The 1930s and 1940s were not a good time to be Jewish in Europe. Hitler was afraid of the Jews. He feared that Judeo-Christian ethics could change the world that he wanted to control with an iron fist. He had to get rid of all Jews at any cost, and he almost succeeded. His program, known as “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” was a euphemism for the eradication of all European Jews, just like “From the River to the Sea” is a euphemism for the destruction of all Jews of the 21st century, cloaked in a social justice statement. 2025 is not a good time to be Jewish anywhere in the world (except possibly in Israel).
The Holocaust was unique because it is the only genocide ever to include the desire from the perpetrators to go hunt Jews outside of Germany, bring them back on cattle cars, and ship them to be murdered in death camps. All other genocidal people groups are satisfied with the undesired people leaving their countries. The Nazis weren’t. They had to go get the Jews as far as the train networks could go within Greater Europe. This cost them the Second World WarโA war that author and historian Lucy Dawidowicz rightfully labelled “The War Against the Jews.“
For nearly three decades, I have spoken boldly against antisemitism. I have been warning Christians and people of goodwill about the inevitable day when Jews will live in a society plagued by the same ills that almost destroyed us all in the 1930s and 40s. At first, many looked at me funny, thinking that I was overreacting or being consumed by some conspiracy theory. Eventually, people slowly started to see a pattern of Judeophobia strangely reminiscent of the Holocaust era. Increasingly, denial was no longer an option, and reality set in. If I may speak for the global Jewish community, “they are coming back for us,” but this time we are well beyond the 1930s and 40s! We see it not just in Europe, but all over the planet.
On the first night of Hanukkah (Dec. 14), over 1,000 people gathered in Sydney, Australia, on Bondi Beach. A Muslim father and his son started shooting at the Jewish crowd, killing 15 people and wounding almost 40 more. Australia recently recognized Palestine at the United Nations, and even though Israel had warned of an impending attack, Australia ignored many warnings, including aย letter sent by Bibi Netanyahu, until it was too late. This was another case of Islamic Judeophobia, and this was the highest Jewish casualty since October 7, 2023. Have you noticed how antisemitic attacks are now connected to Jewish holidays or community events? May the memory of all the murdered victims be a blessing to many.
On December 12, a drive-by shooting took place in Redlands, CA.ย The driver shot 20 rounds at a Jewish home and screamed, “F*** the Jews” and “Free Palestine.”ย Nobody was injured, but being Jewish in the open in 2025 became more real for that family. It should be a wake-up call for all Jews. Why is it taking so long for American Jews to realize that it is hunting season again? This is only the first few days of Hanukkah, and Jews all over the world dread more attacks. Security has been heightened in America, Europe, and pretty much everywhere Jews gather for worship or communal events.
In the 1930s and 1940s, racial antisemitism was contained in Europe, and the vast majority of Judeophobes were Nazis and Nazi sympathizers. In 2025, the cancer of Jew hatred has metastasized, and it is in stage 4. Condemnations abound like the words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio,ย โThe United States strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Hanukkah celebration hosted by Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and with the Australian people as we pray for the victims and their familiesโฆ No community should have to fear publicly celebrating their faith and traditions due to the threat of extremist violence and terror,” but too often, these are just words with very little power and no change. Antisemitism used to be expressed by words, but it has now moved to actionsโlethal in some cases. Why is the fight against antisemitism not following the same pattern?
In the 1930s and 1940s,ย Israel had not been reborn as a modern nation. As bad as it was then, antisemitism focused only on the people, not the land. Today, anything that happens in the land of Eretz Yisrael or that is produced, invented, or curated there becomes a thorn in the flesh of Jew-haters around the globe.
In the 1930s and 1940s,ย those of goodwill who later became recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial only risked their lives if they were caught by Nazis rescuing or sheltering Jews. Today, people wearing a T-shirt with a pro-Israel slogan, attending a pro-Israel rally, or expressing their support for the Jewish people in any fashion are at risk. In 2025, you do not have to be Jewish to suffer from antisemitism, you just have to show any level of support for Israel or her people.
In the 1930s and 1940s,ย Joseph Goebbels, a German politician and the Third Reich Minister of Propaganda for Nazi Germany (1933-1945), was famous for his ability to speak to crowds and his propaganda skills, which helped people adopt their views of Jews and which fueled the Nazi death factories against the Jews. As effective as he was, Goebbels was one man, and information took time to travel, giving Jews a chance to escape when they saw the handwriting on the wall. Today, in the age of the Internet and social media, every Jew hater is a digital Joseph Goebbels with his or her own posse of potential Jew-killers.
Indeed, we are well beyond the 1930s and 40s! The archenemy of the Jews is also the archenemy of God, who loves the Jewish people. Satan knows the details of how God is about to reveal Himself to Israel in the final chapter of His saga on the human race. This has prophetic implications that do not end well for Satan (Zechariah 12:10, Romans 11:26). It is written and irreversible. In an almost “human” flawed behavior, Satan is telling the Jews, “If I go down, you’re going down with me!” Satan is hate personified, and he injects his hatred into people to use them in fulfilling his agenda. So, we have the Sydney massacre, October 7, and the Holocaust, and the sad reality of the days we live in is that there will be more.
Satan wants to extinguish the Jewish light once and for all, but we are a resilient people. By the grace of God, we survived Pharaoh, the Amalekites, Haman, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, Hitler, and Hamas. Our light will continue to burn, our resilience will keep us going, and our God will protect us and provide for us. Jew haters will not cancel Hanukkah, and with God’s strength and by His grace, we will continue to light our candles, praise God, and make the world a better place. May all those who love Israel and the Jewish people join us as we proudly declare: “Chag Sameach and Am Yisrael Chai!”
