By Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz
Wednesday afternoon I answered my door in Pico Robertson in Los Angeles to discover three young people, ranging from 18 to 22 years old. They wanted to talk to me about “Israel Restoration.”
For a moment I thought they were talking about rebuilding Israeli forests. However, the moment I saw their literature, I knew they were Christian missionaries.
I welcomed them into my home and proceeded to give them a 2 hour lesson about the spiritual beauty and integrity of Judaism. I also answered their questions, including who I thought ‘yoshke’ was.
I left them with some things to ponder and they left me with a DVD Testimonial of their “boss,” Tom Cantor, and a Hebrew-English New Testament.
It turns out that Cantor is a multi-millionaire Jewish businessman who converted to and became part of the 70-million-strong evangelical Christian movement. He produced the DVD about his conversion to Christianity and hired 200 young Christians to spread the Gospel in Jewish neighborhoods including Encino, Westwood, Beverly Hills and Hancock Park.
My encounter was cordial and respectful; however, the average individual would not be as prepared as I was for such an encounter. I, in fact, would not mind having a face-to-face discussion with Tom Cantor himself, if for no other reason than to dispel the negative Jewish stereotypes on his DVD as well as some of his glaring theological mistakes.
If you are living in the Los Angeles area, there is a good chance you or your children will encounter missionaries.
More than 85% of high school and college students report they have been approached. This may happen in person; however, the internet has become the more popular and effective arena for proselytizing, giving missionaries easy access into homes and dormitory rooms.
To prepare you for an encounter, whether in person or online, I have a few suggestions:
Firstly, be aware that the best response may be to politely and firmly say, “No thank you.” If you do chose to engage in dialogue, don’t assume the missionaries are correct simply because you don’t have answers to their questions, and don’t feel pressured to give an answer on the spot. There are always two sides to every argument. If you apply good Critical Thinking skills you will take time to research your replies.
Secondly, turn to your rabbi for answers or visit the JewsForJudaism.org website, which has an extensive library and free literature for download.
Finally, be aware that many missionaries give away free Bibles that are replete with misleading and incorrect translations of the Hebrew original. Unfortunately, 80% of today’s North American Jews are unable to read or understand Hebrew. An accurate and trustworthy English translation of the entire Jewish Scriptures is vital to making an informed study of Judaism, and now there is a new and important tool that meets this need.
ArtScroll Publications has released a new English translation of the complete Jewish Bible, and I was one of several consultants who fine-tuned the commentary notes, using my specific expertise to provide insights into passages that have frequently been distorted or mistranslated in non-Jewish Bibles.
This new Bible, “The ArtScroll English Tanach,” is a wonderful resource for the English-speaking Jewish community, and especially for unaffiliated Jews and students.
The easily accessible knowledge it contains will certainly prove to be a valuable asset for those using vital Critical Thinking skills to evaluate the often cleverly deceptive claims of missionaries.
— Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz is the Founder of Jews for Judaism international. He can be reached at 310-556-3344 or [email protected].
you’re the finest.
Each of us needs to make consideration for various Yidden and their diverse, CURRENT observance levels of Yiddishkite. Many will not be just like you, where you are. Further, each of us has individual limits on how to handle ourselves in certain situations, so thank G-d for Jews for Judaism. It sounds like you would have much to contribute to the organization, being that you seem to know much about ways to be successful against missionaries. You could share with the less-informed on a broader scale than via a comment tucked away in COLLive. You know what to do? GREAT,… Read more »
Probably much of the interest in Jes-s as G-d or son of G-d is either misconception, idolatry or some emotional need it fulfills–lack of self-esteem, need to feel superior, etc.
Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz does a wonderful job. I heard that several years ago he approached my niece in the S. Francisco area but was not successful. Interesting, but my sister will not listen to anything I say about Torah. She feels there are many different interpretations and one is ‘as good as the next.’ I went online and zeroed in to this Reform (Lehavdile) ‘interpretation’ where, for instance, it is deemed that the ‘Chumash’ has more than one author. When I perused his reasons I saw clearly they were ludicrous. My sister’s daughter (My niece) helped her brother with his… Read more »
– a fan
Its not about the people who are on this site, but about the uneducated jews. Theyre who everyone is worried about. Isnt that obvious?
No reason to become embroiled in a two-hour controversy. Just say “No thank you, I’m not interested” and close the door. I really do not understand why people get so freaked out over missionaries. Are we really that weak in our faith that some silly kids knocking at the door can steal away our neshamos?
scary!!
Even if a Jew doesn’t have the answer to a missionary, doesn’t mean the missionary is right. Every missionary argument ever presented has been refuted by Judaism and Jews. Ask your local Orthodox Rabbi for help, if you need to answer a missionary’s challenges to you and your G-d given inheritance. Rabbi Kravitz- Good work!!!
Yitzchok in Pittsburgh
I appreciate how you brought them into your home for a 2 hour education and for suggesting prompts and approaches for us to consider if encountered by them.
Additionally, the resources you provide are a great reference to consult for our enrichment. Thanks for helping us prepare by displaying and describing their materials and platform.
To be a strong klal we need to continue to bring up the rear, and may our continued efforts, like yours, be with koach b’emes! …Will post this on Facebook as a resource.