Antisemitism is sadly alive and well and flourishing the world over, both among the Left and the Right.
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #239 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
Antisemitism is, simply put, hating Jews. A formal definition comes from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Dec. 13, 2025, an armed individual walked into a Providence, RI, Brown University classroom of a Jewish professor “where students had gathered to review for their final exam in Principles of Economics, Brown’s most popular class and one that is dominated by freshmen. He killed two students and injured nine others.”
A day later, “December 14, 2025, a terrorist mass shooting occurred at Archer Park beside Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, in the late afternoon during a Hanukkah celebration attended by approximately one thousand people. Two gunmen shot at the crowd, killing 15 people, including a child. Police and Australian intelligence agencies declared it an Islamic State–linked terrorist incident. Numerous world leaders, news outlets and Australian authorities said the shooting was motivated by antisemitism.”
“Since the onset of the campus protests in October 2023, in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, one thing has become painfully clear: we have an antisemitism crisis on campus. The past academic year witnessed more than 1,400 antisemitic incidents on campuses across the nation – an unprecedented, all-time high.”
“A whopping 39% of Jewish college students have had to hide their identities on campus while 62% said they have been directly blamed for Israel’s military action in Gaza, according to a new report obtained by The New York Post. The civil rights group StopAntisemitism issued its 2025 ‘report cards’ grading how 90 colleges addressed the spreading hatred against Jews on campuses, with 14 schools flunking the exam.” Brown University is one of the fourteen.
“This surge of antisemitism in schools stems from a decade-long politicization of the education system, infiltrating every aspect from educational philosophy to curriculum and classroom discussions. If we want to get serious about addressing antisemitism, we must understand its driving force: the new leftist dogma.
At its core is ‘critical pedagogy,’ an educational philosophy that fuels resentment, victimhood, and collectivism, while promoting hatred towards certain groups.
It indoctrinates students to view the world through a lens of power dynamics and oppression. Cloaked in euphemisms such as ‘inclusivity’ and ‘social justice,’ this ideology – like all aspects of woke education – contains a destructive mind virus.”
“Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:
- Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
- Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
- Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
- Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
- Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
- Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
- Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
- Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
- Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
- Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”
There is a sense in which antisemitism is no different than any other form of bigotry, hate, and harm directed at individuals or groups whose human characteristics differ from the hater. Racism exists in all societies. Discrimination and persecution have been directed at countless families, clans, tribes, and people groups since ancient times. Antisemitism, like all hate, is sin, and human beings are sinful people who sooner or later aim suspicion, fear, envy, or arrogance toward others different from themselves.
But in another sense, antisemitism is different from other forms of racism. Antisemitism targets Jews as a people, not just as followers of a religion. Historically, Jews have been treated as a racialized group (e.g., Nazi ideology), regardless of individual beliefs or practices. Because of this racialization, many legal systems and institutions classify antisemitism under racism or ethnic discrimination.
A Jewish person can be targeted even if they are atheist or secular. Antisemitic ideas often involve myths about bloodlines, inherent traits, or collective guilt, which go beyond religion. Antisemitism has some unique features compared to other forms of hate:
- Conspiracy theories (e.g., secret control of governments, media, or finance)
- Collective blame (holding all Jews responsible for real or imagined actions)
- Contradictory stereotypes (Jews portrayed simultaneously as weak and all-powerful)
- Persistence across very different cultures and time periods
Because of this, scholars often treat antisemitism as a specific category of hate, even when it is legally grouped under racism.
The Bible records examples of antisemitism. The Pharaoh and the Egyptians looked upon Jacob’s descendants and said, “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land... So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves” (Exodus 1:8–14).
“The Spirit of Amalek is the oldest enemy of Israel. The Amalekites were the first people to attack Israel when they left Egypt for the Promised Land” (Ex. 17:8). The ancient Amalekites became a symbol of unprovoked hatred toward Israel (Deut. 25:17-18).
In the book of Esther, “Haman was filled with fury…So, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom” (Esther 3:5–6). This is one of the clearest biblical depictions of attempted genocide against Jews. Surrounding Nations’ evidenced hatred of Israel, a collective wish for Israel’s destruction. “They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!’” (Psalm 83:3–4).
The New Testament noted “…the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind…” (1 Thess. 2:14–15). This passage has historically been misused to justify antisemitism. But theological scholarly consensus emphasizes:
- Paul himself was Jewish
- It refers to specific authorities, not all Jews
- The New Testament elsewhere condemns hatred (Romans 11).
Meanwhile, the Bible reminds us that God’s covenant with the Jews is everlasting. “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant” (Gen. 17:7). “I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.” (Ezek. 37:21–28).
Antisemitism contradicts the Bible and the Christian ethic of love. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39). “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner” (Prov. 14:21).
Jews are our neighbors. There are more Jews living in the United States – 7.5 million – than Jews living in Israel – 7.2 million. From Stephen Spielberg, Wolf Blitzer, Jerry Seinfeld, Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to the guy at your local grocery you didn’t know was Jewish, Jews are our neighbors and U.S. citizens.
Hating and harming them hurts them, it hurts America, and it hurts those who hate and harm.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025
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