Israel and the Christians
Does Israel need Christian help? It’s an old dilemma...Anglicans of the 19th Century played a central role in the process that led to the State of Israel’s establishment...
...In the last decade, US Christians invested millions of dollars in school equipment, playgrounds, medical supplies and bulletproof buses to protect the Jews in Judea and Samaria...The contempt for Evangelicals shown by US Jewish leaders, like Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham Foxman, is motivated by the doctrine that sees Israel as having a special role in the final earthly battle in the “End of Days” during which most Jews are wiped out and the rest embrace Jesus. But it seems that most Evangelical leaders rejected this theology.
...Certainly, some US Evangelicals would like to convert Jews, and Israel must fight them. However, the vast majority simply wants to bless Israel because that is what they believe is the right thing to do...The hostility toward Israel encouraged by liberal Christians, such as the World Council of Churches and the Vatican, poses a much greater near-term threat to Jews than anything the evangelicals espouse...
...Israel’s leaders urgently need to set up a moral platform rejecting the “Judeo-Christian” blend, which theologically fuses Jews and Christians together without protecting the Jewish faith and maintaining Israel as an independent single-faith Jewish community...[for] there is also a “Righteous gentile” who is admiring and willing to help (Jethro.)...
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It's nice that Meotti's article draws from Rav J.B. Sovoleitchik z"l and recognizes the urgent need for red lines:
"…Israel’s leaders urgently need to set up a moral platform rejecting the “Judeo-Christian” blend, which theologically fuses Jews and Christians together without protecting the Jewish faith and maintaining Israel as an independent single-faith Jewish community..."
In fact, the reknowed Talumdist opposed the term “Judeo-Christian” and wrote in his essay "Confrontation", which is still upheld as halacha that,
“people confuse two concepts when they speak of a common tradition uniting two faith communities such as the Christian and the Judaic.”
But the entire pro-Israel evangelical enterprise is advocating the "Judeo-Christian blend", and is promoting that toxic blend via the messianic and Hebraic roots movements in Israel. Indeed, folks like Pastor Hagee, Glenn Beck, Mike Huckabee, Tommy Waller, and numerous pro-Israel evangelical members of American Congress have their hearts set on implanting the "Judeo-Christian" spirit "in Israel's heartland, and strive to break down the theological barriers between Jew and Christian.
Meotti uses the Jethro vs. Amalak model, but it is incorrect to couch this issue in terms of the philo-Semitic church versus the anti-Semitic church. When it comes to concerns of Jewish spiritual continuity this argument is irrelevant. Even if Christians had been kind to the Jews for two millennia, a distance and separation of faiths would still be a core principle and concern of Judaism.
Pro-Israel Christians are fond of usurping the biblical figures of Ruth and Jethro for their cause, yet both of these figures were converts to Judaism. As far as Amalek goes, it was Amalek who – like the missionaries of today – attack the weak and vulnerable sectors of our nation while the Jewish leaders at the front of the line turn a blind eye to the danger -while proudly declaring that they are secure in their faith and that nobody can convert them.
When it comes to the church and our grappling with the new Christianity versus the old Christianity, perhaps the biblical model of Esau would be more appropriate. Because, while "Esau's bite" in the form of anti-Semitism is obvious, "Esau's kiss" may ultimately be more deadly.
Some commentators, like Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, the Beis HaLev (not to be confused with his great-grandson Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik) infers that Yaakov was more frightened of Esau as a brotherand friend than as Esau the man of violence.
In fact, Rav J. B. Soloveitchik followed in is great-grandfather's footsteps and in the 1960's expressed concern of the new evangelical direction of the Catholic church and feared the camaraderie which would result between Jew and Christian. Spiritual assimilation rather than anti-Semitism was his concern.
So the real issue is not one of which church is nicer to the Jews, but whether or not the Jews are equipped to play with this evangelical fire in a responsible manner. It's clear that red lines need to drawn in Israel's relationship with pro-Israel evangelical Christians and that there should be an accountable framework with which to monitor the relationship on an ethical, political, spiritual, financial, and legislative level.
@ Ellen --
Though I am not familiar with the work of the other evangelicals (the politicians) you mentioned, I do know that Pastor Hagee is not among the misguided missionaries. He has observant Jews on staff at CUFI -- such as David Brog -- and is absolutely reverential of the red lines between the two faith groups.
The kind of Evangelicals in Pastor Hagee's flock simply wear their exuberance on their sleeves and have no hidden agenda. Who could ever say that about a pope? A pope of any era?!
I understand that David Brog is not Torah observant. That he uses Jay Sekulow of Jew for Jesus fame as the top endorsement of his book, "Standing with Israel" is telling. In fact, a number of Pastor Hagee's CUFI directors enthusiatically support missionaries and the messianic movement in Israel.
However, I certainly would not compare Pastor Hagee to the Pope - any Pope. But that was the point of my original comment. The churches are on opposite ends of the theopolitical spectrum when it comes to Israel, but nevertheless both pose a challenge to the Jewish state and its people.
ELLEN HOROWITZ IS Really Bad.
A few years ago, she spoke to a group visiting from the US and disparaged people like Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. I later found out she had been preparing her material in the shop of someone who hosts many many Christian discussion groups. I have learned that persons have told her she is over the top on what she was putting together to present to groups.
This past summer she went after David Wilder for writing about CUFI/Tommy Waller.
Ellen -- holy cow I didn't know Jay Sekulow was a "j4j" guy. How I love to loathe the "j4j" culties. Thanks for the heads up.
At any rate, I'm sure David Brog will put the proceeds from his book to good use. Such as his campus initiatives to de-brainwash our youth from left-wing academia's pro-"Palestinian" and thoroughly mind-eroding anti-Israel (anti-Jew) curriculum.
David Brog must be Torah observant because I don't think he is a rabbi and he was listed among a group of "rabbis and Torah observant leaders" here:
http://jewishisrael.ning.com/profiles/blogs/now-there-arose-new-rabbis-in
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As Ellen noted, "a number of Pastor Hagee's CUFI directors enthusiastically support missionaries and the messianic movement in Israel..."
Well certainly they do. We are all works in progress, are we not? Many of these directors could be new charismatics who have converted from Catholicism. All that messianic mumbo jumbo is fascinating to those who aren't really very grounded in the Scriptures. They are like hippies to a bon fire...moths to a flame.
Give them time. They will learn.
As for Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein -- he seems to be doing the lion's share of the work in helping fund aliyah for Jews who are barely surviving in the former Soviet Union.
What's not to love?
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=245873&R=R5
Just to clarify -- when I said "messianic mumbo jumbo" I am referring to these "Messianic Judaism" churches. Messianic Judaism is not Judaism, but dressed-up Christianity.
A great resource @ http://foundationstone.com.au/ :
"'Messianic Judaism' is a recent invention of the missionary Christian movement that combines a mixture of Jewish ritual and Christianity."
[...]
"The movement has received criticism [but not nearly enough] from mainstream Christian leaders, for these groups claim to believe in the New Testament and yet gloss over the distinction between the two communities instituted in that work; for the deceptive tactics used to gain Jewish converts; and for their discriminatory organisational structures."
And for Ellen:
"Christians of good will are calling for this [missionizing] to cease; and mutual respect to begin. Can it really be said that missionaries respect Jews, when they do not respect their right to continue to live as Jews?"
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