Fallen apple breaks interfaith fence

Posted by Jewish Israel

Jewish Israel resumes its series on Orthodox leaders who publicly engage in interfaith activities which challenge Jewish tradition and halacha. Part 3 of our series deals with Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and his continued quest for theological commonality with Christians via his major role in an upcoming conference at Yale University exploring "new frontiers in Christian-Jewish theology."

Has Rabbi Riskin overturned the psak of his own mentor, Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik? Jewish Israel takes an "academic" look at the situation.


Pastor Hagee has Jews and Christians "bound together by a covenant relationship." But what are the costs involved when pastors like Hagee start building our synagogues, Judaic studies departments, and recruiting our rabbis? Is Judaism in for a theological realignment?

Also, this month reports from major evangelical and messianic sources claim that Jews are coming to faith in Jesus in unprecedented numbers – "the numbers are not just rising, but spiking, observers say."...more

Pilgrims' Progress and Feast in the Holy Land

Posted by Jewish Israel

While we Jews were celebrating in our sukkahs, a very different spirit of worship descended upon the Jerusalem Convention Center (“Binyanei Ha’Uma”) - compliments of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) and their annual Feast of the Tabernacles.

There are active missionaries at ICEJ's Feast of the Tabernacles and there are those in attendance who openly engage in missionary activity which targets the Jewish people for conversion.

Does the Feast lend credence to and empower the evangelizing network in Israel?

In this post-holiday wrap-up, Jewish Israel connects the dots in an alarming tour which follows a missionary trail – in and out of Africa, to the Ukraine, to Jerusalem and Revava – which can no longer be ignored...more

The good, the bad and the ugly update

Posted by Jewish Israel
Review: The good, the bad and the ugly:
The Jewish people know that when it comes to fighting the Christian missionary onslaught in Israel, education and public awareness are two very important keys to winning the battle. Unfortunately, evangelical messianic Christians are using the same powerful public relations tools available in Israel - in Hebrew - to confuse and catch Jewish souls. Here's a recent rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly taking place in lecture halls, in print publications, and on television...more

The Nation of Israel
An intriguing and thoughtful post by Jewish Israel member Jim Long:
"As a Noahide who loves G-d, Torah and the people of Israel, I'm wondering if it isn't time to stop referring to Judaism as a religion...Calling Judaism a religion fails to recognize that the Jews constitute a genuine nation, in every sense of the word... I cannot find any place in the Torah where G-d told Avraham Avinu that He would make him the father of a great religion....more

This piece has also been posted in our forum section. It's generating some interesting discussion. ...

Messianics launch asinine crusade to close Yad l’Achim

Posted by Jewish Israel

Honestly, this should have been a Purim Post …

In the name of democracy and religious freedom, Messianic Christians have launched a campaign calling upon Christian leaders to lobby Jewish legislators and Jewish diplomats of the Jewish state to disband Yad l’Achim - a 60-year old anti-assimilation and counter-missionary organization which reaches out and assists lost Jews in Israel.

These efforts accompany the endeavors of evangelical attorney Calev [Calev] Myers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ). Myers has petitioned Israel’s Attorney General to use his authority to “dismantle Yad L'Achim by officially recognizing it as an anti-democratic terrorist organization”. In an extensive report Jewish Israel explores the deceptive, untenable, and unethical presentation of those bolstering the jesus-movement in Israel...more

Joel Bell's Center and Rabbi Riskin's video

Posted by Jewish Israel

Joel Bell opens new WBZ missionary center in Sha’ar Binyamin
Joel Bell has completed construction on a 5000 square ft. facility 15 minutes north of Jerusalem. The World Biblical Zionist Strategic Center is designed to enhance the development of the “ Biblical inheritance” which evangelical Christians now claim to share with the Jewish people (and you thought there were no strings attached).

Bell makes it clear in his latest video that Samaria is his “birthright” - but not only his. He has established a strategic “covenant relationship” with Kenyan evangelical Christians who have opened up offices in Joel’s new facilities.

Meanwhile, Bell’s partner, Don Esposito, has announced that he has “sealed the deal with the Jewish Agency to be able to bring believers [in Jesus] over to Israel for anywhere from 9 months up to 2 years.”…more

Rabbi Riskin video “gone viral” among Orthodox Jews and messianic Christians

In Jewish Israel's December 26th post we made mention of and posted excerpts from yet another controversial video of Rabbi Riskin. That video is now making the rounds among Jewish online news services and blog sites like Yeshiva World News, 5 Towns Jewish Times, and Dov Bear. The video was originally posted on YouTube by “a follower of the Nazarene, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach [Jesus Christ]” who has a messianic site.

Two other Rabbi Riskin videos are available at Jewish Israel here and here, in addition to numerous reports and blog postings (for a complete list, click on JI’s search facility).

Representatives from Jewish Israel (including a well-respected Rav), and a former Christian bible teacher who is now a counter-missionary expert, have met with Rabbi Riskin to discuss his personal take on Christian scripture and his unorthodox stance on interfaith relations. There has been an ongoing article and blog debate between Rabbi Riskin and this writer. The correspondence has been hard-hitting, but civil. This topic demands our continued attention.

Rabbi Riskin's continued pursuit of theological endeavors with evangelicals is especially problematic, because even though he is on record for opposing dialogue with Jews for Jesus or any messianic entities, messianic sites use his material and credit Rabbi Riskin for strengthening the messianic community in Israel:

(Excerpt from a popular messianic site):
“Riskin says that he was ‘truly fascinated’ by Jesus, and considers him a ‘model rabbi’, who lived the life of a Jewish rabbi in Israel. Riskin’s language is honest and refreshing, and his words strengthen the Messianic Jews in Israel…”

Meanwhile, “Christian Zionist” groups regularly make use of Rabbi Riskin’s theological spin in their promotional material which calls for a breaking down of borders between faiths.

Missionaries Exploit Chabad

Posted by Jewish Israel

Zev Isaacs of the Messianic Prophecy Bible Project recently sent out a newsletter featuring his infiltration of a Chabad Yeshiva. This mailing entitled,“Lubavitcher Jews in Israel SECRETLY BELIEVE in Yeshua as their Messiah!”is purportedly used to raise funds for the production of missionary literature.

Zev Isaac’s tactics are absolutely despicable as he has sent his evangelizing team to disrupt those praying at the Kotel; upset those preparing for Yom Kippur; and he has gone as far as to desecrate the memory of the dead in a Jewish cemetery for PR and marketing purposes.

Evangelizing Christians frequently use their spin on the beliefs of Chabad’s so-called “meshichist” faction to bolster arguments for the legitimacy of “messianic Judaism” in Eretz Yisrael.

At present, numerous Christian sects - who have purportedly abandoned their belief in the trinity, while retaining a belief in jesus as the Jewish messiah - are vying for legitimacy as branches of normative Judaism in Israel. They justify their beliefs by comparing them to the positions of certain factions of Chabad. And Israel’s courts and media are hearing the following from evangelical lawyers representing “messianic jews” in Israel:

"It is about time that they [Orthodox Jews] stop having a monopoly over determining who is a Jew. The beauty of the Jewish world is the diversity. If you can still be considered a Jew even if you believe that the Lubavitch Rebbe [Menachem Mendel Schneerson] is the messiah, the same thing should hold true if you believe Jesus is."

Jewish Israel feels it would be the ultimate desecration of the Rebbe’s name and all of his good work if the meshichist distortion is used by Christian sources to legitimize apostasy in Eretz Yisrael (G-d forbid).

At this troubled time, we respectfully call upon mainline Chabad leaders to take responsibility and issue a clear, unequivocal statement which draws the line between Christianity and Judaism and allays all misconceptions about Chabad’s beliefs.

Chabad is no stranger to optimistic and effective PR campaigns. Their messages often have universal appeal and are infused with special warmth, wisdom and Jewish humor. But this is no laughing matter. Jewish Israel hopes that responsible parties within Chabad will answer our challenge.

This is a report that should be read in full.

Happy Hanukah from Jewish Israel.

Evangelical Missionary Building Boon in Jerusalem:

Posted by Jewish Israel


Jewish settlements in Judea and Shomron may be frozen, but Christian missionaries are enjoying a real building boon in and around Jerusalem.

It should be understood that these buildings are not standard churches used strictly for private worship services. These are evangelistic institutions which place an emphasis on “outreach activities” and agendas which focus on the training of missionaries; missionary projects directed at Jews; and the strengthening of the apostate community in Israel.

Jewish Israel takes you on a virtual tour of some very recent examples of prime evangelical property development in Israel - leased, sold, or permits for expansion granted to evangelizing ministries and institutions...more

We’ve got mail – from missionary Shani Ferguson

Posted by Jewish Israel

Last Friday, Jewish Israel received an email response from Shani Sorko Ram Ferguson of yeshuaisrael.com in reaction to our posting, “The Anti-Semitic "Messianic" Apple doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree”. In that posting we link to an excerpt of one of Shani’s video blog postings which smears Orthodox Jewry.

Shani is the daughter of Tel Aviv missionaries Ari and Shira Sorko Ram of Maoz Israel, and the granddaughter of the late Pentecostal evangelist leader, Gordon Lindsay of Christ for the Nations.

You can read what Shani wrote to us, followed by Jewish Israel’s response....more

Days of liars, hypocrites and fools

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz

Singing Singer’s Praises

As I had mentioned in my previous post, The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus will convene in Texas at the end of August where Jews and Evangelicals will usher in "The Days of Elijah" Conference.

Knowing that there would be a missionary and messianic presence at this event, I was a bit taken aback to see counter-missionary extraordinaire Tovia Singer's name featured on the conference flyer, and I expressed the hope that he use his platform at the event to call the powers-that-be to order (not the Christians, but our own people who run the Caucus). Tovia did far better than that...

He and Yedidya Atlas have opted out of the "Days of Elijahs" Conference. Tovia had presented the organizers with clear evidence of missionary actions and intentions on the part of scheduled participants CFI (Christian Friends of Israel) and Richard Booker, and he insisted that the invitation to those parties be withdrawn. Alternatively, Singer suggested that those missionary organizations involved in the conference disavow - in writing - efforts to evangelize Jews. Both options were rejected, so Tovia and Yedidya did the ethical, righteous, and Jewish thing and said, "no show".

Yedidya was scheduled to serve as Master of Ceremonies for the conference, and Tovia was to have been a featured speaker and have a live radio show from the event.

Let's hope that Tovia and Yedidya's actions serve as an outstanding example to the rest of our activists and leaders who have yet to see the light on this particular issue and conference (Elon, Haetzni, Baras, Reinstein, Rotem, Glaser, Leshem, Lipkin, etc…)

Days of liars, hypocrites and fools

Not only are some of the featured speakers of the Days of Elijah Conference active in messianic churches, which prey upon the Jews, but actual members of the Knesset Caucus are actively involved in evangelizing in Israel.

Never mind that ever since its inception, Caucus Director Josh Reinstein, and Chairman Benny Elon have maintained that…
“ The Christian Allies Caucus, a Knesset lobby group that aims to further ties between the Israeli government and the Christian world, refuses to work with the messianic Jewish community on the grounds that it actively seeks to convert Jews. ‘We believe they work against the interests of the State of Israel,’ caucus director Josh Reinstein explained.”
(Haaretz, June 10, 2006 Aliyah with a cat, a dog and Jesus)

We at the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus as well, do not hide our refusal to cooperate with Christians active in missionary work amongst Jews. (Benny Elon in the JPost)


That policy didn’t stop Knesset MK Elhanan Glaser from representing the Caucus and addressing a conference of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC).

Neither did it stop MK Rabbi Benny Elon from “invoking the presence of God” into the midst of a Messianic Jewish Restoration Conference in Jerusalem

Ahh… and excuse me, but Pastor David Decker is President of Covenant Alliances which is sponsoring The Days of Elijah Conference along with the Battalion of Deborah, and he is one of the granddaddy's of the messianic movement in Israel

Meanwhile The Founders and Directors of Christian Friends of Israel are charter members of the Caucus and are busy doing “outreach” work in Israel


It should be noted that after I issued a report on CFI about 10 days ago, the content of the “outreach” section of their site mysteriously disappeared.

But they forgot to remove the content on a mirror site
So get it a sampling while it lasts at Days of Harvest and the Mystery of God

Maybe that cute little CFI “missionary volunteer”, pictured on the left side of the CFI site screen, forgot to remove the content before she was “exiled” from the Jewish State. Of course, before that transpired she managed to bring a Yasamnik to Jesus and get him baptized and married.

Next update…
Yasamniks for Yeshua and Rhinestone Cowboys for Jesus