Meeting The Challenge:
Hebrew Christians and the Jewish Community
Originally prepared by
The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
Task Force on Missionaries and Cults
1. Introduction
It has been almost 2000 years since the final break
between Judaism and Christianity. The early Jewish
leadership perceived the increasing danger of confusion
between classical Judaism and the "new" Jewish Christian
views. At the same time, Christianity was undergoing its own
changes, such as development of the belief in the divinity
of Jesus, the trinity and the abrogation of the Torah which
further separated this new religion from Judaism. The final
break occured when Christians began accepting converts who
did not conform to the traditional definition of Jewish
status. From that time on, these two groups were clearly
distinct and the break was complete.
2. The Limits of the Jewish Community
From its inception, Judaism has had specific regulations
which define membership for individuals and has set limits
beyond which one is considered as having left the Jewish
community. For organizations, standards have also been set
for inclusion within the Jewish communal structure. Even
though those members of Hebrew Christian or Messianic Jewish
groups who are originally of Jewish status retain their
ability to pass on this Jewish status to their offspring,
they face a significant loss of privileges within the
community, including denial of membership in synagogues and
other Jewish communal organizations, and most recently,
denial of immediate Israeli citizenship under the Law of
Return.
3. Jewish vs. Christian Messianism
The Jewish messianic idea differs significantly from the
Christian one. According to Jewish tradition the Messiah
will not be divine or change the Jewish obligation to
observe the Torah.
Christianity, on the other hand, believes that the
Messiah has already come. According to their interpretation,
his death and second coming were foretold in Jewish
scripture. In the Christian view, belief in this divine
messiah, whose coming abrogated the need for Torah
observance, is essential to one's redemption.
4. The Hebrew Christians
Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of
Judaism, it is not. It is nothing more than a disguised
effort to missionize Jews and convert them to Christianity.
It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance
(i.e. community Passover seders, menorahs, messianic
services, etc.) as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity,
a belief system antithetical to Judaism.
5. Hebrew Christianity and the Jewish Community
For all the above reasons, Hebrew Christianity is not a
form of Judaism and its members, even if they are of Jewish
birth, cannot be considered members of the Jewish
community.
Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the
communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people.
They have crossed an unbreachable chasm by accepting another
religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt
to convert former coreligionists.
Jewish organizations, both religious and communal, in
dealing with Hebrew Christians or Messianic Jewish groups
should use discernment, recognize the difference between
Jewish rights and Jewish privileges.
Historically the belief in or practice of any
other religious tradition has been understood to lead to the
loss of rights to full participation in the Jewish
community, which has the following ramifications:
- denial of membership or honors in synagogal and/or
Jewish communal organizations
- exclusion from burial in Jewish cemeteries
- refusal of Jewish communal funds to support any
activities of Hebrew Christians or Messianic Jewish
groups
- exclusion from access to Jewish communal facilities
or mailing lists
J
ewish organizations or institutions which open their
membership to the general public should consider
restructuring their organizations to exclude from their
membership those individuals whose presence is disruptive to
Jewish continuity.
Our history has clearly shown that when confronted with a
group of Jews which has adopted another faith and seeks to
convert others, we must stand firm in asserting that this
other faith is not Judaism and that its adherents have
forfeited their privileges as Jews. Jewish tradition
believes that the opportunity to return to participation in
the Jewish community is always open. When this occurs, all
privileges are restored.
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