Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

Contrary to expectations, the unspeakable horrors of the Nazi Holocaust did not stop the age-old scourge of antisemitism. It merely went into hibernation, only to emerge as a roaring lion, fangs barred, after the Seventh of October pogrom of 2023. Last month, we began our examination of antisemitism by focusing on the Bondi Beach massacre in Sydney, Australia. Here is an example of Jews, for the first time ever in Australia, losing their lives for simply being Jews while celebrating a Jewish holiday. In this article, our focus goes from Bondi Beach to the rest of the world. We will explore the meaning of Antisemitism, its causes, and why it matters to Jews and Gentiles. Antisemitism: What Is It and Why? As a big phenomenon, any definition of Antisemitism will have its limitations, but we need something to work with. Antisemitism is the irrational hatred of the Jewish people, which can lead to attempts, by word or deed, to humiliate, marginalise, and physically harm them. While antisemi...

The horrifying terrorist attack on Israel was planned with deadly detail and executed with horrifying haste. Even the date of deployment, 7th October 2023, was planned: it was one day after the fiftieth anniversary of another existential surprise military attack on Israel - the Yom Kippur War of 1973. This earlier war nearly brought the world to the brink of a nuclear armageddon. Make no mistake about it: this is not just a war between Israel and Hamas or Hamas’s allies like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iran. It involves the entire world. Consider this: peaceful prosperous Australia was put on an Israeli travel advisory because of the shocking public displays of anti-Semitism in Sydney and Melbourne.   The ‘fishers’ and ‘hunters’ are loosed (Jeremiah 16:16). Why did Hamas attack Israel with unprecedented barbarism? Why did major nations, the United Nations, and prominent lobby groups fail to condemn the October 7th attack? Why is anti-Semitism raging worldwide in a latter-day versio...

In our first part, entitled: ‘Y ou Bigot, Can Political Correctness Keep People from Being Offended, ’ we looked at how political correctness tries to protect people (especially women, ethnic and sexual minorities) from being offended. As a result, ‘freedom of speech’ has taken a big hit. Even the slim possibility that one minorities might be offended means the other party must be closed down verbally, just in case. The broader scene is about the ‘New Tolerance.’ Political correctness is the mother tongue of tolerance and those who are politically correct are the patron saints. Jonathan Sarfati in ‘ The Tyranny of Tolerance’ says  “ Not long ago, the world ‘ tolerance ’ meant ‘bearing or putting up with someone or something not especially liked. ’ However, now the word has been redefined to ‘all values, all beliefs, all lifestyles, all truth claims are equal. ’ Denying this makes a person ‘ intolerant, ’ and worthy of contempt.’ Failure to conform to the New Tolerance ...

For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father ’ s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? —Esther 4:14 (NKJV) Among the 66 books of the Bible, Esther stands alone. Apart from the Song of Solomon, there is no obvious direct mention of God.   Aside from the Book of Ruth, it is the only Bible book that has a woman as the main character and namesake. No reference is made of religious observance, prayer, the temple, sacrifices, Biblical holidays, priesthoods or prophets. Even the Feast of Purim, which is introduced in ‘Esther,’ is a decidedly secular affair. It begins and ends with a feast and there are 10 feasts mentioned (1 for each chapter) as well as a total fast of 3 days duration. Despite these seeming deficiencies, Esther has an appropriate place in the Canon of Scripture. Esther is a superbly told story of the Jewish peo...