While spending time this week with Pastor John Hagee and the gifted leadership of Christians United for Israel, I find myself motivated to make a sincere effort in raising the level of awareness once again to the rise of the world’s oldest hatred… antisemitism.
What is stunningly apparent and heartbreaking as we enter into 2023 is the increase in concentrated attacks on Jewish people around the globe.
Christopher Gacek, J.D., Ph.D. and Lela Gilbert, in a Family Research Council publication “The Resurgence of History’s Oldest Hatred,” write, “Many of those concerned about antisemitism are Christians, and sometimes people ask us why we are so concerned about the dangers antisemitism poses to Jews since we are not Jewish. There are many good reasons. But to name a few, we believe antisemitism is objectively untruthful and unjust. And we are obligated by the Bible to defend Truth and Justice. We have also noted that where antisemitism successfully rids a nation state of Jews, Christians are soon at risk in that same country as well. As the jihadi slogan goes, ‘On Saturday we kill the Jews, on Sunday we kill the Christians.’ This should unite us in our mutual alarm. But third, and perhaps most important of all, we share a faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We can do nothing less than stand with the Jews, a people God chose as His own many millennia ago.”
They also point out four distinct strains of American antisemitism have now emerged: hard-right political antisemitism, “black separatist” antisemitism, Islam-based antisemitism and hard- left political antisemitism.
It was a number of years ago while in Tel Aviv, I visited Israel’s Independence Hall, where, at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 14, 1948, in what was then the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, eight hours before the termination of the British Mandate, Israel became a nation again!
Those assembled listened with emotion as David Ben-Gurion, head of the People’s Council, the Zionist Executive and the Jewish Agency, declared the creation of the State of Israel.
The museum was originally the home of Meir Dizengoff and his wife, Zina, who won lot No. 43 in the land lottery, which parsed out the acreage of this new settlement. They soon built their home there in 1909.
He served as head of the new neighborhood committee, and later became the first mayor of Tel Aviv.
This historical landmark serves as a reminder of not only the sheer determination of the courageous men and women of Israel who labored, fought, defended and are still defending their homeland to this very day!
Placed prominently in the foyer of the museum one finds the words of Amos 9:14, “I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.”
It was inspiring to say the least and as I looked upon the Israeli Declaration of Independence and considered the significance of those signatures and the prophetic importance of what took place in that obscure little building.
It occurs to me that what happened there is reflective of not only the history of Israel, but a reminder of the reality and reliability of the promises of God!
John Adams said, “I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations … They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their empire were but a bubble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and more happily than any other nation, ancient or modern.”
Speaking of Pastor Hagee, he writes, “How does our Christian walk intersect with Israel and the Jewish people? In every way… The Jews are God’s covenant people, and He intends for them to shine forth as a bright light to the gentiles. He loves and delights in the Jewish people and rejoices over them- they are His brethren, the apple of His eye. Be assured that God’s blessing or His judgment will come to those who have blessed or cursed His beloved nation and people.”
For the sake of Israel, for the sake of our nation and for the sake of what lies ahead… may we never forget that!

Tim Throckmorton is the national director of Family Resource Council’s Community Impact Teams.