Posted on 12/16/2005 1:00:32 PM PST by SirLinksalot
The Hard Sell Jews consider proselytizing to fight assimilation.
BY NAOMI SCHAEFER RILEY
It is one of the most commonly understood notions about Judaism that its adherents do not proselytize. And yet there in the Boston Globe last week was the headline: "Conservative Jews Set a Conversion Campaign." What was going on?
As it happened, Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, the head of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, had set a somewhat limited campaign. At the group's convention he had urged: "We must begin aggressively to encourage conversions of potential Jews who have chosen a Jewish spouse."
Such a desire has more to do with practical reality than with theology. (Gentiles still do not need to become Jews in order to live according to God's wishes.) With the intermarriage rate at about 47% and less than 8% of children of intermarried couples actually identifying as Jews, it is easy to see why the chosen people are in a state of demographic panic.
SNIP
Just a month ago Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Union of Reform Judaism, came to the same conclusion as his Conservative counterpart. "It is a mitzvah [a kindness] to help a potential Jew become a Jew-by-choice," he told the union's General Assembly. There is nothing new about such a policy, he noted, but it has been forgotten in recent years. "By making non-Jews feel comfortable and accepted in our congregations," he observed, "we have sent the message that we do not care if they convert."
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Well, it's about gaddam time, the dumbaxe idea behind not advertising a good thing makes no sense whatsoever. BTW, you do realize, Christianity is a kind of Judaism?
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BTW, you do realize, Christianity is a kind of Judaism?
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I Guess it is. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Dennis Prager and Dr. Laura keep talking about Judaeo-Christian values. That indicates a lot in common right there.
You ever noticed that it's mostly Jews that speak of "Judeo-Christian values"?
I think it's similar to the political situation in the county where I live. We have about 35% Republican registration, despite it being a VERY conservative area. So, when we run candidates we always talk about that they "share the same values important to Republicans and conservative Democrats." We know we're in the minority and need to tie ourselves to the conservative Democrats if we are ever going to win.
I think that's what the Jews in the United States do too. They know they're in the minority but are "drafting" off of the Christians.
OK folks, can anybody tell me how many percent of Jews are really conservative ?
I mean the kind that take the teachings of the Torah and the Prophets seriously.
Every election results year after year, tell me that most Jews in this country are liberal and RELIABLY vote Democrat.
If you don't have Jesus, you don't have the Father, so your answer is 0%.
When I cornered my Jewish mother on Jesus being the fulfillment of the Prophets, her final answer was that "they were dreaming".
The Orthodox Jewish vote Republican.
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The Orthodox Jewish vote Republican.
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And how many percent of the American population is that ?
You will be assimilated...Resistance is futile...:-)
You mean like the Orthodox Jewish community of New Square, New York?
2000 U.S. Senate (NY) Election Results:
Hillary Clinton (D) -- 1400 (99.15%)
Rick Lazio (R) -- 12 (0.85%)
There are more Mormons in the United States than there are Jews. Mormons 2% Jews 1%.
Bummer. I've always admired Judaism for not proselytizing. I usually can't talk religion with a Christian too long before they start proselytizing, but I can talk to a rabbi forever and never get that.
"We must begin aggressively to encourage conversions of potential Jews who have chosen a Jewish spouse."
The first step for the spouse would be to renounce Christ, same when one converts to Islam.
"The Orthodox Jewish vote Republican."
Unless Hillary offers them "inducements" like she did to get elected Senator.
As my (very funny) Quaker roomate back in the '70s used to say: "Hey--I'll convert--when do I get the money?"
Lol. One time I had a guy started talking about life and all that... all he wanted, as I found out later, was to convert me by handing this tiny Bible. That was very weird and a big waste of time.
Except of course there are over 1,000,000,000 (one billion) Hindus, and less than 50,000,000 (fifty-million) Jews.
As the original Sabbath begins (which day for Sabbath, a Christian Emperor outlawed for his fellow believers, because he so hated Judaism), another hit piece against Jews is published. Every few days (and every day, at times), another column is posted about how "Jews are liberals" (generalizing against them all). Recently, a seemingly endless recirculation of an Abe Foxman comment is ongoing. If you repeat a negative and dishonestly apply it to a whole group (including those Orthodox Jews who voted Republican) often and extensively enough, the world will hate them all that much more.
Enjoy, volks. Have at their backs. They won't be defending themselves with words until tomorrow night after sundown--and few of them then--when this post and thread are out of sight.
And BTW, the piece is a lie. Orthodox Jews don't preach at people who don't ask for it. But some of them are nice enough and courageous enough to spend a lot of their time educating all who ask.
If you want to convert to Reform Judaism, though, it will be much like converting to almost any Christian church. There's no strict requirement to study or believe what's in the Bible. In essence, they each pick and choose law, while their majority liberal Christian political allies are completely "delivered" from moral law.
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