the resolution, which is almost identical to what we call a “bill”, I see a great list of condemnations that are all on point, and an extremely short closing statement reading ” Resolved, That the United States condemns and commits to combatting all forms of antisemitism.” As commendable as the resolution is, its conclusion is weak and definitely open-ended. It goes without saying that the purpose of such a resolution is to “condemn” antisemitism. As to the commitment to “combatting all forms of antisemitism”, it sounds great, but these statements almost always remain that; statements! Condemning and combatting do go hand-in-hand, but few people end-up combatting.

If and when the bill becomes a law, then it can be to be enforced with all the consequences attached to its breaking. But, we are not there and we might never get there. Before it even has a chance of becoming a law, there should be some guidelines as too how people will be penalized, indicted and even convicted if and when they commit acts of antisemitism.

What the resolution fails to do is:

• Define the difference between antisemitism and freedom of speech.

• Define different levels of antisemitism such as thoughts, words or deeds. While the driving force behind it may be the same, there is a difference between calling someone a “dirty Jew” and throwing a Jew out the window as happened recently in France to Sarah Halimi,

• Define how the opponents of antisemitism will combat it. Real fines and real prison sentences need to be clearly established to deter potential perpetrators. Additionally, the law must be enforced when antisemitism acts are identified.

By now, you are probably asking yourself if there is anything left that would qualify as “good” in this resolution? The good in all of this is that we still have some politicians who care enough to speak up. They are not the majority, but they exist and they need to be recognized. It must be noted that support for Israel and a desire to fight antisemitism is easier to find among conservatives and evangelicals. This doesn’t mean that the fight is one-sided. The bi-partisan aspect of this new resolution would prove the opposite.

That some people would recognize the gravity of the situation is encouraging, but the road to the eradication of antisemitism is long and chaotic. Obstacles such as political correctness, multiculturalism or fear of offending “anything Islam” are constantly in the way. Senator Ted Cruz was heard, and the resolution was passed. Now comes the hard part, combatting the beast in ways that can be measured before that resolution becomes another obscure number in the crowded pantheon of political rhetoric.

June 13, 2019 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

Who Knew That BDS Could Benefit Israel?

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement continues to be the best-kept secret in a lot of circles, including the evangelical community. While its proponents will tell you that it was born in 2005 in “Palestine”, the concept goes back in history, much earlier than that. It was also supposed to be modeled after the boycott of South Africa for apartheid (of course we are comparing apples to oranges here.) The boycott of Jewish people and businesses can be traced back to November 1938 during the “night of broken glass” know in history as “Kristallnacht”, so it is anything but new!

Simply stated, BDS is a global campaign to demonize and isolate Israel. BDS proponents claim that the principle is valid for all people, countries and corporations, yet, to date, it has only been applied to Israel. It saddens me to meet people regularly in various churches who either don’t know about BDS, know the acronym but understand very little about its meaning or even worse, know what it means and are mislead into supporting its goal. In all three cases, it can be very damaging to Israel and the Jewish people of the Diaspora. To be sure, I am not against the concept of boycotting, but I am against the idea of boycotting entities that are not guilty and/or the hypocrisy of selective boycotting.

Recently, an advisor in one of the European Union major courts recommended that products coming from the “occupied territories” be labeled as such so that consumers be made aware of their origins and make an educated decision regarding their purchase. I understand where they are coming from, but why is it that when they see the label “Made in China” they do not think for a second about boycotting China–a country guilty of human rights violations on so many levels? Why? Because China produces so much for the entire world that it would cripple and even collapse the global economy if people were consistent in their boycotts. And I am only taking one country as an example of the constant double-standard used on Israel. I could list many more.

Now, we could look at BDS and only see the negative, but if we want to make a difference, four steps are required: Comprehend, condemn, combat and conquer. You cannot win unless you fight and you cannot fight unless you are convinced that the cause is worth fighting against. It all starts with condemning it after you comprehend what it is all about and where it comes from. Each of these four steps builds upon the previous one. To be perfectly honest, I am not certain that we will be able to completely conquer and eradicate BDS. But each individual battle is well worth fighting even if the war keeps raging. Even if we cripple, delay, embarrass or just expose the BDS supporters and promoters, we strike against the beast. We cannot remain silent.

Comprehending and condemning usually happen back to back or even simultaneously, especially for those who read their Bible and understand the place of Israel in the plan of God for humanity. Combatting takes a special effort, concerted or individual. There is an unexpected way to combat BDS that could be viewed as soft, but nonetheless very efficient. It simply turns a negative into a positive, just like God did at the end of the book of Genesis when Joseph embraces his brothers telling them in Genesis 50:20″ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Joseph’s brothers had sold him years prior, to a passing caravan and through God’s providence, he had survived and become second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt. It could be argued that the 70 people from Israel who came to Joseph in Egypt because of a severe famine and grew to over one million, would have never survived were it not for God’s intervention through Joseph. A good came out of a bad. Yes God can do that. He is God after all!

So let’s make a good out of a bad in the realm of BDS. Here is how. We start to buy as many Israeli made products as we can and even invest in Israeli businesses. Most of you are probably thinking, “Well, I am not sure that I know any, and how would I recognize them. It would take so long?” Don’t get discouraged, we have the BDS people to help us. They have already done their homework and are listing and updating lists of Israeli products and corporations to boycott. All we have to do is go on the sites, read who they tell the world to avoid supporting and what they tell us to stop buying, and do the exact opposite, et voilà! Start with this list. Don’t bother reading the propaganda and fake reports, just make a note of the brands. Here is a much more comprehensive list by categories. Happy shopping!

Most of the products are good for you. Many of the corporations are greatly innovative. So buy Israeli, invest Israeli and visit Israel! Who knew that BDS could benefit Israel that much?

May 27, 2019 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

The Time to be a “Righteous Gentile” is Today!

After the Second World War, as Europe was coming to grips with the horrors of the Holocaust, it became evident that while most of the world turned its back on the Jewish people, some people found it in their hearts to help. While it was expected that Jewish people would help their own–and they did–help also came from Gentiles. By 1953, only six years after the war, Israel, then a modern nation since 1948, decided to start gathering information about those Gentiles who helped Jews during the Holocaust years. Gentiles became recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” based on three criteria as they helped Jews during the war years. First, they were not Jewish. Secondly, they acted risking their own lives and finally, they received no money in exchange for their deeds. In 2019, there are less than 27,000 Righteous Gentiles whose names Yad Vashem recognizes worldwide. In the scope of the six million innocent Jewish victims of the Nazi Death Camps, this is a drop in the ocean. But what about modern-day Righteous Gentiles? Do they exist? Who are they, and where are they?

In light of antisemitism’s global rebirth, we need modern-day Righteous Gentiles more than ever before. I am convinced that at the rate Jewish hatred is growing, it won’t be long before the global Jewish community will need help from outside once again. In some ways, we are already there when we consider the attacks in Pittsburg, San Diego, New York and the numerous–almost daily– incidents in Europe. How can we identify The Righteous Gentiles of today?

They read their Bible and they believe God’s plan for Israel
Anytime one reads their Bible, not trying to allegorize the stories that God gave us, they cannot help but discover a theme throughout its pages: Israel and the Jewish people–from early in Genesis all the way to Revelation, and almost on every page of the Bible. This is not to say that one must read their Bible to love the Jewish people. There were and still are many people who might not be religious or have any spiritual connection, and yet, have nothing against the Jewish people. People of good will have always existed. Yet, I do believe that modern Righteous Gentiles will have a greater propensity to help Jewish people if they read their Bible. Taken literally, the story of Israel and the Jewish people is based on promises and covenants made between the God of Israel and various leaders of Israel. Except for the Mosaic Covenant (parallel to all the others AND conditional), these covenants are all connected, unconditional and based on God’s unchanging character.

They love the Jewish people
Today’s Righteous Gentiles, biblically motivated or not, simply love the Jewish people. They recognize Israel’s existence against all odds and often contrary to human logic. There are a lot of Bible believers that could be called Christian Zionists. They believe in God’s plan for Israel and in the restoration of the Jewish people in the land of Israel in the End-Times (Ezekiel 36-37). To an extent, that return to Eretz Yisrael has already begun and Bible believers live with a great expectation of God’s fulfillment of His promises. When one believes in the God of the Bible, it is hard not to love the Jewish people.

They live their Bible
One important aspect of the Righteous Gentiles is that they not only believe the Bible, but they also live it daily. While no Bible believer is made instantaneously perfect by following the teachings of Yeshua of Nazareth, they are encouraged to live for Him and through Him. As a result, Righteous Gentiles strive to apply biblical principles to their own lives, just like the people of the French village of Le Chambon did during World War Two. Somebody once said, “Preach the Good News every day, if necessary, use words!” Our actions ought to be enough to demonstrate what we believe and why we believe it. Words are good but actions are better!

They will take risks to protect the Jewish people
To that extent, Righteous Gentiles will not hesitate to, again, help the Jewish people when the time comes, and the time is coming! There is no doubt in my mind that even though the Bible is replete with God’s promises for Israel and the Jewish people, things are going to get worse before they get better. Righteous Gentiles took great risks eighty years ago to hide, protect and save Jews. Today’s Righteous Gentiles are ready to do the same, but most Jewish people are not aware of it. Jewish people today need to be made aware that there are Gentiles who are their friends. Not every Gentile is an antisemite! Yet it is becoming increasingly difficult for Jewish people today to know where to turn for help and who to trust.

If you are a Gentile today, ask yourself these few questions, and if your answer is YES, then you might be a Righteous Gentile awaiting his/her call to reach out to God’s chosen people.
• Do you believe the Bible’s promises for Israel and the Jewish people will be fulfilled literally?
• Do you believe the Jewish people are at risk again?
• Are you willing to take risks to help your Jewish friends?

While I do not believe that Bible believers will go through the horrors of the Great Tribulation, in Matthew 25:40, we see how serious Yeshua is about the way Gentiles should treat Jews. At the end of that seven-year period of perilous times, Gentiles who would have survived the Tribulation and helped Jews in the process, will be recognized by King Yeshua, “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'” These Righteous Gentiles will not earn their entrance into God’s Kingdom because they protected Jews during the Tribulation, but their actions will simply demonstrate that they had become believers during that time, leading them to make the right choices.

The time to be a Righteous Gentile is today. Unbeknownst to them, the Jewish people are counting on you!

May 8, 2019 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

Six Reasons to Celebrate Israel’s Independence Day!

While last year was the memorable 70th anniversary of the birth of the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948, every new anniversary is a reason to celebrate. This year is no different!

We celebrate because of Israel’s survival

In her entire history, Israel has been the epitome of survival. From the moment That God created a people, gave them a land and a law, Israel became a prime target in the world. From Pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph to Haman to the Amalekites, the Bible is already replete with Israel’s foes. Post-biblical history continues to trace the lineage of the Jewish people as it is punctuated by acts of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism, going from verbal to violent to lethal, peaking with the Holocaust. In spite of all the anti-Semitic hatred, Israel has survived. In spite of all the wars against her from 1948 to today, and miraculously, Israel has survived. In spite of the current waves of terrorism, Israel will survive because Israel’s complete annihilation would make God a liar and covenant breaker (Jeremiah 31:35-37.)

We celebrate because of Israel innovative spirit

When the Jewish people started to organize under the leadership of Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann in the late 1890s, survival was of the essence, but creativity went hand in hand with the spirit of survival. Zionism was the catalyst to a mass migration to the land of our ancestors. From a place of rocks, desert and almost no vegetation, Israel has become one of the world’s foremost providers of fresh produce. Drip irrigation was an Israeli invention out of necessity. Much more has come to our modern world from Israeli ingenuity. It makes the job of the proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) very complicated if they choose to be ethically consistent, but they seldom do!

We celebrate because Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East

This little sliver of land the size of New Jersey almost becomes a drop of water as one places it within the whole ocean of Arab countries surrounding her. Muslim governments vary from somewhat moderate to fully Sharia compliant. Women, homosexuals and even people of other faiths are often abused verbally AND physically, with their rights taken away from them. The one country in the Middle East where Arabs and Jews can actually coexist (at least from an Israeli perspective), is Israel. There are even Arabs as members of the Knesset (Israel Parliament.)

We celebrate because Israel is a safe haven for the Jewish people.

Jewish people have been in the Diaspora (Dispersion), since the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. We can be found just about anywhere in the world, even though there is only 15 million of us. Yet, it is becoming increasingly evident that the only safe haven for Jewish people worldwide is Eretz Yisrael. Anti-Semitism is on the rise everywhere. Jews are being killed in Europe, the Middle East and even America, simply for being Jewish. Nevertheless, God promised that the Jews would return to the Land of Israel ( Ezekiel 37), and we are seeing it happening in our lifetime.

We celebrate because of God’s promises to Israel

Some people believe in God while others don’t, but that doesn’t prevent God from keeping his promises for Israel, and they are numerous:

• God made a covenant with Abraham: Genesis 12:1-3

• God gave specific boundaries: Genesis 15:18-21

• God’s covenant was reconfirmed through Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and his 12 sons: Genesis 26:2-4

, 28:13

, 50:24

• Israel will never be destroyed because of God’s promise of eternal protection: Jeremiah 31:35-37

We celebrate because of Israel’s glorious future promised by God

As bleak as the present looks, especially from a human perspective, Israel has a guaranteed glorious future, and that is indeed a cause for celebration.

• God promised Israel a New Covenant when He will remember their sins no more: Jeremiah 31:31-34

• Israel’s glorious future includes a final restoration to the land: Ezekiel 39:25-29

• Israel’s glorious future is secure because of God’s character: Ezekiel 36:22-28

Happy Independence Day, Happy 71st Birthday and Am Yisrael Chai!

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