Parents, Do You Know What Your Kids Believe About Israel?

According to a Harvard/Harris poll, 51 percent of Americans ages 18-24 believe Hamas was justified in its brutal terrorist attacks on innocent Israeli citizens on October 7.

Fifty-one percent? How can this be?

Hamas was justified in roasting babies in ovens? In decapitating them? In burning whole families alive? In raping old and young women until their pelvises were broken, before shooting them in the head? In kidnapping holocaust survivors? 

Hamas was justified?

What about those under the age of 18? What do they think about Israel?

A recent article in the Jerusalem Post explained that, "Around five dozen individuals, some associated with Hamas and collectively boasting more than 100 million social media followers, have been waging a propaganda campaign against Israel on various social media platforms since the start of the Swords of Iron war on October 7."

That's a lot of social media followers. Perhaps one of your kids follows them as well, thinking they're getting solid information when in reality they're getting Hamas propaganda which even include such things as 'Tiktok dances to help Hamas fight Israel' making it seem fun and cool to help Hamas.

All this was underscored to me this week when a grad from one of the schools where I have taught sent me this note.

"Hey Dr. Brown. Thank you for sharing the post about Israel yesterday. I saw it and shared this morning.

"My daughter [aged 15] asked last week for a biscuit at McDonald's. Then said, 'Oh we can't go there, they support Israel.' I thought she was joking. But I looked at her and asked if she was pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. Without hesitation she said pro-Palestine.

"Then she looked at me confused. I asked why followed by, 'Don't say genocide.' To which she replied, 'Well it is.'

So I told her to hop in the car and I wanted to make sure she knew all the facts. When I finished, I told her we did not have to debate. But I only wanted to know if she was told those facts. Her response was, "I don't know." Which means no.

And this is a teenager raised in a very solid Christian home, with both mom and dad grounded in the Lord. How in the world did her daughter get so swayed?

She continued,

Parents don't realize the propaganda our children are hearing and believing. I knew it for "wokeness." But not for this. We are pulling her from public school next semester. I believe we are going to do Liberty Homeschool. It has been on the table for other reasons. But after that conversation, it was an easy choice for me. Watching America who has lost their identity, hate a group of people desperately trying to save theirs is beyond heartbreaking. And of course, what every Christian is called to do when it comes to Israel. Continued prayers! Thank you for being a voice of truth.

Sometimes we say things like, "I don't want to be an alarmist."

Today, our mantra should be, "I want to be an alarmist. I'm trying to sound the trumpet. I'm shouting at the top of my lungs!"

An op-ed by Jessica Guynn on USA Today stated that:

Jewish social media influencers are calling on TikTok to combat an alarming surge in antisemitism that they say is making the popular short-form video platform unsafe for the Jewish community.

Your Jewish creators -- who regularly enliven the For You page with videos of dancing, cooking, singing and positivity of all kinds -- are being bombarded with abhorrent inhumanity solely due to our ethno-religious identity.

Yes, "The daily barrage of hate and harassment that regularly targets Jewish content creators on TikTok 'has been compounded to unimaginable degrees' since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, according to the more than three dozen social media influencers and public figures who signed the letter."

And who, exactly, is TikTok influencing? Young people, of course.

Just do a search for "social media antisemitism" and see what comes up, then ask yourself again, "Who is teaching and influencing my kids?"

And if you want to use popular media to help open their eyes, check out this Israeli satire on YouTube (under three minutes long), celebrating LGBTQH -- the H standing for Hamas. Like the best, most biting satire, it is all too close to reality.