Our Jewish friends are less safe this Yom Kippur than last year
Tonight, Jewish families all over the globe are preparing for Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. Yet by all accounts, our Jewish friends are less safe this Yom Kippur than last year. We live in a more perilous world than we did a month ago, a year ago, a generation ago. European Jews are being told not to wear anything that identifies them as Jewish for fear they will be attacked. In America, many synagogues will have a police presence to ensure that the congregation can worship in safety. And in Israel, the IDF will be on high alert against terrorist attacks.
As our Jewish friends are on high alert, we are standing up and speaking out against anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head. When political commentator Ann Coulter tweeted anti-Semitic comments last week, CUFI immediately issued a statement condemning the tweet and reminding Ms. Coulter that “There are tens of millions of Christians in this country who stand with the Jewish state.” When San Antonio’s Orthodox synagogue was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti last month, Pastor Hagee immediately went to the synagogue to declare that an attack against San Antonio’s Jews was also an attack against its Christians.
We pray that next Yom Kippur our Jewish friends in Israel, Europe and the United States are safer because of our efforts.