Chris Katulka: Thank you for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Chris Katulka, your host and teacher. Now let me ask you a question. Have you been to our website yet? Because if you haven't, you need to get there. foiradio.org. That's how you can connect with us. foiradio.org. And while you're there, not only can you connect with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, but you can also access 10 years worth of biblical content on Israel and the Jewish people right at your fingertips. Again, go to foiradio.org to hear nearly a decade of biblical teaching as well as great interview guests that are all talking about seeing what's happening in the Middle East from a biblical worldview. Again, that's foiradio.org. Now today we're starting a new series, a two-part series, one that I'm actually very excited to talk about because we've titled this “From Pamphlets to Podcasts.”

Not only has there been a rise of antisemitism all around the world and anti-Israel sentiment, but we're also seeing it from some voices that we might be familiar with. As Israel's gone to war with Hamas as a result of October 7th, we're seeing more and more voices turn against the Jewish people, harping on some of those old antisemitic tropes that were used in pamphlets like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. So we're going to highlight the history of that and ways that you can combat it as well. 

Before we get to that, let's look at what's happening in the news. Despite a bump in approval numbers from the Israeli people after the war with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces several political hurdles to maintain his premiership. His government coalition is on the brink of collapse over the ever present issue of conscription and Netanyahu's corruption trial continues in Tel Aviv. Well, here's my take. Netanyahu remains a political force in Israel. The polls show he can still best some of his fiercest competitors. However, the personal and political obstacles continue to stack up against him. The question is, will Israel's most consequential leader survive the pushback from the very country he leads?

Chris Katulka: Today we launch a two-part series, “From Pamphlets to Podcasts.” In this series, it's my goal to explore how the antisemitic slogans—that's Jew hatred—antisemitism is the hatred, targeted hatred of the Jewish people, how those slogans and slanders that once spread through mass printed pamphlets in the 19th and early 20th centuries are finding new life today in the digital age. Back then, pamphlets like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the technological marvel of their day, were circulated widely to poison public opinion. Today, those same poisonous myths are propagating at lightning speed through podcasts, social media, and the internet reaching more ears than ever before. So over the next two weeks, I'm going to trace this rise in impact of these Russian forgeries, that's right, they were Russian, showing how they fueled hatred at the dawn of the last century and how the sounds of that same bigotry now reverberate through voices both on the political left and right.

Yes, even in Christianity, in some circles of Christianity today as well. I'm also going to uncover the origins of these lies, kind of examine their deadly consequences and expose the modern platforms that keep them alive. So let me start by reading to you the beginning of an Atlantic article published in 2023 titled, “America's Most Dangerous Anti-Jewish Propagandist.” It goes like this: 

“In late 1922, The New York Times reported the “rumor” passing through Berlin that Henry Ford was bankrolling Adolf Hitler and his curiously well-funded Nazi movement. The wall of Hitler’s office featured a large picture of the American mogul, the Times noted, and copies of a book bearing Ford’s byline littered a table in the anteroom. Titled, “The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem.” The volume was an anthology of articles published by Ford’s Dearborn Independent newspaper, which two years earlier had launched an unrelenting crusade to expose Jews’ supposed “financial and commercial control, usurpation of political power, monopoly of necessities, and autocratic direction of the very news that the American people read.” The series, which eventually spanned 92 issues over seven years, concluded that the “International Jew and his satellites” lurked behind virtually all of the world’s ills: labor unrest, financial panics and wars. Hitler denied receiving funding from Ford but made no secret that he considered him an inspiration. “We look on Heinrich Ford as the leader of the growing Fascistic movement in America,” Hitler said in 1923. “We admire particularly his anti-Jewish policy which is the Bavarian Fascistic platform.” At the time, Ford was being floated as a potential Democratic candidate for president, and Hitler said that he wished he could deploy “some of my shock troops to Chicago and other big American cities to help in the elections.”

Okay, that was a long thing to read, but did you hear that? America's beloved car maker who was more than just a businessman extraordinaire, Henry Ford, who helped shape the US economy in the mid 20th century, making America the leader in automotive technology, was also praised by Hitler, the manufacturer of genocide toward the Jewish people.

The two shared a common ideology: The Jewish people were the problem with everything wrong in the world. Originally founded in 1901, the Dearborn Independent came under Henry Ford's ownership in 1919. At its peak, it claimed a circulation between 700 and 900,000 people making it potentially the second largest newspaper in the United States at the time, after The New York Times. The newspaper was also known as “The Ford International Weekly” during part of its run. Now, not long after purchasing the paper, Ford ran a series of antisemitic articles under the title, “The International Jew.” That was between May 22nd, 1920 and May 14th, 1922. But here's the thing, Ford used these articles to republish large portions of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, amplifying and endorsing the pamphlet's portrayal of a vast Jewish conspiracy that's controlling finance and media and politics. Ford lent the prestige of his very name to these writings, presenting the Protocols as credible “evidence” of Jewish domination and used his immense industrial reach to distribute bound volumes of “The International Jew” to schools and to libraries and civic organizations all across the United States.

The impact was profound. By giving The Protocols a veneer of respectability, Ford's endorsement helped normalize antisemitic beliefs in American public life and provided fodder for extremist groups. His publications circulated hundreds of thousands of copies nationwide, fueling hostility toward Jewish communities and reinforcing stereotypes that would later be echoed by Nazi propaganda. See, Henry Ford would eventually repudiate these articles in 1927 under public pressure. But see, at this point the damage was done—his championing of The Protocols entrenched conspiracy theories that persisted, long after his apology, contributing to the global persistence of the most notorious antisemitic forgery. But what are these “pamphlets,” The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that Henry Ford gravitated to with such ease? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion actually started in 1903, first appearing in newspaper circulations in St. Petersburg and later issued in cheap, standalone booklets and pamphlets across Europe and the United States.

These Protocols presented as secret minutes of a grand Jewish conspiracy revealing step-by-step plans by Jewish “elders” of Zion to subvert governments, manipulate economies, and dominate the world. In reality, it was cobbled together, the Protocols, largely plagiarized from a satire written by Maurice Joly in 1864 and distributed by the Tsarist secret police to scapegoat Jewish communities and bolster reactionary monarchist agendas. As successful as these protocols were, it wouldn't help the fate of the Tsars. By the early 1920s, English-language editions were printed with the title, The Jewish Peril: The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, which would eventually land in Ford's Dearborn Independent, blanketing the United States with inexpensive pamphlets for mass distribution. Over time, the Protocols would be translated into German, French, Polish, Arabic, and dozens more languages. They often appeared as pocket-sized pamphlets or stapled booklets that were tailored with local forwards or commentaries to just stoke that antisemitic sentiment in each region.

But despite being exposed as a forgery and absolutely debunked by 1921, the damage had been done. These pamphlets remained in wide circulation, an indication of how cheaply produced formats propelled the Protocol's lethal reach. See, in many respects, one could argue the antisemitic message of the Protocols evolved from the newspapers to the pamphlets. A medium that functioned much like podcasts and social media today, cheap and rapid dissemination. In fact, antisemitic content on social media today has surged in recent years taking advantage of the anonymity, while certain podcasts and social media influencers use their large audiences to normalize Jewish hate speech. A 2024 American Jewish Committee report found that 62% of American Jews encountered antisemitism online or on social media in the past year, often in the form of conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial, or even calls for violence. No longer pamphlets of the early 20th century, the digital environment has seen high profile figures, ranging from entertainers to podcasters, spread or even fail to push back against anti-Jewish tropes that sound just like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

To make matters worse, in the wake of the Israel-Hamas War of October, 2023, the Anti-Defamation League, the ADL, recorded a 361% spike in antisemitic incidents, with social platforms serving as both incubators for extremist organizing and as echo chambers that reinforce anti-Jewish narratives. Podcasts, once heralded as a democratizing medium for storytelling, have likewise become conduits for antisemitic ideology. An analysis by the Antisemitic Research Center highlighted that the bottom-tier or fringe podcasts often repackage age-old conspiracies such as the hidden cabals or media manipulation as “insider truths” to niche audiences, effectively constructing new pipelines for global hate toward the Jewish people. See, no longer do industrial moguls with their endless funds, like Ford, need to purchase newspapers to disseminate Jewish hatred. See, these podcasters and social media influencers spread online antisemitism on the cheap. Now, I'm not here to push back against podcasting or social media. In fact, I'm speaking to you through a podcast right now to push back against those hateful messages. But you need to know the truth. Too many people take the shock jock rants about the Jewish community as gospel when in reality they're just repeating the same century old slander just in a new format. Now, when we return, I'm going to highlight some of the Protocols that were used by the Russians, Henry Ford, Hitler, and yes, even those today who are perpetuating hate. Stick around.

Steve Conover: Are you a new listener to our program? If you are, welcome. We're glad you're here. The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry exists to fuel your passion for the Word which should overflow to a compassion for God's Chosen People, the Jewish people.

Chris Katulka: Whether you're new to our program or have listened for years, we want to encourage you with our resources to help you see why God called us to support the Jewish people in Israel and worldwide. We have a free download, a digital version of our booklet, Whose Land is it Anyway? that we'd like to send you free today. Whose Land is it Anyway? takes the Jewish and Arab claims to the land and helps make sense of the common arguments surrounding the struggle. Whose Land is it Anyway? is an easy-to-read apologetic that will give you a clear answer as you think about Israel's right to the land.

Steve Conover: To get your free digital copy of Whose Land is it Anyway?, visit foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We're venturing through our series, “From Pamphlets to Podcasts”. Now next week we're going to highlight some of the podcasters and social media influencers who continue to propagate the antisemitic hate of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. But before we get to that, you have to know what those protocols were saying about Jewish people. Remember, their original intent was to scapegoat the Jewish people in Tsarist Russia, the king of Russia. The Tsar was facing growing unrest. There was economic hardship, military defeats and calls for political reform. So the best thing to do with that is to blame someone for the economic hardship and the military defeats, and so of course they blame the Jews. You know who did the exact same thing? Adolf Hitler. Germany was facing mounting inflation, joblessness and military defeats. So what did he do? He blamed the Jewish people.

The Protocols are divided into 24 claims or protocols, each claiming to expose a different facet of the alleged Jewish plot. Themes reoccur around controlling the press, fomenting social unrest, undermining Christian morality and engineering financial crises. Though each protocol is framed as an extract from a secret meeting, the language is uneven. It shifts from this conspiratorial rhetoric to ridiculous claims about newspapers and banks, betraying its patchwork origins. Now, despite being comprehensively debunked by journalists and scholars as a hoax, The Protocols fueled waves of pogroms in Eastern Europe. They were embraced by the Nazi regime and continue to circulate among extremist groups today. Its persistence underscores how a fabricated text can serve as a powerful tool of hate, inciting violence, and justifying persecution long after the falsehood is established. Now, I can't go through all 24 protocols for times sake, but I will highlight a few here:

Protocol 1 (“Political Agitation”): Claims Jews engineer every political upheaval—wars, revolutions, and labor strikes—to weaken nations and expand their own power.

Protocol 7 (“Control of the Press”): Alleges that Jewish financiers secretly own or influence all major newspapers, using them to shape public opinion and mask their true intentions.

Protocol 11 (“Undermining Morality”): Argues that Jews promote decadence—such as unreliable art, literature, and entertainment—to erode Christian values and make the masses more pliable.

Protocol 12 (“War as a Means to Power”): Posits that periodic world wars are deliberately instigated by Jewish leaders to reap financial profit and rearrange global power balance.

Look, I want to show you something interesting about these protocols. Hitler and others would seek to blame the Jewish people, but actually fulfill each of these protocols. I mentioned above, Hitler was a political agitator with his Nazi party and the SS troop, he would come to control the press through his minister of propaganda, Goebbels. And he undermined morality by systematically murdering 6 million Jewish people and others. He used war as a means to power through his expansionist ideology, looking to dominate Europe and eventually the world. Now listen, next week when we come back, we're going to see how these antisemitic tropes continue to this very day through podcasts and social media and how voices on the left, right, and yes, even Christian voices are propagating these lies.

Steve Conover: Now Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life and ministry of Holocaust survivor, Zvi Kalisher.

Mike Kellogg: I was reminded recently of the shortness of physical life. But because our souls are eternal, we all must prepare for eternity.

Just this week, I visited two widows. One woman’s husband was a believer. The other woman’s husband professed the Lord on his deathbed. His surviving family are unbelievers. I went to their home to comfort them and to share how they could have eternal life.

When I arrived, the family’s rabbi was present, and he read from the Psalms and many traditional Jewish books.

The family then gave me the opportunity to speak. “As you know,” “I was his friend, and I also wanted to be his brother.”

Someone asked, “How could you be his brother since you had different fathers?”

I answered, “We all can be brothers if we receive the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts by His Spirit.”

One replied, “This man died before his time.”

“It is written,” I said, “‘The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD’ [Job 1:21]. As you know, ‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die’ [Eccl. 3:1–2]. The Lord will give you eternal life if you come with open hearts, acknowledge your sin and say, ‘Oh, Lord, receive us as your children.’”

The rabbi asked me in which yeshiva I teach. I assured him I do not teach in a yeshiva, nor have I ever attended one.

I said, “In the yeshiva, you will learn many stories, but if you follow God’s Word, you will learn facts about what God has done for you and for all those who believe on Him. What do you know about the Lord?”  “I will tell you something important that you do not know. You cannot sacrifice a chicken for sin.”

The rabbi asked, “Is there another way?”

“Yes,” I replied. Then I read Isaiah 53 and Leviticus 17:11 for all to hear.  Everyone waited for the rabbi to answer, but he was silent. One asked, “Rabbi, what do you have to say?” The rabbi asked me, “Why are you doing this?”

I answered, “Because I want you to be saved and live forever.” 

He replied, “But you can see our friend here––he is dead!” 

“Yes,” I said, “His body is dead, but his soul is alive with the Lord.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“He told me he received the Lord Jesus as his Savior. If so, I know he is now in the Lord’s presence. There are many Jewish people in Israel today who believe that Jesus is the Messiah,” I said.

They found this hard to believe. The rabbi was very interested as I continued to explain the plan of salvation and how he could have a personal relationship with the living God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“You have placed me in a hard position,” the rabbi admitted. “I must seriously think about what you have told us.”

Please join me in praying for this rabbi and the others. Each one heard the gospel. We trust the Holy Spirit will work in their lives and reveal to them the truth.

Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. Don't forget to get your free digital download of our popular booklet, Whose Land is it Anyway? on our website, foiradio.org. Again, a resource that can help you push back against the rising tide of antisemitism, especially that we hear on podcasts and all those social media influencers. It's good to have biblical knowledge about whose land it is. You can get your free digital download by going to foiradio.org. Next week we're going to continue our conversation on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. We're going to see how it went from pamphlets to today—the podcasts. As mentioned, our website is foiradio.org. Again, that’s foiradio.org. Be sure to visit us there. Our mailing address is FOI Radio PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again that’s FOI Radio PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. You can call our listener line. That’s 888-343-6940. Give us a call.. That's 888-343-6940. Today's program was engineered by Bob Beebe. Edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Lisa Small is our executive producer. Sarah Fern is our associate producer. The late Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold. I'm your host and teacher, Chris Katulka, and Steve Conover is the executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.