US Jews slam Cruz's evangelical backer
Democratic group demands explanation for Republican candidate's enthusiastic acceptance of endorsement by preacher who has said that God sent Hitler to hunt Jews because they did not accept Jesus.
US Jewish Democrats on Thursday criticized Senator Ted Cruz, who is running to be the Republican Party's candidate in the 2016 presidential election, for touting an endorsement by Mike Bickle, controversial evangelical who has said that God sent Hitler to punish Jews for not accepting Jesus.
“It is profoundly troubling that Sen. Ted Cruz proudly trumpeted the endorsement of such a controversial figure who holds such offensive views," a statement by the National Jewish Democratic Council read. "In announcing Bickle’s support, Sen. Cruz said, ‘we will fight the good fight, finish the course.’ We call on Sen. Cruz to clarify his position and explain why he chose to highlight someone who is ‘notorious for having said that God sent Hitler to hunt Jews for not accepting Jesus as the messiah.’ ”
The Baltimore Sun noted that Bickle has predicted the rise of a Hitler-like hunter of Jews during the "End Times", as well. (Another belief mentioned by the Sun was that "Oprah Winfrey is unwittingly part of a 'Harlot movement' that is paving the way for the Antichrist.")
Furthermore, videos have emerged online in which Bickle predicts "prison camps" and "death camps" for Jews, claiming in addition that Jews were being judged by God for "perversion and sin".
The Forward quoted a 2004 prediction by Bickle that extensively discussed the Jews. “Let me tell you, these 20 million — less than 20 million Jews worldwide, there’s about 5 million in Israel, about another 15 million worldwide, a little bit less than that — those 15 million, God is going to bring them all back," Cruz said, according to the newspaper.
"Two-thirds will die in the rage of Satan and in the judgments of God and one-third, every one of the one-third, will be in the land before it’s over and they’ll be worshipers of Jesus … The Lord says, ‘I’m going to give all 20 million of them the chance. To respond to the fisherman. And I give them grace. And I give them grace …if they don’t respond to grace, I’m going to raise up the hunters … And the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolf Hitler.’”
