School apologizes for burning New Testament

BEIT SHEMESH (December 25) - The organization that administers Orot school in Beit Shemesh issued an apology yesterday for publicly burning a copy of the New Testament a student received from Christian missionaries.

"Everybody knows we made a mistake," said Jordana Klein, spokeswoman for Sha'alei Torah. "We wouldn't do it again. We don't think it's the right thing to do."

The book-burning took place in the school courtyard the week before Hanukka, after a teacher in the boys' school found that one of his sixth-grade students had brought in a Hebrew copy of the New Testament.

The student received it from local missionaries who, according to Klein, have been active in proselytizing Beit Shemesh children.

"The teacher said: 'God sent it and He gave us the privilege, and we'll be able to burn the New Testament," said Ariel Lesnick, 11, who is in the class.

The teacher consulted with the principal, Rabbi Yair Bachar, said Klein. After receiving approval, the teacher - whose name Klein refused to divulge - took his class outside.

Then, Lesnick said, "We took a few sticks and we burnt it." The teacher emphasized that the book-burning was an anti-missionary activity and not an anti-Christian one, Lesnick said.

After receiving calls from angry parents, Bachar reconsidered the decision, which Klein described as "too hasty." He consulted rabbinic authorities on the issue and decided to appoint Rabbi David Spector - rabbi of the Givat Sharet neighborhood of Beit Shemesh - as a permanent rabbinic decision-maker for the school.

Spector ruled that missionary material should be burned, but it is the sole responsibility of the owner to burn it and the burning should take place in private.

"It was appropriate to burn the New Testament in private," wrote Spector in his ruling. He cited traditional and modern rabbis, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who wrote that he had burned missionary texts, which he called "books of incitement and brainwashing." Such burning is permissible even if the texts include the name of God, Spector said.

The teacher said that if missionary material were found in the school again, it would be thrown into the garbage rather than publicly burned, said Lesnick.

The Education Ministry was not aware of the incident, said spokeswoman Orit Reuveni.

"In principle, the ministry condemns book-burning as an educational act," she said. "We are not aware of this incident, but we will investigate the matter in depth."

Wayne Firestone, director of the Anti-Defamation League here, said the apology is a positive reaction to the school's "inappropriate" decision.

"The issue of conversion obviously is a sensitive one, and school officials are entitled to make requirements to try to protect their students from inappropriate materials entering the school," he said.

"At the same time, the symbolic and actual imagery of burning any books is really an inappropriate reaction to any offensive material. We're encouraged to hear that the school has issued an apology, and we hope that from the apology, they can send a better message to their own students about tolerance of other religions."

Since the burning, Bachar has addressed teachers, parents, and students - particularly the sixth-grade class - about the issue. He emphasized that the school is not against Christians but against Christian attempts to convert Jews, said Klein. The school is also planning programs to increase tolerance, she said.

The student who brought the New Testament in is not the only one missionaries have targeted. After the book-burning, one of the other students in the class said missionaries came to his home and hung a crucifix behind the mezuza, said Lesnick. The family told the missionary they didn't want the crucifix and returned it, he said.

"We obviously have a missionary problem," said Klein. "We weren't even aware of how big a problem it is in our school."

The students that missionaries approach are generally among the native Israelis and immigrants who make up about 40 percent of the student body and tend to live in old Beit Shemesh, said Klein. That section is poorer than the newer section populated mostly by Anglos, who comprise 60 percent of the student body.

The Anglo-Israeli divide may have contributed to a difference in the approach to burning the New Testament. Lesnick, whose family immigrated from New Jersey four years ago, saw that distinction among the boys in his class. "The Israelis thought it was the right thing to do, but for the Americans, you're used to seeing [non-Jews] every day, and you don't do that to somebody that's just a little different than you," he said.

His father, Marc, also noted the difference nationality may have made in the decision. The teacher, he said, is an Israeli who has never left the country. But as an American, he said, "This is not the type of education I want my kids to have. In America, they let you practice your religion, you let them practice their religion, and you kind of coexist."

Book-burning may also invoke different images for Anglos than for Israelis. "The idea of burning in general in our minds has to do with Kristallnacht and the KKK and so on," he said.

But once he brought the issue to the attention of the school, said Marc Lesnick, it "very quickly took the matter really seriously and dealt with it properly afterward."

Lesnick found out about the burning when Ariel came home from school. "My son got home from school that night, and he actually said to me, 'Dad, you know what we did today? Well, we burned the New Testament.' I said, 'You're joking,'" said Lesnick.

He discussed it with the teacher, and a few days later Bachar came to his home to talk about the incident. Lesnick is glad that they have told him they would "definitely not do this again."

Rev. Ray Lockhart, director of the Jerusalem-based Israel Trust of the Anglican Church, said burning the New Testament so publicly was "going over the top somewhat." Lockhart, whose organization focuses on ministry to the Jews, added that it's preferable to get a signed statement from parents before giving Christian scriptures to a minor.

"Clearly no Jewish person would want to see the Tanah being burnt, and would feel that whoever did it, it was an affront to their beliefs," he said.

But the school's apology, said Lockhart, mitigates the offense. "I think it shows that it's sometimes good to have second thoughts, and to recognize that we can all make mistakes in the way we make a response off the cuff without really thinking through all the implications."

Is the Jewish religion "protected" by their constitution or not?

It was my experience that people can legally worship as they choose in Israel. However, there is tremendous pressure not to discuss any other religious alternatives with people of the Jewish faith. Maybe the following article will shed some light on this for you:

Tuesday, March 31, 1998

No missionary activity in Holy Land

The Associated Press

Representatives of 50 Christian evangelical groups have agreed to make an unprecedented joint statement promising not to carry out missionary activity in Israel. As a result, MK Nissim Zvili (Labor) said yesterday he would drop his sponsorship of an anti-proselytizing bill that has drawn protests from Christians around the world.

"This is better than a law," Zvili told The Associated Press. "This is a very big accomplishment."

In the statement, the Christian groups say they "rejoice in the presence of the Jewish people in this country of their ancestors" and agree to avoid "activities which have as their intention to alienate them from their tradition and community."

Missionary activity touches a particularly raw nerve in the Jewish state, home to 300,000 Holocaust survivors.

Clarence Wagner, director of the evangelical foundation Bridges for Peace, said the statement was an important step toward understanding between Jews and Christians. But none of the groups were engaged in proselytizing anyway, adding: "We don't believe that we have been or are in any way a threat to the Jewish people. We are among the most vocal supporters of Israel worldwide."

Christian groups opposed the proposed bill as stifling their freedom of religious expression, Wagner said. The agreement, which is to be announced formally tomorrow, was reached through the mediation of Joseph Alpher, director of the American Jewish Committee's Israel office. The accord represented "a dynamic Christian commitment to the vitality of Israel and Judaism," he said.

Another sponsor of the anti-proselytizing bill, MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) said yesterday that he rejected the agreement. "We have a long account with Christendom," Gafni said. "They tried to wipe out Judaism by force Ñ the pogroms, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the expulsion from Spain, and now they are pursuing us even into our own country."

But the decision by Zvili to drop his sponsorship will deprive the bill of broad-based support. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said he opposed the bill, which Alpher said he hoped would now "wither on the vine." As initially proposed, the bill would have banned possession of any written material that proselytizes, which some Christians feared could be used to ban possession of the New Testament.

Note: I would often debate various religious topics with Israeli friends, just like politics or economical issues. It is not my nature to try to convert anyone. But the official Israeli position is that there should be no "preaching" to Jews. It is their country and I see no problem with it. I just get annoyed when we in the U.S. criticize countries other than Israel for the same behavior, yet ignore that Israel has the same policy in place.

If the guy chooses not to use BC/AD, that's his business. Do you want me to force him?

No. The letter that you refuse to comment on, was comparing the usage of BC/AD to "smack in the face". Playing dumb, or being dumb? Who's forcing whom here?

Do you want me to comment on every Jew? Look at the history, and look at the people as a whole. For example. Jihad/Terrorism in Muslims world is not an isolated incident. This is.

There were Jewish terrorists too. And how about "Crazy" Irv? And ozzymandus here seems to have suggested that that incident wasn't single in the history. The most recent reported one, you can at least make that conlusion.

Good. We agree. Then why are we still on this?

Because I stated that it's the sentiment that is revealed.

I wasn't aware that there was a movement amongst Jews to take out symbols out of this "historically Christian...".

It's an attitude (confirmed by your scepticism about "historically Christian"), that is manifested in attempts to further secularize this country. You'll be very suprise to learn that many activists have Jewish names.

By the way, while most of the first americans were Christians, if I recall correctly, freedom of speech and religion were the first values as well. As for Judaism, nothing is offensive to our religion, other then others not letting us practice is.

Even with your narrow definition of "what's offensive", bibles and using references to Christ can be intepreted as attempts to convert, and therefore, not letting you practice your religion.

I suspect that by this you mean that there were Jews amongst Bolsheviks? Sure, I don't deny it. Do you deny the russian involvement in the Bolshevik revolution?? Do you deny the Jewish involvement in the shaping of the capitalism system?

By that I suggest that the overwhelming majority of top Bolsheviks were Jewish, and that they were driven by hatred to Czarist Russia with what they perceived was unfair treatment of Russian Jews. They weren't religious, just like most Jewish activists in the US are, who are, just like the Bolsheviks before them, are working on dismanling traditions of this country.

Yes. You have been trying for a while now, yet I don't see any other examples other then isolated incident that you brought about here.

I offered you two instances on this thread. I am sure there is much more evidence available, and if you want I will be flagging you on relevant threads.

Now, you are the one acting like you are at a middle eastern bazaar. Internationalists? In theory? maybe. In practice? It said "Jew" in Jews' soviet passports. What's more, my father had to divorce my mom for 1 day, so they can remarry under her name so he could actually get into college (the dean told him flat out, that they are accepting any more of "his kind" that year).

Stalin purged the "Old Guard" Bolsheviks, who were overwhelmingly Jewish, and the Communism started to gradually turn into nationalism, which culminated in its demise.

A Man-Made Famine raged through Ukraine, the ethnic-Ukrainian region of northern Caucasus, and the lower Volga River region in 1932-33. This resulted in the death of between 7 to 10 million people, mainly Ukrainians. This was instigated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his henchman Lazar Kaganovich. The main goal of this artificial famine was to break the spirit of the Ukrainian farmer/peasant and to force them into collectivization. The famine was also used as an effective tool to break the renaissance of Ukrainian culture that was occuring under approval of the communist government in Ukraine. Moscow perceived this as a threat to a Russo-Centric Soviet rule and therefore acted to crush this cultural renaissance in a most brutal manner. In 1932, the Soviets increased the grain procurement quota for Ukraine by 44%. They were aware that this extraordinarly high quota would result in a grain shortage, therefore resulting in the inability of the Ukrainian peasant to feed themselves. Soviet law was quite clear in that no grain could be given to feed the peasants until the quota was met. Communist party officials with the aid of military trrops and NKVD secret police units were used to move against peasants who may be hiding grain from the Soviet government. Even worse, an internal passport system was implemented to restrict movements of Ukrainian peasants so that they could not travel in search of food. Ukrainian grain was collected and stored in grain elevators that were guarded by military units & NKVD secret police units while Ukrainians were starving in the immediate area. The actions of this Moscow instigated action was a deliberate act of genocide against the Ukrainian peasant.

Proves that I accept it. You are one who was asking me for my views on the dating systems.

I don't know how the fact that you accept it is relevant here, apart from not being very suprising in light of what I was saying.

Right. There were no functioning temples in Odessa (but plenty of churches. My mother walked me into one when I was about 7 to show me how people worship and how beautiful the art is).

The Bolsheviks destroyed almost all the churches in Russia. The grunt of oppression was on the church, after the Bolshevik revolution.

If it didn't, you wouldn't have brought it up. But you did.

I asked to confirm my guess about you.

Interesting. So Jews are just hateful of Christians because of their genes?

No, Jews would rather live in a secularized country, if it's not Jewish. Only when it comes to their religion, they would like to live in a virtual theocracy.

Very interesting. Weren't you the one arguing that a Jew is a religion, not an ethnicity?

I don't remember participating in that discussion, because the quesion is a weasely one, used to disown "atheistic" Jews.

You people spin this so much, you get caught up in your own contradictions.

LOL! You have caught your own tail, so far, and keep chasing it.

The teacher said that if missionary material were found in the school again, it would be thrown into the garbage rather than publicly burned, said Lesnick.

Anyone doubts that a teacher in a Christian school wouldn't throw Jewish/Muslim or any other missionary material into the garbage?

This wasn't just "missionary material" but the New Testament of the Bible. If a Christian school threw a Torah or Koran into the garbage it would be (rightly) seen as an act of intolerance or hate, and an encouragement toward ignorance.

This attitude is more reminicent of Nazis than persons in a free democracy. It's too bad the Jews are so threatened by an established book.

No. The letter that you refuse to comment on, was comparing the usage of BC/AD to "smack in the face". Playing dumb, or being dumb? Who's forcing whom here?

So? For him its a smack in the face to use the name of a false prophet in the whatever Jewish text he was writing about? You yourself are acting like he smacked you in the face by not acceptiong your savior. The parallel is rather clear. You two can relate quite well.

Because I stated that it's the sentiment that is revealed.

Isolated case. Puuuhlease... someone on FR "suggested" something.. So? look at the history. If you want to talk about sentiments, I think I can find more on sentiments of people against Jews, then the other way around. Russia for example is historically anti-semetic. But I am not bringing it up till now, as to not to imply that I have pre judged you and that your sentiments were revealed to me because you are russian.

It's an attitude (confirmed by your scepticism about "historically Christian"), that is manifested in attempts to further secularize this country.

Scepticism? Where's my scepticism. I'll repeat for you again, because you appear to be slow. Most of the first americans were Christian. Yet, freedom of speech AND freedom of religion were the first american values. Going by your logic, this country is historically WASP, and you being Russian Orthodox... well, you get the drift.

You'll be very suprise to learn that many activists have Jewish names.

There are always many Jewish names on either side. Which allows people like you spin any issue in every each way. My grandmother's grandfather was killed by Petlurovzi. Some family on my father's side owned a factory prior to revolution and had to run to South America when communists took over. My mother's grandfather was a communist (with Kotovsky), he was killed by Stalin in 1939. A lot of my family was killed by the nazi's in WW2, etc. As you see, you can spin my family any way you like. Some ran from the communists, some ran with the communists, etc,etc,etc. Most families in russia, Jewish or not, had a communist in the family. In fact, if you listen to communists in Russia today, they will blame Jews for their failure... STILL TO THIS DAY.

By that I suggest that the overwhelming majority of top Bolsheviks were Jewish, and that they were driven by hatred to Czarist Russia with what they perceived was unfair treatment of Russian Jews.

Tops capitalists were and are Jewish as well. What's your point?

I offered you two instances on this thread. I am sure there is much more evidence available, and if you want I will be flagging you on relevant threads.

This is a very intersting thread. A lone teacher burns new testament because someone tried to preach Christianity to his student. And rightly you are outraged because no one should be burning a holy book. You are not however outraged that someone is trying to convert Jews in a historically Jewish state of Israel. Yet, some Jew in USA doesnt' want to use a Christian date, and you are outraged, that he is living in a (according to you) historically Christian country and etc.. You see the parallel?

Let’s modify the scenario slightly. Say you are sending your kid to a private school here in America that stresses Christian, Conservative, Free Enterprise, traditional American values. A group comes to your community and starts handing out copies of the Communist Manifesto to your kids as a means of encouraging membership in the Communist party. Would it be as wrong for one of the teachers to burn a copy of the Communist Manifesto?

Yes. Let the ideas speak for themselves. If you believe in the first amendment, the truth will win out in the end. In the case of this poor school, their final decision is to "trash" any further New Testaments that they receive, so no student will have the opportunity to judge for themselves whether the Jesus of the New Testament is the Messiah prophesied in the Old. Likewise, with the Communist Manifesto, better to read it young and debate and discard its' tenets as false than to encounter it later in a less discerning environment.

I don't know how the fact that you accept it is relevant here, apart from not being very suprising in light of what I was saying.

Well. You asked me. I told you. If now you don't find your own question to be relevant, then you have in fact caught your own tail :)

The Bolsheviks destroyed almost all the churches in Russia. The grunt of oppression was on the church, after the Bolshevik revolution.

Oh? There were quite a few churches in Odessa, but not a single temple (keep in mind, that odessa was 30-40% Jewish at one point)

I asked to confirm my guess about you.

That's a very good guess. Shows that you know that there were no temples and no Jewish schools in USSR, yet you still attempt to show that Bolsheviks were anti Christian, where in reality they were more anti religion (any religion). My grandmother's grandfather was a Rebbe. Not a Rabbi - a Rebbe (for those who don't know, in Hasidic branch of Judasm, rabbi is more like a priest - someone who does service in the synagogue, where Rebbe is more like a Bishop - a regional authority figure on religious issues). My grandmother went to a Jewish school in Ukraine before the revolution, and her whole family was quite religious. The only reason that I am not is... surprise, the revolution. You can rest assured that my kids will be much more religous that I am. So, kopchenaya kolbasa and etc, is quite temporary, even those who shop on brighton manage to give their kids opportunities to become more Jewish (so to speak) then they had..
I don't remember participating in that discussion, because the quesion is a weasely one, used to disown "atheistic" Jews.

Not at all. Being Jewish is an ethnicity as well as a religion.. You are even trying to prove it by saying that Jews that are not religious have something else in common?

LOL! You have caught your own tail, so far, and keep chasing it.

Guy, you need to chill out with a nice cold bottle of Baltika

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