by Rev. Ted Pike

On September 30 the Anti-Defamation League came out with a feeble whimper, not its usual bang, against the alleged “anti-Semitic” implications of Bill O’Reilly’s book Killing Jesus. ADL national director Abe Foxman reprinted an exchange of letters following O’Reilly’s recent appearance on “60 Minutes”. Foxman told O’Reilly that ADL was “deeply disturbed” by O’Reilly’s claim that Jewish leaders masterminded the crucifixion. He said this false claim has been the historic source of persecution of Jews for centuries.

Foxman cites several modern Catholic studies claiming this blame does not belong to Jews. He says, “We hope that you will reconsider your choice of words in describing the role of Jews in the crucifixion, and make clear you do not believe that Jews are to blame for the death of Jesus. May we hear from you on this?”

O’Reilly replied “that the Romans executed Jesus with an assist from corrupt elements of the Temple. That is the historical fact.” In his book O’Reilly abundantly clarifies that these “corrupt elements” were not a minority but the party of the Pharisees. He and co-author Martin Dugard say, “For as much as the Pharisees say they love God, most of them are arrogant, self-righteous men who love their exalted class-status more than any belief system…”

O’Reilly does not back down from the central thesis of Killing Jesus that what he describes as “the Jews,” i.e., evil and corrupt Pharisaic leaders, delivered Jesus to the Romans for execution.

Of course, O’Reilly agrees with Foxman that it was Roman soldiers who drove the nails. Every Bible-believing Christian also agrees. But O’Reilly does not give an inch on the fact that evil Jewish leaders incited the Romans.

In his final letter to O’Reilly, Foxman clearly reveals he has no stomach for further dispute with the primary conservative media personality in America. He was hoping for a conciliatory statement or even apology from O’Reilly. He got neither. Foxman is used to prying that kind of reversal out of lesser dignitaries, terrified of ADL’s power to defame and destroy. But all O’Reilly gave him was the accepted fact that Roman soldiers, doing another day’s work, did as a Roman politician ordered them. In no way did O’Reilly cower to Foxman and deny his statements of “historic fact,” related by the New Testament.

O’Reilly’s response is a powerful reminder to many leaders, both secular and religious, that just being accused of “hate” and “anti-Semitism” by Jewish supremacist attack groups, such as ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not the kiss of death. Like all bullies, Foxman, depends on a partly mythical reputation of invincibility, confirmed by the cowardice of many of his victims. O’Reilly gives everyone, small and great, an example of standing on truth and the testimony of Holy Scripture against the lies of Jewish supremacism. And the truth of the Bible is holding O’Reilly up. I believe God is also.

This exchange ends with Foxman pretending to be satisfied with O’Reilly’s statement that the Romans did the actual killing of Christ, as if that neutralizes O’Reilly’s thesis that the Jews led them to it. In reality, O’Reilly gave Foxman nothing. He made no apology for a single word of Killing Jesus. Vanquished, Foxman could only retreat from the scene of battle, saying ADL’s concerns are now “put…to rest.”

Foxman’s discomfiture gives a glimmer of hope to anti-Zionists and Christians/conservatives that ADL’s chokehold of intimidation, terrorizing right-wing leaders from any mention of ADL’s existence, much less its Jewishness, might someday be challenged and even broken.

ADL will just have to remain “deeply disturbed.”

Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization. He is also one of our most frequently interviewed guests on The Political Cesspool Radio Program.



Rev. Ted Pike