As we see anti-Semitism rear its ugly head once again, especially here in Chicago, where a Jewish man was shot dead on his way to synagogue In the West Ridge neighborhood on October 26, we feel compelled to act, just as Chicago-area residents did in 1977, protesting a planned Nazi parade in Skokie, home to many survivors of the Holocaust.
When this group of neo-Nazis was planning their march in Skokie, the Moody Bible Institute took out a full-page ad in every Chicago newspaper opposing the event. In the ad, Moody pledged to “stand with the Jewish community against all propaganda and activities that single out Jewish people as objects of hatred.” Thousands of Chicagoans – many of them inspired by their Christian faith – stood up together to oppose the march, preventing it from taking place in Skokie.
Although many people believe that anti-Semitism originated with the Nazis, this ancient prejudice has existed for millennia.
The well-known Jewish holiday, Purim, describes a plot by a Persian official who attempted to destroy the Jewish people during the reign of King Artaxerxes but was foiled by the efforts of the Jewish Queen Esther. There are many other examples of attempted genocide against the Jewish people throughout history, as well as several periods of hatred and exile in which they were forcibly taken from the land God had promised them, according to the Bible.
After their return from exile, Israel came under the control of the Syrian Greeks in the 3rd century BC, who attempted to force the Jewish people to worship the Greek gods. In 167 BC, a family known as the Maccabees led a revolt in which Jewish forces, although vastly outnumbered, defeated the Syrian Greeks. This victory is the basis of Hanukkah celebration.
From the early Church until the Middle Ages, Church leaders persecuted the Jewish people, accusing them of deicide. The persecution of the Jewish people intensified around the 12th century during the Crusades, when Jews were massacred by the Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land.
Several Protestant Reformers treated the Jewish people harshly, including Martin Lutherwho wrote a pamphlet called “Concerning the Jews and Their Lies.” Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox leaders launched a series of pogroms in the late 1800s and early 1900s across Russia that were particularly violent and shocked the world.
The modern era has seen the dawn of misguided “race-based” hatred of the Jewish people, because the Jewish people are a people or ethnic group and not a race. These erroneous theories, which emphasized the supposed inferiority of the Jewish people, proved central to Nazi ideology and led to the Holocaust.
Those who carried out the heinous attacks of October 7, 2023 are just the latest in a long line of those driven by false religious zeal and hatred to attempt to destroy the Jewish people. Today we, especially Bible-believing Christians, have the opportunity – and responsibility – to oppose the anti-Semitism currently growing in the United States.
As anti-Semitism flares in America and around the world, the Moody Bible Institute hoped to combat this toxic trend by organizing a “Summit on the fight against anti-Semitism.“In partnership with Chosen People Ministries, the conference aimed to help participants better understand the history of anti-Semitism and learn how to respond appropriately by exploring many practical ways to extend support to the Jewish community in today and to oppose this virulent hatred.
Moody chose to host the summit because opposing anti-Semitism is part of the school’s rich heritage. His biblical commitment to the value and dignity of every person, as well as his love for Israel and the Jewish people, have been founding aspects of Moody since the institute’s launch nearly 140 years ago.
The conference took place on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass” – a pogrom against the Jewish people on November 9, 1938, when businesses, homes and synagogues owned by Jews were attacked and destroyed throughout Nazi Germany. Afterwards, many people and even devout Christians remained silent. Today we do not dare to remain silent.
Mitch Glaser, Ph.D., is president of Ministries of the Chosen People. Michael Rydelnik, Ph.D., is vice president, academic dean, and professor of Jewish studies at the University Moody Bible Institute.
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