Let me say from the outset that I have always been a firm supporter of the state of Israel and its right to exist, both on political as well as religious/theological grounds. The modern state of Israel sits where historically a Jewish homeland existed, and therefore there is a definite birthright for the Jewish people there to have their own nation on land that history verifies belongs to them. I am also of Hebraic heritage myself, having Anusim/Converso heritage, and therefore I have a personal interest in Israel's existence. That being said, over the years I have had some real challenges trying to reconcile those convictions with my adopted Catholic faith, and at times it has been a bit much to handle, but I have learned to do so. There is therefore no conflict now between my love and support for Israel as a nation and my faith as a Catholic Christian.
Now that we have stated that, there is another issue that lies dear to my heart, and that has been my long-standing support of the self-determination of indigenous Middle Eastern Christian communities, in particular the Copts, Assyrians, and Armenians, among others. There is a personal investment in that conviction as well, as I am a blood descendant of two Armenian aristocratic families and am very blessed by that. Middle Eastern Christians have, like Israel, a birthright to their territories as well, and they deserve to have the right to self-rule without the coercion and persecution of Islamic regimes. Shortly, I will show how this relates to my support of Israel as well.
Being a convert to the Catholic Church from an Evangelical/Pentecostal background, support for the nation of Israel was always seen as a prophetically significant mandate, in that the Jews regaining their rightful home was an eschatological sign. Many American Evangelicals - more so 30 years ago than today - once took that as basically endowing perfection on everything Israel does as perfect. This creates some serious theological problems which warrant a whole study of their own, but sufficive to say the reality of the concupiscence of human nature affirms that no human person, institution, or political entity is perfect, and Israel is no exception. Despite Israel's birthright, its people have been known to do some dumb things, even in antiquity - read the Old Testament, for crying out loud! Although God loves the Jews, and did choose them for a purpose, this doesn't bestow any sort of attribute of perfection upon them. Indeed, it is unfortunate that in the past several centuries, often it has been people of Jewish background who have been the most virulent enemies of the Church and of Western civilization - note in particular Marx, Freud, Spinoza, and in recent times people such as Bernie Sanders and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. To be fair, none of these individuals were what you would call religious or observant Jews, and indeed, more often than not they were hostile toward their own heritage as much as they were toward Christianity. What is true of these individual Jews is also true of the modern state of Israel as well - Israel was founded by secularists who had Jewish heritage, and indeed in the earliest days of the Zionist cause devoutly religious Jews were against the idea. And, while the modern nation of Israel has its positives, it has not been a perfect society, which now brings us to the current issues.
Beginning in February 2018, a statement issued by a major Holocaust remembrance organization made a statement referring to "Polish death camps" in reference to places such as Auschwitz and Treblinka, and this triggered indignation from the Polish government after Israel affirmed the statement. The Poles asserted (correctly, I believe) that the camps were built and operated by the Nazis, and that to call them "Polish death camps" was implicating the Poles as collaborators in the Holocaust. It has been a major source of contention, and what I fear will happen is that anti-Semitic backlash, due to careless wording by some Jewish groups, will be incited among the Poles, and that would be tragic. Neither Poland nor Israel need this right now, and it is distressing to me personally that this issue even was brought up. The perpetrators of the Holocaust were not Poles, and they weren't even the Germans per se - the Holocaust was the action of the Nazis, plain and simple. In contesting the wording "Polish death camps," the Polish authorities are not in any way denying the reality that the Holocaust happened, but they want misunderstandings cleared up that the Polish people were not the perpetrators. If anything, many Poles also suffered in the death camps, including notably St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was martyred. And, the Poles have rightly said that many Jews who died in the camps who were Polish by birth were also Polish martyrs who were killed for being both Polish and Jewish. This I definitely agree with. Were there Polish collaborators in the atrocities? No doubt - many nations (Ukrainians, Croatians, and even some Jews themselves) collaborated with the Nazis initially, and without sounding offensive I cite fictional character Beryl Jastrow's comments from Herman Wouk's epic The Winds of War when he said, "There is good Polak, and there is bad Polak..." Indeed, ethnic slur aside in this, there was enough collaborative blame to go around to many people. However, the ultimate responsibility for the atrocities of the Holocaust rest solely on an ideology and its fanatical disciples, namely Nazis. As for collaborators, if you really study history, the Nazis used them only as a means unto an end - if Hitler would have been able to fully carry out his demonic vision, many of those collaborators would have met their own deaths in a gruesome way as the Nazis saw them as "inferior" as well. This is one of those situations that before we start throwing around accusations of "racism" and enforcing political correctness on an issue, it is best we examine the full picture first. If Netanyahu has any scruples about this, hopefully he will do just that - see the whole picture and not focus on perjorative language that could piss off a potential ally for Israel in the "Culture Wars," and Poland, with its great proportion of devoutly and traditionalist Catholic population who stand for traditional values and against Islamization and secularism, would be a valuable ally for Israel, who is also threatened by the same forces. Israel, honestly, needs to refine the discernment of who its true friends are, and that leads me to the second issue.
Recently, the municipal authorities of Jerusalem got themselves into some hot water when they started sending collection notices and threats to seize properties to various Christian communities in the area (Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic), one of them being the famed Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Fortunately, Netanyahu stepped in and brought some resolution to the issue, and many of the Church leaders were actually quite thankful he did so. In reading up on this issue, it was not so much Israel itself as it was the city of Jerusalem that got itself into this mess, as its mayor, Nir Barkat, instigated this stupid move in order to increase the city coffers. Officially, the houses of worship would not be taxed themselves, but any properties associated with these Churches utilized for commercial purposes (hostels, business offices, shops, etc.) would be subject to the tax. According to the authorities in Jerusalem, the collective "tax debt" of the Churches involved would be equivalent to $188 million. This entailed over 800 properties, and is seen rightly by some as a tactic to increase the city's budget at the Christian community's expense. In a quick impulse of "damage control," Israeli lawmaker Rachel Azaria, who implemented these measures, is attempting to reword the law to reflect that Christian religious institutions are to be exempt from taxation like other religious communities are. She also rightly criticized Barkat's actions as "creating an unnecessary diplomatic crisis." As a result of these measures, in protest Church authorities actually closed down the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, only reopening it after Netanyahu stepped in and assured Church leaders that these implementations would be amended (Ruth English, "Sacred Jerusalem Church to Reopen After Israel Backtracks on Taxing Properties," 2/27/2018 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israel-backtracks-on-plan-to-tax-church-properties/2018/02/27/3c2ccdaa-1bce-11e8-98f5-ceecfa8741b6_story.html?utm_term=.e66fc4049cd5 - Accessed 3/1/2018). Now, I want to share a few reflections on this if I may.
The tensions between Israel and indigenous Middle Eastern Christians have been evident since Israel was established in 1948. In my conversations with many native Christians of the region - Armenians, Palestinian Arabs, Greeks, and others - I have heard accounts of rabbis and radical Hasidim spitting on Christian clergy, and of Christian houses being vandalized by Jewish vigilante groups. At times, Israel's attempts to stem Palestinian terrorism has unfortunately caught native Christian communities in its crosshairs, and this has led to a polarization among Christians in the region against Israel. It is really unfortunate that Israelis are behaving that disrespectfully toward Christians in the region, particularly since for the most part Christian communities generally are peaceful and just want to mind their own business and live their lives in peace. By all logic, the state of Israel and the indigenous Christians of the region should be natural allies - they face many of the same enemies for one thing, and they also share a lot in common with having a more Western-influenced cultural outlook (the Christians and Jews of the region tend to be more better-educated than the majority of Muslims, and thus they have both been targeted for "jihad" by Islamists over several generations). Also, many of the Christians are rightful heirs to the lands of the region, having been displaced by Islamic aggression. If Israel is to succeed as a nation, it needs a coalition of allies in the region, and the natural choice for such allies are the indigenous Christians. Problem is, Israel often has ignored that fact, and for one example there is its alliance with the Turks. The Turks have an atrocious record when it comes to persecution and genocide of indigenous Christians, and what they have done to Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians - not to mention Maronites and even some Western Christians who were there for other purposes - is nothing short of horrific. Yet, Israel continues to skirt recognizing the Armenian Genocide happened in fear of pissing off its Turkish "allies," who in the past several years have had a souring relationship with Israel largely due to the megalomaniacal and increasingly Islamist attitude of Tacip Erdogan. Armenian communities in Israel have also tended to side with the Palestinian cause as a result (despite the fact that due to being Christian the Armenians have a bulls-eye on their backs that the more radical Palestinian elements would not hesitate to take aim at either), and this is a serious problem. As Turkey becomes more aggressive, and dictators such as Saddam Hussein are out of the picture who were anti-Israel, thankfully I see more indigenous Christians supporting Israel (especially among Assyrians, many of whom see their Jewish cousins as close kinsmen), but there is still much to be done. And, a lot of damage control is needed by Israel, as at times Israel has burned some valuable bridges it could have used. And, that leads to another relevant observation in regard to this issue.
There is no question that Israel has a strong base of support among Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians, particularly in the US. This in itself is not a problem, but it does create an issue for Evangelicals in the US when it comes to indigenous Christians. Many Evangelical pastors - one that comes to mind is that fat, loud-mouthed, and somewhat ignorant John Hagee from Texas - have gotten so caught up in the phenomenon of "Christian Zionism" that it has led them to be dangerously close to embracing heretical beliefs. Many of these people have adopted a quasi-universalist Calvinism that asserts that because one is born a Jew, they are automatically chosen for salvation and somehow the Cross is not necessary for their conversion. And, these same people have a deluded sense of Israel as a utopian society that is perfect in all aspects, save for those "heathen Arabs" that keep causing their perfect people trouble. The glaring problem with this mindset is that Hagee and those like him set themselves up as "arbiters of salvation," in that Jewish blood merits salvation somehow (isn't that a "salvation by works" scenario?) and thus is exempt from believing in Jesus and accepting His atonement for our sins. If that were the case, here are the implications - it means that Bernie Sanders, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Marc Potok, Steve Cohen, and other very liberal and even anti-Christian politicians and activists, many of whom are so ambivalent against Christianity (as well as even their own Jewish roots ironically) that they ooze demonic essence, yet in Hagee's mind because these people are Jewish by blood, they are somehow exempt from moral law and "chosen" for salvation. The hypocrisy in this is how Hagee and others view Catholic Christians over the centuries - for Hagee, St. John Chrysostom is an "anti-Semitic voice of hell," and many Middle Eastern Christians who are slaughtered by Islam or are caught in the crosshairs of the Israel-Palestine conflict are somehow merely "collateral damage" and cannot be taken seriously because they are not "real Christians" in the sense of Hagee - they need a conversion experience apparently, but the secularist anti-Christian activist like Mark Potok (director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, of Jewish background himself, and who ironically labeled Hagee's organization a "hate group") doesn't. This appalling attitude among American Evangelicals has not gone unnoticed by Middle Eastern Christians, and it shocks them that those who call themselves "brothers in Christ" would condemn them and dismiss them as nothing. It is frankly depersonalizing, and many American Evangelicals will have to give an account for that one day, I guarantee. Let me give my own example here of what really changed my attitude many years ago on this issue.
Around about 2003 or so, my wife and I began visiting St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Pinellas Park, FL, a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Although, like many Orthodox parishes, this one had seen a wave of enthusiastic converts, its core membership remained consisting of Orthodox Christians from Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and adjacent areas of the Middle East. One of the people I remember well from there was a subdeacon named Najib Jacob. Subdeacon Najib was originally from the West Bank in Israel I believe, and he is a Palestinian Arab Christian. At the time, Subdeacon Najib was in his 70's (he is almost 90 now, given he is still with us), but one thing that always characterized him was the Christlikeness he displayed in his life - he was one of the most humble, godly, and sincere individuals I have ever had the privelege of knowing, and to this day I still have such a high regard for him. When I look at the rude, loudmouthed, and crass attitudes of so-called "Christian Zionists" such as John Hagee, and then contrast that with the humble Christlike demeanor of someone like Subdeacon Najib, I know instinctively who the real Christian is, and the fat guy on TV ain't it, sorry! Sometimes a quiet witness speaks volumes, and I challenge anyone reading this to encounter a godly man like Najib Jacob and then try to say he is not a "real Christian" - if I hear you do it, you may get your ears boxed, honestly. It is time that American Christians stop acting stupid, get a clue, and understand who our real brothers in faith are - until we do, we rob ourselves.
My dear friend, Subdeacon Najib Jacob, a Palestinian Arab Christian
I have went on as much as I can with this today, but want to leave with some concluding thoughts. First, make no mistake about it, I am also pro-Israel - I do see Israel as a fulfillment of prophetic destiny, and believe God has allowed it to exist for such a time as this. Also, both as a descendant of Anusim/Conversos myself as well as just having common sense, I deplore anti-semitism and will not tolerate it. That being said however, disagreeing with certain things Israel does is not necessarily anti-semitism; Israel makes mistakes just like all humanity does, and Jews are in need of Christ's saving Blood just like any other people. One thing I do disagree with Israel on is its failure to foster relationships with oppressed Christian communities in the region, and this is something that should be remedied. Also, in dealing with other nations (Poland in this context) Israel needs to be more judicious in its language - Poland didn't build Auschwitz, but the Nazis did, and by trying to condemn all Poles for the atrocities of Auschwitz, it causes unnecessary friction and could cause a real anti-semitic backlash all in the name of "political correctness." The final point is this, and it is theological and religious - just because a people is chosen doesn't mean they have automatic salvation or an exemption from what other people need to receive redemption. Chosen people can screw up, they also can be nasty, and in many cases if they continue in such behavior without a real transformation of life, they will condemn themselves and forfeit their status as being chosen. This doesn't apply to all of Israel or the entire Jewish people as a group, but rather to certain individuals among them who have appointed themselves enemies of Christ and His Church, as well as violating the dignity of personhood that God gave every human being. It is time for a more balanced approach to be taken in regard to these issues, and hopefully I can be a voice of reason in all this. Thank you for allowing me to pontificate, and for your patience in hearing me out.
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