Even Jesus can’t bring the Jews together. A recently issued statement declaring that Hebrew-Christians, or Messianic Jews, are not part of the Jewish community has the backing of Jewish religious groups across the spectrum, from the Reform to the fervently Orthodox, according to the statement’s coordinator.
The statement was prompted by recent efforts of the growing Messianic movement to become a legitimate alternative to Judaism’s religious denominations.
But in a measure of how deeply divisive Jewish religious life has become, most of the groups will not go public with their support for fear of being associated with each other.
Only four of the twelve – the seminaries of the Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and centrist Orthodox world – agreed to publicly sign their names to the statement.
The other eight groups, representing the full spectrum of religious life from liberal to fervently Orthodox, would not permit their names to be released.
“They don’t want to go public with this because they have religious differences with the other bodies,” said Philip Abramotiwz, director of communal affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, who worked for two years to get the groups’ backing for the statement.
“They don’t want to be seen as being affiliated with these organizations on a statement which has religious significance,” he said.
According to the statement, “Hebrew-Christianity is not a form of Judaism and its members, even if they are Jewish by birth, cannot be considered members of the Jewish community.”
“Hebrew-Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people,” the statement continued.
“They have crossed an unbreachable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former co- religionists.”
“Jewish organizations, both religious and communal, in dealing with Hebrew- Christians or Messianic Jewish groups should use discernment [and] recognize the difference between Jewish rights and Jewish privileges.”
“Historically, the belief in or practice of any other religious tradition has been understood to lead to the loss of rights to full participation in the Jewish community, which has the following ramifications: * Denial of membership or honors in synagogal and/or Jewish communal organizations. * Exclusion from burial in Jewish cemeteries. * Refusal of Jewish communal funds to support any activities of Hebrew-Christian or Messianic Jewish groups. * Exclusion from access to Jewish communal facilities or mailing lists.
The statement also says: “Jewish organizations or institutions that open their membership to the general public should consider restructuring their organizations to exclude from their membership those individuals whose presence is disruptive to Jewish continuity.
“When confront with a group of Jews which has adopted another faith and seeks to convert others, we must stand firm in asserting that this other faith is not Judaism and that its adherent have forfeited their privileges as Jews.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
