6.4.25 The HHS report on chronic illness, World Tour, and a Jewish rabbi reacts to recent anti-Semitic attacks

Summary

The World and Everything In It Episode: 6.4.25
Title: The HHS Report on Chronic Illness, World Tour, and a Jewish Rabbi Reacts to Recent Anti-Semitic Attacks
Release Date: June 4, 2025
Host: WORLD Radio
Summary by: ChatGPT

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1. Health and HHS Report on Chronic Illness

Overview:
In this episode, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. unveils the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) report, a comprehensive 70-page assessment addressing the nation's chronic health issues. The report highlights four primary areas of concern:

• Ultra-Processed Foods: Kennedy criticizes the prevalence of processed foods in the American diet, linking them to rising obesity rates and various health complications.
• Environmental Chemicals: The cumulative load of chemicals in the environment is identified as a significant threat to public health.
• Childhood Behavioral Crisis in the Digital Age: The report addresses the impact of excessive screen time and digital overexposure on children's mental health.
• Over-Medicalization of Children: Kennedy critiques the tendency to overprescribe medications for children, advocating for more holistic approaches.

Notable Initiatives:
Kennedy outlines several initiatives aimed at transforming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

• Workforce Reduction: Streamlining operations by reducing the workforce to pre-COVID levels and eliminating redundancies.
• Operation Stork Speed: Aimed at evaluating the safety of children's food more effectively.
• FDA Actions: The removal of authorization for synthetic food colorings like citrus red number 2 and orange B, with plans to extend this to additional dyes.

Community Reactions:

• Supporters:
  Christy Lafferty (a health coach and pastor’s wife from Asheville, North Carolina) shares her positive experience with alternative medicine. She states, “I think the average person who doesn't have a child like my son, they don't know what they don't know they don't know” ([10:28]).

• Critics:
  Dr. Mike Vershowsky expresses skepticism, emphasizing the need for evidence-based approaches. He states, “healthy scientific skepticism means following data, not cherry picking it or making it up” ([11:15]). Other medical professionals raise concerns about the report's accuracy and Kennedy's overall strategy, pointing out issues like non-existent scientific citations and the potential conflict between Kennedy’s health initiatives and budget cuts.

Quotes:

• Kennedy on Government Support:
  “There's never in American history has the federal government taken a position on public health like this” ([07:11]).

• Dr. Mike Vershowsky on Scientific Integrity:
  “We certainly need to be skeptical of our institutions, but healthy scientific skepticism means following data, not cherry picking it or making it up” ([11:15]).

2. World Tour: International News

a. Flooding in Nigeria:
Reporter Onise Odua covers the devastating floods in Mokwa, Nigeria, where over 200 people have perished. The heavy rains caused water to accumulate behind an abandoned railway, leading to widespread destruction. Locals like Adamu Usman recount losing multiple family members: “In my own in-law's house, they lost 10 friends” ([16:38]).

b. Flooding in Northeast India:
More than 30 individuals have died due to recent Russian strikes in Sumy, Ukraine, with Ukrainian authorities describing the attack as a deliberate strike on civilians. The White House continues to advocate for peace, though progress remains stagnant.

c. International Adoption Crisis:
Sweden's government commission recommends ending all international adoptions following revelations of child trafficking from the 1970s to 2000s. Similar actions are being taken by the Netherlands, Denmark, and Mongolia, where the Prime Minister has resigned amidst protests over corruption and inequality.

d. El Salvador's Harvest Celebration:
In El Salvador, hundreds participate in an annual harvest procession, carrying fruits as symbols of thanksgiving and prayers for future crops. Margarita Aldana describes the event as a longstanding tradition blending gratitude with agricultural hopes.

e. Honeybee Incident in Washington:
A unique incident in Lyndon, Washington, saw a semi-truck accident releasing approximately 50 million honeybees onto a farm road. Beekeepers responded swiftly to protect the bees, highlighting the region's vital pollinator population.

3. Anti-Semitic Attacks and Jewish Community Reaction

Incident Overview:
Over the weekend, an assailant on an expired visa attacked a Jewish group in Boulder, Colorado, targeting individuals who had gathered to support Israeli hostages in Gaza. This violent act follows the tragic shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, including Jaron Leczynski, a messianic Jew.

Focus on Messianic Jews:
Kim Swaraski, a messianic Jew and granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, shares the community's fears and resilience in the face of rising anti-Semitism:

• Safety Concerns:
  “It's scary because we are Jews. It doesn't matter to the people who hate us that we're believers. They just hate us” ([24:26]).

• Faith and Ministry:
  Kim and her husband, Neil Swaraski, transitioned to a messianic Jewish congregation, integrating their Jewish heritage with their belief in Jesus (Yeshua). Following the attacks, they have strengthened their security measures and are actively engaging in ministry to share their faith despite backlash.

Community Support and Challenges:
The tragedy has highlighted the precarious position of Messianic Jews, who often face rejection from both traditional Jewish and Christian communities. However, it has also provided an opportunity for increased visibility and dialogue. Kim Swaraski emphasizes the importance of outreach:

“We have been called traitors and betrayers of our faith... If there's anything I can do to share the good news of Yeshua Jesus with, with the Jewish people, I will do it” ([22:50]).

Quotes:

• Kim Swaraski on Outreach:
  “I mean, when the Bible says in Psalm 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? Jewish people around the world are looking for that kind of help and that kind of hope” ([25:35]).

4. Opinion Segment: Solomon’s Wisdom and Modern Race Wars

Contributor:
Hans Feeney, a World Opinions contributor, draws parallels between King Solomon's ancient wisdom and contemporary racial conflicts. He critiques the modern "race war" dynamics, emphasizing the destructive nature of divisive actions and the importance of compassionate leadership.

Key Points:

• Solomon’s Example:
  Feeney references Solomon's judgment in the biblical story where he wisely resolves a dispute between two mothers claiming the same child, highlighting the balance of wisdom and compassion needed in leadership.

• Modern Implications:
  He discusses recent racial conflicts, such as the fundraising controversies involving Carmelo Anthony and Shiloh Hendricks, criticizing attempts to "capture the flag" in race wars. Feeney warns against playing into divisive narratives and stresses the need for Christian principles of forgiveness and understanding.

Quotes:

• Feeney on Solomon's Compassion:
  “He knew that replacing another woman's child with the corpse of her child was not the act of a woman who just desperately wanted to be a mother again” ([26:44]).

• Feeney on Modern Conflicts:
  “Wisdom tells us that dismissing the verbal assault of children and dismissing the terminal assault of teenagers are not as far apart as we might think” ([30:57]).

5. Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming topics, including the complexities of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and local conflicts in New Jersey regarding church property and homeless shelters.

Final Notes:
Listeners are reminded of WORLD Radio’s mission to deliver biblically grounded journalism, emphasizing patience, kindness, and gentle correction in accordance with 2 Timothy 2:24-26.

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Notable Quotes Summary:

• Kim Swaraski:
  “It's scary because we are Jews. It doesn't matter to the people who hate us that we're believers. They just hate us” ([24:26]).

• Dr. Mike Vershowsky:
  “We certainly need to be skeptical of our institutions, but healthy scientific skepticism means following data, not cherry picking it or making it up” ([11:15]).

• Hans Feeney:
  “Wisdom tells us that dismissing the verbal assault of children and dismissing the terminal assault of teenagers are not as far apart as we might think” ([30:57]).

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This episode of The World and Everything In It provides an in-depth look into pressing health issues, international crises, rising anti-Semitic violence, and contemporary societal conflicts, all through a lens of informed analysis and biblical perspective.

Transcript

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. Health Secretary Bobby Kennedy identifies the major causes of America's chronic health problems.

[Nick Eicher]

But he could have all these great ideas. How are you going to make it happen?

[Kent Covington]

That's ahead on Washington Wednesday. Also today, world tour. And later, as anti Semitic violence begins rising again, messianic Jews are working their way through the fear.

[Kim Swaraski]

It's scary because we are Jews. It doesn't matter to the people who hate us that we're believers. They just hate us.

[Kent Covington]

And what King Solomon might have to say about modern America's so called race Wars.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, June 4th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Nick Iger. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up next, Kent Covington has today's news.

[Leo Braceno]

Federal authorities have detained Mohamed Sabri, Solomon's wife and five children. Solomon is the man accused of carrying out an attack in Colorado against a group that had gathered in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.

[Dr. Mike Vershowsky]

Today the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado terrorists and illegal alien Mohammed Solomon into ICE custody. Now Mohammed's despicable actions will be prosecuted.

[Nick Eicher]

To the fullest extent of the law.

[Leo Braceno]

But she said investigators are also looking into whether his family knew anything about the attack beforehand. Solomon is an Egyptian national who arrived in the US in 2022 and then overstayed his visa, which expired the following year. He allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at his victims on Sunday while yelling free Palestine. The suspect faced a judge on Tuesday.

[Lindsay Mast]

With respect to bond. The court previously set bond on the written affidavit.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

It is set at $10 million cash only.

[Leo Braceno]

Police wrote in an affidavit that Solomon did not carry out his full attack plan because, quote, he got scared and had never hurt anyone before. Solomon faces federal hate crime and state attempted murder charges. Tensions are once again on the rise in the trade war between the United States and China. World's Benjamin Eicher reports Beijing issued a.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Pointed response Tuesday to the Trump administration's claim that China is violating the terms of a truce. The two countries agreed last month to ratchet down the trade war while negotiations continued. But Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says China is withholding some of the products that they agreed to release in that agreement. Beijing fired back, calling the assertion groundless and insisting it is the US Not China, that is undermining the truce. Chinese officials pointed to recent US Actions, including new export controls on AI chips, halting sales of chip design software and revoking Chinese student visas. The White House is reportedly expecting a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week. For World I'm Benjamin Eicker.

[Leo Braceno]

In Ukraine, authorities say three people are dead and more than a dozen others injured after a Russian strike in the city of Sumy yesterday, Ukraine's foreign minister calling it a deliberate strike on civilians in the city's center. The White House is still pushing for peace in Ukraine. Press secretary Caroline Levitt the president wants.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

This war to end at the negotiating table and he's made that very clear to both leaders, both publicly and privately.

[Leo Braceno]

But a negotiated peace is still nowhere in sight. Monday's direct talks in Istanbul yielded no progress toward a ceasefire, and however, the two sides did agree to release dead and seriously wounded troops. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said negotiations are focused on removing the root causes of disagreement, but he said it is pointless to expect any immediate decisions or breakthroughs. The Democratic mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Ros Baraka is suing New Jersey's top federal prosecutor over his arrest outside of a federal immigration detention facility on a trespassing charge. He asserts that the Trump administration pursued the case out of political spite before dropping that charge.

[Kent Covington]

They threatened me with charging me, resisting arrest, with doing all these other things.

[Dr. Mike Vershowsky]

I mean, and all of that is false.

[Leo Braceno]

Baraka was denied entry to a federal immigration facility and federal officials said he was arrested after refusing to leave. He was trying to join three Democratic members of Congress who went there on what they called an oversight visit. Baraka is a candidate in a crowded field for the Democratic nomination for governor in the June 10 primary election. After a years long court battle, the Christian owner of a bakery in California is taking her religious freedom case to the U.S. supreme Court. World's Christina Grube has more.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

The state of California sued Christian Baker Cathy Miller in 2017 after she declined to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple. Miller explained that her religious beliefs prevented her from making the cake and referred the couple to other bakeries in the area. The case has worked through both the state and federal court systems for nearly eight years. The California Supreme Court decided last week that it would not hear Miller's appeal. Her legal team now plans to petition the nation's highest court for a ruling, citing two Supreme Court ruling precedents supporting Kathy's case.

[Leo Braceno]

For World, I'm Christina Grube another sign this week that the labor market remains resilient. Job openings rose unexpectedly in April from several 7.2 million a month earlier to 7.4. Many economists had predicted that openings would fall by about 100,000. But the number of Americans quitting their jobs dropped and layoffs did rise slightly. The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that employers added about 130,000 jobs last month. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Outlines his vision for the nation's health, plus mourning with those who mourn. This is the WORLD and everything in it.

[Kent Covington]

It's Wednesday, the 4th of June. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Time now for Washington. Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services has released its assessment of America's health and the report is not good. Our food is over processed, our minds are overloaded, our bodies are overmedicated, and we're all overtired. Here's HHS Secretary Bobby Kennedy releasing the Make America Healthy Again report.

[Leo Braceno]

There's never in American history has the federal government taken a position on public health like this. And because of President Trump's leadership, it's not just one cabinet secretary, it's the entire government that is behind this report.

[Kent Covington]

And behind the report is a question Kennedy's been asking for many years. Is the medical establishment's approach to healing actually making chronic illnesses worse? Here is world Washington Bureau reporter Leo Braceno.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Went from running for president as a Democrat to becoming an independent candidate to dropping out and then throwing support behind Donald Trump. And through all of it, he had one issue that he made the center of his messaging.

[Leo Braceno]

And by chronic disease, what do I mean? I mean obesity, neurological diseases, neurodevelopmental ADD, ADHD, speech delay, language delay, tics, Tourette syndrome, ASD and autism.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Now, as Secretary of the U.S. department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy has released the Make America Healthy Again or the MAHA report detailing just what he wants to do about chronic illness in his tenure on Trump's cabinet. The 70 page document outlines four broad areas of ultra processed foods, the cumulative load of chemicals in the environment, the crisis of childhood behavior in the digital age, and the over medicalization of kids. It's a wide ranging assessment with implications for policy from drug authorization to school physical education programs. Even his supporters recognize that addressing those issues will likely have to extend beyond his tenure at hhs. So far, Kennedy has made internal changes to the agencies, reducing the workforce to pre Covid numbers and streamlining what Kennedy has called redundancies. Here he is on CBS shortly after becoming HHS secretary.

[Leo Braceno]

We have 100 communication departments we have, we have 40 procurement departments, we have 40 IT departments, we have nine HR departments. And many of them have computer systems that can't talk to each other, that are incomplete, that are faxing to each other.

[Benjamin Eicker]

According to the Celebrating Big Wins section of their website, Kennedy has also cut up to $67 billion from the Department by suspending contracts and by eliminating Covid related grants. He's launched Operation Stork Speed to better evaluate the safety of children's food. And most recently, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would remove authorization for two synthetic food colorings, citrus red number 2 and orange B. They plan to implement that change in the coming months with aims to expand that band to another six dyes.

[Leo Braceno]

Changing these dyes or some ingredients is more feasible, I guess, to change in today's food.

[Benjamin Eicker]

AI Hisano is a food business researcher and associate professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan. She says food dyes are one piece of the puzzle for food health, with processed foods posing health concerns that will be more challenging to address with policy changes.

[Onise Odua]

This is just the tip of iceberg in today's modern food industry, and it's.

[Benjamin Eicker]

An iceberg many parents have spent years probing on their own.

[Nick Eicher]

We didn't know what was going on the first time it happened.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Christy Lafferty is a health coach and pastor's wife in Asheville, North Carolina. She has three children that have dealt with chronic illness. One of them used to experience intense migraines.

[Nick Eicher]

But if he stays away from food dyes and msg, he does not have any problems.

[Benjamin Eicker]

She says that turning to alternative medicine had helped her learn about the harms of neurotoxins in processed foods and synthetic dyes.

[Nick Eicher]

I think the average person who doesn't have a child like my son, they don't know what they don't know they don't know well.

[Benjamin Eicker]

The MAHA report encourages supporters like Lafferty. It worries some medical professionals evaluating Kennedy's work so far. Mike Vershavsky, more commonly known as Dr. Mike, runs a YouTube channel where he documents the latest conversations in medicine. He's a practicing family medicine doctor living in New York City, and he's not a fan of Kennedy.

[Dr. Mike Vershowsky]

We certainly need to be skeptical of our institutions, but healthy scientific skepticism means following data, not cherry picking it or making it up.

[Benjamin Eicker]

That's From a video Dr. Mike posted this past Sunday. Vershovsky pointed out a litany of statistics he believes Kennedy has gotten wrong throughout his career. For example, Vershowski points out, Kennedy has claimed that roughly 50% of the Chinese population has diabetes and that Lyme's disease could have been developed as a military weapon. The MAHA report does not make those same claims. But critics still have concerns. After HHS released the report, news outlets discovered that a handful of citations were linked to non existing in scientific studies. More broadly, Rashofsky says Kennedy's vision for making America healthy conflicts with slashing research budgets and staff. I just don't see a plan here.

[Dr. Mike Vershowsky]

There's a lot of political speak, PR stunts, promises that will remove certain dyes from kids foods. As if that's the problem. No, the issue is the ultra processed foods. The issue is that obesity is going up.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Those are the real problems because that impacts all parts of our lives. Rasomski believes Kennedy sees issues that appear connected and then jumps to conclusions about the evidence.

[Dr. Mike Vershowsky]

But RFK sees two things happen at the same time.

[Benjamin Eicker]

He doesn't even care what the evidence shows. He just says that they must be causing one another. But to Kennedy supporters, it's precisely the willingness to explore the possible alternatives to the established answers that makes him a compelling figure. Here's Lafferty again.

[Nick Eicher]

It's mothers like me that have wanted a voice, and we've felt like we have a voice now.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Lafferty says she disagreed with the doctor's official recommendations when it came to yet another one of her son's health challenges.

[Nick Eicher]

He's got type 1 diabetes. His pancreas is broken. They told us to feed him 150 carbs and cover it with insulin. And I said, well, that's like somebody that has a kid with a deadly peanut allergy saying, here's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an EpiPen on the side. It didn't make sense.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Lafferty suggested feeding her son fewer carbs. That faced pushback.

[Nick Eicher]

They said it was dangerous. Now it's a big movement in type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes to do a low carb, high fat diet, a ketogenic diet.

[Benjamin Eicker]

The change in diet helped significantly. Lafferty is hopeful that Kennedy's willingness to challenge conventional norms will clear the way for questions about chronic illness the health department and the rest of the government haven't explored yet. But she's concerned that Kennedy's message will fall on deaf ears with the medical industry and the public health sector.

[Nick Eicher]

I think sometimes Bobby's naive. I really do think he's naive because he thinks if people just hear the truth, they'll want to change. He can. He can have all these great ideas. How are you going to make it happen?

[Benjamin Eicker]

Bruce Fogarty, President of Worthwhile Productions, believes Kennedy won't be pushed around by the medical establishment or the White House.

[Leo Braceno]

I don't have any concern that he won't, to the best of his ability, do the right thing regardless of the consequences. Other people, I'm concerned, you know, everyone else wants to be Trump's favorite.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Fogarty met Kennedy at a campaign event he helped put together back in the fall of 2023. He still exchanges regular text messages with Kennedy and describes his tone as optimistic about the work he's done so far. Fogarty hopes that Kennedy is able to dig deeper and move the needle as far as he can in four years.

[Leo Braceno]

He says he's working harder than he ever worked. You know, I think he is up. I mean, he, he said he prayed every day, you know, that he got to put him in a position where he could, you know, change the health care system in this country, you know, and the Lord answered that prayer.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Reporting for world, I'm Leo Bracent.

[Leo Braceno]

Additional support comes from Evangelism Explosion International, helping believers share the good news of Jesus with the world. Evangelismexplosion.org from Rich Haven Camp and Retreat Centers in Brevard, North Carolina and Cono, Iowa camp at year round retreat [e-mail] and from the Mission Focused Men for Christ podcast this month, Fathers Helping Sons embrace Biblical manhood. Mission Focused Men for Christ on all podcast apps.

[Lindsay Mast]

Coming up next on the World and Everything in It World tour with our reporter in Africa. Onise Adua.

[Onise Odua]

Flooding in the north central Nigerian town of Mokwa has killed more than 200 people. Hundreds are missing. Days of rainfall had caused water to build up behind an abandoned railway. Debris clogged the channels that would normally drain the water, causing the flood waters to drench the town. The downpour flattened homes and buried residents underneath. Adamu Usman lives in the town.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

In my own in law's house, they lost 10 friends. Friends. The one I know lost five.

[Onise Odua]

He says he lost 10 people among his in laws while friends also lost family members. Flooding during Nigeria's rainy season is complicated by poor drainage, waste dumping and shoddy construction. Meanwhile, flooding in northeast India has killed more than 30 people. Over in Sweden, a government commission is recommending a total end to international adoptions. Authorities commissioned the committee four years ago after a newspaper investigation found thousands of children were adopted with falsified background details. The children came from South Korea, China and elsewhere. The inquiry confirmed cases of child trafficking from the 1970s to the 2000s. Anna Singer is the head of the commission she says the state also needs to apologize to adoptees and their families over the rights violations that happened within the system. Other countries are also confronting similar issues. The Netherlands last year banned its citizens from adopting from abroad, while Denmark's only international adoption agency announced its closure next to Mongolia, where the prime minister has resigned after weeks of protests. Prime Minister Uyun Erdin Lufsanam Shri lost a confidence vote Tuesday. It followed youth led protests that began last month after reports surfaced of the lavish lifestyle of the prime minister's son. Protesters said the country's mineral resources benefit the wealthy while the majority of Mongolians remain in poverty. This 19 year old student who joined the protest said it's unfair that the prime minister's son enjoys an opulent lifestyle while she has to shop in a thrift store. Uyun Erden will remain in office until a new prime minister is appointed in 30 days. We wrap up in El Salvador at an annual harvest celebration. Hundreds of men join the procession carrying poles on their shoulders laden with pineapples, coconuts and bananas. Margarita Aldana described the celebration as a thanksgiving to God. She says they also add fertilizers to the procession as a way of praying for next year's crops. The practice dates back nearly a century in El Salvador. That's it for this week's world tour. Reporting for World Amonise Odua in Abuja, Nigeria.

[Kent Covington]

Maybe you're in a traffic jam this morning, but it can't compare to this sticky situation up in Lyndon, Washington. A semi hauling £70,000 of pollinator property beelined for a ditch and toppled over, unleashing about 200ft, 50 million honeybees. Suddenly, a quiet farm road became the state's biggest flight delay. Local beekeepers suited up, boxed the battered hives and set them upright so the worker bees can sniff out home base and hustle back to their queens. No word on injuries, unless, of course, you count sheriff's deputy sheltering and cruisers to avoid an impromptu sting operation. It's the world and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, June 4th. You're listening to the world and everything in it. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Over the weekend, a man on an expired visa attacked a Jewish group in Boulder, Colorado. Police say the victims had gathered to show support for Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas. The assault follows another shocking act of violence, the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington. Among the victims there, Jaron Leczynski, a messianic Jew.

[Lindsay Mast]

Messianic Jews sometimes find themselves rejected by other Jews and overlooked by many Christians. But in the wake of tragedy, their quiet witness may be finding a louder voice. World's Elizabeth Russell has the story.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

The day after the shooting of Jeroen Leshinsky and Sarah Milgram, Kim Ciraski made her grandson take off a shirt that said oppose antisemitism. Kim and her husband Neil are messianic Jews who live near Washington, D.C. she was afraid that someone who shared the shooter's views might target her grandson. Even with me, I'm sitting here with this Star of David on right now, and I'm thinking, are there areas that I can wear that and not wear it? Is it safe? Because it clearly distinguishes me as something in a way that could potentially be dangerous for my life. The tragedy hit close to home in more ways than one. Kim is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. And I remember him saying that, don't do anything too outwardly Jewish because it will get you killed. Both Neil and Kim grew up in Jewish homes. With little religious observance, they stumbled into a messianic congregation during a desperate search for a rabbi to officiate their wedding.

[Kim Swaraski]

The service was Jewish. They were singing Jewish prayers. In fact, one of the key parts that really drew me into the truth of who Jesus was was the fact that they were singing songs that I remembered from my bar mitzvah. And yet here they were talking about Yeshua, which is Jesus, Hebrew name.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

That was the first time Neil realized that someone could be Jewish and believe in Jesus. He and Kim accepted Jesus as the Messiah. A few days later, they got baptized just before their wedding. Their new relationship with Jesus strained the ones with their families. They refused to hear about Neil and Kim's newfound faith because the stigma is there. And in the United States, it's still there. We have been called traitors and betrayers of our faith. And maybe it's a little lighter in the United States and other places in Israel. It's really harsh. Despite the pushback, the Swarskis quickly jumped into ministry. Right after accepting Jesus, Neil made a resolution.

[Kim Swaraski]

If there's anything I can do to share the good news of Yeshua Jesus with, with the Jewish people, I will do it.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

Neil is now the rabbi of a small messianic Jewish congregation in Leesburg, Virginia. It's about a 40 minute drive from Washington. Glorified and sanctified be God's great name. Just a few days after the shooting, they set aside time in their weekly Saturday service to mourn. The congregation prayed the traditional mourners Kaddish and in a life of all the houses, Israel, speak yes soon and say Amen. The end of the prayer asks God to make peace for his people. After the October 7, 2023 attacks, the Saraskis made a security plan. Every time their small congregation of about 35 people meets for a Saturday service, someone monitors cameras over the entrance. About 10 minutes in, they lock the doors. Several members have permits to carry a concealed weapon.

[Kim Swaraski]

It's scary because we are Jews and it doesn't matter to the people who hate us that we're believers. They just hate us.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

But despite their fear, the Swarovskis see a moment of opportunity. Leshinsky's tragic death has brought his faith into the global spotlight. Even in Israel, Jewish dignitaries eulogized Lashinsky and attended his messianic funeral. A believer in Jesus was recognized and mourned as a Jew. But now the whole world knows it. And that includes a Jewish community that has for so many years had a bias against Jews that believe in Jesus. The Swarovskis are seizing the chance to share the hope of the Messiah with fellow Jews who may be hurting and afraid. The day before we spoke, a Jewish man called Neil asking to hear about Jesus.

[Kim Swaraski]

He ended up giving his life to Christ. After our conversation and our prayers, it was just. It was just a confirmation that this is absolutely where we are supposed to be right here, right now. And that's what we're focusing on.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

The Swarovskis hope evangelical Christians will share their urgency and reach out to Jews.

[Kim Swaraski]

I mean, when the Bible says in Psalm 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? Jewish people around the world are looking for that kind of help and that kind of hope. And the place to find it is in the Bible and in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and his son Jesus, Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

Reporting for World I'm Elizabeth Russell.

[Kent Covington]

Today is Wednesday, June 4th. Good morning. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Up next, the proverbial splitting the baby. World Opinions contributor Hans Feeney says Christians would be wise to apply the lessons to of Solomon to modern problems.

[Dr. Mike Vershowsky]

The story of Solomon and the two mothers is a fascinating example of the King's wisdom, but also his great compassion for both women. He knew that replacing another woman's child with the corpse of her child was not the act of a woman who just desperately wanted to be a mother again. It was the act of a woman enslaved by the bitterest of despair, a woman who thought the only way to survive her sorrow was to foist it on someone else. Her grief took a child created in the image of God and turned him into a flag to be captured and withheld from the woman she saw as the enemy. We would be wise to hear the wisdom and compassion of Solomon today. In April, a white high school student named Austin Metcalfe was killed at a track meet in Texas. People began giving to a GiveSendGo account in response, not to show support for Metcalfe or his family, but for the family of Carmelo Anthony. He's the young black man charged with stabbing Metcalf to death. Numerous donors left vile comments on the fundraiser page. They weren't giving to ensure that Anthony received adequate representation or a fair trial. They just wanted to reward Anthony and his family for allegedly killing a white man. Many donors essentially suggested for too long black Americans had been forced to suffer. But now Carmelo Anthony has helped us toss our suffering onto the head of Austin Metcalfe's family. As long as his parents don't get a living child, the flag is ours. We win. More recently, a white woman started her own givesend go after another race related conflict. Shiloh Hendricks claims a young black child tried to steal from her and she responded by calling the child a racial slur. After a Somali immigrant named Shemarke Omar uploaded a video of his subsequent argument with Hendricks, Hendricks set up her own donation page. She insisted she did nothing wrong and claimed she needed funds to find safety after her Social Security number, address and phone number had all been leaked. In response, people gave heartily, many seeing it as an opportunity essentially to steal the flag back from those supporting the Carmelo Anthony fundraiser. In a recent video, conservative commentator Matt Walsh articulated a kind of pragmatic defense of the Hendricks fundraiser. He says he doesn't support Hendrix's behavior. But the only way to disincentivize leftist mobs is to show them that instead of getting their targets canceled, they might accidentally make them rich. The problem with Walsh's argument is that he fails to account for the spiritual nature of the principal problem. Those who cheer Carmelo Anthony do so because they want the baby divided in half. Certainly Christians should be cautious not to downplay the differences between the Hendrix and the Anthony cases. Anthony, if guilty, belongs in prison for stabbing an innocent young man to death. Hendricks and her family don't deserve death threats and danger simply for uttering an ugly word. However, the difference between the actions of Hendrix and Anthony Bethany is one of degree, not nature, as Christ taught us when he declared, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Many Pharisees likely sneered at these words of Christ, convinced he was making ugly words equal with the most vicious of sins and against your neighbor. It's worth remembering, however, that these same Pharisees who wouldn't turn from the lesser sin of anger at Christ, soon found themselves conspiring to murder the very same son of God. Even if the leftist mobs and the anti white crusaders invented the game where they turned human beings into inanimate objects through the capture the flag race war game, we should avoid playing along. Wisdom tells us that dismissing the verbal assault of children and dismissing the terminal assault of teenagers are not as far apart as we might think. I'm Hans Feeney.

[Kent Covington]

Tomorrow, how peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are complicated by the complexities of modern warfare. Also, a New Jersey town is threatening to seize the property of a church that had proposed a new homeless shelter. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Eicher.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The apostle Paul wrote to his confidant Timothy and the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach patiently, enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will. Verses 24 through 262 Timothy chapter 2 Go now in Grace and Peace.

[Nick Eicher]

SA.