Why should Christians speak out against antisemitism? Janet Parshall opens this episode of In the Market with a direct answer: Jesus was Jewish, salvation came through the Jewish people, and hatred of Jews has no place in the church. She is especially concerned that antisemitism is gaining ground while support for Israel is being questioned in American public life.
Her guest, Olivier Melnick, is president and executive director of Shalom in Messiah. He has just returned from Israel, where he helped lead a tour that brought Christians together with local speakers. Janet and Olivier discuss what visitors learned about life in Israel today, the political questions they were following, and how believers can pray.
Their conversation then turns to Kristallnacht, the Nazi attacks on Jewish people and property in November 1938. Olivier explains why he sees warnings in present-day antisemitism and urges Christians to recognize it, stand with Jewish neighbors, and share the message of the Messiah.
Janet and Olivier connect their concern about antisemitism with three parts of the conversation: Israel’s present, prayer for its leaders, and lessons they draw from Jewish history. Olivier also explains why he believes Christians need both courage and wisdom when they speak up.
Olivier says his recent trip to Israel was a tour rather than a work visit. The group traveled in three buses, but some of its most important moments took place at night in a hotel in Galilee. Olivier and two pastors invited local Israeli speakers to talk with more than 120 Christian visitors about Israel as it is now.
He says Christians often know Israel’s past through Bible study and believe Israel has a future in God’s plans. Yet they may be disconnected from the country’s present. The evening meetings gave visitors a chance to hear from people living there, while the Israeli speakers met Christians who cared about them. Olivier describes the exchange as a meaningful connection for both groups.
Janet agrees that present-day Israel cannot be left out of a Christian’s understanding. She recalls taking tours herself and meeting people whose work revealed concerns shared by people in Israel and the United States, including efforts to protect unborn children. For Janet, learning about people’s daily lives helps keep Israel from becoming only a subject of ancient history or future prophecy.
You must never forget Israel's future, but you must know about Israel's present.
That approach also fits the work Olivier describes at Shalom in Messiah. He says the ministry seeks to expose and fight antisemitism while equipping Christians to share the message of Jesus with Jewish people. Janet recommends his book, Antisemitism in the End Times: How the Rise of the World’s Oldest Hatred Is Paving the Way for Messiah’s Return, as a resource for understanding his concerns.
Because Olivier was in Israel during an election, Janet asks what he observed. She explains that Israel’s parliamentary system differs from a United States presidential election. Voters choose members of the Knesset from different parties, and a leader must then bring enough parties together to form a governing coalition.
Janet and Olivier discuss the difficulty they see facing Gadi Eisenkot as he tries to gather support. In their account, reaching the needed 61 seats could require cooperation with Arab parties or ultra-Orthodox parties, each of which raises difficult questions for potential partners. Olivier says he thinks another round of voting is possible if no coalition can be formed. He adds that he is not offering his view as a political analyst.
Much of their concern centers on the aftermath of October 7. Janet and Olivier question whether some Arab Knesset members have clearly condemned the attack. They also discuss a scene Janet says she watched in which Arab members walked out during Israel’s national anthem. For both speakers, these events raise questions about how coalition partners would approach Israel’s security and national identity.
The ultra-Orthodox parties present a different set of issues in their discussion. Olivier objects to government support for members of that community who, he says, do not serve in the military. Janet describes a proposal for another form of national service and recalls an anti-missionary bill introduced by ultra-Orthodox lawmakers. These concerns matter to her both as a supporter of Israel and as a Christian who wants freedom to share her faith.
Janet also voices alarm about what she sees as a shift in American support for Israel. Later in the episode, she and Olivier discuss American elections, comments by political leaders, and possible changes to military aid. They worry that weakening the relationship could encourage antisemitism. Olivier says he believes Israeli leaders are being careful not to damage ties with the United States even as they face hard political choices.
Janet does not want the conversation to stop at political predictions. Referring to Daniel 2:21, she notes that God raises up and removes rulers. She asks Olivier what believers should pray while Israel’s leadership remains unsettled.
His first answer is to pray for discernment and wisdom for the leaders making decisions. Olivier says they can act according to good principles even if, as far as he knows, they do not follow Jesus. He points to examples in Scripture of God working through people who did not worship the God of Israel.
Pray for discernment and wisdom.
Olivier also suggests praying that God would reveal himself to those leaders. He asks listeners to remember believers who serve in or near government and to pray that their faith would have a good influence. He has seen people who do not share his beliefs still ask him to pray for them, and he sees room for those conversations in public life.
His final request is the hardest, he says: pray for enemies. He points to Matthew 5:44, where Jesus tells his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Janet agrees that Christians do not have permission to hold on to hatred. The command shapes how they believe Christians should respond even to people whose words or actions trouble them deeply.
The discussion shifts to the anniversary of Kristallnacht, which took place on November 9 and 10, 1938. Olivier explains that the German name is often understood as the “night of broken glass.” He describes attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues, the killing of Jewish people, and the sending of thousands more to concentration camps. He writes about the anniversary each year because he wants people to remember where such hatred can lead.
Olivier tells Janet that when he began speaking about antisemitism years ago, he urged people to remember history so it would not repeat itself. Now, he believes he is seeing frightening parallels. He says Jewish people he knows are afraid, and he argues that Christians must decide whether they will be friends to Jewish people when doing so is unpopular.
Janet stresses that persecution did not begin with the death camps. She describes a series of steps, including hostile images, signs, forced identification, exclusion, and eventually deportation. In her view, remembering those steps helps the church recognize danger before violence reaches its worst form. She wants Christians to be among the first to say “never again” and to say it consistently.
Olivier recalls a lesson from his former Moody Bible Institute professor, Michael Rydelnik, who called the gradual removal of rights the “salami effect.” Take away one thin slice at a time, Olivier explains, and people may fail to notice what is being lost. He also paraphrases the warning associated with German pastor Martin Niemöller: when people stay silent as others are targeted, there may be no one left to help when they themselves need it.
Olivier lays out four steps he believes Christians should watch for: identifying Jewish people, demonizing them, pushing them aside, and then destroying them. He says the order matters. When people are marked out and treated as a problem, it becomes easier to exclude or attack them.
To explain identification, Olivier describes reports of Stars of David painted near Jewish homes in Paris after October 7. He also shares a personal choice. He usually wears a small Israel pin because it can start conversations, even with people who disagree with him. At an airport, however, he takes it off because he does not want a confrontation to interfere with his travel. He calls that a matter of wisdom and common sense, not a change in what he believes.
He sees demonization when Jewish people are portrayed as the cause of wider problems. He points to Jewish-owned businesses he says were targeted during unrest in France. Janet offers an example closer to home: Jewish students who, she says, have been warned to hide visible signs of their identity for fear of being targeted. Both speakers see such moments as reasons to pay attention rather than wait for a crisis.
Olivier also describes a boycott call aimed at Jewish restaurants in Philadelphia. He was encouraged, he says, when Jewish and Christian customers showed up to buy food instead. To him, that was a practical way to refuse the isolation of Jewish neighbors. It gave people a way to act rather than only express concern.
Janet and Olivier tie these examples to their wider worries about American politics and public speech. Their discussion includes strong concerns about elected officials, the movement to boycott Israel, and what they believe may happen if antisemitism is not confronted. Those concerns are part of why they urge listeners to stay aware of both local incidents and decisions made by national leaders.
Olivier believes the rise in antisemitism fits the end-times themes he writes about in his book. He and Janet both say they are watching events closely and expect the return of the Messiah, while acknowledging that they cannot set a date. Their expectation does not lead them to withdraw. Instead, they call Christians to pray, speak honestly, and care for people who may be at risk.
Janet closes by pointing to 2 Timothy 1:7 and its words about power, love, and a sound mind rather than fear. She says believers should pay attention, expose wrongdoing, share the gospel, and make disciples. In the same spirit, Olivier asks them to stand with Jewish people while using wisdom about how and where they act.
For both speakers, opposing antisemitism is inseparable from their Christian faith. Janet began by asking how hatred of Jews could belong in the life of someone who follows the Jewish Messiah. She ends with a call to confront that hatred whenever it appears, while continuing to pray for leaders, neighbors, and even enemies.