During the week covered by this review, we received 17 articles on the following subjects:
Anti-Missionary Activity
Jews’ Relation to Christians
Christians in Israel
Political Issues
Anti-Semitism
Christian Organizations
Archaeology
Miscellaneous
Anti-Missionary Activity
BeSheva, March 27, 2014
Yishai Friedman interviews Yechiam Fleishman, a Yad L’Achim activist who took a job with the organization after answering a newspaper advertisement. Among other things, Fleishman targets Messianic Jewish missionary activities. For example, Fleishman relates a story about two Orthodox girls from broken homes who became Messianic Jews.
According to Fleishman, Messianic Jews are “Christians through and through. There are about 150 Messianic congregations throughout the country, which engage, among other things, in missionary activities.” They operate in an underhand manner, taking advantage of those who are in economic or emotional straits. The holidays are a popular season among missionaries, who provide free food and free assistance as a lure at this time.
The article also mentions the saga that rocked the religious world when some claimed that one of their leading rabbis, Rabbi Kaduri, left behind a note saying that Jesus is the Messiah. It mentions a fabricated YouTube clip in which a so-called student of Kaduri says that the rabbi told him personally that he became a Christian (for more information, see November 20 and 25, 2012, Media Reviews). This clip was exposed when it was revealed that the “student” was in fact a secular man who agreed to play the role in exchange for money. It also discusses the ever-contentious question of whether or not it is right to receive donations of money from Israel-loving Christians, or whether it is permissible to take part in events by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Fleischman says, “Each rabbi has his own opinion about this. We tell each person to ask their own rabbi for a ruling.”
Towards the end of the article, Friedman delves into the way Messianic Jews have recently penetrated the political scene through a law office, called the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, headed by Adv. Caleb Myers, which ostensibly deals with pro-Israel advocacy, among other things, but in fact the purpose of which is to penetrate and influence the government, and in particular, the Likud party. The institute is shown to be Christian by its founders: Wayne Hilsden of King of Kings, Kenneth Hendren, Kerry Summers, and Linda Iris Cohen, among others.
Friedman closes the article with a quote by Fleishman, “This is the situation – preaching missionary activity at any time, in any place. We are in a battle of destiny over the identity of the Jewish people.”
Jews’ Relation to Christians
The Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2014
This article tells the story of Sondra Oster Baras, founder of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities Heartland, whose main purpose is to raise funds among Christians for the communities of Judea and Samaria. The organization was founded in 1998, as the result of a suggestion from a Christian family to educate churches in the U.S. about settlements. Baras’ involvement in this field had begun in 1988, when her English became an asset for interviews with foreign journalists during the first intifada.
In addition to her travel, Baras speaks to many Christian tour groups, helps in arranging their visits to biblical sites in Judea and Samaria, and teaches a class online about the weekly Torah portion. “I encountered Christians whose passion for what I stood for often exceeded that of our most supportive Jews. And I never looked back. … It’s an amazing way to spend your time!” says Baras.
Christians in Israel
Ha’aretz, The Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2014
On April 1, the Deir Rafat monastery near Beit Shemesh was subject to a price tag attack “with clear xenophobic underpinnings” in which hate speech slogans were spray-painted on its walls and the tires of four cars were slashed. Although other nearby monasteries have been attacked in the past, this is the first attack on Deir Rafat. The attack is being investigated by the Jerusalem Police. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, “We have opened an investigation and hope to make arrests shortly.”
The Jerusalem Post, April 3, 2014
Seth Frantzman writes a severe response to the recent price tag attack on the Deir Rafat monastery. Calling these attacks “cowardly” and “insane,” Frantzman says, “The perpetrators of these acts display an incredible lack of intelligence on numerous levels.” Frantzman further analyzes price tag attacks such as the burning and firebombing of the Narkis Street church in 2007 and 1982, respectively, and the attempted vandalism of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1973. While past attacks “have been motivated by anti-Christian sentiment,” the present attacks are meant to exact a “price” from the government for every action perceived to be against Jews. The attacks against Christian institutions, for example, are meant to erode support for Israel abroad. Frantzman closes the article by saying that “Christian monasteries are an integral and important part of the landscape of the holy land, and they deserve the public’s support,” while “the cowards that deface them deserve to be chased down.”
The Jerusalem Post, April 4, 2014
The third reported price tag attack over the past two weeks took place on April 3, in the mostly Christian village of Jish in the Upper Galilee north of Safed. The tires of 40 cars were slashed, and graffiti defaced a wall. The location of the attack is unusual; such attacks mostly take place in Jerusalem and its vicinity. Dr. Mustafa Abbasi, a resident of Jish, said, “I’m deeply offended and very fearful for the continued relationship between the two people cohabiting this land.” Meir Margalit of Meretz said that such attacks are common, but are mostly unreported because of the fear of reprisals. Margalit was further of the opinion that the police and right-wing politicians give silent support to the attacks. Reuven Rivlin of the Likud, however, said, “Whoever committed these crimes are enemies of Israel because they are destroying the quality of life here.” After an attack in Beit Hanina in 2013, Prime Minister Netanyahu denounced the attacks, and they have since been defined as terrorism by the government.
The Jerusalem Post, April 3, 2014
Faydra Shapiro responds to the statement by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land. This statement criticizes the recent Knesset law permitting separate representation of Christians on the employment advisory board. It says, specifically, that “the state has overstepped its bounds and has no right to define the identity of Arab Christians on their behalf”; “ethnicity appears to be more important than faith”; and “the law states that ‘Christian Palestinians are Christians and not Palestinians.’” Shapiro refutes these assertions by saying that “states have the right – in specific contexts – to define the identities of its citizens. … It is up to individuals to accept, reject, ignore or make use of the identities ascribed by the state”; that “the effort to emphasize ethnicity over faith is puzzling theologically, if indeed ‘in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek’”; and that the law simply does not state that Christian Palestinians are not Palestinians. Shapiro closes by saying that accusations against the Israeli government, made in other languages, “are not acts done in good faith,” particularly in view of the pope’s upcoming visit.
Political Issues
The Jerusalem Post, April 1, 2014
In this political op-ed, Jack Friedman writes a scathing critique of what some would call the “Palestinian narrative.” Among other things, Friedman mocks the Palestinian claim that “Muslims have been traditional protectors of Christians in their midst” and that “Jesus was a Palestinian.”
Anti-Semitism
The Jerusalem Post, April 3, 2014
Vitaly Milonov, a member of Russian president Putin’s political party, made statements a speech on March 19 implying that Jews killed Jesus. “They vilify any saint, it is in their tradition of 2,000 years, beginning with the appeals to crucify the savior, ending with accusations of anti-Semitism against St. John of Kronstadt,” said Milonov. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia responded to Milonov’s remarks, calling them “a common set of anti-Semitic stereotypes.” This follows a comment made on Russian television, in which it was said that the Jews were themselves to blame for the Holocaust.
Christian Organizations
The Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2014
The Kings School of Media, part of the King of Kings community in Jerusalem, recently presented awards for its Mini Oscars competition. The ceremony was held in the Pavilion, the King of Kings meeting place. Among the winners were Daniel Randelman (Best Director, Where’s Ethan?), Randelman and Matt Escobar (Best Screenplay, Lonely Lonely), Estelle Juvet (Best Picture, You Know Me), and Rebecca Carey (Best Actress, The Unjust Judge). The films were created over a two week period, and were to be based on a verse from the Old or New Testaments. “Our vision is to create a place where Christians from Israel and all over the world can come together and learn about film and media in a faith-based and professional environment,” says Greg Williams, the director of the school.
Archaeology
Ha’aretz, Israel Hayom, April 2, 2014
Ruins of a Byzantine monastery were recently found near Hura in the Negev. This monastery was initially discovered during road work for a new intersection in the area, and is unique in that all four of its rooms are floored with mosaics. These contain colors rarely used as well as dedication inscriptions, one of which is dated to A.D. 596, and three of which are in Greek and one in Greek and Syriac. Ruins of a Byzantine village have previously been found near Hura, and since coins, clay amphorae, and glass articles have also been found at the monastery site, archaeologists presume a rich culture despite the monastery’s remote location. Daniel Varga, who is heading the dig for the Israel Antiquities Authority, said, “It seems that this monastery is part of a line of monasteries adjacent to a road connecting Transjordan to the valley of Beersheba.” The structure is believed to have been destroyed in an earthquake.
The Jerusalem Post, Israel Hayom, April 3, 2014
After fifteen years of complex digging in the City of David National Park, the “Spring Citadel” has finally been unearthed. The citadel, a Canaanite structure dated to the 18th century B.C., is believed to be the largest found thus far from before the time of Herod. The citadel walls are seven meters thick, and protect the Gihon spring from outside access, ensuring access for city dwellers only from the west. The dig was headed by Prof. Ronny Reich from the University of Haifa, and by Eli Shukrun from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Miscellaneous
The Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2014
This article discusses the transition from Catholic to Jewish life that converso Jews had to make after leaving Iberia for Holland. Since these conversos had never lived as Jews and since Holland, specifically Amsterdam, had no Jewish community, guidance was necessary from the communities of Venice and Salonika. The new Amsterdam community functioned under a governing board, which had the power to excommunicate or place one under a temporary ban as a punishment for religious or moral sins.
The Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2014
A delegation from Ben Gurion University recently presented Pope Francis with seeds of the Madonna lily as it would have grown and bloomed in Israel 2,000 years ago. The seeds were developed at the university. “The Madonna lily, according to Christian iconography, symbolizes the birth of Jesus in the spring.”
Yediot Yerushalayim, March 28, 2014
Mark Sofer, president of the Jerusalem Fund, will shortly be meeting with Cardinal Christoph Schoenbrunn. The cardinal is himself slated to visit some of the fund’s projects in the Old City’s Christian Quarter. Sofer will also be meeting with Dr. Michael Heufel, mayor of Vienna; at issue is possible further support from the Vienna municipality, in addition to the support they have already given to the David Yellin College and the Ein Yael “Hands-On” Museum.