Considered the Most Hated People in the World

By Kaye Corbett

Copyright 1998 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM -- The most persecuted nation in world history, Israel, could become the persecutors of the most hated people -- Messianic Jews -- if a Knesset bill is passed within the next 48 hours. Bill 174C -- The Prohibition of Persuasion to a Change of Religion -- and its amendments, now known as the Pinchasi legislation, will reach "crunch time" tomorrow. Since May 20, 1998, it has been in limbo, buried in the committee rooms, but under Israeli law, a bill must be reported out of committee within six months. A written explanation from Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Chairman Hanan Poray (National Religious Party) apparently is the only alternative for any delay. 

Messianic Action Committee (MAC) chairman, Paul Liberman, explained Wednesday night that when the bill comes up for a decision is anyone's guess. "That's why we have to keep phoning up the Knesset every day to find out what's happening with it." Poray's assistant told MAC that the first of three votes in the plenary (Knesset) session outside of committee had been scheduled. Afterwards, a second vote usually follows in three to five weeks, which is usually adopted.  The third vote is generally only to approve technical changes.

When the story first broke in February 1997 in the Philadelphia-based Messianic Times, the world's only international Messianic Jewish newspaper founded by Zev Isaacs, the bill was adamant in stating that Messianic Jews  (Believers in Yeshua -- Jesus) could be put behind bars for a year.  Prior to that, Israel had only adopted a so-called anti-bribery law, which  forbids "a person from offering enticement or inducement for material gain to change another's religion."

The brushfire that erupted began with noted television evangelist Morris Cerullo sending more than a million unsolicited books, entitled, "Ha Shalom" (The Peace) to Israeli households in fall 1996. It ignited a powder keg of resentment towards the Believers in the Land. Hundreds of Orthodox Jews demonstrated against the books by burning them in bonfires and blowing the shofar in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home.

Such opposition escalated and in February 1997 it became a four-alarm blaze as two members of the Knesset, Moshe Gafni of the four-member Torah Judaism Party and Nissim Zvili of the powerful 34-seat Labour Party introduced the bill that would make the printing and distribution of Messianic materials, not only illegal, but a criminal act. A headline in a daily Hebrew newspaper's Jerusalem weekend section blared: "The Inquisition Is Already Here," while an Israeli reporter appeared
shocked by the complete disregard for freedom of speech in Israel. He also questioned the reason the late Lubavitcher Rabbi Schneerson of New York City had been declared King and Messiah, but any mention of Yeshua as the Messiah was forbidden.

On April 1, 1998, MK Zvili withdrew his support for his own "anti-Messianic" bill. However, MK Gafni wasn't discouraged by such a defection. He was soon joined by MK Rafael Pinchasi of the 10-member Shas Party, who had proposed a new wording to replace that of Zvili-Gafni that proscribes any form of  "preaching" to persuade one to change his religion. Of course,"preaching" includes the distribution of literature that has conversion as its goal.

The Pinchasi legislation has been the most radical, for the "crime"would carry a three-year prison sentence and a $12,500 fine. Such outrageous and controversial legislation began rumblings even within North American evangelical Christian churches and a world-wide letter-writing campaign and a $350,000 Israel-only newspaper advertising campaign, sponsored by MAC, had the desired result.

By summer 1998, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after first promising Christian church leaders of his assistance, turned about face and bowed to the Orthodox. "Netanyahu has, within Israel, favored the new (Pinchasi) bill, but internationally sung a different song," MAC chairman Liberman explained. In the next 48 hours, those fencesitters will have to stand up and be counted or sit down and examine their collective backbone.

While Christian organizations have believed the legislation was directed toward their work in Israel, in actuality, the Israeli-born Jews that believe that Yeshua is the Messiah are the main targets of discrimination. Forcefully stating Jews have been at the center of unjust treatment and irrational hatred through the generations, Liberman claims "there is a danger that the persecuted can now become the persecutors." He cited that Jews of Sephardic or Mediterranean descent sometimes suffer from lower wages and, possibly, because of their darker complexions. "Almost a million immigrants from the former Soviet Union have been absorbed but find themselves feeling that they are thought of by a portion of the population as the 'dirty Russians,' Liberman explained. "Many thousands of Ethiopians find themselves as 'non-Jews.'" As believers in the New Testament, the MAC chairman continued by saying, "we're at the bottom rung of the ladder -- although small in numbers, we are treated as a threat to national existence." An estimated 6,000 Messianic believers -- about 800 actually born within Israel -- should be recognized as a phenomenon, rather than a movement, for there are only 53 congregations and about 70 independent home groups. Despite being only one-tenth of one percent of Israel's population of more than 6 million, Messianic Jews are considered a subversive threat. There are hundreds of horror stories against this most hated people, from job threats to torching of their synagogues. But the most formidable threat yet may be the Pinchasi Bill.
 

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Date:

14 Aug 2003

Time:

23:24:21

Comments

What will they do when full preterism takes root? Will they finally understand that Christ represented the truth? That his words could have saved them then and if they refuse to learn from history they will be doomed to repeat it? That what so ever we sow we shall reap? God is not a respector of anyone, " Jew, Christian, Muslum, etc" if they refuse to heed the truth of their actions? It's not about religion. Its about crimes against humanity. Its about God being in all to recompence a reward. Whether it be a good reward or bad reward has everything to do with what was sown. Every Nation is under this universal law and every person individually also pays a price for their actions.

Date:

05 Jan 2004

Time:

09:09:35

Comments

I believe most of the problem the so called people of god who are called Jews or Israelites have has been brought upon them by the unlearned faction of the christian church. What used to be viewed as a faction has become the mainstream of the church in recent years. They have led the so called fight for the so called Jews by lobying the congress of the united states to help them to attain political clout in the middle east. Having the nation Israel for an ally is not a bad ideal for the sake of security but that is not the case. What has happened is this; the church not having the knowledge of who Israel is has embarked on an unsound policy of trying to help them economicly and militarily. According to the bible a Jew is a person who loves Christ and it is from the heart and not because of any blood line - Romans 2:29. We can also find that there is no difference between a jew and a gentile; Galatians 3:28-29 and Colossians 3:11. We can also find that the true Israel of God is the church which was bought by the blood of Christ; Galitians 6:14-16. No person regardles of nationality will ever be saved apart from the blood of Christ and peole who reject Christ can not be called the people of God. Hugh Clark

Date:

19 Mar 2004

Time:

01:53:57

Comments

BILL GATES

Date:

28 Apr 2004

Time:

15:20:01

Comments

Do not fret my Brethern, the elect of national Israel will be saved. The gospel will get to them because our God is a Sovereign God, no man can stay His hand or say to Him why do you do that which you do. You may be the very one that will accomplish that feat.

Date:

19 May 2004

Time:

08:25:36

Comments

i think israel needs to share there land just like everyone else has to but i dont think ppl should hate israel because jews are gods choosen ppl but they do do some things i dont approve all i hate that ppl think that muslums are bad ppl wrong ppl stero type them all and that is wrong to im talking about turning to american muslum women i found happens in them .

Date:

17 Oct 2004

Time:

13:11:42

Comments

i think that what kate said was right

Date: 08 Mar 2006
Time: 15:26:02

Comments0:

would Christ approve the Crusades, where ten's of thousands of people died. Would he have approved the Inquision in Spain, where ten's of thousands of people died. And the most terrible period of mankind, the 2nd world war, where 40 to 60 million died from the bombs, desease, starvation, and the horror is: Christians killing Cristians throughout europe and elsewhere. Where will it end ?