Recently, it was reported that GOD-TV, which is a global Christian evangelism network broadcasting the Christian message for the purpose of converting and bringing people into the Christian faith, was shockingly allowed a license to transmit and broadcast in Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel.
As the Jewish people are indigenous people to the Land of Israel, it was no favor that the United Nations and the United States recognized that the Jewish people had aspirations to reestablish a state in Israel 72 years ago. It wasn’t because of the Holocaust that Israel became, we have our entire history based upon this land given by G-d as it was promised to us.
Today, Israel is the only Jewish state in the world where we protect ourselves and manage our own affairs and is forever being challenged by the world. We are forever defending ourselves and reminding the world we want to live in peace yet everyone and their brother wants to remove us, steal from us, take advantage of us, convert us, and now transform us. However GOD-TV was allowed to be in Israel is certainly our fault. We allowed this and it was a grave error.
As the public stated goal of GOD-TV is to soften the image of Yoshkie to the Jew and ultimately introduce them to the “Jewish Messiah.” These are code words for the Christian State of Israel. The intention is obvious here, Christians wanting to tell Jews they can be themselves, remain Jewish, maintain your culture and characteristics, just accept the Christian Messiah.
Practically speaking, this is impossible. The adaptation of Christian theology is the antithesis of Judaism, and the worship or “acceptance” of Yoshkie is itself is against the core commands of the Torah. Have you ever walked Ben Yehuda and seen missionaries handing out New Testament books as gifts? Why would those whom claim they love the Jewish people and the Land of Israel want to influence the unsuspecting Jew to learn of what is concealed in the New Testament?
Long ago, Christians learned that the way to access the heart of a Jew is by two key methods, looking like them and saying they love them. Messianic Christian churches around the world and actually in Israel, have used the system of immigration, missionary work, Judaism and money to gain favor and access to Israel. We want the love, the tourism, Jewish immigration and our own faith for sure, but we want these things honestly.
Messianic Christians have used immigration to gain citizenship in Israel by deceptively converting to Conservative Judaism to enter Israel. They have used money and love to increase travel to holy sites and spreading their biblical value of Israel or eschatology of the Christian faith to connect people to Israel whom come for vacation, but would love to get the first prize which is a new Jewish soul to Yoshkie.
In the United States, Messianic Christians have maneuvered in deceptive ways to get Jewish tablets worn on Messianic Christian uniforms in the military in lieu of the standard Christian cross. Meaning, the average honest Jewish rabbi, who went to yeshiva and has a Jewish history, is now able to be usurped by a non-Jew Christian who claims to be a Messianic “Jew,” endorsed by a Messianic Christian endorser and can wear the tablets, call themselves a “rabbi” and maneuver around the troops as a “rabbi” while being unknown to the average person, gain the credibility of a rabbi, yet is a Christian pastor in disguise. They can respond as a Jewish rabbi and most wouldn’t know the difference.
These are some of the serious issues Jews face today against a tide of proselytizing and evangelism/missionaries’ tactics against our people. Many honest Christians do have serious issues with these attempts to manipulate unsuspecting Jews and today we see now on the largest scale, a Christian television network openly working, in Hebrew, in Israel, to convert Jews to another faith, which neither you, nor your forefathers have known (Devarim 13:7).
Lastly, G-d made us Jews to be His people and to be Jews. He made other people to be whom they were made to be. Our greatest kavod and command is to be the best Jew we can according to the Torah of Hashem.
Rabbi ARI MONTANARI IS THE CHIEF Rabbi AT Congregation Pirchei Shoshanim IN Mission Viejo and a contributing writer to Jlife magazine.