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The Hard Sell : Jews now consider proselytizing to fight assimilation
Wall Street Journal ^ | 12/16/2005 | NAOMI SCHAEFER RILEY

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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: jews; judaism; proselytizing
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To: HarleyD; Gamecock; Frumanchu; Dr. Eckleburg
"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."

Funny that the Jews get it, and our Protestant churches don't. The congregation numbers don't count if they're not actually converts.

21 posted on 12/16/2005 3:14:38 PM PST by Alex Murphy (Proverbs 12:10)
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To: Bluegrass Conservative
Can one be considered a Jew and still accept Jesus as Savior, as the Messiah and as the Son of God?

If not, it would be quite a step for a believing Christian to convert to Judaism -- it would amount to "converting" from belief in Jesus to non-belief in Jesus.

22 posted on 12/16/2005 3:14:45 PM PST by churchillbuff
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To: SirLinksalot
The first generation of Jesus' followers were all Jewish, and proud of it...followed Kosher regulations, worshiped in the Temple in Jerusalem, and never dreamed that it was a separate religion, just a new phase or covenant of God's promises to Abraham....they just honestly appraised Jesus as the long awaited Jewish Messiah.

As the New Testament shows, in the book of Acts (giving the first 30 years history of the Church) the biggest controversy they had was first whether, then how to incorporate believing Gentiles. After the Jewish war of 69-72 AD, however, mixed communities of Jewish/Gentile "Christians" (as they had started to be called) did not support the Jewish uprising against Rome...(as Jesus Kingdom, as He said, was "not of this world") and Jerusalem with the temple was utterly razed, a LOT of bad blood developed between the Jew's who didn't follow Jesus, and those who did.... culminating in Constantine's time (312 AD on), and the beginning of Christian organizational persecution of the Jews.

23 posted on 12/16/2005 3:16:37 PM PST by AnalogReigns
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To: SirLinksalot

Hindus face the same inter-marriage rate as well


with Christians or Muslims?


24 posted on 12/16/2005 3:18:46 PM PST by Chickensoup (Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Chri)
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To: AnalogReigns
After the Jewish war of 69-72 AD, however, mixed communities of Jewish/Gentile "Christians" (as they had started to be called) did not support the Jewish uprising against Rome...(as Jesus Kingdom, as He said, was "not of this world") and Jerusalem with the temple was utterly razed, a LOT of bad blood developed between the Jew's who didn't follow Jesus, and those who did"""

If you read the Book of Acts, the bad blood between Jews who accepted Jesus and those who didn't, started right away. Stephen was Jewish, wasn't he - and he was stoned by the Sanhedrin for professing Christ. Paul, also Jewish, participated in that execution -- and then was targeted for execution himself when he became a follower of Jesus.

25 posted on 12/16/2005 3:19:59 PM PST by churchillbuff
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To: familyop
another hit piece against Jews is published

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.

And thus, another hit piece against Christians is published.

26 posted on 12/16/2005 3:20:45 PM PST by Alex Murphy (Proverbs 12:10)
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To: AnalogReigns

Those early "Christians" (or believers in the Jewish Messiah, as you might call them) generally believed that the Second Coming would occur during their lifetime. I've always speculated that Christians "officially" assumed their own identity once it became clear that this wasn't the case.


27 posted on 12/16/2005 3:21:22 PM PST by Alberta's Child (What it all boils down to is that no one's really got it figured out just yet.)
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To: ansel12
"The first step for the spouse would be to renounce Christ, same when one converts to Islam."

That's mighty Christian of you, Ansel (irony, sarcasm). They renounce idolatry. That just happens to include their sincere belief that deification of or prayer to anyone but one Creator is idolatry.

There's a big difference between that and your dishonest association of Judaism with Islam.
28 posted on 12/16/2005 3:26:17 PM PST by familyop
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To: churchillbuff

Clearly you are right....with much of the Jewish leadership--some of whom had after all pushed for Jesus crucifixion by Rome. Also in Acts it appears, in Judea at least, followers of Jesus were banned from Synagogues.... The apostle Paul though, as late as the 40s and 50s AD, was accepted as a Jewish teacher in synagogues in Asia Minor, however.

The break after the destruction of Jerusalem (at which point arguably, Gentiles out-numbered Jews in following Jesus) was a popular, and pretty final break, not just one of the formal Jewish leadership. I'm talking popular opinion.


29 posted on 12/16/2005 3:26:24 PM PST by AnalogReigns
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To: familyop
dishonest association of Judaism with Islam."""

Both Judaism and Islam believe that worshipping Jesus amounts to idolatry, because they both reject Christian claim that Jesus is God.

30 posted on 12/16/2005 3:28:03 PM PST by churchillbuff
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To: SirLinksalot
how many percent of Jews are really conservative ? I mean the kind that take the teachings of the Torah and the Prophets seriously.

About 20 % are politically conservative (vote Republican) and about 10 % are Orthodox Jews..I think I read the breakdown is 80 % of the Orthodox, 35 % of Conservative (Branch), and 10 % of the Reform Branch vote Republican. Or so.

31 posted on 12/16/2005 3:29:21 PM PST by Nonstatist
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To: Alberta's Child
Those early "Christians" (or believers in the Jewish Messiah, as you might call them) generally believed that the Second Coming would occur during their lifetime.

Incorrect. They believed that Jesus would be enforcing His Kingdom upon Israel, by bringing a final judgment on Israel for her disbelief, and that this was coming in their lifetime. In fact, they believed it because they were told to expect it (Matthew 12:45, 16:28, 21:33-46). The Gospels record that Jesus told them to expect His coming in judgment - not necc. His "Second Coming". In other words, it wasn't going to be the End of the World, at least not for everyone, but rather an End of the Age.

And as history records, Jerusalem fell and the Temple was destroyed within their generation's time.

32 posted on 12/16/2005 3:35:39 PM PST by Alex Murphy (Proverbs 12:10)
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To: familyop

Wow, I think you may have read an awful lot of weird stuff into my simple statement.


33 posted on 12/16/2005 3:45:17 PM PST by ansel12
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To: AnalogReigns
I had never heard the total count of Jews in the world at more than 20,000,000 and more usually,I see or hear that the number is around 14,000,000.

Then it seems that some claim that more than half are secular Jews,who are those that believe they are part of the brotherhood of God's Chosen,but they don't believe in God. Some folks say that half of the secular Jews consider themselves part of the Reform movement or belong to Reformed Synagogues or Temples while others say that secular Jews don't belong to any group of Jews considered to be members of a designated or formal religious entity.

Then there is the rivalry and bitterness between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews and the Zionist and non-Zionists. It also seems there is a group that are called Karaites,who claim to be the only Jews who are committed to Torah and do not intermarry or consider non Torah Jews legitimate.Some think Jews have been Jews since the time of Christ and others say that most of the European Jews were converted somewhere in Russia in the eighth century A.D.

Not to forget the Reformed,Conservative and Orthodox Jews and the terms devout and observant that are also tacked on to the front of the word Jew quite frequently.It seems to mean something specific to those who use them,but I am unable to determine if they abide by the legalism of the Old Testament but ignore the Mosaic Law or vice versa. Then there seems to be something called chalacai (sp) which seems to be very important,something to do with ancestry and citizenship in Israel but it creates a lot of kerfuffle.

Once I thought I had at least figured out Orthodox Jews and was surprised to find that there are Hasidic and Lebevitcher's and something else of which I think Rabbi Meyer Kahane was a member. I was told he was a Cohen and that was the only tribe that could trace their patronage back to David and on and on it goes with Orthodoxy.

Recently I have noticed some movie stars studying Kabbala,and some say this is authentic Jewry while others say that Jews are Talmudic and that is the book of books,not the Kabala,not the Torah but the Talmud.

Several years ago on Free Republic I asked a Jewish man about something and the ensuing discussion included0 "righteous gentiles" and Noachide Laws. Lately I have noticed on these boards some more discussion of the efficacy of Noachide Laws and I get very wary. It seems to me that universal courts set up to judge adherence to the other six laws could,if they chose to,throw all Christians into a category of "practioners of idolotry",which would be a crime the way I read it. Any thoughts sorry this is a little rattled and unfocused appearing but there does seem to be a lot of confusion on this issue. Are you Jewish?

34 posted on 12/16/2005 4:33:57 PM PST by saradippity
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To: Chickensoup
with Christians or Muslims?

Your more likely to get a jew and a muslim to marry then you are to get a hindu and a muslim together.

35 posted on 12/16/2005 5:50:59 PM PST by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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To: Alberta's Child
You mean like the Orthodox Jewish community of New Square, New York?

I believe that vote was directly tied to a "get out of jail free card" that Bill Clinton gave to some of the people there...

Mark

36 posted on 12/16/2005 9:24:01 PM PST by MarkL (I swear by my pretty floral bonnet that I will end you!)
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To: AnalogReigns

Reply to post #23

You pretty well hit the nail on the head. 20 to 30% of the Hebrews in the Israel area were Nazerene Yisraelites, following the Messiyah Yahshua (Yahweh's Salvation) teachings. The Nazrenes would not fight against Rome, so the Jewish leaders at Yabney (Jabneh) posted a bunch of sayinge that were spouted at each service, one was the "Mem" statement that no Jewish person was to buy or sell or have any dealings with the Naxerene Jewish people. Jew against Jew, where was the brotherly love.


37 posted on 12/16/2005 9:50:56 PM PST by Lewite (Praise YAHWEH and Proclaim His Wonderful Name, His Son Yahshua Messiah is coming soon!)
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To: ROTB
If you don't have Jesus, you don't have the Father, so your answer is 0%.

You can't be conservative if you don't have Jesus?

38 posted on 12/17/2005 7:39:31 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: churchillbuff
Can one be considered a Jew and still accept Jesus as Savior, as the Messiah and as the Son of God?

Messianic Judaism. They believe Jesus was the messiah and son of God, and fullfilled his promise to the Jews, but that the Christians took off on a direction plagued with pagan influences (got a Christmas tree?), abandoning Torah.

39 posted on 12/17/2005 7:52:00 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: churchillbuff

But the Islamists do believe the doctrine of immaculate conception and more.

Final Word on Israelite Differences [Qur'an corrects Jews and Christians]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1542014/posts


40 posted on 12/17/2005 4:32:15 PM PST by familyop (I'll turn on a light for you.)
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