The resurgence of antisemitism across the world is not only a Jewish problem; it is a crisis for Western civilization.
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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Global 100 Survey found that 46% of adults worldwide hold significant antisemitic beliefs - more than double the level recorded a decade ago and the highest since the ADL began tracking global antisemitism.
The survey found that 24% of Americans said recent attacks against Jews were “understandable,” 30% believe Jews have too much influence in politics and media, and 27% said American Jews should answer for the actions of Israel. Together, these findings point to a deeply troubling reality: The oldest hatred is once again finding new expressions.
Jew-hatred is no longer a fringe phenomenon but a growing social and civilizational challenge affecting both Jewish communities and the moral foundations of Western society. Yet history also teaches us something else: Antisemitism grows where moral foundations weaken, where truth becomes relative, and where societies lose their spiritual memory.
Confronting Jew-hatred requires more than security measures, legislation, or public condemnation. These are necessary, but they address symptoms rather than the root cause of the sickness. To truly confront antisemitism, we need to reinforce the Judeo-Christian covenantal foundation that shaped Western civilization.
There are tragic and painful chapters in the history of Jewish-Christian relations that cannot and should not be ignored. For centuries, theological hostility and political persecution caused deep wounds to the Jewish people. But recent decades have also witnessed something extraordinary: a historic reconciliation and rediscovery of shared covenantal roots.
Millions of Christians around the world have come to understand that their faith is inseparable from Israel, the Hebrew Scriptures, and the Jewish people. They recognize that Christianity did not emerge in opposition to Judaism, but from within it. Jesus, the apostles, and the earliest believers were Jews. The ethical foundations that shaped much of Western civilization - the sanctity of life, justice, human dignity, and responsibility before God - are rooted in revelation given through Israel.
Jew-hatred thrives where these values erode
When societies abandon biblical foundations, the Jew once again becomes the scapegoat for social frustration, political instability, or ideological extremism. The Jewish people have historically been attacked by both the far right and the far left, by fascist movements and totalitarian revolutions, by religious fanaticism and militant secularism alike.
The hatred remains remarkably persistent, which is why strengthening Jewish-Christian relations is both a strategic and moral necessity.
Every church that teaches the Jewish roots of the Christian faith helps immunize the next generation against antisemitism. Every partnership between rabbis and pastors helps rebuild trust where suspicion once existed. The Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast is a unique initiative hosted by members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, both in Israel and abroad.
Since its inception in 2016, when former president Reuven Rivlin endorsed the vision, the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast has grown in ways that far exceed what we could have planned or imagined.
As we prepare to gather for the 10th Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in Israel, we will already have convened 30 Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast gatherings abroad, bringing the global total to 40. From Europe and North America to Africa, Asia, Australia, and beyond, these gatherings have strengthened a worldwide network of Jews and Christians committed to standing with Jerusalem and with one another.
Strengthening the Judeo-Christian alliance will not solve every conflict or erase every difference between Jews and Christians. Nor should authentic differences be denied. But covenantal friendship does not require uniformity. It requires mutual respect, moral courage, and a shared commitment to defend the spiritual and moral foundations upon which free societies stand.
The battle against Jew-hatred is ultimately not only about protecting Jews. It is about defending the soul of Western civilization itself.
Albert Veksler is the global director of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, CEO and founder of JPBM Consulting, and executive director of Global Aliyah.