This never happened to me…until last night

Shabbat Shalom!

In the 59 years I have been on earth I have never experienced antisemitism to my face. Well, an Arab teen in London called me a baby killer in November. Let's just say, it has been rare. In fact, before October 7, 2023, I never experienced it online either. I mean—directed at me personally. But last night that all changed.

Elana and I have been in The Hague for an historic gathering confronting antisemitism. On the first night, we ate at a restaurant that we really liked. Not only was the food great but the waitress went out of her way to help us, and we formed a nice bond—as much as you can with a waitress. We enjoyed it so much that we went back last night. She waited on us again and was funny and helpful.

But then she asked the question! “What brings you to The Hague?”

“A conference,” I responded.

‘Oh, what conference.”

“It’s about Israel.”

We didn’t think much about it, but you have to understand that The Hague is the demonic center of European antisemitism. It is a bastion of legalized Jew hatred. The kings of the earth send their representatives there to hold Israel to a standard that they would never hold Russia, Iran, China, Cuba, Venezuela, etc. to.

After what seemed like a long time, I asked Elana, “Where did our friendly waitress go?” Within two seconds, we both looked at each other as the penny dropped. We barely saw our dear friend the rest of the night and when she came, she was cold and even rude.

In her defense, the media in Europe is brutal against Israel. And she is in the heart of the serpent—The Hague. We have not seen such animosity against Jews since the Holocaust. A verse that has gripped me for many months now is Esther 3:13. The king, influenced by Haman, issued a decree against every living Jew. Have you read the text? It is terrifying.

“Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.” (Esther 3:13)

It is a call for total genocide of the Jews. While that was diverted, Hitler was able to convince Europe that the Haman plan was the right plan. “We need to get rid of the Jews. They control everything. They want to take your jobs and your money! They want to control you. They are not us.”  And we may not be far off from what the Bible calls Jacob’s trouble. The text says, “How awful that day will be! No other will be like it” (Jer 30:7). Such language in Scripture usually refers to the Day of the Lord or the time leading up to it. But God says he will save Israel in the midst of this unprecedented attack.

We forgave our waitress. But it was shocking. My point is that it is only going to get worse. Four years ago, in 2020, in Birth Pangs, I wrote, “I believe that where you stand on Israel will be as divisive an issue between true believers and the antichrist system in the last days as abortion is today.” I never dreamed we would have arrived here so soon, but we have.

The issue of Israel is dividing families, nations, and churches! It is important that we get this right. The false church will not be pro-Israel, and Jesus is not returning for an antisemitic, Jew-hating bride.

A Nice Twist

We landed in Zurich this morning to visit friends who live here. This is the final stretch of what has been a long ministry trip in Europe. Our friend, a former student of mine from Brownsville, took us to lunch. Elana took a phone call and spoke Hebrew. A server came up and started speaking to us in Hebrew. She had a strong German accent, but her Hebrew was perfect. The chances of something like that happening are extremely low. 

She is Swiss, but her mother is Israeli. She lived a year in Tel Aviv. She was so excited to meet Israelis. It was the exact opposite of what happened last night where a server rejected us for being Israeli. Personally, I felt it was a little sign from God that he sees everything. As we continue to travel and share this word, warning people not to give into the spirit of antisemitism, it was a nice shot in the arm. 

Thank you for giving!

Thanks to you, we bought 10,000 shekels worth of high-quality boots for IDF soldiers who are serving in extremely hot temperatures and have to wear body armor much of the time.

Next week we will buy several high-quality drones for another unit that we have been helping since October. We need just over $8,000. Again, these are not weaponized but give the young soldiers extra eyes so they can spot a terrorist before he becomes a threat.



You can help these kids—many of them are 18, 19 and 20. You can donate here