Ever since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, the West has been constantly exposed to the rise of anti-Semitism. While this is tragic, equally displeasing has been the increase of Christian persecution in the Holy Land at the hands of Israeli nationals.

One would think in the State of Israel, the only country in the Middle East where democracy reigns, our Christian brothers and sisters would be free from any religious hatred. Yet, under the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the exercise of individual freedom has subtly and steadily been curbed for those who are not Jewish. Against Our Better Jud... Alison Weir Best Price: $7.99 Buy New $9.93 (as of 10:55 UTC - Details)

Christians have seen a “disturbing rise” in attacks, including spitting, physical harassment, damage to property and cemeteries, and disruption of services, especially in the Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Last year, for instance, of the acts of violence against Christians that made headlines were the desecration of the Protestant cemetery at Mount Zion and the vandalization of a statue of Jesus inside the Franciscan Church of the Flagellation on Via Dolorosa. This year, the most notable incident occurred on February 3, when Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel, Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition, was attacked by two young Jewish nationalists.

In July 2015, after the Benedictine Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes was severely damaged by a fire set by Jewish fundamentalists—for which one Jew was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison—Christians still enjoyed some sort of protection from Israeli state officials.

Now, however, as Fr. Schnabel said,

We monks have to live under a government, one of whose members is an extreme Christian hater. I want to make this very clear: The Minister of National Security [of Israel] was the defense lawyer of the Jewish terrorists who carried out the arson in [the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes]. He did not behave like a professional lawyer. It was a really traumatizing experience. How should I feel secure and safe under this government?

Part of the rise in anti-Christian sentiment, if not the reason, as reported by The Times of Israel, has been the fervent growth of Israeli ultra-nationalism, which calls for a theocratic Jewish state. And, I would argue, such bigotry is sustained by the Talmud, which has a contempt for Jesus Christ and His followers.

The Talmud, the Hebrew word for “learning,” is a collection of writings that covers the full spectrum of Jewish law and tradition, compiled and edited between the 3rd to 6th centuries A.D. They are essentially the oral traditions of the Torah, that is, the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Old Testament.

The Israel Lobby and U... Walt, Stephen M. Best Price: $7.99 Buy New $11.38 (as of 12:47 UTC - Details) The principle text of the Talmud is the Mishnah, a gathering of succinct teachings written in Hebrew, redacted by Rabbi Judah the Prince in the years following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in  A.D. 70. This is the Judaism that is practiced today by Jews, contrary to the observances before and during the time of Christ. The latter focused on the offering of the Karbanot (sacrifice) in the Temple. Per the discourse with the Samaritan woman, the Lord prophesied that the time would come when worship in the Temple would ultimately cease (John 4:21-26). Likewise, as explained by Dr. Matthew A. Tsakanikas, “in no way can the establishment of a modern State of Israel be confused with the fulfillment of the promises given to Abraham because Jesus is the true fulfillment of those promises.”

The Talmud has nothing but ridicule and antipathy toward Christianity. For example, it  not only states that the Blessed Mother was a prostitute who conceived our Lord Jesus Christ out of wedlock, it sees Jesus as a magician who “performed sorcery…incited the masses, and subverted the masses, and caused the Jewish people to sin.” Even worse, it details how He is punished in Hell “with boiling excrement.”

Judaism of course rejects Jesus as the Messiah, who, as “proudly” stipulated by the notable Professor Peter Schäfer in his book Jesus in the Talmud, was “rightly and legally executed because he was a Jewish heretic.” As attested by Scripture, His early followers, like St. Stephen (the protomartyr) and the apostle St. James, were also murdered by the Jews:

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (Acts 12:1-3)

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