To most of us, it is hard to believe that it was exactly a year ago that according to the Mayans, the world was coming to an end. While the world is still turning, it is not difficult to admit that we –as a global interconnected community–are in deep trouble. We continue on the slippery slope of postmodernism, tolerance and multiculturalism one foot in the grave, one foot over the cliff and our head deep in the sand (how’s that for a most uncomfortable and very dangerous posture?)
The temperature of our sick world can be measured from many different perspectives, depending of one’s area of interest or expertise. The proverbial frog of Western civilization in the slowly boiling pot of tolerance and universalism continues to sustain more heat. Enough heat could very soon be generated to cripple the frog inside the pot, to a point of no return.
I am definitely not talking about Global Warming but would like to give us all a Global Warning in the area of the New Anti-Semitism. While I never encourage dwelling on negative or tragic issues, it is necessary to remember and learn from the past to help shape the future, so allow me to review some of the key events of 2013. You can also read the full article for each month by clicking on each title throughout this post.
JANUARY:Stop Insulting Our Intelligence!
On January 27, the day that is recognized as “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”, based on when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated in 1945, many of us were shocked at a cartoon published by Famous British Sunday Times cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, depicting Benyamin Netanyahu building the security fence with bricks interspersed with Palestinian bodies and using Palestinian blood as mortar.
Of course, the fact that the cartoon was published on “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” was a pure coincidence or maybe a busy newsroom oversight, right? Well, I wish I could say that it is true but I am afraid that the day was purposely picked to hurt the Jewish people even more. The link between the cartoon’s accusations and medieval blood libels further used by Nazi Germany shouldn’t be missed.
If there were an Academy Award for the most anti-Semitic remark ever made, it would have to go to “Oscars 2013” presenter Seth MacFarlane. I still recall the outrageous skit performed by Mark Wahlberg and animated teddy bear named Ted (borrowing MacFarlane’s voice who also directed and produced the movie Ted).
The not-so-funny-joke implied that many actors in the audience were at least part Jewish and that if you ever wanted to work in Hollywood, you better say that you are Jewish and that you support Israel. Frankly, if the Jews did indeed control Hollywood, they would have never allowed such an anti-Jewish degrading skit at the Oscars!
But before I am accused of going on an anti-liberal-right-winged-bigoted witch-hunt, let me make a statement about Mr. MacFarlane. While I clearly believe that this was inappropriate, I cannot confirm that he is anti-Semitic. Yet, this was reminiscent of some caustic writings by Martin Luther about the Jews. We know from history how Luther’s writings were used to decimate my people, as the Nazis were proud to simply be “finishing up what Luther started”. Tread carefully Mr. MacFarlane, if you do not wish to be responsible for somebody “finishing up what you started”.
But before I am accused of going on an anti-liberal-right-winged-bigoted witch-hunt, let me make a statement about Mr. MacFarlane. While I clearly believe that this was inappropriate, I cannot confirm that he is anti-Semitic. Yet, this was reminiscent of some caustic writings by Martin Luther about the Jews. We know from history how Luther’s writings were used to decimate my people, as the Nazis were proud to simply be “finishing up what Luther started”. Tread carefully Mr. MacFarlane, if you do not wish to be responsible for somebody “finishing up what you started”.
March saw the start of a new campaign on the San Francisco, Washington DC and Chicago bus systems. It was produced by the American Freedom Defense Initiative under the leadership of anti-sharia activist Pamela Geller, to expose radical Islam and jihad.
Ms. Geller’s rightful concern in placing the ads was due to the danger posed by the ongoing brainwashing of the American people regarding the real meaning of the word Jihad. As bold, unsettling and politically incorrect as the ads were, they addressed a very serious issue. I wish I could say that such public displays were not necessary to convey her message, but lately it appears that nobody is listening to reason anymore. This campaign was a response to an earlier CAIR campaign titled “my jihad” trying to redefine the word jihad to carry the meaning of ” struggle for peace, diversity, tolerance and coexistence”, in other words nothing violent or lethal. Of course, Ms. Geller was immediately accused of unwarranted Islamophobia, yet nobody takes offense when anti-Israel and anti-Zionist statements are made. If Islamophobia is the fear of the radicalism pushed by Islamists under sharia law, then I am an Islamophobe as I fight against a barbaric ideology, but never against people as human beings. Judeophobia is anti-Semitism in disguise and it seldom if ever simply fights the Jewish ideology (whatever that would be!), instead it targets Jewish people.
It was around April that a big push took place to advertise an upcoming conference known as Impact Holy Land 2013 (IHL2013). On the surface, IHL2013 was going to be a conference promoting unity and reconciliation through dialogue and even the sharing of the Lord’s Supper. In essence, this should be very attractive to the parties involved being Palestinian Christians, Messianic Jews and other various evangelicals, but the list of confirmed speakers showed us that the scale was tipping in favor of the Palestinian struggle.
IHL2013 wass organized by Evangelicals for Social Action, started in 1973 to introduce the concept of a “social Gospel” to the evangelical community in a declaration that claims that: “By this declaration, we endorse no political ideology or party, but call our nation’s leaders and people to that righteousness which exalts a nation”. Current ESA President, Paul Alexander should also be a concern as he continues to make statements about the middle east that are based on anything but facts.
As pro-Palestinian factions are gaining momentum within evangelical circles, pro-Israel Evangelicals are ill equipped to fight such a pernicious monster. We simply throw a prophecy here and a verse there to defend our position in a political arena.
The Bible clearly teaches that God is not done with Israel and the Jewish people today and in the future. We must stand firm on a biblical foundation that is the only rock upon which we should ever build our social justice. Then, we might be surprised in finding out that God loves all people: Jews, Arabs, Christians and all those who don’t even acknowledge Him, and that Yeshua died for ALL.
MAY: Is Stephen Hawking biting the hand that feeds him?
The 2013 Israeli Presidential Conference on the theme of “Facing Tomorrow 2013: The Human Factor in Shaping Tomorrow” should have included British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author Stephen Hawking as one of the keynote speakers. Globally recognized as a genius, Hawking has also become the poster child for science over the last few decades. But in a move that has garnered him both some applause and some criticism, he chose to boycott the 2013 Israeli conference following the advice of Palestinian academics. This will undoubtedly help to vindicate the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) in their fight against “Apartheid Israel”. On the English version of the Middle East media site El Arabiya, while some claimed that his health was what made him change his mind, Hawking’s statement was made crystal clear:
The 2013 Israeli Presidential Conference on the theme of “Facing Tomorrow 2013: The Human Factor in Shaping Tomorrow” should have included British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author Stephen Hawking as one of the keynote speakers. Globally recognized as a genius, Hawking has also become the poster child for science over the last few decades. But in a move that has garnered him both some applause and some criticism, he chose to boycott the 2013 Israeli conference following the advice of Palestinian academics. This will undoubtedly help to vindicate the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) in their fight against “Apartheid Israel”. On the English version of the Middle East media site El Arabiya, while some claimed that his health was what made him change his mind, Hawking’s statement was made crystal clear:
“We understand that Professor Stephen Hawking has declined his invitation to attend the Israeli Presidential Conference Facing Tomorrow 2013, due to take place in Jerusalem on 18-20 June. This is his independent decision to respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine, and on the unanimous advice of his own academic contacts there.”
I find it pathetic that Hawking chooses to boycott the very country that is providing him with the technology to communicate with the rest of the world. The microprocessors used in the Speech Generating Device (SGP) that gives him a voice were indeed developed in Israel.
Hawking lives with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Israeli doctors and researchers are currently making great progress in the area and will soon be likely to provide more answers and better care if not a cure for ALS. How will Hawking react to the “oppressors” discovery? Will he ignore it and discard all progress because it was from Israel? I sincerely doubt it, because like in most cases of boycotting, people are rarely consistent.
As a Jew who grew up in France in the 60s and 70s, I never understood my Catholic friends’ rituals and even less their veneration for the Pope. All I saw was an old man wearing a Jewish yarmulke making a bunch of funny gestures and being in charge of a lot of people.
It is not until my late teenage years and early adulthood that I started to realize the damage that had been done to my people by much of the Catholic Church over the last 2000 years. The more I looked into it, the more I discovered that Christian anti-Semitism was often synonymous with Catholic anti-Semitism.
Ironically, one of the best books ever on the topic of Christian anti-Semitism was by Edward Flannery, a Jesuit priest who wrote “The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-Three Centuries of Antisemitism” in 1964. In it, Flannery points a righteous finger at many Popes throughout the ages. As he documents that history unfortunately doesn’t lack papal faux pas in the area of Christian/Jewish relations from Crusades to the yellow badge and from forced ghettoization to expulsions.
Enter Pope Francis I who appears to be a very humble man with a deep understanding of Jewish/Christian relations. Being the first pope to come from outside Europe in more than a millennium, is it possible that he carries less baggage and/or prejudice than his European predecessors did? Only time will tell, because 2000 years of persecution vastly at the hands of the Catholic Church cannot be erased by a couple of statements or even a couple of community partnership between the pontiff (then cardinal) and a few rabbis and/ or synagogues.
It was only 73 years ago that my Jewish mother was asked to wear a yellow star on her clothes and was forced to stand in the last car of the Paris Metro train with the other “Jews”. It was about 50 years ago when African-Americans were forced to sit at the back of the bus, drink at “colored people” water fountains or use different entrances to public places.
But today we are all equals, right? Absolutely! Unless you have to book a ticket on Saudia Airlines (the official Saudi Arabia airline), and you happen to be holding an Israeli passport. No entering the plane through a different gate and no seating in a separate section either. In fact, YOU CURRENTLY CANNOT BOOK A FLIGHT ON SAUDIA AIRLINES TO OR FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD IF YOU ARE JEWISH. PERIOD! Israel is not even on the list of countries that Saudia Airlines partners with.
The question arises: Why would Israelis even care about Saudia Airlines since they most likely would never use that company? But IT IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE AND NOT PRACTICALITY.
Considering that it is a federal offense to ban anybody from flying on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or ancestry, Saudia Airlines discrimination shouldn’t be allowed and this is why I think that New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s decision to challenge the Saudi airline is absolutely on target and was a great demonstration of righteous chutzpah.
Mr. De Blasio had enough chutzpah to call the Saudi Airline on the carpet, and frankly, those who have the most to lose are the Saudis themselves, who for many reasons still enjoy travelling to the USA.
Hungary is often on top of my list when it comes to acts of anti-Semitism. It is estimated that there were between 800,000 and 900,000 Hungarian Jews prior to the Holocaust and that only 200,000-250,000 survived, with a little over 100,000 Jews still in Hungary today.
The World Jewish Congress just had their 2013 plenary session in Budapest last May, during which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered a speech reassuring worldwide Jews that they were welcome in Hungary. But Orban’s words seemed pretty empty when he stopped short of exposing Hungary’s extreme-right xenophobic party known as Jobbik.
in 2003, in the early stage of Jobbik, a young man by the name of Csanad Szegedi joined the party and immediately showed great potential to be its leader in the future. In 2007 he founded the “Hungarian Guard”, a group reminiscent of Nazi era militias (banned in 2009). He has been very active within Jobbik and was its vice-president for 6 years. Anti-Semitism has been a common thread in the fabric of the party and Mr. Szegedi was an unabashed contributor.
THEN THE UNTHINKABLE TOOK PLACE: CSANAD SZEGEDI FOUND OUT HE WAS JEWISH. Overnight, after having spoken with his maternal grandmother who survived Auschwitz, he became everything he hated and was faced with an overwhelming crisis of conscience. A sobering interview by Dale Hurd of CBN is a testimony to what appears to be a changed man (Crisis of Conscience).
Csanad Szegedi’s journey is a perfect example of the fragility of the structure known as anti-Semitism, laid by Satan himself, immediately after He realized how much God loved the Jewish people and how special they were to Him and to His plan for human history. Time will only tell how much of a change will take place in this man and how much of a change he will bring to the table to fight anti-Semitism, but in the meantime, he is proving to all of us that anti-Semitism is as lethal as it is ludicrous.
After the end of World War II, General Dwight D. Eisenhower visited a concentration camp and what he saw there was so unbearable it prompted him to document it as thoroughly as he could. Later, He wrote in a letter to George Marshall:
…I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda’.
(Letter, DDE to George C. Marshall, 4/15/45 [The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, The War Years IV, doc #2418]).
I grew up in France in the sixties in a Jewish family that had known the war, the Holocaust and had even taken part in the French Resistance. For me, the Holocaust was never to become a “non-event”, “a myth” or like extreme-right French leader Jean-Marie Le Pen recently said:” A detail of Second World War history”.
In contrast to the hatred of the Jewish people demonstrated by the Nazis and the Vichy government, many people chose to help the Jews. They are part of a select group of non-Jews worldwide known as the “Righteous Gentiles” or “Righteous Among the Nations”, a program initiated by Yad Vashem in 1963. Without them there wouldn’t be any survivors. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for the heroism of a couple from the south of France, I wouldn’t be alive today, as documented by French TV segment (with subtitles) that you can view here .
It didn’t only take courage to be a Righteous Among the Nations, it also took human decency–a rare quality–especially when it comes to help Israel and the Jewish people. Yet I can say with assurance that I know plenty of 21st century “Righteous Gentiles” who would give their lives for my family and me. When (not if) my people become hunted again, it would behoove us to model our deeds after the “Righteous Gentiles” of yesteryear. It is vital for the Jews that we do!
OCTOBER: The Many Faces of Anti-Israelism are Just a Mask for Anti-Semitism!
On October 21, 2013, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published a new report titled: The Top Ten anti-Israel Groups in the US, in which it identified the most virulent of antisemitic organizations in America. While I do not always endorse the ADL’s methods and/or tone in their reporting, or even some of their conclusions, I do find their research always very useful. The list includes:
• Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER)
• American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
• CODEPINK: Women for Peace
• Friends of Sabeel-North America (FOSNA)
• If Americans Knew/Council for the National Interest (CNI)
• Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)
• Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
• Neturei Karta (NK)
• Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
• US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (USCEIO)
While many of us might never hear of these organizations, we must be aware of their existence as they all work in the name of justice, peace and tolerance, towards the same goal: THE COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF ISRAEL.
Anti-Israelism and anti-Zionism have many faces yet all of them are just masks hiding the ugly face of anti-Semitism.
The fate of those who hate Israel is clear throughout the Bible but maybe even clearer in Psalm 83:13-18 where we see that in spite of God’s hatred for Israel’s enemies, He still leaves room for them to come to their senses and have a change of heart before destruction. Knowing my gracious and merciful God, this is always a possibility and it continues to be my prayer for those who loathe Israel and my people.
NOVEMBER: UNESCO: From Peace to Politics to Palestine!
UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) was born in 1946 out of a need for furthering world peace and security. As indicated in its name, the main goals of UNESCO are achieved through educational, scientific and cultural awareness. Their current motto is building peace in the hearts of men and women.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) was born in 1946 out of a need for furthering world peace and security. As indicated in its name, the main goals of UNESCO are achieved through educational, scientific and cultural awareness. Their current motto is building peace in the hearts of men and women.
2011 was a pivotal year for the Palestinian authority, when on November 23rd, UNESCO recognized “the State of Palestine” as one of its members. The Palestinian Authority continues to ache for validation from the global community, and they are making progress. But the problem is that their very existence is founded on a myth. As reported by Mitchell Bard in Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, here are a few of these many facts:
• There is no Palestinian language, all Palestinian speak Arabic
• There is no Palestinian culture, it is a mix of Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese and Egyptian culture and in short, it is an Arabic culture.
• There is no Palestinian food, it is Arabic food.
• The Palestinians are NOT descendants from the Canaanites, they are Arabs from Israel’s neighboring countries.
When UNESCO chose to incorporate “Palestine” as one of its member states, it opened the door to further legitimization of the Palestinian myth along with the continued delegitimization of Israel and the Jewish people.
Earlier this month, during the 37th General Conference of UNESCO, it was announced that Israel and the United States, while still members, have lost their voting rights within the agency because they have not paid their dues for the last two years.
So let me get this right, the only democracy in the Middle East region and a country that has repeatedly come to the rescue of troubled regimes and hurting people groups over the last several decades, are being punished for standing for what is right. In the meantime, the invented people group of former PLO chairman Yasir Arafat is given the red carpet treatment! How backward is that?
I AM AFRAID THAT IT WONT BE LONG BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS RECOGNIZE PALESTINE AS A BONA FIDE VOTING MEMBER.
In the meantime I applaud the USA and Israel for standing their ground!
DECEMBER: Nelson Mandela: Who is the World Really Mourning?
On Thursday, December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95. To anyone who grew up in the latter part of the twentieth century, Mandela was a hero and a key player in bringing freedom to the South African people. It is not my intention to go on a posthumous witch-hunt like some will choose to do. But by the same token, it is also not my intention to idolize Nelson Mandela and blindly place him in the pantheon of world peace next to Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King Jr. It seems that Mr. Mandela, who already was an icon the world around, almost got promoted to “sainthood” overnight.
All important world figures like Mr. Mandela have a burden that can turn into a lifelong struggle. Each struggle has a cost and in the case of Mr. Mandela, it cost him 27 years of his life in prison from which he was released in 1990.
Mandela and apartheid are two words that are almost impossible to separate. The late South African leader pioneered and championed the struggle against apartheid and racial injustice, a feat that will remain in history books for generations to come, and rightfully so. Yet, I am afraid that beyond his well deserved reputation, Mr. Mandela might have also been used by other groups and even countries to further their twisted version of “Israeli Apartheid”. Additionally, in a short speech in 2004, he spoke of Yasir Arafat in terms that clearly show his lack of understanding of the man, and it is no secret that even though Mr. Mandela always tried to be balanced, he favored the Palestinians over Israel.
Mr. Mandela was like all of us, an imperfect man in a fallen world. His contribution to our world cannot and should not be ignored, and his legacy will live on for generations to come. Mr. Mandela’s was part of history in a very powerful way until December 5, 2013, but as of now, He has entered eternity for a new chapter in his history. My prayer is that he spends that chapter on God’s side.
As I close 2013 with this last post reviewing a heavy year in the area of anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and anti-Israel sentiment, I am also reminded of God’s promise to Abraham and to mankind through him, that those who bless the Jewish people will be blessed and those who curse will be cursed.
Our postmodern world is full of people only convicted by relativism. The truth has long departed our classrooms, government offices, work force and even some Christian denominations. So if all is relative and God is the same for everybody regardless of religion, why take His word literally?
You can me old fashioned, a conservative or even a fundamentalist, but I will continue to expose the lies as well as educate and call to action those of us who value and respect ALL human lives. The Bible was, is and always will be the foundation for my work.
At this season of hope, I wish you all a very blessed 2014, filled with the promises of the Lord and deep in His Word.
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