Historians agree that Kristallnacht (November 9-10, 1938) was the onset of the Holocaust, shifting Nazi antisemitism from mere rhetoric to pure violence and murder, and setting in motion the death factories aimed at accomplishing “the final solution to the Jewish question.” Kristallnacht, or “The Night of Broken Glass,” was a boycott/pogrom of Jewish synagogues, schools, businesses, and homes, resulting in the death of almost 100 Jewish people and the destruction of 7,500 properties. It was extremely well-planned and anything but a reaction to the death of a German official in France. Historically, Kristallnacht was one somber night that, along with other bloody murders of Jews, led my people to come up with the post-Holocaust motto of “NEVER AGAIN.” Unfortunately, antisemitism didn’t cease to exist, but it slowly went from taboo to transformed to tolerated to trendy.
October 7, 2023, changed everything not only for Israeli-Arab relations but apparently for Jewish people around the globe. It has come to my attention that Jewish people are currently being identified across the world by different means. Why do we need to be identified? Let us not forget that identification was the first step that led to the Holocaust 80 years ago. Identification (Nuremberg Laws) was followed by separation (ghettos), which was followed by mass transit (cattle cars to the camps), eventually leading to annihilation (gas chambers.) So, when today we hear about Jewish people being identified and/or singled out, we should pay attention. Following are some of the recent events that should really raise a red flag.
Hackers stole Jewish names from the 23andMe website: The popular website that determines ancestry based on a DNA sample was hacked in late 2023. Almost 7 million names were exposed. The company claimed that this was due to poor password management from users. It doesn’t really matter what the cause was, but what was concerning was the fact that the hackers offered to sell the names of people with Jewish ancestry for anywhere from $1 to $10 per name.
Blue stars of David were painted on the front of buildings where Jewish people live in France: Not too long after the start of the Gaza War in October 2023, Paris saw several of its buildings identified with blue stenciled stars of David (a clear Jewish symbol.) The buildings turned out to be the residences of Jewish people. This was eerily reminiscent of the painting of the word “Jew” and the large white stars of David painted on Jewish storefronts in Berlin in November of 1938. The purpose, in 1938, was solely to identify Jewish businesses and destroy them through pogroms and boycotts. Should we dare draw a parallel in 2024?
The Doxxing of Jewish Identities in Australia: After some pro-Palestinian individuals maliciously released personal or identifying information about Jewish people without the subject’s permission (known as doxxing), Australia decided to ban the illegal practice. Doxxing is not only used to identify Jewish people, but we can see how it could lead to harm committed against that very community, already targeted by so many people.
Forbidding Jewish people to rent equipment in Switzerland: The town of Davos might be better known for the global meetings of the World Economic Forum, but it is also a popular ski resort in Switzerland. Recently, a poster was affixed on a ski equipment rental shop reading: “The shop would no longer rent gear such as sleds, skis and snowshoes to “our Jewish brothers” after a series of “very annoying incidents” — including the theft of a sled.” The poster (written in Hebrew) was removed within 24 hours, with the store owners apologizing for a poor choice of words, but only after they received massive complaints from the Jewish community that the move was purely antisemitic. Truly, the store owners could have easily written a statement stating that anybody not following the rules in their rental agreement would be charged a fee. To single out Jewish “brothers” is both antisemitic and patronizing.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement capitalizes on the Gaza War: The BDS agenda continues to be heavily promoted by pro-Palestinian factions, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza but completely ignoring the real genocide of 1200 people in Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023. In their own words, they invite antisemites around the world to “Act Now Against These Companies Profiting from the Genocide of the Palestinian People.” This is a complete role reversal…Is anybody paying attention?
I could continue to list all the incidents that have taken place since October 7, 2023, but you get the idea: we are being identified, singled out, delegitimized, and demonized. This is no different than how the stage was set in the 1930s. This is not going to get better for the Jewish people. It can only get worse, but it doesn’t have to be hopeless. In a world of bystanders, we can be upstanders. When we stand up against the oldest hatred, we show the Jewish people that there are still people who care and who would do just about anything to be there for their Jewish friends.
Upstanders are going to become a small minority in a sea of bystanders. True, there is power in numbers, but even if we feel isolated or alone in this fight, we must keep fighting on behalf of our Jewish friends. We are fighting a spiritual battle against Satan and his demons who want to destroy the Jews so that they will not be the voice crying to God and saying: “Baruch Haba Bashem Adonai” at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble (Zechariah 12:10, 13:8-9, Matthew 23:37-39.)
Satan is on his final rampage to destroy the Jews and prevent the return of Yeshua. He didn’t succeed in preventing the First Coming of the Messiah when He offered Himself as the sacrificial lamb for Israel and the rest of the world. He will not succeed in preventing His return to inaugurate the Millennial Kingdom and reign on the throne of King David from Jerusalem.
Satan always causes casualties, and right now, he is trying to turn the world against the Jews by leading various people to identify and single out Jewish people in various communities around the world. The battle is a spiritual one, but when we are on the side of Israel and love the Jewish people, we are on God’s side. Where else would you rather be?
