Recently, the world has become more aware of tribes in Africa and Asia who claim to be descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel or descendants from the first diaspora. Many of these tribes have a Christian background and are now seeking for ways to integrate their claim of Hebrew ancestry with their more recent faith in Christ. Inevitably, new Messianic congregations will be formed.
There are a number of Messianic Jewish congregations in Ethiopia where there is a very favorable environment for the growth of the Messianic Movement. The witness of Jews who believe in Yeshua is often lived out at a high price. Many Jewish circles consider the Messianic Jews a threat.
The Messianic Movement in South America has the greatest potential for growth. The consequences of this decree were horrific. Of the , Jews living on the Peninsula at that time according to most scholars, about , fled the country instead of giving up their Jewishness. In the end, up to , agreed to be baptized, but this did not bring them the freedom they were promised. This terrible system of Church control was invented and already perfected in the 14th century by Catholic religious orders like the Dominicans and Franciscans.
I can give you a concrete example of this. The interview went well and we said our goodbyes. Two hours later, he called me and asked me not to publish the content of our interview. He had remembered that the original book had included the fact that he had been a believer prior to coming to Israel.
Possibly as a result of this, he had trouble with the Ministry of Interior. My impression is that there is currently much less fear of persecution than there was 20 years ago. However, the large majority of congregations and believers in the Land fall somewhere in the middle — celebrating the Jewish holidays in a way that recognizes Yeshua, using some traditional Jewish liturgy in worship services, and perhaps even keeping kosher.
In spite of their differences, all Messianic Jews in Israel consider Yeshua the Messiah and are trying to express this unique belief in their everyday lives. The status of Messianic Judaism in Israel is still under debate. Instead of being labeled Jewish or Christian, we have often been branded as a cult. As a result of this social stigmatism, often we are not considered worthy of being hired for a position or trustworthy enough to rent property. Many Messianic Jews are still not granted the right to make aliyah immigrate to Israel under the Right of Return, as the court generally sees Jewish believers as having converted to Christianity.
Some small number of Messianic Jews still do immigrate every year but must jump through hoops to hide any evidence that they might be believers. Despite all of these setbacks, Messianic Jews are free to practice their faith in Israel, and are starting to get a better reputation due to popular online videos in Hebrew and social projects that serve the community.
Messianic Jews frequently suggest that Jews refuse to accept Jesus as the messiah because of perceived Christian anti-Semitism, or because they don't realize that Jesus himself was a Jew. Intrater calls Jesus "the greatest Jew in history, the greatest Israeli, the greatest rabbi that ever lived. Binjamin Kluger, a spokesman for Yad L'Achim, a haredi organization that sees "the saving of each and every Jewish soul from Christian cults as a sacred mission," said that while many of the first Messianic Jews in Israel were American, Russian, or Ethiopian immigrants, now most are Israeli-born.
Yad L'Achim opposes intermarriage with similar zeal, deploying its Jewish Women Rescue Division to "save" Israeli women from dating or marrying Arab men. Instigated largely by Yad L'Achim, opponents have engaged in protests outside the meeting places of Messianic Jews, have interfered with their businesses, and have attempted, unsuccessfully, to have Intrater prosecuted for violating the prohibition against proselytizing to minors without parental consent.
Kluger, the Yad L'Achim spokesman, tried to portray his group's efforts in a more benign light, saying its members go to places where Messianic Jews meet "and try to talk them out of the cult. They have no incidents they can point at.
The U. State Department Report on International Religious Freedom identified Yad L'Achim as an "anti-missionary" group that feeds information to the Ministry of the Interior to deny visa entry for clergy, and describes them as "harassing and occasionally assaulting" missionaries. Kluger asserted that this characterization was a result of pressure on the U. Yad L'Achim insists that it has not engaged in or supported aggression, and denies any involvement in the most notorious case of anti-Messianic violence.
In , Jewish terrorist Jack Teitel set a Purim basket rigged with explosives outside the home of David Ortiz, a Messianic Jew living and working in the West Bank town of Ariel, seriously injuring his teenage son.
Kluger said Teitle was "never connected" with Yad L'Achim and that it is "not a violent organization. The haredi opposition to Messianic Judaism only feeds Messianic Jews' contention that they and Christians are being persecuted -- something, Intrater says, he takes in stride, because "every time you have a new wave of kind of spontaneous spiritual outbreak, the people of the previous religious institutions feel threatened and they're the ones that tend to attack. Intrater, one of the most visible Messianic Jews in Israel, portrays Messianic Jews as the victims of Jewish religious authorities, attempting to analogize it to historical Christian persecution of Jews.
He told me, "That's why it's so ironic that the Jewish people were persecuted in Christian countries and we get here, and when the rabbis are in control of the religious institutions, they persecute us.
Inside, there is a set of rules, in Hebrew and English, posted on the wall in the foyer, along with an admonition: "Do not minister to people nearby the prayer room, in order to not draw attention to our ministry. If you look hard enough, and ask enough people the right questions, you will find other places where Messianic Jews meet, engage in outreach, and worship.
The building on Mount Zion houses Succat Hallel an effort at translating "Tabernacle of Praise" into Hebrew, although it's not a phrasing familiar to Israelis. Bickle, who has drawn the attention of American politicians like Texas Governor Rick Perry , and has partnered with the Congressional Prayer Caucus , maintains close relationships with Messianic Jewish organizations in Israel. Inside Succat Hallel, a Christian musical team from the Czech Republic is "on watch," meaning that they are playing a two-hour music set praising Yeshua.
There are about another dozen people inside the spacious prayer room with a spectacular view, through its arched windows, of the Old City. As the Czech team sings that Jesus is "alive" and "our clear deliverer, our savior," that they "desire you, we long for you," a young woman dancing in the center of the room lays a purple flag emblazoned with a crown, which reads, "King Yeshua," on the floor.
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