JERUSALEM – Acts of both Anti-Semitism and Christian persecution are rising around the world. Chris Mitchell of CBN News reports on a new organization that will challenge the church to confront these acts of hate.

From synagogue shootings in the United States to Christians imprisoned in Iran or China, Jews and Christians are under assault in today’s world.

Susanna Kokkonen, Hope for Persecuted Peoples:

“You mostly have Jewish organizations fighting anti-Semitism and then you have Christian groups that are fighting the persecution of Christians and I always felt that there was a connection between the two. It’s something that Christians and Jews have in common and that makes us targets of hatred.”

Hoping to bring the two forces together, Susanna Kokennen has launched Hope for Persecuted People. For ten years she directed Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial.

Kokennen believes the church in the west has become too comfortable.

“So this initiative really is about both fighting anti-Semitism with education. Maybe even helping more concretely but also asking the church to look at the persecution of Christians, what is happening to them? What are we supposed to be doing at this time?” `

“This has all kind of made us like sleeping beauties. At the same time Africa, Asia, the Middle East and now Asia is now rising as a major persecutor of Christians … we have sort of more or less ignored the suffering of these people. So it’s kind of a divided church also in that way.”

Risto Huvila, Author, the Miracle of Israel and President Truman,

“The Jewish organizations are reminding the church about the persecution of the Christians around the world. And the Christian agencies and ministries are much more silent and I don’t think this is right.”

Kokennen sees a solution by combining prayer and action.

“Prayer is the number one but then also all of these governments that allow the persecution, they certainly are trading with us. And we should be influencing our parliaments, our politicians, our nations to take a stand for these persecuted people.”

The launch brought together Christian and Jewish leaders.

Susanna Kokkonen notes, “I think that’s a common vision for us, both Jews and Christians. That’s what we want to launch here today.”

Kokkonen also calls on the church to prepare and pray against the likely increase of persecution in the west.

To read more news on Christian Persecution on Missions Box, go here.