During the week covered by this review, we received 13 articles on the following subjects:
Arab Believing Community
Christians in Israel
Political Issues
The Pope and the Vatican
Christians and the Holocaust
Anti-Semitism
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Judaism
Christian Holidays
Christian Sites
Archeology
Arab Believing Community
Uvda, January 29, 2014
Uvda reprints a pamphlet distributed by Izat Halak, a Christian Arab lawyer from Nazareth, on the subject of Christian Arab enlistment to the Israeli army. Halak tries to clarify a misconception about Father Nadaf’s call to enlist in the army, saying that the enlistment should be a voluntary act, not one that is forced upon the Christian Arab community. Indeed, the fact that so much attention has been given to this issue has taken away from Father Nadaf’s main objective, which is simply to strengthen the Christian Arab community’s status within Israeli society. Father Nadaf and his supporters wish to strengthen the ties between the Christian Arabs and the Israeli Jews living in Israel. He reminds readers that the Christian Arab community in this country lives in exemplary peace and has the freedom to worship in dignity as full citizens of the State. The Christians living in Israel are the only Arabs in the Middle East who live in such secure and peaceful circumstances.
For too long, says Halak, the Christian Arabs in this country have been afraid to voice their stance regarding the State of Israel. But Father Nadaf has taken a brave step, and has “voiced what most of us have held secretly in our hearts … for so many years.” In spite of all the criticism that Nadaf and his supporters have received, Halak is grateful to him for speaking out on behalf of the Christian Arab community. Father Nadaf is not calling on the Christian community to take a stand against anyone – “the Muslim Arabs were and remain our friends.” Rather, Nadaf (and Halak) are calling on Christians to step forward and partake in the full rights belonging to citizens of this land. “Israel is not the enemy,” writes Halak. “You are your own enemy. Be brave, and follow your heart.”
Christians in Israel
The Jerusalem Post, January 31, 2014
This seven-page article focuses on the plight of the Filipino community in Israel – a community that was thrown into the spotlight when Filipina Rose Fostanes won the Israeli version of X-Factor. The Filipino community in Israel, writes Seth Frantzman, comprises about 35,000-38,000 migrants, about half of whom live in Tel Aviv. Most of the community is female, and the vast majority of them work as caregivers. One of the greatest challenges this community faces is work visas – the Israeli Ministry of Interior has been notoriously difficult on that score.
Most of the Filipinos in Israel are Christian. “The Catholic Church in the Holy Land has taken a great interest in caring for the local Filipino community,” writes Frantzman. Surprisingly, their numbers “rival that of the local Catholic Arab community.” Overseeing the Filipino community is Rev. David Neuhaus. Neuhaus tells Frantzman that “the church concentrates on providing religious services as well as social services, meetings, trips, social work and religious classes and other activities for children.” Sister Regina, also from the Philippines, works on behalf of the Filipino community in Israel. “She describes a community that yearns for religious services,” writes Frantzman. “They face hardships in coming to church or seeing their community; for instance, some work with special needs children and get limited time off.” The community faces many more problems, relating, for example, to their marital status and the status of children born in Israel.
One worker tells Frantzman that most Israelis, though they do not integrate the Filipinos into society, are not racist. The only exception would be the ultra-Orthodox Jews, who harass the Christian workers and even spit on them. The Filipino community is highly organized, and that is what helps them to survive. The Catholic Church plays a large role in organizing their community.
Political Issues
Haaretz, February 2, 2014
A new Palestinian campaign to stop the “Judaizing” of the Jordan Valley is borrowing its title from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. In Matthew, Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot.” The Salt of the Earth campaign states that the Palestinians are the salt of the earth and it is their responsibility to restore to the Jordan Valley its saltiness. These Palestinians have gathered on the ruins of an old monastery in the Jordan Valley, where they have set up camp and are intending to stay. They are not only protesting against the Israeli government, but also against the Palestinian Authority, which, they say, is doing nothing to help the plight of the Palestinians (specifically the hardships that stem from widespread poverty). In conclusion, Amira Hess quotes yet another saying of Jesus, also from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
The Pope and the Vatican
Mishpaha, February 6, 2014
Aharon Granot reports on the impending handover of King David’s Tomb to the jurisdiction of the Vatican. Speaking to Jews who frequent the tomb, Granot was told that if the Vatican gains control, “masses of Christians will fill the streets adjacent to King David’s Tomb. They will conduct noisy processions … and in this way they will conquer Jerusalem, the Jewish Quarter and all the roads leading to the Wailing Wall in a silent crusade – without needing to brandish their axes. Witnessing these kinds of idol worship crusades will become a matter of course for the children of the Old City in Jerusalem.”
Granot warns that the Christians have been trying to “conquer” Mount Zion for many years for the purpose of turning it into a center for idol worship, filling it with the sounds of “desecration.” Religious Jews from the Old City are joining forces to fight against the imminent handover, which is due to take place when Pope Francis visits Israel in May.
Haaretz, February 5, 2014
In the “Letters to the Editor” section of the paper, Eduardo Eurnekian and Baruch Tenenbaum of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation question Yad VaShem’s inconsistent criteria for deciding who is a righteous Gentile. Of interest is their mention of Pope John XXIII, who “during his days as Apostolic Delegate in Istanbul, in WWII, relentlessly worked to save Jews, a fact which is not disputed by Yad VaShem.” And yet, Yad VaShem has failed to recognize him as a righteous Gentile because of his connection to Pope Pius XII, whose conduct during the Holocaust is still the subject of much debate.
Christians and the Holocaust
Haaretz, February 5, 2014
From the Archives: Haaretz reprints an article that appeared in the paper on February 5, 1990, reporting on the death of Father Marie Benoit at the age of 94. Father Benoit was a Franciscan monk who “committed himself to saving Jews during the Holocaust, and is credited with helping thousands escape murder at the hands of the Germans.”
Father Benoit was born in France but moved to Rome, where he completed his theological studies and was ordained into the Catholic Church. At the outbreak of WWII, he returned to France, where “he set up a forging operation by which he oversaw the fabrication of passports, baptismal certificates and other relevant documents that could be used by Jews who wanted to travel to neutral Switzerland or Spain.” Benoit also worked on a plan that would “spirit Jews across the Mediterranean from the Italian Zone to North Africa.” He traveled to Rome to enlist the help of the pope, Pius XII, but the plan fell through when the Germans occupied northern Italy. After that, Benoit “negotiated with the Spanish government to allow for the repatriation of Jews of Spanish descent to that country, and in that way saved some 2,600 Jews.” During the war he continued to prepare false documents for Jews, although he had to go into hiding while doing so. The Gestapo raided the offices from which this work was being done, and all but Benoit were arrested and executed.
Yad VaShem named Benoit a Righteous Among the Nations in 1966. It is to his credit, writes David Green, that Benoit never tried to convert any of the Jews he was saving.
Anti-Semitism
HaPeles, January 31, 2014
This seven-page article focuses on the rise in anti-Semitism throughout Europe. The article includes a sidebar on the history of anti-Semitism and how it is linked to “that man.” Shlomo Wolf explains that “ever since the Jews refused to recognize that man, may his name be blotted out, he passed on to his disciples a hate for the people from whom he himself came. Christianity has abided by this law very well and continues to persecute the Jews in every way possible.”
Conversion to Christianity
Sof haShavua, February 7, 2014
Sarah B.K. writes from Brazil, where she is researching the history of the Moroccan Jews who arrived in the Amazon some 200 years ago. It is estimated that the Amazon community numbers about 260,000 people of Jewish descent. Many of these converted to Christianity over the years, meaning that there are very few practicing Jews in that area today. A rabbi who accompanied B.K. on her trip asks one converted couple (whose home contains a large crucifix and an icon of Mary) why they didn’t carry on the tradition of their forefathers. They tell the rabbi: “We believe what our mothers believed.” Another descendent invites B.K. and the rabbi into his home and proudly shows them two shelves: one that belonged to his father, which holds candlesticks, a kiddush cup, a hannukiya, and an Old Testament; and one shelf that belonged to his mother, which holds icons of Jesus and Mary and a copy of the New Testament. This mixture of traditions is not uncommon within the Amazon community, writes B.K.
Conversion to Judaism
Haaretz, February 2, 2014
The article is an interview with Penelope Pitts, a British citizen who moved to Israel when she was 45. Of interest is a short paragraph in which she describes her Christian upbringing: “When I was 16, my school took us on a trip to Israel, to see where Jesus lived. Even before that I had problems with the whole Jesus issue, it never sat well with me, and when we visited all the Christian sites in the land, I started to lose my faith. When I returned to England I began to learn as much as I could about Israel. It took me until the age of 30, but that’s when I decided to move here and to convert to Judaism.”
Christian Holidays
Megilot Yam HaMelach, January 29, 2014
This article reports on the baptismal services held at the Jordan River during Epiphany. The Jordan River was a very important part of the life of Jesus: “Jesus’ baptism was one of the central events of his life and the sacrament of baptism is now one of the most important in the church. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist,” and this event has turned the Jordan River into one of the holiest sites for Christians. This is why so many Christian pilgrims travel to Israel to be baptized in the river.
The article then explains the origins of Epiphany, saying that it is the celebration of God’s revelation of himself through his son, Jesus. This revelation marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth.
It is estimated that in 2013, 400,000 pilgrims visited the baptismal site on the banks of the Jordan River.
Christian Sites
Yisrael HaYom, February 7, 2014
The paper interview a number of foreign ambassadors to Israel, asking them what is their favorite place in the land. The Filipino ambassador, Generoso Calonge, says his favorite place is the Jesus Trail, a marked trail that follows the life and ministry of Jesus. “The trail takes three days to complete,” says Calonge, “and follows in the footsteps of Jesus in the lower Galilee, beginning in Nazareth, passing through Tzipori, Cana (where we believe Jesus performed his first miracle), Kfar Hittim, Arbel, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes.” The ambassador adds that more information can be found in the New Testament.
Archeology
Yisrael HaYom, February 5, 2014
Israel’s Antiquities Authority has launched a new website containing online copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. More than 500,000 users have already visited the site.
HaMekomon Kiryat Gat, January 24, 2014
This article reports on the discovery of a Byzantine church near the village of Aluma (see January 27, 2014, Media Review).