December 21, of a dramatic rise of hatred toward Jews elsewhere around the world in 2004.
"As we witness the departure of another year we sadly also witness the continuous rise of anti-Semitism in the world," said Malcolm Hedding, Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).
"The New Year will see (this rise of anti-Semitism) becoming an increasing reality," he added, at a time when surveys show that anti-Jewish assaults and incidents in much of Europe are at their highest level since World War II.
"Europe was literally shaken by the results of a very credible poll that demonstrated that 60% of Europeans consider Israel to be the Number One threat to world peace," Hedding said.
OLD PREJUDICES
Some Jews link these developments to old prejudices mixing with anger at Israeli policies, BosNewsLife learned. They also worry about Europe’s growing Muslim population, which stands at 17 million.
European Union and U.S. officials have expressed concern about the trend, especially in former Communist countries where nationalism was suppressed for decades.
Hungary has sometimes been singled out for anti-Semitism after Reformed Church Pastor Lorant Hegedus, a former vice- president of the far right Hungarian-Justice and Life Party, urged Hungarians to "segregate Jews before they segregate you."
PROMINENT LAWYER
More recently a prominent lawyer representing racist skinheads in a trial asked the presiding judge whether she was Jewish. And in Budapest, a soccer team owned by a Jewish businessman sometimes hears rival fans chant, "The train is leaving for Auschwitz."
In response to this concern, Hungary already adopted anti hate speech legislation this month, but Jewish officials remain doubtful.
"I hope that in the practice it will be executed like it has to be," said Erno Lazarovits, a Holocaust survivor and Foreign Relations Director of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary. "(I hope) people who are enlarging such neo-Nazi, anti-Semitism feelings will not only be told "do not do that in the future, but that they will be put in jail."
HATRED SENSITIVE ISSUE
Racial and religious hatred is a sensitive issue in Hungary because it was a close ally of Nazi Germany in World War II where at least 600,000 Hungarian Jews were massacred during that period, and many thousands of Roma, as well as other groups the Nazis did not like.
"The long and short of the story is simply this: The new anti- Semitism is directed at the ‘collective Jew", said ICEJ Executive Director Hedding. "That is, it targets Israel."
He urged Christians to "stand against this and do what we can to fight it. In this fight we preserve our own human dignity and freedoms."
CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION
Hedding warned that "anti-Semitism always strikes out at the Jewish world first and then it brings chaos and destruction to the gentile nations. This is the sad reality and lesson we learn from the Nazis (and) it has been repeated time and time again throughout history."
Despite violence and suicide attacks, he said the ICEJ would continue to operate in Israel. "After all these are Jesus’ Brethren and He loves them. Can we therefore do less? I think not," he said in a statement send to BosNewsLife.
"If ever there was a time to show Israel the love and comfort of the Christian world, it is now. We share a common biblical world view and we shall ultimately share a common destiny."
"RIGHT MISSION"
Although the ICEJ has sometimes has been criticized by evangelicals and Messianic Jews for not focusing on spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Hedding seemed confident his organization is carrying out the right mission.
"Our God is their God; our story is their story; and our Bible is their Bible. Even our beloved Messiah is Jewish. In short, we have been greatly blessed by Israel because, as Paul puts it, "We share in their spiritual things" he said citing Romans 15:27.
He stressed the ICEJ needs prayers, encouragement and financial assistance as it continues in the New Year to "battle for the very survival of Israel."
