4 Dennis Prager responses to Candace Owens on Israel, antisemitism

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, October 07, 2024

2. 'Israel was founded by ‘Frankists’ (‘masquerading as Jews’)'

People participate in a Jewish solidarity march on January 5, 2020, in New York City. The march was held in response to a recent rise in anti-Semitic crimes in the greater New York metropolitan area. | Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

Prager quoted Owens as claiming, "The nation of Israel was established by some Frankists," a term used to claim that the founders were "masquerading as Jews."

It was in reference to Jacob Frank, an 18th century Polish Jew who claimed to be a messiah.

“For two thousand years, as part of daily ritual prayers, Jews prayed three times a day to be able to return to their homeland, Israel,” Dennis Prager wrote in response.

“That, plus the world witnessing what happens when Jews have no homeland — centuries of pogroms, massacres, and expulsions (which inspired Theodor Herzl to organize the Jews’ return to Israel — ‘Zionism’ — in the late 19th century) culminating in the Holocaust — is what led to the reestablishment of the Jewish state.”

“That Herzl came from the same general region as did Jacob Frank, who predated Herzl by about 150 years — a region with millions of Jews who were not Frankists — and therefore must have been a Frankist, seems like a pretty big leap,” he added.