| via cbn news | 
As Jews and Christians worldwide face a growing wave  of persecution, one Jewish leader is saying the two groups must stand  together to confront increasing violence."I will not be silent and we will not be silent,"  Ron Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress told Christians  recently about Jewish support for persecuted Christians.
In September, Lauder spoke at the annual  International Christian Embassy Jerusalem's Feast of Tabernacles  celebration where thousands of Christians were in attendance."Silence is the biggest help to anti-Semitism, or  anti-Christian. One of the things we are seeing over and over again is  that when you talk out, you fight back, people react," Lauder told CBN  News.
Historians blame public apathy for helping lead to  the horrors of World War II. The World Jewish Congress, founded in 1936,  became the diplomatic arm for Jewish people worldwide."We see the same recurrence we saw in the 1930s and  it's very scary. But there's also anti-Christian feeling. We've seen  that also coming out. We've seen it in the Middle East particularly when  churches are burned; when people are killed," Lauder said.Lauder noted that some 450,000 Christians have fled  Syria. In Bethlehem the Christian population has dropped from a high of  70 percent to around 15 to 20 percent today.He also told CBN News about two types of  anti-Semitism growing in Europe today. The first masquerades as  anti-Israel feeling, mainly stirred by Muslim populations in Western  Europe.The second is pushed by extremists in Eastern Europe and elsewhere."And these extremists have to blame somebody for the problems and they blame the Jewish people once again," Lauder said..
Lauder is viewed as the leader of the Jewish  community worldwide. His background as a former senior Pentagon official  and U.S. Ambassador to Austria puts him in a unique position to speak  to world leaders.
In an unprecendented move, Lauder thanked thousands  of Christians during September's Feast of Tabernacles celebration in  Jerusalem for their support for Israel."Thank you for standing on the right side of history. Thank you for standing with God," Lauder said."And thank you for standing with us the Jewish  people. And lastly, that's most important, thank you for standing here  in Jerusalem, the eternal, undivided capital of the State of Israel," he  said.
David Parsons, spokesman for the International  Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), called the speech a historic moment  in Diaspora Jewish-Christian relations."There aren't many prominent diaspora leaders who  have done this in the way that he did, coming and openly, profusely  thanking us for our support and actually saying we want to partner with  you," Parsons said."You've stood with us on Jerusalem. Guess what? We  want to stand with you on the issue of persecution of Christians in  Muslim countries," he said.
"Every time something's done, be it to Jews or to Christians, it hurts us all. We must work together," Lauder said.
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