The ugly anti-Semitism we are now witnessing is utterly appalling:
Some of the most shocking and demonic anti-Semitism we have seen perhaps since nearly a century ago is now on full display throughout much of the world. Certainly our college campuses in the West have become hotbeds for Israel-hatred and pro-terrorism ideology. The protestors are screaming for intifada, for the elimination of Israel, for Jewish students to leave, and so on. Just a few days ago I wrote about this worrying development: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/05/04/critical-theory-and-collapsing-colleges/
Of course it is not just at Western universities we see this happening. It is everywhere – even at a song contest! Right now an Israeli singer is being booed on stage as she performs, and her hotel is surrounded by hateful mobs. And this is happening in Sweden. Just last night I saw a doco on Eurovision, Sweden and ABBA, and it was remarked how tolerant the Swedes are! Yeah, right. One news item says this:
Thousands of people have protested ahead of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest in the Swedish city of Malmo. Despite attempts by organisers of this year’s contest to keep politics off the stage, Israel’s entrant was also booed. Protesters waving Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget square near Malmo’s 16th-century town hall before a planned march through the city. Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among them. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/thousands-protest-eurovision-as-tensions-over-israel-escalate-20240506-p5fpeh.html
My picture above shows it all. One writer put it this way:
This is currently the situation outside of Eden Golan’s hotel room. Because of her nationality, hundreds of people who hate her are screaming outside of her room. What happens if she goes outside? You hurt her so she quits? You kill her so she can’t perform? If you are this angry about Eurovision having an Israeli perform then boycott the show. Gathering in the hundreds to scream at a singular woman whose main crime is her ethnicity is not acceptable.
Jewish students being hounded off college campuses; Jewish singers and businesses being targeted; ugly anti-Jewish protests everywhere. We just need the yellow stars of David being forced on Jews, another Kristallnacht or two, and we are exactly where things were 90 years ago. These are diabolically dark days that we live in.
Oh, and “Bambie Thug,” the Eurovision 2024 entrant from Ireland does an overtly satanic performance and is praised and adored by the crowds. Both are now in the finals. All this is not just about music – this is spiritual war. I have added Eden to my daily prayer list – not so that she might win a song contest, but so that she will be protected from the baying crowds of haters who are targeting her.
Getting back to the ugly Jew-hatred at college campuses, a number of Jewish students have put together a letter discussing their experiences at Columbia University in New York. Here is part of their open letter:
Many of us sit next to you in class. We are your lab partners, your study buddies, your peers, and your friends. We partake in the same student government, clubs, Greek life, volunteer organizations, and sports teams as you.
Most of us did not choose to be political activists. We do not bang on drums and chant catchy slogans. We are average students, just trying to make it through finals much like the rest of you. Those who demonize us under the cloak of anti-Zionism forced us into our activism and forced us to publicly defend our Jewish identities.
We proudly believe in the Jewish People’s right to self-determination in our historic homeland as a fundamental tenet of our Jewish identity. Contrary to what many have tried to sell you – no, Judaism cannot be separated from Israel. Zionism is, simply put, the manifestation of that belief.
Our religious texts are replete with references to Israel, Zion, and Jerusalem. The land of Israel is filled with archaeological remnants of a Jewish presence spanning centuries. Yet, despite generations of living in exile and diaspora across the globe, the Jewish People never ceased dreaming of returning to our homeland — Judea, the very place from which we derive our name, “Jews.” Indeed just a couple of days ago, we all closed our Passover seders with the proclamation, “Next Year in Jerusalem!”
Many of us are not religiously observant, yet Zionism remains a pillar of our Jewish identities. We have been kicked out of Russia, Libya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Poland, Egypt, Algeria, Germany, Iran, and the list goes on. We connect to Israel not only as our ancestral homeland but as the only place in the modern world where Jews can safely take ownership of their own destiny. Our experiences at Columbia in the last six months are a poignant reminder of just that.
We were raised on stories from our grandparents of concentration camps, gas chambers, and ethnic cleansing. The essence of Hitler’s antisemitism was the very fact that we were “not European” enough, that as Jews we were threats to the “superior” Aryan race. This ideology ultimately left six million of our own in ashes.
The evil irony of today’s antisemitism is a twisted reversal of our Holocaust legacy; protestors on campus have dehumanized us, imposing upon us the characterization of the “white colonizer.” We have been told that we are “the oppressors of all brown people” and that “the Holocaust wasn’t special.” Students at Columbia have chanted “we don’t want no Zionists here,” alongside “death to the Zionist State” and to “go back to Poland,” where our relatives lie in mass graves.
This sick distortion illuminates the nature of antisemitism: In every generation, the Jewish People are blamed and scapegoated as responsible for the societal evil of the time. In Iran and in the Arab world, we were ethnically cleansed for our presumed ties to the “Zionist entity.” In Russia, we endured state-sponsored violence and were ultimately massacred for being capitalists. In Europe, we were the victims of genocide because we were communists and not European enough. And today, we face the accusation of being too European, painted as society’s worst evils – colonizers and oppressors. We are targeted for our belief that Israel, our ancestral and religious homeland, has a right to exist. We are targeted by those who misuse the word Zionist as a sanitized slur for Jew, synonymous with racist, oppressive, or genocidal. We know all too well that antisemitism is shapeshifting.
We are proud of Israel. The only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is home to millions of Mizrachi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern descent), Ashkenazi Jews (Jews of Central and Eastern European descent), and Ethiopian Jews, as well as millions of Arab Israelis, over one million Muslims, and hundreds of thousands of Christians and Druze. Israel is nothing short of a miracle for the Jewish People and for the Middle East more broadly.
Our love for Israel does not necessitate blind political conformity. It’s quite the opposite. For many of us, it is our deep love for and commitment to Israel that pushes us to object when its government acts in ways we find problematic. Israeli political disagreement is an inherently Zionist activity; look no further than the protests against Netanyahu’s judicial reforms – from New York to Tel Aviv – to understand what it means to fight for the Israel we imagine. All it takes are a couple of coffee chats with us to realize that our visions for Israel differ dramatically from one another. Yet we all come from a place of love and an aspiration for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRQgyDhIjZupO2H-2rIDXLy_zkf76RoM-_ZIYsOfn9FkI7TETgRtOfXK9VobMvGh6iEZfDPgALXJTCR/pub
Of course Australia has not been exempt from all this. It has gotten so bad that the former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has just released a new documentary, “Never Again: The Fight Against Antisemitism”. As one news report states:
Presented by Josh Frydenberg, the one-hour documentary examines the alarming rise of antisemitism in Australia and its impact on our country and our democracy. For the former Treasurer of Australia, this issue goes beyond politics. It is about the kind of country Australia should be.
Following the devastating attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7 last year, the documentary examines the rise in hostility towards Jewish people taking place around the world at levels not seen since the Holocaust. From the steps of the Sydney Opera House to the heartland of Melbourne’s Jewish community in Caulfield, the escalation of antisemitism has been widespread and violent.
The incitement has not only been seen through violent demonstrations but in the desecration of national monuments, interruption of major events, the boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, doxing of Jewish artists and harassment of community members.
Through a reflective and, at times, emotional lens, Josh speaks on the rising tide of antisemitism with prominent Australians, among them Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, former prime ministers John Howard and Julia Gillard, Olympic champion and former senator Nova Peris, former governor-general Peter Cosgrove, award-winning Australian music artist Deborah Conway and survivors of the Holocaust.
Josh Frydenberg said: “Since the attack on October 7 antisemitism in Australia has reached an unprecedented and dangerous level. Red lines have been crossed and a green light given to what clearly is unacceptable conduct. This is a time our leaders need to show courage and moral clarity, taking stronger and more decisive action to call out and stamp out antisemitism in Australia.” Never Again: The Fight Against Antisemitism takes a close look at the radicalisation on our streets and how antisemitism has been allowed to take hold, and, critically what needs to be done to stop it.
These are incredibly frightening times that we live in. We were NOT supposed to forget, but clearly, we have. We are seeing history repeat itself right before our very eyes. The question is, who will speak out and take a stand? Or will we remain silent as did most Germans – including most German Christians – last century?
Those who want to rid the earth of the Jewish people should first try living without some of the advances, innovations and blessings they made possible: vaccines for cholera, bubonic plague, polio, the pressure bandage, the ball point pen, and the list goes on and on, including … the Bible.
Quite so Joan.
A Jewish person wrote as a comment on a post recently – “it won’t happen again, the Christians and conservatives won’t let it” and I thought “won’t they”… already I see many Christians siding with Palestine and buying into the leftist lies. I am weeping as I write this. I cannot believe humanity is so stupid… but I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised…
Yes it is a shocker Nerissa. We gotta keep praying and speaking out.
Thank you Bill, an important article. It’s been very shocking to witness this. Never again.
Thanks Julie.
As the American historian, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen wrote in a 2013 book, anti-semitism is truly the devil that never dies.
Thanks Bill….powerful article. The world’s oldest prejudice is alive and well , even here . Zech 12 .
Thanks Bill. A very timely piece.
I’d like to pick up on your final sentence—actually, a question:
“Or will we remain silent as did most Germans – including most German Christians – last century?”
Many will not agree with me here, but I’ll say it anyway: one of the reasons the German church caved in to Hitler regarding the Jews (not the only one, admittedly) was its commitment to “Replacement theology”, i.e. that the Church has replaced Israel, and consequently God’s wrath abides against the Jews. In turn, the Church is God’s instrument against Israel/Jews. This attitude has existed for centuries, and I’m afraid to say, still exists in churches today. Lutheran churches are all into this theology; so too are many Reformed churches (esp. the Dutch Reformed churches), and others too. And this theology has fostered anti-Semitism over the years and centuries, and still does. That, I firmly believe, is one big reasoner the silence of mainstream churches in the face of the growing tide of anti-Semitism now seen on every hand.
The trouble is that such is the polarisation of theological positions and schools of thought that if one repudiates Replacement theology he is thereby branded as a hyper-Dispensationalist. I for one am not a Dispensationalist, but neither am I a card-carrying a-millennial Replacement theology advocate. We need to get beyond these canned theological categories, and look again at the Scriptures, prophetic Scripture in particular. All schools of thought have their contribution, to a greater or lesser extent. Meanwhile, we should as a matter of principle support the struggle in which Israel is now engaged to eliminate the scourge of Hamas et al., and likewise support the state of Israel.
Also, It is noteworthy that the Christians who have been most “up-front” in their support of Israel have been the likes of Fiona Leach and her father, an Anglican minister in Sydney. They are among the few among the Christian community who have put their heads above the parapets, willing to take the flak from these Wokeshevist, Islamic-sympathising thugs. They will have none of this Replacement theology, a curse on the Christian church.
Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that God’s ancient people, whom he has preserved for all these centuries, will turn to the LORD and embrace Jesus, the Prince of Peace, as their Messiah.
Thanks Murray. Yes, Replacement Theology (or as they prefer, Fulfillment Theology) can have a role to play in all this. While hopefully most who are into this fully are NOT anti-Semites, sadly some who are into it would be. Or, at the very least, they are using RT as a cover for their hatred of Jews and Israel.
Dr Phil is not on our watch list, but full marks to him for interviewing Benyamin Netanyahu and publishing it for his considerable viewing audience. A quote from Bibi, on pro-Palestinian campus protests: “There’s a lot of ignorant people there … whose sense of history at best goes back to breakfast.”
Thanks Alec.
From studying Romans 9-11 in my church studies last term, it confirms that there is no place for anti-Semitism amongst Christians. The Apostle Paul cared deeply for his countrymen, so should we Christians, for the people who provided the foundation & bedrock for our faith.
We shouldn’t be too surprised by the blatant anti-Semitism being exposed on university campuses in the West. This is NOT about “politics”. This is inevitably linked to the postmodern worldview that has been preached in these institutions for at least a generation now. Postmodernism asserts that all religions are equal, that “truth” is nothing more than a cultural construct and the individual is accountable to no one. Postmoderns especially HATE the concept of judgement, the idea that SomeOne has something to say about my behaviour, attitudes, sex life or intellectual life. This of course is in violent contradiction with Judaism, and in particular with the Ten Commandments written by God and handed down by Moses, which states that all will be judged before God and will be held accountable. This conflict is therefore deeply spiritual, as Thomas Cahill pointed out (1998: 152-153)
“A good case can be made that medieval anti-Hebraism and its modern offspring anti-Semitism are both forms of God-hatred, masquerading as self-justifying intolerance. The hatred of Christians for Jews may have its ultimate source in hatred of God, a hatred that the hater must carefully keep himself from knowing about. Why would one hate God? To find the answer we probably need look no further that the stark, unyielding Ten [Commandments].”
And if Cahill’s comment applies to Christians of the past who persecuted the Jews, it applies even more to our postmodern elites who absolutely HATE the idea that we shall all be accountable to the Great Lawgiver.
CAHILL, Thomas The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. Nan a Talese/Doubleday New York 1998 291 p.
Many thanks for that Paul.
Bill, you are spot on in your evaluation of antisemitism. Thanks for your witness! Also I would like to point out that the church was not silent in Germany. Indeed, it supported the advent of Hitler and the Nazis and for much the same reason that many believers support segments of the Right today. The problems are real and eerily similar to what they were in Weimar Germany (see my essay on this in Aquila last December). The Left was a serious threat and Christians greeted Hitler with tremendous enthusiasm. As we fight the attack on our left flank, let us never ignore the threat on the right. In the meantime, brother, keep up the superb work!
Thanks Chris. Wherever anti-Semitism emanates from it must be resisted. Today I suspect that the great bulk of it is coming from the left, certainly on our university campuses and the like. But yes, it has to be opposed from whatever quarter.
What we are witnessing is MULTI CULTURAL difficulties with certain people infiltrating and passing on certain beliefs and actions.
John Abbott
Apologies for being off-topic but I don’t know where to put this; something about digital ID being a threat…
https://citizengo.org/en-au/node/13090
Those who want to rid the earth of the Jewish people should first try living without some of the advances, innovations and blessings they made possible: vaccines for cholera, bubonic plague, polio, the pressure bandage, the ball point pen, and the list goes on and on, including … the Bible.
Quite so Joan.
A Jewish person wrote as a comment on a post recently – “it won’t happen again, the Christians and conservatives won’t let it” and I thought “won’t they”… already I see many Christians siding with Palestine and buying into the leftist lies. I am weeping as I write this. I cannot believe humanity is so stupid… but I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised…
Yes it is a shocker Nerissa. We gotta keep praying and speaking out.
Thank you Bill, an important article. It’s been very shocking to witness this. Never again.
Thanks Julie.
As the American historian, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen wrote in a 2013 book, anti-semitism is truly the devil that never dies.
Thanks Bill….powerful article. The world’s oldest prejudice is alive and well , even here . Zech 12 .
Thanks Bill. A very timely piece.
I’d like to pick up on your final sentence—actually, a question:
“Or will we remain silent as did most Germans – including most German Christians – last century?”
Many will not agree with me here, but I’ll say it anyway: one of the reasons the German church caved in to Hitler regarding the Jews (not the only one, admittedly) was its commitment to “Replacement theology”, i.e. that the Church has replaced Israel, and consequently God’s wrath abides against the Jews. In turn, the Church is God’s instrument against Israel/Jews. This attitude has existed for centuries, and I’m afraid to say, still exists in churches today. Lutheran churches are all into this theology; so too are many Reformed churches (esp. the Dutch Reformed churches), and others too. And this theology has fostered anti-Semitism over the years and centuries, and still does. That, I firmly believe, is one big reasoner the silence of mainstream churches in the face of the growing tide of anti-Semitism now seen on every hand.
The trouble is that such is the polarisation of theological positions and schools of thought that if one repudiates Replacement theology he is thereby branded as a hyper-Dispensationalist. I for one am not a Dispensationalist, but neither am I a card-carrying a-millennial Replacement theology advocate. We need to get beyond these canned theological categories, and look again at the Scriptures, prophetic Scripture in particular. All schools of thought have their contribution, to a greater or lesser extent. Meanwhile, we should as a matter of principle support the struggle in which Israel is now engaged to eliminate the scourge of Hamas et al., and likewise support the state of Israel.
Also, It is noteworthy that the Christians who have been most “up-front” in their support of Israel have been the likes of Fiona Leach and her father, an Anglican minister in Sydney. They are among the few among the Christian community who have put their heads above the parapets, willing to take the flak from these Wokeshevist, Islamic-sympathising thugs. They will have none of this Replacement theology, a curse on the Christian church.
Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that God’s ancient people, whom he has preserved for all these centuries, will turn to the LORD and embrace Jesus, the Prince of Peace, as their Messiah.
Thanks Murray. Yes, Replacement Theology (or as they prefer, Fulfillment Theology) can have a role to play in all this. While hopefully most who are into this fully are NOT anti-Semites, sadly some who are into it would be. Or, at the very least, they are using RT as a cover for their hatred of Jews and Israel.
Dr Phil is not on our watch list, but full marks to him for interviewing Benyamin Netanyahu and publishing it for his considerable viewing audience. A quote from Bibi, on pro-Palestinian campus protests: “There’s a lot of ignorant people there … whose sense of history at best goes back to breakfast.”
Thanks Alec.
From studying Romans 9-11 in my church studies last term, it confirms that there is no place for anti-Semitism amongst Christians. The Apostle Paul cared deeply for his countrymen, so should we Christians, for the people who provided the foundation & bedrock for our faith.
We shouldn’t be too surprised by the blatant anti-Semitism being exposed on university campuses in the West. This is NOT about “politics”. This is inevitably linked to the postmodern worldview that has been preached in these institutions for at least a generation now. Postmodernism asserts that all religions are equal, that “truth” is nothing more than a cultural construct and the individual is accountable to no one. Postmoderns especially HATE the concept of judgement, the idea that SomeOne has something to say about my behaviour, attitudes, sex life or intellectual life. This of course is in violent contradiction with Judaism, and in particular with the Ten Commandments written by God and handed down by Moses, which states that all will be judged before God and will be held accountable. This conflict is therefore deeply spiritual, as Thomas Cahill pointed out (1998: 152-153)
“A good case can be made that medieval anti-Hebraism and its modern offspring anti-Semitism are both forms of God-hatred, masquerading as self-justifying intolerance. The hatred of Christians for Jews may have its ultimate source in hatred of God, a hatred that the hater must carefully keep himself from knowing about. Why would one hate God? To find the answer we probably need look no further that the stark, unyielding Ten [Commandments].”
And if Cahill’s comment applies to Christians of the past who persecuted the Jews, it applies even more to our postmodern elites who absolutely HATE the idea that we shall all be accountable to the Great Lawgiver.
CAHILL, Thomas The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. Nan a Talese/Doubleday New York 1998 291 p.
Many thanks for that Paul.
Bill, you are spot on in your evaluation of antisemitism. Thanks for your witness! Also I would like to point out that the church was not silent in Germany. Indeed, it supported the advent of Hitler and the Nazis and for much the same reason that many believers support segments of the Right today. The problems are real and eerily similar to what they were in Weimar Germany (see my essay on this in Aquila last December). The Left was a serious threat and Christians greeted Hitler with tremendous enthusiasm. As we fight the attack on our left flank, let us never ignore the threat on the right. In the meantime, brother, keep up the superb work!
Thanks Chris. Wherever anti-Semitism emanates from it must be resisted. Today I suspect that the great bulk of it is coming from the left, certainly on our university campuses and the like. But yes, it has to be opposed from whatever quarter.