“We should put you all on freight wagons.”
This hateful statement makes reference to the Nazi practice of filling train cars with Jewish civilians and transporting them to death camps. It was uttered by a high school math teacher in Brussels, Belgium — to a 16-year-old Jewish girl.
It’s just a small, isolated incident. But it serves as a sobering illustration of what we are witnessing in Europe and many other parts of the world today. And it provides an explanation for a phenomenon at the heart of a recently released report by the respected Pew Research Center titled, “The Continuing Decline of Europe’s Jewish Population.”
The report points out that in 1939 there were 9.5 million Jews living in Europe — roughly 57% of the world’s total Jewish population. Today, only 1.4 million Jews remain in Europe — representing about 10% of the global Jewish population.
Indeed, only 0.2% of Europe’s citizen’s today are Jewish. And with anti-Semitic incidents like the one described above on the rise, that remnant is dwindling rapidly.
Of course, a large percentage of those making the huge decision to uproot themselves — their families having called Europe home for many generations — are heading for Israel.
Currently, efforts in Europe to curb this fleeing tide of Jewish talent, intelligence, and productivity seem half-hearted at best.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers her speech at a rally against anti-Semitism. Copyright - AP Images For example, the German government announced the formation this week of a special commission to investigate the resurgence of anti-Semitism in that country. The only problem is that no actual Jews were chosen to sit on the panel.
Here at Jewish Voice Ministries we’re working harder than ever to proclaim the truth about Israel in the media and to combat the rising tide of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism that is sweeping the globe.
We also understand that this fresh wave of migration of European Jews to Israel is a key prophetic marker — sending a clear signal to anyone with eyes to see that we are indeed in the Last Days.
Pray for Israel and the Jewish People
Please continue to pray for persecuted Jewish People everywhere. And please keep your connection to Jewish Voice strong. What we’re doing together is more important and more urgently needed than ever before.
When you support Jewish Voice, you join us in ministering humanitarian aid to desperately needy members of the “Lost Tribes” living in Africa and India. You also help us serve elderly Holocaust survivors in Israel and continue the fight against anti-Semitic mindsets the world over.
To thank you for your generous contribution today, we would like to send you a special gift with a profound message. The “Soldier at the Wall” sculpture is a powerful reminder to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The image of a defender of Israel praying at the Wailing Wall highlights just how real the threats are that Israel and Jewish People face every day. Together we are making a difference in the lives of persecuted and impoverished Jewish People throughout the world.
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