Title: The History of Antisemitism & the Olympics | Jewish Road

An overview of antisemitism and its place in Olympic history. Find out about some historic moments when antisemites used the global gathering to spread their hatred.

On this solemn day, we remember specific events in history and how they impacted us as a people. Although today is not necessarily meant to be celebratory, it should also not be forgotten. Today Jews around the world will join together in mourning and reflection.

The first thing we see in the Bible is that there are these connections between what we call: Act One and Act Two, or better known as the Old and New Testaments. You don't have to look far to find them. In fact, you can find glimpses of Jesus throughout the first book of the Bible.

Embedded in the narrative of the Feasts of Israel is a verse right in the middle of them all. It is a verse of separation. If you’re not careful, you might even be tempted to overlook it and ask what’s next. Don’t do that.

Leviticus 23:22 is crucial.

It’s not about the past. It’s not about the future.

It’s about right now.

We’ve had a year of incredible division and hatred. I just wrote the phrase, “unprecedented division,” but that wouldn’t be true. We’ve been here before. Whether it was Haman, Hitler, or Hamas, my people have always had an enemy seeking to destroy us. But this is my version, in my generation, where hatred rears its ugly head once again. I’ve felt it, personally.

Believe it or not, we have another Jewish holiday just around the corner. Sunday evening, May 16 at sundown, begins the Jewish holiday of Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks. Jewish people worldwide will be celebrating this holiday as the day God gave the Torah (Law) to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai.

At sundown tonight, the 5th of the Hebrew month “Iyar,” it will be Yom Ha’atzmaut - Israel’s Independence Day. This day is not just about freedom for the Jewish people but also marks God's providential hand in their history. The Jewish people were brought back from near extinction by God Himself, and now they are flourishing as one of the most powerful nations in the world!

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

- Elie Wiesel

The Feast of First Fruits is a biblical feast that echoes the promise of resurrection. It celebrates God's abundant goodness to His people in giving them hope for new life through Jesus the Messiah. Since Moses’s time, the faithful had celebrated this feast when he instructed them how to offer first fruits from their harvest as an act of thanksgiving (Numbers 18:9-22).

On the tenth day of Nisan, the Israelite family enslaved in Egypt took a lamb from their flock. There were conditions: one-year old, male, without defect. For the next four days, this lamb was to be inspected, scrutinized, and tested to be sure it was without spot or blemish. If it passed the test, on the fourteenth day of the month, the lamb would be slaughtered.

Some people have wondered why the king mentioned in Zechariah 9:9-10 would ride a donkey into Jerusalem rather than a warhorse, a white stallion. This would seem like an odd choice for royalty, a king. After all, we expect to see kings mounted on strong white horses, chargers. That’s what kings ride, don’t they?

Charoset a sweet paste made of apples and nuts that symbolizes the mortar used by the ancient Israelites to build their homes in Egypt. It's also symbolic of the clay bricks used for building Jerusalem, which Jews believe will be rebuilt during the Messianic Age.