Posted by Ellen Horowitz for Jewish Israel
Messianic Rapper Aviad Cohen to leave Israel
"The World's Most Kosher MC" turned Jesus freak - who made aliyah last fall - is reportedly leaving the country (thank G-d).
“I need to move back to the USA for many different reasons that I prefer not to disclose since some are of a sensitive nature… “
Jewish Israel had informed the Interior Ministry and alerted Yad L’achim about his activities. In addition we had posted videos clearly displaying his contempt for Orthodox Judaism and his overt missionary intentions.
Jewish Israel feels that Aviad Cohen is indeed a troubled and lost Jewish soul. Numerous rabbis and counter-missionary specialists have reached out and tried to assist him.
We feel it is deplorable that premier Christian Television networks ranging from the established to the overtly messianic missionary to the occult have taken gross advantage of his talent and internal turmoil in order to promote their agenda to convert Jews.
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Jews for Jesus claims 21 Jewish victims in 3 weeks:
It seems the jews for jesus coastal plain "behold your god" campaign has ended. Here's the damage report - an excerpt from their May 29th newletter :
"... we were able to hand out over 33,500 gospel tracts. We spoke to over 3,900 people on the phone and offered them a free copy of the New Testament. We knocked on more than 1,800 doors and talked to 632 people in their homes, offering them a free book about Jesus. We got the contact information of 716 unsaved Jewish people who told us that they want to know more about Jesus. Fourteen Israelis prayed with us to receive the lord during the campaign and seven prayed with us during follow up visits. Twenty-one Jewish people and eight gentiles came to faith in Jesus during this campaign..."
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15 comments:
Hopefully Cohen will return to the US and watch Israel National New's Tuesday Night Live program on Warner Cable:) I love that an Israeli TV show in English is being aired on American TV! Love it love it!
Jeremy Gimpel--cohost of INN's Light Unto the Nations radio show had something so uplifting that would burst a hole in J4J.
It had to do with the nature and essance of Hashem. Christians are taught and preach about G-d being so "merciful" that he gave the Jewish people the Law, as a curse, all the while knowing it was impossible to keep. Then as punishment demanded a bloody human sacrifice.
Not exactly the image of a loving G-d, is it? Well Jeremy Gimpel explained that R. Tovia Singer said it would be as though parents told their child to run in a marathon but then broke his legs.
Five-ten days later the child crawls across the finish line...and the parents beat him to a pulp.
Again, not the essance of a merciful G-d. Not the G-d Tehillim says Whose mercy endure forever.
Why people accept such lies about Hashem I'll never know. Sheesh. Even as a small child in Catholic school I thought of the Christian god as a cruel parent who would have his son tortured to death.
Who in their right mind would worship a god like that??
Naturally, these things are never addressed by J4J.
I can assure you they have a big shock coming to them. They think they have Emet, but do not. They will come proudly when the Mashiach is revealed saying how they did this and that, bla, bla, bla, and he will tell them where to go. Esav, you have no clue.
Keli Ata,
I get the feeling that a lot of folks in this world just don't want to run the great "marathon" of life that Tovia refers to. They sort of throw their hands up in defeat.
I don't know if it's fair to say - because prayer, religion and one's relationship with G-d is a very personal thing - and I have little interest in understanding Christian theology. But as an artist I tend to observe people a lot, and when I've seen certain Christian groups pray - with their hands held aloft - it does remind me of people who have thrown their hands up in surrender to an external source - something apart and distant from themselves, and from this world.
Jewish gestures in prayer appear to be more internal. G-d and His commandments are upon our hearts and in this world. We accept the yolk of Torah and carry it with us on a life-long journey. We can't choose to surrender - as we're engaged in a worldly struggle which we accept with joy. But we know that G-d is walking with us on earth - and we surrender to Him in the World to Come when we get to that stage.
The bloody human sacrifice thing and fixation on crucifixion that is so central to christianity does seem very Esauvian.
Well, Eisav was pretty cross with Ya'akov, wasn't he?
Ellen: That is a wonderful perception regarding Christians praying by throwing their hands up! I did a post a while back about how the practice of worshipping and praying with outstretched hands and especially with the palms folded and fingers pointing upwards.
Batya: What puzzles me when I watch some of these messianic TV shows is that the very things leading Jews TO Christianity are the very things that led me FROM Christianity and TO Judaism.
I wish I could tell these poor lost souls that while Christians may speak about a "personal relationship" with JC, there is NOTHING more awesome than a personal relationship with Almighty Hashem. No intermediaries. A G-d who is beyond comprehension.
Sadly, I also saw a TV show in which a Holocaust survivor became a J. Witness. This caused great strife among his relatives but after touring Auschwitz with him they broke down.
The reason he converted to Christianity was because he wanted to believe that he would see all of his deceased relatives again one day.
Nobody taught him about tehiyat hamesim. I've sensed that, too. I often read about how after death a Jewish person's memory lives.
That might be a comfort but its more comforting knowning that you'll see the person again. I don't know why there isn't more teaching on tehiyat hamesim.
I mean, if it is a part of Judaism it should be more widely known and taught to insill hope.
Ellen: One more thing--you absolutely right about Christians praying as if to an aloof G-d separate from this world. Which is based on something in the NT with the phrase greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
To them the world is evil and distant from G-d. The feel the world is evil and remote from G-d.
I think more along the lines of the Kedushah--holy holy holy, heaven and earth are filled with Hashem's glory.
Keli Ata,
I enjoy your insights and comments very much. With your background, I think you would be an real asset to the burgeoning Jewish Israel project.
Try signing up as a member. Batya's there, too - and so is Shy Guy.
"Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out thy heart like water before the face of the Lord; lift up thy hands toward Him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger at the head of every street." - Eichah 2:19
"Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." - Eichah 3:41
Rashi on 3:41:
Let us lift up our hearts to our hands: When we lift up our hands to heaven, let us also lift up our hearts with them, to return, to bring back our hearts before the Omnipresent, blessed be He. (Lam. Rabbah ms.).
Another explanation:
to our hands: to the clouds, to the heavens, as Scripture states (I Kings 18:44): “There is a cloud as small as a man’s palm, rising.” And similarly, (Job 36: 32): “Over the clouds (כַּפַּיִם) He covers the rain.” And [according to] the Midrash of our Sages: Let us lift up our hands sincerely to the Holy One, blessed be He, like one who washes his hands with cleanliness, who casts from his hands all contamination, for “he who confesses [his sins] and abandons [them] will obtain mercy, but he who confesses [his sins] but does not abandon [them] is like one who immerses himself while holding a [dead] reptile in his hand.”
Shy Guy,
Look at the sources you are citing.
Eicha (Lamentations) and a call to Teshuva. These are appropriate gestures for moments of tragedy, personal sorrow,and situations of great danger beyond our control - when we must surrender and plead to a G-d of mercy, and possibly to a G-d who has distanced himself from us - and we appropriately reach out.
But in moments when we are indeed walking with G-d and striving to fulfill His commandments in this world, and when were are capable of taking our role seriously, then we are in a partnership - and we feel that He is close.
One hopes and prays that they have the health, strength, focus and blessed good fortune to be in a position where they feel G-d in their everyday life.
But obviously there are those moments when we are required to and need to relinquish control, let go of the ego and throw up our hands.
But ideally a Jew hopes to be in a position of service - when we can stand on our two feet and say "We will do, and we will listen"
How do I sign up? Is there a link?
BTW: I watched the 20/20 clip about the pastor who converted that poor little 12 year old Jewish kid to Christianity. OMG! The way he wept and kept telling his mom "I can't tell you, I can't tell you" and "You'll be so disappointed" broke my heart and infuriated me.
Then when he explained why he stopped studying for his Bar Mitzvah because he "didn't feel Jewish..."
The shame he was expressing and the way he said he didn't feel Jewish almost sounded like the way a rape victim describes not feeling clean even after many showers.
These missionaries are committing spiritual rape. It's awful.
Keli Ata,
the link is http://www.jewishisrael.com
Thank you very much for the link and invitation:)
A couple of things, though--I didn't know what to put for faith since I am not a ger yet and I am not a Catholic/Christian anymore so I just wrote Noachide.
Also, I gave my full name. Some Jews have said the name sounds made up but it is really my last name.
Other Jews have said it sounds Sephardic and a rabbi has said my last name is a doozy lol. Alas, it is very real though.
Keli Ata,
Welcome to Jewish Israel!
Thank you, Ellen!
(I didn't get the confirmation email. Should I just go there and sign in with my user name and password?)
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