Posted by Jewish IsraelIn the aftermath of the Carmel fire, there has been an expected outpouring of support from Christian evangelical and messianic groups. Statements and appeals coming from Israel’s Prime Minister's Office, Tourism Ministry and the Jewish National Fund (JNF) indicate that post-fire funding is being actively solicited from the evangelical community.
There are evangelical groups which are partnering with the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, Israel Bonds, and United Israel Appeal while actively targeting Jews for conversion – and reporting their "successes" right down to the number of baptisms.
Are these major Jewish philanthropic institutions simply unaware of the evangelical agenda, or are they turning a blind eye to the obvious? In desperation for funding, are these quasi governmental agencies sacrificing the very vulnerable souls that they purport to assist?...more
4 comments:
Shalom!
I have seen massive ignorance among Israeli rabbis concerning what the agenda of various Christian groups is. Do any of the anti-missionary organizations run programs to educate rabbis? If the rabbis lack understanding, what can we expect from the non-religious Jewish philanthropic institutions?
Oy! this is not good! What can we do? Anyone have any suggestions? A massive campaign?
hi Hadassa,
You're correct. There is massive ignorance and disinformation on this issue.
Jewish Israel has helped organize and has participated in rabbinical conferences to educate rabbis on this matter. We also regularly meet with and correspond with a number of rabbis.
We've started putting out our reports in Hebrew too.
Certain rabbis and Orthodox Jewish community leaders (especially those accepting Christian funding for their institutions) are of the opinion that this outpouring of evangelical support is a sign of the redemptive process (I guess money makes certain people feel prophetic and euphoric).
But even if the times of redemption are getting closer, why would our leaders throw caution to the wind, break the fences around the Torah, and leave our people vulnerable and without guidance?
One would expect our religious leaders to be especially accountable, responsible and grounded in what could be a time of spirtual upheavel and confusion.
Instead, many are turning a blind eye to rampant missionary activity,
increasing Christian influence in Israel and a growing community of " messianic Jewish believers in Jesus".
Guess it's true that, "money makes the wise man blind."
Leah,
The Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora who are concerned should call their rabbinic and community leaders to task and demand that they take a very public and vocal stand. Guidelines must be issued for the Jewish community.
Also the Israeli government should be called to accountability. Counter-missionary legislation which protects the Jewish people and the Jewish nature of the Israel must be enacted.
Educators should start going into the most vulnerable communities and provide those sectors with the tools needed to deal with this challenge
Post a Comment