The Good German

My name is Patricia Heaton — a Christian, wife, mother actress, and the founder of O7C, the October 7th Coalition — Christians united to stand visibly and vocally for the Jewish people, for the right of Israel to exist, and to fight antisemitism. 

On Oct. 7 I was astonished and horrified by the footage coming from Hamas terrorists — the gleeful and savage butchery of innocent, peace-loving Israelis, many of whom had spent their lives trying to help Palestinians. Equally as barbaric, Hamas took many people hostage, 133 of whom are still held captive in dark tunnels. The youngest hostages are Ariel, who is four, and Kfir Bibas-Kefir, who turned one year old in captivity. 

When it happened, I looked around for the outrage, and it wasn’t there. Tennessee, where I now gratefully reside, is one of the most religious states in the Union, and the character and quality of its citizens reflect that. Yet I was hoping to see a more visible response to the terror. I posted on Instagram: “did you ever have the thought — ‘if I were a German during WW2, I hope I would have been that good German who hid my Jewish neighbors.’” I posted places where people could donate to help the Israelis and then finished with “please call or text your Jewish friends and ask them how they’re doing. Find out if you can help in any way.”

Christian friends, now is the time to be the good German.

As the blatant Jew hatred grows and multiplies across our campuses and around the world, I think of Israeli scholar Yehuda Bauer, who spoke to Germany’s parliament in 1998. He suggested a new commandment: “Thou shall never, but never, be a bystander.”

We are blessed to have a cloud of Christian witnesses who refused to be bystanders, who bravely, visibly, and vocally called out evil during WW2.

Pastors, think of Catholic Bishop Clemens August Von Galen, well-known critic of the Nazis. His bold sermons attacked the Nazis’ Aktion T4 euthanasia program and the propagandizing of their youth: “What sort of books do they read? Christian parents? Do but examine these books, especially the history texts used in the secondary schools. You will be appalled at the disregard for historical truth, at the attempt to inculcate simple children with distrust for Christianity and the Church and indeed with hatred of the teaching of Christ …” He exhorted Catholic Germans to be brave and steadfast in their faith: “God communicates with us through conscience that is molded by faith and you must always courageously obey that inner voice … Obedience to God and conscience may well cost us life, liberty and home, but let us die rather than commit sin.”

Pastors, think of the famous words of Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Pastors, think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who gave all for the sake of Christ and his fellow man:
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.”

Antisemites all over the world and particularly on our college campuses, are calling for the extermination of the biological family of our Jewish savior, but our holy book calls on us to stand with them and beside them:

“I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and all peoples on earth shall be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3

Many Christians do want to help their Jewish neighbors but don’t know how. At O7C, we are facilitating activities that are building a network of relationships to connect churches with synagogues, pastors with rabbis, and creating opportunities for education, community and fellowship.  

Many Christians do want to help their Jewish neighbors but don’t know how. At O7C, we are facilitating activities that are building a network of relationships to connect churches with synagogues, pastors with rabbis, and creating opportunities for education, community and fellowship.  Through communal gatherings, educational programs, interfaith exchanges, event sponsorships, rallies and marches, and even simple social interactions — coffees, lunches — we are creating a bond between our communities to unite us against the nihilism and hatred we are seeing all around us.

A young Jewish woman recently told me, “most people don’t know this, but among Jews, we always identify friends we know would hide us if it came to that.” 

The 15 million Jews in the world (.2% of the total population) want to know that they are not alone. A young Jewish woman recently told me, “most people don’t know this, but among Jews, we always identify friends we know would hide us if it came to that.” Christian brothers and sisters, do your Jewish friends think of you as a person who will stand by them? Pastors, does your neighborhood synagogue know you, have your cell phone number, feel they can count on you? 

If not, reach out today.

BE THE GOOD GERMAN.

Patricia Heaton is a three-time Emmy winner best known for playing iconic television moms Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond and Frankie Heck on The Middle.