A prominent missionary personality was given unhindered airtime, 25 minutes, beginning at 9:15pm, permitting him to reach out to listeners in Israel and around the world with his video broadcast during prime time.
Yad L’Achim’s Rav Sholom Dov Lifshitz Shlita did his utmost to prevent the broadcast, or at the very least, to have an opposing view aired as well, hoping to dilute the heretic message of the prominent individual but the program arranged by Rino Tzror went on as scheduled, granting the missionary a private stage with a broad audience.
Yad L’Achim sent urgent requests to the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications, but to no avail. He asked that at the very least, they use the weight of their office to ensure an opposing [Torah] viewpoint be aired as well. Ultimately, the urgent requests were ignored, with event organizers explaining that the speaker was expressing personal views, not that of a missionary organization, hence his broadcast is permitted.
The personality was introduced at the start of the program as a “messianic Jew” who heads a community in the Jerusalem area. The broadcast began with a question and answer session, and it was a far cry from an individual expressing his private views. He addressed Christianity, as well as his following, the size of his community, the source of funding, how one can donate and other tidbits that permitted him to promote his anti-Torah message, community and make an appeal for funds as well.
Following the broadcast, R’ Lifshitz turned to attorney Avigdor Dagan, the legal advisor of Israel Television “Educational TV” department, questioning the judgment of officials for permitting such a broadcast. Dagan denied that the program contained missionary content.
Yad L’Achim attorney Moshe Morgenstern sent a letter to Dagan citing the long list of violations of the law contained in the broadcast. He also pointed out the poor timing of the program, during the evening hours when children around the country are awake and in front of computers.
Rav Lifshitz explains that until such time the anti-missionary laws are amended, those seeking to destroy yiddishkheit will find a suitable stage in Israel, calling on MKs to use their authority to amend the law immediately.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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7 Responses
We know there are groups that burn garbage and slash tires to protest opening parking lots on Shabbas.
So aren’t there those who can make clear to this individual, with a more hands on approach that it might be exceedingly unwise, perhaps even unhealthy, to pursue his present course.
This is rather sickening. He needs to have a talk with Eli Yishai maybe there’s something he can do. These missionaries are sick people. They take such joy in stealing Jewish neshamos for their Kefirah.
Missionaries are neither sick nor do they take such joy in stealing Jewish neshamos for their Kefirah. What they are is persons practicing their “faith” just as one practices his faith and heritage by going to shul and davening. If you practice your faith from the heart and share your faith and heritage with your children and remain steadfast to Hashem, no amount of words from any “missionary” can sway your faith or the faith of your child. A child will practice the faith of the parent who most lives his faith and remain steadfast to that faith. The question now is: Are you living your faith to the fullest for and in honor of Hashem and thus instilling your faith in your child, or are you claiming faith in word only?
Shaggy:
Are you a missionary?
You don’t know squat about missionaries. Listen to Rabbi Singer on missionaries. These cults have a goal to capture as many (naive uninformed amhaaratzim tinokos shenishba…)Jews to their side. Evangelical Christians have a belief that Jews need to be “saved” by being converted to Christianity. You should really educate yourself to the danger of missionaries and as to why Lev Laachim exists and is so desperately needed.
In Israel, giving airtime for kiruv and yiddishkeit would be a major problem.
#4
Take the time to read Shaggy’s comment before you vilify him.
Baiscally it is the parent’s responsibility to instill in their children a faith that is strong enough to resist any missionary efforts.
This is not an impossible task, just count the number of frum yidden under the age of 30 and you will see how badly the missionaries have failed.
Missionaries have been arounsd for over 2000 years and we are still a strong and vibrant people.
Ah, this is a topic I know something about. I am an Orthodox Jew who has studied Shas (via Daf Yomi) 1 1/2 times. But I was raised as a Christian and considered being a minister until I actually read the Christian scriptures, compared it to the Torah, and realized that my faith was the same as Judaism’s. I converted 30 years ago this coming Tammuz. For the past ten years I’ve posted regularly on Jewish bulletin boards doing counter-missionary work and I have a website with a brief article about why Jews can’t believe in Yoshka. In my debates with missionaries, I’ve realized that I’ve forgotten more of their scripture than they, in fact, ever learned. So, I beat them over the head with quotes from Tanach and the n.t. that they do not know nor are ever taught.
Shaggy is correct that Christians believe, very much, that their efforts to convert you to their beliefs are both good for you and good for them. Preaching to non-Christians is one of their paramount (l’havdil) “mitzvahs.” Nevertheless, I have to point out that in doing so, their own scripture allows them to resort to lies (e.g. “Only that in every way, WHETHER IN PRETENSE or in truth, C***** is procalimed; and in this I rejoice…” Phil. 1:18). Their leader Paul said, also, that he himself would pretend to be observant so that he might win over observant Jews. 1 Corin. 9:20. Christian sources have for so long mistranslated the Tanach to suit their own purposes, they will not believe you when you show them that in Hebrew the Tanach says something completely different than what they say. In sum, most Christians are sincerely trying to “help” Jews when they preach to them, but in fact, only the professionals realize just how much they are lying when they do.