Books are written, commentators comment, and the world debates: was the 2020 American Presidential election stolen?; is Putin telling the truth about Ukranian atrocities against Russians?; and on and on. Remarkably, perhaps the biggest lie of all—that Jews are responsible for killing Jesus Christ and therefore eternally damned—is rarely discussed or debated. Yet it is not historically difficult to prove that this lie has done more damage from the time of Christ, until present day, than any other.

Most of my readers are familiar with, at least, the broad historical outlines of the Pogroms against Jewish communities, the Crusades, and the Holocaust. Herein, the most ingrained roots of persistent anti-Israeli/anti-Jewish attitudes and actions can be found in the “Jews as Christ killer” canard. Today, one does not have to wander far to find that many of Donald Trump’s organized support groups, e.g. Q’anon, promote anti-Semitism as a core principle of their belief system. Also, whether in Latin America, Asia, Europe, or among far-right Evangelicals here at home, Jews are openly excoriated as seekers of world domination, bent on achieving power in a Christ-free world.

Certainly, individuals are not born to hate. Instead, anti-Semitism is often injected into the minds of children by way of religious institutions wherein church and mosque leaders use religious education and prayer sessions to promulgate hatred. Religious history and principles are purposely distorted to subvert religious tolerance and respect for the other.

When we peruse Hitler’s writings and speeches, references to Christ often appear. They were, in fact, used by the German leader–and so many others–as a catalyst to blame the Jews for whatever most ails the respective country and its citizenry. Today, this pattern continues. America’s far-right–religious or otherwise–may not be as explicit as Hitler was, but when they talk about bankers, or the Rothschilds and George Soros, they usually mean the Jews. References to Israel as “their” country (see Donald Trump), are used to spark dual loyalty questions regarding the American Jewish community.

How do we counter all this in a charged political environment wherein violent responses are becoming the norm? First, our political, civic and economic leadership must engage in serious and vocal denunciation of the hateful myths that are publicly disseminated. Second, at all levels of education and discussion, from elementary school thru Higher Education, facts must be separated from false versions of history and society. Massive resources must be funneled into such efforts before the lies become stated reality based upon continued repetition and purposeful distortion. The foundations of American democracy are at stake.