In the wake of October 7, 2023, beyond the realization that 1200 Israelis had been murdered, the whole world was put on notice. Israel woke up to a nightmare situation, witnessing horrors comparable to the Holocaust era. Until now, after over two decades of studying, fighting and verbally denouncing all forms of antisemitism, I had always stayed away from comparing any of it to the Holocaust because I felt that the Jewish catastrophe was such a unique genocide in all of human history, that it required to be left alone. That ship sailed on Oct 7, and I feel that some parallels can be drawn.

The one event that I see as a potential repeat of history is the painting of blue stars of David on Jewish homes in Paris and neighboring suburbs to identify where Jewish people live. This is eerily reminiscent of 1938 Kristallnacht in Berlin when Jewish homes and businesses were marked with painted Jewish stars and the word: "Jude" (meaning Jew) in large white painted letters was applied to the storefronts. Incidentally, Kristallnacht was later recognized as the official starting date for the Holocaust. So, to the question: "Can another Holocaust happen today?" the answer is YES!

One would have to live in a cave, ignoring current events, not to be aware of the massive surge in global antisemitism. People are not even hiding behind any sort of narrative to cloak their Jew hatred anymore. It's out on the streets, out in academia, out in Hollywood and definitely out on university campuses. The most arrogant display of antisemitism on campus is, without a doubt, what just took place at Harvard recently. It was not an isolated incident since it also occurred at the University of Pennsylvania, where its president was forced to resign and at MIT. The president for all three schools appeared before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer some questions about the alarming rise in campus antisemitism. All three presidents couldn't find it in themselves to condemn Hamas for its murders of Jews.

Unfortunately,  in the case of Harvard, the outcome was very scary, at least for the time being, and it is concerning for Jewish people on three levels. On that topic, Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz wrote, "The recent spate of rabid anti-Semitism on so many campuses has posed enormous challenges to this new breed of university presidents. For the most part, they have failed miserably to meet these challenges, as reflected by the big three who testified so ineptly." We live in the postmodern era punctuated by DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). It seemingly promotes fair treatment of all people, especially those who have a history of being misrepresented, under-represented or even abused. DEI happens to be discrimination in the cloak of equality, and somehow, the Jewish people usually get the short end of the stick.

So, when it comes to University faculty and leadership, is it possible for DEI to have superseded academic excellence and competence and, in many cases, replaced it altogether? It would appear that way in the case of Claudine Gay, the current president of Harvard University. Following in the trail of some of her own students who couldn't find any valid reason to condemn Hamas for raping, naming, burning and beheading innocent Israeli civilians, Ms Gay couldn't condemn Hamas when confronted with the question by House Republican Elise Stefanik. She[Stefanik] calls Claudine Gay's response a case of "pathetic moral depravity." She [Gay] was asked if calling for the genocide of Jewish people violated Harvard school code of conduct, to which she answered: "it can be depending on the context." Seriously, what kind of context could possibly warrant the of genocide of ANY people group?

The answer provided brought chills to my spine. If this is not proof that the beast we call antisemitism is completely out in the open, I don't know what else needs to happen to convince people. The president of Harvard, under tremendous pressure, decided to release this statement, "calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account." Too little, too late if you ask me!

To add insult to injury, the board of directors at Harvard, voted to keep Gay as their president. This shows that they don't have any ethical concerns regarding her position, and this should really terrify any Jewish student currently enrolled. Set aside all the Jewish students, is this the kind of educational setting that anyone would want their children to go through? What kind of future are we preparing for if we are willingly training a new generation of leaders who will find it acceptable to commit genocide against the Jews or any other people group for that matter?

If people can be convinced that genocide could be justified depending on a particular context, this world will not be safe for Jewish people, but then again, I am not telling you something you didn't already know. It is time for Christians to mobilize and come to the rescue of their Jewish friends. May the "New Righteous Among the Nations" be proactive as they are given an opportunity to redeem the past!