Jews for Jesus

Jews for Jesus (English Jews for Jesus; JFJ ) is an American, evangelical mission work that wants to convert Jews to Christianity. It will be added to the religious syncretism, because in it mixed elements of Judaism and Christianity and are merged into a new world view. Jews for Jesus understood as a Jewish organization, a claim which is rejected by all Jewish denominations.

History

The Mission was in Northern California by Moishe Rosen (1932-2010), originally Martin Meyer Rosen, founded, as in the youthful counterculture new religious movements were popular., 1973 Rose, born as the son of Jewish parents in Kansas, Missouri, converted to Christianity and became a Baptist clergyman. He worked for the American Board of Missions to the Jews, but broke up in 1973 by this organization and started independently with the mission to the Jews.

Head of the plant, which has its headquarters in San Francisco, 1996, as the successor Rosen David Brickner. At a meeting on 17 August 2008, the Republican Governor Sarah Palin Brickner took part, which ran shortly thereafter for the office of U.S. Vice President. Brickner referred to in his speech, terrorist attacks on Israel as a judgment of God against Jews who refused to Christianity. After a storm of indignation broke out about Palin's presence because it was considered hostile to Israel, the politician of Brickner distanced.

The German branch of the organization was founded in Essen 1999/2000 and is headed by Avi Snyder since 2003. Made friendly contacts between the German Evangelical Alliance and Jews for Jesus.

Methods of proselytizing

Jews for Jesus embarrassed brochures with Hebrew translation of the New Testament, they use folk songs and shows the Messianic Jews, own multilingual sites, quarterly letters, phone calls and weekly videos to proselytize Jews. Target groups of their mission are especially new immigrants, the elderly, students and families of mixed religious affiliations. In Germany quota refugees from Eastern Europe are addressed specifically, their limited knowledge about Judaism JFJ makes use of the fact.

In 1999, the Internet provider Lycos decided after protests from Jewish organizations not to renew an existing advertising contract with Jews for Jesus, in which a promotional image of the group appeared, when the word " jewish " was entered into the search engine.

Counter-positions

Criticism of Jews for Jesus is both Christian and Jewish side. For example throws an umbrella organization of various Christian denomination in Washington, DC Jews for Jesus before their activity is contrary to inter-religious respect and tolerance.

In a statement exponents of the various Jewish religious communities in the U.S. have stated in the 1990 years that Judeo-Christian groups such as the Jews are not Jewish organizations for Jesus and their dependents who are Jews according to Jewish religious law, not be members of a Jewish community can and are not entitled to Israeli citizenship by virtue of the Law of Return.

The Berlin publicist and Rabbi Andreas Nachama criticized the missionary work: " From the perspective of Jewish structures in organized Judaism it closes out simply to believe in Jesus and to be a Jew " and speaks of " classic anti-Judaism ." His colleague, Rabbi Chaim Z. Rozwaski sees an attempt to destroy Judaism from its branches and roots: " Messianic Judaism 'is a malicious movement because it distorts both Judaism and Christianity, and twisted the truth about both religions. Christianity is at its core the negation of Judaism, as Judaism in its essence is the negation of Christianity. To say that it is possible, one, to be a Jew for Jesus ' damaged the conscience and the religious thought of both directions, and in this sense the movement is malicious. "