The evils of anti-Semitism and the death of European free speech

These photos tell an amazing and connected story between the rising tide of anti-Semitism and the death of freedom of speech in Europe. America beware! The top photo is of the Pope and my distant cousin, Arthur Schneier. ( by Voice of America) Can you believe the head of such a large Christian denomination reinstates a Bishop who denies the Holocaust? After such a world wide outcry, the Bishop now has to recant (nothing yet) or he'll be handling the diocese in Antarctica. The Pope met with a Jewish delegation at the Vatican and my cousin was there as one who addressed him. How this will end is anyone's guess right now but it seems impossible that anyone who knows anything about the Nazi records and photos could doubt the existence of the Holocaust, It's really about undermining the existence of Israel anyway. By the way, it's a crime in Germany to publicly air such doubts.

The middle photo (by Marcel Antonisse/EPA) is of a Dutch parliamentarian who was denied entry into the UK because he spoke out against Islam. When Muslims worldwide speak out daily against Jews, no one seems to care and no one is being charged with a crime for doing it. Double standard award goes to the UK. I strongly encourage all to read Londonistan by Melanie Philips and pray we don't slide into the death of free speech like in the UK.

Finally, up to the plate in the bottom photo is that easy target for satire, President Chavez. (Photo AP) He says he doesn't hate Jews but now the government is saying that the attack on the synagogue in the free country of Venezula was really the fault of the Jews. Here's what was written in the Washington Post (2/12/09) about the climate of hate that fostered this attack,

"After Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip last month, the caudillo expelled Israel's ambassador and described Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide." Then Mr. Chávez turned on Venezuela's Jews. "Let's hope that the Venezuelan Jewish community will declare itself against this barbarity," Mr. Chávez bellowed on a government-controlled television channel. "Don't Jews repudiate the Holocaust? And this is precisely what we're witnessing." Government media quickly took up the chorus. One television host close to Mr. Chávez blamed opposition demonstrations on two students he said had Jewish last names. On a pro-government Web site, another commentator demanded that citizens "publicly challenge every Jew that you find in the street, shopping center or park" and called for a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, seizures of Jewish-owned property and a demonstration at Caracas's largest synagogue.

So hold on to your hats as this world loses its mind with hateful words and deeds against the Jews while on the other side trying to jail those who speak the truth about the violent agenda of radical Islam.

To Odessa in May, 2009

Just made final arrangements to be in Odessa and Nikolaiv from April 29th through May 12th. During that time Ukraine has 10 days of holidays to celebrate workers and to remember those who lost their lives in WWII. The posters to the left depict these two holiday themes. Nothing gets done for 10 days except for one long party so its a good time to have a leadership retreat in nearby Nikolaiv, a city that used to be closed to anyone except those who lived there. I will be leading the retreat with Pastor Barry Boucher of The Life Centre in Ottawa, Canada. He's a great guy and a big fan of the God of Israel, the Jews and the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). Please pray for our travel there and what the Lord has us to bring to these dear leaders. One of my favorite scriptures that should stir all those who have an opportunity to serve in the body of Messiah is, "But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." (I Thess. 2:7-8).

Our hope is that these leaders will take seriously the admonition of Yeshua and not think like the nations, like the rest of the world, who want to lord themselves over their people and exercise great authority over them. Yeshua said, "Let it not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mat. 20: 25 -28). It's ok to want to be great in the body so that you can be a servant and a slave and give your life as a ransom for many. Yehsua said we should let them do that, to those who want such a way of greatness, and implied we should not hinder them. But at the end of it, those who want such greatness should realize they are just being made a payment for the rescue and freedom of others. It's not about titles, power and glory but about setting the captives free, binding up the broken hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and preaching good news to the poor. This was Yeshua's declared ministry and it doesn't get better than that. Shalom from Paris. David Schneier

Shabbat - Joy or Legalism

This coming Friday night I will be teaching on the Shabbat (Sabbath) at the American Church of Paris at 7:30pm on Friday, Feb. 13th (I am definitely not superstitious). Hopefully, it will be the first in a series of teachings/discussions of the Feasts of the Lord and what relevance they have to the Jewish and Gentile believers in the body of Messiah today. Are these feasts valuable roots to a tree of life or outdated legalisms that push out God's grace from our lives? Many Christians are sure that a Sabbath day of rest is not for them, but how and why have we gotten to that point? Anyway, the Sabbath can only be on Sunday, right? Is the Sabbath made for man as Yeshua, Jesus, said and what does that mean? What has western culture lost when rest and development of community that thrives on rest is removed from the picture? What are your thoughts on this? I can include them in my time of sharing this Friday. Shalom. David Schneier