Silence in the face of evil is always evil: Holocaust Remembrance

The oldest hatred in the history of civilization is anti-Semitism. I'm Julian Dobbs, the Dean of the Anglican Church in North America and the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word. The first incident recorded of anti-Semitism is Haman in the Bible and his abusive attempts to eradicate the Jewish people.

From then, as part of Western culture, this curse has become part of Western civilization and brought into the church by many Christians who have misunderstood the place of the Jewish people in the life of the Christian faith. During the time of the Reformation, there was a scriptural corrective and people began to understand more clearly the place of the Jewish people in the life of the church and their connection with Christianity. And yet, since then, there has also been a corruption in the reading of the scriptures and the misunderstanding of the connection between the Jewish people and the Hebraic heritage of the Christian faith.

And from that, a rising anti-Semitism has continued, which hurts us as it distorts the very character of God, his message through Christ about redemption, and is an assault on the very scriptures that have been handed down to us from the Jewish people. God loves his Jewish people and so should the followers of Jesus. And what does that love mean practically? It means getting to know our Jewish neighbors, taking the initiative to build relationship with them, defending the Jewish people against unfair criticism and demonization, and taking practical steps to do so where we can take a public stand, always be willing to bear a true witness and appreciating the gifts that the Jewish people have given to us.

This doesn't mean that we always have to agree with Jewish people or with the State of Israel, neither do we have to agree theologically with one another, politically with one another, and it does not mean that we cannot support Palestinians. As followers of Jesus, we are called not to bear a false witness. So let's remember Jesus was a Jew, is a Jew, and will return as King of the Jews. It is our responsibility as his disciples, as followers of the Jewish Messiah, to speak the truth about those who denounce the Jewish people. Silence in the face of evil is always evil itself, and God will not hold us guiltless.

Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs is the Bishop of the Diocese of the Living Word and Dean of the Province of the Anglican Church in North America. He serves as Secretary of the CMJ USA Board of Directors.