How many times can we hear words like “appalling”, “shocking”, and “unacceptable” before they begin to lose their meaning?
In recent weeks, the Jewish community in North London has been gripped by yet another wave of terror.
In Golders Green, two Jewish men were repeatedly stabbed in broad daylight.
Only weeks earlier, ambulances belonging to the Hatzola Jewish emergency service were set on fire and a synagogue was firebombed.
These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a pattern, one that is becoming all too familiar, not just in the UK, but across the world.
No longer shocked
Perhaps what is most sobering is this: the Jewish community is no longer shocked. Frightened, yes. Grieved, certainly. But surprised? No.
There is a growing sense that something is deeply wrong, that this is not only about Jewish safety, but about the moral and spiritual health of our world.
The British Jewish community is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. When a community faces existential threat in the country they have called "home" for 500 years, it begs the question: what kind of society do we want to be?
How do we respond?
For evangelical Christians, this moment cannot be met with silence.
Scripture calls us to “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12v15). It calls us to love our neighbours not in word only, but in action and truth (1 John 3v18).
We must be people who stand for what is right, even when it is uncomfortable.
Antisemitism is not just a political issue. It is a human issue. And more than that, it is a deep-seated spiritual issue. Hatred, division, and violence are never from God. They reflect a broken world in need of redemption.
So, what does it look like for Christians to respond faithfully? Well, we pray for our Jewish communities across the UK.
We stand with our Jewish friends, neighbour, colleagues. Silence can often be interpreted as indifference.
"Silence can often be interpreted as indifference."
We speak. Antisemitic comments must not be ignored. Speaking up does not require anger, but it does require courage. A quiet, clear refusal to accept hatred is a powerful witness.
And finally, we remember the hope we carry. As followers of Jesus, we believe in the Prince of Peace.
Now is not a time to withdraw. It is a time to draw near.
Let us be a people who pray with sincerity, who stand with compassion, and who speak with courage.
Let us not grow weary of doing good (Galatians 6v9), even when the headlines feel heavy and the situation feels complex.
Because in moments like these, faith must be visible.
And perhaps the question we must each ask is this: If not now, when? If not us, who?
