Transcript [00:00] Welcome to this week's CUFI Weekly. [00:02] [music] My name is Kirby Calhoun and I [00:04] currently serve as the director for CUFI [00:06] on Campus. [00:07] This week I've been asked to talk to you [00:09] about anti-Semitism [music] [00:10] as the new campus and school year [00:12] begins. And while I could sit here and [00:15] list all of the statistics about the [00:17] alarming rise and rate of anti-Semitism, [00:19] there's really only a couple of them [00:21] that you need to know [music] that the [00:22] Jews make up less than 2% of America's [00:25] population and yet 69% [00:29] of hate-filled religious crimes are [00:31] aimed specifically and solely at them. [00:42] This week I'm going to share a story [00:43] with you. A story that was shared and [00:46] that I personally experienced here at [00:48] the University of West Florida right [00:50] before COVID took off. See, we had a [00:51] Holocaust survivor whose name was Irving [00:54] Roth come speak at the University of [00:56] West Florida and he shared his story [00:58] [music] about being thrown into [00:59] Auschwitz and overcoming life after [01:02] leaving and realizing the tragedy that [01:05] had taken [music] place. And we went out [01:07] to dinner after his speaking event at [01:09] the campus here and he said something [01:11] that really bothered me. He said, [01:13] "To Jews like me, Holocaust survivors, [01:17] America looks [music] like 1930s [01:19] Germany." [01:20] And at the time I didn't agree with him. [01:23] I even told him that. [01:24] That's not true. That's not what I see. [01:27] But I'm not a Jew. [01:29] And then October 7th, 2023 happened and [01:31] Hamas invaded, [music] raped, maimed, [01:33] mutilated, and murdered over 1,200 [01:35] Israeli civilians to include Americans [01:38] [music] that were there. [01:41] And on October 8th, I realized that Mr. [01:43] Irving Roth was right. [01:46] >> [music] [01:46] >> You see, anti-Semitism is an ancient [01:48] hatred. [01:49] It changes the flavor as the generations [01:52] go on, but the root cause is the the The [01:55] hatred of the Jews [01:58] is a poison and plague to all mankind [02:00] and every nation that has embraced it. [02:03] This is the United States of America. [02:05] Jews should have a right to go to school [02:07] without being afraid of who they are. [02:10] But that's not the case. Every Jewish [02:12] student I have met in the course of my [02:14] time in 2 years in this role has shared [02:17] with me that they are afraid to publicly [02:19] share their Judaism. [02:21] They don't want people to know that [02:22] they're Jewish because they know that it [02:24] it draws a target on their backs. [02:27] Christians shouldn't accept this [02:28] behavior for any group of people. [02:32] But historically knowing that this is a [02:34] symptom of societal degradation, [02:37] Christians should be the first to raise [02:39] the alarms [02:40] >> [music] [02:40] >> when Jews are being targeted for who [02:42] they are. They don't need to agree with [02:44] us on who the Messiah is for us to show [02:46] them the love of Christ. [02:48] It doesn't matter that communism is [02:49] spreading. It doesn't matter that just [02:52] this past weekend at [music] a fighting [02:54] event in Orlando, [02:56] Gypsy Crusader after winning his fight [02:58] is throwing Nazi salutes to the crowd [03:00] and the crowd didn't boo him off the [03:03] arena. [03:04] There was applause. [03:06] Fascism is evil. [03:09] So are people who practice it. [03:12] We all think that the greatest [03:14] generation did away with Nazis. [03:17] But the reality is is that the Jew [03:18] hatred that was alive then is alive now [03:21] and it was on TV just this past [music] [03:23] weekend. [03:24] You have a responsibility to tell your [03:26] kids, your grandkids, your neighbors, [03:28] and every single person you know [03:30] the real history about America. [03:33] Communism is spreading. Our strategic [03:34] [music] rivals are taking advantage of [03:37] the disunity in our own society and they [03:40] are using Israel and the Jews to do it. [03:44] We cannot let [music] this happen. You [03:45] want to have a foreign policy [03:46] discussion, that's fine. Give me a call. [03:49] You want to have a talk about biblical [03:51] theology, replacement theology, all of [03:53] those things, that's fine. [music] Give [03:54] me a call. [03:57] The moment you start to take your anger, [03:59] aggression out on the Jews, or blaming [04:01] them for all of your woes, or the issues [04:03] with society, [04:05] you, [04:05] >> [music] [04:05] >> my friend, have fallen prey to the [04:07] propaganda [04:09] that lured millions and millions into [04:11] fascism before you. [04:13] You're not enlightened. [04:15] You're not academically superior. [04:18] You're jumping into a pool of hatred. [04:22] And we're here to help pull you out. [04:25] If you don't believe what I'm saying, go [04:27] on your campus, wherever you live, put a [04:29] star of David necklace on, and walk [04:31] around, and you'll see exactly [music] [04:33] what I'm talking about. [04:36] Please, use Christians United for Israel [04:39] resources to understand this topic. We [04:42] will teach you, whether it's from a [04:44] policy perspective, how America and [04:47] Israel benefit from one another. Maybe [04:49] it's just teaching you historical facts [04:51] so you can engage [music] in [04:52] constructive dialogue. We have it all. [04:55] All you have to do is be receptive. Pay [04:57] attention to your surroundings, and [04:58] recognize that your neighbors, [05:01] the group of people that God selected to [05:03] usher in the Messiah, [05:05] they're being targeted for who they are. [05:08] Thank you for your time. God bless you, [05:11] and God bless America, and God bless [05:13] Israel. [05:16] >> Thanks for checking out this episode. Be [05:17] sure to like and subscribe so you get a [05:19] notification every time a new episode [05:21] hits. And if you want to check out some [05:22] of our previous episodes, and we've got [05:24] some really good ones, click on one of [05:26] the thumbnails, and that will take you [05:27] right there. And finally, if you want to [05:29] know more about CUFI and the work we do, [05:31] go to cufi.org to check out all the [05:33] resources we have available free to you.
In this episode of the CUFI Weekly, we’re looking at what Jewish students are facing on college campuses across America and the alarming rise of antisemitism in places that should be safe for every student. From harassment and intimidation to the normalization of anti-Jewish hatred, Jewish students are being confronted with warning signs that are difficult to ignore.
For Holocaust survivors, these warning signs are especially familiar. Their experiences offer an important reminder of what can happen when hatred is allowed to spread unchecked and society chooses to look the other way. Join us as we hear a Holocaust survivor’s warning for America and examine why the lessons of history still matter today.
Watch this week’s CUFI Weekly episode to learn what Jewish students are facing—and why we cannot afford to ignore the warning signs.
