05-02-2008, 05:23 AM
Rabbis Want Boycott of Bible Quiz Due to Messianic Jew Participant
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - A group of rabbis is calling for a boycott of
Israel's International Bible Quiz because one of the finalists is a
Messianic Jew - a Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday. The annual Bible Quiz, held each year on
Independence Day, tests the knowledge of Jewish youth from around the
world. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, one of the rabbis calling for the boycott,
accused Messianic Jews of proselytizing in "very sophisticated ways."
Aviner was quoted as saying that it is forbidden to give "legitimacy" to
Messianic Jews by allowing their participation in the quiz. Bat-El
Levi, an 11th grader from the Jerusalem area, is one of four finalists from
Israel and is a Messianic Jew. Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel
of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, a group that represents
Messianic Jews, wondered why the rabbis should have a problem with a young
woman who can quote the Bible. "It is about time
that they stop having a monopoly over determining who is a Jew," Myers
said.
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - A group of rabbis is calling for a boycott of
Israel's International Bible Quiz because one of the finalists is a
Messianic Jew - a Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday. The annual Bible Quiz, held each year on
Independence Day, tests the knowledge of Jewish youth from around the
world. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, one of the rabbis calling for the boycott,
accused Messianic Jews of proselytizing in "very sophisticated ways."
Aviner was quoted as saying that it is forbidden to give "legitimacy" to
Messianic Jews by allowing their participation in the quiz. Bat-El
Levi, an 11th grader from the Jerusalem area, is one of four finalists from
Israel and is a Messianic Jew. Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel
of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, a group that represents
Messianic Jews, wondered why the rabbis should have a problem with a young
woman who can quote the Bible. "It is about time
that they stop having a monopoly over determining who is a Jew," Myers
said.