Caspari Center Media Review
October 2004 #1 Caspari Center Media Review
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During the period of time covered by this review, we received 180 articles as
follows:
15 dealt with Messianic Jews and anti-missionary organizations
43 dealt with Christians and the status of non-Jews in Israel
31 dealt with Christian solidarity with Israel
27 dealt with anti-Semitism and Jewish-Christian relations
16 covered Christian tourism and tourist sites
5 covered archaeological finds
7 were film and book reviews
The remaining articles dealt with domestic Israeli and Christian or Jewish affairs
on their own merit.
“Missionaries” and Anti-Missionaries
Ha’Aretz, Oct. 13; Ha’Aretz English, Oct. 13; HaModia, Oct. 15, 18: HaShavua
B’Yerushalayim, Sept. 9, 22; lton Yerushalayim, Oct. 15; Ynet, Oct. 25; Arutz 7,
Oct. 13, Emiza Hadera, Sept. 24, Olam U’Melo’’o, Sept. 2004
lton Yerushalayim carries a feature about Barbara Ludwig, a Messianic believer
who is fighting to get a student visa from the Interior Ministry. Titled “This is
Inquisition Behavior,” the article details her interview with Interior Ministry
officials who asked her for the names of fellow believers and locations of
meeting places, and who, when she refused to give this information, told her
that her visa would “probably be denied.” The article includes some quotes from
Calev Mayers, a Messianic Israeli lawyer who represents Ludwig and other
believers, and a statement saying that Interior Minister Poraz does not consider
all missionary activity to be illegal, and that everything should be done to help
members of this community.
A school-teacher in an orthodox school has been fired because she and her
non-Jewish husband met with Christians (Emiza Hadera). The school’s
administration knew that she herself was not orthodox, and only required that
she dress modestly; but when they found out about the meetings with Christians
the principal called her a traitor and a liar, and eventually fired her. The teacher
is suing the non-profit organization which runs the school for religious
discrimination.
Arutz 7 reports that Yad L’Achim has started a new campaign aimed at
Christian tourists, warming them not to “try to sink their claws into Israel.” Large
signs posted in various cities contain the following message:
We, the Jews in Israel, welcome tourists to our country and
appreciate your coming here, especially in these days. But we
cannot remain silent in the face of tourists who come here with the
sole aim of conducting missionary activities which prey on the
hardships of innocent Jews who don’t know the difference
between people who want to help and imposters who want to
entrap their souls and change their religion under the guise of
caring.
The Jews in Israel see missionaries as the heirs of the inquisition,
who will use any means to obtain their goal. The Jews in Israel
to see missionaries as enemies of the Jewish people, who behind all
their donations hide the dark goal of annihilating every remnant of
the people of Israel. The Jews in Israel see missionaries as
unwanted guests, and each person must use any legal means to
stop their activities.
So then, dear tourist, our country is open to you. Don’t abuse our
hospitality for destructive hunting of souls. The Jews in Israel say:
yes to tourists, no to missionaries.
(Editor’s note: According to the article, news of these signs “caused a sensation”
sensation” in the international media, especially on the internet, but | have not
seen a single mention of them except in this article.)
Christians in Israel / Status of non-Jews
Jerusalem Report (Hebrew), Oct. 4; Ha’Aretz English, Oct. 1,8,12,15,18,22;
Ha’Aretz, Oct. 1,10,11,12,13,14,15,17,18,22; HaModia, Oct. 14,19; Jerusalem
Post, Oct. 1,11,15,21,22; NRG, Oct. 13; Ynet, Oct. 25; Kol HaTzafon, Sept. 24;
HaTzofeh, Oct. 13,15,22; Kol HaZman, Oct. 15; Yated Ne’eman, Oct. 15; Kol
HaEmek V’HaGalil, Sept. 29: Maariv, Oct. 18° Mifneh, Sept. 2004
The bulk of the articles in this category cover the incident in which a yeshiva
student spat at an Armenian archbishop in Jerusalem’s Old City. Some
orthodox Jews often spit on the ground when they see crosses or Christians in
religious garb, but on this day the spitting occurred during a procession, and a
ceremonial cross was the target. The archbishop got upset and slapped the
young man, which resulted in a scuffle, and both men were questioned by
police. The student eventually apologized. Israeli authorities, including some
rabbis, were quick to condemn the incident, which also grabbed attention in the
international media and in various internet weblogs.
Numerous editorials also condemn the incident and others like it, bemoaning
the impact on Jewish-Christian relations (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 15) and
attempting to get to the bottom of Orthodox Jewish hatred of Christians
(Jerusalem Report, Oct. 4, NRG, Oct. 13). In these latter two editorials we read
about traditional Jewish prayers thanking God that he “didn’t make me like the
gentiles” who “worship in vain.” The authors conclude that the orthodox
community is still relating to Christians with the mindset of a persecuted minority
in the diaspora, to some extent because they do not recognize Israel as a truly
Jewish state. Other editorials in the orthodox press (Yated Ne’eman, Oct. 15,
HaModia, Oct. 19) make light of the incident, complaining that Israeli officials
don’t condemn attacks against orthodox Jews by secular Israelis, and claiming
that this incident is not representative, since it’s the first time something like this
has happened since the establishment of the state of Israel. (This despite
numerous other reports of spitting and vandalism against Christians. – ed.)
Violence takes a political face in “Holy Land Crusaders of a Different
Kind” (Ha‘Aretz English, Oct. 15: also Ha’Aretz English and Jerusalem Post,
Oct. 1, and Ha’Aretz, Oct. 15). These articles cover an attack by settlers against
members of the Christian Peacemakers Team who were escorting Palestinian
schoolchildren near Hebron. Two volunteers were injured in the attack, and their
belongings were stolen. The Peacemakers are members of a Christian pacifist
group which attempts to reduce violence between Israelis and Palestinians by
physically coming in between antagonists, “using the cross as an alternative to
the sword.”
A number of recent articles profile Christians living in Israel, introducing them,
as it were, to a public that has little first-hand knowledge of adherents of other
faiths. “The Cloistered Among Us,” a 3-part series of articles in the Jerusalem
Post, takes a look at monks and nuns in various monasteries in Israel, both
Catholic and Orthodox. Included are interviews with members of these
communities, who share their thoughts about their lifestyle as well as their
interactions with Israeli society. Ha’Aretz (Hebrew, Oct. 1, and English, Oct. 8},
in its “Family Affair” series, interviewed Fred and Diana Hibbert of St. Andrew’s
Scottish Church in Tiberias. The Hibberts talk about their faith, lives, and plans
for the future. Two articles (Kol HaEmek V’HaGalil, Sept. 29 and HaTzofeh, Oct.
15) profile Arab Christian clergymen who support the state of Israel. Naim Huri,
pastor of the Baptist church in Bethlehem, and Emil Shufani of Nazareth both
go against the common attitudes of their communities-with Huri even receiving
death threats-but they refuse to give up preaching and teaching peace.
Anti-Semitism
Ma’ariv, Oct. 18,24; Jerusalem Post, Oct. 18,24; Yediot Ahronot, Oct. 5,18 24:
HaTzofeh, Oct. 24; Ha’Aretz, Oct. 4, 2004
Yediot Ahronot (Oct. 5) and Ha’Aretz (Oct. 4) cover the potential canonization of
Anne Catherine Emmerich, a nun whose visions influenced Mel Gibson’s The
Passion of the Christ. The two articles consider the move to canonize her a
“negative message about the fight against anti-Semitism,” since she and her
visions were, in the opinion of many, anti-Semitic. In Germany, a Catholic
church plans to commemorate Ahmed Yassin and Abed Rantisi, two leaders of
the Hamas terrorist group (Yediot Ahronot, Oct. 3, Ma’ariv, Oct. 18). Their
names will be carved in a stone which will be laid in the floor of the church,
where other victims of violence-such as the Israeli Olympic athletes murdered in
Munich in 1972-are commemorated. The priest is quoted as saying that “it
would be awful if the fate of only one side is commemorated.”
In France, the French Union of Jewish Students has mounted an unusual
campaign against anti-Semitism (Ma‘ariv, Jerusalem Post, Yediot Ahronot,
HaTzofeh, Oct. 24). The campaign, which aims to shock, consists of posters of
Jesus and Mary with the words “Dirty Jew” written across them, and with the
slogan: “Anti-Semitism: What if it were everyone’s problem?” Both the Catholic
Church and French Jewish leaders slammed the campaign, calling the posters
“inappropriate and misleading,” since the Catholic Church is not the proper
target for this type of campaign.
Christian Support for Israel
Ha’Aretz English, Oct. 6,22; lion Yerushalayim, Oct. 6,15; Kol Ha’Ir, Oct. 15; Iton
lton Holon Bat-Yam, Oct. 15; Ha’Aretz, Oct. 1,6; Index Yerushalayim, Oct. 4;
News First Class, Oct. 3,4,5; Walla!l, Oct. 4; Jerusalem Post, Oct. 1,15,19;
Yediot Haifa, Sept. 29; Tourist Guide, Sept. 29; Yediot Ahronot, Oct. 5;
HaTzofeh, Oct. 4; Israel Today, Oct. 2004
The main topic of these articles was the Jerusalem March, in which a large
delegation of Evangelical Christians participated. Jerusalem, as usual,
welcomes the influx of tourists, but the official welcome this year was somewhat
lacking, as expressed in the headline: “Let Them Love Another Country” (/ton
Yerushalayim, Oct. 6). This refers to Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox mayor, who
shies away from recognition of Christian Zionists since they are Evangelicals,
and thus, in the opinion of most Orthodox Jews, dangerous missionaries. One
reader (/ton Holon Bat-Yam, Oct. 15) writes to the editor with the suggestion
that the Israeli government work to convert all those pro-Israel Christians to
Judaism.
In related events, Evangelicals held a large prayer rally in a downtown
Jerusalem park, and heard speeches by leaders such as Pat Robertson, who
warned that President Bush would lose the support of US Evangelicals if he
“touches Jerusalem and … gets serious about taking East Jerusalem and
making it the capital of a Palestinian state.” (Ha’Aretz Hebrew and English, Oct.
1,6; HaTzofeh, Oct. 4; Jerusalem Post, Oct. 15; Walla!, Oct. 4, NFC, Oct. 5)
Film, Theater and Books
Ha’Aretz, Oct. 6, 22; Ha’Aretz English, Oct. 6; Zman HaSharon, Sept. 24; Yediot
Ahronot, Ocf. 18; Rating, Sept. 8, 2004
Rating has a review of “The Passion of the Christ,” in which the reviewer writes:
“|. | think what | suffered in the two hours of watching “The Passion” is ten
times worse than what Jesus suffered on the cross … this is… the cruelest
movie I’ve ever seen. … | can’t think of anything good to say about Gibson, or
about the millions who saw this movie willingly, and cried at the end, and
hugged the people around them.”
Ha’Aretz (Oct. 22) has an article about the discovery of the apocalyptic
“Revelation of Zerubabel,” circa 970 AD, which was found in Cairo. The
document, just recently translated, contains expectations and predictions about
the coming of the Messiah, the war of Gog and Magog, resurrection of the
dead, and the defeat of Islam.
Ha’Aretz (English and Hebrew, Oct. 6} has an article about illustrations from a
12th century manuscript which shed light on the theological debate over the fate
of the Virgin Mary. Yediot Ahronot carries an article about European tours
inspired by “The DaVinci Code.”
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