“After a rally today calling for death to Jews, rape of Jewish women and my husband was assaulted, we are considering a move to Israel. I don’t think Canada is the place to raise my kids. Antisemitism is out of control. We are not religious, both speak fluent Hebrew. We have three kids. I have no idea where to begin. Any advice would be great.” 1
It’s really saying something when a tiny country that gets regularly pelted with rockets is considered the safest place for Jewish people to be in the world. But that’s where we are.
Antisemitism is spinning way out of control. It wasn’t well concealed to begin with, but now in the capitals of Western, supposedly developed nations, we are hearing brazen calls for the destruction of Israel… and even the murder and rape of Jews. It wasn't just talk either. Jewish people have been beaten, lynched, and a Jewish woman was sexually assaulted in Toronto. Those who try to insist that anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism are finding out that they are much harder to separate out than some might like to say.
Shocking outpouring of hatred
ONE FOR ISRAEL social media posts have been met with a flurry of vile antisemitic comments, like many other Israel related sites and organisations. The largest pro-Israel page on Facebook called “Jerusalem Prayer Team” with over 77 million followers had a vast number antisemitic comments were posted on their page: “Over 800,000 hate comments and posts came within an hour”, founder Mike Evans told All Israel News.
Twitter has also been awash with unchallenged antisemitism, which seems to be a form of hate speech which is endorsed. As Nikki Haley, Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, pointed out:
Twitter allows the Supreme Leader of Iran to openly call for genocide against Jews in Israel, but doesn't allow the former president of the United States to use the platform.
Something is seriously wrong here. pic.twitter.com/hDDkMfS5DL
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 24, 2021
The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism found “17,000 tweets which used variations of the phrase, ‘Hitler was right’” in just one week. Antisemitic attacks have skyrocketed, with an increase of 63% in the US and a mind-boggling 400% in the UK. Anti-Israel protests in the UK capital saw some horrific antisemitism, from signs with slogans accusing Jews of killing Jesus and some calling for the rape and murder of Jewish people, and flags of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps., sponsors of Hamas's military endeavors, were proudly waved along with Palestinian flags on the streets of London, as Iranian television was delighted to broadcast. If anyone had doubts that rampant anti-Zionism leads to antisemitism, it's hard to escape that fact now.
Jewish people all over the world are starting to feel less and less safe, and the need for a Jewish homeland with an army to protect it is becoming increasingly evident.
“As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate right here at home… We are tracking acts of harassment, vandalism and violence as well as a torrent of online abuse. It’s happening around the world— from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like New York and in small towns, and across every social media platform.” – ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.2
Meanwhile, in Portland, Oregon, Avi Horowitz posed as a representative of Hamas and asked students for their financial support to kill Jews in Israel. Astonishingly, he was treated very favorably, and many happily signed over their money over to him even though he told them Hamas deliberately aims for “soft targets” and civilians.
Use your influence for good, not evil
Social media is fanning the flames of antisemitism like never before. Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes,
Anti-Semitism is no longer confined to the fringes of society, but instead has started to leak into the mainstream. Social media has turned it into a contagion, normalising anti-Semitic tropes and attacks… This is in large part due to a group of popular “influencers” who — along with their thousands of young, impressionable followers — use their platforms to highlight the Palestinians’ plight. No doubt they think they are fighting a just cause. What they may not realise, however, is that they are inadvertently harming Jews, including those living in the West.
Models Gigi and Bella Hadid, who have more Instagram followers than all the Jewish people in the world combined, posted a number of accusations and inaccuracies against Israel receiving widespread attention.3 The damage that can be done, even when the information is completely erroneous, is enormous. This is how public opinion is shaped.
Meanwhile, a 97 year old Holocaust survivor named Lily Ebert sent a simple Shabbat message on Tiktok but was met with a barrage of abuse. Ebert, who has survived both Auschwitz and Nazi death marches, posted a video wishing a peaceful Shabbat to her followers on May 14, but received comments like, “Happy Holocaust”, “peace be upon Hitler”, “you still alive[?]”.
However, we know from the Scriptures that this was to come. All the nations will turn against Israel in the end, according to the prophet Zechariah:
“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.” (Zechariah 12:2-3)
Luke tells the story of how another Zechariah, a priest in the temple, and his wife Elizabeth gave birth to a child who would prepare the way for the LORD. HE is the One who will ultimately return to restore and vindicate, and will rescue Israel from the hands of those who hate her.
John's father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:68-79)
The Messiah's first coming redeemed us from sin and death, and we are confident that His second coming will bring the dramatic rescue for Israel Zechariah was praying for. But still, it's disturbing and distressing to see what is happening around the world. The oldest hatred of God's chosen people is reaching levels many thought unimaginable after the Holocaust.4 Even many Christians are turning against Israel, with recent polls showing a dramatic drop in support from younger evangelicals.5 Antisemitism is rampant even in the church. But all these troubles must come. Many Jewish people are realizing it's time to come home.
- Found on an Israeli Facebook group
- Anti Defamation League, Preliminary ADL Data Reveals Uptick in Antisemitic Incidents Linked to Recent Mideast Violence
- Daily Mail, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9573061/Bella-Hadid-opens-allegations-anti-Semitism-claiming-Israel-not-country.html
- https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2021/may/open-season-on-jews-as-antisemitic-attacks-surge-with-violence-and-pro-hitler-palestinian-messages
- Times of Israel, Support for Israel among young US evangelical Christians drops sharply — survey, Jacob Magid, May 25 2021
