S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick. This is Moody Radio's
S1: Bible study across America. Normally we talk about your questions
S1: about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life, but this
S1: is a special edition of Open Line. It's a pre-recorded one.
S1: We are here at the summit on Opposing anti-Semitism at
S1: the campus of Moody Bible Institute. And because of that,
S1: we had to pre-record. So don't call with your question today. Today,
S1: if you have a question, what you can do is
S1: go to our website, Open Line radio.org. You'll see a
S1: link that says Ask Michael a question. You can click
S1: on that and post your question there, and it'll go
S1: in the mailbag for weeks, next week or the week after.
S1: We'll get to it before too long. But today, just listen.
S1: No calls. uh, we're going to be talking with some
S1: people that are participating here in the summit opposing anti-Semitism.
S1: We're recording it the day before the summit. So we're
S1: while you're listening to this broadcast, will be in Tory
S1: Gray Auditorium, uh, engaging together on the summit opposing anti-Semitism. So, uh,
S1: let me just mention who our guests are today. Joining
S1: me first is Doctor William Washington. A lot of people
S1: who listen to Open Line know Doctor Washington, because William
S1: and I were good friends. And he's always asking people,
S1: are you a kitchen table partner? Amen. He's the dean
S1: of enrollment and the dean of student life at Moody
S1: Bible Institute. And my good friend, I'm so glad you're
S1: here with me.
S2: Great to be here today.
S1: Yeah. And so you have a special role in the summit.
S1: Your role will be to be the emcee kind of
S1: make everything go. And I guess you'll be giving me
S1: the signal when I'm talking too long. Is that the plan?
S2: I think that's one of the rules of engagement that
S2: will be participating in together.
S1: So now, uh, I'll mention a couple of other guests
S1: that we have, uh, Rachel from Tel Aviv, from actually Givatayim. Right? Yes. Uh,
S1: Rachel is here. She's a moody graduate. From what year?
S3: Oh, I graduated in 2002. Wow. I know time flies.
S1: It's amazing. So Rachel was my student in Jewish studies.
S1: I've known her and her family forever, uh, and, uh,
S1: for her whole life, actually. And I'm. I'm so grateful
S1: that she came to Moody and, uh, and now is
S1: living in Israel. And we're going to talk about that
S1: in just a bit. Okay. And then also joining us
S1: at this hour is a current student at Moody Bible Institute.
S1: His name is Michael. So Michael, I'm so glad that
S1: you're here with us. Uh, hello? Uh, I'm. I'm very
S1: happy you're in your second year at Moody. I am, yeah. And, uh,
S1: what's your major?
S4: What can it be besides Jewish studies? That's right.
S1: And where are you from in Israel?
S4: I'm from Netanya.
S1: Netanya, which is just north of Tel Aviv.
S4: Yeah, just like half an hour north. Yeah.
S1: So it's part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area that
S1: is in the center of Israel. Now, do you speak French?
S4: Thankfully, no.
S1: Oh, well, because in Netanya I felt like when I
S1: was there, everyone was a French, uh, a Jewish person
S1: from France who had moved to Israel. Is that what
S1: you found to be the case, too?
S4: It is the case. But I do speak Russian. And
S4: there's also a big, big Russian Russian population there.
S1: Yeah, Russian Jewish population.
S4: I fall into that group.
S1: That's right. Okay, good. Well, we're going to have a
S1: little conversation here. I'm so glad that you're here, but
S1: I wanted to start with with you, William. Uh, now,
S1: you wouldn't expect. I wouldn't have expected when I came
S1: to Moody, that I would find this person who cared
S1: so deeply about Israel and the Jewish people. Where did
S1: that come from?
S2: Well, if truth be told, I was introduced to Jewish
S2: people through the medium that my grandparents provided for me
S2: by a show called Sanford and Son.
S1: Oh, really? Oh, funny.
S2: Sanford and Son. And so, I don't know if our
S2: listeners will remember, uh, Fred G. Sanford, who maintained a
S2: junkyard in South Central Los Angeles. But throughout those episodes,
S2: Jewish people, Jewish heritage would show up consistently. And then
S2: I would ask my grandparents about it, and my grandparents
S2: had a high view of Jewish people. They would tell me, son,
S2: Jewish people have a lot in common with African Americans.
S2: They've had to face some difficult, adverse times in their history.
S2: And we have a high level of love and respect
S2: for them. They were slaves. We were slaves, and we
S2: all recognize the importance of sticking together. Wow. And so
S2: my grandparents even had Jewish friends in their community back
S2: in the day. Wow. And then from there, well, you.
S1: Know, I just think it's so interesting because Fred Sanford
S1: was played by Redd Foxx, who was, you know, kind
S1: of a well-known comedian. But I think they had that
S1: little Jewish element on that show because he had worked
S1: with so many Jewish comedians, and that was his connection
S1: to them. And he brought them on his show and
S1: had all those discussions with them. Don't you think that's
S1: the source of that on the program?
S2: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, blacks and Jews had a
S2: unique relationship during that time because there were things prohibiting
S2: blacks and Jews from participating in some of the mediums
S2: of the day. And so they came together to do
S2: some great things. And my grandparents realized that, and they
S2: taught me at an early age, they even talked about
S2: Sammy Davis Jr. Of course, you know, and said, hey,
S2: that's Sammy. And guess what? He's Jewish too.
S1: Yeah, he converted to Judaism. He was. And he was
S1: the consummate entertainer. So then you were going to say
S1: there was something else that had an effect as you
S1: grew older?
S2: Oh, yeah. So my last two years of high school
S2: were in Highland Park, Illinois. So I went to Highland
S2: Park High School, which is a predominantly Jewish community, and
S2: I made friends there. I visited friends during their bar mitzvahs.
S2: I had an opportunity to eat in their homes. And
S2: one of the things I loved about being in that environment. Hey,
S2: not only did we have the Christmas holidays, but we
S2: also got school off for the Jewish holidays. And so
S2: it was it was a great experience for me. It
S2: brought me back to what my grandparents taught me in
S2: terms of respecting people and loving and making great relationships.
S2: And that's what happened during my high school years. And
S2: then to top it all off, put the cherry on
S2: the top. I've had the privilege to go to Israel twice,
S2: and both of those just really reshaped my life, my mindset,
S2: and just put me in a touch more with my
S2: Jewish brothers and sisters. And that's why it's so important
S2: for us to stand with them during this time. Wow.
S1: Thank you. Wow. That's that's. I never would have thought
S1: that Sanford and Son would have that kind of impact.
S1: That's phenomenal. So that's great. Uh, now, uh, Doctor Washington
S1: mentioned mentioned Israel. Rachel. you you were in Israel. Uh,
S1: you live there? Uh, you're not originally from Israel. When
S1: did you move?
S3: I moved about 15 years ago. And it's definitely home.
S3: It's the right choice for me. I'm happy I did it.
S1: Yeah. I remember when you were a student. You were.
S1: You were really focused. I'm going to move to Israel. And.
S1: And then you did. I lived in New York for
S1: a while and then moved off to Israel. So. And
S1: you could.
S3: Decide which one's better. New York, Israel, they're both, you know. Yeah.
S1: When people ask me where I'm from, I always say
S1: I'm from the Holy Land, Brooklyn. But, uh, the the
S1: thing is, Israel is is a little bit different now than,
S1: than even New York in terms of the Jewish community.
S1: There's a lot of anti-Semitism exploding in New York City
S1: right now, which doesn't seem possible. It's considered one of
S1: the greatest Jewish cities in the world, if not the
S1: greatest Jewish city outside of Israel. And yet there's a
S1: lot of anti-Semitism. But I wanted to hear from you.
S1: What was it like? You know, we we've been reading
S1: the news reports. We know all that happened on ten
S1: over 723. But you were in Israel at the time,
S1: were you not?
S3: I was, yes.
S1: Tell me about that day.
S3: It was an early morning Shabbat when suddenly the sirens
S3: started to go off. Quiet morning. It was a holiday.
S3: A very sacred holiday. It was Simchat Torah, which is
S3: the day when you celebrate the giving of the Torah.
S3: And it was the end of.
S1: The completion of the reading cycle.
S3: Yeah, we started over again. Genesis. It was the end
S3: of the High Holidays. The children were supposed to go
S3: to school the next day. They had just had holidays,
S3: and suddenly the whole country wakes up to a start
S3: to the sound of these horrendous noises in your head
S3: of move fast, go to the shelters. And everyone went
S3: and everyone's confused, what, 630 in the morning? There's sirens.
S3: And it didn't stop. It happened all day long. Wow.
S3: And this was all over the south of Israel, as
S3: well as going up into the center of the country.
S3: These are long range rockets, and the news didn't quite
S3: keep up. Yet it was the Sabbath. You don't really
S3: work on the Sabbath, but suddenly everyone's called up and
S3: trying to respond. Newscasters, ambulances, police. What's going on? It
S3: was just an utter state of confusion. Um.
S1: And when did you hear about the massacre in the South?
S3: I there was rumors through social media, through WhatsApp, but
S3: it wasn't really being talked about on the news yet.
S3: And remember, two people who are very religious will not
S3: be turning on the television that day or looking at
S3: their phones. It was a lack of communication.
S1: Partially. It was very.
S3: Difficult. Yeah. So really only until the end of the
S3: Sabbath on that Saturday night as well as into Sunday,
S3: did people start to realize the extent that this was
S3: it was not just an incursion.
S1: Yeah. That the, the very usually you think, oh, it's
S1: a little terrorist incursion. It may have done the little
S1: thing that this was a full scale attack.
S3: Coordinated in multiple places. Yeah, it was unheard of. It
S3: was utterly surprising. Yeah.
S1: And air with those paragliders, paragliders and sea from the
S1: Mediterranean and land and trucks. Uh, just horrific. Uh, if
S1: anyone doesn't know, more than 1200 people murdered that day
S1: by Hamas terrorists as they surged across first, I heard
S1: there were 3000, uh, today, uh, recently I've, I've heard
S1: some estimates that say, well, maybe we were wrong. Maybe
S1: it was up to 6000 terrorists that that broke through
S1: and captured 251 people, murdered over 1200, uh, and maimed
S1: many more. Uh, it was a horrific day, one of
S1: the worst days in Jewish history. The worst day, certainly
S1: since the Holocaust. And, uh, Israel, of course, responded. And
S1: we we've seen this war for the last year. We're
S1: going to talk to Michael about what it means to
S1: go to war about this thing. But it's part of
S1: the reason we are holding the summit for opposing anti-Semitism,
S1: because what has happened is instead of sympathy for the
S1: Jewish people, what has broken out is full scale anti-Semitism
S1: against Israel and against Jewish people in the diaspora. It
S1: is it's terrible. And but there is still hope, because
S1: there's hope in what the Lord is going to do
S1: through this. So we're going to come back in a
S1: moment with my guests as we talk about the summit
S1: opposing anti-Semitism and what we can do. This is Michael
S1: Ray Dolnick. You're listening to Open Line. Are you looking
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S1: Line radio.org. Welcome back friends. This is Michael Wright Zelnick.
S1: You're listening to Open Line. It's usually the Bible study
S1: across America. We sit around the kitchen table, the radio,
S1: kitchen table, and we talk about the scriptures. But today
S1: it's special. It is a pre-recorded special event because at
S1: Moody Bible Institute we are hosting the summit on opposing anti-Semitism.
S1: It is happening right now while you're listening, but we
S1: pre-recorded this edition of Open Line. I have some special
S1: guests who are participating. Doctor William Washington is here with me,
S1: Rachel from the Tel Aviv area, and Michael, also from
S1: the Tel Aviv area. Rachel, a graduate of Moody Bible Institute,
S1: and Michael, a current student at Moody Bible Institute. Now,
S1: what we've talked about so far is William Washington's passion
S1: for Jewish people. And really what you said the cherry
S1: on top was going to Israel and meeting people twice. Yeah.
S1: And then, of course, Rachel, you've lived there for now,
S1: 15 years. Of course. You visited many times before that,
S1: But then you talked about some of the horror of
S1: what happened on that day. More than a little bit
S1: more than a year ago, on ten over 723, with
S1: the attack by Hamas, that brutal attack with the the violence,
S1: that sexual violence and, uh, just the, the the brutality
S1: of shooting children in front of their parents. Parents in
S1: front of their children. And beyond belief. What? What was done?
S1: And now, Michael, you were a student at Moody. You
S1: were in your first semester when that happened, right?
S4: I was yeah, I just arrived in the States from Israel,
S4: settled in, and then boom. Yeah.
S1: And so what happened for you?
S4: For me, I remember we came back from, uh, Friday
S4: night dinner. It's a Jewish tradition to hold Friday night dinners,
S4: receive the Sabbath. Yeah. We came back with friends from
S4: the dinner. And I remember sitting in one of our
S4: common areas here at Moody. I remember sitting I opened
S4: my phone and I see rockets, like notifications about rockets.
S4: And I was thinking to myself, ah, this is this
S4: is usual. We're used to this. This is fine. Nothing's happening.
S4: It's going to be over very soon. But then I
S4: remember very, very clearly seeing this, this one video of
S4: a woman taking a video throughout through her curtains because
S4: she doesn't want to be seen. And on the street
S4: in one of the cities in the south, um, there's
S4: a Toyota pickup truck unloading like seven terrorists with AK
S4: 47 seconds and, uh, bulletproof vests and but dressed not
S4: like Israeli military, but clearly somebody who's here to harm you.
S4: And they just got off the the truck and just
S4: went to the different houses and started shooting. Wow. And
S4: that memory is just stuck with me. Wow. From from then.
S1: So obviously you were here at Moody. What could you do?
S1: There's nothing you could do. So, uh, just a few
S1: weeks later, you were called up to the military?
S4: Yes, I was called up immediately. Immediately with everybody. Um,
S4: but I thought, oh, it's not that serious. In the beginning,
S4: we just did not, as Rachel said, we just did
S4: not know what was happening. And then when I realized
S4: the the the scale, the scope of this tragedy of
S4: this event. Yeah. I decided that I'm leaving my studies
S4: and just going back home to serve with my unit.
S4: I'm a tank commander in my military profession. Um, so
S4: I did that, and I fought for three months. Um,
S4: in the Gaza Strip.
S1: So, I mean, obviously we saw a lot of video
S1: on CNN and different, uh, TV stations, uh, cable stations. Uh,
S1: so what was it like? Uh, I mean, I the
S1: imagery that that the way the media portrayed it is
S1: as if Israel were was the Israeli Israel Defense Forces
S1: was somehow looking for civilians to hurt them. What was
S1: your experience in Gaza?
S4: The first thing that comes to mind is that it
S4: was very boring. It's very not exciting. But to answer
S4: your question, I think the main thing is that what
S4: speaks to it the strongest is that I did not
S4: see with my eyes any civilians at all who were
S4: fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip. We were
S4: going on like routine patrols and like on attacks on
S4: Some neighborhoods there to make sure that there's no terrorists
S4: there and to clear it out. It's a war in
S4: the end, and I did not see any civilians.
S1: That's because Israel had given maps and directions to tell
S1: the civilians to get out. Right.
S4: Every time before an attack, in an unprecedented way that
S4: no other army in the world does. Israel warns all
S4: of the civilians in a certain area to evacuate, to leave.
S4: They it's even more than that because Israel gives them
S4: directions where to go and where it is going to
S4: be safe, letting them escape, but also risking terrorists escaping
S4: with them.
S1: So you know that what you said. My son served
S1: in the IDF. Not not in a war zone, but
S1: he was in a combat unit, and he had to
S1: do patrols back when the there were a lot of
S1: Incursions from the the. When the Muslim Brotherhood was controlling Egypt,
S1: there were a lot of terrorist incursions where he was stationed,
S1: and there was a lot of patrols. And he I
S1: asked him what it was like. He said it was boring.
S4: Yeah. That's just the reality of being a soldier. Yeah.
S4: Nothing happens most of the time. Yeah.
S1: I thought that was interesting that you said the same
S1: thing he did. It was boring. You know, just you're
S1: doing the patrol you're doing. And then every now and
S1: then he says, mostly boring. And then every now and
S1: then it becomes more than exciting. Yeah. And the other thing,
S1: and I wonder if this is true with you in
S1: your experience, he says that all the training kicks in.
S1: So you just go on. You do what you're supposed
S1: to do in the situation. You don't get all hyper.
S1: You've been trained enough that you know what to do.
S1: Did you find that to be the case?
S4: There's definitely an adrenaline rush. Yeah, when something happens. But Mostly, yes,
S4: I would say. I would say that is the the experience,
S4: especially as be as tank as people who operate a tank,
S4: soldiers who operate a tank. We are trained on so
S4: many routine procedures that we just kick in immediately and
S4: we just act, act according to the procedures that we've
S4: been trained, trained upon for years and years and years.
S1: That's exactly what he said. Same thing. Yeah. So, uh, well,
S1: now here at Moody, we had two students. We're going
S1: to talk to the second student that went off that
S1: was called up another Israeli student. Uh, but what were
S1: we doing here at Moody when students were called up? Uh,
S1: I think that that I've noticed that you were very concerned.
S2: Very concerned, uh, Doctor Melnick, because, unfortunately, I've had to.
S2: experience death when it invades a college community, and the
S2: likelihood that these two were going to the front lines
S2: and the ramifications that would occur. Put me in a
S2: mode of thinking, okay, how do we prepare the community
S2: in the event something adversely happens? And so prior to
S2: both guys leaving, we had a solemn assembly time in chapel, uh,
S2: which we communicated that Michael and Sergei would be leaving.
S2: And I just remember seeing the faces of our students
S2: and the emotions that they were carrying and how.
S1: Much they wanted to pray for them, how much they
S1: cared for.
S2: They prayed for them and cried and constantly sent me
S2: emails when they were away, uh, asking for updates. And, uh,
S2: while they were there, I got those two guys to
S2: do a video with Michael and Sergei standing in front
S2: of his, uh, tank and played it in chapel, and
S2: the place just went up for grabs when they saw
S2: him and recognized that they were safe. But, you know,
S2: I just admire their hearts, their bravery, their commitment to
S2: their country. And I also admire our students who really
S2: prayed for their safety and for the state of Israel
S2: and for everyone who is being affected by this, the non-combatants, um,
S2: who were being impacted by Hamas. Yeah.
S1: We prayed a lot for the civilians because we care.
S1: We believe everyone's made in the image of God, and
S1: we believe that God and I know Israel cares. They
S1: don't want civilians to suffer. And we were here at
S1: Moody not only praying for the success of Israeli soldiers,
S1: but that they would successfully find Hamas and not and
S1: not and civilians wouldn't get into harm's way. We we
S1: prayed that quite a bit here at Moody. And I
S1: think that that was I think that's, uh, speaks well
S1: of our students that that's what they were concerned with. Uh,
S1: so what surprised you most, Rachel, after 1007? Uh, was
S1: it was it the eruption of anti-Semitism? Did you expect
S1: Israel to to have a sympathetic ear in society after that?
S3: That's a very good question, because you have October 7th,
S3: and we talked previously about the hardships and the, uh,
S3: the depth of worry and concern and surprise of that day.
S3: But to answer the question, October 8th was even worse
S3: because as soon as we turned to the next day,
S3: you see pockets of anti-Semitism start to erupt throughout the world. Why?
S3: Where's the support for Israel in the time of coming
S3: beside her in the midst of the massacre? And that
S3: was the opposite, I heard.
S1: I heard actually, at Harvard, the student group blamed Israel
S1: for the attack, which was shocking. A consortium of student
S1: groups did that, but mostly from the governments of the world.
S1: We heard sympathy, and I was on the radio on
S1: October uh, seventh or eighth. I don't remember when it was,
S1: but I guess it was the seventh because it was after, uh,
S1: here in the States. It was it was like the
S1: eighth in Israel, but the seventh here. And, uh, I
S1: said to some folks I was with, yeah, their sympathy.
S1: Now we hear it now, but give it a couple
S1: of weeks. And sure enough, uh, the attitudes changed as
S1: soon as Israel began to deal with the terrorist problem
S1: and to deal with to respond. Then all of a
S1: sudden Israel was at fault. It was it was heartbreaking,
S1: but unsurprising to me. It's what I thought, well, we're
S1: going to come back and we're going to talk to
S1: one other person, and then we're also going to talk
S1: about what can we, what kind of hope we have,
S1: what kind of encouragement we can have in the Lord
S1: at this time. Stay with us. You're listening to Open
S1: Line on the weekend of the summit opposing anti-Semitism. We're
S1: so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with Doctor
S1: Michael Ray Dolnick, bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn
S1: how Far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the
S1: world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all
S1: I've heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives
S1: changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again. You can
S1: hear the podcast when you visit febc. Dot org. That's febc.org.
S1: And we're back. You know normally we'd be opening the
S1: Febc mailbag now and getting your questions. But today is
S1: a special day. It's a special pre-recorded edition of Open Line.
S1: We are at the summit opposing anti-Semitism, and we have
S1: some of the participants here talking about their experience in
S1: the last year since, uh, ten seven. Also, Doctor William
S1: Washington is here with me, Rachel from Israel, Michael from Israel,
S1: and Sergey, also from Israel, in a sense is here, uh, Sergey,
S1: another Moody grad.
S5: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
S1: Now that that was a little tough for you. You
S1: got called up in your next to last semester, is
S1: that right?
S5: It was my last semester. Your last semester? That's it?
S1: Yeah, yeah. So you got called up. You could have said, no,
S1: I can't come because I have to finish my last
S1: semester of school.
S5: Yes. And because I have a wife. Yeah. I said
S5: staying here.
S1: So what did you do?
S5: I couldn't say no. My heart just was broken this day. No.
S5: Michael was talking about his experience and seeing that my
S5: sister sent me videos in the first day. And when
S5: family sends you something like that. My whole family lives
S5: in Israel. Same like Michael. I couldn't stay here. This
S5: is just broke my heart. So I flew back.
S1: Yeah, you flew back. It was a little tough getting
S1: a flight. I know, to get to Israel. But you
S1: got it.
S5: Yeah, it was interesting.
S1: Yeah. And? And you served for a couple of months.
S5: So I served with chosen people there. Yes. I worked
S5: with humanitarian help as much as possible. Um, when I
S5: came to the military, it was a little bit tough
S5: to join for me. I do something different from Michael, but, yeah,
S5: I did humanitarian help. I saw him a couple of times,
S5: which was an encouragement for both of us. It was amazing.
S5: So couple people who just came to faith and nobody
S5: had a chance to disciple them. So I met with
S5: them to read the Bible, prayed together, and delivered food
S5: to families that needed it the most because they couldn't
S5: leave their home. They were in my city in Ashkelon
S5: that are just a couple of miles away from Gaza border.
S5: I grew up with this war. It's very close to
S5: my home and my heart, and I knew those families,
S5: so that was part of the help that I had
S5: to do is just help people as much as possible.
S1: So then you I know that you took extensions for
S1: your courses. We have a thing at Moody called Fifth
S1: Week Extension, and that means you have five weeks to
S1: complete your course. Uh, if you get called away, sometimes
S1: students become ill in the middle of the semester or
S1: something like that. They get the extension. You had the
S1: called away to Israel extension. And, uh, Uh, Michael said,
S1: I'm going to just start again. But you said, I'll
S1: do these extensions, and we really made you work, right
S1: to get it done.
S5: I couldn't stay longer. So yes, I did extensions, did
S5: the classes, honestly enjoyed it. You know, doing a Daniel
S5: Revelation class in the middle of the war kind of
S5: put it in perspective.
S1: Yes. That was of course, I was teaching and you
S1: were in there. So that was that was kind of
S1: fun to to hear from you after, you know, after
S1: the semester was over, you got it all done and
S1: you graduated and you got back here and you walked. Now, uh,
S1: most people I know from Israel go back to Israel
S1: almost immediately, but you're you're serving with chosen People ministries.
S1: They're the co-sponsor of the summit opposing anti-Semitism. And you're
S1: in New York City. Where do you live?
S5: Right. I live in Queens now, which is very exciting
S5: in the Jewish neighborhood. What neighborhood? In Forest Hills.
S1: I used to live right near there. Yeah, so And
S1: so you're living in New York and now New York.
S1: I know the greatest Jewish city in the world. People
S1: say you lived in New York, Rachel. Right. I did, yeah,
S1: in Queens. I remember, uh, after you graduated from Moody.
S1: I lived in Queens, then on Long Island. I grew
S1: up in Brooklyn.
S3: Wait, you said it wrong. Long island.
S1: Long island? Yeah. I can go back to my accent
S1: if I need to.
S6: We'll have some coffee.
S1: Yeah, yeah. So I was living in Long Island, and, uh.
S1: So now, uh, we're here. This is the weekend or
S1: Saturday of the summit opposing anti-Semitism I am shocked to
S1: see in the news reports all the anti-Semitism in New
S1: York City.
S5: It happens a lot.
S1: Yeah, yeah. What kind of stuff?
S5: Well, you see protests. It starts from, you know, people
S5: want to protest, wants to bring their opinion and make
S5: their voice heard. But all of a sudden that comes
S5: into a place where they don't just criticize Israel or
S5: say something against Israel. You can see glimpses of haters,
S5: Jewish people, just all of a sudden it's like sparking
S5: a little bit around the city, but then it's encouraging
S5: people for violence. And then you see people around the
S5: city throughout the week after the protest was done already
S5: throughout the week attacking other people. And there was a
S5: literally two weeks ago, a guy in Brooklyn was stabbed
S5: because he was wearing a yarmulke and going to a synagogue.
S5: And in Chicago, you know the news in my neighborhood.
S5: In your neighborhood. Right? Yeah. Well, that's very a.
S1: Shooting in case people haven't heard a shooting of a
S1: of a man going to synagogue only because he was
S1: going to synagogue. That was the only reason.
S5: Only because he's Jewish. And that's very sad. It's very
S5: scary for the Jewish people in America. Now, I think
S5: this realization of the growing anti-Semitism is sinking.
S1: You know, what it is is we thought that America
S1: is the safest place. It's where we've been the most
S1: accepted that Jewish people, you know, that we thought America
S1: meant never again when we would say never again after
S1: the Holocaust. And now it seems like ever again, ever
S1: and ever, always when.
S3: We see this in Israel, this kind of news coming
S3: out of stabbings, of protests, of hate. We're shocked that
S3: it's happening there. And in a way, many of us
S3: feel safer in Israel because we know that we're together
S3: as a community and as a nation that will protect us.
S3: And many people are scared now to travel and to
S3: openly display their Jewishness. And it's appalling that this is
S3: happening now in our time and age.
S1: As they should be concerned about traveling. What happened in
S1: in Amsterdam well.
S5: Before that was.
S1: That in Amsterdam? Is that where it was?
S5: Yes. It's just like in the last 24 hours. But
S5: before that, you know, Rachel said that that people are
S5: afraid to travel. I spoke to students in Columbia University
S5: and in NYU. They do not put their stars out anymore.
S5: They would not wear a necklace with the David star
S5: because they're afraid and they understand that. And yes, Amsterdam,
S5: there was a soccer game between the Israeli team and the,
S5: I think the Amsterdam team or somebody, their Dutch.
S7: Team, I think the.
S5: Dutch team. And then right after that there was pogrom,
S5: straight up pogrom. It was very organized. Today we know
S5: that because we can see that social media was full
S5: of those videos.
S7: Yeah, they.
S1: Brought knives and clubs and assaulted the the Jewish Israelis
S1: that were there.
S5: Yes. And the taxi drivers were participating in that. They
S5: were sending messages to each other. Hey, I'm picking up
S5: those Jewish guys, you know, which is really interesting for
S5: me because nobody from them said, we're picking up Israelis.
S5: They said, we're picking up Jews.
S7: Yeah, of course.
S5: And that's what that's what we're trying to convey to people.
S5: Like it's not about Israel anymore. It's about anti-Semitism towards
S5: Jewish people.
S1: Yeah. Now, of course, anti-Semitism, if we think about it
S1: biblically breaks God's heart. You know, it says in Isaiah 63,
S1: in all their afflictions God says, I was afflicted. He
S1: was afflicted. And that breaks God's heart. Psalm 83 says
S1: that those who hate the God of Israel express that
S1: hatred by hating the people of Israel, the Jewish people.
S1: And it's really a reflection of the resentment towards God
S1: for having chosen and having a special plan for this people.
S1: I think that's that's really what we're talking about when
S1: we talk about anti-Semitism biblically and and what is the
S1: source of that hatred? Revelation 12 talks about the pursuit
S1: of the woman. The woman represents Israel, the Jewish, not
S1: the political entity, but the Jewish people it represents. It's
S1: symbolic for Israel because we see that she's got the
S1: stars and the sun and the moon, just like Joseph
S1: from Genesis 37 and Satan, the devil, the the serpent
S1: of old pursues Israel to try and persecute her. What
S1: does that tell us about anti-Semitism? It's rooted in a
S1: satanic hatred of God and of the people he chose.
S1: So it's it's heartbreaking. But there's hope, Michael.
S2: And that's why it's so important to have this conference
S2: at the Moody Bible Institute. Micah six eight says, what
S2: does the Lord require of you, O man? To act justly,
S2: to love mercy, and walk humbly before your God? Yeah,
S2: we have to act justly in this time of dissonance,
S2: of despair and hatred. As Christians, we have a responsibility
S2: to stand up and address that and to be people
S2: of mercy and walk humbly with God. And how do
S2: we do that? We need to walk alongside our Jewish
S2: brothers and sisters standing with them saying enough is enough.
S2: This cannot continue to happen. Yeah.
S1: So agree with you. Thank you so much for that.
S1: We're going to come back and talk about how we
S1: can stand up and what we can do. Uh, listening
S1: to a whole group of moody people here at the
S1: summit and Chosen People Ministries, people as well, at the
S1: summit opposing anti-Semitism, our very special pre-recorded program. Stay with us.
S1: We're coming right back with more. Some claim Paul is
S1: the key person who took the message of the Jewish Messiah.
S1: Jesus made it into something Gentile. But Paul is also
S1: the one who wrote, brethren, my heart's desire for Israel
S1: is for their salvation. Romans ten one chosen people ministries.
S1: One of our underwriters wants us all to learn what
S1: drove Paul's passion for his own people. They're offering the
S1: book The Heart of the Apostle by Rich Freeman, free
S1: to all open line listeners. To get this exposition of
S1: Romans nine through 11, just go to our website openline. radio.org.
S1: Scroll down to the link that says A free gift
S1: from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll be
S1: taken to a page where you can sign up for
S1: your very own free copy of The Heart of the Apostle. Paul,
S1: welcome back to Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. I'm
S1: here with a bunch of guests William Washington, Rachel from Israel,
S1: Michael from Israel, Sergei from Israel, and now New York City. Uh,
S1: we're here together talking about the summit opposing anti-Semitism, the
S1: problem of anti-Semitism, what happened in Israel a year ago
S1: and how it's gone on. Uh, Rachel, you've been ministering
S1: with with Chosen People Ministries, our co-sponsor of this special
S1: summit for a lot of years. But you've been in
S1: Israel doing that. What do you see spiritually in Israel
S1: now because of what happened on ten over seven?
S3: Well, you know, some of this conversation we've had now
S3: has been a bit dark. But I want to remind
S3: everyone that even in the midst of this darkness this
S3: past year, we've seen such an extraordinary change in people's
S3: lives because they've experienced such hardship and such worry and
S3: anxiety and depth of concern of what next? How are
S3: we going to get out of this? And through that,
S3: people have been reaching down deep and soul searching, and
S3: it's been very surprising to see people's questions, thoughts, concerns
S3: and willingness to talk about Jesus and talk about a
S3: God who is loving even in the midst of this.
S3: We've seen people come to our ministry center. Chosen people
S3: has a work in the Tel Aviv area, and through
S3: our Bible studies, or through a worship night, which was
S3: once a trickle. The event space is packed, and people
S3: are really wanting to come into a safe place to
S3: be able to experience some hope. Now, in a way,
S3: I like quantity, I like numbers, I like seeing a
S3: full room. That's that's nice. But the quality of people's
S3: questions and asking for prayer and wanting to continue the
S3: dialogue about who Jesus is and how he can be
S3: our peace and hope during this time has been incredible,
S3: and that's the light that we see during this dark time.
S3: You know, one of.
S1: The things that two two things that God uses in
S1: bringing people to know him to to know the Messiah,
S1: Jesus is either transition when people are in a different state,
S1: different place, different, they're disconnected and they start seeking God
S1: or trauma. And this ten seven was the most traumatic event,
S1: I think, in modern Israel in at least since the
S1: the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago. Uh, so God
S1: is using the traumatic effects of this to cause people
S1: to seek him. You think?
S3: Absolutely. Oh, wow. It's it has not ended. It is
S3: even more now, over a year later. Wow.
S1: That's amazing. What are you finding in New York about that, Sergei?
S5: I think people are open. People are seeking same thing
S5: like in Israel. I think people all of a sudden
S5: trying to think like, okay, what do I grasp in
S5: hope for the future? It doesn't have to be like
S5: specifically in any country. But where do I find hope?
S5: In what? And then when we talk to students, we
S5: ask them questions that are more like, do you think
S5: peace is possible in general, not specifically about Middle East?
S5: And we want to see what is the reaction to
S5: those things. And then through those conversations, we see that
S5: people are wanting to know God or they're seeking. They're saying, well,
S5: we want to have a higher power. But they understand that, yes,
S5: there's somebody to submit to and love, and it's God
S5: because God can give you this peace.
S7: It's great.
S1: Huh? It's amazing how hearts can open. Uh, I want
S1: to ask Michael a question in a minute, but here's
S1: a verse, uh, that I think is crucial when we
S1: see this ugly head of anti-Semitism arising again. It says
S1: rescue those being taken off to death and save those
S1: stumbling towards slaughter. If you say. But we didn't know
S1: about this, won't he? Who ways the ways hearts consider it,
S1: won't he who protects your life know this is a
S1: great reminder from Proverbs 2411 and 12. God says, when
S1: we see this kind of stuff happening, we need to
S1: speak up. Not just speak up, but resist it. Uh,
S1: so I'm going to start with you, Michael. What would
S1: you like to see? Uh, believers here, followers of Jesus
S1: here in America, do about this rising anti-Semitism.
S4: I think you said it very well. I think they
S4: need to speak up. But I think in order for
S4: them to speak up, they have to get educated. I
S4: think if the Jewish people are important, if their faith
S4: is important, if there's such a big part of God's plan,
S4: like we're seeing in revelation and like we're seeing in
S4: the whole Bible, then let's take the time to study
S4: a little bit to understand why, to understand why they're
S4: hated so much, and to understand the truth about what's
S4: going in Israel.
S1: Yeah, it's the craziest hate because it's not like Jewish
S1: people did something to deserve it. It's because of the
S1: enemy who hates whom God loves. I think that that's
S1: really important to understand. Uh, so I agree with you.
S1: I think I'll tell you one of the sad things
S1: for me, I would like pastors to address this, to
S1: speak up about it. I would like people who are
S1: preachers to know to educate their churches about the Jewish people.
S1: One pastor I mentioned this before in previous hour said that, uh,
S1: in New York, when when the anti-Semites come, they're going
S1: to have to come through our church because we're going
S1: to stand with the Jewish community. And I think more
S1: pastors need to educate their people and and help them
S1: to see that, uh, is there something you think that
S1: you'd like to see come out of this summit or
S1: just absolutely believers?
S2: Do I think Doctor Dolnick, our church, uh, the faith
S2: family of God, uh, we can't sit on the sidelines anymore.
S2: And so a very practical thing that we need to
S2: do is that we need to lift our voices up,
S2: like Michael said. And how can we do that? By
S2: contacting governmental officials, our congressmen and women, and letting them
S2: know that what is occurring in our country, in our world,
S2: should not and cannot be tolerated, and that we as America,
S2: firmly behind the State of Israel, firmly behind and.
S1: Concerned for the Jewish people right here in the United States.
S1: I mean, I I'm shocked when I hear these events,
S1: and it's almost like sometimes politicians don't even want to
S1: speak up about it. I, I was told by someone
S1: that one of the most important issues that we have,
S1: privileges that we have as American citizens, if you're listening,
S1: is to pick up the phone and call the white
S1: House and leave our opinion there for the president, whoever
S1: he may be, you know, uh, or call our congressman,
S1: our senator and our mayor, whoever it might be, if
S1: we see these events, speak up and say we want
S1: to support those who will oppose anti-Semitism, will take action
S1: to protect Jewish people. I think that's a really crucial thing.
S1: You know, Nazi Germany people said we better not mix in.
S1: Imagine if they had spoken up in mass. Uh, Niemöller
S1: said it would have stopped it. It would have stopped it.
S1: So we have to take and we have the freedom
S1: and the privilege of speaking to our governmental leaders. I
S1: think we need to do that. And the.
S2: Responsibility. Don't forget that responsibility. Brothers and sisters in Christ.
S1: Yeah, we have to do that. And, you know, I'm
S1: sorry if you missed the summit this time, but, uh,
S1: I'm sure you'll be able to hear some of the
S1: things that happened in upcoming weeks. So some of the
S1: things that were said and some of the things that
S1: were done, uh, it's it's a I'm grateful that we
S1: have had the summit and that you guys are here
S1: to join and participate today as we pre-recorded this special
S1: Open Line edition for the summit opposing anti-Semitism. That's the
S1: program for the week. Thanks for listening, everyone. We'll be
S1: back next week with more of your Bible questions. More
S1: questions about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. Uh,
S1: I want to thank Chris Seeger for helping me out
S1: today and getting this recorded. And thanks to these wonderful
S1: guests for joining me today. Uh, really appreciate that. Keep
S1: reading the Bible. And next week we'll talk about it.
S1: We'll talk about it and answer your questions. Open line
S1: with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick is a production of Moody Radio,
S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. See you next week.