Introduction

The Holocaust (“Shoah” in Hebrew) was the systematic, state-sponsored murder of six million Jewish people (including one million children) in German-occupied Europe from 1933 to 1945, and has greatly challenged the faith of Jewish people and Christians as well.[1]

The answer to the question “Why the Holocaust?” will be discussed and debated for years to come. The memory of this horrific moment in Jewish history will never be forgotten. It is our hope that this brief essay will help us come face to face with the evil of the Holocaust and our own capacity for evil. It is especially important for us, who view the spiritual side of life as central, to be reminded of the graciousness of God, who keeps His promises to the Jewish people and sent His only Son to die for the sins of all, even when we shake our fist in His holy face. (Romans 5:8). Yet, He still loves us(Jeremiah 31:3)!

Although it is impossible to understand why God would allow the Holocaust to happen, we do know that He is always fair, just, and loving. His justice will require the initiators of this beyond-tragic Jewish experience to be judged by the Messianic Jewish Judge—Jesus. We still live in light of the horrors of this tragic moment in Jewish history. He also allows us to go through experiences that are impossible to understand. The Holocaust is certainly one of these experiences, so please keep reading, knowing that we hope simply to add some additional thoughts and reflection on this tragedy.

We can never forget!

Pulling Back the Cosmic Curtain

In the book of Genesis, Satan rebelled against God and later beguiled Adam and Eve to sin (Isaiah 14:12–17; Genesis 3). God’s Word tells us that sins of every kind, murders, calamities, and death entered the world because of Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey (or not believe) God (Genesis 3:14–24; Romans 5:12–14).

As the world continued in rebellion against God, humankind witnessed the reigns of wicked men like Adolph Hitler and others, who, under the influence of Satan, persecuted and murdered millions of people.

Furthermore, the Adversary of Israel especially hates the Jewish people and has repeatedly tried to eliminate the chosen people (Zechariah 3:1–2; John 8:44) to prevent the coming of the Redeemer, both in His first and second comings.

As early as Genesis 3:15, the Lord promised a Deliverer who would one day crush the head of the serpent and deal a fatal blow to Satan.

God’s Laws, Promises, and Covenants

In the Abrahamic covenant, the Lord graciously made a series of unconditional promises to the Jewish people—the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:

• to give the Israelites the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1–3, 15:18–21)
• to make the Israelites into a great and spiritual nation (Genesis 17:6–8)
• that the Jewish people would become a blessing to the nations of the world (Genesis 12:3)

Further unconditional covenants reaffirmed these powerful truths and provided additional information, such as the fact that the Messiah would come from the lineage of King David (2 Samuel 7:16).

God would fulfill these promises as they were founded upon the promise and power of the Almighty rather than on the response of frail and sinful man. God would ultimately turn the hearts of the Jewish people to Himself and fulfill his promises to the fathers and the prophets (Ezekiel 36:22–32).

 The Church and Antisemitism

There are those within the Jewish community who reject the very idea of God because they cannot fathom how a good God who is all-powerful could let this happen. Others believe the seeds of the Holocaust were sown throughout church history and blame the church for the Shoah. Antisemitism in the “church” was fueled by significant European Christian leaders like Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, who harbored very negative views of the Jewish people, which came out later, near the end of his life. One of the most significant challenges we face today in speaking with our beloved Jewish people about Jesus stems from misunderstandings of the New Testament, compounded by unbalanced theological views and the antisemitism of certain pseudo-Christians who harbored animosity toward the Jewish people.

This perspective led to the creation of anti-Jewish policies regarding land ownership, university attendance, and the role of Jewish people in European Christianized society from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Unfortunately, these extreme racist views were held by Europeans who identified as Christians, though they were basically cultural or nominal in their faith. Undoubtedly, though Hitler was the lightning rod for the Holocaust, there were centuries of extreme prejudice and intolerance that led to the cultural climate that enabled Hitler to attempt to accomplish his nefarious Final Solution.

This tragic history has cast a dark cloud over the gospel message, one that authentic Christians must dispel with their love.

God’s Redemption and Greater Purposes

 Despite the antisemitic climate in Europe in the 1930s, Isaac Feinstein was a prime example of a young Norwegian Jewish man who nonetheless came to faith in Yeshua. Not many years later, Isaac was martyred by the Nazis in a cattle car filled with other Jewish people while he was serving the Lord in Romania in the late 1930s. Just before dying of suffocation in the overcrowded car, Feinstein spent his last few breaths encouraging his fellow Jewish people to believe in Jesus “in order that they might prepare to meet their God.” Nearly all the 140 Jewish people in the car also died of suffocation shortly thereafter.[2] Only in heaven will we know how many precious Jewish souls responded to Isaac’s gospel message. May we be inspired by his courage!

Although God allowed the Holocaust, the Jewish and non-Jewish people, who, like Feinstein, were believers in Yeshua, did experience God’s great deliverance (salvation), in that they were saved from their sins, had the Holy Spirit as their comforter and guide, had a relationship with the Lord, and had the hope of eternal salvation. This is the type of deliverance that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament the multiple times God delivered His people Israel from those stronger and more numerous than they.

Although the Holocaust was a horrific event in Jewish history, we believe God is still on the throne. Though many Jewish people have been discouraged by this tragedy, that discouragement has often turned their hearts to the Messiah of Israel, who desires to deliver all people from the wages of sin and death (Romans 6:23). Additionally, the Land of Israel was reborn in 1948, giving us hope that God has not forsaken His people!

 Concluding Thoughts

This highlights the importance of all believers educating themselves about the Holocaust and the history of antisemitism in Europe (and now all over the globe). Most importantly, we need to  pray for our Jewish people and share the great news of Messiah Yeshua with them.

Ungodly, false Bible teaching played a part in the antisemitism that led up to the Holocaust. Whatever the reason, it is wrong and is of the enemy, Satan. Those of us who are believers need to take the lead in standing against antisemitism and encourage others to do the same.

Finally, if we truly love Yeshua and the God of Israel, we should love the Jewish people. We certainly would not want, as believers, to be found on the wrong side when Yeshua comes back or be fighting against the purposes of the Almighty, who, in His mercy, saved us when we were dead in our trespasses!

Remember, God is not done with His Jewish people. Let us all be partakers in what God wants to do among His Jewish people in these last days. It would be quite fitting to end with the words of the apostle Paul, who sums up God’s plan for the Jewish people quite well:

For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
“This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

 In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:25–29).