January 24, 2001
MESSIANIC ACTION COMMITTEE UPDATE (excerpts from recent bulletins received from Israel)
* New Anti-Messianic Knesset Bill
* Our Response
NO NEW TESTAMENT BY FAX OR E-MAIL
In recent years, the Knesset has approved in Preliminary Readings
legislative proposals aimed at countering the growth of the Messianic
Community in Israel. Also, the Ministry of the Interior has utilized
administrative means to accomplish the same objective. Our committee and
you, our readers, have used a variety of means to express alarm at such
undemocratic repressions. We have asked you to express this through massive
fax and mail campaigns. It is not an exaggeration to state that tens of
thousands of communications have flooded Israeli governmental offices that
were targeted, and such efforts against us have been thwarted. Within
recent weeks, a new initiative has been proposed by MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni.
Below is an article appearing in the Newspaper "Yated Ne'eman"
describing this development.
Preliminary Approval of Bill of Rabbi Gafni to Prohibit Missionary Activity By
Eliezer Rochberger
The Knesset plenum yesterday approved in a preliminary reading, despite the opposition of the government, a proposed law of member of Knesset Rabbi Moshe Gafni, that would prohibit missionary activity and dissemination of missionary material that includes soliciting to change one's religion by means of the mail, the fax, the electronic mail or any other instruments of communication. The bill was approved by a majority of 23 members of Knesset from the Likud, Yachdut HaTorah, Shas, HaMafdal, HaItud HaLeumi parties and even representatives of Shinui supported the bill. Nine members of parliament from One Israel and Meretz were opposed. MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni pointed out in his reasoning concerning the law before the Knesset assembly that in the existing law, which prohibits soliciting to change religion, there exists a loophole, and at the time that the law was made, the current media methods of communication like faxes and electronic mail did not exist and, therefore, the law should be changed. He emphasized that a similar bill that he had initiated and that was initiated by a member of Knesset of the Labor Party, Nissim Zvilli, had already passed a preliminary reading in the 14th Knesset with a majority of members of the Knesset from different parties, including many Labor party members. Justice Minister Yossi Beilin expressed, on behalf of the government, his opposition towards the bill, and he said that efforts to convince a person to change his religion, to change his outlook, his faith or his way of life are legitimate and fall within the area of freedom of expression, if they are done for the right purposes. The following is the translated text of the bill:
Office Services/Bill/1994D The Fifteenth Knesset, Proposed Law of Knesset Member Moshe Gafni
1829/P
Proposed Penal Law (Amendment - Prohibition of Enticement to Change Religion by Mail), 5760-2000 Addition 1.
In Penal Law, 5733-1977 (1), after Section 174B will come: Section 174C
"Prohibition of Enticement To Change Religion By Mail
174C. The distributor of a document by means of the mail, the fax, the electronic mail or by any other means,
that is enticement to change religion,
whether directly or indirectly, without
obtaining the prior consent of the
addressee thereto, is subject to three
months' imprisonment."
Explanatory Statement The State of Israel, within the framework
of existing laws, opposes all missionary enticement to change religion.
The Legislature even provided in Section 368 of the Penal Law, 5733-1977,
a special prohibition regarding changing religion of minors. Recently,
various missionary cults began to distribute and publish enticements to
change religion by means of transmitting mail materials and other advertising
material that arrive contrary to the desire of their recipients. The
Legislature has not expressed its opinion about this serious phenomenon
and, therefore, this proposed amendment to the Penal Law, which will explicitly
establish a prohibition of dissemination of mail items that include enticement
to change religion. The Section also contains the prohibition of
disseminating electronic mail, which includes messages of enticement to
change religion, in view of its circulation and the increased accessibility
of this means of communication, and also dissemination of documents by
means of the fax or other instruments of communication.
OUR RESPONSE
After successfully surviving three previous initiatives, it would seem that once again we are being called. This means a renewed effort on our part and yours. We are conferring now to formulate how to prevent not only the passage of legislation aimed at limiting the Gospel, but also the further deterioration of democracy in Israel. In the past, we have visited embassies, foreign ministries, Israeli government officials, met with foreign congressmen and members of parliaments. We have also stimulated extensive mail campaigns (using electronic mail) and advertised our cause in seven domestic newspapers in three languages. We are a volunteer group, and we need to be fueled by your contributions. We do not solicit funds from the public, and it is not our intention to compete with any organization for donor support. Our committee has been in a maintenance mode for many months, knowing that eventually adversity would once again be visited upon our community. One organization likened us to a volunteer fire department. So, here we are again asking for your help to put out the fire. The Messianic Community desires to make Messiah known. Others want to shut us up. From a wrong perspective, they are stronger than we. However, as a Body acting together, we are able to be victorious. Our finances are not sufficient to begin the necessary campaign, and so we turn to your for help. Also, our present chairman now has full-time employment. He will continue to be a member of the committee, but has informed he must resign from chairmanship for lack of available time. We will be deciding on his replacement in the immediate weeks ahead and will be conferring with the national pastoral association to whom we are organizationally submitted. Please pray for wisdom, guidance and new energy for our work. Israel is now the business of the entire Body, and indeed, the whole world. We trust in the Messiah through whom we have reason to hope.
MESSIANIC ACTION COMMITTEE
Paul Liberman, Chairman
Noam Hendren
Charles Kopp
Marvin Kramer, Esq.
Nizar Touma
Daniel Yahav
P. O. Box 5462, Herzliya 46153 Israel
Tel/Fax: 972-9-951-6118
E-mail: themac@netvision.net.il
Wires: Bank Leumi, 32 Maskit Street, Herzliya Pituach, Israel
Telephone: 972-9-970-6333, Fax No. 972-9-970-6355
Branch/Account No.: 864-12986 ABA Number = SWIST
CODE =LEUMILIT864
See also:
AMFI's Religious Liberty in Israel Update Page
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