At a time when anti-Jewish agitators lay in wait for something to pin on Jews as the reason they should be shunned and rebuked, one woman stands alone for bringing what could be characterized as true Christian conciliation, representing the true essence of her faith. Her name is Laurie Cardoza Moore.
In her article, “Why would an IDF soldier use a hammer to smash the face of Jesus?” Cardoza begins her discourse repeating that title, the actual question asked by Tucker Carlson, following the lamentable act of defacement that recently occurred in the Lebanese town of Debel by an Israeli soldier.
But rather than pile on the guilt and accusatory finger, Cardoza Moore has taken a decidedly different direction from that of the provocative podcaster – answering the question by inserting some needed historical context into the conversation.
She starts by reminding everyone that sometimes there is a knee-jerk reaction, based on “centuries of persecution, murder, and hatred perpetrated against Jews, in the name of Jesus Christ, including the Crusades, the spread of blood libels, the deicide accusations, the brutality of the Inquisition, the expulsions of Jews from Christian nations, the pogroms of Eastern Europe, and the Holocaust,” April 28, jpost.com/opinion/article-894283
While rightly recognizing the wrongness of the act, Cardoza Moore identifies this as a “teaching moment,” devoting the remainder of her article to returning Christianity to its Jewish roots.
Through the use of scripture, she systematically documents the intended role of Gentiles towards the Jewish nation as one that should be supportive, rather than critical or replaced.
'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem'
Admonishing Christians that their charge is to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” as stated in Psalm 122:6, she recalls the promise given to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” (Gen. 12:3)
What could be a better and more sincere response, pointing her fellow Christians to their spiritual duty, which also yields a direct benefit to them!
The difference couldn’t be starker between that kind of heartfelt message, encouraging a unified cohesion, while providing the blueprint for how to get there, as opposed to the performative outrage displayed by Tucker and his ilk.
One is meant to generate the coveted clicks of an ever-growing audience that eagerly laps up the scorn and contempt against the Jewish people and their homeland, while the other is intended to promote unity, understanding, and fulfilling the call of Bible-believing Christians, who are still challenged to live by what was written.
No question had the latter been done, once Christianity spread throughout the world, the many atrocities executed upon the Jewish people, in the name of the Christian faith, would not have occurred.
That is why Cardoza Moore is correct to reset the table, defining for everyone the moral charge found within the pages of the scriptures, as readers search out the optimal relationship between Jews and Christians, intended by the Almighty.
Walking in that destiny is life-giving, unlike the immediate rejection and denigration of one faith by another, whose consequences produce friction, bitterness, and hatred.
Rather than angrily reacting to what was clearly a serious offense, by defacing a symbol of hope to those who revered its meaning, Cardoza Moore, who also seems to have a background of Jewish ancestry, takes the opportunity to use this ugly act to bring us all a bit closer to one another.
What a refreshing change from the ever-growing accusatory voices of provocateurs, vying for popularity and more listeners, whose ears can’t seem to get enough of the vile and libelous claims, conspiracy theories, and outright lies that have been propagated over the course of the last two and a half years.
Their vicious transmission has been the impetus for the sowing of doubt, aspersions, and myriads of suspicions, as to who the Jewish people are and whether or not they should be treated differently.
Sadly, in many cases, these powers of suggestion have been responsible for a great change in the atmosphere when it comes to how Jews are looked upon in general.
But putting aside any connection to Israel, the vast majority of American Jews, as well as others who reside in Europe, Australia, and Canada, do not necessarily have a close affiliation with their ancestral homeland.
To the contrary, their loyalties, in many cases, for generations, have been cemented into their countries of origin where they were born. For them, their allegiance has been clear by the choice they’ve made to remain in those nations, even now, as their image is undergoing an unprecedented tarnishing.
The possibility of picking up stakes, and relocating to a country where a foreign language is spoken and the culture is vastly different, is about as daunting, to them, a thought as it gets.
But it’s so much more than that! When your trusted friends and neighbors suddenly begin to look at you with a jaundiced eye, all because of your religion or ethnicity, that’s when the fractures are felt, leaving you to wonder if things could ever return to what they were.
This becomes the moment of truth, where the threat of a repetition of the horrors of history becomes all too real, often turning into a decision of where’s the best place to survive.
Cardoza Moore has stepped into that deep abyss, articulately expressing the meaning of true faith – one which is based upon and lived out through the inspiring admonitions that come from above. For her, this incident is not reduced to the simplistic response of coming to the defense of symbols.
Her advice, also emanating from her faith, is to “walk in truth” by reclaiming the words of God. Towards that end, she offers the injunction to” stand against antisemitism in all its forms,” stating that “the credibility of the church depends on it.”
That is because she knows that an authentic and real Christian faith cannot be tainted by the poison of Jew hatred, such as the kind that has been spewed by the likes of Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and others who, although perhaps less effusive, still cast grave doubts on the Jewish people and their homeland.
Laurie Cardoza Moore stands head and shoulders above everyone, just by having taken the road of conciliation – showing everyone what a real Christian looks like!
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.