Day-by-day it seems more and more signs of antisemitism come to light. In general, that is nothing new and is certainly not surprising. (Those who survived the Holocaust indicate that what they see now looks a lot like what happened in Germany prior to the Holocaust.) The Bible is clear that Israel will stand alone in the end. Indeed, the world will turn its back on God’s uniquely called people (Jews) in His uniquely given land (Israel).

What is alarming is a suddenly noticeable increase in antisemitism among conservatives. To be sure, not all conservatives are Christians, not all professing Christians support Israel, and Israel is not a perfect nation. Yet, to be conservative requires at least a degree of adherence to Christian principles, and if one does not love what God loves (eg – the Jewish people), can they really claim faith in Christ? Adherence to the Biblical mandate to bless, support and pray for Israel is a mark of obedience to our Lord.

In growing numbers and intensity, big name influencers and those who helped propel Trump to victory were once known for dripping antisemitism. Now the drip is a full-fledged leak. Case in point:

• Joe Rogan. Ok, let’s all admit he is more a moderate than a conservative. However, he boarded the Trump train and has cozied up with like-minded people who represent MAGA. Yet, he hosts Holocaust deniers and Jew-haters such as Darryl Cooper, Andrew Tate and Ian Carroll…names most of us are not too familiar with. Each has spewed anti-Israel rhetoric on air with Rogan, who (to my knowledge) has never countered their antisemitic opinions. (In fairness, Rogan has also interviewed Douglas Murray, a strong supporter of Israel, in an attempt to give “equal time” to the pro-Israel side.)
• Tucker Carlson. Yes, the likable, incredibly successful (14 million followers) former Fox ranter who now hosts his own podcast. For decades, Carlson has carefully veiled his antisemitic notions but has become bolder and much more overtly antisemitic. He, too, frequently hosts those with anti-Israel bias and not only fails to counter their claims but actually builds upon them. Like Rogan, he has given Holocaust revisionist, Darryl Cooper, airtime without so much as questioning the validity of his statements. He also hosted Muther Isaac, a Palestinian pastor and anti-Israel propagandist who directs an organization (Christ at the Checkpoint) intent on undermining evangelical Christians. Carlson’s antisemitism was also aroused in an interview with…
• Candace Owens. Once a partner at Daily Wire with podcaster/influencer, Ben Shapiro, Owens went totally off the rails in 2024 with highly publicized posts on X and antisemitic comments on podcasts (including her own). Among other things, Owens suggested that Zionists are demon worshippers, Jews have taken over America, and that many of our social ills can be tied directly to Jews.

Those are only 3 examples, but all are among the top voices on conservative social media platforms, each with more than 10 million followers. They sway voters and they sway politicians. How large is the influence at high levels of government? I’m not sure we can measure it, but those representative voices have the ear of very high-ranking politicians, including President Trump.

So, I return to a principle I have written about a few times in the past couple weeks: as believers, we must not wobble in our stance with Israel. In America, we have free speech, so each is entitled to his/her own opinion and voice. Also, to disagree with the Israel government or people is not antisemitism. However, to violate Biblical mandates to support, bless and speak out on Israel’s behalf is our guide and truthfulness is our key. Here are some examples:

Genocide in Gaza. Many accuse Israel of such nonsense. When Israel handed over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians in 2005, there were approximately 1.3 million Palestinians living there. Today, there are 2.3 million. How does a group grow by 77% in 20 years if there is genocide?

Starvation and famine in Gaza. Again, the Jews are blamed for not feeding the 2.3 million residents of Gaza. Yet, more humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza during the first year of the war than at any time in Gaza’s history. (Aid has always gone into Gaza, despite the land being some of the most fertile in the world.) Much of that aid was from Israel. Yet, Hamas hijacked the trucks and took all the food for themselves or to sell at exorbitantly high prices to their own citizens. Are people starving in Gaza? Yes, but full blame goes to Hamas, not Israel. The food is there. (BTW – guess who is among the starving…Israeli hostages.)

War in Gaza. There was peace in Gaza on October 6, 2023. What changed? Indeed, the war has stretched on for far too long and it needs to end. But not before a mechanism is in place to prevent Hamas from reconstituting and perpetuating consistent October 7-like attacks on Israel.

Antisemitism tends to blame all societal ills on the Jewish people. It causes hatred where none should exist, and it invites conspiracy theories in which Jews are the villains. It also causes Israel’s enemies to be given special favor.

That’s where I will pick this up again tomorrow. We’ll discuss President Trump’s recent tour of the Middle East and what was or was not accomplished on that trip. See you tomorrow!