One hundred days.
It has been 100 days since terrorists invaded my country, the only home of the Jewish people, Israel.
It has been 100 days since hundreds of Israelis were taken hostage.
It’s been 100 days of war, heartbreak and uncertainty.
But after these 100 days, the only thing I am certain of – of which I have always been certain, and which I have seen more than ever since October 7 – is that the Jewish State and the Jewish people have true friends in Israel. Christians around the world.
This is why it is so troubling to see anti-Semitism spread in the name of Christianity – by those on the fringes and by those in the mainstream media. But do you know who hasn’t been fooled by these lies?
Israel has more than 700 million Christian friends global. As people who value human life, in this fight against those who do not consider life sacred, all of us – Christians and Jews – must take a stand now, before it is too late. It is time to defend Israel and the Jewish people, as hateful and dangerous anti-Semitism has increased almost 400 percent within 100 days since Hamas“attacks against the Jewish people.
HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images
During these 100 days of war, I was shocked to see the resurrection of centuries-old accusations of murder, which have always aimed to divide the Christian and Jewish communities and make them see each other as enemies: “ The Jews killed Jesus…” (…no, the Romans did it).
Over the past 100 days, I have also seen new anti-Semitic theories spread like wildfire, all based on historical inaccuracies – including Munther Isaac in the New York Times and Father Edward Beck on CNN both say that if Jesus were born today, he would be Palestinian (…no, Jesus was Jewish, born in what the Bible calls the Land of Israel, more than 100 years before Judea was named Palestine by the Romans).
After hearing these dangerous, harmful, and evil anti-Semitic tropes, I wonder why Jesus’ own people – the Jewish people – are being attacked in his name.
Because today Jesus would be a Jewish citizen of the Jewish State, the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing, up 1.3 percent compared to the previous year, with 187,900 Christians living in freedom. More than 20 percent of Israel’s population is non-Jewish and enjoys full legal equality.
Today, Jesus would be proud to be Israeli.
Today, the Jewish Jesus would certainly not live or even be allowed to visit biblical places like Gaza, Jericho or Bethlehem – these are places no Israeli can enter.
And like Israelis of all faiths – Jewish, Christian and Muslim – Jesus would be in the middle of this ongoing war, spending time in an air raid shelter as terrorist rockets targeted nearly every city in the Holy Land, including the birthplace of Jesus, Nazareth. , over the last 100 days.
One of the reasons I am shocked, terrified, and outraged that such anti-Semitism is spreading is that Jewish-Christian relations have gone so far. Bridges built on faith and camaraderie have ended what was centuries of mistrust and worse. For the first time in history, millions of Christians and Jews stand side by side in Judeo-Christian values that we hold sacred. I guess it makes sense that terrorists and the forces of darkness would try to destroy what we, as people who believe in a loving God who sanctifies life, have accomplished.
But these evil forces will never win. Today more than ever, millions of Christian friends around the world are defending Israel.
Millions of Christians stood with Israel – through prayer and support – during this war. Instead of joining calls for the destruction of Israel, they pray for our strength and success in eliminating Hamas, the modern-day Amalek.
Millions of Christian friends of the Jewish people are taking action by boldly rejecting widespread anti-Semitic lies and speaking out and spreading the truth about Israel.
A large part of the Christian community will no longer be deceived by hatred and lies, nor will they be deceived by the propagation of these. Israel’s Christian friends are too determined to spread love and support to their Jewish brothers and sisters as they fight for survival in the Jewish homeland alone.
The rise of anti-Semitism across the world serves as a stark reminder of why the Jewish people need a safe haven.
In Israel, it has been a beacon of hope for all of us, to see how millions of Christians love, pray and act for Israel during our struggle for survival, while enemies on all sides attempt to destroy the people’s land Jewish. the Promised Land of the Bible.
Christians and Jews will no longer be separated by lies and hatred. Today we are united.
Over the past 100 days, while Israel’s enemies have chanted “from the river to the sea,” Israel’s millions of Christian friends continue the same refrain they have engaged in for more than 75 years:
Never again.
Yael Eckstein is president and CEO of The International Brotherhood of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), one of the largest religious charities in the world. Winner of The Jerusalem Post’s 2023 Humanitarian Award and a three-time winner of its 50 Most Influential Jews list, Yael is originally from the Chicago area and lives in Israel with her husband and four children.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
