Fight Over State Validation of Non-Orthodox Judaism in Israel

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Many welcomed the long-awaited recognition of  non-Orhtodox streams of Judaism by the State of Israel, breaking the monopoly that the Orthodox has enjoyed unchallenged since the establishment of the State in  1948.

However it is reported that there is a fight back taking place:

Jerusalem – An intra-religious and political war of words broke out on Wednesday in reaction to the attorney-general’s decision to pay the wages of non-Orthodox rabbis elected to lead regional councils and kibbutzim.

Non-Orthodox and left-leaning politicians and religious leaders said that the announcement is just the beginning of their campaign, and that progressive Jewish groups would be lobbying for further steps towards full equality and recognition of their communities and leaders.

At the same time, MKs from both haredi and national-religious parties were quick to denounce the decision, with some promising to fight it through political and legislative channels.

The article goes on to report various Orthodox responses which accuse the non-Orthodox streams of destroying Judaism:

MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) took aim at the legal system as well as non- Orthodox Jewry in general, wondering how there is money available for the “Reform and Conservative clowns, for whom Judaism is a laughingstock.”

“This legal system, having already tried to harm those who study Torah, is now trying to injure the Jewish infrastructure of the state as well,” Gafni added in comments made to haredi newspaper Yated Ne’eman on Wednesday.

UTJ chairman Yisrael Eichler echoed this sentiment, accusing the “legal regime” of starting a cultural war with this decision and the High Court’s ruling earlier this year against the ability of full-time yeshiva students to indefinitely defer military service.

Speaking to haredi website Kikar Hashabbat, Eichler said that traditional Judaism would prevail over progressive Judaism through “the numbers of children studying Torah,” adding that “Reform Jews have decreed upon themselves assimilation and destruction.

“Their offspring marry gentiles, their sanctuaries are empty and their homes are deserted,” raged Eichler.

Shas MK Nissim Ze’ev told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night that the High Court and the attorney-general do not have the authority to designate as rabbis “people who falsify the Torah.”

“This is the beginning of the destruction of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel,” he said.

Another Step Towards Messianic Women Rabbis

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The role of women in the Messianic Movement is no less a trigger for debate and disagreement as it is in the wider Jewish and Christian communities.

Yinnon Blog has a report on the development of ideas to lead towards female Messianic Rabbis. The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council have a definition of what a Messianic Rabbi is, this definition can be read here.

Yinnon Blog notes:

Then in May of 2011, the MJRC passed historic resolutions recognizing the ability of women to serve as rabbis and that it would welcome them as full members of the council:

1.2.3 – In concert with the example of Messiah Yeshua and the teaching of scripture concerning the leadership roles of men and women, we affirm the ordination of women as Messianic Jewish Rabbis.

Ok so the guidelines for the debate here is not should Messianic leaders be called Rabbi, nor is it, are Messianic Jews still Jews, the debate for this post is about the role of women in the Yeshua-affirming Messianic Jewish community of faith.

Joe W wrote this piece in 2009 on the role of women in the Messianic Movement:

More Than a Woman: Christian Feminism, Second Temple Judaism and Messianic Jewish Femininity

Yet oddly enough, the stereotyping of all Judaism as oppressively patriarchal has often gone unchallenged by Messianic Jews. It is precisely here where an accurate knowledge of history, sensitivity to Jewish concerns and the presence of contemporary Messianic Jewish female voices can confront these assumptions. We do not need a Messianic Jewish feminist theology that treats women as one monolithic bloc, but we should encourage Messianic Jewish women as they live out the gospel of Yeshua and share their lives with other women. A positive Messianic Jewish female identity is both a powerful challenge to Christian anti-Judaism on issues of femininity, and also a strong witness to Jewish women seeking God.

So what can we say is the role of women in the leadership of a Messianic Jewish congregation or synagogue, will Messianic Judaism follow Reform Judaism rather than Orthodox Judaism on this. What other things should Messianic Judaism follow the Reform rather than Orthodox model in then?

Judges accept unusual plea bargain on Teitel’s Terror

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The JPost clear up why Teitel’s lawyers have made this odd plea bargain.

Judges accept unusual plea bargain, will rule next month whether “Jewish Terrorist” was criminally responsible for his actions.

The Jerusalem District Court on Monday approved an unusual  plea bargain made between the district attorney and lawyers representing Jack Teitel, and determined that Teitel had murdered two Palestinians and committed other violent crimes.

Judges Zvi Segal, Moshe Hacohen and Moshe Yair Drori said that the court determined that Teitel committed the acts attributed to him in an amended indictment.

The amended indictment includes ten of the original fourteen charges against Teitel, including two murders and two attempted murders, after the prosecution agreed to remove charges relating to attempted attacks which the authorities had foiled.

While the judges found Teitel had committed the acts they did not formally convict him. Instead, the court will reconvene next month to determine whether Teitel was criminally responsible for his actions when he committed the offenses.

Although he agreed to admit the charges, Teitel refused to come and speak directly to the court because he does not recognize its authority. Instead, Teitel’s attorney Asher Ohayon told the court that Teitel admitted the charges in the amended indictment.

Dubbed “the Jewish Terrorist,” Florida-born Teitel, 39, was originally indicted in 2009…

Thankfully Ami Ortiz is not ignored as he has been in previous reports in sections of the Israeli media:

In March 2008, according to the indictment, Teitel attempted to murder 15-year-old Amiel Ortiz, a Messianic Jewish teen from Ariel.

Teitel sent a bomb in a Purim gift basket to the Ortiz’s home, which exploded when Ortiz opened it.

Read full report here 

Jack Teitel Admits to Crimes

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YNet reports the latest on the trial of the bomber of Ami Ortiz the son of Israeli Messianic Jews. Teitel admits to murder and attempted murder as longs as the motive the was opposed to their lifestyle and beliefs is removed from the indictment:

The Jerusalem District Court approved a plea bargain with the attorneys of Jewish terrorist Jack Teitel and ruled that he did in fact commit the crimes he is accused of: Two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault and additional violent offences.

As first revealed by Ynet – an amended indictment was filed against Teitel where the statement that his acts were committed over his hatred and opposition to groups and individuals whose lifestyle and outlook did not match his beliefs was removed from the indictment. (Aviad Glickman)

It makes the JewishIsrael defence of Teitel and charge of Blood Libel not only stupid but an outright load of cobblers. Will they apologise and withdraw their posts?

The Moral Idiocy of the United Church

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Here is a post that pierces the darkness of the idiocy of the United Methodist Church.

A recent high-level United Church of Canada report recommends that the United Church should confirm its hostility to Israel. Written by three prominent United Church officials, the Report of the Working Group on Israel/Palestine Policy endorses Palestinian “resistance” to Israeli occupation.

The church officials do specify that such resistance should be non-violent, but as with much in their report, the call for non-violence means less than it might.

Read full post here

Teen Pregnancy in Church Blamed on People Who Think Jews are Israel!

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The moment I watched this video was the defining moment when I realised that Jim Staley even existed and is a full on false teacher. Derek Leman has helpfully critiqued here this fake teaching that blames all the woes of the modern Chuch in a round about way, on the Jews again!

What is his solution to young Christians losing faith? What will stop teen pregnancy in church youth groups? What will put an end to Christian-on-Christian crime? The problem, according to Jim Staley, is that people think the Jews are Israel?! If Christians will simply learn who Israel is, teen pregnancy will end. The crisis will be averted. Satan wants you to think the Torah was given to the Jews.

Read Derek’s full crititique here.

Jews for Judaism worry about Missionaries… Everywhere!

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Rabbi Eli Cohen of Jews for Judaism

Rabbi Eli Cohen of Jews for Judaism makes the following claims, with no supporting evidence or proof.

Today over 1,000 Christian missionary groups spend over $300 million annually, targeting Jews for conversion worldwide. In recent decades, they’ve succeeded in converting hundreds of thousands of Jews.

What is the definition of a missionary group, how did they get this figure, and if true when you divide $300 million by the staff members and the office costs, publications and transport of 1,000 mission organisations… well their employees must be working for peanuts. Well considering how anti-missionaries portray missionaries as vermin, then it really shouldn’t cost much to feed and home them and their families!

However we see the flexible-sided nature of Rabbi Cohen’s definiations as he elaborates:

Many of these organizations camouflage themselves to appear Jewish in order to allow Jews to feel “at home” when he or she joins the group. They may call their clergy “rabbis” and refer to their churches as “synagogues.”

The Messianic Jewish Congregational movement are not Missions to the Jews and there is an ideological conflict between the two. Reb Cohen is even more confusing when he then expands his definitions even further claiming the real problem is not the two groups he names but actually it is your work colleagues and neighbours.

But for most Jews, the person asking us to embrace Jesus won’t be a missionary, but will usually be a Christian friend, neighbour, fellow-student, or business associate.

Oh dear, not to be paranoid or anything, but they are out to get you… all of them want to eat your soul ;-)

And then to the sales pitch, the reason for this article of Rabbi Cohen’s

The two presentations that Jews for Judaism will be presenting at Limmud Oz will explore how Christianity, which started as a Jewish group, morphed into a non-Jewish movement, and how missionaries today are trying to blur the distinctions between these two mutually exclusive religions.

Two monotheistic religions are recognised as not being mutually exclusive in their origins but now there are more non-Jews involved in the Jesus believing movement, it is therefore  not for Jews anymore, only for Gentiles.

However it seems the two are not as mutually exclusive as Rabbi Cohen claims, according him at least, hundreds of thousands of Jews disagree with his analysis.

The simple fix for Jews for Judaism is to redefine Messianic Jews as non-Jews and discount their opinion.