6 million Jews died in the Holocaust, with approximately 1.5 million Jews murdered at Auschwitz.
Sojourners is the magazine edited by Jim Wallis, who I think claims to be a “spiritual advisor” to President Obama, and has seen success with his book “God’s Politics“.
In a repellent and nasty article in Sojourners, Sami Awad – who self-identifies as a Christian peacemaker and organises “Christ at the Checkpoint” conferences – writes about the Jewish people as his enemy, claiming that going to Auschwitz helped him understand his enemy.
He also dismisses Jews as “oppressors”, and sees himself in an ongoing conflict with the Jews.
Despite his attempts to sound gracious, Awad comes across bitter, contenious and mean-spirited.
He writes:
“We are called to love our enemies. No matter what we think or feel, no matter how much anger we have in us, we are called to love our enemies. And for me, my biggest challenge has been to understand exactly who my enemy is, in order for me to love them. As a Palestinian, as a Christian, the most transformative experience for me has been going to places like Auschwitz and Birkenau and understanding who my enemy is. To understand the Holocaust, to understand the suffering, the pain, and the fear that exists within the Jewish community. The only thing that you can do after that experience is to love them more, to have real compassion for them and real understanding of where they came from and where they are now—and what is needed for us, as Christians, to follow the healer of all healers.”
“Them” are clearly the Jews.
Awad seems very proud of himself, for choosing to understand his enemy the Jews, and now trying to love them. His understanding of his trip to Auschwitz, seems to relate mainly to his own personal, spiritual journey and his overall mission.
But surely someone who as an adult considers the Jews to be his enemy, is by definition an anti-Semite.
