Jewish Believers in Jesus in Israel in 2008

In my paper I am going to answer the following questions: what is the current identity of Jews who believe in Jesus in Israel, what is the significance of the Jewish community who believe in Jesus in Israel, what is the status of the citizenship for Messianic Jews in Israel, and what is their future in Israel.
The Identity of Jews who believe in Jesus in Israel
The Holocaust and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 provided the unfortunate but necessary ingredients for the serious re-orientation of Jewish life in the diaspora, for many Jews asked the question, if there really was a God why would he allow his “chosen people” to go through hell on earth at the hands of the Nazi’s? The Holocaust and the birth of Israel were also the springboard to bring back to life the 2,000 year old idea of a Jewish faith in Jesus the Messiah in the diaspora and ultimately back in the state of Israel. In 2008 [1]the legal definition of who is a Jew in Israel reflects the laws of the State of Israel originating from the Knesset, which are for the most part democratic in nature, but the laws of the land are also highly subject to the powerful influence of the Ultra Orthodox religious parties in the government. A modern example is the Shaas party not crossing the political isle and negotiating with Tzivi Lipni the Prime Minister elect in the last elections and thereby forcing another election to be held in early 2009. The most significant law relating to what law defines who is a Jew in this regard is the Law of Return. The Law of Return was first established in 1950 and guaranteed full privileges of citizenship to all Jews who wanted to immigrate to Israel from anywhere in the world no matter what their religion was. Today the definition of the Law of Return functions as a practical yet legal test of who is a Jew because it determines who is eligible to immigrate to Israel with full and automatic rights as an Israeli citizen and who is not. Consequently, the actual and precise wording of the Law of Return has become a burning issue with lobbying groups and in the Knesset itself over the years. The two major sides of the battle of who is Jew, are those who want Jewish identity to be determined by Jewish Halakhah Law, namely the minority percentage of the population of Israel, the Orthodox Jews (some 10%), and the majority of the population (some 90%), the so called secular Jews who prefer to regard Jewish identity as an issue of nationality and not necessarily have religion and politics together tell them what they can and cannot do. The original Law of Return passed in 1950 was an act of parliament without any pressure from religious interests. The Law was then amended under the clear influence and persuasion of Jewish religious tradition in 1970 for among other reasons to keep Jews who believe in Jesus out of the country by passing an amendment to the Law of Return in order to define a Jew as someone born to a Jewish mother or has converted to Judaism, and does not belong to another religion. The Israeli Bagatz, the High Court of Justice, has again and again ruled that a Jew, even if observing all the rabbinical tradition of Judaism, yet at the same time also believes that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah as foretold in the Tanach, is not regarded as a Jew but someone who is [2]embracing another religion. Consequently, such a person because of a personal religious belief is left without any national identity, and is no longer considered a “Jew” by the nation of Israel. Jews who believe in Jesus in the diaspora and in Israel are challenging the received Christian and Jewish consensus that when Jews come to believe in Jesus that they cease to be a Jew and become and Christian instead. They claim the same status in the Church that the first generation of Jewish believers in Jesus in Israel enjoyed, who expressed their faith in Jesus as Jews and in no way denied or compromised their status as being a Jew. Currently their faith is expressed in Jewish terms, with worship and community life shaped by the Hebrew Bible. This normally involves holding their weekly meetings of worship on the Sabbath, and they observe the Jewish feasts described in the Bible and do not adhere in any way to the Rabbinical laws that are not in the Bible such as not being able to drive on the Sabbath. As of today according to the state of Israel, if you have a Jewish mother and even if you also have a Jewish father but you believe in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah you are not Jewish, and therefore you are not permitted to immigrate to Israel in almost every circumstance.
Significance of the Messianic Jewish community in Israel in 2008
I think it is particularly in Israel, that the modern Jesus movement among Jews has the full potential to come back to life and to reshape the first congregations of Jewish believers in Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament. The developments in the Diaspora necessarily have an orientation to come back to Israel, whatever the size and growth rate of the movement in Israel. The amount of Jewish believers in Jesus and congregations in Israel has grown greatly since 1948. In 1948 there were less than 100 Israelis who believed in Jesus in Eretz Israel and there were only 2 congregations, in 2008 here are approximately 5,000 Jews who believe in Jesus in Eretz Israel and 100 congregations. The movement has tripled in size since the 1980’s since the huge influx of immigrants primarily from the former Soviet Union in the 1990’s. The movement of Jews believing in Jesus in Israel is remarkably diverse today, reflecting the different theologies, countries of origins, wealth, and language groups. The Messianic Jewish movement in Israel reflects the typical Israeli combination of a strong willed independence and a clear sense of belonging to a people group. Thus there is considerable variety and tensions between them, yet a general recognition that there is safety in numbers and they belong together. Though Jews who believe in Jesus in Eretz Israel is still a young and developing movement, [3]there is an estimated 70 Hebrew and/or English speaking congregations, 25 Russian speaking, and 5 Ethiopian speaking congregations in the country. The growth during the 1990’s of congregation in Israel saw a huge increase and continues to grow despite all efforts to keep “Jews” who believe in Jesus from immigrating by the Minister of Interior. We do not have any up to date statistics but these [4]2004 numbers below give an indication to the growth rate. First though it must be mentioned that it is difficult to say exactly how many Messianic Jews there are in the country, because most of the congregations are mixed with different ethnicities and nationalities. In some groups only half, or less, of the members are real Jews. According to an interview I did with Jews for Jesus in Tel Aviv there are approximately 5,000 Israelis who believe in Jesus and worship God at a local congregation some where in the country.
Persons Persons

Carmel Assembly on Mt. Carmel (1991) 160 300
Peniel Fellowship in Tiberias (1982) 180 320
Beit Asaf in Netanya (1983) 80 190
Ohalei Rachamim in Kiryat Yam (1995) 85 280
Grace and Truth in Rishon Letzion (1976) 200 450

The Future of Jews who believe in Jesus in Israel
Today the world administrative and economic center for Jews who believe in Jesus is in the United States, but I believe that slowly but surely within the next 100 years the world center will move back to Israel where it all started 2,000 years ago. One reason is demographics despite the current wording of the Law of Return. In 1948 only 6% of world Jewry live in Eretz Israel, where in 2008 it is somewhere around 40% and the percentage is increasing not decreasing. Another reason for the shifting to Israel is because of the economic and political uncertainty in the global economy and the overall economic balance of Israel remaining strong and forecasted to remain strong, though this can change quickly. There have been large increases in the number of Jews around the world moving back to Eretz Israel, and with them will come back many Jews who believe in Jesus despite the Law of Return. Another reason for the shifting of the world center back to Israel is because of the ministry of Israeli missionary groups such as Jews for Jesus and www.yeshua.co.il. Jews for Jesus is one of many missionary groups in the country, which consists of Sabra’s, who are committed full time to telling their fellow Jews about Jesus the Jewish Messiah. Jews for Jesus has their main office in secular Tel Aviv with around 25 full time staff members who make Jesus known publicly in Israel by distributing literature on the streets of Israel, and by expensive and wide spread media advertising in Israel. I interviewed the director of Jews for Jesus in Israel, Dan Sered, and he told me that they have distributed over 250,000 pieces of literature in Hebrew to Jews here about Jesus just in 2008, that is something like 3% of the Jews in the country in just 6 months who have been personally given literature about Jesus from other Jews. Even more so, Jews for Jesus also advertises free New Testaments and websites about Jesus on billboards, buses in Tel Aviv, and on the radio. They also advertise in many of the national newspapers that have a distribution of one million subscriptions. In 2008 it is 100% legal to proselytize in Israel only under two circumstances, first, unless the person is under 18 years old, and secondly as long as you do not pay someone to change their faith. Though the religious community and Ultra Orthodox Knesset members are always in the wings trying to pass a bill to make it illegal to proselytize in Israel they have failed every time. This ruling concerning the legality of proselytizing could possibly change in favor of the religious community within the next 10 years because of the aggressive proselytization attempts that will be taking place all over the country over the next 5 years. Starting in 2008 Jews for Jesus began a six year program intending to tell the whole nation of Israel about Jesus the Jewish Messiah by having two very large and aggressive month long events every year for six years in different key regions of the country. The first campaign was in Gush-Dan in May 2008 and the second was in Upper Galilee in October. Next year the campaigns will be held on the Mediterranean Coast in May and in October in the Galilee. They are also planning a month long evangelism campaign in Jerusalem in 2014. Can you imagine 50 Israeli missionaries in Jerusalem for 30 days in the holiday month of October spread out all over Jerusalem handing out literature about Jesus the Jewish Messiah and advertising free New Testaments in newspapers and signs! Another reason I see the growth of Jewish believers in Jesus growing in Israel is because of the interest in younger people. The young Israeli’s look at the Ultra Orthodox community as out of touch and strange and therefore they are not interested in their religion. They still have a great interest in the God of Abraham and in spiritual things, and they will be introduced to Jesus some how and see Jesus as an interesting Jewish rebel with a message of love who was killed by the Romans and Jewish religious leaders of his time and therefore be interested in his story and some will become Jews who believe in Jesus and slowly but surely add to the number of Jews who believe in Jesus in Eretz Israel.
Citizenship for Jews who believe in Jesus in Israel
According to the Israeli Supreme Court, [5]“citizenship grants a person rights and obligations at the highest level and therefore granting of it, or the revocation of it, needs to be done after a factual and worthy examination”. There are three different ways according to the Law of Citizenship wherein an Israeli can have their citizenship taken away. The first way is to visit an enemy nation of Israel, the second is to commit treason, and the third reason is if one’s citizenship was acquired on the basis of false information. The importance of the right of citizenship in the nation of Israel cannot be underestimated. It is so important to the individual that even those who commit the worst crimes against the country are given a fair and balanced trial before the Israeli Supreme Court to determine whether their citizenship should possibly be taken away. There was an idea of revoking the citizenship of Igal Amir on grounds of treason for his assassination of Yitzchak Rabin. The Israeli High Supreme Court came to a decision that the citizenship of the man who murdered the Prime Minister should not be revoked. Then there was the idea of revoking the citizenship of the two Knesset members, Whatal Taha and Jamal Zahalka from the Balad party because they illegally visited an enemy state of Israel. The Chief Justices decided that departure from Israel to an enemy nation does not create an automatic prerequisite for having one’s Israeli citizenship taken away. Despite the fact that the nation of Israel recognizes the International Law, which considers the right of citizenship as one of the most important of civil rights, and despite the fact that the right of citizenship grants a person many basic privileges in their relationship before their own State, and despite the fact that the right of citizenship is essential in order to implement the freedom of transportation in a nation, it appears the nation of Israel, especially the Minister of Interior is so concerned with one minority religious group of 5,000 persons, the Messianic Jewish community in Israel, that they are actually revoking many of the citizenships of these people who have once already been given legal citizenship when they immigrated. Some of these Israeli citizens who have immigrated to Israel and believe in Jesus have received letters in the mail from the Minister of Interior demanding that they come to a meeting in order to “review their current civil status” without any further explanation in the letter. What was the reason for the Minister of Interior summoning these Israeli citizens to review their citizenship? Did they betray the nation of Israel? Did they represent a threat to national security? Did they visit an enemy state? Did they murder someone? The answer to all these questions is no. What did they do? Nothing. They just have a belief that clashes with the Ultra Orthodox religious parties. Once the citizens come to the meeting to “review their status” they are often deceived and forced to sign official paper work that says that their citizenship was based on false information and then their citizenship is revoked and they are deported out of the country without being able to present their case to the Supreme Court. These tactics showed by the Ultra Orthodox religious community and some members of the Minister of Interior show their fear of this minority group’s potential continued growth and how desperate they are to keep Jews who believe in Jesus out of Israel.
Summary
The Messianic Jewish community in Israel forms a very distinct group due to unique religious, cultural, and social features. Though the Law of Return makes it “impossible” to be a Jew and believe in Jesus and to immigrate to Israel many still are. A poll done towards secular Israelis in the late 1980’s asked them if they would object to a Jew who believes in Jesus immigrating to Israel, and the overwhelming majority of the secular Israelis did not care. In the long run the Jews who believe in Jesus in Israel have to pursue a public education campaign to make secular and rational Israeli’s aware of their minority status, who they actually are, and what they believe, coupled with working at the legislative level. It is clear that the number of Messianic Jews and congregations in the country is growing and not declining, and that they are here to stay despite the ideals of the Ultra Orthodox Jews……”for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing, but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God”.
[1] Kai Kjaer-Hansen, Jewish Identity and Faith in Jesus page 80
[2] Israeli Supreme Court ruling regarding Oswald Rufeisen
[3] Juster and Hocken, The Messianic Jewish Movement page 9 line 12
[4] Juster and Hocken, The Messianic Jewish Movement page 18 line 18
[5] Michael Decker, Revocation of Citizenship page 17 line 1