Comments on: Yechiel Eckstein’s Mission to the Evangelicals

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 08:50:47 +0000

Thanks for that information, Peter. I couldn’t find the link to the Give website (do you mean “iGive”?). At any rate, Forbes.com lists the good rabbi’s 2004 salary as a cool $381,500! Witnessing to the evangelicals is quite lucrative!

By: peter stark

peter stark — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 06:54:29 +0000

I note on the “Give” website that investigates charities that Rabbi Eckstein takes down $350,000 annually. At $350 per Jew, that would repatriate 1,000 Jews a year.
Now THAT’S charity of the right kind.

Moreover, why on earth does a rabbi earn such high salary?
Does he think he’s an Endodontist?

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 04:24:47 +0000

Yes, they make evangelical pilgramages to Israel. But what do they see? They essentially see the ancient Holy Land. They go to BIblical & New Testament sites, the Kotel, etc. They probably visit some settlements & maybe an IDF base. After that, what do they see? Do they visit any of Israel’s working poor? Do they visit women’s shelters? Do they get any realistic perspective on what life is like for the average Israeli? Do they ever learn anything about Israeli-Palestinian relations or the peace process? Or is the only message they hear that Israel cannot afford to compromise with the Palestinians, God granted the entire Land of Israel to the Children of Israel & returning a millimeter would violate God’s will, etc.?

When you say evangelicals support Israel politically, I reply that is precisely the problem. Within the U.S. the political line they espouse is Tom DeLay’s give no quarter Mideast philosophy which outhawks even the Bush Administration’s policy. Within Israel, they support the hardline settler movement.

When you say that “they” are pro-Palestinian,” here you are confusing mainline Protestant denominations with evangelicals. There are NO evangelicals I’m aware of who are pro-Palestinian or pro-divestment.

Chrisitianity is not a monolith as far as the ME is concerned. But the evangelical movement, I’m afraid is a monolith & this is very dangerous for the prospect for peace in the ME.

By: Avraham

Avraham — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 17:31:48 +0000

Richard Silverstein wrote: “Evangelical support for Israel is of the most uneducated, simplistic variety. They know nothing about Israeli society nor of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Their support is knee jerk & unidimensional. If evangelicals bothered to learn anything about Israel and its environs I’d feel much more comfortable with their support.”

Many of these evangelical church make annual pilgrimages to Israel. It is probably at a higher percentage than the overall US Jewish population. They support Israel and Jews economically AND politically. True, some want to convert us, while others seek to do us physical and/or spiritual harm. Still others are pro-palestinian and are pushing hard for divestment. As Jews are not a monolith, neither are Christians. There are many that truly support Israel for our benefit, not theirs. Let’s face it, we don’t have many friends in the world. What’s wrong with embracing the few that do support us?

By: Larry Caplan

Larry Caplan — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 03:10:49 +0000

Just awhile ago I was channel surfing and caught Pat Boone urging contributions in the amount of 350.00 which will “save one Jew,” bring them to Israel to a new life free from the repressive life they would leave behind from wherever. Then I saw some pathetic couple for whom this so-called, life saving gesture was no longer available, the woman was crying. I was disgusted and enraged at the same time, just wanted to puke. It was obvious I had landed on some Christian channel (Pat Boone, that was a no brainer.) At the bottom of the screen was a constantly displayed web address, wingsofeagles.tv. So with the same morbid curiousity that one might have in witnessing freeway carnage, I checked it out and found the name of this so-called, embarrassment to our faith, rabbi. From there I put in a search for him, and came across this site.
I of course in my life, and still on occasion, have come across the bible thumping Evangelical, who when finding out I was Jewish, practically salivated at the notion that they might bring me “into the fold.” I always joke that should they actually succeed in bringing me over (fat chance,) they think they’ll receive double bonus points, or an “upgrade” on their journey to wherever ot is they think they’re going. While I may joke, and humor is sometimes required in dealing with matters such as these, the overall situation is far from a joke. I’m truly concerned that with the re-election of this guy, due primarily in part to these people, who I saw quoted as saying that his re-election was a “blessing,” (interesting how they co-opt alot of words and phrases to bring a Christian “twist” to it,) that this trend of Evangelicalism will only continue to the degree that their so-called agenda may in time actually succeed. Jewish or not, I make no bones about the fact these people disgust me. As a Jew, I don’t want or need their misguided “love” or “respect.” From THEM, I can do without it entirely!!

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 02:03:31 +0000

Welcome back, Fred to the comments section…do you really feel that what you read of Rabbi Eckstein’s wanderings in evangelical land showed brotherhood & understanding bet. Jews & Christians?? What about Sandy Rios’ anti-Semitism & the pastor’s inability to remember Eckstein’s name and his willingness to absorb Eckstein all too readily into the ranks of the converted? Does that sound like brotherhood and understanding?

There’s no “outfit” involved in this blog. Just your truly. So don’t make me into a corporate megalith or a blog conglomerate.

Evangelical support for Israel is of the most uneducated, simplistic variety. They know nothing about Israeli society nor of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Their support is knee jerk & unidimensional. If evangelicals bothered to learn anything about Israel and its environs I’d feel much more comfortable with their support. As it is, their support does more harm than good as its largely directed toward the settler movement & the Israeli hard right since–in the evangelical view–those are the Israeli views that are closest to the Bible’s.

By: fred lapides

fred lapides — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 21:44:48 +0000

If such “mixing” sand closeness helps bring forth brotherhood and understanding, I am all for it. I note that evangelicals, for whatever reason, seem much more supportice of Israel than does the outfit posting this piece, which seems all to often condemning Israel for this and that but seldom if every addressing Arab terrorism. Yes: terrorisjm.

By: H. Ross

H. Ross — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 19:22:26 +0000

I read the same piece and asked myself if Rabbi Eckstien has been hiding under a rock or suffers from memory problems.

It was Baily Smith, then head of the Southern Baptist Convention who said, “With all due respect to those dear people, my friend, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew.” And it is still the position of the SBC that Jews must become Christians which is why they financially support the Messianic Jewish movement. It has been less than a decade since the resolution passed that said,

“BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 11-13, 1996, reaffirm that we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we recommit ourselves to prayer, especially for the salvation of the Jewish people as well as for the salvation of every kindred and tongue and people and nation (Rev. 5:9); and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we direct our energies and resources toward the proclamation of the gospel to the Jewish people.”

We must remember that an enemy of our enemy (terrorism by anyone) is not necessarily our friend.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 16:08:16 +0000

I just read that some Jews think Christians support Israel because that would bring forth Armageddon. However, the whole new testament is full of references to the jews as God’s chosen people and states the fact that the promises in the old testament (the jewish bible) is true today. We love Israel and the Jews because it says that the one who bless Abrahams children will themself be blessed. We also love the jews because they have contributed immensely to the world. The jews are .3 percent of world population but has received 18.9 percent of the nobel prices. We love the jews for this and many other reasons. By the way, Christians believe in something called the rapture, this is that the Christians will be taken away from earth long time before Armageddon. So why should we then seek Armageddon?

This is just a big ‘misunderstanding.’ Indeed according to our beliefes If we didn’t support Israel Armageddon and end times would be here faster because Israels enemy’s wouldmore easily succeed in gathering forces and strength and attacking the country. Love and faith in the bible is the only reason Christians have of supporting Jews and Israel, nothing else