Fighting Anti-Christian Hatred

August 1, 2017

Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

Jews and Christians share many things in common – a spiritual heritage, biblical values, and, tragically, religious persecution. It is with great distress and much prayer that I have read recent reports of horrendous Christian suffering.

Just as the Jewish community has seen a rise in anti-Semitism in recent years, the Christian communities in the Middle East and Africa have experienced their own persecution with the rise of extremism. This is certainly not the kind of shared experience anyone wants for our two faith communities.

Over the past 34 years of The Fellowship’s existence, I have witnessed much healing in the once-broken relationship between Jews and Christians. At points throughout history we have been each other’s worst enemies, but now we have come to embody the beautiful biblical truth: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

And we need that unity now more than ever to fight off the virulent hatred and violence threatening both our faith communities – and the entire free world. I have been moved by the sweeping Christian support of Israel and Jewish people worldwide, by the offering of financial support to bring victims of anti-Semitism home to Israel, by the outpouring of prayer for those facing hatred and violence because they are Jewish. I am honoured to offer that same prayerful support to those in the Christian community who are in grave danger as well.

And this, friends, is the source of our hope. We can beseech our mighty God for protection. We can, and we must, rise up together and call such religious persecution wrong and unacceptable. And we can show those who would threaten Jews and Christians anywhere in the world that they cannot defeat us – as we are, indeed, standing together.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President and Founder, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews^® of Canada

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