Great essay. Thank you. Starting yesterday, I have several non-Jewish *friends* who have posted memes on social media saying, "I stand with Ukraine." These *friends* have ignored every one of my posts about Israel and antisemitism. Not a word and not even a "like." These same *friends* have also posted for BLM (back in the day), gay rights, and every liberal-mandated issue that comes up. But not a single "like" or even a text of phone call or anything from any of them. And some of these *friends* are Jews. Well I'm done with these *friends*. Just DONE. I'll also add that the most supportive people I have met are religious Christians; I'm happy to call them new FRIENDS.
Dana, I suspect you and I have not shared similar perspectives on many things, but we have common ground in other areas. I’m not big on social media, but read a lot of Substacks, and X accounts, and comment from time to time.
I will turn 70 late this year, and thank G-d, I’ve never been antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israeli. But I have only been a strong in-person advocate of Israel for the past twenty-five years. There’s much that could be shared about all that, but my active advocacy began when I stopped running from G-d, yielded my life fully to Yeshua, and began to grow in my knowledge and understanding of G-d through the Bible - which is the Tanach and Brit Hadasha in my case.
I am a Bible-believing, Evangelical Christian-Zionist, one of those ‘religious Christians’ who is a true ‘friend’ of the Chosen People, wherever they are, and of Israel. I would imagine that there are many other Jews who have shared your experiences, including the realization that the strongest and truest friends of Israel are certain ‘religious Christians’. And I know that determining the nature of this support can be a confusing issue for many Jews, for a wide variety of reasons.
I’d like to try and help with that a bit.
First of all, one should understand that there is a tremendous disparity in beliefs amongst Christians - even in what would be considered ‘essential core issues’, such as the Divinity of Jesus, Original Sin, the means and nature of Salvation (ie, is it eternal, or can it be lost), and Biblical Morality. Beyond that, there is a wide range of belief regarding the nature, authority, and inspired/uninspired contents of the Bible.
The whole thing can be a very confusing, tiresome mess - and that’s before we even begin to consider the interpretive grids/methods (hermeneutics) and resulting theological perspectives and beliefs.
All that brings me to this key point; you can find ‘religious Christian’ individuals who would be trustworthy ‘friends’ of Israel from virtually every denomination, but, unfortunately, they may be the exception, rather than the norm, within their respective groups. In other words, the groups themselves may hold, and teach, views or beliefs that lead to, are, or could be considered, antisemitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel. Again, it can be ‘complicated’, but there are definitely ‘religious Christians’ who are - and those who are not - friends of Israel.
What is the key determinate? I would say it all falls from the answer to these few core questions:
1) Are the Jewish people still G-d’s ‘Chosen People’; ‘the Apple of His eye’; and heirs to the promises made by G-d to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them?
2) Were the promises related to the Chosen People and Israel made in the Covenant, as well as by G-d’s prophets, nullified, or transferred to the Church?
Or;
3) Do they remain to be fulfilled, exactly as made, to the Jewish people and nation?
In the vast majority of cases, the answers given will be derived from the interpretive method; the hermeneutical ‘lenses’, used to read, study, and comprehend the Bible.
The method which I adhere to, and believe is consistent with the intent of the Author (G-d), is what is formally known as the Literal, Grammatical, Historical Hermeneutic (LGHH). Viewed through these lenses, the answers to the questions above are: 1) ‘Yes’, 2) ‘No’, and 3) ‘Yes’.
Again, you may find individuals who are exceptions to this rule, but the overwhelming majority of true lovers of the Chosen People and Israel will either use, or have been taught by teachers that use, the LGHH interpretive method. There may still be differences in regard to certain beliefs between individuals but, if they answer those three questions as I have, then I would say they are ‘true’ and trustworthy friends of the Chosen People and Israel.
However, what they may not say, perhaps because of fear of rejection, or simply because they don’t understand how to deal with the matter, is that - ultimately, all of the Chosen People will, according to the Brit Hadasha, recognize and embrace Yeshua as the promised Meshiach; the Son of God; and the Savior of the entire human race. That particular belief is the principal reason why many Rabbis are vehemently opposed to Christians such as myself, seeing us as dangerous influences that threaten, rather than bless, the Jewish People and Israel. Ironically, their predecessors, the Pharisees, viewed Yeshua in much the same, or worse, way - and we don’t expect to be regarded any better.
In that regard, I would say that, amongst other Divine attributes, G-d is Love. And Yeshua said that one of the essential characteristics of His followers would be love; the love of G-d set abroad from within the hearts of believers. He further said that we were to love our enemies, including those who spitefully abuse us - and that is, perhaps, the greatest evidence of true love:
Matthew 5:43-48
(Luke 6:27, 28, 32–36)
43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
I’m sorry for the long comment, but I hope it proves of some help in understanding the nature of ‘religious Christian’ love and support.
Thank you, Mike, for your support. It is noted and greatly appreciated by Jews. Israel goes back, oh, about 5000 years. The Jews were there (as God commanded them to be) wayyyy before any other religious group came into being. Jesus (a Jew, as were all the apostles, as you know) was born there over 2000 years ago. Islam came wayyyyy after both religions, but in their desire to erase the existence of Jews, the Islamists teach that Islam came before all other religions and Jews were never there (and that Jesus was a Muslim, and other lies).
Thank you for your response, Dana… Yes, we both see these aspects of history the same, and I am certain we are in accord in many other areas. By the way, I have a number of very dear Jewish Israeli friends, and was last in Israel with them for several weeks over the New Year, Feast of Tabernacles, October 7th anniversary, etc. My heart was broken on October 7, 2023, and I wanted to be with my friends immediately, but couldn’t make it until almost a year later. I am a Florida native, and love my home here. But I have a profound love for Israel and, though I am very well-traveled, it is the only other place I’d rather live.
Well, just to be a technical pain in the neck, there were other religions in the area prior to Judaism - you know, the polytheistic types of religions with multiple, local gods and goddesses. Those were the idols Abraham smashed, after all.
They were mostly horrid "religions" involving rituals such as child sacrifice. Good thing those religions didn't catch on and they don't exist anymore.
Yes, but I was responding to your statement, "The Jews were there (as God commanded them to be) wayyyy before any other religious group came into being."
Excellent breakdown of the insanity going on in the world today. I am a firm believer that people are good. Tragically I have also seen that Evil does indeed exist. The fact of the “world “ or should I say that the silent majority is good and wants the world to become a more compassionate and tolerant society is just that. I do not know of anyone whether they be in Africa, China, Europe or Asia,etc. who would not prefer a world where they are free to live life as they please and not dictate how others should live theirs. The human condition was created with conflict and it is our responsibility to lighten that load. With integrity, respect and honesty this is a world that can in fact exist in harmony. I’m not saying KumBayYa… just reflecting on the unprecedented use of Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors that have become the norm all over the world as a direct result of Ego and lack of faith in humanity. Whether it is being a workaholic, non stop gardener or the use of drugs, alcohol or any other form of mental distraction call it what it is! People who are not connected to the Spirit of the Universe and feel the overwhelming burden of responsibility attached to the outcome of their own personal behaviors are proof that we all need to recognize that our own awareness and experiences influence our behaviors and beliefs. We are all capable of contributing to others having an honest understanding of the Truth and History. But yes, it indeed involves a commitment that we must make one person at a time . 🙏🏻❣️🇮🇱
Wow, your explanation is super interesting. For the sake of clarity, are you saying that Jews don't have to accept Christ in order not to "burn in hell"?
Who are you to push your religion on Jews? Who are you to decide who goes to heaven and who does not? What about all of the good people in the world who existed before Jesus? Are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses all burning in hell right now? I doubt that there is a heaven and a hell, but I will bet you if there is a hell, Jews are not there because they are Jewish, and plenty of Christians are because of their behavior towards Jews.
I appreciate your forthright honesty. I would just like to ask: do you mean no Jews are in Hell because they are Jewish? I see that you say you doubt there is a heaven and hell but you still conjecture.
I appreciate your forthright honesty. I would just like to ask: do you mean no Jews are in Hell because they are Jewish? I see that you say you doubt there is a heaven and hell but you still conjecture.
My own views on that matter are such that many other Christians would consider me a heretic. I can’t elaborate on them here and now, but will do so later. For the time being, I will simply say this:
I do believe that there will be people in Heaven; people who are ‘saved’, transformed, and given eternal life, who never knew, or recognized, Yeshua as I do today. This shouldn’t be too difficult for Christians to accept in regard to the period prior to the life and ministry of Jesus. After all, do they not recognize the Patriarchs and Prophets, or David and Job, et al, as being saved? Of course they do. Certain other figures, such as Nebuchadnezzar, are more controversial, with some, such as myself, believing he ends up being saved, while others would vehemently deny that to be true.
Then, of course, there is the infamous ‘Pygmy in the Bush’ challenge, as well as many others that are commonly raised.
Here is my ‘bottom-line’:
Ultimately, G-d is the Judge of who is granted salvation, and who does not receive this gift of G-d’s grace. And grace it is for any single person, no matter who it is, what people-group they are from, or what place or time they lived in.
What does that mean? It means that no one is saved by any merit of their own, contrary to the teachings of virtually all religions, and our own flawed ways of thinking. We are swimming in very, very deep waters here, and I will leave the matter with this definition of terms:
Justice = Getting what is deserved.
Mercy = Not getting what is deserved.
Grace = Getting what is not deserved.
In sum, to address your question for now, I believe the following to be ultimately true:
1) All human beings are ‘born in sin’ (Original Sin), inheriting a sin nature (the desire for ‘Self’ to rule over one’s life, rather than G-d) from Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden at the dawn of human history. That ‘sin nature’ must be permanently dealt with in order for any human being to dwell with G-d in eternity - and how that is done, is determined by G-d, not our ‘preferences’, beliefs, or thoughts of what ought to be ‘good enough’, or what ‘should be’ acceptable to G-d.
Psalms 14:3
3 All have turned bad, altogether foul; there is none who does good, not even one.
2) No human being that has ever lived, or will ever live, can or will ever be saved and receive eternal life, apart from the sacrificial work of Yeshua. So, to be clear, any person from the age of the Tanach who is saved, is ultimately only able to be given a new nature; to be ‘born again’, void of sin, and able to dwell in the presence of G-d, by the shed blood sacrifice of Yeshua - applied to thei lives.
Because He is G-d, that sacrifice is efficacious in the present, as well as forward and backwards in time - and it is potentially limitless in terms of the number of individuals covered.
3) Ultimately, no one but G-d decides who may, or may not, be saved; it is impossible to be comprehensively dogmatic about this, except to the extent stated in 2 above. But, various elements can be clearly seen and declared as true. For example, no one who is clearly presented the Good News of salvation through Yeshua, who understands it clearly, and rejects it contemptuously, can or will be saved. Each person will be judged by what he or she did, with the gifts of life and truth they received; most critically, with revelation and witness of truth to their consciences. The Judge in this regard remains G-d alone, for only He truly knows the hearts of mankind; the thoughts and intents of the heart, and all the facts pertaining to the choices of will made by any given individual.
Once again, I’ve gone longer than intended. I will close now with this final statement, declaring what I believe to be ultimate truth, in answer to your question:
John 14:6
“Yeshua said, "I AM the Way—and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
May G-d bless, keep, protect, and guide you - and all Israel. Mike
DR, most of my posts about Israel since Oct. 7 '23 are ignored by the Jewish FB "friends"
There are a very few exceptions. And one very pro Israel gentile friend...not evangelical. I am ignoring posts from the FB friends I differ with ....mostly Trump/Vance/Musk derangement....and I didn't vote for him previously. I don't need on line disputes with people and I know that any sign of differing from WOKENESS can hurt my own ambitions. I even take a chance with pro Israel posts. NEVER anything anti Islamic that can be used to cancel me. Some of most virulent posts on Israel dergangement I hit the erase or hide button. A few Islamists give me HA HA emojis on my proIsrael posts.
"Friends". I've lived a full life. Been around the block. A few times. A few times around quite a few blocks. I've had all sorts of friends including fellow Jews of all sorts. Without going into essay format here are a few points of reaction/response. In particular out of all things to mention I will mention one. Christians almost or mostly by dogmatic social nice-ities are social and/or semi-professional proselytizers. They have the same level of patience as the jihadists. Both are trained to simply wait for the opportune moment when the Jew is most vulnerable. Unfortunately amongst my many xtian friends several 'knew' the time had finally come. They were the ones who individually by the end of October or beginning of November 2023... wrote 'nicely' some variation of 'I was just thinking about you...' '... to see how you are...' etc. On the 2nd msg they also sent 'something that I thought might help you...'. At first I just did the polite thing on the 2nd msg. But soon the 3rd arrived with 'oh, just thought...' with another proselytizing video. So many xtians are using all of their variety of polite ploys to 'groom' Jews. Grooming as in a pedophile practice. Grooming as in the Pakistani jihadist gang rapers for Mr Moh. in the UK and Europa and Scandinavia. I have to add that the various xtian friends were people who I was close enough with for long enough to never had suspected such cunningness. For one who tried a little harder to provide 'the answer' (NOT that I need their 'answer' because I am Jewish thank you very much). But for that one and then one other I pointed out that xtians can not even pray together. And that having such a variety of friends meant that I knew very well amongst the xtian ones that they would ABSOLUTELY hate some of my other xtian friends because I had heard and knew their preferences to put it 'nicely'. As we know the Jewish world is unbelievably complex!!!! But it is a magnificent People and our actual Cultural Practices are so profound no matter how minimal one's Practice is. Jews For Judaism on youtube and Tovia Singer are just two sources who know the extremity of what I am bluntly but briefly mentioning. There are likely 100s of Authentic Orthodox Rabbis who are regularly assisting xtains to begin their own development via learning about the Noahide Laws. Nonetheless.... to repeat.... xtians have just as much patience as the jihadists to get their grooming embedded by talking and writing 'nicely'. Then there are other xtians of all sorts who know they must find their way to find and connect with the actual Jewish texts, in Hebrew and without the misguided twisting of the language!!!!!
Yes there are many Christians like you describe but the ones I am friends with do not proselytize. In general, they just admire and appreciate Jews and they have moral clarity about what is happening.
Love this and the comments ! Not born Jewish but always supported Israel and more so now than ever. I’m way more of a Zionist than most of the Jewish friends I grew up with. They are liberal and obsessed with the idea that magically everyone will live in peace. I want to scream: you know that people are trying to kill you right ?! Love this and always love this Substack.
I was just thinking today about how they believe it’s criminal for Trump to get rid of birthright citizenship for immigrants, but they think Israelis multiple generations removed from “settling” there deserve to be kidnapped and killed. In another words, a baby born in the U.S should get to be a citizen and to stay, but an Israeli baby is guilty of something from 80 years ago and is still a “settler?” They would not call these naturalized babies “colonialists” or “settlers.” It makes no logical sense.
I find myself able to stomach less and less of the “entertainment” world, from theatre to TV to film to whatever. You can expect the Oscars to be the usual showing of Israel-hate at worst, Israel-apathy at best; consistent with past years of Hollywood hypocrisy and Leftist antisemitism. Of course now there will be a revived showing of support for Ukraine—not that this is necessarily a bad thing—but count on also seeing the vile “red hands” pin on the lapels of a number of “celebrities,” who will suffer no shame by their peers for this deeply antisemitic behavior.
On another note, the double standard, brilliantly articulated in this salient essay, which has been negatively applied to Israel for at least the last 55 years, is part of the reason why every public entity needs to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism NOW. I am ashamed that my home State of New Jersey has been dragging its feet and has yet failed to join the 36 other U.S. States in adopting legislation to accomplish this. But we are pushing forward until this gets done.
Your perspective is what so many of us were thinking, but thankyou, Adam Hummel for packaging it so articulately in a piece that begs to be shared! Many of us in "Future of Jewish" or in the "Fight Anti-Semitism" groups on social media are Zionist Loners, whose only safe place to express ourselves is online, in these groups. It's become quite lonely when one is surrounded by liberals, some of which are our Jewish family members. These Jewish individuals aren't so overt with their discontent with Israel, but their unwillingness to --READ UP on historical facts about Judea & Samaria, --& recall from Synagogue or Hebrew School that we Jews have dwelled in Palestine since biblical times --long before the present day inhabitants that call themeselves "Palestinians." These unuseful fools have failed to investigate the Muslim's "Sharia Law" which glorifies the slaughter of Jews, & is a foundational message to hate & attack interwoven throughout the educational textbooks of Arab children. The sabateurs are completely unaware of the term, "Pay-to-Slay," which refers to incentivised killing of Jews. Palestinian Authority Chief, Mahmoud Abbas, states he "will not deduct a single penny for its "Pay-for-Slay" program that rewards terrorists and their families, even while they're incarcerated for carrying out terror attacks against Jews. How is peace ever to be achieved when drooling Jihad-happy Arabs steadfastly hold axes at-the-ready above Jewish necks?
Terrific essay. I want to expound on one sentence: "It means understanding that when terrorists launch rockets at Israeli civilians, Israel is allowed — in fact morally obligated — to defend itself." Many essays have contained a similar sentiment but I feel it's important to define what "defending itself" means. It does NOT mean responding with the same number of rockets; it does not mean you stop after the same number of people have been killed What it DOES mean, or SHOULD mean is Israel has a right to eradicate the evil cancer that is killing its people. We have enough information at this point to know that 1) they will not stop if they have their own nation and a better life, or if they have equal rights within Israel. They do not want to stop until Israel is gone. Not acceptable. You gotta go. 2) If they were ever able to destroy Israel, they would move on to the rest of the world (why do you think there are so many Muslim immigrants all over the west - they gotta go. Point is, Israel is doing the rest of the world a huge favor. Just wanted to clarify all that.
Fantastic essay. I know a couple of Jewish writers on Substack who Subscribe and promote a Canadian Muslim writer who posts links to lies about Israel in every essay. In short, an anti semite. These Jewish subscribers are what Churchill would call, Appeasers. They’d feed the alligator hoping it will eat them last.
Baffling how virulent the hatred is from some quarters. It would be different if one could understand the attraction of the opposition. The Soviets and the Nazis had an aesthetic sense and a semi-plausible message. Hamas much more closely approximates the Khmer Rouge, backwards looking and utterly without nuance.
Homo Sapiens are going through a rapid change since WW2. Our emotional brain is millions of years old, seeking the joy, thrill of being SUPERIOR and avoiding the pain and humiliation of being INFERIOR. The winner got food and later slaves, the loser was food or enslaved. Comparison, competition and then combat is a biological, evolutionary process. Cain killing Abel is stated early in the bible. Historians cannot find a time in human history when there was no war somewhere on the planet. A major change came with Noahide and Abraham's ideas of not sacrificing male children in war any longer, thus creating the sacredness of human life. If we are not allowed to kill each other, then we have to come up with some mutually agreeable solution.
Many cultures, ethnicities, ideologs still seek Superiority, even if one dies for their cause. Jews adhere very strongly to this sanctity of life position, even have Shoichets for slaughter.
Teaching the sanctity of life has to be more widely and oftenly expressed.
I suggest that the root cause of a very large percentage of this anti-Israel, anti-Semitic mob is caused by far-left (i.e. Communist) faculty at institutions of higher learning. They are the “poisining of the tree”. They are teaching our young, naive, college-age children to hate this country and hate Israel. They are the non-Muslims that are marching in support of Hamas across the country and the world. We must find a way to root out these fifth-column traitors and remove them from their positions where they can poison our youth. If Trump can hit these universities where it hurts (federal funding), it might be a start.
We are strong supporters of Israel and are amazed at the attitude of so many of our Jewish friends and acquaintances. Members of our own family and friends are not supporting this justified war, the right to exist.. As a matter of fact, the Christian community is far more supportive than the Jewish community in our city. We have been cancelled by many.. no emails,, calls, answers to texts from long time "Friends" ..Antisemitism has existed always and now people feel emboldened to express it.. they have permission!!
The only explanation I can find for this is that it is an expression of fallen man's hatred of God. The Jews are an uncomfortable reminder that there is a God Who rules over the affairs of man and - worse - that we are accountable to Him. Christians are hated for the same reason, and are also being murdered daily, mainly by Islamic terrorists, particularly in the Third World. In the West, people have abandoned God and don't want to be reminded of Him - hence the hatred of the Jews.
It’s not hatred of G-d. It’s a lack of belief, and there’s nothing inherently hateful about being secular. Jews and Christians are looked down upon and hated by some Muslims because they are not Muslims as well as Islamist and Jihadist influence is growing. Jews as a whole are “live and let live.” Christians and Muslims as a whole cannot accept that Jews have stayed true to their origins and do not worship or emulate a human figure. Neither can leave the Jews alone, and neither are live and let live. This is the root of antisemitism as well as the cause of much intolerance, hatred, death, and destruction in the world.
Even worse than silent Jews - Jews who actively support our enemies, claiming to be operating on “Jewish values.” Not sure when Jewish values became about sacrificing your own people.
Great essay. Thank you. Starting yesterday, I have several non-Jewish *friends* who have posted memes on social media saying, "I stand with Ukraine." These *friends* have ignored every one of my posts about Israel and antisemitism. Not a word and not even a "like." These same *friends* have also posted for BLM (back in the day), gay rights, and every liberal-mandated issue that comes up. But not a single "like" or even a text of phone call or anything from any of them. And some of these *friends* are Jews. Well I'm done with these *friends*. Just DONE. I'll also add that the most supportive people I have met are religious Christians; I'm happy to call them new FRIENDS.
Dana, I suspect you and I have not shared similar perspectives on many things, but we have common ground in other areas. I’m not big on social media, but read a lot of Substacks, and X accounts, and comment from time to time.
I will turn 70 late this year, and thank G-d, I’ve never been antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israeli. But I have only been a strong in-person advocate of Israel for the past twenty-five years. There’s much that could be shared about all that, but my active advocacy began when I stopped running from G-d, yielded my life fully to Yeshua, and began to grow in my knowledge and understanding of G-d through the Bible - which is the Tanach and Brit Hadasha in my case.
I am a Bible-believing, Evangelical Christian-Zionist, one of those ‘religious Christians’ who is a true ‘friend’ of the Chosen People, wherever they are, and of Israel. I would imagine that there are many other Jews who have shared your experiences, including the realization that the strongest and truest friends of Israel are certain ‘religious Christians’. And I know that determining the nature of this support can be a confusing issue for many Jews, for a wide variety of reasons.
I’d like to try and help with that a bit.
First of all, one should understand that there is a tremendous disparity in beliefs amongst Christians - even in what would be considered ‘essential core issues’, such as the Divinity of Jesus, Original Sin, the means and nature of Salvation (ie, is it eternal, or can it be lost), and Biblical Morality. Beyond that, there is a wide range of belief regarding the nature, authority, and inspired/uninspired contents of the Bible.
The whole thing can be a very confusing, tiresome mess - and that’s before we even begin to consider the interpretive grids/methods (hermeneutics) and resulting theological perspectives and beliefs.
All that brings me to this key point; you can find ‘religious Christian’ individuals who would be trustworthy ‘friends’ of Israel from virtually every denomination, but, unfortunately, they may be the exception, rather than the norm, within their respective groups. In other words, the groups themselves may hold, and teach, views or beliefs that lead to, are, or could be considered, antisemitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel. Again, it can be ‘complicated’, but there are definitely ‘religious Christians’ who are - and those who are not - friends of Israel.
What is the key determinate? I would say it all falls from the answer to these few core questions:
1) Are the Jewish people still G-d’s ‘Chosen People’; ‘the Apple of His eye’; and heirs to the promises made by G-d to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them?
2) Were the promises related to the Chosen People and Israel made in the Covenant, as well as by G-d’s prophets, nullified, or transferred to the Church?
Or;
3) Do they remain to be fulfilled, exactly as made, to the Jewish people and nation?
In the vast majority of cases, the answers given will be derived from the interpretive method; the hermeneutical ‘lenses’, used to read, study, and comprehend the Bible.
The method which I adhere to, and believe is consistent with the intent of the Author (G-d), is what is formally known as the Literal, Grammatical, Historical Hermeneutic (LGHH). Viewed through these lenses, the answers to the questions above are: 1) ‘Yes’, 2) ‘No’, and 3) ‘Yes’.
Again, you may find individuals who are exceptions to this rule, but the overwhelming majority of true lovers of the Chosen People and Israel will either use, or have been taught by teachers that use, the LGHH interpretive method. There may still be differences in regard to certain beliefs between individuals but, if they answer those three questions as I have, then I would say they are ‘true’ and trustworthy friends of the Chosen People and Israel.
However, what they may not say, perhaps because of fear of rejection, or simply because they don’t understand how to deal with the matter, is that - ultimately, all of the Chosen People will, according to the Brit Hadasha, recognize and embrace Yeshua as the promised Meshiach; the Son of God; and the Savior of the entire human race. That particular belief is the principal reason why many Rabbis are vehemently opposed to Christians such as myself, seeing us as dangerous influences that threaten, rather than bless, the Jewish People and Israel. Ironically, their predecessors, the Pharisees, viewed Yeshua in much the same, or worse, way - and we don’t expect to be regarded any better.
In that regard, I would say that, amongst other Divine attributes, G-d is Love. And Yeshua said that one of the essential characteristics of His followers would be love; the love of G-d set abroad from within the hearts of believers. He further said that we were to love our enemies, including those who spitefully abuse us - and that is, perhaps, the greatest evidence of true love:
Matthew 5:43-48
(Luke 6:27, 28, 32–36)
43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
I’m sorry for the long comment, but I hope it proves of some help in understanding the nature of ‘religious Christian’ love and support.
Am Israel Chai!
Thank you, Mike, for your support. It is noted and greatly appreciated by Jews. Israel goes back, oh, about 5000 years. The Jews were there (as God commanded them to be) wayyyy before any other religious group came into being. Jesus (a Jew, as were all the apostles, as you know) was born there over 2000 years ago. Islam came wayyyyy after both religions, but in their desire to erase the existence of Jews, the Islamists teach that Islam came before all other religions and Jews were never there (and that Jesus was a Muslim, and other lies).
Thank you for your response, Dana… Yes, we both see these aspects of history the same, and I am certain we are in accord in many other areas. By the way, I have a number of very dear Jewish Israeli friends, and was last in Israel with them for several weeks over the New Year, Feast of Tabernacles, October 7th anniversary, etc. My heart was broken on October 7, 2023, and I wanted to be with my friends immediately, but couldn’t make it until almost a year later. I am a Florida native, and love my home here. But I have a profound love for Israel and, though I am very well-traveled, it is the only other place I’d rather live.
G-d bless, Mike
Well, just to be a technical pain in the neck, there were other religions in the area prior to Judaism - you know, the polytheistic types of religions with multiple, local gods and goddesses. Those were the idols Abraham smashed, after all.
They were mostly horrid "religions" involving rituals such as child sacrifice. Good thing those religions didn't catch on and they don't exist anymore.
Yes, but I was responding to your statement, "The Jews were there (as God commanded them to be) wayyyy before any other religious group came into being."
Excellent breakdown of the insanity going on in the world today. I am a firm believer that people are good. Tragically I have also seen that Evil does indeed exist. The fact of the “world “ or should I say that the silent majority is good and wants the world to become a more compassionate and tolerant society is just that. I do not know of anyone whether they be in Africa, China, Europe or Asia,etc. who would not prefer a world where they are free to live life as they please and not dictate how others should live theirs. The human condition was created with conflict and it is our responsibility to lighten that load. With integrity, respect and honesty this is a world that can in fact exist in harmony. I’m not saying KumBayYa… just reflecting on the unprecedented use of Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors that have become the norm all over the world as a direct result of Ego and lack of faith in humanity. Whether it is being a workaholic, non stop gardener or the use of drugs, alcohol or any other form of mental distraction call it what it is! People who are not connected to the Spirit of the Universe and feel the overwhelming burden of responsibility attached to the outcome of their own personal behaviors are proof that we all need to recognize that our own awareness and experiences influence our behaviors and beliefs. We are all capable of contributing to others having an honest understanding of the Truth and History. But yes, it indeed involves a commitment that we must make one person at a time . 🙏🏻❣️🇮🇱
Wow, your explanation is super interesting. For the sake of clarity, are you saying that Jews don't have to accept Christ in order not to "burn in hell"?
Who are you to push your religion on Jews? Who are you to decide who goes to heaven and who does not? What about all of the good people in the world who existed before Jesus? Are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses all burning in hell right now? I doubt that there is a heaven and a hell, but I will bet you if there is a hell, Jews are not there because they are Jewish, and plenty of Christians are because of their behavior towards Jews.
I appreciate your forthright honesty. I would just like to ask: do you mean no Jews are in Hell because they are Jewish? I see that you say you doubt there is a heaven and hell but you still conjecture.
I appreciate your forthright honesty. I would just like to ask: do you mean no Jews are in Hell because they are Jewish? I see that you say you doubt there is a heaven and hell but you still conjecture.
My own views on that matter are such that many other Christians would consider me a heretic. I can’t elaborate on them here and now, but will do so later. For the time being, I will simply say this:
I do believe that there will be people in Heaven; people who are ‘saved’, transformed, and given eternal life, who never knew, or recognized, Yeshua as I do today. This shouldn’t be too difficult for Christians to accept in regard to the period prior to the life and ministry of Jesus. After all, do they not recognize the Patriarchs and Prophets, or David and Job, et al, as being saved? Of course they do. Certain other figures, such as Nebuchadnezzar, are more controversial, with some, such as myself, believing he ends up being saved, while others would vehemently deny that to be true.
Then, of course, there is the infamous ‘Pygmy in the Bush’ challenge, as well as many others that are commonly raised.
Here is my ‘bottom-line’:
Ultimately, G-d is the Judge of who is granted salvation, and who does not receive this gift of G-d’s grace. And grace it is for any single person, no matter who it is, what people-group they are from, or what place or time they lived in.
What does that mean? It means that no one is saved by any merit of their own, contrary to the teachings of virtually all religions, and our own flawed ways of thinking. We are swimming in very, very deep waters here, and I will leave the matter with this definition of terms:
Justice = Getting what is deserved.
Mercy = Not getting what is deserved.
Grace = Getting what is not deserved.
In sum, to address your question for now, I believe the following to be ultimately true:
1) All human beings are ‘born in sin’ (Original Sin), inheriting a sin nature (the desire for ‘Self’ to rule over one’s life, rather than G-d) from Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden at the dawn of human history. That ‘sin nature’ must be permanently dealt with in order for any human being to dwell with G-d in eternity - and how that is done, is determined by G-d, not our ‘preferences’, beliefs, or thoughts of what ought to be ‘good enough’, or what ‘should be’ acceptable to G-d.
Psalms 14:3
3 All have turned bad, altogether foul; there is none who does good, not even one.
2) No human being that has ever lived, or will ever live, can or will ever be saved and receive eternal life, apart from the sacrificial work of Yeshua. So, to be clear, any person from the age of the Tanach who is saved, is ultimately only able to be given a new nature; to be ‘born again’, void of sin, and able to dwell in the presence of G-d, by the shed blood sacrifice of Yeshua - applied to thei lives.
Because He is G-d, that sacrifice is efficacious in the present, as well as forward and backwards in time - and it is potentially limitless in terms of the number of individuals covered.
3) Ultimately, no one but G-d decides who may, or may not, be saved; it is impossible to be comprehensively dogmatic about this, except to the extent stated in 2 above. But, various elements can be clearly seen and declared as true. For example, no one who is clearly presented the Good News of salvation through Yeshua, who understands it clearly, and rejects it contemptuously, can or will be saved. Each person will be judged by what he or she did, with the gifts of life and truth they received; most critically, with revelation and witness of truth to their consciences. The Judge in this regard remains G-d alone, for only He truly knows the hearts of mankind; the thoughts and intents of the heart, and all the facts pertaining to the choices of will made by any given individual.
Once again, I’ve gone longer than intended. I will close now with this final statement, declaring what I believe to be ultimate truth, in answer to your question:
John 14:6
“Yeshua said, "I AM the Way—and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
May G-d bless, keep, protect, and guide you - and all Israel. Mike
I have had the exact experience you have had!!!
It sucks, right?
DR, most of my posts about Israel since Oct. 7 '23 are ignored by the Jewish FB "friends"
There are a very few exceptions. And one very pro Israel gentile friend...not evangelical. I am ignoring posts from the FB friends I differ with ....mostly Trump/Vance/Musk derangement....and I didn't vote for him previously. I don't need on line disputes with people and I know that any sign of differing from WOKENESS can hurt my own ambitions. I even take a chance with pro Israel posts. NEVER anything anti Islamic that can be used to cancel me. Some of most virulent posts on Israel dergangement I hit the erase or hide button. A few Islamists give me HA HA emojis on my proIsrael posts.
So sad, right? I wonder what will happen when Israel wins big time. And if they blitz all the terrorists. More BS we will have to endure.
"Friends". I've lived a full life. Been around the block. A few times. A few times around quite a few blocks. I've had all sorts of friends including fellow Jews of all sorts. Without going into essay format here are a few points of reaction/response. In particular out of all things to mention I will mention one. Christians almost or mostly by dogmatic social nice-ities are social and/or semi-professional proselytizers. They have the same level of patience as the jihadists. Both are trained to simply wait for the opportune moment when the Jew is most vulnerable. Unfortunately amongst my many xtian friends several 'knew' the time had finally come. They were the ones who individually by the end of October or beginning of November 2023... wrote 'nicely' some variation of 'I was just thinking about you...' '... to see how you are...' etc. On the 2nd msg they also sent 'something that I thought might help you...'. At first I just did the polite thing on the 2nd msg. But soon the 3rd arrived with 'oh, just thought...' with another proselytizing video. So many xtians are using all of their variety of polite ploys to 'groom' Jews. Grooming as in a pedophile practice. Grooming as in the Pakistani jihadist gang rapers for Mr Moh. in the UK and Europa and Scandinavia. I have to add that the various xtian friends were people who I was close enough with for long enough to never had suspected such cunningness. For one who tried a little harder to provide 'the answer' (NOT that I need their 'answer' because I am Jewish thank you very much). But for that one and then one other I pointed out that xtians can not even pray together. And that having such a variety of friends meant that I knew very well amongst the xtian ones that they would ABSOLUTELY hate some of my other xtian friends because I had heard and knew their preferences to put it 'nicely'. As we know the Jewish world is unbelievably complex!!!! But it is a magnificent People and our actual Cultural Practices are so profound no matter how minimal one's Practice is. Jews For Judaism on youtube and Tovia Singer are just two sources who know the extremity of what I am bluntly but briefly mentioning. There are likely 100s of Authentic Orthodox Rabbis who are regularly assisting xtains to begin their own development via learning about the Noahide Laws. Nonetheless.... to repeat.... xtians have just as much patience as the jihadists to get their grooming embedded by talking and writing 'nicely'. Then there are other xtians of all sorts who know they must find their way to find and connect with the actual Jewish texts, in Hebrew and without the misguided twisting of the language!!!!!
Yes there are many Christians like you describe but the ones I am friends with do not proselytize. In general, they just admire and appreciate Jews and they have moral clarity about what is happening.
Love this and the comments ! Not born Jewish but always supported Israel and more so now than ever. I’m way more of a Zionist than most of the Jewish friends I grew up with. They are liberal and obsessed with the idea that magically everyone will live in peace. I want to scream: you know that people are trying to kill you right ?! Love this and always love this Substack.
YES. I am not Jewish and I scream at the utter stupidity or/and cowardice.
I was just thinking today about how they believe it’s criminal for Trump to get rid of birthright citizenship for immigrants, but they think Israelis multiple generations removed from “settling” there deserve to be kidnapped and killed. In another words, a baby born in the U.S should get to be a citizen and to stay, but an Israeli baby is guilty of something from 80 years ago and is still a “settler?” They would not call these naturalized babies “colonialists” or “settlers.” It makes no logical sense.
You omitted the term “illegal” when referring to birthright. I suspect you did it on purpose.
Good point.
I find myself able to stomach less and less of the “entertainment” world, from theatre to TV to film to whatever. You can expect the Oscars to be the usual showing of Israel-hate at worst, Israel-apathy at best; consistent with past years of Hollywood hypocrisy and Leftist antisemitism. Of course now there will be a revived showing of support for Ukraine—not that this is necessarily a bad thing—but count on also seeing the vile “red hands” pin on the lapels of a number of “celebrities,” who will suffer no shame by their peers for this deeply antisemitic behavior.
On another note, the double standard, brilliantly articulated in this salient essay, which has been negatively applied to Israel for at least the last 55 years, is part of the reason why every public entity needs to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism NOW. I am ashamed that my home State of New Jersey has been dragging its feet and has yet failed to join the 36 other U.S. States in adopting legislation to accomplish this. But we are pushing forward until this gets done.
Your perspective is what so many of us were thinking, but thankyou, Adam Hummel for packaging it so articulately in a piece that begs to be shared! Many of us in "Future of Jewish" or in the "Fight Anti-Semitism" groups on social media are Zionist Loners, whose only safe place to express ourselves is online, in these groups. It's become quite lonely when one is surrounded by liberals, some of which are our Jewish family members. These Jewish individuals aren't so overt with their discontent with Israel, but their unwillingness to --READ UP on historical facts about Judea & Samaria, --& recall from Synagogue or Hebrew School that we Jews have dwelled in Palestine since biblical times --long before the present day inhabitants that call themeselves "Palestinians." These unuseful fools have failed to investigate the Muslim's "Sharia Law" which glorifies the slaughter of Jews, & is a foundational message to hate & attack interwoven throughout the educational textbooks of Arab children. The sabateurs are completely unaware of the term, "Pay-to-Slay," which refers to incentivised killing of Jews. Palestinian Authority Chief, Mahmoud Abbas, states he "will not deduct a single penny for its "Pay-for-Slay" program that rewards terrorists and their families, even while they're incarcerated for carrying out terror attacks against Jews. How is peace ever to be achieved when drooling Jihad-happy Arabs steadfastly hold axes at-the-ready above Jewish necks?
Terrific essay. I want to expound on one sentence: "It means understanding that when terrorists launch rockets at Israeli civilians, Israel is allowed — in fact morally obligated — to defend itself." Many essays have contained a similar sentiment but I feel it's important to define what "defending itself" means. It does NOT mean responding with the same number of rockets; it does not mean you stop after the same number of people have been killed What it DOES mean, or SHOULD mean is Israel has a right to eradicate the evil cancer that is killing its people. We have enough information at this point to know that 1) they will not stop if they have their own nation and a better life, or if they have equal rights within Israel. They do not want to stop until Israel is gone. Not acceptable. You gotta go. 2) If they were ever able to destroy Israel, they would move on to the rest of the world (why do you think there are so many Muslim immigrants all over the west - they gotta go. Point is, Israel is doing the rest of the world a huge favor. Just wanted to clarify all that.
Need this to go to every media outlet. They are a big reason people do not understand what's really happening in the middle east.
Any fight against Israel is a fight against Humanity itself!
Fantastic essay. I know a couple of Jewish writers on Substack who Subscribe and promote a Canadian Muslim writer who posts links to lies about Israel in every essay. In short, an anti semite. These Jewish subscribers are what Churchill would call, Appeasers. They’d feed the alligator hoping it will eat them last.
They are appeasers, yes; but worse, they are traitors to their own people. They clearly have no sense of, or respect for, עם ישראל חי
Baffling how virulent the hatred is from some quarters. It would be different if one could understand the attraction of the opposition. The Soviets and the Nazis had an aesthetic sense and a semi-plausible message. Hamas much more closely approximates the Khmer Rouge, backwards looking and utterly without nuance.
Amen. ‘It is now a deal breaker, friendship breaker…’ I have never seen or felt such Jew hatred or Israel hatred.
Homo Sapiens are going through a rapid change since WW2. Our emotional brain is millions of years old, seeking the joy, thrill of being SUPERIOR and avoiding the pain and humiliation of being INFERIOR. The winner got food and later slaves, the loser was food or enslaved. Comparison, competition and then combat is a biological, evolutionary process. Cain killing Abel is stated early in the bible. Historians cannot find a time in human history when there was no war somewhere on the planet. A major change came with Noahide and Abraham's ideas of not sacrificing male children in war any longer, thus creating the sacredness of human life. If we are not allowed to kill each other, then we have to come up with some mutually agreeable solution.
Many cultures, ethnicities, ideologs still seek Superiority, even if one dies for their cause. Jews adhere very strongly to this sanctity of life position, even have Shoichets for slaughter.
Teaching the sanctity of life has to be more widely and oftenly expressed.
Martin Nash, M.D.
I suggest that the root cause of a very large percentage of this anti-Israel, anti-Semitic mob is caused by far-left (i.e. Communist) faculty at institutions of higher learning. They are the “poisining of the tree”. They are teaching our young, naive, college-age children to hate this country and hate Israel. They are the non-Muslims that are marching in support of Hamas across the country and the world. We must find a way to root out these fifth-column traitors and remove them from their positions where they can poison our youth. If Trump can hit these universities where it hurts (federal funding), it might be a start.
We are strong supporters of Israel and are amazed at the attitude of so many of our Jewish friends and acquaintances. Members of our own family and friends are not supporting this justified war, the right to exist.. As a matter of fact, the Christian community is far more supportive than the Jewish community in our city. We have been cancelled by many.. no emails,, calls, answers to texts from long time "Friends" ..Antisemitism has existed always and now people feel emboldened to express it.. they have permission!!
The only explanation I can find for this is that it is an expression of fallen man's hatred of God. The Jews are an uncomfortable reminder that there is a God Who rules over the affairs of man and - worse - that we are accountable to Him. Christians are hated for the same reason, and are also being murdered daily, mainly by Islamic terrorists, particularly in the Third World. In the West, people have abandoned God and don't want to be reminded of Him - hence the hatred of the Jews.
It’s not hatred of G-d. It’s a lack of belief, and there’s nothing inherently hateful about being secular. Jews and Christians are looked down upon and hated by some Muslims because they are not Muslims as well as Islamist and Jihadist influence is growing. Jews as a whole are “live and let live.” Christians and Muslims as a whole cannot accept that Jews have stayed true to their origins and do not worship or emulate a human figure. Neither can leave the Jews alone, and neither are live and let live. This is the root of antisemitism as well as the cause of much intolerance, hatred, death, and destruction in the world.
Even worse than silent Jews - Jews who actively support our enemies, claiming to be operating on “Jewish values.” Not sure when Jewish values became about sacrificing your own people.