Antisemitism is at an all-time high in the West
[This article was first published on virtueonline.org and is reprinted with permission.]
Antisemitism is on the rise in the West. Antisemitic incidents rose across the U.S. and show little sign of abating worldwide as political radicals have gained mainstream popularity. This information comes from researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League.
The ADL found that the number of anti-semitic incidents in the U.S. increased by more than 35 percent in the past year, from 2,721 in 2021 to 3,697 in 2022. Antisemitic and white supremacist propaganda in the U.S. also hit new levels, the organization said.
Sadly, mainline Christian denominations exacerbate Jew-hatred with the soft language of protecting Palestinian children, holding Israeli military authorities accountable under international human rights and humanitarian laws, neglecting to mention that 139 Israeli children have been killed by terrorists over the years.
The Episcopal Church has a longstanding policy in support of reconciliation and restorative justice and advocates for sustainable, long-lasting peace. “We advocate for a just and peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We lift up the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and their mission and life-saving ministries.”
Nice talk, but it is all very one-sided.
Behind the soft talk of reconciliation is the velvet fist of Jew-hatred. The Episcopal Church has, for decades, taken a strong Palestinian stand while advocating punishment for Israel whenever a conflict between West Bank Palestinians and the Israeli military erupts. At one point, The General Convention of the Episcopal Church’s strong pro-Palestinian stance voted to divest from companies involved in Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights! The attempt failed.
No mention is ever made of Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel, Hezbollah rocket attacks from Lebanon, or sudden eruptions of Palestinians shooting wildly at Israelis in small Israeli cities. What if Hamas rockets were not blocked and hell rained down on Israeli towns and cities, indiscriminately killing Jews would the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church appeal to the world and their governments on their behalf to stop the killing? I doubt it very much.
Israel is always blamed for an inordinate response.
While it is true that Christians have come under attack from extremist Jewish groups and Jewish Far Right groups are making it unpleasant for Christians to remain in the Holy Land, Christian tourism, especially from America, has not abated.
In both the UK and the US, antisemitic attacks are at record levels and a disproportionate number of them — particularly physical attacks — are against the ultra-Orthodox. Yet these are mostly ignored, reports Melanie Phillips a British Jewish columnist.
Israeli (and American) dislike of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has little to do with Palestinian/Israeli conflicts. That was an issue over Netanyahu’s plans for a judicial overhaul which he later shelved and his apparent rejection of the two-state solution (under certain conditions). Netanyahu has, in fact, acted to ensure that such a solution will become impossible. The Left hates Netanyahu for killing the two-state solution. Bibi’s alleged corrupt charges have brought him into disrepute. Despite all this, he is the nation’s leader who will hold groups and countries like Iran accountable, who would like to destroy the nation.
The coalition of Canadian churches including Anglicans, Lutherans, United Church of Canada, and Presbyterians want the Canadian government to hold Israeli military authorities accountable under international human rights and humanitarian laws.
What about holding Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Authority accountable for their behavior? No mention is ever made of militant Arab slaughter and mayhem against Israel.
Furthermore, no mention is made of the fact that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East whose courts afford fair trials to those out to destroy it.
These Canadian groups want the government to appoint a special envoy to promote, monitor and report on the human rights of Palestinian children living in occupied Palestinian territories. They want to promote greater respect for human rights and provide increased protection for Palestinian children.
What about protecting Israeli families who are fired upon by Palestinian youth? Should not their rights be protected? And what if Hamas rockets got through Israel’s Dome protection? What would Israel’s cities look like today? Gaza rockets from time to time do penetrate Israeli Defense System due to Iron Dome malfunction.
While it is true that Israeli soldiers have caught and punished hundreds of Palestinian children on the West Bank for little more than stone-throwing, Israel is under constant threat not just from stones, but guns, rockets, and more. Bad ideology plays a part.
It is ironic that the whole world gets exercised when a Palestinian journalist is shot by Israelis for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, according to a report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 67 news-media workers were killed worldwide in 2022, the highest number since 2018. Any journalist’s death is unfortunate, but if it occurs in the middle of a warzone (Ukraine), then haven’t they invited that outcome? Where was the international outrage for all of them? I did not hear it.
It should not be lost on the Christian world that while mainline denominations in the US and Canada are advocating for identity politics, pansexuality, critical race theory, and a whole host of woke issues, they are rapidly dying – going out of business because they fail to focus on the Great Commission and the command of Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
The vast majority of their country’s population doesn’t give a damn about what the mainline denominations think or advocate. Their dying might be the best judgment of all.
