From Iran, Qatar, Tucker & more, Jews ‘facing worst wave of antisemitism since the Holocaust,’ Israeli President Herzog tells ALL ISRAEL NEWS

WASHINGTON, DC — Israel and the Jewish people are presently facing “the worst wave of antisemitism since the Holocaust, which brought the annihilation of six million Jews, and the worst of human atrocities.”

That’s the assessment of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

With a massive and potentially history-changing war looming in Iran — and vicious, relentless, and extremely well-funded attacks coming at Israel, Jews, and Christians from Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Qatar’s Al Jazeera, and other hateful and hyper-aggressive media outlets and influencers — I sat down with President Herzog for an exclusive conversation just before I departed Jerusalem for a month of speaking, media interviews, and meetings in the States.

We discussed the threats, the stakes, and what the President and other senior Israeli leaders are now describing as the “8th Front.”

We also talked about how Christians and Jews can and should work more closely together in a deepening strategic alliance.

We showed the full interview in Nashville last week at the first-ever Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress, organized by my dear friend and colleague Calev Myers, who serves on the ALL ISRAEL NEWS board and on the Israeli board of The Joshua Fund.

We also just aired the full conversation on The Rosenberg Report on TBN, the most-watched Christian television network in the U.S.

Now, I want to share Part One of our conversation with you, the readers of ALL ISRAEL NEWS.

WHAT IS THE 8TH FRONT?

Few issues concern me more than the explosion of hatred and violence that has erupted in recent years against Israel, the Jewish people, and Christians who have a deep, enduring, and biblical love for both.

We aren’t just being attacked by people who disagree with us.

We are being attacked by people who hate us and want to discredit us, delegitimize us, and ultimately destroy us.

The Iranian regime and its terrorist networks lead the way.

But this 8th Front — this avalanche of lies crashing down upon us from the so-called “mainstream media” and on social media — is also very dangerous.

Make no mistake: this is a winner-take-all war for Judeo-Christian civilization.

CHRISTIANS MUST WAKE UP TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE THREAT

It would be a profound mistake for Christians to ignore it or try to stay neutral.

To the contrary, Christians and Jews must wake up to the magnitude of the threat.

We must work together to defend our faith, our values, and our security.

Last week, I spoke at the Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress, where I serve on the steering committee.

With the nearly 350 delegates who attended, we talked about some of the most vicious and relentless voices attacking us — Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, and so many others — who have declared war against Israel, the Jews, and Christian Zionists.

We also discussed other critical questions, including those I posed to President Herzog:

• Why are we seeing such an explosion of hatred against Israel and the Jewish people in the media, on college campuses, and even in some churches?

• How should we respond?

• What can Christians who love the God of Israel do to bless the people of Israel and combat antisemitism?

I’m deeply grateful to the President for making the time to sit down with me, and for his keen insights and deep commitment to working closely with Evangelical Christians.

Here, then, is a partial transcript of my exclusive interview with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, lightly edited for clarity.

ROSENBERG: Mr. President, thank you so much for sitting down with us. Beginning on October 7, 2023, Israel came under attack from seven different directions in the days that followed — violent attacks from the forces of radical Islamism. But as we know, and as you’ve talked about, there’s an 8th front that is relentless. It’s global, it’s well-coordinated, and it’s extremely well-funded. For people who aren’t fully aware of or don’t understand it, what is the 8th front? How are Israel and Judeo-Christian civilization being attacked — through social media, through the media, and in other ways? How would you describe the 8th front, and how high are the stakes?

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: Well, the 8th front is not a physical front. You don’t feel it as a bomb or the shrieking noise of a missile or sirens. The 8th front is psychological warfare to undermine the right of decent human beings — the Jewish people, the People of the Book, the people of the Bible — to their most inherent rights of self-determination and their own nation-state.

And so it’s a whole campaign of hate which, of course, drinks from the sources of antisemitism, which have been lurking since ancient times, plus modern antisemitism, which I think includes undermining the right of the Jewish people to their own nation-state. It flares up the worst emotions on the streets, on campuses — everywhere. And this is a very dangerous phenomenon.

What we’ve seen is the worst wave of antisemitism since the Holocaust, which brought the annihilation of six million Jews, and one of the worst human atrocities — as if humanity, in some places, doesn’t learn. And that is why it is such a dangerous front.

ROSENBERG: I agree with you. In many ways, Israelis feel alone. Jews feel alone around the world — not completely alone, but more than ever.

One of the things I find fascinating is that when you go back to Theodor Herzl in 1897 and the First Zionist Congress, 99.9% of those in attendance were Jewish, of course. But there were a few Christian leaders who came and wanted to help.

Now, we’re in a stage where more than 99% of the world of Zionist people — those who truly believe Israel has the right to exist, and that Jews have the right to return to our ancient homeland and rebuild our ancient, sovereign state — are actually non-Jewish, right? Some 600 to 700 million Christians, in addition to Jews. That’s a big sea change.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: Well, I can’t confirm the numbers, of course. But the vast majority of Jews are Zionists and support the whole notion. Israel is in their hearts, and they know what Israel is all about. And we have many friends around the world. Throughout the ages, we’ve had friends who came forward.

In this era, there are many enemies — but also many friends. And I want to bless all the friends who are watching you, because these friends mean a lot to us. I appreciate it very much.

ROSENBERG: So do you think Israel is doing enough to reach out to Christian Zionists? What more should Israel be doing, as a government and as a people, to embrace non-Jewish Zionists — mostly Christians, but others as well — to strengthen that strategic alliance? Especially when we’re talking about a world of only about 15 million Jews.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: I would say that since October 7, there has been much more of a homecoming for all our Christian allies around the world. They’ve been there for many years and have been involved in many facets of Israeli life. At times, they were more identified with certain political sides in Israel.

Now, I think the general view of the Israeli public is extremely warm and positive. They see these Christian friends all over the world as lovers of Zionism — dear friends, our brothers and sisters — whom we must align with together. And I welcome that very much.

You know, I invest a lot of effort in saying thank you and expressing gratitude to our sisters and brothers all over the world who are supporting us. I do so as the head of state of the Israeli nation.

ROSENBERG: I’m grateful. I watched you do that before October 7, but I’ve seen you become very intentional and forward-leaning — proactive — in speaking to Christians. You’ve met with Christian leaders who have come to you — we’ve brought a number of groups ourselves — but also through the media.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: Exactly.

ROSENBERG: So we’ve got this group meeting right now in Nashville — the first-ever Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: Which is fascinating.

ROSENBERG: We’re excited about it. It’s not a new organization, but a way of pulling this movement together to be more effective. What would be your message to the delegates at the Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress? What should they be doing to stand with Israel, and to fight — and win — this 8th front?

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG: First of all, they’re following in the footsteps of great human beings throughout the ages who had the vision of the homecoming of the Jews to their eternal homeland. People tend to forget that, and it’s important to recognize the contribution of such individuals.

Now is the opportunity to interact in new, modern ways. There are threats on the one hand, but the message must be delivered to as many people as possible — especially in opinion-making and decision-making circles.

Why? Because we see a great threat, for example, in the extreme left and the extreme right in the United States.

I’m bothered by the number of young people from the Evangelical community and the Republican Party who have questions and doubts about Israel.

They need to understand that Israel is vital for the future of modern, Western, free-world civilization.

They must understand this Judeo-Christian cooperation — that we drink from the same fountains of the Bible and ancient sources. And I think this Congress has the opportunity to lay out a platform and move forward in many ways — first and foremost, to reignite love and passion for Israel among these groups.