ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE RISE AGAIN

   Sir,

Mr Editor allow me to express my deepest concern about the issue that recently hit global headline news, aired at CNN News channel under the topic: “Anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe.”

Please let me begin my discussion by asking a few rhetorical questions like:
What did the Israelis do to deserve all hatred the hell and the world has thrown at it? Can someone try to explain the sin that they have done that justifies all the world’s actions of hatred and evil criminal acts against them?

Is it because we think they have sinned more than the rest of the nations of the world?
Are the nations of the world sinless and pure and deserving to punish and hate the Jews? Are all these reactions of hatred and crimes committed towards them politically and rationally correct? I guess you do have your own opinions to these questions.

Descendants

In case the reader didn’t know. The Jews are descendants of Eber (Gen 10:21, 24; 11:14) from Shem one of  Noah’s three sons. Therefore, Eber is regarded as the progenitor of the Hebrews better known to us today as Israelites. Hence, in The Book of Luke 3:35 is named Heber, the ancestor of Abraham (v34), who himself was Jacob/Israel’s ancestor too.

Nomads:All this people mentioned above probably lived like any other ethnic groups that lived in the ancient world.
They wereperhaps nomadic and having apolytheistic kind of religion possibly until God appeared to Abraham in the Land beyond the Rivers (Jos 24:2) and said ‘get thee out of thy country’ (Gen 12:1).

It looks like from that time on Anti-Semitic hatred began to take its roots growing bit by bit to date. Biblical narratives have indicated that in later time the Jewish people were subject to hatred, torture even in Egypt in much greater proportion. Again, after The Exodus on their way to The Promised Land they were in constant conflicts with other ethnic groups that stood in their way that may have contributed to the hatred that Jewish people encounter even today from people around the Middle-East.

Take a moment and think about this. We all at some point through our ancestors lived nomadic or semi-nomadic lives, we did fight small and big wars until we became Settlers; and that is how we have the political boundaries and countries of today. The question is ‘who then can blame the nations we have today?’ Of course no one blames anyone except blaming the Jews for reclaiming their land.

God’s choice: Did Abraham have something to do that influenced God to choose him among all other people of his time, of course not. So, why are his descendants hated, especially Israel? I’m drawn to assume that the world’s hatred towards Jewish people is a way of questioning God of his divine choosing and Sovereignty.

Possess

The Conquest: The Jews began to possess and settled in Canaan around 1406BC, they conquered the Canaanites, Ammonites, Jebusites, Philistines and Hittites etc as you can read it in the book of Joshua. Hence Canaan became Jewish land historically and theologically.

Only those who are not acquainted with this truth can question the authenticity of Jewish claim today. The challenge is that humans have developed a tendency of wanting to distort historical facts to suit their new ideologies (as I will try to show you later).

Canaan became Israel: You should note that it did not come any easier; they too, like most of the nations today, fought their wars to become nation it is today. Likewise, being in the land as people was no guarantee of peace and security.

They fought different foreign invaders from ancient past like: Assyrians under Shalmaneser V, around 722BC (2 Kings 17:4-6); they fought Egyptians under Necho II around 609BC (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chr. 35:20-24).

They also were engaged with the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar around 586BC (2 Kings 24:1ff) and the results of this battle were so devastating. And then later they found some relief when the Medo-Persia united front overthrew the Babylonians around 538BC to become the world power under Cyrus (Dan 5:30,31); they took control over all territories that were under Babylon that includes The Promised Land. But, after some years the mighty Greeks under Alexander the Great around 331BC defeated the Persians. And later the divided Greek Empire was overrun by the Romans, which their influence overlapped even to AD era.

Again, it is important to indicate that most of this ancient emperors showed no mercy but pure hatred toward the Jewish people, but emperors like Cyrus and Xerxes were easy in helping the Jews in time of need and also help them begin the process to return from Exile. But even after their return to their motherland there were constantthreats aimed at them.

Rev JS Ndzimandze
Shiselweni


Historians tells us that in 70AD The Roman Empire army led by TitusCaesar, after a siege that took for some time which eventuallyJerusalemsuccumbed to,and was captured and destroyed; more than million Jews were killed, some escaped to take refuge in far countries, thus Israel ceased to exist as a nation (all this were redflags on how the world grew to hate the Jews).So, afterthatdispersion the landlater was taken and occupied by Arabic people,occupying very important Jewish places, one of manywasthe Temple site.The truth is, anyone would have thought it was over with the Jews they will never survivethis time aroundbut that was never the case.
Later on,before and during Second World War the Jewsin diasporawere accused of being the source ofall world’sills (see Fig 1). Therefore, in Europe,theywere forced to wear robes marked witha yellowy (hexagram)star-of-David so that they can be easily spottedand apprehended, but for what crime? Just for being hated!!On the other hand, when all that was happening Adolf Hitler and his allieswere devising extermination camps,furnished with gas chambers in which the Holocaust were later carried on; and Six Million Jews were unaccounted for. Hate can drive humans to do craziest things.

Not long ago, CNN reported statistics that were very disturbing which showed and portrayed that in Europe there is a rapid rise of anti-Semitism and Holocaust deniers too. I was astonishedwhen I heard this. But why are they hating the Jews and denying the Holocaust!? Are they feeling guilty when reading the narratives indicating that their grandparents had the blood ofJewish people in their hands!?Or are they tryingto rewrite history or repeat history in ganging againstJewish people again? Of course am not expecting an answers from this questions - but time will tellabout the intentions of some European countries and individuals too.
Lastly, the Jewish people are human beingslike anyone else,fitand deserving to live like any other peoples in the world such as Aryan race (if they do exist), Asians, Europeans, Americans, Africans…etc.or like any ethnic, political, religious group. Moreover, they deserve theinternational community protection wherever they may choose to be,if we don’tthen God will as he always did.If the world choose to be hostile against them, then God’s unfailing love towards them will remain unbreakable. Hating them can never be justified(read Luke 10:29-37).

Fig 1                                                      Fig 2                                                                 Fig 3

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