01/23/2024
The Hebrew men who were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a wicked man with a god complex miraculously survived and brought with them from the fire a testament to the power of being sure in one’s identity (Daniel 3).
Similarly, although their physical bodies did not survive, Holocaust victims loudly declared their faith and clung to their Jewish identity as they marched bravely into the gas chambers. Many on their death marches sang a hymn called ‘Ani Maamin,’ declaring “I believe.” Like our ancestors, we must be strong in who we are, come what may.
When Jew haters succeeded in turning the world against us time and time again over the past several centuries, the Jewish response has largely been to run. We hide our Jewishness, we back down and yield to our oppressors, we submit and do our best to blend in. And we all get it…who wants to be persecuted?
But I would ask, how well has that worked for us? Not so well, I’d say. From October 7th onward, Jewish pride has hit all-time highs. We must keep it this way. We must be bold and courageous; we must refuse to bow. We are Jews, we exist, and we will exist forever — deal with it.
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