Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel are not the same

OpinionMiguel De La Torre  |  September 28, 2017

Miguel De La Torre

A full page advertisement ran in the Sept. 20 edition of the New York Times sponsored by the World Jewish Congress. The advertisement made four points, two with which I agree wholeheartedly, one with which I lack sufficient knowledge to make a decision, and one with which I totally disagree because of the danger it poses to justice.

The two with which I concur are: 1) “We should never have to be afraid to practice our faith,” and 2) “We must never be silent (while people of any faith are attacked).” Amen and amen! The one for which I am not knowledgeable enough to respond is, “We are one people.” I’m not sure if my Jewish colleagues would agree. I’ll simply punt to them to discuss, although I would be greatly interested in the discourse.

The point which deeply troubles me is, “Anti-Semitism and anti-Israel lies must be fought.” The advertisement elaborates by stating: “The age-old hatred of Jews today now disguises itself as anti-Zionism, an irrational hatred of Israel we’ve seen in the halls of the U.N. and on college campuses in the form of the BDS movement. The hatred must end now.”

First, I totally agree lies must be confronted. Our failure to do so has led to a Trump presidency. I also totally agree anti-Semitism is on the rise, demonstrated by tiki torch carrying thugs in Charlottesville whose irrational obsession with Jews led to chants of “Jews will not replace us.” And if I can tie this observation with the advertisement’s point of never being silent, then all people — whether of faith or not — cannot be silent bystanders to anti-Semitism.

However, I do take great issue with the attempt to link critique of a secular nation state by movements like BDS — Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions — with anti-Semitism. To critique a government can never be equated with hating a people. For example, I have been critical of the Castro regime of Cuba; this does not make me anti-Latinx. There is something barbaric about the mantra “my country, right or wrong,” whether that country is Israel, the United States or my beloved Cuba.

I would argue those who are the most pro-Israel — Evangelicals — are also the most anti-Semitic, believing Jews will not be saved during the Rapture and will eventually burn in a lake of fire at the end of times for rejecting Jesus the Messiah. Motivated by an interpretation that Jesus’ second coming will occur after the Jerusalem Temple is rebuilt, they support Israel in achieving this goal, regardless of tactics employed. Their support for Israel exists in spite of their hatred for Jews best demonstrated in their belief and hope of an apocalyptic genocide (read the Left Behind series). The unwavering loyalty of the U.S. to a foreign nation (distinguished from a people of faith) is complicit with the continuous injustices occurring in that corner of the world. Specifically, we must hold accountable both Evangelicals who misunderstand the Book of Revelation and politicians who do not misunderstand the power of AIPAC.

I recognize our anti-Semitic history, cognizant of how our Jewish sisters and brothers suffered at the hands of Christians for centuries; but this does not excuse the oppressed of history wielding the power of the oppressors. While I stand against the oppression caused by anti-Semitism, I also stand against the secular State of Israel, mainly due to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s policies. For decades he has undermined peace negotiations by encouraging settlements on Palestinian designated lands. In addition, his attempt to suppress Arab-Israeli votes exposes his Jim Crow tactics to disenfranchise a segment of the citizenship due to their racial characteristics. Both institutional and physical violence against the Palestinians must be voiced and condemned. Israel’s anti-peace and anti-Arab administration requires denouncement.

But let’s be clear: standing against Israel does not mean I automatically stand with the Palestinians oblivious of how they too have fallen short of the mark. Again, we need to become more sophisticated in our analysis and be able to criticize their actions, denounce the violence of the past and its use in the present. Blatant anti-Semitic rhetoric, which I find in several of their denunciations, only fuels the fires of hatred and distrust. And yet, my preferential option toward the Palestinians is because, overall, they are the ones who are suffering economic and political oppression. As a liberation theologian, I must stand with Palestinians while remaining ready to also criticize their policies. And more importantly, I must be clear that the unjustifiable death of one Palestinian or one Israeli is one death too many, a tragic waste of those created in the image of God.

If we are for reducing (or, dare we dream, eliminating) violence, if we support the two-state solution as the best roadmap toward peace, if we are against the oppression of the least among us, then we must voice our distress at governments, whether Israeli or Palestinian, when their actions and pronouncements lead to greater mistrust, greater oppression and, most importantly, greater violence. To say that critique of a nation state is akin to anti-Semitism is simply naïve, disingenuous and wrong. The Netanyahu administration leaves me no choice but to stand against his hawkish policies and its oppressive tactics. I challenge the government of Israel for its settler colonialism and apartheid policies. And one nonviolent response might very well be by supporting BDS, a Palestine movement inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement.


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
More by
Miguel De La Torre
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Progressive Baptist congregation on Wake Forest campus votes to close

      News

    • What I learned at Wake Forest Baptist Church

      Opinion

    • New study finds scammers luring migrants with false information via Facebook and WhatsApp

      News

    • Advice from a sunflower

      Opinion


    Curated

    • Orthodox Alaska Part 2: The Beatles, Bees And Orthodoxy Animated In One Man’s Life

      Orthodox Alaska Part 2: The Beatles, Bees And Orthodoxy Animated In One Man’s Life

      August 9, 2022
    • Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in Baghdad

      Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in Baghdad

      August 9, 2022
    • Ukrainian seminary professor faces difficult decisions

      Ukrainian seminary professor faces difficult decisions

      August 9, 2022
    • Nondenominational Churches Are Adding Millions of Members. Where Are They Coming From?

      Nondenominational Churches Are Adding Millions of Members. Where Are They Coming From?

      August 9, 2022
    Read Next:

    40 Congressmen urge IRS to reconsider classification of Family Research Council as a ‘church’

    NewsMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • In applauding Victor Orban, U.S. conservatives call their shot

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Christian nationalism is a danger to our nation

      OpinionMarvin McMickle

    • How The Jetsons and Westworld help us think about robots, personhood and faith

      AnalysisRick Pidcock

    • Some evangelical leaders see FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as evidence of the religious persecution coming to them

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Advice from a sunflower

      OpinionPhawnda Moore

    • Where are the women on the SBC’s first and second sexual abuse task forces?

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • New study finds scammers luring migrants with false information via Facebook and WhatsApp

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • What I learned at Wake Forest Baptist Church

      OpinionDavid Ramsey

    • Progressive Baptist congregation on Wake Forest campus votes to close

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Why can’t we accept sexual and gender diversity in humans as well as in all creation?

      OpinionDan McGee

    • I’ve been unaware of my privilege, and if you are a man, you probably have, too

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • South African women’s soccer team success shines a light on gender wage discrimination

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Are left-wing radicals pushing Cracker Barrel to the edge of the slippery slope?

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • It isn’t a church and doesn’t have members, but it is a way to keep United Methodists in the fold as their congregations disaffiliate

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Al Mohler derides a dead man, and the dead man’s friends aren’t happy

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Rural church offers community development grants through Gratitude Project

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • To be more welcoming, let’s remove our flags

      OpinionJustin Pierson

    • The church needs to do better on monkeypox than it did on HIV, faith leaders say

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • News flash: Not all Baptists are Southern

      OpinionBrian Kaylor

    • Russell Moore named editor in chief of Christianity Today

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Why aren’t we defending Brittney Griner?

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • 40 Congressmen urge IRS to reconsider classification of Family Research Council as a ‘church’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • A school administrator reflects on rebuilding relationships between schools and homes

      OpinionStanton Eugene Lawrence

    • Online religion content isn’t luring Millennials away from in-person church

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Some evangelical leaders see FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as evidence of the religious persecution coming to them

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • New study finds scammers luring migrants with false information via Facebook and WhatsApp

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Progressive Baptist congregation on Wake Forest campus votes to close

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • South African women’s soccer team success shines a light on gender wage discrimination

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • It isn’t a church and doesn’t have members, but it is a way to keep United Methodists in the fold as their congregations disaffiliate

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Rural church offers community development grants through Gratitude Project

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The church needs to do better on monkeypox than it did on HIV, faith leaders say

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Russell Moore named editor in chief of Christianity Today

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • 40 Congressmen urge IRS to reconsider classification of Family Research Council as a ‘church’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Online religion content isn’t luring Millennials away from in-person church

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Study finds congregational leaders report LGBTQ conversations are worth the pain

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • There’s something odd about this Mary, did you know?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Cuban government clamps down more on religion

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • September symposium will celebrate life and legacy of John Claypool

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Faith leaders urge Congress to fund help for families torn apart by Trump’s ‘cruel’ family separation policy

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • It’s possible some senior adults in your church need help with medical costs or food but won’t say anything

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • It’s still ‘Christians only’ at this Tennessee Methodist adoption agency

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • War in Ukraine transforms churches into centers of care

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Distinguished preaching professor says he was fired from Southwestern Seminary; administrators say he quit

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • As frustration and misinformation mount, United Methodist Church’s reputation takes a beating

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Want to lower grocery prices? Urge Senate to pass Farm Workforce Modernization Act, panelists say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Transitions for the week of 7-29-22

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Half the world says they live in a ‘good place’ for gays and lesbians

      NewsMarv Knox

    • In applauding Victor Orban, U.S. conservatives call their shot

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Christian nationalism is a danger to our nation

      OpinionMarvin McMickle

    • Advice from a sunflower

      OpinionPhawnda Moore

    • What I learned at Wake Forest Baptist Church

      OpinionDavid Ramsey

    • Why can’t we accept sexual and gender diversity in humans as well as in all creation?

      OpinionDan McGee

    • I’ve been unaware of my privilege, and if you are a man, you probably have, too

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Are left-wing radicals pushing Cracker Barrel to the edge of the slippery slope?

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • To be more welcoming, let’s remove our flags

      OpinionJustin Pierson

    • News flash: Not all Baptists are Southern

      OpinionBrian Kaylor

    • Why aren’t we defending Brittney Griner?

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • A school administrator reflects on rebuilding relationships between schools and homes

      OpinionStanton Eugene Lawrence

    • Judging the stripper and the carouser in ourselves at the Communion table

      OpinionBrad Bull

    • After the Guidepost report, we need to know more about FBC Woodstock’s City of Refuge and NAMB’s support for it: Was ‘moral failures’ code for sexual abuse?

      OpinionJoanna Sullivan

    • Forsaking Baal for the God who is in recovery

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King and Critical Race Theory

      OpinionKen Zagacki

    • What evangelicals won’t tell you about the actual sin of Sodom

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Giving birth in prison: The grief of separation, the grace of presence

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Dear Denny Burk, your view of gender is not biblical, it is dangerous

      OpinionEllie Dote

    • Roger Williams, the father of American deconstruction

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • Why I’m an LGBTQ ally who won’t boycott Chick-fil-A

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Do the arts in church still matter?

      OpinionDoug Haney

    • When Christianity becomes toxic ‘Christianism’

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • When a friend went to prison for murder, the words of Jesus took on new meaning

      OpinionAllan Smith

    • What should we think of celebrities for Jesus?

      OpinionKatelyn Beaty

    • Dealing with the truth: An interview with Sarah Churchwell on Gone with the Wind, the Lost Cause and Donald Trump

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • Orthodox Alaska Part 2: The Beatles, Bees And Orthodoxy Animated In One Man’s Life

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in Baghdad

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Ukrainian seminary professor faces difficult decisions

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Nondenominational Churches Are Adding Millions of Members. Where Are They Coming From?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • The Religious Right’s Agenda Is Center Stage Again — And It’s As Unpopular As Ever

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • After Trump, Christian nationalist ideas are going mainstream – despite a history of violence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • At flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, whispered prayers defy unwritten accord

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Assemblies of God Ordains Record Number of Women

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck debate God’s position on abortion on ‘The View’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope Francis’ Pilgrimage of Penance: A Step on the Nonviolent Journey

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Christian flag in speech battle flies, briefly, over Boston

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A group of Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn is reviving the golden age of cantorial music

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • At Lambeth, Anglican Communion abandons vote on same-sex marriage

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Oglala Sioux ban missionary, require ministries to register

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • White Southern Evangelicals Are Leaving the Church

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Kansas voters resoundingly protect their access to abortion

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Sikh Americans honor 10th anniversary of Oak Creek shooting

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Congress is considering making same-sex marriage federal law – a political scientist explains how this issue became less polarized over time

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • When does conflict become spiritual abuse? Churches large and small face that question.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope to Kazakhstan Sept. 13-15, may meet Russia patriarch

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • When ‘Pro-Life’ Isn’t Enough: Abortion ‘Abolitionists’ Speak Up

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Conflict at diverse Austin church leads to claims of spiritual abuse

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Impact of Kennedy v. Bremerton already apparent as courts are forced to reconsider Establishment Clause cases

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Disability theology: How religious beliefs can help or hinder accessibility

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Justice Alito mocks foreign critics of abortion reversal

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS