ESAV EXPOSED

PARSHAT VAYISHLACH

2011-12-09T10:39:00.003+02:00

As long as Yaakov was in "galut" Esav could care less about him but when Yaakov was returning with his family back to Eretz Yisrael, prepared to receive his birthright, Esav came to stop him.

Esav uses two means of attack: excessive closeness to the Jewish people, bringing them spiritual death with the fatal "kiss" of assimilation; and second, outright murder, with pogroms and violence, destroying the Jews physically.(Insights in the Torah)

When the Jewish people were scattered among the nations, Esav(xianity) used pogroms and violence but now that we have come back to Eretz Yisrael, Esav comes to us with a kiss saying "We are your brothers. We love you. We worship the same G-d."

Actually, Esav wished to administer a "kiss of death to Yaakov (Breishit Rabba): He would ingratiate himself with Yaakov and his sons, and get them to leave God's ways. Then Esav and Yaakov would become a single, united nation. The proof of his intent is that he pressured Yaakov to accompany him to Seir, until Yaakov promised to come to him later (33:14).(The promise will be kept when the Messiah comes to make his reckoning with Esav.)(Insights in the Torah)

This is the stated goal of all "xian lovers of Israel" to break down the walls and barriers between Jews and xians so that we will all be "one new man". Many religious Jews who have bonded with xians have assimilated xian ideas without even knowing it.

If you doubt that we (Yaakov) and the xians (Esav) are just repeating history think about this:

The angels returned to Yaakov saying, 'We came to your brother, to Esav. Moreover, he is heading toward you, and four hundred men are with him.'(Vayishlach 32:7)

Dr. John Hagee, the American evangelical pastor who last month announced plans for a Christian-style AIPAC, says the organization is a "canopy group" encompassing Christian supporters of Israel from across America and is coming together "with a speed and harmony I never would have believed possible."

Hagee says he attempted something similar, though on a smaller scale, 25 years ago, but to no avail. "I called 30 pastors together... At the end of the first hour, I lost 29 of them." Now, by contrast, "I called 400 [pastors] and all 400 have agreed to participate in Christians United for Israel."

The San Antonio, Texas-based Hagee specifies three primary aims for the group: one, to unite Christian supporters of Israel to speak "with one voice for a common cause"; two, to establish a "rapid response" capability that can flood Capitol Hill with e-mails, faxes and phone calls at short notice on issues of concern to Israel; and three, to organize "Night to Honor Israel" events in every major US city "so that the Jewish people can see and feel Christians expressing the love of God to them without a hidden agenda." (Evangelicals seeing the error of 'replacement theology'By DAVID HOROVITZ)

When xians come to "kiss" us, we need to act as our forefather Yaakov did.

Aisav suggested to Yaakov, "Let us travel further together!" "No!" Yaakov answered.(The Midrash Says)

In the end, the mashiach will come to judge Esav on the mountain of Seir, which side will you be on?

No thanks to worthless "public servants"!

2010-05-10T09:16:00.002+03:00

Yad L’Achim Stymies Missionaries at ‘New Age’ Pesach Festival

After failing to convince government authorities to cancel a “new age” Pesach festival that attracts thousands of Israeli 14-year-olds, Yad L’Achim dispatched teams of volunteers to the site to stymie the efforts of missionaries who target the event.

The Boombamela festival, held on chol hamo’ed at the Nitzanim Beach near Ashkelon, offers “spirituality” – which often includes cults and drugs. In an attempt to preempt the danger, Yad L’Achim chairman Rav Shalom Dov Lifschitz dispatched urgent requests to the education minister and to the internal security minister, who is in charge of the police, to cancel the event.

In his letter, Rav Lifschitz cited the findings of Elem, a non-religious group that helps youths in distress, which details the damages suffered by young people who attended the festival in the past.

“We are asking you to cancel this event, which is a focus of missionary activity among young people and which has contributed to criminal behavior.”

Top officials of both ministries acknowledged receipt of the letter, but failed to act on it. Once it became clear that the festival would go on as scheduled, Yad L’Achim enlisted the support of volunteers from around the country to protect unsuspecting Jewish youngsters from the missionaries.

The volunteers were briefed on legal, nonviolent ways to block missionary activity. They were also given information on four cults that were planning to swoop down on the festival, and their modus operandi.

Yad L’Achim had received information that Tony Sperandeo, head of the Maayan messianic cult in Jerusalem, Zeev Porat and Avi Mizrachi, heads of the Dugit messianic outreach center in Jaffa and others from Haifa were planning to attend.

Attempts by missionaries to set up stands and attract youths were met with Yad L’Achim teams issuing warnings, “Caution, Missionaries! Youths, Keep your distance from them!”

When two of the missionaries, including Sperandeo, responded with violence, they were arrested. The missionaries, numbering around 200, were forced to leave empty-handed.

Yad L’Achim not only worked to neutralize the negative influence of missionaries, but set up a center where youths could hear Torah classes and engage in heart-to-heart talks throughout the night. The volunteers helped them understand that Judaism could meet their longing for spirituality, and that there was no need to look elsewhere.

Rav Lipschitz said this week that the “the missionaries didn’t succeed this time, but it pains us to discover that officials who are supposed to watch out for the interests of young people are ignoring these dangers. Considering that this terrible event is sponsored by government authorities, it’s no surprise that we read day and night about violence and crime among young people and in the school.”

(h/t to YWN)

No thanks to worthless "public servants"!

2010-05-10T09:16:00.000+03:00

Missionary Report from YWN

2010-04-29T08:29:00.003+03:00

Missionary Gets Major Airtime & Exposure Via Israeli Broadcast

A prominent missionary personality was given unhindered airtime, 25 minutes, beginning at 9:15pm, permitting him to reach out to listeners in Israel and around the world with his video broadcast during prime time.

Yad L’Achim’s Rav Sholom Dov Lifshitz Shlita did his utmost to prevent the broadcast, or at the very least, to have an opposing view aired as well, hoping to dilute the heretic message of the prominent individual but the program arranged by Rino Tzror went on as scheduled, granting the missionary a private stage with a broad audience.

Yad L’Achim sent urgent requests to the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications, but to no avail. He asked that at the very least, they use the weight of their office to ensure an opposing [Torah] viewpoint be aired as well. Ultimately, the urgent requests were ignored, with event organizers explaining that the speaker was expressing personal views, not that of a missionary organization, hence his broadcast is permitted.

The personality was introduced at the start of the program as a “messianic Jew” who heads a community in the Jerusalem area. The broadcast began with a question and answer session, and it was a far cry from an individual expressing his private views. He addressed Christianity, as well as his following, the size of his community, the source of funding, how one can donate and other tidbits that permitted him to promote his anti-Torah message, community and make an appeal for funds as well.

Following the broadcast, R’ Lifshitz turned to attorney Avigdor Dagan, the legal advisor of Israel Television “Educational TV” department, questioning the judgment of officials for permitting such a broadcast. Dagan denied that the program contained missionary content.

Yad L’Achim attorney Moshe Morgenstern sent a letter to Dagan citing the long list of violations of the law contained in the broadcast. He also pointed out the poor timing of the program, during the evening hours when children around the country are awake and in front of computers.

Rav Lifshitz explains that until such time the anti-missionary laws are amended, those seeking to destroy yiddishkheit will find a suitable stage in Israel, calling on MKs to use their authority to amend the law immediately.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)

DANGER AHEAD!

2010-02-08T22:32:00.004+02:00

This is the central message of a recent PublicEye e-zine article and you'd better believe it. Despite the fact that we come from opposite political and religious extremes, I wholeheartedly endorse Rachel Tabachnik's article "The New Christian Zionism and the Jews : A Love/Hate Relationship."

She covers everything and everybody and gets it all right in one looooong page. Seriously, it is well worth printing out and taking the time to read and digest this little treasure house of useful information on this subject.

Great job, Rachel!

"Waiting for Armageddon"

2010-02-07T12:53:00.000+02:00

Jews, Evangelicals: Strange Bedfellows

Returning a "Lost" Tribe's Son to Israel

2010-02-01T15:33:00.003+02:00

This story is somewhat related to the previous one about the Xian actions in Haiti. As I said there, they've been doing this kind of thing for most of their two-thousand year history. As you read, you will see how Xian missionaries attempted to wipe out all trace of this "Lost" Tribe's history and identity. (Click on the picture.)

The "Love & Kindness" of Xians in Action

2010-02-01T14:43:00.004+02:00

This blogpost is in response to the story of ten American Baptist missionaries who went to Haiti to express Xian "love and kindness" to Haitian children.

They are so sincere in their "love" and in their desire to do deeds of "kindness," but that does not excuse the crimes against humanity of which Xianity is guilty. The same excuse was given for the Inquisition, too. They killed our bodies so they could "save" our souls, all in the name of Xian "love." And what about the Jewish children who were "rescued" from Hitler's y"s fires only to lose their Judaism to the "kind" Xian families who offered them shelter.

This story has been repeated over and over again, all across the world, over centuries and centuries of Xian abuse of "love & kindness."

The lesson for Jews: Know Thine Enemy!! And stay far, far away from them. Don't be sucked in by their self-serving "love and kindness." Don't be partakers of and participants in their crimes, G-d forbid!

Here are some telling excerpts:

...The Baptists from Idaho were waiting Monday to hear if they will be tried on child trafficking charges for attempting to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic without official authorization.

Child welfare groups expressed outrage over Friday's attempt, saying some of the children had parents who survived the Jan. 12 earthquake. Prime Minister Max Bellerive denounced the group's "illegal trafficking of children" in a country long afflicted by the scourge and by foreign meddling.

...The Baptists' "Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission" was described as an effort to save abandoned, traumatized children. Their plan was to scoop up 100 kids and take them by bus to a 45-room hotel at Cabarete, a beach resort in the Dominican Republic. The 33 kids ranged in age from 2 months to 12 years.

They were stopped at the border for not having proper paperwork and taken back to Port-au-Prince, where the children were taken to a temporary children's home.

...Without proper documents and concerted efforts to track down their parents, children could be forever separated from family members able and willing to care for them. Bellerive's personal authorization is now required for the departure of any child.

"For UNICEF, what is important is that for children separated from their parents, we do everything possible to have their families traced and to reunite them," said Kent Page, a spokesman for the group in Haiti. "They have to be protected from traffickers or people who wish to exploit these children."

He said it was possible the Americans arrested may have had "good intentions but misguided execution."

The Idaho church group's spokeswoman, Laura Silsby, told the AP from detention that the group was "just trying to do the right thing" amid the chaos. She conceded she had not obtained the proper Haitian documents for the children.

The children were taken to an orphanage run by Austrian-based SOS Children's Villages, where spokesman George Willeit said they arrived "very hungry, very thirsty." A 2- to 3-month-old baby was dehydrated and had to be hospitalized, he said. Workers were searching for their families or close relatives.

"One (8-year-old) girl was crying, and saying, 'I am not an orphan. I still have my parents.' And she thought she was going on a summer camp or a boarding school or something like that," Willeit said.

As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is in a difficult spot — it needs aid, but deeply resents foreign meddling. Many have mixed feelings toward Christian groups that funnel hundreds of millions into missions in Haiti.

Christian missionaries alone run or support an estimated 2,000 primary schools attended by some 600,000 students — a third of Haiti's school-aged population, according to government figures. Church groups also run vital hospitals, orphanages and food-distribution sites.

[If their goals were truly altruistic, they would give over these facilities to the Haitians to run where it would not be possible to use them as a means for slipping the gospel in under the cover of charity. But then this would defeat the whole purpose of building them.]

"There are many who come here with religious ideas that belong more in the time of the inquisition," said Max Beauvoir, head of Haiti's Voodoo Priest's Association, which represents thousands of priests and priestesses. "These types of people believe they need to save our souls and our bodies from ourselves. We need compassion, not proselytizing now, and we need aid — not just aid going to people of the Christian faith."

[Yeah, a voodoo priest, I know, but he's still right about the Xians. Note well: The money raised by Xian missionaries for "poor, impoverished Israelis," also goes primarily, if not exclusively, to Xian recipients to enable them to live and thrive among the Jews they hope to proselytize.]

...The Idaho churches had elaborate plans before the earthquake to shelter up to 200 Haitian and Dominican boys and girls in the Magante beach resort, complete with a school and chapel as well as villas and a seaside cafe catering to adoptive U.S. parents.

The Xians have one big mitzvah, to spiritually procreate and make other little Xians. And they don't care who gets hurt while they're doing it, because they are convinced that their way is the right way...and the only way.

MSNBC VIDEO

Check out what's going down, down under

2010-01-25T20:50:00.001+02:00

Bed, Breakfast, and Jesus for Israeli Backpackers

Why isn't every Jew an anti-missionary?

2010-01-24T17:49:00.005+02:00

I continue to be upset and frustrated at the lack of interest shown by those whom I have tried to inform of the missionary infiltration into the yishuvim, particularly in the Shomron.

Tommy Waller and his family of thirteen, who are self-avowed Xian missionaries, have made their home in Ariel twice a year, every year for the last six, using it as a base for launching their missionary endeavors.

(According to their "Harvesters" webpage, they will be back in Israel on February 1 - March 4, 2010.)

In the fall of 2009, they brought 100 like-minded missionaries with them to Itamar and Har Bracha to provide free labor to religious Jews.

Why do they do it? They are "building relationships," i.e. sucking in the Jews until they are ripe for receiving their "gospel."

Tommy Waller: "For us, sharing the gospel is not only verbal, it has an action to it. It's based on relationships. As we're working with these people, we'll be able to share with them this Jesus that we know."

(Full video here.)

They seem so nice! This is the danger of allowing relationships like this to form between non-Jews and Jews, how much more so those who worship Yeshu as the Creator, G-d forbid! and call him "HaShem" and refer to him as "YKVK," G-d forbid!!

They have been welcomed into Jewish homes and Jewish life. How long before there are shidduchim between their children and ours, G-d forbid!!!

Brayden Waller: "Our family has begun a ministry called HaYovel. The vision of HaYovel is to develop a network of individuals, families and congregations [churches and messianic 'synagogues'] ready to labor side by side with the people of Israel, to bless them, to stand with them, to share with them a passion for the soon coming of the Jubilee in Yeshua, the messiah."

One Israeli beneficiary commented: "They don't ask anything. They only want to give." Are we really so naive that we are ready to believe that the goyim will give so much to us with no strings attached?

The Wallers and their followers think they are building their Olam Haba with the mitzva their "Master" gave them---to "go and make disciples"---to convince others by whatever means possible to become believers and participants in their idolatry.

It seems some or many Israeli Jews are buying their story and becoming convinced, G-d forbid!

(Full video here.)

David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh: Quotes from the Prophet Yirmiyahu and tells the Waller Group that the "notsrim" translated "watchmen" is actually referring to "Xians."

IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFLUENCE WITH THE RABBIS IN THE SHOMRON, PLEASE MAKE THEM AWARE OF THIS VITAL ISSUE!!

NOTE: (If this is not yet proof enough, a perusal of their website will provide you with the following evidence of their true motivation.)

“Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, Lev 23:27) starts tonight. We will be fasting, praying for and thanking YHWH for His forgiveness as well as asking Him to reveal the areas in our lives that we need to repent for and make right. This is a very solemn time for all Israel. Even a lot of secular Jews fast on Yom Kippur. May Yeshua reveal His grace and forgiveness to them.”

***

“The Mount of Temptation is the alleged 'high mountain' where Yeshua was tempted by satan in Matt 4:8. We had an awesome time of worship as we looked out towards Jericho and proclaimed Yeshua’s Name over the city.”

***

Brayden, Dad and I are on our way to go be with them [the Ortiz family] – so pray that God will use us to comfort them and that Yeshua’s name will be lifted high in that Israeli hospital!

***

Since they started their work in Israel the family helped build a winery, harvested tons of grapes and olives, trimmed acres of vines and olive trees, moved rocks and boulders for roads and most importantly, built relationships with both Israelis and Palestinians.

This fall the Waller family was joined by several other families who wanted to help bring down the wall of division. “For us it’s a spiritual deal – a faith deal,” said Sherri Waller. “The battle is over the land because God gave it to the descendents of Abraham – that includes us.”

MEGACHURCH IN ISRAEL

2010-01-23T22:54:00.003+02:00

First we had "Binyan Hagee", a sports center in Ariel, then we had Joel Bell's World Biblical Zionist's Strategic Center, a sortof convention center for xians, and now a group calling themselves the "House of Aaron" are raising money to build a megachurch in Israel. It is unclear from the website where the location is or even who is behind the website. At this rate, it will not be long before we see a rebuilt Beit HaMikdash dedicated to yeshu. I hope at the very least those Jews who believe the xians coming to and volunteering in yesha will wake and see that there is an alterior motive behind their love. They are slowly moving in and taking over the very heartland of Israel.

You must not give them any consideration {lo techanem}" (Deut7:2): Do not give them a foothold {chanayah} on the land. Alternately: Ascribe them no charm {chen. Rashi: "Do not say, 'How fine this non-Jew is!'"} Alternately: Give them no free {chinam} gift. (Avodah Zarah 20a)

Of course it's a religious war!

2010-01-20T15:39:00.000+02:00

"Secret Bible Codes on US Guns"

Danny Ayalom - Minister for Xianity?

2010-01-04T00:50:00.002+02:00

Somebody needs to explain to him the Jewish meaning of the title "Minister."

Daniel Ayalon: Israel’s Ambassador for Christendom

Looking after their own interests

2009-12-30T14:59:00.002+02:00

I thought their big deal was how much THEY wanted to support Israel. Now we see what a smoke screen THAT was.

'Evangelicals deserve our support'

The Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry differed in opinions this week regarding the status of and benefits given to Evangelicals in Israel, Army Radio reported Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry "wanted to recognize the Evangelicals as a sovereign group or an independent church, like other churches recognized by Israel,"....

..."The goal was to help them receive benefits like other churches that we recognize, among them tens of clergy churches, tax and customs breaks on cars - and that also has an effect on religious people who come here from outside the country," Matzur explained.

An Interior Ministry representative was quoted by Army Radio as saying, "If the Evangelicals are added to the list, dozens of additional streams of Christians will demand to receive similar recognition and be eligible for benefits, and the state is not able to withstand such a surge."

...Deputy Foreign Minster Danny Ayalon held a discussion on the subject this week and stressed that Israel needs to assist its friends in the world.

According to Ayalon, the Evangelicals, who donate funds and support Israeli public relations within the United States, deserve help.

...Evangelicals are among Christian groups working closely with the Knesset to promote the status of women around the world, host foreign scholars training in pro-Israel activism and building cooperation with politicians and leaders throughout the world.

Much of the cooperation results from initiatives of the Knesset Christians Allies Caucus. The caucus has included a spectrum of Israeli and Christian leaders and has been cooperating with Christian allies of Israel since its incorporation in 2004.

The War with Eisav

2009-12-24T16:15:00.000+02:00

We're all very cognizant of the war with Yishmael (Islam), but there is also a war on with Eisav (Xianity). While the Left-wing goes about giving Eretz Yisrael away to the Yishmaelim, the Right-wing, unnoticed by all but a few, is just as busy giving it all away to Eisav's children.

Don Esposito writes to his students and supporters on Dec. 9, 2009:

"...I wanted to update you on the latest happenings here in the land and let you know that we have officially sealed the deal with the Jewish agency to be able to bring believers (i.e. Xians) over to Israel for anywhere from 9 months up to 2 years.

...(participants) will learn what it means to prepare to be a King and a Priest in Yahweh’s soon coming Kingdom,.... Those that are involved in professional or medical fields will have the greatest opportunity to stay on for a longer time."

You see, the so-called Xian "Zionists" who have hoodwinked so many religious Jews into believing that they are our strongest and most supportive "friends" are in actuality competitors for our heritage. While the traditional mainline Xians are back home making anti-Israel statements, the Evangelical Xian "Zionists" have come to stake their claim on the Land itself!

Excerpted from Don Esposito's "Return to the Land Program":

"Come and experience the fullness of learning about the land of our inheritance through the most unique program in all of Israel that will change your life forever.

Return To the Land is a program designed by Hayahad Bible Seminars in conjunction with the Jewish Agency...."

A separate section of the booklet is entitled "Become an Ambassador for Israel." Of course, the gullible people at the Jewish Agency and the ministry of Tourism think this means these good Xian "Zionists" will go back to their countries of origin after completing this lengthy program and become spokespeople on behalf of Israel to the nations; defending our cause. But those familiar with Xian double-speak understand. They quote the New Testament...

"2 Cor 5:20 - Then on behalf of Messiah, we are ambassadors, as Yahweh is exhorting through us. Rev 5: 20 and made us kings and priests to our Elohim; and we shall reign on the earth. Scripture clearly tells us that to be true believers we will be Kings and Priests of the Most High Elohim in His Kingdom and that we are now Ambassadors for Yahweh’s soon coming Kingdom (i.e., Yeshu rule). To this end, we will teach and train our students how to prepare for this most important job. Ambassadors are not just sent, but they must be trained for the position and country that they are going to. "

Translation: (According to their belief system) when Yeshu returns, he will be ruling the world from Jerusalem. As believers in him (good xians all) they are promised to rule alongside him as kings. Until then, they represent him and his message to the world, especially in Israel, which will soon belong to them.

They just can't wait for him to get here. They want to set up shop right now! And damned if they haven't!!

Israel / Vatican Relations

2009-12-10T21:38:00.002+02:00

B'kitzur, they tried to blackmail us and when we wouldn't pay their asking price, they punished us for our presumption.

Israel's talks with Vatican fail

Spitting is the least of it

2009-12-02T23:14:00.003+02:00

Larry Derfner wrote a piece in the JPost this week entitled "Mouths Filled with Hatred." In it, he reports on instances where Xian clergy have witnessed religious Jews spitting in their vicinity. As far as I recall, he didn't accuse anyone of actually spitting on these cross-bearing individuals, and if he had it would no doubt be a lie, because it's not something that Jews do, even when provoked.

He obviously disapproves and sympathizes with the poor, long-suffering Xians, but surely this is only because he does not understand that spitting is the least of what could happen. Western-acculturated people can not imagine in their wildest dreams just how repugnant the Xian religion is to G-d and by extension to His children, the Jews. Parading these symbols (crucifixes) around the city most holy to Jews who denounce idolatry at least twice every day with the recitation of the Shema, is particularly provocative.

When the Temple is rebuilt and the Sanhedrin is properly seated and the Torah is the law of the land, all of these people will be deported and their idolatry destroyed from the Holy Land.

Like every other normal, Torah-true Jew, I pray for that day to come.

Today's Dose of Propaganda from the JPost

2009-11-16T12:09:00.002+02:00

To the airport officials: GREAT JOB! KOL HAKAVOD!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Thai tourist visiting boyfriend expelled

Why do I call it propaganda rather than straight reporting? Why from the JPost "reporting" can't you just see poor Sirirat struggling against her bonds while tied to the tracks with a locomotive bearing down upon her with the evil BG officials twisting their moustaches as they laugh with glee?

RAV ELIASHIV: NO XIAN MONEY

2009-10-21T20:52:00.000+02:00

Rabbi Eliashiv Forbids Taking Money from Christian Fund

(IsraelNN.com) Head of the Lituanian Haredi religious community, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, has issued a ruling prohibiting the taking of monies from the Christian-associated Friendship Fund, headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

In his ruling, he writes that organizations receiving money from the fund are guilty of ignoring the prohibition of idolatry, and are assisting missionary activities in the future, "Sadly, we have heard that some institutions and relief organizations have already failed in this regard," he wrote.

MYTHS ABOUT JOHN HAGEE

2009-10-16T10:08:00.005+02:00

MYTH 1. John Hagee is not a missionary.

"The mission of John Hagee Ministries is to aggressively fulfill the commission that Jesus Christ gave to his followers to go into the world and make disciples of all people . Our purpose is to bring the lost to Jesus Christ and to build up and encourage those who are already believers. We pledge to our viewers & supporters to take The Gospel to all the World and to all Generations."

“We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. We believe in His substitutionary death for all men, His resurrection, and His eventual return to judge the world.”

“We believe that evangelism is the obligation of every follower of Jesus Christ. The Lord commands us to go out and make disciples of all the earth. We believe that each person is first responsible to evangelism in their own family as the Holy Spirit leads them and gives them the ability.”

MYTH 2. John Hagee is dual covenant.

Hagee, Falwell deny endorsing 'dual covenant'
Mar. 2, 2006
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST
Pastors John Hagee and Jerry Falwell have both denied a report in The Jerusalem Post earlier this week that they embrace the "dual covenant" theology, which holds that Jews are saved through a special relationship with God and so need not become Christians to get to heaven.

In a statement to the Post, the Texas-based televangelist Hagee said that neither he nor Southern Baptist pastor Falwell "believe or teach Dual Covenant."

Hagee added that he had "made it a practice for 25 years not to target Jews for conversion" at any "Night to Honor Israel" events. If Jews "inquire about our faith at a later time, we give them a full scriptural presentation of redemption."

Hagee has spent 50 years of his life convincing people to follow a false religion and a false god. He has made millions from selling a lie. Missionizing is a Hagee family legacy. His grandfather went to America from Germany to evangelize the Indians. Hagee has trained his son to follow in his footsteps.

The Hagee HeritageLike Father, Like Son

by Linda Owen

A century before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the first John Hagee came to the New World from Germany with Moravians who sought to evangelize the Indians. In time Hagee's second son continued his work. Neither of them could have foreseen the heritage they were beginning; but over three centuries later, a chain of 47 Hagees have passed the mantle to their second son and sometimes his bothers as well.

The 48th Hagee to work for the Lord's harvest is Matthew Hagee, 27-year-old son of John Hagee, pastor at Cornerstone Church. "I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't want to be a preacher," he says. "People passed it off as me wanting to be like my father, but it's more than that. I associate my calling with Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you—' There was no one moment when I said, "Yes, Lord, I'll follow.' But my calling is very real. It's always been in my blood."

Bribes? For what?

2009-10-15T10:46:00.001+02:00

MK Molla: I returned all of donation money to Christian organization

Knesset Member Shlomo Molla (Kadima) says that he has retuned the full sum of donation he received from the Jewish Voice organization.

This week it was revealed that the Christian messianic group donated $17,000 to Molla's election campaign and to needy Ethiopians, but that the funds had not reached their destination. MK Molla said Wednesday, "I made a personal decision this morning to return the full amount of the donations so that my integrity will not be questioned." (Amnon Meranda)

Xian America : Xian Military

2009-09-30T11:15:00.001+02:00

See my post at Tomer Devorah.

FYI - Be Careful

2009-09-29T16:57:00.001+02:00

Christian Booth Removed from 4 Species Fair

(IsraelNN.com) The Binyamin Rabbis' Council issued Tuesday a letter of clarification stating that a Christian booth has been removed from the four species (Arba'at HaMinim) fair at the Sha'ar Binyamin Industrial Zone.

On Friday, the rabbis had published a letter of warning to fair-goers regarding the presence of the Christian booth.

The New Crusaders

2009-08-22T23:43:00.005+03:00

Beware! They were also deployed to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

VIDEO #1

VIDEO #2

There's much to be said for a good strong wall

2009-08-17T11:26:00.003+03:00

(Cross-posted from Tomer Devorah)

In the language of the Hebrew prophets, when He was angry with us due to our sins, Hashem broke down our walls of protection, but when He wanted to protect us as His special heritage, He sought to build the walls of protection around us.

Yechezkel 13:14. "And I shall demolish the wall that you plastered with daub, and I shall make it reach the ground, and its foundation will be bared, and it will fall, and you will perish in its midst, and you will know that I am the Lord."

Yechezkel 22:30. "And I sought of them a man who puts up a wall and stands in the breach before Me, for the sake of the land that it not be destroyed, but I did not find."

Zekharyah 2:9. "I will be for it [Jerusalem]-says the Lord-a wall of fire around, and for glory I will be in its midst."

Very simple. WALLS PROTECT US!

Then comes The "New" Testament and says:

...But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, the law of commandments in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity....

THIS is what the Waller Family is referring to in the following excerpt from an interview they gave to the Williamson Herald:

...there is a wall that divides people of the Christian faith and people of the Jewish faith.... That wall is tall and thick---built from years of misunderstanding, misconceptions and misgivings between two faiths that share the same roots, as evidenced in Israel where 'Messianic Jews' are often shunned by Orthodox Jews and in the US where Christian churches and Jewish synagogues rarely interact.

During the past five years, the family---all 13 members---have been working alongside Israeli farmers in Samaria, building relationships, breaking barriers...chipping away at that wall.

...Working side by side with Israeli farmers in the vineyards and olive groves, the family is learning, understanding, reaching out and developing relationships.

[As should be obvious by now, this is Xian 'code' for creating an opportunity to "share Jesus", G-d forbid!!]

...This fall, the Waller family was joined by several other families who wanted to help bring down the wall of division. "For us, it's a spiritual deal---a faith deal," said Sherri Waller. "The battle is over the land because God gave it to the descendants of Abraham---that includes us."

No, Sherri, it does NOT include you and your family. This is not your home. You are idolaters of the worst sort, attempting through subterfuge to entice the Children of Israel to follow you into idolatry and thereby bring the wrath of G-d down upon us to our destruction.

It is the DUTY of EVERY TORAH JEW to strengthen the wall that they are so determined to bring down. It is holding back a flood of assimilation and annihilation.

How much trouble can be made by "unfaithful men?"

2009-08-16T23:55:00.010+03:00

In this week's parsha, Re'eh, we read the following which bears repeating today:

DEVARIM 13 ---

7. If your brother, the son of your mother, tempts you in secret or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your embrace, or your friend, who is as your own soul saying, "Let us go and worship other gods, which neither you, nor your forefathers have known."

8. Of the gods of the peoples around you, [whether] near to you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth;

9. You shall not desire him, and you shall not hearken to him; neither shall you pity him, have mercy upon him, nor shield him.

10. But you shall surely kill him, your hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

11. And you shall stone him with stones so that he dies, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

12. And all Israel shall listen and fear, and they shall no longer do any evil such as this in your midst.

13. If you hear in one of your cities which the Lord, your God, is giving you to dwell therein, saying,

14. "Unfaithful men have gone forth from among you and have led the inhabitants of their city astray, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods, which you have not known.' "

15. Then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask thoroughly, and, behold, it is true, the matter is certain, that such abomination has been committed in your midst:

16. You shall surely strike down the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroy it with all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.

17. And you shall collect all its spoil into the midst of its open square, and burn with fire the city and all its spoil, completely, for the Lord, your God; and it shall be a heap of destruction forever, never to be rebuilt.

18. And nothing that is doomed to destruction shall cling to your hand, so that the Lord may return from His fierce wrath, and grant you compassion, and be compassionate with you, and multiply you, as He swore to your forefathers.

19. For you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you this day, to do that which is proper in the eyes of the Lord, your God.

********************************

How often do we examine our actions in light of "that which is proper in the eyes of the Lord, your G-d?" While using our friends or neighbors or the rabbi's latest shiur as a measuring stick, we might find justification for many things that Heaven detests. There is no substitute for letting the Torah be your searchlight and using it as the ultimate measure of your deeds.

I read "Unfaithful men have gone forth from among you and have led the inhabitants of their city astray, ..." along with the description of that city's ultimate destruction and I shake to the core of my being. Now, of all times, while the threat of destruction hovers over every Jewish town and village in Judea and Samaria, this issue must be confronted.

"Unfaithful men"---men who place their trust in idol-worshippers rather than in the God of Israel are bringing sure and swift destruction upon their families, neighbors, friends and upon the whole House of Israel.

They are the men who have made non-kosher alliances with non-Jews who have sworn their allegiance to a dead Jew and who worship this dead man as the Creator of All, God forbid!!

The "New" Testament on the nature of Yeshu: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

There is no question today, and neither was there in the past, that those who espouse this religion are idolaters. This was a "god" which was far from us, but which has now been brought close, even into the most religious of Jewish homes. As much as he is given life by those who worship and revere him, he does indeed "live in their hearts," as his followers claim. Inasmuch as they have been welcomed into Jewish homes, this much has the false god entered in as well!

Recently, a good Jew saw an advertisement on the City of Ariel's internet list requesting Jewish homes to host visiting agricultural workers arriving at the end of the summer growing season. Something about it did not sit right with this good Jew, so he contacted a person he knew with expertise in this area and this is what came of the inquiry...

A known Xian missionary has found a new way to infiltrate Jewish homes with his "Master's" message. He is organizing like-minded "believers" to travel at their own expense to Eretz Yisrael and to offer their services to farmers free of charge for the duration of the harvest season. In exchange for this pottage of free labor, otherwise good Jews have sold out the birthright of our covenant with Hashem. The infiltrating missionaries believe that this willingness to receive them is equal to a willingness to receive their message as well.

"Tommy Waller runs HaYovel which brings in Xians to work harvesting, particularly in Har Bracha on a vineyard belonging to Nir Lavi. HaYovel is supported by an organization founded by Eliezer Braun called Shuva Israel. According to the website's Mission page:

'Starting 2,000 years ago, a large divide developed between Christianity and Judaism. Today, you and I have the opportunity to make amends and bring Jew and Christian together under the umbrella of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is an opportunity for a grand reconciliation after two thousand years of brothers straying away from each other.

We are living in a very unique time in history-we are part of God's timing. We can make a difference and partner with the miracles that God is manifesting through the children of Abraham-today in our life time in the State of Israel. We have a unique opportunity to link Bible believing Christians and an Israeli Jewish organization for the purpose of fulfilling over 1,000 scriptures that relate to the prophetic ingathering of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

Shuva Israel Director, Eliezer Braun, who moved to Israel in 1983 and lives in the Hills of Samaria (Ezekiel 36) with his family, travels worldwide to establish relationships with Evangelical Christians. Today there is a growing awareness in Israel that her best and perhaps only true friend in the world is the Evangelical Christian. Eliezer travels and speaks in Churches in the USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Hong Kong and Singapore.'"

The board of Shuva Israel is a who's who of Dominionist Xian leaders whose primary goal is [to establish a worldwide Xian theocracy on the planet]. There is one Jew on the board.....

Listed among their "projects:"

---Promotion of Christian volunteer work program in communities in Samaria with "HaYovel" Ministry

---Planting vineyards for farmers in the Hills of Samaria

HaYovel touts itself as "serving Israel's farmers---an organization that is uniting Zionist Jews and Christians to work together towards one common goal – restoration of Israel through the tending of the Land." You see, they don't believe we can do it without their help and many Jews seem to believe that, too.

"One of the really good things God has allowed us to do as we work in Israel is to develop significant relationships...." They depend upon this and the Jew's natural hakarat hatov to eventually open the doors for their "witness."

Tommy Waller makes it very clear in an April 2009 interview with Bible Voice Broadcasting that his efforts are geared to hasten the arrival of their dead messiah: "...God is moving, there's something happening in the heavenlies that's gonna usher in the coming of our messiah."

In response to his comment that "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," the interviewer says, "So the more people that you have coming, the more communities you can impact---and help---and they can see the love of the Lord in you as you're working and you're helping them build the communities." (Tommy: "Right, right.")

This "love" is their "light to the nations" with which they attract other followers to their "Lord and Master."

Radio interviewer: "So, I can see that you're really wanted, they like what you're doing, the Jewish people, as you're out there working with them."

Tommy Waller: "Yes. Amazingly, the Jewish people here have embraced us. The religious people have embraced us. I think that because we love them and they feel that genuine love that we have for them as people, we are mending relationships and building relationships."

In other words, the warm reception the Jews have given to the Xians causes them to have high hopes of eventually converting them to their false religion on some future day, despite all denials to the contrary.

In a video, also from April 2009, Tommy Waller can be heard to say: "We are a humanitarian organization." But he belies that when he goes on to say: "We can bring people over to meet the labor needs; not having the farmers go out and get Buddhist Thai workers to come in, but people of faith, Jewish and Xian people to come to Israel to do and put their hands in the soil that they have a connection to."

Tommy Waller, his family and all the Xians that he can bring to Israel and install in Jewish homes and Jewish backyards and Jewish farmlands, all believe that this Land belongs as much to them as it does to us. In this, they are no different than the Arabs that live among us. Do we really want to set ourselves up for another war over the land with the Xians before we've even resolved the conflict with the Arabs?

I have issues with foreign workers, but at least the Buddhist Thai worker has no illlusions that he has any claim on our heritage! Furthermore, they and their families are not being hosted in Jewish homes and forming deep reciprocal relationships with Jews who dare not be sucked into their idolatrous way of life!!!

They sing and dance in worship and adoration of Yeshu and pray to him as their god while living in our very midst. What tragedies and catastrophes, G-d forbid, are the "unfaithful men" bringing upon us!?

*********************************

The foregoing is thanks to the research done by GeulaGirl, the owner of Esav Exposed. She would like to add the following, so that no doubts should remain about the true intentions of these "nice" people:

The Waller Family sees Israel as their home. They belong to the “congregation” led by missionary David Ortiz in Ariel. Brayden and Zac Waller run the youth group there. They travel all over America speaking in churches and messianic congregations to recruit people to volunteer in Israel. They spend time at many of the messianic “churches” and organizations in Jerusalem including Succat Hallel in Ir David, King of Kings, and Shemen Sasson.

From the Waller’s Blog:

October 2006 (Zac Waller)

“For the next 2 weeks we picked grapes until they came out our ears! The grand total came out to 11 1/2 tons I think. The harvest is so incredible! Just seeing the fruit of your labor is rewarding but to think about the greater harvest, when all of Israel is saved! Such an awesome picture!

We had several volunteers this harvest. Rachel Claerbout, a friend from Florida who has had a heart for the Jewish people since she was 11 years old is volunteering with us for three months. Melody, Matt and Mark Norris, friends of ours from Virginia came and helped for the duration of the harvest. Also several believers from the area came for a day or two to help out and enjoy the vineyard.”

“Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, Lev 23:27) starts tonight. We will be fasting, praying for and thanking YHWH for His forgiveness as well as asking Him to reveal the areas in our lives that we need to repent for and make right. This is a very solemn time for all Israel. Even a lot of secular Jews fast on Yom Kippur. May Yeshua reveal His grace and forgiveness to them.”

Sukkot 2007 (Zak Waller)

“The Mount of Temptation is the alleged 'high mountain' where Yeshua was tempted by satan in Matt 4:8. We had an awesome time of worship as we looked out towards Jericho and proclaimed Yeshua’s Name over the city.”

“Friday we slept, ate then slept and ate some more. We had a friend over for lunch, then went to Mrs. Margaret’s for Shabbat dinner.

On Shabbat Mr. David came, picked us up and hauled us back to Ariel in time for our regular fellowship gathering. Some people came who had done some mission work in Russia came and shared. They had some interesting tales to tell!”

February 2009 (Olivia Waller)

“Dad, Zac, Josh, Caleb, about 20 other people and I are going home (Israel)!!!! Oh and my grandparents are coming too! I am so excited! We will be there for a month clipp’in on vines making them look pitiful. But it really is good for the vines, without us doing that the vineyard would be a mess of vines and we would not want that to happen.”

February 2008 (Zac Waller)

“Yesterday morning one of my friends in Israel found a gift basket sitting outside his front door. When he opened up the package it blew up in his face. Shrapnel went everywhere. All the windows were busted out, the furniture was shredded, huge chunks of metal were stuck in their refrigerator but Ami (my friend) IS ALIVE, PRAISE GOD!!! He is in critical condition with serious wounds/burns all over his body.

Brayden, Dad and I are on our way to go be with them – so pray that God will use us to comfort them and that Yeshua’s name will be lifted high in that Israeli hospital!

Brayden and I lead a youth group there in Ariel that Ami was a part of. Our family is very close to theirs. So……..This hits really close to home….”

From an article in the Williamson Herald (Jan. 8, 2009):

“During the past five years, the family – all 13 members – have been working alongside Israeli farmers in Samaria, building relationships, breaking barriers and as in the Bible, “planting the grapes in Samaria,” with the people of Israel and at the same time, chipping away at that wall.

It all started after an invitation to visit to Israel. It was then Tommy and his family knew their life was in for another change. “When we went there, God spoke to me,” Tommy said. “I understood where we were supposed to be.”

“Now twice a year they are in another land. They are up at dawn to catch a bus to Har Bracha or the Mountain of Blessings where they work the land until 4 or 5 p.m. using the agricultural lessons they learned along Russell Creek in Lobelville in the land where Christianity was born and sharing with people who have similar religious beliefs. They are interacting and learning about a different culture, how to shop and get around in a different world, and feeling more and more at home in a foreign land.

“If we can help them, they don’t have to bring in foreign workers,” Tommy said. “They can prosper and they don’t have to go into debt.”

Working side by side with Israeli farmers in the vineyards and olive groves the family is learning, understanding, reaching out and developing relationships.

“In Israel we’re working in a vineyard with about 8,000 vines, and on the Mountain of Blessings with 30,000 vines,” said Tommy. “We still work as a family, but this is a community effort. It’s an amazing thing, the people we work with look a lot like people we lived with in (the Amish community) Lobelville (Tennessee).”

Since they started their work in Israel the family helped build a winery, harvested tons of grapes and olives, trimmed acres of vines and olive trees, moved rocks and boulders for roads and most importantly, built relationships with both Israelis and Palestinians.

This fall the Waller family was joined by several other families who wanted to help bring down the wall of division. “For us it’s a spiritual deal – a faith deal,” said Sherri Waller. “The battle is over the land because God gave it to the descendents of Abraham – that includes us.”

Hear it all in their own words in this Google video. Some key excerpts...

Tommy Waller: "The Wallers are preparing to do a [spiritual] work in Israel."

Sherri Waller: "There is a much more weighty harvest that He's ready to make."

[Note: The "New" Testament is replete with this imagery of souls ripe for the harvest: "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ...Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.' " Sherri Waller's allusion to this concept is followed in the video by various images of Israelis from every social group beginning with the chareidim at the Western Wall.]

Tommy Waller: "For us, sharing the gospel is not only verbal, it has an action to it. It's based on relationships. As we're working with these people, we'll be able to share with them this Jesus that we know."

Brayden Waller: "Our family has begun a ministry called HaYovel. The vision of HaYovel is to develop a network of individuals, families and congregations [churches and messianic 'synagogues'] ready to labor side by side with the people of Israel, to bless them, to stand with them, to share with them a passion for the soon coming of the Jubilee in Yeshua, the messiah."

BE ADVISED! ACCORDING TO THEIR LATEST UPDATE, TOMMY WALLER IS BRINGING 75-100 LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE WITH HIM TO ISRAEL NEXT WEEK!!

AND THEY HAVE BEEN INVITED TO "HELP OUT" IN ITAMAR!!!

WHAT ARE WE TO DO ABOUT THE "UNFAITHFUL MEN?"

Pray for the downfall of the Erev Rav regime

2009-08-12T17:10:00.001+03:00

They are destroying Israel!

Christian Russian TV Station to Broadcast in Israel

MESSIANIC PRE-ARMY PROGRAM

2009-07-27T20:31:00.002+03:00

Every time I think the xian problem in this country can't get any worse, it does. The following article was posted on the ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem) website

Messianic Jews in Israel launch special pre-army program
Friday, July 24, 2009
By: ICEJ News
Israeli believers see civil duty as an religious obligationThe IDF is drafting thousands of new recruits into its ranks this summer, including about 150 highly motivated Messianic Jewish believers, some 28 of whom recently participated in a pre-army prep program started by Messianic veterans called Netsor (Hebrew for "to guard").

For Messianic Jews, military service in the IDF is not only a mandatory civil duty, it is a religious obligation right out of the New Testament. The program teaches the young people about to enter the IDF what the Bible says about military service, including the admonition of Romans (13:1-7) not to resist political authority, because it is "the ordinance of God."

Colossians (3:22-23) also teaches that a believer in Jesus must strive to be a faithful servant of one's superiors, not for personal aggrandizement but to serve God.

"I am a soldier of God," Boris, a young Israeli believer headed for an elite combat unit, told The Jerusalem Post. "I will do my best during my service in the IDF to serve God spiritually and physically.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

2009-07-12T09:53:00.002+03:00

I found this in an archive. It's from 2003, but still relevant.

ON PRAISE OF CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS

A reply to Jews who praise the Christian Zionists:

As a Jew, I am frustrated and appalled when I hear fellow Jews extolling the virtues of so-called “Christian Zionists”, George Bush or the American democratic model. As a former American and a former Christian, I am well acquainted with all aspects of this modern-day Rome and in my opinion it can best be characterized by three words: arrogance, ignorance, and hypocrisy. Hardly something for Jews to aspire to or stand in awe of.

While I’m sure all level-headed, realistic, and pragmatic peoples will strongly disagree with me, I have to say that in my opinion, America represents the single greatest existential threat to Israel and the Jewish people today. The holocaust of "love" rolls on as the assimilation rate of Jewish adults between the ages of 26-30 in Denver, Colorado is reported at 90%. And America is losing no opportunity, with the help of the Zoinist enterprise, to remake Israel in her image while turning her into a vassal state.

It is no accident of language when the media constantly relates to Pax Americana. Israel has the ability to defend herself against her enemies in the immediate vicinity of her borders, but who is it that stands in her way, defending the access routes to Arab oil? Who sends daily reminders of the arm-twisting and outright blackmail that awaits any Israeli intransigency to toe the American line?

No one can accuse the liberal, Christian-slanted Jerusalem Post of being right-wing, but two articles in the Friday, Sept. 20th edition are quite telling:

Rumsfeld to Israel: Don't retaliate to Iraqi attack
By JANINE ZACHARIA AND MELISSA RADLER

“US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has urged Israel not to respond militarily to an Iraqi strike, saying in rare public statement on the issue, it would be in Israel's "best interests" not to get involved. “

Averting strategic disaster in Iraq
Caroline B. Glick's COLUMN ONE

“In stark contrast, today the US is clearly publicly linking the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime. In his address to the UN General Assembly last Thursday, President George W. Bush twice mentioned "Palestine" and stated "America stands committed to an independent and democratic Palestine."

For Torah Jews, the Zionist entity is a disaster. Thanks to Zionism, the return to Zion has become a nightmare as Russian gangs of rapists prey on Jewish women in the streets of Ashqelon and Ashdod and missionaries prey on Jewish children in the streets of Jerusalem. A “Zionist” government arms the enemies of the Jews and pays them to have ever more children to replace those martyred for the Muslim jihad. The great Hasbara Campaign appeals to the democratic sensibilities of the present-day Greeks and Romans and justifies Israel’s existence on the basis of its being the “only democracy in the Middle-East.” And this is precisely why those of the West admire us and those of the East hate us. The Christian Zionists love us because we are a reflection of them and they are narcissistic to the core.

Democracy=Israeli suicide as the Arab citizens of the State of Israel use their rights of citizenship to destroy the Jewish State. If Israel is to continue to exist, this situation will not be able to continue. What will be the backlash on the day after Israel ceases to be a democracy in the tolerant, pluralistic American mold?

While Ishmael playfully fires arrows in our direction, Esav falls on us with hugs and kisses. Both are jealous and treacherous and challenge our rightful position in the world. Most thinking Jews today have their heads on straight as regards the Arab threat, but remain woefully naive in regard to that posed by Christianity.

The only Gentiles who are true and trustworthy friends of Israel are those who have given up their false religions to become Bnei Noach---true righteous Gentiles. There is no practicing Christian who is not influenced by his false interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures. Speaking as one who has literally been there, the “love” expressed by the Christian Zionists is a spillover from their ecstatic and gleeful anticipation of the fulfillment of the Hebrew prophets as they understand them. By backing and funding the return of the Jews to Israel, they believe they are hastening the return of their own messiah, now long dead and turned to dust. I am sickened by the admission of fellow Jews who claim to understand this, but see no reason why they should not accept the money anyway. When these loving Christians discover the truth, do the Jews care what will come of it? As one young recent olah chadasha told me, “That’s not my concern.” Does the term “money-grubbing” offend? For shame!

The new testament describes a future leader of the Jews who will be the Christians’ “anti-christ.” Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson have already identified him as “a male Jew who is alive at this very moment.” If you are still around when a deliverer arises in Zion as Moses did in Egypt, you will witness how quickly “love” can turn to hate. The Christians who are hugging and kissing the Jews today truly believe they will all be caught up into heaven with their dead messiah when that day arrives, but when they realize the awful truth, pity any Jews who still remain in America.

I find it quite ironic that the Christian Zionists love to come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, as they call it. They see themselves as the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy and it is further proof to them that they are bringing about the end of days and the return of the dead messiah.

These clueless Christians have so little understanding of the Hebrew prophets that they have unwittingly identified themselves as part of the ultimate enemy of the Jewish people. According to the prophet:

“It shall be that all who are left over from all the nations who had invaded Jerusalem will come up every year to worship the King Hashem, Master of Legions, and to celebrate the festival of Succot.”

They do not understand that this is a matter of humiliation for them. As members of those people who tried to bring about the ultimate final solution, they will be required to make a public spectacle of themselves as they bow before the True King and submit themselves to His sovereignty.

Today, they boisterously parade around the streets of Jerusalem, grinning from ear to ear in joyful conviction of the rightness of their path and groveling Jews are aiding and abetting their smug and arrogant self-deception rather than tactfully and diplomatically performing their role as priests to the nations and setting them straight. To the Christian Zionists and the Jews who love them, I would like to repeat the words of my forefathers:

“The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a Sanctuary for Hashem, G-d of Israel. They approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families and said to them, “Let us build with you, for, like you, we will seek your G-d; it is to Him that we have been sacrificing since the days of Esar-haddon…but Zerubbabel, along with Jeshua and the rest of the family heads of Israel said to them, ‘It is not for you together with us to build a Temple for our G-d: rather we, by ourselves, will build [it]…’ ” (Ezra 4:1-3)

16 Tishrei 5763

Liars and Deceivers

2009-07-07T21:19:00.000+03:00

Rabbinate Confronted With 60 Missionary Converts

They Never Take a Rest

2009-07-01T20:34:00.003+03:00

It won't hurt, in their minds, if the children playing on these playgrounds will grow up with kind feelings towards xians because of their "generosity." Their long-term goal is that these chlidren will one day be open to hearing about their "gospel" as a result.

Christian-Jewish Fellowship to Build Israel Playgrounds
Reported: 19:19 PM - Jul/01/09

(IsraelNN.com) The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) is joining forces with Na'amat, Emunah and WIZO to contribute to the construction of 51 playgrounds at 22 day care centers in Israel, JPost reported. The IFCJ committed NIS 1.4 million toward the project.

"[We] are happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the children of Israel. The Fellowship will continue to initiate partnerships which will strengthen Israeli society," said IFCJ founder and President Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. He said the IFCJ chose to sponsor playgrounds because they promote healthy development. The IFCJ annually donates close to $60 million to Israeli causes, particularly to poor neighborhoods that lack adequate infrastructure. It is funded by donations from pro-Israel Evangelical Christians.

MESSIANIC (XIAN) ALIYAH

2009-05-08T10:10:00.004+03:00

Xians want to make aliyah. If you don't believe me think about these two words "xian zionism". There are many different groups, but they all want to take our land. The only difference between them and the Arabs is the method, deception. They pretend to love and care for us by doing humanitarian work, but the ultimate goals are aliyah and evangelizing. It is important to note that "Messianic Jews" are xians whether they are born Jewish or not. They believe that yeshu is not only the Mashiach but also G-d. They worship and pray to him. That makes them xians.

Joel Chernoff is the general secretary of the MJAA, Messianic Jewish Allianice of America.

Joel is best known for his lifelong commitment and ministry work within the Messianic Jewish movement, a worldwide revival of Jewish people returning to the knowledge and belief in Yeshua, Jesus, as their Messiah. The Messianic movement is the fastest growing form of Judaism in the world today.

Since 1915, the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America is the single largest association of Messianic Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua in the world. In his role as General Secretary of the MJAA Joel is responsible for providing over $80 million worth of humanitarian aid to Israel; creating means for needy Russian Jews to make aliyah or immigrate to Israel; as well as dig fresh water wells and coordinate humanitarian aid efforts to reach more than 50 third world villages of Messianic Jewish people in Ethiopia.

His latest blog is about the recent article in the JPost on "messianic" aliyah by Maurice Singer a former Senior Aliyah consultant for the Jewish Agency.

In Mr. Singer's column a reader asks

Q: We are Messianic Jews and would like to make Aliyah. How difficult would this be?

And his answer is

A: From the inquiries that I have received, I have come to the conclusion that there seems to be 2 different interpretations of the meaning of "Messianic Jews." One seems to be people born Jewish who have embraced Jesus as the Messiah and follow the New and Old testament. The other appears to be people, not of Jewish birth who support the Jewish religion and who believe in both testaments. If the questioner is the former then it would appear that s/he is entitled to make Aliyah in accordance with the Law of Return. If the latter is the case then the questioner does not qualify for Aliyah.

Joel Chernoff has this to say

What? Are you kidding!

In other words this non-Messianic Jewish expert is saying it doesn’t matter what a person of Jewish lineage believes, he/she is qualified to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.

MY OH MY! How Things Have Changed!

Until recently there is no way we would have seen such a response in print from the mainstream Jewish world in a paper like the Jerusalem Post. I could hardly believe my eyes that this would be his response despite the current reading and interpretation of the Law of Return especially by the Orthodox Jewish community that would say that Messianic Jews have left the fold of Jewish faith and therefore do NOT qualify to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.

Is this issue less controversial than it was 40 years ago when the revival first broke out in the late 1960’s?

Has the Messianic communities hard work inside and outside of Israel through the Joseph Project etc slowly cultivated an appreciation for our community and a lessening of tensions and greater acceptance?
Whatever it is, the response of this aliyah expert is quite remarkable!

Notice that last paragraph? He is asking if their humanitarian work in Israel has led to acceptance of "Messianic Judaism" as a legitimate form of Judaism making aliyah easier for messianics.

The Joseph Project : In 1996, the Joseph Project was inspired by a prophetic wordthat NOW is the time to prepare for massive immigration to Israel of at least a million Jewish people from Eastern Europe and Russia in the near future. In 2006 alone we have shipped over $70 million of goods that were distributed via our 30 humanitarian aid centers, as well as over 100 Israeli government centers.

This is why so many xian organizations are involved in aliyah. Most xians know by now that with enough money they will eventually get what they want from the Israeli government.

The blog comments are very telling

"Joel, all I can think of is this: The Joseph Project is affecting the entire dough!"

"Who in Israel cannot be affected in this Great Mitzvah? Israel is knowing the Messianic Jews by their fruit! HOW EXCITING for what this could mean for the Messianic Jews desiring to make aliyah!"

"It is joyous to see the turn around for the Jews who follow Yeshua! I know it has been harder for those then for others to move to The Land. Baruch HaShem!!"

"I’m thrilled that Jews (by lineage) who consider themselves Messianic now apparently are no longer considered as non Jews, and allowed to return home.
Hopefully this would soon include us non Jewish Believers who hold the messianic view, to be able to make aliyah as well. I’m looking forward to that day."

Yes, They "Demand"

2009-05-07T00:07:00.002+03:00

Messianic Jews demand Israeli citizenship
Three UK residents petition High Court, say state is denying their right of return due to bias against their faith
Aviad Glickman

Three Messianic Jews residing in Britain filed a petition with the High Court of Justice Wednesday in an effort to convince Interior Minister Eli Yishai to grant them citizenship.

John Christopher and Nina and Kevin Aires are members of a faith that believes Jesus Christ is the messiah but see themselves as Jews.

The petition states that Christopher's grandfather and Nina Aires' grandmother were Jewish, which grants them the right of return by law.

They claim they have appealed to the Interior Ministry a number of times but were rejected because they are Messianic Jews. They say the ministry sees members of their faith as missionaries and has denied their appeals for this reason.

The three say they have done nothing to warrant a denial of citizenship that is theirs by law and that they are Zionists who want to make Israel their home.

The petitioners claim the Interior Ministry is behaving in a discriminatory manner and persecuting them for their beliefs. The State's response has not yet been filed.

WANNA-BE JEWS DEDICATE TORAH SCROLL

2009-04-17T15:17:00.002+03:00

Many Jewish news outlets reported on a Torah dedication at Congregation Temple Bethel in Philadelphia. From the headlines you would think this was a normal Torah dedication at a Jewish synagogue.

Headline on ynetnews

African-American Jews gain acceptance
Congregation of African-American Jews in Philadelphia reaches out to broader Jewish community in bid to persuade Jews to break through racial division.

but here are some interesting excerpts from the article

The founder of Temple Beth'El, Louise Dailey, studied with a rabbi, but was not ordained by a recognized branch of Judaism. The synagogue has a kosher kitchen and a mikvah, or ritual bath, but Dailey also adopted some traditions that are alien to the ancient faith. Congregants called her "Mother Dailey," and she ordained Bowen, her daughter, before she died.

and

The ceremony was a mix of Hebrew readings and shouts of "Hallelujah!" — a worship style typical of African-American churches. The booming music came from what Christians would call a "praise band" — with electric guitars, drums and keyboard. There was a dress code — another unusual tradition for Jews — of blue, silver or white clothing. Bowen's garb was far from typical for a rabbi. She wore an elaborate, flowing white gown — like a wedding dress — with matching white shawl and a yarmulke.

The Jewish Exponent reported

At the start of the ceremony dedicating the congregation's new Sefer Torah, Rabbi Debra Bowen of Congregation Temple Beth'El in Philadelphia summed up the situation: "I'm beside myself, as are most of Congregation Temple Beth'El," she said. "We've been unable to sleep, unable to eat -- and our medical personnel have told us that we have 'Torah fever.' " Congregants of all ages came in droves for the big event at the largely African-American "Conservadox" shul in West Oak Lane.

But here are some telling excerpts from their article

When the congregation's response wasn't lively enough, Bowen reached into her soulful rabbinic arsenal for a guaranteed reaction: "I need to get some hallelujahs!" "This is how we daven!" exclaimed Bowen. The predominantly African-American synagogue occupies an unusual place in the Jewish communal landscape: a vibrant, lively Jewish congregation comprised of a population not traditionally thought of as Jewish.

The article claims the founder, Louise Elizabeth Dailey, converted to Judaism but the "shul's" website doesn't say anything about a conversion in the bio on Dailey. It does however say that Rabbi Debra A Bowen, who is Daily's daughter, received her ordination from her mother. According to the website, Dailey was a baptist (xian) non-Jew. She decided to call herself a Jew and teach others "Judaism". When she got a following she decided to buy a building and call it a "synagogue".
Congregation Temple Bethel runs a Hebrew Academy that teaches the New Testament along with Mishna and Talmud. The following is an excerpt from the website

The year 1995 was a milestone for Congregation Temple Beth `El. We were blessed with Rabbi Dahton Nasi as our Temple Rabbi who is an erudite scholar and a wonderfully warm and approachable person. Prior to his membership with Congregation Temple Beth`El, Rabbi Nasi served as Temple Rabbi and spiritual leader at Adath Emet Yisrael from 1962 to 1972. He received his rabbinical ordination documentation in 1962 after completing the required courses at a private university and at Rutgers College. Among his credentials beyond his Teudah at S'meechut is a Doctor of Divinity degree from the American Bible Institute. He also concentrated on such elective disciplines beyond his Rabbinic and Hebraic studies as counseling and applied psychology. Additional accomplishment of Rabbi Nasi is that he was founder and administrator of the Jehu S. Zebulun Hebrew School of Hebrew and Cognate Studies.

These people are not Jews. They are just observing another form of xianity mixed with Judaism. As if there weren't enough fake Jews around with the messianic Jews, Ephraimites, Hebrew roots xians, Netzarim, Black Hebrews/Israelites.

How does it happen?

2009-04-16T10:47:00.002+03:00

These days you can never know for sure who it really is that is davening next to you in shul.

For Jerusalem's Hebrew-speaking Catholics, Jewish identity is cardinal

"...Neuhaus, the community's vicar, is a 46-year-old Jesuit priest raised as a Jew in South Africa. His path to Catholicism began when his parents sent him to study in a yeshiva in Jerusalem as a teenager. Neuhaus told of how in Jerusalem, he met a Russian-Orthodox nun related to the family of the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. "I was 15, and she was 89," Neuhaus carefully explained. "She had an incredible influence over me from a spiritual standpoint. She radiated the presence of God. Her influence raised many spiritual questions about my faith." Neuhaus promised his parents that he would discuss his religious direction with them and wait 10 years before making a final decision. He did as he promised, converting and becoming ordained at the age of 26.... "Many of our members attend synagogue as an act of solidarity."

An Enlightening Article

2009-04-10T16:16:00.002+03:00

One insight into why our people are at risk from missionaries:

The Dead-End of Jewish Culture

Xian "love" will destroy your soul

2009-04-05T13:00:00.000+03:00

EXCERPTS FROM CASPARI MEDIA REVIEW MARCH 31

2009-04-01T09:37:00.000+03:00

Anti-missionary Activities

HaModia, March 25 (pp. 1, 5), 26, 2009

Under the headline "Arad: Increase in missionary violence against city residents," HaModia (March 25, p. 5) reported the alleged incident in the following manner: "A shocking incident of assault took place last Thursday, near the meeting place of the mission on Gil'ad St. Two innocent residents stood there, exercising their legitimate right to inform passersby of the deceptive activity designed to convert being conducted in the building by the missionaries, and the need to keep a distance from the place and their crowds. The missionaries, whose anger is greatly aroused by protest activities of this kind, decided to attack the two men. All along, the missionaries have been attempting to present themselves as Jews and thus capture innocent Jews in their snare. The moment they understood that the two were endeavoring to expose their true purpose, they began to use physical violence. As already stated, last Thursday, another grave case of assault took place on the part of the missionaries, who pursued the men and tried to attack them in a very serious and extraordinary manner. By the grace of heaven, the two men managed to escape without harm. Yad L'Achim has reported that a complaint has been lodged with the police in Arad over the incident and that it is hoped that those responsible for the assault will be brought to trial. Orthodox elements in Arad told HaModia that the violence perpetrated by the mission in the city is one of the most well known cases and that the missionaries are a thorn in their side because they try to disguise themselves as 'compassionate and good people' in order to attract people and snare them in their net. It was further reported that the person responsible for the mission in the city's market, a man infamous in the past for having hit and injured residents and damaged their property, has been under house arrest recently, until his trial, scheduled for the coming months, is held. The man has been revealed as a danger to the public because of his serial violence and grave attempts to harm residents. People who see him wandering around outside their houses are requested to report the incident to the police on the grounds that he is violating the terms of his house arrest. Among the incidents of missionary violence was the wounding of a disabled IDF soldier whom they beat severely. Arad residents are waiting to see how the law enforcement authorities will act to restore peace and security to the city."

According to the same paper (March 25, p. 1), "dozens of Sha'arei Chesed [a Jerusalem neighborhood] residents will participate in the discussion to be held today in the district court regarding a petition to build a Christian prayer house in the neighborhood ... The petition, made by the Messianic congregation 'Netivyah,' was recently presented to the district court following the success of the residents' struggle in their appeal against the construction of the five-storey building ... According to the plans, the building will contain a large prayer hall and a conference hall, lecture- and class-rooms, and a kitchen and dining hall apparently intended to serve hundreds of outside visitors." One of the neighborhood residents was quoted as saying that the protesters include "'religious, traditional, and secular residents alike, with no distinction. This is an attempt to construct a huge public structure which will serve as a meeting place in the heart of a religious neighborhood. It's a serious disturbance and threat from all angles.'" The piece further reported that R. Shmuel Auerbach had given his support to the protest, stating that to do so was "'a biblical commandment [mitzvah d'oraita] to uproot idolatry from the land,'" it also being a mitzvah to participate in the court hearing.

HaModia (March 26) reported that that the "missionary" bulletin "Prayer for Israel" stated recently that "'[Binyamin] Netanyahu has promised us that he won't support any attempt on the part of the religious parties to pass a law stopping the activities of Israeli missionaries which is liable to prevent them from sharing their faith.'" Citing the "typical commentary" given by the bulletin, the article further cited it as saying, "'A radical right-wing government is a double-edged sword: while it safeguards Israel's national security, it doesn't protect the missionary organizations within the country. Our priority is naturally the protection of our fellow believers.'"

The Pope and the Vatican

Yediot Ahronot, March 25; HaModia, March 27; Haaretz, March 30; Jerusalem Post, March 30, 2009 Israel expects to spend six million shekels on the pope's visit to Nazareth alone, according to a report in Haaretz (March 30). Nazareth City Council has elected to "entrust organizing the mass to an external production company due to its complex logistical demands and the tight time frame. Organizers will still need to recruit funds for a satellite communication infrastructure to transmit the mass to a worldwide audience. They must also arrange security measures and organize transportation. The Vatican is expected to send Israel its guidelines and requests for the ceremony over the coming days. As of yet, Israel has received only the plan for the ceremony's set, part of which will comprise ancient artifacts."Yediot Ahronot (March 25) provided details concerning all 25 events scheduled during Benedict XVI's visit. Participants at these will be pre-invited guests only, whose background will be investigated before they are allowed to take part. Much of the preparation is linked to security issues, Israel being ready to field an assassination attempt on the pope's life or a terrorist attack designed to cloud the visit. The Vatican is also feeling the pressure of a German pope who grew up in Germany during the Holocaust visiting the Western Wall and Yad Vashem. It will thus take pains to ensure that none of his speeches contain controversial statements but attempt to appease everyone concerned - "Israelis, Palestinians, and members of all the religions." One logistical problem has already revealed itself: no building license has been issued for the construction of an amphitheater at the Mount Precipice in Nazareth, leading to fears that the Interior Ministry will forbid any such work and frustrate the planned mass.In light of the pope's upcoming visit, HaModia (March 27) joined the chorus of people perusing the history of Pius XII, stating that the answer lies hidden in the secret Vatican archives, which resemble a nuclear shelter.David Rosen, head of the American Jewish Committee's Department of Interreligious Affairs and chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, contributed an opinion piece entitled "Pope Benedict XVI and the Jews" to the Jerusalem Post this week (March 30). Rosen suggested that the pope's efforts to restore relations with the Jewish community should come as no surprise to those familiar with his record: "He was the first pope to invite Jewish leaders both to the funeral of Pope John Paul II and, above all, to the celebration of his own ascension to the throne of St. Peter in 2005. Little more than a month later he received a delegation of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations. This roof body, embracing the principle [sic] Jewish advocacy organizations as well as the major streams of contemporary Judaism, is the official partner of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with Jewry. Notably he received this Jewish delegation almost immediately into his pontificate, before he had even received delegations from other branches of Christianity, let alone other religions." Citing several of Cardinal Ratzinger's writings and speeches, Rosen stated: "It is significant to condemn anti-Semitism as evil and it is remarkable to condemn it as 'a sin against God and man' as did Pope John Paul II (words that have been reiterated by Pope Benedict XIV himself). However to describe anti-Semitism as an assault against the very roots of Christianity means that for a Christian to harbor such sentiment is to attack and betray his own faith - a message of enormous pedagogical importance in the struggle against hatred directed towards Jews and Judaism." Finally, in relation to the State of Israel, Rosen wrote: "Not everyone in the Church has appreciated the central role that Israel plays in contemporary as well as historic Jewish identity. Pope Benedict XVI does, and he fully realizes that the relationship between the Vatican and the State of Israel is inextricably bound up with the relationship between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church."

Copyright 2009, Caspari Center.

EXCERPTS FROM THE CASPARI MEDIA REVIEW MARCH 26, 2009

2009-03-30T19:06:00.000+03:00

Anti-missionary Activities

HaMachaneh HeCharedi, March 19; Yom L'Yom, March 19; HaModia, March 18, 20; HaMevaser, March 18, 2009

In the wake of the recent story about Netzarim settlers who refused to accept a donation from Christians, it was reported this week that a wealthy Venezuelan Jew has offered to make up the sum they "lost" by contributing the funds to Yad L'Achim and give them the money himself

(HaMevaser , March 18; HaModia , March 20; HaMachaneh HeCharedi , March 19; Yom L'Yom , March 19).

According to HaModia (March 18), "The residents of Arad hold legal protests every day of the year against the missionary organizations in the city in order to reveal their true face and their devious intentions. The missionaries in Arad present themselves as Jews to all purposes by wearing Jewish dress and authentic Jewish symbols and the Orthodox Jewish community in Arad has been hurt by this. Over Purim, therefore, when we are commanded to destroy Amalek, the residents put greater stress than usual on their fight against the mission, which pursues innocent Jews and snares them in its net. On Shabbat Zekhor, residents returning from synagogue and passing the mission building on Gil'ad St. stopped and protested the campaign of apostasy being carried on there. Some of the worshipers recited the usual Purim prayers which refer to wiping out the memory of Amalek. The principal demonstration was held on the actual day of Purim: a special horse parade - 'Mordechai's procession' - was held with posters saying, 'The mission - the spiritual Haman of our generation' and 'We want an Arad free of missionaries' ... The group wore special T-shirts from the Yad L'Achim organization with the inscription, 'Lost - a Jew. Last seen going around with the missionaries.' The procession wound its way all through the town, expressing its identification with the local protest. Those involved stated that the protest went very smoothly, the public being exposed time and again to the mission's true face and taking pains to keep its distance from it and its deceitful workers - in close cooperation with Yad L'Achim, which participates in the daily protests in the city throughout the year."

Christians in Israel

Dakot 24, March 17; Haaretz, March 17; Mishpacha, March 19; HaModia, March 17; HaMevaser, March 17, 23; Makor Rishon, March 17; Yated Ne'eman, March 17; Globes, March 23, 2009

A guard and Orthodox Scout leader at a Yaffo church was arrested this week on suspicion of molesting several youths in the church where he works and on scout outings (Dakot 24 , March 17). According to Haaretz (March 17), the 25-year-old man's detention was extended for three days.

Several of the religious papers reported the decision taken by the Tel Aviv municipality to discuss Simon Duka's request that he be permitted to open his used-clothing shop on Shabbat. Duka is a Christian refugee from Sudan and wishes his day of rest to be Sunday rather than Saturday. A magistrate has already ordered the municipality to cancel the fines it imposed on Duka for opening on Shabbat (Mishpacha , March 17; Makor Rishon , March 17; Yom L'Yom , March 17). HaModia (March 17) was of the opinion that Duka is "seeking to alter the order of Tel Aviv." The present law allows the granting of licenses to open on Shabbat only to shops in non-Jewish areas. The municipality's committee has been ordered to convene within 60 days to discuss the matter (HaMevaser , March 17).

According to a report in HaMevaser (March 23), "While police in Jerusalem were preventing the celebrations of 'Jerusalem as the capital of Arab culture' planned by the PA in the Jewish capital, it transpires that no consensus exists in the matter within the Palestinian community itself. The head of the Latin church in Gaza stated that the Hamas government prevented a Christian school from holding an event within the same framework. The Hamas movement denied the claims."

Globes (March 23), featured an article on the history of the "American Colony" in Tel Aviv-Yaffo: The "American Colony" was established in 1866 by "156 Protestants from the state of Maine, U.S. The purpose of the settlement was the restoration of the Jews to the Land of Israel, which would bring Yeshu's return and the redemption. It contained only two roads: Be'er Hoffman and Auerbach. The settlers only managed to hold on for two years, being torn apart by plagues and economic difficulties. In 1868, the settlement was barren. Within a few years, however, the houses had been purchased by the German Templars, who developed the settlement and created public institutions. In 1881, it already contained 26 residences - eight of wood and the rest of stone, being surrounded by stone walls. The German Kaiser Wilhelm II stayed in the Park Hotel in the colony in 1898, his entourage staying at the nearby Jerusalem Hotel. In 1904, Emmanuel Church was completed, one of the colony's most prominent features. The German Colony flourished until it was destroyed by the British during the Second World War and its residents expelled; the buildings were confiscated by the government. Most of the houses have been restored and preserved as a tourist attraction. Recently, well-known architects have also bought apartments and sites there."

Jewish-Christian Relations

Haaretz, March 20; Yediot Yerushalayim, March 20; HaMevaser, March 18; BeKehilah, March 19; HaModia, March 23; HaShavua BiYerushalayim, March 19; Kol Ha'Ir, March 18; BeSheva,
March 19, 2009

HaModia (March 23) reported Pope Benedict's apology for his handling of the Williamson affair (see previous Reviews).

Benedict's scheduled visit to the Western Wall is creating additional severe strains on Jewish-Catholic relations. According to several reports (HaShavua BiYerushalayim , March 19; Kol Ha'Ir , March 18; BeSheva , March 19; Yediot Yerushalayim , March 20; HaMevaser , March 18), the Security Service's decision to close the plaza 15 hours before the pope's arrival, thus preventing worshippers from praying there, has aroused the ire of the Wall's Chief Rabbi, Shmuel Rabinovitz. "'In my opinion, we cannot close the Wall and limit prayer there ... the principle guiding me is to find security solutions which will simultaneously permit continuous entrance during the pope's visit ... There cannot be a situation in which prayer at the Western Wall stops even for one second. I intend to demand that entrance is permitted before the visit and during it in order to enable proper prayer services to continue as normal.'" Rabinovitz expressed similar views regarding the fact that the pope arrives on the eve of Lag B'Omer, a fact which may affect the celebrations on Mount Meron when he arrives in Nazareth, objecting that closing the roads would interfere with thousands of people making their way north for the celebrations. According to BeSheva (March 19), the original security plans called for the Wall to be closed from midnight. "In his statement he [Rabinovitz] said that the pope couldn't be given priority over other worshipers, and in particular should not be allowed to infringe on those who prayed at the Wall regularly all during the year." The same report also noted that Rabinovitz has requested that the pope refrain from wearing a cross at the Wall, having already succeeded in gaining the compliance of two other high-ranking Catholic figures from entering the site "wearing the symbol of their worship." An organization called "Independence" is also protesting the pope's visit to the Wall on the grounds that the "religious public must fiercely oppose the intention of the head of Catholic Christianity which hates Judaism to visit this sanctified place." According to HaMevaser (March 18), several other rabbis and Torah scholars have appealed to Rabinovitz against the closure of the Wall "from which the Shekhina [God's presence] has never moved." BeKehilah (March 19) further noted that the pope's scheduled visit to Mount Zion is arousing fears that "as a gesture, the government might grant the Vatican authority over part of King David's tomb, thereby impinging on the tomb and its worshipers." It likewise reported that Benedict's visit to Nazareth has been postponed in light of the Lag B'Omer celebrations.

Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland since 2004, contributed an opinion piece to Haaretz (March 20) entitled "What I learned from John Paul II": "I recently returned from giving a lecture honoring the memory of Pope John Paul II, at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome ... What a humbling, and particularly relevant experience ... John Paul II profoundly explained: 'The Jewish religion is not "extrinsic" to us, but in a certain way is "intrinsic" to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship we do not have with any other religion.' Christianity's unique relationship with Judaism creates special responsibilities - an essential lesson for Christians. But it's a lesson for us Jews, too, who have learned from bitter historical experience to close our doors to the outside world. Pope John Paul II understood the Jewish concept of 'the other.' When one is well rooted in one's own tradition, one only benefits by studying and experiencing other religious traditions ... My synagogue in Warsaw announced a memorial prayer for him at the start of Shabbat [following his death]. As I approached the synagogue, I was shocked. The line of those waiting to get inside was huge. Over 1,000 people attended - a few hundred were local Polish Jews, but the rest were Polish Catholics. Just think about it - hundreds of Catholics accepting that it was normal to share a prayer for the Pope in a synagogue in Poland! At that moment, I saw before my very eyes how Pope John Paul II had changed the world. How so much of what he practiced during his own life had truly inspired others to act similarly. For me, this is the ultimate tribute to the teachings and life of Pope John Paul II."

The Pope and the Vatican

Calcalist, March 23; Haaretz, March 23 (Hebrew and English editions); Jerusalem Post, March 17, 2009

A report printed in Haaretz (March 23, Hebrew and English editions) and Calcalist (March 23) noted that "A special crew comprised of both Jews and Christians will serve Pope Benedict XVI and his entourage on their El Al flight home from Israel on May 15. According to El Al, the entourage will include 30 church officials and 70 journalists. The airline also plans to paint the Pope's plane with the Vatican logo. Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected to accompany the Pope on his visit here, and El Al is hoping for a piece of that action as well: It will inaugurate direct flights between Tel Aviv and Sao Paolo, Brazil on May 2, and is planning an aggressive advertising campaign in other South American countries too."

According the Jerusalem Post (March 17), "After more than a decade of negotiations, Israel and the Vatican are nearing an agreement on a longstanding tax dispute over Church properties in the Holy Land ... At the core of the tax dispute is hundreds of millions of shekels owed to the city by the Vatican ... The total amount of unpaid property tax amounts to roughly NIS 300 million, with the Latin Patriarchate the biggest offender ... Any agreement reached between the Prime Minister's Office and the Vatican will be precedent-setting, since it will apply to all church properties in Jerusalem." Despite the progress in talks, however, it is doubtful whether the issue will be resolved prior to the pope's upcoming visit.

Copyright 2009, Caspari Center.

CASPARI MEDIA REVIEW DECEMBER 29

2008-12-29T19:20:00.000+02:00

December 29, 2008
During the week covered by this review, we received 24 articles on the subjects of Messianic Jews, attitudes towards Christianity, anti-missionary activity, Christian Zionism, Christians in Israel, Christian and holy sites, Christian tourism, the Pope and the Vatican, and anti-Semitism.

Messianic Jews

Jerusalem Post, December 17, 2008
The Jerusalem Post (December 17) printed a letter from Howard Silverman of the UMJC in reponse to the paper's coverage of Jamie and Stacy Cowen's detention (see last week's Review): "Sir, - The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations deplores the detention of Jamie and Stacy Cowen upon their arrival in Israel ('Messianic Jews detained at Ben-Gurion Airport,' December 15). As president of the UMJC, Cowen spearheaded humanitarian aid to Israel and participated in social causes for the betterment of the Jewish people. The UMJC continues to support these efforts and does not engage in any activity that is outside the bounds of Israeli law. In 2003, and most recently in the summer of 2008, the UMJC convened its annual conference in Israel, which the Jerusalem Post reported. We call upon the government of Israel to uphold the freedom of religion of all."

Attitudes toward Christianity

Kol Ha'Ir, December 19; Makor Rishon, December 21; Yediot Ahronot, December 22, 2008 Under the title "A Christmas legend," Kol Ha'Ir (December 19) ran a short column encouraging Israelis to partake in the Christmas festivities: "With all due respect to doughnuts, dreidels, and, of course, the wonderful lights of Hanukkah, we have to admit that Christmas represents no small attraction to Jews. Who amongst us did not grow up on dozens of series and American films in which the whole family decorates their Christmas tree with lights and colorful ornaments? Who was never jealous of the young kids, whose fathers or grandfathers crept into the living room through the chimney disguised as Santa Claus in a red-and-white suit and distributed longed-for presents wrapped in colorful, rustling paper? At midnight on December 24, the bells of churches all across the world will ring out, and festal and devout prayers will begin in Bethlehem and throughout Jerusalem. Even if you are a Jew who is settled in his religion, there's no reason for you not to join in and come to watch the devout masses which celebrate the birth of Yeshu." Interactive participation was recommended, in the form of a night tour conducted by the Reform-run Beit Shmuel on Christmas eve, which included a walk on the roofs of the city and through the alleys of the Christian Quarter in the Old City.The religious weekly Makor Rishon (December 21) also joined in the festive spirit, with the publication of an article entitled "Hannuchristmas." Noting, once again, the beloved films about Christmas, Nahum Mokiach summed up the atmosphere in "Jew York": "The two holidays, Hanukka and Christmas, mark the united and unifying gathering together of families. The Jews have ceremonies, the blessing over the lighting of the candles, and the eating of doughnuts and latkes (potato pancakes) together. The Christians have crowding together around the Christmas tree and the ceremony of opening the presents. This combination of the ceremonies of two parallel holidays shines a powerful ray of closeness and fellowship."Gili Sofer, reporting on Christmas eve in Nazareth, on the other hand, suggests that one could be forgiven for thinking oneself abroad on that night (Yediot Ahronot, December 22). At the same time, she also notes that "despite being a Christian holiday, Christmas is celebrated by Christians and Muslims alike" in Nazareth. Likewise, the Church of the Annunciation - the largest church in the Middle East - was "symbolically" built by an Israeli company (Solel Boneh), with the use of Muslim laborers and money from the Vatican.

Missionary and Anti-missionary Activity

Ha'Ir-Tel Aviv, December 19; HaModia, December 21; BeKehila, December 18; Yom L'Yom, December 18; HaShavua BiYerushalayim, December 18; Mishpacha, December 18, 2008
A brief notice in Ha'Ir-Tel Aviv (December 19) reported the distribution of a comic book in the streets of Tel Aviv last week depicting the apocalypse. The tract opens with the hero surviving a car accident, an event which is explained in terms of salvation through Yeshua since in him "God's wrath won't come upon us." "Thus, one after the other, all the central tenets of the Christian faith are presented ('Yeshua comes from heaven and sheds his blood in order to cleanse us from our sins'), accompanied by quotations from the sources." According to the article - entitled "Batman returns: Yeshua also returns (in up-to-date comics) and wipes the smile off the faces of all the jokers" - "the double-sided tract, which was disseminated on Tuesday (Dec. 16) on Rothschild Ave., in fact charges the 'Edomites' ('the nation of Christians') with responsibility for the financial crisis and the approaching apocalypse."The remainder of the articles all related to Yad L'Achim's "Million-name petition," an initiative recently inaugurated by the anti-missionary organization designed to effect changes in the current "missionary law." The petition "calls on the religious parties [in the Knesset] to exploit the momentum which has been created on the eve of the Knesset elections and include in the platform of each party a clear and unambiguous clause according to which the parties will act to insist that the missionary law be amended so as to halt all missionary preaching of whatever sort by any member of any religion towards any member of any other religion. The law will put a stop to missionary activity, which ironically and outrageously is presently permitted by Israeli law unless directed towards minors or in exchange for material benefits." The petition further calls on the relevant parties to make the adoption of this clause an unconditional prerequisite for their participation in any future coalition.

Christian Zionism

Yediot Netanya, December 19, 2008
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) has donated 250 shekels each to 1,750 elderly people in Netanya, for the purpose of helping them heat their homes this winter.

Christian and Holy Sites

Ma'ariv, December 19; Haaretz, December 18 (x 2), 22; Yediot Ahronot, December 21, 22, 2008
Ma'ariv (December 19) recommended a visit to the church which, according to Christian tradition, commemorates the house of Anna and Jehoiakin, "Yeshua's (Yeshu's) grandmother and grandfather." "Here, it transpires, Miriam, Yeshu's mother, was born to barren parents." The Byzantine church, which is almost completely preserved, is located close to Tzippori (Sepphoris) in central Galilee. "The courtyard and beautiful church are one of the points of the walking tour in the footsteps of the life of Yeshu, the project known as the 'Jesus trail' - a walking tour of around 60 km and 3-5 days' walk beginning in Nazareth and ending at the Mount of Beatitudes."In a column dedicated to "sites," Yediot Ahronot focused on "Christian Nazareth" this week (December 21, 22). The first column indicated that around 60,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the city in the week between Christmas and the civil New Year. It pictured Sister Sylvia of the Rosary Monastery, which will provide accommodation for several of the pilgrims. Sister Sylvia was born in Nazareth, served most of her "working" life dedicated to "the Christian savior" in monasteries in Jerusalem, and only returned to Nazareth six years ago. The second featured "Kiriakos, the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox community in the North, the second most important church figure following that of the Patriarch, who resides in Jerusalem." "'When I need to be, I'm a cook, when I need to be I'm the archbishop,' says Kiriakos as he fried fish in the Greek style."In a review of how the danger levels of the Sea of Galilee are determined, Eli Ashkenazi looked into the history of the discussion and noted that when the electicity company first began utilizing the lake, it encountered opposition from the "monks from the Italian and German monasteries" who protested against the "intervention in nature" as a "'desecration of the waters of the Sea of Galilee sacred to all the Christians in the world'" (Haaretz, December 22).According to a report in the same paper (Haaretz December 18, Hebrew and English editions), the Israeli government is "mulling [a] proposal to repair Muslim holy sites for [the] first time since [the] establishment of [the] state." "After the 1948 war the Israeli government took possession of much of the property left belonging to the Arab population, which either fled or was expelled from their homes during the war and in its immediate aftermath. Unlike Muslim sites, sites holy to Christianity remained in the hands of the churches after the 1948 war and were not seized by the state due to international pressure." Now, mosques as well as synagogues and churches may be renovated by the government across the country.

Christian Tourism

Haaretz, December 17, 18; Jerusalem Post, December 16, 2008
In one of the worst traffic accidents in Israeli history, 24 Russian tour operators were killed and another 25 injured almost immediately following their arrival in Eilat (Haaretz, December 18). Among those in hospital was Vladislaw Gomglev. In stable condition, he remarked to reporters that he still hadn't seen the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and would therefore need to return to Israel again to do so.Tourism is on the increase, both for pilgrims and holidaymakers, according to a report in Haaretz (December 17). The Italian government has approved regular Eurofly flights between Milan and Israel. El Al is also renewing its regular flights to and from St. Petersburg, while Arkia will begin flights to and from Azerbaijan, Kiev, and Bakku, and Sun Dor will bring Portuguese pilgrims from Lisbon. "Arkia and Sun Dor are building on religious tourism - Jews who will fly to Kiev and Christians who will arrive from Portugal."Bethlehem is also benefiting from the increase in the tourist trade. According to a report in the Jerusalem Post (December 16), "After eight bleak years, Jesus' birthplace finally has a Christmas season to cheer about . . . With calm gradually returning to the West Bank, Bethlehem has again become a magnet for Christian pilgrims . . . Palestinian officials say 1.3 million tourists have visited the West Bank this year, nearly double last year's level. The total for 2008 could rise to 1.6 million. The tourism boom has created 12,000 new jobs, said Palestinian information Minister Riad Malki . . . Officials say 40 percent of the city's 32,000 residents are Christian, down from 90 percent in the 1950s. The rest are Muslims. Christmas decorations are being put up, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a major player in the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Manger Square . . . Bethlehem is being turned into a showcase for Palestinian security forces, who have been gradually expanding areas under their control. Some 1,500 Palestinian police officers will be deployed in Bethlehem during the holiday . . . Israeli security officials say they are working with their Palestinian counterparts to ensure easy access to Bethlehem."

The Pope and the Vatican

Yediot Ahronot, December 18; Jerusalem Post, December 18, 2008
In light of the upcoming papal visit in May, Bethlehem's mayor, Victor Batarseh, has announced that he has been informed by Vatican officials that Benedict XVI "will visit his town in May" (Jerusalem Post, December 18). According to a second report in Yediot Ahronot (December 18), the pontiff will also visit the Western Wall and the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. Following an initial meeting with President Shimon Peres, the pope will meet with Jewish, Muslim, and Christian leaders at Notre Dame. The following day, he will meet with the chief rabbis and then go to the Temple Mount. In Bethlehem, he will visit the Church of the Nativity and hold a mass "in a nearby square. He is also due to visit Yad Vashem and to take part in a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance."

Anti-Semitism

Makor Rishon, December 19, 2008
An article in Makor Rishon (December 19) examining anti-Semitism in Norway was written by Manfred Gerstenfeld, author of a recently-published book on Scandinavia, Israel, and the Jews. Gerstenfeld opened with some of the "jokes" told by "comedian" Otto Jepersen, which were backed by the director of the TV channel on which they were aired: "I would also like to take the opportunity to remember all the billions of fleas and lice that lost their lives in German gas chambers, without having done anything wrong other than settling on persons of Jewish background." Jepersen also ended one of his performances by extending Christmas wishes to the Jews - and then apologized for his rudeness, having "forgotten" that the Jews had killed Jesus. Gerstenfeld attributed such phenomena to the rise in institutionalized Norwegian anti-Semitism, "hidden behind a front of criticism of Israel due to its policies in Judea and Samaria."

Book Review

HaZofeh, December 19, 2008
Baruch Kahane reviewed Shahar Peled's book Formulators/Shredders of Identities (Pardes; Hebrew) in HaZofeh (December 19). Peled argues that the whole discipline of "Jewish Studies" was "created as part of the Christian Protestant fight against Judaism." These "scientists" (in Hebrew, the discipline is known as "Jewish Sciences") "have their own way of destroying - shredding, in Peled's words - Judaism as a force capable of withstanding Christianity and presenting itself as an alternative to it. Their method is to turn Judaism into an 'object of research' and to examine each claim that it makes as though it were a scientific object like any other, such as a rare germ or sub-atomic particle. From the moment that this 'objective' method was introduced we cease relating to Judaism as a partner for dialogue, and in effect cease relating to it altogether . . . We have here an outward appearance of heeding and paying attention, even of deep study, but without any relation to the truth being expressed - not even in order to contradict what is being said. Judaism is simply not related to as having any significance." Moreover, Peled insists that this process forms "a decisive chapter in Christian efforts to usurp Jewish history for itself. From its inception, as is well known, Christianity saw itself as the 'True Israel' - the 'Israel of the spirit.' Protestantism gave birth to a new version of this attempt. Its thinkers aspired to uncover the primary sources of the Christian idea in order to overcome the distortions produced during the long period in which Christianity had been dominated by the Catholic pope. In their opinion, the distortions of Judaism would also be 'uncovered.'" The "science of Judaism" created in the wake of the emergence of Protestantism provided Jews with the possibility of identifying with their Christian colleagues without abandoning their own identity - at least on a "scientific" level. This came at the expense, however, of losing the "soul" of Judaism: "Why should anyone be interested in studying the Bible if all it is is ancient literature and a collection of superstitions which may, perhaps, have impressed the people of antiquity?" Peled's conclusion is that the only people who now truly understand Judaism form part of the religious community.
Copyright 2008, Caspari Media Review.

CASPARI MEDIA REVIEW-EXCERPTS (SEPT-OCT)

2008-10-31T11:15:00.000+02:00

Due to lack of time, I have been unable to post the review each week. I am now posting only what I see as pertinent from the last few weeks.

Anti-missionary Activity
Mishpaha, September 11, 18; Yediot
Yerushalayim, September 19; HaMahaneh HeHaredi, September 18; BeKehila,
September 18; Yom L'Yom, August 28, 2008 Mishpaha (September 11) ran last week's story of the "missionary" whose conversion attempts Yad L'Achim is endeavoring to foil (see last week's Review).
According to a report published in BeKehila (September 18), Yediot Yerushalayim, (September 19), Mishpaha (September 18), and HaMahaneh HeHaredi (September 18), two "missionary" families, in Bat Yam and Jerusalem, have sent their children to religious kindergartens this year. Neria Arbov is a "well known missionary figure who stars in Yad L'Achim's publicity," whose decision to send his son to a religious kindergarten is being seen as an "embarrassing provocation" by other parents, while Seth ben Haim and John Theodor are a "couple of Gentile missionaries who serve as the heads of missionary congregations in Jerusalem; one of them is married to a Christian woman and the other to a Jewish apostate . . . Seth ben Haim wears misleading religious garb, including a yarmulke and fringes, and was even recently thrown out of the synagogue in which he was ostensibly a member. According to BeKehila, "the parents object, justly, that the missionary children influence their children and that they themselves are forced to deal with the questions the latter ask about 'that man' and so forth." Despite their protests to the Jerusalem municipality, however, the latter "isn't hastening to respond to their request." Shalom Dov Lipshitz, Yad L'Achim's director, said in regard to the incident: "'Here is further proof that the missionaries do not balk at using any means, including the exploitation of small children, in order to integrate themselves into the religious public and thus gain legitimacy as religious Jews, thereby continuing to deceive innocent Jews and persuade them to convert.'" According to Yediot Yerushalayim, a local, non-religious paper, "the Messianic Jewish stream accepts Yeshu as 'the son of God' and considers the New Testament and the Bible as Scripture. According to the parents in the kindergarten, they have nothing against the members of this stream but they refuse to expose their children to a Christian program. 'These are very nice people, and I've got no problem with them,' said the parent of a girl in the kindergarten." This report also quoted a response from the Ministry of Education, whose guidelines state that non-Jewish children cannot be registered at state-religious schools, to the effect that, in all other respects, "'The registration of pupils at educational facilities in Jerusalem complies with the guidelines of the Ministry of Education, and the Messianic students fulfill all the conditions.'"

Messianic Judaism
Ma'ariv, September 26, 2008In a piece entitled "Bible Now," Dubi Zakkai looked at Moshav Yad HaShmonah, run by Messianic believers. "They were eight, eight Jews who crossed the border into Finland. The time: the Second World War, and the Germans had already established their concentration camps. These eight miserable Jews were delivered up to the Nazis' live claws by the Finnish government. Many Finnish citizens were appalled by the act. In the 1970s, a group of golden-haired Finns arrived in our country in order to atone for this handing over, to settle in the land, and to help build the young state of Israel. And thus, after the bureaucratic problems so characteristic of our country, they received a small plot of land on the edge of the Judaean hills on which to build a small village, a testimony to the eight Jews who were sent to the concentration camps, Yad HaShmonah." Starting off with stone houses, a cargo of Finnish wood subsequently arrived to house the children born to the original group, and on the basis of which its residents established a furniture factory and then a guest house. "Over the years, a group of Jews who believe in the Tanakh and the New Testament joined the foreign pioneers." In 2000, the moshav established a "biblical garden" which also includes an ancient synagogue transferred from the Golan with the aid of the Israel Antiquities Authority and several ancient wine and olive presses. "Around these the industrious Finns have planted biblical plants."Anti-missionary Activity
HaModia, September 23; HaTzofeh, September 26, 2008 These two papers carried last week's report about Messianic children being sent to religious kindergartens (see previous Review). HaTzofeh (September 26) provided additional information concerning Seth ben Haim, John Theodor, and Neria Arbov: ". . . the ben Haim family, the father, Seth, a Jewish apostate [mumar] married to a Christian, heads a missionary organization called 'Nashuva' [Let us return/repent], while in the Theodor family, the mother is a Jewish apostate and the father a Christian. Evidence exists from the residents of the neighborhood that the families hold missionary activities in their homes every Friday night [erev Shabbat]. . . . 'Arbov is the head of a congregation which meets in his house on Friday and Saturday evenings. This is to all intents and purposes a Messianic congregation, despite Arbov's misleading external appearance. Outwardly, he looks like an Orthodox Jew: he wears a yarmulke and fringes, but photographic evidence exists that he is engaged in missionary activities.'" The article promised that the paper would publish an investigation into the activities of the mission next week.

Christian Zionism
Haaretz, September 23, 24, 2008In a piece dedicated to the state of poverty - or, in the more politically correct terms used, "families suffering from a lack of financial security" - in Israel, Avirama Golan looked at the ways in which people are giving aid to those in need as the holidays approach, suggesting that some of the charities involved are partially funded by evangelical Christians.A surprise examination of the bomb shelters in three northern cities hit by rockets in the Second Lebanese War revealed that many are still not fit for use (Haaretz, September 23). Eli Ashkenazi lamented this fact not only in light of the danger but also from the perspective of the Christian donors who had contributed huge amounts of money for the renovation of these very shelters: "'The contributors from the IFCJ, mostly Christian supporters of Israel, who give up what they could have in order to help the residents of Israel, invested 40 million shekels . . . to give the residents of the north basic protection

Christians in Israel
Haaretz, September 26, 2008 According to a report in Haaretz (September 26), "the same spirit of mission which originally brought them to the country" also inspired a group of Templars to construct a wine press now preserved in south Tel Aviv. "They dreamt of establishing here a community which would adopt for itself a simple way of life and the sincere faith of early Christianity, as well as hastening Yeshu's return." The press was filled with grapes from the same settlement and other Templar settlements across the country, and the wine "exported" to Germany. With the Templars' expulsion during WWII, the site was taken over by the British - and when they left, it became the location of the Hagana's airplane construction. Now, the site has been taken over by Nike: "The sports clothing firm has restored to the site something of the Templars' religious-mystic spirit in putting on an exhibition whose theme is the 'icon' . . . The final room was dedicated to the central element in the transformation of a person . . . into an icon: In it stood a poster on which was written: 'If it weren't for the first flocks of believers who followed after him, Yeshu would have remained the son of an anonymous carpenter.' Next to this stood a large round mirror on which was inscribed 'YOU.'"

Messianic Judaism
HaTzofeh, October 3; Yated Ne'eman, September 29, 2008 In the wake of the "scandal" of Messianic believers sending their children to religious kindergartens, HaTzofeh (October 3) carried an article on the subject as promised in the paper last week. Using false names for the parents interviewed, the latter uniformly expressed their surprise at discovering that people whom they had assumed to be "normal" - and Jewish -were in fact "Christians." When "Orit," for example, had Seth ben Haim's daughter over to visit with her daughter, who goes to the same kindergarten, she was astonished to find that when they sat down to eat, the visitor "asked all those sitting at the table to hold hands and to thank and to pray to Yeshu for the food he had given them. Orit didn't know what had hit her. She explained to the guest that they didn't behave that way in her house but gave thanks to God. The visitor wasn't fazed, however. She replied that if that was so, she wouldn't be able to eat with them. 'Afterwards,' says Orit, 'she changed her mind and asked to pray on her own.' In front of Orit and her daughter's amazed eyes, she thanked Yeshu for the food and only then began to eat. 'Until that moment, it hadn't crossed my mind that the family was Christian,' says Orit. 'Our daughters go the same kindergarten in the neighborhood and from our perspective, the parents, all the children come from the same background, more or less. This family also appeared to be religious Jews in every way. They're a nice family who up until then had made a positive impression. I even remember that I met them once at the mall and the son was wearing a yarmulke and fringes. There wasn't any way to tell that they were a missionary family.'" According to the piece, the parents should have known from the kindergarten that there was a problem, since Seth's daughter would consistently correct her teachers when they said that the children should give thanks to God, saying that they should instead give thanks to "Yeshu." Surprisingly, although the teachers knew, they apparently failed to inform the parents.The parents' objections stemmed primarily from their overwhelming - and intractable - conviction that Messianic families who send their children to religious kindergartens and schools have only one reason for doing so: to "win souls." From their perspective, using young children to achieve this aim is despicable behavior. From a legal point of view, they were able to turn to the Ministry of Education in order to have the children removed due to a law on the statute books which prohibits non-Jews attending religious schools. (In the case of the ben Haims and Arbovs, since neither mothers are Jewish, the children are also not Jewish according to halakhah.) They are also disturbed by the fact that young children do not have the intellectual tools to deal with religious issues. Thus, for example, Einat's son came home from kindergarten and asked why they didn't believe in Yeshu: "'He told me that N. had said that Yeshu lives in everyone's heart and we must give thanks to him. A four-year-old, when you come to him with such things, can't accept religious answers with intellectual tools. He didn't stop with his questions, and eventually we explained it to him in terms he managed to understand - that when N. came back with her messages again in kindergarten, my son told her that Yeshu was an ordinary Jew who went mad and in any case he died many years ago. His answer to N. was in line with the answer he got at home. For a child who comes from a completely different religion it was difficult to deal with what our son told her and she burst out in tears . . . I don't need my four-year-old son asking me why we aren't Christians or coming and telling me that his friend in kindergarten tells him that Yeshu was a righteous man and that he also wants to be like Yeshu.'" Einat was also concerned for Seth's own daughter: "'. . . to put your child into a kindergarten whose purpose is entirely different from your faith at home, is a sort of emotional abuse.'" It was difficult to understand precisely what "exposed" the Messianic families as "Christian" in the eyes of those who felt that they had been deceived: "'They integrate themselves into the community in which they live and they hunt people . . . But we see and hear them. On one Friday evening recently we heard the sound of Christian singing from one of their homes. We could clearly see that there were dozens of people there. They held hands and sang.'" As long as it was known that Seth ben Haim was a pastor at King of Kings Assembly - and thus openly a "Christian" - people didn't mind. When he established his own ministry, however, it "'gradually became a clandestine group.'" Some of the motives attributed to Messianic Jews are also very reminiscent of Christian Zionist axioms: "'You have to remember that the motivation which lies behind this missionary activity is ideology. The missionaries see the conversion of as many people as possible as their purpose in life. Their faith decrees that the more Jews who convert to Christianity the quicker the time of Yeshu of Nazareth's revelation as the messiah will come.'"The remainder of the article was devoted to Yehuda Deri's response to the "missionary phenomenon," in which he detailed the various activities he is engaged in fighting against in Beersheva.In the wake of the attempt on Prof. Zev Sternhell's life in a fashion similar to that of the attack that injured Amiel Ortiz - a bomb planted outside his door - the public has urged a proper investigation. Since Sternhell's comments were anti-right-wing, it has been mooted that those responsible were settlers. In an article investigating the matter (Yated Ne'eman, September 29), the author suggested that the explosive device which detonated at a police post in Ali in 2006, a similar one near the monastery in Beit Jamal in 2007, the explosion of a small device in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem a month later, and that which severely injured Ortiz, were all the work of the same group responsible for the attack against Sternhell.

Jewish-Christian Relations
Makor Rishon, October 3, 2008 In an interview with Prof. Avraham Grossman, author of a book on Rashi, the latter's relations to Christianity were briefly covered. "His third task, which became more central over the years, was the polemic with Christianity. At the end of the eleventh century, the church was growing in strength (following the 'Walk to Canossa'). Popular monks, a growing phenomenon, passed through the villages and the Christianity of the surroundings became more significant and more missionary. In his commentaries on Proverbs and Daniel, for example (in the manuscripts rather than the censored printed editions), a fierce polemic exists with Christianity. Rashi was one of the great disputers against Christianity. He saw many apostates in his life, many persecutions, and a lot of destructive anti-Jewish propaganda."

Messianic Judaism
Jerusalem Post, October 6, 2008 According to the Jerusalem Post (October 6), "A wave of irate protest silenced a Jews for Jesus radio campaign last week on a local radio station in the North. It took just a few hours for Kol Rega, which broadcasts to the Galilee and northern valleys, to cave in to pressure from listeners who phoned in to demand that the Jews for Jesus campaign be taken off the air . . . The slogan of the radio campaign is 'Yeshu [a derogatory form of Jesus] equals Yeshua [accent on penultimate syllable] equals yeshua [accent on last syllable].'" The ad is intended to inform listeners that "Jesus is equivalent to redemption" and concludes with the question, "Confused? Call for more information." Contacted for his response, Dan Sered, "head of Jews for Jesus in Israel," said, "'All we are trying to do is share our faith. We just want to provide Israelis with an opportunity to know that Jesus died for our sins and rose on the third day. Most Israelis have never gotten the chance to hear about Jesus . . . Jews who believe Jesus is the messiah are a minority in Israel, but so are the Orthodox. Why should they be allowed to prevent secular Israelis from hearing Jesus's message of love and peace?'" The radio ad was part of a wider publicity campaign which included full-page ads in the daily national papers Ma'ariv and Israel HaYom, while JFJ members also distributed literature in Nahariyah, Kiryat Shmona, and the Haifa area. Response to the campaign took a more violent turn in Kiryat Shmona, where the air was removed from a car tire. According to the city's Chief Rabbi, Tzfania Drori, "'That is probably one of the mildest reactions imaginable in response to aggressive missionary activity pursued by these Jews for Yeshu. I believe we have a right to prevent these people from entering our town and promulgating New Testaments and missionary literature; it is tantamount to a woman performing a striptease in the middle of a public place.'" [Editor's note: the explanations in square brackets above are in the original text.]

Christian Sites
Haaretz, October 7, 10 (Hebrew and English editions), 2008 The lives of monks and tourists alike, as well as the church itself and other nearby structures, are in being put in danger by a dispute between the Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox churches over responsibility for the Deir-al-Sultan monastery on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Haaretz, October 7). While Ethiopian clergy inhabit the site, the Copts claim ownership of the property. The Israeli Interior Ministry's offer to pay for the necessary renovations is going to waste because it is conditional upon an internal church resolution of the matter. In a letter to the Interior Ministry, Archbishop Matthias recently stated: "'This condition is completely unacceptable to us, since we do not recognize any right of the Coptic church in the area in question. It is inconceivable that the implementation of emergency repairs would be conditioned on the consent of the Coptic church. Indeed, there is disagreement between us and the Coptic church regarding the rights at the site in question, but that is precisely the reason we are turning to the Israeli authorities, as a neutral factor, to carry out the necessary repairs.'" In a second article, titled "Saving Christianity from Itself," the same paper (October 10) suggested, "Due to the risk to the lives of the monks and visitors and the danger to one of the world's holiest sites, the government must not neglect the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It must exercise its authority to maintain public safety and repair the building, taking great care not to intervene or take a stand in the fundamental dispute between the churches." The report indicated that at least two precedents exist for such intervention.

Attitudes to Jesus and Christianity
HaZofeh, October 10; Modi'in, October 16; Ma'ariv, October 17, 2008 Menahem Ben, an ardent advocate for the beauty of the New Testament, is not as well pleased with Jesus' name as it is pronounced in Hebrew. Writing in Ma'ariv (October 17) in relation to the recent JFJ publicity campaign (see previous Review), he stated: "In the run-up to the Feast [of Tabernacles], a large advertisement appeared in the press on behalf of 'Jews who believe in Yeshu,' who are careful to define themselves as 'Jews who believe in Yeshua' and are insulted when people use the term 'Yeshu.' But with all my love for Christians, Messianic Jews, and the New Testament (even though I don't in any way believe that Yeshu is the Messiah), their claim that the word 'Yeshu' is an acronym for 'May his name and memory be blotted out' is groundless. It may be true that some Orthodox Jew coined some insulting term with regard to the name 'Yeshu,' but this is still his rightful, natural, and lovely name - and not the ridiculous term 'Yeshua' (which sounds to every Israeli ear like 'the wild Yeshua' [Ye(ho)shua ha-paru'a - a popular children's book]). Why don't you understand this?"

Moshe Feiglin of the Likud, founder of the "This is our land" and civil disobedience movements in Israel, recently came out strongly against any Israeli/Jewish relations with evangelical Christians. According to a report by Mordechai Sugerman in HaZofeh (October 10), Feiglin is convinced that Christianity poses a greater threat to Israel (people and land) than does Islam. As a result, he advocates cutting off all relations with Christian Zionist supporters. In his eyes, contacts with the evangelical community "allow Christianity to enter [Israel] and to dominate the Israeli experience." In Sugerman's words, "Feiglin's demand to cut off all contacts with the American Christian community and not to accept any funds from it effectively constitutes an attempt to widen the collective Israeli borders to include the [social] norm which categorizes friendship with Christian bodies or the receipt of funds from them as a form of illegitimate social behavior, part of his endeavor to classify such contact as contradictory to the Israeli ethos. He fears that the 'Christian conquest/occupation' is much more dangerous than the Muslim, because it is indirect. He even takes pains to point out that the Christian intention is to send millions of people to Israel to become citizens and 'to convert everyone.' This Christian sector will 'consume the children of Israel and take control of its [the state's] mind.'"Sugerman took issue with Feiglin's opinion, commenting that Feiglin finds it easy to refute baseless accusations when he cannot adduce a single example of Christian funding which is conditional upon anything which might justify his fears. He likewise accused Feiglin of irresponsibility in ignoring the Iranian and Hizbollah threat, further appealing to the example of Herzl, Haim Weizman, Haim Arlozorov, and Abba Hillel Silver, all of whom made great efforts to "come close to Christian circles in the Western world, because they understood the importance of their influence on policy makers in the United States and Europe in everything relating to relations with the Jews and the creation of the State of Israel."In a column titled "10 things you didn't know about Sukkot [the Feast of Tabernacles]," the local paper Modi'in (October 16) included the fact that "it is also celebrated by a Christian minority which has decided to start observing the biblical festivals again. As proof [of the necessity of doing so], they claim that Yeshu also celebrated Sukkot (John 7:10) [sic; in fact that reference was given as 7, 10:26]. The date on which they celebrate the festival is close to its Hebrew date and is called [the] 'Feast of Tabernacles' in English [the name was written here in English]."

Anti-missionary Activity
Yated Ne'eman, October 12, 2008 Orthodox ire has been raised by the participation of Christian Zionists in the annual Sukkot Jerusalem March, primarily due to the fact that the group was due to wave flags carrying the image of the "Lion of Judah." Despite its biblical origins, according to Mina Fenton this symbol carries "prominent Christian theological significance." "The fact that the Christians intend to wave the flag with the lion removes all doubt, if there were any, about the purposes, intentions, and practical plans of the 'International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem,' which is the umbrella organization under whose auspices all the missionary organizations and various Messianic congregations operate.

Christian Zionism
Jerusalem Post, October 17, pp. 4, 18 (x 2); Haaretz, October 15, 19 (Hebrew and English editions); Yediot Yerushalayim, October 17; Israel HaYom, October 15, 2008 According to a report in the Jerusalem Post (October 17, p. 4), "Using the Feast of Tabernacles event in the capital, the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem announced on Thursday that a growing list of prominent Christian ministries has joined the effort to indict Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad for incitement to genocide against Israel." The initiative was inaugurated by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs two years ago, and the ICEJ now joins politicians, ambassadors, and Nobel Laureates whose support has already been garnered. In addition to submitting the initiative to the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee, "a global petition signed by more than 55,000 Christians from over 120 countries was delivered by the ICEJ to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon last month."The same paper also carried an interview with the ICEJ's current director on the same day (October 17, p. 18), in which Michael Hedding asserted that the Embassy should not be considered a "radical" Christian Zionist group: "'This is a more Eurocentric ministry, and we believe in biblical Zionism, which recognizes that there are a lot of things playing out in Israel over which we have no influence,' he says. Hedding trusts that God will ultimately fulfill his promise to bestow the Land of Israel on Abraham's descendants, but that the Land of Israel goes well beyond Judea and Samaria . . . 'So while there may be a more complete fulfillment of this promise in the future, we will leave that to God.'" In Hedding's view, while the Embassy once inclined towards the "political, eschatological" form of Christian Zionism, under his leadership it now advocates the position that "'Israel is not a theocracy, it is a democracy. We believe that the people of Israel, through their elected representatives, have the right to make their own decisions on this country's future, and we have said that we will support the State of Israel wherever it chooses, or chooses not, to extend its sovereignty' . . . the rigid demand by many evangelicals that Israel hold onto every inch of territory 'is highly dangerous,' he says, 'because then Jews become pawns in your religious agenda.'"More practically, Christian Zionists have helped "save" Israeli tourism in the north this year (Haaretz, October 19 [Hebrew and English editions]). While the number of Israeli visitors is down 30% from last year, the number of evangelicals has risen 20%, with over 7,000 visiting the region. Local tourist officials opine that the rise is largely due to identification with Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations, although the improved security situation has also contributed to the growth. The numbers this year have even exceeded the peak figures of 2000. The evangelical camp was similarly responsible for filling 20,000 hotel rooms in Jerusalem over Sukkot, an influx expected to "infuse some $18-20 million into the local economy" (Jerusalem Post, October 17, p. 18). According to Haaretz (October 15), the Christian Feast of Tabernacles includes "a visit and stay at Kibbutz Ein Gedi, the Jerusalem March, prayers and lectures on religious topics." A brief report in Israel HaYom (October 15; see also Yediot Yerushalayim, October 17) noted that the pilgrims have come from over one hundred different countries to demonstrate solidarity with Israel against Iran's intention to become a nuclear power.

Christians in Israel
Yediot Haifa, October 17, 2008 A new party in Haifa, named the "Haifa Coalition," is putting forward a list of candidates for the local municipal elections which includes both Jews and Christians. The former are primarily pensioners, the latter environmental and neighborhood activists. The party is a lobby of the "Justice for the Elderly" group and is putting emphasis upon "full cooperation with the Christian sector in the city, which includes 24,000 residents, 12,000 of whom are eligible to vote." Christian candidates are placed third and fifth on the list - truly viable places; the latter spot is filled by the son of Archbishop Elias Chacour. If the party wins seats, it will demand that it be given the post of Deputy Mayor, thereby enabling more funds and assistance to be devoted to the Christian sector of the city.

Jewish-Christian Relations
Jerusalem Post, October 15; Yediot Haifa, October 17; Haaretz, October 10; A La Gush, September 25, 2008 A group of students studying Judaism at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow recently visited Israel in order to learn about the country close up and to discover in greater depth the "common roots" of Judaism and Christianity (A La Gush, September 25). The trip was initiated and accompanied by the Academic Center in Israel. In a visit to the Experimental High School in Jerusalem, which regularly sends its students to Poland, the Polish visitors explained that many Poles are now studying Judaism because of its great influence on Polish history and culture, and endeavored to explain "in every possible way" that Jewish history in Poland should not be studied solely through the lens of the Holocaust; you have go back a thousand years prior to the war.Isi Leibler commended Haifa Chief Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen in an opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post (October 15) this week, praising him for "diplomatically but forcefully" raising the "most sensitive issue on the Catholic-Jewish agenda" when he spoke before the synod of Bishops at the Vatican (see previous Reviews). "Many Jews being honored as he was by the Church would have taken the less hazardous path of avoiding controversy. But Cohen has a track record of courageously expressing his views and refusing to bury his head in the sand. Clearly, he has no interest in meddling in the internal affairs of the Church. But he does have a sense of history and feels that for the record, even if Catholics proceed on the path to beatification [of Pius XII], Jews are obliged to make their voices heard on such a burning issue. Cohen also maintained that if our reconciliation with the Catholic Church is truly meaningful, it should understand the depth of our feelings on such a matter and not take offense or permit such expressions to inhibit ongoing good relations." In Leibler's view, "The achievement of constructive goals in our interfaith activities is frequently undermined by internal handicaps. Many Jewish lay representatives active in the field are ignorant of their own religious heritage and thus incapable of presenting an authentic Jewish position. On the other hand, some rabbis are insufficiently experienced with the world to be able to effectively participate in interfaith encounters. Another problem is that many lay Jewish activists are tempted to regard access to Christian or Muslim groups as an end in itself. They fail to appreciate that sharing platforms and obtaining photo opportunities can be counterproductive if it imposes an obligation to remain silent on 'sensitive' issues so as not to 'destabilize the relationship.'" A report in Yediot Haifa (October 17) also covered the same event. According to Haaretz (October 10), "An editorial in the Vatican newspaper defended Pius two days after the first Jew to address a Church synod . . . told the gathering that Jews 'cannot forgive and forget' Pius's silence. The Osservatore Romano called him a 'man of peace' who tried to do his best during one of the most violent periods in history."

Anti-missionary Activity
Yediot HaGalil, October 24, 2008 "Yeshu, or at least his disciples, are walking around the streets of the cities of the Valley areas," reported a piece in Yediot HaGalil (October 24). According to the article, a campaign is underway in Upper Nazareth in the framework of which books entitled "Son of David," which tell the story of "Yeshu, 'the Gospel According to Matthew'" are being distributed, to the chagrin of the residents. The pamphlets are being disseminated by "Congregation Jerusalem - Beit Geula, which defines itself on the website [printed on the pamphlet] as Jews and Gentiles 'united in faith in God in light of what is written in Scripture and the New Testament. We worship together the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and believe that the Messiah promised in the Tanakh is Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of God.'" According to the article, the website contains "questions and answers of a missionary nature" as well as a "statement of faith": "Among other things, the God of truth is described as One 'in whose unity are combined three entities: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the three entities are equal to one another in their power, and have defined roles which complement one another in everything connected to the working out of redemption.' Salvation, according to the members of the congregation, is a divine initiative 'which is made possible through the mediation of the house [sic] of God; salvation isn't given to us on the basis of our works and depends exclusively on our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. It isn't given to those who do not truly and sincerely repent.' Likewise, the declaration states that 'the congregation of Yeshua the Messiah is a body distinct from Israel and does not constitute a substitute for the people of Israel.'" [Editor's note: The quotes appear to be taken verbatim from Beit Geula's website - apart from the "house of God," which in the original says "Son of God." This may merely be a typographical error rather than a deliberate distortion of the text.]

Christian Zionism
Jerusalem Post, October 16; Ma'ariv, October 16; Yediot Yerushalayim, October 24; Makor Rishon, October 16, pp. 8, 24, 2008 Under the headline, "35,000 make pilgrimage to Jerusalem March," the Jerusalem Post (October 16) noted the part played in the event by Christian supporters of Israel. "Citing different verses of scripture shared by Jews and Christians alike, organizers pointed out that Succot is the time when the nations of the world are supposed to come to Jerusalem and celebrate with the Jewish people. In that vein, biblical prophecy came alive on Wednesday, as the flags of countries from Norway to Kenya were seen blowing in the wind above the marchers. While the prophecy is supposed to be fulfilled in the Messianic era when the various nations will bring sacrifices to a rebuilt Temple, many of the participants said they felt blessed to be in Jerusalem in any case, and to have the ability to take part in such a powerful showing of camaraderie." This year, however, the march was also presented as a "'solidarity march to show that we stand with Israel, through thick and thin, against the Iranian threat.'" Amongst the Christian participants were ostensibly also many who claimed to be part of the lost tribes. A sidebar titled "The Holy Land in your living room" further provided information on a website which allows people to see the festivities even if they are unable to actually visit the country. "IPrayTV, an Internet Christian broadcast services company, launched its new Web site www.IPrayTV.com last week, offering live simultaneous video streaming of Holy Land sites . . . viewers can see the sites simultaneously, bringing Israel live to their living room across the globe." According to Mike Peros, the site's founder and CEO, "'The constant availability of live footage of places so dear to us will be a valuable tool for pastors and ministries around the world, and for anyone seeking to strengthen their connection with the Holy Land.'"The March was also covered with a picture and short caption in Makor Rishon (October 16, p. 24), under the headline "Rejoice, Jerusalem."While in Jerusalem for a conference, the "Community of worldwide Christian leaders" took the opportunity to bestow an honorary award on Ron Nahman, Mayor of Ariel, for his leadership and activities in the city, Samaria, and the state as a whole (Makor Rishon, October 16, p. 8).According to a piece in Ma'ariv (October 16), some settlers in the West Bank are "falsely" promoting the view that that the political situation in the territories is in fact a religious struggle - with the "encouragement of Jewish and Christian groups from abroad."Yediot Yerushalayim (October 24) devoted a lengthy article to the work of the "Temple Institute," which is dedicated to preparing the instruments, garments, and methods which will allow the rebuilt Temple to function properly. In stark contrast to those Orthodox (and others) who refuse to accept money from Christians for charitable purposes, the Temple Institute welcomes contributions from Gentiles with open arms: "The Institute enables everyone who wishes to take part in the building [of the Temple], even those who aren't Jewish. Glick [its director], who is in contact with interested parties across the globe, is not at all perturbed that the building is largely being supported by Gentiles. He flips through the Tanakh and cites verses which prove, according to him, that this is the proper way [for it to happen]. The paradoxical situation is thus created whereby members of other religions are working together on the basis of a common interest without being in agreement on the implications of their respective beliefs. Evangelical Christians, who believe that the strengthening of Israel will lead to the renewed birth [sic] of Yeshu and to the conversion of the Jews, also visit the Institute in great numbers."

Christians in Israel
Yediot Ahronot, October 16, 2008 Christians in Haifa continue to benefit from cooperation and coexistence with their neighbors in the city. In the market in Wadi Nisnas, "people are going for tri-existence. Christians, Muslims, and Jews enjoy a joint successful commercial business together, and there's no greater fun than strolling through the booths in the market on Shabbat morning."

Christian Sites
Megiddon, September 30, 2008 What was originally a Christian house of prayer, now enclosed within Megiddo Prison, is being restored under the joint auspices of the local Megiddo Council and the Commercial Company for the Development of Megiddo. When the site was first excavated in 2003, an inscription was uncovered which reads "Akaptos, lover of God who contributed the altar to the god Jesus Christos, as a memorial," leading archaeologists to claim it as the earliest Christian structure in the world. In its decision to encourage development of the site as a tourist attraction, a group of MKs responsible for the development of the Negev and the Galilee determined that the site constitutes "'a tourist attraction and a gateway for pilgrims to the Galilee.'

Copyright 2008, Caspari Center.
The Media Review is an English-language synopsis of articles which were originally published in the Israeli press. The articles, most of which were written in Hebrew, focus on Messianic Jews and Christianity. The Media Review reports what was said in the press irrespective of its accuracy, and the information does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Caspari Center. On occasion the editor includes explanatory matter in brackets, preceeded by the words [Editor’s note:].

ARE WE SACRIFICING OUR CHILDREN FOR MONEY?

2008-10-18T23:10:00.000+02:00

IBA news did an interview (to watch CLICK HERE) with some of the parade participants. When asked "What kind of a reception do you get from the Israeli public as you're marching through the streets?", David Parsons from the ICEJ had this to say

"You know it's nice that the little children especially say welcome, welcome. They see our badges, they know these are xians from abroad and we you see the children are aware of who we are and what we are doing here. I think it speaks well of the next generation that there will be a whole nother level of friendship between us and that's very positive."

Another participant said

"We are an inheritance through Israel. We came to say peace be upon you. That it's not too late. The lord, the lion will roar from his mountain."

Not to late for what? To accept their "messiah"?

The xians pass out flags and candy to the children along the parade route but apparently, as you can see at the 4.33 mark, these children aren't deserving. Could it be because these are obviously chareidi children which the xians don't want to waste their candy on? They know that children who have a strong religious education aren't easy targets for them. Think I am crazy? Well the children who were dressed in a non-religous manner got candy as you can see at the 3.53 mark. This wouldn't have occurred to me if I hadn't seen with my own eyes a woman, passing out candy, push away a little chareidi boy when he came up to her with his hands out.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES-CORRECTION

2008-10-18T20:53:00.000+02:00

It is unclear by the information listed on the ICEJ website if the night that the "feast" is open to Israeli's is Saturday night and Sunday night but the following indicates is on Sunday night at the Grand Finale which will be broadcast live over the internet.

Sunday, October 19th
Morning Plenary & SeminarsICCJ - 9am-1pm
Registration/Doors Open - 8:30am-1pm
Grand Finale With Israeli Guests ICCJ- 7:30pm
Registration/Doors Open - 6pm-8pm
Hallel ChofshiICCJ - 10pm-11pm

As stated before the Chief Rabbis of Israel ruled last year that no Jew should attend as there is evidence of missionary activity as this event.

UPDATE

2008-10-16T12:47:00.000+02:00

I added another video to the Feast of Tabernacles post.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES CONTINUED

2008-10-15T22:15:00.000+02:00

The second main organizer is the ICEJ, the International xian Embassy Jerusalem. Every xian here for the "feast" will participate in one of these two programs sponsored and organized by ICZC or ICEJ.

The ICEJ hosts and "Israeli night" at Binyanei HaUma. This is the one night their "feast" is open to the public. Israeli leaders speak on this night as if to the make the whole thing kosher.

Every night they have an hour of what they term "Hallel Chofshi" which is free worship. One guess as to whom they are worshipping. The headline on their website saysJoin us in Jerusalem as we worship the Lion of Judah.

The Chief Rabbis issued a ruling last year for Jews not to participate in the parade or the Israeli night at Binyanei HaUma. Here is what the ICEJ had to say about last years "Feast"

Feast Pilgrims Ready for Jerusalem March
By David Parsons
02 Oct
2007

Despite rabbinic ban, record crowd for ICEJ gathering gets warm welcome. A record attendance of over 7,000 Christian pilgrims from 90 nations will take part in the annual Jerusalem March on Tuesday as the Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, spills out into the streets of the Israeli capital to a warm welcome.
The Israeli public appears to be largely ignoring a rabbinic ban on Jewish participation in the march, as 30,000 Israelis are expected to join the Christian pilgrims in a colorful parade through central Jerusalem, with tens of thousands of on-lookers.The ICEJ's week-long celebration kicked off last Thursday evening and - already Israel's largest annual tourist event - has drawn its biggest crowd ever this year.
The Christian celebration of Succot has received a warm reception from Israeli leaders and the public at large, in seeming defiance of the Chief Rabbinate's recent ruling that Jews should steer clear of the gathering.
After opening at the Dead Sea oasis of Ein Gedi, the Feast has moved
up to the Jerusalem convention center, where Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivered a video greeting on Saturday evening, while Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and MK Benny Elon, an Orthodox rabbi and head of the Knesset Christian Allies' Caucus, were on hand to also welcome the pilgrims to Jerusalem.

This year's "Israeli Night" is Motzei Shabbat and I beg all Jews to avoid it like the plague.

There are quotes by Israeli leaders from last year listed on the website. This is the one that appalled me the most.

Member of Knesset Benny Elon
Chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies' Caucus

"We thank you for being ambassadors of Israel. God gave us the miracle of this Land… We must fight for revival of the Land, the language and the customs. Go tell the world the right story and why we are here and teach them the Bible. We are here because there is a covenant between the God of Israel and us and it is an everlasting covenant! We love you. We need you. You are with us. Stay with us. Thank you very much!"

Which "right story" and which "bible" would that be? The xian story and bible say that G-d came to earth as a man born to a virgin and died as messiah and that now there is no difference between Jew and gentile. We are one now.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES

2008-10-12T16:41:00.000+02:00

Xians converge on Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles, as they call it.

(IsraelNN.com) 6,000 Christians "friends of Israel" are staying at the Kibbutz Ein Gedi guesthouse and in outdoor tents. Kibbutz members are preparing a huge barbecue for the convention,

More than 8,000 Christians have boosted the occupancy rate of the capital's hotels to nearly 95 percent for the seven-day Sukkot (Tabernacles) holiday that begins Monday night. The holiday period continues with the Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah celebration the day after the conclusion of Sukkot.

The "celebrations" are organized by two xian groups; the ICEJ, International Xian Embassy Jerusalem and the ICZC International Xian Zionist Center in Binyamina.

From the ICZC website

WEDNESDAY: OCTOBER 15, 2008
13:30: Picnic in the Gan Sachar Park
Participation in the grand Jerusalem March

FRIDAY: OCTOBER 17, 2008
11:00: Buses leave from the Regency Hotel for registered delegates.
Visit the Haas Promenade then proceed to the top of Mount of Olives to walk down preparing the way for the King in a worshipful procession.

SUNDAY: OCTOBER 19, 2008
08:15: Buses leave from the Regency Hotel for registered delegates
Visiting the Biblical City of Shilo, the place where the Ark of Covenant stood for about 369 years and where Samuel the Prophet was called by God.
Returning to the altar Beit El (Bethel) where Jacob saw the ladder reaching up to heaven in his dream.

MONDAY: OCTOBER 20, 2008
07:30: Buses leave from the Regency Hotel to Mount Moriah, the Western Wall Plaza and Ir David, the city of David.

Have you ever wondered why xians celebrate Sukkot? Most of the time they will just quote Zecharia 14:16 when asked. Although no one seems to point out that this verse is talking about those of our enemies who came to war against Yerushalayim and are allowed to survive to pay homage to Hashem.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)

Here are a few excerpts from ICZC

Why we celebrate the Feast

We have now entered the 21st century. And what was on my heart when we began to celebrate the Feast 20 years ago remains - the belief and inner anticipation that one day, during a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, the double portion of the Holy Spirit will fall upon us all. This will be the former and latter rain, as the prophet Joel promised - also in relation to Israel - for these latter days...

First the physical, then the spiritual. God first formed Adam as a wholly physical man before breathing His Breath and Spirit into him to make him spirit. In this same way, Israel has been restored to the land of its fathers as a physical nation, as foretold in these, and many other, passages of Scripture. It is only after the flesh, sinews and bones have come together in a physical restoration of the nation that God instructs 'the son of man' to call on the breath to come from the four winds and breathe upon the dead body, that the nation may live. (See Ezekiel 37:9)

Paul too tells us that in God's economy, the physical often precedes the spiritual:
"However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural and afterwards the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust, the second Man is the Lord from heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:46,47)

It is this truth which is so wonderfully clarified in Ezekiel 37 concerning Israel's physical and spiritual rebirth: First the physical restoration - including the restoration to, and of, their land. Then the spiritual awakening, when the Breath of God's Spirit will blow upon these bones.

...In these days we hear of revivals in different parts of the world where God is pouring out His Holy Spirit in remarkable ways to get His Gentile body of believers ready both in quantity as well as quality. But this is only a foretaste and a foreshadowing of the mighty outpouring of His Holy Spirit over all the house of Israel as promised by His prophets. And this will happen one day during the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.

As George Warnock explains in his booklet on the Feast of Tabernacles, this Feast is meant to be:
A feast of joy;
A feast of unity;
A feast of harvest;
A feast of restoration;
but also the Feast of the Messiah's (yashke) appearance.
All these are ample reasons for us to celebrate this Feast with great expectancy in our hearts.

So we see that the Feast of Tabernacles is meant to signify the restoration of the tabernacle of David - physical as well as spiritual-the unity of Gentile believers, the fullness of the Gentiles and the people of Israel, and the promised blessing of the former and latter rains coming down on one day during the Feast of Tabernacles. It is singularly the Feast of Messiah's appearance; His first and his second!

Jan Willem van der Hoeven
Director, International Christian Zionist Center

To clarify since I don't expect most of you to understand their "code words", they come to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot because they believe that some magical spiritual "rain" is going to fall from heaven and all the Jews will "see the light" and accept yshke as god and they also believe he will "return" to reign as King over Jerusalem during Sukkot.

Feast of Tabernacles 2007

The ICZC contains Joel Bell's Frontline Israel. You should remember his name from a previous post about the new World Likud Evangelical Department. These are the xians that believe they have an inheritance in the land of Israel and they want Israeli citizenship.

Here is a clip of their 2007 Feast

The beginning is a picture slideshow of participants mostly immodest women covered in mud. You can begin at the 1:27 mark for one of the feast night extravaganzas.

MORE ON DAY OF PRAYER

2008-10-05T16:45:00.000+02:00

The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem was founded and is led by Robert Stearns and Jack Hayford. Jack Hayford is in the video on the first post on this blog. He helped with funding for King of Kings Prayer Tower and Pavillion in Binyan Clal. Robert Stearns runs an organization called Eagles Wings. One of the programs of his organization is Watchmen on the Walls. These "watchmen" were com-missioned Sunday at the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem event on Haas Promenade. The following quotes are from their website

Watchmen on the Wall Commissioning

After completing of the Watchmen on the Wall curriculum and prayer pilgrimage to Israel, participants are commissioned as Watchmen on the Wall, with official recognition from the State of Israel,the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem leadership, and Eagles' Wings. If participants travel on the Feast of Tabernacles trip, they will have the opportunity to be commissioned in a special ceremony in the city of Jerusalem.

To become a commissioned Watchmen on the Wall, you must complete the following...

Read the Watchmen on the Wall Training Manual and complete the assignments at the end of each chapter
Listen to the Watchmen on the Wall Teaching CDs, Volumes 1 and 2 OR Attend a Watchmen on the Wall Seminar
Watch the Obsession DVD OR the Relentless DVD
Answer four short essay questions
Make pilgrimage to Israel

There is a high level of spiritual authority conferred upon a Watchmen when Christian and Jewish religious leaders, as well as Israeli governmental leaders, officially commission a believer to be a Watchmen for Israel, Jerusalem, and the Jewish people. They may not feel any different when they pray, and they may not sound any different, but to both heaven and hell, their prayers will have more prayers of authority and more corporate weight behind them for breakthrough on behalf of Zion.

The actual commissioning service takes place in a strategic location, such as the rooftop of a Yeshiva overlooking the Western Wall or the Pavilion Prayer Tower in the heart of Jerusalem. Present at the ceremony are the Mayor of Jerusalem (or a key person from his office), members of the Israeli Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus, key leaders from Eagles’ Wings and the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, as well as representatives from forerunner ministries in the land who support Judeo-Christian efforts. Participants will hear first-hand from these various leaders the ratitude of the people they represent as they are officially commissioned as Watchmen. In response – before G-d and man - they repeat the solemn oath of the Watchman, and walk forward to receive a special Watchman pin and signed certificate from these gatekeepers, commemorating their spiritual promotion.

After being commissioned, there are many opportunities for those individuals to continue to apply what they have learned. Through initiatives such as the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, Christians United for Israel, and Watchmen teacher certification, Watchmen are able to take what they have learned and seen first-hand and become articulate ambassadors in their communities on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people.

Presented in cooperation with...

JerusalemMunicipality
Ministry of Tourism
Knesset Christian
Allies Caucus

From the Watchmen training manual:

Since November of 2005, we have been working with members of the Israeli Government to officially commission anyone who successfully completes the Watchmen Training Program as an officially recognized “Watchman on the Walls” of Jerusalem. Both parts of the training, however, will be required before such a commissioning can be given.

Why? Just as an educator needs the experiential knowledge provided by “Student Teaching” to fully implement all of the teaching methodology, Watchmen need the vital knowledge gained by being in that unique “classroom” called Israel, to fully intercede with understanding and insight.

Secondly, the armies of both Heaven and Hell take quite seriously such spiritual authority conferred upon a believer by Christian Leaders and a nation’s government, and so must we. One can most effectively pray for Israel if one has actually been there.

and

In closing,we bless you for choosing to obey the divine trumpet call to the Church in this hour, to be “co-laborers with God”for His purposes and plans to manifest in this strategic place and people.

Why are our political and religious leaders involved in such a thing?

DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM

2008-10-03T10:02:00.000+03:00

The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem is the pinnacle of xian idolatry in the Holy Land. It is a yearly event held in Jerusalem on the first Sunday of October. It is broadcast over the internet, television, phone and teleconferencing to the whole world. Many Israeli political and religious leaders participate in this event. Keep in mind that the xians believe that the only one who can bring peace to Jerusalem is yeshu, so they are actually praying for the "second coming".
This what they have to say about the event

"This October 5th, we will be joining our prayers with brothers and sisters in Christ from every tongue, tribe, and nation, throughout the 24-hour prayer teleconference for the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. Through the ministry of Greater Calling, we can join together around the world to pray with one heart and one mind for Jerusalem. This is an exhilarating and powerful experience that you don’t want to miss!"

"Supported by over a thousand Christian leaders and with over 200,000 churches participating from 175 nations, the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem is a time for the world to bow in prayer for God’s purposes to come to pass in His Holy City.
We are just days away from a powerful moment, when millions of Christians in every nation across the planet will join in faith and unity to pray together for the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. This massive prayer initiative, one of the largest in Church history, has now been reported and referenced by major news outlets around the world. The Jerusalem Celebration of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem will be carried live into 192 nations on GOD TV. Literally, in every corner of the planet, churches are preparing to stand in agreement with Psalm 122, and with one another in hope, and pray for God's presence and peace to flood the streets of Jerusalem, and minister peace to all of her inhabitants, Jew and Arab alike."

"Begun in 2002 in meetings with leading political and religious leaders from Israel and the United States, this is now the largest prayer movement of its kind, with over 1000 key leaders within the Evangelical Christian world lending their active support."

It is scheduled to begin at 4pm Sunday.

MISSIONARY TV LIVE FROM JERUSALEM

2008-10-03T09:17:00.000+03:00

Did you know there was a missionary tv station broadcasting the lies of xiantiy to the whole world from Yerushalayim?

As the only Christian television network to broadcast from Jerusalem, and in accordance with Psalm 122, GOD TV is committed to praying for peace and reconciliation in this region.

This weekend, make sure you’re tuned in to take part in the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem - LIVE from Jerusalem with Jack Hayford & Robert Stearns. Supported by over a thousand Christian leaders and with over 200,000 churches Participating from 175 nations, this Day of Prayer is a time for the world to Intercede for God’s purposes to come to pass in His Holy City.
We believe there’s an incredible week coming, when God is going to do something in you and through you unlike anything you’ve experienced!

Starting Monday, October 13, we will launch our Missions Week broadcasts from Jerusalem and Washington DC, to run in conjunction with the Feast of Tabernacles... the unique Jewish festival which celebrates the Lord’s supernatural provision...
During these live broadcasts, we will launch one of the most SIGNIFICANT OUTREACHES in GOD TV’s history... so don’t miss your date with destiny!
We will also be presenting you with an opportunity to make your personal mark on the Holy Land of Israel. You see, for every $25/£15 you sow into this Missions Week outreach, GOD TV will plant a tree in Israel in your name!
Precious One, this is no ordinary day and no ordinary challenge. Your gift will ensure that GOD TV continues to proclaim the life-giving, faith-building, destiny-altering TRANSFORMATION POWER OF GOD’S LOVE to a world in desperate need! And as you give toward our Missions Week campaign, you will be DRESSING THE LAND -- PREPARING THE WAY FOR CHRIST’S RETURN!

CASPARI MEDIA REVIEW-- SEPT 18

2008-09-19T08:45:00.001+03:00

September 18, 2008

During the week covered by this review, we received 20 articles on the subjects of anti-missionary activity, Christian Zionism, Christians in Israel, the Pope and the Vatican, and interfaith activities. Of these:

7 dealt with anti-missionary activity 5 dealt with Christian Zionism 2 dealt with Christian tourism 2 dealt with Christians in Israel 2 dealt with the Pope and the Vatican 2 dealt with interfaith activities

This week's Review was a mixed bag of articles relating to anti-missionary activity, Christian Zionism, and the Pope and Vatican.

Anti-missionary Activity

HaShavua BiYerushalayim, September 11; Kol Ha'Ir - Bnei Brak, September 3; BeKehila, September 11; HaModia, September 9, 11 (pp. 3, 4), 12, 2008

HaModia (September 11, p. 4) printed a brief report of Jewish objections to the "Berlin Declaration on the Uniqueness of Christ and Jewish Evangelism Today" issued by the World Evangelical Alliance (see September 9, 2008 Review).

HaModia (September 9) and Kol Ha'Ir - Bnei Brak (September 3) repeated the piece run in Yom L'Yom (September 4) regarding the legal action taken by Yad L'Achim following the investigative report published in Yediot Ahronot concerning the Messianic community in Israel (see September 9, 2008 Review).

The same paper (HaModia, September 11, p. 3) noted the report in Ma'ariv (September 2) concerning Dula ben Yehuda's burial (see September 9, 2008 Review). The author objected to the fact that Dula had been chosen to carry one of the torches lit on Independence Day - "for the glory of the State of Israel." The historian who discovered the facts concerning Dula's burial stated that he took pains not to publish them widely in order to prevent further attacks on Eliezer ben Yehuda by the Orthodox. This religious paper correspondingly lamented the fact that both Herzl and ben Yehuda - neither of whose secular Zionist endeavors endeared them to the Orthodox community - had "sacrificed their children to Christianity" because of their work. This was also true, he claimed, of many other Zionist leaders, who also failed to leave any Jewish offspring.

BeKehila (September 11), HaShavua BiYerushalayim (September 11), and HaModia (September 12) all carried a report concerning the attempt of a "missionary" to convert. The man, a "learned doctor, lecturer in international law . . . whose appearance broadcast complete seriousness . . . dressed in religious garb, including hat and suit, who displayed great Torah knowledge and expressed a convincing desire to take upon himself the yoke of the Torah and commandments, and not one item about him gave away the fact that was not kosher" was discovered by Yad L'Achim to be an "out and out missionary." When his efforts to convert were consequently stymied in Geneva, the man attempted to immigrate to Israel, making a "false declaration" to the Rabbinate about his true intentions. Here, too, he was turned away. "In characteristic missionary stubbornness, the missionary doctor [then] decided to turn to Rome . . . as refuge." Here, too, however, "the long arm of Yad L'Achim reached," and his request to convert was rejected in Italy as well. In consequence of this case, Yad L'Achim's director, Shalom Dov Lipshitz, has apparently appealed to batei din (conversion courts) worldwide with a suggestion for a "detailed and specific declarative formula which all those seeking to convert would be asked to sign . . . clarifying that without any shadow of a doubt they have shaken off all traces of the Christian faith and everything connected to it - a declaration utterly forbidden to Christian adherents. 'Even if this does not entail any absolute guarantee that there won't be any cases of deception, it will form a wall against the missionaries who are seeking to use the fact that they have converted, and the Israeli citizenship they receive as a result, in order to get their missionary activity accepted,' said Lipshitz."

Christian Zionism

Haaretz, September 9, 12 (Hebrew and English editions); Ma'ariv, September 15 (pp. 17, 18), 2008

According to a report in Haaretz (September 12, Hebrew and English editions), a group of 450 "members of tribal peoples" are "currently visiting Israel for a conference at the Nof Ginosar hotel. They come from countries as varied as the United States, New Zealand, Finland, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Canada, and several African nations. Most of them belong to evangelical churches and have a high regard for Judaism. They are seeking to maintain their evangelical faith while also trying to preserve their native heritage and culture, which European colonizers largely destroyed." As part of their visit - and apparently also their heritage - the group "held a special purification ceremony at Ginosar, in which they placed hot rocks inside a special cleansing tent and then entered the tent to purify their bodies through perspiration."

The ICFJ was in the news once again this week, again controversially. According to a piece in Ma'ariv (September 15, p. 18), the fact that a youth film project is being funded by the ICFJ may explain why one of the films, about the trials and tribulations of a young boy growing up in Ramleh, was constructed "as a Christian ethical classic: if you suffer, redemption will come." A further report on the same day (September 15, p. 17) alleged that while the organization has been accused of seeking to deepen its ties with "Christian missionary activity in Israel," "proof" of such support has now been provided "for the first time." The tax report which the IFCJ recently delivered to the IRS indicates that the organization donated $10,000 to "a Christian missionary organization by the name of 'King of Kings,' located in Jerusalem, which works to draw Jews to it in order to reveal Yeshu's teaching [torah] to them." The second missionary organization which received funds from the IFCJ was the "controversial American Christian sect 'Yeshu's Congregation' [kehilat Yeshu]," located in New Orleans. This group has been accused in the past of mental/emotional abuse of its members. According to Yechiel Eckstein, the IFCJ director, the connection with King of Kings was made solely in order to channel funds to a church in Bethlehem which had requested assistance to buy food and other basic necessities in the run-up to Christmas.

Likewise, an article published in the same paper on September 9, which examines the way in which charitable organizations formulate principles according to which they accept or reject contributions, included the IFCJ as a possible example of a case in which "red lights are lit" regarding the potential of "massive conversion to Christianity on the Day of Judgment." Despite such misgivings, the organization has "become an influential and sizable factor" in its charitable scope.

Christian Tourism

Haaretz, September 9 (Hebrew and English editions), 2008

The three million tourists expected to visit Israel next year will have access to a new "Pilgrim's Route" leading from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. "Along the way, they will be able to visit the site where the New Testament story of the Good Samaritan took place, the Qumran caves, and the site where, according to the New Testament, John the Baptist baptized Jesus . . . The Good Samaritan site is just off the highway leading from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. During the Byzantine era, a church was built at that spot . . . Archaeologists recently reconstructed the entire mosaic floor of the church. The baptismal site [Qasr al-Yehud], located near Jericho, is considered the third most important site for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land, and is especially popular at Christmas and Easter. The site also has significance in Jewish tradition. It is thought to be the place where the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan . . ."

Christians in Israel

Calcalist, September 15; Ma'ariv, September 12, 2008

An article in the Calcalist (September 15), a paper devoted to economics, examined the flight of Christians from the country - a phenomenon to which Pope Paul VI already drew attention during his visit in 1964. At the end of the Ottoman Empire, the Christian communities constituted 13% of the local residents. This percentage now lies at 1.5% of the Palestinian population in the territories (including East Jerusalem). The current Christian flight is due to the present plight of the community. While Muslims suffer some of the same difficulties, Christians appear to find it easier to migrate since "every family, without exception, has relatives abroad, and many also have passports belonging to foreign states. They speak foreign languages and work in sought-after professions." The major reason for their flight given by those leaving is the sense of a lack of freedom: "If in the past the Christians in the country and rest of the region were Arab nationalist pioneers, today, when nationalism is fading and being replaced by Muslim religious fanaticism, they feel unwanted." Unlike Muslim emigrants, many of whom return once they have made some money, most of the Christians who leave do not return. Nor do they retain close ties with those left behind.

Yehonatan Gefen visited the Scottish church and hospice in Tiberias this week, and reported on the place and his stay (Ma'ariv, September 12). The premises were established by Dr. David Watt Torrance, a "vigorous Scottish doctor full of Christian vision." Despite the "serial opposition" he experienced from the Orthodox residents of the city, the good doctor stood his ground and remained with his cholera patients in 1902 when all the Orthodox fled the pestilence; he lost two wives and four children to such plagues. His only "missionary" activity was to show slides of holy places, although "in order to justify his Christian mission he sometimes gave brief sermons in the mornings; even these he kept short because the lines of patients outside the door were long." Gefen ended his musings on the hospice with the note that, "Today, 2008 years after the birth of Yeshu our brother, the waters of the Sea of Galilee are so shallow that even I could walk on the water and be pronounced a holy man. I won't do so because the last thing this view needs is a new religion. What we need is more love, and lots, lots more water."

The Pope and the Vatican

Jerusalem Post, September 12, 14, 2008

During a meeting with representatives of French Jewry, Benedict XVI "slammed anti-Semitism as theologically unjustifiable and tantamount to being 'anti-Christian'" according to a report in the Jerusalem Post (September 14). Benedict was quoted as saying: "'The Church is opposed to every form of anti-Semitism, which can never be theologically justified . . . to be anti-Semitic also signifies being anti-Christian . . . I feel the duty to pay heartfelt recognition to those who have died unjustly, and to those that have dedicated themselves to assure [sic] that the names of these victims may always be remembered. God does not forget.'" The Pope also met with French cultural leaders and leaders of the French Muslim community. According to a report in the same paper (September 12), the visit "grew out of the pope's desire to visit the Lourdes shrine."

Interfaith Activities

Makor Rishon, September 12; Israel HaYom, September 10, 2008

In an unusual interview with two representatives from the International Council of Christians and Jews - one Jewish, one Christian - Elitzur Segal also examined the history of Jewish-Christian dialogue (Makor Rishon, September 12). "Jewish-Christian relations are unique and cannot be compared to any other relationship between 'partner' religions - not even to Islam, the other religion which grew out of Judaism. Christianity acknowledges the Hebrew Bible and the Oral Law as it has been handed down. On top of this recognition, however, it has also claimed for hundreds of years that since the appearance of the gospel of their messiah, Christianity has become the true Judaism - the 'Israel in the Spirit' - whereas Judaism itself is nothing but a ghost from the past, the 'Israel of the flesh.' This has formed Christianity's strong impetus over generations to convince Jews of the truth of Christianity, because as long as Judaism exists, it is a thorn in the side of the Christian daughter, who seeks to inherit." The "dialogues" of the Medieval Ages were forced conversations which ceased when the Jews no longer had to participate in them - i.e., when the State was established and Israel/Judaism became an independent, sovereign entity. The sea change occurred with Vatican II and the appointments of Paul VI and John XXIII, the latter being known for his positive role during the Holocaust. The ground-breaking Nostre Aetate document enabled "free dialogue between Jews and Christians because Christianity no longer saw Judaism as a target for conversion but as an equal partner with equal rights in the biblical (OT) covenant." To the question whether the ICCJ contains "missionary elements," its current President, Devora Weisman, replied: "'The organization is open to everyone. It must be understood, however, that, overall, the institutional Christian churches have given up missionizing amongst the Jews. They generally acknowledge the special covenant which we have with God. The people who are actively involved in mission today and cause problems are such groups as Jews for Jesus, certain evangelical groups, and other peripheral sects, which are marginalized within Christianity itself.'" With regard to the possibility or need of including Muslims in the Jewish-Christian dialogue, Weisman responded: "'It's still not clear. It looks as though there's still plenty of work to be done between Jews and Christians. Maybe in the area of Jewish-Muslim relations another organization needs to be created, and maybe an organization needs to be established to deal with dialogue between Christians, Jews, and Muslims.'" Asked whether Jews should be doing more to stop the flight of Christians from the region, Weisman suggested that the best thing to be done in this respect is to improve Israeli's attitude towards minorities.

Religious cooperation towards the release of Gilad Shalit unfortunately failed to come to fruition (Israel HaYom, September 10). The attempts of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders to formulate a letter to be sent to the kidnapped soldier on his birthday failed to overcome the barriers between the three religions. A former Foreign Ministry official initiated the endeavor, turning to the Christian Patriarchate in Europe, a well-known Muslim cleric, and the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi, Jonah Metzger. Their communications towards the composition of the joint letter were foiled by the cleric's demand that a sentence be inserted calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners in jail in Israel. The purpose of the letter - which was designed to reach the hands of the head of the political division of Hamas - was "to exert pressure on Mashal and to demand that a Red Cross representative meet with Shalit."

Copyright 2008, Caspari Center.

Material reproduced from the Media Review must specify it as the source and that the copyright remains with Caspari Center.

DECEPTIVE XIANS

2008-09-19T08:45:00.000+03:00

Yad L'achim News

Big Brother Is Watching

Three missionaries tried to deceitfully convert to Judaism in religious courts around the world, only to be foiled by Yad L'Achim .

A few weeks ago, a distinguished-looking professor of international law showed up at Chabad house of Geneva headed by Rabbi Mendel Pewzner asking to convert to Judaism.

He made an excellent impression, dressed in a suit and hat and displaying broad knowledge of Judaism. Most importantly, he appeared very sincere in his desire to accept upon himself the yoke of Torah and mitzvos.

As the man began making inroads into the kehillah, attending services and being invited into homes, Rabbi Pewzner got an urgent message from Yad L'Achim in Israel: The newcomer was a missionary. Yad L'Achim backed up its charge with evidence that the man was a Mormon and active in missionary activity around the world.

Moreover, Yad L'Achim presented eye-witness testimony that during the very time that the man was in shul, in his religious Jewish garb, he was trying to convince tourists visiting the place to convert out of Judaism.

The final evidence, which left no doubt as to the man's intentions, was a statement attributed to him that he wanted to become a Jew because it would be easier for him to operate among Jews, since he could pass himself off as one of them.

While the kehillah, armed with this critical information, banished the man from its midst, the story doesn't end here. The jurist moved on to Israel and appeared before a beis din for conversion declaring his "sincere" desire to become a Jew. Yad L'Achim, which kept the impostor on its radar, was quick to present the members of the beis din with its evidence.

With a persistence that is characteristic of missionaries, the man moved on to Rome, where he turned to a local beis din for assistance. Yad L'Achim tripped him up again, presenting Rabbi Gad Eldad, a member of the conversion court in Rome, with the facts.

The learned law professor is not the first missionary to try to convert to Judaism to be able to infiltrate the Jewish community. Nor is he the first whose efforts were stymied by Yad L'Achim. A couple from Frankfurt, Germany, members of a missionary cult, recently began the process of conversion with the Rabbinical Council of America. But the council's beis din rejected their application after receiving incriminating information from Yad L'Achim.

Harav Shalom Dov Lifschitz, chairman of Yad L'Achim, revealed that he recently sent an urgent appeal to conversion courts around the world asking that applicants sign a statement disavowing their belief in Christianity before their application will be considered.

"It isn't foolproof, but it will put up a barrier because their religious beliefs forbid them from making such a declaration," he said. "We have to understand that there are missionaries who are seeking to convert to Judaism – and receive Israeli citizenship as a result – as a means of advancing their missionary efforts. Every step must be taken to stop them."

"I AM ISRAEL" CONFERENCE UPDATE

2008-09-12T11:33:00.000+03:00

I posted (Tisha b'Av) on my Key to Redemption blog in August about the Ephraimite conference titled "I am Israel" which included the "March through the Arch" event. This event was covered by major media outlets including Fox news. You can see the video recap on the Messianic Israel Website. The following proclamation was issued at this conference.

The Proclamation of B'nai Ephraim

Written by Hale Harris
Sunday, 24 August 2008

The sons of Ephraim (B'nai Ephraim), being in exile among the nations, do hereby proclaim our desire to be recognized as members of the common-wealth of Israel. Having served our punishment, wherein we were not a people, we now humbly repent of our sins and the sins of our forefathers. Through our personal relationship with the God of Israel, we seek the full restoration of all things spoken by the prophets of the Holy Scriptures. We choose to honor, hear, and obey the God of Israel and the principles of life that He has established. We choose to walk in righteousness and to embrace the covenants of Israel. We reach out to our brothers, the sons of Judah, and affirm our love and support for them as we seek to join together and become the fully unified House of Israel. We pray that all Israel might stand together as members of her commonwealth, and that her full restoration might come swiftly by the Hand of the Almighty. Proclaimed and witnessed on this day of new beginnings, August 8, 2008, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
[Signed: Hale Harris, John Conrad, Scott Diffenderfer]

If you are unfamiliar with Ephraimites, it is worthwhile to read "Introduction to Ephraimite theology" on the right side bar.

CASPARI MEDIA REVIEW-SEPT 9

2008-09-12T08:49:00.000+03:00

September 9, 2008

During the week covered by this review, we received 14 articles on the subjects of anti-missionary activity, Christian Zionism, Christians in Israel, Jewish-Christian relations, interfaith activities, and archaeology.

Of these:3 dealt with anti-missionary activity 2 dealt with Christian Zionism 5 dealt with Christians in Israel 1 dealt with Jewish-Christian relations 1 dealt with interfaith activities 1 dealt with archaeology 1 was a book review. The articles in this week's Review focused primarily on various aspects related to Christian life in Israel.

Anti-missionary Activity
Yom L'Yom, September 4; BeKehila, September 4; HaModia, August 29, 2008

HaModia (August 29) reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry and other official bodies" were due to participate in an event celebrating the sixty-year anniversary of the State of Israel organized by NCMI and other organizations, including the Jewish community in Norway.A Norwegian Jewish organization devoted to fighting anti-Semitism protested to Yad L'Achim over the fact, adding that MK Michael Melchior had also agreed to serve as the event's main speaker. Melchior responded that this is the 'central event held by Christian Friends of Israel organizations, in which Jewish bodies also participate. I therefore complied with the request to appear as the main speaker on this evening of salute to Israel.'"

A piece in Yom L'Yom (September 4) related to the recent investigative article by Techya Barak in Yediot Ahronot (see previous Reviews) noting surprise - and approval - that while her report could have appeared in a piece by Yad L'Achim, it was actually printed in a national paper. Naturally, however, Yad L'Achim took the opportunity following its publication to protest to the Attorney General, claiming that it contained proof that the "missionaries" had violated the law prohibiting the offering of benefits to induce someone to convert, including an appeal to minors, together with that of illegally entering prohibited military areas.

In response to a question put to the Minister of Internal Security regarding a similar "missionary" violation of the law, Avi Dichter replied in the following words: "'On May 1, 2008 the Information Organizer visited the soup kitchen at 4 HaKovshim St., Tel Aviv. There were 60 people there, the majority of them homeless persons, drug addicts, and the impoverished. Likewise, there were 12 workers from the organization, the majority of them young and/or recovered addicts who volunteer there. One of the workers sang a song of welcome in the name (of that man, Yeshu), after which a free meal was distributed. It was discerned that the place serves as a house of abomination (prayer, in the original) on Shabbat, both for the workers and for some of the population which uses it, primarily the homeless. At the same time, no activity was discerned which indicated any violation of the law - merely charitable work conducted by a faithful organization to aid and assist the needy. Moreover, from a questionnaire distributed by the Organizer it is clear that the workers do not promise any financial or material benefits to any of those who come in order to induce them to convert. No criminal activity is therefore involved.'" [Editor's note: the additions in parentheses appear in the original source.]

Christian Zionism
Israel Post, August 26;
Yediot Ahronot, August 31, 2008

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has announced a new series of projects in the run-up to the Jewish holidays (Israel Post, August 26). According it its director, Yechiel Eckstein, the organization is to provide 12,500 children with school equipment for the new year and a further 2,500 with furniture. Likewise, it is contributing over 2 million shekels' worth of food packages to 14,000 people and 10 million shekels to help heat the homes of 42,000 elderly. Immediately following the holidays, the IFCJ is due to initiate a project designed to donate 1,500 shekels each to 10,750 Holocaust survivors in Israel and the diaspora.

A moving article in Yediot Ahronot (August 31) described the effect of the IFCJ's programs on children in Israel, depicting how the mere existence of a table on which to do homework is absent in many homes of families who live below the poverty line. "'Now I can't wait until the end of the vacation. I want to go back to school already and do my homework in my new room,'" said one of the recipients, an eight-year-old girl from the south of the country. One of the primary aims of the project was to afford children greater privacy. In some cases, the bill for the furniture was written on the child's own name, to avoid the possibility that it would be forfeited confiscated), minors not being liable to such action.

Christians in Israel
Yediot Ramat-Gan, September 5; Kol Ha'Ir, September 5; Haaretz, September 4; Ma'ariv, September 2; Yediot Ahronot, September 1, 2008

In a column entitled "The City by Number," Kol Ha'Ir (September 5) reported on the demographic statistics of "Christians in Jerusalem." According to these, the Christian community in the city numbers around 15,000 persons and constitutes 2% of the city's population. This has fallen from 31,000 (19%) in 1946 due to the series of wars and the effects of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The Christian population's birth rate is lower than that of both the Jewish and Muslim communities, standing at 2.14 in contrast to 2.75 amongst the Jewish population and four children per Muslim family on average. The Christian community in Israel in general is split between Arab and non-Arab Christians, the latter composed of nuns, priests, foreign administrative workers and foreign workers in general, and Christian immigrants from the former Soviet Union. In Jerusalem, the Arab-Christian community is the more sizable one, numbering around 12,500 (83% of the city's Christian populace), the non-Arab community numbering only 2,600. 44% of the Christian population of Jerusalem lives within the walls of the Old City, the next largest concentration being in Beit Hanina (2,300 persons). Around 26% of the community is scattered throughout the remainder of the city's neighborhoods. The Arab-Christian population of the city is characterized by its age - older on average than the rest of the populace.

According to a second report, in Yediot Ramat-Gan (September 5), the Christian populace is also well-represented among the growing number of homeless in Israel. However, the percentage of the Christian populace among the poor in the State of Israel was reported in Yediot Ahronot(September 1) as 32% in 2007, the third lowest of all the communities in the country after secular Israelis and post-1990-immigrants, the highest being the Beduin resident in unrecognized locations. The reason for the poverty levels was attributed to the lack of infrastructure - education, roads, electricity, water, etc.

On the other hand, Haaretz (September 4) noted that while the Christian community receives the least State support, it reaches the greatest accomplishments. The school in Abilene, for example, is about to become the first Arab academic campus in Israel. Currently, the village has 1,300 students studying in its various facilities. According to the report, although the Mar Elias educational system is Catholic, a large part of its staff is in fact Jewish, while 60% of the students are Muslim. Its academic framework is linked to the University of Indianapolis and its curriculum includes computer studies, environmental studies, and communications. In recent years, the Christian school system has risen to the top of the ladder in Israel, recording both the highest levels of excellence in matriculation exams and the highest number of qualifiers to take the latter - together with the lowest number of drop-outs. The success of the school system is attributed to "'investment in the essence of education -a devoted administration, teachers with a sense of responsibility and commission
- rather than in the surrounding politics.'"

According to a report in Ma'ariv (September 2), Dula ben Yehuda, one of the daughters of Eliezer ben Yehuda, "the reviver of the Hebrew language," died recently at the age of 104. Somewhat surprisingly, having donated her body to scientific research, she was buried in the "International Cemetery of the Apostolic Messianic Alliance" [i.e. the CM&A cemetery] on Emek Rephaim Street in Jerusalem - next to her husband, Max Whitman, who was a Christian. "Despite this, one of her grandsons said Kaddish at the graveside," noted historian Dr. Yossi Lang. According to the latter, this was the decision not of Dula herself but of her estate's executor. In an article devoted to the ben Yehuda family, Lang also revealed that Jemima, Eliezer's oldest daughter, married a Christian - a Scottish officer by the name of Philip Langstaff Orde Guy.

Jewish-Christian Relations
Jerusalem Post,
September 8, 2008

The World Evangelical Alliance, a Canadian-based international evangelical organization, recently issued a document known as the "Berlin Declaration on the Uniqueness of Christ and Jewish Evangelism Today" which, according to Jewish protests, "called for the 'targeting' of European Jews 'for conversion.'" "'It is our prayer that the Berlin Declaration 2008 will prove to be equally useful in supporting the work of taking the Gospel to the Jew first,'" the theological commission's executive director, Dr. David Parker, stated. In response, ADL national director Abraham Foxman declared, "'Promoting a campaign to convert Jews away from their faith is a serious affront to the Jewish people and disrespectful to Judaism's own teachings.'" ADL director of interfaith policy Rabbi Eric Greenberg added, "'To issue this declaration from Berlin, where the Nazis directed their Final Solution to exterminate the Jewish people is the height of insensitivity.'" David Rosen was further quoted as saying, "'Evangelicals could be divided into three groups: those who believed they had an obligation to actively proselytize among Jews, those who thought that ultimately Jews will have to accept Christian belief, but that God will facilitate that in due course, and those who believe that since there is an original covenant between God and the Jewish people they should not be involved in proselytizing. Some of the groups that were most energetic for Israel tended to be the strongest believers in the need to convert Jews.'"

Interfaith Activities
Yedion Afula
Va-ha-Emakim, August 29, 2008

A joint delegation of students from Nir HaEmek and Diburiyya returned this week from a week-long trip to Germany under the aegis of a "Jewish Christian" organization whose purpose is to promote knowledge of the other and co-existence between Jews and Arabs. Last year, Nir HaEmek hosted a German delegation. The "Israeli" group also visited Bergen Belsen.

Archaeology
Yediot Haifa, August 29, 2008

As part of its scheduled project to investigate the "world of Jesus," the Discovery Channel recently sponsored the CT-scanning of a collection of 2000-year-old skulls in the effort to reveal as much as possible concerning life in Israel in the first century C.E. It is hoped that the scanning will provide information about the internal structure and bodies of persons living during that period. The series will examine Jesus' life, and life in Israel in general, during the Second Temple period. British facial artists will then clothe the results with "skin and bones" in order to obtain a realistic picture of how people looked in that period. These reconstructions will then serve as the basis for the selection of actors to play various parts in the simulation.

Book Review
Haaretz, September 5, 2008

Josh Nathan-Kazis reviewed Jeff Sharlet's book The Family in Haaretz (September 5), writing that "there is perhaps no more shocking revelation in The Family, Jeff Sharlet's new expose of Christian fundamentalism in America, than the one that implicates Senator Hillary Clinton, the could-have-been Democratic nominee for president, in what she might call a vast right-wing conspiracy." According to the review, the Family "is so secret that it lacks a formal name. Sometimes known the Fellowship, other times as the Family, the group has roots that run deep among Washington's power brokers . . . Its members believe that God effects his will through politicians and business leaders, and so they minister directly to the powerful, organizing prayer cells in government offices and boardrooms in Washington and beyond. The cells work quietly, through the system, to promote a Christian fundamentalist agenda. The long-term goal, says Sharlet, is to project America's power across the globe as a vehicle for Jesus." According to Nathan-Kazis, "The organization that would become the Family first came into being in the midst of the labor unrest that plagued the Western seaboard in the 1930s. Abraham Vereide, the Norwegian immigrant preacher who founded the group and led it through its early years, became convinced that Christianity could play a role in the normalization of labor relations . . . Writes Sharlet, 'Elite fundamentalists . . . did not care much about sin; they cared about salvation, a concept they understood in terms of nations, not souls, embodied by the rulers to whom God had given power.' This is Christianity stripped down to its barest, most brutal core. [Doug] Coe ["the Family's publicity-shy leader"] calls it 'Jesus plus nothing.'" As Nathan-Kazis noted, "There's a thin line between reverence for the organizational stratagems of Hitler and reverence for his purposes, of course. Sharlet argues that Coe & Co. cross this line with abandon. As he traces the Family's history from its founding in the 1930s to today, he shows how it has consistently operated toward anti-democratic ends with sympathies and rhetoric bordering on the fascistic."

Copyright 2008, Caspari Center.
The Media Review is an English-language synopsis of articles which were originally published in the Israeli press. The articles, most of which were written in Hebrew, focus on Messianic Jews and Christianity. The Media Review reports what was said in the press irrespective of its accuracy, and the information does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Caspari Center. On occasion the editor includes explanatory matter in brackets, preceeded by the words [Editor’s note:].

Material reproduced from the Media Review must specify it as the source and that the copyright remains with Caspari Center.

The Caspari Center for Biblical and Jewish Studies

2008-09-05T08:59:00.000+03:00

The Caspari Center is a messianic organization that supports messianics in Israel. According to their website

Caspari Center is a network of people: Jews and Gentiles throughout the world working together to raise awareness of Jewish believers in Jesus and support the growth of Israel’s congregations. Our passion is to support emerging leaders who will transform Israel by developing and leading mature, confident and visionary Messianic communities.

The Caspari Center for Biblical and Jewish Studies was founded in 1982 by the Norwegian Church Ministry to Israel (NCMI) to support Israel’s Jewish believers in Jesus through education and research.

In 2002, we added a North American office in Wheaton, Illinois, in order to develop strategic partnerships and resources for our work among Jewish people in Israel and abroad.

Our work in Israel operates under a local board of prominent members of the Messianic community. It is financed by institutional partners and individual contributors.

The Center has a mixed Israeli and international staff who work together with associate scholars.

The North American office is primarily responsible for worldwide awareness and fundraising. Caspari Center USA is a member of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE) and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Notice that this, along with most messianic outreach, is supported by the Evangelical Council. There is no difference between a messianic and an evangelical xian.

The Caspari center offers many programs including leadership training program for new Ethiopian immigrants, public lectures in Jerusalem and a quarterly magazine.

Caspari Center has been working with the Ethiopian Messianic congregations for over 6years. This small yet distinct subgroup of the larger Messianic community has chosen to retain its Ethiopian culture and traditions in daily life and in its expression of faith.

While the community is committed to retaining the Ethiopian culture, their children are rapidly assimilating into the dominant Israeli Hebrew-speaking secular culture. If this community is to keep their children in faith, they must begin using the Hebrew language to teach them.

In September 2005, Caspari Center adapted its “Hearts to Serve” program to serve Ethiopian congregations. We continue to offer special seminars for Shabbat School teachers from the Amharic speaking community.

They also send out the Caspari Media Review, which is an English summary of articles pertaining to xians, messianics, anti-missionary work and Jewish-xian relations in the Hebrew press. I hope to post this review each week because it is a comprehensive review of all xian issues in the press that most of us do not see and it gives a realistic view of how pervasive the xian problem in Israel really is.

This weeks media Review

August 29, 2008 Media Review
During the week covered by this review, we received 9 articles on the subjects of Messianic Judaism, anti-missionary activity, Christian Zionism, and Christians in Israel. Of these:

1 dealt with Messianic Jews
2 dealt with anti-missionary activity
3 dealt with Christians in Israel
2 dealt with Christian Zionism
1 dealt with Christians in the Holocaust

This week's Review was a smorgasbord of different news items.

Messianic Jews
Yediot Ahronot, August 22, 2008

In a letter published in Yediot Ahronot (August 22) in response to its article on Ya'akov Damkani, Michael Itzkovitz took the side of Messianic Judaism, claiming that while some sects do exploit their members, "Messianic Jews are the opposite. They help Holocaust survivors, prostitutes, and the poor - which the State doesn't do. Does the Center for Terror Victims help these people? I don't think so. It is even more disgraceful to read that Orthodox families abandon their children simply because they begin to believe in Yeshu - and it is precisely Messianic Jews who accept them with open arms. So instead of hating Messianic Jews those haters should start accepting the 'other' without problems into their society."

Antimissionary Activity
Shavu'on, August 22; HaModia, August 19, 2008

HaModia (August 19) carried the story of how a woman in economic straits had fallen victim to a sect it identified as "People of the Cult."

A piece appeared in Shavu'on (August 22) decrying the "taking over" of the traditional Jerusalem March during Sukkot by Christian groups. The report suggested that such participation serves as an indication of the "strength" these groups are gaining in Israel - and is therefore to be banned. It also claimed that it has been "verified" that many of the bystanders who cheered the marchers had been "supported financially" by these Christians.

Christians in Israel
Ma'ariv, August 21; Yediot Ahronot, August 21; Haaretz, August 20, 2008

Alonei Abba, in the lower Galilee, is located on the site of a Templar settlement. In the center of the moshav is a Templar church. One of the veteran residents, who now acts as a guide, recalled her childhood memories of the place: "'As a child, I grew up thinking that every settlement in the country had a church at its center. The church lay at the heart of our childhood: we played in it, I celebrated my bat mitzvah in it, we ate the Passover Seder in it. It sounds strange, I know, but in those days it was very natural.'" Although the Templar church, built in 1916, is now in a state of disrepair, it is due to undergo renovations and be turned into a music center (Haaretz, August 20).

A legal battle has recently erupted between local Christians and a Jewish organization over the latter's ostensible use of the Cenacle (the site of the Last Supper) on Mount Zion. A Catholic group called Tankredi, whose aim is to preserve Crusader sites and traditional Catholic values amongst the local Catholic community, is claiming that a Jewish organization devoted to the study of the family and family laws is using part of the Cenacle, "one of the most important Christian sites in Israel." Tankredi is seeking the dissolution of the Jewish organization, which it charges is a front, disguising Jewish attempts to take control of premises in the Old City. It has further objected that the organization has begun structural work to prepare the way for the connection of the site to electric cables and sewage pipes without permission - activities which the Catholic organization claims put the building at risk and constitute an illegal "conversion" of the premises into Jewish hands. Following complaints to the police and the district archaeologist, the organization petitioned the Supreme Court, which has now issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Jewish organization from performing any further work - despite the fact that the Antiquities Authority has acknowledged that it gave post facto permission for the work to be carried out and affirmed that no damage has been caused (Ma'ariv, August 21).

In an interview with Nazareth Illit's mayor, who has served in his official capacity in the city for 42 years, the outgoing incumbent stated that over the years Nazareth Illit has become a "refuge" for Christian Arabs from the region, whose conflict with Muslim Arabs is at times very fierce - and "'greater than that between Jews and Muslims'" (Yediot Ahronot, August 21).

Christian Zionism
Yated Ne'eman, August 22; Jerusalem Post, August 21, 2008

In response to Ehud Olmert's controversial claim that he has given approval for the immigration of the Bnei Menashe tribe from northern India, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews stated in the Jerusalem Post (August 21) that "he was assured by the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday that Olmert had in fact made the decision to bring the Bnei Menashe to Israel. 'We're treating this as a fait accompli,' he said, noting that the IFCJ has taken out newspaper adverts for Thursday supporting the move and offering to contribute some $20-30 million over the next two years to facilitate the aliya."

Yated Ne'eman (August 22) devoted a lengthy article to an "exposי" of Yechiel Eckstein and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, garnering most of its information - and many of its quotes - from Mina Fenton, a fervent anti-missionary campaigner. Among her claims was that in one of his books, Eckstein asserts that he became a member of Jews for Jesus!

Christians in the Holocaust
Haaretz, August 24, 2008

Anna Reisen Flescher, born in Rhinefelden in Switzerland in 1915, died this week as one of the Righteous of the Nations. Flescher's mother died when she was three, her father when she was 14, and she was forced to leave school and start work as a salesperson in Geneva and then a housekeeper in London. In 1941, she moved to Rome to live with her twin sister, Carla. When Carla returned to Switzerland in 1942, Anna replaced her as the assistant to a successful psychoanalyst by the name of Dr. Yoachim (Chaim) Flescher. When the Nazis took over the city in 1943, Flescher went into hiding, and Anna supplied him with food. When she was nearly discovered, she came up with an even more daring plan: to hide him in his own house. Having secured Swiss protection over the premises, Yoachim slipped back into it on Christmas Eve 1943 and hid there for six months. At the end of the war, he became a successful psychoanalyst in the U.S., where Anna subsequently joined him as his wife. After he died, Anna immigrated to Israel, where one of their daughters lives. When the latter asked her why she had chosen to stay in Rome rather than returning to the safety of Switzerland, she answered, "'It was the right thing to do.'"

Copyright 2008, Caspari Center.
Material reproduced from this site must specify the source and that the copyright remains with the Caspari Center.

BEWARE TRIBAL PEOPLES WHO PRACTICE JUDAISM

2008-08-26T16:53:00.000+03:00

Keren HaShlichut is a messianic outreach to tribal nations. They teach tribal peoples a mixture of Judaism, xianity, and Hebrew. This is particularly troublesome when considering that recently tribal peoples who have Jewish customs are being considered as descendents of the 10 lost tribes.

Keren HaShlichut is an Israeli association of Messianic Jewish emissaries that was founded in 1999. Keren HaShlichut sends emissaries throughout the world in various educational and humanitarian relief efforts, in particular among indigenous tribal peoples. This includes bringing the message of Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew) both in words and in actions.

Mobilization Keren HaShlichut facilitates the sending of Messianic Jewish Israelis from Israel to the nations. In the last eight years, more than thirty emissaries sent by Keren HaShlichut have served among hundreds of people groups in over seventy countries. These emissaries each served in their respective destinations for periods ranging from two weeks to one year.

There is a growing trend among indigenous tribal people to translate the Bible for themselves. In most of these cases, they already have a translation of the New Testament received at the hand of foreign missionaries. Many of these peoples are now initiating their own translation projects of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) led by native translators who previously served as assistants to foreign translators. We have two projects in process in Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia toward Israelis teaching biblical Hebrew to native translators and serving as consultants on issues of Jewish Israeli culture, history, nature, etc., and on Hebraic thought.

We provide fellowship for Israeli emissaries. We bring together Israelis serving around the world for times of discussion, teaching, sharing of reports from the field, mutual encouragement, and prayer. We are working to forge new bonds of relationship as we hold each other accountable before God to be faithful to our heritage as the redeemed remnant of Israel in blessing the nations.

The director of Keren HaShlichut is Gavriel Gefen. Gavriel was born in the United States and immigrated to Israel at the age of seventeen together with his family in 1983. Gavriel met his wife Tzofia in Israel. They have four children and live in central Jerusalem.

NEW XIAN SCHOOL IN THE NEGEV

2008-08-25T20:57:00.000+03:00

You are probably aware of Eddie Beckford, the missionary in Arad that has caused much trouble for Am Yisrael. He attacked and sued Yad L achim. Well he is now opening a xian school in the Negev.

TAKING MONEY FROM XTIANS IS DANGEROUS

2008-08-24T16:56:00.000+03:00

There was a debate on a blog in April about taking money from xtians. There was a Jew who took money from them

Who helped us? It was the Christians in our community. Food and money. No missionizing. I hear what you say, but I am not influenced by their help. I would rather die than become a Christian. I was motivated by the need to provide for my wife.

and when a fellow Jew tried to warn him he said the following in defense of the xtian

I have known the ***** family for a long time, and I can say that they have no intention of converting anybody. ***** is literally a sponge for yedda v'emet. Obviously, the same cannot be said about other xtians...in fact, most. ****** is a friend to Israel and Jews, and shouldn't be seen as a threat or the enemy.

....a friend, (who happened to be a Christian), gave us money with no strings attached, from one friend to another! I will say this....in that terrible time of need, there were 6 people who helped us. Two were Jews. Four were Christians who we had never met. Not one person has ever suggested that I 'consider' Jesus..or come to a church. No mention of anything religious of any kind. A simple, "We would like to help."

It is possible to be friends with a non-Jew and still retain your Jewish identity. They don't have leperosy, and..at least ***** ***** and the others who helped us, have proven that they are loyal friends without an agenda.

This Jew posted the following on his blog last week

This is a very exciting post for me! I am proudly declaring myself a Messianic Jew. Through much study and prayer, it is an undeniable fact that Yeshua is the long-awaited Mashiach of the Jewish people. If he is not, then no one is and we are left without hope.

Some of my Jewish brothers will now consider me a christian. Let me be clear: I am not a christian, nor will I ever attend a christian church. I don’t mean to offend any of my Christian friends, however, I am a Jew. As a Jew, I observe Shabbat, remain kosher, and I now see that recognition of Yeshua as the Mashiach and Torah-observance are perfectly compatible.

As I write this, I fully recognize that I am choosing the unpopular position and am now considered a mumar. It is something that grieves me, however, I would rather be ‘right’ about Hashem and unpopular with man than miss all that G-d has in store for me and hold the popular position among men.

I wrote him and asked

Just to clarify, you now believe that G-d came to earth in the form of a man and died to atone for all sin?
August 21, 2008 3:49 PM

He wrote back

Geula girl, yes. That is exactly what I believe

MORE ON TOURS

2008-08-22T09:39:00.000+03:00

SAR EL TOURS
Sar-El Tours is one of the leading travel agencies which caters to the evangelical Christian community. We have served some of the largest Christian ministries, churches, Bible schools and seminaries around the world. At Sar-El Tours we want to be more than just a tour company; we want to be a bridge between Israel and Christians around the world. Our goal is to help Christians create and maintain ties with the land of Israel. First, with the ancient stones and the timeless story they tell, and second, with the extraordinary stories that are the lives of the "living stones", the people of the land.

RUN BY A MESSIANIC MISSIONARY
Samuel Smadja
…who is one of Israel’s most respected businessmen bearing a witness to Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah of the Jews. His father established one of Israel’s first Messianic Jewish congregations, and Samuel is steeped in a strong grasp of the keys to clear, biblical communication of the Gospel. We will be enriched as Samuel diagnoses and explains solutions to the toughest obstacles today for evangelism in Israel.

SAMPLE TOUR
Day 1 Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, transfer to hotel in Ariel (Modern Capital of Samaria)

Day 2 Tel Shiloh, Mt. Garazim, Alon Moreh, Meeting with Settlers in a New Settlement, return to Ariel for Overnight

Day 3 In the Footsteps of Jesus in the Galilee: Boat ride on Sea of Galilee, Ancient Boat at Ginosar, Tabgha, Capernaum, Mt. Beatitudes, Bethsaida, Kursi

Day 4 The Northern Reaches of the Promised Land: Safed, Tel Dan, Golan Heights, Katzrin

Day 5 Come, Let Us Go Up to Jerusalem: Mt. Gilboa with panoramic view, Jordan Valley, Overnight at Kibbutz Guesthouse by the Dead Sea

Day 6 The Judean Wilderness: Qumran, Ein Gedi, Masada and climb down the Old Roman Ramp, Overnight in Arad

Day 7 Samaria: Hebron, Cave of Machpela, Jewish Quarter of Hebron, Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8 In the Footsteps of Jesus-the Holy City: Mt. of Olives, Palm Sunday Road, Garden of Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa, Pool of Bethesda, Ecce Homo, Jewish Quarter, Cardo, Garden Tomb

Day 9 Jerusalem of Today, Bethlehem of Yesterday: Western Wall, Southern Steps, Temple Mount, Israel Museum-Shrine of the Book and Jerusalem Model in the time of the Second Temple, Yad Vashem, view Knesset, Bethlehem, Shepherd's Field

CHRISTIANS USE TOURS TO "MINISTER" TO JEWS

2008-08-19T20:06:00.000+03:00

Tours in Israel are a booming business. Christians will pay any price to get the opportunity to speak with children, Holocaust survivors, soldiers and any "real" Jews. If they can talk to Jews then they can build a relationship which will lead to discussions of yeshu.

One tour company is JDI TOURS.

Serving churches and ministries has been JDI’s prime objective for more than a decade. Building on this cornerstone, JDI endeavors to strive for excellence in the travel industry and thereby impact the world with the gospel. Existing for this primary purpose....

At JDI, Bible Study Tours to Israel have been a vehicle for reaching out to Israel for more than a decade. Owners, who are Deacons in their home church, have been connected to Israel since 1935 when family members made Aliyah. Now with 3rd generation Sabras (natural born Israelis) in the Land, as a Believer owned and operated company combined with this background, JDI clearly understands Israel from a multi-faceted perspective.

Opportunities to minister

Humanitarian Outreach
Hospital Visits
Victims of Terror Organizations
Government Offices
Assisting Believers
Assisting Ministries
Building projects
Solidarity Missions
Blood Drives
Volunteering
Prayer Convocations
Joseph's Storehouse

Now that the xtians have become obsessed with the yishuvim, the tours not only include traditional xtian sites but also traditional jewish sites.

From a sample tour

DAY 3 – THE HEART OF ANCIENT ISRAEL - SAMARIA · Shiloh, Mt. Gerizim - Jacob's Well, Shechem · Visit contemporary Jewish settlement · Dinner and Overnight in the Galilee

From a 2006 tour

Day 11, Monday, November 5: Judea/Ariel. After breakfast, we begin our protected bus tour of Judea, which includes Herodian, Hebron, and Gush Etzion communities. Later, we will have a special opportunity to plant trees in Samaria. Overnight in Ariel. Eshel Hashomron.

Day 12, Tuesday, November 6: Samaria. Today we will have a unique opportunity to see Shilo, place of the Tabernacle, historical Bet El and current home of Arutz Sheva, and discover the ancient Samaritans. We will visit an outpost and meet Sondra Baras, Director of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities. We'll return to Jerusalem for our final overnight. Dan Panorama.

NORTHEREN CALIFORNIA CALVARY CHAPELS has a tour scheduled for December 1-12, 2008. This tour has Shiloh and Beth El on their itinerery.

from their website

Our Statement of Purpose for World Missions
After his ressurection, Jesus commanded His disciples to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel, making disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. Another time, as He was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus told His disciples they would soon receive power from on high and thus become His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Pictures from their 2005 Israel Tour

KESHET TOURS
Keshet has long been the premiere provider of quality spiritual and educational Israel programs for Jewish communities, and is now available to provide its innovative and exciting Israel touring programs to Christian communities.

The senior staff of Keshet is comprised of Yitzhak Sokoloff, the founding director, plus Dr. Peter Abelow, Kayla Ship, and Danny Ehrlich, each of whom grew up in American Jewish synagogues and youth movements, and who chose to live and work as Jewish educators in Israel.

Let Keshet show you the real Israel:

Experience first hand what you have only imagined as you read the Bible
Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and the disciples in Jerusalem and the Galilee
Visit Mt. Of Olives, Mt. Zion, Gethsemane and the Western Wall
Explore the Golan Heights, Mt. Carmel, Sea of Galilee, Judea and Samaria
Meet with Jewish families in their homes
See Prophecy Fulfilled- See first hand the ingathering of Israel from the four corners of the earth
Participate in hands-on volunteer opportunities
Bless and Stand in Solidarity with the People of Israel

...at Keshet we know that spiritual growth must involve more than Israel sites visits. We insist that you have a real experience of the Sabbath, as it exists only in Israel. We facilitate meetings with Israelis: Ethiopian Jews; communities in Judea and Samaria; Christians living and creating in The Land; Home Hospitality; visit to an army base to meet soldiers; Arab Christians. And more, so that you may come to know Prophecy up close and first hand.

Become part of a bridge that is being built between hearts to reclaim the friendship between Christians and Jews by creating ties not only to the land, but to the people.

I want to make Jews aware that xtians are being brought into the yishuvim so I will be posting upcoming tours that include visits to yishuvim. It is my hope that someone living in each yishuv will be informed and protest the exposure to these xtians and to their false beliefs.

THE LARGEST MESSIANIC CONGREGATION IS IN BINYAN CLAL

2008-08-18T20:16:00.000+03:00

The largest messianic congregation in Israel, King of Kings, is located in Binyan Clal.
They hold services in Hebrew on Friday and in English on Sunday in the Pavillion (on level P-1), which is an auditorium with seating for 600 that is rented out for conferences. It has its own media and recording studio. Take a tour.

They own the top floor where the Pavillion Prayer Tower is located. Take a tour.

Jerusalem Pavilion Prayer Tower is becoming a place of devoted Prayer without ceasing (Isaiah 62:7, 1. Tim. 5:17) until all Israel is saved (Rom. 11:26) and unending Worship (Psalms 27:4) in preparation for the day, when He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:7).

What they believe

Situated as we are, in Jerusalem, we have a unique opportunity to express the reality of the “one new man,” spoken of in Ephesians 2:15.

While every congregation should have a heart for the Jewish people ( Romans 11:11 ) this is our particular burden and focus. This is not racial discrimination. In fact, we firmly believe that when Jewish people come to faith they will once again take up their role as a “light to the nations”. This will ultimately lead to salvation for Gentile nations, including the Arab peoples ( Romans 11:11-15 ).

We are working to restore the Hebrew roots of our faith.

* We sing from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Sh’mah
* We have weekly teaching from the Torah portion
* We often preach from or quote from the Hebrew Scriptures
* We celebrate the Feasts of the Lord.

Proclaiming the message:

We have also taken upon ourselves the task of helping the Church around the world recover her Hebrew roots and take up her obligation of supporting and reaching out to the Jewish people, to whom the church owes a great debt.

There is an incredibly diverse mix of nationalities represented in our congregation. So we work extra hard at being “one”

It is important to know

A large number of people who fellowship at King of Kings work within one of the many para-church ministries in Jerusalem, such as ICEJ, CFI, Bridges for Peace, Israel College of the Bible, etc. This provides us with opportunities to support each other in ministry, to pray for one another, and to learn how to complement one another, instead of competing.

Wayne Hilsden (Pastor) on how kok got started

" People often ask how did it begin and I tell this story and I'll make it really brief tonight. over twenty five years ago my wife and I were happy and content in Toronto, Ontario Canada. And what happened was I was a yound adult pastor in downtown Toronto. My wife was the director of the main xtian television network in Canada and we were having the time of our lives. We had two little kids.

It was great and then we went on vacation and we stopped at a congregation north of Toronto and we hardly knew the pastor and he preached a sermon. At the end of the service he was there shaking hands with people as they went out the door. He saw us and he said, "Would you come home for dinner?". So we went home for dinner, free meal. So, anyway, ha, over dinner, the pastor says to us, he says we're about to resign our congregation here,and we're about to move to Israel, and we actually got an invitation from the Israeli government from, from three different ministries in the government and they've, they've promised us a clergy visa and they even suggested that we start a congregation in Jerusalem. Would you and Anne come and help us start that congregation?

Most of you don't believe that, ha, some of you believe it. Most of you, I hope believe it, cause I said it, but, it's what happened. You know and before I even got on a plane to move to Israel, we already had a clergy visa stamped in our passport. That's unusual. It was an unusual favor and if that was the only sign, uh, then that wouldn't be enough. It was an amazing sign, that G-d had truly opened a door of opportunity to establish this congregation."

There are about 25 messianic congregations in Jerusalem according to Wayne Hilsden.

INTRODUCTION

2008-08-18T17:06:00.000+03:00

The goal of this blog is to expose the threat of Esav to Am Yisrael.