Missionaries in Israel
Messianic congregations were originally based mainly at Kfar Nachum, Capharnaum, on the northern shore of the Kinneret; today there are 150 throughout Israel. Services are held on Saturdays and attendees sport yarmulkes and tallesim, factors that contribute to making Jews feel at home. While Evangelical spokesmen state that they are simply engaged in humanitarian work and pro-Israel activity, and that they are merely presenting their beliefs and not missionizing, Rabbi Asore contends differently. “Their beliefs allow them to lie or even pretend to be an observant Jew in order to turn Jews to Jesus,” he says.
Messianic organizations regularly hold meetings such as the Elav Conference in the Old Train Station this year. Similar gatherings, attended by many Messianic Jews wearing kippot and tzitzit, are held around Pesach, Shavuos and Succos. This past Shavuos and Sukkos, Rabbi Asore staged protests outside the Pais Arena where the gatherings were being held. “They say they are here to pray for Israel, but they’re not Zionist in any way,” says Rabbi Asore. Individuals such as Persian Yaakov Damkani encourage their congregants to “meet with and praise the living God” and to pray for the salvation of Israel. “Don’t be fooled,” says Rabbi Asore. “Their aim is to convert the Jews who come.”
Bringing them Back Home
After her army service, Zehava* met a nice American boy, Bradley,* in Tel Aviv. As their relationship progressed, Bradley admitted that he had lied and wasn’t Jewish. Nevertheless, already in love, Zehava agreed to join Bradley when he flew back to Florida, where his father was pastor of a Protestant church. Over the next year, while Bradley’s father groomed his son to take over his position, Zehava, who was being treated with kid gloves, was encouraged to study the New Testament. Once the couple was engaged, Zehava came back to Israel to take stock. Here, through Internet research, she discovered Rabbi Asore’s book At the Gates of Rome. But she missed Bradley and was ready to go back. One day, she went to her mother’s office at the Licensing Bureau to tell her about her decision. Standing in line to renew his driver’s license was Rabbi Asore. “I don’t believe it!” she yelled. “Bad enough you came to me through your book… now you’re here in person. I won’t fly back. I won’t.” Hours of counseling later, Zehava returned to her people. Today, she is raising a Torah family.
The Fight over King David’s Tomb
There has been a decades-long struggle to preserve Jewish ownership of the building on Mount Zion which houses the Tomb of David on the ground floor and the Room of the Last Supper on the upper floor. Heavy pressure is being exerted by Christian groups to change the status quo. “This Sukkot police forces pulled Jews out of the area in the middle of the Torah reading so that the Greek Church could enter with its icons and the incense we were promised they wouldn’t use,” says Asore. In a particularly poignant moment, one of the policemen recognized the Breslover chassid he was hauling out as his brother.
Despite claims to the contrary, Rabbi Asore points out that Jewish tradition as upheld by the Arizal, the Ben Ish Chai and the Brisker Rav believes that Kind David was buried here. He cites archaeological evidence provided by Ermete Pierotti, the Italian engineer who helped plan the city of Jerusalem between 1854 and 1861 and was considered one of the first Western scholars of Ottoman Palestine. “His findings surrounding Maarat HaMachpela were accurate, so we can assume he was correct here too,” says Rabbi Asore. “The stones of the Room date back to the 1300s, putting their whole claim in question,” says Rabbi Asore. “But Christian groups, who already own 55% of Mount Zion, are eager to gain more land with the hopes of establishing a main center here, so the fight continues.”
