On December 24 2005, a group of about five hundred Orthodox Jews entered the Messianic congregation in Beer Sheva.  “They were welcomed [and invited] to stay and attend the service,” Howard Bass, the congregational leader later stated in an email report, but before long, “they… started to move around, dance, sing and overturn chairs and tables.”

In Israel, the persecution of Messianic believers in Yeshua (Jesus) is escalating once again.  This past December was a reflection of how far things have come since a similar event eight years ago (November 28, 1998), also in the city of Beer Sheva in the Negev Region.  At that time, Ultra-Orthodox Jews disrupted the service of a Messianic congregation with a crowd of over one thousand protestors.

Let me go into a little history for you.  The practice of disrupting Messianic services bycertain sects of the Orthodox community has been a growing concern for many years.  These events are not limited to one city, but are part of a campaign that is spreading throughout The Land (of Israel).  It has even influenced some branches of the government.  These groups have devised plans that have spread lies about Messianic Jewish believers, including making the statement that believers in Yeshua have kidnapped one hundred and fifty children and baptized them. These statements, and many others of a similar nature, have caused the orthodox to grow in their hatred toward believers.

Incidents of throwing stones, harassment, and damaging private property are becoming more common.  In some cases, people are being fired from their jobs because of reports being given to their bosses, involving unfounded and unsubstantiated accusations. Some believers have even been “tracked” from city to city if they move.  It is now so strong, and so brazen, that even death threats have been made against believers.

The amount of property damage to the people and congregations has been estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars.  The most recent physical damage includes burning a bookstore/chess club in Arad and the destruction of congregational projection equipment, fences and cars in the Beer Sheva confrontation.  And the damage does not stop there.

Again, in the recent entanglement in Beer Sheva, the Orthodox “guests” discovered the Mikveh (baptismal pool) and started to throw objects into it. Bass had previously stated, “He himself was also thrown into the water.” He told this reporter that, “We generally have freedom to worship, and are thankful for that, recognizing that what occurred is not out-of-line with the situation as the last days intensify toward the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah.  We certainly do not invite such actions,” he continued, “but neither can we be overly surprised when they happen, even if we are surprised when it actually takes place.”

One woman encountered strong hatred from Orthodox youths when she tried to enter the Assembly.  She later reported that when they realized she was part of the congregation, they had said to her, “Christians were Nazis and that she deserved a bullet through her head.”  

The above response made this reporter think of a remark recorded after the attack in November of 1998 as described to the "Jerusalem Post" by Natan Aridan, a history professor at Ben-Gurion University.  He commented that it was reminiscent of anti-Semitic attacks in Eastern Europe.  "I witnessed a pogrom," he said, “there can be no other word for it."

The attack and persecution against Messianic believers has been supported by the actions (and inactions) of the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of the region, and his disciples, which are the primary group involved.  They are spurred on by an anti-missionary group called Yad L’Achim.  This organization, in May of 2005, stopped a Christian group from being given an award of excellence by the Government of Israel.  They have been called on by one town council member in Haifa to combat “the growing problem” [of the spread of Messianic believers]. 

The issue is that these groups of anti-missionaries have grown, and are doing their best to stop the salvation of Jewish people in Israel and around the world. They use the internet and other resources throughout the Jewish communities in North America to spread their “anti-Messianic” propaganda. At the same time, they are fighting Messianic and Christian groups directly, by protesting at meetings, gatherings and community events involving believers in Yeshua.

I call on each of you to pray with us for the persecuted, as they face the greatest challenges of modern times; please let us know if there are other individuals for whom we can be praying.  Further, I entreat you to join us, as we resolutely share the Gospel of our Messiah with our Jewish brothers and sisters around the world.  Help us to “stand firm” as we seek to reconnect Jews to Yeshua, one person at a time, including the anti-missionaries and those of the Orthodox community who currently wish to stop Messianic Jewish believers and outreach to the unbelieving Jewish community.