Antisemitism is on the rise. We all know it; you know it and your Jewish friends certainly know it. In the first half of last year, there were a reported 1,978 antisemitic incidents (compared with 964 in the same period of 2023).
We have just had the festival of Hannukah, a festival which commemorates (amongst other things) the victory of the Jewish Maccabean rebels over the forces of the Seleucid Emperor, Atiochus IV Epiphanes. The revolt was prompted by the antisemitism of this deranged Emperor’s forces and, as Jews across the UK gathered to celebrate God’s provision in those days, conversations would have turned to antisemitism today.
It can be hard to understand why Jews in Britain today feel fear, but they do. Our personal experience of racism and the weight of being a part of the most persecuted nation in history tell us that we should be scared.
Church events: How wide should we cast the net?
Over the Christmas period our church, like many others, had several evangelistic events. We had the classic Christingle and Nativity …