Jews for Jesus is a Christian ^[1] evangelical organization which targets Jews for conversion to Christianity. Viewing its followers as "living out their Jewishness," ^[2] Jews for Jesus defines "Jewish" in terms of parentage and as a birthright, regardless of religious belief.^[3] Identification of Jews for Jesus as a Jewish organization is overwhelmingly rejected by Jewish religious denominations,^[4][5] secular groups^[6][7] and the State of Israel^[8] due to the Christian beliefs of its members. The group's evangelism related activities are opposed also by some Christian organizations and scholars.^[9][10] Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a person who... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... Who is a Jew? (‎) addresses the question of Jewish identity. ... Several denominations have developed within Judaism, especially among Ashkenazi Jews living in anglophone countries. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Aims and organization

Jews for Jesus is based in San Francisco, California. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Jews for Jesus official mission statement is "to make the Messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide." They say that belief in Jesus as Messiah is a fulfillment of the prophecies of Hebrew scripture. Through media advertisements, production and distribution of literature, producing music and organizing person-to-person evangelism, the organization asserts that "a specifically Jewish mission" is necessary, saying "Jewish people tend to dismiss evangelistic methods and materials that are couched in Christian lingo, because they reinforce the assumption that Jesus is for 'them' not 'us.'"^[11] In Judaism, the Messiah (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; Aramaic: , ; Arabic: , ; the Anointed One) at first meant any person who was anointed with oi on rising to a certain position among the ancient Israelites, at first that of High priest, later that of King and also that of a prophet. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Jews for Jesus promotes awareness of the Jewish heritage of the Christian faith. Their website contains brief descriptions of Jewish festivals,^[2] and also runs programs explaining the significance of Passover, Sukkot and Hanukkah, explaining messianic elements and how they believe these festivals are related to Jesus. Pasch redirects here. ... Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת,  ; booths. ... Grand Rabbi Israel Abraham Portugal of the Hasidic group Skullen lighting Hanukkah lights Hanukkah (‎, also spelled Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, which may fall anytime from late November to late December. ...

Beliefs

Jews for Jesus take mainstream Christian positions that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, that his coming was prophesied in the Jewish scriptures, and that Jesus is the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity. This article concerns critical reconstructions of the Historical Jesus. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; Aramaic: , ; Arabic: , ; the Anointed One) at first meant any person who was anointed with oi on rising to a certain position among the ancient Israelites, at first that of High priest, later that of King and also that of a prophet. ... This article or section contains too many quotations for an encyclopedic entry. ...

A summary of Jews for Jesus' beliefs:^[12]

• in the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Old and New Testaments, as originally written.
• God the creator exists as a Trinity, is perfect, all wise, all powerful and all loving.
• Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the Trinity, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for the sins of all humanity, rose again, and is co-equal with God. Jesus will return to earth in the near future.
• People are saved through a belief in Jesus as savior and an acknowledgment of their sins; not by their achievements.
• Heaven is a reward for those who are saved; Hell is a place of "everlasting conscious punishment" for the lost.

According to an article on Jews for Jesus by B. Robinson of Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the Bible and what the Bible teaches about itself. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... This article or section contains too many quotations for an encyclopedic entry. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The death and resurrection of Jesus are two events in the New Testament in which Jesus is crucified on one day (the Day of Preparation, i. ... For other uses, see Second Coming (disambiguation). ... In theology, salvation can mean three related things: being saved from something, such as suffering or the punishment of sin - also called deliverance; being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God - also called redemption Salvation can also be understood in terms of social... Front page of Religious Tolerance. ...

Their doctrinal statement is basically indistinguishable from Evangelical and other conservative Christian groups. ... They differ from some Evangelical Christian groups in their belief that Israel continues to exist as a "covenant people." They also integrate some Jewish customs and use Hebrew and Yiddish in some literature.^[10] “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Yiddish (Yid. ...

Background

One of the most important Jewish principles of faith is the belief in one God and one God only with no partnership of any kind (see Deuteronomy 6:4), and belief in Jesus as deity, son of God, or Christ, is held as incompatible with Judaism. ^{[5] [13]} In his book A History of the Jews, Paul Johnson describes the schism between Jews and Christians caused by a divergence from this principle: There are a number of basic Jewish principles of faith that were formulated by medieval rabbinic authorities. ... There are a number of basic Jewish principles of faith that were formulated by medieval rabbinic authorities. ... Paul Johnson (born Paul Bede Johnson on 2 November 1928 in Manchester, England) is a British Roman Catholic journalist, historian, speechwriter and author. ... Schisms among the Jews are cultural as well as religious. ...

To the question, Was Jesus God or man?, the Christians therefore answered: both. After 70 AD, their answer was unanimous and increasingly emphatic. This made a complete breach with Judaism inevitable.^[14]

Jews for Jesus believes it is entirely compatible with the view of God presented in Jewish scriptures^[15] and that the doctrine of the Trinity, fundamental to the Christian faith, is not entirely alien to Judaism: "While it is true that the Old Testament portion of Scripture does not present as clear a picture of the three-in-one/one-as-three Godhead, there are indications of the plurality of the Godhead in the Hebrew Scriptures." ^[16] This article or section contains too many quotations for an encyclopedic entry. ... In Christianity, the Greek word hypostasis [1] is usually translated into Latin as natura and then into English as nature, although the specific Greek word for nature and substance is physis. ...

According to a common belief in Judaism, these "indications" are based on mistranslations ^{[17] [18] [19]} and Jesus did not fulfill the qualifications for Jewish Messiah. The vision of God as a trinity is seen by Judaism as a deviation from monotheism and therefore is rejected. ^[20] In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during... This article or section contains too many quotations for an encyclopedic entry. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the Celtic Frost album, see Monotheist (album) In theology, monotheism (from Greek one and god) is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God. ...

America's Religions. An Educator's Guide to Beliefs and Practices contains "[a] note about Jews for Jesus, Messianic Jews, Hebrew Christians, and similar groups: Jews in these groups who have converted to Christianity but continue to observe various Jewish practices are no longer considered part of the Jewish community in the usual sense." ^[21] For discussion of the messiah in Judaism, see Jewish messianism and Jewish messianic claimants. ... Note differences: Hebrew Christians identify themselves primarily as Christians. ...

Core values

Jews for Jesus describes its core values in the following way:

This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream Christianity, the...

Leadership, funding and outreach

The organization was founded under the name Hineni Ministries in 1973 by Moishe Rosen, an ordained Baptist minister^[23] who was born Jewish and converted to Christianity at the age of 17. ^[24] Rosen remained its executive director until May of 1996 when he was replaced by David Brickner, ^[10] who, though having some Jewish ancestry, is not Jewish according to Jewish Law.^[25] For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Moishe Rosen Moishe Rosen (born 12 April 1932 as Martin Meyer Rosen to Ben Rosen and Rose Baker) is the founder and former President of Jews for Jesus, an evangelical missionary organization working to persuade Jews that Yeshua (the Hebrew/Aramaic name preferred for Jesus by the Messianic movement) is... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Coptic Orthodox Pope · Roman Catholic Pope Archbishop of Canterbury · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist... Who is a Jew? (‎) addresses the question of Jewish identity. ...

Jews for Jesus is funded by donations from Christians.^[26] It has a full-time staff of 150 employees running branch offices in nine cities across the United States.^[10] There are also branch offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada (Montreal, Toronto), France, Germany (Essen), Israel, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Ukraine (Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Kiev, Odessa). In addition to English language, the group runs websites in Hungarian, Persian, Italian, Spanish, and Korean languages. ^[27]

According to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, the group's total income in FY 2005 was $17,523,386.^[28] The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an accreditation agency that claims to promote fiscal integrity and sound financial practices among member organizations. ... A fiscal year or financial year is a 12-month period used for calculating annual (yearly) financial reports in businesses and other organizations. ...

Methods of evangelizing

The majority of evangelism used by Jews for Jesus consists of large mailings and pamphleteering. The organization uses colorful pamphlets and T-shirts to get their message across and is known for targeting populations of Jews which they see as receptive to their message, ^[29] such as recent immigrants, college students, senior citizens and interfaith couples. Evangelists are trained to recite phrases from the Hebrew Bible and to use Yiddish words in order to convince potential converts that Jews for Jesus maintain Jewish traditions. ^{[24] [30]} 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible is a term that refers to the common portions of the Jewish canon and the Christian canons. ... Yiddish (Yid. ...

On their official website Jews for Jesus says that they give out 8 million pamphlets a year. ^[31] They use college-age volunteers for much of their evangelism. Each July they send a team of 20 to 30 to New York City, which they say has the world's largest and most diverse Jewish population.^[32] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Opposition and criticism

One of the criticisms of Jews for Jesus surrounds the tactics they employ in their missionary and outreach programs. Critics say that the organization uses vague and misleading language along with deceptive tactics in its attempt to convert Jews to Christianity.^[33] These tactics include statements that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Jewish prophecy of Messiah and attempts by Jews for Jesus to interpret core principles of Judaism in an effort to bring these Jewish principles into accord with Christian doctrines.^[34] To this end, critics say that JfJ uses the ambiguity in the definition of "Jew" and "Jewish" to confuse their prospective converts into believing there is a possibility of one being a follower of both Judaism and Christianity simultaneously.^[35] However, belief in Jesus as deity, son of God, or Christ, is held as incompatible with mainstream Judaism. ^[13] Supersessionism (sometimes referred to as replacement theology by its critics) is a belief that Christianity is the fulfillment and continuation of the Old Testament, and that Jews who deny that Jesus is the Messiah are not being faithful to the revelation that God has given them, and they therefore fall...

Although Jews for Jesus believes their views of the Messiah are entirely compatible with the view of God presented in Jewish scriptures,^[15] and that the doctrine of the Trinity, fundamental to the Christian faith, is not entirely alien to Judaism, ^[36] these interpretations by Jews for Jesus are rejected by mainstream Judaism.^{[37] [38] [39] [40]} Jews for Jesus respond to these allegation by stating that their allusions to "Jewishness" refer to ethnic descriptions and not religious ones. ^[41] This article or section contains too many quotations for an encyclopedic entry. ...

Jewish opposition

In 1993, the Task Force on Missionaries and Cults of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY) issued a statement which has been endorsed by the four major Jewish denominations: Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations. ^[7] Based on this statement, the Spiritual Deception Prevention Project at the JCRCNY stated: Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonised in the Talmudic texts (Oral Torah) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ... Conservative Judaism, (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel predominantly), is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s. ... Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of American Jews and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ... Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement, based on the ideas of the late Mordecai Kaplan, that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. ...

On several occasions leaders of the four major Jewish movements have signed on to joint statements opposing Hebrew-Christian theology and tactics. In part they said: "Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not ... It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance ... as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism ... Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbridgeable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former co-religionists." ^[42] Several denominations have developed within Judaism, especially among Ashkenazi Jews living in anglophone countries. ...

The director of a counter-missionary group Torah Atlanta Rabbi Efraim Davidson stated that "the Jews for Jesus use aggressive proselytizing to target disenfranchised or unaffiliated Jews, Russian immigrants and college students" and that "their techniques are manipulative, deceptive and anti-Semitic." ^[43] Counter-Missionaries are Jews who defend Judaism against the Christian claims that Jesus is the Messiah, and comprise members from all Jewish sects. ...

In his 1997 book The Vanishing American Jew: In Search of Jewish Identity for the Next Century Alan Dershowitz wrote: "In America, and in other nations that separate church from state, one's Jewishness is a matter of self-definition ..." but notes: "I do not mean to include former Jews who practice Christianity under the deliberately misleading name Jews for Jesus. A Jew for Jesus already has a name: a Christian." ^[44] Alan Morton Dershowitz (born September 1, 1938) is an American political figure and criminal law professor at Harvard Law School known for his extensive published works, career as an attorney in several high-profile law cases, and commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict. ...

In an interview for Beliefnet, Orthodox Rabbi Irving Greenberg, the author of For the Sake of Heaven and Earth, said: Beliefnet is a large multi-faith e-community which provides a free forum for religious information and inspiration, spiritual tools, and discussions and dialogue groups. ... Irving Greenberg, also known as Yitz Greenberg, is a Jewish-American scholar and author. ...

"But I have to recognize that there are people of ill will; there are Christian missionaries who still believe that Christianity is the only valid religion. There are Jews for Jesus who use the trappings of Judaism to bring people into a religion that teaches that Judaism is finished. Jews for Jesus are worse theologically than the mainstream of Catholicism or Protestantism, which now affirm that Judaism is a valid religion. Jews for Jesus say that it is not. They use the Jewish trappings, but de facto, they are teaching the classic Christian supersessionism--that Judaism was at best a foreshadowing of Christianity".^[45]

The author of the book Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History David Klinghoffer expressed his concern in The Jewish Journal: "When Jews accept Jesus, they marry other Christians or their children do, thus disappearing into the Christian population." ^[25]

Concerning Christian-Jewish reconciliation and Christian missions to the Jews, Emil Fackenheim wrote: In recent years there has been much to note in the way of reconciliation between some Christian groups and the Jewish people. ... Emil Ludwig Fackenheim, Ph. ...

"... Except in relations with Christians, the Christ of Christianity is not a Jewish issue. There simply can be no dialogue worthy of the name unless Christians accept — nay, treasure — the fact that Jews through the two millennia of Christianity have had an agenda of their own. There can be no Jewish-Christian dialogue worthy of the name unless one Christian activity is abandoned, missions to the Jews. It must be abandoned, moreover, not as a temporary strategy but in principle, as a bimillennial theological mistake. The cost of that mistake in Christian love and Jewish blood one hesitates to contemplate. ... A post-Holocaust Jew can still view Christian attempts to convert Jews as sincere and well intended. But even as such they are no longer acceptable: They have become attempts to do in one way what Hitler did in another." ^[46] For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ...

Jews for Judaism

Main article: Jews for Judaism

Jews for Judaism, established by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz in 1985, is the largest Counter-Missionary organization in existence.^[47] The name Jews for Judaism is a deliberate parody of Jews for Jesus, as Jews for Jesus is one of the primary missionary organizations that Jews for Judaism was founded to counter. Jews for Judaism, established by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz in 1985, is an international organization designed to counter Christian missionaries trying to convert Jews. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Counter-Missionaries are Jews who defend Judaism against the Christian claims that Jesus is the Messiah, and comprise members from all Jewish sects. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ...

Messianic Judaism opposition

Main article: Messianic Judaism

Some Messianic Jews^[48][49] who self-identify as Torah observant object to perceived associations with Jews for Jesus^[50], as encouraging the celebration of traditional Christianity, including potentially not keeping kosher^[51], observing Sabbath on Sunday (or not at all), or celebrating non-Jewish holidays such as Easter^[52] and Christmas^[53]. For discussion of the messiah in Judaism, see Jewish messianism and Jewish messianic claimants. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Easter, the Sunday of... Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

Christian opposition to Jews for Jesus and to efforts to evangelize Jews

Some Christian churches see Jewish religious practice as valid in and of itself and thus object to evangelizing Jews. ^{[54] [55]}

The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, an umbrella organization that includes Muslims, Jews, and church groups from the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches, has condemned Jews for Jesus as promoting activities "harmful to the spirit of interreligious respect and tolerance." The conference is also opposed to religious proselytizing in general, though evangelism is an important tenet of Christian theology due to the Great Commission. The conference also denounces the group's "deceptive proselytizing efforts", stating that when practiced on "vulnerable populations" such as the young or the elderly, these efforts are "tantamount to coerced conversions." ^[54] The Rev. Clark Lobenstine, a Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and executive director of the Conference, has stated that his group condemns Jews for Jesus and other messianic Jewish groups by name because they "go beyond the bounds of appropriate and ethically based religious outreach." ^[56] The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington is an organization comprising leaders of liberal Christian, Jewish, and Moslem groups. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Coptic Orthodox Pope · Roman Catholic Pope Archbishop of Canterbury · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... Proselytism is the practice of attempting to convert people to another opinion, usually another religion. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In Christian tradition, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread the faith to all the world. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

The Board of Governors of The Long Island Council of Churches, a group that is opposed to proselytizing of Jews in general, voiced similar sentiments in a statement that "noted with alarm" the "subterfuge and dishonesty" inherent in the "mixing [of] religious symbols in ways which distort their essential meaning", and named Jews for Jesus as one of the three groups about whom such behavior was alleged. ^[54]

Roman Catholic leaders have also spoken out against singling out Jews for conversion. In August 2002, the U. S. Bishops Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious affairs declared that the "evangelizing task no longer includes the wish to absorb the Jewish faith into Christianity and so end the distinctive witness of Jews to God in human history. Thus, while the Catholic Church regards the saving act of Christ as central to the process of human salvation for all, it also believes that Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God. "... The distinctive Jewish witness must be sustained if Catholics and Jews are truly to be, as Pope John Paul II has envisioned, “a blessing to one another.”" ^[57] Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: , Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan PaweÅ‚ II) born   [] (May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland – April 2, 2005, Vatican City) reigned as...

Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with Jewry, stated in November 2002: "This does not mean that Jews in order to be saved have to become Christians; if they follow their own conscience and believe in God’s promises as they understand them in their religious tradition, they are in line with God’s plan, which for us came to its historical completion in Jesus Christ." ^[58] His Eminence Walter Cardinal Kasper (born March 5, 1933) is a Cardinal Deacon and President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in the Roman Curia. ...

Christian denominations that have issued statements criticizing evangelism of Jews include the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church USA, which said in 1988 that Jews have their own covenant with God. In 1996, Pope John Paul II said Jews shouldn't be targeted for conversion.^[59] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... Disambiguation: This article is about the United States denomination known as United Church of Christ. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Others

There are also several other organizations that oppose identification of Jews for Jesus as Jewish group.^[60][61][62]

Rick Ross, a self-declared "cult expert", has been critical of the organization as well and has included them on his website. ^{[63] [64]} Rick Alan Ross (born 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, as Ricky Allan Ross) is a private consultant and lecturer in the area of cults. ...

Affiliations and support

Jews for Jesus defends its actions against these charges, stating:

"If a person believes the Bible and believes that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9,10) and then that person declines to tell a Jewish friend about Christ, it indicates one of two things. Either that person has decided that the Jews are not worthy of the gospel, in which case he would be a racist, an anti-Semite and a hater of people instead of the lover of people that God wants him to be. Or perhaps he has judged the gospel as being unworthy of the Jews in which case he has trivialized the passion of Calvary and the awesome significance of Christ's resurrection." ^[65]

Jews for Jesus is a member of numerous evangelical Christian groups, including The World Evangelical Alliance, ^{[66] [67]} the National Association of Evangelicals, ^{[66] [68]} the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, ^{[66] [28]} the World Evangelical Fellowship, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, ^[69] the Canadian Council for Christian Charities, the Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain, the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, the Fédération Evangélique de France, (Evangelical Federation of France), the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism ^[70]. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an organization based in Vancouver, Canada, which serves as a network for evangelical organizations and denominations around the world. ... The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an agency dedicated to coordinating cooperative ministry for evangelical denominations of Christians in the United States. ... The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an accreditation agency that claims to promote fiscal integrity and sound financial practices among member organizations. ... The World Evangelical Alliance is an organisation based in Washington USA, which serves as a network for evangelical organisations and denominations around the world. ... The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is a national parachurch association of over 140 affiliated church denominations, ministry organizations, educational institutions, and 1,000 local church congregations. ...

Jews for Jesus also notes the lack of consensus on many issues in Judaism, and says that due to the seemingly unusual assuredness of many Jewish groups that Jews for Jesus' beliefs are incompatible with Judaism, that this represents a double standard.^[34]

Litigations

1987 - Jews for Jesus sues for freedom of speech

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jews for Jesus in a 1987 suit it filed against the municipal agency in charge of Los Angeles International Airport that had barred the group from distributing leaflets at the airport as part of a larger ban on what they described as First Amendment activities. Jews for Jesus challenged the airport's right to institute such a sweeping ban. ^[8] The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Runway layout at LAX “LAX” redirects here. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ...

1992 - Jews for Jesus sues for civil rights violations

In 1992 the New York State Court of Appeals ruled against Jews for Jesus in a suit the organization brought against the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY), an umbrella group representing 60 Jewish agencies in the metropolitan New York area. The case addressed the JCRCNY's 1985 warning to Long Island rabbis that Jews for Jesus was seeking a venue to conduct a Passover seder. Jews for Jesus sued the JCRCNY for violating its civil rights; the decision upheld a lower court ruling that the JCRCNY communication did not "go beyond the proposal stage" and that there was no evidence that any of the Long Island rabbis had actually contacted establishments for the purpose of discriminating against Jews for Jesus. The Court of Appeals is New Yorks highest appellate court, created in 1847, replacing the Court for the Trial of Impeachments and the Correction of Errors. ...

In a 1992 lawsuit brought by Jews for Jesus against the JCRCNY, a United States Court of Appeals ruled that the efforts of the JCRCNY urging Jewish organizations not to patronize a New York country club because it allowed Jews for Jesus to hold its annual convention on its premises were not protected as an exercise of the JCRC's First Amendment rights. ^[8] The United States courts of appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ...

1993 - Israel refuses citizenship to couple affiliated with Jews for Jesus

In 1993 the Supreme Court of Israel, in a case involving a couple affiliated with Jews for Jesus, ruled that Jews who adhere to the Christian beliefs are regarded by Israeli law as "members of a different faith," and are not eligible for the automatic citizenship that Israel grants Jews. In its summary of the ruling, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the belief that Jesus is the Messiah "cannot be reconciled with Judaism" and "marks the clear separation between Judaism and Christianity." ^[8] The Supreme Court (Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ... The Law of Return (Hebrew: חוק השבות, hok ha-shvut) is Israeli legislation that allows Jews and those with Jewish parents or grandparents, and spouses of the aforementioned, to settle in Israel and gain citizenship. ...

1998 and 2005-2006 - Jews for Jesus name online

Jews for Jesus has been involved in litigation regarding Internet use of its name. In 1998 they sued Steven Brodsky for cybersquatting for registering the domain name jewsforjesus.org to use for a site criticizing the organization; ^[8] the domain now belongs to Jews for Jesus and is used for their main site. According to the U.S. federal law known as the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, cybersquatting is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. ...

In 2005 Jews for Jesus sued ^[71] Google for allowing a Blogspot user to put up a site at the third-level subdomain jewsforjesus.blogspot.com. In September 2006, Christianity Today reported that "Jews for Jesus settled out of court with a critical blogger identified as "Whistle Blower" on jewsforjesus.blogspot.com. The evangelistic ministry assumed control of the site." ^[72] This article is about the corporation. ... Blogger logo Blogger, a coined word created by Pyra Labs, is a service that provides Web-based tools used by individuals to publish to the Web. ... Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ...

2006 - Jewish comedian sues Jews for Jesus for misusing his name

In 2006, comedian and actor Jackie Mason filed a lawsuit against Jews for Jesus, alleging that they unlawfully distributed a pamphlet which used his name and likeness in a way that suggested he was a member of the group. In fact, Mason is a member of the Jewish faith and not associated with Jews for Jesus. ^[73] Jews for Jesus has issued a detailed response to the allegation on their website. ^[74] Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza on June 9, 1931, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin) is an American stand-up comedian. ...

A U. S. District Judge in the Southern District of New York denied a preliminary injunction against Jews for Jesus over the pamphlet, finding the distribution of the pamphlet to be protected by the First Amendment, and also stated that the pamphlet did not suggest that Mason was a Christian. ^[75] “NY” redirects here. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ...

In December 2006, Jackie Mason dropped the charges against Jews for Jesus after they issued a letter of apology to Mason. The group's executive director, David Brickner, stated in the letter to Mason that he wanted "to convey my sincere apologies for any distress that you felt over our tract." Brickner continued that he believed its publication was protected by the Constitution, but the group was willing in the interest of peace and love for Israel to retire the pamphlet. Mason replied in front of the federal court in Manhattan where he accepted the apology, ""There's no such thing as a Jew for Jesus. It's like saying a black man is for the KKK. You can't be a table and a chair. You're either a Jew or a gentile." ^[76] Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza on June 9, 1931, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin) is an American stand-up comedian. ...

See also

• Who is a Jew?
• Jews for Judaism
• Messianic Judaism
• Jewish Messiah
• Jewish view of Jesus
• Christian-Jewish reconciliation
• Judaism and Christianity
• Supersessionism
• Dispensationalism
• Judaism's view of Jesus

Who is a Jew? (‎) addresses the question of Jewish identity. ... Jews for Judaism, established by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz in 1985, is an international organization designed to counter Christian missionaries trying to convert Jews. ... For discussion of the messiah in Judaism, see Jewish messianism and Jewish messianic claimants. ... In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during... Christianity diverged from Judaism in the first century CE: for this reason, the Jewish view of Jesus is important for a historical understanding of Christianitys initial reception. ... In recent years there has been much to note in the way of reconciliation between some Christian groups and the Jewish people. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Supersessionism (sometimes referred to as replacement theology by its critics) is a belief that Christianity is the fulfillment and continuation of the Old Testament, and that Jews who deny that Jesus is the Messiah are not being faithful to the revelation that God has given them, and they therefore fall... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      As a current in Protestant Christian theology... Judaism has no special or particular view of Jesus, and very few texts in Judaism directly refer to or take note of Jesus. ...

Further reading

• Sentenced for Life: A Story of an Entry and an Exit into the World of Fundamentalist Christianity and Jews for Jesus by Jo Ann Schneider Farris (Writers Club Press, 2002) ISBN 0-595-24940-X
• Hawking God. A Young Jewish Woman's Ordeal in Jews for Jesus by Ellen Kamentsky (Sapphire Press) An excerpt
• Evangelizing the Chosen People: Missions to the Jews in America, 1880 - 2000 by Yaakov Ariel (The University of North Carolina Press, 1999) ISBN 0-8078-2566-2
• Smashing the Idols: A Jewish Inquiry into the Cult Phenomenon by Gary D. Eisenberg (Jason Aronson, 1988) ISBN 0-87668-974-8

External links

• Jews for Jesus Official website
• Ex-Jews for Jesus website of former members of Jews for Jesus
• Jews for Judaism Jews for Judaism website, an answer to Jews for Jesus
• Jews for Jesus: Targeting Jews for Conversion with Subterfuge and Deception - the view of the Anti-Defamation League
• The Real Jews for Jesus By Jason Levinson (Torah Atlanta)
• Why Jews Don't Believe In Jesus
• Who is financing "Jews for Jesus"? (faqs.org)
• Complaint in lawsuit against Google over Blogspot subdomainPDF (1.46 MiB)
• Why don't Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah? by Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner (about.com)
• County Jewish organizations protest evangelical attempt by Steven Reiskind (Boca Raton News) November 5, 2003
• Jews for Jesus campaign targets NY Jews by Gal Beckerman (July 10, 2006) Jerusalem Post
• Holy Hell Over Subway 'jesus' Ad Blitz Targets Jews By Jeremy Olshan (New York Post) July 7, 2006

Jews for Judaism, established by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz in 1985, is an international organization designed to counter Christian missionaries trying to convert Jews. ... The Anti-Defamation League (or ADL) is an advocacy group founded by Bnai Brith in the United States whose stated aim is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. ... The Portable Document Format (PDF) is the file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. ... A mebibyte (a contraction of mega binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, abbreviated MiB. 1 MiB = 220 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes = 1,024 kibibytes 1 MiB = 1024 (= 210) kibibytes (KiB), and 1024 MiB equal one gibibyte (GiB). ... The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli newspaper in the English language. ...

References