Trip organizers for Birthright have begun screening American candidates interested in free trips to Israel to prevent Messianic Jews from participating.
A questionnaire of a Birthright (Taglit) trip organizer that was obtained by The Jerusalem Post includes a question regarding applicants' religious faith.
Under a category entitled "eligibility rules," applicants are asked to declare that they are Jewish.
They are also asked to declare that "I do not subscribe to any beliefs or follow any practices which may be in any way associated with Messianic Judaism, Jews for Jesus or Hebrew Christians."
The questionnaire stipulates that if the applicant lies about any of the questions that confirm eligibility he or she will be immediately dismissed from the program and will lose a $250 deposit. In addition, he or she might be obligated to pay the full cost of the trip - valued at $2,500 to $3,000 - paid by Birthright.
Messianic Jews are often Jewish by lineage and/or identify themselves with the Jewish people, but believe that Jesus is the messiah. Most celebrate the Jewish holidays and study Jewish texts in addition to the New Testament.
Attorney Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization that provides legal counsel to Messianic Jews in Israel, called the screening practice "blatant, ridiculous discrimination" and "a shame."
"Instead of drawing children of Messianic Jewish families closer to their Jewish roots, they are excluding them from participating," he said. [...]
Myers' statement is, of course, stupid. By embracing a false messianic figure, Messianic Jews have already cut themselves off from participating in the Jewish people. Yet no one is stopping them from re-establishing their ties. All they have to do is attend a screening of "Life of Brian" and realize the so-called New Testament isn't half as funny or factual and they're pretty much back in.
ReplyDelete“Yes, we believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but it doesn’t make us less Jewish than any other Jew,” says Noam, another member of the community, and the first non-Russian speaker I contacted. “If Chabad Lubavitch are Jewish, then we are also Jewish. They believe that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the Messiah, in spite of much evidence that he is not, and they did not stop being Jewish. That is also true for us.”
ReplyDeleteIssac said...
ReplyDelete"“Yes, we believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but it doesn’t make us less Jewish than any other Jew,” says Noam, another member of the community, and the first non-Russian speaker I contacted. “If Chabad Lubavitch are Jewish, then we are also Jewish. They believe that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the Messiah, in spite of much evidence that he is not, and they did not stop being Jewish. That is also true for us.”
Nice try Isaac. However with the exception of a very few nut cases, most Moshichists do not attribute divinity to the last Lubavitcher Rebbe. They also do not question the finality of Toras Moshe, rabbinical enactments and the general authority of chazal (sages from the Gemora and the Mishna.
Christians and I do not care what denomination or what window dressing so called messianic Jews want to wear, reject all of this.
I do not care if you people pray in Hebrew or have your services on Saturday. As the president elect Obama has stated, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig".
Isaac,
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point. One which I fully support. If someone in Chabad ascribes messianic and divine qualities(and there are plenty that do, at least here in Jerusalem) to the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, that makes them as Jewish as a Messianic or Christian. This is why the conversion court has recently denied their conversions. This is why Rav Shach Z"L had all of his problems with them. If only someone of his stature would again take up that fight.
Here is a simple screening test that would be fair:
1)Please write the name of the last Lubavitcher Rebbe.(check to see if they write Z"L or ShLIT"A)
2)Do you believe in Jesus
3)Are you a practising Buddhist
4)Are you a practicing Hindu
5)Do you practice any other world religion in conjunction with or the the exclusion of Judaism?
As long as they answer Z"L to the first and no to the rest let them come. Otherwise good bye. I realize that Jews are both a race and a religion but as the article says in this day and age a Jew is typically considered a person of the race who practices however nominally the religion.
Mekubal,
ReplyDeleteyour test does not cut it. You are comparing apples and oranges. You obviously have no knowledge of Christianity.
I repeat that with the exception of a few nut cases almost no Meshichists ascribe divinity to the last Lubavitcher rebbe. All Christians with the exception of Unitarians believe in the Trinity which by definition is avoda zora. Moreover all Christians (including unitarians)reject the finality of Toras Moshe, the authority of the Sanhedrian and Chazal. Moshichists do not. Be careful on what types of aspersions that you put on fellow Orthodox Jews.