By Amy Zewe—
Last week’s Recap: Groups including BDS supporters are targeting Israel or Jews for blame in the Covid-19 crisis.
This is a recycling of historical events during the black Plague and other crisis where Jews were scapegoated as the origin or source of some ill that affects a region or the world.
What’s New: The Times of Israel released an article last week by Aron Heller on study out of Tel Aviv University regarding the overall up-tick in antisemitism in 2019. At an 18% increase and they cited Iranian imams, far right hate groups, and even Christian pastors.
Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry releases its report every year on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which began Monday April 21 at sundown.
The article documents the various events in 2019 in the US and elsewhere including online about the uptick in antisemitism and the new excuse of COVID-19. The article points out one cause as Christian pastors.
I want to counter something ….
The ONE Christian pastor in Florida who claimed COVID-19 was from the Jews or in response to Jews DOES NOT speak for evangelical Christians while I am sure some so-called Christians will continue this one pastor’s rhetoric. Israelis and Jews have no greater friend and support system than the intellectually honest and theologically sound Christian—and not just Evangelicals—Anglicans, Lutheran, etc. While I can find pastors from any denomination, including Catholic, who are antisemitic and somehow adhere to replacement theology, I would argue that their stances are not a uniform opinion of all of Christendom and many are condemned or contracted by their peers and parishioners.
We do need to call out these influencing so-called Christians leaders who use their freedom of speech to espouse hate and bigotry and antifeminism using OUR equally endowed freedom of speech. Denominations that support and adhere to replacement theology still abound.
The pen is mightier than the sword and the social media post and reposts must be a leveraged tool.
The university study found, “They recorded expressions such as pinning the source of the virus on Jews rejecting Christ, to accusing Jews of perpetrating the virus’s spread in order to profit from vaccines they would ultimately create to combat it. The FBI also warned against calls coming from US neo-Nazis and white supremacists to spread contagion among Jews.”
Let me tell you all, this is NOT the opinion of The Jerusalem Connection Report—a coalition of Christians from MANY denominations. We will refute this assertion!
And in Europe
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant rise in accusations that Jews, as individuals and as a collective, are behind the spread of the virus or are directly profiting from it,” said Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, an umbrella group representing Jewish communities across the continent. “The language and imagery used clearly identifies a revival of the medieval ‘blood libels’ when Jews were accused of spreading disease, poisoning wells, or controlling economies.”
Jews and gentiles of all sorts, atheists, and everyone else….do not read these assertions from a few bad apples and think that this is what Christians globally believe.
I will debate, counter, refute and do everything in my power not to allow pastors, priests or others who label themselves as Christian leaders speak for me or the millions of Christians who read the bible honestly and view humanity through the fair glorious lens of a God who makes promises and keeps them.
Nevertheless, I do not discount these heretics from having influence and spreading their hate, but I will counter that this is somehow the view of all Christians. Christian Zionists proudly identify as such and will not align with these types of pastors, priests, and leaders even if they are within our own particular denominations.
I challenge our viewers when you see social media or newspaper articles from Christians who blame, condemns, or in any way disparate Jews or Israel for COVID-19 or any worldly ill, please send it to me! I will speak out on our behalf and let those leaders know they do not speak for me or us. I want our Jewish brothers and sisters and our friends in Israel to know NOT to connect me or this organization with these so-called Christian leaders.
I am sure this study was referencing Rick Wiles and TruNews, and his church in Florida– a so-called Christian organization who in my opinion has such faulty theology and world views and I wish I had the power to take the “Christian” off their label. This organization, in my assessment, masquerades as a non-dimensional bible-based church so that it can identify with the likes of a Mclean Bible, CornerStone, and other large churches. who are all passionately pro-Israel in its biblical context and at the very least fair minded on political front of the issue.
I am aware of Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, Orthodox, and more denominations that have leaders who are antisemitic. I also know that in the ranks of these denominations there are clear thinkers who are engaged in finding truth and supporting it: We call those folks Christian Zionists and while many are evangelical, they are from every sect.
I have Jewish friends here in the US tell me point blank that Jews and Israel have no greater friend now than the Christian community. I have even stood in the Israeli embassy in DC and in Israel itself and had Israelis tell me the same. Israel has more support from Christians than even from US Jewish communities. And, I would argue, from Christians located the world over.
I encourage you all to return to our website home page and read our solidarity statement regarding anti-Semitism. It rings true and is adhered to no matter the crisis at hand. Jerusalemconnection.us.
I do not in any way deny or minimize the study by the Kantor Center, or the alarming statistics of violence against Jews in 2019 that it reported or that the Covid-19 crisis is but one more bit of ammunition anti-Semites are using. But what I want to make clear is that we cannot lump all Christians in with the few leaders who are in my opinion heretical. We don’t lump the Iranian people (many of whom are closet Israel supporters) in the with Iranian Imams, either.
Moreover, the 2019 uptick in incidents in Europe and the NY/NJ region were largely driven from the left—progressives and their new alliance with Muslim players. While this does not mean largely shunned far right groups in the US are not a threat or source of lies, I believe the greater danger is in the socially acceptable and media supported progressives and Islamic sources of the hate. Studies done by the FBI in the US and by organizations in Europe have data to support my assertion.
I repeat, folks who study antisemitism and its current manifestations are calling it a trifecta of evil…the far right (often called Christian but I would refute that characteristic with every bone of my body) the progressive left, and the Islamic strain….All three must be identified and battled.
Proudly, just before the worldwide shut down, in Jan 2020, Israel hosted the largest ever symposium of global leaders and players focused on combating anti-Semitism.
We need to start connecting some dots here….. And we Christians need to root the wolves in sheep’s clothing infiltrating our own flocks.
Shavua tov, have a great week.