Love Stronger Than Hatred: A Call to Action
This article reflects on a powerful image of an Israeli-Druze soldier tenderly rescuing and honoring an elderly man, drawing a profound parallel between such acts of compassion and the urgent need for a global awakening to love like Jesus. It confronts the hatred still directed toward the Jewish people, the denial of the Holocaust, the ongoing slaughter of the unborn, and the hidden epidemic of ritual abuse and trafficking that too often goes unchecked. By weaving these injustices together, the piece calls readers to see beyond politics and agendas, to recognize the priceless worth of every life, and to embody the radical, healing love of Christ that alone can pierce the darkness.
Sharri Burggraaf
8/18/20253 min read
When I saw the image of an Israeli-Druze IDF soldier tenderly kissing the weathered hand of an elderly Druze Jewish grandfather after rescuing him from brutal assault and administering care, my heart was pierced. It was not simply a gesture; it was a holy act — an offering of dignity, compassion, and sacrificial love.
This single moment testifies to the profound truth that every soul is infinitely precious in God’s sight, created in His image, and treasured enough that Jesus Himself gave His life for the least of these. Innocent, yet willing, His life and death changed everything, and He declared that we would go on to do even greater things.
After looking at the photo on the instragram post I skimmed the many comments of hatred, taking political and cultural sides, not even seeing the beauty in front of their eyes.
I asked myself, why is there such hatred in a world that desperately needs peace and respite? Those who were spewing hatred were those who were nestled in the protected palace of the United States hyprocritically turning a blind eye to the innocent blood oth their hands of the holocaust of the slaughtering of innocent unborn babies lives dismissed on the altar of convenience.
But how can greater things be done when hatred continues to roar louder than love? Why is there such venom unleashed against the Jewish people — hatred that mirrors the ignorance and denial of the Holocaust itself? In a world that desperately needs peace we need people to arise and shine and take action.
And why is the silent epidemic of ritual abuse, mind control, and the trafficking of children in our very own neighborhoods allowed to go unchecked, hidden beneath layers of silence and complicity?
Hatred has no healing power. It only destroys. Yet again and again, the world is distracted by political noise, agendas, wars, and propaganda — while the weakest, the voiceless, the children, are left unprotected. The very ones who should be sheltered are instead covered by systems of abuse and secrecy.
The kiss of that soldier upon the hand of the elder was not about politics or sides. It was a glimpse of what Jesus meant when He said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). In a land marred by fear and hatred, even the smallest act of mercy — a rescue, a touch of respect, a kiss of reverence — becomes a blazing light in the darkness.
And here lies the parallel:
Just as the Holocaust revealed the catastrophic cost of unchecked hatred and indifference, so today the unborn, the trafficked, the ritually abused, and the forgotten are suffering under a global silence.
Just as antisemitism dehumanized a people made in God’s image, so too does our culture dehumanize its children, its survivors, its most vulnerable.
Just as entire nations once turned their eyes away from the gas chambers, so now society turns its eyes from the hidden chambers of abuse, exploitation, and convenience-driven death.
In a war-torn land, when men rise to rescue Jews, children, and all who are helpless and vulnerable, they stand as men of valor and honor. This is not about politics or parties or allegiances. We need a collective awakening — a breaking of silence, and a call to action like choosing love over hate, courage over fear, and truth over denial. The world does not need more war or politics. It needs people who will embody the radical love of Jesus: rescuing the vulnerable, honoring the frail, protecting the children, and refusing to participate in hatred of any kind.
Jesus Himself sought out the outcast, the wounded, and the overlooked. He restored dignity with His touch. He lifted the broken with His love. And He entrusted us with this same mission — to love as He loves.
This is where the gospel lives. Not in flags or armies. Not in arguments or agendas. But in ordinary acts of extraordinary love. In a soldier’s kiss upon a Jewish elder’s hand. In the defense of an unborn life. In the breaking of silence for survivors. In the relentless stand against antisemitism and every form of hatred. Because hatred will never heal our world. Only love will. And if we fail to love like Jesus, what good is our life? In the deepest darkness, His love still shines. And in every act of mercy — whether small or great — we glimpse His Kingdom breaking through.