Joel and Pamela Bell (Joe and Pam) are Christian missionaries who moved to Israel - and obtained citizenship - in 2003 with the purpose of inspiring an End Times Christian Revival in the Holy Land.
Joel has called upon messianic Christians to move en masse to Israel , "buy land in Israel” and lay claim to their “right to own a home” in the Land of Israel, because Gentiles “have been grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel through Melchizedek - Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus)”. Israel is, therefore, their “eternal inheritance” which they will share with their “brother Judah” (religious Jews).
The Bells run a television ministry out of Sha’ar Benjamin called Frontline Israel which they claim “has been invited into a Jewish house to build the Kingdom of G-d with Israel”, as “Israel is crying out to God for a comforter, deliverer, and partner.”
Joel Bell has indeed found a partner with the evangelical friendly Likud party, and he directs a network of Likud affiliated websites and projects such as:
Incredibly, World Likud chairman and Jewish Agency Board of Governors member Danny Danon , and Young Likud leader and activist Sagiv Assulin, have openly and knowingly joined, befriended, and encouraged Joel and his colorful group of messianic friends and “spies” in their “prophetic” quest “to bring Judah and Ephraim… together as one stick in the hand of Messiah.”
[Note: This particular brand of eschatology is sometimes referred to as the Ephraimite or Two- House movement]
And speaking of friends….
Among “Joe and Pam’s” Christian friends is the notorious missionary Richard Booker.
Joel is so comfortable with his Jewish friends that he had the chutzpah to send them an email Hannukah greeting enmeshing images of Gush Katif with starry crosses and a proclamation of Yeshua (Jesus) as the Jewish messiah.
Joel’s wife Pamela, on the other hand, is more discreet about her love for Jesus. It seems she has been known, on more than one occasion, to present herself as a Jewess to community leaders and activists in Israel (perhaps that’s Joel’s way of getting a foot in the door). The Jewish Director of a major Christian fundraising body informed this writer that, “Pamela claims to be Jewish, but her beliefs are definitely Christian.”
The Bell’s agenda have lost them a few friends along the way…Manhigut Yehudit’s leader, Moshe Feiglin heard firsthand that Joel Bell plans to bring 1 million Christians to live in Israel. It should be noted that Feiglin – who at one time accepted funds from Joel - had enough integrity to sever his relationship with the Bells after being informed of their missionary agenda. He has since taken a strong stand and written about the subject of Israel-Christian relations.
But even those Jewish activists, fundraisers, educators, politicians, and rabbis who continue to cooperate with the evangelical community have less-than-flattering comments about Joel Bell, which run the full gamut from, "Be careful with Joel - honesty is not his strongest suit” to he is “a crook and a liar” (sorry. no links, as I’m protecting my sources).
A prime example of Joel’s “integrity problem” was given over to me by a reliable source in Hebron when, back in July 2008, I questioned Joel’s claim that his organization, Frontline Israel, "gives thousands of dollars to the Torah academy located in the synagogue at the Cave of Machpela". The source reported the following to me by email:
Baruch Marzel who runs the Zilberman Talmud Torah ” told me that although in the past he has been in contact and spoken with Bell, he has never received money from him. He also said that its been at least two years since he has even seen him or spoken to him. I read to him what Bell publicizes on his website about the Talmud Torah and Baruch said he would be in contact with Bell to demand its removal."
As of this writing, Frontline Israel has indeed removed references to the Hebron Talmud Torah.
Alert: Coming to your neighborhood soon… (Heads up Shiloh)
Joel Bell’s Frontline Israel presents The Israel 60th Diamond AnniversaryTour from November 7th - 18th. “This tour will introduce you to the unique opportunities available to build your future in Israel.”
The tour for “Christian Zionists” is also being billed as an opportunity to invest in opportunities in Israel and to take a leadership role by participating in the 2008 Israel Prime Minister’s Conference and World Likud Board of Governors Convention which was originally billed for June 2008, but later moved to November 13th -14th (plans and exact dates still appear to be unclear). But you can still take a look at the 2007 promotion to get the idea.
Conclusion and Recommendation:
Joel and Pamela Bell are missionaries who are actively promoting an Evangelical Christian revival in Israel. The Bell’s most recent endeavors involve a partnership with the Ephraimite movement who have as their goals: a) mass aliyah of Christians to Judea and Samaria and b) convincing Jews that Jesus was and is the Jewish messiah.
Unfortunately, Joel Bell enjoys a relationship with influential members of the Likud party – which he flaunts and uses to legitimize his aims. Joel is clearly trying to establish a large and permanent foothold for Christian fundamentalists in Israel, and is doing so by promoting Evangelical “investments, jobs, housing, education, military training, and community.”
Regrettably, Joel also boasts of a relationship with “leaders, Rabbis, men, women and children of the [Gush Katif] communities”. He maintains a prominent link on his homepage to an endorsement letter from Gush Katif rabbis and community leaders “commissioning FrontlineIsrael to speak on their behalf”
The financial, moral, and political “support” (as well as the purported fight against anti-Semitism), which currently emanates from certain sectors of an evangelizing Christian world, should not open the door for Jews in Israel and the Diaspora to break down Torah fences and to sanction idolatry, apostasy and Christian influence in Eretz Yisrael.
In this current state of shmad (spiritual destruction) it is my overwhelming recommendation that Jewish and pro-Israel organizations and individuals do not cooperate with or encourage Joel and Pamela Bell and their endeavors in any way.
9 comments:
Moshe Feiglin has shown "Jewish Leadership" in many ways.
He was the ONLY "right winger" to oppose the Christian proselytizers, the ONLY prominent Israel to say that Israel should not appear in China at the olympics, and he was the ONLY person in the Nationalist Camp in Israel to say on the first day of the war that soldiers should NOT fight in the 2006 Lebanon War as it will only be a war to implement the next "disengagement".
Does anyone else have a record like this?
The answer is NO.
So, maybe before we criticize what he thinks is the correct political path to take control of the country, we should go listen to him and/or have a conversation with him.
Maybe he deserve the benefit of the doubt, as opposed to always searching for a "right winger" who has no attachment to G-d at all to lead our group, even though these secular right wingers ALWAYS come up short in some important ideological fashion.
Hi Rob,
I certainly give Moshe Feiglin credit for not only separating himself from a very questionable source of funding, but for having the integrity and courage to make his postion public - a position, by the way, that is not all that popular among some of his constituents.
On this issue he has certainly shown himself as a Jewish leader.
Shalom!
Several rabbis in Gush Katif were duped. I don't remember details, but several prominent rabbis were photographed with missionaries who did not present themselves as missionaries. The photos were later used to "prove" that the rabbis supported certain Xtian groups.
Be wary of photo ops.
Hadassa
Hi Hadassa,
You bring up an interesting problem. Indeed there is evidence of rabbaim, community leaders and politicians who inadvertently engaged in tours, lectures and photo-ops with missionaries.
In order to help alleviate this damaging and embarassing problem,
I'm currently working with a team of community leaders and activists and we are coordinating our efforts with rabbinic leaders, counter-missionary specialists, educators, and internet developers to create an online presence which will monitor and provide information about missionaries and their campaigns and activities which target Jews in the Jewish State.
Shalom!
Ellen, your coordinating work is vital. The rabbis were absolutely shocked when presented with missionary and other material with "their endorsements". I should add that the groups were not necessarily proselytizing Jews. Some of the groups were using the "endorsement" of rabbis as a show of interfaith support - which of course we don't want either. If I remember correctly most of the material remained in America, so we cannot restrict our monitoring to Israel.
Hadassa
Hi Ellen,
Are you related to David Horowitz by any chance? He has since passed away, but he was a "two-house" zionist and founder of United Israel World Union.
Although, I suspect he wouldn't have affiliated himself with Joel Bell necessarily, but he would certainly not disparage the Ezekiel 37 prophecy regarding Ephraim and Judah being united.
There are "missionaries" and anti-missionaries in both camps.
I meant to post this statement from two semi-prominent 2House leaders in the US, which may be pertinent to your Bell files.
Statement Concerning Joel Bell and Worldwide Biblical Zionists
Thanks Hanok,
I had seen that statement and it is very telling. I added to my records.
I wish Moshe Feiglin was Prime Minister.
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