August 29th, 2010. Here’s a report from Joel Rosenberg quoting a major newspaper in Israel: “ISRAELI NEWSPAPER REPORTS 15,000 JEWISH BELIEVERS IN JESUS IN ISRAEL: 350,000 in the U.S.”
Key Info:
- In Israel, there are now some 15,000 Jewish followers of Jesus (known in Hebrew as Yeshua) as the Messiah, and the number is growing.
- In the U.S., there are now some 350,000 Jewish followers of Jesus as the Messiah
The original article is from Yediot Aharonot a respected Israeli newspaper and Ynet News, here’s a link:
The following are some excerpts:
- “Some 15,000 Messianic Jews currently live in Israel, but if you saw one on the street you would almost certainly fail to recognize any difference. They honor Jewish circumcision, bar-mitzvah, and wedding ceremonies, but believe Jesus is the messiah. The small community of Yad Hashmona, near Jerusalem, is home to a number of Messianic-Jewish families. They believe in Jesus – or Yeshua, as they call him – and in the teachings of the New Testament as well as the old. They are Jews in every sense, but for the most part keep this side of their faith to themselves. When these families gather for the Shabbat meal, however, Jesus is the guest star at their table….
- “Around 350,000 Messianic Jews live in the US, and one would be just as hard-pressed to recognize them there as in Israel. Some are Orthodox, and dress as the haredim do, while others are traditional and wear a yarmulke or no religious symbol at all. They are for the most part Zionists, and see IDF service as a top priority. In the army they serve as pilots, commanders, and elite unit members, but usually make sure to keep their messianic beliefs under wraps….
- “Jonathan Bar-David is a 30-year old Messianic Jew. He attended secular Israeli schools, served as a paratrooper in the IDF, and then went on to travel before settling down to study engineering at the Technion in Haifa. But before all this, he was educated on the teachings of Christ in Yad Hashmona. ‘When I was little only my closest friends knew I was a believer,’ he says. ‘But in high school, when I was ready, I revealed it to my entire class’….
- “Lihi Einav is a 52-year old student of Second Temple Literature at Bar-Ilan. Until the age of 35 she was totally uninterested in religion, and busied herself with the healing profession. But then she met a British couple who gave her a copy of the New Testament, and she was immediately captivated by Christ’s powers as a healer. Later she became interested in the Old Testament as well, and her path to Messianic-Judaism became clear….
- “For a community living under the perpetual wrath of the haredim, who for the most part alienate and discriminate against them, Messianic Jews remain inexplicably optimistic. Perhaps it is because they still follow in the footsteps of that Galilee-born Jew who wandered into Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, the one who believed in turning the other cheek.”
Response: These numbers are stunning considering that a generation ago Messianic Jews were hardly even tolerated in Israel. Now a major Israeli news source is presenting the facts without sounding an alarm and without any accompanying concerns.
Actually I am willing to bet the the numbers of Jews who believe in Jesus are even greater than reported here. So many are secret or hidden believers.
Also here in the USA Jewish folks are now converting in greater numbers than ever before in history since the first century. However it is hard to get a number on what is really happening since so many join Christian churches and blend right in with everyone else. The only real numbers to be had are in the Messianic Congregations which are growing and expanding as never before.
An interesting parallel to what I would call a Jewish revival is also happening among the Muslims. Thousands of Muslims are coming to Christ every month around the world. The greatest revival ever experienced among the followers of Islam.