Monday, August 23, 2010

More Israeli media focus on Messianic Jews

More Israeli media focus on Messianic Jews

Source: Israel Today

Israel's largest daily newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, ran a feature story on Messianic Jews in Israel in its weekly magazine insert last week.

As with most other media coverage of Messianic Israelis of late, the article was generally positive.

First, the headline for the article (in Hebrew) used the full name "Yeshua" instead of "Yeshu" - an acronym meaning "may his name be blotted out" that is typically employed by Jews hostile toward Jewish belief in Jesus.

Second, while it did not say so outright, the article strongly suggested that Messianic Jews are in fact Jews. It noted that Messianics in Israel are indistinguishable from other Israeli Jews, besides the fact that they believe they know who the Messiah is. This shift in mindset is a pretty major victory for Israeli Messianics, after decades of the Orthodox-influenced establishment telling them they are no longer Jews because of their faith.

The article even reached back into history to explain that Jesus was in fact a Jew, and that his earliest followers were not seen as being part of a religion separate from the rest of Judaism or from Israel. Only in subsequent generations, when the established Gentile-dominated Church began demonizing the Jews, was there a clear split between two faiths.

The article was translated into English on Yediot's website Ynetnews, though in some areas certain concepts were translated poorly, and were presented in a more positive light in the Hebrew version.

The article can be found here: Jesus Lives on in Jerusalem (Hebrew title was "Yeshua Superstar")

No comments: