Is it anti-Semitic to criticize Israel – to take issue with the assault on Gaza which has caused the death of thousands of civilians, many of them children, or to condemn the blocking of food and medicines to starving people? In some corners of our country that seems to be the case, though the charge of anti-Semitism appears in sometimes to be a cover for other objectives. There is certainly anti-Semitism that rears its ugly head in hate speech and acts of violence directed at people just because of their Jewish identity. As Sunday’s attack in Colorado attests, we see that grim reality in our own nation and across the world, and it should be condemned. But that does not mean that the Israeli government is relieved of accountability for decisions they are making in the waging of war on Gaza or the treatment of Palestinians in Israel or support for illegal settlements on the West Bank and Golan Heights. There are voices in our nation and in Israel too calling them to account.
Among the biblical prophets speaking truth to power in Israel, the words of Amos resound:
Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
It is justice and righteousness that God wants from Israelis, Palestinians, and us. It is justice and righteousness that should flow, not only among individuals, but in the policies and practices of government. The Israeli government has failed to live up to that standard in its war on Hamas, a war that Hamas brought upon Gaza through their own violent actions. But that does not justify indiscriminate bombing, displacement of millions of people, and the cutting off of aid to innocent Palestinian children. That critique is not anti-Semitic; it is biblical! We are all called to live justly and righteously, and when we fail to do so, it is fair to call those acting unjustly and unrighteously to account.
In our own nation and neighborhoods, God expects that same justice and righteousness to flow from our hands and hearts, from our lips and lives. We are called to stand with the poor and oppressed who are too often victimized by the rich and powerful. We are called to welcome the stranger and to love all our neighbors, not just those that look like us or act like us, think like us or vote like us. These are contentious times in which we live, but God calls us to forsake contentiousness, retribution, and hate, and instead to embrace the Way of Jesus which is the way of love. Others may criticize us for doing so, claiming that Jesus’ way is weak or unrealistic, but they said the same of Jesus two thousand years ago – and here we are with his words guiding our lives today!
As you deal day to day with the multitude of challenges and voices that are out there, look for the paths of justice, righteousness, and love; listen to the voices speaking justice, righteousness, and love; let your life reflect justice, righteousness, and love. It may be just a trickle that comes from us, but together and with God’s help, it may yet become an ever-flowing stream!
— John Peterson
