Nine of the following proclamation
excerpts as they appear below I lifted from a long defunct web page in 1999.
(It disappeared in 2001 @ amhaaretz.com.) However, all of the proclamations these
excerpts came from still exist and are
available in their entirety elsewhere from the original proclammations.
THIS IS THE ONLY THING ALL MOVEMENTS OF JUDAISM AGREE UPON
THIS IS THE ONLY THING ALL MOVEMENTS OF JUDAISM AGREE UPON
What Jews Think of the groups that call themselves “Messianic Jews“
The New Testament doctrine is NOT any form of Judaism.
Excerpts from various Position Statements:
In 1993, the Task Force on Missionaries and Cults of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY) issued a statement which has been endorsed by the four major Jewish denominations: Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations.
Excerpts from various Position Statements:
In 1993, the Task Force on Missionaries and Cults of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY) issued a statement which has been endorsed by the four major Jewish denominations: Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations.
Based on this statement, the Spiritual Deception Prevention Project at the JCRCNY stated:On several occasions leaders of the four major Jewish movements have signed on to joint statements opposing Hebrew-Christian theology and tactics.
In part they said: "Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not ... It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance ... as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism ... Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbridgeable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former co-religionists."
CHIEF Ashkenazi and CHIEF Sephardi Rabbis of Israel:
"There are Christian groups that call themselves "Messianic Jews" whose faith is totally alien to the Jewish faith, and members of these groups who were born to Jewish parents have a status of apostates who removed themselves from the Jewish Nation."-Official proclamation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, 1998.
--------------------------------------
Rabbi Y. Eliezer Danzinger of Tzefat, Israel (Chabad)
"Messianic Judaism is both a logical and theological absurdity. It's perverse goal is to seduce uneducated Jews away from their heritage and people, without the ensnared realizing the enormity of their betrayal.""Although Jews who subscribe to such heresy are clearly apostates--and as such, forfeit all rights as Jews, including the right of being buried in a Jewish cemetery--the gates of repentance are open to them."
--------------------------------------
Hebrew Union College / Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform)
....being Jewish and accepting Christ is entirely incompatible. In the Winter 1996 issue of Reform Judaism, Mark Washofsky, called Messianic Jews "apostates." "We see Messianic Jews as dishonest, deceptive and ultimately dangerous to our existence as a religious community."
---------------------------------
Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform)For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate. Through that belief she has placed herself outside the Jewish community. Whether she cares to define herself as a Christian or as a "fulfilled Jew," "Messianic Jew," or any other designation is irrelevant; to us she is clearly a Christian. We should, therefore, consider a "completed Jew" [Messianic Jew] as an apostate.....they should be seen as outsiders who have placed themselves outside the Jewish community. This should be made very clear to them and to the Jewish and general community, especially as many such individuals are active proselytizers. Such individuals should not be accorded membership in the congregation or treated in any way which makes them appear as if they were affiliated with the Jewish community, for that poses a clear danger to the Jewish community and also to its relationships with the general community.We certainly do not want these individuals to speak for Judaism in any public forum. In conclusion, we should make the distinction between ourselves and these individuals very clear to them, to the Jewish community and to the general community around us.-proclamation September 1983.
---------------------------
Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
Deceptive Proselytization of Jews
Adopted by the CCAR at the 96th Annual Convention of
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
1985
The Jewish community is concerned about ongoing deceptive efforts to proselytize Jews. We recognize the constitutional right of religious groups to practice their faiths and to share their beliefs with others, but we condemn the deceptive practices employed by certain Christian missionary groups in their zeal to win converts.
Of paramount concern to the Jewish community is the claim of certain Christian missionary groups that they legitimately represent Jewish tradition. So-called "Jews for Jesus," "Messianic Jews," "Hebrew Christians, " and other such groups, in claiming to be part of the Jewish community, make four misleading claims: 1) They misrepresent themselves as another branch of Judaism alongside the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist branches. 2) Some of their leaders misrepresent themselves as duly ordained "rabbis." 3) They deceptively call their places of worship "synagogues."" And 4) they misquote and misinterpret traditional Jewish sources to support their beliefs.
The accepted bodies of Judaism, while differing on points of theology and practice, unanimously agree that belief in Jesus as God, the Messiah, Savior, or the Son of God is Christian doctrine, which is wholly apart from Jewish tradition and theology. Therefore, any movement that professes such belief cannot be considered a part of Judaism and cannot legitimately represent itself as such.
The use of these deceptive practices that distort Judaism in order to convert Jews is a moral issue of great concern, not only to the Jewish community, but to society at large. We call upon our congregations and organizations to publish this stand in their newsletters and temple bulletins. We call upon our colleagues to share this statement with leaders and friends in the Christian communities. We call upon all fair-minded Americans to condemn deception in the name of religion and not to support or sponsor such organizations.
-------------------------------
Conservative Judaism:
...there is no place for so-called Messianic Jews or Hebrew-Christians within our congregations and within the Jewish community."Hebrew Christian, Jewish Christian, Jew for Jesus, Messianic Jew, Fulfilled Jew. The name may have changed over the course of time, but all of the names reflect the same phenomenon: one who asserts that s/he is straddling the theological fence between Christianity and Judaism, but in truth is firmly on the Christian side.…we must affirm as did the Israeli Supreme Court in the well-known Brother Daniel case that to adopt Christianity is to have crossed the line out of the Jewish community."by Rabbi Jonathan Waxman, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
-----------------------------
Renewal:
"What is ALEPH's position on so called messianic Judaism? ALEPH has a policy of respect for other spiritual traditions, but objects to deceptive practices and will not collaborate with denominations which actively target Jews for recruitment. Our position on so-called "Messianic Judaism" is that it is Christianity and its proponents would be more honest to call it that."Position statement of ALEPH the Allianced for Jewish Renewal
---------------------------------------
Canadian B'nai Brith:
"One of the more alarming trends in antisemitic activity in Canada in 1998 was the growing number of incidents involving messianic organizations posing as "synagogues". These missionizing organizations are in fact evangelical Christian proselytizing groups, whose purpose is specifically to target members of the Jewish community for conversion. They fraudulently represent themselves as Jews, and these so-called synagogues are elaborately disguised Christian churches."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Orthodox Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, writing for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, wrote:
'Christianity negates the fundamentals of Jewish faith, and one who accepts it rejects the very essence of Judaism. Even if he continues to keep all of the rituals, it is the same as if he abandoned Judaism completely.
CHIEF Ashkenazi and CHIEF Sephardi Rabbis of Israel:
"There are Christian groups that call themselves "Messianic Jews" whose faith is totally alien to the Jewish faith, and members of these groups who were born to Jewish parents have a status of apostates who removed themselves from the Jewish Nation."-Official proclamation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, 1998.
--------------------------------------
Rabbi Y. Eliezer Danzinger of Tzefat, Israel (Chabad)
"Messianic Judaism is both a logical and theological absurdity. It's perverse goal is to seduce uneducated Jews away from their heritage and people, without the ensnared realizing the enormity of their betrayal.""Although Jews who subscribe to such heresy are clearly apostates--and as such, forfeit all rights as Jews, including the right of being buried in a Jewish cemetery--the gates of repentance are open to them."
--------------------------------------
Hebrew Union College / Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform)
....being Jewish and accepting Christ is entirely incompatible. In the Winter 1996 issue of Reform Judaism, Mark Washofsky, called Messianic Jews "apostates." "We see Messianic Jews as dishonest, deceptive and ultimately dangerous to our existence as a religious community."
---------------------------------
Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform)For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate. Through that belief she has placed herself outside the Jewish community. Whether she cares to define herself as a Christian or as a "fulfilled Jew," "Messianic Jew," or any other designation is irrelevant; to us she is clearly a Christian. We should, therefore, consider a "completed Jew" [Messianic Jew] as an apostate.....they should be seen as outsiders who have placed themselves outside the Jewish community. This should be made very clear to them and to the Jewish and general community, especially as many such individuals are active proselytizers. Such individuals should not be accorded membership in the congregation or treated in any way which makes them appear as if they were affiliated with the Jewish community, for that poses a clear danger to the Jewish community and also to its relationships with the general community.We certainly do not want these individuals to speak for Judaism in any public forum. In conclusion, we should make the distinction between ourselves and these individuals very clear to them, to the Jewish community and to the general community around us.-proclamation September 1983.
---------------------------
Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
Deceptive Proselytization of Jews
Adopted by the CCAR at the 96th Annual Convention of
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
1985
The Jewish community is concerned about ongoing deceptive efforts to proselytize Jews. We recognize the constitutional right of religious groups to practice their faiths and to share their beliefs with others, but we condemn the deceptive practices employed by certain Christian missionary groups in their zeal to win converts.
Of paramount concern to the Jewish community is the claim of certain Christian missionary groups that they legitimately represent Jewish tradition. So-called "Jews for Jesus," "Messianic Jews," "Hebrew Christians, " and other such groups, in claiming to be part of the Jewish community, make four misleading claims: 1) They misrepresent themselves as another branch of Judaism alongside the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist branches. 2) Some of their leaders misrepresent themselves as duly ordained "rabbis." 3) They deceptively call their places of worship "synagogues."" And 4) they misquote and misinterpret traditional Jewish sources to support their beliefs.
The accepted bodies of Judaism, while differing on points of theology and practice, unanimously agree that belief in Jesus as God, the Messiah, Savior, or the Son of God is Christian doctrine, which is wholly apart from Jewish tradition and theology. Therefore, any movement that professes such belief cannot be considered a part of Judaism and cannot legitimately represent itself as such.
The use of these deceptive practices that distort Judaism in order to convert Jews is a moral issue of great concern, not only to the Jewish community, but to society at large. We call upon our congregations and organizations to publish this stand in their newsletters and temple bulletins. We call upon our colleagues to share this statement with leaders and friends in the Christian communities. We call upon all fair-minded Americans to condemn deception in the name of religion and not to support or sponsor such organizations.
-------------------------------
Conservative Judaism:
...there is no place for so-called Messianic Jews or Hebrew-Christians within our congregations and within the Jewish community."Hebrew Christian, Jewish Christian, Jew for Jesus, Messianic Jew, Fulfilled Jew. The name may have changed over the course of time, but all of the names reflect the same phenomenon: one who asserts that s/he is straddling the theological fence between Christianity and Judaism, but in truth is firmly on the Christian side.…we must affirm as did the Israeli Supreme Court in the well-known Brother Daniel case that to adopt Christianity is to have crossed the line out of the Jewish community."by Rabbi Jonathan Waxman, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
-----------------------------
Renewal:
"What is ALEPH's position on so called messianic Judaism? ALEPH has a policy of respect for other spiritual traditions, but objects to deceptive practices and will not collaborate with denominations which actively target Jews for recruitment. Our position on so-called "Messianic Judaism" is that it is Christianity and its proponents would be more honest to call it that."Position statement of ALEPH the Allianced for Jewish Renewal
---------------------------------------
Canadian B'nai Brith:
"One of the more alarming trends in antisemitic activity in Canada in 1998 was the growing number of incidents involving messianic organizations posing as "synagogues". These missionizing organizations are in fact evangelical Christian proselytizing groups, whose purpose is specifically to target members of the Jewish community for conversion. They fraudulently represent themselves as Jews, and these so-called synagogues are elaborately disguised Christian churches."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Orthodox Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, writing for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, wrote:
'Christianity negates the fundamentals of Jewish faith, and one who accepts it rejects the very essence of Judaism. Even if he continues to keep all of the rituals, it is the same as if he abandoned Judaism completely.
Older Decisions:
*A Rabbi in the later Middle Ages named the Hai Gaon, as quoted by Aderet in Responsa, VII #292, stated that a Jew who converted out of the faith was no longer a Jew. This was shared by numerous rabbis, which can be seen in the Responsa literature of Simon ben Zemah of Duran, Samuel de Medina, Judah Berab, Jacob Berab, Moses ben Elias Kapsali, and others in the Middle Ages.
Most recently this can also be seen in the Responsa of the Satmar Rov in his Divrei Torah, Yoreh Deah #59, paragraph 5, as well as in the Responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Even Haezer Volume 4 Number 53.
The very famous rabbi, Moses ben Maimon, called Maimonides, also wrote that if a Jew converted to Christianity, he or she was no longer a Jew. See Maimonides, Hilchot Mamrim Perek 3, Halacha 1-3, as well as in Maimonides's Mishnah Torah, Avodat Kochavim 2:5.
Rabbi Moses Isserles demanded a formal conversion back to Judaism for those who converted out of Judaism but who then wanted to return to Judaism. He demanded ritual immersion (mikveh) and repentance before a court of three (beit din). You will see this also in other Responsa literature: Radbaz, Responsa III, 415; Moses Isserles to Yoreh Deah 268.12; and Hoffman, Melamed Leho-il II, 84*
* This portion from whatjewsbelieve.org edit oct 2017
EDIT April, 2010: While the information from this post I first shared on chat boards in 2000 and on my Yahoo360 blog in 2005, that original entry also included the INTERFAITH groups that respected the religious freedom/rights of Jews. I'm trying to reconstruct from my own writings via Google, my past emails and what I find saved in my computer..Here is what I had copied from my blog and sent to a Catholic friend in 2007 and a Y/A user in 2008. I don't recall if this was copied verbatim from my own 2005 entry or edited:
The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington met in
the summer of 1997 in Washington D.C.. This group is an umbrella organization that includes Baha'í, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Mormon, Zoroastrians, Muslims, Jews, and church groups from the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches. IFC's stated goal is "(1)to increase understanding, dialogue, and a sense of community among persons of different faiths, representing diverse races and cultures, and (2)to address issues of social and economic justice in defense of human dignity."
It is an affiliate member of The Washington Theological Consortium, an ecumenical organization with its regular membership composed of Christian theological schools that cooperate and share resources.
They created a statement in response to a resolution of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, calling on its members to redouble their efforts to evangelize Jews. Particularly singled out for criticism was the "Messianic Jewish" movement as promoting activities "harmful to the spirit of interreligious respect and tolerance." The conference denounced “deceptive proselytizing efforts”, though recognizing evangelism is an important tenet of Christian theology due to the Great Commission. The conference stated that when”deceptive proselytizing efforts” were practiced on "vulnerable populations" such as the young or the elderly, these efforts are "tantamount to coerced conversions."“
The Conference concluded with an official statement condemning the proselytization efforts of the “Messianic Movement“ (published in Summer, 1997 "Interfaith Connector" Vol. 8, No. 2) which stated:
“We condemn proselytizing efforts which delegitimize the faith tradition of the person whose conversion is being sought. Such tactics go beyond the bounds of appropriate and ethically based religious outreach.
"Examples of such practices are those common among groups that have adopted the label of "Hebrew Christianity", "Messianic Judaism", or "'Jews for Jesus".
"These groups specifically target Jews for conversion to their version of Christianity, making claim that in accepting Jesus as the savior/messiah, a Jews 'fulfills' his/her faith.
"Furthermore, by celebrating Jewish festivals, worshipping on the Jewish Shabbat, appropriating Jewish symbols, rituals and prayers in their churches, and, sometimes, even calling their leaders 'Rabbi', the seek to win over, often by deception, many Jews who are sincerely looking for a path back to their ancestral heritage.”
"Deceptive proselytizing is practiced on the most vulnerable of populations - residents of hospitals and old aged homes, confused youth, college students away from home. These proselytizing techniques are tantamount to coerced conversions and should be condemned."
And now that the Yahoo360 blogs have all gone and all I can find are a couple of emails where I'd sent some of this to others and where I'd posted some of the IFCMW information to the "New Statesman" magazine in January, 2008, I can't find all of my reference *souces* for the above compiled items that I began gatheing to post on the internet in 2000 when I first wrote this. The information from the Task Force on Missionaries and Cults came from a now DEFUNCT web page of their own,(of course the one link I had isn't there now) the info on the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington came from the IFCMW
http://www.ifcmw.org/ is their home page now.
Here is another citation for them revealing their lofty aims and efforts to brotherhood and understanding between peoples: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=L8pfXrQcqCTjMQ6FT6Rx53ykhLtknFTQnnBDKJkBpx2lthpp9J3K!-348092591!1902166629?docId=5001526931
I know I also used it in several answers online several years ago, too including this one where Jews and NON Jews speaking out against deception were equally attacked http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:hqMMy7_dPooJ:https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index%3Fqid%3D20090821134005AATAOGy+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
I may still turn up my original writing in all my many saved writings. I know I had other official position statements and references posted there that I wanted to include with *this entry* when I first posted it on *this* blog. My titles for saved essays don't always jog my memory as to what was in them. I may return with more edits.
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