Caspari Center Media Review… July 2006 #3

During the period of time covered by this review, we received 21 articles on the subjects of Messianic Jews, Christianity and the Mission. Of these:

1 dealt with anti-missionary attitudes

3 dealt with Israeli/Jewish attitudes about Christians

1 dealt with Christian support of Israel

1 dealt with book/film/exhibition reviews

1 dealt with Messianic Jews

2 dealt with Christian tourism

The remaining 12 articles dealt with different matters of Jewish or Christian interest.

Anti-missionary attitudes

HaModia July 18, 2006

The orthodox HaModia (Jul. 18) reports, “the mission has set its eye upon land and is due to purchase tens of dunams in Moshav Migdal.” The paper says that it is “Yad L’Achim who exposed these plans.” Migdal is noted to be a “holiday moshav” so according to the paper, “this raises suspicions that the mission will operate undercover as a vacation attraction…which may succeed in trapping innocent Jews in their net.”  The paper notes “a church is already in operation here” and “this is not the first time the mission has stuck it’s hooves in the north” because “many baptisms take place in the Sea of Galilee – May the merciful one save us!” The rabbi of Migdal, Rabbi Yigal Mamliya “expressed deep shock” when he “heard the plans.” Rabbi Mamliya says, “the phenomenon of the mission purchasing land is not just peculiar to Moshav Migdal, but rather it is continuous desecration of the Land which has gone on for generations.” He also says “until the Law of Return is amended it means that any goy can come and live here.” The chairman of Yad L’Achim Dov Lipshitz is also quoted “we must immediately set up a fund that will purchase land back from the mission.”

Christian support of Israel

Jerusalem Post, July 13, 2006

The Jerusalem Post (Jul. 13) publishes a two-page opinion piece by David Parsons of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. Mr. Parsons draws attention to the “plight of the Palestinian Christians” in the land and says, “Finally it has hit radar screens in the US congress.” He says “congressman Bob Novak – who relishes the chance to spread dirt on Israel – was the unlikely catalyst.” Mr. Parsons says, “The percentage of Palestinian Christians is only 1.5%” and asks “who should be held responsible for the (numerical) decline.” Mr. Parsons says, “they have been driven out by the Arab-Israeli conflict which arose from and is perpetuated by the Islamic world’s bitter and unremitting rejection of Israel’s very existence.” He concludes that the Palestinian Christians who remain in the Holy Land “suffer under the same hostile Islamic spirit battering Israel” and that “Bob Novak probably cares more about smearing Israel than the fate of Palestinian Christians.”

Messianic Jews

HaTzofeh, June 28, 2006

Gadi Ya’akov, judge at Beersheba magistrate’s court “rejected a request from two Messianics to obtain a restraint order against Yad L’Achim” (HaTzofeh Jun. 28). The religious paper says, “For the second time the Messianics wrongly identified people.” In response, the paper says that the believers “told the judge that they (the Orthodox) all look the same” and “that is why we did not identify them correctly.” The paper quotes Judge Ya’akov “I think that the fact that the Messianics have turned to the court is because of harassment and aggravation that is significantly damaging their daily lives.” Judge Ya’akov also says “currently they have no means of proving who does these things.” The paper reports “the judge turned down their appeal for a restraining order and ordered the Messianics to pay Yad L’Achim’s court costs of 2,500 not including VAT.”