During the week covered by this review, we received 16 articles on the following subjects:
The Pope and the Vatican
Jews’ Relation to Christianity
Status of Holy Places
The Bible
Conversion to Judaism
Christian Organizations
Christians in Israel
Archaeology
The Pope and the Vatican
Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot, The Jerusalem Post, April 27; Haaretz, Israel Hayom, April 28, 2014
On Sunday, April 27, Popes John XXXIII and John Paul II were canonized as saints by Pope Francis. A mass was also celebrated on this occasion, which was made even more singular by the presence of Benedict XVI, the former pope who resigned in 2013. Approximately 800,000 people were present, as well as 20 Jewish leaders from all over the world, who expressed their “appreciation of the four popes who influenced interreligious dialogue.”
John XXXIII is known for convening the Second Vatican Council (known for its decree allowing vernacular masses and for declaring that Jews as a people are not guilty of Jesus’ death), and for organizing networks for Jews to escape Europe during World War II while he was still a bishop in Istanbul. John Paul II is known for his staunch anti-Communist stand. He was also the first to visit a synagogue, as well as putting a note in the Western Wall during his visit to Israel, saying he was “deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer.”
In most cases two miracles are required for canonization, but in this case Pope Francis waived the requirement, although one miracle is documented for John Paul II: Floribeth Diaz of Costa Rica is said to have risen from her hospital bed completely healed of a brain aneurysm after hearing John Paul instruct her to do so.
Jews’ Relation to Christianity
Haaretz, April 28, 2014
A newspaper reporter was allegedly attacked during a baptism service in the Orthodox church in the ruins of Batza, which comes under the Shlomi jurisdiction. Batza has been uninhabited since 1948, and its former residents, who mostly live in the north, have recently been attempting to preserve the ruins, including a mosque and two churches. Two baptismal services have been held in the ruined church since 2002, as well as a wedding in the beginning of the month. Eyewitnesses reported that as soon as area residents found out about the service, they came and started sounding car horns. A verbal altercation ensued, at the end of which a reporter, hired by the family, was attacked by a woman who cursed him and broke his camera. Adv. Wakim Wakim, who is descended from a Batza family, emphasized that the service was held with permission from the archbishop of Akko and had no political characteristics, and that “this altercation points to one motive only – racism.” Gabi Naaman, head of the local municipality of Shlomi, said that he has complained to the police against Adv. Wakim for trespassing and entering an unsafe building. When asked about preserving the building, Naaman said that this was not his responsibility, but belonged rather to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Status of Holy Places
Sha’a Tova, April 24, 2014
Rumors continue to rage about David’s tomb on Mount Zion – which some also see as the site of the Last Supper –concerning whether or not the government agreed to release control of the structure to the Vatican. The issue is also unique because the building remained under Israeli control between 1948 and 1967. The Vatican Insider recently published an article saying that Israel agreed to stop taxing churches and Christian cemeteries, and also to give control over David’s tomb to the Vatican. Zeev Elkin, the vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, said in response that there is no basis for this claim regarding David’s tomb, although negotiations regarding the status of the churches have been in progress for a long time and should be concluded in the next few years.
The Bible
The Jerusalem Post, April 28, 2014
In this article, just before Holocaust Remembrance Day, Paul Liben analyzes the Gospel of John’s use of the Greek word ioudaioi, typically translated “Jews.” He sets out the opinion that this word could also refer to Judeans, specifically those who cooperated with the Roman authorities. Translating this word as “Jews” places Jesus and his disciples on the outside, with the Jews as the “monolithic enemy” who persecute him, thus creating an “impassable line” between them. Liben insists that a correct reading will right a historical wrong and “neutralize a weapon in the toolbox of hate.”
Conversion to Judaism
Hidavrut, April 30, 2014
In this six-page article, which includes an interview, Eva Hakimian tells the story of Ming and Mei (pseudonyms), a Chinese couple from Singapore who are both from Christian families. After they married they began missionary activity, all the while searching for the truth in Christianity themselves as they struggled with the lack of consistency among their church friends. After some time, they came to the conclusion that the Old Testament commands were given by God as well, and should be kept. Through searches on the Internet they found Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi, as well as Rabbi Abergel, the chief rabbi of Singapore, and especially Rabbi Gutenik from Sydney, who helped them in their studies and, in 2011, to convert to Judaism. Ming and Mei then remarried in a Jewish ceremony and had their 1-year-old son circumcised, and in June 2012 they emigrated to Israel. They now live in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof.
Christian Organizations
Merkaz Ha’Inyanim Tzafon, Merkaz Ha’Inyanim Merkaz, April 28, 2014
In this article, Aharon Koren surveys the history of the home for Holocaust survivors in Haifa, recently opened by the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem. Shimon Sabag, head of the non-profit organization “Yad Ezer LaChaver,” which is responsible for the functioning of the home, turned to ICEJ after finding that the home was too small to meet the need. ICEJ eventually purchased the building and most of the street, as well as providing the manpower needed not only for the work but for talking to the survivors and providing medical checkups. Sabag says, “I am so saturated in manpower that I feel embarrassed to tell people who want to volunteer that there’s no room.” Judith Setz, assistant manager of the welfare department at ICEJ, says that guilt may have been the reason that German Christians were the first to join the project. The first meetings with the survivors were marked by suspicion, but feelings gradually warmed and now some have become friends. A synagogue was also built, in which 12 survivors were finally able to celebrate bar- and bat-mitzvahs. The assistance provided by the Embassy is not limited to Haifa; survivors all over the country also recently received a box with Passover provisions. However, Koren also quotes Bezalel Stieglitz, a veteran contender against missionary activity, who is convinced of ulterior motives and himself quotes a German minister who declared 30 years ago, at the opening of the assisted living home in Ma’alot, “We aren’t investing here for nothing, we expect results.”
Christians in Israel
BaMachane, April 24, 2014
In 1963, a group of German Christians arrived in Zichron Yaakov, wanting to build a community in the town. The group believes that they are called to serve the Jewish people “in order to ensure their place in the world to come.” They were received with suspicion, because of the Holocaust and the Eichmann trial, and also because elements in the town feared missionary activity. Now, slightly more than 50 years later, the community, called “Bethel,” lives in an urban kibbutz, numbering around 500 families.
The group owns “Bethel Industries,” which consist of factories for air filters against chemical weapons, airplane parts, and various food items. The factories employ around 250 Israelis, who are intrigued by the group’s unique lifestyle, particularly the absence of television and Internet. Yossi Garibi, a department manager at Bethel Industries, says, “They look like you and me, but in fact they are much stronger believers and more ‘Orthodox’ than others who wear black and a shtreimel. … Because of them we sometimes say, ‘I wish I could make my kids watch less TV.’” The group is also determined to not enter into competition with Israeli companies. Garibi gives the example of Major General Yair Naveh, head of the Home Front Command in 2003, who came to the CEO of Bethel in that year offering a 70 million dollar contract for a substitute for gas masks. The CEO, in turn, told him, ‘There is a gas mask factory in Kiryat Gat, and the workers there suffer from unemployment. I don’t want to take away their livelihood. Go to them!’”
The town has since recognized that members of the community are genuine Christian Zionists, and has given them an award of appreciation. Eli Abutbul, head of the Zichron Yaakov municipality, says, “They have a modesty, an education, and a way of behaving that makes you say, ‘Would that we had another thousand communities like them in the country.’”
Yedion Afula VeHa’Amakim, April 25, 2014
The Easter celebration in Mukibele, on the Gilboa, was characterized by particular joy. After the ceremony, Jews, Muslims, and Christians gathered together in the church courtyard for many joint activities.
The Jerusalem Post, April 30, 2014
Ghassan Monayer of Lod is currently under investigation for having allegedly posted a threatening message on Facebook regarding the recent decision to encourage Arab Christians to volunteer for the IDF. Monayer, an Arab Christian himself, was released to five days’ house arrest, but was required to turn in his phone, computer, and iPad. Says Monayer, “I expressed my point of view in Arabic. I did not use any violent words or threats.” He further said that Father Gabriel Nadaf, the main person in favor of IDF service, was trying to divide Arab society. Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, is appealing to the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Monayer’s behalf. Fady Khoury, the Adalah lawyer handling the case, said that Monayer was simply expressing his opinion, and that neither the authorities nor Father Nadaf can be immune from criticism.
Archaeology
Haaretz, April 28, 2014
Spanish archaeologists may have recently discovered one of the earliest known images of Jesus in Egypt, dated to the 6 century CE. This image, of a young man with a hand raised in blessing, is painted on the wall of a crypt inside another stone structure, the purpose of which has not yet been determined. Other, earlier images, believed to be of Jesus as well, have been found in Syria and Rome, but the article takes care to note that portrait painting during this period was not necessarily realistic, and that there is no way of knowing if the image discovered in Egypt has any resemblance to Jesus’ actual appearance.
Israel Hayom, May 2, 2014
Sixty meters of the Western Wall foundations, underneath the Davidson Archaeological Park, have now been exposed. Three finds are of particular interest.
A stone has been found in the foundations, which, of all the stones in the Western Wall, is the only one without a Herodian border. Archaeologist Eli Shukron surmises that the stone was originally meant to be part of the Temple, but remained unused. He bases this conclusion on the fact that the texture of the stone is similar to the descriptions given in the Gemara. Dr. Eilat Mazar, who has recently documented all the Western Wall stones, agrees with Shukron that this is the only stone without a Herodian border, although she says that “it is hard to base an entire theory on one stone.”
A kind of white mortar has been found in the foundations as well. This is leading archaeologists to wonder if in fact the Western Wall was not built using the dry stone system, as has so far been supposed, and that the mortar in the sections above ground has simply eroded.
The third finding of interest is the fact that the topography of the Tyropoeon Valley – partially filled in by erosion and construction – is now much easier to see, particularly the way in which the Western Wall crosses it.