Ronald S. Lauder is the president of the World Jewish Congress. He wants his fellow Jews to speak out and stand up against the persecution of Christians, especially at the hands of ISIS. He calls the current situation in Iraq “Nazi-like,” and that the situation has failed to garner attention from political leaders, aging rock stars, and the world in general.
He maintains that ISIS is not a loosely organized group of rag-tag jihadists, but
…a real military force that has managed to take over much of Iraq with a successful business model that rivals its coldblooded spearhead of death. It uses money from banks and gold shops it has captured, along with control of oil resources and old-fashioned extortion, to finance its killing machine, making it perhaps the wealthiest Islamist terrorist group in the world. But where it truly excels is in its carnage, rivaling the death orgies of the Middle Ages. It has ruthlessly targeted Shiites, Kurds and Christians.
Again, Lauder’s language is strong: the world’s general indifference to ISIS is “obscene.” He calls upon his fellow Jews to stand up with Christians and against the wide-spread persecution of those who follow Christ:
This bond between Jews and Christians makes complete sense. We share much more than most religions. We read the same Bible, and share a moral and ethical core. Now, sadly, we share a kind of suffering: Christians are dying because of their beliefs, because they are defenseless and because the world is indifferent to their suffering.
Good people must join together and stop this revolting wave of violence. It’s not as if we are powerless. I write this as a citizen of the strongest military power on earth. I write this as a Jewish leader who cares about my Christian brothers and sisters.
The Jewish people understand all too well what can happen when the world is silent. This campaign of death must be stopped.
It would be nice to tell ourselves that ISIS is simply a tiny aberration in world events. That is not true. They want to destroy Christians, Americans and the liberty, freedom, and faith they represent. Lauder is right: this obscenity must be stopped.
Read “Who Will Stand Up for the Christians?” at The New York Times.
