BDS Archives - The New Antisemitism

March 7, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 9 Comments

Is the Antisemitic “Goyim Defense League” the New Normal?

In 1968, Rabbi Meir Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League (JDL) whose motto was, “To protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary.” The organization might have started as a noble cause, necessary for the safety of Jewish people; but it quickly became a violent group responsible for attacks, bombings and even a few deaths. The founder himself was assassinated in 1990. The JDL still exists today and has been classified as a right-wing terrorist group by the FBI since 2001. Originally, the JDL claimed that they were there to do the job that the ADL wasn’t doing.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is an international Jewish NGO based in the United States that was founded in 1913. While the JDL is inactive for the most part, the ADL has become a voice for civil rights and against antisemitism.

The Goyim Defense League (GDL), using its name as the counterpart to the JDL, is a completely different animal. The word goyim is plural for goy, which in Hebrew means “nation” or “nations”, another name for the Gentiles. Their logo is some sort of parody of the ADL logo, using the colors red, black and white–subliminally or not–similar to the Nazi logo. The GDL was founded in California in 2018 by Jon Minadeo II. They are a very antisemitic/conspiracy theory group that targets Jews in whatever way they can. They used to be a fringe group that no one really took too seriously, but lately, they have been present and vocal in 17 states.

Their recent activity includes antisemitic flyers about age-old Jewish world domination. The flyers are printed, stuffed in plastic bags with pebbles or beans and thrown in neighborhoods on people’s driveways or placed on car windshields.

Additionally, some of their members have been spotted in California, Texas and Florida, displaying banners on highway overpasses with messages such as “Kanye is right about the Jews” referring to Kanye West’s recent rant against Jewish people.
Jon Minadeo was also spotted recently in Florida where he was insulting Jewish people on the street with a bullhorn, accompanied by a few other of his GDL cronies. He yelled “should we put you in an oven” to a passerby and insulted a Jewish man in his car, calling him “Jew Horse” and telling him to go back to his country, Israel where “they kill Palestinian kids”. The whole episode took place while he was laughing and insulting people as the police watched silently, and no passersby said a word.

Groups like GDL/GoyimTV used to be on the fringe of the antisemitic circle, and not taken very seriously. Why are they suddenly becoming more vocal? It is part of what I have identified as the normalization of antisemitism. Normal is the opposite of abnormal, so normalization is a process that takes an abnormal belief or behavior and manages to change it or its perception so that it will be perceived as normal. It can refer to data, diplomatic relations, economics, biology or sociology. The sociological aspect of normalization is the one that affects antisemitism.

Satan has worked for a long time to make the irrational look rational. This is also a component of the normalization of antisemitism, but only to the extent that the words and deeds committed against the Jews move from being done by identifiable antisemites to being done by all people without reprimand. We must clearly understand the two factors at stake here: legal and societal. Legally, normalization exonerates one from ramifications for committing an act that previously was punishable by law. No arrest, indictment, lawsuit, trial, verdict or imprisonment is to be feared. Societally, these acts go from being judged, ostracized or demonized to normal behavior. This takes these acts from being disturbing to acceptable.

One should quickly understand that if antisemitism were to undergo the process of complete normalization, it would trigger an “open season” against Jews globally and bring us back full force into the 1930s and 1940s. It would be an irreversible tipping point. Unfortunately, I fear that we might have reached that tipping point. While those of us who value Israel and appreciate the Jewish people are becoming a very slim minority, now is not the time to cave into the majority. We have some tough choices to make.

I am not necessarily interested in the source of the various stages of the normalization of antisemitism–already knowing that one way or another, they all come from Satan–but more in their status as of the start of 2023. I see ten stages: Apathy, lack of education, low or incorrect reporting, desensitization, lack of accountability, empowerment, demonization of the defenders, persecution of Jews and defenders, encouragement to kill and the mass murder of Jews. While I believe they feed off each other, these stages do not have to happen exactly in the order just listed; they can occur simultaneously and overlap.

For a group like the Goyim Defense League to gain momentum, we must be within the boundaries of normalization. Eight of the ten stages can be found in the actions of the GDL in Florida: Apathy, lack of education, low or incorrect reporting, desensitization, lack of accountability, empowerment, demonization of the defenders, persecution of Jews and defenders. Short of encouragement to kill and the mass murder of Jews, the GDL is promoting the normalization of antisemitism.

For those of us who despise this kind of xenophobic behavior, the time is NOW to expose these people. We might feel like our voice will never be heard, but if we report these actions to Jewish advocacy groups, we can make a difference. This is a spiritual battle and all of us are soldiers on the frontlines. Let us fight together for the vindication and salvation of Israel. Remember that silence is complicity, so if you see, hear or read something, report it to any of these organizations:

STANDWITHUS.COM
CANARYMISSION.ORG
MOMENTMAG.COM/ANTISEMITISM-MONITOR
CAMERA.ORG
MACCABEETASKFORCE.ORG
ADL.ORG/ADL-TRACKER
MEMRI.ORG

January 21, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 1 Comment

The Biblical Case for Israel’s Right to the Land Should Be a Slam Dunk!

Israel continues to be in the news almost daily. Now they have a newly formed government coalition headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. Many critics of the new coalition are voicing their concern regarding the fact that Bibi had to form a coalition with some leaders who are more on the right than on the political spectrum. There was a gathering of 80,000 people on the streets of Tel Aviv to protest some of the moves the new coalition wants to make in the legal arena. People in Israel fear the survival of the only true democracy in the Middle East. Added to that is the constant tension about the land and the expansion of Jewish settlements.

The accusation of colonization and occupation–a fabricated narrative from the 1960s–is now well-seared into people’s brains. Very few, if any, in the mainstream media are questioning the validity of such a claim. Nothing shows how wildly accepted the “Palestinian Narrative “is more than the recent artifact “returned” to the Palestinian authority. A 2,700-year-old spoon from the Assyrian empire was confiscated from its owner as a part of a criminal case. It was then given to the Palestinian Authority and described as a “historic repatriation.”

Let’s not miss the point here. A significant shift just occurred. For the last sixty years, the Palestinian narrative has been part of anti-Jewish propaganda to turn Israel into “Palestine” so that the rightful original and indigenous original occupants could return. The narrative has become truth, and now is the time to begin validating it with artifacts and antiquities. Enter “the spoon,” heralded as “an example of Palestinian cultural patrimony.” This will undoubtedly be followed by more artifacts to enrich the history of a people that never existed–at least until their introduction to the world by Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the 1960s.

Jewish history has been rewritten to rob the Jewish people of their heritage, culture, customs, and, last but not least, their land: Eretz Yisrael! I wish the Palestinian Authority would be honest about their goals like PLO executive member Zahir Muhsein was in an interview for a Dutch newspaper in 1977, “The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct ‘Palestinian people’ to oppose Zionism for tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa. While as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.” He was very transparent and admitted that the Palestinian people were invented solely for political gain. Let’s look at a few points made by the Bible as it pertains to Israel and the land.

• The Land ultimately belongs to God: God has granted the title deed to the Jewish people forever, but ultimately, it is His land.
‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine; for you are only strangers and residents with Me (Leviticus 25:23.)

• The Land was given to Abraham and his descendants by God: God has given the Land of Canaan to the Jewish people ONLY through Abraham and his descendants
And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:7, 13:15.)

• The Land grant was based on an unconditional covenant with Abraham: God made a covenant with Abraham, but only the Shechinah glory of God passed through the split animals making it eternal, and God said, “I will,” making the covenant unconditional.
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹⁷Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which passed between these pieces. ¹⁸On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite, ²⁰the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, ²¹the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.” (Genesis 15:12, 17-21.)

• The Land grant was based on specific boundaries that should never be expanded: While the current size of Israel (about the size of New Jersey) is not what the millennial size (twice Texas) will be, even the specific boundaries of the more significant Israel are not expandable by one foot. There isn’t one country in the world that would have to abide by biblical boundaries and not try to expand its territory through war or other human means. Israel is unique in that regard.
⁴and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; ⁵do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.” (Deuteronomy 2:4-5.)
¹⁸‘Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab. ¹⁹When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not attack them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ (Deuteronomy 2:18-19.)

• The Land was to Abraham, then Isaac (never Ishmael) and then Jacob (never Esau): While the land was first promised to Abraham, the promise was repeated through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob.
Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; ⁶but to the sons of ^[a]his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east. (Genesis 25:5-6.)
Live for a time in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. (Genesis 26:3.)
May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a multitude of peoples. ⁴May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, so that you may possess the land where you live as a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.” (Genesis 28:3-4.)

• The Land grant is only based on God’s character, never on Israel’s performance: Israel was sent into captivity more than once, but God, while He disciplined the Jewish people, never rescinded on His promise.
Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so loathe them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. ⁴⁵But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, so that I might be their God. I am the Lord.’” (Leviticus 26:44-45.)

• God’s promise to Israel is as unmovable as the universe He created: God gives the ultimate recipe for the guaranteed destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, but He makes it impossible.
³⁵This is what the Lord says, He who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— The Lord of armies is His name: ³⁶“If this fixed order departs From Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the descendants of Israel also will cease To be a nation before Me forever.” ³⁷This is what the Lord says: “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also reject all the descendants of Israel For everything that they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:35-37.)

These are seven points out of many more I could make to validate this claim. I am well aware that a biblical defense of Israel’s right to the land will only work with those who hold the Bible as the inerrant word of God. My measuring stick has been the Bible for the last 40 years, and I know that one day I will have to answer to God, not for my salvation which I received 40 years ago as a gift from God through the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua of Nazareth, but for how I served and obeyed after He rescued me. Many Bible believers today do not see a future for Israel and buy into the false narrative of the Palestinians as an ethnic group. It is to them that this article is addressed.

We cannot change God, we cannot change His character, and since His promises and covenants are rooted in His character, we cannot change them either. What people can always do, though, is to study the facts of history alongside the promises of the Bible. If Israel weren’t in God’s plan, from a human perspective, we would have been long gone, but we still exist and are growing stronger against all odds. So, the Bible is one aspect of why we survived all the attempts at decimating us. Add history, politics, and archeology to that foundational truth, and the case is a slam dunk for those who are honest and humble enough to admit it.

December 5, 2022 By Olivier Melnick 6 Comments

Christians and Jews Must Fight the Beast of Antisemitism Together!

There are many things that Christians and Jews don’t agree on, the main one being Yeshua (Jesus). While I wholeheartedly agree with 19th-century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli who said that “Christianity is Biblical Judaism fulfilled,” Judeo/Christian relations have been complicated over the centuries. Many will agree that Christianity started as a Jewish sect. Still, over time, the Jewish heritage eroded, and the Gentile Christians couldn’t or refused to relate to their Jewish brethren. A theological wedge was placed between Jews and Christians. It progressively grew and separated the two, to the point where from a Jewish sect not knowing what to do with Gentiles; we now look at a Gentile faith not being able to relate to Jewish people.

Despite this great divide, Jews and Christians can still find reasons to join forces when a cause is worthy of their partnership. While both sides might feel like they have the right answers to spirituality and never agree, when it comes to fighting antisemitism, the fight belongs to both Jews and Christians individually and corporately. There is no doubt in my mind that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world but let us set aside this argument and look at the elephant, scratch that, the mammoth in the room: Antisemitism.

Antisemitism is the hatred of the Jewish people and Israel characterized by thoughts, words and deeds against them. Fighting antisemitism is a worthy cause, no matter what angle you view it from. Israel has always had and will continue to have friends and foes. there are three reasons why the current state of antisemitism is alarming and very concerning: Frequency, Intensity and, more recently, Normalization.

• Frequency: This is not news to anybody keeping a serious eye on Israel and the Jewish people. I have been monitoring antisemitism globally for almost 23 years. What used to yield a monthly or weekly news article now fills my email inbox on a daily basis. This only takes into consideration what is being reported. Many incidents are not categorized as antisemitic or are just willfully ignored. In many cases, depending on who was initiating the antisemitic acts, no reporting or biased reporting takes place for fear of reprisals. I do not see the frequency slowing but only increasing. From this point forward, there are more reasons why people of goodwill must join forces to fight the same enemy.

• Intensity: As if the frequency wasn’t enough of a problem, we also have to take intensity into consideration. What used to be mostly verbal abuse against Jewish people and those who support Israel has become violent over the last decade. Jews are being killed again. To be sure, not in the gruesome numbers seen during World War II, but even one life is too many. In 2015, a hostage situation resulted in the death of four Jewish shoppers on the east side of Paris, two days after the mass murder at the Charlie Hebdo magazine. In 2017, French Jewish doctor Sarah Halimi was thrown to her death out of her apartment window in Paris. In 2018, 11 congregants were killed during service at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburg. In May 2022, an old Jewish man was thrown from the 17th-floor window of his Paris apartment. These are just a few examples validating the fact that antisemitism is moving from thoughts and words to actions. But we must understand that, almost always, actions are derived from words because words have meaning, and once spoken; they have consequences. I believe that what is leading to an increase in both frequency and intensity is the third criterion, known as normalization.

• Normalization: By normalization, I mean that antisemitism barely makes a blip in the news cycle in America. It’s being accepted as a piece of the fabric of America, as it is going mainstream, but it is the piece that should be removed. Outside of groups like neo-Nazis or radicalized hyper-religious sects, antisemitism was usually dormant or somewhat suppressed. In fact, it could be argued that one of the biggest challenges that those who fight antisemitism have had in recent years is apathy, not normalization. For various reasons, people simply didn’t care and didn’t react much to anything antisemitic on the news, the social networks or even in their own communities. In principle, people would always agree that antisemitism is wrong, but in practice, people didn’t care much about it, or they looked the other way. Was it fear of retribution? Possibly! Yet, that is not the end of the story. Now, antisemitism is going mainstream, and people are going from apathetic to supportive. This normalization is hitting us from various angles:
• The Hebrew Israelite Movement is promoting the notion that African Americans are the real Jews sidelining the real physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through the twelve tribes. There is no biblical evidence for such a claim which is painting authentic Jewish people in a very precarious light. This is a movement that is supported by several famous and influential celebrities, making it more attractive and believable to the masses.
• Stand-Up Comedians are now using age-old antisemitic tropes about Jews controlling the world, the banks or Hollywood to generate laughter from their audience. When antisemitism goes mainstream, it goes from suppressed to accepted to promoted. We are currently in the “accepted” stage.
• Famous people boldly proclaim that the Holocaust never happened and even that they find that Hitler had redeeming qualities.
• Another arena where antisemitism should never be seen is in the world of sports. Unfortunately, the Qatar 2022 Soccer World Cup seemed to be fertile ground for various enemies of the Jewish state.
• Unexpectedly, possibly the most concerning recent poll, is the one regarding how Jewish people are perceived during a hiring process. Jewish applicants seem to have less of a chance of being hired in 2022, and nobody seems to care. 25% of hiring managers would think twice before hiring a person if they knew that the person is Jewish. Some of their findings are chilling:

26% of hiring managers say they are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants; the top reason for negative bias is the belief that Jews have too much power and control
26% make assumptions about whether a candidate is Jewish based on their appearance
23% say they want fewer Jews in their industry
17% say leadership has told them not to hire Jews
33% say antisemitism is common in their workplace; 29% say antisemitism is acceptable in their company.

Let me repeat this, almost one-third of people polled responded that antisemitism is acceptable! Not that it is present, not that it is unfortunate, not that it is a problem, but that it is ACCEPTABLE! When a minority of people are against the Jews and another minority of people are fighting their bigotry, there is hope. Still, when it becomes acceptable to be antisemitic, normalization has taken root deeply enough to make it difficult to uproot it, and its growth will be exponential. This will require those who fight antisemitism to move to the front lines, and this is why Jews and Christians have no choice but to put their theological and cultural differences aside and fight the beast together.

To Christians, remember that the Jewish community might not accept and embrace you. Christians have a lot of baggage. You might not feel that the baggage is yours, but as a part of the Body of Messiah, it is part of your unfortunate, dark and bloody heritage. Now is not the time to cancel antisemitic Church history, but to acknowledge that it took place while not condoning it.
To Jews, give your Christian friends and neighbors a chance to tell you how they feel about Israel and the Jewish people. Do not paint Christians with the broad stroke of Jew-hatred without hearing them out. You might be surprised.
The normalization of antisemitism is the abnormal result of a fallen human race misled by Satan. Remember that antisemitism goes through phases. When normalization starts picking up momentum, the last stage will be an organized attempt at destroying the Jews. It’s not like we haven’t been there before!

November 14, 2022 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

How Do We Fight Satanic and Irrational Antisemitism?

There is no lack of organizations dedicated to fighting antisemitism on a global scale, and with the continued increase in Jew hatred, it is a good thing. Yet, I believe that when it comes to fighting antisemitism, there is a fundamental aspect of the fight that is vastly misunderstood. The reason why it is misunderstood is simply that those who fight against antisemitism often do not take into consideration the spiritual component of the oldest hatred. They truly believe that men and women of goodwill can prevail against this xenophobic virus. While I believe people can fight racism successfully and even eradicate it if they want to, it is different for antisemitism.

Antisemitism includes racism but is not the same as racism; it is a bit more complex to define. My standard definition for antisemitism is as follows: Antisemitism is the irrational, satanic hatred of the Jewish people and Israel, characterized by thoughts, words and/or deeds against them. I have yet to see a definition of antisemitism that includes the words “satanic” or “demonic”. That aspect of the problem is seldom, if ever, mentioned. I must admit that even in my case, it is not until recently that I felt the need to include the word “satanic” in my definition, but it is a key, if not THE key component. The reason is simple, and it is found in the Bible.

God has Israel and the Jewish people at the core of His plan for mankind. Genesis, the first book of the Torah and the Bible, has 50 chapters. The first 11 chapters cover mankind in general and the next 39 cover the Jewish people from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. God’s plan for the Jewish people is not an afterthought. The Jewish people wrote our Bible, gave us the prophets and Yeshua the Messiah came from Israel in His humanity. Of all beings, Satan knows that very well and he understands the ramifications of Yeshua’s first and second comings. The bottom line is this, planet earth can only have one ruler: Satan or Yeshua, and the Bible tells us that it will not bode well for Satan. He wants to destroy all that is special to God. As a result, the Jewish people and Israel have been on top of his list for a very long time. He wanted to stop Yeshua’s First Coming (Genesis 3:15) and corrupt the race through which Messiah would be born (Genesis 6:1-8). He failed! Even Yeshua’s death was part of the plan to pay for humanity’s sins. Yeshua is soon returning, and Satan is very scared because he knows what this means.

When at the end of the seven-year Tribulation (also known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble), Israel will realize that Yeshua is indeed the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world, and the Jewish people will call upon Him corporately (Zechariah 12:10). It was Yeshua who declared to Israel that His return was dependent upon their crying out to Him “Baruch Haba Bashem Adonai,” in Matthew 23:37-39 ³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. ³⁸Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! ³⁹For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Satan knows that time is coming, and he is about to get “fired” (pun intended!). He continues to do everything he can to denigrate, demonize and decimate the Jews so that he can keep his position of “Prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2). This is the ONLY reason antisemitism exists and this is why I am convinced from a biblical perspective that it will not cease but only increase until Yeshua Sar Shalom (Jesus the Prince of Peace) returns. So, why fight it if the battle is pointless? We fight it because it is our duty to do so regardless of the immediate outcome, and the battle is far from pointless. In fighting, we might expose the lies to others that have been swayed away from support of Israel and love of Jewish people. We might never change the minds of the most virulent antisemites–Yeshua will handle them personally–but we can still influence those who are confused, uneducated and open to change.

I have yet to find a better system to expose antisemitism than the three Ds developed by Russian refusenik turned Israeli politician and activist Natan Sharansky. He posits that the best way to expose antisemitism is to see if any actions or words delivered fall into one or more of these three categories: Delegitimization, Demonization and Double Standards. These three feed off each other and are not that complicated to identify. Sharansky helps us in exposing the problem, but what we need is a solution.

Once we see that an action or words falls in any or all of the three Ds, I would like to suggest three more Ds to help us work toward a solution. Remember that the solution is not going to be a complete eradication of antisemitism. That will only happen when Yeshua returns at the end of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble and takes over.

Diagnose: Using the three Ds litmus test, we must DIAGNOSE the issue and clearly determine if it qualifies as antisemitism. Dislike of a Jewish person or criticism of Israeli policies might not always be driven by Jew hatred. It might be honest and justified once we study the facts and the motives behind any move. For instance, one criticizing someone like George Soros or Chuck Schumer, for whatever reason, doesn’t necessarily qualify as antisemitism just because they have Jewish ancestry.
Determine: Once the issue is diagnosed as antisemitic, it is time to DETERMINE what course of action is necessary. Should we speak up? Should we write to, email or call local or national leaders and politicians geographically connected to the issue at stake? Should we correct the offender? Should we educate others with the truth and debunk the lies? Should we reach out to the victim(s) and voice our concerns and support? Frankly, all the questions raised above are actions to take and will always be based on a specific situation. The key is to do something!
Defend: People are quick to speak up and express their indignation, and that is good. What about coming to the defense of the Jewish people in question? If you are looking for a biblical mandate to do so, start with Genesis 12:3 and bless the Jewish people, continue with Psalm 83:5 and understand that the enemies of Israel are the very enemies of God and finish by applying the principle of the Sheep in Matthew 23:31-40. When our Jewish friends need us the most, it will be time to move from “Praying for the peace of Jerusalem” to ” Protecting the children of Jerusalem”. The proverbial rubber is about to meet the road. Get ready to rescue your Jewish friends.

We might never completely eradicate antisemitism on this side of eternity, but we cannot ignore it. If it seems to fit Delegitimization, Demonization and/or Double Standards, we must Diagnose, Determine and Defend. Your Jewish friends and family might be in for a surprise, but Yeshua isn’t expecting any less of us because the last thing He desires from believers is to sit on the fence as we wait for His return.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
(Ephesians 6:12)

October 4, 2022 By Olivier Melnick 3 Comments

JUDENFREI Coming Soon to a Town Near You!

When Hitler wanted the “Aryan race” to dominate Europe, he used the now debunked law of Eugenics. On one side of the coin was this description of the perfect race; blond hair, blue eyes, perfect size nose and ears. On the other side of the coin was the Jew, a subhuman race akin to vermin and destined for complete destruction to save the world of its “grip.”. Hitler was obsessed with getting rid of the Jews, not only in Germany but all of Europe and the rest of the world if he could. His ultimate goal was a Jundenfrei Europe, a European continent free of Jews at any cost, and six million later, he almost succeeded! The Nazi term Judenfrei described the attempt to achieve “the final solution to the Jewish question.” At first, but not for long, the Jews were ostracized, demonized and expelled. Eventually, when a community had gotten rid of all its Jews, it was Judenrein or Jew-free. But, this was never enough for Hitler and the Nazi regime. The complete annihilation of the Jews was the goal…One Judenrein at a time!

When looking at the concept of Judenfrei, it is crucial to consider that it didn’t happen as an isolated incident but was part of a very precise, organized and structured agenda of death. The Holocaust, A systematic, willful attempt at exterminating all of European Jewry, can be divided into four main periods of a few years spanning from 1933 to 1945. Legislation from 1933-1938 (The Nuremberg Laws), Criminalization of Jewishness from 1938-1939 (Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass), Isolation from 1939-1941 (Ghettos) and Annihilation from 1941-1945 (Death Camps.) Judenfrei was part of the agenda of death. It was just one step on the path to total annihilation. It described an area that had been “cleansed” of its Jews in the same way that a pest control inspector would declare your home free of vermin. Cafés, restaurants and other businesses advertised to the outside crowds that they proudly were Judenfrei.

Judenfrei or Judenrein didn’t come to a halt when the war ended in 1945. The concept was picked up by many Arab and Muslim countries that have made life impossible for Jews and forced them to leave. Several countries currently have dwindling numbers of Jews, even down to the single digits. Sometimes the Jews are forced out and sometimes they leave on their own. All this being said, there is nothing positive about Judenfrei.

So, when the University of Berkeley in California decided to develop “Jewish Free ” zones on campus, I cringed! To be exact, nine different Law Student Groups at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law are modifying their by-laws to make sure that Jews are excluded. They want to ensure that speakers promoting Israel or Zionism are never invited anywhere or anytime on campus. The law groups are Berkeley Law Muslim Student Association, Community Defense Project, Law Students of African Descent, Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Queer Caucus, Women of Berkeley Law and Womxn of Color Collective. How in the world do we get the Queer Caucus and the Muslim Student Association to get along when they are on two opposite sides of the ideological spectrum? Oh Yes, I remember, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend!” It is also important to understand that Berkeley as a school doesn’t endorse that decision.

Some of the language used in the revision of the bylaws is very concerning, as they state, “ in the interest of protecting the safety and welfare of Palestinian students on campus [insert organization name] will not invite speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views or host/sponsor/promote events in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine. This sounds like the pro-Palestinian students are at risk for their safety when a pro-Israel group or speaker is active on campus. It also accuses Israel of apartheid, which frankly is an outright lie that those promoting it rarely if ever take the time to go to the Land and observe how Arabs and Jews actually co-exist and work together in Israel. They also intend to promote BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) against Israel, as well as equip people on how to properly boycott Israeli products, companies and personalities. Erwin Chemernsky, the Dean of the Berkeley Law School is Jewish and he is even a progressive Zionist. By the new standards of the Law Scool bylaws, he would be forbidden to speak at any events; how is that going to work?

What we really need to see is real dialogue from both sides. There used to be a time when people with differing views could dialogue freely, agree on some and disagree on some, but keep a respectful attitude towards each other. On a university campus, when the next generation is being groomed and equipped to be the leaders of tomorrow, what are were teaching them when we call Jews occupiers, colonizers and human rights violates. Incidently, if a Jewish student wants to contribute to the dialogue at a pro-Palestinian gathering, they are quickly booed and often escorted out. I know it first hand because I was the recipient of in sults at UC Irvine in California several years ago when I attempted to participate to the dialogue and ask a question.

When Berkeley Law students call for a Jew-Free Zone, not only do they infringe on freedom of speech, but they commit antisemitism and encourage others to do likewise. If this is not reversed, other schools will follow suit and then other organizations. This is a little spark that could very rapidly lead to a forest fire. Considering how many of the current events parallel the gruesome agenda of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 40s, when we hear that a school wants to be Jew-Free, we should be outraged, speak up and come to the defense of our Jewish friends. Remain silent and soon enough the Jews in your town will be no more. British commentator Melanie Phillips was spot on when she declared, “For American Jews, the writing is now on the wall in neon lights!” This is enough to make Martin Niemöller turn in his grave.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

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