The events of World War II and the Holocaust caused major emotional, spiritual and theological upheavals in religion, philosophy and culture around the world, but no more so than for Jews and Germans.
In a series of meetings in Jerusalem with leaders of major German, Austrian and Dutch Christian organizations, I asked a simple question: “Why did you get involved in supporting Israel?” As part of their personal stories, without exception, all pointed to the mass murder of six million Jews on European soil as the primary motivation to fulfill the biblical mandate for the Church to honor Israel.
European society and the Church at large have avoided serious interaction with its antisemitic past. Around 1958 this began to change in part due to a new generation that wanted its questions answered and was able to look at the past with less personal and emotional involvement.
Especially influential was the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961 in Israel. It confronted Germans and the entire continent with the darkest side of the Nazi era and did much to put the Holocaust on the...
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While G-d will still deal with all those nations who have persecuted the Jewish people, it is crucial to understand WHY the Shoah happened.
I agree with Rabbi Manis Friedman, and would add: the Shoah was the culmination of the “7-Times Punishment” which commenced in 536 BCE and ended in 1948. The chief reason: centuries of infanticide (Lev 26:28; Deut 28:45).
Put another way, the adulteress “Israel” was put to death, and then resurrected. Very few non-Jews understand how G-d deals with Israel, and neither do many of the Jewish people.
Thank you David for this historical summary. It is wonderful to see the initiatives being taken. God will bless those efforts in ways probably way beyond our comprehension.
Google Translation: My intensive, long-term study of the Bible has meant that I am not only convinced of the restoration of Israel, but have also recognized and discarded the mistakes in Christianity’s teaching. For example, I was able to derive the date of the founding of the state from the prophecies of the Bible; I could also see the 19-year delay in taking Jerusalem; and much more.
Mein intensives, langjähriges Studium der Bibel hat dazu geführt, dass ich nicht nur von der Wiederherstellung Israels überzeugt bin, sondern auch die Fehler des Christentums in der Lehre erkannt und abgelegt habe. So konnte ich z.B. den Zeitpunkt der Staatsgründung aus den Prophezeiungen der Bibel ableiten; auch den 19-jährigen Versatz der Einnahme Jerusalems konnte ich erkennen; und noch Vieles mehr.
Please don’t kid yourself. The Jewish people never had, has and will never have supporters or help. Zionism is in our hearts, not theirs. They’re just faking a game.
It is the duty of Israel, the Jewish nation with all willing Arabs, to survive. But I think that some in the Jewish nation (and it’s not just Arabs) don’t understand it.
Zionism from the bottom of our hearts is non-negotiable. It is our past, our being, our future.
If Netanyahu wants to follow the idea of a great Jewish nation and a great Jewish country, no one should stop him. Because it is the only, perhaps last, chance to survive.
Everyone should see that Israel has no real friends. Even the Jews in Europe and the USA are simply scared. At least no one will fight for us.
So we have to do it ourselves. Everyone, all Israelis. It’s not just about religion, it’s not just about life. It’s about a better state in the Middle East.