According to the survey results the American Jewish Committee released last fall, just as the Israel-Hamas war was beginning, fear in the Jewish community had jumped 22% from 2022, with nearly two-thirds of American Jews saying they felt less secure than they did the year before. (See earlier story)
One-quarter of American Jews also said they had been the target of antisemitism in 2023, and nearly half of the respondents said they had altered their behavior – changing what they wore or otherwise hiding the fact that they are Jewish – during the year to avoid antisemitism.
That corresponds to a rise in antisemitic protests in the U.S. since the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Many analysts blame woke culture, critical theory, and intersectionality, which pushes the narrative that Palestinians are oppressed and Israelis are the oppressors. But Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas suspects a deeper reason.
"All antisemitism is ultimately a spiritual attack by Satan on God's chosen people," he summarizes.
That war, he says, has been going on since Adam and Eve got kicked out of the garden.
"No other nation has the promise of endurance for God except for Israel, but because of that promise, Satan has done everything he can over the last 4,000 years to prove that God can't keep his promise," Dr. Jeffress submits.
Jesus warns in Luke 21 that every nation on earth will eventually line up against Israel. Until recently, it may have been difficult to see how the U.S. would end up on that side of the fence, but Jeffress says the Biden administration is trending that way, and they are dragging the nation with them.
"It is very disheartening to see the Biden administration stuttering in their support of Israel," the pastor laments. "I believe that ultimately, if you look at the polls, the majority of the U.S. will oppose continuing aid to Israel, especially if they think to do so is to put our nation in danger in any way."
Jan Markell, founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries and host of "Understanding the Times," is not surprised. She thinks "it's another indication that the hour is very late."
"The whole world is engaged in Israel Derangement Syndrome," she observes. "I say it's a run-up to the tribulation. In the tribulation, this will be going on even 100 times worse."
While she says it would be "wonderful" to have a pro-Israel administration back in the White House, Markell is not sure that would turn things around.
"I don't think that's going to change the sentiment within millions and millions of people who are now programmed to believe that Israel is occupying her God-given land," she tells AFN. "That's just end-time deception."
"I'm actually kind of losing hope," she confesses.
