Antisemitism

Vile

Valerie Cullers 10 Comments

“Vile – Loathsome, disgusting,” The American Heritage Dictionary

Have you ever been at a campground and turned on a spigot, and brown water came out? You take one look at it, and you say, “Vile.” There is no way that you want to take that water into your body. It is polluted, and you know if you drink it, you will probably get sick.

It’s the same way with people. We come into contact with someone who is spouting negative and hurtful words, and we react the same way. We recoil and think in our minds, “Vile. That person is saying some very bad things, and I don’t want to take them into my mind. The things the person is saying are polluted.“

I was listening to a man speak, and he shared some videos of people who are openly antisemitic in the public forum. I heard one man deny the veracity of the holocaust and others promote conspiracy theories about the control that Jewish people have in the world. When I heard these people speak, I just thought, “Vile…what these people are saying is downright vile.”

I am from the generation of children whose parents fought in World War II. I remember the pictures of the death camps and the absolute horror of the soldiers who came upon them at the end of the war. The world was shocked, and you can bet that the holocaust was real. If it wasn’t, do you think the UN would have ever partitioned off the land of Israel and given it to the Jews?

What bothers me the most is that this is the kind of rhetoric that was floated in Germany by the Nazis in the 1930s. They used it to poison the minds of the populace against the Jews. The very same thing is being done today in our country. I don’t care if you are on the right or the left. The haters want to make you hate the Jewish race. For those of us who have studied history and seen what it can do, there is no word for it other than vile.

We must learn to not hate any ethnic group of people. When we do, we demean them, make them subhuman, and the next step is to stand by while people try to destroy them. Let us not give credence to those who trumpet this kind of hatred. It is vile, polluted, and it will sicken the soul of anyone who takes it into their hearts and minds.

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Photo by Steve Buissine. Courtesy of Pixabay

Foreshadow

Valerie Cullers 5 Comments

“Foreshadow – “a warning or indication of a future event.” Oxford Languages

As I look at current events happening around the globe, I can see that they are foreshadowing things to come. We are watching a story unfold right before our eyes that is filled with hints as to what we can expect in the future.

Take Israel and Iran for example. When I watched the attack on Israel by Iran on April 14th, I could see this as an event that foreshadows another war that will come against Israel in the future. The Bible speaks of a war that will happen to Israel in the latter days. Found in Ezekiel 38, a coalition of forces from the extreme north of Israel (possibly Russia or Turkey) plus Iran, Sudan and Libya will come against Israel. Did you ever think that Iran would dare to strike Israel? Well, it happened. Carefully orchestrated and announced ahead of time so that their missiles would not actually hit major population centers, Iran announced to the world that it is not afraid to strike Israel. A line was crossed and there is no going back. When Iran and her allies are ready, they will invade and attack Israel.

When the time comes, will any nations help Israel? Sadly, Israel will be on her own, and we are currently watching the foreshadowing of this in cities around the world and on college campuses. Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head, and even when these demonstrations stop and the war in Gaza is over, people will continue to hate Israel. This antisemitism has taken root globally, and it will not easily be pulled out.

Not to worry, though. Even though men will not come to Israel’s defense, the Lord will strike the invading armies dead on the mountains of Israel. This will not be a pretty sight and will according to scripture affect the entire world when it sees this happen.

As we watch the foreshadowing of future events, what should our response be in this incendiary climate? For one thing, we must not be taken in by those who would hate the Jews because of the war in Gaza. We must do what we can to stand up for the people who are being persecuted in their synagogues and on college campuses. So much of this reminds me of what happened in Germany in the 1930s. Jewish hatred was whipped up within the population to the point that people believed they were subhuman. Once they were dehumanized they were systematically eliminated with little or no public outcry. We cannot let this begin to happen again, not on our watch.

Image by merandad. Courtesy of Pixabay.

“Whatcha gonna do?”

Valerie Cullers 18 Comments

For over a month, I have been shocked at the level of antisemitism I have seen in this country. As a child of a father who was in WWII, I have been aware of the Jewish Holocaust. I have seen the pictures and read much about what the Nazis did to them. The level of suffering is almost incomprehensible, and those who perpetrated it were pure evil. Full stop…end of sentence.

I have no problem with people protesting a war they do not agree with, but those who carry signs that say “Gas the Jews” or “Hitler was Right” are either ignorant of history or evil themselves. I will bet that yes, some of those who carry those signs are evil, but for the most part, when I see the students, I believe they are historically ignorant.

Do they know, for example, that Hitler killed about fourteen million people? Yes, he came for the Jews, but he also came for many Christians, political dissenters, the physically and mentally handicapped, the gypsies, Slavic people, Poles, and the gays. No one was exempt if they were considered an enemy of the Reich. Many who started out in Hitler’s good graces were “retired” when his paranoia got the better of him.

You see, when the killing starts, no one is exempt. Ask those in Russia, where Stalin is purported to have killed about forty million in his purges. And what about the Cultural Revolution in China during which between five hundred thousand and two million people were killed? You may think you will be spared but in truth, no one is safe once a pogrom has started.

So to quote the theme song from Cops, “Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” Please think about it, because eventually they will and you who are approving of the genocide of others may become a victim yourself.

Photo of Auschwitz by Carl S. Courtesy of Pixabay