(Photo: http://jewsforjesus.org)
 
Are Israelis “hostile” towards so-called Jews for Jesus? According to an article in the Christian Post, the Orthodox community is “violently against them.”

While I’d readily agree that most Jews don’t believe in Jesus and don’t want anyone proselytizing to them, there are numerous wild claims that need to be addressed:

Completely false! Being Jewish doesn’t make someone Anti-Christian. Far from it actually, most of us welcome Interfaith dialogue and friendship (I certainly do. I respect all religions and don’t consider any inferior to my own).

2. “Anti-Messianic Jew sentiments remain strong.”

So obvious but it must be repeated: A belief in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is not compatible with the Jewish faith. If you do believe in Jesus, you’re a Christian, period. Sure, an individual can choose to believe/worship in any way they see fit. The Jewish community, however, is not going to agree with it. Most Jews I know don’t hate Jews for Jesus; rather, they’re viewed as mixed-up and/or misinformed.

3. “Hundreds of Haredi are secretly reading the Gospel.”

This claim has been bandied about for decades. While I don’t doubt some Jews are curious about Christianity, I seriously question the source and their agenda. Most of the Orthodox folks I’ve known personally won’t even read a Reform prayer book, let alone a New Testament.

4. “Russian immigrants are open to Jesus.”

Again, misleading because it’s a known fact that most of the immigrants from the former Soviet Union had no exposure/connection to Judaism prior to living in Israel. Some have never truly adopted a Jewish lifestyle and some were actually Christian to begin with.

I am a firm believer in openness and honesty. Information is meant to be shared and no one’s access should be limited. That said, special interest groups are not a reliable source. Anyone who goes to Israel with the intent of confusing/converting the vulnerable is not doing the right thing. I wouldn’t ban them from speaking to consenting adults, but children, hospital patients, mentally challenged, and others who are at a disadvantage should be protected.

How do you feel about Jews for Jesus?

Jewish beatboxers? Yes, there is such a thing. The Orthobox, a music group comprised of Ilan and Josh, performed on America’s Got Talent. I thought their Tuesday night performance—covering “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor—was very impressive! (So did the judges, all 4 voted “Yes,” advancing them to the next round.)

Another interesting fact: They met in Israel, at the Western Wall, of all places! Missed the audition? Check it out on YouTube.

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR — “Philadelphia Qualifier” — Pictured: Akiva Neuman — (Photo by: Mitchell Leff/NBC)

Looks like the stereotype of the standoffish, scholarly Rabbi will be shattered for good. 

JTA.org has an interesting article about Akiva Neuman, otherwise known as the “Ninja Rabbi” for recently competing on the popular competition show American Ninja Warrior.

I initially assumed this had to be a Reform rabbi, but the fact that he’s Orthodox was surprising. His story is not only inspiring, it’s thoroughly modern as well. The Orthodox have long had a reputation for avoiding athletics so this is a nice step closer towards the rest of us. I especially liked reading about how his wife not only plays basketball, she beats him!

I’ll definitely be tuning in tonight at 9:00PM when the show airs, keeping my fingers crossed for the Rabbi.

When someone decides to blog and make their life (semi) public, it’s a given that negative comments will pop up. While controversy is inevitable and I can accept others disagreeing with me, I have a VERY hard time dealing with Anti-Semites.

Recently, someone left some extremely vile words on my Facebook page, commenting about the Reebok/Israel ’68 sneaker situation. They were so bad, in fact, that I can’t repeat them. (Let’s just say that Hitler was mentioned in glowing terms and leave it there.)

Reading those words was like a knife in the gut. From past experience, I’ve learned not engage these types of sick people, especially when it’s an anonymous troll. I immediately deleted and blocked him, but I still felt so upset and helpless. Shouldn’t we, as a society, have moved beyond this type of intolerance in the year 2016?

Obviously we have not. The terribly tragedy in Orlando this past weekend is proof that prejudice is flourishing. That particular crime had nothing to do with the Jewish community, but it had everything to do with hatred towards a minority.

Prejudice is irrational. It is sick, it is wrong, it has no place in the modern world. Yet it refuses to die a natural death, despite decades of legal reform and tolerance education. Personally, I hate injustice of any kind, directed at any group. To hate someone for their race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation is simply beyond my comprehension. I judge people based on their actions and their heart—nothing else.

So when someone condemns me because I’m proud to say I’m Jewish and because I support Israel 100%, it’s almost impossible to respond. Nothing I say or do will change their mind. I can’t win them over. I can’t make them see the error of their ways.

What I can do is avoid them and their distorted thinking. I can shed light on the pervasive evil of Anti-Semitism. I can write posts that show Judaism and Zionism in a positive way. I can pledge to only spread love and never hate on my blog and social media. I can be a beacon of light rather than a cloud of darkness.

This message is a good reminder that nobody is born prejudiced. Someone—usually a parent—is responsible for instilling those views. Those of us who are lucky enough to have children need to always remember what tremendous power we have over them and their developing minds. By talking to little ones honestly about the problems in this world, we are doing our part to make it a better, more peaceful place.

Maybe we can’t eliminate all prejudice and hatred, but we can combat it with knowledge, compassion, tolerance, and love.