letter to the editor
Frederick Nagel
When someone says or writes something about Judeo-Christian values, why the heavens seem to open up. Could any values be more important than those agreed to by the major synagogues and churches and of our day? Talk about a holy alliance!
It hasn't always been that way. The Rhineland massacres known as the "German Crusade" of 1096 began with attacks on Jews and their properties. Mass murders of Jews were also committed by mobs of French and German Christians during the "People's Crusade." The "Second Crusade" slaughtered Jews in France, and the "Third Crusade" was even worse, with the French monarch, Philip II, passing laws that attacked Jewish rights. Pope Innocent III declared that it was the Jews who had "crucified the Lord."
Things were no better once the crusades got to Jerusalem. The Christian Franks collected all the Jews in the city and burned them to death in their synagogue. Nor did the violence subside later on. The 14 Century saw whole waves of persecution, with Jews begging the Catholic Church for protection only to be betrayed by the clergy. The Crusades kept coming, and the isolation of Jewish people into their own enclaves would set the stage for even greater persecution of Jews in the coming centuries.
The mistreatment of Jews did not end with the Crusades. 13th Century Budapest was besieged by Christian fighters, who were finally able to break through its defenses. The first thing they did was to gather all the Jews into three synagogues and burn them to death.
Apart from all that historical bloodshed, there were Jews living under racial persecution in all the major European cities. In Prague, the Jewish dead were piled on top of one another in stacks because they were given so little land, and it was illegal for a Jew to attend college.
So just what do Judeo-Christian values mean anyway? Looking back a millennium one might infer that it means Jews being murdered by Christians. Where "values" come in is anyone's guess.
But change is in the air. Judeo-Christian values now mean that Jews and Christians can slaughter Muslims in the Holy Land. The state of Israel sees it that way, and has been bombing and shooting hundreds off thousands of Palestinians for the last seventy or so years. This must go right back to these Judeo-Christian values that church pastors and rabbis love to talk about. For no matter how many children are shot, bombed or starved, there are always Judeo-Christian values to make things sound holy.
Israel is no slouch when it comes to butchery. Looking closely, one can see the absolute joy that the IDF gets in killing journalists, doctors, and ambulance drivers. It is the type of racist rage we see in a country that has completely lost its legitimacy as well as its humanity. And the rest of us get to play our roles in affirming Judeo-Christian values by sending bombs and bullets destined for Palestinian hearts.
Onward Christian Soldiers.
Fred Nagel
SF
Fred Nagel’s article, Onward Christian Soldiers, is a provocative critique that conflates historical Christian antisemitism with modern political conflicts involving Israel, framing “Judeo-Christian values” as a cover for violence. A few key points to consider when commenting on it:
1. Historical Context – Accurate but Selective
-
What’s accurate: The article correctly highlights the brutal persecution of Jews in medieval Europe, particularly during the Crusades and subsequent centuries. These events are well-documented and reflect deep-rooted antisemitism in Christian Europe.
-
What’s missing: It overlooks the evolution of Christian-Jewish relations, particularly in the last century. Modern notions of “Judeo-Christian values” emerged largely post-WWII, in reaction to the Holocaust and as part of Western liberal-democratic identity, not as a continuation of medieval violence.
2. Conflation of Religion with Modern Politics
-
Critique: Nagel equates historical Christian persecution of Jews with modern Israeli policies toward Palestinians. This is a significant logical leap. Modern Israel is a secular state with diverse political factions, and its actions stem from geopolitical and security considerations rather than ancient religious crusading.
-
Risk: Such framing can inadvertently revive antisemitic tropes—portraying Jews as inherently violent or conspiratorial, which historically fueled persecution.
3. Use of Loaded, Dehumanizing Language
-
Phrases like “absolute joy that the IDF gets in killing journalists” and “butchery” are emotionally charged and paint an entire nation and people with a single brush. This undermines the credibility of the argument by relying on inflammatory rhetoric rather than nuanced analysis.
4. Ignoring Complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
-
The conflict involves layers of nationalism, colonial history, security threats, and mutual violence. Reducing it to “Jews and Christians slaughtering Muslims” erases Palestinian internal politics (Hamas, Fatah), regional actors (Iran, Hezbollah), and instances of Palestinian attacks on civilians.
5. On “Judeo-Christian Values”
-
Valid question: The article rightly challenges the vague invocation of “Judeo-Christian values” in political discourse, often used to create a moral veneer for controversial policies.
-
Counterpoint: These values today often refer to shared ethical principles like human dignity, justice, and rule of law—not a historical alliance of religious groups to oppress others.
In summary:
Nagel’s piece raises legitimate historical grievances and
critiques Western hypocrisy, but it suffers from historical
oversimplification, conflation of religion and geopolitics, and
inflammatory generalizations that can cross into antisemitic
framing. A thoughtful response would acknowledge the valid
critique of “Judeo-Christian values” as a political slogan while
challenging the article’s distortions and one-sided portrayal of
Israel and history.
Frederick Nagel
Fred
> On Aug 22, at 12:27 PM Aug 22, SF <conef...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Fred Nagel’s article, Onward Christian Soldiers, is a provocative critique that conflates historical Christian antisemitism with modern political conflicts involving Israel, framing “Judeo-Christian values” as a cover for violence. A few key points to consider when commenting on it:
>
> 1. Historical Context – Accurate but Selective
>
> • What’s accurate: The article correctly highlights the brutal persecution of Jews in medieval Europe, particularly during the Crusades and subsequent centuries. These events are well-documented and reflect deep-rooted antisemitism in Christian Europe.
>
> • What’s missing: It overlooks the evolution of Christian-Jewish relations, particularly in the last century. Modern notions of “Judeo-Christian values” emerged largely post-WWII, in reaction to the Holocaust and as part of Western liberal-democratic identity, not as a continuation of medieval violence.
>
> 2. Conflation of Religion with Modern Politics
>
> • Critique: Nagel equates historical Christian persecution of Jews with modern Israeli policies toward Palestinians. This is a significant logical leap. Modern Israel is a secular state with diverse political factions, and its actions stem from geopolitical and security considerations rather than ancient religious crusading.
>
> • Risk: Such framing can inadvertently revive antisemitic tropes—portraying Jews as inherently violent or conspiratorial, which historically fueled persecution.
>
> 3. Use of Loaded, Dehumanizing Language
>
> • Phrases like “absolute joy that the IDF gets in killing journalists” and “butchery” are emotionally charged and paint an entire nation and people with a single brush. This undermines the credibility of the argument by relying on inflammatory rhetoric rather than nuanced analysis.
>
> 4. Ignoring Complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
>
> • The conflict involves layers of nationalism, colonial history, security threats, and mutual violence. Reducing it to “Jews and Christians slaughtering Muslims” erases Palestinian internal politics (Hamas, Fatah), regional actors (Iran, Hezbollah), and instances of Palestinian attacks on civilians.
>
> 5. On “Judeo-Christian Values”
>
> • Valid question: The article rightly challenges the vague invocation of “Judeo-Christian values” in political discourse, often used to create a moral veneer for controversial policies.
>
> • Counterpoint: These values today often refer to shared ethical principles like human dignity, justice, and rule of law—not a historical alliance of religious groups to oppress others.
>
> Nagel’s piece raises legitimate historical grievances and critiques Western hypocrisy, but it suffers from historical oversimplification, conflation of religion and geopolitics, and inflammatory generalizations that can cross into antisemitic framing. A thoughtful response would acknowledge the valid critique of “Judeo-Christian values” as a political slogan while challenging the article’s distortions and one-sided portrayal of Israel and history.
>
>
> On 8/22/2025 6:16 AM, Frederick Nagel wrote:
>> Onward Christian Soldiers
>>
>> When someone says or writes something about Judeo-Christian values, why the heavens seem to open up. Could any values be more important than those agreed to by the major synagogues and churches and of our day? Talk about a holy alliance!
>>
>> It hasn't always been that way. The Rhineland massacres known as the "German Crusade" of 1096 began with attacks on Jews and their properties. Mass murders of Jews were also committed by mobs of French and German Christians during the "People's Crusade." The "Second Crusade" slaughtered Jews in France, and the "Third Crusade" was even worse, with the French monarch, Philip II, passing laws that attacked Jewish rights. Pope Innocent III declared that it was the Jews who had "crucified the Lord."
>>
>> Things were no better once the crusades got to Jerusalem. The Christian Franks collected all the Jews in the city and burned them to death in their synagogue. Nor did the violence subside later on. The 14 Century saw whole waves of persecution, with Jews begging the Catholic Church for protection only to be betrayed by the clergy. The Crusades kept coming, and the isolation of Jewish people into their own enclaves would set the stage for even greater persecution of Jews in the coming centuries.
>>
>> The mistreatment of Jews did not end with the Crusades. 13th Century Budapest was besieged by Christian fighters, who were finally able to break through its defenses. The first thing they did was to gather all the Jews into three synagogues and burn them to death.
>>
>> Apart from all that historical bloodshed, there were Jews living under racial persecution in all the major European cities. In Prague, the Jewish dead were piled on top of one another in stacks because they were given so little land, and it was illegal for a Jew to attend college.
>>
>> So just what do Judeo-Christian values mean anyway? Looking back a millennium one might infer that it means Jews being murdered by Christians. Where "values" come in is anyone's guess.
>>
>> But change is in the air. Judeo-Christian values now mean that Jews and Christians can slaughter Muslims in the Holy Land. The state of Israel sees it that way, and has been bombing and shooting hundreds off thousands of Palestinians for the last seventy or so years. This must go right back to these Judeo-Christian values that church pastors and rabbis love to talk about. For no matter how many children are shot, bombed or starved, there are always Judeo-Christian values to make things sound holy.
>>
>> Israel is no slouch when it comes to butchery. Looking closely, one can see the absolute joy that the IDF gets in killing journalists, doctors, and ambulance drivers. It is the type of racist rage we see in a country that has completely lost its legitimacy as well as its humanity. And the rest of us get to play our roles in affirming Judeo-Christian values by sending bombs and bullets destined for Palestinian hearts.
>>
>> Onward Christian Soldiers.
>>
>
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