Jews For Judaism

Guest Post by Aliza of Torah Topics

Tonight I attended a lecture by Rabbi Skobac, of Jews for Judaism, a group that opposes the Jews for Jesus organization. They don’t go after those who would seek to convert us, rather, they speak to our people, and help prevent what Jews for Jesus sets out to do, and helps those who have already fallen into the trap.

His words were inspiring, and the knowledge sparked an interest and concern in me. I feel that as Jews, we have a responsibility to help our brothers and sisters just as much as the Evangelical Christians feel they have to the rest of the world. Where they think they need to stop us all from damning ourselves to hell, I feel it is our responsibility to reach out to our fellow Jews and show them how meaningful and amazing our religion is.


What can we do, as a community, to keep our people from turning to other sources of spiritual fulfilment? What is lacking that propels these Jews to the search for deeper meaning elsewhere?

I think the first step is being a more welcoming and inviting community? Not just here in Montreal, but anywhere in the world, Jews need to be more tolerant of each other, despite background or affiliation! Once we see that we are truly one, than there won’t be as much discord and enmity, and people will feel more open to asking questions and receiving answers.

Those who would seek spiritual fulfilment elsewhere would just as easily seek it here in Judaism if they had the resources. This would work if we provided an open atmosphere where people would be willing to learn and others willing to teach. That, my friends, is KIRUV! By bringing Jews closer to their Judaism we are furthering them from other ties! That is amazing, isn’t it?

I told Rabbi Skobac that I felt we should be fighting the Christians who are pulling our brothers and sisters into their trap. He said we should, rather, be fighting the pull, and preventing the temptation instead of fighting the people behind that pull. And the only way we can do that is by being more open, by answering questions, having an atmosphere conducive to learning and seeking truth, and, in essence, doing Kiruv.

So, my main point here is that in order to combat the views of Jews for Jesus, we must not seek to refute everything they say, and attack their beliefs rather we should do what we can as our responsibility to keep our brothers and sisters from even falling into that trap. Kiruv is the answer.

To see my further views on Kiruv, please see this blog post.
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/