The Sin of Anti-Judaism

Earlier this week the four people senselessly murdered in a Jewish supermarket in Paris were buried. Even though they were French citizens they were laid to rest in an Israeli cemetery. After having their lives snuffed out simply because they were Jewish their families accepted this invitation by Israel out of concerns that their graves might be desecrated in their homeland. What a tragic reality, although it is ironic that the state which came into being, at least in part, because of French persecution in the 19th century of the Jewish military officer Alfred Dreyfus, is in the 21st century the burial place of innocent French Jews. In the end the burial of the four proved to be a painful mess for the families.

We're also told that in 2014 more than 7,000 French Jews emigrated to Israel, the most since the state of Israel was established in 1949. Despite the threats to safety in Israel it is considered more secure that a democratic European county. More than half of British Jews feel that they may have no future in their own country, nor anywhere else in Europe.

This reminds us that anti-Semitism, or anti-Judaism is still a reality. This should be a concern to us all, not just in France but in many places in the world. While a fundamentalist Islamist was the murderer in France, anti-Judaism is a persistent cancer. In most countries it is a small minority who hold these views, but the threat is still frightening.

In some countries anti-Judaism is unfettered and unfortunately a number of those nations are predominantly Muslim. I'm reminding myself that the young supermarket employee who saved the lives of a number of Jewish patrons was Muslim. And that the co-worker he mourns because he considered him a brother was Jewish. His courage undoubtedly saved many lives. But thousands of French troops have been deployed to protect Jewish institutions and the Paris Grand Synagogue was closed last Saturday for the first time since World War II. The symbolism is chilling.



We all need to be on guard when it comes to stereotypes and suspicions of any religious group, and we must uphold religious freedom. The hatred of Jews in particular has been pernicious for thousands of years and often fomented rather than quelled by Christians. Pointing a finger at Muslims alone would be hypocritical on our part.

Any thoughts or observations about the persistence of anti-Jewish sentiment?