Compass
Direct News Service
Orthodox
Jews disrupted a Messianic congregation's worship service in the Israeli town
of
During the
service, two young women from the nearby town of
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According
to the congregation's pastor, Howard Bass, the orthodox were first welcomed to
stay and attend the service. Then they started to move around, dance, sing and
overturn chairs and tables.
Initially
two or three policemen arrived, but "it got out of hand beyond anything
they could handle," Bass said, and they had to call in reinforcements.
The
agitators struck Messianic believers in the face, back and stomach. Though one
received a blow near his eye, no one needed medical attention.
When the
demonstrators discovered the baptismal pool, they went wild and started to
throw objects in the pool, Bass said. He himself was also thrown in the water,
breaking his multi-focal glasses in the fracas.
The
demonstrators caused damage to an overhead projector, a front door lock,
fencing and cars.
"We
can't find a set of keys that belong to the property, and we don't know whether
they have it," Bass said. "So we have to replace the locks and the
keys, which are a special system."
He
estimated total damages to be about $2,000.
Police
reinforcements
The
Sephardic Chief Rabbi of
"The
rabbi did not claim any responsibility for the violence," Bass said.
"The demonstrators never apologized for it, and never regretted it."
The congregation filed several complaints with the police.
One
Christian tried to videotape the incident, and when demonstrators yelled that
this was "forbidden on Shabbat" (Jewish Sabbath), he told them he was
not Jewish. But police forbid him to use his video camera, saying it would
constitute a provocation. Others, however, did take photographs and videos of
the demonstration.
A female
member of the congregation said she was shocked by the hatred she encountered
from youths when she attempted to enter the building. They told her that
Christians were Nazis and that she deserved a bullet through her head.
Those attending
The two
women to be baptized were both over 18. One of them is from a Jewish Messianic
family. Both from the Messianic congregation in
The
congregation had planned a picnic following the baptisms. Eventually, the women
were baptized elsewhere.
According
to Pastor Yakim Figueras, demonstrations also took place in
Since April
2004, Israeli police have refused permission for large demonstrations in front
of the house of a Messianic family in
Figueras
told Compass that last weekend's incident in
This could
be in favor of our case," the Messianic leader said.
Copyright
(c) 2005 Compass Direct