Beginning this summer, an evangelical group called "Jews for Jesus" descended upon the Washington area with the intent of convincing Jews to embrace Jesus. With a $22 million budget, this group has placed missionaries outside of popular metro stops as well as at other high-traffic areas, and has even placed a recent full-page ad in The Eagle right here on campus. Its basic message is that the most Jewish thing one can do is embrace Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. It stresses the Jewish origins of Christianity as proof that a true Jew must believe in the omnipotence of Jesus Christ.
The recent ad in The Eagle mentioned the Jewish people, Jews and the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. The AU Jewish Student Association is in no way affiliated with this group. We are offended by its manipulation of the situation in the Middle East, as portrayed by its ad in the Sept. 13 edition of The Eagle.
The tactics utilized by Jews for Jesus are, in the least, misleading, and border on being downright offensive. The recent ad in The Eagle played on one of the most emotionally charged issues of Jews today, that of the Middle East conflict. It insinuated that the way to solve the problems in the region is to abandon Jewish theology and accept Jesus. It is not the belief of the AU Jewish Student Association that by accepting Jesus as our savior, all the problems in the Middle East will magically disappear. It is offensive to imply that the problems in the Middle East are caused by the current theological beliefs of Jews and Muslims in the region.
We are all fortunate enough to attend a university where freedom of religion is given the highest protection. University chaplains are required to sign a contract agreeing not to actively proselytize on campus. Despite this principle, an outside organization placed a full-page ad that was deeply offensive to members of our campus community. The tactics of making light of a serious issue by presenting a simplistic and disconnected solution offends anyone it is trying to reach. No person should condone this kind of proselytizing, especially on a college campus.
The issues with Jews for Jesus do not end with its deceitful methods. No Jewish sects, from the most conservative to the most liberal, recognize Jews for Jesus as a legitimate form of Judaism. Rather, many Jewish authorities see this phenomenon as an oxymoron comparable to something like "kosher pork" or "Catholics for Luther."
We in no way attempt to claim superiority of one faith over another. Nor do we intend to downplay the freedoms of belief and speech that all are afforded. We respect Christianity, as well as all other religions, and the right to preach evangelically to whomever will listen. If an evangelical group aims to bring Jewish converts to a belief in Jesus, it ought to do so in a straightforward manner, not by inviting an interest in Jesus (and more specifically Jews for Jesus) through "Jewish" Rosh Hashana services at a Bible Church in Rockville. As a student organization, we are continually embracing interfaith dialogue, social programming and education. However, we strongly believe that evangelical action ought to be executed only in good faith and should never pervert religious texts or dogma in order to satisfy an agenda.
Signed by the AU Jewish Student Association Executive Board:
Leah Kreimer, Rebecca Brody, Jeremy Rovinsky, Robert Killip, Lindsay Carroll, Ellie Streiffer, Allison Redisch
