Paul Calvert spoke with Dr Susanna Kokanon

Paul: What do you think the root of anti-Semitism is?

Susanna: Well you could look at it in so many different ways. If you look at it purely academically, you could analyse it for hours; you could try to find the different historic factors and you could try to find the differences between hating Jews, or some other group and the similarities. There is a lot of research like that, but if you look at it from a Christian perspective and from a biblical perspective, because the Jews stand for God and the Bible says that the Jews are God's bride, isn't that amazing?

At Yad Vashem

Paul: So why are they so persecuted? Why are they so hated? Why is the State of Israel so reviled?

Susanna: I think it's not because of the Jews, but it's what they stand for. They are the one tangible evidence in this world that nobody can deny, that God exists and that is why, because I believe that it is hatred of God and of God's choice. It's almost like they are the suffering servant, because they are taking on this hatred all the time. People don't think they can reach God, or their hatred is not going to go up to the heavens, so they are the proxy that is suffering for that, that is what I really believe.

Paul: You are from Finland originally, how and why did you get involved?

Susanna: Yes I come from Finland, from a Christian Family. Finish Christians, at least when I was young, were always very supportive of Israel. It was like part of your church, or part of being a Christian, was to support Israel. I grew up with that and from a very early age I remember reading the Bible. I probably was about six years old and I was reading through the Bible and God opened it to me, because it was totally clear to me from my childhood that Israel was God's people. When I entered university, I did all the studies I could in history and political science about Israel or Jewish history and then in 1998 I was actually a scholarship student and I got to do my doctorate at the Hebrew University in Holocaust studies.

Paul: How can people get involved in fighting anti-Semitism?

Susanna: Well, first of all we invite Christians to join the programme Christian Friends of Yad Vashem. It's a modest donation to join the programme, but we can take all of these activities on your behalf if we have these people who support us regularly. We also send out information updates, not too often, but people get something. If they come here to Yad Vashem we can meet with them and explain things, so that is one way.

The other way is that we have such access to information today and it is possible to write talk back comments; it's possible to monitor different news media and websites and I think we need to be involved in all of that. It is an excuse to say that you can't do anything. I think that today we are in such an information age that we can do more than ever and it's easier than ever from our computers and from our home. We need to be informed; if you are going to write to a secular news media you have to know how to do it; you have to know your facts and it has to be short and concise. That is one thing that people need to learn and there are organisations that are teaching in those kind of things.

Paul: What is your prayer for the Holocaust survivors?

Susanna: You know for the Holocaust survivors, I just wish they could live the rest of their lives in peace and I wish that they did not have to see those who deny the Holocaust. I wish that they didn't have to see the hatred of Israel. Some of them feel that there is something in the air that reminds them of what they have gone through. I think we should be praying for every blessing on them. We should be praying for God's presence in their lives. We should be praying for them to understand that as Christians we love them and we don't hate them. I think we need to take it a little bit further too and I think we need to be first and foremost praying for the State of Israel and for the security of people who live here. We need to pray for wisdom for the leadership, because I think that for Holocaust survivors, as much as for other citizens, that is what is going to make a difference.

Paul: You have a website that gives a lot more information, what is it?

Susanna: The address is www.yadvashem.org.