My friends and I arrived at the restored train depot a few minutes early and drove around to find parking. We walked through security and had no trouble getting seats near the front. But when I turned around a few minutes later, I noticed dozens of people standing in the back and along the sides of the room.

It was May of 2024, and the event was called “Faces of October 7.” It was initiated by a group of young Jewish professionals who wanted to share real accounts about the current war in Israel. The speaker that night, Gal Solal, had spent over 30 hours in a safe room with his family while they listened to the sounds of terrorists shouting and bullets firing outside. Solal’s family had miraculously survived the terror attacks, and he had a story to tell about it.

As a Jewish person and a writer, I felt like I had to be there. I’m clinging to the hope that God still hasn’t left our people, so there was no way I would’ve missed hearing this firsthand account. But my non-Jewish friends didn’t exactly have to come. When I asked one friend why she came, she said, “The media fills me with the opposite perspective,” and she wanted to hear the other side. So, she and many others came with open ears and eyes.

They listened to Gal tell us what he and his family did to survive 36 hours in their safe room in Kibbutz Reim (located on the Gaza border of the Nova Music Festival).

He showed us pictures from the morning they escaped, lingering longest over the photo of his three children sleeping in the backseat of the car. It was the first time they’d been able to sleep since the attacks had started.

And he shared about the trip he and his wife took last February to revisit their old neighborhood. Gal walked through the homes, but his wife didn’t. She was afraid of stepping on human ashes.

The events of October 7, and the reverberations worldwide after that day, have made the world seem darker for Jewish people. My friend was right: we have seen more divisiveness and antisemitic rhetoric lately than ever before. But we’ve also seen solidarity in places where we may not have expected it, like the old, restored train depot in my small middle-American city.

Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.

That night reminded me of a maxim by Benjamin Franklin. He said, “Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.” We have seen and felt the darkness. Here are some biblical values that Christians hold to, that, lately lived out in the midst of the current conflict, seem to me like candles in the dark.

Mourning with Those Who Mourn

In the week after Hamas’ attack on Israel, we all saw news of antisemitic incidents happening around the world. I posted something on social media to the effect of, “I hope Christians will stand with the Jewish people.”

One of my Gentile-Christian friends responded. She grew up under the shadow of Communism in Eastern Europe, so she would understand better than many Americans what we mean when we speak of the suffering of an entire people group. Her reply was, “Romans 12:15 seems appropriate now.”

The verse she referenced was penned by Saul (also known as Paul), a first-century Jewish follower of Jesus. Those words exhort Jesus’ followers to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”1

I heard a story about a non-Jewish woman who saw her Jewish husband wrestling with the current conflict. She took it upon herself to learn more about the history of antisemitism. So, now she’s steeped herself in Jewish history to better understand and come alongside her husband.

Most Gentiles don’t know all that Jewish people have experienced through the ages. But that doesn’t mean that other people groups don’t understand suffering, nor does it mean that our friends are unwilling to learn.

There is a church in my home area that has dedicated a portion of their service every weekend to pray for an end to the current conflict, for the release of all the hostages, and for the safety and well-being of Jewish people everywhere. They’ve learned the hostages’ names and looked at pictures of their faces to focus their prayers. Now almost a year after the initial event, they have not given up their commitment to pray.

Showing Up

One of Jesus’ key teachings is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”2  This was his way of describing how to fulfill the heart of the Torah commandments. So, it’s an important priority for Christians to stand up for hurting people groups and to lend a hand if needed.

In November, a crowd of thousands gathered at Washington DC’s National Mall in support of Jewish people. Israeli flags were flown, as well as signs that said, “Never Again,” and “We Stand With Israel.”

Standing with Israel isn’t about politics; it’s about people.

When I first heard about the event’s location and some of its messages, I thought it sounded like a political rally. But for the non-Jewish people who attended, the idea of standing with Israel isn’t about politics; it’s about people. The Los Angeles Times reported:

“I hope that it shows solidarity” with Israel, said Jackie Seley of Rockville, Md., who came with friends from New York. “And I hope that it raises awareness for the hostages that are currently in danger.”3

On a smaller level, Aden Friedman (Jews for Jesus Toronto branch leader) helped organize a walk with a local church to raise awareness around current antisemitism. In Toronto, hate crimes are on the rise, and almost half of those hate crimes are antisemitic.4 It must have crossed the minds of the people who joined Friedman’s walk that participating could put their own safety at risk. Yet 70 people came to walk and to make a statement against antisemitism together. Of those, only 10 were Jewish.5

“Doing unto others” does sometimes look like giving time, but it can also look like giving finances. The Jerusalem Post reported on a Christian organization that donated $500,000 to help rebuild two communities that were destroyed during the October 7 attacks.

That organization, Passages, believes that all Christians should be committed to caring about the Jewish people. The $500,000 was raised through small donations by many people. And Passages plans to keep the connection alive. Paul Weber, a leader in the organization, said, “We have committed to bringing our future students to these communities year after year, always to remember what took place here, and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters.”6

Standing with Israel

In Noa Tishby’s article “Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism,” she argues that “Anti-Zionism is not merely criticizing the Israeli government.… Anti-Zionism is the insidious view that Israel should not exist.”7

If that’s so, then standing with Israel isn’t necessarily a political stance. Protecting the homeland of the Jewish people can be an expression of commitment to us as a people group.

Since October 7, many Christians have shown that kind of solidarity with the Jewish people by saying the words, “I stand with Israel.” That statement is often made without implying agreement with Israel’s government. Jews and non-Jews alike can affirm Israel’s right to exist without agreeing with all of her government’s policies, just as Americans can stand up for the right of the US to defend itself without agreeing on all of its policies.

Knowing the land exists helps us feel safe.

In fact, standing up for Israel’s right to exist is an important part of standing against antisemitism. Since 1948, Israel has been the one dedicated Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East. It is the place where all Jewish people can go “home” to, and even for those of us who don’t live there, knowing the land exists helps us feel safe. The existence of Israel is part of our heritage, so it’s something that helps shape our identity even if we’ve never set foot on her soil.

And on the other hand, standing with Israel does not mean standing against Palestinians, but instead, only against anyone who seeks to destroy Israel. People living in Israel are traumatized right now; many are displaced, many are hopeless, many have lost loved ones. Our Jews for Jesus Israel branch, as well as many other faith-based organizations, are helping in any way they can. They’re sharing food, organizing support groups, and giving away free literature. Those resources are available for everyone who needs them, regardless of ethnicity or religious background.

Remembering Heroes

One of the best-selling Christian biographies of all time, The Hiding Place, tells the story of how one family saved many Jewish lives during the Nazi occupation in Holland. This family, the ten Booms, was eventually caught and taken to concentration camps (where some were killed, and all were tortured) for their love of Jewish people.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran theologian and preacher. He was imprisoned (and ultimately hanged) for his part in an attempt to assassinate Hitler and for his resistance against the Nazi regime.

Just as many Jewish people are inspired by Ruth the Moabitess, so many Christians today uphold Bonhoeffer and the ten Booms as heroes of the faith. They’re so iconic, so loved, that there’s probably not a Sunday in America that goes by where some preacher doesn’t talk about them as examples worthy to be followed. Especially now, in Christian circles, you can hear plenty of buzz about heroes such as these who laid down their lives for God’s people.

And the ten Booms and Bonhoeffer are just two examples. They are some of the most-often referred-to examples because they were also public figures in their own right. But they were part of a broader phenomenon. There were many, many “Righteous Among the Nations” who risked their lives to protect Jewish people during the Shoah.

Worth the Risk

As the “Faces of October 7” event wrapped up, we slowly gathered our things and prepared to leave. I was probably the slowest; I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a few conversations. What was the common thread that drew all these different people together to hear one man’s survival story?

People were putting on jackets, and picking up purses, and saying things like, “I love the God of Israel,” or “I love the people of Israel.” And that made me realize something. The God of Israel is called by that name for a reason. He is committed to His people.

I believe it’s that commitment that motivates Gentile Christians to stand in solidarity even when it’s risky. My friends weren’t obligated to drive downtown to a restored warehouse on a Wednesday night. They probably would’ve been more comfortable at home on their couches with their families. Instead, they came to be made uncomfortable by listening to stories of families who couldn’t relax in safety.

As I watched them leave, I thought of the Gentile Christians who work alongside us at Jews for Jesus’ administrative offices worldwide who are every day aligning themselves with the Jewish people. I remembered the thousands who gathered at the Mall and the many thousands of dollars given.

Acts of solidarity don’t fix antisemitism. But they do add up to many candles in the dark.

These acts of solidarity don’t fix antisemitism. But they do add up to many candles in the dark.

The Jewish story is long and complicated. Some might even call it messy. But the candles in the dark give me hope that there are many Christians who believe that it’s worth it to stand by us in our struggles. That helps me remember that not only are we not alone–we never have been, and we never will be.

Endnotes

1. Romans 12:15 ESV.
2. Luke 6:31 NIV.
3. R. Santana, and M. Balsamo, “‘Never again’: Tens of thousands of supporters of Israel rally in Washington,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2023.
4. “Five hate crime calls a day in Toronto, majority related to antisemitism,” National Post, June 25, 2024.
5. A. Friedman, Personal Communication, March 4, 2024.
6. Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman,  “Christians donate $500,000 to Israeli towns devastated by Hamas attack,” The Jerusalem Post, January 22, 2024.
7. Noa Tishby, “Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism,” MSN, September 15, 2023.