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A number of religious groups, particularlyChristians andMuslims, are involved in theproselytization of Jews—attempts to recruit or "missionize"Jews.
In response, some Jewish groups have formed counter-missionary/counter-proselytization organizations to discourage missionary andmessianic groups such asJews for Jesus from using practices that they say are deceptive.[1][2]
According to RabbiTovia Singer, counter-missionary expert and director ofOutreach Judaism, there are well over 1,000messianic congregations and other missions to the Jews worldwide.[3]
TheCatholic Church has historically beeninstrumental in its attempt to convert Jews. Such examples includeconversos during theInquisition, especially within Spain. However, since theSecond Vatican Council and the production of the documentNostra aetate, the Catholic Church's attitude towards Jewish conversion has been that of sensitivity.
Pope Benedict XVI suggested that Jews should not be targeted for conversion. In his book,Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week, he stated "Israel is in the hands of God, who will save it 'as a whole' at the proper time, when the number of Gentiles is full".[4]
A document released by theCommission for Religious Relations with the Jews underPope Francis stated "In concrete terms this means that the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews",[5] though it also says "Christians are nonetheless called to bear witness to their faith in Jesus Christ also to Jews."[6] The document also denies that there is more than one path to salvation stating "Confessing the universal and therefore also exclusive mediation of salvation through Jesus Christ belongs to the core of Christian faith."[7]
A number ofChristian denominations have programs to reach Jews.[8] TheJTA, a Jewish news service, conducted an extensive analysis of Christian efforts to convert Jews to Christianity[9] and found that some of the largestevangelical denominations – theSouthern Baptists, theAssemblies of God, and theLutheran Church–Missouri Synod – have all increased their efforts to evangelize Jews in the recent past.
The article states that the Christian missionary organizationJews for Jesus completed a five-year tour called "Behold Your God" that brought its message to 53 cities worldwide, and the ChristianChosen People Ministries saw its income grow by 31% to $7.9 million between 2003 and 2006.
Jews for Judaism,[10] a Jewish counter-missionary group, writes that there are over 900 Christian groups in North America actively involved in missionizing the Jewish people. Jews for Judaism further states that these groups are currently spending over $250 million each year on efforts to convert Jews to Christianity. Jews for Jesus, the best known single ministry to the Jews, spent over $15 million in 2008.[11] TheAssemblies of God has an extensive organization targeting Jews for conversion to Christianity.[12]
Israel has more than one hundredMessianic congregations according to Yaakov Shalom Ariel, an associate professor of religious studies at theUniversity of North Carolina and author ofEvangelizing The Chosen People.[9]
Proselytizing is legal in the country and missionaries of all religious groups are allowed to proselytize all citizens; however, a 1977 law prohibits any person from offering material benefits as an inducement to conversion. It was also illegal to convert persons under 18 years of age unless one parent were an adherent of the religious group seeking to convert the minor. Despite the legality of proselytism, the government has taken a number of steps that encouraged the perception that proselytizing is against government policy. For example, the MOI[who?] has detained individuals suspected of being "missionaries," and required of such persons bail and a pledge to abstain from missionary activity, in addition to refusing them entry into the country. It maintained denunciations of such activity from antimissionary groups like Yad L'Achim in its border control databases. The MOI has also cited proselytism as a reason to deny student, work, and religious visa extensions, as well as to deny permanent residency petitions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) promised the Knesset in 1986 to refrain from all proselytism voluntarily in conjunction with receiving a building permit for its Jerusalem Center following protests from the Orthodox community.
— A 2010 US State Department report on religious freedom in Israel[13]
A prominent effort to convert Jews to Christianity is known asJews for Jesus. It was founded byMartin "Moishe" Rosen, who is of Jewish descent and grew up in a non-observant home, converted to Christianity, and was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1957. In 1973, Rosen left the employment of the American Board of Missions to the Jews, now calledChosen People Ministries, to incorporate a separate mission which became known as Jews for Jesus. In 1986, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree fromWestern Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jews for Jesus is now led byDavid Brickner, who has been working for the organization since 1977.[14]
The 19th century saw at least 250,000 Jews convert to Christianity according to existing records of various societies.[15] Data from thePew Research Center has it that, as of 2013, about 1.6 million adultAmerican Jews identify themselves asChristians; most asProtestants.[16][17][18] According to the same data, most of the Jews who identify themselves as some sort of Christian (1.6 million) were raised as Jews or are Jews by ancestry.[17] According to a 2012 study, 17% ofJews in Russia identify themselves asChristians.[19][20]
Efforts to convert Jews to Christianity are sometimes regarded asantisemitic.[21] MostProgressive Christian andMainline Christian denominations have publicly declared that they no longer proselytize Jews.[22][23] Mostevangelical andconservative Christian churches have said they will continue their efforts to evangelize among Jews and claim that proselytism is not antisemitic.[24]
Muslims have also targeted Jews for conversion.[25] Rabbi Moshe Cohen, ofYad L'Achim, an Israel-based counter-missionary organization,[26] has identified Al Dawaa, an Israel-based Muslim group headed by Sheikh Abu Yassin ofKafr Manda.[27]
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Jewish counter-missionary organizations respond to these efforts by offering personal counseling, web sites with articles addressing common missionary tactics, and discussion forums where Jews who have questions about the differences between Judaism and other religions can be answered by observant Jews.
Some Jewish resources are specifically aimed at countering the missionary efforts aimed at Jews.
Rabbi Moshe Shulman has responded to specific missionaries who target Jews, including Michael Brown,[35] Rachmiel Frydland, Risto Santala, andDavid H. Stern (author of theComplete Jewish Bible).[36] Rabbi Shulman's website offers scholarly articles on the misuse of the Targums, Midrash and Talmud by non-Jews who quote from Jewish sources in an attempt to convert Jews.[37]
The leading counter-missionary organization in Israel isYad L'Achim, an organization focusing onOrthodox Judaism outreach and counter-missionary activity.Yad L'Achim is made up of both paid staff and volunteers, and is largely supported by donations both from Israel and the diaspora.[38]
