Union News
UMJC Mourns the Victims of Recent Terror Attacks in Israel
On Erev Shabbat, February 10, near the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, Yaakov Paley, a 6-year-old boy and Shlomo Laderman, a young man who was married only two months ago were killed and several others have been wounded in a car-ramming terror attack.
On Erev Shabbat, February 10, near the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, Yaakov Paley, a 6-year-old boy and Shlomo Laderman, a young man who was married only two months ago were killed and several others have been wounded in a car-ramming terror attack. Asher Paley, the 8-year old brother of the boy who died at the scene succumbed to his injuries in the hospital where his father is still receiving treatment. On January 27, two horrific terrorist attacks left 9 innocent people of all ages dead and several injured in Jerusalem following International Holocaust Memorial Day.
All these events have sent the world’s Jewish community into mourning. The UMJC, on behalf of the international Messianic Jewish congregations and fellowships associated with us, extends our sincerest condolences to the families of those who died and offer our prayers for those who have been injured.
While the world-wide incidents of antisemitism continue to grow around us, the growing number of violent incidents taking place in Israel is of deep concern to us and to others in the Jewish community.
Despite these very difficult and disturbing trends, we continue to pray for shalom, the peace of Hashem, in Jerusalem and in Eretz Yisrael.
In Memoriam, Rabbi Mark Greenberg
Mark Greenberg departed to be with Yeshua Friday night, January 13, after a brave, two-year struggle with vascular disease. He was the rabbi of Shalom Rome, a UMJC-affiliated congregation in Rome, Georgia, from 2016 until the Covid pandemic and his condition led to his medical retirement in 2020. Mark was also a cofounder of the Tree of Life Bible Society along with his wife, Daniah.
Mark and Daniah Greenberg
Mark Greenberg departed to be with Yeshua Friday night, January 13, after a brave, two-year struggle with vascular disease.
He was the rabbi of Shalom Rome, a UMJC-affiliated congregation in Rome, Georgia, from 2016 until the Covid pandemic and his condition led to his medical retirement in 2020. Mark was also a cofounder of the Tree of Life Bible Society along with his wife, Daniah, and served as the chairman of its Board of Directors until 2021. In this role he supported his family in every way possible in their work with Tree of Life.
Mark Greenberg was ordained by the IAMCS in 1999, led a congregation in Syracuse, NY, called New Beth Israel for 10 years before moving to Ft Lauderdale to assist with Temple Aron HaKodesh’s leadership transition. Then, with the TLV becoming a fully-fledged ministry, he went back into secular work as an electrical engineer to support the family while the translation was completed.
He is survived by his wife, Daniah Greenberg, and his three children, Amanda, Joseph (and wife Brittni) and Simeon (and wife Hanah), and his three grandchildren, Rose, Marigold, and Levi. At Mark’s request the family asks that any memorial gifts be given to “The Poppyseed Fund” at the TLV Bible Society, to give Bibles to children. A public memorial service will be held at 7:00 PM, Tuesday, January 17, at Prayer Mountain in Dallas.
Rabbinic Counsel Russ Resnik adds, “I had the privilege and blessing of spending time with Mark via Zoom after his health began to decline a couple of years ago, until his condition no longer allowed it. He was a man of great heart, deep awareness of God and his ways, and profound love for his family.”
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, December 2022
"Silence is complicity. We must not remain silent. And I made no bones about it from the very beginning: I will not be silent. America will not be silent." President Joe Biden made these remarks in a speech before guests assembled in the White House's Entrance Hall for a Hanukkah holiday reception on December 19.
PRESIDENT CONDEMNS ANTISEMITISM AT HANUKKAH RECEPTION IN THE WHITE HOUSE
"Silence is complicity. We must not remain silent. And I made no bones about it from the very beginning: I will not be silent. America will not be silent." President Joe Biden made these remarks in a speech before guests assembled in the White House's Entrance Hall for a Hanukkah holiday reception on December 19. The reception came amid growing fears about antisemitism in the United States. Earlier in December, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish institutions jumped 61% from 2020 to 2021 with similar numbers likely to be reported for 2022 (see “ADL reports” below).
See also: THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ITS FIRST-EVER HANUKKAH MENORAH
LEADING BRAZILIAN ECONOMIST DERIDES JEWISH COLLEAGUE WITH ANTISEMITIC TROPES
Jewish groups in Brazil demanded a retraction after a prominent economist questioned the loyalty of Jewish economist Ilan Goldfajn during a late December interview streamed by a widely viewed Brazilian news organization. Goldfajn was recently elected president of the Inter-American Development Bank, which promotes economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean. Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr., a former executive director of the International Monetary Fund, said during the interview on Jornal GGN that Goldfajn is hostile to the government of Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and included his Jewish background as one of the reasons. Batista’s argument invoked multiple antisemitic tropes about Jewish power and dual loyalty.
CHURCHES URGED TO ACT AGAINST ANTISEMITISM
A group of educators dedicated to solidarity between Christians and Jews is urging churches to take action against the growing prevalence of antisemitism in the United States — and to reflect on how their own practices may be fueling hatred against Jews. “We implore all churches to redouble their efforts to denounce antisemitism publicly as antithetical to the very essence of Christianity itself,” the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations, which represents about 30 institutions working on interreligious understanding, said in a public statement. The statement, issued in mid-December during Advent, the season of preparation ahead of Christmas, opens by declaring that “the United States is facing the greatest crisis of public antisemitism in a century.”
ADL REPORTS ON RECENT THREATS TO JEWISH INSTITUTIONS
Incidents of antisemitism remain at historic levels in the United States. In fact, antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish institutions jumped 61 percent from 2020 to 2021, according to ADL’s 2021 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents.
Fears about antisemitism have been on the rise since a mass shooter claimed 11 lives at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. In the intervening four years, a range of Jewish houses of worship, homes and businesses have been targeted by violent antisemitic attacks, and other Jewish institutions have been subjected to threats and harassment, despite not being physically attacked. Since June 2022, at least 121 antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish institutions have been reported to ADL
DOUG EMHOFF ADDRESSES 'RAPID RISE' IN ANTISEMITISM WITH WHITE HOUSE ROUNDTABLE
Doug Emhoff, Jewish husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, hosted a roundtable on antisemitism at the White House on December 7, saying he was compelled to use his "microphone" to address the issue.
"There's an epidemic of hate facing our country," he said, kicking off his remarks. "We're seeing a rapid rise in antisemitic rhetoric and acts. Let me be clear: Words matter. People are no longer saying the quiet parts out loud. They are literally screaming them."
The roundtable, which was attended by Jewish leaders, dignitaries and advocates, was organized amid high-profile antisemitic controversies including former president Donald Trump; Kyrie Irving, a star basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets; and Ye, the rapper and designer formerly known as Kanye West.
Police in some parts of the country have also noted increasing violence against Jews.
125% INCREASE IN NYC ANTISEMITIC HATE CRIMES IN NOVEMBER - NYPD
Antisemitic hate crimes across New York City's five boroughs more than doubled last month from a year ago, New York Police Department (NYPD) data revealed on December 5. The rise unfolded against a backdrop of high-profile figures making headlines for remarks targeting Jews. There were 45 hate crimes motivated by antisemitism in November versus 20 in November 2021, according to the NYPD data.
The 125% rise came the same month the artist formerly known as Kanye West unleashed a slew of antisemitic and pro-Hitler comments online and in interviews in recent weeks, including a threat to go “death con 3” on the Jews.
UN VOTES TO MARK ‘NAKBA DAY’ - ISRAEL’S ESTABLISHMENT AS CATASTROPHE
The UN General Assembly voted November 30 in favor of holding a commemorative event in honor of the 75th “Nakba Day,” the Palestinian name for Israel’s establishment, which translates to “catastrophe.”
The vote was 90-30, with 47 abstentions. The United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom were among those who opposed the move. Most of the European Union also rejected the motion, save for Cyprus which supported the measure.
Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan tweeted that the UN in "passing such an extreme and baseless resolution, the UN is only helping to perpetuate the conflict."
See also: UN MIDEAST ENVOY 'HORRIFIED' BY KILLING OF PALESTINIAN STABBER WHO WOUNDED OFFICER
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, October-November 2022
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to take aim at former President Donald Trump on November 29 over his decision to host Ye (Kanye West) and white supremacist Nick Fuentes for dinner last week at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to take aim at former President Donald Trump on November 29 over his decision to host Ye (Kanye West) and white supremacist Nick Fuentes for dinner last week at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Flanked by other top Republicans, the GOP's Senate leader opened his weekly news conference by saying: "First, let me just say that there is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy. And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States."
See also: Republican leaders denounce Trump's dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes
Trump hosted Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes alongside Ye a week after announcing 2024 run
BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES SUPPORT KYRIE IRVING AHEAD OF NETS GAME
Photo: www.blackenterprise.com
NBA player Kyrie Irving returned to the court with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, November 20, after an eight-game suspension, as Black Hebrew Israelites gathered in large numbers outside the arena, according to Sports Illustrated, to show their support for the team’s star guard. CBS Sports reported that several group members distributed Radical Hebrew Israelite propaganda flyers. The Black Hebrew Israelites movement, which has its share of antisemitic beliefs, is classified as an extremist group by the ADL.
See also: Who Are the Black Hebrew Israelites?
WORLD CUP: QATAR WON'T ALLOW COOKED KOSHER FOOD, PUBLIC JEWISH PRAYER
Jewish organizations have said that even though they were promised otherwise, Qatar won’t allow any cooked kosher food to be sold or offered to visitors of the FIFA World Cup.
Sources in Jewish organizations told The Jerusalem Post that Qatar broke another promise to allow Jewish prayer services in Doha during the games, claiming it couldn’t secure this type of activity and then banned it completely. “We were promised to be allowed to create prayer spaces in order for religious Jews who came to see the games to have a place of worship,” a representative of a Jewish organization said. “We were recently told that they banned places of worship for Jews because they cannot secure them.”
BULLET HOLES DISCOVERED AT RABBI’S HOME NEXT TO SYNAGOGUE IN GERMANY
The Old Synagogue in Essen, Germany. Photo: Martin Meissner / AP.
Four bullet holes were discovered at the rabbi’s residence next to the Old Synagogue in Essen, Germany, on Friday, November 18, prompting a large-scale police response and investigation. No one was injured in the incident. German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said he was “shocked by this latest attack on Jewish life in Germany. Antisemitism must have no place. It is our duty to protect Jewish life.” The number of antisemitic incidents recorded in Germany in 2021 totaled 2,738, up nearly 40% from the 1,957 of the previous year, mirroring a global rise in Jew-hatred, according to an annual data report published by the country’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS).
GROWING CALLS TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM ON TWITTER
In a Nov. 16 open letter to Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Twitter management, 180 non-profit and civil rights organizations called on the company to update its anti-hate policies and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. A peer-reviewed study by the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (ISCA) found that between January and August 2020, some 11% of conversations about Jews and 13% of conversations about Israel on Twitter were antisemitic in nature. In May 2021, during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls military campaign against Hamas, the Twitter hashtag #HitlerWasRight was tweeted approximately 17,000 times in one week.
FBI DIRECTOR SAYS US JEWS UNDER THREAT “FROM ALL SIDES”
The American Jewish community is “getting hit from all sides” amid a nationwide rise in antisemitic attacks, FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on November 17.
“Antisemitism and violence that comes out of it is a persistent and present fact,” Wray said in response to a question about the FBI’s handling of threats facing U.S. Jews. “The numbers that we’ve seen, about 63 percent of religious hate crimes, overall, are motivated by antisemitism, and that’s targeting a group that just makes up about 2.4% of the American population,” he pointed out. “So it’s a community that deserves, and desperately needs, our support.”
UN ADVISOR REJECTS POPULAR DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM
A United Nations advisor hired to analyze the rise in antisemitism globally called for member states to stop adopting a definition of the term favored by leading American Jewish organizations.
E. Tendayi Achiume, the special rapporteur on contemporary racism, said the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism was both ineffective and had “an impact on the human rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including Jews.” Versions of the IHRA definition have been used by the United States for more than a decade, and it has more recently been adopted by 37 other countries and many state governments.
ADIDAS, GAP TERMINATE KANYE WEST RELATIONSHIPS OVER ANTISEMITIC REMARKS
On October 25 shoemaker Adidas ended its partnership with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after the musician made a series of offensive and antisemitic comments. Hours later, Gap and then Foot Locker said they would immediately remove Ye’s Yeezy branded products from its stores.
Gap and Foot Locker released statements that echoed the statement from Adidas: “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
See also: 'Kanye is right about the Jews,' antisemitic group says on Los Angeles highway banner
Irving, Stewart, Chappelle and the double standard for Jew-hatred
Dr. David H. Stern — October 31, 1935–October 8, 2022
David Stern economist, surfer, bodybuilder, messianic author, professor and theologian “retired” from his indefatigable service to our Messiah Yeshua on Shabbat in Jerusalem. David was a chief architect of the modern Messianic Jewish movement, and his pervasive presence can be seen through an abundance of citations to his works, his teachings, and his lectures.
David and Martha Stern, 2016
David Stern, economist, surfer, bodybuilder, messianic author, professor and theologian, “retired” from his indefatigable service to our Messiah Yeshua on Shabbat in Jerusalem. David was a chief architect of the modern Messianic Jewish movement, and his pervasive presence can be seen through an abundance of citations to his works, his teachings, and his lectures.
David’s books grace the shelves of every serious messianic believer throughout the world, including Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel; Messianic Jewish Manifesto, reissued as Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement with an Ancient Past; Jewish New Testament: A Translation of the New Testament that Expresses its Jewishness; The Jewish New Testament Commentary: A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament; and Complete Jewish Bible.
Dr. Stern earned a baccalaureate degree from UCLA, a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. Being wheelchair bound for the last several years, he continued to be active in attendance of his synagogue and welcomed many visitors into his home.
Dr. Stern leaves behind his beloved wife, Martha, son Daniel, and daughter Miriam and her husband Avi, and nine grandchildren. He was laid to rest in Jerusalem on the morning of October 9 at Givat Shaul Cemetery. Though he leaves a giant hole in our midst, David Stern will be remembered for posterity for his enduring devotion, steady faith, and pioneering works.
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, August-September 2022
Speaking at a September 12 joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid condemned Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas for recent comments accusing Israel of perpetrating “Holocausts” against Arabs.
Speaking at a September 12 joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid condemned Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas for recent comments accusing Israel of perpetrating “Holocausts” against Arabs. He also praised his own finance minister for apologizing for comparing Israeli Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. “I condemn what the Finance Minister said. I condemn any comparison to the Holocaust. I was clear about it then, and I am happy to see that the minister has walked back his comments.”
See also: Palestinian Leader Accuses Israel of “50 Holocausts”
IRAN'S PRESIDENT RAISI LATEST REGIME OFFICIAL TO QUESTION HOLOCAUST
In a 60 Minutes appearance on September 18, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi became the latest in a long line of top Tehran regime officials who have trivialized, distorted, or outright denied the Holocaust in recent decades. Asked by CBS interviewer Lesley Stahl, “Do you believe the Holocaust happened, that six million Jews were slaughtered?”, Raisi replied, “Look, historical events should be investigated by researchers and historians. There are some signs that it happened. If so, they should allow it to be investigated and researched.” Stahl followed up with question on Israel’s right to exist. Raisi answered, “You see, the people of Palestine are the reality. This is the right of the people of Palestine, who are forced to leave their houses and motherland. The Americans are supporting this false regime there.”
SCIENTIFIC PAPER EXPLORES THE BIRTH OF THE BLOOD LIBEL
A new paper published in Current Biology on Aug. 30 might have finally resolved some of the mysteries surrounding a massacre of Jews in Norwich, UK, in 1190, part of a wave of persecution that year linked to the infamous anti-Jewish blood libel. In 2004, while excavating at a construction site for a shopping mall, workers in Norwich discovered a large collection of skeletal remains at the bottom of a medieval well. After several years of research, forensic scientists determined that the bodies likely were those of Ashkenazi Jews, and in 2013 Norwich officials decided to follow the advice of local rabbis who believed that “there was sufficient possibility that the bones should be interned in a Jewish cemetery.” A headstone in that Norwich cemetery marks the resting place of 17 souls who met “violent deaths.” The paper in Current Biology offers the strongest evidence to date that the skeletal remains are “consistent with accounts of the 1190 CE antisemitic attacks.”
COMBATANTISEMITISM.ORG PROVIDES GUIDES TO REPORTING ANTISEMITIC CONTENT
On September 20, Combat Anti-Semitism posted guides for reporting antisemitic content on popular social media networks including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Reporting is anonymous and reports can be posted with Fighting Online Antisemitism (FOA) by clicking on “Report Hate” on the top right corner of the FOA website. Follow-up action can be taken if the problematic content is not removed. For more information email: monitor@foantisemitism.org
AS ANTISEMITIC HATE CRIMES RISE, NYC OFFERS NEW TRAINING
With antisemitic incidents continuing to rise in New York City, a new city-led initiative called “Understanding Jewish Experiences and Antisemitism” is seeking to address antisemitism on a local level. The initiative aims to educate New Yorkers about their Jewish neighbors and decrease hate as a whole across the city, and received a brief mention in City Hall’s Mayor Management Report released September 16. The 500-page report gave updated numbers on addressing crime, pandemic response and education. Among the key findings were that hate crimes had risen by 35%, which the report said was “partly due to an influx of incidents during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and amid heightened racial and political tensions across the country.” Hate crimes against Jewish New Yorkers, in particular, have increased every month in 2022 when compared to the previous year.
See also: Hasidic Jewish man attacked
Jewish neighborhood patrol group sets out to train Asian neighbors
Photo Courtesy of Councilwoman Vernikov’s office
JUDGE WHO APPROVED TRUMP SEARCH WARRANT ATTACKED FOR SYNAGOGUE INVOLVEMENT
The judge who approved the search on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was attacked in early August for his synagogue. Judge Bruce Reinhart, a former prosecutor who had previously been criticized for representing former employees of Jeffrey Epstein related to his sex-trafficking scandal, appears to be on the board of a South Florida synagogue. Trump loyalists eager to question the legitimacy of the FBI raid seized upon that detail to launch online attacks.
US NGO ANTI-ISRAEL RALLY KIT INCLUDES TERRORIST POSTERS, CHANTS FOR INTIFADA
A new version of a protest toolkit for anti-Israel activists features hagiographic posters of terrorists killed during Operation Breaking Dawn and chants that call for intifada and the dissolution of Israel. The rally guide, updated by the NGO Within Our Lifetime (WOL) on August 14 in the wake of last month’s three-day conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is meant to be “a non-comprehensive list of everything you need to organize a rally,” including “chants, logistics and outreach to materials, assigned roles and follow up.”
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, July 2022
Dozens of neo-Nazi demonstrators rallied outside a conservative conference in Florida on July 23, where they reportedly waved Nazi flags and swastikas, displayed antisemitic caricatures, and distributed antisemitic leaflets outside the building where the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit was taking place in Tampa.
ISRAEL CALLS FOR DISBANDING UN GAZA PROBE OVER MEMBER’S “ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS”
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Yair Lapid on July 28 slammed comments by a member of the ongoing UN Commission of Inquiry into last year’s 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and called for the committee to be disbanded. Miloon Kothari, a member of the commission, said on a podcast for Mondoweiss, a website highly critical of Israel, that a lot of money was being spent on efforts to “discredit” the UN Human Rights Council, which set up the commission, and that social media was “controlled largely by the Jewish lobby.”
See also: B'nai B'rith calls to dismiss UN probe against Israel over members' 'odious remarks'
August 5 update: UN investigator apologizes for ‘Jewish lobby’ remark and other comments deemed antisemitic
MOROCCAN KING MOHAMMED VI CREATES NEW AGENCIES FOR JEWISH COMMUNITY
Morocco’s government announced in mid-July that “acting under royal instruction,” it will create several new initiatives aimed at strengthening the Jewish community there, preserving the Jewish cultural and historical connection, and improving ties with Jews of Moroccan descent. According to a local news organization, MAP: Agence Morocaine De Presse, the Council of Jewish Communities in Morocco welcomed the new initiatives, saying they would “ensure the preservation of the sacred values of Moroccan Judaism and the rehabilitation and promotion of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Hebrew tributary of the rich Moroccan civilization.”
CANADA: JEWS MOST-TARGETED RELIGIOUS MINORITY FOR HATE CRIMES IN 2021
Canada’s 380,000 Jews were the most targeted religious minority for hate crimes reported to police in 2021. Statistics Canada reported on August 2 that the Jewish community, comprising about 1% of the population, were victims of 14% of reported hate crimes. Jews saw a 47% rise in reported hate crimes compared to 2020, according to the bureau. “We are deeply concerned that incidents of hate crimes rose yet again in Canada in 2021,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel, head of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “This disturbing trend clearly proves the need for more proactive measures to stop the rising hate targeting diverse Canadians based on their identity.”
GERMAN PUBLIC TV BLASTED FOR AIRING CLAIM “JEWISH LOBBY” CONTROLS US MIDEAST POLICY
German public TV aired an interview on July 15 with political scientist Josef Braml claiming that the Biden administration foreign policy is controlled by the “Jewish lobby,” drawing sharp criticism online and in German media. There are “domestic reasons” accounting for President Biden’s Israel policies, said Braml. “It is not just the Jewish lobby, but also the Christian right…Jerusalem plays a very important role there,” he said. Journalist Max Mannhart wrote in Tichys Einblick magazine that “on German public television, the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory of the infiltration of U.S. politics by an alleged ‘Jewish lobby’ is openly played out.”
Screen capture from video of Nazi demonstrators outside the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, July 23, 2022. (Twitter)
Dozens of neo-Nazi demonstrators rallied outside a conservative conference in Florida on July 23, where they reportedly waved Nazi flags and swastikas, displayed antisemitic caricatures, and distributed antisemitic leaflets outside the building where the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit was taking place in Tampa. Turning Point USA told Business Insider that it had no connection to the Nazi group, but was unable to have the activists removed because they were standing in a public area. The leaflets were reportedly distributed by activists from the Goyim Defense League, an organization the Anti-Defamation League has identified as being behind dozens of antisemitic propaganda incidents in 2021.
LUFTHANSA CREATES POSITION TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM AFTER KICKING JEWS OFF FLIGHT
Lufthansa Airlines is creating a senior management role dedicated to preventing discrimination and antisemitism two months after it barred a large group of Orthodox Jewish passengers from boarding a flight. An independent investigation commissioned by the airline said there was no evidence of institutional antisemitism behind the incident, which the company’s CEO deemed “categorically inappropriate.” Lufthansa Airlines CEO Jens Ritter told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations the airline had established an internal task force to investigate the May 4 incident in which more than 100 Hasidic passengers were kicked off a connecting flight from New York to Budapest because some of them had not worn masks and committed other flight violations, such as gathering in the aisles.
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, June 2022
At its biennial General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church-USA adopted a resolution “On Recognition that Israel’s Laws, Policies, and Practices Constitute Apartheid Against the Palestinian People.” Critics noted the location of the conference in Louisville, Kentucky, where eight months ago, an antisemitic gunman attempted to murder a Jewish member of the City Council.
Demonstrators outside PC-USA General Assembly in Louisville, July 28, 2022.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-USA ASSEMBLY ACCUSES ISRAEL OF APARTHEID
At its biennial General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky, in late June, PC-USA adopted a resolution, rooted in antisemitic ideology, titled “On Recognition that Israel’s Laws, Policies, and Practices Constitute Apartheid Against the Palestinian People.” Commentators noted the location of the conference in Louisville, Kentucky, where eight months ago, an antisemitic gunman attempted to murder a Jewish member of the Louisville City Council member in his campaign office. This attack, coupled with a string of recent arson and vandalism incidents at Chabad of Kentucky, led some to question why the Presbyterian Church is obsessed with defaming the Jewish state and putting Louisville Jews at risk of further peril.
NEO-NAZI, “GOYIM DEFENSE LEAGUE” GROUPS REMAIN ACTIVE THROUGH JUNE
The Anti-Defamation League reported over 1200 antisemitic incidents throughout the USA in the month. The Goyim Defense League, founded in 2018 and based in Sonoma County, California, was especially active, particularly in Florida. The group’s website states, “The content on this domain is meant to educate people to a view of history that has never been shared with the general public, and perhaps intentionally hidden by some very evil people who need to be held accountable for their actions!” The group distributes antisemitic fliers in neighborhoods nationwide and promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories online.
July 5 update: Antisemitic flyers found in Chatham (boston.com).
JEWISH GROUPS DECRY “BDS MAP” FOR ANTISEMITIC TROPES AND THREAT OF VIOLENCE
An interactive map published in early June by a pro-BDS Boston-area activist collective—featuring names and addresses of local Jewish groups—has been widely condemned for propagating antisemitic tropes and potentially inciting violence.
In a joint statement, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, Anti-Defamation League New England, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston noted, “Under the guise of an interactive map, the innocuously named ‘Mapping Project’ is promoting a list of Jewish communal organizations in Massachusetts that it contends are ‘responsible for colonization of Palestine or other harms such as policing, US Imperialism and displacement.’”
According to the Mapping Project, “Our goal in pursuing this collective mapping was to reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them. Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted.”
NY CITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES “PERVASIVE” ANTISEMITISM AT CITY UNIVERSITY
The New York City Council postponed a June hearing on antisemitism on college campuses to accommodate the schedule of the chancellor of the City University of New York. At the rescheduled hearing on Thursday, June 30, Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez failed to appear anyway. Instead, he sent a lawyer and two witnesses to appear on Zoom, as the council’s Higher Education Committee investigated what it calls “a pervasive culture of anti-Semitism on City University of New York’s campuses.”
JEWISH GROUPS UNITE IN SUPPORT OF SAFER COMMUNITIES ACT
Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) sent a letter to members of Congress expressing support for the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The June 23 letter signed by 189 national and local organizations, Jewish federations, network communities and Jewish Community Relations Councils, linked the wider issue of mass shootings to anti-Semitic attacks in recent years. “We are no strangers to trauma caused by mass shootings, and necessarily prioritize Jewish communal security and work to advance measures to secure Jewish and other faith-based institutions,” the letter said, and went on to recall the murders at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle in 2006; the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2014; the Tree of Life/Or L’Simcha attack in Pittsburgh in 2018; the shooting at Chabad in Poway, California, 2019; “and so many other similar incidents.” The Senate-approved bill passed the House on June 24.
GERMAN HIGH COURT ALLOWS ANTISEMITIC SCULPTURE TO REMAIN
Germany’s highest court has rejected a Jewish man’s attempt to have a 700-year-old antisemitic statue removed from a church where Martin Luther once preached. The federal court of justice upheld rulings by lower courts on the Judensau, sculpture on the town church in Wittenberg – one of more than 20 such relics from the Middle Ages that still adorn churches across Germany and elsewhere in Europe – pointing to the addition in recent decades of a memorial and an information sign. Placed on the church about 13 feet above ground level, the sculpture depicts people identifiable as Jews suckling the teats of a sow while a rabbi lifts the animal’s tail.
See also: Curators Apologize for Antisemitic Work at German Art Show
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, May 2022
Ikar, a well-known Los Angeles synagogue, was targeted in an antisemitic attack, with swastikas scratched onto its office windows overnight May 26 or 27. Synagogue officials called the incident distressing but "unfortunately not surprising," noting an uptick in antisemitic acts in the last several years.
PROMINENT LA SYNAGOGUE MARKED WITH SWASTIKAS
Ikar, a well-known Los Angeles synagogue, was targeted in an antisemitic attack, with swastikas scratched onto its office windows overnight May 26 or 27. Synagogue officials called the incident distressing but "unfortunately not surprising," noting an uptick in antisemitic acts in the last several years. The incident came days after a rented truck bearing antisemitic messages made its way down nearby Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Activists identified the responsible group as the Goyim Defense League, a hate group responsible for at least 74 antisemitic propaganda incidents in 2021, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
ANTISEMITISM A FACTOR IN BUFFALO MASS SHOOTING
Deborah Lipstadt, recently appointed US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, described the pervasive antisemitic ideology influencing the May 14 attack on the Black community in Buffalo. Speaking in New York City on May 26, in her first major address as special envoy, she noted the shooter’s online manifesto, and said his “first objective was to kill Blacks, but the Jews would be dealt with in time.”
HARVARD FACULTY MEMBERS REJECT STUDENT PAPER’S BDS ENDORSEMENT
Seventy Harvard faculty members joined in condemning the university’s student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, for endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel on April 29. Faculty members were joined by an editor at the newspaper and at least eight former staffers in their opposition to the Crimson’s pro-BDS statement.
The faculty statement notes, “In seeking to delegitimize Israel through diplomatic, economic, academic, and cultural isolation, and by opposing the very notions of Jewish peoplehood and self-determination, BDS is disrespectful of Jews, the vast majority of whom view an attachment to Israel as central to their faith identity.”
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY DEFENDS ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s May 1 claim on Italian TV that Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood,” and that “some of the worst antisemites are Jews” sparked worldwide condemnation and the worst flare-up in relations with Israel since Russia invaded Ukraine. On May 5, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reported that President Vladimir Putin had apologized to him for FM Lavrov’s remarks and congratulated Israel on its 74th year of independence. But the Kremlin readout of the conversation made no reference to an apology, and the Russian Foreign Ministry defended Lavrov against Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in the spat over Lavrov’s comments.
See also: Kremlin fails to mention Putin’s apology for envoy’s antisemitic remarks - DEBKAfile
PITTSBURGH JEWS RETHINK SECURITY AMID RISING ANTISEMITISM
Julie [last name withheld upon request] grew up in the Squirrel Hill, neighborhood in Pittsburgh, but now avoids it when possible. “It used to be no big deal for me to drive into Squirrel Hill, do some quick shopping, run in, grab some things from the deli. Now, if I don’t have to, I choose not to,” she said. For Julie, things began changing after the massacre at the Tree of Life building in 2018. Since then Western Pennsylvania has seen a marked increase in antisemitic incidents, according to the Anti-Defamation League—the most since the organization began tracking them in 1979.
MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN WHO CALLED JEWS “REAL VIRUS” LOSES ELECTION
Robert “RJ” Regan was defeated in a May 3 special election to replace a retiring state House member in a conservative district. His Facebook pages were filled with memes blaming Jews for the September 11 attacks, calling Jews the “real virus” (instead of COVID-19), and calling feminism “a Jewish program to degrade white men.” Michigan’s Republican Party refused to aid Regan in his Grand Rapids-area special election, after he won the primary in March.
UMJC Mourns the Victims of the Buffalo Shooting
With deep sadness the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations extends our sincere condolences to the families of those who died during the violent attack on members of the Black community earlier this month in Buffalo, New York. We pray for the full recovery of those who were injured. Our congregations stand in heart-to-heart solidarity with grieving members of the Black community and the larger community of Buffalo.
With deep sadness the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations extends our sincere condolences to the families of those who died during the violent attack on members of the Black community earlier this month in Buffalo, New York. We pray for the full recovery of those who were injured. Our congregations stand in heart-to-heart solidarity with grieving members of the Black community and the larger community of Buffalo.
The assailant’s openly racist and antisemitic motives were an assault on all of us who are determined to resist with vigilance and personal courage all such acts of hate and terror.
Together with their families, we grieve the deaths of:
Roberta A. Drury, 32
Margus D. Morrison, 52
Andre Mackniel, 53
Aaron Salter, 55
Geraldine Talley, 62
Celestine Chaney, 65
Heyward Patterson, 67
Katherine Massey, 72
Pearl Young, 77
Ruth Whitfield, 86
May their families be comforted, along with the mourners in Zion and Jerusalem.
Global Antisemitism News Roundup, April 2022
Antisemitic incidents tracked in the 2021 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents by the Anti-Defamation League reached an all-time high of 2,717 in the United States last year.
ADL REPORTS HIGHEST LEVEL OF ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS EVER IN 2021
Antisemitic incidents tracked in the 2021 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents by the Anti-Defamation League reached an all-time high of 2,717 in the United States last year – an average of more than seven incidents per day and a 34 percent increase year over year, including assaults, harassment and vandalism. This is the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.
UKRAINIAN HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS LAND IN ISRAEL ON THE EVE OF YOM HASHOAH
Survivors of the greatest antisemitic attack in history flee to Israel for safety in 2022. 300 to 500 Holocaust survivors have taken refuge in Israel since the start of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24.
“I never thought that this is what would happen again — that at my age I would have to again flee a war and again hear the sounds of bombs going off around me,” said Ninel Zhilinska, an 88-year-old survivor on the flight, according to The Times of Israel. “I was a refugee in 1941 and now I’ve become a refugee again.”
ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS UP FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT IN PARTS OF NEW YORK
Agudath Israel of America, Jewish Community Relations Council-New York, and other organizations expressed alarm at an increase of 400% over last year in antisemitic hate crimes in Brooklyn and Manhattan’s Upper West Side, including heavily Jewish neighborhoods such as Williamsburg. This is in the wake of two incidents during the first weekend in April.
SEE ALSO:
NYPD report on hate crimes comparing March 2021 and March 2022, which reveals that over one-third of all hate crimes reported in New York City are directed against Jews—the largest number against any group this year.
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TRAM DEATH IN FRANCE AN ACCIDENT?
Jeremy Cohen’s family claim that the 31-year-old French Jew’s death near Paris from being hit by a tram was due to antisemitic violence rather than being a mere accident. A recently released video shows Cohen under attack by a large group from whom he fled prior to being struck by the tram. Cohen’s relatives claim that he was attacked by the gang due to the fact that he wore a kipah. Cohen died after being taken to a local hospital. The video of Cohen being assaulted and chased by a gang of about ten people has spread widely on social media in France and elsewhere.
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NY GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES OVER $15 MILLION TO COMBAT HATE
New York Governor Kathy Hochul attended an anti-hate crime rally at Queens College where she announced nearly $16 million in grants to strengthen safety and security measures for institutions run by nonprofit organizations at risk of hate crimes or attacks including religious schools and synagogues.
“New York State’s diversity is our strength, yet too many New Yorkers continue to live in fear and today we say enough is enough…Hate, racism, and xenophobia have no place in our State, and this critical funding sends a clear message that New York stands united against individuals who seek to sow hatred and divide us.”
Throughout January, 15 different antisemitic incidents were reported, according to NYPD crime statistics. Black, Asian and LGBT groups have also been commonly targeted.
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BREAKING NEWS: PUTIN APOLOGIZES FOR ENVOY’S ANTISEMITIC REMARKS
In a phone call Thursday, May 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for incendiary comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week, the prime minister’s office said. Lavrov’s claim that Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood,” and that “some of the worst antisemites are Jews” led to the worst flare-up between the countries since Russia invaded Ukraine. “The prime minister accepted the apology of President Putin for comments by Lavrov and thanked him for clarifying the president’s view of the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust,” Bennett’s office said.
Global Antisemitism News Roundup
The UMJC is monitoring news each month on the growing issue of antisemitism worldwide, to raise awareness and advocacy among our members and supporters.
March 2022
RUSSIAN INVASION STIRS UP ANCIENT ACCUSATIONS: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered extremists across the ideological spectrum—from white supremacists on the right to anti-Zionists on the left— to propagate antisemitic conspiracy theories online, often invoking classic stereotypes of Jewish power, financial control, and “abuse” of the Holocaust narrative.
FEBRUARY SEES SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS WORLDWIDE: The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Information Hub tracked a total of 229 antisemitic incidents worldwide in February 2022, a 44.9% increase from the prior month and a 40.5% increase from February 2021. Of February’s incidents, 57.2% had far-right motives, while 17.0% had far-left motives, and 7.9% had radical Islamist motives. The remainder — 17.9% — had unidentifiable motives.
LOS ANGELES ATTACK VICTIM SUES ASSAILANTS: Attorneys for Mher Hagopian allege that he and fellow diners at a sushi restaurant were victims of a hate crime that “not only physically and emotionally harmed Hagopian and his friends, but also was intended to intimidate all Jewish Angelenos, instilling fear and anxiety in the heart of Los Angeles’ vibrant Jewish community.”
GEORGIA LEGISLATURE ADOPTS IHRA DEFINITION: The Georgia House of Representatives has mandated use of the definition of antisemitism promulgated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in determining whether an act is considered to be antisemitic. A number of Jewish Georgians, however, posted an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution opposing the legislature’s resolution.
EUROPEAN UNION MOVES TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: The Council of the European Union approved measures to oppose antisemitism and racism, and these actions were praised by the World Jewish Congress. Europe has the highest number of antisemitic incidents worldwide, and the EU resolutions encourage member countries to advance action plans for combating antisemitism and promoting Jewish life.
MEDIA GROUPS MOBILIZE AGAINST ANTISEMITISM: The National Religious Broadcasters, Combat Antisemitism Movement, and International Christian Embassy Jerusalem have issued a joint statement calling on all American Christians to encourage officials at all levels of government to support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism and to “let your voice be heard in support of Israel and against the growing hatred of anti-Semitism.”
Rosa Goffman, February 20, 1948 - February 28, 2022
Rosa Goffman, beloved wife of veteran UMJC leader Manuel Goffman, passed away in Florida on Monday, February 28, 2022. Rosita, as she was known to her family and friends, served with Manuel in various essential ministry roles through the years. A memorial service will be held Friday, March 11, 2022, at Caballero Rivero Little Havana, 3344 SW 8TH ST, MIAMI, FL 33135.
Pray for Ukraine
Our Father and our King, in these troubled days we pray for peace in the name of the Prince of Peace, Yeshua our Messiah.
Our Father and our King, in these troubled days we pray for peace in the name of the Prince of Peace, Yeshua our Messiah.
God of grace and mercy, may your protection be upon the Ukrainian people in this time of trial, especially upon the most vulnerable, which includes many Jewish people, as well as countless children, elderly people, and other non-combatants. Give wisdom and direction to the leaders of Ukraine as they respond to this invasion. Guide other world leaders, especially those in the United States, into ways of responding with appropriate force and decisiveness. May the plans of Russia’s leadership be reversed, and may their power and hold over the Russian people be dismantled, as it is written: “The ruler’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Prov 21:1).
May you in your mercy hold back the forces of chaos and violence that are mounting in the world today. Wherever there is oppression and suffering, may your Spirit bring hope. Be with all who call upon your name and enable us all as makers of peace and bearers of hope. And may there be fulfilled soon and in our days the words of the prophet, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more” (Isa 2:4).
The UMJC’s partners in Ukraine, Poland, and Romania are working to provide life-saving aid to the people of Ukraine, with a special focus on the Jewish community. They are providing refugees coming over the border with hot meals, blankets, diapers, emergency housing, and free rides to destinations further inside Europe. Our partners are distributing lifesaving help inside Ukraine as well, sending money to pay for food, medicine, gasoline, and water.
Write “Ukraine” in the memo of your donation to support their work now. All Ukraine-designated gifts will be immediately deployed to our partners on the ground.
Standing Against Surging Anti-Semitism
Anti-Jewish rhetoric has become fashionable across the left-right divide, infecting political discourse in North and South America, Europe, and across the globe. Lately, antisemites use current Israeli policies as a pretext to lash out at Jewish people and Jewish communities throughout the diaspora. The State of Israel (and the Jewish people more generally) have been unfairly smeared with charges of complicity in “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “ethnic cleansing.”
The Executive Committee of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations condemns the antisemitic speech and violence that has escalated during and since Israel’s recent conflict with Hamas. This outpouring of hatred should be a matter of deep concern for people of goodwill regardless of religious or political affiliation. It comes amidst historically high levels of antisemitic hate crimes in the United States, with 2020 marking the third-highest year for hate crimes targeting Jewish people in the US in more than forty years. In June of 2021 alone, antisemitic violence tripled and quadrupled in multiple countries.
Anti-Jewish rhetoric has become fashionable across the left-right divide, infecting political discourse in North and South America, Europe, and across the globe. Lately, antisemites use current Israeli policies as a pretext to lash out at Jewish people and Jewish communities throughout the diaspora. The State of Israel (and the Jewish people more generally) have been unfairly smeared with charges of complicity in “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “ethnic cleansing.” These accusations are wholly inaccurate, misleading, and inflammatory. While opposition to Israeli policies is perfectly legitimate, refusing to recognize Israel’s very existence as a refuge, sovereign nation, and historic homeland of the Jewish people only serves to fuel antisemitism worldwide.
Whether or not one supports specific Israeli policies, all people must recognize that antisemitism is not caused by Israel’s behavior, but has deep spiritual and historical roots. The notion of corporate Jewish culpability has been a tool of antisemites for millennia, inspiring mass atrocities and ethnic cleansing, including the Crusades, the Inquisition, countless pogroms, terror attacks, and the Holocaust. We note with anguish that the global Jewish population still has not recovered from the horrors of the Holocaust, the Farhud, and other campaigns of mass violence against Jewish people in the 1940s and 1950s.
As representatives of Jewish congregations that honor Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah, we also call upon the global Christian community to continue its progress in renouncing antisemitism in all forms, including in its interpretation and teaching of Scripture. We believe that healthy Jewish-Christian dialogue can be a powerful force against antisemitism. We commend Christian groups that have shown humanitarian concern for the Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank, and we encourage them to express and act upon such concerns in ways that also respect Jewish Israelis as well as Jews around the world.
As Messianic Jews, we view the deep challenges of Israeli-Arab relations in the Middle East with hope. Our own Scriptures portray the complex relationship between Isaac and Ishmael, estranged half-brothers who reunited in their later years. Their story provides hope that peace is still possible, and animates our belief that we will stand together in unity with our Arab cousins at the time of Messiah’s return.
Union Leaders Respond to False Accusation in the Times of Israel
A recent blog on the Times of Israel website entitled “The Devious Way That Messianic Jews Are Trying to Destroy Judaism” was filled with misrepresentations and unfounded accusations against the Messianic Jewish community. UMJC President Dr. John Fischer and Rabbinic Counsel Russ Resnik responded with the following blog, which Times of Israel declined to post.
A recent blog on the Times of Israel website entitled “The Devious Way That Messianic Jews Are Trying to Destroy Judaism” was filled with misrepresentations and unfounded accusations against the Messianic Jewish community. UMJC President Dr. John Fischer and Rabbinic Counsel Russ Resnik responded with the following blog, which Times of Israel declined to post.
As Jewish followers of Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah), we welcome dialogue and even debate with the wider Jewish community. We recognize that, for some, relating to us would not be for the purpose of debating, but of marginalizing and excluding us. Nevertheless, we insist on the right to define ourselves, our beliefs and practices, and our sense of relationship with the Jewish people.
In a recent Times of Israel blog post, Amanda Bradley writes, “Let me tell you something about Messianic Jews, because there’s a lot of confusion around this term. And that’s how they like it” (https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-devious-way-that-messianic-jews-are-trying-to-destroy-judaism/, 6/10/21). As leaders in the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, we would like to share a definition of Messianic Judaism that our organization passed sixteen years ago to help clear up the “confusion around this term”:
The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC) envisions Messianic Judaism as a movement of Jewish congregations and groups committed to Yeshua the Messiah that embrace the covenantal responsibility of Jewish life and identity rooted in Torah, expressed in tradition, and renewed and applied in the context of the New Covenant. Messianic Jewish groups may also include those from non-Jewish backgrounds who have a confirmed call to participate fully in the life and destiny of the Jewish people. We are committed to embodying this definition in our constituent congregations and in our shared institutions.
In light of this UMJC statement and our ongoing practice of Jewish tradition, it’s hard to see the basis for Bradley’s claims that “Messianic Jews want to get rid of the differences between Jews and non-Jews,” or her slanderous allegation: “Make no mistake, Messianic Jews, like all missionary Christians, want nothing other than the total destruction of the Jews as a distinct nation. No, that’s not an exaggeration. They want us to lose everything that sets us apart from Christianity.”
Despite such hyperbole, the question of how we can believe in Yeshua and still claim to be Jewish is a legitimate one, and it lies at the heart of our identity as Messianic Jews. For Messianic Jews, our transformative encounter with God through Yeshua is undeniable. We recognize the historical tension between such an encounter and our equally profound sense of loyalty to the Jewish people and our way of life. This tension shouldn’t, however, be treated simplistically either by us or our detractors.
Many of us in the Messianic Jewish community recognize the importance of the boundaries that have defined the Jewish community for centuries, and their role in preserving us as a people to this day. At the same time, we believe some of these boundaries arose in a tragic context and that the time has come to reevaluate them. Yes, Judaism and Christianity have become two distinct belief systems, but they share a common foundation in the Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament), that is the instruction of Moses, the prophets, and the holy writings. Both religions worship the God of Israel revealed in these scriptures, and both share a prophetic hope for redemption.
The great dividing line is the Messiahship of Yeshua. He himself was, of course, Jewish (we’d actually say he is Jewish), and was executed by Rome as the king of the Jews. His earliest followers were all Jewish and lived entirely within the Jewish community, especially in the land of Israel, for centuries. Our claim that Jesus is the Messiah promised to Israel in the Jewish Scriptures leads to our claim that we remain Jewish as we seek to follow him. Furthermore, our loyalty to Jewish tradition and practice is consistent with our reading of the Tanakh and further supports our claim to Jewish identity.
Scholars agree that both historical Christianity and historical Judaism arose out of the matrix of the Second-Temple Jewish community. The early Jesus movement began within that community, and what is called “the parting of the ways” between the movement and wider Judaism only began after the fall of the temple in 70 CE or even later. Many scholars contend that this parting of the ways was not a sudden, one-time event, but a gradual process over several centuries. Our vision is not to return to the distant past, which included a Yeshua community that was undeniably Jewish, but to welcome a prophetic healing of the rift between the two historic communities today. By remaining loyal to Israel as a people and to Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel, we hope to foster this healing while also remaining faithful to the covenants God made with the Jewish people.
The UMJC statement and the practice of many Messianic Jews demonstrate that we value the things that set us apart from Christianity, even as we honor the same Messiah as the Christians. Messianic Jews uphold the difference between Jew and gentile, even within the community of those who acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, by following the distinctive way of life given to our people in the Torah and our venerable tradition. And we believe the New Testament strongly affirms Yeshua-believing Jews to remain as Jews and non-Jews to remain as they are. Messianic Jews believe that the division between Jews and non-Jews has been removed only in the specific sense that all now have access to redemption through Messiah, but not in any sense that obliterates our ethnic identities.
Messianic Jews are a diverse group, and Bradley uses the classic ploy of portraying us as monolithic to create a stereotype that she can easily discredit. She seeks to invalidate an entire diverse community by the questionable behavior of some of its members, who are not in positions of leadership or influence within that community. We as a community also denounce deceptive tactics of evangelism, although we do believe in honest and sometimes zeal-filled sharing of what we see as truth—a redemption of humanity through the Jewish messiah. We trust the readers of the Times of Israel to fairly assess us in terms of who we actually are and by our definitions that seek to honor the Jewish community.
Dr. John Fischer, President
Russell Resnik, Rabbinic Counsel
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations
Inter-Congregational Purim Spectacular February 27, 2021
Our production of Esther and Mordechai: Heroes of Zoom-Shan is written and directed by David Wein, and stars actors of all ages from 16 UMJC congregations. In addition to serving as the premiere of this zany production, the event will include a kids’ costume contest (the hissing and booing will be led by our kids, too!).
Esther & Mordechai: Heroes of Zoom-Shan!
On Saturday, February 27th at 7:30 PM Eastern time the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations will host our first Inter-Congregational Zoom spiel.
Our production of Esther and Mordechai: Heroes of Zoom-Shan is written and directed by David Wein, and stars actors of all ages from 16 UMJC congregations. In addition to serving as the premiere of this zany production, the event will include a kids’ costume contest (the hissing and booing will be led by our kids, too!).
This online event will be free, but advance registration will be required. More details to follow soon at umjc.org/events.
Executive Committee Condemns Attack on the US Capitol
This month has been a time of reflection and concern for all of us in the leadership of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations in the aftermath of the disturbing, violent attacks on America’s Capitol. Over the course of the last year, America has been torn apart by tensions that have left our nation and our community divided.
This month has been a time of reflection and concern for all of us in the leadership of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations in the aftermath of the disturbing, violent attacks on America’s Capitol. Over the course of the last year, America has been torn apart by tensions that have left our nation and our community divided. Given these challenges, most of us have avoided debates that would turn spiritual brothers and sisters into political adversaries. But we are now seeing the consequences of the dangerous idea that Yeshua belongs exclusively to any single political party or agenda.
On January 6th, we saw the effect of inflammatory voices that bound up impassioned politics with religion, fusing our symbols and even our Messiah to political agendas that challenged the very foundations of our democracy. A mob that included people who advertised their faith in Yeshua descended with terrible intent on elected officials in the Capitol to enforce their will. This attack was illegal, shameful, and resulted in the needless loss of human life, which in itself violates the highest priority of Torah. We stand behind the call for vigorous prosecution of those who participated in the riot. We lament the physical and psychological terrors suffered by members of Congress, Capitol staff, police, and first responders. We earnestly pray for their full recovery from physical and emotional injuries.
We are deeply offended that rioters who claimed to be Christian appeared with neo-Nazis and other hate groups who openly displayed anti-Semitic symbols and slogans. In so doing, they participated in the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism. What used to slink in the shadows now marches in the open. We join the broader Jewish community in condemning this evil.
This riot will stand in our memories as a violent attempt to overturn the 2020 election, even after all established legal and procedural remedies had been exhausted. The actions of those who stormed the Capitol should in no way be justified or minimized. Even before the riot, spiritual leaders made prophecies that did not come true, and shared elaborate conspiracy theories that echo centuries-old blood libels against the Jewish people. Their rhetoric included irresponsible talk of violent resistance and suggestions that those who fail to support overturning the election are heretics, lacking in faith, or traitors to the cause of our Messiah. We reject such rhetoric completely.
Yeshua’s followers have often stood on both sides of our political fences. Some within our community are disappointed by the political direction that our country has taken, while others embrace it. We respect the diversity of viewpoints that has always served to strengthen our Union. We support everyone’s First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. These rights serve as the very cornerstone of the American republic, which has allowed for the flourishing of the Messianic Jewish community. But these rights must be exercised peacefully, whether in service of protesting racism or supporting a candidate. This principle is rooted in the Torah and upheld by Yeshua’s insistence on the priority of the instruction “to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
As Yohanan reminds us, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:20-21 NIV).
During these days of tension and division, may we find a way to reflect Messiah’s love within our own lives and congregations, and to the world around us.
This statement was revised on January 19th by the UMJC Executive Committee in order to clarify our January 13th post. It is in no way meant to imply support or condemnation of any political candidate or party. We want to emphasize that no political view can justify this riot, nor the loss of life and the suffering caused by it.
Youth, Maturity, and the Tensions of 2020
In the chaotic year of 2020 the partisan divide isn’t strictly generational, but it’s definitely raising the community blood pressure, including within our own Messianic Jewish community. Election Day is a specific nearby date, November 3, but election tension is likely to linger long after the votes are in. So, what to do now?
Rabbi Russ Resnik
When I was seventeen, a nice Jewish boy still living at my parents’ home in the suburbs, I joined La Huelga. I marched into the state capital, Sacramento, behind Cesar Chavez and thousands of Mexican-American and Filipino farmworkers on the Delano Grape strike. Most of the workers had walked the whole three hundred miles from the grape-growing town of Delano to Sacramento. Many supporters, like my friends and me, had joined them for the last two or three days. One member of my group had an aunt and uncle who lived outside of Sacramento and agreed to put us up for the last night of the march. In the evening, we were chatting with the older couple after dinner and telling them about the Huelga and the injustices the farmworkers faced. They very politely said it was nice that we wanted to show our support, but shouldn’t we build up a nest egg before we started taking days off work or school and traveling around the countryside?
Now, even back then “nest egg” seemed like a rather quaint phrase, but I knew what they meant. We should be responsible, work hard, and sock away some savings before we started running around the country trying to save the world. To me, though, a nest egg could wait—I was in my first semester at college! Besides, although I was young and naïve, I knew the real issue was that Aunt and Uncle weren’t crazy about this grape strike, or about seeing a bunch of students and who-knows-whats from Southern California join the farmworkers’ protest. We were planning to confront the state establishment in Sacramento the next day and didn’t even have our act together enough to rent a motel room.
This scene was repeated around countless kitchen tables—and often with far less politeness—during those years. The generation gap was taking on Grand Canyon-scale dimensions. But this scene wasn’t unique to the sixties. It may have been heightened back then, but it’s always been part of the intergenerational drama. It’s one reason for the biblical emphasis—shared in many cultures—on honor for the older generation. There’s bound to be a gap, but respect and deference help to bridge it. So does emphasis on raising up and empowering a younger generation. Think of the stories of our ancestors that we’re currently reading in our weekly Torah portions, and the blessings that the parents impart upon their offspring.
In the chaotic year of 2020, though, the gap is more evident. It shows up in the tendency of younger folk to lean more toward positions they consider progressive while older folk have warmer feelings toward the status quo, or the status quo a few decades back. Of course the partisan divide isn’t strictly generational, but it’s definitely raising the community blood pressure, including within our own Messianic Jewish community. Election Day is a specific nearby date, November 3, but election tension is likely to linger long after the votes are in. So, what to do now?
There’s a lot to be said in response to that question, but I’ll start with this: we need to recognize that it takes both perspectives, youthful idealism and mature caution, to sustain healthy community. One side or the other might be right on a particular issue and we can argue our position with passion . . . and at the same time recognize our need to be balanced by the other side. We can advocate our position and honor the opposition, especially as we talk about these things within our own community.
I’m not among those who consider “politics” and “politicians” to be dirty words. Abraham Lincoln, perhaps our most honored president, was a master politician, and so were all his colleagues carved alongside him on Mount Rushmore. But current politics and politicians too easily resort to the lowest forms of partisanship, polarization, and dishonor. They act as if gaining short-term political victory outweighs all other concerns. We shouldn’t let that approach to politics infect our community. We’re community—not just another collection of competing interest groups—because we’re united in something far greater than the issues that divide us. And that “something far greater” can absorb, transform, and mobilize our opposing perspectives into a far greater, redeeming purpose.
Remember, most of us established and cautious leaders were starry-eyed idealists a few decades back. My idealistic quest led me beyond my suburban roots into the march on Sacramento with La Huelga, and then the 60s counter-culture, and finally the remote high country of Northern New Mexico. There Yeshua finally tracked me down and called me into his kingdom. It’s essential for me and Messianic Jewish leaders like me to remember that earlier zeal for justice, and honor it in others. We don’t want to miss the opportunity to speak into the lives of young people at a time when they’re extraordinarily open. We need to cultivate our regard and affection for younger leaders who are showing idealism and zeal today. And if we older leaders are wise, we’ll recognize that true community needs both—the stability and wisdom of the mature united with the zeal and imagination of the young.
One of my favorite rabbinic sayings comes from the sage Ben Zoma: Who is wise? The one who learns from everyone (Pirke Avot 4:1). We create community that will outlive our current political tensions when we seek to learn from everyone within the community. This means listening to learn, not listening to correct and convince the other. The Scriptures speak often about honoring parents and the parental members of the community, and perhaps not as much about valuing and honoring the perspective of the young, but both are vital. We can value youthful hunger for justice, not in a condescending way, but because we recognize how it energizes and advances the life of the whole community. And as we do, we build community that will weather the storms of 2020, and flourish in the years beyond.
Photo credit: Jon Lewis Photographs of the United Farm Workers Movement. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. (c) 2016 Yale University. All rights reserved.
Talking Responsibly about the 2020 Election
In today’s uber-uptight political environment it’s hard to know what to say and not say about the current election. (I’m addressing leaders in this blog, but everyone is welcome to read on.) One solution is to simply keep silent on anything remotely political, knowing that you’re unlikely to change anyone’s mind, and someone is going to be offended by (and also likely to misinterpret) just about anything you say.
Rabbi Russ Resnik
In today’s uber-uptight political environment it’s hard to know what to say and not say about the current election. (I’m addressing leaders in this blog, but everyone is welcome to read on.) One solution is to simply keep silent on anything remotely political, knowing that you’re unlikely to change anyone’s mind, and someone is going to be offended by (and also likely to misinterpret) just about anything you say.
I can respect that sort of principled silence, but others might see not saying anything as a form of complicity. MLK Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” There are definitely things that matter in the current election, issues that some among us might feel compelled to address. So how do we do it?
First, do no harm
Hippocrates articulated this principle in ancient Greece, and it’s still affirmed by the medical profession today. A medical practitioner shouldn’t do anything to add to the problem or make the patient worse. This sounds obvious enough, but spiritual leaders, like doctors, need to be reminded of it. Today we’re living through a moment of deep division and imbalance, a time of anxiety and through-the-roof stress. So if I’m going to address matters related to politics, I have to ask whether I’m adding to the problem or even making the patient—my congregation, my community, my country—worse instead of better. Am I just fueling a never-ending argument, or am I helping to raise awareness in a way that might actually improve things?
Talk issues, not candidates
When we’re representing a tax-exempt congregation or religious organization, we have boundaries to our speech that might actually be helpful. Our 501(c)(3) status with the IRS means we’re exempt from most taxes, but we . . .
are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.
For a government policy, that’s pretty clear. If we’re speaking on behalf of our congregation or organization, and want to preserve our tax-exempt status, we can’t endorse (or oppose) a specific candidate or campaign. But this rule doesn’t forbid us from speaking out about “things that matter,” especially social and political issues rooted in our biblical perspective.
In general, we are more effective, more influential, and more true to our calling of building community and modeling an alternative to the social-media-drenched political dysfunction of this present darkness by not waving the banner of any candidate or party. Instead we can speak out on key issues from a prophetic vantage point on the margins.
Season it with wisdom and grace
Our biblical perspective helps us understand not only what we might need to speak out on, but how. I could cite lots of passages, but here’s a good summary verse: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Col 4:6).
So why do we think this doesn’t apply to our speech about politics and politicians? Why do we think we can set this wise counsel aside when we’re talking about Donald Trump? Or Joe Biden? And actually, I’m more likely to influence others if I speak with calmness and respect, even toward or about those I disagree with
Remember you’re a rabbi in your pulpit AND on your profile
And who said that social media should be a free-for-all? If I’m a recognized spiritual leader, I’m still recognizable on Facebook. I might be able to sidestep the 501(c)(3) restrictions by saying this is my private, not-official, Facebook page, but I can’t sidestep my place in the community. Years ago, I was ministering in beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina, and one afternoon, my host, Jorge Goldstein, took me sight-seeing. He was dressed in a suit and tie (in contrast with my touristy garb) as we knocked around, and we’d become friendly enough that I could ask Jorge why he was so dressed up. He said he never knew who he might run into, and he was always representing his community, and Yeshua himself, even on an afternoon off.
Don’t worry, I’m not about to advocate daily tie-wearing but, in truth, even on Facebook I’m still Rabbi Russ, still representing the Messianic Jewish community and even the Messiah himself. I can’t indulge in ranting, labeling, spreading doubtful reports of any persuasion, or fomenting discord and division, without reflecting poorly on my community and my calling.
So before I speak, in whatever context, I should ask (a la IRS): Does this speech constitute an endorsement of a specific person or party, and (a la Colossians): Is this speech gracious and seasoned with salt? And remember my first question: Does this speech really help the situation and avoid causing harm?
Before I close I’ll add a final question. A month from now Election Day will be in the rearview mirror, and—God willing—the whole election drama will be settling down. But my congregation and community will still be here. So, today I should ask myself this: Is this speech going to help us come together, and stay together, after the election?
Bottom line: if you feel a biblical imperative to speak out, you should, but without endorsing any candidate or directly supporting any campaign. If that requires some tightrope walking, all the better, because it’s hard to rant while you’re navigating a tightrope. Remember, there’s already enough division, discord, and despair to go around. As we walk through these anxious times with our congregants and neighbors, we have the opportunity to be a source of healing and spiritual uplift. Let’s take advantage of it!