The Holocaust is critical to any attempt to understand or study anti-Semitism. Although European anti-Semitism existed for centuries and defined so much of Jewish existence in Europe, the Holocaust took classic anti-Semitism to a whole new level. But beyond the context of anti-Semitism, the Holocaust has defined so much of the Jewish attitude to non-Jews, and to the dangers that Jews face, both in Israel and around the world. And on a personal level, there are very few Jews today who do not have some personal connection to the Holocaust and its victims.
Sondra Oster Baras, an Orthodox Jew who has devoted her life to reaching out to Christians all over the world to bless Israel, shares a Jewish perspective on the Holocaust and recounts her own family’s connection to that horrific period in Jewish history. Kimberly Troup, Christian Zionist director of CFOIC Heartland’s US office, and Tommy Waller, also a Christian Zionist, recall their own discovery of the Holocaust and how it has affected them. The discussion between Christians and a Jew on this tragic and painful subject even as all three participants share the sense of horror from the Holocaust, is, in and of itself, a reconciliation.
If there is a topic you would like to see Sondra and Tommy discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Send us your thoughts and questions at Kim@cfoic.com