In the United States we are seeing a disturbing surge in anti-Semitic incidents in 2025, exemplified by a recent targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, where Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, allegedly attacked participants at a pro-Israel rally, injuring eight people, including a Holocaust survivor. The attack targeted a “Run for Their Lives” event advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Soliman, who overstayed his visa, faces federal hate crime charges after reportedly shouting “Free Palestine” during the assault. This incident follows other violent acts, including the May 2025 murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and an arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home during Passover.
Reflecting on a historical perspective from a 2020 TJCII UK article by James E. Patrick, a theologian for TJCII, commemorating the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, we see a chilling parallel. That article detailed centuries of anti-Semitic attitudes, events and policies, from England’s 1290 expulsion of Jews to Spain’s expulsion of the Jews in 1492. It highlighted how Christian theological anti-semitism, like those in Martin Luther’s 1543 pamphlet, fueled hatred that culminated in the Nazi genocide of six million Jews. Today’s attacks echo this legacy of anti-semitism, underscoring the need to confront it to prevent history’s darkest chapters from repeating. We need to raise our voices and cry out to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for mercy and protection over His people, Israel.
To quote the article: “…the one who stood at the tomb of Lazarus stood again at the liberated gates of Auschwitz and cried out, “Israel, come forth”. May the merciful God, who always brings life from the dead, witness our tears and resurrect in our hearts a living love for the Jewish people, the light to the nations, at home again, here, with us.”
Read the full article here: http://tjcii.uk/antisemitism-from-the-reformation-to-the-holocaust/