A
letter Shmulik (Debby's brother) got from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
Thank you for
your query.
Messianic Jews
who are citizens also enjoy equal rights. However, a Messianic Jew from abroad
who seeks to become an Israeli citizen will not be considered acceptable under
the Law of Return, which excludes Jews who have taken up another religion.
Native born Israeli Messianic Jews cannot lose their citizenship by virture of their religious beliefs.
Friction has
occurred between groups of Messianic Jews and their surrounding communities,
whenever the Messianic Jews have been perceived as attempting to proselytize.
This is because non-messianic Jews consider them apostates bent on
proselytizing Jews and luring them away from the Jewish people. This is
particularly so regarding Jews from the former
What seems to be
hard for supporters of Messianic Jews to accept is that their very presence
might be the cause of considerable friction with their Jewish neighbors,
particularly when they are perceived as attempting to proselytize their Jewish
neighbors. With all due respect to the religious freedom of Messianic Jews, if
their behavior is perceived as antagonistic vis a vis the religious
freedom of Israeli Jews, they invite a negative response.
That said, there is of course no justification for violence, whether
verbal or otherwise. If Messianic Jews feel they have been the victims of
violence or any other injustice, they have recourse to the police, the courts,
and the media. Curiously, despite the recent, well orchestrated campaign in the
The Gur Hassidim are evidently reacting to what they perceive
as attempts to proselytize Jews. Israeli Jews don't proselytize Armenians, or
Arab Christians, or Arab Muslims, or Hindus, or anyone else. On the other hand,
throughout history Christian groups have tried to convert Jews, often by the
sword. It is unfortunate when the most loving, God-fearing, Messianic Jews
ignore this and are then surprised or affronted by the hostility of believing Jews
who consider them to be a threat.
Since your query
relates to an internal issue, please contact the Israel Police spokesman: akam@police.gov.il If you fail to
obtain satisfaction from the police, you could try our Justice Ministry at yaelk@justice.gov.il. You might also consider writing a
letter to the editor of The Jerusalem Post or Haaretz.
Information and
Internet Department
Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem