by Rev. William E. Currie
May 1998
From the Exodus to the end of the period of the Judges Israel was a
theocracy with the priests ruling under God’s divine authority. But after
the time of the Judges Israel rejected God’s rule and cried for a king so
that they could be like the Gentile nations around them. God answered their
request with Saul, the first king of Israel.
From that point to the present Israelis have never been governed as a
theocracy. There have been attempts by the priests to rule the nation. In
199 B.C. Judas Maccabeus led a revolt against Syrian ruler Antiochus IV
Epiphanes. The Maccabean family ruled until 37 B.C. when Roman armies under
Pompey conquered Jerusalem and ruled the nation during the life of Jesus
Christ. The Pharisees had nominal control over Israelite society and led
the majority of the nation in its formal rejection of Jesus Christ as their
Messiah. In 70 A.D. Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Herodian Temple,
sending the Jewish people into the diaspora that lasted until 1948 when
Israel was declared a democratic state by David Ben Gurion, who governed as
prime minister, not as a priest.
The modern State of Israel is the only democratic state in the Middle East.
But for democracy to continue in Israel, her government has to ensure
freedom of conscience and speech for all her citizens. These freedoms are
being severely tested by recently proposed laws before Knesset. The
proposed conversion law explained in the March 1998 issue of Israel
Heartbeat is the first of a series of laws intended to make Orthodox
Judaism the governing principle in Israel. This issue of Israel Heartbeat
will focus on proposed amendments to the anti-missionary laws, aimed
particularly at stamping out freedom of speech for Messianic Jews in
Israel, along with strengthening the power of the Orthodox rabbis. The
rabbis, who during Israel’s extended diaspora acted as the religious
leaders of the Jewish people, today seek to control the social life of
Israel through their power in Knesset as did the Pharisees in the Sanhedrin
in Jesus’ day.
The West, especially the United States, has assumed the responsibility of
strategic friendship, promising to provide for Israel’s continued existence
in the midst of her Arab foes. I believe God would have us continue to
support this Middle East democracy. I am pro-Israel to my core. This stand,
however, cannot make us blind to inconsistencies with democratic
principles.
Soon after the formation of the State of Israel, unethical practices by
some Christian missionary organizations gave rise to legislation banning
the practice of "buying converts" by offering them material incentives to
convert. One such organization promised a new Jewish immigrant family they
would provide a bigger apartment and food allowance than supplied by the
Israeli government if the family would convert to Christianity. The source
of this story is the lawyer who defended that Christian organization in
court. He won the case, but the government’s loss brought about the first
anti-missionary law making it illegal to "buy converts."
I have no problem with this law. We are not to make "rice Christians" (a
term originally used to describe Asians who professed to believe in Jesus
to receive food) by offering people material incentive to become
Christians. In late 1996, due to the growing number of Israelis and recent
immigrants accepting Messiah as Savior through the evangelistic efforts of
Messianic Jews and other Christians, some religious parties in Knesset
sought to expand the original anti-missionary law with more drastic
measures. The pivotal incident sparking the new proposals was a mass
mailing of literature, sent by an American evangelist to a million Israeli
homes, intended to convert Jewish people to Messiah. The mass mailing
incensed people throughout the Land. Much of the literature was burned by
postal authorities before it could be distributed, so the funds to print
and mail the literature were for the most part wasted, and the right to
witness in Israel is now threatened.
On February 19, 1997, during a session of the 14th Knesset, Rabbi Moshe
Gafni of the United Torah Judaism Party and Mr. Nissim Zvilli of the
secular Labor Party introduced a proposed amendment to Israel’s Penal Code
that would prohibit the "possession, printing, reproduction, dissemination,
distribution, and importation of publications to induce religious
conversion." Whoever broke the law would be punished with one year
imprisonment and their material confiscated.
In an explanatory note the authors of the proposed legislation said: "The
State of Israel...opposes any missionary enticement to change
religion...lately, different missionary sects have begun trying to entice
to conversion by means of materials sent through the mail."
The term "missionary" as used in this context refers not only to recognized
Christian ministers, but to any individual who attempts to persuade others
of his personal religious views. While many Israelis are unaware of the
proposed legislation, the Messianic congregations of Israel have joined in
an unprecedented response to the amendment, pointing out that democratic
freedoms for all Israelis are being threatened. Others who disagree with
the Orthodox sects in Israel, such as the Reformed and Conservative
branches of Judaism, could be tried under this law. The Israel’s own 1948
Proclamation of Independence, which promised to "guarantee freedom of
religion, conscience, education and culture," as well as the United
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to
"freedom of thought, conscience and religion..., to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, retrieve and impart information and ideas through
any media" (Articles 18-19). Finally, the proposed amendment would
radically transform Israeli society by instituting a state-sponsored
religious censorship.
A major part of the Messianic congregations’ response to the amendment was
to form a Messianic Action Committee, with leading Israeli Messianic
believers as members. The committee called urgently for prayer among
believers in Israel and worldwide. They wrote, and urged others to write
members of Knesset, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet, and
political and religious leaders in western Europe and the United States
requesting they bring pressure on Knesset to prevent this legislation from
coming to a vote. The letters and worldwide response of noted political
leaders apparently worked and the proposed amendment has not been brought
out of committee. In addition, according to the Messianic Action
Committee, Nissim Zvilli has both dropped his support of the proposal and
promised to fight its passage.
It seemed that the issue had died a natural death. That premature judgment
did not take into account the strength of the opposition of Rabbinic
Judaism and its representatives in Knesset toward Messiah Jesus and
Messianic Jews in Israel. On December 10, 1997, former Minister of
Telecommunications, Shas (Orthodox religious) Knesset Member Raphael
Pinchasi proposed to Knesset an even more severe amendment that would
forbid all proselytizing in Israel, as well as conversion from any faith
to another. The subject was referred to the Committee for Internal Affairs,
which met on January 13, 1998. The sum of the Committee’s deliberations, as
reported by the Messianic Action Committee this past March, are:
"The Jewishness of the State of Israel is paramount to its
democratic commitments. Freedom to convert from Judaism is a threat to the
Jewishness of the State. The majority of the Committee members present also
agree that "Freedom of religion" means that all religions are free, not
religious persons. Religions should be free from challenge and should not
have to defend their positions. Individuals should not be free to change
their religion, and. . .all conversions should be proscribed ("illegal").
"Missionaries are repeatedly accused of using illicit means to procure
promises of conversion, therefore restrictions must be imposed on their
freedom to present their message. The existing law which forbids the
offering of social and material benefits in exchange for a conversion of
religion is insufficient. Many of the Committee members present agreed that
the freedom to proselytize should be proscribed."
Knesset is being urged to adopt an amendment that would destroy the
democratic freedoms of the State of Israel, making it a nation where
people become prisoners of conscience because they cannot brave the rancor
of the religious and political powers. If such a bill is allowed to become
law, Israel will lose its right to describe itself as a democracy, along
with the support of many of its present friends.
I support Israel’s desire to remain a Jewish state and recognize Israel’s
right to define what Jewishness is, but only through the course of fair,
honest and open internal discussion. Israel must be called upon to respect
the right of Jews of every persuasion to take part in that discussion,
rather than legislate against the rights of a Messianic minority (about
.001% of the Israeli population).
Rabbinic authorities do not seem to comprehend the idea that religious
matters are to be settled by challenge from their own Scriptures and the
conviction of the Holy Spirit as the Word of God is proclaimed. Issues of
faith should be determined by the spiritual, moral, cultural and
intellectual vigor brought to bear as Scriptures are presented. They
evidently believe they have the right to dictate the religion to which
Israeli citizens belong.
First, pray for the salvation of members of Knesset who proposed and
support these amendments and continue to press their passage. Many
leaders, like Saul of Tarsus, were brought to the Savior in the book of
Acts. Perhaps many of modern Israel's leaders are part of the remnant who
will be brought to their Messiah in these days.
Second, pray for the Messianic congregations in Israel and the Messianic
Action Committee. Messianic Jews have not lost their Jewishness. The
Church in Israel is loyal to the state and serves in many capacities,
including military defense. Messianic Jews in Israel relish the existence
of this modern haven for Jewish people. The freedoms they are fighting for
are for all Israelis.
Third, consider this plea by the Messianic Action Committee:
"We ask that you write again to your parliamentary
representative. . .and ask him to intervene, to object strenuously and to
continue to do so at every opportunity. We ask that you approach prominent
Israeli visitors to your country and use every opportunity you have to
convey one simple message:
Israel must remain a true democracy; the freedom to choose one’s
religion must remain intact."
Finally, pray that the Gospel would continue to go forth with power in
Israel. We in the West have benefitted from the religious freedoms we
enjoy, but we know from experience that democracy alone doesn't guarantee
godliness. The Lord is more concerned with the spiritual life of a nation
than its governance. Ultimately, Israel will be ruled by a theocracy, when
Messiah Jesus sits on David's throne in Jerusalem in the Millennial
Kingdom.
