Posted by Jewish Israel
Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman currently appears in a promotional video for the religious media network Hidabroot, a station which is expressing alarm about Christian missionary programming in Israel. In Hidabroot’s video, the president of the Daystar Christian TV network brags about his ability to televise the gospel into every home in Israel.
Ironically, it was Pastor John Hagee, of CUFI fame, who helped promote Daystar in Israel, and Hagee continues to closely cooperate with that network as well as endorse active missionary ministries in Israel. Rav Grossman's institution, Midgdal Ohr, is a major recipient of funding from Hagee and CUFI.
Those who claim CUFI donations are missionary-free, should become aware of the close and mutually cooperative relationship between the Daystar missionary TV network and Pastor Hagee's endeavours.
In this disturbing report, Jewish Israel charts and explores the "missionary boomerang" for those who need to be well informed.
This report is crucial to understanding how without stringent counter-missionary legislation and enforcement accompanied by ethical accountability and rabbinic guidelines, dependency on evangelical philanthropy will entangle Israel in an intractable missionary web....more
7 comments:
Very disturbing indeed. I have always been deeply suspicious of Hagee. It was the little things that nagged at me such as Ahgee repeatedly mentioning JC in the presence of an Orthodox rabbi on his show. I can't recall the rabbi but Hagee has made extremely generous donations to the orphanage he runs.
I think (or hope) the majority of non-evangelical xtians would find mentioning JC in the presence of a Jew would be way too uncomfortable and inappropriate.
Missionizing at the Kotel and Bnei Brak...pretty brazen if you ask me.
Another thought that came to mind--it seems as though these missionary groups increased their whole love of the Jewish people and Israel after Sept. 11.
In law enforcement there is a concept of a criminal using what is called forced teaming to lure potential victims. They make the target believe they are all in the same boat in order to gain trust.
I had no idea Daystar and Hagee were that intertwined. Scary.
I second that Keli Ata - very disturbing indeed. What can we do here in the States about this? Give me suggestions and I will act on them.
Ellen, thanks for blogging this. It is so important $$$ have blinded too many of us.
Keli Ata,
It is disconcerting, to say the least, to see Pastor Hagee's fundraising brochures for the orphanage, which sport photos of the rabbi of the institution with Hagee,along with Jewish children - all accompanied by text that quotes the new testament and references "jesus christ, a prominent Rabbi from Nazareth…", He died on a cross with an inscription over His head, “King of the Jews!”
You have to wonder if the administrative heads of Orthodox charitable organizations are actually reading and reviewing evangelical fundraising materials.
I have no doubt that there is an appropriate, articulate, modest and honorable way to raise and accept funds for Israel without compromising the integrity of the Jewish people.
Tidbits of Torah,
JewishIsrael.com would be grateful for your help in communicating to Diaspora Jewry that there is indeed a cost involved in "unconditionally" embracing "unconditional" evangelical love.
By encouraging Jewish-Christian theological commonality and partnership and channeling it into Israeli philanthropic, political and economic sectors, fired-up and very passionate Christian pilgrims enter Eretz Yisrael and their "love for the land" translates into bolstering the "messianic" missionary Christian" community and "Hebraic Roots" movements here. It's inevitable.
Once in Israel, the line between evangelical Christian and "messianic Jew" disappears. Many evangelical groups are now claiming to be "joint heirs" with the Jewish people.
So, we urge Diaspora Jewish community and rabbinic leaders to establish very strict, comprehensive policies and red lines with regards to soliciting and accepting non-Jewish support for Israel. Any Jewish-Christian endeavor on behalf of Israel should be established on a moral footing, rather than a theological one.
I think it would be helpful for the Diaspora community to regularly read the reports at Jewishisrael.com, so they can see some of the facts on the ground and address this complex issue in an informed way.
Hold on a moment
I would sooner share a table with Hagee than with Chomsky, Finklestein and Kovel. The evangelical community
( as opposed to Marxists infiltrating Christianity and Judaism) are our solid allies against the far left sell out of Israel.
Israel is a free society founded on democratic principles. The freedom to change religion and freedom of ideas are the cornerstone of democracy.
I would sooner trust Hagee than so called Rabbi Snaglepuss Lerner.
Beakerkin,
where are you coming from?
This post doesn't address the issues of democracy, marxism, or liberalism. However, it does deal with Christian missionary activity, directed at Jews in a Jewish state. And that activity presents the Jewish people with an existential spiritual threat.
I find it downright devious that any Christian or Jew, for that matter, feels they can use the religious freedoms argument in Israel to push Jews up against the wall and give them the option of choosing between Hagee or Chomsky. That's a choice we don't want, or have to make.
Just because Israel is closely allied with America doesn't mean she needs to import Christianized prototypes of democracy and personal freedoms which run contrary to the national aspirations and values of the Jewish people.
It's a damn shame that certain American missionaries come to Israel and twist the principles of democracy and religious freedom into manipulative tools to influence Jews towards jesus. They might as well be Marxists.
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