(SRN NEWS)-( ) For many U.S. Jews, following current events these days can be emotionally draining. There is widely shared anger at the upsurge of attacks targeting their communities, and deep divisions within those communities between liberals and conservatives over whether to support various policies and actions by Israel. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union […]
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(SRN NEWS)-( ) For many U.S. Jews, following current events these days can be emotionally draining. There is widely shared anger at the upsurge of attacks targeting their communities, and deep divisions within those communities between liberals and conservatives over whether to support various policies and actions by Israel. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, says “To hold American Jews accountable for the actions of any foreign government is a dangerous double standard that we don’t apply to any other group.” Meanwhile, Jewish communities are spending millions on increased security.
( ) A University of Portland professor sees Americans turning away from traditional concepts of good and bad. Beth DeFault says “As societies grow more diverse and fewer people affiliate with formal religious groups, faith’s moral influence on society is waning. People start to assemble their own sense of right or wrong from a patchwork of sources – and increasingly, that involves scores, rankings and dashboards.” DeFault warns that a lot of Americans believe they are “good” based on their credit score, their fitness level or how productive they are — rather than on eternal values which many no longer put any faith in.
( ) Data compiled by the University of Massachusetts finds that every major escalation in the Middle East sends shock waves far beyond the region, resulting in violence against Jewish communities. In the year following the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, the Anti-Defamation League recorded nearly 9,500 anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. — averaging more than 25 acts per day. That’s the highest figure in the ADL audit’s 46-year history. There has been a fresh surge in anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish installations around the globe following the U.S.-Israeli offensive designed to end Iran’s nuclear weapons programs.
( ) It has taken a while, but America’s pastors are answering the call to highlight global persecution of Christians in their sermons. According to a poll of Protestant pastors conducted by LifeWay Research, the vast majority of them are acutely aware of how their brothers and sisters in foreign lands are being oppressed. The survey finds that 86 percent of preachers have urged their congregations to pray for persecuted Christians abroad. About two-thirds say they have delivered sermons focusing on abuse of believers and a few have brought in experts to give talks about the problem.