The
period of the Great Crusades saw the forces of the Christian west
and Muslim east engage in futile military efforts to decide who
would control Palestine, with power to exclude others. After millions
died, the exhausted combatants finally reached a compromise that
has proved amicable for nearly a millennium: Each of the three great
religions claiming special kinship to Israel—Christians, Jews
and Muslims— would have freedom as pilgrims and even residents
to worship in the sacred places of the Holy Land.
Yet,
with return of Jews to Israel in the 20 th century, a different
mentality emerged, one shared by Christian evangelicals. The Jews
returned to a land they considered entirely and unconditionally
theirs—a land in which Jewish worship, customs and laws enjoyed
a Biblical right to predominate.
Now
Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbinical authorities in Israel increasingly
assert that Israel has the right to actually exclude Christians
and Muslims from full participation in the religious life of the
nation.
Although
Israel’s population is largely secular, the official religious
position of the state is Orthodox. The Encyclopedia Judaica:
“There are very few Reform or Conservative congregations in
the State of Israel. Orthodoxy is the official religious position
in Israel with the majority of rabbis belonging to the old school
of Talmudic jurists.” [1] The Grand Rabbinate in Jerusalem
determines what is “halakah,” or binding Jewish law,
not only to lesser rabbinic authorities but in every level of the
nation’s life and commerce—even in the military.
Unlike
in America, there is no separation of synagogue and state in Israel.
And, unlike in America, which was founded largely on respect for
the Bible, Orthodoxy in Israel is established squarely on literal
interpretations of the teachings of the ancient Pharisees as embodied
in their Babylonian Talmud and its mystical/revolutionary companion,
the Zohar or Kabbalah. [2] There is little tolerance from Orthodoxy
in Israel for the liberal (secular) viewpoints of Conservative and
Reform Judaism.
Both
Talmud and Zohar are vehemently anti-Christian. The Talmud views
Christ as the bastard son of Mary, a loose woman. He was also a
false prophet who led Israel into apostasy. It says Jewish leaders
righteously had Him crucified and He now languishes in hell, writhing
in boiling semen. (See actual pages from the Talmud confirming this
at the end of this article.) Considering such anti-Christian animus
from Israel’s highest religious authority, it is understandable
why Christian inhabitants of Palestine have fared poorly over the
last century. The Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem
documents hundreds of acts of discrimination and persecution against
Christians almost since the beginning of the Zionist experiment.
[3] These include profanation of Christian churches and holy places
as well as a general program of unpublicized harassment and discrimination.
Much of the energy behind such anti-Christianity has emerged from
the Grand Rabbinate in Jerusalem and the many Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox
rabbis under its influence. (Ultra-Orthodox haredim differ from
Orthodox primarily in their exaltation of the authority of the Zohar
above the Talmud.)
At
the turn of the 20 th century, upwards of 20 percent of the inhabitants
of Palestine were Christian; but as a result of incessant, long-term
discrimination, only 2 percent are Christian today – and that
number is shrinking.
Rabbinic War on Christmas
Recent
events in Israel leading up to Christmas confirm efforts by the
Grand Rabbinate and lesser rabbinic councils to exclude Christianity
from Palestine. A recent Ha’aretz article says the
Rabbinate stands behind the “'Lobby for Jewish Values"
in its attempts to eradicate Christian symbols from Jerusalem, especially
during Christmas. They are “condemning the holiday and inciting
the public to boycott restaurants and hotels that sell or put up
Christmas trees and other ‘foolish’ Christian symbols…”
Their intention is to revoke kosher certification for any business
that allows a Christian symbol to be displayed, thus probably ruining
them. (See Rabbis
versus Christmas: Religious rivalry in Jerusalem benefits no one)
Such
behavior reflects a deep loathing for Christianity within Talmudic
Orthodoxy. WorldNetDaily recently published Ha’aretz’s
article “Christians
in Jerusalem Want Jews to Stop Spitting on Them.” It begins:
“A few weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel
attended a meeting…When he returned to his car, an elderly
man wearing a skullcap came and knocked at the window. As the clergyman
let the window down, the passerby spat in his face.
"The
clergyman preferred not to lodge a complaint with police and told
an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many
Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind.”
“According
to Daniel Rossing, former advisor to the Religious Affairs Ministry
on Christian Affairs…there has been an increase in the number
of such incidents recently, ‘…as part of a general atmosphere
of lack of tolerance in the country.’” It has occurred
particularly during the Purim holiday (which celebrates Israel’s
bloody revenge on Gentile persecutors in the book of Esther). Rossing
said, “I know Christians who lock themselves indoors during
the entire Purim holiday.”
Dr.
Israel Shahak, an Israeli citizen, former WWII concentration camp
inmate and founder of Israel's Human Rights League, says, "Dishonoring
Christian religious symbols is an old religious duty in Judaism.
Spitting on the cross, and especially on the crucifix, and spitting
when a Jew passes a church, has been obligatory from around 200
AD for pious Jews… The increasing strength of the Jewish nation
has caused these customs to become more open again but there should
be no mistake: the spitting on the cross for converts from Christianity
to Judaism, organized in Kibbutz Sa'ad and financed by the Israeli
government, is an act of traditional Jewish piety." [4]
Much
of the spitting is indulged in by Yeshiva students immersed in study
of the Talmud, says former advisor on Christian affairs to the mayor,
Shmuel Evyatar. He says the “rabbis of yeshivas ignore or
even encourage it.” Police and courts are usually lax in punishment.
Such
increasing intolerance in Israel also manifests itself as advice
and authoritative decrees from Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbinic
courts, sanctioning discrimination, harassment, and even violence
against Christians and Palestinians. The Talmud encourages murder
of Gentiles ("goyim") if such can be performed indirectly
or through trickery. It is vital that the Jew get away with it without
causing shame to Israel. Otherwise, he causes “profanation
of God’s holy name.” [5] One of a number of Talmudic
passages often cited by rabbinical courts as they define halachic
law to Israel’s military forces or to settlers is that of
Simeon ben Yohai, one of Israel’s most highly esteemed sages,
who said “the best of the Gentiles deserve to be killed.”
[6] So enormous is esteem for ben Yohai that every year in Meron
in southern Israel (ben Yohai’s birthplace) tens of thousands
of Kabbalistic Jews (ultra-Orthodox haredim) sing and dance for
a week in honor of his memory.
Confirming
the above, online article “Israeli Rabbi Approves Murder of
Non-Jews” by the National Newspaper says, “A
book published this week by a radical Jewish rabbi…endorsed
by prominent religious right-wing figures, suggests killing any
non-Jew including children and babies who pose a threat to Israel.
[The book] reflects a growing antipathy toward Palestinians among
Jews living in the occupied territory…Michael Warschawsky,
the founder of the Jerusalem-based Alternative Information Centre,
said the book went public with a concept that was already being
promoted in a quieter way by dozens of settler rabbis…”
The
King’s Torah is described by the mass-selling Israeli newspaper
Maariv as “a guide to whoever is deliberating if and when
it is necessary and permissible to take the life of someone who
is not Jewish.”
“According
to Israeli press reports that provided excerpts of the book, the
rabbis do not shy away from calling for the killing of any non-Jew
who may threaten the state of Israel. They write: ‘In any
place that the presence of a gentile endangers the existence of
Israel, it is allowed to kill him…also, if he is completely
not to blame for the situation that has been created.’…Children,
the authors insist, should not be exempt from this fate. They add:
‘There is a reasonable explanation for killing infants if
it is clear that they will grow up to hurt us – and in this
situation, the strike should be directed at them.’ According
to the book, the children of a non-Jewish leader may be targeted
as a means of applying pressure. The authors say that even innocent
people are allowed to be killed if they belong to a state that Israel
considers an enemy. The rabbis added that non-Jews could also be
killed if they ‘violate…commandments’ such as
the prohibition against…idol-worshipping.” (See Israeli
Rabbi Approves Murder of Non-Jews)
Christians,
the Talmud repeatedly emphasizes, are the most dangerous kind of
idol worshippers – devotees of the false prophet Jesus. The
Talmud says brotherly love need not extend to Christians; rather,
they may legally be thrown into a pit to die. [7]
Speech Crime Laws Prevail in Israel
Although
it touts itself as the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel,
under influence of Orthodoxy, has created “speech crimes”
laws that outlaw any effective witness of Christians to Jews. On
December 26, 1977, Knesset passed Israel’s anti-missionary
law which imposes up to a five-year prison term for anyone who attempts
to convert an Israeli with assistance of any material inducement
such as a gospel tract or even a cup of coffee. All witnessing to
Israeli youth under 18 is illegal, while any “conspicuous”
witnessing to a Jewish person is against the law. While Israel,
largely dependent on Christian evangelical tourist dollars, is loathe
to generate bad publicity by imprisoning Christian evangelists,
it is not reluctant to discreetly arrest and deport them (See Christian
Deported From Israel).
In
the West Bank and central Israel, the anti-Christian dictums of
haredi rabbis are particularly unrestrained, bringing many years
of incessant persecution upon messianic Jewish citizens. In Arad,
the messianic Jewish community is led by Lura Maimon Beckford and
her husband. They reveal through articles and videos on their website
(http://kingsmenarad.com/)
the unending harassment this community of Jewish Christians endures
under the dominant ultra-Orthodox. In collusion with local police,
judges and rabbis, such persecution has continued for at least the
past six years while the government of Israel does nothing. (See
Christians
in Israel: An Endangered Species)
Beckford,
with foreboding, asks in her latest alert, "Please
pray for us. Christmas time is here again!” She says,
"….on Christian high holy days, like Christmas, Easter,
and Passover, the Pharisees (ultra-Orthodox) and anti-missionary
inflammatory groups… are apt to wage a barrage of hate crimes
against Believers, our places, and things. Ironically, we don't
have any problem with Israeli Arabs and Palestinians because they
view Jesus as a Holy Prophet and respect Him." She says, "
Israel passed its anti-mission law (five- to seven-year jail term
for witnessing to anyone under 18) on Christmas Day 1977."
On "Christmas Eve 2005, a huge mob of Pharisees (ultra-Orthodox)
entered the Beersheva congregation throwing the pastor into the
baptismal pool, slapping some of the old women around, and wrecking
the place. YouTube video: click here."
Calev
Myers, founder and chief counsel of The Jerusalem Institute, which
provides legal advice and representation to persecuted Messianic
Jews, says: " Israel is the only Western country where basic
freedom of religion is denied."
Evangelicals Fund Persecutors
Anti-Christianity
in Israel is not only fueled by the Orthodox establishment but,
incredibly, by evangelical Christians themselves. The Jerusalem
Post (Oct 23, 2009) says that evangelicals have donated $70
million a year to Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s “International
Fellowship of Christians and Jews,” one of a number of Israeli
charities accepting millions annually from Christians. But Eckstein
admits now that much of it has gone toward support of the very Orthodox
and haredi groups most responsible for harassment and persecution
of Christians in Israel today! The Post says, “Various haredi
organizations in Israel and abroad receive money from the IFCJ or
have received support in the past.” Part of the evangelical
millions, according to Eckstein, goes to fund orthodox and ultra-orthodox
rabbinical organizations as far away as the Ukraine and Morocco,
including the Rabbinate in Turkey. (See Christian
donor to out haredi recipients)
Every
Christian is bound by Scripture to donate first to “those
of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10) i.e. Christian
churches, missionaries and charities. “Israel-first”
evangelicals have no justification for this ungodly drain on Christian
resources to assist the persecutors of their brethren. Like the
church of Laodicea in the Book of Revelation, which thought itself
both rich and wise, such evangelicals may be wealthy in worldly
goods. Yet they fulfill Christ’s prophecy that in the end
times “even the very elect if possible will be deceived.”
(Matthew 24:24) They are blind where it really matters—in
wisdom and caution concerning those whom Christ repeatedly called
“the synagogue of Satan” and of whom He warned us to
beware.
Footnotes:
1. “Judaism.” Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 396.
2. The accepted English translation of the Talmud throughout much
of the 20 th century has been the Soncino edition, published by
Soncino Press Ltd., London.
3. “Destruction and Desecration of Christian Holy Places and
the Violation of Christian Religious Rights.” The Encyclopedia
of the Palestine Problem. Volume 1, p. 397-412. Intercontinental
Books, New York. 1991. This definitive, two-volume work, edited
by Christian Palestinian lawyer and diplomat Dr. Issa Nakhleh, is
available in most university libraries.
4. From statement by Dr. Israel Shahak, quoted in The Encyclopedia
of the Palestine Problem, Vol. 1, pg. 403.
5. Talmudic passages endorsing murder of both Gentiles and Christians
include Choschen Hamishpat, 425, 5, Iore Dea 158, Hilcoth Akum X1,
X7, Abodah Zarah 26b, and Sanhedrin 58a, b.
6. Abodah Zarah 26b.
7. The Soncino Talmud’s footnote to AZ 16b (pg. 84) says that
“minuth” (plural, “minim”) refers to “heresy
with special reference to Christianity.” “Minim, informers,
and apostates may be cast in [to a pit to die] and need not be brought
up.”
Here is the Talmud’s description of Christ’s gruesome
death, Sanhedrin 106a-106b. The Jewish Encyclopedia in
its article "Balaam," pg 469, says the pseudonym Balaam
"is given to Jesus in Sanh. 106b and Git. 57a."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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America First Books Editor's Note
For those new to the hate bill controversy that is the topic of most of Rev. Pike's work, please link
to the following articles:
Alert to Congress Regarding Hate Bills and the False Flag Attack Threat by America First Books publisher William B. Fox. Two-thirds down the web page please find the essay "The Hate Crime Law Concept: It is all very sinister for at least nine major reasons."
Also, earlier on this same page I comment:
Although Rev Ted Pike is completely independent from Captain May and myself in terms of his political and religious views, the threats we address all stem from the same corrupt power elite. I mention in my concluding remarks below that this elite “would mobilize us into domestic tyranny and foreign wars, while distracting us from economic depression and the groups that brought it about.”
This is the real problem, not the lack of more “hate crime” laws. If anything, we need even more freedom of speech to speak truth to power, sort out our problems, and develop peaceful strategies to handle high level malefactors. This is why we urgently need for members of Congress to not only take a principled stand and stop all hate crime legislative initiatives, but to also roll back all the existing hate crime laws currently on the books.
Hate crime laws actually pose a major national security threat. They condition Americans to feel that certain types of thought are inherently immoral or illegal, even if they do not result in any form of violence or infringement on the rights of others.
In our articles related to false flag attacks, Capt. Eric H. May and I have discussed strong evidence that Mossad-CIA was behind 9-11, the mere "thought" of which would some day be outlawed once hate crime oversight bureaucracies become firmly implanted in America. We can expect government hate crime overwatch entities to experience the usual cancerous growth and abuse of power that libertarian writer and Presidential candidate Harry Browne described in his classic book Why Government Doesn't Work.
Please find out more about the hate crime issue in the Rev Ted Pike archive.
Please discover important alternative religious
and secular viewpoints on
freedom of speech issues
at America First Books:
a) The Rev Ted Pike archive
b) The Religious Crisis page
These web pages address not only conservative Christian and Christian Zionist viewpoints, but also secular, anarcho-libertarian, atheist, pagan/natural religion (particularly Asatru/Odinist),
racial nationalist,
and "miscellaneous other" perspectives.
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