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May 2024 Newsletter

Antisemitism Around the World

— and How to Oppose It

Antisemitism Around the World

Antisemitism comes in all shapes and forms. In different times and places, people have given various reasons for their hatred of Jewish people. But whether cloaked in misguided theology or racist agendas, antisemitism has been a deadly problem over the millennia, and it is once again on the rise around the world today.

To oppose antisemitism most effectively, we must understand what is happening. Though there are some differences, hatred of God’s chosen people is the common thread. In a world growing increasingly hostile to Israel and Jewish people, Christians must stand with the Jewish community against this age-old hate. Let us look at what is occurring around the world and give you some practical steps you can take if you encounter antisemitism in your own community.

European Antisemitism

From medieval times until the Holocaust, most Jewish people in the world lived in Europe. They often endured antisemitism thinly disguised as political agendas under a “Christian” banner, including blood libels, accusations of causing the Black Death, or the Crusades. For centuries, particular theological views in the church stirred disdain for Jewish people, like supersessionism or the belief God rejected Israel due to corporate rejection of Jesus. Casting blame on all Jewish people for the death of Jesus also fueled the flames. In the nineteenth century, racially motivated hatred of Jewish people emerged, which set the stage for the Holocaust, the most devastating antisemitic event in history.

In recent years, antisemitism has re-emerged. Jewish cemeteries and institutions in Europe have been vandalized with swastikas or other antisemitic messages. The soaring of anti-Israel fervor following October 7 has exacerbated the situation. Shortly after the war began, rioters stormed a Russian airport where a flight from Israel was landing. In one video of the incident, someone said, “We are here for the Jews; we came to kill them with knives and shoot at them.” In the same region, rioters met at a hotel where they thought Israelis were staying. Rioters only left after checking passports to ensure no Israeli citizens were present.1

Recent anti-Israel views have especially erupted in the United Kingdom, to the point of interfering with its democratic government. Massive demonstrations gathered tens of thousands of people, rocking London and other major cities. In February, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned Britain was falling into “mob rule” as Jewish officials or those who support Israel feared for their safety.2 For instance, Mike Freer, a Conservative member of Parliament representing an area with a large Jewish community and who defended Israel, resigned after an attempted arson attack at his office.3

North American Antisemitism

The United States and Canada have historically been havens for Jewish people fleeing persecution in Europe. Though North America has never harbored the kind of state-sponsored antisemitism common in Europe, Jewish people have faced discrimination. For decades, many colleges had quotas limiting the number of Jewish students they would accept. Some country clubs, hotels, and other businesses would not accept Jewish members or customers.

Overall, though, antisemitism in North America rarely gained acceptance or caused violence. Jewish people have lived peacefully in the United States and Canada for generations and have significantly contributed to North American culture. However, attacks on American synagogues since 2018 signaled a shift. They caused many Jewish people to worry about the basic physical safety of their families and institutions. The Canadian Jewish community has had similar concerns. Shimon Koffler Fogel, president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, explains: “Antisemitism isn’t just a real and present threat today, it’s a problem growing at a frightening rate. In Canada alone, anti-Jewish hate crime has increased 52 percent since 2020.”4

Hamas’ horrific massacre on October 7, 2023, was another turning point for North American Jewish people when antisemitic views became acceptable and mainstream. Especially on social media and college campuses, many voice support for Hamas. According to one poll, more than half (51 percent) of eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds say Hamas’ attacks on October 7 “can be justified by the grievance of Palestinians.” 5Reasoned criticism of Israeli policies is appropriate. Denying, minimizing, or justifying the bloodiest assault on Jewish people since the Holocaust is contemptible.

Islamic Antisemitism

Antisemitism is a central part of modern Islamic extremism. Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 and influenced countless like-minded groups. Hamas itself emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987. Al-Banna idolized Adolf Hitler; he translated Mein Kampf into Arabic as My Jihad and spread the antisemitic cartoons of the Nazi newspaper Der Sturmer.6 The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, was also an ardent supporter of Nazism. He met with Hitler in Berlin, where the two spoke of their shared “life and death struggle with . . . Jewish power.”7

This antisemitic thinking fueled Muslim extremist groups for decades to come. The Hamas charter, for instance, claims “the Zionists” are to blame for every war in the world.8 Less than a month after the October 7 massacre, the Palestinian Authority, which has a strong track record of financing terrorism, instructed Muslim preachers to speak of “the Muslim destiny to exterminate Jews.”9 Violent, radical Islam represents a comparatively small part of the Muslim world, but it has taken a devastating toll on Israel and the world.

Increased sympathy for Islamic extremism in the West has spread this form of antisemitic fervor around the world. Young adults, especially, are propagating age-old stereotypes about Jewish people through social media. In one TikTok trend, users affirmed a letter Osama bin Laden wrote more than twenty years ago, which blamed Jewish people for 9/11. It also decried “the devastating Jewish control of capital [wealth],” appealing to the antisemitic trope of greedy Jewish bankers secretly ruling the world.10 Hamas has many defenders who ignore or gloss over their explicitly antisemitic aims.

Action Steps

Please pray for Israel and Jewish people everywhere celebrating this biblical festival this month. As families recount the Exodus story, may Jewish people see God is mighty to save in every generation. This Passover, we also pray many will recognize and turn to Jesus, our Passover lamb. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

  • Ask the folks at your church to pray about the situation.
  • Contact your local authorities, asking them if they know about it and what they are doing about it.
  • Let your local synagogue or Jewish institution know your church is praying about the situation and you support the Jewish community.
  • If it is a protest, you might want to ask your church if you could set up a prayer table around the event’s perimeter. This way, protestors or Jewish people who would like prayer can stop by.

Chosen People Ministries is happy to provide resources to help you combat antisemitism. You might ask your pastor if you can provide our materials to help your church understand the conflict in Israel and the rising antisemitism. For example, these resources could be used in a Sunday school class or small group. You can also invite a Chosen People Ministries speaker to your church to discuss these issues and what the Bible says about antisemitism.

We are also happy to send along a couple of books about antisemitism for your church library, including the excellent book by Dr. Michael Brown, Our Hands Are Stained with Blood, which describes the church’s long history of antisemitism. We also have a few booklets to equip you to help your brothers and sisters in Christ understand the role of Jewish people in the plan of God. All you need to do to receive these materials is call our church ministries department at 1-888-405-5874. You can also write to us at 241 E. 51st St., New York, NY 10022.

Chosen People Ministries also has educational videos, articles, and podcasts to pass along to your local church, Sunday school, or prayer gathering. Visit chosenpeople.com/stopantisemitism to view these resources.

  1. “Russians Storm Airport in Attempt to Attack Passengers of Israeli Flight,” Jerusalem Post, October 29, 2023, https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-770738. ↩︎
  2. “‘Mob Rule’ Replacing Democracy in Britain, Warns PM Sunak,” Reuters, February 28, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/mob-rule-replacing-democracy-britain-warns-pm-sunak-2024-02-28/. ↩︎
  3. “British Lawmakers Fear for Their Lives amid Pro-Palestinian Threats,” All Israel News, March 1, 2024, https://allisrael.com/british-lawmakers-fear-for-their-lives-amid-pro-palestinian-threats. ↩︎
  4. “Jews Remain Most Targeted Religious Group for Hate Crime in Canada, Second Overall,” Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, August 2, 2023, https://www.cija.ca/jews_remain_most_targeted_religious_group_for_hate_crime_in_canada_second_overall?utm_campaign=2023_10_16_ncri_release&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cija. ↩︎
  5. “Poll: Young US Voters Likelier to Blame Israel, Tend to Trend Pro-Hamas,” Jewish News Syndicate, October 24, 2023, https://www.jns.org/poll-young-us-voters-likelier-to-blame-israel-tend-to-trend-pro-hamas/. ↩︎
  6. Tony Duheaume, “Analysis: The Nazi Roots of Muslim Brotherhood,” June 27, 2018, https://english.alarabiya.net/features/2018/06/27/ANALYSIS-The-Nazi-roots-of-Muslim-Brotherhood. ↩︎
  7. “Full Official Record: What the Mufti Said to Hitler,” Times of Israel, October 21, 2015, https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-official-record-what-the-mufti-said-to-hitler/. ↩︎
  8. “The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement,” The Avalon Project, August 8, 1988, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp. ↩︎
  9. Itamar Marcus, “PA Teaches about Muslim Destiny to Kill Jews just 2 Weeks after Oct. 7 Massacre of Jews,” Palestinian Media Watch, October 22, 2023, https://palwatch.org/page/34677. ↩︎
  10. Danielle Greyman-Kennard, “Pay with the ‘Blood of Christians’: TikTok Users Share Agreement with Bin Laden’s Letter,” Jerusalem Post, November 16, 2023, https://www.jpost.com/international/islamic-terrorism/article-773472. ↩︎

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