On May 14, 1948, Israel declared itself a modern nation. This joyful event is celebrated by the Jewish community every year on May 14. It is called Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut), but this does not mean Israel had never been an independent nation throughout history, including the biblical story.
As Mark Twain wrote so many years ago,
The Egyptians, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.
The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was. . . . All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he [the Jew] remains. What is the secret of his immortality? 1
The secret to Jewish people’s survival, of course, is God’s faithfulness to His glorious promises for Israel as a land and a people. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote,
Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35–36)
I view 1948 as the year when Israel “reasserted” her independence as a nation. As students of the Bible, and especially those who cherish prophecy, we believe the events of 1948 were not merely the fruition of the combined human effort of great men like Theodor Herzl and other early Zionist leaders but rather an act of God. We celebrate this holiday and honor its momentous occasion with Israel and Jewish people around the world, especially in light of the hardships Israelis are facing today.
As we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut in solidarity with Israel, we recognize and pray for lasting peace, which has been so elusive since the first attacks in 1948 by the Arab coalition seeking to destroy Israel even before the ink was dry on their declaration of independence. So, following the words of the psalmist, we continue to pray for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem, knowing our prayers for Israel come with a promise, as the psalmist adds, “May they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6).
ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS
Sadly, it has not been a peaceful time for Israel or Jewish people lately, especially at universities around the globe. I never thought I would come to this stage of my life to witness the growing antisemitism taking place today. It is deeply disappointing for me and many Jewish people. The number of antisemitic attacks on Jewish people rose 700 percent after October 7 compared to the same period the year prior. The social media climate has become an intolerable hotbed of antisemitic tropes and attacks.
Let me give you some facts to consider and, hopefully, this will encourage you to pray and even to take action.
The following reports are from the Jerusalem Post, a reputable Israeli-based newspaper, from February 20, 2024.
The number of antisemitic incidents on college campuses in the United States since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 passed 1,000 on Monday. Adam Lehman, President and CEO of the Hillel International, revealed during a joint session of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs on Tuesday morning. According to Lehman, the number of antisemitic incidents marked a 700% rise since the parallel period a year earlier. Some 44 of these incidents were physical attacks—more than the past 10 years combined; and 56% of Jewish students [said] they feel unwelcome on college campuses, he added.2
The rise of antisemitism on campuses throughout the United States is causing some Jewish high school students to consider this as a factor in where they apply to college!
According to the Jerusalem Post,
A new survey of nearly 2,000 BBYO participants across North America, taken in recent weeks, found that 64% said antisemitism on campus was an important factor in their decision regarding where to attend college.3 More than 60% said they had experienced antisemitism in person. “It made me not apply to some colleges,” Bianca De Almeida, a senior from Miami, told JTA regarding the December congressional hearing, where the presidents of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology also declined to say outright whether campus policy prohibited calls for the genocide of Jews.4
It is a mistake to consider only the “elite” universities problematic. Antisemitism is now everywhere and on almost every campus, including high schools. Earlier this year, a Texas school district reviewed a request to remove a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl from school libraries. The episode received significant attention. According to a report from the “Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission Study on Antisemitism in Texas,” this is the timeline of events:
- A parent in the Keller Independent School District near Dallas challenged the appropriateness of offering the graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary in the school library, saying it should be viewed only in the presence of an adult.
- On August 15, Keller school officials temporarily removed all books that had been challenged during the year during their review process, as part of a policy they had just approved.
- On August 19, the book was returned to circulation. . . .
- The school superintendent wrote to parents “Keller ISD is not banning the Bible or The Diary of Anne Frank, as has been suggested in some headlines and shared on social media.”5
My dear friend, antisemitism is a tool in the hands of the devil, and, as believers, we need to OPPOSE ANTISEMITISM wherever we see it. Antisemitism is an attack on God Himself, as Jewish people are still the “apple of His eye:”
For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8).
We need to be united, love what our Savior loves, and hate what He hates!
Your Mission to the Jewish People is sponsoring several conferences as we continue to provide resources and opportunities for Christians to stand together against antisemitism.
THE MOODY CONFERENCE AGAINST ANTISEMITISM
Join us at the Moody Conference against Antisemitism, scheduled at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, November 8–9, 2024. Michael Rydelnik, vice president of the undergraduate school; Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute; myself; and many others will explore the spiritual roots of antisemitism.
We will suggest ways believers can support Jewish people and take a united stand against this oldest hatred!
THE COURAGE CONFERENCE
We scheduled a conference at Moody this summer for younger adults serving the Lord on campuses nationwide. We are expecting up to one hundred students who serve the Lord and support Israel and Jewish people on their campuses.
Jewish students on college campuses are being persecuted, and we want them to know they are not alone. We plan to train these young people how to stand with Jewish people and handle persecution because of their identity and faith. We will also have experts join us to teach these students how to find legal protection if needed and how to work with faculty and university administrators to protect their freedoms on campus.
We hope to build a national fellowship of students standing for the Lord and for Jewish people, and your prayers and support are critical to our success.
Thanks for caring.
Your brother,
Mitch
P.S. Please continue to pray for the hostages held in Gaza!
Endnotes
1 Mark Twain, “Concerning the Jews,” Harper’s Magazine, March 1898, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1898twain-jews.asp.
2 Eliav Breuer, “College Campuses See Disturbing Rise of Antisemitism since October 7,” The Jerusalem Post, February 20, 2024, sec. Diaspora: Antisemitism, https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-787895.
3 BBYO (B’nai Brith Youth Organization) is a youth movement for Jewish teenagers.
4 Jacob Gurvis and JTA, “Jewish Teens Looking at a New Factor in College Search: Antisemitism,” The Jerusalem Post, February 17, 2024, sec. Diaspora: Antisemitism, https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-787385.
5 Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, “Study on Antisemitism in Texas,” November 1, 2022, https://thgaac.texas.gov/assets/uploads/docs/THGAAC-Study-on-Antisemitism-12-2022.pdf. Emphasis added.
Dr. Mitch Glaser 