The Talmud teaches, “Teach your tongue to say, ‘I don’t know.” This is sound advice I try to follow whenever possible. It is a form of higher wisdom in which you admit that your answers are insufficient and that the truth is higher than you can grasp. I love apologizing and will do so whenever possible. I see it as an opportunity, a second chance to improve. Admitting that I am wrong is as well.
One reason I rarely write editorials is that whenever I express my beliefs in the public domain, I realize I should have stayed silent.
Three weeks ago, I posted an editorial titled, “Can Christians Really Say Never Again?” Steve Foss, a holy Christian who has shown a great love for Israel, quietly expressed that he disagreed. After some introspection, I realized that he was correct, righter than I was. I thank him for the opportunity to learn and grow.
My editorial intended to draw attention to the rise of Christian antisemitism (which my Christian friends believe to be the antithesis of Jesus-based Christianity). By focusing on the few bad apples, I believe I missed a blinding stage in geula.
I have always known that Christian love for Israel and the Jews is inconsistent with much of history, makes no logical sense, and is a pathway that leads to God Being One and His Name One. This point was brought home in the most painful way possible last week with the murders of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. The media is claiming it was an act of antisemitism. While factually inaccurate, this is true.
Lischinsky was the son of a Jewish father and a Christian-Evangelist mother and grew up a Christian in Nuremberg, Germany. He made Aliyah at the age of 16 and served in the IDF. He later converted to Judaism but had deep ties to his country’s Messianic Jewish community.
Sara grew up in Kansas and was immensely proud of her Jewish heritage. They attended new couples’ classes at the Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes in Washington, D.C.
While it may be true to say they were murdered for being Jewish, it is not accurate. The murderer yelled, “Free Palestine.” Regardless of their theologies and faith, Millgram and Lischinsky were murdered for their love of Israel.
Every wave of Jew hatred has its unique aspect. The Spanish Inquisition came to erase the Jewish religion. If the Jews converted, they were allowed to live. The Holocaust came to erase the Jewish body. Even if a person did not believe or even identify as a Jew, so long as they had Jewish DNA, they were eliminated.
Perhaps what we saw last week was the next incarnation of Jew hatred. There is a tsunami of antisemitism, and keffiyeh-wearing protestors target Jewish students. But targeting Jews is a necessary side effect of the protests.
While it is clear that these protests are anti-Jewish, even employing Nazi slogans, the protestors can honestly claim that they do not hate Jews. It can indeed be argued that “Zionism”, a connection to the land of Israel, is essential to Judaism as a nationality and as a religion. It is the embodiment and the manifestation of God’s covenant. The anti-Jewish aspects of the pro-Hamas protests are based on the belief that Jews are necessarily Zionists. The anti-Israel crowd expresses their “diversity” by giving a pass to Jews who come out against Israel. They see them as important allies. Anti-Israel Jews are praised as especially effective tools of the anti-Israel movement.
What we saw last week was not an antisemitic attack. Two people were killed with no regard for their religion. They were murdered because they were Israeli. This is the new Jew hatred, and it is not limited exclusively to Jews. To all my wonderful Christian friends, be forewarned that loving Israel does not come without its risks. This time, when the evil forces come to kill God’s representatives on Earth, they will come for the Jews who have remained faithful and return to Israel. But they will also come for anyone who stands with Israel. I have seen this on the Temple Mount. But that house will be a house of prayer for all nations, and the nations will also be the enemy of evil.
Yes, the Palestinians hate Jews ascending to the Temple Mount and aspire to build God’s house. I have personally witnessed this. The Waqf requires some Christians who visit the Temple Mount to wear demeaning clothes with wide yellow stripes. The Waqf has photos of the staff of Hayovel and antagonizes them.
Again, I am putting out a request to Christians who ally with Israel. Please stop expecting us to accept Jesus. Please accept that we are Jews who have remained faithful to the god of Israel and will not accept Jesus. I know many Christians who have arrived at this through their own faith. I beg of you to teach other Christians. If you come against the Jews now, then it is clearer than ever which side you are on. But it is not enough to just love Israel. You must love us as we are and as we have always been, without a belief in Jesus.
But make no mistake. Loving Israel is a dangerous proposition these days. It has been a long time since Muslims murdered Christians for their faith, as they have throughout most of history. But I fear that is the new stage we are entering. During the Holocaust, some Christians, driven by their faith, protected Jews and stood with them. Many paid the price. The Taylor Force Act, mandating that US funding be withheld from the Palestinian Authority until they suspend funding terrorism, was named for a devout Christian who was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in Israel. The Palestinians oppress Christians, and Bethlehem is in danger of becoming a Muslim extremist haven where no Christian can set foot or pray.
While I treasure my Christian friends, I must warn them that we are in an era when standing with Israel is not a whim or altruistic fancy that comes without cost. As the War of Gog and Magog looms, taking the side of Israel comes with a price. But, in my humble opinion, taking the other side is a statement God will not ignore.
