Messianic Judaism – Joseph Rabinowitz

Jewish Christians, or Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah, were present in Jewish communities in the early centuries of Christianity.  From the 5th to the 18th centuries, Messianic Jewish history shifted from communal narratives to stories of individual Jewish believers becoming part of a predominantly Gentile Christian community.  However, a modern revival of Messianic Judaism emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.^[1]  In the 1880’s, Joseph Rabinowitz established one of the earliest, if not the first, Jewish Christian community.^[2]  Rabinowitz created the “community of Hebrew Christian believers out of the boundaries of established churches and kept it within the realms of the synagogue.”^[3]  Rabinowitz had first moved to Israel from Russia in 1882, wanting to be an early immigrant and part of the modern Aliyah movement.  He spent time on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the city of Jerusalem, where he had a deep spiritual experience.  He carried a copy of the New Testament with him and at some point became a believer in Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah.  He returned to Russia where he was “instrumental in leading many Jewish people to the Lord and establishing congregations of Jewish believers during the last decade of the nineteenth century and up until the First World War.” ^[4]  Messianic Judaism is one of the “candlestick of witnesses to the Messiahship of Jesus.”^[5] 

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^[1] David H. Stern, Messianic Judaism : A Modern Movement with an Ancient Past (Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2007), 74.

^[2] Owen Power, Hugh Schonfield: A Case Study of Complex Jewish Identities (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2013), 60.

^[3] David Sedaca, “The Rebirth of Messianic Judaism,” in The Death of Messiah, ed. Kai Kjær-Hansen (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 1994), 108.

^[4] Louis Goldberg, Fire on the Mountain: Past Renewals, Present Revivals, and the Coming Return of Israel (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 134.

^[5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Hebrew Christianity: Its Theology, History, and Philosophy (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1983), 50.

1700-Year-Old Oil Lamp Discovered in Jerusalem

A 1700-year-old oil lamp with a Jewish Temple menorah symbol was found in Jerusalem. This discovery is significant because there is little evidence of a Jewish presence in Jerusalem after the Roman Emperor Hadrian expelled Jews in 135 CE. This lamp shows that Jewish identity and memory of the Jewish Temple were present in the city around the 4th century CE.

Ancient 'Mount of Olives' lamp with Jewish Temple symbols discovered in Jerusalem | All Israel News

1,700-year-old lamp uncovered in Jerusalem (Photo: Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority

Christian population in Palestinian areas has significantly decreased under the rule of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

THE CHRISTIAN POST: The Christian population in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas has plummeted drastically by up to 90% in some communities, a new study suggests, attributing the decline to violence, discrimination and economic hardships that threaten the survival of Christianity in its historical heartland.

The Christian demographic in Palestinian territories has experienced a dramatic reduction over the past century. In 1922, Christians made up 11% of the population in geographical Palestine. By 2024, this number had dwindled to 1%, marking a nearly 90% decrease, according to a study conducted by the Israeli think tank Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

"The international community often disregards the plight of the Palestinian Christian community. While minor clashes with some Israeli Jewish extremists are reported in hyper-focus in the media, the PA represses the reporting of grave incidents of Christian systemic oppression, the stories never seeing the light of day," the report, authored by Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch and attorney Tirza Shorr, states….

Christian population nearly wiped out under Hamas, PA rule in Christianity's birthplace

The City of Bethlehem in the Distance.  2018.  Photo by LFL.

Hanukkah and Christmas

Despite being distinct holidays—Hanukkah being Jewish and Christmas being Christian—they share some common themes. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem after it was defiled by Gentiles, following the Maccabean Revolt which allowed Jews to worship freely in Jerusalem. Similarly, the Christian tradition of Christmas includes significant references to Israel and Jerusalem. In the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah praises God for saving His people so that they might worship him without fear, Simeon speaks of Jesus as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, and the prophetess Anna speaks of the redemption of Jerusalem.

Ethiopian Israelis celebrate Sigd in Jerusalem.

Ethiopian Israelis, also known as Beta Israel, celebrated Sigd, which celebrates their longing for the return to Israel. It is celebrated 50 days after Yom Kippur. Although its origin is Ethiopia, Sigd is also celebrated in Jerusalem. It became an official holiday in Israel in 2008. This year’s celebration included prayers for unity, rebuilding of the temple, and the release of Avraham Mengistu and the other 100 hostages held in Gaza. https://www.jns.org/ethiopian-jews-mark-sigd-in-jerusalem-with-prayers-for-peace-and-freedom/

Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

Indigenous Leaders in Solidarity with Historical Jewish Connection to the Land of Israel

This news article took me by surprise.  A group of indigenous leaders gathered in Jerusalem from around the world to support the historical basis of Israel’s connection with the land.  They marched from the Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall to show their solidarity.  According to Sheree Trotter, co-director of the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem,

There is a false narrative that has taken hold of the Western world, including the country where I live, that paints the Jews as the foreign colonizers who have dispossessed the indigenous Palestinians. We want to change that narrative.

There are those who try to nullify the existence of the State of Israel with the argument that Israelis are settlers and colonizers that should be replaced with a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea.”  So, it is encouraging to see a group that stands in solidarity with Israel.

Online Source: Indigenous Leaders Rally in Jerusalem, https://www.timesofisrael.com/indigenous-leaders-rally-in-jerusalem-to-affirm-historical-jewish-ties-to-the-land/.  November 3, 2024.

An international delegation of indigenous leaders at the Western Wall, Jerusalem, 

October 28, 2024 (Gianluca Pacchiani/Times of Israel)

The Mission of Abbé Glasberg, by Leo M. Abrami

I came across an article by Leo M. Abrami on Father Alexander Glasberg. Father Glasberg was part of the French Resistance during World War II and worked to save Jewish children during that turbulent time. He helped create the State of Israel and received the Yad Vashem Medal of the Righteous posthumously.

https://www.tribunejuive.info/2016/04/26/la-mission-de-labbe-glasberg-par-leo-m-abrami/