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Israel - The Frontline Is Everywhere, page 8
by Lloyd Howell
Anti-Semitism - Christian History, Jesus & the Cross
One can not help but come face to face with the results of anti-Semitism when in Israel. It is part of the landscape. It has, for centuries, been shaping the Jewish mindset and actions. Anti-Semitism was after all the driving force that ultimately resulted in the creation of the modern State of Israel. Now, at times, one meets a sort of anti-non Semitism - that is to say a suspicion, fear and even dislike of non Semites - those who are not Jews; sometimes it is toward Muslims and at other times toward Christians.
I heard from a nun the story of a Jewish woman [not from Israel] and a non-Jewish man who had lived together and had a child. After several years, the man returned to his country and some situation arose through which the woman felt it necessary to place her child with the nun’s orphanage. The nun said that the woman was by nature loud and outspoken in her views and opinions. The nun said she had cautioned her not to speak of placing her child with them. But apparently she had not heeded the nun’s warning for one day the [Israeli] government social services came to take custody of the child. According to the nun the child was never again to be seen and the mother denied any contact. It occurred to me that in the eyes of the State she was a traitor of sorts; one who had committed the grave sin of placing a Jewish soul in the hands of non-Jews and that by doing so had rescinded all her rights. It occurred to me that historically there were many times that Jews were forced to become Christians - both children and adults. I’m sure there were even incidents of Jewish children taken to be raised as Christians.
The nun, who had lived in Israel for decades, understood the grave response her action could incur. Given such historical realities, sensitivities and the resentful aftertaste that lingers such behavior [as a Christian organization taking in a Jewish child] could easily be regarded as threatening and subversive. On one hand perhaps she was lucky her orphanage wasn’t closed down altogether.
Churches and Christian history
Later, after visiting a couple of churches, I was more than irked to learn that the building of a church is not allowed in Israel - only existing ones are tolerated. This made my blood boil and seemed so hypocritical and antithetical to the freedom of religion so taken for granted in my native America - the very freedom Jews there are so willing to take advantage of [and rightfully so]. Such a ban on churches seemed only a few steps short of Saudi Arabia’s making Christianity illegal. I thought of how irate the Jewish Anti-Defamation League would be if synagogues were not allowed to be built in America!
However, thinking from a Jewish viewpoint, it is somewhat understandable that now that the Jews have their own Land and can do things the way they want their sentiments may well question the need to see Crosses - symbols of persecution and pogrom - rising alongside the architecture of their new cities?
All these sort of things were eye openers. The vandal scars on the face of the Jesus statue provoked me to recall instances of swastikas being spray painted on American synagogue doors. Apparently intolerance and bigotry know no boundaries. All are susceptible; Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus et cetera. History seemed to be one of payback. An eye for an eye and so forth. We needed people to come forward and rise above the past. I know I had to swallow some distasteful things in order to give peace and dialog a chance.
I cannot go deeple in this history here, but I thought of how unwelcome Jews have been in the Christian world. I realized that, in general, I am relatively oblivious to such things. Just as most whites in America, being the majority, have never been on the receiving end of bigotry and racism. Some do not even know that it still exists! I thought of how flat Christians singing ’at the Cross, at the Cross I first saw the light’ sounds in Jerusalem. What about the Crusades and the killing of Jews. Certainly if I were a Jew I wouldn’t want any part of that ’light’! I thought of how foolish it was to think the Jews could accept Jesus as the representative of God’s love when his followers had persecuted them and, even more, left them to the hands of Nazism!
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