During the week covered by this review, we received 8 articles on the following subjects:
Missionary Activity
Christian Zionism
Political Issues
Judaism/Conversion to Christianity
Anti-Semitism
Christians and the Holocaust
Israeli/Jewish Attitudes Concerning Christianity
Missionary Activity
Hadashot HaGalil, November 23, 2012
Missionary material was recently distributed to a number of teachers working within the education system in the north of Israel. According to the article, the material was blatantly Christian, with even the sign of the cross displayed across one of the pages. “I don’t understand from where these missionaries got our addresses,” said one outraged teacher. “It’s really a chuzpa.”
Christian Zionism
Yediot Aharonot, November 26, 2012
This article focuses on Ofer Bar’am whose job it is to inspect and assess the damage caused by rockets fired on to homes in the south of Israel (from the Gaza strip). He then distributes funds to the affected families, usually donated from abroad. The article makes a passing comment about monies donated by Israel loving Christians to areas affected by the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Gal Gefen, November 22, 2012
A group of Israel loving Christians from Holland recently arrived in Israel, in spite of the security threat posed by the escalating violence between Israel and Gaza. The group also visited some of the Jewish settlements on the outskirts of Gaza in an act of solidarity and support.
Political Issues
Ma’ariv, November 30, 2012
Two weeks ago, supporters of Israel gathered in Brussels for the ninth conference of the European Coalition for Israel (ECI), a group advocating on Israel’s behalf within the European Union. The keynote speakers were Werner Oder, the son of a former S.S. officer, Caleb Myers, founder of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, and Christine, a Palestinian student from Bethlehem. The main purpose of the event was to draw attention to the violation of human rights taking place within the Gaza strip by the Palestinian Authority. Oder was raised in an anti-Semitic home, but upon his conversion to Christianity, he “went from anti-Semitism to a love for Israel overnight.” In his speech, Oder warned that “if you take weapons away from the Israelis, there will be a holocaust. If you take weapons away from the Hamas, there will be peace. If Iran falls, the nuclear threat will also fall. If Israel falls, we all fall.” Caleb Myers’ speech was less emotional as he focused mainly on the facts of human rights violations taking place in Gaza. The conference organizers hope that disclosing such information will cause the European Union to reevaluate the significant amount of funding being poured into the Palestinian Authority.
Judaism/Conversion to Christianity
Maariv, November 27, 2012
The two-page article tells the story of dozens of families of Spanish Jewish descent who, in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition, converted to Christianity, but are now re-connecting with their Jewish heritage. Small communities of “re-converted” Jews are forming all over the world, and this article hones in on one in Colombia. “The Jewish spark never went out,” says one of the leaders of the Jerusalem based organization that helps these people in the process of returning to Judaism. “These descendents of the persecuted are fulfilling the dreams of their forefathers by reclaiming the identity that was taken away from them.” One such convert described it in terms of their souls having memories that prompted them to ask themselves who they are, where they have come from, and where are their family’s roots.
Historically, Jewish families fleeing the Inquisition adopted a Catholic lifestyle as a way of surviving. They often changed their name, and even ensured that in each generation, at least one family member became a priest. It is therefore rather challenging to discover who is of Jewish descent and who isn’t. And yet, certain family practices that have been passed down from generation to generation provide vital clues in the search (for example, the way the “traditional” farmer’s dress in one Colombian town strongly resembles the Jewish talith). These small communities continue to grow. Says a convert: “You’re a Jew because you want to be a Jew, because you feel it, because you love it . . . now I can’t live without it.”
Anti-Semitism
Sgula, November 22, 2012
A six-page article that explores the historical underpinnings of the Norwich blood libel which generated an ongoing spate of anti-Semitic violence towards the Jews in that city and beyond during the Middle Ages. Until 2004, there was no historical evidence to support the accounts of Jewish persecution stemming directly from the Norwich blood libel. But a construction project in downtown Norwich accidentally uncovered a mass grave that contained the remains of 17 youth (all under the age of 15) of Jewish descent. All the evidence points to a mass murder of some kind. Although no conclusions have yet been reached, the article speculates whether or not these might be the victims of the anti-Semitic violence that ensued in the wake of the Norwich blood libel.
Christians and the Holocaust
Yated Ne’eman, November 23, 2012
This five-page article tells the story of how an entire French village worked together to reach out to the persecuted Jews of France during the Second World War. The effort was spear-headed by none other than the village priest, a man by the name of Trokma. Trokma begged his fellow Christians to work on behalf of the Jewish refugees, to shelter them and share their meals with them. As early as 1942, Trokma declared that the church must beg forgiveness of the Jews for its fear and its lack of response to their plight. Trokma’s influence on the village was phenomenal, and over the years an elaborate network was established by the villagers that enabled them to take on an increasing number of Jewish refugees, without being caught by the authorities. This is why the entire village was awarded a token of honor in 1990 – the first such award to be given on such a large scale. It is estimated that some 3000-5000 Jews found refuge in this village between 1942-1944.
Israeli/Jewish Attitudes Concerning Christianity
Makor Rishon, November 30, 2012
Rabbi Sharki expounds on his vision for a global Judaism, one which encompasses all other religions and tries to “fix” them so that they fit into the category of gentiles as the Sons of Noah. Regarding Christianity, says Sharki: “The halachic debate is ongoing. We can recognize Christianity [as a religion] from a halachic standpoint, but I don’t think this is necessary. . . If we really want to influence the world in an untainted way, then we should not go down this path.” This is because Christianity, in essence, is a rejection of Judaism. “In our day, since the nation of Israel has returned to its land and restored its strength, why should we lie to the world and keep telling them that they can know God through Jesus? When there is a direct link through the Jewish people?” Those who want to achieve the purest faith, the purest form of Judaism, must therefore renounce Christianity, including any attachment to Jesus. “The image of Jesus,” says Sharki, “in my eyes, is a kind of spiritual terrorism. In the New Testament, Jesus comes across as an authoritarian and dominating character who says, ‘if you’re not with me, then you’re in hell.’” This, says Sharki, delays a healthy spirituality, “which is why I am in no hurry to meet Christian theology somewhere in the middle.”