List of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians

My friend Richard Gibson contributed many of the names to this impressive and moving list of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians. Previously the list was on Wikipedia but was removed after a campaign which labelled the list as "pointless propaganda"! I am preserving it here, links and sources attached.

Messianic Jews

• Rabbi Daniel Zion - Born in 1883 in Bulgaria, became the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria. Rabbi Zion had a vision of Yeshua and subsequently believed in him as the Messiah of the Jewish people. He remained the Chief Rabbi in Bulgaria as a Messianic Jew until 1949, a period in which Bulgaria's Jews miraculously escaped the Holocaust. In 1949, Daniel Zion made aaliyah, and became the leader of a synagogue in Jaffa. He died in 1979, aged 96. The Bulgarian Jewish community of Israel gave him full military and state honors. His bier stood in the center of Jaffa with a military guard and at noon was carried by men all the way to the Holon cemetery on foot.
• Haim (Haimoff) Bar-David - Born in Doupnitza, Bulgaria, 10 May 1905. Lived in Mandatory Palestine working as an agricultural labourer and became a volunteer in the Jewish self defence group Mishmar Ha’am. Pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Movement Haimoff was elected President of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of Israel from 1957 to 1958.
• Hillel Pokrzywa - Born in 1904 to a Jewish family in Lodz, Poland. For several years he was vice president of The French Alliance of Messianic Jews.
• Johanna Ruth Dobschiner - Holocaust survivor and author of Selected to Live.
• Erez Soref - President of Israel College of the Bible.
• Shmuel Suran - Pastor of Kehilat Brit Yerushalayim, a Messianic Congregation in Jerusalem.
• Pamela Suran - Jerusalem based Messianic Jewish artist.
• Zvi Randelman - Pastor of Succat David Assembly, a Hebrew speaking Messianic Jewish congregation in Jerusalem.
• David Lazarus - Pastor of Beit Immanuel in Tel Aviv, one of the oldest Messianic Congregations in the State of Israel.
• Jonathan Bernis - Executive Director of Jewish Voice Ministries International and Messianic Rabbi of Shema Yisrael Messianic Congregation in Rochester, New York from 1984-1993.
• Ron Cantor - Works for Tikkun International in Israel.
• Joel Chernoff - General Secretary of the MJAA and former President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance, and lead singer of the music group "Lamb".
• Aviad Cohen - music entertainer who sometimes uses the stage name "50 Shekel"
• Ray Comfort-Native of New Zealand. Born to a Jewish mother. Became a Christian in 1972 and is the founder of Living Waters Publications and The Way of the Master tv show and ministry with Kirk Cameron.
• Jamie Cowen - President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and Rabbi of Tikvat Israel in Richmond, VA.
• Stuart Dauerman Messianic Jewish theologian and rabbi of Congragation Ahavat Zion in Los Angeles.
• Mitch Glaser - President of Chosen People Ministries. Author of The Fall Feasts of Israel
• Marty Goetz - singer/songwriter and pianist, leader of worship.
• Rick Gozhanskij - Founder of Powered By HaDavar in Watson, Louisiana.
• Asher Intrater - Formerly known as Keith Intrater, Leads Revive Israel Ministries which is affiliated with Tikkun International. Contributor to Seeking and Pursuing Peace: The Process, the Pain, and the Product
• Art Katz - Jewish minister and founder of Ben Israel, a community of end time training and refuge for Jews in flight.
• Daniel C. Juster - Messianic theologian, first President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, and founder of Tikkun International.
• Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein (1824-1909) - A Rabbi in Tapio Szele, Hungary. He became a follower of Jesus in his middle-years.
• Netzer (band) - Messianic Jewish rock band
• Michael Nowell - Soldier in the United States Army, martial artist, and pro wrestler.
• Alicia Glass - Medical Assistant.
• Josiah Rosen - singer/songwriter, founder and former member of Augustana (band)
• Sid Roth - evangelist, and host of Messianic Vision, a daily radio show. Author of Something for Nothing, The Spiritual Rebirth of a Jew.
• David H. Stern Messianic Jewish theologian, and author, currently living in Israel.
• Martin "Marty" Waldman - past president of UMJC, founder of Toward Jerusalem Council II (TJC II), Congregational Leader of Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue] in Dallas, Texas.
• Paul Wilbur - singer/songwriter
• John Fieldsend - Escaped to England from Nazi Europe on the Kindertransport. Author of Messianic Jews, Challenging Church and Synagogue (1993 Monarch Publications).
• Rachmiel Frydland - Born to an Orthodox Jewish family near Chelm in the Lublin district of Poland. Died in 1985. Author of What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah (Messianic Publishing co, Ohio and his biography When Being Jewish Was a Crime
• Sam Nadler - Born to Jewish parents in Queens, New York, President of Word of Messiah Ministries and author of several books including Messianic Wisdom and The Messianic Answers Book. Leader of Hope of Israel Congregation.
• Burt Yellin - Born and raise to an Orthodox family in New York, he is Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Roeh Israel in Denver USA and author of Messiah, A Rabbinic and Scriptural Viewpoint (1984 published by Congregation Roeh Israel
• Victor Buksbazen - Author of The Gospel in The Feasts of Israel (1954, CLC)
• Solomon Ostrovsky - Born in Tagancha, Ukraine and pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Jewish community and author of books in Hebrew and English including Moses on The Witness Stand.
• Paul Liberman - Born to Jewish parents in America. He is current Executive Director of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance and one of the leaders of Ohav Shalom Messianic congregation in California. He is author of The Fig Tree Blossoms, Messianic Judaism Emerges. (Fountain Press, 2005 reprint)
• Lydia Buksbazen - Born to Jewish parents and author of They Looked for a City.
• David J. Rudolph - Author of Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage, a guide for couples from two traditions and The Voice of the Lord Messianic Jewish Daily Devotional.
• Dr Louis Goldberg - Author of several books including Our Jewish Friends, Are There Two Ways of Atonement?, The Practical Wisdom of Proverbs,. Was Professor of Theology and Hebrew Studies at Moody Bible Institute Chicago.
• John Fischer - Messianic Rabbi of Ohr Chadash, Clearwater, Florida also Vice President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance. His books include The Olive Tree Connection, Siddur for Messianic Jews and Messianic Services for Festivals and Holy Days.
• Dr Gershon Nerel - Israeli born Messianic Jew who prefers the title 'Yechi' - Yehudim Hasdei Yeshua: Jewish Followers of Yeshua. Served on the committee of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel. Contributor to How Jewish is Christianity, 2 Views on The Messianic Movement. (Zondervan, 2003, edited by Louis Goldberg)
• Joseph Shulam - Born to Jewish parents in Bulgaria in 1946. His parents immigrated to Israel in 1948. He is leader of Kehillat Roeh Israel in Jerusalem. He has co-written The Jewish Roots of Romans and The Jewish Roots of Acts.
• Sha'ul Zuela - Born in Israel in 1951 in a tent in Hadera to Orthodox Jewish parents from Iraq. Leader of Israeli Messianic Jewish congregation. (source: Twelve Jews Discover Messiah, Ben Hoekendijk, Kingsway Publications 1992, p.51)
• Menachem Benhayim - Born in America to Orthodox Jewish parents immigrated to Israel in 1963. Was Israel Secretary of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance till his death. He authored Jews, Gentiles and the New Testament [1] and Bound for the Promised Land, [2]
• Israel Harel - Born in Israel to Jewish parents in Kibbutz Chulda. Messianic Jewish teacher in Israel.[3] [4]
• Ilan Zamir - Born in Israel to Jewish parents. First chairman of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel (1994-1999). (Zot HaBrit Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel journal August 2001)
• Boaz Fastman - Born in Israel to Jewish parents. Current General Secretary of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel. [5]
• Moshe Emmanuel Ben Meir - Born in Israel in 1905 to Orthodox Jewish parents. A pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Jewish movement. His autobiographical journal From Jerusalem to Jerusalem was published in Hebrew. He was founder and editor of Tal (Dew) the third Messianic Jewish journal in Hebrew in Israel.[6]
• Ze’ev Shlomo Kofsman - Born to Jewish parents and pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Movement. In 1960 he co-founded the second Messianic journal in Hebrew called Ha Lapid. (Zot HaBrit journal Spring 2000 - “HaLapid “(The Torch): The Second Journal of Messianic Jews in the State of Israel)
• Dr. Michael Schiffman - Born to Jewish parents in America. Author of Return of the Remnant-The Rebirth of Messianic Judiasm.[7][8]
• Elie Nessim - Born to Jewish parents and leader of Kehillat Tsion in Vancover, Canada.[9]
• Russell Resnik - Messianic Rabbi and author of Gateways to Torah - Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion, The Root and the Branches: Jewish Identity in Messiah and is Executive Director of the USA based Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.
• Bruce Cohen - Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Beth El of Manhattan [10]
• Ted Simon - Messianic Jewish Rabbi of El Shaddai Congregation [11] and broadcaster of the daily Messianic Minutes radio show.[12]
• H. Michael Weiner - Messianic Jewish Rabbi of Shomair Yisrael Knoxville. [13]
• Shlomy Abramov - Israeli hard man, once bodyguard to Ariel Sharon. Author of Shalom at Last: An Israeli's Journey to Jesus. [14] [15]
• Oded Shoshani - Israeli Messianic Jew. [16]
• Seth Ben-Haim - Israeli Messianic Jew. [17]
• Calev Myers - Israeli Messianic Jew. Israeli Lawyer and director of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice which fights for the human rights of Messianic Jews in Israel. [18]
• Ken Alpren - Messianic Jewish Rabbi/Pastor of Kol Dodi Messianic Congregation, Nashville, USA. [19]
• Joseph Azriel - Son of a Rabbi in Casablanca Morocco.
• Gideon Levytam - Born to Jewish parents in Jerusalem on May 14, 1955.
• Avi Mizrachi - Israeli born Messianic Jew.
• Natalio Krauthamer - President of the Argentina Messianic Jewish Alliance and vice-president of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance.
• Malvern Jacobs - Born to Jewish parents in Toronto, studied theater under Lorne Greene and John Drainie in the Lorne Greene Drama Workshop, and appeared on and directed stage, film television and radio productions. Was a "founding father" of the Canadian Messianic movement.
• Cal Goldberg - President of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Canada.
• Nate Seitelbach- Messianic Jewish Rabbi/Pastor of Adat Hatikvat Tzion of Omaha, Nebraska and host of a weekly show on KCRO.

Hebrew Christians/Jewish Christians

(Some may well have called themselves Messianic Jews if the term was current in their day.)

• Michael Adam Born in Zurich, Switzerland in the 16th century. Translated into Judaeo-German: "Josephus' War", the Pentateuch the five Megillot, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.75)
• Rev. J Adler born in Basel, Switzerland. Translated the New Testament into Yiddish ) (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.75)
• Daniel Alexandersson - born in Holland, baptised in 1621. Published a confession of faith in the rabbinic language of Syriac. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.91)
• Dr Joiachim Heinrich Biesenthal born in Posen, 1804. Scholar of the Talmud, Biesenthal also mastered grammatical Hebrew, and studied Latin, Greek and German history. He worked as a missionary for 37 years in Berlin and Leipzig (1844-81). In addition to his native Polish, Biesenthal spoke Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Syriac, Chaldee, Arabic, Ethiopic, Samaritan, French, German, Spanish, Italian and English. d.1886. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. pp.119-130)
• .. Jacob Gartenhaus - Born in Austria in 1896 into a strict Orthodox Jewish home. Author of Traitor?: A Jew, a book, a miracle : an autobiography. [20]
• Samuel Schor - Born to Hebrew Christian parents in Jerusalem in 1859. From 1923 till 1925 he was in charge of the Barbican Mission to the Jews in Britain and president of the Hebrew Christian Alliance and Prayer Union of Great Britain (BMJA today) [21], which was founded in the end of 1901. Author of several books including The Everlasting Nation and their Coming King, London and Edinburgh [1933] and Palestine and the Bible. Illustrating the manners and customs of the people in the Bible lands, 19th edition, Book Society, London 1931.[22]
• Rabbi Samuel Griess - Rabbi of Rivington-Street Synagogue USA 1886. [23]
• Hermann Warszawiak - Born 1865 in Warsaw, Poland, grandson of the Lipnoer rabbi. [24]
• Niels Bohr - Danish physicist; (raised Lutheran; mother Jewish)
• Paul de Burgos - Spanish Jewish convert to Christianity. Most wealthy Jew of Burgos, and was a rabbi and an excellent scholar of the Talmud. He came to believe in Jesus after reading the works of Thomas Aquinas. Appointed as keeper of the royal seal by King Henry III of Castile in 1406.
• Juan de Torquemada - Spanish converso, famed defender of the converso community in Spain. Worked for Pope Eugenius in Germany and France.
• Fernan Diaz - Secretary to King Juan II. Nicknamed the Relator; famous defender of the conversos in 15th century Spain. Argued that Spaniards converted to a Jewish religion (Christianity), not Jews converting to a Spanish religion. [25] see point #22
• Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield - First and only British Prime Minister of Jewish descent (1868; 1874-1880) (raised as an Anglican)
• Malcolm Fraser - Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983) (raised Presbyterian; mother Jewish).
• Christian David Ginsburg (1831-1914), Jewish scholar, was born in Warsaw, Poland. When he converted to Christianity he took on "Christian" as his name in place of his given-name "David". He wrote several important works on the Tanakh (Old Testament), and essays on many subjects including: the Essenes, the Kabbalah, and the Karaites.
• Jamie Glazov , Russian-Canadian cyber-journalist (Jewish father & maternal grandfather, raised Christian; identifies as a Christian Jew)
• Douglas Gresham, film producer and son of Joy Gresham (q.v.)
• Joy Gresham, American writer and wife of C.S. Lewis. Author of Smoke on the Mountain.[26]
• Josh Groban Famous American singer/songwriter. Has a Jewish father, yet raised as Anglican-Episcopalian following his father's conversion to Christianity.
• Helen Harris - founder member of Spiritual matters for women and their families; second generation Messianic Jew.
• Jakób Jocz - Lithuanian Jew who became a Christian and became Professor of Theology in Toronto.
• Timothy Laurence - Princess Anne's husband (descended from the Levy family of Iraq).
• Isidore Loewenthal - orthodox Jew born in Germany, grew up in Poland, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary - New Jersey. He became an Evangelist missionary in Afghanistan under the auspices of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. Here he translated the New Testament in Pashto and embarked upon compiling a Pashto dictionary before he died at age 37. [27]
• Jean-Marie Lustiger - Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Paris
• Alexander Men - Russian Orthodox priest and martyr.
• Felix Mendelssohn - composer (1809-1847)
• Bernard Nathanson - former abortionist turned pro-life activist. Converted to Catholicism.
• Robert Novak - journalist; convert to Catholicism; calls himself a "cultural Jew."
• Harry Oppenheimer - South African billionaire (converted to Anglicanism)
• Howard Phillips - American conservative activist; founder of U.S. Taxpayers Party / Constitution Party
• Jay Sekulow - Runs conservative legal group ACLJ.
• Vladimir Spivakov - Russian conductor and violinist.
• Karl Stern - neuropsychiatrist and author, convert to Catholicism. Author of Pillar of Fire (1951).
• Stan Telchin - Author of best selling Betrayed [28] also Abandoned: What Is Gods Will for the Jewish People and the Church? [29] and Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity: A Loving Call to Unity. [30]
• Richard Wurmbrand - Romanian underground church leader; founder of Voice of the Martyrs.
• Yochanan Ben Yehuda - A Nashville, TN based Italian Jewish producer, founder of Galilee of the Nations.[31]
• David Levy Yulee - U.S. Senator from Florida; the first person of Jewish descent to serve in the Senate. (source)
• Dr. Max Wertheimer - born in Germany, went to Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Served as rabbi for ten years in Dayton Ohio, USA
• Michele Guinness - Brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family in England. Author of a number of books including Child of the Covenant (1985, Hodder and Stoughton)[32] and Woman: The Full Story - A Dynamic Celebration of Freedoms.[33]
• Michael Solomon Alexander - born in 1799 to an Orthodox Jewish family in Scholanke in the Grand Duchy of Posen. He was Orthodox Rabbi of Norwich and then Plymouth in England. He became convinced that Jesus was Messiah and was consecrated as first Reformed Bishop of Jerusalem in Lambeth Chapel November 17th 1841 and arrived in Jerusalem January 21st 1842. As a Jewish Christian he caused considerable controversy. He died in Ras-el-Wady on November 26th 1845.
• Tom Sangster-Wilson - born to a Jewish mother in Liverpool, England. Former Jewish gangster and co-author of Sons of Israel, Sons of God (1987, Marshall Pickering).
• Leopold Cohen - Established the American Board of Missions to the Jews in 1894.
• Dr Richard Ganz - Born in New York to an Orthodox family, now pastor of Ottawa Reformed Prebyterian Church and author of a number of books including Psychobabble: The Failure of Modern Psychology & The Biblical Alternative. [34]
• Joseph Wolff - Born 1795 at Welersland in Bavaria, son of the village Rabbi.[35] [36]
• Auguste Neander - Born David Mendel to Jewish parents at Gottingen 10th January 1789, descendents of Moses Mendelsohn the great Jewish reformer. Became a great Church historian with his magnum opus the General History of the Christian Religion and the Church.
• Isaac Da Costa - Dutch poet born January 14th 1798 in Amsterdam.
• Alfred Edersheim - Born to Jewish parents in Vienna March 7th 1825, author of numerous books, the best know being The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.[37] [38]
• Dr Ferdinand C. Ewald - Born to Jewish parents September 14th 1801 at the village of Maroldsweisach near Bamberg in Bavaria. Missionary to North Africa
• Paulus Ewald - Brother of Ferdinand C. Ewald and pastor of the Lutheran Church in Merkendorf in Bavaria.
• Aaron Stern Born to Jewish parents on 11th April 1820 at Unterreichenbacn in the former Duchy of Hesse Cassel. Jewish Christian missionary to Baghdad, Constantinople and Ethiopia. Imprisoned for four and a half years by King Theodor of Ethiopia.
• John Moses Eppstein - Born to Elijah and Rose Levi at Memel in Prussia on February 24th 1827. Moved to Jerusalem aged nine to study in a Yeshiva. He was a Jewish Christian missionary in Baghdad and Smyrna and respected for his Talmudic knowledge and was a great linguist.
• Dr Paul Cassel - Born Selig Cassel to Jewish parents at Glogau in 1821. One of the most eminent theologians of the German Reformed Church in the nineteenth century and a notable writer. He was an outspoken opposition to Stoker and Wagner, the fore-runners of Hitler. The Jewish Chronicle wrote "Though he has left us, he is by no means our enemy. He still fights against those who hate the Jews." (p.58 Jewish Christian Leaders by George H. Stevens, 1966, Oliphants Ltd)
• Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky - Born to Jewish parents in the Russian Lithuanian town of Tanroggan in 1831. Jewish Christian missionary to China. In 1879 he became Bishop of Shanghai. He translated the Old Testament into Mandarin for the first time. See: The Jewish Bishop and the Chinese Bible: S.I.J. Schereschewsky (1831-1906). Studies in Christian Mission, vol. 22, Irene Eber. Leiden: Brill, 1999. [39]
• Isaac Hellmuth - Born in Warsaw 14th December 1820 to strict Orthodox Jewish parents. He became Bishop of Quebec in 1846 and was professor of Hebrew and Rabbinical Literature at Bishop's College, Lennoxville. Later he was Bishop of Huron and Assistant Bishop of Hull. He authored many scholarly works including The Biblical Thesaurus in 1884 and The Divine Dispensation, a critical commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures.
• Mizra Norollah - Born to Jewish parents in Teheran, Persia, his father was court physician to the Shah. He was a Jewish Christian missionary who played a large part in the establishment of the indigenous church in Persia (Iran) still in existence today.
• David Baron - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1855 in Russia and brought up in the Russian Polish town of Suvalki. Entered Rabbinical College aged 10. Author of many books including Rays of Messiah's Glory, The Servant of Jehovah, The History of the Ten "Lost" Tribes and Ancient Scriptures and the Modern Jew. Several of his works are available on Wikisource. Others, are available in the form of modern reprints.[40]
• Sir Leon Levison - Born in Safed in Galilee in 1881 and son of respected Rabbi Nahum Levison. He was the first president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1925. During the 1914-1918 war he raised over £200,00 for the Jewish Relief Funds and for valuable work for the Secret Service he was Knighted by the King of England.
• Elijah Bendor-Samuel - Born of Orthodox Jewish parents in Lithuania. His great grandson Paul Bendor-Samuel is the International Director of Interserve.
• Theodore Bendor-Samuel - Was director of the Messianic Testimony in the UK.
• Harcourt Samuel O.B.E - Was General Secretary of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance and Pastor of Ramsgate Baptist Church ,1934-49 and of Birchington Baptist Church, 1951-78. [41]
• Arnold Frank - Born to Jewish parents in the Slovak village of Suja in the Carpathian mountains. He edited Zion's Freund with a readership of 40,000 but was closed by the Nazis in 1936. He was elected the second president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1937. Biography Arnold Frank of Hamburg by Robert Allen. [42]
• Isidor Loewenthal - Born of Jewish parents in Posen, in Prussian Poland, in 1826. Jewish Christian missionary to Afghanistan who translated the New Testament into Pushtu.[43]
• Ridley Haim Herschell - Born 7th April 1807 to Orthodox Jewish parents in Strzelno, Poland. Once deacon of the short lived Hebrew Church in London. One of the founders of Britain's Evangelical Alliance. All Love, A biography of Ridley Herschell by Geoffrey Henderson HTS Media, 2007.
• Erasmus Simon - Born in Poland, Haim was the son of Rabbi Abraham Simon, known simply as Judah. Founder of the Hebrew Church in London. (Source: All Love, page 35-6)
• Aaron Levita - Bishop of the short lived Hebrew Church in London 1831. (Source: All Love, page 46)
• Elias Lebenheim - Secretary of the Hebrew Church in London. (Source: All Love, page 46)
• Rabbi Haham Ephraim - Tiberius Rabbi and Dayan who died in Jerusalem aged 70 on 30th August 1930. He opened the Beth Doresh Emeth, the House of Seekers After Truth in Jerusalem conducting all the services in Hebrew.
• Solomon L. Ginsberg - Born to Jewish parents in Suwalki, Poland and died April 1st 1927. He was a pioneer Jewish Christian missionary to Brazil who was considered so dangerous that the authorities paid Antonio Silvino a notorious bandit, to kill him but Ginsberg led him to faith in Jesus instead! It was said that his ministry read like a modern edition of the Acts of the Apostles, in Brazil.
• Martin Goldsmith - Born to assimilated Jewish parents in England. Author of several books including Don't Just Stand There,[44] Matthew and Mission,[45] Islam and Christian Witness and Jesus and His Relationships.[46] He authored his biography Life's Tapestry [47]
• Dr Bernard Jean Bettelheim - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in Pressburg, Hungary in 1811. He was proficient in 28 languages and made the first translation of parts of the Bible into Chinese and Japanese, also compiling a Japanese grammar and dictionary. On May 18th 1926 57 years after his death a monument was errected to his memory in Ryuku, Japan.
• Arthur W. Kac - President of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (1956-1961) and vice-president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance (1960-1961). Author of several books including The Death and Ressurection of Israel, The Messianic Hope The Spiritual Dilemma of the Jewish People and The Messiahship of Jesus.
• Heinz W. Cassirer - Philosopher born to Jewish parents in Germany on 9th August 1903. He fled Hitler's German to England where he lectured in Philosophy at Glasgow University. and also at Corpus Christi, Oxford University. He wrote several books including Grace and Law: St. Paul, Kant and the Hebrew Prophets. His labour of love not published till after his death was God's New Covenant, A New Testament Translation.[48]
• Sam Rotman - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1950 in the USA. Concert pianist who studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. [49]
• Samuel Wiseman - Born to Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents in Tiberius 25th September 1835.
• Joseph Samuel Frey - Born in 1771 to Orthodox Jewish parents in Germany. He was the only Hebrew Christian missionary to the Jews in the world in 1805. 1808 he co-founded The London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews. He moved the the USA founded The American Society for Meliorating the Conditions of the Jews. He authored The Divinity of the Messiah.[50]
• Adolph Saphir - Born to Jewish parents in Hungary in 1831. Author of several books including Christ and Israel, Divine Unity of the Scriptures, The Lord's Prayer and The Good Shepherd Finding His Sheep. [51][52]
• Hegesippus - According to Eusebius he was born of Jewish parents in Judea and lived in Rome around 150 A.D. He is the father of Church history and wrote Hyponymata Pente of which only fragments remain in Eusebius's History iv and Photius Bibliotheca (page 232).
• James - half brother of Jesus. Hegesippus says he was martyred while praying in the Temple in Jerusalem.
• Paul of Tarsus - Early missionary in the Christian Church
• Symeon - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem around 62 A.D.
• Justus I - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 64 A.D.
• Zacchaeus- Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 112 A.D.
• Tobias - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 114 A.D.
• Benjamin - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 116 A.D.
• Justin - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 118 A.D.
• Matthias - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 120 A.D.
• Philip - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 122 A.D.
• Seneca - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 125 A.D.
• Justus II - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 126 A.D.
• Levi - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 128 A.D.
• Ephres - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 130 A.D.
• Joseph - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 132 A.D.
• Jude - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 133 A.D. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.11)[53]
• Epiphanius of Salamis - Born to Jewish parents in Roman Judea in 315, became Bishop of Constantia and died in 403 A.D.
• Paul Philip (Feivel) Levertoff - Born to a Hasidic Sephardi family in Orshal, Belarus in 1878. He helped translate the Zohar into English for Soncino Press [54] and was a descendent of Rabbi Schneur Zalman.[55]
• Isaac Salkinson - Born to Jewish parents 1820 in Vilna, Lithuania. Translated the New Testament from Greek to Hebrew, published in 1886.[56]
• Dr. Ginsberg - Born to Jewish parents in Warsaw, Poland 25th December 1821. Translated the New Testament into Hebrew with Salkinson. Ginsburg also published Hebrew text of the T'nach, with his translation of Elias Levita's Massoreth ha-Massoreth and Jacob ben Hayim's Introduction to the Rabbinic Bible.[57]
• Ernest Lloyd - Emeritus Vice President of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance was also President of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1984. (Source: The Importance of Being Ernest, by Mike Moore, Christian Focus Publishing 2003, ISBN: 1 85792 806 7. [58]
• Mark Kagan - Born 1885 in Riga Latvia, son of a Rabbi. [59] He was a well respected preacher in Britain and wrote a critique of British Israelism.[60]
• Jeffrey Seif - Born to Jewish parents, went to Yeshiva and now host of the Zola Levit show. [61] [62] [63]
• Baruch Maoz - Pastor of Grace and Truth Congregation in Israel. Opponant of the Messianic Movement and author of Judaism is not Jewish. [64] considered by some to mark the boundary between Messianic Judaism and Jewish Christianity. [65]
• Randy Newman - Author of Questioning Evangelism. [66]
• Katlin Eva Kalafoni - Born 16 June 1920 in Budapest, Hungary. Holocaust survivor and author of Forgiving Hitler. [67]
• Jerry Marcellino - Pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel, Mississippi. [68] [69]
• Rose Price - Holocaust survivor from Skarzysko, Poland. Author of A Rose from the Ashes. [70]
• Fred Wertheim - Holocaust survivor. Booklet: I Escaped from Hitler Twice: The Fred Wertheim Story [71]
• Charles Barg - Author of Between Two Fathers. [72]
• David Rothstein - Brought up a Reform Jew and award winning artist. Author of Drawn to Jesus: The Journey of a Jewish Artist. [73]
• Eddie Spirer - Jewish Lutheran minister. Autobiography titled Eddie Spirer: The Little Minister. [74]
• Jack J. Sternberg - Author of Healing The Healer: A Jewish Doctor Finds Jesus. [75]
• Ernest Cassutto - Dutch Jew who wrote his biography The Last Jew of Rotterdam.[76]
• Susan Perlman - Co-founder of Jews for Jesus. Author of Loss To Life: A Jewish Woman's Journey to Messiah. [77]
• Karol Joseph - Author of Nothing to Fear. [78]
• Bob Mendelsohn - Author of Whoever Heard of a Jewish Missionary? [79]
• Moshe Radcliff - Free Church of Scotland minister. [80]
• Steve Schlissel - Pastor of Messiah's Covenant Community Church [81] [82] in Brooklyn, New York. Author of Hal Lindsey and the Restoration of the Jews. [83]
• Hugh Montefiore - Anglican Bishop of Birmingham. [84] Author of many books including On Being a Jewish Christian: Its blessings and problems. [85]
• Marvin Olasky - Born to Jewish parents in Boston, USA. Historian and Journalist. [86]
• Rosa Palay - Born 22nd December, 1922 to Jewish parents in Chernigov, Ukraine. [87]
• Ruth Nessim - Born to Jewish mother in London. Author of Messianic poetry book Musings From Galilee [88][89]
• Albert Nessim - Born to Iraqi Jews in Kobe, Japan, on April 3, 1933. [90]
• Alan Hirsch - A significant figure in the emerging missional church movement in Australia. Books include The Shaping of Things to Come [91] and The Forgotten Ways [92]
• Hyman G. Rickover - famous U.S. Admiral; born to Polish Jews in 1900; converted to Chrisianity upon marriage to an Episcopalian

Messianic Jew-Christian

(Persons who use both labels to describe themselves)

• David Brickner — Current executive director of Jews for Jesus
• Michael Brown Author of four volume work Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (Baker Book House)
• Arnold Fruchtenbaum — theologian, founder of Ariel Ministries author of several books including Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology Biblical Lovemaking: A Study of the Song of Solomon and Hebrew Christianity: Its Theology, History and Philosophy.
• Zola Levitt — author and televangelist
• Steve Myers — conservative political commentator, founder of and, and publisher of Page One News and From Here to Reality. Once trained as a rabbi; became Christian in 1982.
• Moishe Rosen - — founder of Jews for Jesus
• Ceil Rosen - Wife of Moishe Rosen founder of Jews for Jesus and author of Then I Met Messiah.
• Stuart Sacks - born and raised in an American Orthodox Jewish family, author of books including Hebrews Through a Hebrew's Eyes (1995,Lederer) and Revealing Jesus as Messiah (1998, Christian Focus Publishing).
• Richard S. Harvey - Tutor, Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies, All Nations Christian Collage in England and joint vice-president of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance - working on PhD on Messianic Jewish Theology
• Mark Greene - Currently Executive Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity and previously Vice Principal of the London School of Theology. He is an author of several books including Thank God it's Monday.
• Tom Mayr-Lori - Born to Jewish parents in Israel. Current President of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance.
• Michael Nessim - Messianic musician based in Israel.
• Steve Maltz - Born to Jewish parents in England. Author of Land of Many Names, People of Many Names and The Truth Is Out There.
• Stephen F. Gutmann - Baptist minister and British Messianic Jewish Alliance committee member.
• Charles Halff - Converted to christianity in 1948 in San Antonio, Texas. Author of What It Cost A Jew to Become a Christian and many booklets. Host of the radio program The Christian Jew Hour. Founder of the Christian Jew Foundation.

Source Books

• A. Bernstein, Jewish Witnesses for Christ, Keren Ahvah Meshichit, Jerusalem, first publised 1909. ISBN 965-447-041-1
• Dr. Henry Einspruch, Would I? Would You?, Lederer Foundation 1970, ISBN: 1-880226-13-8
• Henry & Marie Einspruch, Raisins and Almonds, Lederer Foundation 1967, ISBN: 1-880226-10-* George H. Stevens, Jewish Christian Leaders, Oliphants Ltd, London 1966
• Ben Hoekendijk, Twelve Jews Discover Messiah, Kingsway Publications 1992, ISBN: 0 85476 332 5
• John Fieldsend, Messianic Jews: Challenging Church and Synagogue, Monarch/Marc Publications 1993, ISBN-10: 1854242288
• Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus, Famous Hebrew Christians, International Board of Jewish Missions, Inc.

Palestinian Christians

I've previously written about the plight of our Palestinian Christian brethren here and here. As this Jerusalem Post article shows, we need to keep them in our prayers as they suffer under Hamas' rule.

We also, of course, need to be watchful for those Christian anti-Zionists who will blame Israel for the whole situation :-)

The weakness of the Zionist lobby II

I previously posted on this issue here. I'm pleased to see that Mearsheimer and Walt's book on the supposed strength of the Israeli lobby is getting negative reviews in the USA; sadly, I expect it's too much to ask that the same would happen in the UK.

British Messianic Jewish Alliance press release and preachers' guide, 13.9.7

I'VE RECENTLY BEEN INVOLVED IN CO-WRITING THE FOLLOWING PRESS STATEMENT AND GUIDE ON BEHALF OF THE BRITISH MESSIANIC JEWISH ALLIANCE (WWW.BMJA.NET). PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE & PASS ON TO OTHERS.

With recorded incidents of anti-Semitism at the highest levels since WWII, it is little wonder that the Jewish community is feeling at best insecure and at worst unwelcome in Britain. The British Messianic Jewish Alliance expressed its concerns in its January 2007 press release which was backed up by the Parliamentary Report into anti-Semitism followed by the government's official response to it and a press release welcoming the report and response from the Evangelical Alliance. Recently Channel 4's programme, The War on Britain's Jews, brought the issues into sharp focus again. The British Messianic Jewish Alliance has been representing the concerns of British Messianic Jews since 1866. We hope to serve the wider body of Jesus Christ by bringing some specialist focus on these serious issues. As preachers seek to be Biblically faithful we offer this booklet as a guide to show how being Biblically faithful is also to be Jewish-sensitive. A Guide for Preachers is available for download for free from:
http://www.bmja.net/A%20guide%20for%20PREACHERS.pdf

We do hope you will join with us as we seek to let more people know of this resource.

In Jesus' service

Richard Gibson and James Mendelsohn

5768

This evening marks Rosh Hashanah, the start of year 5768 in the Jewish calendar. Shanah tovah u metukah (a sweet and happy New Year) to all my readers.

Like all Jewish festivals, Rosh Hashanah points to Yeshua the Messiah: here and here

שנה טובה

Is "The World We All Want" antisemitic?

No, but its authors could perhaps have expressed themselves more carefully. I've discussed the issue with Aussie guy David Entwistle here and here.

Never again?

I found myself at Engage's inaugural North Western public meeting last night, which considered the resurgent threat of antisemitism and in particular the potential boycott of Israeli universities by my Union, the Universities and Colleges Union. One of the points which was made was that much discourse on Israel is now repeating the standard tropes of classic antisemitism.

One of the speakers, whom I found to be forceful and articulate, expressed the pessimistic view that the Arab-Israeli conflict is likely to get worse rather than better, and that pressure on Jews worldwide will rise even more. I hope for all our sakes that he's wrong.

Israel news

For the second time this year, there has been a broadly positive report on Messianic Jews on mainstream Israeli TV. Channel 2's February report on Yeshua Superstar has been followed by a Channel 10 report, here (about 12 mins long, in Hebrew with English subtitles). Though Israel is clearly a long way from the revival for which all Christians should long, it is nevertheless encouraging that the plight of Israeli MJs has attracted the broad sympathy of Israel's secular media.

(Note: Jesus is sometimes referred to in the programmes as "Yeshu", a derogatory Hebrew acrostic for "Yimach schmo u'zichro", meaning "May his name and memory be blotted out". His proper Hebrew name is "Yeshua", meaning "salvation".)

The Longest Hatred 16

I've posted before on the the fact that the UN has generally failed to treat antisemitism with the seriousness it deserves, indeed in some cases has turned into an active purveyor of antisemitism, for instance at the Durban 2001 Conference on Racism. Concerning, then, that preparations for a "Durban II" conference are apparently led by such human rights luminaries as Libya, Cuba, Pakistan and Iran; the chances of the world's one Jewish state being given even a semblance of a fair hearing are minimal, even two years in advance.

The Longest Hatred 15

"Europe is reawakening its old demons, but today there is a difference. The old anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism have morphed into something more dangerous. Anti-Semitism today is officially sanctioned state ideology and is being turned into a mobilizing and organizing force to recruit thousands in a new crusade -- the word is chosen deliberately -- to eradicate Jewishness from the region whence it came and to weaken and undermine all the humanist values of rule of law, tolerance and respect for core rights such as free expression that Jews have fought for over time."

Read the full article by Dennis MacShane in the Washington Post here. MacShane correctly perceives that to wish for the destruction of Israel or to deny its right to exist amounts to nothing less than a desire for another area of the world to be free of six million Jews. I hope that British evangelicals, too many of whom have been led astray by anti-Zionist propaganda (and some of whom actively pedal such propaganda), will do the same.

The other calumny of Jeffrey John

Jeffrey John needs little introduction to British evangelicals: he made headlines in 2003 when he was the first person to have openly been in a sexually active gay relationship to be nominated to be a Church of England bishop. Owing to the consequent controversy, he was asked by archbishop Rowan Williams to stand down before he took up the bishopric. More recently, he has been rightly criticised by evangelical bishops for denying the doctrine of penal substitution. On Good Friday, however, he committed another calumny: he said that Jesus' Jewish disciples would have made "good Nazis".

Yes, he actually compared Jews to Nazis, a comparison which surely is as offensive as any, but sadly is all too widespread, whether in Ken Livingstone's likening of Jewish reporter to a concentration guard, or in the iniquitous inversion of terminology in the Arab-Israeli conflict where Israel is compared to the Nazi (the well-documented Nazi roots, shoots and salutes, of Islamic antisemitism notwithstanding).

I would hope that, if his statement was to become more widely known, the evangelical protests would be at least as loud as those over his sexual practices and doctrinal heresies; if not, it would sadly confirm the sneaking suspicion of many British Messianic Jews that antisemitism is British evangelicalism's "acceptable sin".

Ethnic cleansing in Palestine? - challenging revisionism

In recent years Israel has been accused of "ethnically cleansing" Palestinian Arabs during Israel's 1948 war of independence. Among her accusers, bizarrely and sadly, are the so-called Israeli "New Historians" such as Ilan Pappe. I was therefore pleased to hit upon this brief commentary on Pappe's work on the Engage site, which (like Efraim Karsh's important articles here and here and the statements of Arab spokesmen) sets the record straight.

The weakness of the Zionist lobby

As Geoffrey Alderman wrote in last week's Jewish Chronicle, the US government is currently proposing to make a gift of some $20 billion of military hardware to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the region. Quite apart from her horrendous human rights record, Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel, is technically still at war with Israel, actively participates in the Islamic boycott of Israel, does not permit a single Jew to live within her borders, and is one of the world's leading purveyors of Holocaust Denial literature. As Alan Dershowitz points out here (on page 12), this is not the first time the US has supplied military aid to the Saudis, Israeli objections notwithstanding. I hope this will be pointed out loud and clear to the next person (whether neo-Nazi, left wing journalist, Islamic propagandist, or Christian anti-Zionist) who suggests that American foreign policy is unduly influenced by Jewish neocons and the wicked Zionist lobby.

Selah

This blog will now be resting for a week or two as I have a bit of time off over the summer :-)

Great quote

"Anyone, however, who believes in presenting Israel as the scapegoat for Islamist violence is not only diverting attention from the goals of Islamism and its National Socialistzi heritage, but is also, by adhering to a new "the Jew is guilty" model, reconnecting with the ancient forms of European anti-Semitism."

From Matthias Kuentzel, National Socialism and Anti-Semitism in the Arab World, Jewish Political Studies Review 17:1-2 (Spring 2005)

Read the full article here

"Why can't Messianic Jews just call themselves Christians like everybody else?"

Richard Gibson attempts to give some answers from church history, here

test post

please ignore this post

Responding to Terror

EUROPEANS HEIGHTEN THREAT LEVELS

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved". Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross". Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz began in 1940 and tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance". The last time the British issued "A Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide". The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

It's not only the English and French who are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose".

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

The Longest Hatred 14: Taking a stand Part II

By way of concluding this series, at least for the time being, it seems appropriate to reproduce a press statement issued earlier this year by the British Messianic Jewish Alliance. I played a very minor role in drafting the statement. The statement was published in just two Christian newspapers, the Baptist Times and the Church of England Newspaper. Unbelievably, one correspondent then wrote to the C of E Newspaper claiming there was no evidence of increased antisemitism in the UK!

An Appeal to the Leadership of the Churches from the British Messianic Jewish Alliance

It is with great concern that we witness the rapid growth of worldwide anti-Semitism, all too often these days in the guise of anti-Zionism.

We wish to express our concern that anti-Jewish sentiment is so frequently manifested in British society. We call upon the church to oppose it.

As Jews who are part of the church we are distressed to hear anti-Jewish attitudes expressed in the church and in the name of Christianity. We call upon our fellow believers from many nations to acknowledge that Jesus was a Jew, and to disavow all racism aimed at Jewish people both inside and outside the State of Israel.

We call upon the church to publicly affirm God's ongoing relationship with the Jewish people, and his determination to continue to work with them since he has not cast them away. Even more unthinkable [and insulting] would be the idea that a Covenant God should ditch his first choice in favour of another.

When we hear people in the churches suggesting that God's promises to us are null and void we are concerned, not just for what that says about us, but also for what it says about God, as if he were fickle. Our very existence on into the 21 st century speaks for itself. We are part of a large, diverse and vibrant Messianic Jewish movement that professes Yeshua [the name 'Jesus' in its Hebrew form] is Messiah, Saviour and LORD.

Strengthen us by defending us as your brothers and sisters in the faith.

Affirm us in the role we wish to play as Jews in the Body of Christ.

Recognise that it was through the Jews that the gospel came to all nations.

Stand by us, if you will, just as we stand by our fellow Jews today in the teeth of serious prejudice and threats.

Recognise and reject the politicisation of Christian theology regarding the Jewish people in order to promote a radically based anti-Zionist agenda.

These are the responses for which we look to you.

January 2007

The Longest Hatred 13: Taking a stand - Part I

If you've been following my postings on the persistence of antisemitism, even within the church, I hope you've been thoroughly sickened. I want to finish the series, at least for the time being, with a couple of posts some comments and suggestions as to what Christians can do to stand against it. Today, some thoughts from Richard Gibson on The Church that Hitler would be ashamed of. Richard concludes:

Such a church and such individuals within it would:
• Affirm God’s ongoing plan and purpose with the Jewish people.
• Would celebrate Jewish identity as part of God’s creation.
• Would reject all expressions of racial superiority in the name of theology.
• Would affirm that Jesus was a Jew. He was born a Jew, lived a Jew, died a Jew, rose from the dead a Jew and will return to rule the world as a Jew.
• Rejoice that the New Testament is a Jewish book.
• Remember that the disciples were Jews, Paul was a Jew, and all the first followers of Jesus were Jews and make sure its children’s material portrayed them as Jews rather than good Aryans.
• Teach that the Jews are not the Christ-killers, but that the Father sent the Son and the Son freely gave himself as a sacrifice for sin.
• Affirms that the Holocaust was not God’s judgement on the Jews, rather it was an anti-God act of pure evil.
• Would seek and yearn for the spiritual wellbeing of Jewish people and not withhold the greatest news that the Gentiles ever received from the Jewish people just because they are Jews.
• Would affirm and support the right of the Jewish people to live in peace and self determination in the State of Israel.
• Affirm the Zionist dream for an independent Jewish state in their historical and Biblical homeland and reject as evil and iniquitous the inversion of Nazi symbols and language to describe the Israeli-Arab conflict.
• Preach from the Old as well as the New Testament without hijacking Israel’s history for a cheap application for today’s Gentile Christian.
• Affirm that the New Testament is not the cause of anti-Semitism, it is its only real cure.

“What the Church has made of the New Testament in its relationships with the Jews has, it seems to us, poisoned the very wells of God which were meant for the refreshment of His people. In this sense it is the Church, it is the Christians who have made it almost impossible for the Jews to see Jesus, hidden from them as he is by the cruel mask of Christian anti-Semitism.” (Torrance & Lamont, Anti-Semitism and Christian Responsibility, The Handsel Press, 1986)

Under Threat...

There is a campaign to delete this impressive and moving list of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians from the Wikipedia site. My friend Richard Gibson spent a lot of time compiling most of this list so I am going to preserve it (minus footnotes and links) here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Messianic_Jews_and_Hebrew_Christians#Messianic_Jew-Christian


If you have the technical know-how to make a "Retain" entry on the relevent Wikipedia page, please do so.

Messianic Jews

Rabbi Daniel Zion - Born in 1883 in Bulgaria, became the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria. Rabbi Zion had a vision of Yeshua and subsequently believed in him as the Messiah of the Jewish people. He remained the Chief Rabbi in Bulgaria as a Messianic Jew until 1949, a period in which Bulgaria's Jews miraculously escaped the Holocaust. In 1949, Daniel Zion made aaliyah, and became the leader of a synagogue in Jaffa. He died in 1979, aged 96. The Bulgarian Jewish community of Israel gave him full military and state honors. His bier stood in the center of Jaffa with a military guard and at noon was carried by men all the way to the Holon cemetery on foot.

Haim (Haimoff) Bar-David - Born in Doupnitza, Bulgaria, 10 May 1905. Lived in Mandatory Palestine working as an agricultural labourer and became a volunteer in the Jewish self defence group Mishmar Ha’am. Pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Movement Haimoff was elected President of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of Israel from 1957 to 1958.

Hillel Pokrzywa - Born in 1904 to a Jewish family in Lodz, Poland. For several years he was vice president of The French Alliance of Messianic Jews.

Johanna Ruth Dobschiner - Holocaust survivor and author of Selected to Live.

Erez Soref - President of Israel College of the Bible.

Shmuel Suran - Pastor of Kehilat Brit Yerushalayim, a Messianic Congregation in Jerusalem.

Pamela Suran - Jerusalem based Messianic Jewish artist.

Zvi Randelman - Pastor of Succat David Assembly, a Hebrew speaking Messianic Jewish congregation in Jerusalem.

David Lazarus - Pastor of Beit Immanuel in Tel Aviv, one of the oldest Messianic Congregations in the State of Israel.

Jonathan Bernis - Executive Director of Jewish Voice Ministries International and Messianic Rabbi of Shema Yisrael Messianic Congregation in Rochester, New York from 1984-1993.

Ron Cantor - Works for Tikkun International in Israel.

Joel Chernoff - General Secretary of the MJAA and former President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance, and lead singer of the music group "Lamb".

Aviad Cohen - music entertainer who sometimes uses the stage name "50 Shekel"

Ray Comfort-Native of New Zealand. Born to a Jewish mother. Became a Christian in 1972 and is the founder of Living Waters Publications and The Way of the Master tv show and ministry with Kirk Cameron.

Jamie Cowen - President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and Rabbi of Tikvat Israel in Richmond, VA.

Stuart Dauerman Messianic Jewish theologian and rabbi of Congragation Ahavat Zion in Los Angeles.

Mitch Glaser - President of Chosen People Ministries. Author of The Fall Feasts of Israel

Marty Goetz - singer/songwriter and pianist, leader of worship.

Rick Gozhanskij - Founder of Powered By HaDavar in Watson, Louisiana.

Asher Intrater - Formerly known as Keith Intrater, Leads Revive Israel Ministries which is affiliated with Tikkun International. Contributor to Seeking and Pursuing Peace: The Process, the Pain, and the Product

Art Katz - Jewish minister and founder of Ben Israel, a community of end time training and refuge for Jews in flight.

Daniel C. Juster - Messianic theologian, first President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, and founder of Tikkun International.

Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein (1824-1909) - A Rabbi in Tapio Szele, Hungary. He became a follower of Jesus in his middle-years.

Netzer (band) - Messianic Jewish rock band

Michael Nowell - Soldier in the United States Army, martial artist, and pro wrestler.

Alicia Glass - Medical Assistant.

Josiah Rosen - singer/songwriter, founder and former member of Augustana (band)

Sid Roth - evangelist, and host of Messianic Vision, a daily radio show. Author of Something for Nothing, The Spiritual Rebirth of a Jew.

David H. Stern Messianic Jewish theologian, and author, currently living in Israel.

Martin "Marty" Waldman - past president of UMJC, founder of Toward Jerusalem Council II (TJC II), Congregational Leader of Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue] in Dallas, Texas.

Paul Wilbur - singer/songwriter

John Fieldsend - Escaped to England from Nazi Europe on the Kindertransport. Author of Messianic Jews, Challenging Church and Synagogue (1993 Monarch Publications).

Rachmiel Frydland - Born to an Orthodox Jewish family near Chelm in the Lublin district of Poland. Died in 1985. Author of What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah (Messianic Publishing co, Ohio and his biography When Being Jewish Was a Crime

Sam Nadler - Born to Jewish parents in Queens, New York, President of Word of Messiah Ministries and author of several books including Messianic Wisdom and The Messianic Answers Book. Leader of Hope of Israel Congregation.

Burt Yellin - Born and raise to an Orthodox family in New York, he is Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Roeh Israel in Denver USA and author of Messiah, A Rabbinic and Scriptural Viewpoint (1984 published by Congregation Roeh Israel

Victor Buksbazen - Author of The Gospel in The Feasts of Israel (1954, CLC)

Solomon Ostrovsky - Born in Tagancha, Ukraine and pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Jewish community and author of books in Hebrew and English including Moses on The Witness Stand.

Paul Liberman - Born to Jewish parents in America. He is current Executive Director of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance and one of the leaders of Ohav Shalom Messianic congregation in California. He is author of The Fig Tree Blossoms, Messianic Judaism Emerges. (Fountain Press, 2005 reprint)

Lydia Buksbazen - Born to Jewish parents and author of They Looked for a City.

David J. Rudolph - Author of Growing Your Olive Tree Marriage, a guide for couples from two traditions and The Voice of the Lord Messianic Jewish Daily Devotional.

Dr Louis Goldberg - Author of several books including Our Jewish Friends, Are There Two Ways of Atonement?, The Practical Wisdom of Proverbs,. Was Professor of Theology and Hebrew Studies at Moody Bible Institute Chicago.

John Fischer - Messianic Rabbi of Ohr Chadash, Clearwater, Florida also Vice President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance. His books include The Olive Tree Connection, Siddur for Messianic Jews and Messianic Services for Festivals and Holy Days.

Dr Gershon Nerel - Israeli born Messianic Jew who prefers the title 'Yechi' - Yehudim Hasdei Yeshua: Jewish Followers of Yeshua. Served on the committee of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel. Contributor to How Jewish is Christianity, 2 Views on The Messianic Movement. (Zondervan, 2003, edited by Louis Goldberg)

Joseph Shulam - Born to Jewish parents in Bulgaria in 1946. His parents immigrated to Israel in 1948. He is leader of Kehillat Roeh Israel in Jerusalem. He has co-written The Jewish Roots of Romans and The Jewish Roots of Acts.

Sha'ul Zuela - Born in Israel in 1951 in a tent in Hadera to Orthodox Jewish parents from Iraq. Leader of Israeli Messianic Jewish congregation. (source: Twelve Jews Discover Messiah, Ben Hoekendijk, Kingsway Publications 1992, p.51)

Menachem Benhayim - Born in America to Orthodox Jewish parents immigrated to Israel in 1963. Was Israel Secretary of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance till his death. He authored Jews, Gentiles and the New Testament and Bound for the Promised Land

Israel Harel - Born in Israel to Jewish parents in Kibbutz Chulda. Messianic Jewish teacher in Israel

Ilan Zamir - Born in Israel to Jewish parents. First chairman of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel (1994-1999). (Zot HaBrit Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel journal August 2001)

Boaz Fastman - Born in Israel to Jewish parents. Current General Secretary of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel.

Moshe Emmanuel Ben Meir - Born in Israel in 1905 to Orthodox Jewish parents. A pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Jewish movement. His autobiographical journal From Jerusalem to Jerusalem was published in Hebrew. He was founder and editor of Tal (Dew) the third Messianic Jewish journal in Hebrew in Israel.

Ze’ev Shlomo Kofsman - Born to Jewish parents and pioneer of the Israeli Messianic Movement. In 1960 he co-founded the second Messianic journal in Hebrew called Ha Lapid. (Zot HaBrit journal Spring 2000 - “HaLapid “(The Torch): The Second Journal of Messianic Jews in the State of Israel)

Dr. Michael Schiffman - Born to Jewish parents in America. Author of Return of the Remnant-The Rebirth of Messianic Judiasm.

Elie Nessim - Born to Jewish parents and leader of Kehillat Tsion in Vancover, Canada.

Russell Resnik - Messianic Rabbi and author of Gateways to Torah - Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion, The Root and the Branches: Jewish Identity in Messiah and is Executive Director of the USA based Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.

Bruce Cohen - Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Beth El of Manhattan

Ted Simon - Messianic Jewish Rabbi of El Shaddai Congregation and broadcaster of the daily Messianic Minutes radio show.

H. Michael Weiner - Messianic Jewish Rabbi of Shomair Yisrael Knoxville.

Shlomy Abramov - Israeli hard man, once bodyguard to Ariel Sharon. Author of Shalom at Last: An Israeli's Journey to Jesus.

Oded Shoshani - Israeli Messianic Jew.

Seth Ben-Haim - Israeli Messianic Jew.

Calev Myers - Israeli Messianic Jew. Israeli Lawyer and director of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice which fights for the human rights of Messianic Jews in Israel.

Ken Alpren - Messianic Jewish Rabbi/Pastor of Kol Dodi Messianic Congregation, Nashville, USA.

Joseph Azriel - Son of a Rabbi in Casablanca Morocco.

Gideon Levytam - Born to Jewish parents in Jerusalem on May 14, 1955.

Avi Mizrachi - Israeli born Messianic Jew.

Natalio Krauthamer - President of the Argentina Messianic Jewish Alliance and vice-president of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance.

Malvern Jacobs - Born to Jewish parents in Toronto, studied theater under Lorne Greene and John Drainie in the Lorne Greene Drama Workshop, and appeared on and directed stage, film television and radio productions. Was a "founding father" of the Canadian Messianic movement.

Cal Goldberg - President of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Canada.

Nate Seitelbach- Messianic Jewish Rabbi/Pastor of Adat Hatikvat Tzion of Omaha, Nebraska and host of a weekly show on KCRO.

Hebrew Christians/Jewish Christians

(Some may well have called themselves Messianic Jews if the term was current in their day.)

Michael Adam Born in Zurich, Switzerland in the 16th century. Translated into Judaeo-German: "Josephus' War", the Pentateuch the five Megillot, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.75)

Rev. J Adler born in Basel, Switzerland. Translated the New Testament into Yiddish ) (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.75)

Daniel Alexandersson - born in Holland, baptised in 1621. Published a confession of faith in the rabbinic language of Syriac. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.91)

Dr Joiachim Heinrich Biesenthal born in Posen, 1804. Scholar of the Talmud, Biesenthal also mastered grammatical Hebrew, and studied Latin, Greek and German history. He worked as a missionary for 37 years in Berlin and Leipzig (1844-81). In addition to his native Polish, Biesenthal spoke Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Syriac, Chaldee, Arabic, Ethiopic, Samaritan, French, German, Spanish, Italian and English. d.1886. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. pp.119-130)

Jacob Gartenhaus - Born in Austria in 1896 into a strict Orthodox Jewish home. Author of Traitor?: A Jew, a book, a miracle : an autobiography.

Samuel Schor - Born to Hebrew Christian parents in Jerusalem in 1859. From 1923 till 1925 he was in charge of the Barbican Mission to the Jews in Britain and president of the Hebrew Christian Alliance and Prayer Union of Great Britain (BMJA today), which was founded in the end of 1901. Author of several books including The Everlasting Nation and their Coming King, London and Edinburgh [1933] and Palestine and the Bible. Illustrating the manners and customs of the people in the Bible lands, 19th edition, Book Society, London 1931.

Rabbi Samuel Griess - Rabbi of Rivington-Street Synagogue USA 1886.

Hermann Warszawiak - Born 1865 in Warsaw, Poland, grandson of the Lipnoer rabbi.

Niels Bohr - Danish physicist; (raised Lutheran; mother Jewish)

Paul de Burgos - Spanish Jewish convert to Christianity. Most wealthy Jew of Burgos, and was a rabbi and an excellent scholar of the Talmud. He came to believe in Jesus after reading the works of Thomas Aquinas. Appointed as keeper of the royal seal by King Henry III of Castile in 1406.

Juan de Torquemada - Spanish converso, famed defender of the converso community in Spain. Worked for Pope Eugenius in Germany and France.

Fernan Diaz - Secretary to King Juan II. Nicknamed the Relator; famous defender of the conversos in 15th century Spain. Argued that Spaniards converted to a Jewish religion (Christianity), not Jews converting to a Spanish religion.

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield - First and only British Prime Minister of Jewish descent (1868; 1874-1880) (raised as an Anglican)

Malcolm Fraser - Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983) (raised Presbyterian; mother Jewish).

Christian David Ginsburg (1831-1914), Jewish scholar, was born in Warsaw, Poland. When he converted to Christianity he took on "Christian" as his name in place of his given-name "David". He wrote several important works on the Tanakh (Old Testament), and essays on many subjects including: the Essenes, the Kabbalah, and the Karaites.

Jamie Glazov , Russian-Canadian cyber-journalist (Jewish father & maternal grandfather, raised Christian; identifies as a Christian Jew)

Douglas Gresham, film producer and son of Joy Gresham (q.v.)

Joy Gresham, American writer and wife of C.S. Lewis. Author of Smoke on the Mountain

Josh Groban Famous American singer/songwriter. Has a Jewish father, yet raised as Anglican-Episcopalian following his father's conversion to Christianity.

Helen Harris - founder member of Spiritual matters for women and their families; second generation Messianic Jew.

Jakób Jocz - Lithuanian Jew who became a Christian and became Professor of Theology in Toronto.

Timothy Laurence - Princess Anne's husband (descended from the Levy family of Iraq).

Isidore Loewenthal - orthodox Jew born in Germany, grew up in Poland, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary - New Jersey. He became an Evangelist missionary in Afghanistan under the auspices of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. Here he translated the New Testament in Pashto and embarked upon compiling a Pashto dictionary before he died at age 37.

Jean-Marie Lustiger - Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Paris

Alexander Men - Russian Orthodox priest and martyr.

Felix Mendelssohn - composer (1809-1847)

Bernard Nathanson - former abortionist turned pro-life activist. Converted to Catholicism.

Robert Novak - journalist; convert to Catholicism; calls himself a "cultural Jew."

Harry Oppenheimer - South African billionaire (converted to Anglicanism)

Howard Phillips - American conservative activist; founder of U.S. Taxpayers Party / Constitution Party

Jay Sekulow - Runs conservative legal group ACLJ.

Vladimir Spivakov - Russian conductor and violinist.

Karl Stern - neuropsychiatrist and author, convert to Catholicism. Author of Pillar of Fire (1951).

Stan Telchin - Author of best selling Betrayed also Abandoned: What Is Gods Will for the Jewish People and the Church? and Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity: A Loving Call to Unity.

Richard Wurmbrand - Romanian underground church leader; founder of Voice of the Martyrs.

Yochanan Ben Yehuda - A Nashville, TN based Italian Jewish producer, founder of Galilee of the Nations.

David Levy Yulee - U.S. Senator from Florida; the first person of Jewish descent to serve in the Senate. (source)

Dr. Max Wertheimer - born in Germany, went to Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Served as rabbi for ten years in Dayton Ohio, USA

Michele Guinness - Brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family in England. Author of a number of books including Child of the Covenant (1985, Hodder and Stoughton) and Woman: The Full Story - A Dynamic Celebration of Freedoms.

Michael Solomon Alexander - born in 1799 to an Orthodox Jewish family in Scholanke in the Grand Duchy of Posen. He was Orthodox Rabbi of Norwich and then Plymouth in England. He became convinced that Jesus was Messiah and was consecrated as first Reformed Bishop of Jerusalem in Lambeth Chapel November 17th 1841 and arrived in Jerusalem January 21st 1842. As a Jewish Christian he caused considerable controversy. He died in Ras-el-Wady on November 26th 1845.

Tom Sangster-Wilson - born to a Jewish mother in Liverpool, England. Former Jewish gangster and co-author of Sons of Israel, Sons of God (1987, Marshall Pickering).
Leopold Cohen - Established the American Board of Missions to the Jews in 1894.
Dr Richard Ganz - Born in New York to an Orthodox family, now pastor of Ottawa Reformed Prebyterian Church and author of a number of books including Psychobabble: The Failure of Modern Psychology & The Biblical Alternative.

Joseph Wolff - Born 1795 at Welersland in Bavaria, son of the village Rabbi.

Auguste Neander - Born David Mendel to Jewish parents at Gottingen 10th January 1789, descendents of Moses Mendelsohn the great Jewish reformer. Became a great Church historian with his magnum opus the General History of the Christian Religion and the Church.

Isaac Da Costa - Dutch poet born January 14th 1798 in Amsterdam.

Alfred Edersheim - Born to Jewish parents in Vienna March 7th 1825, author of numerous books, the best know being The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.

Dr Ferdinand C. Ewald - Born to Jewish parents September 14th 1801 at the village of Maroldsweisach near Bamberg in Bavaria. Missionary to North Africa

Paulus Ewald - Brother of Ferdinand C. Ewald and pastor of the Lutheran Church in Merkendorf in Bavaria.

Aaron Stern Born to Jewish parents on 11th April 1820 at Unterreichenbacn in the former Duchy of Hesse Cassel. Jewish Christian missionary to Baghdad, Constantinople and Ethiopia. Imprisoned for four and a half years by King Theodor of Ethiopia.

John Moses Eppstein - Born to Elijah and Rose Levi at Memel in Prussia on February 24th 1827. Moved to Jerusalem aged nine to study in a Yeshiva. He was a Jewish Christian missionary in Baghdad and Smyrna and respected for his Talmudic knowledge and was a great linguist.

Dr Paul Cassel - Born Selig Cassel to Jewish parents at Glogau in 1821. One of the most eminent theologians of the German Reformed Church in the nineteenth century and a notable writer. He was an outspoken opposition to Stoker and Wagner, the fore-runners of Hitler. The Jewish Chronicle wrote "Though he has left us, he is by no means our enemy. He still fights against those who hate the Jews." (p.58 Jewish Christian Leaders by George H. Stevens, 1966, Oliphants Ltd)

Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky - Born to Jewish parents in the Russian Lithuanian town of Tanroggan in 1831. Jewish Christian missionary to China. In 1879 he became Bishop of Shanghai. He translated the Old Testament into Mandarin for the first time. See: The Jewish Bishop and the Chinese Bible: S.I.J. Schereschewsky (1831-1906). Studies in Christian Mission, vol. 22, Irene Eber. Leiden: Brill, 1999.

Isaac Hellmuth - Born in Warsaw 14th December 1820 to strict Orthodox Jewish parents. He became Bishop of Quebec in 1846 and was professor of Hebrew and Rabbinical Literature at Bishop's College, Lennoxville. Later he was Bishop of Huron and Assistant Bishop of Hull. He authored many scholarly works including The Biblical Thesaurus in 1884 and The Divine Dispensation, a critical commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures.

Mizra Norollah - Born to Jewish parents in Teheran, Persia, his father was court physician to the Shah. He was a Jewish Christian missionary who played a large part in the establishment of the indigenous church in Persia (Iran) still in existence today.

David Baron - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1855 in Russia and brought up in the Russian Polish town of Suvalki. Entered Rabbinical College aged 10. Author of many books including Rays of Messiah's Glory, The Servant of Jehovah, The History of the Ten "Lost" Tribes and Ancient Scriptures and the Modern Jew. Several of his works are available on Wikisource. Others, are available in the form of modern reprints.

Sir Leon Levison - Born in Safed in Galilee in 1881 and son of respected Rabbi Nahum Levison. He was the first president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1925. During the 1914-1918 war he raised over £200,00 for the Jewish Relief Funds and for valuable work for the Secret Service he was Knighted by the King of England.

Elijah Bendor-Samuel - Born of Orthodox Jewish parents in Lithuania. His great grandson Paul Bendor-Samuel is the International Director of Interserve.

Theodore Bendor-Samuel - Was director of the Messianic Testimony in the UK.

Harcourt Samuel O.B.E - Was General Secretary of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance and Pastor of Ramsgate Baptist Church ,1934-49 and of Birchington Baptist Church, 1951-78.

Arnold Frank - Born to Jewish parents in the Slovak village of Suja in the Carpathian mountains. He edited Zion's Freund with a readership of 40,000 but was closed by the Nazis in 1936. He was elected the second president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1937. Biography Arnold Frank of Hamburg by Robert Allen.

Isidor Loewenthal - Born of Jewish parents in Posen, in Prussian Poland, in 1826. Jewish Christian missionary to Afghanistan who translated the New Testament into Pushtu.

Ridley Haim Herschell - Born 7th April 1807 to Orthodox Jewish parents in Strzelno, Poland. Once deacon of the short lived Hebrew Church in London. One of the founders of Britain's Evangelical Alliance. All Love, A biography of Ridley Herschell by Geoffrey Henderson HTS Media, 2007.

Erasmus Simon - Born in Poland, Haim was the son of Rabbi Abraham Simon, known simply as Judah. Founder of the Hebrew Church in London. (Source: All Love, page 35-6)

Aaron Levita - Bishop of the short lived Hebrew Church in London 1831. (Source: All Love, page 46)

Elias Lebenheim - Secretary of the Hebrew Church in London. (Source: All Love, page 46)

Rabbi Haham Ephraim - Tiberius Rabbi and Dayan who died in Jerusalem aged 70 on 30th August 1930. He opened the Beth Doresh Emeth, the House of Seekers After Truth in Jerusalem conducting all the services in Hebrew.

Solomon L. Ginsberg - Born to Jewish parents in Suwalki, Poland and died April 1st 1927. He was a pioneer Jewish Christian missionary to Brazil who was considered so dangerous that the authorities paid Antonio Silvino a notorious bandit, to kill him but Ginsberg led him to faith in Jesus instead! It was said that his ministry read like a modern edition of the Acts of the Apostles, in Brazil.

Martin Goldsmith - Born to assimilated Jewish parents in England. Author of several books including Don't Just Stand There, Matthew and Mission, Islam and Christian Witness and Jesus and His Relationships.[46] He authored his biography Life's Tapestry

Dr Bernard Jean Bettelheim - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in Pressburg, Hungary in 1811. He was proficient in 28 languages and made the first translation of parts of the Bible into Chinese and Japanese, also compiling a Japanese grammar and dictionary. On May 18th 1926 57 years after his death a monument was errected to his memory in Ryuku, Japan.

Arthur W. Kac - President of the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (1956-1961) and vice-president of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance (1960-1961). Author of several books including The Death and Ressurection of Israel, The Messianic Hope The Spiritual Dilemma of the Jewish People and The Messiahship of Jesus.

Heinz W. Cassirer - Philosopher born to Jewish parents in Germany on 9th August 1903. He fled Hitler's German to England where he lectured in Philosophy at Glasgow University. and also at Corpus Christi, Oxford University. He wrote several books including Grace and Law: St. Paul, Kant and the Hebrew Prophets. His labour of love not published till after his death was God's New Covenant, A New Testament Translation.

Sam Rotman - Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1950 in the USA. Concert pianist who studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

Samuel Wiseman - Born to Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents in Tiberius 25th September 1835.

Joseph Samuel Frey - Born in 1771 to Orthodox Jewish parents in Germany. He was the only Hebrew Christian missionary to the Jews in the world in 1805. 1808 he co-founded The London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews. He moved the the USA founded The American Society for Meliorating the Conditions of the Jews. He authored The Divinity of the Messiah.

Adolph Saphir - Born to Jewish parents in Hungary in 1831. Author of several books including Christ and Israel, Divine Unity of the Scriptures, The Lord's Prayer and The Good Shepherd Finding His Sheep.

Hegesippus - According to Eusebius he was born of Jewish parents in Judea and lived in Rome around 150 A.D. He is the father of Church history and wrote Hyponymata Pente of which only fragments remain in Eusebius's History iv and Photius Bibliotheca (page 232).

James - half brother of Jesus. Hegesippus says he was martyred while praying in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Paul of Tarsus - Early missionary in the Christian Church
Symeon - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem around 62 A.D.
Justus I - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 64 A.D.
Zacchaeus- Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 112 A.D.
Tobias - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 114 A.D.
Benjamin - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 116 A.D.
Justin - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 118 A.D.
Matthias - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 120 A.D.
Philip - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 122 A.D.
Seneca - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 125 A.D.
Justus II - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 126 A.D.
Levi - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 128 A.D.
Ephres - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 130 A.D.
Joseph - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 132 A.D.
Jude - Jewish Christian Bishop of Jerusalem 133 A.D. (Jewish Witnesses for Christ by A. Bernstein. p.11)
Epiphanius of Salamis - Born to Jewish parents in Roman Judea in 315, became Bishop of Constantia and died in 403 A.D.
Paul Philip (Feivel) Levertoff - Born to a Hasidic Sephardi family in Orshal, Belarus in 1878. He helped translate the Zohar into English for Soncino Press [54] and was a descendent of Rabbi Schneur Zalman.
Isaac Salkinson - Born to Jewish parents 1820 in Vilna, Lithuania. Translated the New Testament from Greek to Hebrew, published in 1886.

Dr. Ginsberg - Born to Jewish parents in Warsaw, Poland 25th December 1821. Translated the New Testament into Hebrew with Salkinson. Ginsburg also published Hebrew text of the T'nach, with his translation of Elias Levita's Massoreth ha-Massoreth and Jacob ben Hayim's Introduction to the Rabbinic Bible.

Ernest Lloyd - Emeritus Vice President of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance was also President of the International Hebrew Christian Alliance in 1984. (Source: The Importance of Being Ernest, by Mike Moore, Christian Focus Publishing 2003, ISBN: 1 85792 806 7.)
Mark Kagan - Born 1885 in Riga Latvia, son of a Rabbi. He was a well respected preacher in Britain and wrote a critique of British Israelism.
Jeffrey Seif - Born to Jewish parents, went to Yeshiva and now host of the Zola Levit show.
Baruch Maoz - Pastor of Grace and Truth Congregation in Israel. Opponant of the Messianic Movement and author of Judaism is not Jewish, considered by some to mark the boundary between Messianic Judaism and Jewish Christianity.
Randy Newman - Author of Questioning Evangelism.
Katlin Eva Kalafoni - Born 16 June 1920 in Budapest, Hungary. Holocaust survivor and author of Forgiving Hitler.
Jerry Marcellino - Pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel, Mississippi.
Rose Price - Holocaust survivor from Skarzysko, Poland. Author of A Rose from the Ashes.
Fred Wertheim - Holocaust survivor. Booklet: I Escaped from Hitler Twice: The Fred Wertheim Story
Charles Barg - Author of Between Two Fathers.
David Rothstein - Brought up a Reform Jew and award winning artist. Author of Drawn to Jesus: The Journey of a Jewish Artist.
Eddie Spirer - Jewish Lutheran minister. Autobiography titled Eddie Spirer: The Little Minister.
Jack J. Sternberg - Author of Healing The Healer: A Jewish Doctor Finds Jesus.
Ernest Cassutto - Dutch Jew who wrote his biography The Last Jew of Rotterdam.
Susan Perlman - Co-founder of Jews for Jesus. Author of Loss To Life: A Jewish Woman's Journey to Messiah.
Karol Joseph - Author of Nothing to Fear.
Bob Mendelsohn - Author of Whoever Heard of a Jewish Missionary?
Moshe Radcliff - Free Church of Scotland minister.
Steve Schlissel - Pastor of Messiah's Covenant Community Church in Brooklyn, New York. Author of Hal Lindsey and the Restoration of the Jews.
Hugh Montefiore - Anglican Bishop of Birmingham. Author of many books including On Being a Jewish Christian: Its blessings and problems.
Marvin Olasky - Born to Jewish parents in Boston, USA. Historian and Journalist.

Rosa Palay - Born 22nd December, 1922 to Jewish parents in Chernigov, Ukraine.
Ruth Nessim - Born to Jewish mother in London. Author of Messianic poetry book Musings From Galilee
Albert Nessim - Born to Iraqi Jews in Kobe, Japan, on April 3, 1933.
Alan Hirsch - A significant figure in the emerging missional church movement in Australia. Books include The Shaping of Things to Come and The Forgotten Ways
Hyman G. Rickover - famous U.S. Admiral; born to Polish Jews in 1900; converted to Chrisianity upon marriage to an Episcopalian

Messianic Jew-Christian
(Persons who use both labels to describe themselves)

David Brickner — Current executive director of Jews for Jesus
Michael Brown Author of four volume work Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (Baker Book House)
Arnold Fruchtenbaum — theologian, founder of Ariel Ministries author of several books including Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology Biblical Lovemaking: A Study of the Song of Solomon and Hebrew Christianity: Its Theology, History and Philosophy.
Zola Levitt — author and televangelist
Steve Myers — conservative political commentator, founder of and, and publisher of Page One News and From Here to Reality. Once trained as a rabbi; became Christian in 1982.
Moishe Rosen - — founder of Jews for Jesus
Ceil Rosen - Wife of Moishe Rosen founder of Jews for Jesus and author of Then I Met Messiah.
Stuart Sacks - born and raised in an American Orthodox Jewish family, author of books including Hebrews Through a Hebrew's Eyes (1995,Lederer) and Revealing Jesus as Messiah (1998, Christian Focus Publishing).
Richard S. Harvey - Tutor, Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies, All Nations Christian Collage in England and joint vice-president of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance - working on PhD on Messianic Jewish Theology
Mark Greene - Currently Executive Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity and previously Vice Principal of the London School of Theology. He is an author of several books including Thank God it's Monday.
Tom Mayr-Lori - Born to Jewish parents in Israel. Current President of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance.
Michael Nessim - Messianic musician based in Israel.
Steve Maltz - Born to Jewish parents in England. Author of Land of Many Names, People of Many Names and The Truth Is Out There.
Stephen F. Gutmann - Baptist minister and British Messianic Jewish Alliance committee member.
Charles Halff - Converted to christianity in 1948 in San Antonio, Texas. Author of What It Cost A Jew to Become a Christian and many booklets. Host of the radio program The Christian Jew Hour. Founder of the Christian Jew Foundation.

Source Books
A. Bernstein, Jewish Witnesses for Christ, Keren Ahvah Meshichit, Jerusalem, first publised 1909. ISBN 965-447-041-1
Dr. Henry Einspruch, Would I? Would You?, Lederer Foundation 1970, ISBN: 1-880226-13-8
Henry & Marie Einspruch, Raisins and Almonds, Lederer Foundation 1967, ISBN: 1-880226-10-* George H. Stevens, Jewish Christian Leaders, Oliphants Ltd, London 1966
Ben Hoekendijk, Twelve Jews Discover Messiah, Kingsway Publications 1992, ISBN: 0 85476 332 5
John Fieldsend, Messianic Jews: Challenging Church and Synagogue, Monarch/Marc Publications 1993, ISBN-10: 1854242288
Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus, Famous Hebrew Christians, International Board of Jewish Missions, Inc.

The Longest Hatred 12

At the moment it is the season for British trade unions to move towards imposing boycotts upon Israeli goods and personnel. Among the unions that have made moves in this direction is my own union, the University and Colleges Union. I do not intend here to rehearse exhaustively the debate as to whether such boycotts are “anti-Semitic” or “legitimate expressions of criticism of the Israeli government”. However, last year’s Report of the All-Party Enquiry into Antisemitism reasoned that such selective boycotts were "anti-Jewish in practice"; I also find the Engage response to the proposed boycott compelling.

Most worrying for me, though, is the fact that Tom Hickey, a leading proponent of the boycott, is happy to speak in front of a reading list which includes the work of Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy; another leading proponent, Tony Greenstein, has documented links to known antisemites (here and here. Proponents of the boycott routinely insist that they are “not anti-Semitic just critical of Israel”; could I be forgiven for expressing scepticism in the case of these two individuals?

The Longest Hatred 11

Q: WHAT DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING HAVE IN COMMON?

"Everyone hates them [the Jewish people] because they're up themselves"

"Let's not be judgemental like those Jews"

"I always knew he was an ex-Yid"

"Don't trust her, she's Jewish"

"They killed the Lord Jesus" (for a detailed examination of why this statement is both wrong and dangerous, see here)

"The Jews still reject Jesus"

"Now you're a Christian you're no longer Jewish"

"Whoever says the gospel is for the Jew first should be punched in the mouth"

"The Holocaust never happened"

A: THEY ARE ALL STATEMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN HEARD IN BRITISH CHURCHES, CHRISTIAN UNIONS OR CHRISTIAN GATHERINGS MY ME OR BY PEOPLE KNOWN TO ME IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.

SICKENING, ISN'T IT?

The Longest Hatred 10

I agree with Melanie Phillips that this little incident is not the BBC's finest hour.

I'll let LBF readers judge for themselves as to whether the Beeb's approach on this particular occasion reflects a "desire for full and open debate including legitimate criticism of Zionism" or "antisemitism".

The Longest Hatred 9

Hot off the press, some recent stats on antisemitism in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

The Longest Hatred 8

One would hope that the United Nations, an organisation founded in the ashes of the Holocaust, would take a lead in combatting this longest of hatreds. Sadly, the reality has been very different: the UN has more often that not signally failed not only Israel but also the Jewish people.

Some particular "lowlights":

- the UN's notorious 1975 "Zionism is racism" resolution, which was inspired in part by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, three years after he had telegrammed the UN Secretary General applauding the Holocaust. The "Zionism is racism" motion was rescinded in 1991 after intense US pressure; unbelievably, some Christian anti-Zionists write approvingly of the original resolution and believe that the decision to rescind it was flawed!

- in 2000, the UN's World Conference against Racism turned into a racist conference against Jews. Israel and Israeli NGOs had previously been excluded from a regional pre-conference; at the Durban conference itself, copies of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and literature glorifying Adolph Hitler were made freely available; Syria and Iran issued statements denying the Holocaust; a statement against antisemitism made by Jewish groups was struck out (a fate which befell no other statement issued by any other group): here and here

- the enduring double standard by which Israel alone has been singled out for condemnation while far worse human rights violations perpetrated by other nations are ignored. When challenged about this double standard, the UN attempts to bury the evidence: here (and, more generally, here)

The Longest Hatred 7

Clearly, it is not just Britain where there is a problem:

here and here. The second of the linked articles is particularly disturbing, coming as it does from someone who professes to follow the Jewish Messiah. One wonders whether Jesus would be welcome in his church!

The Longest Hatred 6

The Channel 4 programme can now be seen (in tranches) on Youtube,
here

The Longest Hatred 5

Clips from the Channel 4 programme can be seen here (If you have the technical knowhow you can watch the whole programme on4oD)

The producer Richard Littlejohn writes about the programme here

EN gets it right for a change

I'm not often impressed by Evangelicals Now's coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict, but the editor does deserve credit for citing this disturbing statistic in a "News in Brief" item in the latest edition: a shocking 28% of Israel's OWN Arab population believe the Holocaust never happened. Presumably they instead believe that one of the best-documented events in history was in fact collectively fabricated by the cunning Jews to justify the state of Israel. Proof, if any were needed, of the threats facing Israel even from within her own borders: with citizens like these, who needs enemies?

The Longest Hatred 4

UK's Channel 4 are doing a programme on the resurgence of antisemitism in Britain on Monday 9 July at 8 pm. If I can find a link I'll post one.

The Longest Hatred 3

For those who would like to do some further reading, here is a list of useful resources:

Books

General works

Hated without A Cause? - A Survey of Antisemitism by Graham Keith (Paternoster, 1997) - the most comprehensive Christian treatment of the subject I know

The Changing Faces of Antisemitism from Ancient Times to the Present Day by Walter Laqueur (Oxford, 2007) (details here)

Theological works:

Your Father the Devil? by Steve Motyer (Paternoster, 1997) (a look at the use of the term "Jews" in John's gospel)

Antisemitism and the New Testament by Steve Motyer (Grove Books, 2002)

The New Testament: A Pro-Jewish Book by Maurice Bowler: online version available here

Websites:

Report of The UK All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism here

The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia working definition of Anti-Semitism here (this includes some useful guidelines as to when "criticism of Israel" may become "antisemitic")

Paul Bogdanor's excellent compilation of resources on left-wing antisemitism, including the bizarre phenomena of Jewish, even Israeli Jewish antisemitism and self-hate here

The Engage website challenges contemporary antisemitism (in particular, moves to impose an academic boycott upon Israel) from a left-wing perspective: here

The Longest Hatred 2

Antisemitism: why evangelicals need to be concerned

- Because Christians should be concerned with combatting all forms of racism
- Because Romans 11 provides a specific theological mandate against antisemitism
- Because some evangelicals are Jewish
- Because we long to see Jewish people recognise Yeshua as their Messiah: however, the antisemitism which has been a feature of the European church for centuries remains a major stumbling block to Jewish people doing just that
- Because antisemitism remains a terrible stain on church history
- Because, historically, societies where antisemitism has flourished have also persecuted evangelicals: the Spanish Inquisition (which arguably, and perhaps ironically, specifically targeted proto-Messianic Jews, here); Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, fundamentalist Islam. It doesn't seem to me to be coincidence that the UK has seen an increase both in antisemitism and in opposition to evangelicals in recent years.

As ever comments are appreciated, if only to allay my neurotic fears that no-one is reading my blog and I might be wasting my time...

What seems like an interlude now...

... could be the beginning of love.*

OK, maybe not, that's just a musically influenced way of saying that posting will probably be on hold for a few days as I try to work through my backlog of marking and head down to London for a fascinating conference on the future of legal training in the UK. On my return, I shall try to make progress on my series on antisemitism.

* Bonus points for anyone who can guess the song and the artist(s).

Christians in Gaza 2

A timely email I received from the Birmingham Israel Information Centre underscores the point:

Christians must accept Islamic rule

Aaron Klein, World News Daily 19/06/07

Militant leader in Gaza says missionaries will be 'dealt with harshly,' demands women wear headscarves
Christians can only continue living safely in the Gaza Strip if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant leader in Gaza told WND in an exclusive interview.
The militant leader said Christians in Gaza who engage in "missionary activity" will be
"dealt with harshly." The threats come two days after a church and Christian school
in Gaza was attacked following the seizure of power in the territory by the Hamas terror group. "I expect our Christian neighbours to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza.
Jihadia Salafiya is suspected of attacking a United Nations school in Gaza last month, after the school allowed boys and girls to participate in the same sporting event. One person was killed in that attack. "The situation has now changed 180 degrees in Gaza," said Abu Saqer, speaking from Gaza yesterday. "Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will ensure Christian schools and institutions show publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not carrying out missionary activity. No more alcohol on the streets. All women, including non-Muslims, need to understand they must be covered at all times while in public," Abu Asqer told WND.
"Also the activities of Internet cafes, pool halls and bars must be stopped," he said. "If it goes on, we'll attack these things very harshly."
'Fatah behind church attack' Abu Saqer accused the leadership of the Gaza Christian community of "proselytizing and trying to convert Muslims with funding from American evangelicals." "This missionary activity is endangering the entire Christian community in Gaza," he said. Abu Saqer claimed there was "no need" for the thousands of Christians in Gaza to maintain a large number of institutions in the territory. About 2,000 Christians live in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of over 1 million. Abu Saqer said Hamas "must work to impose an Islamic rule or it will lose the authority it has and the will of the people." His comments come after gunmen on Sunday attacked Gaza's Latin Church and adjacent Rosary Sisters School, reportedly destroying crosses, bibles, pictures of Jesus and furniture and equipment. The attackers also stole a number of computers. The attack was the first targeting of Christian institutions since Hamas last week staged a coup against the rival Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, seizing all Fatah positions and security compounds, essentially taking complete control of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas officials in Gaza claimed to WND Fatah was behind Sunday's church attack in an attempt to discredit Hamas to the international community. Abu Saqer claimed he had "good information" that the attack really was a robbery aimed at the church's school computers, even though bibles and Christian holy objects were destroyed.

Christians in Gaza

I'll resume the posting on antisemitism probably next week now; in the meantime, a couple of links to highlight the plight of Christians in Gaza, who surely need our prayers at this time. Two posts from the Barnabas fund (both of which refreshingly, and in contrast to some commentators, resist the temptation to Blame It All On Israel), here and here.

The Longest Hatred 1

I want to use a few posts to discuss that longest of hatreds - anti-Semitism.

Firstly, to raise awareness that it is once again a problem- if indeed it ever stopped being an issue. This was made clear in last year's Report of The All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism and these statistics from the Community Security Trust; the situation in other European countries, notably France, is at least as bad if not worse; not to mention the explosion of antisemitism in the Arab world (something with a long history, even before the rise of Zionism: here)

Over the next few days, I'll try to post some stuff on how this relates to evangelicals, compile a list of resources, review a book on the subject which I am cirrently reading, and suggest a way forward.

By the way, if you happen to read this, please would you post to that effect - doesn't have to be anything of substance, just let me know you're reading this - just so I don't feel I'm using up time writing stuff which no-one reads!

Great video

I just stumbled across this excellent 10-minute clip which gives essential background to the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is necessarily brief, for those who want to explore further there is an excellent compilation of resources here. The video makes brief mention that the Palestinian wartime leader, Haj Amin-Al Husseini, collaborated with Hitler in perpetrating the Holocaust. This important detail, which is dealt with exhaustively here is slowly being edited out of history, not least by various Christian anti-Zionist writers who claim that the Palestinians have unjustly been made to pay for Hitler's crimes, or that Israel has exploited the Holocaust.

Israel news

Matt reminded me, in his comment on an earlier post, of
this very positive and encouraging Israeli TV report on Israeli Messianic Jews. It's in Hebrew with English subtitles, about 8 minutes long, and well worth watching. Some of the terminology is deliberately Hebraicized ("Yeshua", "Messianic" rather than "Christian" which has a whole range of unhelpful connotations in a Hebrew context, etc*) but the believers are thoroughly kosher (so to speak) in their doctrine and belief.

Perhaps the most striking feature is the portrayal of the ultra-Orthodox "antimissionaries" who have been persecuting the Messianic congregation in Arad (South of Israel) for the last four years - the dark and spooky music comes on when they are featured, rather than the MJs. Is this a sign of Israeli society becoming more open to the gospel and more sympathetic to those who bear Yeshua's name?

*The term "Yeshu" is used by the narrator on a couple of occasions - this is a derogatory Hebrew acrostic for Jesus, meaning "May his name and memory be blotted out". His proper Hebrew name is "Yeshua" which means "salvation".

Great quote

"I believe there is nothing that we Christian Israelites ought more earnestly to seek to maintain than our own distinct nationality. We must show our brethren that in becoming Christians we have not ceased to be Jews. Our national life and expectations are based upon the word and promise of God, and can never be abandoned."

(Ridley Herschell, in 1857 at the 3rd Evangelical Alliance conference in Berlin)

From "All Love: A Biography of Ridley Herschell" by Geoffrey Henderson (HTS Media, 2006), p. 172.

the Bias of the BBC

Sadly, there will be many posts of this nature on this blog...

Israel news

These two encouraging items, written by Richard Gibson, initially appeared in the British Church Newspaper, page 9, issue 114, 8th June 07

Messianic Jews invited to Jerusalem Day parade
Richard Weisskopf the Chairman of Love4Israel reports that in an "unprecedented move, the City of Jerusalem invited Messianic Jews to lead the Jerusalem Day parade. What is more, a senior advisor to Ariel Sharon marched under the Messianic Jewish banner." The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America was invited to participate in the parade to celebrate 40 years since the unification of Jerusalem. Local Israeli Messianic Jews from the Beit Guela Messianic Congregation pastored by sabra Israeli Meno Kalisher also took part wearing www.Yeshua.co.il shirts to advertise their website.

Freedom of Worship in Israel Upheld

Calev Myers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice reports.

A municipality in the south was claiming that use of an apartment for Messianic home-group meetings was illegal based on existing zoning regulations. The municipality went on to demand that the leader of the Messianic Jewish congregation, which was using the apartment for small worship services, apply for a zoning variance or face charges of illegal use of the property.

Our team of legal professionals, at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, prepared a formal response to the municipality in question, pointing out that their aforesaid request infringes upon basic rights of religious freedom, personal freedom of worship and equal treatment by law.

We are pleased to report that the municipality has formally retracted all of its aforesaid claims and cancelled, in writing, all demands against the aforesaid Messianic Jewish leader.

Israel: to criticise or not to criticise?

On this, the 40th anniversary of the start of the Six Days War, when Israel survived the attempts by her Arab neighbours to commit genocide
here it seems a good moment to broach the delicate topic of when, and how, Christians should criticise the state of Israel. I first wrote this piece a couple of years ago, in response to two particularly aggressive anti-Israel pieces in Evangelicals Now. The article was published in the British Messianic Jewish Alliance's Chai magazine and in Christian Witness to Israel's Herald magazine. Though it is now slightly dated, I believe that it has lost none of its relevance.

“The government of Israel is placed on a pedestal, and to criticize it is to be immediately dubbed anti-Semitic.” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 2002)

Israel is rarely, if ever, out of the news, and the ongoing Israel-Arab conflict is a subject which is guaranteed to provoke a variety of strong opinions. This is the case in both the secular and the Christian press. Increasingly, it seems, some Christian leaders are taking an anti-Israel stance. This raises important questions concerning criticism of the state of Israel, and whether or when such criticism will be anti-Semitic. As Messianic Jews, longing supremely to see our people turn to Yeshua as Messiah, how may we contribute to this debate?

It must be stated at the outset that legitimate criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. Like every country in the world, Israel makes mistakes in both her domestic and foreign policy - and should be justly called to account when she does so. As Messianic Jews, committed above all to Yeshua and to his standards, we must have the courage and moral consistency to criticise Israel where it is appropriate to do so, whether in respect of her treatment of Messianic Jews, or of her Arab minority, or of the Palestinian Authority. However, this very much begs the question of when criticism of Israel will or will not be legitimate, and it is this which I would like to address.

I would suggest that much criticism of Israel is illegitimate, for the following reasons. Some critics apply a harsher standard to Israel than they do to other countries. Some single Israel alone out for criticism. Some base their criticisms on inaccurate information. Still others make perhaps the most serious error of all, namely failing to account for the context in which Israel operates: her birth, after centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust, as a much-needed safe haven for the Jewish people; and, subsequently, her fight for survival in the face of an ongoing determination by Palestinian terrorists, many of her Arab neighbours, and, on occasions, the wider world, to wipe her out altogether. Even in the short period since the withdrawal from Gaza, Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hizbollah have all launched terrorist attacks on Israel; Hamas and Islamic Jihad both retain an ideological commitment to the complete destruction of Israel; Syria will not even recognise Israel’s existence; and the Iranian president has called for her to be wiped off the map. A failure to take into account the unique pressures under which Israel operates – in other words, a failure to look at all the facts and at both sides of the story - is unlikely to generate “legitimate” criticism of Israel.

Applying these criteria to just two of the criticisms of Israel recently voiced or alluded to some Christian writers, are they “legitimate”?

Some accuse Israel of being a racist, apartheid state. Israel has publicly acknowledged some shortcomings in her treatment of her Arab minority; yet nevertheless Israel’s Palestinian citizens have full rights of citizenship, including the right to vote, and the right to attend university. Some serve in the Israeli army – for example, Druze Arabs form the units which defend the Golan Heights against Syria. As at May 2005 there were 11 Israeli Arab MPs in the Knesset (including two in Ariel Sharon’s then Likud party) ; an Arab judge serving in the Israeli Supreme Court; and Arabs serving in Israel’s diplomatic service: here

The contrast with, say, the position of the black community under South Africa’s former apartheid regime could scarcely be stronger. In contrast to Israel, Saudi Arabia (for example), does not allow a single Jewish person to live within her borders. Why, then, is Israel alone singled out for criticism, and why is she apparently judged by a harsher standard than other countries?

Meanwhile, some Christians support imposing economic sanctions against Israel until she ends her occupation of the West Bank – implying that the Israeli occupation is the cause of all the problems. Again, is such criticism “legitimate”? Are such Christians aware that Jews were targeted by Arab attacks as early as the 1920s, long before the creation of Israel or the occupation of Gaza or the West Bank; or that Israel did in fact end her occupation of the West Bank in 1995, returning only to some areas in response to terrorism? Are they aware of the extent of ongoing attacks against Israel even since the pull-out from Gaza? I would suggest that those who support economic sanctions against Israel should, at the very least, be unequivocal in their condemnation of Palestinian terrorism, and should also express grave concerns at allegations that much financial aid provided to the Palestinian Authority by the EU (and others) is used to fund terrorism. (For further details see the FPC Report on EU Funding of Palestinian Terror here.

Some of Israel’s critics point to the fact that many Jewish people are also strongly critical of Israel. Yet this is, surely, inconclusive. A small minority of Jewish people flirt with Holocaust Denial; a majority of Jewish people deny that Jesus is the Messiah: but this does not prove that either of those two positions is correct! The fact that Israel has her Jewish critics testifies, primarily, to the traditionally wide range of opinion, and freedom of information and debate, which exist within the Jewish world. In any case, while it may indeed be “ironic” that Israel has her Jewish critics, is it not equally ironic that there are Arabs (including some Palestinians) who support her – here ? One such is Walid Shoebat, a former PLO member who participated in terrorist attacks against Israel, now a Christian, who wishes to travel to Britain to boost Israel’s PR: here

It goes without saying that “legitimate” criticism of Israel will need to be well-informed: the chapter on “Zion” in Paul Johnson’s A History of the Jews is warmly recommended for its even-handedness and thorough approach; likewise Sir Martin Gilbert's very accessible Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

Finally, all Christians (both Jewish and non-Jewish) need to be aware of the long and inglorious record of the church’s persecutions of the Jewish people – something which remains a “stumbling-block for Jews” and from which our evangelical forebears have not been immune – as detailed in Graham Keith’s excellent, if harrowing, “Hated without a Cause? – A Survey of Antisemitism” (Paternoster, 1991). Once again, legitimate criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. Many unbelieving Jews speak of an anti-Israel bias in the Christian press. Would it not be tragic, if today’s Christians - whatever their motives - criticised Israel in an unfair, inaccurate, unbalanced, and thus illegitimate manner: and were thus to place yet another stumbling-block between the Jewish people, and their true Messiah?

A Light to the Nations 3

My friend Richard Gibson has written this review of a biography of Ridley Hershell, one of the figures mentioned in my first LttN post.

All Love: A Biography of Ridley Herschell
By Geoffrey Henderson
Publisher: HTS Media, 2006
Available from CWI Bookroom, 166 Main Road, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 6EL, 01959 565955 ,here
£8.50 (including post & packaging within the UK)
199 Pages

All Love takes us to an almost forgotten yesteryear and to the story of an almost forgotten Jewish Christian giant, Ridley Haim Herschell, who was born to Orthodox Jewish parents in Strzelno, Poland in 1807. By the age of eleven, when he left home to study at a Yeshiva for two years, Haim was already fluent in Hebrew, German and Polish. At the age of fourteen, he studied Kabbalah for two years with his Hasidic relative Rabbi Aaron in Piotrkow Trybunalski. A year later, wanting to feed his mind even more, Haim went to study German literature in Berlin where, amongst other young doubters, who were losing their Protestant and Catholic faiths, Haim lost his faith in Judaism. In the years that followed, he dramatically strayed from the ways of his ancestors but, while living in Paris, through circumstances that are explained fully in the book, he was drawn back to his Judaic faith. In London he found to his astonishment that the Messiah promised to his people was none other than Jesus of Nazareth.

Ridley, as he was known by then, became involved with the charismatic son of Rabbi, Erasmus Haim Simon, and a number of other Jewish Christians in establishing the short-lived National Hebrew Church in London. Lacking the ability to understand the aspirations of these Jewish Christians, the Bishop of London withdrew his support from the Friends of the Hebrew Nation, which was the group seeking to establish a National Hebrew Church, thus almost extinguishing the dreams of a National Hebrew Church, the first gasping breath of a nascent Messianic Jewish movement.

Young Ridley Haim certainly travelled a bit and his wanderings didn't stop after his marriage to Helen Mowbray. However, the engagement of a Jewish man to an aristocratic English lady caused quite a stir. Attempts were made to blacken Herschell's character to the point that serious doubt was cast on whether he was truly a Christian. All this happened with the undercurrent of anti-Semitism in a Britain where Jews did not yet have full rights as citizens.

In forty one short chapters, Geoffrey Henderson manages to capture a staggering amount of detail about Herschell's colourful and varied life. Henderson's insights into nineteenth century Jewish life and culture and Jewish attitudes to Christianity are invaluable. His style is absorbing and easy to read, transporting us back in time and enabling us to enter into the pain of Herschell's family, who thought he had apostatized and become an idolater. We rejoice to hear how his brothers, too, came to faith and that three of them also became ministers of the gospel. In spite of the obstacles he had to overcome, Ridley became a well-known, respected non-conformist minister and was amongst the founders of The Evangelical Alliance and The British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel amongst the Jews, now Christian Witness to Israel.

All Love is written with imagination that will inspire the reader and excite the believer at what God can and will do with a life lived for Him.

Reviewed by Richard Gibson