Year after year, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head all over the globe with what appears to be increasing frequency and intensity. 2018 was no different as most of the world recorded an increase in the numbers of anti-Semitic incidents. In this first part of a two-part series are some highlights from January to June 2018.

JANUARY: Antisemitism in classical literature: Where do we draw the line?
Literary works like “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion“ published in 1905 by Russian writer and mystic Sergei Nilus, are openly anti-Semitic. They depict a global Jewish conspiracy as recorded in the minutes of a group of influential Jewish leaders.
Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”, first published as Hitler’s autobiography written in prison between 1925 and 1926., was virulently anti-Semitic.  Mein Kampf (My Fight,) has become part of history and can be used as such to study the person of Hitler and that period of Nazi Germany with more details.
Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894-1961), was a French novelist who introduced a new style of writing in literature. He used a more spoken style akin to the working class way of communicating. He published three very anti-Semitic essays. Bagatelles pour un massacre (Trifles for a Massacre) (1937), L’École des cadavres (The School of Corpses) (1938) and Les Beaux draps (The Fine Mess) (1941.)  The French publishing giant Gallimard has been considering re-publishing these works that have been out of print for quite a few years. They have received a lot of criticism, especially from members of the Jewish community. The consensus was that these virulent essays should not be reprinted.

FEBRUARY: Should Poland’s Recent Holocaust Law be Considered Historical Revisionism?
Poland is not exactly remembered for being friendly to the Jewish people during World War II. A country that was once the home of over three million Jews, now only has about 10,000, and even they, don’t feel very safe in Poland. The once vibrant Jewish community of pre-World War II has been drastically reduced by the Nazi war machine and the Death Camps–many of them erected in Poland. The most destructive being Auschwitz-Birkenau. There is no possible way to deny that millions of innocent Jewish victims were murdered in those places, not to mention other minorities.
It is also very difficult to completely separate the Death Camps destructive agenda from Polish involvement, and yet this is exactly what a new law passed in February 2018 is attempting to do. President Andrzej Duda of Poland signed a bill that became law, making it a crime (up to three years in prison, plus a fine) to call the German death Camps built on Polish soil, “Polish Death Camps.” He has made several public speeches stating that signing the bill into law was not meant to erase or diminish the fate of the victims of the Holocaust, but that is exactly what it could achieve!

MARCH: We Will not Survive in this Irrational World of Political Correctness!
Even though French Marine Le Pen's party is thinking of re-branding and changing its name to appeal to a broader audience, they continue to promote a highly xenophobic agenda. Although she received the most votes her party ever received in its history since the mid-1970s, Marine Le Pen lost the French presidential elections in the Spring of 2017 to “Centrist” Emmanuel Macron. These elections were upsetting on many levels. Primarily, it was horrifying to France and much of the civilized world that an Alt-Right candidate would be in the running in the second and final round of the elections. Even though she lost, she managed to garner 35% of the votes. If I were Mr. macron, I would make sure that I remember the promises made to the voters, and I try to fulfill as many as possible. Much of Europe is very unhappy with the current migrant situation and the open borders, and that includes France.
I would never vote for Miss Le Pen or anybody from Front National, but I must voice my support for her attempt at exposing ISIS for who they are while much of the Western World has its proverbial “head in the sand.” This is a slippery slope leading to slavery to an ideology opposed to Western, Judeo/Christian values, and I am convinced that we could not survive in this irrational world of political correctness!

APRIL: Is the Muslim Brotherhood Losing its Grip on America?
Many people use the name “Muslim Brotherhood” (MB) around without really knowing what it means, who is behind it AND how many people it affects and controls. The MB was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. After a while, it ended up being a powerful organization aiming at integrating Muslims all over the world. It sends two different messages to its adherents and to the West. Its motto continues to be“Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”
Its eighth Supreme Guide and current leader, Mohammed Badie recently declared in a sermon: the only way to deal with Israel is “Holy Jihad”. Some in the Middle East AND in the West see the MB as an organization responsible for Islamic terrorism. So it is very hopeful to see the current US administration cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood. With the recent appointments of John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, we might see the beginning of a shift in US support for Muslim organizations. Before I am accused of Islamophobia, let’s be clear that not all Muslims are a threat to the West and to Israel. Those who are a threat, are connected to the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood and they must be exposed.

MAY: Are we Inching our Way Towards the Fulfillment of Zechariah 12?
The United Nations General Assembly voted 128-9 (35 abstentions) in favor of condemning an embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, even though US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Hailey vowed that the United States would remember those who voted against the move. This was done in the form of an attempt at rendering the “Trump decision” null and void. The 9 countries that voted against it were: Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo and the US.
Then came the move to Jerusalem. President Trump chose the symbolic date of May 14, 2018, since Israel was declared a modern nation on May 14, 1948. Palestinian Authority and its close supporters declared that the move was counterproductive to any peace efforts. Simultaneously, Hamas tried to breach the Gaza/Israel border. The days leading to the move to Jerusalem were supposed to be the “Palestinian March of Return” coinciding with the date of May 14th, considered by Palestinians as the Nakba or “catastrophe.”
There is an interesting prophecy in the Jewish Scriptures found in the prophet Zechariah 12:1-9. In it, we are told that at some point in future history, the whole world will turn against Israel. “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah….“It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. Bible students know that to be true. The day is coming when the whole world will turn against Jerusalem. 128 countries out of 193 is definitely a move in that direction.

JUNE: Are the Jews Poisoning the Wells Again?
With the mid-1300s advent of the “Black Death” or “Black Plague”, the world was about to experience death like never before. It was the most devastating pandemic in the history of mankind, from 1347 to 1350, that was responsible for the death of about 75 million people worldwide (25 million in died in Europe alone from a bacterium found on fleas carried by black rats from Asia onto ships sailing to Europe). As the rest of the continent appeared to be on its way to total extinction, people started to look for a cause and it was not long before the Jews were once again used as the convenient “scapegoats of humanity.”
Jewish people also died during the “Black Death”, but generally in much lesser numbers. Many reasons can be at the root of the smaller number of casualties (communal isolation, mandatory liturgical washing of the hands before meals and the strict kosher laws) resulted in less death in the Jewish communities, but it didn’t stop the masses from slaughtering and destroying over 200 Jewish communities, numbering Jewish fatalities in the tens of thousands.
Such an accusation would stick for a while, but eventually would be debunked, at least one would think. Fast forward to 2018 and the accusation is back in the news, not from a Middle Eastern country indoctrinated to hate the Jews, as one would expect, but by a Daily Mail British columnist who wrote on June 26, 2018: “ In an unequivocal breach of international law, Israeli settlers have taken much of the best agricultural land, while depriving the Palestinians of water supplies and, according to a number of respectable sources — and I have witnessed this for myself — burning their olive groves and poisoning their wells.”

To be followed by Part 2 ( July-December 2018).