The leader of a prominent religious organization is speaking out against anti-Semitism by characterizing it as a repudiation of Christianity.
Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, was responding to the attack that injured five Hasidic Jews who were celebrating Chanukah at a Rabbi’s house on December 29.
“The anti-Semitic attacks in New York should alarm all of us,” he wrote in a tweet. “Again, anti-Semitism is a repudiation of Christianity as well as Judaism. Christians should be the first ones standing up to protect Jewish Americans.”
The anti-Semitic attacks in New York should alarm all of us. Again, anti-Semitism is a repudiation of Christianity as well as of Judaism. Christians should be the first ones standing up to protect Jewish Americans.https://t.co/gpZIG2uWUe
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) December 30, 2019
Friendly Atheist’s Beth Stoneburner took Moore to task for this line of thinking, noting that Jews have been persecuted by Christians for centuries.
“Moore ignored all that history in his effort to make Christians look like victims when condemning anti-Semitism,” she writes. “He found a way to #AllLivesMatter discrimination against Jews. Saying that anti-Semitism hurts Christians as well as Jews isn’t just wrong on a historic level, it’s downright appalling to paint Christians with the same brush.”
Jewish and Christian Twitter users also had something to say about Moore’s tweet.
https://twitter.com/sarahrhamburg/status/1211703850438189058
Do you see what you just did?
YOU CENTERED CHRISTIANS AS VICTIMS OF ANTISEMITISM.
You should be centering Jews in this conversation, and the *work* Christians need to engage in to push back against antisemitism.
— Jeremy Forest Price (@jeremyfprice) December 30, 2019
I am sure you mean well but this is part of the problem. Antisemitism is an attack on Jews. You don't have to appropriate our suffering to make it about Christianity. Christian history is not painted in glory when it comes to standing up to protect Jews.
— (((Brad Belmont))) ✡️😷🇺🇸🫏 (@BradBelmont) December 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/maxsparber/status/1211773136980590592
The response of if you hate anybody, you hate Jesus, is an attempt to deflect from the attacks on Jewish people at this time. Shame on you. Jewish people are being attacked for being Jewish. Jesus was and is Jewish. Those are two incontrovertible facts. Please don’t deflect.
— Tzedakah Ministries (@ElijahsWitness) December 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/blewis823/status/1211818223286530049
https://twitter.com/3illSweet/status/1211863079870484480